Waiting... Again

Well, I went to Catechism Class and I find something out - I'm not getting raised until the Fall. Aaargghh! I am going to take my 2nd degree proficiency in June and then my lodge is going dark for the Summer. I suppose that this gives me the opportunity to do more reading and introspection, but I must admit that I find it frustrating.

Reflections on Becoming a Master Mason

As I get closer to taking my 2nd Degree proficiency (and on my way to receiving my 3rd Degree), I've been reflecting on what Masonry really means to me at this point. Okay, so I've been doing that all along. But I've gotten a more sober perspective on the Craft over time and all the reading that I've been doing.

First of all, I am quite happy with my own esoteric pursuits and don't really think that I will gain any valuable esoteric knowledge through Masonry. I already have a rewarding path of study that I pursue through Torah that offers "mystical" or "esoteric" knowledge. I thoroughly enjoy it and I firmly believe in the veracity of its origin and it's power to improve me ethically and spiritually.

Secondly, I am somewhat sceptical of the claims that Masonry actually has any overt link to any esoteric body of knowledge. I haven't read anything or met anyone who has been able to convey anything beyond allusions to vague Hermetic principles and what I have found hasn't been in the least bit systematic or compelling in terms of claims of veracity. In reality, anyone who has actually been to the average lodge meeting would find claims to the contrary to be quite laughable.

However, from what I have read, Masonry does contain elements of Hermetic philosophy that have been captured within its symbolism - simply because it was part of the Enlightenment Philosophy that was prevalent at the time that the ritual was developed. I also have found that Masonry points the way to a better understanding of Western History - the Crusades, the Age of the Enlightenment, the Reformation, the American Revolution. Masonic History is truly Western History.

What I have found is that Masonry embodies a specific philosophic framework that represents a spiritual and rational belief in a Supreme Being, the power of symbols to educate and to teach moral truths, and a deeply rooted belief in the brotherhood of maknind. The Craft allows me to meet and interact with other likeminded individuals of various socioeconomic and religious backgrounds and to develop leadership and social skills that will help me to be a better citizen - exactly what I really wanted out of Masonry from the beginning.

King Solomon's Temple and the Method of Loci

Not only was King Solomon's Temple the oldest stone building in the Bible and was therefore built by the stonemasons' predecessors in the craft, but also the Hermetic art of memory offered a means by which the stonemasons could seek to improve their mental abilities and their moral and spiritual lives. This means linked the art of memory to the stonemasons' particular lore and made them special and unique in a respect shared by no other craft or trade. Once the ritual and all the associated words and signs of the stonemasons' esoteric knowledge were committed to memory in this way and passed to each successive generations in the his manner, the parts of the ceremonial became fixed, as did their relative importance in relation to one another.

("Cracking the Freemasons Code, by Robert L.D. Cooper, pg. 51)

The True Essence of Symbols

Symbols create a junction between two realms of reality, the conscious and the unconscious. They are a meeting point between the microcosm and the macrocosm, man and God, etc. This way of appreciating symbols is not understood by many people today, including a fair number of Freemasons.

(Cracking the Freemasons Code by Robert L.D. Cooper, pg. 105)

"Cracking the Freemasons Code"

At the recommendation of Brother Charles Tirrell, I purchased a copy of "Cracking the Freemasons Code" by Brother Robert L.D. Cooper. It's a great read and highly worthwhile if you are interested in a scholarly view of the Craft's origins. He demonstrates, quite convincingly, that the Scottish Masonic Incorporations (trade guilds) gave birth to modern speculative Masonry. He also touches on some points that I found highly interesting:

- The evidence of the Hermetic influence on Masonic symbolism
- The possibility that Masonry perpetuates the ancient Method of Loci (or Art of Memory)
- The connection between the symbolic construct of King Solomon's - Temple and the Method of Loci
- The role of Symbolism in the Craft


In my next few posts, I am going to reflect on some quotes from the book that highlight these points.

Going Stag to the Festive Board

My lodge is having a Table Lodge/Festive Board in May and the Worshipful Master has been encouraging everyone to come and to bring their wife or girlfriend. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time convincing my wife that it would be a worthwhile event to go to. I would like to involve her, but it seems to be a lost cause. She isn't opposed to Masonry, per se, but doesn't really want to be involved with it. She feels that it is a social outlet for me, but not something that she wants to be a part of. Well, it looks like I'll be going alone...

Clarification

In hindsight, I don't think that I was clear when I spoke about the true role of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences in Masonry. Masonry is about building. Building what? The simple answer is character building, but it can be taken to many different scales: building one's self, building one's family, building one's social circle, building one's community, building one's society, building one's universe, building one's reality. This noble spiritual goal cannot be accomplished without the proper tools - those that are contained within secular knowledge.

While I don't think that the goal of Masonry is that we will all become experts in Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Geometry, Arithmetic, Music, and Astronomy, I do think that the goal is to use secular knowledge as means of seeing the fingerprint of the Grand Architect of the Universe in His work and to aid in our task of building our personal Divine edifice. Plus, it's always hip to be a renaissance man.