The Jupiter Talisman

What is a talisman? And what does it have to do with magick or witchcraft?

Before the medallion was properly identified, it was known as the "Masonic Jewel of the Prophet Joseph Smith." In the shape of a silver dollar, the piece measures exactly 1-9/16 inches in diameter and is probably made of silver or tin.

Apparently, nobody really knew what Joseph Smith's "Masonic Jewel" was before April 20, 1974. It was on that day that Dr. Reed Durham presented his discovery in his address before the Mormon History Association.

As President of the Association and Director of the LDS Institute of Religion at the University of Utah, Dr. Durham probably had their full attention when he spoke: "...I should like to initiate all of you into what is perhaps the strangest, the most mysterious, occult-like esoteric, and yet Masonically oriented practice ever adopted by Joseph Smith....All available evidence suggests that Joseph Smith the Prophet possessed a magical Masonic medallion, or talisman, which he worked during his lifetime and which was evidently on his person when he was martyred."

After describing the medallion, Dr. Durham then added, "...[the talisman] originally purchased from the Emma Smith Bidamon family, fully notarized by that family to be authentic and to have belonged to Joseph Smith, can now be identified as a Jupiter talisman. It carries the sign and image of Jupiter and should more appropriately be referred to as the Table of Jupiter."

Dr. Durham was correct. The table, also called the Kamea, can be depicted in either English numbers (as shown in the talisman found in The Magus, written in 1801) or in Hebrew (as used by Smith). According to Francis Barrett, author of "The Magus", the table "...consists of a square drawn into itself; it contains sixteen particular numbers, and in every line and diameter four, making thirty-four; the sum of all is one hundred and thirty-six. There are over it divine names, with an intelligence to that which is good, and a spirit to bad; and out of it is drawn the character of Jupiter and the spirits thereof; if this is engraven on a plate of silver, with Jupiter being powerful and ruling in the heavens, it conduces to gain riches and favor, love, peace and concord, and to appease enemies, and to confirm honors, dignities, and counsels;"

Mormon History Association President Durham admitted, "...in some very real and quite mysterious sense, this particular Table of Jupiter was the most appropriate talisman for Joseph Smith to possess. Indeed, it seemed meant for him, because on all levels of interpretation: planetary, mythological, numerological, astrological, mystical cabalism, and talismatic magic, the Prophet was, in every case, appropriately described.... In astrology, Jupiter is always associated with high positions, getting one's own way, and all forms of status...Talismatic magic further declared that anyone who worked skillfully with the Jupiter Table would obtain the power of stimulating anyone to offer his love to the possessor of the talisman, whether from a friend, brother, relative, or even any female."

Dr. Durham did not determine just when Smith obtained his talisman, but states that its description was discovered "...in a magic book printed in England in 1801, published in America in 1804, and I traced it to Manchester, and to New York [where Joseph Smith grew up]. It was a magic book by Francis Barrett and, lo and behold, how thrilled I was when I saw in his list of magic seal the very talisman which Joseph Smith had in his possession at the time of his martyrdom."

According to the Charles E. Bidamon affidavit (who sold the talisman to the Wood collection), "Emma Smith Bidamon the prophet's widow was my foster mother. She prized this piece very highly on account of its being one of the prophet's intimate possessions....I certify that I have many times heard her say, when being interviewed, and showing the piece, that it was in the prophets pocket when he was martyred at Carthage Ill."

That Joseph Smith would own such a magic talisman fits very well with the evidence from his 1826 trial. W. D. Purple, who was an eyewitness to the trial, claimed it was reported that Smith said certain talismanic influences were needed to recover a box of treasure:

"Mr. Thompson, an employee of Mr. Stowell, was the next witness.... Smith had told the Deacon that very many years before a band of robbers had buried on his flat a box of treasure, and as it was very valuable they had by a sacrifice placed a charm over it to protect it, so that it could not be obtained except by faith, accompanied by certain talismanic influences.... the box of treasure was struck by the shovel, on which they redoubled their energies, but it gradually receded from their grasp. One of the men placed his hand upon the box, but it gradually sunk from his reach.... Mr. Stowell went to his flock and selected a fine vigorous lamb, and resolved to sacrifice it to the demon spirit who guarded the coveted treasure... but the treasure still receded from their grasp, and it was never obtained." (The Chenango Union, Norwich, N.Y., May 3, 1877, as cited in A New Witness For Christ In America, Vol. 2, pp. 366-367)

Dr. Durham was unable to determine just when Joseph Smith obtained his talisman, but the fact that he was recommending "certain talismanic influences" around the time of the 1826 trial is certainly interesting. The Jupiter talisman is probably the type of talisman a money digger would be interested in because it was supposed to bring its possessor "the gain of riches, and favor, and power,..." Regardless of when Joseph Smith obtained his talisman, we do know that he possessed it up to the time of his death. He must have felt that it was very important because the Mormon scholar LaMar C. Berrett reveals that "This piece was in Joseph Smith's pocket when he was martyred at Carthage Jail." The Wilford C. Wood Collection, 1972, Vol. 1, page 173)

The discovery of evidence to prove Joseph Smith's 1826 trial was certainly a devastating blow to Mormonism, for it proved that Smith was a believer in magical practices. Reed Durham's new find that Joseph Smith possessed a magic talisman is also very significant because it shows that Smith probably held these ideas until the time of his death.

***My Thoughts***

Here are the magical properties of a Jupiter Talisman:

The talisman of Jupiter is cherished because it helps to riches, honor, and glory. It also helps you becoming influential: Your opinions gain weight and they are appreciated. Jupiter helps secure peace. The talisman of Jupiter also provides a good feeling for religious things, law and order, and it makes conscientious. It is an excellent help in situations that involve government agencies and courts of law. It can provide help from superiors.


See what Joseph saw in Francis Barrett's The Magus, Book 1, chapter 28 regarding the magic tables of the planets, their form and virtue, and what divine names, intelligences and spirits are set over them. Keep in mind that this book was published in 1801 and was a highly regarded primer in all things magical, spiritual, and occultic.

How to start your own cult

You-tube has a video produced by capnskull titled Mind Control Cults. It's a step-by-step tutorial on how to start and maintain your own cult, and I found lots of similarities in Mormonism. See if I'm wrong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnNSe5XYp6E

It's a little on the extreme side, more like describing David Koresh or The Way. But still, it's telling in some areas, especially when it comes to limiting the scope of reach for information gathering and how to quell doubts in your leaders and their lessons.

I've been telling my family that they are in a cult for years, but they equate that with a compound somewhere off in the isolated wilderness and since Mormons don't segregate themselves (anymore) from the outside world, they can't be considered a cult. What they may not realize is that expecting you to limit access to outside resources, limit exposure to those who don't agree with your world view, and stay away from those who would cause you to doubt your faith creates a cult within the mind, placing barriers and walls within the subconscious. This enables them to control their members while allowing them to 'feel free' to choose the right. Anyone who has been in Mormonism knows there is really only one right choice, because all others lead to disfellowship and excommunication. There is no real freedom to think, act and choose for themselves, or their would be no such thing as worthiness interviews and temple recommends. There would be no tithing reviews, no 'courts of love' where they prosecute you for past actions and deeds and toss you out of the church on their terms. There certainly wouldn't be a long list of 'repentance' process items to accomplish in order to become worthy for reinstatement either.

Oh, and if you didn't see the PBS special on Mormons a few days ago, the whole thing is now available online here.

Now, don't make the instant judgment that it is completely anti and full of lies BEFORE you see it, as you may be surprised how they portray the Mormons as a whole. Sure, there are blights on their history, but overall they are seen as family oriented, fully faithful Christian-like people, even if the doctrine is a little out there and unusual. I thought it was very balanced, with a bit of a lean towards 'fluff' for the church. It is well worth watching just to learn some important history and facts that the church finally acknowledges DID happen, after denying it for so many years. Might be an eyeopener for those inclined to do some research...

PBS special on The Mormons is on tonight

Last night was the first two hours of a four hour documentary about the Mormons, the past history of the church and it's prophet Joseph Smith. For those of you who missed the first part, it was very revealing about some of the hidden aspects of the religion, such as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Haun's Mill Massacre, Joseph Smith's treasure digging practices, the use of seer stones to find lost objects and divine future events, the introduction of polygamy, the assassination of Joseph Smith at Carthage Jail, and the rise of Brigham Young to power in the church. You can see the first part of the documentary on the PBS website here.

Overall, I feel it is pretty balanced. There are opportunities for authorities in the church and apologists to make their statements and lead into explanations about certain events. They explain things from the perspective that this is a revealed doctrine, and that they have continuing revelation through a succession of prophets from Joseph Smith to Brigham Young and so on down through the church history. I was impressed that after many years of denial, that there finally was an admission of Mormon involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, (something I have been trying to get some members of the church to know about their church, but have been met with complete denial about any such event ever occurring at all).

I also noticed that for the first time, many members are learning that there were many versions of the "first vision" story floating about until the official one was adopted and added to the Mormon scriptures in 1842. Also, the true process of Joseph's translation abilities was brought out and discussed, with Dan Peterson---one of the busiest and most influential apologist that FAIR has working for them---actually admitting that Joseph used his personal seer stone, which he placed in the bottom of a hat and covered with his face to block out the light, so that the spiritual light from the stone could be seen. This was taken from eyewitness accounts from his scribes, Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery, and his own wife Emma, who acted as his scribe for a short time. I for one, can't believe they actually admitted it, since it runs completely contrary to the official version of Joseph Smith's 'seer' abilities.

Also the admission that Joseph Smith was the first to introduce polygamy, and NOT Brigham Young, AND that he had 33 wives, some of whom were only teenagers, AND that 10 of them had husbands already, was probably one of my favorite parts. I have half a mind to order the DVD and send it out to some people......

Anyway, tune in tonight for the conclusion of the series, it will start up again at 7 pm EST, (8 pm CST) and last for two hours. Tonight there will be more in depth about the temple ceremonies, (I hope they finally admit the Masonic connection) and go into things like Blacks being denied the priesthood until 1978, and what happens to members who become too "intellectual".

Oh, I know I promised to talk about Joseph Smith's Jupiter Talisman today, but I will be putting that off for a while, until the documentary is over. Until then, here's a picture of it: