Freedom: An Illusion

Do you think you are free? Why do you think this? Does this title anger you? Bother you? Not concern you at all? My contention is, as inflammatory as it may sound, the vast majority of us are not free.

We have rationalizations for why we disagree with this statement. Of course we’re free, of course I can move and think and say what I wish to, I have perfect freedom. Depending on the country in which we live, we might feel more or less of this type of freedom. In extreme situations, we may feel we only have freedom of thought. However, most persons from North America and Europe fall into the “I have freedom” category.

Let’s put these convictions to the test. How do you answer these questions, yes or no?

• I can change my job / career at any time. I have the freedom to choose the work I desire. I never make the excuse of ignorance, limitations, or ability.
• I can attend a meeting or visit with a friend or make time for a hobby any time I would like. I never use the excuse of “I’m too busy.”
• I choose my own beliefs and my own thoughts about how I will act, think, or be from now on. I never use the excuse of “this happened to me in my past.”
• I can speak whatever I’d like to speak, and voice that opinion publicly and to whom I choose. I never censor myself in front of others for any reason.

While not everyone has all of these float to their consciousness, I am guessing that at least one of these statements brought a rebuttal to your mind, if not lips. It’s easy to dismiss these statements in our own minds. I have children, and I can’t possibly make time for a hobby ahead of my children. I can’t change my manufacturing job into a tech job because I don’t know the first thing about computers. I am always afraid of water because I never learned to swim. I am nervous about flying because of airplane crashes. I have no money, so I cannot leave this town/home/relationship.

We move through our daily life wrapped in chains. These chains are mental, physical, and emotional chains; visible and invisible, they are equal in their grasp. This is one of the tenants of Freemasonry – that the applicant must be free of mind, body, and soul. But, really, who is free? It is because we can deceive ourselves that we might even apply to an organization that requires freedom. We believe ourselves to be totally and utterly free. However, if you rebutted any of the statements above, with a “well, but….” you are not free.

This might seem very black and white to some; I do not mean it to be so. I believe Freedom is a journey, and not too far off of the journey of our lifetimes. The search for that which is greater than ourselves is a journey of Freedom, is it not? Most of us live with those chains, in fear, without even thinking about it. We worry so much about the oppressor that we fail to see that the oppressor is ourselves, the things that truly hold us back. Perhaps we can look at the “oppressor” in another way.

I began doing Crossfit (a type of very intense physical weight, endurance, and cardio training) about thirteen years ago. I was not very active before that but I also prided myself on being able to ensure pain, push myself, and move forward through tough exercise and enjoy the success. I began doing the circuits and our trainer continued to increase the intensity. On one particularly gruelling day, we did a circuit of five activities, the last of which was rowing for 1500 meters. We did the circuit three times. Last circuit, last activity, rowing, I was exhausted. I kept telling myself in my head that I couldn’t do it, that I couldn’t make the time. I remember gasping for air, pushing myself to the point of feeling like I was going to throw up right there all over the machine. About 2/3 of the way through, I realized that I had been telling myself that I couldn’t do it. I changed the dialogue, revised the message, telling myself that of course I could do it, that the pain was temporary, and that there wasn’t anything stopping me except my mind. I shifted gears in my brain. It felt almost like a literal shift of gears, as I pushed on to the end. I never threw up. I sweated like a pig, but I made it. I had achieved the goal.

I realized then and there that I was in chains. I was not free and that my own mind had created the illusion that chained me. I could choose differently, if I learned a different way. If I expanded my mind. If I opened to experience.

Choice. That is the activity which binds us. It is also an illusion.

We choose every day. We choose to get up, to go to work, to feed ourselves, to shower, to help our children, to educate ourselves: we choose to do everything we do. We choose to eat cereal when we know that an egg is better for us, because we chose an easier path. We didn’t want to dirty a pan. We didn’t want to take the time. This cereal is good enough. It will be fine. We humans are master rationalizers. We rationalize that we have a choice in the matter when, in fact, we’re really moving to the universal law of entropy. In 1803, Lazare Carnot said, “in any natural process there exists an inherent tendency towards the dissipation of useful energy.” Humans fit nicely into this category.

What we once call choice falls, eventually, to what we deem binding. I have heard the argument time and again that children preclude certain activities. Focusing on education precludes certain activities. “I can’t” is either the response of the enslaved individual or one who has forgotten that he or she has made the choice that put them on their path. What we put first in our lives is that which we deem important. Let’s face it – when you choose to be with one person and shun another, you deem the first person more important to you than the second. Choices involve priorities. There isn’t shame in it. Yet don’t deny it, either. Should your choices be to the exclusion of all else that makes up our lives? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Do you believe you have the freedom to decide? Can you make that choice? Can you live with it and embrace it, without shame or fear of judgment? Priorities change. Can you understand where the chains are, and free them?

I think humans believe that freedom and choice are linked, and that freedom equates to having a choice. Maybe this is true, and maybe it is not. Here I will contradict myself. I believe that in the paths of our lives, we choose different roads because of who we are at that time. That experience in and of itself forms our destiny. In this, when we choose, we really have no freedom because we are not free from ourselves. We are who we are. If we could do something differently, we would have. We would have chosen differently. We blame parents for not treating us a certain way or teaching us to be different in the world. Yet, they did what they were able to do. If they could have chosen differently, they would have. They are who they are because of their choices.

We are who we are, and when we come to the door of Freemasonry, at the porch with pillars and high, lofty virtues, we think we have made the choice to be there. We believe that when presented with the option of Freemasonry, we have decided to apply. I say that somewhere, the authors of the application process laugh. They know that the applicant is not truly free but that he has some inking and spark of what it means to be free, and perhaps the knowledge that he is not free but seeking. We are bound by who we are and who we are is a result of the choices we make. When you choose the path of your destiny, you’re all in. There is no turning back, no do-overs. As Joseph Campbell said, “Refusal of the summons converts the adventure into its negative.” Freemasonry is an initiatory, life-changing path. When you arrive at the door, either you are ready or you’re not. The person that shows up is presented a new destiny, if they are ready to take it.

We humans get very stressed over the “right” path to take. Do we step forward? Do we step sideways? The core of the decision lies within who we are. Do we know that person? Do I understand what motivates, inspires, and enlivens the inner me? Do I truly know myself? Most of us say yes, when the answer is really no. We do not have the courage to embrace our life path and shake off what isn’t us. We circle back, again, to small choices. Rationalizations. The truth that we are truly not free. Freedom really isn’t about choices, I think, but about knowing yourself and being honest with yourself. It is about allowing your choices to be sometimes incorrect, learning, adjusting, and succeeding in whatever you do. Freedom is knowing what you are, owning what you are, and knowing that you cannot be any different than you are. As Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”

Is the Freemason free? Yes, because he knows that he is not.

The Meaning of Solidarity

Every civilization is infused with the idea, myth, or story of the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is the only multi-cultural folklore that has a consistent meaning regardless of ethos or time period. In these stories, the tree is the bringer of Wisdom, and all living creatures – divine and mortal – rest in its branches and leaves. In some cases, as in Ancient Persia, human beings are the structure of the Tree, providing love and wisdom for all humanity and life. In some traditions, the Tree represents the pathways to God or is the manifestation of the divine love of which we are all a part. Life entwines with itself, regardless of species or form, creating a living, breathing connection of all physical manifestation of the universe.

