Books Your Parents Warned You About: Money Grows on the Tree of Knowledge

The late, great occult researcher, Tracy Twyman, takes readers on an esoteric journey into the power and symbolism of the almighty dollar.

Wu-Tang Clan was right. In 1994, the rap group’s hit song, “C.R.E.A.M.,” revealed the true method used to control the masses: “Cash Rules Everything.”

Tracy Twyman, occult researcher and decoder of the arcane, couldn’t agree more. Her 2011 book, Money Grows on the Tree of Knowledge, asserts that the global economic system—“the state and bank-controlled slave system we all live in”—is the result of modern day alchemy. By embracing ancient alchemical principles that purport to allow man to manifest ‘something out of nothing,’ contemporary currency systems have achieved the alchemists’ ultimate goal: transmuting ordinary paper into modern day ‘gold.’

Alchemy is the esoteric art of turning base metals into gold. The ability to bring forth the valuable from the mundane was seen as a form of transcendent knowledge—the power of creation. Although the pursuit was considered blasphemous in some circles (only God was supposed to possess this supreme capacity), alchemists still sought to harness the power of the ‘celestial first matter,’ (aka the Philosopher’s Stone) to unlock heavenly secrets.

Does the cover art look like clip art? Yes. Don’t let that deter you.

In her book, Twyman astutely compares age-old alchemical rituals to the practices driving modern monetary systems. Coining the term “alchenomics” to describe the junction between alchemy and modern economics—she argues that the basic goal of ‘creation’ is realized today through the introduction of ‘worthless’ paper money. Her book presents evidence that these principles stem from an ancient hermetic tradition, passed down through the ages, and closely guarded by esoteric secret societies.

Twyman asserts that modern day alchemy is measured in dollars and cents.

Crediting the Knights Templar with facilitating one of the first modern banking systems, Twyman contends they played an integral role in the development of our current state of alchenomics. In the 1100s CE, the Templar established a network of secure outposts to act as safety deposit boxes for wealthy pilgrims to use on their way to the Holy Land. The trek from France to Jerusalem was over 2,000 miles by foot and took months to complete; money was needed, but carrying it on one’s person was risky. The Templar presented a solution—travelers could deposit their funds in any of their strongholds on the route. In exchange, they were issued a coded letter of credit indicating the amount available. The marker allowed them to safely access their funds at any affiliated ‘bank’ along the way.

History remembers the Knights Templar as a band of “fearless warriors of Christ” who were wrongly persecuted as ungodly idol-worshipers by the French king after amassing a threatening amount of wealth, land, and influence. Alternative renditions claim that accusations of blasphemy were tinged with truth. Instead of pious Christian crusaders, Twyman suggests that the Templar were a gnostic brotherhood who taught that sacred wisdom shouldn’t be restricted to the gods—all humans could attain divine enlightenment. This ‘gnosis’ could be obtained through a routine process of discovery—a procedure that alchemists referred to as “The Great Work”—resulting in the creation of an ‘enlightened being.’ This emphasis on manufacturing ‘something from nothing’ was shared by influential 19th century esotericist, Éliphas Lévi, who claimed that alchemy was “above all else, the creation of man by himself.” Twyman maintains that this doctrine of pseudo-creation is the basis of modern economic theory in America.

Early depository institutions set the precedent for a mechanism that Twyman labels, “the alchemy that underpins our modern economy.” The financial practice known as fractional reserve banking relies upon the idea that most patrons leave a vast majority of their wealth sitting in the bank, only taking out small portions to use as needed. Bankers soon realized that as long as they kept enough cash on hand to cover the amount their original depositors might request, they could lend the remaining money to other people. These borrowers would be obliged to pay back their loans, with interest, allowing banks to replenish their coffers while reaping a profit. This process effectively created ‘something out of nothing,’ with lenders playing the role of alchemists.

These concepts accelerated in the 1930s as the U.S. adopted monetary policies espoused by economist John Maynard Keynes. Twyman suggests his theories were an incantation—a financial spell cast over the world’s emerging economies. Recognized as the father of America’s modern monetary theory, Keynes also happened to harbor an intense interest in alchemical philosophy. In 1936, he purchased a chest full of Isaac Newton’s obscure writings related to mysticism and alchemy. According to Keynes, the famous scientist was “the last of the magicians,” and his occult transcripts revealed that he “looked on the whole universe and all that is in it as a riddle, as a secret which could be read by applying pure thought to certain evidence, certain mystic clues which God had laid about the world to allow a sort of philosopher’s treasure hunt to the esoteric brotherhood.” Twyman suspects that Newton’s quest to understand the mysteries of creation encouraged Keynes to apply similar principles to systems of financial control.

Twyman argues that alchemical philosophies inspired Keynes’ to embrace fractional reserve lending and decouple the U.S. dollar from actual gold. This strategy ushered in a form of currency with nothing of intrinsic value to back it up—it’s only worth what someone believes it’s worth. Twyman saw this maneuver as the modern day realization of alchemy’s Great Work, and one of the biggest tricks carried out by the money-magicians in the last century.

Under the guidance of Keynesian economics, the U.S. made it illegal to own gold and confiscated private citizens’ personal holdings just before abandoning the gold standard altogether in 1933. These actions triggered the final step in an alchemical process that transmuted the country’s currency into little more than a financial talisman—one whose value rests upon “what our minds put into it.”

In the United States, the Federal Reserve Bank is the source of the nation’s exponential money creation. They supply the ‘base material’ that gets converted into ‘gold.’ Embracing fractional reserve lending, the funds they inject into the American economy are quickly lent out by recipient banks who only need to keep a fraction of it in reserve. The loaned money begets more money when it’s received by other banks who create loans based on theoretical money that they never possessed. The system enables banks to loan out more cash than they have on their books with the crucial assumption that the original depositors wouldn’t all ask for their money back at once. This multiplier effect accelerated in 2020 when the Fed completely eliminated the minimum reserve requirement and allowed banks to loan out every dollar they received.

Shrouded in secrecy, no other entity impacts the U.S. economy more than the Federal Reserve Bank. Twyman saw it as a main driver of alchenomics.

According to Twyman, alchenomics requires a vital component to complete its transformative process: “a concept so blindly idealized: work!” The population must go through the motions of ‘working a job’ in order to imbue value into the “worthless” paper they earn while chasing a career: “It is my belief that the modern economy has been set up so as to literally force the individuals involved to engage in some form of work … to complete the alchemical transformation of paper into gold.”

She condemns the resulting 40-hour work week, placing blame on the fabricated notion that a person’s ‘time’ has a corresponding monetary value. Twyman feels this societal expectation creates “an unhealthy artificial relationship between time and money that affects our lives in a multitude of ways.” This sentiment resonates today in an employment landscape that demands more hours and output from workers while barely paying enough to keep up with increased costs of living. The concept of inflation is an essential aspect of alchenomics. It’s also a central tenet of Keynesian economics.

Tracy Twyman standing in front of Rennes-le-Château in rural France. The church is implicated in the mysteries surrounding the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail, and the secret of Jesus’ alleged bloodline.

Twyman explains how the technique is used to distort our perception of time and shape our reality: “As the value of money goes down, you have to earn more of it in order to get by.” On average, something that cost $1.00 when Twyman’s book was published in 2011, costs $1.20 today. If a person’s wages haven’t kept up with this rate of inflation, they find themselves working harder or longer just to maintain their standard of living. Twyman identifies this as an indispensable ingredient in the economic-alchemist’s bitter potion: “It has turned the planet into a giant slave labor prison, where everyone who is lucky enough to have a job has to work at an ever-increasing level of productivity for an ever-decreasing value of remuneration in order to compete.”

To what end are these mystical approaches applied to modern money management? Twyman believes it’s worldwide: “The global economy has become a gigantic pyramid scheme built for channeling the life-energy of the many into the hands of the few”—concluding that control of the citizenry is a fundamental reason for steeping alchemical influences into economic systems, noting how people must conform to established norms and behaviors in order to comfortably participate in modern society. Writes Twyman:

“Before you can even get a job in the present system, you have to first prove that you are an ideal slave. You must be in good health (and submit a DNA sample to prove you don’t have any bad habits). You must have a record of always obeying the law, always paying your debts, never quitting your jobs, never getting fired, and never having any lapses in your employment.”

This rule holds true for today’s employees who must comply with a growing list of workplace mandates and regulations. Those refusing to take part in the customs that govern the Great Work are “cast out of the system.”

Saturn eats babies.

Alchemical texts love to incorporate imagery of the Roman god Saturn—the deity who ate his own children out of fear that one would usurp him. From these legends to the biblical story of Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son, Twyman outlines a mythological history of “the ruling class sacrificing their own children in order to obtain or retain youth, wealth and power.” She highlights this brutal ritual as a key sequence in the alchemical tradition, and suggests that its legacy remains encoded within arcane rites of the ruling elite: “The notion that true power lies in the sacrifice of one’s own child is still at the heart of our religions and our public institutions. It is one of the most closely-guarded hidden truths of the ancient mystery schools, the ceremonial magicians, the alchemist, the Rosicrucians, and other secret societies.” She doesn’t see this as allegory, charging alchemists with using the blood of children when distilling their concoctions. Alchemical artwork often includes depictions of kids being dissolved or boiled—ostensibly said to be metaphors for chemical processes—but Twyman interprets them more literally. She quotes from famous alchemist Nicolas Flamel’s transcripts, many of which contain coded (and not-so-coded) references to the inclusion of “the purest blood of young infants.”

Nicolas Flamel (1340-1418) is revered as a successful alchemist who some believe discovered the Philosopher’s Stone and secrets to immortality. Twyman claims he used children’s blood in his experiments.

Twyman connects these occult practices to modern alchenomics, writing how today’s debt-based economy compels parents to forfeit time with their families while surrendering their children to a monetary system they are destined to inherit—along with portions of their parents’ debt.

Drawn to the darker elements of her subject matter, Twyman wrote profusely about the pervasive influence of ancient traditions on modern society. Tragically, her life ended in 2019 at the age of 40, prompting questions regarding the circumstances that preceded it. Prior to her death (ruled a suicide), Twyman found herself investigating emerging conspiracies involving an alleged ‘deep state’ plot to kidnap and traffic children (possibly for use in alchemical blood rituals). Her sudden passing sparked a number of conspiracy theories insinuating that she was killed by a powerful cabal hoping to silence her efforts.

QAnon, the Epstein saga, “Pizzagate”—Twyman saw these events as potential confirmation that a sinister ruling class was still consuming children in an attempt to emulate Saturn and secure the wisdom of the divine.

Tracy’s books are known for bizarre suppositions, but they’re presented so thoroughly that their far-out conclusions are hard to dispute. Money Grows on the Tree of Knowledge is no exception. Her theory about the alchemical foundation supporting our modern economic system will make you think twice about clocking-in early for work.

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