Sinister Sites: IRS Headquarters, Maryland

 The IRS headquarters in New Carrollton, Maryland is a government building  that, despite being constructed with public funds, contains art referring to elite secret societies. More importantly, the art conveys a strange message about the U.S. Constitution, and the American people in general. We’ll look at the symbolic meaning of the art found in front of the IRS headquarters in Maryland.

The IRS is probably the most hated institution in America – mainly because its primary role is to force people to hand over their hard-earned cash. This modern equivalent of the proverbial tax collector indeed collects money from American workers and gives it to a government that will, in turn, use this money to send drones abroad or to build information superstructures to better monitor these same workers. What’s not to like?

The IRS was originally created as a “temporary measure” during wartime (funny how the Canadian Revenue Agency was also supposed to be “temporary”), but there is nothing temporary about it now. In fact, the gigantic IRS complex in New Carrollton, Maryland was built in 1997 and is still growing today, indicating that this institution is indeed here to stay. This modern building has all of the state-of-the-art amenities one can think of, but it is the odd public art in front of it that is the most noteworthy. As is the case for many government buildings, the art displayed means absolutely nothing to most people, but to those who are versed in secret society symbolism, its implications are manifold and profound. In fact, fully understanding the origins and the meaning of the symbols in front of the IRS building means understanding who are truly in power in America (and around the world), what they believe in and what they truly think about us, the masses.

The IRS is not known to be a very artistic institution and likewise there is not much art present at its headquarters in Maryland. However, the few pieces that are on display manage to convey everything that needs to be known about the occult elite.

General Layout

The entrance to the IRS headquarters is guarded by two black and white pillars made of the highest quality marble, topped with white hands. Between the two pillars is a dark pyramid with a metallic capstone on which is written “We the People”. What does all of this represent? Here’s an “official” description:

“The most striking elements are the huge, white marble hands atop each column. Each hand points skyward, one with the forefinger extended; the other is an open hand, the fingers ever so slightly cupped.

The 1997 work is called “Vox Populi,” which is Latin for “the voice of the people.” The hand with the raised index finger represents deliberation, argument, the gesticulation of a speaker giving his or her opinion. The hand with an open palm represents the act of voting or taking an oath.”
- The Washington Post, “The Big Hands of the Law”

That is all well and good, but what does “Vox Populi” have to do with the IRS? Can citizens weigh in or vote on anything about the IRS? Why are the pillars black and white? Why is there a pyramid with a capstone between them? As it is the case for most occult symbols, there’s as basic (and unsatisfactory) interpretation given to the masses and a “real” meaning for those in the know. For those in the know, the art is a nod to the highest degrees of Freemasonry, the true source of power in America – not unlike what the Washington monument stands for.

The art in front of the IRS Headquarters features a pyramid with a capstone between two pillars. The black and white stripes refer to the Hermetic concept of duality.

This Masonic monument in Israel bears exactly the same elements: A pyramid with a capstone between two pillars. The stripes on the ground represent duality.

Let’s look at each element of this (not so) public art.

Twin Pillars

The symbolism of the twin pillars is ancient and very meaningful as it refers to the core of hermetism, the basis of secret society teachings. In short, the pillars represent duality and the union of opposites:

“The right Tablet of the Law further signifies Jachin – the white pillar of light; the left Tablet, Boaz – the shadowy pillar of darkness. These were the names of the two pillars cast from brass set up on the porch of King Solomon’s Temple. They were eighteen cubits in height and beautifully ornamented with wreaths of chainwork, nets, and pomegranates. On the top of each pillar was a large bowl – now erroneously called a ball or globe – one of the bowls probably containing fire and the other water. The celestial globe (originally the bowl of fire), surmounting the right-hand column (Jachin), symbolized the divine man; the terrestrial globe (the bowl of water), surmounting the left-hand column (Boaz), signified the earthly man. These two pillars respectively connote also the active and the passive expressions of Divine Energy, the sun and the moon, sulphur and salt, good and bad, light and darkness. Between them is the door leading into the House of God, and standing thus at the gates of Sanctuary they are a reminder that Jehovah is both an androgynous and an anthropomorphic deity. As two parallel columns they denote the zodiacal signs of Cancer and Capricorn, which were formerly placed in the chamber of initiation to represent birth and death – the extremes of physical life. They accordingly signify the summer and the winter solstices, now known to Freemasons under the comparatively modern appellation of the “two St. Johns.”