This is solidarity.

From the Secret Life of Trees, we now know that trees –

“of the same species are communal and will often form alliances with trees of other species. Forest trees have evolved to live in cooperative, interdependent relationships, maintained by communication and a collective intelligence, like an insect colony. These soaring columns of living wood draw the eye upward to their out spreading crowns, but the real action is taking place underground, just a few inches below our feet. All trees are connected to each other through underground fungal networks. Trees share water and nutrients through the networks, as well as communication. They send distress signals about drought and disease, for example, or insect attacks, and other trees alter their behavior when they receive these messages.”[i]

This is solidarity.

I do not think it is a coincidence that trees are representative of brotherhood and solidarity. We seem to be familiar with the idea of brotherhood but not of solidarity. Solidarity wasn’t an official word until the early 19^th century, when Napoleon used it in his Civil Code. The idea of solidarity, however, has been around since there have been human beings. Solidarity is the unity, or agreement of feeling or action, amongst individuals with a common interest. It is mutual support within a group, whatever that group may be. It derives from the Latin word solidus meaning “the whole sum.” The sum of all the parts.

I’ve been examining the word Charity and the word Solidarity, and in many Masonic rituals, the words are used in the same ritual passages but evoke very different meanings. Charity, in our modern mindset, has the overtones of pity and lack; it implies the helpless in need, the weak needing strength, and the silent needing a voice. Charity is from a perspective of superiority, of have versus have not. For better or worse, our North American culture has turned charity into a near-dirty word. Solidarity, on the other hand, reminds us that action and equality are the motivations toward helping one another.

As the trees have informed us, solidarity is “the brotherhood of deeds not the brotherhood of words.”[ii]

We have far forgotten that the human race is the only “race” to which we belong. Unity. We have forgotten that the good of the many outweighs the good of the one. Service. We have forgotten that through all the esoteric teachings, through all the world’s religions and philosophies, there stands one truth: we are all one. Humanity.

Humans, being human, have learned segregate and discriminate. We discriminate which clothes should stay in our closet, which friends are good for us, which foods go into our bodies. We segregate our clothes closet by color or function, we segregate our libraries by subject, and we can’t help but judge and segregate those around us. Does a baby not discriminate the non-mother from the mother? Does the herd of cows segregate themselves from the hunters? Humans. Animals. We judge and discriminate and segregate every single day. These words are not evil words. Like the gun or the sword, they are tools to be used precisely and thoughtfully.

We fail in our humanity when we fail to recognize that we discriminate against our fellow human beings with a mindset of fear and hate. There are myriad ways to segregate ourselves, and we do so without asking ourselves why or if it is even in our nature. We might reflect that we were once primitives who needed to band together against nature’s harshest enemies to ensure our survival; and banding together against “other” was necessary. When we banded against other humans, we began a downward spiral that we have been fighting against ever since. And yet, we also realize that the spirit of cooperation can live within us and provide us a better way of life. Albert Schweitzer said, “The first step in the evolution of ethics is a sense of solidarity with other human beings.”

We divide ourselves by age, gender, class, religion, culture, geography, nation, and race. We divide by hair color, eye color, clothing, schooling and hobbies. Someone is either of “us” or “not us.” We do this for many, many reasons – none of which seems valid to me. We see the differences but rather than celebrate them, we choose to fear. We choose fear because we do not see that humanity is one race, one being, one egregore.

We know that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Logos, the breath of life in the divine universe, is God made manifest. The original translation of Sahidic Coptic, the saying here is actually “In the beginning existed the Word, and the Word existed with God, and God was the Word.” This Word, Logos, is the exhalation of breath, which is the spirit of animus, the divine will, the supreme knowledge.

According to Rudolf Steiner, once primitive man evolved, he began to utter articulate sounds — the words of speech. This great transformation, of learning to breathe and speak, was of cardinal importance to man. In Genesis (II.7), we read:

“And the Lord God… breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

This passage describes the period when the gills once possessed by man changed into lungs and he began to breathe the outer air. Simultaneously with the power to breathe, he acquired an inner soul and with this soul, the possibility of inner consciousness, of becoming aware of the self-living within the soul.

“When man began to breathe air through the lungs, his blood was invigorated and it was then that a soul higher than the group-soul of the animals, a soul individualized by the Ego-principle, could incarnate in him to carry evolution forward to its fully human and then divine phases. Before the body breathed air, the soul of man could not descend to incarnation, for air is an element enfilled [sic] with soul. At that time, therefore, man actually inbreathed [sic] the divine soul which came from the heavens. The words of Genesis, in their evolutionary sense, are to be taken quite literally. To breathe is to be permeated with Spirit…When we breathe, we commune with the world-soul. The inbreathed [sic] air is the bodily vesture of this higher soul, just as the flesh is the vesture of man’s lower being.” [iii]

Humans breathe in spirit. All humans were born to achieve the same purpose – being conscious together. There was no differentiation when we became ensouled – all matter is one – everything that has breath has soul. Who is even to say that rocks do not breathe in their own way? I digress… All living creatures serve the same purpose, as Steiner said, and that is to be permeated by Soul. No race, gender, or any other segregating characteristic were used to determine who would get a soul and who would not. If all are the Word, the divine Logos, then all are one.

For every Freemason, the call of unification is strong. It is challenging. It is like breathing new air. It is our purpose to erase the lines that divide – in all things. There is one humanity, one country, one earth, one everything. If it is all made of one Logos, it is one. Single. The sum of all the parts. Solidarity.

From an 1888 edition of “The Esoteric” magazine, we find the following paragraph from another book titled “Mysteries of Magic,” by Eliphas Levi.

“According to the Kabbalists, God creates eternally the great Adam, the universal and perfect man who contains in a single spirit. All spirits and all souls Intelligences therefore live two lives at once; one general which is common to them all and the other special and individual. Solidarity and reversibility among spirits depend therefore on their living really in one another -all being illuminated by the radiance of the one, all afflicted by the darkness of the one. The great Adam was represented by the tree of life which extends above and below the earth, by roots and branches. The trunk is humanity at large, the various races are the branches and the innumerable individuals are the leaves. Each leaf has its own form, its special life and its share of the sap but it lives by means of the branch alone as the life of the branch itself depends on the trunk.

The wicked are the dry leaves and dead bark of the tree. They fall, decay, and are transformed into manure which returns to the tree through the roots. The Kabbalists also compare the wicked or reprobate to the excrement of the great body of humanity. These excretions serve as manure to the earth which brings forth fruits to nourish the body thus death returns always to life and evil itself serves for the renewal and nourishment of good.

Death thus has no existence and man never departs from the universal life. Those whom we call dead still survive in us and we subsist in them; they are on the earth because we are here, and we are in heaven because they are located there. The more we live in others, the less need we fear to die.”

A Freemason will find these words intimately familiar. To live in Service, to humanity, not in subjugation, is our purpose. The more we live in others, the more we live in Solidarity, the perfecting of humanity continues. What can be more perfect than becoming the One we were meant to be? This quote above implies that Solidarity extends to not only the living on Earth but to those that have passed to another realm, whether we call it heaven, Nirvana, or even Hell. We are all connected, and life is never ceasing. We take our influence, in some measure, from them – by legacy or intuition – and continue to make them manifest in this realm.

