The Phoenician Code

by Karim El Koussa

  “Throughout history,” Dr. Najem began consistently, “Many religious sects and secret societies, whether in the East or the West, adopted the Kabala in their ceremonies of Initiation, certainly under the influence of the Chaldean, or its later version—the Hebrew Kabala. However, very few underwent the Initiation into the secrets of the authentic Kabala of Phoenicia and Egypt.”

  “Our Order is one of the very few that still hold on to the secrets of that authentic Tradition,” he attested. “To tell you the Truth, our Order shall revolve, in time, around a more magnificent reality; a resurrection of all the true faithful adepts of Enoch-Hermes—the first Instructor and savior of humanity—a son of God who triumphantly declared, ‘Oh men, live soberly… Win your immortality; I will lead you on to salvation.’”

  “Many Keepers and adepts of similar authentic Orders around the world watchfully shielded the secrets from the ignorant commoners. Unfortunately, despite all this wariness, the shape of the true word has been stolen, corrupted, as we previously informed you. Our mission was to recuperate it, and we have. We’ve told you about the Holy Grail—the true Royal Blood of Jesus Christ. Keep it protected,” Dr. Najem concluded in a firm tone that sounded more like an order.

  “We will,” Paul assured him with a nod, so did Nabil, “But tell me, Brother John, do we have any connection with the few other Orders that follow the same line as ours?” he inquired after lighting a cigarette.

  “Yes. We have observed the signs with care, and touched bases with them.”

  “Great! Where is our Order established, other than Lebanon and Egypt?

  “In the present day our Order is also instituted in Greece, Iraq, Palestine, India, Tibet, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Mexico, and the New World—USA­—discovered by our ancestors, the Phoenicians, way before Christopher Columbus. In fact, it has remained barely rerouted since ancient times, geographically. However, only here in Loubnan have we succeeded in completing the circle—the five-pointed star, I mean,” he answered with a hint of pride in his confident tone. His eyes glittered briefly, and his face looked younger.

  “What do you mean?” Paul urgently asked, wanting to know what lay behind Dr. Najem’s edict.

  He smiled as if expecting Paul’s probing, “I mean, dear brother,” he stood up, obviously to emphasize what he had to say next, “That we are ready to announce the word to the world, as soon as we restore it to its bona fide context.”

  “Aha, I see,” Paul murmured, uncertain how this could be done. With the back of his hand he dusted a thread off his lap. He knew such a mission would be very difficult for them to undertake. However, he deemed of foremost importance to keep faith in the word, and in miracles! He decided to redirect the discussion to what he considered a priority for the time being, “I would love to know more about the Tradition. And… what the main difference is between the Phoenician-Egyptian Kabala and the Chaldeo-Hebraic Kabala.”

  “Yes, tell us, please!” Nabil urged, and bent forward, his eyes avid.

  Dr. Najem gazed at Paul with an exceptional determination. A glimpse at Dr. Bechara and Professor Michel confirmed that same power in them, so incredible for such sober men. Their eyes met and lingered. Paul waited… so did Nabil.

  “Well,” Dr. Najem took a lungful of air then rubbed his jaw, as if trying to decide how to put his words together, “Let me put it plainly: There are indeed two main intellectual, social and religious Orders in the world today. In fact, both are significantly old, and go back thousands of years. The authentic and older one is the Great White Fraternity that originated with Hermes-Enoch-Taautus himself, the founder of the First Religion. It began as a Phoenician-Egyptian Monotheistic Fraternity that sought, with anchored faith, the resurrection of the self to its higher level and into the immortality of the spirit. Monotheism lay at the foundational core of the theological concept of the Great White Fraternity. In Phoenicia, the High Priest—Melki-Sedek, himself a direct adept of Hermes-Enoch—preached the belief in the Universal God Al-Elyon, the Most High. Throughout history people considered Melki-Sedek to be Enoch himself. King Ahiram of Gebel and King Hiram of Tyre profoundly believed in the God ‘Al’, and pledged to Enoch-Taautus. In Egypt, Pharaoh Akhenaton preached of ‘Aton’ as the Universal God. His predecessor, Pharaoh Thutmose III, keenly adopted the concept. Both ‘Al’ and ‘Aton’ represented the first Light of Creation, symbolized by the Sun.” He halted for a thought, perhaps refreshing his memory.

  “It is not actually known exactly when Phoenicians started to believe in the One High God ‘El’. However, this new concept of Monotheism entered Egypt as a Mystery School with Thutmose III or Thut-Mosis, Initiate of Thut, and eventually appeared with Akhenaton as a religious reform. Thutmose III (1505 - 1450 BC) proved to be the most erudite Pharaoh among all Pharaohs who ever ruled in Egypt,” Dr. Najem informed with enthusiasm. “He established a great empire in Asia—a name given to the Land of Canaan—which expanded even beyond the Euphrates. During the many expeditions and military campaigns he led through Asia, he acquired a high interest in the Asiatic gods, with a particular focal point in Monotheism—already established in Phoenicia.”

  “Among the many locations he occupied in Phoenicia, Mt. Carmel presented the most suitable place for Initiation. In his annals, he referred to this particular place as the ‘Sacred Island’. The name Carmel, as discussed earlier, derives from the Phoenician word, Krm-el, the Generous Vine of El. It means the Spiritual offering of El. Phoenician Priests had built two Temples at the top of Mt. Carmel before: one dedicated to El (Baal) and the other to Ashirai (Anat), the Mother goddess—destroyed later during one of the many invasions of Thutmose III.” Dr. Najem seemed to have grieved the historical loss of that Temple, giving the motion with his hand for Professor Michel to continue.

  “It was there, on Mt. Carmel,” the Professor began, “Where Thutmose III encountered some Phoenician Enochian Priests, direct adepts of Enoch, the seer of Mt. Hermon. After watching them worshipping the One Most High God ‘AL’, he was incited by the idea of Monotheism, as he weighed it against the over-seven-hundred city-gods worshipped in Egypt. In a spark of genius, he speculated the possibility and benefits of combining all major Egyptian gods into One Supreme Being. In consequence of this revelation, he built a new religious centre—a school of Initiation—on the ruins of the Temple of Ashirai (Asherah). This school immediately found ground in Egypt as a Phoenician-Egyptian Monotheistic Fraternity, known some time later as the Great White Fraternity. This relation between Canaan-Phoenicia and Egypt persisted for a long time, and therefore, Memphis and Gebel subsisted as twin religious cities.”

  “A bit over a hundred years later, Monotheism emerged in Egypt with Pharaoh Amenhotep IV (1370 - 1350 BC)—the religious reformer known as Akhenaton. It surfaced precisely in his religious city: Akhetaton, Horizon of Aton. His father, Amenhotep III, was the son of Thutmose IV, who took for spouse the Phoenician Queen Tia, a believer in the One God ‘El’. Thutmose IV was the son of Amenhotep II, the offspring of our famous Pharaoh Thutmose III. And so, in the footsteps of his father, Amenhotep III married a Phoenician Queen, Tiy, also a believer of the One God ‘El’,” the Professor paused for a moment.

  “So… the Monotheistic relationship between both Canaan-Phoenicia and Egypt was also a strong religious family tie!” Paul suggested in wonder.

  “Apparently so. Hence, during the rule of Akhenaton, their belief led to the laying of the very last stone in the foundation of the Great White Fraternity. As Memphis stood for the religious twin city of Gebel, so did Akhetaton to Mt. Carmel,” Dr. Bechara suggested, his cigar rolling between his fingers.

  “Throughout history, many neophytes, adepts, and wise men of the East visited Mt. Carmel, lived inside the big Temple of El (Baal), and conducted some form of Spiritual meditation. Among them was Pythagoras of Sidon, the first Philosopher. After his Initiation in the Sanctuaries of Saydoun (Sidon), Sur (Tyre), and Gebel (Byblos), he journeyed to Mt. Carmel to continue
his Initiation inside the Temple.” He added, “Mt. Carmel, the ultimate place for such enlightenment, stood as the most sacred of all mountains, inaccessible to the vulgar. The walls of its Temple illustrated symbols and inscriptions intended for the silent meditation of the neophyte. Questions and talk forbidden, complete silence prevailed but for the thoughts, whispering in the mind of every seeker. Isolated from all the troubles and worries of the profane outside world, Pythagoras spent most of his days and nights like a hermit, meditating on a particular symbol that had attracted his attention upon first entering the Temple. The symbol represented the Sacred Tau, the Phoenician Cross, and the last, the twenty-second letter of their sacred language,” he said, halting long enough for a sip of tea and a puff at his cigar.

