Magic Money: The African, Native American, and Esoteric Influence on the Dollar Bill

Jeffrey Carey

5 days ago

"count it up, count it up, count it/cant take it when you die,

but you can't live without it" - J. Cole

"I'm out for presidents to represent me/I'm out for dead presidents" - Nas

"The mind was fine til the dough hit it/and told me the mo did it" - Jay Z

The above quote is from new school rapper J.Cole from his song ATM an abbreviation for the phrase Addicted To Money. Cole like his contemporary Kendrick Lamar skillfully uses the power of music, rhymes, beats, and forgivably frank to the point brash lyrics to lure his listeners in, so he can deliver a clever and ultimately informative message about the allure and pitfalls of money.

J.Cole is right the reality is society is obsessed with money. This is not just limited to the obsessive materialism found in Hip-hop subculture, but is just as equally mirrored by hedge fund managers and stockbrokers whipped into a frenzy by Wall Street. Just think of the many catch phrases related to money that have come down to us:

Money, cant live with it, cant live without it

For the love of money

Money over everything

Old money

New money

Smart money

Blood money

Money to burn

Money is the root of all evil

Money doesn't grow on trees

Money is power

Money, power, respect

I guess Cole was imploring his listeners to find a balance between money being central to our culture, and losing ourselves in it. Whether our monetary system is based on gold or silver, or is fiat money created out of thin air in my opinion is pointless if the system is real. Money works off the same magical principal as religion. Whether God is real or fake we give it value. With that being said with this blog post I dove head first into the world of money, but with a different take from J. Cole if you will. My interest was in its origins. I wanted to unravel the symbolism on the dollar bill, this thing that acts as if it has some sort of spell cast over us with its "eye" watching us. What are those cryptic symbols on our money anyway? What are we to make of all this?

The Great Seal of the dollar bill has always fascinated me. Everyone is attracted to mystery, and as a teacher I noticed that decoding the dollar bill was a subject that would gain the interest of even some of the most disinterested students. The Great Seal has what seems like an almost magnetic hold on people. Some say the Great Seal was a symbol created by secret societies? Others say that the symbols on the dollar bill date back even further to the ancient pagan civilizations of old. With this blog post I explored all of these theories.

I read everything I could get a hold on from Freemasons like David Ovason to symbologist like Dr. Bob Hieronimus, and Afrocentrist like Anthony Browder, and what I found out was that even some of the more bizarre and strange conspiratorial arguments surprisingly sounded very reasonable. In the world of secret societies by its very definition nothing is for certain, but what can be discussed with interest is levels of plausibility.

Mystery and esoterica have always been of interest to me, as I'm sure they are for many people who have a natural curiosity and inquisitive nature. I guess that's what led me into teaching history in the first place. I find that history is often described as a soft science, as opposed to mathematics which is considered a hard science. What people mean by this is history is rarely exact like math. Measured skepticism is healthy. Whenever you read a history book you are often left asking the question who's perspective is this again, or are they leaving anything out? I am often reminded that "everything is not always found in a book" as Philosophical Research Society president Dr. Obadiah Harris would say. The Great Seal is such a captivating subject that if one is not careful they can write on the topic forever, so what I did was highlight only a few of the different aspects of the dollar bill that were of interest to me, and I framed them into a series of questions.

1. Were secret societies involved in the design of the Great Seal? This is a question that people have been asking for years. Conspiracy theorist would say yes of course they were involved, not only involved in the creation of the Great Seal, but also the very foundation of the United States. After studying this material for many years now I would have to say that I throw my hat in with the conspiracy theorist. For me the evidence is simply too overwhelming and coincidental to simply be ignored. In fact the Great Seal was placed on the back of the dollar bill in 1935 by President FDR and Vice-President Henry Wallace.

