the NachtKabarett
All Writing & Content © Nick Kushner Unless Noted Otherwise
Why did you choose to utilize the Cross of Lorraine in the transformation of the Celebritarian site, and what significance have you found in this ancient symbol?
The Cross of Lorraine can be interpreted slightly different from what we have. Ours is more symmetrical and it was hinted at in the layout of the Holy Wood novel design originally. Between the gun cross and the obvious layout of the words going across the bottom to make the second bar. It seems to me, in many different ways, that it represents a lot of things that we identify with all of us as artists that are involved. I always have referred to it as the double cross and I think it has a funny sort of irony about it.
'Dramatic New Scenes For Celebritarian Needs', Marilyn Manson (for MansonUSA.com).
The Cross of Lorraine hidden within the cover of the Holy Wood novel, Summer 2000, placed several years prior to the launch of the Celebritarian movement which commenced October 1st, 2005.
As of October 2005 the infamous Marilyn Manson concept site Celebritarian.com, along with Celebritarian.net, Celebritarianism.com, Celebritarians.com, Celebritarianism.net, was resurrected from the dead, along with containing some new and very telling imagery of the direction Manson is currently heading in. What is known as The Cross of Lorraine is the sole symbol which is at current representing the rebirth of Celebritarian.com. It's a symbol that has connotations in the occult, alchemy as well as freemasonry, all of which have been underlying, reoccurring and key elements throughout Manson's art. For a complete overview and history of Celebritarian.com and Celebritarianism from its beginning during the Holy Wood era, as well as viewing the original site which I've archived, visit both my writings on Celebritarian.com within the HIDDEN SITES section and THE LAMB OF GOD .COM section of The NACHTKABARETT.
The symbol is one which is simple yet very complex and has a broad spectrum of associations to it which also relate very appropriately and inherently to Manson. The symbol was one which was adopted by the Knights Templar circa the 12th century AD, which after the Templars were crushed in the 14th century their traditions and secrets slowly evolved and crystallized to modern day freemasonry which was officially recorded as being established in 18th century England. Of course King Kill 33° on Holy Wood five years ago witnessed the most overt references to freemasonry Manson has made.
 |
 |
| Manson wearing the Cross of Lorraine at one of Gottfried Helnwein's events, 2004. |
Celebritarian ring worn by the photograph Perou, as displayed on his online diary in 2006. "Manson has a version of this ring...I have the only other of." |
The cross has also been a symbol used to denote poisonous materials, which in alchemy poisons were often representative of transformation. As alchemy is predominantly representational and metaphorical, poison and death meant metaphorical death; death of the persona and the further ascension of the soul through transformation and rebirth; a key and integral facet of Manson's art from the beginning.
"To the alchemists, of course, the symbol and its very meaning had far more esoteric connotations. To them, poison represented an agent of transformation, a vehicle for the reconciliation of opposites."
However most befitting and representational of Manson is another key facet which the cross evokes:
"It is interesting to note that even the less esoteric-looking equilateral cross used by the Templars had essentially the same meaning: that of the union of opposites, the intersection of creative force and destructive force, or the union of male and female principles."
It's this connotation which makes Manson's invoking of this symbol so appropriate: the combination of opposite. Black and white, positive and negative, expressionism and fascism, Marilyn and Manson. The depiction below for example illustrates this, the sun on the top and its opposite the moon on the bottom.
"The Cross of Lorraine is far more explicit in it's iconography: the bar above mirroring the bar below, both of which are symmetrically affixed to a central pillar that provides balance and equilibrium. As above, so below is, after all, a Hermetic maxim. And the three bars of which the cross is composed echo Eliphas Levi's concept of the true trinity. Levi posited that the world is governed by two primordial forces, one creative, the other destructive. The equilibrium between these two forces constitutes a third force, and the union of the three constitutes what some might.......The Cross of Lorraine: Emblem of the Royal Secret by Boyd Rice
The Cross of Lorraine as illustrative of the occult principle:
"As Above, So Below"; the dichotomy of oppositesBlack & White, Positive & Negative, Expressionism & Fascism, Man & Woman Marilyn & Manson.
