The Sanctum Sanctorum

Points Well Made, by Bro. Tom Accuosti

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:43:29 PDT

"You're wearing your ring the wrong way, you know."

The Past Master tried to be nonchalant, but the way he slightly emphasized the "you know" implied that he didn't actually think that I did know, and he was going to make sure that I knew I didn't know.

You know how some people are.

"That's odd," I replied, "I was sure it was on correctly when I left the house."

I shifted the glass of Jameson's to my left hand and held my up my right, wriggling my fingers.

"Yeah, see?" I pointed out. "The big part of the ring is on the outside and the the skinny part is on the inside. It would really be uncomfortable the other way."

To his credit, he didn't take the bait, being more interested in pointing out my mistake.

"No, you're wearing it with the points out. You should be wearing it with the points in."

"In where?"

"Pointing in, toward you," he said.

I curled my fingers and moved my hand around a bit. "Aren't they pointing in now?"

"No, I mean pointing in on your finger." He was obviously being very patient with me. "The points on the compasses should be pointing up your finger to your hand, back to you."

"What? Why's that?"

"Because you're not a Past Master, that's why."

He sipped his beer and gave me a knowing look. I swirled the glass of Irish whiskey, hearing the tiny cubes tinkle in the glass.

"I don't remember that being in the ritual monitor," I said.

"There are lots of things about Masonry that aren't written down," he replied. "You just have to learn them the hard way."

He took another sip of his beer. "Do you always wear it that way?"

"Well, maybe," I replied. "I hadn't really thought much about it until now."

"I'm surprised that nobody else has mentioned it before," he said. "I guess I just must be more observant."

"What possible difference could it make?" I asked "It's only a ring."

"It's the symbolism," he explained, "Only a Master can give light; you have merely received it."

"I'm pretty sure that the flashlight is the working tool of one of the other degrees."

"Now you're just being a Mr. Smarty Pants. The Worshipful Master gives light during the degrees. You, however, haven't done that; you should wear your ring with the points in, the way you saw them on the altar."

"Points in?"

"Yes. Look, how were the points arranged when you were brought to light?"

"The same way they always are," I replied.

"Exactly - with you looking up at them."

"Uhh... up?"

"Right. So, when the ring is on your finger, the points should be arranged the same way as when you first saw them, to remind you of that experience."

"Unless I've given light, right?"

"Yes, now you're getting it."

I politely declined his offer of a little cigar, and pulled out my own pack of cigarettes. I struck my lighter, a small butane novelty, and offered it to him. We stood for a few moments, enjoying the cool evening on the back stairs.

"I don't suppose that counts as 'giving light', does it?"

He shook his head. "No, and you're being a Mr. Smarty Pants again."

"I'm just trying to be clear on this," I explained. I took another sip of my Irish whiskey and thought for a moment. "I sort of get the symbolism - sort of. But, as a Junior Warden, though, I've done degree work. I've initiated new brothers. That sounds like I've given light - at least, partially."

He paused for a bit, and then answered. "No, that doesn't count."

He didn't seem compelled to explain why, so I asked him.

"Because, only the Master can give light."

"But I was in the chair doing the work."

"Yes, but you weren't the Master."

"But I was doing the work of the Master."

"That may be, but you were not the actual Master."

"So, are you saying that those new brothers aren't real Masons?"

"Hmm?"

"Because the candidates certainly didn't notice the difference." I went on, "But if I didn't actually give any light, and if I follow what you're saying, then they must not actually be Masons. It would really be a bad thing if all of those lodges that have the Wardens do degree work turn out to not actually be initiating Masons. Why, half the members in this district are probably invalid, if that's the case."

He thought for a moment. "No, that's not right. You did it with the permission of the Master, so you were acting through him."

I conceded, but then asked "So, what if the master called out sick that night? I'd still have been doing the work, right? Would that mean that..."

"No, you're purposely making this difficult," he pointed out. "Only the Master gives light, so only he is entitled to wear his ring with the points out," he insisted. "It's symbolic."

"And we're big on symbols around here, I've noticed."

"Right." He took another sip of beer. "Besides, when you go around with the points out, pretty much anybody can see them.

"Well, it is a ring..."

"Yes, but it's almost like you're advertising that you're a Mason."

"Wait, what?"

"You're supposed to be keeping the secrets of Masonry, right? You don't go blabbing it all over, right? You do know that we used to call ourselves 'The Quiet Fraternity', right?"

"Yes, that was one of the things that I liked when I was reading about the fraternity; the lack of blatant self-promotion."

"Exactly so," he answered. "When you have your points out, it makes it easy for anybody to notice them. That's why I said, it's almost like you're advertising that you're a Mason."

"Advertising?"

He nodded. "Like you're showing off, or something."

"Oh, I get it," I replied, "We are quiet and internally directed because we're making ourselves better men; so advertising our affiliation with our rings makes it look like we simply joined for the sake of joining."

Ne nodded again. "Now you understand," he declared, "I'm glad we had this little chat."

He finished the rest of his beer and moved toward the door.

"Umm, one thing," I said.

"Yes?"

I motioned at the two dozen or so cars in the parking lot, almost all of which were sporting decals with the logos of Blue Lodge, York Rite, or the Shrine. Several of them also had the now familiar "2B1 Ask 1" bumper stickers.

"Why do you suppose it is that my small, discreet ring is 'advertising', but all of those decals, badges, and bumper stickers are simply showing pride in membership?"

The old Past Master stubbed out his cigar, and turned toward the door. "Some people," he snorted, "just don't get the point, even when you poke them with it."

Used by permission of the author.