Both President FDR and Wallace were 32 degree Freemasons, and there are exactly 32 feathers in the left wing of the eagle. FDR was also the 32nd President, coincidental, yes, or no? This goes without saying there are 33 feathers in the right wing of the eagle, 33 being the highest degree in Freemasonry. President FDR a 32 degree Freemason was followed by President Harry Truman a 33 degree Freemason. When we go back even further we see that Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were part of the very First Committee to design a Great Seal in 1776. Ben Franklin was a member of many secret societies such as the infamous Hell Fire Club, the Freemasons, and even the lesser known Rosicrucians. I am a member and frequently visit the Franklin Institute museum in Philadelphia, and there are roses carved all over that building. This most likely is not a coincidence, but a sign of the Rosicrucian society from which Franklin was a member of and whose symbol is the rose.

Thomas Jefferson though evidence is scant was most likely a member of the Freemasons as well, strangely enough the famous obelisk often found over the top of the gravesites of dead Freemasons from that time can also be found over top of Thomas Jefferson's grave at Monticello. The famous "all-seeing eye" or "Eye of Providence" on the dollar bill is also a sign of Freemasonry. It was at the very first committee meeting for the dollar bill when this symbol was introduced. Some say it was the Swiss artist Pierre Du Simitiere who introduced the eye as a symbol, but other historians believe this was either Franklin or Jefferson's influence. It is interesting to mention that the "all-seeing eye" or "Eye of Providence" can clearly be seen on the Freemasonic apron worn by both George Washington, and Ben Franklin as well.

The "all-seeing eye" or "Eye of Providence" created at the First Committee for the dollar bill that Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were a part of in 1776.

The "all-seeing eye" on George Washington's apron is clearly a Freemasonic symbol.

The famous pyramid that one sees on the dollar bill was introduced by artist William Barton, but was most likely borrowed from an image created by Freemason Francis Hopkinson that he used for an earlier 50 Continental Currency note. Pyramids have always been an important symbol for Freemasons showing up in their literature as being associated with the mathematics of Euclid, Pythagoras, and the mysteries of Ancient Egypt.

Though many people were involved in different committees who helped design the Great Seal, the eye and the pyramid were clearly introduced by Freemasons and Rosicrucians. Only about an hour and a half away from where I live there is the headquarters of Fraternitas Rosae Crucis, otherwise known as the Rosicrucians located in Bucks County Pennsylvania. I decided to take my wife and two sons with me to see what we could find. Before arriving at the headquarters we passed a town called Dublin Borough, for reasons I won't mention out of fear of being long winded, I found the name both odd and interesting. Once arriving at this Rosicrucian headquarters, and the very reason for us being there, we immediately noticed the strange looking pyramids in a garden. What was even stranger is what was hanging inside the largest pyramid. Upon looking inside the dark interior of the pyramid, as my sons took turns holding up a flashlight, we were astonished to recognize the Great Seal of the dollar bill. I must admit I was a little nervous at first when we arrived because I read somewhere that they don't like visitors, and that there were no trespassing signs posted nearby. I must say we did not see any no trespassing signs, and we were all put at ease by the strange ringing of church bells, as we began exploring these seemingly out of place pyramids. We all laughed and wondered out loud did they know we were there, or were they ringing those loud church bells to encourage our discovery, or was that just our ego talking? We decided it was only our ego and we continued on.

Whats inside this strange Rosicrucian pyramid in Bucks County Pennsylvania may hold one of the many mysteries to the origin of the Great Seal on the dollar bill. Rosicrucian means Rose Cross, and the rose is a symbol for secrecy.

Standing in front of this Rosicrucian pyramid in Bucks County Pennsylvania. The Rosicrucians are a secret society that claims Ben Franklin, as a member. My interest was in what lies behind the door, may in fact be a key to unlocking the riddle of the dollar bill's Great Seal.

Inside of this pyramid hanging on the walls was to our amazement images from The Great Seal both the eagle, and the more mysterious pyramid, and "all seeing eye" or "Eye of Providence." What were they doing in here? The answer maybe on a plaque hanging on the outside of the pyramid.

