ANSWERS: 3
  • Reed C. Durham, "Is There No Help for a Widow's Son?" "Now, I should like to initiate all of you into what is perhaps the strangest, the most mysterious, occult-like, esoteric, and yet Masonically oriented practice ever adopted by Joseph Smith. This may also be another fine example of our earlier explained principle of "grabbing on." All available evidence suggests that Joseph Smith the Prophet possessed a magical Masonic medallion, or talisman, which he worked during his lifetime and which was evidently on his person when he was martyred. His talisman is in the shape of a silver dollar and is probably made of silver or tin. It is exactly one and nine-sixteenths inches in diameter, and weighs slightly less than one-half ounce. After months of research, the talisman, presently existing in Utah, (in the Wilford Wood Collection, D. C. M.) was originally purchased from the Emma Smith Bidamon family, fully notarized by that family to be authentic and to have belonged to Joseph Smith, can now be identified as a Jupiter talisman. It carries the sign and image of Jupiter and should more appropriately be referred to as the Table of Jupiter. And in some very real and quite mysterious sense, this particular Table of Jupiter was the most appropriate talisman for Joseph Smith to possess. Indeed, it seemed meant for him, because on all levels of interpretation: planetary, mythological, numerological, astrological, mystical cabalism, and talismatic magic, the Prophet was, in every case appropriately described.... The characters on the talisman are primarily in Hebrew, but there is one inscription in Latin. Every letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical equivalent and those numerical equivalents make up a magic square. By adding the numbers in this Jupiter Table in any direction (each row, column, or diagonal. M. B. H.), the total will be the same. In this case, on the Jupiter Table, 34.... The total of the numbers will be 136, which number you will see on the talisman. The symbol for Jupiter (closely resembling the usual script, or hand-written, numeral 4. M. B. H.) is also found on both sides of the talisman, which by the way, is the same symbol for metal tin. (E. A. Wallis Budge, in his Amulets and Superstitions, p. 394, speaking of the "Magical Square of Tin," states: "Whether these sixteen figures are added up vertically, horizontally or diagonally the total is 34, or in Hebrew letters D (dalet) equals 4 and L (lamed) equals 30. These letters form a part of the Hebrew word for tin. The total of the four columns (or rows) of figures is 136, which 15 the number of the Spirit and of the Demon of the planet. When cut upon coral this square protected the wearer from sorcery." M. B. H.) Each letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a specific and, in some cases, a mystical and esoteric meaning. The total of those meanings, as well as the connection and importance of Jupiter, is extremely and mysteriously significant in relationship with Joseph Smith. Maybe we could show that right now. Can we have the first one? There is the one side of the talisman belonging to the Prophet Joseph Smith. You can see the Hebrew characters and you can see the square. There will be 16 Hebrew letters, and each of those letters represents a number. And, I'll show another slide in a minute showing you the numbers and each of those numbers (columns rows or diagonals. M. B. H.) total up to 34, in any way you would add them. Now you see on the margins, at the bottom is the Jupiter sign, and then on the side over to the right is a Hebrew word which means "Abbah," which means Father. At the top you will see another Hebrew word which means "El Ob"--which means God the Father, or Father is God--and over on the side in the margin you will see the name in Hebrew meaning "Josiphiel," which means Jehovah is spokesman for God, of Jehovah is the mouth; on this side. Now, let's show the other side of the talisman and you will see the Latin phrase, "Cantermo odeus potentisimus" (not at all correctly written). It's lousy Latin, but probably means, perhaps, "Confirm, O God, who is all powerful; or, Almighty God confirm me, or uphold me, or support me." It is not accurately grammatical, but that is the term on the medallion or talisman. The cross at the top represents the spirit of Jupiter, and you will see the path of Jupiter in the orbit of the heavens, and then again the Jupiter sign. I wasn't able to find what this was, for--as I said--two months; and finally, in a magic book printed in England in 1801, published in America in 1804, and I traced it to Manchester, and to New York. It was a magic book by Francis Barrett and, lo and behold, how thrilled I was when I saw in his list of magic seals the very talisman which Joseph Smith had in his possession at the time of his martyrdom. You will see now the numbers, rather than the Hebrew letters, in the magic square, and you will also see the three Hebrew