Combating Ignorance

“It is only necessary to make war with five things; with the maladies of the body, the ignorances of the mind, with the passions of the body, with the seditions of the city and the discords of families.” – Pythagoras

Science is not a philosophy or a spiritual path; it’s a way of behaving in the world. It is a way of thinking that encourages logic, reason, information and communication in such a way as to explore the world in wonder and discovery.

It is unfortunate that polarization and nationalism, tribalism if you will, have made “fake news” and “alternative facts” part of our everyday life now. It is a reality with which we must learn how to navigate. It is not only learning to dig through facts and figures, research and media hype, but it is learning that we must, sometimes, unlearn. It begin with the idea of “we must know” is a fallacy. What we must do is begin to swim in our own ignorance and be cognizant of what we do not know.

To be blunt, if we want to fight ignorance, we must start with our own.

We listen every day to people who, by virtue of their self-appointed “knowledge,” without the science or experience to back it up, discard the rigorous work that scientists have done to establish or debunk our knowledge of nature. Chemists, astrophysicists, climatologists, oceanographers, biologists, geneticists, and nutritionists have all been sidelined when their messages did not fit the narrative of corporate interests or media hype. Those that seem to have the most money, most market share, or most “brand” have the last say. We separate the educated as elitists and the corporate interests as “the common man.” Who would have our best interests at heart?

To be very clear, expertise is not the same thing as elitism. A real expert and scientist knows where their knowledge boundaries lie. They know that they know less than they have researched, and are on a quest to explore. They are developing theories and testing them, asking what didn’t work and what did. They know that the fruits of their labors may take years, decades, to bear truth, and most likely lead to more questions.

Elitism, on the other hand, is “…the belief or attitude that individuals who form an elite—a select group of people with an intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, special skills, or experience—are more likely to be constructive to society as a whole, and therefore deserve influence or authority greater than that of others.” They are the self-appointed leaders or gurus that have the answers. A scientist may be an elitist, but that is not a reflection on science but on the character of the individual. Or lack thereof.

Having just finished the documentary, “Behind the Curve,” on Netflix, I found it extremely interesting to listen to both sides of the debate on “flat earth theory.” There are those in the Flat Earth community who truly believe what science has let them down, that they have the truth and the science to back it up. What was extremely interesting was to hear the scientist’s remarks about this group of contrary thinkers. There was no condescension or elitism of any of the scientists interviewed. There was no pity or condemnation. It was a true desire to not ignore or sideline the discussion but to engage in it; it was about bringing people together rather than considering it an “us” and “them” situation. This was not about belief and fact; it was about education. Knowledge. Combating ignorance.

Freemasonry has an interesting take on the ideas of nature and science as they are combined with philosophy and a search for Truth. It is one of the few places that it seems both can come together, to discuss and debate with a very open narrative. Science is valued as much as the experiential; physics and metaphysics co-exist in conversation and thought. Nothing is off limits. These conversations, whether in a Lodge meeting or in social gatherings, at study groups or philosophical study centers are the ways we fight ignorance, if we are willing to listen.

I recently attended a study group where the topic was considering whether or not humanity had an influence on climate change. I was dead certain that humans influenced nature’s cycles; how could it not? There are seven billion people in the world, occupying space, consuming resources, and polluting the world around them. It was a belief and I knew it. However, I challenged myself to come with an open mind and not not make a judgment before entering the room. I am not, by training, a climatologist, meteorologist, geologist, or any other kind of -ologist. I know high-school level geology, and freshman college science. Let’s face it, I know nothing. What I did was bring in my own attitude and readings from media and pseudo-science journals, aimed at producing a message swinging one way or another. Being out of school for many years, I also felt the pride of age – I knew something of the world, darn it. I really felt like “know thyself” was part of my vernacular.

I admit to the conversation bringing my opinion around to a more moderate view rather than to a specific “side” of the debate.  The presenter discussed scientific findings I had not considered, and geologic facts of which I had absolutely no knowledge. I learned about ice ages, findings in the melting of current glaciers, ice core samples, geologic time scales, and historical facts of global significance. I won’t say that my mind was changed; I will say that I walked out with a broader idea of questioning what I have been told, and learning the truth for myself. I learned that what I had was a belief, not evidence. If I was going to change my ignorance, I needed to do the work. Myself.

This is where, to me, the collision of science and Freemasonry are at their best. Freemasonry is a mystery school – an initiatory rite that brings about the idea that the human being is nature and the best way to understand nature and the mysteries of life and death, is to study nature. How to study nature? Ancient Greek mystery schools according to Blavatsky are “not a unique system but, based on the spiritual structure of the universe,” of which it is important to understand Nature. They are inextricably linked, the Spirit and Nature, perhaps even one in the same. Freemasonry, as a modern descendant of these mystery schools seeks to take the core of nature and spirit, and propel the human into learning that both reside within humanity, and it is the Freemason’s job to not only continue to seek truth but to also seek Truth. It is to always ask questions, from knowing yourself to knowing the world, and doubt everything. It is a respect for the scientific process as much as it is for our own process. We are seven billion experiences and all are equally valid. Else, why are we having them?

For the ancient philosophers, ignorance was the opposite of good. To both Aristotle and Plato, no one does wrong willingly but only out of ignorance. Socrates had his own methods for combating ignorance, and many of these principles can be found in Freemasonic ritual and education. From continuous learning and making a daily advancement in education to providing education rather than criticism, the Freemason becomes a scientist of the world. Freemasons build on Socrates idea that one should “know thyself” in that they are lacking in knowledge, and that we have no idea what is best for others. The center point is the key to balance in all things but especially to combating ignorance. A measured approach, curious yet mindful. Lastly, I think Socrates was most right when he said that ignorance is inevitable. When Socrates said “I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance,” what he was saying was that he was not ignorant of all things but that he was aware that he was ignorant of all things. He knew that he would be forever ignorant and it was only through perseverance that he could become “good.”

The Proper Balance of Masonry: The Greater and the Lesser Mysteries

“I THINK you are making a mistake,” writes a kindly brother, “in unsparingly condemning that phase of Masonry that is concerned with ritualistic performance.”

He continued:

Is it not true – an unpalatable truth, perhaps – that for most of us this ritualism must remain as chief aim and purpose of our connection with the Fraternity?

We know that there is an intellectual side to the Institution, where the scholar and the student find highest satisfaction. But why should those who have not yet reached that high plane, or who may not be able to appreciate the full value of these advanced studies, be denied such pleasure and such profit as is available to them in lower paths?

“I THINK you are making a mistake,” writes a kindly brother, “in unsparingly condemning that phase of Masonry that is concerned with ritualistic performance.” He continued:

SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND

MY kindly critic gives opportunity to discourse briefly upon the proper balance of Masonry. It is true that in these pages, as elsewhere, the editor has urged insistently the higher imperatives, as those which should have dominating force in the world of Masonic thought and action. He would hold out to all brothers the intellectual promise, rather than show in grosser terms the rewards and satisfactions of the Craft. He would have every Mason enter upon the quest “for that which was lost,” though convinced that few there be who shall achieve to complete object of the search.

AS from King Arthur’s table, many valiant knights arose, with high resolve to seek the Holy Graal – men bold of heart and true of soul – though only to the few was granted vision of the chalice sacred, mystical. And yet, if so I read aright these meaning stories of the past, the knights that travailed long in places perilous, doing bewhiles great deeds of fealty and of faith, although denied the precious thing for which they fought and prayed, were made the better, braver, nobler, even because they were accounted to have failed.

The properly balanced Masonry is that which gives full place and scope to all the workmen. The Master who draws designs upon the trestle-board may not speak with contempt of those who labor faithfully in the mountains and the quarries. He may indeed seek for disciples and scholars among the more eager and ambitious, who are most likely to profit by his instructions. These, indeed, he will urge to higher things, knowing full well that the great cause is to be advanced most surely and speedily by men trained to highest capabilities of head and heart.

But in Masonry, as in the world without, there must ever be the greater number content with tasks of lesser thought. Yet to them – to all – should be unrolled and explained the full plans and meanings of the structure to which their toil and skill are dedicated. They should gain significance of the timbers and the stones upon which their labor is expended. Such brethren are not mere wage-workers, put by task-masters to their various toil. They are free Craftsmen, and should receive instruction, increasing ever with their understanding.

