Can you imagine a ‘secret shrine’ in a Catholic church? A shrine whose "complex systems of meaning" are not meant to be disclosed? … where even the reasons for the secrecy are not to be revealed?

This is indeed the case with the ‘Human Search For God’ shrine in Brisbane’s St Stephen’s Cathedral. The "HSFG" shrine is said to be "a tribute to the Aboriginal people who originally owned the land on which the Cathedral is built", yet the shrine itself gives every appearance of breaching Aboriginal protocol and customary law. As with other aspects of the shrine, this too is a matter on which church authorities have, to date, chosen not to comment.

In this issue, ‘News From The Pews’ continues the series of articles examining the shrine and, once again, asks the question: Why the secrecy?

In this issue we look at panels 5 and 6 in the series of seven in the shrine:

Panels 5 and 6 bear an obvious parallel with another painting - ‘Moon Fish’ - from the same period by the shrine’s artist, Ms Fiona Foley. Art Monthly, May 1990, states that Fiona Foley’s ‘Moon Fish’ is held in the collection of the Australian National Gallery.

As with panel 6, ‘Moon Fish’ contains the moon and the same, four-segmented fish bone. In ‘Moon Fish’, the moon’s path is traced from left to right across the night sky, represented by a series of 6 dashes.

‘Moon Fish’s’ meaning lies partly in the way it works numerologically. The 6 dashes and 4 bone pieces correspond with the number ‘64’, a figure of some significance.

In the Cathedral, panel 6 has the same four-segmented fish bone and the moon. Panel 5, which is immediately beneath panel 6, has 4 fish and 4 pipi shells. In terms of the numbers, the two panels show: 4 bones x 4 fish x 4 shells = 4 x 4 x 4 = 64.

From the numerological perspective, it is not so much the graphical symbols with which we are concerned here in panels 5 & 6, but rather, the signature ‘Crowley-esque’ ‘functions of four’, (previous issues of NFTP refer), and the number ‘64’.

The 4 x 4 x 4 theme and the number ‘64’ in the relevant panels provide:

1. the identifying link with ‘Moon Fish’;

2. yet more ‘functions of four’;

3. yet more links to Aleister Crowley; and

4. links to western ‘ritual knowledge’.

In NFTP No’s 9 & 10, we touched on the question of the Aboriginal ritual knowledge ‘appropriated’ into the shrine. In looking to the significance of ‘functions of four’ and the numerology associated with ‘64’, we enter the domain of the ‘ritual knowledge’ of the western occult – of Crowley and the like.

Here, the relevant "system of meaning" is ‘Enochian’ magic, which is considered to be "both a system of theurgy (a method for summoning and commanding angelic beings) and goety (a method for summoning and commanding demons)." (See Enochian Magic for Beginners, Llewellyn Publications, 1997, re this and the information to follow.)

Central to the Enochian system is the "Great Table of the Watchtowers, which is four sided and has four parts". The configuration of the 4 Enochian ‘watchtowers’ - as to their number, structure and placement - is the same as that of the ‘function of four’ panels, (3, 4, 5 & 6), in the ‘HSFG’ shrine. In the ‘Golden Dawn’ Enochian system, this same ‘function of four’ design is also duplicated internally within each of the 4 ‘watchtowers’.

"The other great organizing principle .. on the watchtowers is also fourfold. It is the association of each square on the watchtowers with the individual Hebrew letters of Tetragrammaton," (i.e., ‘YHWH’ - previous issues of NFTP refer), the classic occult ‘name of power’. As Richard Cavendish states in The Black Arts, "The Tetragrammaton and other biblical names of God are used in every type of conjuration, spell and magical operation".

Also, with respect to the ‘function of four’ number ‘64’, the occult ‘Great Table of the Watchtowers’ has ‘64 walled enclosures’, ‘64 evil angels’, etc.

It can be seen then that panels 3, 4, 5 & 6 incorporate a classic design or emblem which correlates to a remarkable degree with the Enochian system. Bear in mind, this is a "system of meaning" used by western occultists for the summoning of spirits, ‘evil angels’, etc.

Perhaps more remarkably, we find this in a shrine that is said to be "a tribute to the Aboriginal people who owned the land on which the Cathedral is built". A shrine, moreover, which is officially said to contain "complex systems of meaning" - systems which, it seems, must be kept secret from Cathedral-goers.

NFTP has previously raised the question of Indigenous sensitivities about the use of Aboriginal cultural property (e.g., ritual knowledge). As indicated in previous issues, strict customary laws apply.

Those who respect Aboriginal culture do not take it upon themselves to simply ‘appropriate’ Aboriginal ritual knowledge. Those seeking permission from traditional owners to use their cultural knowledge in works of art are expected to ensure, among other things, that the traditional owners fully understand how their knowledge is to be used and the context of that use.

Given that ‘Moon Fish’ is a well known work, it can be taken that Ms Foley would have discussed the relevant cultural issues with the traditional owners in the Northern Territory and obtained their permission.

With the art in St Stephen’s - and in particular with panels 5 & 6, which embody the same Aboriginal ritual knowledge - there appears to be no evidence that the required permissions were either sought or obtained.

Tim Pemble-Smith
3 – 111 Central Avenue
Indooroopilly Q 4068
after hours: (07) 3871 2047