Peering behind the Temple Doors

Whilst watching a fascinating Beatles documentary this Saturday, (Sgt. Pepper's Musical Revolution: BBC2, 03/06/17) I was treated to perhaps the clearest image yet of our old friend from the RAOB, or Legionnaire from the order of the Buffaloes to give him his correct Sgt. Pepper title.

1197 - the number of the beast?

The image appears to be from a behind-the-scenes look at the Sgt. Pepper photo shoot - but is not an image I have seen before.

Traditionally we are used to seeing this mysterious dude popping up from behind the (Shirley) Temple (Diana) Do(o)rs. 

His appearance is somewhat of a mystery and may be a tribute to John Lennon's Uncle Charlie who was apparently a member.

However, the mystery man may also be displaying a masonic apron and the latest picture reveals that his fez displays the number 1197. I am not aware of an RAOB Lodge No: 1197, but there is a Masonic Lodge, Nyanza Lodge No 1197, based in Somerset. Could this be relevant?

Alternatively, the mirrored drum-skin bears the legend 1 ONE IX HE DIE (1 1 9 He Die) clue. Could this be connected?

Ultimately, I know not what this all means. But, I saw it, grabbed a screenshot of it, and now I hope someone may be able to provide a coherent answer.

Issy a freemason?

In my book ‘The Sgt. Pepper Code’ (I have produced a revised version for the Sgt Pepper 50th anniversary that will be available shortly) I talk about the vast number of freemasons that appear on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band;

There are, as already stated, eleven (known) Freemasons on the cover. Other than the aforementioned H.G. Wells, Karl Marx and Aleister Crowley we can add; W. C. Fields, Sir Robert Peel, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Tom Mix, Oscar Wilde, T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) and Aldous Huxley.

Well, I am glad I bracketed the word known for another Pepper mason has popped up out of the ether, and this was one is a beauty!

Issy Bonn, the guy whose hand we see popping up behind McCartney’s head, was a member of the Chelsea Lodge #3098.

In The Sgt. Pepper Code I proffered that far from this being a symbol of death it was, in fact, an example of the hand of the mysteries or the Master Mason’s hand. Here is the quote;

Issy Bonn was a noted British radio and music hall star of the 1940s and 1950s and was perhaps best known for singing “My Yiddish Mama”. As such the band may well have known him; however, I believe he was included because of the position of his waving hand directly above Paul McCartney’s head.

This following tale has been widely touted by the ‘Paul is Dead’ believers as being another clue. They claim that the hand is an illustration of some sort of death symbol. Indeed, there are other examples post Sgt. Pepper and into ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ of photographs or cartoons where a hand is placed above McCartney’s head. It would appear that this is designed to display some significance however; I would dispute the claim that it is a symbol of death.
I believe it to be the hand of the mysteries; the Master Masons hand. The hand of the philosopher that is extended to those who enter into the mysteries. The hand represents an invitation to join an elite group, those who were said to guard the secret wisdom of all the ages.

Besides its alchemical and Qabbalistic meanings, the figure symbolizes the hand of a Master Mason with which he "raises" the martyred Builder of the Divine House. So in the case of Sgt. Pepper, Issy Bonn – a Hebrew comedian – is representing the Master Mason and Paul McCartney is Hiram Abiff, the mythical builder of Solomon’s Temple, being raised from the dead.

It appears I may have to review that piece of speculation as a new possibility now occurs.

Given the plethora of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass clues that permeate from the Pepper cover, perhaps Bonn’s upraised palm is indicative of the Dead Man’s Hand, the supposed hand of cards that Wild Bill Hickok was in possession of at the time of his death? The, rumoured, unturned card was the Queen of Hearts which would serve as yet another link back to Alice in Wonderland.

So, what is Chelsea Lodge #3098? It appears to be a lodge designed specifically for actors, musicians and entertainers. And, one wonders, impersonators? Which is interesting, do you not think?

Now I am not saying that McCartney, or any of The Beatles, was a lodge member but it does add yet more weight to the deluge of evidence of Masonic influence on Pepper (Please read the book for said examples).

Particularly in light of the inclusion of the mysterious Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB) character. An organisation, lest we forget, that included John’s uncle Charlie as a member and that was also aimed at those employed in theatrical endeavours.

RAOB - The power behind the Temple Doors

One ex-member of the Chelsea lodge did have some contact with The Beatles, or so it seems, and claims to have been acting as a musical advisor under Dick James, though I have never heard of him.