“We are all members of one body and the man who endeavors to supplant and destroy another man is like the right hand seeking to cut off the left through jealousy. He who kills another slays himself, he who steals from another defrauds himself, he who wounds another maims himself; for others exist in us and we in them.”[iv]

We must, as a species, learn to place ourselves within the life of others else we cease to grow. This work is not for any form of personal gain, no glory, no splendor.

It is truly for in the service of all human beings – what we were, we are, and we will be. If everyone isn’t beautiful, then no one is… Beauty is a way to see the world, not to judge it.[v]

Finally, from Joni Mitchell:

“In a highway service station
Over the month of June
Was a photograph of the Earth
Taken Coming back from the Moon
And you couldn’t see a city
On that marbled bowling ball
Or a forest or a highway
Or me here least of all…[vi]“

This is solidarity.

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[i] Hidden Life of Trees, Wohlleben, Peter, March 2018

[ii] Transnational Solidarity: Concept, Challenges, and Opportunity, Helle Krunke, ‎Hanne Petersen, ‎Ian Manners – 2020, from a 2012 article, referenced on June 6, 2020

[iii] Rudolf Steiner, The Logos and The Word, from The Essential Rudolf Steiner, Google Books, accessed June 1, 2020

[iv] Solidarity, The Esoteric, “Mysteries of Magic by Eliphas Levi,” September 1888.

[v] Andy Warhol, Quote

[vi] Joni Mitchell from the song “Refuge of the Roads”

Truth and Belief

By The V. Ills. Bro. George S. Arundale 33^o

I said that I would tell you something of the truths I hold, not of all the truths I hold, but of those which are at the foundation—my ultimate truths. There is, I feel, one truth of truths, one truth which includes all others—the Unity of All Life. We know science has demonstrated that life is everywhere, though the word ”life” is not so easy to define; shall we say ‘’growth,” “unfoldment”?

In every kingdom of Nature, life is all-pervading. Even that which we call death is only change. We know that not only do our individualities persist after death, but also that the physical body, whence the individuality has departed, is not in itself dead, though it disintegrates.

Every particle of nature is life, whether, for purposes of our own, we call it “dead” or “alive.” But what is more, is that this all-pervading life is essentially one, whatever its form—the same fundamental characteristics everywhere, as science again knows. Here these characteristics sharper, keener, more definite, more sensitive, more complex; there these characteristics duller, simpler, vaguer. But the same vital principles, the same type of reaction to external stimulus.

THE KINGDOM OF NATURE

In every kingdom of Nature, there is some kind of feeling or sensation, some kind of happiness, some kind of fear, some kind of disease or illness, some kind of death. It sounds too strange to be true, yet science asserts these facts. They can be demonstrated by physical experiments.

We do not generally associate these conditions either with the mineral, the vegetable, or the animal kingdom; but that is our ignorance. We must readjust ourselves to the fact of the Unity of all Life, which means the Brotherhood of all Life, and when we say Brotherhood we contact the second great truth, the logical sequence from the first. It is that life grows, evolves. No stopping still. And we begin to talk of a ladder of this growing, of a ladder of evolution, with rung upon rung marking the different stages of growth, or of expansion.

Hence, each kingdom of Nature represents a stage of growth or unfoldment. Dull characteristics of life in the mineral kingdom. Less dull characteristics, increasing sensitiveness, in the vegetable kingdom. Still greater sensitiveness in the animal, greater definiteness, more power of movement, increased complexity of unfoldment. And then the human kingdom in which you and I are.

We probably know more or less what it is that makes us different from animals mind, for one thing, conscience for another, bigger purpose for a third, and so on. But the same life, just as there is the same life in the acorn as in the oak. Nourishment may be derived from outside, but it would be of little use unless the acorn could take it in, had the sagacity to assimilate it.

What do we conclude from all this? Surely that the human kingdom is not the final stage of growth. If kingdoms below us, why not kingdoms beyond us? Do we know nothing of them? No, nor do most animals know aught of the human kingdom. But some animals do, and I claim that some humans know of kingdoms beyond the human. Perhaps Angels belong to one of these. Perhaps the great Teachers and Saviors of the world belong to one of these.

THE BROTHERHOOD OF MANKIND

“Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.”

Ought we not to try to understand a little more what this brotherhood means—brothers younger than ourselves, our brothers the animals, as Saint Francis so beautifully realized and practiced; our brothers the trees, the flower, the shrub, the grass, yes, and the weeds, and the prickly pear; our brothers the stones, the humble youngest brother stones and the flower of the mineral kingdom—the diamond, the ruby, the sapphire, the emerald. Read what Ruskin says about the lives of these beautiful brothers in his “Ethics of the Dust.” But all this is about younger brothers.

There are our equal brothers, our human brothers, some, perhaps, not quite so old as others, but less distance between them than between us and our animal, vegetable and mineral brothers. No distinctions of race, or creed, or caste, or sex, or color, make any difference. These are all superficial.

Sometimes in our pride, we like to think ourselves superior. Sometimes we think people inferior because they look different from ourselves, eat differently, dress differently, sleep differently, live differently, feel and think and speak differently. That is merely a passing phase of self-preservation. What we are and have we like best; it is largely habit, and no doubt it is, to a certain extent, though not merely as much as we think, best for us. But then we begin to make the fatal mistake of imagining that it is therefore best for everybody else, and that people who have different things have worse things—a different religion, therefore a worse religion; different customs, therefore worse customs, a different nationality; therefore, a worse nationality. Very childish, and very untrue, of course; but not unnatural at a certain stage, though by this time the world ought to be quitting some of its childish ways.

ASCENDING THE LADDER

Now, if there are our younger brothers and our equal brothers, logic demands that there shall be elder brothers, some a little older but not much, some considerably older, some far older, so much older that we cannot imagine their human origin, it is so far back. The Great Saviors are our Eldest Brethren.

The life so perfect and magnificent in Them has been on every rung of the great ladder of life, and now has reached, well, I dare not say the topmost rung—who shall set a limit to God’s omnipotence—but on a rung far removed from our own, so far removed that for us it is the top: we can see and dream no further. And, yet, mark you, there are the two great lines that hold the rungs together, stretching from the bottom, as we must call it, to the top as we must equally call it—one ladder, one path, one origin, one goal. We look beneath us and see where our footsteps have been placed. We gaze above us and perceive the places on which our feet have yet to stand. And on each rung we see the clinging life, stretching ever upwards to the rung above.

I do not think I want or need any more truths. This unity, this evolution, this immeasurable and transcendent brotherhood, this certainty, this purpose, this power—what more do I need to make life intelligible and wonderfully worth living?

WHAT IS GOD?

Do I need God? All is God. I have been speaking of God all the time. I am God. You are God. The animal is God. The vegetable is God. The mineral is God. God is the ladder, God the rung, God the growth, God the origin and end, if end there be.

What do I mean by God? I mean Life. Is there a Person God? I do not know, nor need I care, for there are Those on rungs above me Who are enough Gods to give me all that God could give. Perhaps the sun, the Giver of Life, perhaps He is God; but who shall say He is God the ultimate? And who need care. His sunshine is our growth, come that sunshine whence it may.

