Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code: The Rosicrucian, Masonic, and Esoteric Transmission in the Arts

by Ernesto Frers, Ariel Godwin (Translator)

In Secret Societies and the Hermetic Code, Ernesto Frers presents a virtual museum of artistic works that contain occult secrets. The scope of his research ranges from the paintings of Byzantine icons to Salvador Dali, from mystery sites such as the Pyramids to the architecture of Andrea Palladio's Villa Cornaro. He also discusses the hermetic influence on music evidenced in the works of Mozart through to the modern era of rock and roll.

Frers explains that all cultures encode in their architecture, art, and music the instructions and diagram of their esoteric ritual and faith. He shows how during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Church's severe censure of anything antithetical to its dogma forced artists to conceal mystical references within the religious images or scenes they depicted. By examining works that have not received such scrutiny before, including those of Titian, di Cosimo, Botticelli, and Rembrandt, Frers brings to light the symbols and cryptic messages hidden in these masterworks. He presents his evidence using more than 100 color and black-and-white images to reveal the mysteries contained in these works of art. He also extends his investigation to the occult leanings of modern-day musicians such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zepplin.[sic]

Genres: Occult

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Ernesto Frers specializes in medieval history and has investigated enigmatic and occult subjects for many years. He has published widely in his field and is the author in English of The Templar Pirates. He lives in Spain.

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far I'm finding this frustratingly sketchy and, despite the author's allegedly academic background, unscholarly. Questionable assertions frequently are made without any attribution, and very little background is given on the meaning or history of any of the supposed gnostic symbolism, or what the titular "Hermetic Code" is. "Scholars have identified more than fifty principle themes in The Garden of Earthly Delights...." Well, thanks for naming neither the themes nor the scholars; that's very helpful indeed. The brief chapter on Da Vinci is hardly even worthy of Dan Brown, whose readership is more clearly the target audience than any true adept or student of the mysteries.

Some of the speculations are just outright wrong. For example, in the chapter on Rembrandt's Belshazzar's Feast, Frers writes: "the Book of Daniel... must have been the work of many authors, considering the dubious existence of a patriarch with this name." What's dubious about דניאל as a Hebrew name? And even allowing for that, how does this lead to a conclusion about authorship, singular or multiple?

A more minor quibble: the color plate references in the Painting section are wrong more often than right, though usually decipherable, and hey, at least they included many color plates, which are essential in a work of this nature. In a few cases, though, the way the plates are inserted obscures much of the point to including them—often the most interesting detail winds up buried in the binding as a picture spans pages.

Bottom line: I cannot recommend it, even for the conspiracists for whom it is intended. I am only glad I got it on clearance, and that it includes some pretty pictures of possibly esoteric art, for which it gets a one-star bump.

[Matthew Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. I thought it could have gone a little deeper into the Rosicrucian, Masonic, and Esoteric schools, and also in its analysis of the transmission of hermetic codes in particular pieces of art, but overall a fascinating read.

[Mitchell26 McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moderate introduction to hermetic works of art, but after the first example it did not possess the depth I had hoped for.

[Joshua Friesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acts as a very good introduction to Rosicrucian, hermitic, masonic arts and symbolism. But a detailed analysis it is not.