Tom Accuosti is a Master Mason from the Grand Lodge of Connecticut, AF & AM. He was raised in 2001, and six weeks later, not knowing any better, volunteered to serve as an officer at Friendship Lodge No. 33 in Southington. Failing to make any notable mistakes, he was elected to serve as WM in 2006, and managed to serve the lodge without breaking anything or causing a rift in membership.

Tom has served on various Grand Lodge committees, including Education, Publication, and Masonic Awareness, in which he generally served with distinction in positions in which he couldn't do any harm. He currently is the District Grand Lecturer for District Five, a position which he hopes to keep for a long time because it carries few responsibilities.

Tom is married, with 1.8 children. He is mainly known for being easily distracted, and for showing up late. He occasionally writes on his blog, The Tao of Masonry, and for various other publications.

Dr. Casey Blood and the Nature of Man

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:30:12 PDT

TSS www.thesanctumsanctorum.com is pleased to announce a "first-ever-of-its-kind opportunity" to the Masonic community.

We Present Dr. Casey Blood and the Nature of Man

Dr. Casey Blood is a mathematical physicist and student-practitioner of Sufism. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics at Rutgers University and has done research in and published articles on quantum physics and has independently pursued an interest in prescience. He has studied Sufism for more than twenty years with teachers such as Pir Vilayat and Shahabuddin David Less. Dr. Blood lives in Florida with his wife Nurya.

Dr. Blood has published multiple books on the topic and both are available through the TSS bookstore.

This is a chance to the Masonic community to enter into collegiate level theoretical discussions concerning both science and mysticism and how it relates to our existence.

Dr. Casey Blood in his own words:

Thank you for the privilege of allowing me to “speak” on your web site. I am not a mason, but hope the ideas we will discuss will be in harmony with Masonic principles. These ideas are an expansion of a talk I gave at Enlightenment Lodge 198, Colorado Springs, in February 2009.

I would like to thank Cliff Porter for inviting me and for presenting this web opportunity.

The articles will be about the nature of awareness from the point of view of the neuroscientist, the physicist, and the mystic. But really, they are about the nature of human existence. I envision one article a week, 2 to 4 pages in length. No scientific background is required. Hopefully you will gain some understanding of:

How the brain works.

How much the brain determines our human nature. Quantum mechanics and how it tells us a good deal about the nature of the physical world.

What quantum mechanics is, how it shows us that the physical world is incomplete and that, to obtain agreement between quantum mechanics and what we perceive, we must each have a non-physical Mind.

An outline of the views of the mystics. The rich structure of the non-physical world.

Perhaps a little on meditation techniques in view of how the brain works and how the mystic sees existence.

And perhaps a little on the art of personality.

These ideas are also presented in my book, The Way from Science to Soul, but my thinking has progressed a little since the book was written, so the talks will be more up-to-date in the science areas.

Do not miss this opportunity and please share its availability with the Masonic community in your area.

The Great Masonic Apology, by Bro. Cliff Porter

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 09:11:15 PDT

In the 1820s Masonry was unfortunate enough to make the acquaintance of William Morgan. There is no evidence that Morgan was ever a Mason, what is certain is that he entered into contract to expose ritual from the Royal Arch, was arrested in September 1826, was taken from his jail, and was never seen again. Three members of the Craft were later arrested in regards to related charges and served time. There are wonderful ups and downs in regards to the story, conundrums wrapped in enigmas if you will and all go beyond the point of this article and my reasons for bringing up the affair in the first place. My point in mentioning the affair at all, was that it created the catalyst that would be the cause for the decline in Masonry even today. I am not speaking of the decline in membership that seems to be the discussion of many of today’s current membership, but the decline of the Masonic experience overall. The Morgan Affair ushered in the Great Masonic Apology and we have been apologizing ever since.

The Morgan Affair created in the collective Masonic psyche aversions to secrecy, fraternity, and the actual philosophies inculcated in Freemasonry. Masonry would recover in numbers, and even swell during the era of fraternal organizations, but our halls were hollowed of their mystical teachings and we would institute a tradition of placation and apology.

It might prove helpful to examine some of the changes that have occurred in American Craft Masonry and Scottish Rite Masonry to better understand my statement.

Beginning with the Morgan Affair we eliminated the mysticism. As the anti-Masonic Party began its rise to power, the Craft hemorrhaged members. They flooded away for fear that it could tarnish or destroy a political or Christian reputation. This occurred because of an earlier apology and small dose of dangerous pride that allowed us to convince ourselves, in an attempt to convince others, that we were not a secret society. We degenerated to the point that a lack of secrecy and disclaimer is a common theme in apologies that still occur to this day. We have many a website and have interviewed for many a television camera and tout the statement, “we are not a secret society, but a society with secrets.” Sadly, if we would worry less about public and profane opinion, we would not have public awareness programs or anything of the sort. We should be a secret society whose charity is evident only in such a way that whenever good men gather, the community benefits as a result. If we would have maintained the secrets of our membership and treated the society as such, then men would not have had to flee from their associations with us for fear of their reputations.

The natural product of this loss of secrecy and membership was a desire to appease those who decided to point a finger as we voluntarily declared and exposed our membership. To appease these Victorian minded puritans who would usher in a number of successful programs such as the anti-Masonic Party and prohibition (if you caught the sarcasm it was completely intentional) we would begin a ruin of the Craft in apology to deaf ears. We have apologized to a rather loud, but utterly unsuccessful, minority group of fundamentalist pushing an agenda that is counter to personal freedom and choice. We have apologized to those we are sworn to defend against. We are the keepers of freewill, choice, and free conscience. We flung our doors open, hung our heads, and here is the greatest of tragedies, we put to rest our mystical philosophy. So much so, that it has become the real lost word in our lodges. Our spiritualism and mysticism were so tucked away, that there are generations of men who would argue that such “liberal” thoughts and ideas do not occur as part of or as a result of Freemasonry.

This is the same group of people that have actually played a role in the drafting, in part, of a number of Masonic constitutions throughout the Grand Lodges in America. We decided as part of and even prior to prohibition that the grown man with all his faculties should not consume alcoholic beverages. We decided that Masons could not be trusted to perform the duties of a Mason, that the Junior Wardens could not be expected to fulfill their duties, that appendant bodies should follow suit, and we eliminated the grown mans ability to raise a glass and toast his Brothers at an Agape or Festive Board. Hypocrisy abounds with this particular apologetic. We have the Shrine Clubs which have bars in them, we have hospitality suites at our Grand Lodge sessions, we drink at home and with our friends, we just can’t drink with our Masonic friends without sneaking it like we were 15 years old and tipping a sip of our father’s favorite scotch. Nonetheless, listen to the cries of the young men who simply want to toast a fellow Brother, enjoy a great glass of wine with good food as part of the Masonic experience, actually hoist a drink during the Feast of Tishri, and exercise their free choice and freewill. They will tell you that their attempts to overturn this ridiculous, hypocritical, and outdated apology have meant with impassioned speeches of doom and destruction. Well, we are Masons; we study the liberal arts and sciences, do we not? Let’s look at Freemasonry in the rest of the entire civilized world and see what effects allowing a man to consume an alcoholic beverage with his Brother have had. We would find refined scotch tastings, ladies festivals filled with fine wine and dancing, and fellowship spent over a pint of the local brew. No doom and gloom. No destruction. As a matter of fact, Masonry is doing better in many of those places. Oh and lawsuits. Yes, if a man has a beer the Fraternity will get sued if he crashes or the like. Really? Site some examples please. I am looking at the bars and liquor stores in existence and wondering why they have not met this miserable fate. Why haven’t they, because it is bunk and the ramblings of those who espouse bureaucratic and legal fallacy while knowing little of actual facts?

The fundamentalist, the evangelical Christian community with an anti-Masonic slant, the self proclaimed moralist do not like Freemasonry because it encourages free thought, free speech, and freedom of religion. They are never going to like Masonry, they are never going to stop fighting the aims of such groups. It is not in their best interest to do so. They want an uninformed class of members with zealous faith that is based on devotion and not study and reasoned thought. We are, in essence, enemies. We owe them no apology. We should pride ourselves that they consider the Craft a threat to their aims and abolish every foolish addition to Masonic constitutions or sets of by-laws ever created in apology to them.

Allow me to address, what I consider, the strangest of apologies. The apology to the POTENTIAL candidate. Prior to the man ever becoming a member we bow our heads and divert our gaze and offer the following apologies.

1. Sir, we are sorry that it cost money to be a member. Allow us to keep our dues artificially low and under fund the infrastructure and programs of the Craft. Allow us to reduce and remove any quality education, travel, and ritual experience for our members because we have no money to do so. Allow our buildings and temples to fall into disrepair and dilapidation so that we never need charge a reasonable fee for the degrees or the dues that follow. Sir, who might be interested, Masonry is cheap. It’s real affordable. Please sir, we are sorry that we even have to charge, please become a member.

2. Sir, we are sorry that it takes time. We have removed the requirements for memory work, for proficiencies, for participation in lodge even. All we need is about one afternoon of your time and you are a Brother. We are sorry that we used to ask for even the slightest commitment. If we can just have the paltry fee that we discussed and already apologized for above, we will get you rushed through, you will not have to learn anything, as a matter of fact, you won’t learn anything, and we can issue this dues card and get you on the books.

If the aforementioned antics of the present state of apology don’t manage get me a bit riled up, then the apologies we make to the public at large certainly do. The Scottish Rite is suffering greatly from these as we speak and if we don’t wrestle this beautiful and mystical system from the grasp of the Great Apology she will die. She will be a shell of her formal self and she will die.

For instance, so that you might better understand me, Scottish Rite petitions used to require a signature of the future candidate proclaiming the following certain ideology with the following phraseology, “The entire separation of church and state and opposition to every attempt to appropriate public monies—Federal, state, or local—directly or indirectly, for the support of sectarian or private institutions.” Several petitions, including those presently available for download from the Seattle Scottish Rite website have only, “THE SUPREME COUNCIL REQUIRES ACCEPTANCE OF THE FOLLOWING FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES: THE INCULCATION OF PATRIOTISM, RESPECT FOR LAW AND ORDER, UNDYING LOYALTY TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. DO YOU APPROVE OF THESE PRINCIPLES? ________ YES ________ NO.”

It would not be reasonable to believe that the removal of the wording was arbitrary. Are the ideas of the separation of church and state no longer valid belief systems important for a free government run by its populace and not by its church? Are the ideas of theocracy and despotism somehow more appealing than they used to be and less of threat? I think not. Clearly, the wars and conflicts of the world that are based on religion and the beliefs systems of those fanatical followers who would attempt to enforce their belief system as form of government are evidence enough that the concept is still needed and not out dated. So, if separation of church and state is still a necessary component of free government, free speech, and freewill, then why have we removed it? Let me hypothesize that it was form of apology. Someone somewhere decided that the general public, the profane, might find such a statement as politically incorrect or somehow offensive. I find the logic behind this line of thinking similar to the statement that the New Testament of the Bible is anti-Semitic and telling the story of the Nazarene is of a similar vein. Hogwash! This is the same idiotic thinking that would allow someone to claim a German bias and hatred of the Germanic people for telling the story of the holocaust. We have many a religious man in our ranks, so must we remove this statement for fear that he is a fundamentalist Christian in support of theocracy to ensure that he is comfortable. Incredible as it may seem, this might be yet another apology in action. It is likely an apology to the fundamentalist, whose philosophies are in opposition to those the Rite. No worries Brother. Although your particular philosophies are in direct conflict with those teachings of the Scottish Rite we will remove these offensive writings for you. We will remove the important teachings inculcated within the Rite. We will change the petitioning process so that you, a man with no interest in promoting and participating in our present philosophies, can gain entry. I hope I am not alone in recognizing the absolute absurdity of this.