The cross is related, as alluded to above, very much in symbolism to the occult axiom, "As Above, So Below," which is an illustration which constantly reoccurs in veritably every facet of the occult as well as the very idea of Marilyn Manson, the combination of opposites. Boyd Rice invoked the cross for this reason particularly, believing it to be the dichotomous union of God and Satan as the traditional cross being combined with the inverted cross lain atop of it. It's this very principle which, not exclusive to the cross, that is so important in the occult as an embodiment of balance which the magician must maintain throughout his workings. This theme is inherent in the cross and also in many other symbols all encompassing throughout the occult to the a
 |
 |
 |
| The Star of David, the Masonic Square & Compass and Aleister Crowley's Unicursal Hexagram Three occult symbol, all representing different paths which illustrate the same universal principle of "As Above, So Below"; the dichotomy of opposites just like the name Marilyn Manson. | ||
The rebirth of Celebritarian.com is very significant in that the theme of both the defunct version of the site from 2001 reflect and illustrate both the themes of Holy Wood (which was the era which the site and term were created in) and also the theme of American culture, hypocrisy and morbid fascination with death he's made since the beginning, a topic which in a sense was left unfinished with the Holy Wood novel at current remaining unpublished.
The cross and this particular launching of it and Celebritarian is, to all accounts and purposes, representative of Manson's once again rebirth and transformation into this new era of which we're seeing the glimpses of being unveiled right now; the galvination of Manson's creative force illustrated by this very representational symbol, now being used by him on new t-shirts hinting at the imagery as well as Celebritarian.
Superimposed double cross subliminally flashing in the January 7th, 2006 introduction of MarilynManson.com Marilyn MansonTOMORROW...AT LAST WE MEET AGAIN
"Hello from the depths of Holy Wood... My fantastic band and I are busy composing music to usher in the Age of Horus. The hate furnaces have been ignited once again, and it's good to see the world still despises us. We are censored and stopped at every turn. We are sabotaged, we are smeared with false press. This right here, you and I is the only thing that is real. Your support and dedication has made us survive this and we have returned to kick ass and take names. We will see the inauguration of a new worm.
In the name of JEHOVAH, LUCIFER, SATAN and THEIR UNION THROUGH THE MAGICIAN, JESUS CHRIST"
July 28, 1999
Manson once again invoking the union of opposites during the Holy Wood era where the imagery and thematic implications of the Cross of Lorraine and Celebritarian originated.
 |
 |
| The "other version" of the Celebritarian ring worn by Manson on this December 2006 photograph by Perou. Notice that Manson is also wearing the rounded version of it on the Eat Me, Drink Me album cover. | |
By Brad Jaeger
 |
|
|
| Traditional Latin Cross, The Cross of Lorraine, & Manson's evocation, which surfaced October 1 st , 2005 to signal his Celebritarian movement. | ||
The cross of Lorraine first emerged as a deviation from the traditional Latin cross, consisting of a vertical line intersected by two smaller horizontal bars which were either equal in length, or with the top bar measuring slightly shorter than the bottom - as was adopted by their arch bishops - with both bars equidistant from opposing ends of the vertical line. Although it is most commonly associated with the Forces Francaises Libres (The Free French Forces), an open resistance group combating the invading German occupants during the second World War, it holds a much more potent history interwoven into the occult.
 |
 |
| Two variations of The Cross of Lorraine used by the FFL during WWII. | |
 |
 |
 |
Though the origins of the cross are no longer known, it is popularly believed that it may have originated in Samaria as an ideogram for ruler ship and authority, due to its relative similarity to a Shepard's crook. As the Shepard is commonly associated with The Holy Bible, it is not surprising that the symbol was taken and appropriated by the Catholic church for use as an Archiepiscopal Cross; the heraldic coat of arms of an archbishop, the second highest ranking member of hierarchical clergy, next to the pope, who held great jurisdiction in the affairs of the people.