This photo was taken from the side of the pyramid, as you see Ben Franklin was clearly a member of the Rosicrucians and the "Eye of Providence" hanging inside the pyramid and on the Great Seal was most likely Franklin's idea. It was interesting to see Abraham Lincoln's name listed as well most are not aware that he was a member of a secret society.

The rose is red like the heart a symbol of love, but it also has been a symbol for secret societies like the Rosicrucians. It is a symbol for transformation, as the rose rises out of the dirty soil unfolding mans conscious awakening, or as the saying goes he "rose" to the occasion. The rose is also a symbol of secrets, as in the term sub rosa. Finally the rose is a hidden symbol for man and woman. The five petals are like the five points in the star Sirius/Isis/Virgin, and the five points in the orbit of the planet Venus(feminine/goddess.) The yellow center of the rose is symbolic of the sun which is man crucified, and risen on the cross of the solstice and equinox.

The planet Venus/Feminine-Goddess orbits every 8 years to form the pentagram shape of the rose. The yellow center of the rose symbolized the masculine sun; therefore, the rose symbolizes masculine and feminine energy.

The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia dedicated to Ben Franklin. The Franklin Institute looks and feels more like a temple than a museum, you must pass three courts, and an oculus before entering just like King Solomon's Temple, and many Egyptian temples. Me and my youngest son Jordan had fun investigating the many rose like flowers that adorn the Franklin Institute. The rose being the flower of the Rosicrucians. Flowers similar to these can also be seen on the ceiling of Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, and rose windows in Gothic cathedrals. Many have linked Rosslyn to Knights Templars, Freemasons, and Rosicrucians.

2. What's with the number 13? For most people 13 is an unlucky number just think about the movie series Friday the 13th, and yet the number 13 can continuously be found all over the dollar bill; for example, you have:

13 arrows in the talon of the eagle

13 leaves and berries on the olive branch

13 stars and stripes on the shield

13 letters in the Latin phrase E Pluribus Unum

13 letters in the Latin phrase Annuit Coeptis

13 levels to the pyramid

13 stars above the head of the eagle

The easy answer to all of this is the reasons why 13 is found all throughout the dollar bill is because there were 13 colonies who rebelled against England during the Revolutionary War. This may in fact be the case; however, many esoteric historians will say not so fast. They will point out that though every Revolutionary War soldier was not a Freemason, but the driving force behind the Revolutionary War were men who were Freemasons. John Hancock the man behind the money and the leading force behind Boston's Revolutionary spirit was a Freemason. Ben Franklin who I mentioned earlier was most likely the brains behind the Great Seal, as well as being the chief organizer of the Continental Congresses in Philadelphia. Besides being a Rosicrucian Franklin was also a Freemason. Paul Revere who printed the pamphlet on the Boston Massacre and the rider associated with Lexington and Concord was also a Freemason.

Freemason Paul Revere along with two others making his legendary ride.

Like so many Freemasons from this time an obelisk (perfected stone) has been placed over Paul Revere's gravesite. This one without the capstone.

Obelisk of Freemason Marquis de Lafayette in Washington DC.

Obelisk of Freemason Baron Von Steuben in Utica New York. It is said that Von Steuben was also a homosexual.

Of course one can not forget George Washington leader of the Continental Army and future President of the United States was a Freemason, as were 33 of his leading generals who served beneath him. Marquis de Lafayette of France and Baron Von Steuben of Prussia two of the military minds who assisted Washington in training his soldiers were both Freemasons. How does this all relate to the number 13 one may ask? The Freemasons were connected to the Knights Templars of old.

These were the knights who were charged with guarding Christian pilgrims who wanted to visit Jerusalem; however, when excavating King Solomon's temple, and coming into certain wisdom traditions in the East the Templars teachings began to change. The Templars were also some of the first bankers in the world who amasses an incredible amount of wealth. All of this seemed to come to an end on Friday the 13th in the year 1307 when French King Philip IV launched a surprise raid on the Templars killing many of them, eventually burning their leader Jacques de Molay at the stake.

