All Writing & Content
© Nick Kushner Unless Noted
Otherwise
The sister site of MarilynManson.com launched in the Summer
of 2000. The site went through five transformations/additions all to illustrate
Manson's own transformation and to illustrate the five pillars and themes most
prevalent throughout Holy Wood; Christianity/Martyrdom and mankind's morbid
fascination with it, Alchemy, Death Valley, JFK as the second Christ in the
eyes of America and the Occult. Click on any of the headings as well as the
BBS link to navigate through the site in its original configuration.
The Head Of Adam Kadmon
Original Hidden Link to TheLambOfGod.com from the Official Marilyn Manson BBS in the Summer of 2000. Illustration taken from The Tree Of Life: An Illustrated Study in Magic by Israel Regardie, Aleister Crowley's one time personal secretary. It is a book that Manson very evidently owned and used due to the number of images from it which he used as well as the themes discussed within, primarily Hermetic Kabbalah, which is the Westernized version of Kabbalah absorbed with Egyptian mythology, Alchemy and Sex Magick. It is the type of magickal practise which Aleister Crowley most widely used, which was popularized at the turn of the Nineteenth century by The Golden Dawn and continues to be currently practised by the OTO, or Ordo Templi Orientis, of Order Of The Eastern Temple. Manson has revealed attending functions conducted by the OTO but has denied any further connections to the group. But regardless, that Occult standpoint is the one utilized within Holy Wood.
The Head Of Adam Kadmon, taken from
The Tree Of Life by Israel Regardie
Behold the Lamb Of God which taketh away the sins of the world. St. John I. 29
The
first image added to the MarilynManson.com sister site of which it takes its
name. In the New Testament Christ is referred to as The Lamb Of God, the sacrificial
offering which God sent down to Earth to take away the sins of the world. It
illustrates the most prominent theme within Holy Wood of celebrity and martyrdom,
and most specifically celebrity through death and martyrdom as is illustrasted
through Christ, JFK, and John Lennon, the theme that Holy Wood consistently
revolves around as well as to illustrate the morbid fascination mankind has
inherently felt towards the theme. Hence the lamb bleeding into the grail, whose
blood we drink and whose body we feed upon in the form of a communion wafer;
the idea of Celebritarianism, the devouring of celebrity as demonstrated
by the first celebrity, Jesus Christ. This particular image is a detail of the
centerpiece of the painting 'Adoration Of The Lamb' by the 15th century Northern
Renaissance painter Jan Van Eyck, which in itself is the lower-center panel
of the much larger polyptych, The Ghent Alterpiece. The inscription on the alter
reads, ECCE AGNUS DEI, QUI TOLLIT PEC(CA)TA MV(N)DI, or the Latin translation
of St. John quoted above.
By clicking on the bleeding wound on the Lamb's pierced chest we are taken to the second image added to site. Although the text being on indeterminent origin the theme illustrated is the alchemical theme which is also an underlying but prevalent aspect of Holy Wood. Using Biblical imagery the theme illustrated is similar to that of the well-known drawing It Is Finished When Seven Are One. The text seen here is an alchemical treatise illustrating the theme of divine unity through the amalgamnation of opposing elements. The principle involved is that when the Alchemist almagamates these metals and achieves the divine mixture it represents his own transformation and his soul ascended. Also in that the the elements purified and combined is a microcosm of the Alchemist's own spiritual purification as he dedicates his entire being to the persuit of such, so the work of the Alchemist and the Alchemist himself become One. It has to do with the reoccuring theme of rebirth and transformation which is what the entire Triptych revolves around. Where the work of the alchemist is used to transform the alchemist himself; like Manson's art and his own transformations. It's not necessarily limitted to metals, the premise of alchemy can be used in any type of pursuit where the person performing the work is so deeply involved enough to commit their entire being to their work. Again like Manson has done, wholeheartedly dedicating his life to his art.
The
third image, a map of Death Valley found linked from the Lamb's right eye. Arguably
the most obviously fitting addition of the site as the album was first announced
to be titled solely 'In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death'. This section
of the site acts to represent one of the most prevalent elements in Holy Wood,
the theme of the end of the Sixties mirrored the turn of the Millenium; from
Columbine paralleling the Manson Murders to Woodstock '99 paralleling the deaths
at Altamont, and the respective media witchhunts that ensued after both. Just
as the papers ran the headlines, "Nixon Says Manson Is Guilty" in 1970, the
papers ran the same "Manson Is Guilty" headline in 1999 and 2000, if not literally
it was at least an undoubted insinuation, in regards to another Manson. The
Death Valley theme and imagery stems from in part identifying with the plight
of Charles Manson and his Family, who were 'going to WAR' against Hollywood
and the world they felt was evil, the actions of which, whether or not they
were right or wrong, parallels in many respects with another Manson's struggle
against the America that has attempted both the muzzle and destroy them. The
title of the album itself is evocative of this, the struggle between the two
metaphorical worlds of Holy Wood and Death Valley. Throughout the recording
of the album the band holed themselves up in Death Valley and attempted to capture
in music the atmosphere of the desert and being forced into persecution. In
theory and in theme Marilyn Manson became the Manson Family and waged their
WAR against the world that had beaten them down after the media witchhunt after
Columbine, but instead of using the futility of murder to wage their WAR Manson
put the scathing counteraction into the imagery and music to fight back which
is by far the more wide reaching retaliation.
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Leno LaBianca's body | Manson in Eminem's 'The Way I Am' video Summer of 2000 |
As further illustrative of this theme is the path to the next
page of the site which is reached by following the hidden link at Goler Wash,
the Death Valley home of Charles Manson and the Family. Also related is the
previous addition to the site, the Prophecy which evokes verse One of the Ninth
chapter of Revelations :
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key to the Bottomless Pit. |
This angel, whom Charles Manson believed himself to be, 'fell to the earth' where he and his Family dwelled, in Death Valley, The Bottomless Pit. As can be read in Helter Skelter.
The fourth addition to the site was a photo of Kern Gate, also known as The Gate Of A Thousand Doors. It's creator, Peter Kern, a turn of the Twentieth Century Mason, created it both as an entrance to the village of his namesake, Kern Place, which is easily read across the gate, as well as the creation of a symbolic and metaphorical gateway into death. The gate also marks the entrance to a strip of land known as the Jornada Del Muerto, or Journey Of The Dead Man, near El Paso in the extreme west of Texas.
It is also alleged that its creator was also ritualistically beheaded beneath it. This image is the element which represents JFK and his assasination in the public eye which led to him being hailed as the Second Christ, through his death in the spotlight. It is believed that JFK ritualistically passed under the gate and through the Jornada Del Muerto as part of a freemasonic rite. It is this theme which ties into King Kill 33º.
Manson made first reference to Kern Gate in a post to the BBS on August 19, 1999 where he stated:
August 16, 1999 Author: [omega symbol] Subject: this is the end, my only friends Article: thank you all, far and away for helping us live through such a tumultuous tour..... I am writing to you from Kern's Gate and from Death Valley the birthplace of our new album. Details to follow. With the shedding of skin we have discarded our Mechanical Animal clothes, costumes stage items, etc. This will be available for auction and a portion of the proceeds will go to charity. I love you all in the only true sense of the word. In the Name of Jehovah, Lucifer, Satan and their union through Christ and JFK THE THIRD AND FINAL BEAST |
And upon adding this image to the site Manson had this to say
on the Official BBS in response to mixed reactions about it stemming from its
use of swastikas as symbolic decor :
To clarify any unnecessary rumours...Peter Kern, a turn-of-the-century
Mason built a ceremonial entrance to his land to represent an esoteric
gateway to death. This is the Jornada del Muerto, the journey of the dead
man. Some believe that JFK passed through here on his way to Trinity and
on to Dealy Plaza. It is located near El Paso. To my knowledge, it has
no affiliation with Nazis nor do I CONDONE or PROMOTE any such beliefs. MARILYN MANSON |
Manson's hint about the Gate's relation to Adam can be taken two different ways.