The Cross of Lorraine was adopted by The Knights Templar, who took their religious and knightly vows in the presence of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. They were said to have carried a red, four armed cross, which they wore on many of their garments and battlements, though records dictate that they often left the Cross of Lorraine at the end of their written letters and documents (perhaps for the purpose of identification), though the symbol could also be found plentiful among their lodges, and was admittedly a symbol granted to the Templars.
 |
 |
 |
| The cross of Lorraine, The four armed cross, and an example of how
The Cross of Lorraine would look, displayed in lodges and other areas of interest to the Knights Templar, both ancient, and modern. |
||
The cross bears its title from the French King Lothaire, who named one of his north-eastern provinces after himself. Over time his name underwent transformation until Lothaire became Lorraine , and with so, the aristocrats who followed thereafter began identifying themselves as keepers of Lorraine . One of the earliest bearing this title was the Duke of Lorraine, a man by the name of Godefroy de Boullion, who made use of this cross during the first crusade, wherein he captured Jerusalem in 1099. It was also passed onto future generations, adopted by his successors as a heraldic coat of arms, from which point it did not undergo any major transformations until its reinvention during the 20th century when General de Gaul adapted the Cross of Lorraine for the resistance group prior mentioned, the FFL. The cross was subsequently given a second name: the de Gaul cross or the Gaullist cross.
In reference to the Occult, the hermetic properties of the cross were largely revived by a devoted man named René d'Anjou. René, an Angevin monarch during the period of the Renaissance, personally convinced a local, Cosimo de Medici, to translate many ancient texts into a variety of European dialects - most prominently known is the masterwork Corpus Hermeticum, which, once translated, spread quite rapidly throughout Europe. Once assimilated into European culture, Marie de Guise (the mother of Mary Queen of Scots) assimilated the cross as her own personal symbol.
 |
 |
 |
| The Cross of Lorraine (left; when considering the crown) in Templar symbology, examples of the Double Cross as denoting the highest, 33rd Degree of the Masonic Scottish rite (center), and an embroided double-cross worn by the Sir Knight Templar, highest-ranked Mason of the York Rite. | ||
The Cross of Lorraine is in many ways the perfect Hermetic icon. Its form mirrors the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, the founder of Hermeticism: "As above, so below", a Hermetic maxim, was written in the beginning of The Emerald Tablet (see above). To give a better understanding of its significance, every form of true magick functions by the words of Hermes, "'That which is above is the same as that which is below - macrocosmos is the same as microcosmos. The Universe is the same as God, God is the same as man, man is the same as the cell, the cell is the same as the atom, the atom is the same as... and so on, ad infinitum." In essence, the belief is that man is the counterpart of God on Earth, just as God is the counterpart of man in heaven. And so in turn is the cell to a human, or an atom to a cell.
The hermetic nature of the Cross of Lorraine can further be realized by the photo below, carrying a sun atop the cross, and a moon below it; signifying balance and equilibrium, along with the amalgamation of the sun (the essence of masculinity), and the moon (the sacred feminine). To reinforce this, the middle pillar of the cross reads "The blessed stone contains everything within itself", a mention back to The Philosopher's Stone, the amalgamation of male and female within the Cross of Lorraine, furthering Hermes' teachings of equilibrium, balance, and unity which has always been a central aspect of Marilyn Manson.
To make matters more interesting, there are several hidden messages contained within The Cross of Lorraine, which have been illuminated below.
 |
 |
| The alchemical Cross of Lorraine illustrating alternately its principle of "As Above, So Below" Right, the secret names of the cross revealed; displaying HOSANI, IANOSH, & ASION. |
|
By taking the first letter at the end of each six points of the cross in a symmetrical zigzag pattern (further adding to the inherent equilibrium present in the cross), we can spell the word H-O-S-A-N-I, which is the Latin equivalent of the Hebrew word 'Hosanna', or "Praise be to", a phrase used in Catholic mass. The second hidden word mirrors the first, originating at the bottom, and working up, as the direct balance to the first word. By traversing in this manner, we spell the word I-A-N-O-S-H, the Latin equivalent of "Enoch". Enoch is believed to have taught writing to mankind, just as Hermes had.
As by no means of coincidence, a third word is spelt out by setting our point of origin at the 'A' in 'Arena', of the lower bar. Once again, following the zigzag principle, another word of significant importance is created. It should be mentioned that this traversed path creates an inherent M, which gives it all the more significance to Marilyn Manson. This third and final word created is A-S-I-O-N. Sion is an important word when considering The Knights Templar and their embodiment of the Cross of Lorraine, the 'a' in front of it serves as a patronym, something which indicates the line or descent of the individual in question. Asion simply means "Son of Sion".
All this taken into account, we can produce a hidden message from our three newly discovered words, "Praise be to Enoch, son of Sion."
