PDF Summary:The Secret History of the World, by Mark Booth

Throughout history, secret societies have preserved an ancient philosophy that contradicts mainstream understanding of reality. In The Secret History of the World, Mark Booth explores this hidden tradition, which holds that consciousness precedes matter and that the human mind can interact with cosmic forces to shape the physical world.

Booth traces how this philosophy originated in ancient Mystery schools and survived through clandestine groups after Christianity became the Roman Empire's official religion. He explains the tradition's core principles, including the structure of the cosmos as emanations from a universal consciousness, the soul's journey through planetary spheres after death, and humanity's spiritual evolution. The guide also covers how this secret knowledge has been encoded in ancient myths, architecture like the Great Pyramid and Sphinx, and religious symbolism throughout history.

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In the following sub-sections, we will cover two ideas: Subtle Structure, and Spiritual Descent and Ascent.

Subtle Anatomy

Booth connects the vegetative state of the autonomic nervous system to plant life and chakras. He characterizes it as the vegetable realm's offering to the human physical body. If it were removed and placed upright, it would resemble a tree. Esoteric thought deals with the delicate energies circulating around this segment of the body that is akin to plants, and with the tree's "flowers," the chakras, which serve as its perceptive organs.

Booth adds that the chakra located in the solar plexus, the major center of the plant-based part of the human body, is nourished by the light and heat emanating from the sun. The components of the body's vegetative aspect are positioned at various nodes along its trunk and consist of varying petal counts. The main seven chakras are found at the groin, solar plexus, kidneys, heart, throat, brow, and crown.

The Origins of the Vegetative State of the Autonomic Nervous System

The idea of the “vegetative state of the autonomic nervous system” as a tree populated by chakras has its roots in Indian Tantric traditions, which describe the human body as a subtle energy system. In The Subtle Body in Asia and the West, Geoffrey Samuel and Jay Johnston explain that these traditions conceptualize the body as a network of energy channels (nadis) and centers (chakras), with the central channel (sushumna) running along the spine. Western esotericists later reinterpreted these ideas, drawing parallels between the subtle body and modern anatomical concepts like the nervous system.

Spiritual Descent and Ascent

Spiritual descent and ascent are central themes throughout the text. Booth describes Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection as an initiation process that happened in the material realm as a historical occurrence. He also describes Christ's descent to Hell as illuminating a path in the Underworld for the dead to follow.

Booth further describes the world's history as a process of descent and ascent. He explains that in the Golden Age, Earth and the Sun were connected, and the Sun shaped the Earth. The Sun later moved away from Earth, leading to its materialization and cooling. The Sun god came back to pour his spirit into the Earth, and ultimately, the entire universe will shed its physical form and be spiritualized once more.

Owen Barfield’s Theory of Participation

In Saving the Appearances, Owen Barfield describes a similar process of descent and ascent, which he calls “participation.” He argues that in the past, humans were more connected to the world around them, but over time, they became more disconnected. He explains that the goal is to reconnect with the spiritual world through imagination and creativity. This process involves recognizing that the world we see is a combination of our own perceptions and a deeper spiritual reality. By understanding this, we can move toward a more meaningful and connected existence.

Manifestations and Applications of History's Secrets

Booth claims that the purpose of the Great Pyramid's construction was as an incarnation machine to help spirits reincarnate. He explains that the Egyptians believed every human soul journeyed via the celestial orbs to the stars once a person died. The process of embalming and the use of lavish funerary items acted like a magnet, drawing the rising spirit to quickly reincarnate. Preserving the discarded body would keep it as a focal point for the spirit, drawing it back to Earth.

(Shortform note: In Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt, Jan Assmann explains that the Egyptians believed the body was the only part of the soul that could remain on Earth after death. The other parts of the soul would travel to the stars, but the body would remain in the tomb. The tomb was designed to allow the soul to return to the body, and the body was preserved to allow the soul to return to the body. This suggests that Booth’s theory is plausible.)

In the following sub-sections, we will cover two ideas: Historical Vehicles of Hidden History, and The Counter-Currents and Opposition.

