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: 3:45 pm You may hear often either from a potential candidate or a man who is already a Mason and would like to expand his Masonic knowledge ask for suggestions as to what books they should read. AEdifico and I were at our lodge and a man who is pulling his 6 month introductory stint asked if there were any Masonic books that we would recommend. AEdifico said that he would not recommend any Masonic books right now, but will gladly lend him some titles once he was raised. This was to prevent the candidate from tainting his experience of the degrees, etc. I could see where AEdifico was coming from, but I thought that a cursory reading list of non-Masonic books would greatly benifit potential candidates as well as active members. So, here is my suggested reading list of non-Masonic books that I believe benifits a Mason in his capacity to think critically as well as his ability to appreciate literature (in no particular order) 1. The Greek Myths by Robert Graves or Bulfinch’s Mythlology 2. The Declaration of Independence and The U.S. Constitution 3. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri 4. Candide by Voltaire 5. Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman 6. The Illiad and The Odyssey by Homer 7. The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell 8. Psychology and Alchemy by Carl Jung 9. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 10. The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine 11. The Social Contract and Other Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau 12. Ramueau’s Nephew and D’Alembert’s Dream by Denis Diderot 13. Common Sense by Thomas Paine 14. The Complete Works of Josephus by Josephus 15. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli 16. Animal Farm by George Orwell 17. Republic by Plato 18. Poetics and Rhetoric by Aristotle 19. Paradise Lost by John Milton 20. Alchemy and Mysticism by Alenxander Roob These books cover a wide range of topics, but I feel that they have benifited my Masonic education in some way. I purposfully left out The Bible, Torah, Koran, Analects, etc because I wanted to focus more on books that didn’t have an entire religion as its product, but this list will get your brain working. I also kept the list at 20 because there would be no point to list my entire library. So please comment with other suggestions because I am always looking for a good book to read! |
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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: 9:18 pm I had an interesting experience today. My daughter caught me reading. I was not watching ESPN, or surfing the internet or anything like that…I was reading. She came up to me (she’s almost three years old) and sat in my lap and we looked at all the pictures in the book I had been paying attention to. We talked about colors and letters and numbers…you know…three year old kid stuff. She got tired of looking at pictures of guys standing or sitting while wearing funny clothes and drawings of old buildings, so she grabbed one of her books and sat next to me on the floor and started reading something about a Wombat and his little friends having a sleep-over. I must confess, I only feigned interest. But I realized that I was doing her a favor. I was teaching her a lesson that too many of our brothers don’t teach their kids…I was reading with the TV turned off. Now, this little incident is not isolated. Many an evening will end for my little princess with her droopy little head walking out to the living room and giving me a kiss good-night. The thing is, I usually have to put down my book in order to give her a big hug and kiss. Daddy reads. I am no better than any other Man. I will never claim such a thing. But the lesson I learned today filled me with such an awesome sense of accomplishment that I had to share it with the Blog. My Masonry was improving my family. My practice of this Craft was taking this little girl into the world of the written word…which will eventually (I hope) lead her into literature and knowledge far beyond the perception of her peers. This is a gift that my Masonic curiosity has given to my family. So who do you represent to your children? What does your family see you do on those lazy weekends when it’s too hot to mow the lawn and the budget doesn’t allow for a movie or a trip to the mall? Are you taking your time to be a Mason? I let my Craft invade and permeate every aspect of my life. Masonry is who I am, not just what I do. This, my brothers, is what we need to remember. Our Craft is a noble pursuit, it is Arthur’s ”Quest for the Grail”, it is Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey”, it is a way of living. When all of us live the life of a Mason while being who we are…we will all be better and our Craft will at last have in it the men it deserves. I try. Do you? |
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