OCCULT VIEW

I have acquired a few curious items called Masonic pennies.  They were given to lodge members and symbolize a faithful days’ wages.  To become a Mason, they had to have a belief in a non-denominational Supreme Being.  This embraced nearly any individual belief, not a real barrier to acceptance.  However, the Church mistrusted this open mindedness.  Can any church allow its member be exposed to different ideas then their official church doctrine? 

Common Masonic symbols include the Masonic Square and Compasses, often found with the letter G.  These are often seen on the Masonic Penny.  The letters A.R.C. are Royal Arch Chapter.  The Chapter and the date it was chartered are usually displayed.  Often shown is a keystone with the letters HTWSSTKS which mean Hiram, Tyrian, Widow’s Son, Sendeth To King Solomon.  When this appeared on a gravestone, it meant someone had completed his or her degrees to become a Royal Arch Mason.   On this coin below is a backwards swastika.   This must be an old token from before World War Two.   Before the war the swastika was a symbol of good.   Afterwards it’s symbolizm was forever changed. 

In the past a Masonic chapter penny was a personally prized possession, and could be used as collateral for borrowing money.  When the debt was repaid, the valued coin was returned.  In history a penny had metaphysical significance.  Pennies were placed on the eyes of the dead, or in the mouth of the dead to pay the ferryman on his journey of the dead through the River Styx.

This last Masonic penny at the bottom puzzled me.  I don’t understand the geometric symbols presented.  I wonder what they mean.  Greek alphabet?  I don’t know.  Can anybody solve this?

I’ve scanned some pages (above) from an old occult catalog.  Nowadays everything is sold online, and quaint catalogs like this are pretty much part of the past.  I don’t think the company that published this still exists.  Yet, I get a kick out of checking out the different offerings from the past.  These pages contain a mixture of cool stuff and some silly stuff.

I wonder…does anybody collect vintage occult items?  I love collecting things. But I’ve realized that vintage occult objects are not easy to find.  Not many people are into this topic to begin with, and I don’t think those who are consider acquiring these items as collectables.   I know there is a healthy market for vintage books with occult topics.  Outside of that, what is collectable? 

True antique tarot cards are extremely rare and are not to be found.  Modern mass produced decks are easy to find, but forget finding something made by woodcut.  I know that there are collectors of Ouija talking boards and there are some nice pieces to be found.  But that is as much a part of game collecting as occult collecting.  Here is a great site for talking board collectors:

http://www.museumoftalkingboards.com/gallery.html

Does anyone collect interesting vintage items?  There is not a big market for these items yet, which might make vintage occult artifacts something worth acquiring.  I think this stuff is cool!