Historical Vehicles of Hidden History

Booth argues that ancient myths and the zodiac encode the world's secret history. For instance, he characterizes the Sphinx as a structure commemorating the initial instance of the Four Elements solidifying and matter solidifying. For the ancients, the arrangement of constellations represented the narrative of the world's and humanity's development. Celestial objects like heavenly bodies formed a dynamic historical record. Ancient people thought they could converse with these beings and sense their impact.

Booth adds that the Sphinx represents the four main constellations in the zodiac: the lion, Taurus, Scorpio, and Aquarius, which correspond to the four cosmic directions. These four elements collaborate to create the physical world. The Sphinx signifies the moment matter finally solidified into its current form. The intricate orbiting cycles of the universe were set in motion.

The Sphinx and the Zodiac as Encoded Cosmic Knowledge

In Hamlet’s Mill, Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend argue that ancient myths and star patterns were intentionally organized to encode information about the cosmos and its cycles. They suggest that these stories and symbols were designed to convey knowledge about the structure of the universe and the passage of time, particularly the precession of the equinoxes. This perspective aligns with Booth’s view that the Sphinx and the zodiac encode the world’s secret history, suggesting that these ancient structures and symbols were part of a broader effort to preserve and transmit cosmic knowledge across generations.

In the next sub-sections, we will cover the idea of Symbolic Encoding and Esoteric Interpretation.

Symbolic Encoding and Esoteric Interpretation

Booth claims that esotericism uses symbols and myths to convey deeper spiritual truths. For example, he explains that in Greek mythology, ambrosia, the gods' nourishment, symbolizes human love. Without love, deities cannot assist us. In Christian mysticism, requesting assistance from angels draws them to us. If we don't, they become vegetative, and demons work on us instead. Booth adds that through repetition, we can combat evil influences and refine our lower, animalistic instincts. Esoteric teaching claims that a meditative exercise must be repeated daily for 21 days to effect a profound shift in our habits.

(Shortform note: In 1960, Maxwell Maltz published Psycho-Cybernetics, which claimed that it takes about three weeks to change a person's self-image. Maltz, a plastic surgeon, noticed that it took about 21 days for his patients to get used to their new faces. He also observed that it took about three weeks for amputees to stop feeling phantom limb sensations. Maltz concluded that it takes about 21 days to form a new habit or change a mental image. His book became a bestseller and influenced many self-help experts.)

However, a profound part of ourselves exists beneath the level of consciousness. This aspect can't be changed through the determined application of free will, since the corruption of our animalistic selves has permeated our plant and mineral components. We require supernatural assistance to cleanse and change these aspects of ourselves. The Sun deity's task was to descend into the core of material existence, imparting transformative spiritual power. The Sun god can penetrate into the densest part of humanity, and so it was written, "None of his bones shall be broken."

(Shortform note: In The Varieties of Religious Experience, William James presents case studies of people who underwent sudden religious conversions. He notes that the most characteristic feature of these conversions is that people often experience a new source of energy in their lives, as if a power other than their ordinary conscious will had taken possession of them. This new source of energy can bring about sudden and enduring transformations in their habits, affections, and the deepest tendencies of character—precisely in those regions where prolonged efforts of deliberate resolution had previously proved ineffectual.)

Booth also describes the 12-petaled lotus, which radiates from the heart area and encircles those we decide to love. It functions as a sensory organ. What we care for will unfold and disclose its mysteries. Enveloping someone in love involves using the imagination to truly perceive an elevated realm, and the body part responsible for this is the chakra in the heart. If the heart chakra opens and radiates, it might enable us to perceive the Outworld supernaturally. Through a heart full of love, we can consciously experience the universe's core—the affectionate intelligence that resides beyond the external world and governs it.

(Shortform note: The image of a lotus with 12 petals in the chest area comes from the Sanskrit tantric tradition, which describes a subtle body with a network of energy centers (cakras) and channels (nāḍīs). The anāhata-cakra, located in the thoracic region, is traditionally depicted as a lotus with 12 petals. This imagery entered Western esoteric thought through Theosophical and occultist engagements with translated yoga literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Western esotericists reinterpreted the anāhata-cakra as a center of higher emotion, intuition, and spiritually motivated will, aligning it with Christian and post-Christian sensibilities.)

