Part 2: the New Atlantis
Many within the secret societies who landed on America's east coast believed that America had a secret destiny related to the founding of the 'New Atlantis.' This section looks at the evidence and poses the question, 'Could America be fulfilling an ancient secret destiny?
Key players in the esoteric aim
There are a number of key individuals who have driven this esoteric agenda, including, some would suggest, the Founding Fathers, Sir Francis Bacon, Dr John Dee, Manly P Hall, Franklin D Roosevelt, Vice President Henry Wallace and Nicholas Roerich. In tracking the esoteric agenda we will consider the part played by each of them.
Plato and Atlantis
The Greek philosopher Plato first wrote about the lost city of Atlantis 500 years BC. He wrote about Solon a Greek traveller who visited Egypt to find wisdom. Whilst there he consulted with the priest of Sais who told him about a wondrous land (Atlantis) located beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the northern pillar is Gibraltar, the southern pillar is disputed) which had 'in a single day and night disappeared beneath the sea.' He wrote of it as if factual, but people today argue over whether it was history or simply an allegorical myth. Some Christians believe that it could have represented a handed down version of the evil world before the Flood.
Sir Francis Bacon and Atlantis
Sir Francis Bacon picked up on the theme of Atlantis his book ‘The New Atlantis.’ He believed in a perfect society and he outlined what the New World could become. He refered to unimaginable weapons of war, flying machines, submarines and sky scrapers. Bacon believed that America was the new Atlantis and some esoterics consider him to be the true founder of America. Bacon has been called the ‘herald of a new world' and he may have sent Rosicrucians to America to further this aim.
In 1776, Bacon called for the universal reformation of the whole wide world.
The American War of Independence was, for the secret societies a way of establishing the new world and getting rid of the old one. A series of events precipitated this. The first was the Boston Tea Party, ignited by Freemason Paul Revere and fellow Masons from the Lodge in Boston.
Thomas Jefferson would later say that he considered John Locke and Francis Bacon to be his greatest influences. Whilst his name doesn't appear in state titles or cities, the secret societies in America were influenced by Bacon.
Peter Dawkins, founder of the Francis Bacon Research Trust, says Bacon is the gateway to understanding Freemasonry. He was a leader in several secret societies in the UK during the time that America was being founded. It is said that he was the leader of the Rosicrucians and the first Grand Master of modern Freemasonry. It is also said that he turned Freemasonry into a world wide fraternity, a truly international society. Before his time, it was contained within each nation with little interaction between Freemasons of different races.
Bacon is thought by some to be the illegitimate son of Queen Elizabeth 1 and the real author behind the Shakespeare plays. Some of this is conjecture but what we do know is that he was a philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England.
Father of modern science
Bacon is also known as the father of modern science and the grandfather of the Enlightenment. Like Socrates he encouraged the experiential and practical study of nature in order to inform scientific thought, unlike Aristotle who used argument and debate which relied solely on the mind and deductive logic. He started with the physical laws then worked upwards to developing metaphysics. He had to explore metaphysics in a veiled way to avoid conflict with the church and the religious authorities of his day. Through the scientific method he believed man could find all knowledge and bring all secrets into the light.
Bacon and the spirit realm
It is said that he believed he heard voices from the spirit realm and claimed that he could communicate with angels and demons.
Canonbury Tower
In the time of Queen Elizabeth I Canonbury Tower was decorated by Sir John Spencer, a Rosicrucian and Freemason. He embellished his house with Freemasonry and Rosicrucian symbols. 
Later the home was taken over by Bacon. During this time he founded the Invisible College and it became the headquarters of the Rosicrucian group. Bacon quipped that it was a ‘society that observed all things but was known by no-one.’ He was the Master and he called himself the herald of the Christ of the New Age. The Invisible College was the precuror of the Royal Society.
The Knights of the Helmet
Bacon studied law at Gray’s Inn. He formed a secret group, the ‘Knights of the Helmet’ based on the name of a mask. To get a post in government you had to be familiar with the royal court and you had to be a lawyer.
Dr John Dee
Dr John Dee was a mentor to Bacon and a key influence in Rosicrucianism. He was the first president and he handed over the presidency to Bacon. Both were scientists and Rosicrucians and both believed America was the new Atlantis.
Dr John Dee was 34 years older than Bacon and was an astrologer to Queen Mary. He fell out of favour with her over bizarre experiments and was imprisoned on a charge of sorcery. He straddled the world of science and magic. His system of magic is still practised by occultists today. It’s based on the book of Enoch. To gain knowledge, he tapped into the spirit realm. He was a mathematician, astrologer, astronomer, occultist and navigator. He studied divination, alchemy and Hermetic philosophy - a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily on the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus.
The suppression of science
Because of church antagonism, science had to be suppressed and it went underground. Secret societies in Elizabeth’s time were in danger because their methods used occultism known as ‘angel magic.’ Dee attempted to commune with angels in order to learn the universal language of creation to bring about the unity of mankind. He practised his craft in secret and flourished under Queen Elizabeth I.
He had great influence in Elizabeth's court and worked with a medium called Edward Kelly. One of his ‘angels’ told him Jesus wasn't God and shouldn't be worshipped. This troubled Kelly, but Dee continued to contact the spirits. He was eventually persecuted for communicating with angels.
He was responsible for training the first great navigators, developing scientific navigation tools and for coining the name ‘Britannia.' He boosted the concept of the British Empire. He charted the NE and NW passages to gain access to the New World. He was considered to be the first great wizard.
The new world of Elizabeth 1
With Elizabeth on the throne, colonising the New Atlantis became a foreseeable reality. When she was excommunicated by Pope Pius V a secret society was formed which included Dee and Bacon plus other Rosicrucians, to protect England and the Queen. They also had an esoteric agenda to push the Atlantis concept.
Manly P Hall
Manly P Hall, a high-ranking and highly esteemed Freemason, occultist and philosopher gave the story of the New Atlantis exposure and credence in the 20th century. He claimed that in Freemasonry and all the secret orders one could find the ancient wisdom of the lost Atlantis. For 3000 years he claimed that secret societies had laboured for knowlege in order to establish an enlightened democracy among the nations of the world
In 1944 he wrote 'The Secret Destiny of America.' He spoke of a philosophic commonwealth of nations destined to rebuild Atlantis. He was steeped in the occult. He wrote 200 books and gave 8000 lectures on ancient philosophy. He is remembered for being ‘Masonry’s greatest philosopher.' He died in 1990.
He says of Bacon: Bacon wrote the secret teaching of Rosicrucians, Freemasonry rituals and the supposed lost wisdom of antiquity (i.e. Atlantis).
Many within the secret societies who landed on America's east coast believed that America had a secret destiny related to the founding of the 'New Atlantis'