Peter Dawkins – The 1623 Twin Publications, Keys to the Rosicrucian Work of Sir Francis Bacon. 01 July 2023

Four hundred years ago, on 16 July 1623, Jupiter and Saturn—the outermost known planets in the seventeenth century—formed a Great Conjunction in the fire sign of Leo ruled by the Sun. Twenty years earlier, in December 1603, their Great Conjunction was in the fire sign of Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter. “The Heavenly Queen on Earth”, Elizabeth I, died in 1603. England and Scotland were united under her successor, King James I. In 1600, a new star Cygnus the Swan was observed flying along the Milky Way—a manifestation of the Egyptian sky goddess, Nut, bearing the Child of Light to be born on Earth. This was the era of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), “the Sweet Swan of Avon”, who was born and died on St George’s Day, 23 April. This reference is attributed to the poet and playwright Ben Jonson (1572-1637), who, in 1618, became usher to his great friend, Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), and contributed to the twin publications in Latin, in 1623, of Shakespeare’s Folio of Comedies, Tragedies and Histories and Bacon’s Of the Advancement and Proficience of Learning.

Paracelsus (1493-1541), predicted the birth of Elias the artist, “Herald of the New Age”, prior to the formation of The Society of the Golden and Rosy Cross (1571), which operated secretly until 1604, when astronomical configurations encouraged initiates to start publicising their work. Bacon, head of the Rosicrucians from c. 1580 to 1626, is linked with Elias the Artist, Apollo the Lightbringer, and Athena the Goddess of Inspired Wisdom.

Peter Dawkins deciphers Bacon’s frontispiece to Of the Advancement…, unravelling symbolism in book titles, columns, and keys to the writer’s mask, opening doors to Rosicrucian, Masonic, Cabbalistic, numerological, astronomical, and mystical connotations. He interprets William Shakespeare’s name, the references to Bacon as Baron Verulam, Viscount St Alban, and reveals multiple correspondences underpinning the Golden Age of English literature and its Gemini myth.

What might this mean for humankind 400 years later? In 2020, the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn tangled with Pluto in the earth sign of Capricorn prior to the Winter Solstice, then advanced into the air sign of Aquarius and separated in Spring 2021. Pluto (discovered 1930) remained behind. How do such configurations relate to England? These two fascinating talks, which focus on the ciphers and symbols of two books published in 1623, stimulate the curious mind to ask: “What now?”

Report by Sue Lewis

Correction from Peter: “I made a big mistake about North America, which probably confused everyone. I said west coast instead of east coast, and the mountain range is, of course, the Appalachians. This east coast and Appalachians (or most of it) were what was originally designated as Virginia, and which Cygnus, when projected onto the surface of the globe, corresponded to. And this is the area that was marked out geometrically (with marker stones) by the indigenous elders and Freemasons from Europe, which geometry appears to me to be that of the fundamental geometry of Solomon’s Temple, or such-like. But it is on a vast landscape scale.”