The origin of Friday the 13th goes back to the infamous day when many Templars were rounded up and killed by French King Philip IV; however, many survived and would resurface as the Freemasons who still commemorated the number 13.

It is believed that some Templars escaped to Scotland, and it was there that they resurfaced but now known as Freemasons. Why King Philip IV had the Templars killed will be debated forever, but some say he was jealous because he wanted to become a Knights Templar and was rejected. Others say Philip's motives were more financial. King Philip owed the Templar banks a lot of money, and murdered them as a way of not repaying his debt. Anyhow the number 13 on the dollar bill maybe more related to a commemoration of the death and survival of the Knights Templar, as well as the 13 original colonies.

The number 13 is magically coded in the capstone at the top of the Washington Monument. There are 13 layers to the obelisk's capstone. The egyptian obelisk is also the symbol of the resurrected/masculine/phallus of Osiris. In Freemasonry it is the polished stone the symbol of perfected man raised up. It is 555 feet tall. This number multiplied by 12 because there are 12 inches in a foot gives you 6,660! Some may say 666 is the mark of the devil, others will say no, its the mark of man. We are all made of carbon which is broken down into 6 protons 6 neutrons 6 electrons.

There are also 13 levels in the capstone that make up the Washington Monument in DC and this matches the 13 levels on the pyramid shown on the dollar bill's Great Seal below the "all seeing eye" and the hovering capstone. It just so happens that the Washington Monument was both designed and dedicated by Freemasons. Another "point" about the pyramid on the dollar bill is didn't we all see that image before? Is it not the roof of the Scottish Rite House of the Temple in Washington DC located only 13 blocks from the White House. To those that view all of this as chance need only look at the street address that the House of the Temple sits on which is 1733 16th Street NW. Strangely enough when you add the numbers 3+3+1 you get the number 7, and when you put the remaining numbers with the number 7 you get the number 1776 the exact year the United States was founded!

The 13 levels on both the Great Seal on the dollar bill and the Scottish Rite House of the Temple in Washington DC located at 1733 16th NW.

Ben Franklin was greatly influenced by the unity shown among the Native Americans in the Iroquois Confederacy.

3. Is there Native American history on the dollar bill? There actually is some very important Native American history on the dollar bill, and sadly this often gets overlooked. Too many people wrongly view the United States as a European creation when in fact Native Americans and African-Americans fought in the Revolutionary War as well. Both groups placed in a precarious situation fought on both sides.

In fact the very first person killed during the Revolutionary War was a man named Crispus Attucks who was half Black and half Native American. Attucks was the first person to die during the Boston Massacre. As far as the dollar bill having 13 arrows held together in the talons of the eagle, that may have to do more with Native American unity and its influence on the 13 colonies.

The very idea of the 13 colonies uniting and coming together was an idea of Ben Franklins that he introduced as his famous Albany Plan, but what many don't know is he learned of this idea of a united confederacy from Native Americans. First the arrow is a great Native American symbol because it was a weapon that the Native Americans were masters of, but that is not all. Franklin and others observed how the different Native American tribes put their difference aside and united as one to form the Iroquois League. Dr. Robert Hieronimus and others have pointed out that this system of government directly influenced the Founding Fathers when they conceived of a United States. Take one arrow and it can simply be broken, but if you unite that arrow with many more it is much harder to break. Sir Francis Bacon viewed a future America as a New Atlantis, but It must be stated that in their quest for liberty and independence from England the enlightened and masonic vision of the patriots was often narrow and short sighted, as the very freedom they sought for themselves they denied to others. Native Americans, Africans, and women activist would do much, and continue to do much to help America become the democracy and New Atlantis it envisions itself as. Also its important to add that many colonial Americans were astonished that the indigenous Native Americans were already familiar with many of the signs of Freemasonry before making contact with Europeans. Students of history are aware that Civil War Confederate General and Freemason Albert Pike invested energy in spreading Freemasonry among the Native Americans to organize them to help aid the Confederate goal of secession. Native American tribes like the Delaware and Creek sided with the Union, as we will see much like with African Americans the choices they made were often strategic, with freedom as their ultimate end goal.

