MasonicMinute.com
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Posted at: 1:54 pm We as Masons hear the phrase “with every revealment there is a reveilment” all the time. Those us of who study the esoterica of the craft may feel a reverence for the passage in The Emerald Tablet “As above, so below”. We have many symbols that philosophically illustrate the natural duality in man whether it is physical, spiritual or physiological. We learn the importance of balance through the instruction of many degrees that emphasize not only a balance in action, but in thought. This is one of the reasons I enjoy Freemasonry so much. It provides a learning template to examine the world around me as well as myself. I have learned to “see the other side of things” better. I have learned tolerance and understanding, but most importantly I have learned a valuable method of critical thinking. A couple of years ago AEdifico and myself were at one of our lodge’s research meetings when we decided to turn the symbiolism of Freemasonry on it’s head just to see if we could logically debate it’s merit. We continued this exercise with many of our Brethren and it turned out to have a great effect on the motivation to examine our ritual. Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised. Our first major project was writing what we call “The Reverse Staircase Lecture” which I will not get into because it can merit a complete research paper on it’s own, but there are other elements that when looked at “through the looking-glass” if you will, provided excellent tools to learning, understanding, teaching and examining the symbolism of Freemasonry. Here is one: The Mosaic Pavment: We all know the explanation of this one. It’s simplicity is both beautiful and thought provoking. One of the things I though about as I was reading the lecture explanation for this degree was that it is not explicit (in my ritual atleast and I know it varies a little by jurisdiction, but this was my source) which color represents good or evil. Western mentality will intuitively say that black is evil, white is good. This is understandable considering the primordial fear of darkness, etc. While thinking about this I wondered “How do we know that tile is colored black?” If I remember correctly it is because our eyes see every color reflected off the tile except for black, so in essence it is the only color that the tile is not giving off. Anyone who has studied photography may understand this reverse color concept and apply it here. Also, think about the colors of black and white and what they do to light. We know that the color black absorbs light and white reflects it away. So which color show we be emulating? Show we be the receptors of light or reflectors? Which one is evil now? Furthermore, we as men and Masons know that we will always be an apprentice to someone while a master to someone else so it is apparent that both are still necessary (as explained in the lecture) and both are a natural part of life. So the lecture is correct while also leaving it open to other interpretations that illustrate the same concept. Good and evil, white is black, black is white, master and apprentice, as above so below.
There are many more that you can find and experiment with, most notably the ashlars. But I encourage who all to take a piece of symbolism, say the Pillars and find correlating examples of why there are used, by whom, when and why. By doing these types of exercises it will reinforce your Masonic education, introduce you to other systems with similar philosophies and most importantly they are always great discussion pieces with your Brothers. So look at it, find something that’s not explicit and explore the thought, then share it |
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May 6, 2008
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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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Posted at: 1:49 am No, not that kind of telepathy. What I’m talking about is the somewhat supernatural happenings within the world of masonry without any direct collaboration between actors. For example in early March I was writing an article to be submitted to our state masonic publication about what younger Masons (age wise) want and their expectations from the fraternity. The day after I put my final draft of the desk of AEdifico for his opinion I recieved the March/April issue of the Scottish Rite Journal which contained a fantastic article entitled Thoughts from a Young Mason by Bro. G. Cliff Porter. This article had the exact content of mine, just formatted differently. I laughed at my bad timing and sent an email praising Bro. Porter for his article and sentiments. Another example: AEdifico and I are planning to bring back the chamber of reflection in our lodge and had purchased the props needed and had done some research on how it should be set up, etc. I found a few articles describing what we needed but then I recieved the October 2007 issue of The Philalethes which on the first page had an article about the chamber of reflection stating in the beginning that the increase of interest in the chamber inspired the author to publish his article. Now, I am not in constant contact with Masons from all over the country on a regular basis. I don’t publish any articles in any masonic publication except for my lodge Trestleboard and this blog but for some reason whenever I come across young, active