Freemasonry, ancient paganism, and the Manitoba Legislative Building

I recently came across a fascinating book published in 2007 by the Winnipeg Free Press titled The Hermetic Code: Unlocking One of Manitoba’s Greatest Secrets. It was written by Carolin Vesely and Buzz Currie and was originally published in the Free Press as a series of articles in November and December of 2006. The book is based on interviews with and research conducted by Frank Albo of the University of Winnipeg, who should really be given credit as a co-author. Mr. Albo is a specialist in ancient religions and western esotericism who discovered that the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg has been heavily influenced by Freemasonry and ancient Egyptian and Greek paganism in its design on both the outside and inside of the building. Mr. Albo says, "There is a famous Masonic maxim: Hidden in plain view." Indeed, the symbolism is plain to see for those who are familiar with Greek paganism or Freemasonry, but will likely pass unnoticed by most others. The Premier of Manitoba (Sir Rodmond Roblin); the architect (Frank Worthington Simon); and the contractor (Thomas Kelly) were all known to be Freemasons or were familiar with Masonic symbolism. Mr. Albo joined the Freemasons several years ago, so he doesn’t approach the subject from an anti-Masonic viewpoint.

Mr. Albo mentions that Mr. Simon, the building’s architect, would likely have known about, and perhaps sought out membership in, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which was founded in London by three Freemasons in 1888, and which opened a temple in Mr. Simon’s home town of Edinburgh in 1893. According to Mr. Albo, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn believed their rituals to be handed down from Hermes Trismegistus:

"He’s a fusion of the Greek god--your [FTD] florist trademark--and the Egyptian god Thoth.
"Some believe Hermes Trismegistus was not a mythical deity, but a real human...He was a master architect of temple building, and in Masonic lore, he is revered for the discovery of all human knowledge. His philosophy became known as Hermeticism and he became the patron of occultism throughout the history of the western world...He’s the father of alchemy, but not the mere changing of base metal into gold...His famous dictum is ‘As above, so below.’ To some Hermeticists, true alchemy meant elevating the base human soul to godlike wisdom." (p. 95)

According to Mr. Albo, the famous statue known as the Golden Boy that stands on top of the building is actually a statue of Hermes Trismegistus:

"What’s the Hermetic principle again?" I [Carolin Vesely] asked. "As above, so below?"
"That’s right, Frank said. "What appears on the earthly plane mirrors the greater truth in the spiritual plane. Transmuting the base elements into gold is the lower manifestation. Hermes Trismegistus aims to teach the greater alchemy--the means by which men transform themselves to the perfection of gods, as he did.
"As I said, Gardet, the sculptor, and Simon never called him the Golden Boy. They gave a broad hint of his true identity though, when they named him ‘Eternal Youth’--immortality, in other words." (p. 117)

"As above, so below." Where have we seen that before? In that perverted paraphrase, The Message, of course (bold added):

Set the world right; Do what's best— as above, so below. Matthew 6:10

For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. Colossians 1:16

In addition to the highlighted phrases, the perceptive reader will notice that "Thy kingdom come" has been changed to "set the world right," demoting God from Lord to social reformer. The passages cited above appear in the King James Version as:

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Colossians 1:16

Here's a segment on Mr. Albo's research that appeared as a news item on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation under the title Manitoba's Secret Code:


For a more detailed examination of Mr. Albo's research, a seven-part series is available on YouTube. For reasons of space, I prefer to post the links to the video clips rather than the embed codes: Manitoba Legislative--Esoteric Symbolism Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7.

Moon Song - Pool of the Blackstar is the title of a YouTube clip of a pagan celebration that took place inside the Manitoba Legislative Building. According to the clip's explanatory note:

On the night of August 17th, 2007, a meeting of freemasons and elders met at the Manitoba Legislature for a ceremony of peace on the night of the Venus inferior conjunction of the sun. Lyna Hart, a Cree elder sang the Moon Song to honour the return of the sacred feminine in all of our lives.