4. Are there any African symbols on the dollar bill? I already mentioned how African Americans like Crispus Attucks played an important role in the foundation of the United States, but its not just African people playing important roles, but also African symbols that also show up on the dollar bill.

There is much talk centered around the eye on the dollar bill, and how it is indeed a very powerful symbol.

Some say the eye on the dollar bill showed up as early 1614 on Sir Walter Raleigh's book The History of the World. It also adorns France's famous document The Rights of Man.

Others link it to Adam Weishaupt's mysterious Illuminati of Bavaria/Germany which strangely enough was founded in 1776 the same date as the United States. The Illuminati like the United States also considered the number 13 important, there were 13 degrees toward illumination. Others say "the eye" is connected to the Freemason's proof of which can be found on George Washington's masonic apron, as well as appearing on the United States dollar bill. All of these theories may in fact be correct, but both the Illuminati and the Freemasons may have borrowed "the eye" from an even older source. The origin of the "all seeing eye" or the "Eye of Providence" like so many things can be found on the in the Nile Valley on the continent of Africa.

African-centered historians like Anthony Browder and others link the eye to the Egyptian god Horus. Horus's eye was called the wadjet eye, and was associated with the pineal gland and higher consciousness. The wadjet eye was either painted blue, or green and was used as a talisman for good luck. The eye on the dollar bill may also be linked to the Egyptian god Osiris whose name spelled in hieroglyphics consisted of both an eye and throne.

Not only is the eye Egyptian/African, but of course the pyramid on the dollar bill is as well. Pyramids in Freemasonry have been linked to the Pythagorean theorem; however, the Pyramids in Egypt have existed long before Pythagoras. It is also known in both Afrocentric and Esoteric circles that Pythagoras studied for 21 years in the land of the pharaohs. It is believed that the first secret societies known as "mystery schools" first appeared in Egypt before there were any organizations known as Freemasons, Rosicrucians, or even the Knights Templars. In fact these organizations are very aware of this, and link many of their rituals and symbols to this ancient land.

Even the famous eagle on the dollar bill may have first been conceived with an African origin in mind. During the Great Seals Third Committee artist William Barton sketched a phoenix bird on the Great Seal. The Phoenix was a Greek bird that burned out and renewed itself every 500 years, so for the Greeks, and obviously for the Founding Fathers it was a symbol of regeneration. The Greek phoenix is not Greek at all though, but actually Egyptian in origin.

The Egyptian bennu bird which preceded the phoenix also burned out and renewed itself. The Greeks most likely borrowed this concept from the Egyptians, and it resurfaced with William Barton's influence on the dollar bill. The phoenix would eventually be "replaced" under the guise of a bald eagle.

Did the Founding Fathers conceive of the Egyptians as African, or Africans in "white face?" and if they viewed them as African how did they mince that with American slavery? I wonder how Albert Pike, former Confederate , slave owner, and Supreme Commander of Scottish Rite Freemasonry would view this as well? All of that is up for debate I guess? The Founders as well as Pike were men of genius no doubt, but they were men, even though they are immortalized in marble statues as gods.

What I do find interesting is that at the very time the Founding Fathers lived a French anthropologist, friend, and contemporary of theirs by the name of Constantine Volney saw the very contradiction in building Nations on earlier African civilizations and concepts, yet at the same time enslaving African people in America. Volney was both known and presumably read by both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. What is even more interesting is many of Volney's books and letters were, and still are a part of George Washington's residence and library at Mount Vernon.

George Washington, Andrew Ellicott, and Benjamin Banneker mapping the boundary for Washington D.C. Was Banneker the first Black Freemason in America?