Masons from across my state and the country it is clear that we are all on the same wavelength with similar desires and progressive ideas about Freemasonry. Everything from raising dues, starting lodge-based research clubs and organizations, going back to tuxes and gloves, emphasis on education, shedding the ‘good ol boy’ image of Masons, the thirst for intellectual enlightenment and an overall re-examination of the direction the craft is going has been on the minds of many of the young Masonic leadership that I come across yet we have never met each other or communicated with each other. This happens almost everytime I meet a young Mason for the first time and hear their ideas and opinions of the craft and when you see it enough it does become very twilight zone-ish. Without citing every instance of ‘masonic telepathy’ I will leave you with one more and a challenge. I was doing some personal research on my favorite SR degree (30th) and the Order of the Temple. Now, anybody with open eyes and half a brain (who has taken these degrees) can see that these degrees follow the same subject matter. In DeHoyos’ book, Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide there is Wagstaff’s poem ‘Ode to a Skull’ which I fell in love with the first time I read it. I was contemplating the prose when I decided to search for any other reference to this poem in a Masonic blogsite or website when I came across a short snippet by a man who I truly respect as one of the greatest thinkers I have ever met (see Break Glass in Case of Emergency blog). He was addressing skull imagery among other things in Masonry and instead of expounding his own ideas he quoted Lord Byron. Not ten minutes before I came across his article did I read the exact poem he quotes. I still had my Complete Works of Byron opened to that selection. (insert scary music). Now my challenge to you is this: For those of you who are not SR or YR Masons this might be a little weird unless you are a complete bibliophile who specializes in romanticism and unless you want a Masonic spoiler disregard said challenge), but to everyone else; taking what you already know about Freemasonry and in a attempt to enjoy an unfamiliar piece of literary work, find the piece written by Byron that would allude to the 30th degree and the Order of the Temple. Read it, enjoy it, and reflect on it. Don’t forget to post your findings in the comments section. First one to get it gets a cookie. Not really. |
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Posted at: 3:45 pm Now that I have your attention I would like to impart my own opinion on the whole Satanic-Masonic crap. Since the fraternity has been in my family for at least six traceable generations from two continents I have heard the negative comments and commentary about the Freemasons from the time I was a child. When I did my preliminary research on Freemasonry before I decided to join I read a lot about Satanism, Wicca, Crowley, withcraft and all the other subjects that come up in fundamentalist vitriol. After many hours of research I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a Freemason and I had no reason to believe that Freemasonry has anything to do with Satanism. My sentiments were not strictly ignorant either, I found out WHY and HOW Freemasonry was not Satanic. I was not going to defend my fraternity without doing my homework. My research consisted of reading the Satanic Bible, The Satanic Rituals, and other writings by Anton LaVey and I even sat and had a beer with a practicing Satanist to discuss my concerns. I will first talk about my chat with my Satanist acquantance. I knew this guy from high school and he was your average guy (actually very nice, well read and educated), he worked some complicated sounding financial job and was studying to receive his Masters Degree in English literature. I asked him about the connection if any to Satanism and Freemasonry, and he kinda chuckled when I asked him with the attitude that said “yeah, we always hear something about them when people talk about us”, which is funny because many Freemasons think the same thing when the same question is asked. He knew more than the average Joe about Freemasonry so I didn’t have to explain much to him. He was familiar with the ritual and use of symbolism, but he thought that on a fundamental level the philosophies were too different to be compatible or even comparable. He said that as Freemasons work to better mankind, their communities and themselves through charity, study and good works, Satanists have more of an individualistic philosophy. He said that the Golden Rule applies to Satanism on some level, but so do things like vengeance, retaliation and other more instinctual characteristics. He said that Satanists embrace their animal instincts, not denying that humans are animals like the rest so the thought of keeping passions within due bounds is completely opposite of the Satanist thought of exploring and fulfilling your passions. After a great discussion contrasting our philosophies, he went on to talk about symbolism and he said that the Satanic symbols used in his religion are for the most part exclusive in their entirety, but not individually. He pointed out that pentagrams, circles, triangles and other symbols have a larger historical context than the way they are used by Freemasons or Satanists, but their compilation and integration should be easy enough to distinguish. For his example he used