I would like to address another apology of the Rite apparently to the general public or no one in particular. Maybe we should classify this one as a preemptive apology. We apologize before anyone is offended in the event that someone might be or could ever be offended. This apology comes in the form of removing different parts of the degree ritual exemplifications. For instance, in symbolism that man should never allow a man to sit in despotic rule over the masses guised as God on earth, claiming his personal orthodoxy as divine will, there used to be a certain stomping on or walking upon a symbol of such a system. No more, nope, gone in many jurisdictions.

Many symbols of the Craft have gone the wayside of this befuddling preemptive apology. The skull and cross bones as a symbol of mortality and the price one should be willing to pay to keep his integrity. The skeletons upon a cross in the 18th degree symbolism have suffered similar fate. It is still listed within the script of the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction, but how many consistories utilize it? Not many.

I was privy to recent discussion of Masonic favoritism in the work place. The statement was made that as Masons we should be careful not to give any other Masons special consideration for employment or services because it might be perceived poorly by those outside the Craft. That someone might legislate against the Fraternity for these unspeakable acts of “good ol’ boyism.” Again, I am forced to ask really? Really? So, the famous Aggies, Air Force Academy grads, alumni of the various Greek clubs, do not participate in such activities? They do and they are unapologetic. The Aggies boast that this is a benefit of graduating from the university. They have alumni clubs that network in hundreds, if not thousands, of cities across the United States. But we must never take a man, whom we believe to be of a high caliber morally and ethically and use this as a good starting place when choosing employees or picking service provider? The idea that we should not is repugnant and flies in the face of common sense. We ought to guard the gate like it was intended to be guarded and then utilize the membership as a foundation for good decision making because Brothers are automatically understood as a the crème of the crop when it comes to integrity and fairness.

Brothers, to whom do we owe the obedience of our obligations? To one another. We owe the Craft and our Brothers. I am encouraging the Craft as a whole to put aside our desires to make the Freemasonry all things to all men. It is not meant to be such vehicle and it never will be. If you try to bend it and shape it as such, you will kill it, and you are killing it in many ways given its present condition.

Stop the apology. Freewill, free thought, free religion, free conscience; they are all laudable pursuits. We do not need to apologize for them. We do not need to apologize for the deep and meaningful way that the philosophies of the Craft improve its men and make them better. We do not need to apologize to anyone except our current membership for letting our guard down and apologizing to those who were not entitled to such for wrongs that were nonexistent. This, by itself, would progress the Craft and heal it more than any catchy slogan or membership drive ever will.

The Lesson of Three, by Bro. T. Justin Robinson

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:35:11 PDT

As every Freemason can attest, one of the first aspects of Freemasonry that becomes embedded into the psyche of a newly made Brother is the recurrence of the same number, the number Three.

There are so many portions of our fraternity that reflect themselves in this mystical number that it is nearly impossible to describe them all. There are, of course, three initial degrees in the blue lodge; there are three symbols in the Square, Compasses, and the letter G; three geographical locations in lodge, South, West, East, with the North being a place of darkness; and three officers for those stations.

When you go deeper in the degrees it becomes even more apparent; there are three Great Lights and three Lesser lights represented by the three officers of the three geographical locations. This number is also repeated in the very fabric of our degree work.

To bring it to a more broad horizon, three is repeated on a much larger scale starting with our planet's position in the solar system. Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Thus in this aspect three becomes a number representing the creation and sustaining effect of life. A number that can be connected to a solitary degree of distance which is suitable for the flourish of our existence. Three is an ideal position.

Three can also be attributed to the Holy Trinity in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In this aspect the number three becomes a relation of faith, spirituality, and religious teachings. Three is a spiritual connection.

Three is representative of the three stages of life, Childhood, Adulthood, and Old Age. In this capacity Three gives us the sum of education, experience, and wisdom. Three is a path of life.

Three is the first prime number that we come to that is more than the sum of its two predecessors. Why is this number so often repeated in the course of our experiences? Is it a divine truth that yet escapes our full understanding or is it merely a set of coincidences that bar any unforeseen explanation?

As Freemasons it is our privilige to be able to investigate such mystical occurences and try to decipher either for our Brethren and the common good or for our own personal benefit, what truth we can come to ourselves in the never ending journey of the sublime path that such metaphysical matters afford us.

Let us begin.

The Sunday Masonic Paper

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:49:08 PDT

Brethren,

The Restricted Area of TSS now has "The Sunday Masonic Paper." This is a paper circulated once a week by a small group of Masons who like to discover and share together.

Now, for the first time ever, it is available to all members of TSS with access to the Restricted Areas.

Please jump in, read, write, and discuss.

A special thank you to the creator and moderator of the Sunday Masonic Paper...Worshipful Brother Wayne Anderson of Ontario, Canada.

My Thoughts on Science, Religion, The Great Chain of Being, and Universal Truth, by W.B. Robert Herd

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 12:07:15 PDT

The purpose of this paper comes strictly out of my desire to write down my current thoughts on these subjects and how they relate to one another in my mind. Writing to me is somewhat of a method of thinking out loud and strangely enough allows me to understand more fully a subject that I have been reading or contemplating. I also hope that fellow Brother Freemasons who are starting their journey of study and understanding can use my works as easier stepping stones so as not to have to read the piles of materials that I have to get those coveted bits of knowledge or inspiration.

In Masonry we hear a lot of references regarding Science and Religion as opposites on different poles or different ends of the spectrum from one another. We hear of this rift almost daily in the news, articles and even popular fiction books recently. In our everyday lives we see countless instances of people choosing sides and the numbers of people who find that regardless of what “side” they choose, be it a religious stance or scientific view, they end up finding they are still not supplied with any complete answer. They are unfulfilled and are unsatisfied whichever end of the spectrum they choose. In Freemasonry we are constantly taught the lesson of balance and equilibrium. What is, or what should, be the balance between Religion and Science? Where is it that they both go wrong in failing to answer or fill this vacuum of understanding that we need to fill? What was it that sent them expanding apart from each other? Can there be a “Universal Truth”? Well my friends and Brothers, my opinions on that are just what I want to discuss.

Listening to recent interviews with physicists and astro-biologists, one might imagine that the scientific perspective is similar to the spiritual one that inspires the perennial wisdom tradition, or simply that they also are seeking a Universal Truth. Unfortunately this is not the case, for despite the willingness to search for alien life-forms or multidimensional super-string theories, mainstream science still defines consciousness as a phenomenon of matter rather than as any sort of primary, causative, and unifying being. While ecological interconnections are understood and acknowledged by the scientific community, and some biologists are pursuing signs of intelligence in "mindless" beings, notions of spirit or any Deity as the fountain-source of consciousness are generally dismissed as irrelevant, naïve or even ignorant. For traditional science found in most research labs, schools, and college classes, the true picture of reality is only what sensory data can detect, in other words things that can be seen, touched, taken apart and studied. Every other perspective has been so marginalized and devalued that this materialistic approach is now largely unquestioned even though many people, maybe even a majority, do not believe it adequately describes the whole picture. What I believe needs to happen is an integration of the visions of both science and religion. This type of endeavor I believe is very much welcome in today's climate, where sensory or materialistic data and information are so loudly persuasive that it is hard to find a scientifically acceptable forum even to debate their value, let alone question their supremacy. Spiritual experiences are dismissed as anecdotal, unverifiable, and a spiritual perspective is deemed inadequate or unnecessary to explain how and what life is. But it hasn't always been this way. A few centuries ago our forefathers lived in a universe alive with great spiritual interior connections, and the Great Chain of Being theory was a basic assumption for most of humanity. It was somewhat of a common knowledge subject that today many people have not even heard of. Arthur Lovejoy wrote early last century that the Great Chain of Being was "probably the most widely familiar conception of the general scheme of things, and of the constitutive pattern of the universe" (The Great Chain of Being, p. vii). He traced its idea back to Plato and Aristotle and explained that…

“through the Middle Ages and down to the late eighteenth century, many philosophers, most men of science, and, indeed, most educated men, were to accept without question the conception of the universe as a 'Great Chain of Being,' composed of an immense, or by the strict but seldom rigorously applied logic of the principle of continuity of an infinite number of links, ranging in hierarchical order from the meagerest kind of existents, which barely escape non-existence, through every possible grade up to the ens perfectissimum or, in a somewhat more orthodox version, to the highest possible kind of creature, between which the Absolute Being and the disparity was assumed to be infinite every one of them differing from that immediately above and that immediately below it by the least possible degree of difference.” Ibid., p. 59

This structure, also known as the Hermetic Chain, has also been pictured as a ladder or stair of life, as well as a web connecting every point of life on every plane of being. Below are a few various depictions of it.

Author Ken Wilber elaborates: "According to this nearly universal view, reality is a rich tapestry of interwoven levels, reaching from matter to body to mind to soul to spirit. Each senior level 'envelops' or 'enfolds' its junior dimensions a series of nests within nests within nests of Being so that every thing and event in the world is interwoven with every other". To Wilber, the Great Chain is more like a Great Nest, a more organic metaphor for an essentially natural and living process. He explains the hierarchy this way:

“Each senior level in the Great Nest, although it includes its juniors, nonetheless possesses emergent qualities not found on the junior level. Thus, the vital animal body includes matter in its makeup, but it also adds sensations, feelings, and emotions, which are not found in rocks. While the human mind includes bodily emotions in its makeup, it also adds higher cognitive faculties, such as reason and logic, which are not found in plants or other animals. And while the soul includes the mind in its makeup, it also adds even higher cognitions and affects, such as archetypal illumination and vision, not found in the rational mind. And so on.”

In other words, each higher level maintains the essential features of the lower levels but also unveils or brings forward elements not found on those levels. Each higher level, that is, transcends but includes its juniors.

This vision of each level becoming increasingly more complex as it transcends and includes all lower levels is fundamental to Hermetic philosophy, which describes the constitution of entities generally as multidimensional, with infinite gradations of varying degrees. For example, every human being is a compounded entity. There is a god in him, a spiritual ego, a human ego, an animal nature, and the physical body which expresses as best it can the bundle of energies surging through and from within it. Now each of these elements is itself a learning entity on its upward way. The self-consciousness, and the sense of ego, is there; but above that is the vast sense of universal unity, which is the atmosphere and consciousness of the inner god, or a spark of celestial Divinity.

So what happened to this grand vision of interconnected, interdependent life? Western Science, embracing materialism in the process of shaking off the dominance of the narrow Christian religious view, fell on the Great Chain and flattened it. But still, how could such a fundamentally commonsense vision as the Great Chain become irrelevant? One of the problems had to do with how the Great Chain idea was misunderstood. The pre-Enlightenment world saw Divinity expressed everywhere, but this vision united art, morals, ethics, science, religion, and secular processes into an exclusive and often oppressive worldview. Galileo could not freely look through his telescope and report the results because art and morals and science were all fused under the Church, and thus the morals of the Church defined what science could -or could not – do. Artists were not free to explore creativity, people were not free to choose different churches, and scientists could not freely research; their domains were strictly monitored by the Church and policed by the state, each reinforcing the other.

Modern liberty and freedom brought with it the ability to differentiate among these arenas. Anyone can now go to any church or temple, or look through a telescope without being charged with heresy or treason. People are free to distinguish art from ethics, science from religion, and philosophy from both. The upside to the modern scientific perspective is the ability to differentiate various links of the Chain of Being (which helped usher in a much more democratic, less exclusive and oppressive way of life), but the downside is that it declared valid only the bottom link which could be accessed and verified by the senses. Speaking of the collapse of the Great Chain perspective around the late 18th century, author Huston Smith wrote: "Why did the hierarchical outlook then collapse? As it had blanketed human history up to that point, constituting man's primordial tradition and what might almost be called the human unanimity, the force that leveled it must have been powerful, and modern science is the obvious candidate. . . . Modern science requires only one ontological level, the physical . . . [and] challenged by implication the notion that other planes exist" (Forgotten Truth: The Primordial Tradition, pp. 5-6).

It wasn't so much that modern science rejected spirit as that it just didn't need interior or metaphysical domains in order to do its work. In dismissing all subjective interior processes as insignificant, Spirit and Spirituality were simply a couple of the numerous casualties. As technological breakthroughs captured the hearts and minds of researchers, the vision of a living and interconnected universe seemed irrelevant or, worse, superstitious. Take the well-known comment by biologist Richard Dawkins, "Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence."

And so, it came about that the modern West was the first major civilization in the history of the human race to deny substantial reality to the Great Chain of Being. That denial caused a profound and rapidly spreading shift in our view of what's "real," but humanity's universal and historical understanding of the Chain didn't disappear quietly or without notice. There have been repeated attempts to reintroduce spirit into the modern world.

Freemasonry continues to try and rekindle the spirit and the spiritual, as do the efforts of some other postmodernism schools of esoteric studies to reframe the world with spirit at its center. There seems to be even a bit of resurgence recently in the desire for this type of spiritual rekindling separate from Religion. The problem is how might we shift the current popularity of reductionism and strictly logical scientific view? One step is to recognize the flaws and often self-defeating weaknesses inherent in most of our philosophical approaches, including the most important in my mind in that none of them rarely if ever challenge empirical science on its own ground. To do this, one must understand current scientific methodology and then use it to determine and establish the existence of spiritual planes, or what some call the value spheres or those vertical dimensions of depth that give value to our lives.

Science believes itself to be value free. It tells us what is, not what should be. It tells us what we are, not what we can be. It describes the world factually without ascribing any meaning to it. That is why we look to the value spheres of philosophy, art, religion, morals and ethics for that. Science accomplishes its wonders because it utilizes a solid method for discovering fact, (which is not necessarily ever a whole truth), a method that is empirical and experimental and based on evidence and this is the very prescription and method I offer to you to explore and validate authentic spiritual truths. Current science may claim to use only objective data, but I can tell you that it hypocritically does also demonstrate convincingly that it continually relies on intellectual processes, theories and the unproven assumptions of materialism to interpret data itself. It is both naive and wrong to accept the idea that science merely reports what already exists in the material world because science approaches the empirical world with massive conceptual and assumptive apparatuses. Mathematics for a perfect example contains everything from tensor calculus to theoretical numbers to extensive inter-subjective linguistic signs to differential equations. I don’t expect you all to know what all of those are, I barely have just learned of them myself, but let me tell you that virtually all are non-empirical structures found only in interior spaces of theory, not the material world. So science grants validity to some interior modes, but only those that support its own biases. Therefore, to actually fulfill its own empiricism, it must also grant the possibility that there are interior states other than those it uses, states that can be investigated empirically, (though not necessarily physically), and that can be evaluated by specially trained researchers.

We don't call on seismologists to evaluate claims by cardiologists, or entomologists to validate mathematical theorems. Each branch of study requires different specialized training, performs its own experiments, and generates its own data that is then interpreted by its own specialists. Given all that, spirituality can and must be able to stand up to scientific authority by announcing its own means and modes, data and evidence, validities and verifications. It can and already is being done as it has since ancient times, by checking, testing, and verifying in every department of nature the traditions of old by the independent visions of great adepts or men who have already developed and perfected their physical, mental, psychic, and spiritual organizations to the utmost degree. In ancient times, no vision of any one adept was accepted until it was checked and confirmed by the visions of his peers or other adepts, so obtained as to stand as independent evidence of the other adepts, and by centuries of accumulated experiences.

The practice of grounding our assertions on experience and evidence is, in all actuality the enduring strength of science itself, so why not investigate spiritual dimensions scientifically as well? Empirical evidence, in the strictest sense, is that which is derived from experiment and observation rather than theory. Moving from the intensely important idea that all knowledge must be ultimately grounded in evidence and experience, many modern scientists reduce this vital insight to the absurd notion that all "real" knowledge must be limited to objective, materialistic, sensory experience. But true empiricism is not limitable to material nature. If empirical science rejects the validity of any and all forms of interior apprehension and knowledge, then it rejects its own validity as well, a great deal of which rests on interior structures and apprehensions that are not delivered by the senses or confirmable by the senses (such as logic and mathematics, to name only two). Science has effectively disregarded its own principles and acted "metaphysically" in denying that universally acknowledged and experienced spiritual or divine states have no reality without performing scientifically valid experiments.

I believe this is partly the reason that large numbers of people are losing their connection to Deity. Even within their own churches and Religious belief systems its popularity seems to be shrinking. I believe this is because science and its popularity and empiricism lead modern followers to rely too much on intellectual tools when neither sensory empiricism, nor pure reason, nor practical reason, nor any combination thereof can see into the realm of the True Spirit. I don’t mean that we should have simple “blind faith”. The intellect can point toward the spiritual, and true spiritual experiences are entirely possible and obtainable. They alone are the final evidence for its own validity and reality, just as mental experiences present evidence for the existence of the intellect. My point is that both science and Religion must address timeless spiritual concepts in a manner that acknowledges and adopts scientific methods, but eschews materialism and reductionism. In Expanding Horizons James Long made a similar point: "when the followers of any faith keep on blindingly clinging to their particular view of truth, after a while it loses its vitality; it loses its living inspiration and therefore its helpfulness. The most important thing in my opinion is not the attainment of truth, but the searching after and the reaching toward a greater and greater understanding of it”.

It has been my experience that the great and secret message of the mystics the world over and throughout all time has been that, with the eye of contemplation, Spirit can be internally seen and proven. With the eye of contemplation, G-d can be seen. With the eye of contemplation, aided by introspection, the greatness within us radiantly unfolds.

Throughout history wise and discriminating people of all lands have sought a Truth which is Universal and Eternal. Yet this has been the main quest not only of philosophers and mystics but of all of us in life's more profound moments. Deep inside ourselves we all long for an Absolute Truth through which we can transcend suffering and death and gain bliss and immortality. Many great thinkers, looking beyond the names and forms of the various religions and philosophies which have existed through history, have looked for tradition of knowledge which reflects the Universal Truth and allows people of every generation to connect with it.

We should recognize what is universal in the different teachings of the world and if we are to discard anything it should be that which is not universal, being careful however to strictly remember that the real unity is self-existent at the core of who we are. It cannot be fabricated or accomplished by removing the differences that exist at the surface. I have heard it explained that “The unity of the ocean exists at its depth, not at the level of the waves, which ever remain turbulent”.

There are others who want to create a universal tradition anew by discarding the Religions of the world, recognizing that all the Religions we possess have become limiting identities. Yet this would be like trying to create a new Science by discarding all that science has previously discovered. We must take what is universal in the teachings of the world, neither validating them at the level of their surface differences, nor discarding all that they have to offer. To do this we must recognize the tradition which has existed and the forms it has created.

I suggest that in order to reinvigorate in our lives the idea of the Great Chain, to reach equilibrium, balance, and Universal Truth, individuals must learn to use Science and its own processes to investigate and apprehend the inner as well as the outer domains common to human experience. We must also learn to be willing to apply our Religions in ways that look more toward Spiritual experience and less towards fundamentalism and its dogmas. This may be difficult for some in mainstream Religions, but I believe it to be no less important than the actual saving of civilization and the Brotherhood or Unity of man.

I believe that thru living and applying this method, the direct union or at least the identity of the individual and Spirit, a union of Science and Religion is possible. A union that is not to be thought of as a mental belief but lived as a direct experience, the very summum bonum of existence, the direct realization of which confers a great liberation, rebirth, or enlightenment on the soul fortunate enough to be immersed in that extraordinary union, a union that is the foundation ground, the goal, the source, and the salvation of the entire world.

Essay on The Architecture of American Freemasonry, by Bro. Justin Robinson

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:19:45 PST

This great country was founded on a very simple principle. Yet, this simple principle addressed so many issues as to relate with a complicated resolution. This principle was--simply--let the states have the power. At the birth of this country it was decided by our Founding Fathers that the states would have the majority of power over the citizens, while the government would sit in the background and only address necessary national issues. This idea of State sovereignty is at the heart of how American Freemasonry was established.

When our Founding Fathers, many of whom were prominent masons, started drafting this countrie's organizational structure, they used their current knowledge of how Freemasonry was structured, to give them an idea of where to go with this country. Before the revolution, this country was 13 colonies; each colony had its own masonry, many with their own Grand Lodge established. Our founding fathers looked at this and figured if it can work for our masonry, it can work for our country.

As our country grew, this same mentality continued to be applied to both freemasonry and the states. Each state had the ability to determine its own laws, its own regulations, and its own rules of settlement, as long as it applied to the government's basic outlining of how a state should operate. Each Grand Lodge that was established also was given the right to govern its own jurisdiction by its own bylaws, rules, and regulations, as long as it adhered to the landmarks which its brother Grand Lodges adhered to. This also gave rise to enhanced understanding of regularity and recognition. As each Grand Lodge must have been established through a regular vote of the majority of masons in the state, this kept the bonds between the states strong.

It wasn't until after the Civil War that the government took control of a large portion of the rights that states had and in essence the states lost that freedom which was intended to always been had, by our Founders. This of course had no effect on the Grand Lodge system of today, as the Grand Lodges continued to not have a governing body over them.

Thus, one can see that today's Grand Lodge system was and is the ideals of our Forefathers, the ones who went this way before us, and it works as well as any establishment can. No single Grand Lodge should have say over the operations of any other Grand Lodge; nor should they interfere with the operations of any other Grand Lodge, as it is not their place nor right to do so.

Our Founding Father's dream lives on today, not through our government, but through our Freemasonry.

TSS: Tarot 101 with Bro. Dave Mavity at www.TheSanctumSanctorum.com

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:10:18 PST

Greetings Brethren,

This coming Sunday, March 2nd, TSS will be kicking off a Tarot 101 class in the Entered Apprentice restricted forum. The class will be proctored by Bro. Dave Mavity.

This class will be a basic introduction to Tarot, its symbolism, and correlations with the craft.

If you are an Entered Apprentice or higher and have not registered with the admins to gain access to the restricted forums, please do not wait!