It also must be pointed out that most believe Prince Hall was one of the first African-Americans to be initiated into Freemasonry, others say that distinction may belong to Benjamin Banneker the Black scientist and astronomer who helped Andrew Ellicott map out the boundary of Washington D.C. as 10 miles square on each side.

Prince Hall's initiation took place in the city of Boston as early as 1775, and yet it was in a military lodge with links to England not America. Of course this seems odd being that Americans were waging a Revolutionary War against England; however, records show that Prince Hall fought on the side of George Washington, and the patriots.

Other African Americans thought that it was more in their best interest to fight on the side of the British with Lord Dunmore's Proclamation still there were those like Prince Hall who thought it would be better to fight for America, and focus their energy on abolishing racism at home. An interesting side note is though Black Prince Hall Freemasons received a charter from the Grand Lodge of England, as people of African descent they viewed themselves as the rightful heirs to Freemasonry because it was their belief that Freemasonry could be traced back even before Solomon to the temples of Egypt that resided on the African continent.

These ideas can be seen in the writings of Black Freemason Martin Delany. Though Blacks in America mainly descend from West Africa the argument was essentially true. Egypt was indeed located on the African continent, and shared both cultural and biological links with the rest of the African continent. Links between Egypt and West African tribes like the Dogon (Mali) and Yoruba (Nigeria) are more than mythological. Links between Egypt and other African sites like Nabta Playa and Kush/Nubia are well established by archaeology.

Rosicrucian and 16th American President Abraham Lincoln described Black Freemason Martin Delany as "a most extraordinary and intelligent man." Delany argued that Freemasonry had its origins in Africa.

Black Prince Hall Freemasons were forerunners to many of the African-American fraternities and sororities that would spring up in America. Black Freemasons like Martin Delany and possibly Marcus Garvey were also very influential on many of the more radical occult black freedom movements like Noble Drew Ali's Moorish Science Temple, Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam that Malcolm X was a member of, as well as the Five Percent Nation of Gods and Earths. They all sprung out of the Pre and Post-Civil Rights Movement in the United States as a natural response to racism. These groups are known to use many freemasonic signs, symbols, and dress. Symbols that they may in fact view themselves, as being the rightful custodians of.

People are interconnected in strange ways. The African influence on the dollar bill is both ancient and modern. Famed scientist George Washington Carver mentored Vice-President and Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace when Wallace was a youth at Iowa State University. Later as a 32 degree Freemason and now a mystic Wallace would be instrumental in placing the Great Seal with its many African symbols on the dollar bill.

The pyramid that adorns the Great Seal may have found its inspiration in not just Pythagoras, but the much older pyramids of Egypt as well. Freemasons may have been attracted to the pyramids solid foundation its association with Osiris, Isis, and Horus, and rituals that may have taken place inside.

Turquoise was the good luck color of the Egyptians often found in their famous "eye of Horus." Its curious then that Ben Franklin who may have introduced the eye to the Great Seal also has a turquoise bridge in Philadelphia dedicated to him just like the color used for the "eye of Horus."

5. Is there a hidden meaning behind the dollar sign? There are many different theories behind the famous dollar sign most people either link it to the sign for peso, or believe it is some how a stylized abbreviation of the letters U and S in the words United States.

There are two other less explored theories for the dollar bill that have deeper esoteric meanings. Some link the $ sign to the reptilian caduceus held by the god Mercury. It is said that snake venom kills, but snake blood might hold the mystery for many cures. Mercury was a god of many things such as health, writing, and markets. In fact an image of Mercury can be found holding a caduceus over the Federal Reserve building.

It must be stated that Mercury has even older roots he was originally the god Hermes, and the Greeks borrowed the concept of Hermes from the Egyptian god Thoth who also held a caduceus. Another more interesting theory is that the $ sign is a combination of the letters that spell the name of the Egyptian goddess Isis. Isis was a moon goddess as was Thoth.