the pentagram which in its most simple form is the same as any other pentagram, but with the inclusion of the Hebrew letters, the goats head, and all the other stuff THEN it becomes a Satanic symbol. The pentagram as used by Freemasons and other ancient cultures was never Satanic in itself. He also noted the fact that Baphomet was a HOAX and the drawing you see all the time (although used by Satanists) was not ever and should not ever be thought to be Masonic in any way. We then discussed ritual and we both agreed that the purpose and elements of the Masonic and Satanic rituals have nothing in common, he referred me to the book of Satanic Rituals and encouraged me to compare the two to dispel any confusion (it turns out many Satanists don’t like to be included in exposes about Freemasonry just as we don’t like being called Satanists, who would have thought). Although we disagreed on our philosophy regarding our obligations to the world and ourselves, we had a very civilized conversation and I felt better knowing that I had heard the opinions of someone who I was not, but is accused of being. He even picked up the bill. Now from the Church of Satan website (taken from the writings of LaVey) I will post some of their beliefs and credos. We all know that brotherly love, relief, truth, wisdom, strength, beauty, faith, hope, charity and all the other facets that make up Masonic philosophy. Now compare those to these: (The Bold type is mine.) The Nine Satanic Statements: 1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence! (Opposite of the Compasses) 2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams! (Opposite of Faith) 3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deciet! (Uh, okay.) 4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates! (Opposite of brotherly love to ALL mankind.) 5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek! (Opposite of many Masonic elements too numerous to spell out.) 6. Satan repersents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires! (I don’t really get this one, but there are no psychic vampires in lodge, only the real ones. Just kidding.) 7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development, ” has become the most vicious animal of all! (Masons would say that he has the potential to be the most LOVING animal of all.) 8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental or emotional gratification! (Again, opposite of the Compasses.) 9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years! (Although a bit clever, it is clearly opposite of the Masonic sentiment towards faith.) The Eleven Satanic Rules of The Earth: 1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked. (Opposite of the Three Precious Jewels of a Fellowcraft.) 2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them. (Same contradiction as number one, including elements of the Five Points.) 3. When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there. (Fair enough.) 4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy. (Or, you could ask them to leave nicely first.) 5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal. (There is no mating in lodge, and no mating signal. That is a super-duper secret sign revealed only to those who have attained the most illuminated title of Awesomely Rad Chiefton of all things Bodacious.) 6. Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is such a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved. (I get the not stealing part and the part about relief, but other than that its a bit confusing.) 7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all that you have obtained. (No magic is practiced in lodge, unless of course a Shriner puts on a show for the kids.) 8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself. (Who hasn’t comlpained in lodge? It is the only real Masonic tradition!) 9. Do not harm little children. (This one is actually very good, but Masons would not harm big children or adults either.) 10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food. (How about not killing HUMAN animals?) 11. When walking in open terriory, bother no-one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him. (As a martial artist, I know that self defense comes in handy when you are attacked, so I cannot fully disagree with this one although destroying someone is FAR from defending yourself.) The Nine Satanic Sins: 1. Stupidity 2. Pretentiousness 3. Solipsism 4. Self-deceit 5. Herd Conformity 6. Lack of Perspective 7. Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies 8. Counterproductive Pride 9. Lack of Aesthetics Contemplate these and see how our Masonic purpose does not apply. The next time someone accuses you of being a Satanist instead of blindly saying “No, I’m not!” you can now use knowledge and reason instead of emotion to back up your claim and provide proof. I would encourage all Freemasons to read up on what people accuse us of being. By us knowing what we aren’t and why, we will be better prepared to address such matters. And remember, reading a Satanic Bible doesn’t make you a Satanist, just as reading the Koran doesn’t make you a Muslim, or reading the Tao Te Ch’ing doesn’t make you a Taoist, all it does is feed your brain and give you a little piece of mind. We are not in junior high anymore and nobody cares about what kind of shoes you’re wearing or what books you read. Let others be ignorant. |
