Secret Message of Jules Verne: Decoding His Masonic, Rosicrucians, and Occult Writings [Paperback]

This book has too much wrong information to make wading through it a completely agreeable experience. Some of the detail is interesting, even provocative, but Lamy's sense of what constitutes a demonstrated argument is pretty loose, and this cannot be called scholarship. However if you understand that some topics are completely and crazily incorrect, and if you have not before read this type of literary analysis (one can't call it criticism), which puzzles through an author's idiosyncracies of name selection and theme, you might benefit from some exposure to the author's relatively wide reading within Verne's corpus. I think he makes a good case for Verne's debt to George Sand, but this might be a commonplace in Verne Studies. However Verne's addiction to Shakespeare is referenced once only in a footnote, no doubt because discussion of this would not be "secret." Anyone with a scholarly interest in occultism winds up reading some stuff like this, it's the literary equivalent of picking through garbage looking for gems. It takes patience and can't be recommended as reliable. Writings like this are part of the occult, not its explication. This is one of those books that I would not have bought if I had had a chance to page through it in a bookstore, and I could not make it part of my regular reading. This was bedtime reading, and not the best sort of that.

The strand within the book that is suggestive and relatively relevant is that concerning Verne's method of choosing names. I am persuaded by Lamy that the novels have links to one another in the form of linguistic clues and cues, usually having to do with names, though sometimes having to do with geographical situations. There is not even the clarity of the types of ley-line material that is so disputed in Dan Brown, but the persistence of certain patterns in Verne seems real. It is worthwhile and plausible that many of the name clues are given cryptically. This is scarcely a technique unique to Verne. However what Lamy does with this information is often not very well thought through. I suppose a lot of these remarks are to say that if you are a better thinker and writer than Lamy, you might be able to take up some of these clue strands and write a better study than he does.

Some of the statements are just wild. Lamy seems to think there are forty "stages of the cross" (p. 113). He thinks that the existence of a prayer concerning the discovery of ancient treasures is evidence of such treasures (p. 168). He doesn't know that any church space can be implied by the prayer "Terribilis est locus iste," that this prayer has been set to music for centuries, and that the presence of these words at Rennes-le-Chateau, or any church, is not strange. The translator thinks there were Boy Scouts in France in the Nineteenth Century. One of the crazier footnotes is on page 201, "According to legend, the Grail chalice, which contained the blood of Christ, was green and carved from an emerald that fell from Lucifer's forehead." He thinks it is not a proven fact that ocean pressure increases with depth (p. 208).

The grossest inaccuracies are about the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Lamy thinks that because Bram Stoker was (he says) a member of that occult order, since Stoker wrote Dracula this is "proof" that the Golden Dawn was all about vampires. This is scurrilous of course. Even if other GD members were interested in vampirism, this is not evidence that that is what the order's teaching were about. When Aleister Crowley sharpened his teeth he had long since been expelled from the order. And even then did that have to do with vampirism? Lamy says "It should be noted that after WWII the Russians launched a vast inquiry into vampirism in Hungary" (p. 211). Well, Mr. Lamy, if it were possible to make such note, an actual reference would help. And in no case is Adam Weishaupt "the true father of Marxism."

Some leads are vague and possibly scurrilous but it may be that the book can be mined for these, as long as it is understood that you may be mining to prove the mine bare. If Emma Calve was at Claude Debussy's, or in his circle, this could be one factual lead to the Priory of Zion's claim that Debussy was an occultist and their Grand Master, which isn't too great a leap if you know Debussy. But don't take Lamy's word for it. It might be interesting to look into St. Enimie, whom Lamy mentions in passing, to find out what that character is made of. Lamy thinks the Merovingian kings were called "hairy," and this may be, but he misses the fact that "Caesar" too means "hairy," and he doesn't seem to have the Biblical depth to know that in the context of religious, if not completely occult, teachings this probably brings up the whole question of the distinction between a Nazarean and a Nazarite. This would be real explication. Lamy doesn't know how to do more than intimate such things from rather a distance.

On his last page Lamy says "Perhaps this musing is all lunacy." For once he seems insightful. This book is at best pretty casual reading. (Update of 1/9/2012.)

_The Secret Message of Jules Verne: Decoding His Masonic, Rosicrucian, and Occult Writings_ is the first English translation by Destiny Books of the French book _Jules Verne, Initie et initiateur_ by French writer on the occult and esoterism Michel Lamy. This book which attempts to uncover a hidden occult agenda behind the writings of the famous French father of science-fiction Jules Verne is certain to appeal to those who are fans of such books as the novel _Foucault's Pendulum_ of Umberto Eco or the occult writings of Joscelyn Godwin. The French edition of this book has been mentioned in many sources of the occult literature and thus this English edition provides an important work for English readers and students of the occult and the esoteric. Jules Verne (1828 - 1905) was a French author who played an important role in the development of the science-fiction novel. However, according to author Michel Lamy, Verne had another side to him and his stories were frequently meant to be works of initiation. Lamy contends that Verne was a student of the occult as were many of the French literary during his time and that he played an important part in the French occult scene at the turn of the century. This book provides a fascinating account of the freemasonic and Rosicrucian aspects of Verne's work as well as discussing such obscure topics as the Rennes-le-chateau mystery, vampirism, the Bavarian Illuminati, and esoteric Nazism, favored by occultists. This book is certainly a fascinating look into the deeper and hidden aspects of a favorite novelist whose works remain a source of interest, fascination, and entertainment to this day.

In the Introduction to this book, Lamy begins by setting the stage for his esoteric understanding of author Jules Verne, noting the influence of the Rennes-le-chateau mystery on Verne. Lamy next turns to Part 1, "Jules Verne, Initiate and Initiator: An Opus in Service of Freemasonry", where he explains the freemasonic background of Verne. Lamy contends that Verne made use of a secret language, emphasizing the so-called mysterious "language of the birds" of the troubadours, and the secret slang argot used in Verne's novels. Lamy also explains the role of cryptography in Verne's novels, the role of the ouroboros, and the secret message of the circle in Verne's work. Lamy maintains that "the treasure is in the circle", noting the role of the island symbolism and maintaining that this reveals a hidden message behind Verne's work. Following this, Lamy turns to Jules Verne as a freemason. Lamy notes the freemasonic influence on Jules Verne, emphasizing the role of masonic and initiatory symbolism in _The Journey to the Center of the Earth_ and comparing Verne's novel _The Underground City_ to Mozart's masonic _The Magic Flute_. Part 2 of this book is entitled "Jules Verne and the Royal Treasure of Rennes-le-Chateau" and discusses the role of the bizarre Rennes-le-chateau mystery on nineteenth century French occultists and Jules Verne. Lamy begins by discussing the treasure of Father Berenger Saunier and the church of St. Mary Magdelene at Rennes-le-chateau. Lamy explains the bizarre happenings at Rennes-le-chateau and the strange situation concerning Father Saunier and his relationship to the occult as well as the role of the Merovingian kings, the painter Poussin ("ET IN ARCADIA EGO"), and the alleged treasure at Rennes-le-chateau and links to the treasure of Solomon (complete with infiltration by the Israeli secret service in an attempt to uncover this treasure). Lamy then explains how this mystery relates to Verne's novel _Clovis Dardentur_, relating this to the treasure, the Holy Grail, and such heretical groups as the medieval Cathars. Lamy next explains how Jules Verne relates to the mysterious Father Boudet, author of the bizarre _The True Celtic Language and the Cromlech of Rennes-les-Bains_. Lamy relates the writings of Verne to Boudet, the Hapsburgs and the Austrians, and the Rose Cross. Part 3 of this book is entitled "Jules Verne and the Secrets of the Rosicrucians", which explains the relationship of Verne to the mysterious sect of Rosicrucians. Lamy first mentions Verne's relationship to the Rosicrucians, emphasizing the role of the writings of Anatole France, the characters of Robur and Phileas Fogg, the quest for the Holy Grail of Otto Rahn, and other indications of Rosicrucian influence on the writings of Verne. Lamy next turns to Jules Verne and the secrets of Arsene Lupin, emphasizing the role of the countess of Cagliostro, Rennes-le-chateau, and the Merovingians. Following this, Lamy turns to the influence of the Golden Dawn on Jules Verne. Although Verne was likely himself not a member of the Golden Dawn, Lamy maintains that this secret society may have had some influence on Verne. In particular, Lamy traces the influence of Bram Stoker (famous author of the vampire novels featuring Dracula as well as a member of the Golden Dawn) on Verne, emphasizing the role of Verne's own vampire stories in _The Castle in the Carpathians_. Lamy maintains that vampires constitute a secret society based on a blood cult and comes to note the role of vampirism in the stories of Verne. Following this, Lamy turns to a discussion of Jules Verne and the hollow earth. Lamy notes the influence of such authors as Bulwer-Lytton (influenced by Rosicrucianism) and Edgar Allen Poe (who wrote of the hollow earth himself) on Jules Verne, emphasizing the role of Verne's story _The Journey to the Center of the Earth_. Lamy also maintains that Rennes-le-chateau serves as an entrance to the hollow earth. Part 4 of this book is entitled "Once Was a King of Thule", which discusses the esoteric political context of Verne's work. Lamy begins by discussing the role of the Bavarian Illuminati in the categorization of Verne's political beliefs. Lamy notes the contradictory aspect of much of Verne's political beliefs and ultimately concludes that Verne was aristocratic in outlook but also radical and anarchist. He notes the role of his stories and characters in maintaining such an anarchistic outlook though tinged with aristocratic viewpoints. Lamy also discusses "The Chalice in the Fog", noting the role of the Angelic Society, a literary society also called "the Fog", in promoting Verne's anarchistic views. Lamy notes the role of such authors as George Sand and Alexander Dumas as well as such works as the _Hypnerotomachia Poliphilia_ and the writings of H. P. Lovecraft (and his _Necronomicon_) and their relationship to Verne. Following this, Lamy turns to a discussion of "Night and Fog", where he discusses the role of Rudolf von Sebottendorf and his "Thule Society" as well as the influences of esoterism on Nazism and Communism and their relationship to Jules Verne. Lamy also mentions such traditionalist esoteric writers as Rene Guenon and Julius Evola in relation to Verne. Part 5 of this book is entitled "From Sable to the Golden N". Lamy begins by discussing the secrets of Captain Nemo (a name meaning "no one"), revealing the aristocratic anarchism of this character. Lamy finds an image of Verne's political outlook in the figure of Nemo. Lamy ends this book with a discussion of Jules Verne facing God. Here, the author notes the devastating role of the attempted murder of Jules Verne by his deranged nephew Gaston on Verne. Lamy also notes Verne's ensuing melancholy and his eventual turning away from esoterism and towards Catholicism towards the end of his life, where he finally embraced God again. In a brief Epilogue, Lamy once again explains the signifance of Verne's work and its esoteric aspects.

