From the Thracians through the Bogomils to Masonry

Tenth Jubilee meeting of Trakia Lodge from Pazardzhik

More than 150 Brethren and their wives from all over Bulgaria gathered in SPA Hotel Olymp in the town of Velingrad between the 7th and 9th of February 2020 to take part in the Meeting which Trakia Lodge traditionally organised for the tenth time.

On the 8th of February there was a public discussion on the subject of “From the Thracians through the Bogomils to Masonry”, which was opened to the public and not just for masons.

The Meeting was opened by the first Master of Trakia Lodge and instigator of these meetings in Velingrad, Bro Nikolay Bozhilov, Assistant Grand Master of UGLB.

The Moderator of the meeting was Bro J.T. from Trakia Lodge.

The first paper “Thracians, material and spiritual reality” was presented by Prof. Valeria Fol. It was directly linked to the presentation of her latest bi-lingual book “Secret societies of the Thracians” published by “Tangra TanNakRa” publishing house.

Prof. Valeria Fol presented her scientific paper in a form of a synopsis, which was based on the main subtopics of her summary “Thracian Society”.

What do the sources show (archaeological and written)? Thracian society; Knowledge is power. Thracian secret societies; Duties of enlightened aristocrats, priests, warriors.

“Thracians, Bogomils and Freemasons, similarities and differences”, was the detailed analytical paper by Brother K.K.

Past Master of “Dolinata na Orfei” Lodge in the Town of Kardzhali and one of the initiators of the writing and publishing of the book “Secret Societies of the Thracians” by Prof. Valeria Fol. In his paper, Brother K.K. outlined the following:

Ignorance, superstition, and fear are the murderers of the Spirit of God, in whose place a false kingdom is established, ruled by wrong thinking, wrong feeling, and wrong action. In the material universe, Evil often triumphs.

Mystery is hidden knowledge. It was given to people a long time ago, but in order for us to be able to unveil these mysteries shrouded in legends and myths, a good knowledge of the Pythagorean and Kabbalistic system of numbers and letters is required. It is also necessary to know the philosophical and astronomical ideas of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, Brahmins, Thracians and Bulgarians. I think this is precisely our mission, together with the dissemination of the ancient knowledge, in order to enlighten and adorn the path of the young and uninformed.

In the third paper, “The Code of Universal Secrets is the Image of God in Man – the Unquenchable Light in It”, Brother Lyubcho Ivanov, Past Master of “Rozata na Trakia Lodge from the Town of Stara Zagora, traced the extensive interpenetrating influence between the mystical schools of advanced Sufism as represented by the Dervishes and the Bogomil movement in they came together in the Balkans and the spread of Bulgarian heretical teachings in Europe during the Middle Ages.

The fourth paper “The Golden Treasure of Panagyurishte – the roots of Freemasonry in the Bulgarian lands” was presented by Brother A. A., Master of “Tempus” Lodge from Sofia, in which he stated:

What do Orphism and Freemasonry have in common? Where can we search for their genesis? The Varna Neolithic necropolis and the Durankulak Neolithic settlement and necropolis are indisputable proof that the earliest forms of human civilization were formed on Bulgarian territory. Something more! Archaeological finds of world-famous symbols from the dawn of human history and culture show the presence of the first and the earliest Temple of the Great Mother Goddess – Cybele. We find her images in three of the rhytons of the Panagyurishte golden treasure. In both Orphism and Freemasonry, the main goal is self-perfection: “Know thyself!”

This pertains to both Orphism and Freemasonry. He who understands the truth that the gods are immortal people and that people are mortal gods, will understand the truth not only about himself but also about the truth regarding the creation of the world. This is the general perception for Freemasonry and for Orphism. Therefore, one could comprehend a general awareness of the world and the place of every man within it. Orphism and Freemasonry share a common view of the presence of spiritual and occult knowledge in the existence of mankind.

Orphism, Freemasonry, Deunovism, Pythagoreanism, Hermeticism, Krishnaism, Anthroposophy, Theosophy, Occultism, Rosicrucianism, the Kabbalah, Zoroastrianism, Early Christianity (Proto-Christianity), Agni Yogism, Neo-Platonism, Astrology and the knowledge of zodiac signs all have a common genesis which is directly related to the formation of the earliest forms of social development.

With the birth of Orphism, there appeared the first universal norms of social self-realisation, which developed into the cultural and spiritual basis of Freemasonry, as well as, the various esoteric, hermeneutic, theosophical and religious doctrines. There is but one Truth, but its aspects are numerous.

Just as the first monotheistic concepts were born from Orphism and Mithraism, so the first socio-cultural ideas of Freemasonry were also formed from them. The cult of Orpheus and the cult of Mithras form the basis not only of the early monotheistic religions. The connection with them is the cult of the godman Zalmoxis. At the heart of Orphism and Freemasonry, however, is the cult of the Great Mother Goddess…

Bro Yordan Nikolov, Deputy Grand Master and Prof. Evgeni Sachev who were among the participants, took part in the discussions among the presented papers, with information, questions and answers on the topic. Bro Sachev presented to the participants in the discussion dozens of copies of his newly published second supplemented edition of his popular book: “Introduction to the history of the organised Masonic movement in Bulgaria until 1940.”

During the interval as well as after the meeting had concluded, the participants had free and lively conversations on the topic that had obviously inspired them greatly regarding the mystical points of contact between the Thracians, the Bogomils and Freemasonry. During these periods of discussion, Prof. Valeria Fol was, as expected, a competent and responsive participant.