Do I need to say that God is Love? When I know the brotherhood, I know love. Only as I am ignorant of the brotherhood of life are my eyes blinded to the all-pervading love. Love is everywhere. Life disproves this, you say. I say to you:

“Know the brotherhood of life, and you shall perceive the Love of God.“

Do I need to say that God is justice? When I know the brotherhood of life I know His justice. Only ignorance blinds me to His justice.

TO KNOW TRUTH

Hard to believe? Hard to understand? Truth needs ardent wooing, my brothers, relentless pursuit, tireless search, unfaltering desire.

“To know Truth, you must unflinchingly examine your beliefs, your opinions, your conception, your prejudices, and your orthodoxies in the clear light of your most exalted self, your highest self.“

When you are at your noblest, how do all these things strike you? When you merge your lower self in the greater self under the transmuting magic of wondrous music, of noble utterance, of soul-stirring landscape, of sight or hearing of fine heroism, do you not for a moment, even if only for a moment, feel one with all the world? Do you not feel your brotherhood with all? Do you not feel as if you could do anything for anybody? Do you not see ns petty much that in the lower self you thought as right and proper? Do you not feel, just for the moment, as if you could do great things, were dedicated to a noble mission and exalted purposes?

Such, my friends, is the real you, the you that can climb, must and snail climb, rung after rung beyond the one on which you stand. In such a self, not only do you know these truths of which I have been speaking, you have become these truths; you are these truths. And you perceive how gloriously worthwhile it is to climb, if such are the heights which shall be reached, if such the glory into which you enter. The vision fades, perchance, as the magic ceases. But, nevermore, can you stay where you are.

ONWARD AND FORWARD

Evermore must you climb, and you know that the Truth of truths—the Unity of Life—means that we climb together, that we cannot climb alone, and that, therefore, there is no climbing save as we aid others to climb. We climb as we seek the feet of Those who are stretched on the Cross of Loving Sacrifice.

May each one of us become a Cross of Loving Sacrifice! For the Way of the Cross is the hope of the world!

Masonic Ritual: The Dispersal [Part V]

PART V: CLOSING AND THE DISPERSAL

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By Very Ills.^..^.. Bro.^.. Kristine Wilson-Slack 33^o

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In the series finale, the author explains that the framework of Freemasonry bestows the ability create what the world needs, if Brothers do it with intention, focus, and true service. 

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What happens with this energy once it has intensified to its most perfected state? With the completion of the ritual work of the day, the Lodge ceremoniously disassembles into its individual parts. Dispersal of energy thus contained takes a faster course than it did to create it.

The First Bubble: Closing the Lodge

At the moment of closure within the ritual, the innermost bubble is dispersed; it reaches its greatest potential and ready for dissemination into the material world. The energy may cling to matter much like a soapy film clings to those things the soap bubble touches. This is the purest form of intended energy, and it is perhaps the densest dispersal of energy, happening in a rush. It should be noted that even dispersal of energy should take place with intention and focus. Ritual movements should be clean and precise, as much as with the opening rituals.

This release should be akin to a funnel focusing its release to a tight beam, not merely like popping a balloon. It should be of note to the Freemason what happens between these bubbles being released, as this is the motion and ritual of unwinding. Between this innermost bubble and the second bubble, there is a closing up – a shuttering – and an admonition to ensure we remember there will be a next time. We are to take with us the intent of Service, reminding us of why we were brought together.

The Second Bubble: Unwinding the Ring-Pass-Not

The next bubble, the second, is broken when the ring-pass-not is unwound. The symbol of the mind, the Sword, is used to unwind the Temple-not-made-with-hands and becomes the unbinding of ritual space, from the Center, outward towards to door of the world.

The hierophants assembled are now taking their inner tools with them, the knowledge and the experiences they have gained, to be able to spread individually across their material worlds. This is a scattering, quite literally, of knowledge abroad.

The Sword, the Mind, cuts across the bubble to let this information out into the world, and to release the space from its duty. The officers form from the heart of the Lodge, unwinding as they walk in recession, out the door of the Physical world. 

The Third Bubble: The Disbursement

Lastly, the final bubble is released when the Temple is disassembled, and the members disperse in actuality into the material world. The fainter energies are stuck to us, to our tools, to the building, and even to the locale in which we perform ritual. We leave the building and we take that energy to those whom we touch, communicate, and interact. This energy, depending on our state of consciousness, may never dissipate or it may fly away quickly. What happens next is of prime importance because it sets Masonry’s adherents up for continued success as Freemasons.

What do we do between the energetic dispersal and the stirring of creation for the next Lodge meeting? Do we prepare? Do we put thought and effort into our daily advancement of Masonic knowledge and discipline? Do we press our clothing and memorize our rituals? Do we practice movements or strengthen our own minds and bodies for upcoming challenges? 

Going Forth and Future Masonic Labor

What we do after this third and final bubble is released as a profound effect on further work. To be a Light Worker is to be of Service, not only to ourselves but most importantly, to the perfecting of Humanity. If we throw ourselves into caustic or hateful situations, right after Lodge, we have lost much, and it takes time and a great deal of energy to bring it back.

This is one of the reasons that Freemasonry is not a thing to do once a month, or study in our “spare time.” It’s something that is a walk of life, a journey of personal experience wrapped in group work. It’s not a social club, nor is it a personal support group.

It is equally talented journeymen working together to build a beautiful, metaphorical Cathedral, a Temple of Pure Light. The framework of the Freemasonic Order gives us the ability to move freely within the context of these duties, and in such, we create exactly what the World needs if we do it with intention, focus, and true Service.

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This is Part V of the series, “The Effects of Masonic Ritual.” The previous articles can be found here: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV. 

Masonic Ritual: The Gathering [Part IV]

PART IV: THE GATHERING OR ESOTERIC PROFANE  

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By Very Ills.^..^.. Bro.^.. Kristine Wilson-Slack 33^o

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Exploring the reasoning and importance of preparation, before entering the Temple, for the Brothers about to take part in the Masonic ritual work. 

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The term “esoteric profane” is used to describe that which is before the temple (pro–fane) and that which is knowledge that is outside. In this state, the Freemason, an initiate, is helping to setup the layer between the common world (exoteric) and the esoteric (inside world) for those that are at the door of the temple (the profane).

Only those who have been initiated may be allowed to be in the Temple room and participate in its setup. This layer of energies begins as the members arrive at the appointed time and begin forming the physical structure of what will be ritual space. All the members are now inside the first bubble of Intention, and thus partially on the way to being tiled. 

Physics and the Lodge

In basic physics, it’s known that all objects have a natural frequency or set of frequencies at which they vibrate. A natural frequency is one that occurs when an object is stuck, plucked, dropped or otherwise disturbed from its resting state. Even quantum field theory relates that particles at the quantum level, that which makes up the physical realm, “cannot sit still,” by reason of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.

The bottom line is that all matter vibrates at its core. This vibration is in relation to the energetic forces placed upon it – whether they be physical or, as discussed earlier, in thought form. Thus, the energies applied toward a person, tool, Temple room, or even the larger environment have an influence on the outcome of ritual. 

The brothers arrive with purpose and intent, having prepared themselves in the days and weeks prior to the ceremonial day. In the gathering, we are working on perfecting the material to be used for ritual – our minds, bodies, Temple, and the tools and symbols of instruction. The next layer, or bubble of energy, is created by those in attendance. What they have brought with them in mind, body, emotion, and spirit is what will be contributed to the Work to be performed.

Alchemy and the Gathering

This blending of energies at multiple levels is what provides the entire group the alchemical substance with which the person and environment is charged and changed. While habit is comforting, the cleaning and setting of ritual space requires its own focused mindset.

Thought must be placed on the quality and stature of the elements used within ritual. There is a difference between using a well-maintained piece of equipment and one that is worn and tired. The personal feeling of looking at or using something broken or dirty is demoralizing and uncomfortable.

As the charge goes, “it must be kept clean and bright, else the vision is marred.” So too does the unclean, damaged, or ill-kept equipment and Temple room impart emotional and physical resonances of marring or misuse. It does not inspire us to do our best. There is a reason that fine china and sterling silver are used at elegant dinners; the feeling of using our “best” puts us in a superlative mental mindset.

Purification and Ritual

Why is this ritual cleaning important? Its necessity is outlined in the points noted above with regards to vibration. Purification has been used throughout religions and spiritual worship as far back as the ancient mystery schools.

In the Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries, participants not only had to seal their intention with a sacrifice of a piglet, but also had to cleanse themselves in the river Ilisos. The mysteries of Isis and Delphi also requires purification rituals on not only the persons participating but of the ritual space and implements used in ceremony.

The divine has always been revered as perfect or clean, whereas the material world is deemed unclean or polluted. The core of the practice of purification is that in order to achieve connection with the unpolluted world or beings, the material world must shed its impurities to the best of its abilities; only by cleanliness would one be allowed and able to approach the divine.

From the anthropological point of view, it may be better stated thus, from Encyclopedia Britannica:

Every culture has an idea, in one form or another, that the inner essence of man can be either pure or defiled. This idea presupposes a general view of man in which his active or vitalizing forces, the energies that stimulate and regulate his optimum individual and social functioning, are distinguished from his body, on the one hand, and his mental or spiritual faculties, on the other. These energies are believed to be disturbed or “polluted” by certain contacts or experiences that have consequences for a person’s entire system, including both the physical and the mental aspects.

Furthermore, the natural elements, animals and plants, the supernatural, and even certain aspects of technology may be viewed as operating on similar energies of their own; they too may therefore be subject to the disturbing effects of pollution. Because lost purity can be re-established only by ritual and also because purity is often a precondition for the performance of rituals of many kinds, anthropologists refer to this general field of cultural phenomena as “ritual purity” and “ritual pollution.

The base idea of Freemasons cleaning is rooted in this same principle; in order to perform the best Masonic ritual possible, the tools, including the Brothers, must be at their best. This means that we approach a Lodge meeting much as we approach a service at our religious institution: we dress well, have mentally prepared by sleeping well, and make sure that the Temple, our clothing, and our equipment is in the best condition possible. 

Hierophants of Freemasonry

This gathering time is a time when the elements of those who have already been ‘initiated’ into the mysteries are preparing to attend to the world that has not been so initiated; in this way, all Freemasons are, of a sort, hierophants. The term hierophant means “the holy one who shows things.”

In Attica, the chief priest of the Eleusinian Mysteries was named hierophant. This title was given to all who could interpret the sacred mysteries, symbols, and arcane principles of ceremonies to be performed. The hierophant is a channel for the divine as well as the outward manifestation of the principles of that to which the hierophant adheres.

In this way, Freemasons are a channel for the ancient mysteries as they apply to all religions. Historically, hierophants were stationed in their position for life, and upon accepting the position, renounced their given names and were simply called hierophates.

So too do Freemasons renounce their names at this stage, and become simply “brother,” and they are a Freemason for life.  Once this stage is complete, the state of the Lodge members and the Sacred Space are set for the next layer. The second bubble has been created and prepared, ready for the entrance of the prepared hierophants.

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This is Part IV of a five part series, “The Effects of Masonic Ritual.” The previous installments can be found here: Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Masonic Ritual: The Intention [Part III]

PART III: INTENTION OR EXOTERIC

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By Very Ills.^..^.. Bro.^.. Kristine Wilson-Slack 33^o

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The third installment in the series on the effects of Masonic ritual. Masonic Ritual is the play; it stresses the structure and foundation of the story while the thought form and creativity are in the hands of the individual actors in the ritual.

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The intent of the Masonic ritual working is the fundamental basis for the first bubble’s skin.

Masonic rituals are an initiatory rite, one that marks the beginning, entrance, or acceptance into a different state of being. It is a transformation of one state of consciousness into another. This is true for every degree of Freemasonry. The story enacted may be one of birth, death, mental or ethical transformation. It may be teaching morality via a play; in essence, the transformation of the human state of consciousness is enacted upon the human by thought form creation of the other humans enacting the play.

Masonic Ritual is the play; it stresses the structure and foundation of the story while the thought form and creativity are in the hands of the individual actors in the ritual. Mircea Eliade discussed initiation as a principal religious act by classical or traditional societies.

He defined initiation as “a basic change in existential condition,” which liberates man from profane time and history. “Initiation recapitulates the sacred history of the world. And through this recapitulation, the whole world is sanctified anew… [the initiate] can perceive the world as a sacred work, a creation of the Gods.”

Eliade believed that the basis of religions were hierophanies. A hierophany is a manifestation of the sacred. The word is a formation of the Greek adjective hieros (sacred) and the verb phainein (to show). In other words, initiatory rites are those which transport the participants from profane (before the temple) time and space into sacred space and time.

Preparedness

When the intention is created, by the form of the Lodge, it will take the outward manifestation of “work to be performed.” This could be a ritual ceremony with the focus on an individual, a ceremony that invokes different energies for the accomplishment of some “thing,” or it may be the creation of ideas from an educational essay and discussion. The Lodge as a living entity in and of itself creates the intention by the will of its membership; a request for an increase of knowledge, a desire to discuss ideas, or the joy of simply performing a ceremonial service for the good of the world are the intentions of the members. The Master of the Lodge takes these intentions and solidifies them into a working plan for a period of time, intending each Lodge meeting to be an act on the will of the Whole.

The intention of the Lodge is first created through the sending of a Lodge summons to each of the members. By this act, the Work of the Lodge is planned, and a thought form begins for the individual Freemason. The Brother thinks about the ceremony to be performed, his physical part and actions in it, as well as preparing for the mental work to be accomplished. He thinks about who he will be working with, how he should move, and how his intention will meet its mark.

For those who cannot attend, their response helps the Master solidify the workers and their positions, thus ensuring that the work to be performed is focused towards the needs of the Lodge. Neither the acceptance or rejection of the summoning should be a matter of indifference to the Freemason, as their personal energies, ways of working, and thoughts are what build that first bubble once the gathering begins. The intent and preparation of the members of the Lodge are what form that first bubble of energy, surrounding the Lodge and Temple and securing the mindset for the work within.

While this bubble is the first to be created, it is the last to be discharged. Discharging comes at the end of the day, once the work has been completed. We will examine the dispersal of energies at the end of this essay.

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This is Part III of a Five part series. You can find the previous installments here: Part I and Part II.

Masonic Ritual: The Foundation [Part II]

PART II: THE FOUNDATION – BUBBLES AND THOUGHT FORMS

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By Very Ills.^..^.. Bro.^.. Kristine Wilson-Slack 33^o

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Here the author explores the foundation of Masonic Ritual as influenced, shaped, and formed by the thoughts and mindset of the Brothers of the Lodge. Part I can be found here.