Those who have read Genesis of the Old Testament will recognize that this message is in itself another riddle, as Enoch is not actually the son of anyone named Sion. Though the message reads "Praise be to Enoch, son of Sion", we must keep in mind that the word 'Sion' is an alternate spelling of Zion , and used for the purpose of identifying his heritage to the Jewish people. However, knowledge of the Bible dictates that Enoch is in reality, the son of Cain, the second most damned and synonymously evil individual of the Old Testament, next to Lucifer.
This holds extreme importance, as according to Hermetic lore, it is thought that Cain, who was responsible for the first murder, went off to spawn legions of damned creatures with Lilith, Adam's first wife. The two blighted ones created an entire line of despised beasts.
Thus it could be said that Cain, or his children, were heavily responsible for bringing Hermeticism, alchemy, and magick to the realm of men, as it were the 'fallen ones' who gave all antediluvian (pre-flood) knowledge to Hermes, who then passed it to the rest of mankind. So, "Praise be to Enoch, son of Sion", may not be so much as a sign of respect, but one of prayer, extending the offer of redemption to a child of a tainted blood line. This concept of redemption, and alchemical rebirth is not unfamiliar to Marilyn Manson, and in terms of The Cross of Lorraine, it offers another checked balance - the offer of redemption for the unredeemable.
There cannot be a discussion about The Cross of Lorraine without mentioning Boyd Rice, as The Cross of Lorraine has been adopted by him, and he has helped reveal its true nature to the world. An infamous man who has had a personal connection to Charles Manson as well as Anton LaVey (both of which served as inspiration for Marilyn Manson), Boyd Rice has been invaluable in unraveling much of the mystery surrounding the properties of the cross. His website reaffirms the Hermetic principle of the cross, while Mr. Rice suggests that the symbol is two crosses, one right side up (the traditional Latin cross, belonging to God), and one upside down (it's opposite and antitheses). Thus the cross features both the arms of Satan, and the arms of Christ, and the unified blood of both. Given the prior evidence (much of which Boyd Rice is also responsible for) which suggests a relationship to Cain, and the evidence plainly visible in regards to Christ, the sheer dichotomy, and yet unity, of the two central forces stands as one of the strongest and most well researched theories to date.
 |
 |
| From left to right: Anton LaVey & Boyd Rice, Boyd Rice & Marilyn Manson. | |
A final interpretation of the cross was presented by Eliphas Levi, and his writings about the true trinity. According to Eliphas, the Earth is ruled by two primordial forces, one creative, the other destructive. This act of continual balance between the two forges a third force, which Levi suggested was God. Indeed, the Cross of Lorraine fits this description with the top horizontal bar taking the role of creation, the bottom bar as its polar opposite, destruction, and the longest bar, that being the vertical, constituting the ever omnipresence of God and his reign over both domains.
Sources: The Esoteric Writings of Boyd Rice - both 'The Fingerprint of God, or the Mark of Cain?', and 'The Emblem of the Royal Secret'. The Book of Genesis. Illumination of the hidden sayings by Brad Jaeger.
 |
 |
 |
| The Cross of Lorraine as found in the Golden Section generated by the Fibonacci Sequence. | T-shirt first previewed in October 2005, displaying a roughly painted Double cross. | A girl t-shirt design from the era, with a double-barred M on the back. |
Heart-Shaped GlassesThat blue is getting me high / making me low
 |
 |
Left ; 'Eat Me, Drink Me' album cover with the hidden symbolism of the double cross, signifying the album to be representative of Celebritarianism rather than a departure. Manson can also be seen wearing the Celebritarian double cross ring, as discussed above. Right ; Tim Skold's (co-writer of 'Eat Me, Drink Me') guitar pick from the 2007 'Rape of the World' tour with the double cross as the predominant design element. Comparatively similar, by taking the name 'Skold' into the design, are evocations of Aleister Crowley's notorious photograph as an initiated Freemason bearing a 15 sided cross into his signature as |
|
I Have To Look Up Just To See HellAnd we have reached the high end of low
 |
 |
Left; the Double Cross subtly resurfacing in The High End Of Low's artwork, along with other design elements and concepts from the Celebritarian era. |
|
For more utilizations and references to the Celebritarian Double Cross within and after the era see the following articles on The NACHTKABARETT:
