Knights Templar: Occultic Origins & Demonic Stronghold Still Operating Today

From its inception, the Knight Templars fashioned themselves as both warriors and pious monks or priests.

It was this dual role and dual identity that was at the core of their order and at the core of their belief systems. The Knights Templar were priests, or monks, dedicated to strict daily religious practices first and foremost before they were warrior knights.

From their earliest days as a Catholic military order, they found a great champion in Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the Cistercian monastic order and one of, if not the most powerful man within the Catholic Church at this time. Bernard was the nephew of one of the founding members of the Templars, and was all too willing to throw his support behind the order, going as far as to even co-author their founding principles now known as the “Latin Rule.”

Bernard lent his full support to the Templars and was their biggest advocate throughout his life, molding and shaping the order, both religiously and politically, through his influence upon the pope and thus the rest of Europe. This culminated in 1139 when Bernard successfully secured a papal bull (official decree of the pope) called Omne Datum Optimum, which established the Knight Templars as an autonomous organization answerable only to the pope himself and exempt from all other political or religious authority across all Christendom. Now the Templars could grow unimpeded by any other authority in the land. And grow they did, amassing wealth, castles, lands, fleets, and adding to their number all over the western world.

Over the next 200 years or so, the Templar Order became a dominant player in the socio-political and economic world. As their power grew and their ranks swelled with young men from the aristocratic families of Europe, the Templars’ religious beliefs began to change and to take on a very distinct set of doctrines separate from those more commonly taught in the wider Catholic Church. Remember, the Templars were at their core both warriors and priests/monks. They fully embraced this dual identity and devoted most of their daily life to monostatic traditions established by Bernard of Clairvaux.

However, we can see in their teaching and their history a willingness to extend their beliefs beyond the traditional orthodox beliefs of the Catholic Church. They had an extreme reverence for the Virgin Mary, something they learned from Bernard, who himself was an ardent and some say radical worshipper of the Virgin Mary. We can see that Mary worship was ingrained in their order from its earliest day, thanks to Bernard, and was a foundational belief of the Templars.

Bernard’s devotion and worship of Mary is well documented. He once said, we “cannot admire her enough.” This is the origin of the saying “De Maria numquam satis,” meaning “Of Mary there is never enough,” which is attributed to Bernard by many, including Pope Pius XII. Bernard’s exaltation of the Virgin Mary was so well-known that Dante chose Bernard to sing the heavenly praises of Mary in Canto 33 of his Paradiso, speaking of her as “humble and more exalted than any creature.” It is safe to say that Bernard’s personal devotion and love for the Virgin Mary were central to his life and to his teachings, which formed the core religious beliefs of the Knights Templar Order at its inception. So much so, that the Templars were instructed that new members should make their vows to “God and Our Lady,” meaning the Virgin Mary.

Occult and Mystical Spiritual Influences

Because of their deep roots in the Holy Land and regular interaction with Muslim inhabitants of the Crusader States, the Templars were heavily influenced by the belief system of Islam, particularly Sufi Islam. Sufism is a sect of Islam and teaches a more mystical form of Islam, along with gnostic beliefs that were popular at the time in North Africa. One of the accusations against the Templars was that they were Muslim sympathizers, or that they had given in to Muslim beliefs. Contemporary writings about the Templars do show that at the time, the Templars did have good relations with some Muslims and were respectful of their beliefs. There are even instances in the Spanish peninsula where the Templars fought alongside the Muslims against fellow Christians when it suited their own goals. This is not to say that the Templars were Muslims or embraced Islam; rather, they were heavily influenced by Islam, especially the more gnostic Sufi Islam.

Likewise, there was close and regular interaction with the Jewish populations in the Holy Land, which led to an introduction to the Kabbalistic beliefs of Judaism finding its way into Templar belief systems. We can see this in the mixing of imagery and iconography used by the Templars in the many churches they built all over Europe. Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, for example, though not built by the Templars but likely built by some of their descendants, is filled with a mix of imagery of both Christianity and Judaism.