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Posted at: 11:14 pm In his post below (see “…NOT a Corporation.”) Emeraldi hits on an important theme that deserves deeper exploration. Emeraldi writes, “Depends on who you ask, but if you want to put yourself out there DO NOT do it in the name of Freemasonry or your lodge, do it in the name of your community and do it because your community needs it, not because your lodge does.” Now, I would have said it slightly differently, but the spirit is the same. By promoting ourselves, we are selling ourselves. This should offend our basic views of the Craft. Does the little catch-phrase, “We do not recruit…” have a qualifier that states “…directly.”? I have seen and heard too many lawyers (trust me on this one) qualify some pretty solid statements…just so they can weasel their way past the commitment they may have made. Here are some of the things you have probably heard at your Lodge; “We have to ‘get out’ into the community.” “Nobody will know who we are unless they know we’re here.” “The public doesn’t even recognize us anymore.” “How are we going to get new members if nobody knows we exist?” …and so on and so forth. The problem with every single one of these statements is this…they all base themselves on the single premise that we need more members. Our fraternity, and each member in it, should not care what the outside world thinks. We should do good because it is right, not because it is popular. Our basic motivation for public service should come out of our love for the people in our world…those brothers and sisters in our sphere who share our communities, or stories, our places…our lives. Neighbors, clergy, police, teachers, clerks…and even assistant managers at Walgreens…they each deserve our best. We know they do because we are Masons. But when we ask for recognition in return, we betray the spirit of our Craft. When we are motivated to ‘get out’ in the community with our baseball caps and lettermen jackets…we are no better than any politician or snake-oil salesman…selling, selling, selling. Masons should serve the public. We should show-up in force at the local Heart-Fund Ball, the annual Police Fish-Fry, the County Book Fair. We should volunteer and be important men in our community. We should live-up to the promises that we make…and we should do it with the quiet resolve and dignity worthy of our Craft. Unlike my friend Emeraldi, I like the phrase “Making good men better.” However, we should not be shoving it into the public eye in an indirect effort to recruit new members. “Well then Mr. Smarty-Pants…” (I can hear them saying) “What are we supposed to do when our numbers are suffering and the old guys just can’t support the Lodge? Should we just close our doors?!?” Yup. Harsh, I know. But when men do not fulfill their mission for generations, and when those men allow our Lodges to diminish in internal luster to the point of near extinction…their legacy is a closed Lodge. Plain and simple. Many Lodges are flourishing today. They are not those who are raising half a dozen men at an altar made out of a pic-nic table. The flourishing Lodges are taking each one of their candidates very seriously, and they are investing time and energy into each man. Teaching him, listening to him, becoming real friends to that new brother. Flourishing Lodges are taking a one-man-at-a-time approach to the craft. Great Lodges are RETAINING members at high rates. The two concepts work well together. Increase the quality of the men in the Lodge…and their friends and neighbors will want to be around them. Once they become close enough to that brother (who, by the way, is the greatest neighbor on the block) THEY will ask HIM…”So, Bob, what is it that you do every Wednesday night…you’re not at home…where is it that you go?” Character is the best recruiter. Character has been defined as, ‘what you do when nobody is looking.’ Insofar as that is concerned…the anonymity facet of this definition should apply to our membership in the Craft. What do Masons do when nobody is looking? They feed the homeless (on Thanksgiving…standing shoulder to shoulder with others), they visit Veterans and shut-ins (while accompanied by a friend from church or temple), they help build a home (on a hot weekend, standing next to the police chief and a second grade teacher)…and they are just men when they do it…not Masons (at least to the public eye). Advocating for secrecy is not sinister. Advocating for privacy is not evil. Advocating for righteous motivations - that’s Masonic. When we act like better men, we become better men. When we do it for recognition, then we are not better…we’re average. Pandering for public recognition is…well…pandering! MY Craft does not compete with football. MY Craft does not compete with YouTube (although, it is a nice distraction - don’t tell my boss). MY Craft is unaware of any impact that other organizations have upon it. WE are the masters of our own destiny. WE decide what is worthwhile. OUR Craft deserves to be elevated to the high rank that it once held in society…but it will never be so while we stoop to compete with “The Simpsons.” So go ahead and take-out your ad in the local paper. Go ahead and wear your caps and your jackets. Cheapen the square and compass by floating it down the street in some vulgar display of pride. Do what we have been doing for years with so much success! ‘Get out’ into the community! It has worked so well for years…right? Or…you can just be better men all the time. And when other men finally decide that your reputation is worth emulating…they will knock at your door. And when you let them in…the work has just begun. |
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Posted at: 1:25 am The title of this blog should be self-explanatory, but to those who do not know what I’m talking about, let me explain. There are at least six states (that I know of) that have implemented “programs” to improve the current conditions of the fraternity in one way or another. Now, there are probably more jurisdictions doing the same type of thing and if they are then reflect on the following sentiments and consider whether or not they are what is really needed. Now, I do not have any problem with people coming up with new, innovative ideas to improve the fraternity. The problem I have is when these ideas are based on corporate models, inspired by books of a business nature or implemented in a corporate manner. There are fundamental problems with trying to take a business approach to our fraternity. One is that we consider ourselves a non-profit organization, meaning that making money is not our goal. Okay, fine with me, but how in the world can you apply corporate models (who are out to sell a product, make money and improve capital) to an organization that works completely differently? I will not read “Jack, Straight From The Gut” and then try to apply Jack’s business models in my lodge. Also, I was appalled to hear that a Masonic organization in my state hired an advertising firm to critique the fraternity. WHAT?!!! What were they thinking?!?! To no surprise I heard that their first recommendation was to get rid of the square and compasses as our prominemt symbol for whatever reasons, but the audacity to hire (pay for) a non-masonic, corporate advertising firm to critique the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world was distgustng in my opinion. We don’t need advertisments! We are not selling a product! We don’t need to recruit! We don’t need mission statements! The phrase “Making Good Men Better” is no different than “Like A Rock” in my opinion. Come on guys, let’s get a little more creative here. That is the laziest answer to “what do you guys do?” that I can think of. I will NEVER say that Freemasonry, this fraternity that I love and live by everyday and will cherish for the rest of my life, is as simple as “Making Good Men Better”. I read Aedificos’s blog about badges and I loved it. Badges play into this a little as well. I personally think that they are tacky and make us look like assistant managers at the local Walgreens. If you see a man in your lodge that you don’t know, go and talk to them. How simple is that? Now, back to business. If trustee members want to apply investment programs that are the fad of the time, then that’s appropriate. Trustees need to know how to work with money and stay ahead of the game with investments. But, as far as the membership goes our concerns should not be presented or addressed in such a manner as they would with Pepsi Co. This one program was being pitched to me and this Brother had all these bar graphs, charts and statistics regarding membership decline and all this other stuff and I truly had to keep my passions within due bounds after it was done. I will tell you what I told him. I do not live Freemasonry by pie charts and bar graphs. I don’t care about a so-called declining membership nor do I think that it is a problem. All I can focus on is my duty to my Brethren and those around me. When I first joined I worked for a bank and the last thing I wanted to do after my days work was to go to the lodge and get fed the same corporate structure building crap that I listened to everyday. So, what is my final summation? It is this; ask yourself, your lodge, your Grand Lodge, WHAT IS OUR GOAL? Do we need more money? Fine, get rid of the whole non-profit thing and stop denying that lodges need to make money on a regualr basis. Do we need more members? NO! Enough said about that. Do we need a higher member retention? YES! But I think taking retention cues from occupational giants is a mistake because employees have a little thing called “necessity” that lodge members don’t have to deal with. Do we need a stronger community presence? Depends on who you ask, but if you want to put yourself out there DO NOT do it in the name of Freemasonry or your lodge, do it in the name of your community and do it because your community needs it, not because your lodge does. Now, I am not trying to disrespect any Brother who has suggested a corporate-model program. I KNOW their hearts are in the right places, but I believe that the only way to improve the conditions of the fraternity as it is now is to first establish a goal (whatever it may be, whether it is retention, community service, education, etc), then look internally to the guys you see every week at the lodge and improve from the inside out. As any architect will tell you, superstructures are built from the ground up, not the top down. LEARN, THINK, AND DON’T STOP. |
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Posted at: 3:18 pm ** THIS BLOG MAY ALSO BE TITLED “NOT-SO INFORMED MASON WRITES A BLOG” Don’t worry guys, he was thoroughly punished after this hit the site ** Since I first started my research in Masonic studies I have always wondered why the Freemasons in the United States use the letter ‘G’ in their lectures and in their square and compasses. The Freemasons of the rest of the world don’t (at least in their depiction of the square and compasses on their paraphernalia). I have always had a penchant for the traditional and traditional Freemasonry usually omits the letter ‘G’ in it’s myriad of symbols. In lodges across the world with the exception of the U.S. there is usually a delta suspended in the East. This symbol is fitting for both of the definitions that we in the U.S. give the letter ‘G’. It is both an ancient symbol for Deity and it is a symbol of perfect or sacred geometry. As we all know everything in the lodge room is a symbol or combination of symbols with a corresponding meaning. Having a delta in the East would continue this sentiment. So why was the delta substituted for the ‘G’? I have not been able to find any other reason as to why the U.S. uses it except to distinguish ourselves, in a way, from other Freemasons around the world. If one sees a S&Q with a ‘G’ in the middle, they know that they are a Mason from the U.S. Okay, I guess it’s nice to have our own take on Masonic symbolism that makes the U.S. unique to the rest, but I don’t think it properly illustrates the degree of importance of that one symbol sufficiently. The arguement has been made before that the name of God doesn’t start with the letter ‘G’ in most languages (actually I think the name of Deity in a lot of languages starts with ‘D’), and because of this the symbol is not universally recognized by Masons not from the U.S. I was under the impression that although symbols may have different meanings to different people, a Masonic symbol is used in the Masonic context for the purpose of recognizing your Brethren and having a mutual understanding and respect for that man who has taken like obligations and responsibilities. In my opinion, the letter ‘G’ makes our most recognized emblem look more like a logo instead of a symbol. A symbol is supposed to conceal from the uninitiated and teach the adepts. A delta may have many meanings, but if it is in the East of a Masonic lodge then the brethren may know its meaning and even aspire to study further the historical significance of that simple symbol. Now, if an outsider (or a newly made Mason) sees the letter ‘G’ and asks ‘what does that mean?’ the answer will be the same as we give it in our lecture and their curiosity will cease at that point because it doesn’t provide any room for academic contemplation. A young Mason may study the significance of the delta for years and learn a lot about ancient civilizations and early mathematics, but if they see the ‘G’ the only question to ask is ‘what does it stand for?’, after they recieve the answer they might think ‘okay, easy enough’. There is no ‘why the delta?’ ‘why was the delta revered for centuries by other cultures?’ ‘how can I apply my Compasses to further my understanding of the delta?’ or ‘what does the delta teach me about my journey through life and self improvement?’. I think these are important questions that should be alluded to when explaining our most highly emphasized symbol in the fraternity. *** CORRECTION PER A BROTHER OUTSIDE OF THE U.S*** It has come to my attention that I have been mistaken in my last blog concerning the letter ‘G’ and foreign jursiditions outside of the U.S. . Brother Dean Kennedy has informed me (and attached a very good article on the letter ‘G’) that I was incorrect in my broad assumption of the absence of the ‘G’ in Masonic symbolism outside of the United States. Thank you Brother for correcting me and I am glad that others are reading the posts and submitting feedback. I will try to post a link to the article you sent to Aedifico so everyone can see it and learn from my mistakes. |
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Posted at: 6:25 pm Why do we have investigation committees? The ‘duh’ answer is of course “to ensure that we are bringing good men into the fraternity.” Yeah, okay. Calling a quasi sales pitch laced with an inquiry that would make Homer Simpson look like Isaac Newton an investigation is both sadly humorous and insulting. I remember my investigation, (if you want to call it that) and all I remember doing was talking to the brother about his experiences in WWII. No doubt, I’m a huge history buff and I enjoyed the conversation but I was ready to be grilled like a suspected communist during the Kennedy administration and to have the only means of determining whether or not I was worthy to be made a Freemason go so lightly was a bit disappointing. I later on participated in a few investigations myself (usually as an observer because I was so new I didn’t know how they were supposed to be conducted) and all I saw was the lodge members telling the candidate how cool the lodge was. They would go over the trivial facts about who’s who and what happened where involving the fraternity, but they would barely ask the petitioner anything. Some guys of course asked a few important questions like their family’s opinion, if their spouses supported them, if they came from a Masonic family, etc. This practice I am happy to say has died and has been replaced with a more suitable investigation or as I like to call it; interrogation. Another Brother and myself made a decision that with all the petitioners we get here on out we should go about the investigation in a more strict and probing fashion. We did, and let me tell you I was shocked at the questions that we asked and got honest answers to. If we were a government agency we would have surely been