What, the curious Freemason asks, has the Yggdrasil to do with Freemasonry? In the first instance, it is a symbol of something, and we Freemasons enjoy a good romp through symbol dissection. Second, Freemasons have their own tree, and it is interesting the symbolism that coincides and collides when we look at the two motifs. The Tree of Freemasonry is the acacia (Western), or in Latin, Acacia Vera or vachellia tortilis. The tree is an evergreen tree, common in warmer climates, and is found in Africa, the Middle East, and other temperate climates. The tree’s wood is used to build weapons and furniture, and its resin is used in incense and perfumes. Biblically, it is referred to as the shittah tree and was the wood Moses used to build the Ark of the Covenant and it was used in the construction of the Tabernacle. While it has many practical uses, I see there is one reason it is such a symbol of immortality: it is an evergreen.
Category: Freemasons, Universal Co-MasonryTags: Acacia, Acacia Vera, Africa, Anthropology, Ark of the Covenant, Asgard, Ash Tree, Ashvattha, Bodhi Tree, Co-Freemasonry, Co-Masonry, Co-Masons, communication, Dragon, Eternal, Evergreen, Freemason, Freemasonry, Freemasons, Gods, Hero, Hu, Humanity, Jötunheim, Mason, Masonry, Masons, Middle East, Midgard, Moses, Myths, Níðhöggr, Neil Gaiman, Niflheim, Norse Mythology, Old Norse, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Snakes, Tabernacle, The Bible, The Grand Lodge of Ohio, Tree of Life, Trees, Universal Life, Women, World Tree, Yggdrasill
What is evil? Evil is division, and Good is unification. This is not at the base physical level but at the level of humanity where the human form is irrelevant – the higher concept that we are a part of a natural world, far more vast than we know. When we divide ourselves from this, we create chaos, ignorance, suffering, and separateness. Freemasonry delves into this moral dilemma, not only in symbol and allegory but also in ritual.
Category: Freemasons, Universal Co-MasonryTags: Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greece, Ancient Mysteries, Buddhism, Christianity, Co-Masonry, Division, Egyptian Mythology, Evil, Freemason, Freemasonry, Good, Hegel, Humanity, Ignorance, Knowledge, Mason, Masonry, Masons, Nihilism, Order out of Chaos, Postmodernism, Socrates, Unity, Virtue
We may be conduits of the Divine, with the goal of It, Divinity or the Universe, becoming manifest in this reality. However, it is not unreasonable to assume that we too are conduits of experience filling the pool of the Universal Mind. And what if, simply, we contribute to the betterment of humanity by the pure act of filling the pool with the best we have to offer?
Category: Freemasons, Universal Co-MasonryTags: Anaxagoras, Being Human, Body, Calling, Challange, Co-Masonry, Conduit, Dharma, Divinity, Ecclesiastes, Freemasonry, Freemasons, God, Humanity, Masonry, mind, Panpsychicm, Perfecting of Humanity, Purpose, The Bible, Universal Consciousness, universe
This article explores the ancient history and Masonic symbolism of the Sun, Moon, and Stars.
Category: Freemasons, Universal Co-MasonryTags: Ancient Greece, Ancients, Astronomer, Astronomy, Bro. Preston, Bro. Webb, Brother Albert Pike, cornucopia, East, Freemasonry, Galileo, Geometry, Greek Mythology, Humanity, King Solomon's Temple, Masonic Lodge, masonic ritual, Masonry, Masons, Middle Chamber, Moon, Mystery, mythology, North, Orion, Pillars, Prestonian Lectures, Pythagoras, Revolution, Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, Sirius, South, Stars, Sun, Terrestrial and Celestial Globes, The Heavens, The Planets, The Pleides, The Universe, Tycho Brahe, Universality, West, Zeus
IF someone had asked me 30 years ago if Freemasonry was masculine, I would have said: “Is there anything else?” I’m speaking of course about the mainstream idea, over the past three hundred years or so, that all Freemasons must be masculine. I was… Continue Reading “The Masculine of Freemasonry”
Category: Freemasons, Universal Co-MasonryTags: A Christmas Carol, Alchemy, Apprentince, balance, Balence, Beauty, Celestial Nature, Ceremony, Chaos, Circle, Co-Freemasonry, Co-Masonry, Co-Masons, Concept, Dickens, Equality, esoteric, Esotericism, Established, Feminine, Five Elements, Force of Creation, Foundations of the Earth, Fraternity, Freemason, Freemasons, gender, Gender Neutral, Gnosticism, God, Hermetic Principle, Hermetic Principle of Gender, Hermetic Principle of Mentalism, hinduism, Humanity, Idea, Kabbalah, King Solomon, Masculine, masculine masonry, Masonic Officers, masonic ritual, Masonry, Masons, Master Workman, Moon, Mountains, Movements, Natural Law, Neophyte, Order, order from chaos, Philosophy, Pillar of Mercy, Pillar of Severity, Ritual, Skies, Spirituality, Springs, Stars, Sun, Symbolism, taoism, The Bible, The Book of Proverbs, The Earth, The Ghost of Christmas Present, The Heavens, The Kybalion, The Mind, The Tao, The Universe, The Vedas, The Will, To Subdue, Truth, Vision, Western Esoteric Tradition, western esotericism, Wisdom, Yang Qi, Yin Qi, yin yang
Let’s lift the idea of Freemasonry as being purely masculine, and look the world of Hermetic principles and gender. Where does the Feminine find itself within Freemasonry?