Interestingly, there is a manuscript of the Templars Code (Latin Rule) at the National Library in Paris once owned by Godfrey of Saint-Victor (1125–c.1190), which is bound together with other manuscripts that include Jewish concepts, particularly the Tetragrammaton—the secret, unpronounceable four-letter name of God: YHWH. This was something not being used in Catholic teachings of the time. Godfrey of Saint-Victor himself was branded a heretic and forced out of his abbey before seeking refuge with the Templars.

These mystical spiritual beliefs of Kabbalah and Sufism were blended into the monastic system of the Templars and blended with the Cistercian teachings and Mary worship to create a unique blend of Catholicism within the Templar Order.

One of the earmarks of monastic orders during this time was secrecy, and much of what the Templars did was done behind the closed doors of their many castles and fortresses. This hidden life of the Templars created a prime breeding ground for occult and mystic practices and beliefs to flourish. More than that, it certainly fed the imagination of non-Templars at the time, even to this day. Just what were these pious, Christ-loving warrior monks doing in secret behind the doors of their many castles?

The Templars were master builders and built many churches and cathedrals all over Europe. They had carefully crafted expertise in the construction of these magnificent structures, which remain to this day as a testament to their skills. Their understanding of architecture and especially acoustics was spectacular.

This was one of the hallmarks of the Templar church—the ability to achieve specific and deliberately crafted acoustics that would allow for someone to position themselves at one singular spot and be able to speak, allowing the natural acoustics of the architecture to amplify their voice as if broadcast over a modern PA system. Stepping even a few inches in one direction or another, the amplification would stop, like magic if you will.

I have personally experienced this effect at numerous Templar churches, something that I have also experienced in ancient Egyptian temples, built thousands of years before the Templars. Perhaps they did find some ancient knowledge on the Temple Mount. I can’t say, but one thing is clear, their understanding of acoustics and architecture was immense. How they utilized this knowledge and skill was concerning.

The amplification effect was not just in volume but also in frequency. By creating precise frequencies audibly through chanting and vocalization the sound would be “felt” as much as it was “heard.”

During a time when all manner of unexplained things were considered “magical,” imagine how much influence the Templars could have on the masses and the Masses when they employed their advanced knowledge of acoustics. It was like a false Holy Spirit, or a false anointing, to be able to speak or chant and have the congregation be impacted by the sounds physically as much as audibly.

What Does It All Mean?

The Knights Templar grew into a powerful and wealthy order of warrior priests who blended mystical religious beliefs into a new, distinct religion practiced in secret in their many castles. They invented the first banking system and used that to grow their wealth and exert influence and control over medieval Europe, which eventually led to their downfall.

First and foremost, the Knights Templar venerated the Virgin Mary at least as equal to Christ and spread that devotion throughout their domains. They learned this first from Bernard of Clairvaux and built it into their guiding rules and beliefs.

One of the other accusations at their trial, likely based on some degree of fact, was that the Templars worshipped Baphomet, the half-human, half-goat demonic entity. We know the word Baphomet was used by the Templars, but we have little evidence of what exactly was meant by the word. Keep in mind the image of Baphomet as the goat-headed demon wasn’t created until 1865 when the “Sabbatic Goat” image was first drawn by Éliphas Lévi, a French occultist. Before this, there wasn’t a context for Baphomet as a goat-headed demon.

Recently, a new theory has been presented by Dr. Hugh Schonfield, one of the original researchers working on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Schonfield decided to apply the Atbash cipher, which assisted with translating the Dead Sea Scrolls, to the Templars’ sources with the word Baphomet. When he did, the word was translated as “Sophia” in Greek, which would translate into “Wisdom” in English. According to this theory, it could be argued that the Templars were worshipping Sophia, the goddess of wisdom who has been described as the bride of God. Given their strong veneration for the Queen of Heaven, it stands to reason they would have been open to venerating another form of the Queen of Heaven as Sophia.