names of deities, or intelligences, that belong to this particular talisman. You will see the square again and also the seal of Jupiter; the same back side (reverse) of the very one that Joseph Smith had, with exactly the same break in the orbit of Jupiter planet, and then again the Hebrew letters and, finally, the Spirit of Jupiter. (Turn that off now) Jupiter, according to the Hebrews, is the morning star rising in the east, and is called in that language Sadoc (or Zadoc), which means righteous one. Now the star in the east is one of the very definite Masonic emblems, and is used regularly in most Masonic ceremonies to symbolize the ever approaching dawn of perfection and restored Masonic light. To the Egyptians, Jupiter was known as Ammon, but to the Greeks he was Zeus; the ancient Sky Father of the Gods. According to the Greeks, Jupiter was seen as not only the great protecting deity of the race, but also the one, and--perhaps--the only one whose worship embodies a distant moral conception. He is specifically concerned with oaths, treaties, and leagues, and it was in the presence of his priest that the most ancient and sacred form of marriage took place; that is , marriage for time and eternity. In numerology, Jupiter's concern with the fortunes of life , the planet is regarded as the kindly, benevolent planet, and the adjective "jovial" indeed comes from, is derived from, the word "Jove," for Jupiter. And I quote: "The gifts that Jupiter brings are those of reason, understanding of humanity, plus the ability to see things in a broad outline. It is regarded as the planet that brings expansion in many different forms. It weaves into the lives of some persons skeins of generous impulse, ranging from generosity with material things to sympathy in spiritual matters. He also controls expansion in all forms; most of the philanthropists of the world are strongly Jupiter--oriented and in the professions, those held under its influence are legislators, bankers, lawyers, etc." In astrology, Jupiter is always associated with high positions, getting one's own way, and all forms of status. And I quote: "Typically, a person born under Jupiter will have the dignity of a natural ruler. He knows what is due him and expects to receive respect accordingly. He will probably have an impressive manner and, in consequence, is likely to be elected to official positions in clubs and other organizations. In physical appearance, the highly developed Jupiterian is strong, personable, and often handsome. Jupiterians are often tall, or rugged of physique. In every case, the Jupiterian influence produces a cheerful, winning personality, capable of great development." Astrology also declares that every year is governed by one of the planets. And, therefore, the planet directs the affairs of men for good or ill during that year. Joseph Smith's planet was Jupiter; and two significant years governed by Jupiter were 1805 and 1844. The day of the week governed by Jupiter was Thursday. And I don't know--perhaps just coincidence--the fast meetings in the Church were on Thursdays for 60 years, as well as all the regular Mormon Masonic meetings on the first and third Thursdays, (Nauvoo Lodge, that is. M. B. H.), as well as the day of the Prophet Joseph Smith's martyrdom, on Thursday, and so many other special events in Church history. So closely is magic bound up with the stars and astrology that the term astrologer and magician were in ancient times almost synonymous. The purpose of the Table of Jupiter in talismanic magic was to be able to call upon the celestial intelligences, assigned to the particular talisman, to assist one in all endeavors. The names of the deities which we gave you, who could be invoked by the Table were always written on the talisman or represented by various numbers. Three such names were written on Joseph Smith's talisman: Abbah, Father; El Ob, Father is God or God the Father; and Josiphiel, Jehovah speaks for God, the intelligence of Jupiter. When properly invoked, with Jupiter being very powerful and ruling in the heavens, these intelligences--by the power of ancient magic--guaranteed to the possessor of this talisman the gain of riches, and favors, and power, and love, and peace; and to confirm honors, and dignities, and councils. Talismatic magic further declared that any one who worked skillfully with this Jupiter Table would obtain the power of stimulating anyone to offer his love to the possessor of the talisman, whether from a friend, brother, relative, or even any female. Whether or not Joseph Smith was first introduced to this kind of magic through Masonry is not known at present. Where he obtained his personal talisman is also not known. But the tradition, which came out of the Emma Smith Bidamon family, attributed the talisman as being Joseph's Masonic jewel. The relationship with Masonry is possible because "Masonry did contain elements of magic, including this magic Table of Jupiter.""