This book offers a fascinating account of the esoteric side to the writer Jules Verne, as well as an interesting history of the various occult movements of the Nineteenth Century. It is certain to interest those who are fascinated by such topics and thus offers an important contribution to the occult literature. As such it comes highly recommended.

"I've a whale of a tale to tell you, lads," sings Kirk Douglas in the Walt Disney film adaptation of Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. Most of us, reading Verne's novels for the first time, adored them and thought these whales of tales were simply fabulous adventure stories. Now French researcher/journalist Michel Lamy has come along to tell us that the late 19th century French author carefully structured his novels according to the stages of Masonic and Rosicrucian initiation and action-quest ritual---that, and much more, all of an occult nature. In Michael Strogoff, for example, the hero fights a bear, is tortured, is blinded, then recovers his sight; Mr. Lamy shows us that these acts are strangely consistent with vows made by higher-ranked Freemasons.

In general, Mr. Lamy's thesis is persuasive; but this reader would have liked to learn more about what kind of a queer duck Jules Verne was that he took the trouble of structuring his novels in this way in the first place. Verne doesn't really seem to be proselytizing; it's more like it's all something of a gigantic lark for him. But there surely is no simple answer, and Mr. Lamy introduces a somber note at the beginning of his book, stating that toward the end of his life Verne was "haunted by some incomprehensible mystery that he refused to share with anyone and which sometimes appeared to be suffocating him."

All in all, this beautifully translated book is quite a treat for all lovers of great literature, and especially for those fascinated by the rarer and more occult forms of expression that literature in all of its endless variations can take.