So, for the Temple of Humanity and Brotherhood should Wisdom put forth ever nobler effort, with Strength evident in the mass and Beauty showing in every detail.

WHERE PROPER BALANCE LIES

I KNOW of no other comparison for Masonry than the great religious systems of the world, past and present. From them we may, perhaps, learn where proper balance lies, where associative effort before has failed, and where and how best purpose has been served. So, we find that, wherever in the world’s history an organized system has made successful appeal to the masses of men, there has ever been ample allowance for the varying capacities of adherents.

The exoteric, outward showing is for the greater number – for that larger body of worshipers content to remain in the outer court. Where subtler wants are not felt, the higher spiritual sufferings would be unmeaning. It is enough for such exoteric religion that the norms of conduct be established, and that fear of punishment or hope of reward shall be so adjusted to unawakened intelligences as to enforce compliance therewith. I know that this will be called superstition, and in no way to justify comparison with aught in Masonry. But superstition, as I take it, has two distinct meanings.

To the man who has advanced beyond the necessity for grosser compulsions, the term represents no more than do the old definitions and enforcements of the common law, altogether superseded by higher mandates. The outworn things are for him valuable as records of the spiritual evolution through which he himself, or his ancestors, have passed. But for the unlearned and unleashed radical the word “superstition” stands for such things as he will not and can not seek to understand, which he is concerned only to revile ignorantly, and to proclaim his refusal of obedience.

For him, the commands of ancient force no longer hold, not that they are without reach or meaning, but that his soul has gained only to a stage of irrational rebellion against authority. Like an immature boy, such a one seeks only to express a newly-sensed independence, being altogether unaware of the eternal compulsions.

TRUE MASONRY: EXOTERIC AND ESOTERIC

WHEN I hear “superstition” cried the loudest, in matters of faith or symbolism, l am inclined to linger longest, that so I may hope to discover something more of what has been preserved from an ancient time, and is today found worthy of the adherence of men. For whatever endures has in itself the heart of Truth. And, likewise, what is true of religious symbolisms and observances, is true of Masonry in its exoteric form. There is a superstition, perhaps, of the fraternity, and it may be regarded from the same standpoints as mentioned above. The radical by condemning and rejecting indiscriminately, loses much of highest value. It is only by providing and maintaining the proper balance, by serving the needs of the greatest possible number of men, embracing the broadest range of intellectual capacities, that this or any like institution can hope, to achieve and hold real meaning in the world.

The brother who can only grasp the outward phases of Masonry will certainly receive all that can have use for him. Go into your anterooms after the conferring of degrees, and answer if this is not true. Hear those who are grateful and appreciative after receiving the Master’s degree, and have been impressed for good, though no hint even of the esoteric has come to them.

The true learner will, from that point, still seek and find; will ask and receive; will knock, thereafter, at many doors, hidden oftentimes, and these will be opened to him. But also for him who chooses to remain in the outer court, to be satisfied with sensuous observances, there is gain, nicely calculated to capacity. For those having ears to hear, there are things cryptic, mystical, and well worth the hearing. For those who are content with the ringing of bells, the bells will ring, and in beautiful harmony. It might perhaps be permissible to compare Masonry of the Lodges – the Masonry of routine and of ritual – with those old chthonic religions, while the real esotericism of the Craft rises to the region where subtle inspirations are received and understood by highest processes of thought.

In answer to my brother, I esteem very highly that one who finds in ritual his best enjoyment, though I will not cease to urge upon such a one that he should use this ritual as a guide to upper paths. But Masonry, even in its simplest requirements, demands more than that one should go and remain upon the tread-mill of verbiage, making no advancement upward or forward. If advancement is made, whether by means of ritual, or by study or by intuitive process, be that advancement less or more, in so much is Masonry honored and benefited, and by so much has the individual brother made his gain.

~ “The Proper Balance of Masonry: The Greater and the Lesser Mysteries,” THE AMERICAN FREEMASON, May 1912.

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. 

