Unlocking the Hermetic Code: The Manitoba Legislature Building’s Masonic Roots
At first glance, the Manitoba Legislature Building is your run-of-the-mill government office, welcoming hundreds of tourists and dignitaries per year. However, according to architectural historian Dr. Frank Albo, this legislative assembly is rife with ancient Egyptian symbols, occult icons, and hidden codes embedded right in the building’s dimensions.
What do these strange sigils and mythological allusions mean? You can learn the secrets of Manitoba Legislative Building and its strange connection to the freemasons on the Hermetic Code Tour in Winnipeg.
Image by Dan Harper.
What is the Hermetic Code Tour in Winnipeg?
Since 2009, Albo has taught thousands of visitors about the meaning and historic significance of these arcane associations on his Hermetic Code tour. However, his research into the Manitoba Legislature Building’s masonic roots go back almost 20 years, when he first realized how odd it was for a provincial legislature in central Canada to feature sphinxes inscribed with a prayer to the sun god Ra.
Over years of research, Albo came to the conclusion that the building’s many unique architectural features – ranging from the aforementioned sphinxes to hidden religious symbols in its murals – stem from freemason architect Frank Worthington Simon’s desire to rebuild Solomon’s Temple in Winnipeg.
Made infamous by Dan Brown’s 2004 novel, The Da Vinci Code, the freemasons are a secretive order descended from medieval stone masons who believed the architectural principles used in the creation of Solomon’s Temple held spiritual and philosophical significance. Due to their enigmatic nature, freemasons are a frequent target for conspiracy theorists who believe they’re connected to the Illuminati.
Conspiracy theories aside, Albo maintains that Simon’s true intention was less to hide a dark secret and more to use the aesthetic principles he believed in to build a better environment for the people who entered the legislature.
According to Albo, the Manitoba Legislature Building masonic connections run deep, showcasing a variety of architectural and symbolic concepts held sacred by freemasons, ranging from the golden ratio to the Fibonacci sequence.
Here are just some of the hidden secrets highlighted in the Manitoba Legislative Building Hermetic Code tour.
Image by William Au.
Secrets of the Winnipeg Golden Boy
Crowning the top of the Manitoba Legislature, the Winnipeg Golden Boy is a familiar sight to the city’s residents. With one foot perched on the tip of the building’s dome and the other hanging in the air in a running stance, he is locked in a perpetual leap, holding out a torch with one arm and a bundle of wheat in the other.
Little do most of those residents know that the statue actual depicts the Greek god Hermes, the messenger of Olympus who also signifies trade and travel. However, the winged trickster also has lesser known associations with the occult and alchemy. In fact, his name is the root word of hermeticism, the arcane doctrine that inspired the freemasons, and thus the Hermetic Code tour in Winnipeg.
When examined closely, the Winnipeg Golden Boy’s design actually evokes several hermetic principles, to say nothing of the fact that it stands directly over the ‘Pool of the Black Star,’ a lower chamber marked by an eight-pointed black star in the centre.
Image by William Au.
Visiting The Inner Sanctum
The Manitoba Legislature Building Hermetic Code tour starts in the building’s main lobby, a cavernous space dominated by a grand staircase flanked by two bronze bison. While bison are a well-known symbol of Western Canada, the sight is eerily similar to the sacred bulls which protected the entrances of ancient temples from evil.
The symbolism of the room goes even deeper. For instance, the construction of the lobby features many sacred numbers, like the staircase being comprised of three sets of 13 steps, and the square room itself measuring 66.6ft on each side.
Perhaps oddest of all, the Lieutenant-Governor’s reception room perfectly mirrors the dimensions of the Holiest of Holies, the sacred chamber of Solomon’s Temple where the Ark of the Covenant was held.
Image by Mike Peters.
Visiting the Manitoba Legislative Building Hermetic Code Tour
Even beyond the Manitoba Legislative Building masonic connections, Albo maintains that the structure is a stunning monument to architectural history, incorporating symbolism and design principles from across history.
However, no one can deny learning about architectural history is much more entertaining when it’s couched in the language of conspiracy theories and mid-2000s Tom Hanks movies.
Hungry after absorbing all that knowledge about the Manitoba Legislative Building? Satisfy your cravings at one of these restaurants in Winnipeg.
Special thanks to the staff of the Quality Inn & Suites in Winnipeg, MB for their suggestions.
Cover image by Dan Harper.