  “Mt. Carmel remained a sacred place for pilgrims seeking to consume the drink of the gods, even during the time of Jesus,” Dr. Bechara resumed. “As we have seen earlier, the Ashaya healers smoothly evolved into Christian Hermits, utterly Initiated into the great Mysteries of the God ‘El’ and his son ‘Immanuel’. Accordingly, Mt. Carmel turned into a place for worshipping Mary, the mother of Jesus,” he clarified. “Anyway, apart from us, Keepers of the Word, very few were the religions and fraternities in direct affiliation with the Great White Fraternity.”

  “Like who?” Nabil asked anxiously.

  “Like the Hermetists, the Pythagoreans, the Therapeuts of the Egyptian desert, and the Asayas—with their ascetic Nazarene branch of Mt. Carmel and Galilee,” Dr. Najem answered. “We also count the Christians, some non-dualist Gnostics, few Alchemists of the Hermetic tradition, several Theosophists, and the Anthroposophists—who believe that Christianity is a unique spiritual system for the evolution of humanity and that—without Christ—humanity might well bring about its own destruction. Adding, of course, the Rosicrucians, who seek to accomplish the Great Work by identifying Christ as the Philosopher’s Stone.”

  “I see…” Paul said, as his mind thought about the relation the Rosicrucians made between Christ and the Philosopher’s Stone. He seemed to have liked the idea. However, there was something that needed explanation. “You have informed us about the authentic and older Tradition—the Great White Fraternity. But what about the other tradition—the Chaldeo-Hebraic Kabala. What is it about? Who are they?” the Historian managed to ask.

  “Ha!” Dr. Bechara exclaimed tonelessly, as if gratified by the teaching process, “We’ll give you a hint about that in our meeting, later tonight.”

  “A hint!” Paul muttered under his breath.

  “Yes, a hint,” Dr. Najem confirmed.

  Why just a hint? the question lingered in the stillness of his puzzled mind.

  However, the teaching had ended for now, and they all left the living room with the promise to meet again at eight thirty, for dinner.

  .36.

  The Kabala

  Thursday, November 11, 10:06 PM

  After the meeting, Paul had much to mull over, so he didn’t find rest in his bedroom. Nature beckoned him through his opened window, and he decided to abide, the idea of a short stroll seemed appealing to him. He walked out the Fortress, and stood for an instant under the Cedar tree. There was something magical about the Lebanese mountains, which grabbed his spirit and soothed his tension. He delighted in the exceptional sensation caused by the blend of scents that nature surrendered in harmony. He breathed deeply, taking in, not only the refreshing air, but also all that he had come to understand back in the living room. He thought about the five-pointed star, closing the Circle of Initiates inside that Order, and he realized that he still needed to figure out their meanings and those of the Kabala. His sunset promenade, which he had assumed had been short, turned out to have taken much longer than he had imagined, as the look at his wristwatch indicated.

  The break had ended, and it was almost seven when Paul decided to take advantage of that free time to check some works at the Library. As he browsed among hardcovers and parchments, one volume immediately caught his attention, the Book of Enoch, the Prophet. Avid for its contents, he grabbed a chair, and sat perusing the tome. In spite of its Kabalistic written form, he managed to crack a few of the keys, and read through. Yet, how he had managed it, he did not know.

  It narrated the Meeting of Enoch with the Angels of God atop Mt. Hermon—called Jabal al-sheikh, the Mountain of the Lord, and known also as the Mountain of Acceptance and of the Meetings—in Phoenicia-Lebanon. The book reported the visions of Enoch throughout the Heavenly realms. Electing him among all the sages of the Earth, the Angels had taught him the Tradition, and asked him to convey it in secrecy, from mouth to ear, to a generation of Adepts. That had been his mission, and he had accomplished it.

  “It seems that history repeats itself,” Paul muttered pensively, “For it was on top of Mt. Hermon—and not on Mt. Tabor, as formerly believed—that Jesus’ Transfiguration had occurred, observed by his three disciples: Peter, James, and John. Jesus claimed his divinity there, and Peter recognized him as the Son of God.”

  As he held on to that thought for some time, the ringing of the clock on the wall of the Library alerted him that the time had come for dinner. He rushed, and barely had the time to wash his hands. It was 08:42 PM when Paul broke into the dining room, panting for air. They all stared at him with grins of amusement on their faces. A light meal of fish, potatoes, and salad—clear of any alcoholic beverage—had been served, and Paul liked it. He realized that he might be the youngest Keeper among them, but despite the difference in ages, the brothers in the Order treated each other equally. He had come to enjoy the rapport while at the Round Table.