The moon has always been linked with women because the moon has a 28 day cycle that corresponded to a woman's 28 day menstrual cycle. The moon was also associated with silver which is a form of coined money. This all makes sense when we think of the old horror movies where the moon creates a werewolf, and the werewolf is killed by the silver bullet. There also maybe a hidden etymological link between the word "money" and the word "moon." The word for money has been linked to the Roman goddess Juno Moneta who was associated with the older Greek goddess Hera, and the even older Egyptian goddess Isis. All three of these goddesses were linked with the moon. Moneta can also be translated into the word mint. The mint is where coins are made and is associated with the color green a topic that will be discussed below in more detail.

The caduceus symbol of wisdom and health, from Thoth, to Hermes, to Mercury, and possibly one of the symbols for the dollar bill. The word Isis is possibly another source.

7. Why is the dollar bill green? Green has always been a positive color associated with vegetation, fertility, and growth.

Some of the famous European Gothic cathedrals are green, and if they are not green they have the many famous "Green Man" vegetation gods carved into these churches. One can find "Green Man" in the famous Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland with vines growing out of his mouth.

The green vegetation man is not only a man, but elsewhere is also a woman, and may not even be native to Europe.

Even before Europe Africa's/Egypt's Isis was often painted green, as was her cohort Osiris. In Egyptian mythology Osiris was a resurrection god who was murdered by his jealous brother Set. Isis helped to resurrect her dead husband much like the green vegetation that comes back during Spring; therefore, his/her green skin is symbolic of life.

Two of the most important colors in Ancient Egypt were blue and green. Preceding Europe's "Green Man" Isis and Osiris were painted green because green was a symbol for vegetation, fertility, health, flourishing, and growth. There is a common sense element to all of this as well because everyone wants their money to "grow."

Interesting enough the Statue of Liberty is also green. What I also find curious is that Frederic Bartholdi the French Freemason who designed the Statue of Liberty first conceived of it with Isis in mind. Could knowledge of alchemy have been one of the reasons for the Statue of Liberty changing colors from brown to green, or was that all simply the work of nature?

Rising like Gothic towers the Walt Whitman Bridge linking New Jersey to Philadelphia is painted in Egyptian green/wadj for growth/health? Walt Whitman like Ben Franklin was a Freemason. In fact many bridges across the country in places like Oregon and Philadelphia are either green or blue. Is this all merely a color aesthetic, or something more?

8. Is there magic within the dollar bill? I know when one first thinks of the concept of magic you may scoff and laugh at the idea, and that is understandable. In fact the first thing that may come to mind is the young wizard Harry Potter and his wise old mentor Dumbledore.

Its not about what you and I think though, its really about what those who created the Great Seal thought when they added certain symbols associated with the occult. What occult symbols are there you might ask, none other than the famous or infamous pentagram, and hexagram, all depending on which way you look at it. Right about the head of the eagle you have 13 stars, and each individual star is shaped like a pentagram.

Many believe that the pentagram is a symbol many associated with black magic, and yet the United States cant seem to get enough of pentagrams.

We have pentagrams on our dollar bill, pentagrams on our American flag, pentagram for the shape of our Department of Defense, pentagrams for our highest generals, so why would the United States associate itself with a negative symbol? Well what if its not negative at all?

Though the pentagram also has some strange connections to the planet Venus it most likely was important to Freemasons because it was rooted in Ancient Egypt. It was the symbol for the Egyptian five pointed star Sothis which the Greeks would later call Sirius. It was a symbol of life. Sirius would flicker in the night sky with red, white, and blue colors. Also stars are often described as a white dwarf, or red and blue giant stars.

This picture reveals a secret. Before the hand was placed over the heart during the 1920s and 1930s this was how American school children used to recite the pledge with a Roman like salute, or are these outstretched hands to block the rays of the "blazing star" Sirius. This salute fell out of favor when the Nazis borrowed it as a salute for their sun/swastika/ salute.