In the mysterious Sephirothic Tree of the Jews, these two pillars symbolize Mercy and Severity. Standing before the gate of King Solomon’s Temple, these columns had the same symbolic import as the obelisks before the sanctuaries of Egypt. When interpreted Qabbalistically, the names of the two pillars mean “In strength shall My House be established. “In the splendor of mental and spiritual illumination, the High Priest stood between the pillars as a mute witness to the perfect virtue of equilibrium – that hypothetical point equidistant from all extremes. He thus personified the divine nature of man in the midst of his compound constitution – the mysterious Pythagorean Monad in the presence of the Duad. On one side towered the stupendous column of the intellect; on the other, the brazen pillar of the flesh. Midway between these two stands the glorified wise man, but he cannot reach this high estate without first suffering upon the cross made by joining these pillars together. The early Jews occasionally represented the two pillars, Jachin and Boaz, as the legs of Jehovah, thereby signifying to the modern philosopher that Wisdom and Love, in their most exalted sense, support the whole order of creation – both mundane and supermundane.”
- Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages

The same way Masonic pillars guard the entrance of Masonic temples, two pillars guard the entrance of the IRS building.

Masonic art depicting the twin pillars named Jachin and Boaz guarding the entrance of a Masonic temple.

While not all pillars are necessarily Masonic, those in front of the IRS building contain other features that leave no doubt regarding their secret society connection.

The IRS pillars feature exactly 13 black and white stripes and a very significant hand sign.

Sharply contrasting with the rest of the building, the pillars are stripped in black and white, a pattern evoking duality, a concept that is visually represented on the Masonic mosaic pavement.

Probably the most important feature in Masonic lodges, the black and white checkerboard pattern is meant to be a visual representation of the concept of duality. Variations of this pattern do exist.

To make things even more explicitly Masonic (for those in the know) each pillar is comprised of exactly 13 stripes, a number that is of the utmost importance in Masonic lore (research the omnipresence of the number 13 on the American dollar bill). Considering the constant attention to occult numerology in Masonic art, this fact alone should be very telling.

Above each pillar are white marble hands. It is interesting to know that formal Masonic attire requires white gloves. One of the hands points upwards, towards the sky. While the official meaning claims that it refers to the act of public discussion and discourse, this hand sign, place in the esoteric context of the artwork, takes on a much more ancient and mystical meaning.

Named the “hand to god”, the “sign of Preservation” or the “hand of the Mysteries”, the sign of the hand pointing upwards can be found in many works of art that bear an esoteric meaning. It appears to be always associated with figures that are seen to possess “knowledge from the gods”.

The classic depiction of Hermes always depicts him pointing towards the heavens. Known as the “messenger of God”, Hermes is a central figure in Masonic lore. He is considered to be the teacher of theurgic sciences, therefore helping humanity ascend towards godhood (the word Hermetism derives from Hermes).

“Plato, an initiate of one of these sacred orders, was severely criticized because in his writings he revealed to the public many of the secret philosophic principles of the Mysteries.” – Manly P. Hall. In this classic depiction of Plato by Raphael, he is pointing upwards – probably because he “initiated” the world to some of the secret teachings of Mystery schools.

This Masonic item for sale at 1stdibs.com features the same hand sign as found in front of the IRS building.

In the context of esoteric teachings, a human pointing towards God can represent the ultimate goal of the Mysteries: Ascending from the state of mere mortal to achieve godhood.

The hand above the other pillar does not point towards the sky, but is rather opened. While pointing towards somewhere means moving into that direction, an opened palm is traditionally associated with “stop” or “halt”.  In Masonic symbolism, the twin pillars are often topped with contrasting symbols (the sun and the moon or globes representing earth and heavens). Could the white hands above the pillars represent the same opposite notions of godhood (pointing towards god) and earthly materiality (halt sign)?

On these Masonic pillars are etched various quotes regarding the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Some of them are quite odd in the context of today, such this one by Barbara Jordan:

“The Bill of Rights was not ordained by Nature or God. It’s very human, very fragile.” Hmmm, that’s … unsettling.

Considering the fact that a bunch of laws blatantly violating the Bill of Rights (notably the First and Fourth Amendment) were enacted shortly after this building was erected, one can ask if this quote wasn’t some kind of a warning. As we see new police-state-style laws violating privacy, free speech and encouraging oppression, we can definitely conclude that the elite views the Bill of Rights as something “very human, very fragile” that can easily be violated. While the above quote can be interpreted as a reminder to not take the Bill of Rights for granted, in the context of its location, it conveys an unsettling message about how it can easily be tampered with … and even disappear. Think I’m going too far? Check out this next piece.

The Pyramid

Between the two pillars is the most recognizable symbol representing the occult elite: A pyramid with a shiny capstone. On the pyramid is written the US Constitution, which famously starts with “We the People”. Looking closer at this sculptures, several questions come to mind.

First, why is the U.S. Constitution etched on a symbol that is associated with occult secret societies whose highest degrees are restricted to “elite men”? Isn’t there a contradiction here? Second, it is somewhat clear that the charcoal-colored base of the pyramid represents the masses (it is written “We the People” right on it), while the shiny, illuminated capstone represents the “illuminated” elite. Isn’t this … elitist? Does the capstone that is standing above the pyramid and the U.S. Constitution mean that the elite is above the law? Finally, why isn’t the Bill of Rights on the pyramid? Is it because it is “very human, very fragile”? Is it considered outdated by the NWO elite? This barely noticeable artwork contains an infinitely of dark implications.