  Later, after dinner, the clock on the wall of the living room marked 10:06 PM. Dr. Najem had already asked them to convene, around ten, in the Living Room for a new meeting. Paul waited for everyone to settle into their usual places, before directing his question to Dr. Najem on his right side. “What did the Angels teach Enoch? What is the Tradition, the Kabala?” he sounded eager, but couldn’t help it; he really ached to know.

  “The Kabala—accepted by the first seer, Enoch-Hermes, at the top of Mt. Hermon—is figuratively represented by the Caduceus that would lead the true Kabalists up, in spiral ascension, along dualistic principles, ultimately reaching the wings of Liberty in the abode of the One,” Dr. Najem advanced without hesitation. “The Tradition is divided into three parts. First, the Divine Inspiration, revealed to Enoch-Taautus by the Angels of God—those Exalted Beings or Higher Selves. It contained the Omnific Word that was never written, but rather, given in secret from mouth to ear. Second, there is the Emerald Tablet, written by Henoch on a piece of emerald stone with the purest of Gold. It contained the process of Alchemy, which focused on a spiritual enlightenment through a change in the physiology of the body, based on a transmutation of the sexual force. The third part is the Sacred Alphabet, which contained the hidden meanings of the Occult Sciences, including Astrology and Real Magic,” he took a moment to gather his thoughts, and continued with the explanation, “The first Initiate into the mystery of the word concealed these three aspects of the Kabala in the Sacred Alphabet.” He resumed, “This secret knowledge was to be imparted only to the Initiates, who would have to interpret their visions, and discern the true meanings of the Tradition. The Symbols that would engage the Initiate hold mystical significance that awakens the unconsciousness into a consciousness of itself. It creates an awakening state of the intuitive knowledge of the Initiate,” Dr. Najem spelled out clearly.

  This thoughtful explanation surprised Paul. He recalled, all of a sudden, the Alchemy that Youmna had worked on before. If he could see her now, he would definitely tell her about the Alchemy in the Kabalistic Tradition, and would surely make her know the Philosopher’s Stone of the Rosicrucians—Christ. She could finally conclude her search. Back to the living room, his mind recollected the awful vision of one of the letters he had indeed experienced inside the Mystery Chamber of Gebel, but, obviously, he needed to be fully aware of the Tradition, in order to bec
ome an Initiate. He had never truly thought that he—the Historian—would be turning into an Initiate of a Great Order. That fact perplexed him deeply.

  “On the other hand,” Dr. Najem resumed leisurely, “The Jewish tradition of the Kabala roots back, as mentioned earlier, to the time of the Chaldeans, and is essentially related to the Babylonian Talmud,” he paused, fully pensive, “The Hebrew Kabala is not a written tradition, but a purely oral one. It became popular at the time of the Templars in the 12th and 13th century AD. It is based on both the Sepher Yetzirah, known as the Book of Creation or Formation, and the Zohar or Sefer-ha-Zohar, known as the Book of Splendor or Lights.” He took a sip of wine.

  Professor Michel took up where Dr. Najem had left off, and explained that in the Zohar, God is described as Ein-Soph, No-Thing, the endless, infinite, and the all. It stands above the First Sephiroth, Kether, where Yahweh is crowned over the principles of Dualism. However, Yahweh is the God Iao, Iaho, or Yaho; the Chaldean Mystery God of creation, the breath of life that generated from an upright male and an egg-shaped female, which are the principles of Nature. Thus, Ye(a)va, Jehovah, or Yahweh is the Androgynous Supreme Divinity of the Hebrews, being Ievo-hevah, Adam-Eve, or Yod-Heva, thus the Demiurge.

  The Jewish Kabala teaches that God projected, from Himself, ten rays of light: the Sephiroth. Originally, there was a unity between God and the world, but that broke apart when evil appeared. The goal of the Jewish Kabalists is to restore that unity, but a Unity with Ein-Soph cannot occur while worshiping Yod-Heva, and if accomplished, God cannot be perceived as a negation, or No-Thing. Along with that, the Hebrew Kabala represented a complete system of symbols, angels, demons, and magic, or better said, sorcery. It also included a complex cosmology and the origins of humanity in the scheme of existence.