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A bubble is a self-organized structure that is the result of a new thermodynamic phase of matter; that is, when matter organizes itself differently from its surroundings as a result of applied energy, a bubble is formed. Bubbles are a low-energy state of matter; in that they take little energy to form and little energy to dissipate. Compare soap bubbles to a cardboard box; both contain air but the structures holding them together require little and much energy, respectively.

Bubbles are formed by energy and force; it is the result of one type of matter suspended or held energetically within another. Without going into the science too deeply, there have been experiments and theories regarding the idea that knowledge, information, and/or thoughts have substance – mass. Between Maxwell’s Demon and Einstein’s general relativity theory, people are quick to either propose or dismiss thoughts having energy, and thereby mass. It seems logical that at some level, by the creation of thoughts, the brain has expended energy, and therefore it is possible that thoughts have a very minute mass.

If thoughts have mass, can thoughts create bubbles?

In the latter part of the 19th C to the early 20th C, Bros. Annie Besant, C.W. Leadbeater, and A.P. Sinnett wrote extensively on the idea of thought forms.

From a letter to A.P. Sinnett, the Master Kuthumi stated that “Thoughts are things — have tenacity, coherence, and life, — that they are real entities.”

Leadbeater and Besant wrote an entire book on thought forms, published by the Theosophical Society in 1905. In it, they state “each definite thought produces a double effect — a radiating vibration and a floating form.” The radiating vibration “conveys the character of the thought, but not its subject.”

The floating form is a strong and definite thought that has attracted energies from the mental and astral planes, and has become, for a time, a kind of independent living being. We have seen this when we walk into a room and “feel tension” or we pick up, empathically or sympathetically, the thoughts of intense feelings emanating from others. Whether or not we see these forms is another matter. 

Theology and Thought Forms

Various religions have also expounded on the notion of thought forms. The Indian and Tibetan Buddhism traditions had the idea of emanation bodies. One early Buddhist text, the Samaññaphala Sutta, lists the ability to create a “mind-made body” (manomayakaya) as one of the “fruits of the contemplative life.” In other words, the mind can create a “body” with which one can travel and experience other places both in the physical world and the ethereal one.

This body is a thought form of the self, whatever we define the self to be. It requires the ability to perceive ideal material, or beauty, the will to expend the energy to create, and the wisdom to understand the limits of the self. It also implies a supreme command of physical, emotional, and mental energies. In essence. The idea that thought forms can be made “material” came from these ancient texts. 

Other early 20th century theosophists took these ideas and expanded upon them. French explorer and theosophist Alexandra David-Néel wrote of “Tulpas” as “magic formations generated by a powerful concentration of thought.” She further wrote:

The power of producing magic formations, tulkus or less lasting and materialized tulpas, does not, however, belong exclusively to such mystic exalted beings [Bodhisattvas]. Any human, divine or demoniac being may be possessed of it. The only difference comes from the degree of power, and this depends on the strength of the concentration and the quality of the mind itself.

According to modern philosophers, “thoughts are a living reality” and thoughts are “ideas on steroids.” All said, we know if nothing else, that thoughts affect our behaviors and that may influence other living creatures around us. Psychologists have made their living on this science. Let us for now say that thoughts have the ability to coalesce and take on some kind of form – scientifically, religiously, or theosophically – and that these forms are created by the thinker, the creator if you will, and are wholly dependent upon his mindset. 

Meditation, Thought, and Masonic Ritual

When one meditates, one creates specific thought forms based on our ability to focus and settle the mind. Likewise, the act of ritual provides us a different opportunity to focus the mind and also create thought forms. Where meditation and some rituals may be done solitarily, Freemasonic ritual is an elaborate weave of motion, word, music, scent, and thought that creates something that may be more impactful.

Like any ritual or meditation, the onus is on the participants to provide the impetus behind what is created. The mindset of all is critical to the final results. These thought forms, created in Masonic Ritual, create at least three different bubbles where their effects are contained, to be released at later time to achieve a desired effect.

In Freemasonic ritual, there appear to be three energetic bubbles created with four “layers” associated with each. A thought form created has an effect on each of the layers, with the ultimate results being dependent upon the focus created inside the Masonic Temple. The Temple itself is a material manifestation of the ideals of the Order, creating a lens and atmosphere that lend guidance to the mindset of the members.

These bubbles are the result of layers within a Freemasonic ritual, based on the flow of the ritual:

1. Intention (Exoteric),
2. Gathering (Esoteric Profane),
3. Inception (Ritual Perfection), and
4. Ceremony (Eternal Divine Ideal).

All of them are released by the unwinding or release of these same forms once the work of the day is complete. Each of the layers creates the bubble “inside” it, thus creating the next inner layer, until the Eternal Divine Layer is achieved and the core work of the Masonic Lodge is completed.  

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This is Part II of a five part series, “The Effects of Masonic Ritual.” You can find the previous installment Here.

The Effect of Masonic Ritual [Part I]

WHAT IS MASONIC RITUAL? 

By Very Ills.^..^.. Bro.^.. Kristine Wilson-Slack 33^o

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This is the first installment in a series exploring the effects of Masonic ritual. Here the author explores the nature of ritual, particularly in relation to Freemasonry. 

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A modern Masonic guide states that ritual is “a practice done in a set and precise manner so as to produce a result with a symbolic signification… It can be viewed as a formula that creates a hidden code to be discovered by those who are in search for the truth.” Masonic ritual, in its general form, has been used for hundreds of years to create an “idealized reality of a perfected Man” in each of the members of the Lodge. Bro.^.. Wilmshurst, in The Meaning of Masonry, states:

Masonry is a sacramental system, possessing, like all sacraments, an outward and visible side consisting of its ceremonial, its doctrine, and its symbols which we can see and hear, and an inward, intellectual and spiritual side, which is concealed behind… and which is available only to the Mason who has learned to use his spiritual imagination and who can appreciate the reality that lies behind the veil of outward symbol.

In other words, there are two sides to Masonic ritual: the outward and the inward; these are likened to the great Mystery Schools of ancient Babylon and Greece, where there existed and were performed Lesser and Greater Mystery ceremonies. In general, the legends contained in Freemasonry parallel those from the ancient Mystery schools; and, Freemasonry by its own attestation across the ages teaches a system of morality.

Wilmshurst notes, again from The Meaning of Masonry, that “…it is perfectly certain that Pythagoras was not a Mason at all in our present sense of the word; but it is also perfectly certain that Pythagoras was a very highly advanced master in the knowledge of the secret schools of the Mysteries, of whose doctrine small portion is enshrined for us in our Masonic system.” Additionally, from the Dionysian Artificers, by Hippolyto Da Costa:¹

“It appears, that, at a very early period, some contemplative men were desirous of deducting from the observation of nature, moral rules for the conduct of mankind. Astronomy was the science selected for this purpose; architecture was afterwards called in aid of this system; and its followers formed a society or sect, which will be the object of this enquiry. The continuity of this system will be found sometimes broken, a natural effect of conflicting theories, of the alteration of manners, and of change of circumstances, but it will make its appearances at different periods, and the same truth will be seen constantly.

