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Adytum
From the
Greek aduton, which means 'not to be
entered', this term defines the holy of holies and denotes the holiest part of a temple,
into which the public is not admitted. In ancient temples it was also a secret chamber, a
private altar, a sacred compartment or a
place of retirement. Sometimes, the place where oracles were given. None
but the officiating priests were permitted to enter. Generally, any sanctum, the innermost sanctuary in a
temple.
In occultism it refers to the holiest area of an
initiation center. According to some occult
traditions and secret societies accounts — such as the
Freemasons — in the adytum was usually kept a
Tafov, or tomb,
and
sometimes also sacred relics and/or images of the god to whom the temple was
consecrated. In some cases the Adytum was
completely walled in, with no doors
or windows, suggesting the practitioners believed in soul or spirit projection,
the only vehicle through which to enter.
In Christian architecture it sometimes signifies the
chancel, or altar end of a church. Among the Jews it means the
Kodesh Hakodashim, the Holy of Holies, the
Sanctum Sanctorum at the
temple in Jerusalem, where the light never shined.
In Egypt, the Adyta, usually
consisting of three blocks or pillars, answering to those of wisdom,
strength, and beauty; also representing the mysterious Triad of the
Deity; the
Secos
— as described by
Strabo — were the same thing.
The adytum of the small temple of
Pompeii is still in excellent
preservation. It is carried some steps above the level of the main
building, and, like the Jewish sanctuary, is without light.
The most famous adytum in Greece was in the temple of
Apollo at
Delphi.
See
Freemasonry,
Casting Black Magic Spells,
Commanding Spirits,
The Tarot Store and
Divination & Scrying Tools and
Supplies.
Sources: (1)
Dictionary of the
Occult, Caxton
Publishing;
(2)
The Catholic Encyclopedia,
The Encyclopedia Press; (3)
The Encyclopaedia
Britannica Eleventh Edition Handy Volume Edition, Oxford University Press;
(4) Mackey, Albert G., and Clegg, Robert I.,
Mackey's Revised
Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, The Masonic History Company.
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