When Sirius rose the life giving waters of the Nile flooded and deposited fertile silt for the Egyptians to plant their crops. Sirius was associated with the Nile River and also the goddesses Isis/Anubis probably because they both give life and nurture. Sirius then was a life giving star. Symbolically speaking if Isis/Sirius nurtured Egypt for thousands of years this is the kind of protection the United States would also want.

The five pointed pentagram was later taken up by the Greek philosopher Pythagoras who viewed the number five as a symbol of good health If you look closely at the 13 stars above the head of the eagle/phoenix/bennu bird you can make out another symbol. When the 13 stars are viewed as a group together they form the shape of a hexagram. Hexagrams scare some people, as they say I'll put a "hex" on you.

Why would such an evil negative symbol be placed on the dollar bill, well once again what if it is not evil at all? The hexagram is a very old symbol. Today most people associate it with the Star of David, or Seal of Solomon, but it most likely dates back even before David and Solomon walked the Earth; however, some believe that King Solomon may have learned of it from other cultures. Some esoteric historians have traced it as far back as the civilizations of Egypt, Babylon, India, and even in the mystical teaching of Kabbalah and alchemy. In Egypt the hexagram may have been used to show the balance between the masculine and feminine energies of Isis and Osiris and their child Horus/Amsu.

The symbol was also known in ancient India as a union between the masculine and feminine energies of the gods Shatki and Shiva. In Jewish mysticism the hexagrams can be seen within the sephirot of the Kaballah Tree of life which is also symbolic of feminine and masculine energy.

The hexagram is the anahata chakra found in Hindu Kundalini. The Hexagram is also found when you combine the compass and square in Freemasonry. It has been pointed out that when a hexagram is laid directly over the pyramid side of the Great Seal one can see an anagram that spells the word mason.

A whole article can be written on the hexagram in of itself, but I will say that what I found out is that very much like the pentagram, the hexagram is a protective symbol used to keep harm away. It is also associated with balance and harmony. The hexagram was and is a universal symbol, and very much like the diverse population of America its use on the Great Seal taps into an energy that pulls from many different peoples and cultures. Whether this was the founders intent I do not know? What we do know is that it is a universal symbol. The hexagram or Seal of Solomon does not belong to one group of people it belongs to all of us. It is the universal nature of the Great Seal that makes it both powerful and magical. The United States through secret societies like the Freemasons and the Rosicrucians has empowered itself with the arcane knowledge and traditions of many ancient diverse civilizations and people. With power comes a certain responsibility that in theory should insure that all people regardless of race, gender, religion, or class are able to pursue their unalienable rights free from oppression and prejudice. Using powerful universal symbols should require that they serve a universal purpose. As writer Nicholas Hagger has pointed out America must decide whether its power will be used to benefit the whole world, or just a small elite group of people in this new order of the age.

The Hindu God Shiva/Nataraja in a famous Hexagram like pose.

The up and down triangles found in alchemy connect to form a hexagram.

The famous compass and square tools of Freemasonry when interlocked form a hexagram.

One half of the Great Seal of the United States. Does it have universal power and appeal because it was inspired by universal laws found in ancient cultures?

Nothing like having my two explorers with me on these historical adventures, and my wife close by documenting. Last time it was a Hermit's Cave (Kelpuis Cave) near the Wissahickon in Philadelphia's Fairmont Park this time its Rosicrucian pyramids and dollar bills. Who knows where our next journey will take us?

Magic Money: The African, Native American, and Esoteric Influence on the Dollar Bill

Dark Knights: Searching for the Origin of the African Vampire

Magic Money: The African, Native American, and Esoteric Influence on the Dollar Bill

What did George Lucas Know About the Pineal Gland and Precession?

Psychedelic Santa: Uncovering The Hidden History of the Sacred Mushroom

Exiting Pisces And Entering Aquarius: Unlocking The Precession Of The Equinox And What It Means For

Unveiling the Ancient Power: The Return of the Black Serpent Kings

Before Easter: The Spring Equinox, Megaliths, Fertility Cults, and Rebirth

A Tale of Two Cities: The Occult History of Philadelphia Part I