The importance of calculating with precision the seasons of the year, to regulate agricultural pursuits, navigation, and other necessary avocations in life, must have made the science of astronomy an object of great care, in the government of all civilized nations; and the prediction of eclipses, and other phenomena, must have obtained for the learned in this science, such respect and veneration from the ignorant multitude, as to render it extremely useful to legislators, in framing laws for regulating the moral conduct of their people.

The laws of nature and the moral rules deducted from them were explained in allegorical histories, which we call fables, and those allegorical histories were impressed in the memory by symbolical ceremonies denominated mysteries, and which, though afterwards misunderstood and misapplied, contain systems of the most profound, the most sublime, and the most useful theory of philosophy. Amongst those mysteries are peculiarly remarkable the Eleusinian. Dionysius, Bacchus, Osiris, Adonis, Thammuz, Apollo, & c., were names adopted in various languages, and in several countries, to designate the Divinity, who was the object of those ceremonies, and it is generally admitted that the sun was meant by these several denominations.” 

Thus, we have a ceremonial system designed over the course of thousands of years using legend, myth, and symbol in ritual form to teach human beings what we may do to perfect ourselves. The focus of such a ritual is to stimulate the mind and nature of the human being so as to be open to new lessons, new ways of thinking, and to observe and understand our place in Nature’s overall scheme.

In order to have the ritual perform its “magic,” the physical, emotional, and mental formation of the sacrament must not only be as ‘good as we can make it,’ but also involves positive intention and perfect cooperation by each participant. When Freemasons achieve synchronization in these three areas, the ritual will provide the most constructive outcome possible. The partaker of the ritual does not know what awaits her, but the presenters do; thus, the onus of a well-done ritual lies mainly on those that are performing it. 

The idea that ritual can have an effect on the ‘subtle’ bodies of both humans and environment is not new; theosophists of the 19th c C.E. brought the idea of ritual use creating subtle energies from the Eastern Religions, specifically Hinduism and Buddhism, and these theories have been refined further by modern Yogis and spiritual teachers. In addition, many modern scientists, including Michio Kaku and Albert Einstein, postulate the power of the human mind may do many things that are currently unknown, including what we think of as “extra-sensory.” Human beings are part of Nature and as such, are subject to the Laws of Nature, both known and not-yet known. As Einstein stated:

“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish it but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind.”

How does the Masonic ritual go about creating the induction of the reality of perfection? Subtle energy focused in the Masonic “structure” is the key; these energies are the vitality that humans generate through physical, mental, and emotional actions, which is transferred to the tools, organic and inorganic, that are present within the ritual sphere.  

These spheres of energy, akin to bubbles, hold the energy created by the ritual intact until the time for its eventual release. When the energy is released, if it were optimally produced, it would have a profound effect on all that it touches. Whatever the intention of the ritual, the releasing effect would be as a large bell being struck, a perfectly clear note vibrating like the waves of a pebble dropped into a still pond. 

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¹ The author’s emphasis. 

Who Is the Widow’s Son?

Perhaps most well known as a Masonic Biker organization, the origin of the term Widow’s Son is actually quite old and deep in Masonic Lore. What is the significance of this term, why is every Mason considered to be a Widow’s Son? As with so many other aspects of Freemasonry, the mystery of the Widow’s Son is part of a multi-layered living tapestry of myth which is both investigated, discovered, passed on, and reconstructed over time by each Mason individually, and all Masons collectively.

As always, this writing is not an expression of the official views of Universal Co-Masonry, but simply the reflections of one Co-Mason.

Biblical Lineage?

As even non-Masons may be aware, Freemasonry takes as its primary mythological framework various aspects of Biblical history, particularly King Solomon, and of course the central figure of the architect which he chose to build the Temple of God during his reign, Hiram Abiff. One line of investigation into the term Widow’s Sons speculates that the title refers to a literal genealogical lineage, a vine whose fruits include Jesus, Solomon, David, all the way back to Enoch, and Adam, the biblical first human. As you might imagine, Masonic Grail Bloodline theorists have a heyday with this interpretation.

The reason this lineage is referred to as Widow’s Son is that one of it’s early maternal ancestors is the biblical character of Ruth. She was a Moabite, a people descended from the incestuous episode with Lot and his daughters after Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. However, Moab was also a nephew of Abraham. Therefore, Ruth was a member of this somewhat “tainted” yet still royal branch of the Israelite family, and was particularly righteous because of her loyalty to her husband (from Judah), even after death. For this, she was eventually blessed by becoming husband of another Judean, Boaz, and eventually, Great Great Great… (30 generations’ worth) Grandma to Jesus.

Does being a Widow’s Son, in the sense of being a Mason, have some connection to biblical genealogy? Given that there’s no particular genealogical or genetic analysis when you become a Mason, this is doubtful, although we can’t say there’s not some way in which it might be relevant. I can’t even begin to touch any sort of thorough investigation of this topic within the span of this short article, but the above links and some related Googling can no-doubt lead you down a deep rabbit hole, if your heart so desires.

On the other hand, it’s probably more likely that the meaning is more symbolic, perhaps having to do with bringing Lost Children of God back into the fold, or in an internal sense, aspects of the self which have gone astray back into alignment with the internal divinity. As with just about anything, you can also interpret it in a Jungian fashion. In that vein, another line of reasoning says that the Widow’s Sons are actually the children of matter who are separated from the spiritual paternity of God the Father, with the Widow, in this case, being the feminine aspect of God, as manifested in the material world.

This would make the “Widow’s Sons” those who have lost their connection to their divine origin, God the Father, resulting in a clinging to Mother Nature, but seeking to find that paternal divine connection again. Interestingly enough, one etymological interpretation of Hiram Abiff means “the king that was lost.” Of course, this also has relevance to the Egyptian origins of the story, and the mythical deceased God-King.

The Orphan Hero Archetype

One archetype you may have noticed about the various stories that have captured the popular imagination is that of the Orphan Hero. If you’ve never thought about it, take a moment to consider how many heroes and villains of fiction are orphans of one kind or another, a list which includes notables ranging from some the most popular superheroes like Superman, Batman, or Spiderman, to various fantasy protagonists like Frodo Baggins or Harry Potter himself. What is it about the Orphan Hero that speaks so strongly to the collective mind?

It’s a well-known psychological fact that fatherless children are at greater risk of a variety of mental health issues, and general life problems, and this may be why many villains are also orphans. However, as we see played out in our fictional orphan heroes ad infinitum, that risk may actually represent merely one half of a potential to go farther in either direction than an otherwise normal person would, simply by virtue of facing the harsh truths of life so early on. Perhaps there is a reason that Freemasonry is known for caring for widows and orphans, and taking the literal widows’ sons under their wing in traditional male Freemasonry. Certainly widows and their sons are some of those most in need, but perhaps are also known to possess some unique potential, due to the psychological consequences of their situation?

It doesn’t require much imagination to see how such an event as the early loss of one or more parents might jump-start the consideration of the larger questions in life, a dark night of the soul long before most people ever have to confront such things, at the very least. An analysis of the orphan archetype reveals that it contains both perils and potential. However, given that actual orphans are relatively few and far between, compared to the vast majority of relatively normal family situations, why does the orphan hero play such a prominent role in popular mythology?

Diamond in the Rough Ashlar?