sued nine times over, but the reaction from the petitioners was excellent. One guy even said that the investigation was inspiring because he felt that if he was allowed membership too easily it would not have made a good impression on him. That gentlemen is the point. The fraternity needs to make it a practice to approach the investigation committees as if the petitioner is trying the get into the CIA, not Taco Bell. Remember, THEY are trying to join US, we are not trying to sell US to THEM. To further make my point clear I will include a few questions that were asked during our last investigations: Why do you want to join? Why should we accept you? How does your family feel about this? How much time are you able to give to the fraternity? Where do you work? How long have you worked there? Are you involved in a church, etc? What are your hobbies? What’s the last book you’ve read? What is your educational background? What do you think about symbolism? What does the pentagram mean to you? Are you content with asking for help? Have you ever been in a position to teach others? And there are of course many more, and you may even try screwing with the guy just to see what his reaction would be. Ask him something like “If you had a jar of peanut butter what would you do with it?” The mood doesn’t have to be doom and gloom, but I will end with the most important question that every investigation committee should ask petitioners and every Freemason should ask himself for that matter and that is: ARE YOU MOTIVATED TO FAIL IN YOUR QUEST FOR PERFECTION? If they answer in the affirmative, then consider their petition. If not, (you may have to repeat the question to them a few times, but be patient) then show them the way to the Lions Club. |
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Posted at: 12:51 pm This blog is proof that, although we have great people wanting to contribute to this site…I am totally incompetent when it comes to running the site well. The following excellent (and funny) Blog is from our good friend Emeraldi42. Enjoy! In Case of Emergency Break GlassJuly 19th, 2007 by emeraldi42 We see these signs everywhere usually on the outside of a compartment containing a fire extinguisher, fire hose, axe or some other tool or instrument that may be useful in an emergency situation. This same helpful suggestion might have well have been on not only my lodge’s but many other lodge’s “libraries” that I have had the opportunity to see. When I first became a member of my lodge one of the first things I wanted to do was to read, read, read but I was surprised to find out that our bookcase was locked. And to make it worse nobody knew who owned the key. I inquired as to why in the world would anybody lock up any book especially in a place that is supposed to be a repository for a vast amount of knowledge. The response that I got was that some of the brethren were concerned about the books getting damaged or stolen (stolen by your own Brothers?). This point in my opinion was moot and soon realized that the books are locked up because NOBODY READS THEM, EVER!! I of course was very disappointed in this situation and tried numerous times to gain access to the library so I just might learn something about this fraternity I just joined. It wasn’t until after I was raised, appointed to an office and elected the Chairman of the Board of Trustees a few years later that I obtained the lost keys (no Hall pun intended) and explored the volumes that my lodge was in possession. I was visiting another lodge in the area a few months ago to purchase some duplicate books that they had and come to find out……..wait for it……………….THEIR BOOKCASE IS LOCKED, TOO! Not only that but the majority of their books were in a storage area away from the probing minds of the eager brethren. We had to go through the storage collection to get at what I came to buy and while in there we found a first edition Morals and Dogma (nobody knew was there) a copy of Josephus so old that there was no copyright date on it (nobody knew that was there either), and many other books and sets of books that deserve a better resting place than next to the box with regalia from the 50’s. On another occasion I visited a different lodge than the two mentioned above and this visit was exciting for me because it would be the first time that I would meet Rex R. Hutchens (the Past Grand Master of Arizona). I had read A Bridge to Light twice, studied his Glossary and followed his articles in the local publications and I was ready to see what I could learn from this guy. After I shook his hand and made the proper introductions I asked a little bit about the Scottish Rite degrees, but he immediately cut me off and asked “Do you know the Hebrew alphabet?” I said no. “Well, you need to learn the Hebrew alphabet!” He then took me over to a very large bookcase and looked for a book, he found it and tried to open the door and………….you guessed it, it was locked. That ended my first lesson on the Hebrew alphabet with Dr. Rex R. Hutchens. So what is it with locking up books? I don’t get it. I come to realize that the lack of Masonic education, motivation to learn and perpetual disregard for the search of light and truth are not attributed to declining membership, lack of money, or unpopular public opinion. IT IS THE CAUSE OF IT! If we have lodges full of men who don’t know how to spell GRAMMAR correctly (yes, Grammar is misspelled on our staircase) then how in the world