This article is taken from the May 2022 issue of Fraternal Review titled, “The Taxil Hoax”
In the creation of his Luciferian Freemasonry, we can see that Taxil was deeply influenced by von Hammer-Purgstall’s Templar/Baphomet/Freemason conspiracy, as found in Mysterium Baphometis Revelatum; if not directly, then through its filtration in the works of Éliphas Lévi, by both his borrowing of Lévi’s imagery and descriptions of Baphomet, and also utilizing the cannabis infused wine that appears in the same chapter of Lévi’s work with the description of Baphomet. We find this situation in the writings attributed to one of Taxil’s characters, ‘Diana Vaughan,’ an alleged descendant of the Rosicrucian alchemist Thomas Vaughan, who had been swept up into a form of Luciferian Masonry that was taking place in the American South, and being led by none other than the noted Mason and Scottish Rite figure Albert Pike!
A. E. Waite summarized much of this French material and released it just before it was all exposed as a complete hoax, as his book about Luciferian Freemasonry, Devil-Worship in France: with Diana Vaughn and the Question of Modern Palladism, in 1887, written it would seem, with tongue firmly placed in cheek. Waite describes Vaughan’s alleged initiation with indications of drug use, as well as the sort of wire pulling trickery used in the phantasmagoria. So rather than realizing the whole thing was a complete hoax, Waite seems to have believed that Vaughan may have been victim to the sort of stage trickery that was used by the phantasmagorists, and intoxication with cannabis.
“Miss Vaughan began her preparations by a triduum, taking one meal daily of black bread, fritters of high-spiced blood, a salad of milky herbs, and the rare old Rabelais. The preparations in detail are scarcely worth recording as they merely vary the directions in the popular chap-books of magic which abound in foolish France. At the appointed time she passed through the iron doors of the Sanctum Regnum. “Fear not!” said Albert Pike, and she advanced remplie d’une ardente allegresse, was greeted by the eleven prime chiefs, who presently retired, possibly for prayer or refreshments, possibly for operations in wire- pulling. Diana Vaughan remained alone, in the presence of the Palladium, namely, our poor old friend Baphomet, whom his admirers persist in representing with a goat’s head, whereas he is the archetype of the ass.” (Waite, 1887)
We can be sure that Waite’s reference to “the drink of rare old Rabelais” is a reference to a cannabis infused wine, as the regime given of “fritters of high- spiced blood” and “salad of milky herbs” is the exact same as that given by Lévi in Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (1856), which Waite had translated the year before, in a description of a ritual for invoking the devil: “this repast must be made of black bread and blood seasoned with unsalted spices, or of black beans, and milky, narcotic herbs; every five days, after sunset, one must get drunk on wine in which five heads of black poppies and five ounces of bruised hemp have been steeped...” (Lévi/Waite, 1886).
As well, in the French original of the Taxil/Vaughan account, there is no mention of Rabelais and cannabis appears quite clearly in this context, alongside numbers of references to hashish use by these Luciferian characters throughout the tale. As Taxil’s Diana Vaughan: Mémoires d’une Ex-Palladiste, describes: “It is obvious that Miss Diana Vaughan was only a subject between hands of criminal Charleston operators. Autosuggested... and exhausted by the deprivation of food and sleep, excited by an infusion which possessed the narcotic properties of hashish, she fell into a state of dream and thought she saw Lucifer as she had desired. This vision fascinated the poor woman and troubled her for many years.” (Vaughan/Taxil 1895-1897). It is worth noting here, that Waite’s use of the “drink of rare old Rabelais,” although not appearing in Taxil’s works, seems to have been used in a way, that those in the know would be aware of the reference to cannabis infused wines in this sort of ritual context.
Taxil’s account of Satanic and cannabis-infused Masonry, was completely embraced by the foes of the Craft, particularly the Vatican, where even the Pope was excited to read the latest account from Diana Vaughan, or reading one of Taxil’s works on the diabolical secrets of Freemasonry! Taxil was entertained at the Vatican on a number of occasions after his public conversion and redemption, and the whole farce continued for some 12 years, before public outcry as to the authenticity of the writings attributed to Diana Vaughan forced a press conference. However, on the date of what was supposed to be Vaughan’s long awaited public appearance, April 19th, 1897, Taxil showed up alone, wearing a Fez, and gave one of the most hilarious press conferences of the century. The French prankster completely admitted his hoax, to the various members of the press, clergy, freemasons and public who had gathered to meet the mysterious Vaughan, and the crowd reacted with laughter, cheers, boos and anger throughout Taxil’s unveiling. In conclusion Taxil thanked the press, clergy, and Masons for playing the all too willing dupes of his hoax.
The above article was extracted from Bennett, Chris. “The Devil’s Weed and The Luciferian Freemasonry Hoax of Leo Taxil.” Cannabis Culture, 16 Jan. 2018