But that a fellow lodge member of Issy Bonn’s was Peter Sellers is intriguing, particularly in light of his starring role in the film The Magic Christian alongside Ringo Starr. Sellers also starred in Kubrick’s Lolita (which reportedly alludes to paedophile networks) and Dr. Strangelove, from which some of the flying scenes were used in Magical Mystery Tour. Not to mention the Kubrick association with Timothy Carey and The Killing.

Sellers’ association with the lodge seems to largely have been a career move designed to create contacts that would then generate roles. Indeed, it would appear he only attended three lodge meetings, despite his father also being a member of the same lodge, and this earned him the title of ‘bad mason’.

The physical location of this lodge is also intriguing to me. Chelsea, in London, is part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and can be found to the west of the city. It is the borough in which Tara Browne blew his brains out, Michael X launched his vision of British black power and was the location for the film Performance; it was also where Rachmanism became rampant and was where MI5 housed a brothel and an entire road of spies! It was home to David Litvinoff and the Pheasantary crowd, Alma Cogan and Esmeralda’s Barn and Dandie fashions. It was also where Kevin MacDonald fell (or was pushed) from a window ledge to his death.

Let us examine once again the front cover of Sgt. Pepper;

I have included an image from ‘The Sgt. Pepper Code’ that transposes a compass over the cover and reveals that two of the covers 33° freemasons (Karl Marx and H.G. Wells) are located at exactly 33°. The cover also has three (Shirley) Temples. Two to the east of the photo and one to the west which is obscured by the waxwork Beatles.

It would be too much to suggest that the hidden temple of the west is an allusion to the Chelsea Lodge, however, if the two temples to the east are references to Solomon’s Temple then it could be implied that the inclusion of the third, hidden, temple refers to some hidden knowledge currently being stored in the west.

We should not forget that Sophia Loren is another of the hidden cast of the Pepperati and that Sophia in Hebrew means wisdom; hidden wisdom in this case.
 

Interestingly, Proverbs 3:18 states that ‘Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly’.

Is there perhaps, some tree of life symbolism connected to Sgt. Pepper? Is the mason Issy Bonn’s palm a symbolic suggestion of the tree of life?

It is unclear, however, wisdom denotes the tree of life and the forbidden fruit of the tree of life is, of course, an apple. Now the study of scripture has never been my thing, what with being a dirty heathen an all, so, when in doubt quote somebody else;

The fruit of the Tree of Life in Eden was actually the very means by which man would receive eternal life. The wisdom of God provides that very eternal life, for the writer of Proverbs says that length of days is in the hand of wisdom. Picture this as a tree with her fruit. Like the fruit at the tips of the Tree of Life's branches offering eternal life to humanity, wisdom extends its hand, holding length of days for man to partake of. We see that Wisdom is indeed likened to a Tree of Life! The fruit on the Tree of Life correspond to the length of days in the HAND of Wisdom.

Praise God for the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the RIGHT HAND of God. 

Now note that is not the right hand of God above Paul but Issy Bonn’s. Could the Son of the Magickian be issuing an invitation to join an elite group, those who were said to guard the secret wisdom of all the ages?

Could Sgt. Pepper be an initiation? 

Aleister Crowley and the RAOB

One of the long-standing mysteries arising from the cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band LP is the inclusion of the enigmatic Legionnaire from the Order of the Buffalos, or the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB) character.

I have postulated that the character may have been included as a nod to John Lennon’s Uncle Charlie who was a member of Liverpool Dingle Lodge 4303 of the RAOB, however, a comment on my YouTube channel states that there is no such title as Legionnaire from the Order of the Buffalos in the RAOB.

I contacted the RAOB and asked if they were aware of the connection and could they shed any light on why it may have been included? They did reply, but claimed it was merely a reference to the Loyal Order of Water Buffalos that appeared in the cartoon series ’The Flintstones’.

The character is, I believe, a Masonic clue. In this photo we are not hampered by the inclusion of Diana Dors and we can see what appears to be an apron, presumably Masonic, and possibly a key in his hand?

 

Alternately Iamaphoney has speculated, in his Rotten Apple series, that the character may represent an Aleister Crowley double, or doppelganger, which, whilst possible, could also be disinformation. 

However, the character is wearing a fez and this recently led me to consider if this may be a reference to a Crowley poem that appears in his ‘Winged Beetle’ book entitled ‘The Jew of Fez’.

The poem essentially refers to someone born into the Jewish faith but who adopts different religious beliefs before, finally, reverting back to his original beliefs.