Category: Freemasons, Universal Co-MasonryTags: Alchemy, Ancient Mysteries, Brotherhood, Brothers, Co-Freemasonry, Co-Mason, Co-Masonry, Equality, Feminine, Fraternity, Freemasonry, Freemasons, God, Humanity, Light, Mason, masonic, Masonry, Masons, Meaning of Masonry, Ritual, Spirituality, Symbolic, Symbolism, Symbols, Symbols of Freemasonry, Tolerance, Truth, Universal Co-Masonry, Wisdom, Women
In Freemasonry, it explained that the “extent of a Lodge” covers the whole of existence, rising to the heavens, to the depths of the earth, east and west to each horizon, and north and south the same. This is the width, breadth, and depth… Continue Reading “The Edge of The Universe”
Category: Freemasons, Universal Co-MasonryTags: Albert Einstein, Anaximander, Ancient Greece, Ancient Philosophers, apeiron, Aristotle, Astronomy, Carlo Rovelli, Co-Masonry, Curiosity, Democritus, Einstein, Epicurus, Evidence, Father of the Atom, Freemason, Freemasonry, Freemasons, Greece, Hidden Mysteries of Nature and Science, Human, Humanity, Javelin Argument, Lodge, Logic, Lucretius, Mason, Masonic Lodge, Masonry, Masons, Nature, Nature and Science, Observation, On the Nature of Things, Operative, Particles, Perception, Philosophy, Plato, Play, Quantum Mechanics, quantum physicists, Reading, Reality is Not What it Seems, Reason, Science, Seven Liberal Arts and Science, Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, Socrates, Temple, Temple Not Built With Hands, Testing, Thales of Miletus, The Universe, Theorizing, Third Degree, universe, Wisdom, Zeno
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.
Category: Freemasons, Universal Co-MasonryTags: Albert Schweitzer, Ancient Persia, Book of Genesis, Breathe, Brother Rudolf Steiner, Brotherhood, Charity, Civilization, Co-Masonry, Co-Masons, Columns, communication, Discriminate, Divine Love, Divine Will, earth, egregore, Eliphas Levi, equal rights, Equality, Freemasonry, Freemasons, God, Hell, Humanity, Humans, intuition, Life, Logos, Manifestation, Masonry, Masons, Nirvana, North American Culture, Sahidic Coptic, Service, Solidarity, Soul, The Word, Tree of Life, Unity, word
Posted on 30 May 2019
by Pamela McDown
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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… Continue Reading “The Masonic Noah’s Ark: Navigating a Great Deluge”
Category: Freemasons, Universal Co-MasonryTags: Ark of the Covenant, Ark of Zerubbabel, Arkansas River, Brother Albert Mackey, Brother Rudolf Steiner, Brother W.L. Wilmshurst, Co-Freemasonry, Co-Mason, Co-Masonry, Co-Masons, Deluge, Freemason, Freemasonry, Freemasons, Ham and Shem, Holy Bible, Humanity, Japhet, Lodge, Mason, masonic, masonic allegory, Masonry, Misson, Noah, Noah's Ark, Planet, Rain, Temple of the Most High, Universal, W.L. Wilmshurst
Posted on 22 Jan 2019
by bpkcjgorr
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One of the primary lessons of Freemasonry is to learn to subdue your passions. On the surface, some might think this means to dampen and reduce your emotions – to become a kind of automaton. Quite the opposite is the case, however. As you… Continue Reading “The Masonic Lesson of Subduing One’s Passions”
Category: Freemasons, Universal Co-MasonryTags: Brothers, Christianity, Co-Freemasonry, Co-Masonry, Co-Masons, Emotional Regulation, Emotions, Fraternity, Freemason, freemasonic, Freemasonry, Freemasons, Friendship, Holy Bible, Humanity, Knowledge, Lessons, Mason, masonic, Masonic Fraternity, Masonry, Masons, Passion
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