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emeraldi42| Three Takes on the Ashlars

Posted at: 4:08 am

The rough and perfect ashlars are important elements in the Masonic philosophy and are sometimes neglected further thought and investigation concerning their purpose.  I have so far come across three different views on the purpose and symbolism of the ashlars, two of which are not mentioned in the first degree lecture and one comes from a completely outside discipline. 

We all know (or at least should know) that many of our symbols, ornaments, furniture and other facets of the fraternity have many meanings, not just the ones revealed to us in the lectures.  The constant study of the lectures provides the foundation of further investigation into the many meanings of the inner workings of the craft and it is prudent to continue the search for further light in the fraternity, not just stopping at the explanation given in our lectures.  The ashlars were one of the first elemets of the Masonic lodge that I found alternative meanings for and upon learning of these other meanings it did nothing more than strengthen my ability to comprehend these simple stones.

The first take on the ashlars is of course the explanation given to EA’s in the 1st degree lecture.  Simply put, we are the rough ashlar; crude and imperfect striving to become the perfect ashlar through those qualities that make us honorable men.  This is a great teaching tool because it provides both visual and mental illustrations of progress of thought and action with a goal to be obtained.  Although beautiful in its explanation it is also horribly simplistic and as we all know nothing in Masonry is ever so blatantly simple.  It must be looked into further.

The second take on the ashlars comes from chapter one of Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike.  In his explanation he uses the ashlars (in relation to the common gavel) as the State of the people.  Not the mental state, but in a political/governmental state.  The first part of chapter one talks about how tyranny and depotisms arise and how the people are within their own power to prevent it, if they keep their eyes and ears open.  Contained in the eloquent yet sometimes cumbersome writing of Albert Pike in chapter one he describes the rough ashlar as the people in a state of a crude mass with no direction or even worse, direction without question or concern.  The perfect ashlar is the people in an efficient, constitutional government with checks and balances and power given to those with the consent of the governed.  He describes the gavel as the force of the people to shape the state (the ashlar) into a legitimate government.  Simply put, in Pike’s mind the ashlars represent two types of government, and with the use of the gavel (the force of the people) prosperous societies can be built as long as the people utilize their capabilities.

The third take on the ashlars I actually came across accidentally.  While studying the writings of the early Taoists I came across a very important part of Taoist philosophy.  This part of Taoist philosophy deals with “the two stones” and (you guessed it) one is rough and one is perfectly hewn.  As I was reading about this I began to smirk as I anticipated the same old rough/perfect ashlar speech, but was taken by surprise when their explanation was completely opposite of the Masonic one.  The Taoist philosophy regarding the ashlars is as follows: the two stones represent a dichotimy of the state of man.  Part of the goal or work of the Toaist is to “become the unhewn stone”.  In their eyes, the perfect ashlar is not a product of a good life but rather the product of outside, unnecessary, materialistic, evil, unhealthy and damaging elements that have corrupted the goodness of man’s natural state.  We (Masons) say that the rough ashlar is man in its rude and natural state.  To the Taoist the unhewn stone is perfect because God shaped it the way he shaped it and put it where he put it and because God is perfect, it is perfect just the way it is, as God created it.  The Taoist believe that it is the manipulation by the hands of the imperfect man who cuts and shapes the stone into something unnatural, therefore, not perfect at all.  They say that the vices and superfluities of life shape us into unnatural beings, and we have to “become the unhewn stone” and go back to a state of natural being free from materialism, envy, vice and all the other things that corrupt our existence.  The message is the same regarding the Taoist/Masonic take on the ashlars, it just depends on which one you start from.

Hopefully there are more interpretations of the ashlars to be found and I encourage you all to look carefully at our ritual and you will find many interesting things there that are not what they seem or at least were presented to you during your degree.  I enjoy disecting the rituals and lectures of the Scottish Rite and York Rite degrees and they too have much to offer in personal enlightenment, but you may be surprised how much is contained within the writings of the first three degrees.  Like the Toaist interpretation of the ashlars, sometimes being on the other side of the looking glass shows you a completely different perspective of the same picture, but is no less true.

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