The poem is interesting because it is dedicated to Winston Churchill, who at the time of the poems publication was serving in government as Home Secretary, and is believed to refer to Churchill’s decision to swap political allegiances and ‘cross the floor’. Churchill moved from the Conservative to the Liberal party. The poem also seems to further predict Churchill’s later return to the ranks of the Tories. 

The dedication is curious in that, on the surface at least, there is little to connect the two men apart from some mutual friends. Perhaps of greater note, though not surprise, however, is that both Crowley and Churchill were prominent Freemasons. Churchill indeed following in the very shadowy footsteps of his father, Randolph Spencer Churchill.

Churchill would expand his secret society credentials by also joining the Ancient and Archaeological Order of Druids whilst Crowley would traverse from Golden Dawn through to A:.A:. (Argenteum Astrum or Silver Star or even, Atlantean Adepts) to the OTO.

Crowley parodying Churchill

Could it be that the poem was a warning to Churchill that he had nailed his colours to the wrong mast with the Druids and that this was a subtle attempt by Crowley to lure Churchill towards the A:.A:.? 

Were the Beatles aware of this and did they include the ‘legionnaire’ as an obscure clue to those ‘in the know’ to remain in the OTO?

Certainly, Iamaphoney repeatedly uses the 'Winged Beetle' book in reference to Paul McCartney (the Winged Beatle) and Aleister Crowley. Is he asking us to pay more attention to the 'double'? 

RAOB, Queen B and the Beatles

RAOB stands for the Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffaloes and is a masonic type organisation originally created for stage hands and other theatrical types. John Lennon’s uncle Charlie was a long-time member and, it would appear, Beyonce is now supporting the movement.

 Click here for larger image

As can be seen she is proudly wearing the organisations crest and displaying its motto, Justice, Truth and Philanthropy on her Roll of Honour sash in the promotional video for her upcoming tour. The Beatles also paid tribute to this obscure outfit with the inclusion on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band LP cover of the ‘Legionnaire of the Order of the Buffaloes’ character who lurks behind the ‘Temple-Dors’.

RAOB medal

So, what is it about this shadowy organisation that appears so appealing to pop royalty? Well, the Beatles have long been fond of furnishing us with masonic symbolism – the Pepper cover could well signify a masonic initiation ceremony – and Beyonce and her husband, Jay Z, are fond of using Illuminati style symbolism in their videos, so, perhaps they are letting us, and their enlightened brethren, know that they have been illuminated?

It is perhaps telling that Beyonce is dressed up, in a coronation style scenario, as a Queen. Queen Elizabeth I possibly? The good Queen Bess was another character that was depicted on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s – though her image was obscured by George Harrison in the finished piece but can be seen in some of the out-takes– though the representation chosen was that of Bette Davis portraying the Queen from the movie ‘The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex’. An actor in costume playing a role, just as Beyonce is in the video and just as a masonic candidate is when initiated into the craft.

That the Queen was hidden on the album cover was no accident, it is a symbolic representation of hidden knowledge. Hidden knowledge of the type possessed by Queen Elizabeth I’s trusted lieutenant – and possibly also her son – Sir Francis Bacon: the true author of the works of Shakespeare, the editor of the King James Bible, the arch exponent of hidden coded messages and the archetypal Rosicruician, the father of the Illuminati.

This assertion can be backed up by the use of the word Antediluvian in the Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffaloes. The Antediluvian period – meaning "before the deluge" – is the period referred to in the Bible between the Creation of the Earth and the Deluge (flood) in the biblical cosmology. The Legionnaire character is a nod to the author Ignatius L Donnelly. In 1882, Donnelly published ‘Atlantis: The Antediluvian World’, his best known work. It details theories concerning the mythical lost continent of Atlantis. Donnelly suggested that Atlantis had been destroyed during the same event remembered in the Bible as the Great Flood.

Donnelly was also a great believer in the theory that Sir Francis Bacon was the true author of the works of Shakespeare and in 1888 he published ‘The Great Cryptogram’ in support of this belief. Bacon’s most famous work, in his own name, was his tome ‘New Atlantis’ and it is a vision of a Rosicrucian paradise. A paradise very similar to the one portrayed in the Beatles film ‘Yellow Submarine’ in the domain of Pepperland, found, as I am sure you will recall, 80,000 leagues under the sea.

The twentieth century’s greatest proponent of this sort of hidden knowledge was, of course, Aleister Crowley. Crowley also appears on the Sgt. Pepper sleeve and may well appear twice. His second incarnation? Disguised as the ‘Legionnaire of the Order of the Buffaloes’ of course.

Beyonce knows this, Jay Z knows this and the Beatles know this – now we do too!

For more information please read The Sgt. Pepper Code.