The Great Seal of the United States: Its History, Symbolism and Message for the New Age (9th Edition)

By Paul Foster Case

The Great Seal of the United States, which was first published in 1935, is a fascinating exposition of the history and spiritual symbolism of an important American emblem that embodies the principles and ideals of the founders of this country.

In this book, American occultist, B.O.T.A. founder, teacher and author Dr. Paul Foster Case reveals the Great Seal to be a profound spiritual glyph created by the Founding Fathers as a representation of the ideals of the Novo Ordo Seclorum, the New World Order.

A fascinating, thought-provoking read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Papamoa Press
• Release date: Sep 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781789122053

Paul Foster Case

Paul Foster Case (October 3, 1884 - March 2, 1954) was an American occultist of the early 20th century and author of numerous books on occult tarot and Qabalah. He was best known for his contributions to the field of occultism with his written lessons for associate members of Builders of the Adytum or B.O.T.A. Born in Fairport, New York in 1884, his parents were members of the Congregationalist Church and his father was the town librarian. A talented musician with an honorary doctorate in music, Case embarked on a successful career as a violinist, and orchestra conductor. He began his lifelong study of the Tarot after meeting occultist Claude Bragdon in 1900, who questioned him on the origin of playing cards. Case discovered a link to tarot, called ‘The Game of Man’, and eventually published for the first time in history the correct attributions of the Hebrew letters and numbers of the 22 major trumps of the Tarot—the B.O.T.A. tarot deck. In 1916 Case published a groundbreaking series of articles on the Tarot Keys, titled The Secret Doctrine of the Tarot, in the popular occult magazine The Word. The articles attracted wide notice in the occult community for organizing and clarifying what had previously been confusing and scattered occult doctrines about the meaning of the tarot cards. In 1918, Case joined Alpha et Omega (A.O.) and quickly moved up initiations in the Rosicrucian grades (True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order). He left A.O. in 1922 and set up his own mystery school, offering a comprehensive correspondence course called The Ageless Wisdom. By 1923, he had formed The School of Ageless Wisdom. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he established the Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.), and over the next three decades organized the curriculum of correspondence lessons covering the Western Mystery Tradition: occult tarot, Qabalah, and hermetic alchemy. Case passed away while vacationing in Mexico in 1954, aged 69.

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Text originally published in 1935 under the same title.

© Papamoa Press 2018, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES

ITS HISTORY, SYMBOLISM AND MESSAGE FOR THE NEW AGE

PAUL FOSTER CASE

Ninth Edition

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

CHAPTER I — HISTORY OF THE SEAL 4

CHAPTER II — FREEMASONRY AND THE AMERICAN IDEAL 7

CHAPTER III — THE NUMBER THIRTEEN 10

CHAPTER IV — THE NUMBER-LETTER CODE 12

CHAPTER V — SYMBOLISM OF THE OBVERSE 14

CHAPTER VI — SYMBOLISM OF THE REVERSE 22

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 31

CHAPTER I — HISTORY OF THE SEAL

THE purpose of this little book is to set before you, as briefly as is consistent with clearness, certain facts concerning the history, symbolism and significance of the seal of the United States. As the national arms, the seal states symbolically the principles which animated the founders of the republic. Today those principles are being forgotten. Because they are neglected in our political and economic practice, grave danger threatens the national life. To avert that danger, we must go back to the fundamentals of true Americanism, clearly set forth in the symbolism of the seal.

In the official History of the Seal of the United States, published by the Department of State in 1909, Gaillard Hunt writes:

Late in the afternoon of July 4, 1776, The Continental Congress ‘Resolved, That Dr. Franklin, Mr. J. Adams and Mr. Jefferson be a committee to prepare a device for a Seal of the United States of America,’ this being the same committee, except for the omission from it of Robert R. Livingstone and Roger Sherman, which had drawn up the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration had been signed about two o’clock in the afternoon, and the members of the Congress assembled after dinner desired to complete the evidence of the independence of the United States by formally adopting an official sign of sovereignty and a national coat of arms. It was intended that the device for the seal should be the device for the national arms, and the first and each succeeding committee having the business in charge construed its duty to be to devise the arms by devising the seal.

In the design proposed by the first committee the obverse of the seal was a coat of arms in six quarters, with emblems representing England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany and Holland, the countries from which the new nation had been peopled. The Eye of Providence in a radiant triangle, and the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM were also proposed for the obverse.

For the reverse they suggested a picture of Pharaoh sitting in an open chariot, a crown on his head and a sword in his hand, passing through the divided waters of the Red Sea in pursuit of the Israelites. Hovering over the sea was to be shown a pillar of fire in a cloud, expressive of the Divine Presence and command. Rays from this