Indeed, if we look carefully at the orphan hero archetype, the personality traits the characters  exhibit are often those of the type of person drawn to Masonry. Think about the common orphan heroes: Harry Potter, Peter Parker, the young Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, or even Cinderella. Their dire situations in life set them apart from the herd, and make them more reflective, serious, and possessing some extra quality, which may be fictionally manifested as intelligence or some kind of magic, edge, or latent superpower; however, they are also often lacking in certain key skills like confidence, decision-making, discipline, and leadership, things ideally learned from a father. The hero’s journey they undergo is typically about learning these aspects by facing their fears and embarking on a quest of facing the darkness of life, at first with some assistance from wise helpers, but ultimately on their own.

Why this “something extra?” In the realm of personality, what you do is what you become. If an early major crisis prevents you from easily relating with your peers, and also compels you to seek greater meaning in life, then much of the energy that would normally be spent on “normal” socially-driven activities will be spent on something else, and what often manifests from this is an increase in other skill-sets mostly unrelated to social activity, such as creativity, rationality, philosophy, and insight. By virtue of being somewhat detached from the primate dynamics of normal human social hierarchies, such people are more likely to develop things like wisdom and intellect early-on.

The Widow’s Son is ultimately something we all find relatable and significant, whether or not destiny has literally foisted an early dark night of the soul upon us.

On a more symbolic level, from Horus to Luke Skywalker, we can all see a bit of ourselves in the many iterations of the Orphan Hero, perhaps because of the symbolic disconnect from the mundane world, and sense of some higher purpose to be discovered. The challenge which is faced by us all is to learn the inner tools necessary to manifest the potential within us, and that is exactly what Freemasonry is designed to do. The end result, when properly executed, is leaders or “Kings” in society who are not simply common, beastly people playing the dominance hierarchy games of human society purely to fulfill their own base desires, but thoughtful and wise leaders, who may have otherwise never risen to the occasion, had they not undergone the learning, healing, and strengthening necessary to play the role.

 

The Masonic Noah’s Ark: Navigating a Great Deluge

During a recent commute back from a Lodge meeting, as my car crawled along the road in horrendous torrential rain, I watched a grey heron stalk the banks of a flooding Arkansas River. The magnificent bird was a timely reminder that beauty and nature can be seen in the most devastating of circumstances.

And yet, even for optimists like me, it is getting more difficult to feel encouraged about the future of our planet. Bleak news about climate change is nothing new, but in recent months there has been a deluge of it.

Are we living in a pivotal moment that is of environmental and ecological importance?

My thoughts turned to the ancient legend of Noah’s Ark. Can it provide us any insight into the world today? The masonic allegory tells of the rescue of Noah and his family, who were the progenitors of humanity, and survived the deluge which overtook the whole world. In the rituals, our thoughts are turned toward those great truths which were typified in the great flood.

Brother Albert Mackey writes:

“The influence of Noah upon Masonic doctrine is to be traced to the almost universal belief of men in the events of the deluge.”

Brother Mackey claims that if we examine the ancient writers, there is plenty of evidence that at some remote period, a flood did really overwhelm the earth. However, what we know today is colored by each perceiver, whether it be the scientist, philosopher, religious scholar or average person. There are several variants to the legend; the Biblical version is the most famous, a beloved tale told to children. Probably the most absurd account is a Chinese legend that tells of a great flood caused by an argument between a crab and a bird.

Is the story more than a tale for toddlers? How is it important to a Freemason?

The Masonic Ark Symbolism

Freemasonry itself teaches of three significant arks of importance; 1) Noah’s Ark which was built by Japhet, Ham and Shem, and their co-workers, under the oversight of Noah, by divine direction; 2) The Ark of the Covenant, also by divine command, constructed by Moses, and 3) the Substitute Ark, or the Ark of Zerubbabel.

The word, “ark”, is rooted in the Latin “arca,” which is a chest or coffer for storing valuables. The English word “arcane,” has the same root meaning hidden, concealed and secret. So, basically an ark may be considered to be a box or chest in which a valuable secret is contained, hidden and concealed.

The ark is also akin to the Chaldean “argha” which means the womb of nature. In a lecture by Brother Rudolf Steiner, he suggests that the ark is a metaphor for the womb of humanity. It symbolizes a receptacle wherein are preserved the seeds of a new birth.

The ratio of the dimensions of Noah’s Ark as given in the Bible, exactly corresponds to the ratio of dimensions of the human physical form – 30:5:3 in length, width and depth. God was specifying the physical dimensions of the ark to carry the consciousness of humankind into the Post-Deluvian stage.

The ark also resembles a tomb. The masonic lessons speak of the themes of death, rebirth, and resurrection. In this respect, every circumstance of distress takes on deeper meaning; nothing is destroyed utterly or finally.

Ignorance is the precursor to truth; death is the precursor to rebirth. To die is but the dissolution of a temporary form. The essence of a person is preserved to be the seed of a future re-creation.

Likewise, the essence of  humanity is preserved to be the seed of a future re-creation of culture and civilization. Commander Noah, the lineage holder of the sacred laws of geometry, art and science, was the keeper of the mysteries in the ark. His mission was to pass on this knowledge to future mankind.

Was he successful? Do these teachings apply today?

Sons of Noah

After the flood, the holders of the hidden mysteries of nature and science, according to the ancient legend, were named Noachidae or Sons of Noah. Everywhere they lived they were known as magi, sages, philosophers and wise men for their learning which was a blessing to civilization. The Mysteries were transmitted to each succeeding generation. Some of the most profound truths came from the lineage holders in Egypt.

The Egyptians held that the divine power can be found at the heart of every person, even the lowest and most degraded. It was called the “The Hidden Light.” Through that light, all people could always be reached and helped. It was the task of the keeper, to find that illumination within himself and others, however unpromising, and to strengthen it.

The initiate of today partakes of that radiance when he seeks the path which leads to the gateway of initiation, the portal to the secret Temple of the Most High. The ultimate purpose is always to bring the hidden divinity into fuller manifestation.

We are told that few may discover the treasures of the symbolic ark but we do know they are concealed within the mysteries and privileges of Freemasonry. A mason’s aim is to ignite the flame within and thus conquer the storms of his own nature. In this respect, he can truly become a “Son of Noah.”

The Ark reminds us both of the difficulties and dangers that we encounter, and of the refuge which we may find from them. It is all part of a plan of evolution, a tracing board, for humanity. We are but a little speck within the current of life, evolving and cooperating with the big scheme.

The flood allegory teaches us to find perseverance in a right course of action, all dangers notwithstanding, and assures us that if we do so, all shall be well. We will weather every crisis, and find ourselves, after all, in a sanctuary of peace and rest.

In current times, what will be our deluge? In my opinion, the challenges of today, environmental or otherwise, offer all of us the chance to navigate through what very few generations in history have had the privilege of knowing… a generational mission… to discover beauty and nature in the unlikeliest of circumstances.

Amidst a great deluge, a well-built ship rides securely into a peaceful harbor. May we anchor our planet together in Wisdom, Strength and Beauty. 

“Man has acquired delusions of grandeur regarding his mind and has become arrogant in his new sense of power over the forces of Nature. This could lead to complete destruction were it not for the few, comparatively, who know that man is a divine being and that his destiny is to cause that divine spark to grow into a mighty flame of spiritual illumination.”   —Brother Walter Leslie Wilmshurst