  • This is a response to a comment found beneath, the substance of which is such: " jlmancil I am not a Mason nor a practioner of the occult, hence my evaluation that Joseph Smith's practices of such to be scary. I was once a Mormon and I was invited by a neighbor to join him at the Masonic Lodge of our community. I asked my bishop about it his eyes got big and he instructed me to stay away from it. If there is nothing wrong with masonry then what was the harm? However, if there is something wrong with it then how do you reconcile your belief that it was okay for Joseph to practice such?" I intend to direct my response to the two subjects touched upon in this statement. The first being the response and counsel of the bishop, the second being Joseph Smith and his relationship with the fraternity. Based solely on your response, I am under the impression that this bishop might not be completely instructed on handling requests for counsel on this subject. It is a complicated subject, and requires exhaustive research, just like any thing else that is worthwile. Some anti-masons believe that masonry teaches you to worship a fictional character known as Baphomet. While in the Marines, I came across an evangelical tract explaining this view. They determined that because the Order of the Eastern Star (O.E.S., a female masonic order), as well as masonry itself, uses the five pointed star, they must be Satanists. To conclude such a thing is to show ignorance to the origins of this symbol. I will not exhaust an explanation of this symbol here, truth can be found if you really want it. What is Baphomet? Google that word and you can find a picture. It is scary looking. It is designed to be scary looking. It is propaganda. It dates back to the Knights Templar, a chivalaric order of Knights who gained much wealth and power through their work during the crusades. The Vatican and several kings, more especially the King of France, were weary of their power. On October 13th, a Friday, the Knights Templar were accused of heresy, blasphemy, homo-sexuality and other heinous crimes, to include the worship of this Baphomet character. Through torture, their admissions were forced, and their death penalties secured. This superstition of a secret order that worships Baphomet is still around. If not Baphomet, anti-masons will also claim, by quoting a book Morals and Dogma, that wasn't even written for Free and Accepted Masons, but for the Scottish Rite, that masons worship Lucifer. I would like to examine that word, Lucifer. According to behindthename.com, Lucifer is derived from Latin. Lux "light" and ferre "to bring". "This name originally referred to the morning star, Venus". So Lucifer then means Light Bearer or, Bringer of Light. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the light of the world, NOT the adversary! It is my belief that anyone who refers to the adversary with this name is being blasphemous, giving him the attributes of the true Light of the World. To worship Lucifer is to be a ?pagan?, and to worship Venus, not a satanist who worships the devil. Morals and Dogma is one man's view of the Scottish Rite, and his views are disagreed with. Albert Pike might be a pagan, but I'm a Christian. We both have our rights, as men, to worship as we please. Masonry makes no requirement on which supreme being you worship, but that you worship a supreme being. That is also a requirement for repeating the Pledge of Allegiance, or taking an oath for public office, or joining the military, with the line "so help me God". Doesn't say which God, now does it? Being that he is a bishop, he might think that masonry would conflict with temple covenants. I haven't made those temple covenants, so I do not know. I do know of prominent Masons who have before or currently now attend the temple and do not believe this to be true. They being good men, for now all I can do is trust their judgement. I believe that Church leaders can recieve inspiration for the Church. Based on your comment, the bishop did not take the time to ask the Lord about what He considered appropriate, so how could it be inspired counsel? All Church leaders are imperfect men, and none claim to be omnipotent. Joseph Smith taught to "teach correct principles, and let them govern themselves". It is up to you my brother, to inquire of the Lord, who "giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not" to receive true counsel. There is but one Judge, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows what is best for you. So what IS wrong with masonry? After an exhaustive study, wieghing heavily all sides of the argument, I must admit that I don't know what the fuss is all about. So a bunch of old guys get together to meet as equals regardless of religious creed or social status to work charity and to seek wisdom through rituals that are beautifully veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols, and they do it in secret so that they can enjoy privacy from the evil influences of the world, SO WHAT. The conspirasies and superstitions make about as much sense as thinking that the boy scouts (founded by a mason), or the NFL, or any other organization that doesn't adopt exactly your same principles or beliefs, are bent on world control and influenced by the devil. Paranoia much? As for Joseph Smith and why he joined, there is tons of speculation, but only he knows. And frankly, I don't think it's any of my business to judge someone as an individual for what they believe or how they do it. What I do know is why I joined. Masonry teaches me to be a better man. There are many organizations, fraternities, clubs, religions and doctors who can do that same thing. But I can share masonry with my great-Grandfather, my role models: Joseph Smith, George Washington, John Wayne, Heber C. Kimball, Parley P. Pratt, Benjamin Franklin, the founders of the Marine Corps, and millions of other men who are the movers and shakers of their time. The world today is so prone to think that simply because I do not agree with you, one of us HAS TO BE EVIL! What if nobody is right? No one is perfect except for the Lord Jesus Christ. However you return to Him is your business, and I pray that you may find your own strait and narrow path, and through obedience to that light of Christ that is inherit in all mankind, you stay on it. I bear testimony that He is indeed the Savior, the Light of the World, the very Son of a living God! I know that He lives. May God bless you in your righteous endevours, whatever they may be. In His holy and sacred name, Amen.
  • brigham youg said he thinks astrology is true according to wilford woodruff's journal, june 28 1857. also young wrote in the jounal joseph even tried to establish the institution of astrology in the church... i believe joseph was right 100%.

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