can we consider ourselves Brethren to men such as Ashmole, Twain, Franklin, Washington or any other trivial names that come up when someone asks “who are the Freemasons”. I am glad to see that all over the country Freemasons are finally starting to think, investigate and ask questions. I know this is a long rant of a blog, but I would like to wrap it up by pointing out the fact that we as Freemasons are the Olympians of fraternal societies. We are not the Elks, Moose, Eagles or some other drinking club named after an animal. We were at one time in history honored and revered for the reputation of being a society of civically responsible, philanthropic and enlightened men who were at the forefront of spiritual and philosophical exploration and somewhere along the line we dropped off the charts. Let us not have to keep referring to our highly esteemed Brothers of centuries ago to retain our place as Freemasons. Instead let’s make our own mark in Masonic history so maybe one day in the year 2100 instead of mentioning Washington, Franklin and Revere some young Mason will recite a report on the works of Rex R. Hutchens, Chris Hodapp, G. Cliff Porter, Adrian P. Fontes, or any other Brother who at this present time may be only a Stewart or Deacon but with the right education and access to the proper resources may be the next (enter another trivial name here). |
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Posted at: 1:19 am Communication is at the heart of all societies, especially of ours. It is the way we understand each other that binds us more tightly, or drives us apart. At this point in Masonic history, there is a struggle between the generations. This is a good thing. We are learners and builders. We should learn from each other and build better relationships. Our internal struggles should be seen as an opportunity for growth, not a painful waiting game to see who dies first. Let me relay a short personal story to illuistrate my point. Many years ago, I was at a protest at my undergraduate college (they had free dinner for the protesters…and I was a starving student…and there were hot chicks). Anyway, I sat there in one of the many groups, ours consisted of a dozen or so. We got bored, and started singing songs from old sit-coms that we had all grown-up watching on TV…Gilligan’s Island, Andy Griffith…stuff like that. The point is that we had common experiences in the stories (or myths) that we grew-up with. We all knew Opie and Aunt Whats-her-name. We all thought the Professor was a tool…you know…we knew the same stuff and could relate to each other better. This was true even though nobody in this little group had ever met prior to this one event. What would you say the chances are that a dozen college kids today could come-up with as their own common ‘myth’? Would they all know the words to the same songs? Would they all have simmilar perceptions about certain characters? Would they even know the same characters? Unlikely…why? Today’s kids have six billion TV stations where we had 3 or4. Today’s kids don’t remember a time prior to cell-phones or the internet. There is less of a common bond than ever. This is why Masonry is so valuable. This is what we must begin to understand. If you took the same litmus test and applied it to our loveable ‘old guys’ in the Lodge…well they almost all lived the same life! WWII, Korea, Kennedy, Green Stamps, Howdy-Doody, Superman…you get the picture? They all had much more in common because there was less to choose from (insofar as media/entertainment is concerned). Their ‘myths’ usually include some singing-cowboy or a famously mysterious radio voice. The thing is…they shared much more than we did, and we share much more than those coming after us. We are all so different, yet we strive for the comfort of familiarity. The attraction of Freemasonry - the Freemasonry of esoterica and education - is what unites us. Younger men and older men alike can pick-up a copy of Morals and Dogma and be equally confused and bored (apologies to His Rexcellency who so adores Ill.Bro. Pike). Our brothers from multiple generations can cull Masonic meaning in great books (which I highly recommend) like Euclid’s Window by Leonard Mlodinow, or How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill. A ‘Great Light’ of our Fraternity can shine with equal brightness for all brothers who wish to read and consider it’s worth…for “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” (psalms 12:1). You see, this War Within our Fraternity is an opportunity. We modern Masons can learn from our ancient brethren. They can teach us much…and we can give them the respect they deserve, and listen. But at the same time, my ancient masters…don’t talk to me about your prescriptions! Your health is a concern…but your hearing-aide woes are not bringing me closer to my spiritual development. The War Within us is a misunderstanding. We do not “get” each other because we come from different communication traditions. We have different ‘myths’ in our lives. But we share a common Craft. Understanding more about the other guy and why it is that he acts and thinks the way he does is one great way to Love him. Brothers must show Love by trying to understand each other. This is how we continue fulfilling our obligation. Yes, we share a common Craft, a Masonic Myth…and that, my brother, is enough! (more to come on the Common ‘Myth’ of Masonry) |
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