More obviously that gate represents transformation as a metaphorical gateway
to change, similarly how the succession of the sections of Holy Wood, sectioned
off and abbreviated as ADAM follows the evolution and transformation of Adam
himself, but another interpretation of this linkage is the fact that Kennedy
alleged traversed through this gateway on his way to the Trinity atomic bomb
testing site. In ancient Kabbalah there's a certain belief that the Adam of
the Old Testament, the first man on Earth, was actually a metaphorical personification
of the first Atom of the creation of the world by god. Thus making Kern Gate
the passage to the site where the splitting of the first atom took place, which
was metaphorically and Kabbalistically represented as Adam.
"The atom
of Eden was the bomb"
Cruci-Fiction In Space
The following is an exceprt of an article on the history of Kern Place, the whole of which appears on the community's website, which the accompanying photos also appear from.
Kern
Place was created by local businessman Pete Kern, and construction began
on Nov. 21, 1914. Earliest construction began on Cincinnati Street, and
by 1917 about 40 homes had been built. Though urban today, when Kern Place
was built, it was on the edge of the desert and was well removed from
the populated areas of El Paso.
The entrance to Kern Place was a lively arch across North Kansas Street near the Robinson Avenue intersection. The arch was built in 1916 and was designed by Pete Kern. It consisted of two rock and mortar pillars bounded on top by a myriad of artistically arranged pipes and 333 lights. The arch was decorated with swastikas and sauvastikas, which at that time were considered good symbols with positive connotations. At Kern's insistence, the arch was built by workmen who were descendants of the Toltecs of Mexico. Through neglect and street widening projects, the arch eventually fell into ruin and is no longer present. You can find a number of historic photos in the Kern Place Photo Gallery.
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Kern Gate, Frontal View.
Note the symbolism such as the hexagram in the upper left.
Also notice Peter Kern standing at the base of the left pillar.
Kern Gate. The same photo as Manson used on TheLambOfGod.com
Peter Kern, front right.
Later
replacing the photo of Kern Gate, the fifth and final addition to TheLambOfGod.com
which brings all the esoteric elements of Holy Wood together as with its inclusion
all are represented. The image is known as the Third Pentacle Of Mercury as
given in one of the most famous of all occult books, The Key Of Solomon The
King translated by S. Liddell Macgregor Mathers, co-founder of the occult
organization The Golden Dawn, the predecessor to the OTO. To anyone confused
as to why it's referred to as a pentacle is because the word 'pentacle' is actually
a Latin word meaning roughly, 'little picture', so as to differentiate this
from a 'pentacle star'. In regards to the signifigance of this pentacle, which
in it's original orientation is actually rotated 90º to the left :
Figure 46 - The Third
Pentacle of Mercury.- This and the following(meaning the following
pentacle within the book)
serve to invoke the Spirits subject unto Mercury; and especially those who
are written in this Pentacle.
Editor's Note.- Mystical Characters of Mercury,
and the Names of the Angels: Kokaviel, Ghedoriah, Savaniah, and Chokmahiel
... The Key Of Solomon The King |
The god Mercury, or the Greek god Hermes, is known as The Messenger Of The Gods, bearer of wisdom. Used metaphorically in the occult, when invoked, Mercury aids in intellectual abilities as well as artistic and poetic flair, and with that being said should make Manson's use of the symbol all that much clearer.
Let it also be known that the original image of the Pentacle was also simply called 'Key', which after being replaced by the image of Kern Gate we arrive at the symbol of Mercury via Goler Wash, THE KEY TO THE BOTTOMLESS PIT.
BACK HOME TO
The NACHTKABARETT
© NICK KUSHNER & The NACHTKABARETT 2004 - 2006
The Tree Of Life: An Illustrated Study in Magic by Israel Regardie, Third Edition
Van Eyck - The Holy Lamb by Leo Van Puyvelde (OUT OF PRINT)
The Holy Bible
The Alchemists by F. Sherwood Taylor (OUT OF PRINT)
The Arts Of The Alchemists by C. A. Burland (OUT OF PRINT)
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi
King Kill 33 by James Shelby Downard & Michael A. Hoffman
Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare by Michael A. Hoffman
The Key Of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis) by S. Liddell MacGregor Mathers