A common misnomer that has been circulated by academia's anointed historians is that the alchemists of antiquity were attempting to transform lead into gold. In truth, this was a fiction promulgated by the alchemists themselves to conceal their ultimate objectives . . .the transformation of man into a god. Among one of the various occult organizations that aspired to complete this alchemical mission was Freemasonry. Providing a summation of Masonry's supreme goal, Masonic scholar W.L. Wilmshurst writes: This - the evolution of man into superman [emphasis - ADDED] - was always the purpose of the ancient Mysteries, and the real purpose of modern Masonry is, not the social and charitable purposes to which so much attention is paid, but the expediting of the spiritual evolution of those who aspire to perfect their own nature and transform it into a more god-like quality. And this is a definite science, a royal art, which it is possible for each of us to put into practice; whilst to join the Craft for any other purpose than to study and pursue this science is to misunderstand its meaning (Wilmshurst, p. 47, 1980).
According to this alchemical mandate, humanity is a gradually developing deity requiring scientific assistance in its evolution. In Mystic Masonry, 32nd degree Mason J.D. Buck reiterates this theme of man as a progressively apotheosizing organism: "Humanity, 'in-toto', then, is the only Personal God" (Buck, p. 136, 1990). Of course, the concept of evolution would later be disseminated on the popular level as Darwinism and become the veritable cornerstone of contemporary science.
Before its popularization, evolutionary theory was the intellectual property of Masonry. Freemason Erasmus Darwin, Charles' grandfather, "originated almost every important idea that has since appeared in evolutionary theory" (Darlington, p. 62, 1959). It is hardly a coincidence that many of Charles Darwin's chief promoters were Freemasons, not the least of which being T.H. Huxley. It is even less of a coincidence that Charles Darwin's cousin, Sir Francis Galton, would become one of the early expediters of Masonry's alchemical agenda....
By Phillip D. Collins