One of the most interesting legacies of the Knights Templar can be found in another equally controversial group, the Freemasons. Much of the lore and created history that makes up Freemasonry is rooted in the Knights Templar. Freemasonry embodies many of the same ideals and even purports to carry on the Templar traditions and beliefs. There is an entire branch of Freemasonry and a corresponding Degree of Freemasonry called the Knights Templar (Freemasonry). The top Templar historian, whom Becca and Jareb spoke with before our 2013 Spain assignment, explained that true Knights Templar come into Freemasonry and ascend through the degrees of initiation for the sole purpose of induction into the Templar degree. Today, one can barely do a Google search or try and do any research on one without getting mixed up with the other. It’s almost as if the two are synonymous, like two sides of the same coin.

I believe that this is both deliberate and telling and shows us that there was more to the Templars than just white knights in God’s service. I believe it also shows us as discerning people that what the enemy created within the Knights Templar was not about to die or diminish in 1307, but that it sought to continue its system and false religion into a new age.

Remember, this is how principalities and their demonic structures operate. They create worldly systems that can be easily influenced and controlled from the top, but are supported by a structure created through beliefs and maintained by those willing to work within the structure knowingly or unknowingly.

Freemasonry is another prime example of this. Most of its members are likely well-intended, reasonable—perhaps even Christian—people who are simply part of a system that is counterfeit and influenced and controlled by a few at the top with unholy agenda.

The modern banking system likewise is a system that was created by the Templars to solve a problem, but has led to the creation of a worldly system that is easily controlled, influenced, and manipulated by a few for their own purposes.

While the Knights Templar will likely remain one of the most captivating and controversial organizations in history, it’s safe to say that they were part of a much bigger system under the authority of the Queen of Heaven. Their establishment of the banking system and the control that they exerted through that system is something that is still being used to this very day to exert control and influence across the earth. Something that will continue until Kingdom-minded businesspeople arise and invade the banking mountain to displace those who sit atop the mountain and, in partnership with prophetic warriors, dethrone the principalities.

Personal Prayer

Father, I thank You for Your truth that sets me free. Jesus, thank You that by Your blood and through Your Name, I am forgiven, cleansed, and set free. Lord, I now confess and repent for myself and previous generations in my family bloodline concerning all involvement and engagement in or with the beliefs, worship, or practices of the Knights Templar.

I honor my earthly father and mother and all of my ancestors of flesh and blood, and of the spirit by adoption and godparents, but I utterly turn away from and renounce all their sins. I forgive all my ancestors for the effects of their sins on me and my children. I confess and renounce all of my own sins, known and unknown. I renounce and rebuke every spiritual power of darkness affecting me and my family, in the name of Jesus Christ.

I renounce all vows, covenants, promises, rituals, beliefs, and ceremonies of the Knights Templar. I specifically renounce all vows of poverty, chastity, chivalry, and all those found within the Latin Right and similar guiding documents of the Knights Templar that do not glorify You, the One True God.

In the Name of Jesus, I renounce and cut off from myself all literal, figurative, and allegorical meanings of all symbols of the Order of the Knights Templar. I declare that these symbols will not affect my life or the lives of my loved ones.

I renounce the teachings of Gnosticism and duality, which teaches that secret knowledge is required for salvation.

I renounce all false manifestations of the Holy Spirit and any attempts to mimic or copy or emulate the power of the Holy Spirit through natural means such as through sound and frequency.

I break off any connection, influence, or access to my finances and the Knights Templar and their beliefs and actions. I decree and declare my finances are rooted in and governed by the Kingdom of Heaven and not any earthly or worldly system. My source is Yahweh Jireh, who sees and provides for all of my needs.

Father, thank You for Your freedom. I rejoice that I am free and free indeed! Thank You, Lord, for purity, freedom, and victory in my life. Holy Spirit, in every place where my house has been swept clean, fill me up to overflowing. I welcome and declare purity and holiness in my thoughts, in my mind, in my emotions and desires. Lord, I declare that Your Word is alive in me. I ask for more of You in my life. Jesus, You are the Alpha, Omega, the Beginning and the End. You are the Magnificent One, the Holy One, the Redeemer of the World. You are Holy. All glory, power, and honor are due Your name, and I say that You are the Lord of lords and King of kings in my life. I rejoice in You, Lord!