Love influences our volition and perceptive abilities. When we love a person, we're ready to do whatever they need. The heart chakra blossoms when love moves us to act according to our conscience. We're not behaving impersonally or insincerely. Our actions are motivated by affection and dedication.

(Shortform note: If you take this idea to the extreme, you may end up in a codependent relationship. In Codependent No More, Melody Beattie explains that codependency is a pattern of behavior in which you put another person’s needs ahead of your own. This can lead to unhealthy relationships in which you lose your sense of self.)

Booth explains that initiation creates a different kind of consciousness. It renews the common modes of spiritual awareness that were prevalent in the earlier phases of humanity's evolution, while adding new aspects. The Pythagorean initiations focused on attaining a different consciousness that allowed open communication with spiritual realms. Pythagorean initiates could thoughtfully reflect on their spiritual encounters in a theoretical manner. Four centuries after, Christ's initiations added a new aspect, opening new levels of love. Esoteric traditions say that a person who reaches the enlightenment level that Jesus made possible becomes aware of their divine, Higher Self. Christian symbolism uses a child borne on the shoulder to depict this evolution, such as in the tale of St. Christopher, who carried the Christ child on his shoulders.

Christianity as Public Revelation

Many Christian theologians would strongly disagree with Booth’s esoteric reading of Jesus’s life and Christian symbolism. For example, in Introduction to Christianity, Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) argues that in Jesus Christ, God has definitively and uniquely entered human history so that the whole existence, word, and action of Jesus is God’s own self-revelation made publicly and once-for-all for the salvation of the world, a revelation addressed to every person and not a secret path reserved for a select group of religious experts. Ratzinger’s view of Jesus’s life as a public revelation of God’s love for all people stands in stark contrast to Booth’s esoteric interpretation of Christian symbolism. For example, Booth’s reading of the St. Christopher legend as a symbol of the initiate’s journey toward awareness of their divine Higher Self would be rejected by Ratzinger, who would see the story as a simple expression of Christian charity and service to others.

The Counter-Currents and Opposition

Booth argues that the Counter-Reformation was a powerful movement supported by occult forces. The Counter-Reformation, based in Spain, was largely implemented through the Spanish Inquisition, which required attending Mass. Hidden powers and initiation-based fraternities supported this movement.

(Shortform note: In Trent: What Happened at the Council, John O’Malley provides a detailed account of the Counter-Reformation, focusing on the Council of Trent. O’Malley’s work is based on extensive primary sources, including council records, letters, and contemporary accounts.)

In the following sub-section, we will cover the concept of The Michaelic Counter-Force.

The Michaelic Counter-Force

Booth asserts that the Archangel Michael is essential for developing human free will and thought. Michael is the Archangel connected to the Sun, and he leads the heavenly hosts. He's additionally the announcer of Christ's Second Coming, which is already happening.

According to Booth, Michael is battling the forces of demons and corrupted angels that are attacking the earth. Overcoming these forces will conclude the Kali Yuga, a dark era in Hinduism. Michael has been vital to developing human free will and thought. People only gained these capabilities in recent centuries. The Jewish people were led by Jehovah, the mighty lunar spirit, who helped humanity transition from a tribal, ecstatic, and animalistic existence to developing individual thinking and free will. The evolution of these abilities will eventually let people take an active role in changing the world.

(Shortform note: Booth’s ideas about the Archangel Michael, Jehovah as a lunar spirit, and the Kali Yuga are similar to those of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Anthroposophy is a spiritual movement that combines Christian esotericism with Eastern philosophies. In Rudolf Steiner, Gary Lachman explains that Steiner believed the Kali Yuga ended in 1899, marking the beginning of a new era. Steiner also reinterpreted the Old Testament God as a lunar spirit, similar to Booth’s view of Jehovah.)