Masonic Ritual: Living Myth, Ritual Magic, or Both?

When participating in Masonic Ritual, it’s clear that there is a mysterious significance to every aspect of the heavily structured procedure. Like clockwork, all is orderly, and layered with symbolic meaning. As we become more and more aware of the meanings of the various aspects of it, it becomes clear that the ritual is like a fractal representation of both the cosmos and the individual.

What exactly are we doing when we participate in masonic ritual? Are we living out a myth, reprogramming our own minds, conducting a magical ceremony, maintaining an ancient institution, or all of the above? What is the relationship of masonic ritual to concepts of myth and magic? Without revealing any particular aspect of the ritual, let us consider the import of masonic ritual, and reveal what we may.

As always, this writing is not representative of any official statement or position of Universal Co-Masonry, but is merely the reflections of one Co-Mason.

A Veil Within a Veil

Masonic Ritual’s origins, of course, may be found in the confluence of medieval operative masonry, which, much as a builder’s guild, concerned itself primarily with the literal building of sacred and often monolithic structures and maintaining the arcane knowledge thereof, with the various occult and esoteric traditions of Hermeticism, Gnosticism, Kabbalah, Astrology, and others considered heretical by the church, and therefore persecuted and suppressed. The marriage of these two traditions resulted in a transformation from Operative (purely practical) to Speculative (philosophical) Freemasonry.

What seems most clear is that the temple itself and the rituals which take place within it contain enormous symbolism, which exist in layers which are continuously revealed in degrees as one progresses through the Masonic path and hierarchy. Freemasonry describes itself as a “Peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.” To any practicing Freemason, it should become apparent that the symbols, movements, pronouncements, and elements of the temple itself can be understood on many symbolic levels.

In his book The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell wrote:

“It has been well said that mythology is the penultimate truth–penultimate because the ultimate cannot be put into words. It is beyond words. Beyond images, beyond that bounding rim of the Buddhist Wheel of Becoming. Mythology pitches the mind beyond that rim, to what can be known but not told.”

What lies between us and transcendent Truth? Joseph Campbell would likely say Myth or symbolism, and a knowledgeable Mason would likely agree. There is tremendous advantage in passing down timeless truths in the form of allegory, ritual, stories, and symbolic objects. An odd thing happens when we put Truth into words, particularly static doctrines: it becomes frozen, solidified, and thereby incapable of changing, evolving, and growing with those who read, speak, and understand it. Any change is perceived as a challenge to the old. On the other hand, embodying Truth in symbolism, even those which are locked into a certain form which is maintained down through many generations, can be continually renewed and understood in new ways, because its true meaning is inherently subjective, being unspoken.

As to what, specifically, the symbols of the Lodge and Rituals mean, this is something best preserved for the initiated, for the simple reason that coming into a Masonic understanding of these things can be tainted by being revealed prematurely. Also, they will mean different things to different Masons, and at different degrees. Suffice it to say, the many symbols of Freemasonry carry import ranging from the physical, to the metaphysical, to the cosmic, for “those who have eyes to see.”

Oh, Oh, Oh, It’s Magic?

Undoubtedly, for many it is a leap to go from passing down symbolic knowledge to practicing ritual magic. Yet some posit that at the foundations of every great religion and tradition, there is a magical thread. To bridge the philosophical materialism (or physicalism) so prevalent today, among the modern intelligentsia and conventional mainstream culture alike, with the magical worldview is a task for another writing, but certainly many of the traditions which transformed ancient operative masonry into modern Speculative Freemasonry shared some version of this worldview, whatever differences they may have had. What role, then, does magic play in Freemasonry’s Rituals? Is the average Freemason practicing magic, perhaps without even knowing it?

If we accept or entertain the idea that the world is magical, that the fundamental tenets of magic are real, then it becomes clear that any institution and ceremony which conjures and directs human belief, emotion, and intention must necessarily have an element of magic to it. If this be the case, then all religions are inherently magical, the chief difference from other forms of magical practice being perhaps merely the format, wherein the power and intent of the many is directed and conducted by the magical elite, in the form of priests or ministers, although most members and clergy alike would probably be incensed at the re-definition.

We can also reasonably suppose, then, that the Craft which is practiced in Freemasonry may have an equally magical significance and purpose, again supposing that the magical view of reality is true. However, (perhaps) unlike most religions, it seems far more likely that this more esoteric understanding of Masonry may be explicitly passed down or taught, at some point along one’s journey through the Masonic hierarchy, especially in a more mystically oriented body of Masonry. This is not by any means ubiquitous, with many Masonic Lodges, particularly in mainstream masculine Masonry, being focused primarily on simple fraternity and charity.

However, this aspect of masonry is both subjective, and subject to all sorts of misinterpretations and misunderstandings, particularly by the uninitiated. Indeed, the chief accusation of many anti-masonic conspiracy theories is that they are secretly practicing “black magic” and satanism.  Perhaps this is one reason why the more magical side of Masonry is not often openly discussed, even among the initiated. After all, the reason that purveyors of the magical worldview sought refuge in operative masonry in the first place was because of such accusations and misunderstandings, which although less consequential today, still are with us.

A Magical Myth Which Lives

My conclusion to the title question of this post is that Freemasonry seems to be both, or neither. In the end, Freemasonry is what you make of it. Yet, nevertheless, regardless of how various individuals may conceptualize it, Freemasonry itself does seem to have a certain presence, almost a consciousness of its own. I find that the occult concept of the Egregor is useful to me, in understanding what this might be. Whatever the explanation, it seems apparent to me at least that Freemasonry contains an element which goes beyond the physical and intellectual, into the realm of the magical, though not all Masons may recognize it as such.

The Symbolism of the Cube: Why is it both Qabalistic and Masonic?

Symbols can often have double or multiple interpretations, ranging from the obvious exoteric meanings to the more esoteric ideas understood by a few. Somewhere in the middle of these two extremes can be found the hidden knowledge.  Symbols conceal as much, or more, than they reveal.

Where does the masonic cube fall on this continuum? How did the hidden knowledge of the mystical qabalah influence its use in Freemasonry?

To start with, what is Qabalah? It’s difficult to define with a phrase. Even after a few decades of study I don’t think I can come up with a definition. How can you describe the indescribable?

Perhaps one could say the Qabalah is a mystical symbolic system of looking at the microcosm and macrocosm from the standpoint of the Creator. For a qabalist, there is nothing in life that is not interesting; the speck of dust on the ground, the glowing nebulas in the heavens, and the tiny living cell — all these have their message and tell a story of the Creator.

Can masons relate to this? Of course. That is why most of the early 18th century English ritualists were acquainted with the qabalistic teachings. Since many of them studied the qabalah while the masonic rituals were being written, it was likely a source for many of the signs, symbols and allegories of Freemasonry. Brother Albert Pike 33° indexed over seventy entries to the subject of qabalah in his book Morals and Dogma. 

The book indicates that the more you study the hidden meanings (or occult), it becomes clearer and clearer that everywhere in the universe, at every conceivable point in space, there is a Consciousness, which expresses through what is visible and invisible.

Pike tells us that:

“Qabalah is the key of the occult sciences.”

The qabalists used models such as the Tree of Life, The 32 Paths of Wisdom and the Cube of Space to describe the plan and processes of creation. The cube is especially significant to the themes of freemasonry. How, so?

The Qabalist’s Cube of Formation

Perhaps a good place to start is the Book of Formation or Sefer Yetzirah. It is one of the oldest treatises on qabalistic philosophy that concerns itself with the Divine creative process. It describes how the Creator literally thought and spoke everything into existence, and continues to do so. The type of creation that it shows proceeds through manipulation of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

I am always in awe of the Sefer Yetzirah whose short verses can easily conceal its depth and complexity. The seeming simplicity is only a taste of its mystery. The premise is that everything in the universe is directed by intelligence. The scheme of life and activity that we call evolution is in accordance with a Plan made by a Master Mind or Great Architect. 

Everything is considered to be constructed of the Hebrew letters, or at least the forces they represent. The three Hebrew Mother letters (Aleph, Mem, Shin) corresponded to the three simple letters to form the name Jah (IHV).

From Verse II of The Sepher Yetzirah:

He looked above, and sealed the Height with (IHV)
He looked below and sealed the Depth with (IVH)
He looked forward, and sealed the east with (HIV)
He looked backward, and sealed the west with (HVI)
He looked to the right, and sealed the south with (VIH)
He looked to the left and sealed the north with (VHI)

Brother Paul Foster Case, scholar and Freemason, popularized the Sepher Yetzirah through his concept of the Cube of Space using the verses in Chapters IV and V to add the tarot keys and astrological correspondences. It alludes to defining the boundaries of our perceptions. Quite a remarkable diagram, indeed!

The Divine Mind conceives the archetypal form, and then it exists in the world of ideas. A long process of human evolution has to take place before the ideal can be manifested in form, and the soul in full consciousness can achieve the archetypal form.

Some might look at the diagram and say, “so what!” Why does it matter for a Freemason work with these archetypal ideas, specifically the cube?

The Freemason’s Perfect Stone 

One possible reason is that archetypal themes underlie many of the masonic rituals. It is no coincidence that the form of a masonic lodge is a symbolic cube.

Freemason Albert G. Mackey writes:

“The lodge or collected assemblage of masons, is adopted as a symbol of the world. The solid contents of the earth below and the expanse of the heavens above give the outlines of the cube, and the whole created universe will be included within the symbolic limits of a mason’s lodge.”

In Revelation Chapter 21, the new Jerusalem is described as a perfect cube: “The plan of the city is perfectly square, its length the same as its breadth.” Also, the room known as the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem was constructed in the shape of a cube. In the center of the room was the Ark of the Covenant that contained the Scroll of the Law.

The candidate in a masonic lodge symbolically represents one of the stones used in the construction of King Solomon’s Temple. The ritual portrays the shaping, testing and laying of that stone. Ultimately, the moral and spiritual preparation that he must undergo is to become a “living stone” in the heavenly temple.

Brother Manly Hall says:

“The perfect cube represents the personality that has had all the unevenness, roughness, and inequality polished away by experience. Such a stone is ready to become a block in the Everlasting House not built by hands but eternal in the heavens.”

If left to our own devices, our evolution and progress would be infinitesimal. But fortunately, we have teachers and perfected individuals of past ages to guide us to be perfect stones. Instead of using the working tools to build a physical structure out of stone and mortar, a speculative mason uses these same tools symbolically for spiritual, moral and intellectual development. 

In the end, what does the symbol of the cube offer? I believe it is archetypal concepts that help all of us connect with something larger. Are we not all just sculptors? Writing our own books of creation? “Becoming” perfect cubes?

“A block of marble, deep within the quarry lies. Hidden within it lies likewise a form of beauty rare. The sculptor works, patterning true to that which lies revealed unto the inner sight. He patterns true and beauty comes to life.”

– Brother Alice Bailey

What Can The Egyptian Book of the Dead Teach Us About The Masonic Life?

While Freemasonry is known for secrecy, it’s no secret that we trace the origins of our rituals and teachings to the ancient mystery schools of Egypt; many masonic writers, such as Manly P. Hall, have publicly stated this. While there is disagreement among academic historians about the true origins of the Order, Freemasons do tend to believe in this ancient source of the mystic teachings, and we can also be relatively certain that the esoteric wisdom traditions which are the antecedents to speculative masonry, such as Hermeticism and Alchemy, are connected to the ancient Egyptian mystery schools.

This means that, in  my opinion, anytime we look at something from Egypt, we should try to look at it masonically; that is, we should try to interpret the inner meaning of it, to see the truth behind the symbols.

One of the most fascinating writings we have from the ancient Egyptian traditions is known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Alternatively translated as The Book of Emerging Forth Into the Light, or The Book of Becoming Light, this book of “spells” is thought to have been written by many priests over a period of perhaps 1,000 years, as a guide for death, to be read aloud to the dying. There are different versions, with different combinations of spells, and 192 total spells are known, from all versions.

A Guide to the Initiation Beyond Death

While having a guidebook to read to a dying person to lead them through the afterlife is an interesting concept in itself, what may be more profound is to examine the book and what it might tell us about life, and perhaps even the masonic life.

It may help here to have some context of the Egyptian conception of life, the universe, and magic. To the ancient Egyptians, magic permeated the world, and words in themselves were inherently magical. Consequently, to the Egyptians, there was little difference between written/spoken words and magic. All writings were essentially magical. Likewise, knowing the name of something was thought to give power over it. There was not such a stark line, in Egyptian thought, between the ordinary world we experience with our senses, and the invisible worlds of spirit. All the layers of existence were thought to overlap, and interweave.

The story of the Book of the Dead is that of a soul passing through death, into eternal life. To do so, he must pass through the underworld, or Duat, and overcome various supernatural creatures by charming them with magic incantations, in a sort of trial of initiation into the afterlife. At the end of the trial, if the soul hadn’t first been consumed by one of the creatures, or destroyed by Osiris’s minions, then he would be weighed by Osiris against the Goddess of Truth and Justice, Maat. In other words, the soul was a candidate and had to pass tests and trials in order to prove him/herself worthy to live among the immortals.

The Initiatory Model for Life, Death, and Beyond

Much of this should sound familiar to any Freemason, and it seems clear that there is an element of this Egyptian ritual in those which are preserved in Freemasonry, at least in their essence. Clearly there is an allusion to death and immortality in both, but how does this “model” of initiation, so-to-speak, relate to what Masonry teaches us about life?

Essentially, life is a series of initiations, or one large initiation with phases, if you will. We are perpetually confronted with situations which challenge our integrity, our determination, our wisdom, and our compassion. Virtue is not magically granted from the sky, it is honed, it is earned, it is built from the ground up. Becoming the best man or woman that we can be is hard work, and requires sacrifice and difficulty. Particularly when we choose to follow the path of the initiate, life has a way of throwing even more trials our way, because karmically (many believe), we have chosen an accelerated path, by seeking initiation.

Throughout life, much like the soul entering the Egyptian underworld, we are faced with various situations, most of which are actually in our minds. Of course, the outer circumstances must serve as props, but the real monsters to be charmed and pacified are within us, they are the baser aspects of our own nature, and a large part of masonry is indeed overcoming these creatures within us. There may even be something to be said about the Egyptian concept of using the magic of words to charm these creatures, especially considering the insights of NLP, hypnosis, and similar methodologies, but that’s a subject for another post. More symbolically, we can view the magic of the spoken word as the creative and expressive capacity within us.

Initiation as Evolution

Does this also pertain literally to the afterlife? As someone who takes an interests in Near Death Experiences (NDEs), in my opinion, it is reasonable to think so. Based on what we have learned from NDE research, it does indeed seem that we may sometimes have to pass through a realm of astral darkness, which depending on our own state of mind may contain monstrous beings or obstacles, before arriving at the Light. When people get to the light, they almost invariably go through their entire life in a flash of holographic memory, where they experience everything they ever did, and also how it affected other people. Essentially, this is a weighing of the scales, a measurement of our life’s actions against justice, or what was right. In this way, I believe that there is an element of literal truth in the Egyptian Book of Coming Forth Into the Light.

The subtler truth, however, is even more interesting to me. Because, in a way, it is grander. Even if this process is literally what we experience when we die (approximately), what about when we are born again? Is the goal of the reincarnation process that our soul will one day weigh perfectly against the scales of justice, to avoid rebirth into the physical, i.e. to have no karma? If we take a Vedantic perspective, the answer would be yes. In that context, even multiple lives, much like the many experiences we have in one life, are really just phases of a larger initiation, into something even greater. Is there any end to this initiatory process?

I suppose it’s possible, but for my money, I would say probably not. I think the process of creation/initiation goes on indefinitely, infinitely, forever. We are always becoming something more, whether slowly or quickly. Essentially, this is the process of evolution. By choosing Freemasonry, we’ve simply opted for the catalyzed reaction – the accelerated evolution. As such, we must face each catalyst that comes our way with steadfastness, equanimity, willpower, compassion, and the magic of creativity, intuition, and divine communion, if we wish to be worthy of being freed from, or perhaps more accurately, to complete the initiation of the life/death cycle.