The Masonic Myth

Freemasons have been allegedly connected to the all-seeing eye on the dollar bill, the French Revolution, the Knights Templar, and the pyramids of Egypt. They have been rumored to be everything from a cabal of elite power brokers ruling the world to a covert network of occultists and pagans intent on creating a new world order, to a millennia-old brotherhood perpetuating ancient wisdom through esoteric teachings. Their symbols, rituals, and power structures have remained shrouded in mystery for centuries and have spawned theory after theory. The Masonic Myth sets the record straight about the Freemasons, revealing that the truth is far more compelling than all the myths combined.

Praise for The Masonic Myth:

"The Masonic Myth is a book which has the excitement of a thriller with the benefit of being factual. This is real-life (as opposed to "reality") Freemasonry. And it's a great story!" — JIM TRESNER, 33°, Grand Cross, book review editor, The Scottish Rite Journal

"There has been a definite surge of curiosity and interest in Freemasonry, and, along with it, a profusion of ideas as to its purpose and motives. Jay Kinney, a well known writer and researcher in esoteric traditions and a Freemason, is an author the reader can trust to deliver a balanced perspective on things which often seem hidden." — ROBERT G. DAVIS, 33°, Grand Cross

"The Masonic Myth is a fine and succinct overview of Freemasonry. It provides an excellent outline of the subject, based on thorough scholarship, but is far more than a mere historical survey. The book is Mr. Kinney's personal investigation of Masonry within the context of the Western esoteric tradition, an area in which he is expert, and guides the reader in an exploration of the meaning of Masonry and its symbolism and mythology while avoiding the pitfalls of historical error and facile recourse to esotericism. " — J. PATRICK DEVENEY, author of Paschal Beverly Randolph: a Nineteenth-Centuiry Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician

"This should be the first book anyone reads about Freemasonry. Even those who know a lot about it will benefit from the broad and generous perspective that the founder of Gnosis Magazine brings to it. " — JOSCELYN GODWIN, Colgate University. Author of The Theosophical Enlightenment and The Golden Thread

The author:

JAY KINNEY is co-author of Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions. For fifteen years, he was publisher and editor-in-chief of Gnosis Magazine, the premiere journal covering esoteric traditions and spiritual paths. Jay Kinney is a member of Mill Valley Lodge #356 and Mission Lodge #169, F&AM, in California, a member of the York Rite, and a 33° in the Scottish Rite. He has twice been a speaker at the California Masonic Symposium and is a recipient of the Albert G. Mackey Award for Excellence in Masonic Research. He has extensive contacts within Freemasonry and, as Librarian and Director of Research for the San Francisco Scottish Rite, has had access to many resources and Masonic records that have eluded most popular writers on this topic.