TSS
www.TheSanctumSanctorum.com

The Hourglass, the Scythe and the Sprig of Acacia, by "The Hammer"

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:03:41 PST

My lodge had scheduled a dinner and First Degree.

As always in life, the unexpected happened: instead of bringing a new brother to light we gathered to say goodbye to a brother, a Past Master who sat in the East for the first time at the age of 86 and passed to the Celestial Lodge at the age of 97. Cliff, in your passing you caused me to pause and reflect on our Craft.

Three of the most meaningful symbols in Freemasonry—the Hourglass, the Scythe, and the Sprig of Acacia—are often the least thought about, except at times of sorrow.

“The Hourglass is an emblem of human life. Behold how swiftly the sand runs and how rapidly our lives are drawing to a close! We cannot, without astonishment, behold the little particles in the device, how they pass almost imperceptibly, and yet, to our surprise, in the short span of an hour, they are all exhausted. Time wastes man. Today he puts forth tender leaves of hope. Tomorrow blossoms and bears his honors; the next day comes a frost which nips the shoot; and when he thinks his greatness is still aspiring, he falls like autumn leaves to enrich our mother earth.”

Our time on earth is short. We establish ourselves; we strive for success, and when we think we have everything where we want them, we fall like autumn leaves. Think of it! We enrich the earth by dying. When the Craft chooses, it can be brutally direct as it enlightens us with the honesty of its Logic.

“The Scythe is an emblem of time, which cuts the brittle thread of life and launches us into eternity.”

Our lives—our deaths, a difficult subject for us to confront, but as Freemasons, we are prepared for we know that we live our lives according to the tenets of the Craft, immortality
awaits us.

Deaths frees us towards that “clouded canopy or starry-bedecked Heaven where all good Masons hope at last to arrive” knowing that if we “have erected our spiritual building in accordance with the designs of the Supreme Architect of the Universe in that great Book of Revelation which is our Masonic trestle board,” if we have lived our lives as “true” men, a glorious immortality will be ours.

As we reflect upon the scythe we find the words very direct.

“Behold what havoc, the scythe of time makes upon the human race! If, by chance, we should escape the numerous ills incident to childhood and youth and with health and vigor attain years of manhood, yet, withal, we must soon be cut down by the all-devouring scythe of time and be gathered into the land where our fathers have gone before us.”

Reality presented in Masonic terms; words we do not enjoy hearing, but words we must reflect upon and understand if we are to complete our lives as Master Masons.

In the description of the hourglass, we fall like autumn leaves to enrich our mother earth from our graves. In the description of the scythe, we are gathered into the land into our graves. While it presents an uncomfortable reflection, the grave is a most important symbol in Freemasonry. Let’s pause for a moment and recall GMHA lying in his. Reflect upon the meaning paying special attention “to the lessons of integrity, fidelity and immortality” that are portrayed.

In the light of this, should we fear death? Absolutely not, for we know the earth is a comforting place, if we have lived our lives according to the teachings of the Craft.

“There is nothing more zealous than clay, our mother earth, for it alone of all the elements has never proved unfriendly to man and when at last we are called upon to pass through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, she once more receives us, and tenderly enfolds our remains within her bosom, thus admonishing us that, as from the earth we came, so to the earth we must surely return.”

Our mother earth has never proved unfriendly to man. She tenderly enfolds our remains within her bosom. These words are there to comfort, not scare us.

The hourglass admonishes us to make the most of our lives, not to waste a tiny particle or minute, the scythe is the symbol for the end of life, but it is the Sprig of Acacia that is the most important symbol in all Freemasonry because it is the symbol for what awaits us at the end of the successful life’s journey—immortality. The sprig of acacia reminds each of us that we have a soul which lives beyond the grave, but only if we conduct ourselves as “true” men.

The sprig of acacia is the reminder of those things we must accomplish as Masons to achieve eternal life.

“These emblems of the operative Mason’s art indicate the labors he is to perform, the dangers he is to encounter, and the preparations he is to make in the up rearing of that spiritual fabric wherein his soul shall find rest forever and forevermore.”

Everywhere we look in the Standard Work, we come upon those tenets, emblems and symbols we must fully reflect upon and understand if we are to achieve immortality.

The Logic of Freemasonry is obvious. If we perform all the duties set forth in our degrees to God, our neighbor and ourselves, if we make the most of the best in ourselves, if we divest our hearts and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of life, we will then fit our minds “as living stones, for that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.”

That’s it my brothers...the perfect definition of immortality— “that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” And immortality and what we must do to achieve it is one of the basic tenets of Freemasonry. Never, ever forget: “the true man is the human image of the Mason’s God” and the Mason’s God is immortal and so are you if you become the “true” man.

TSS: www.TheSanctumSanctorum.com

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:05:10 PST

What is www.TheSanctumSanctorum.com (TSS)?

TSS is a resource for Masonic education and networking established by Freemasons to educate the Craft and the general public on what Freemasonry is all about.

It is designed to put into electronic practice the three principal tenets of Freemasonry--Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.

It is a window into which the world of Freemasonry may look and see the true reflection of Freemasonry around the world.

Why is there a need for www.TheSanctumSanctorum.com?

The internet is rife with inaccurate information about Freemasonry.

TSS was created as a public forum where people with a genuine interest in the ancient Craft may come to ask sincere questions and get replies from experienced Freemasons.

TSS is an online masonic community, where Freemasons from around the globe can learn from each other.

I am a member of Co-masonry. May I join the forum?

TSS has a policy prohibiting anyone claiming to be a Freemason who is not a member of a Grand Lodge or Orient that is not recognised by at least one regular Grand Lodge, as defined by the various regular Grand Lodges of North America.

Is this just “another” forum about masonry? What is different about www.TheSanctumSanctorum.com?

TSS is firmly committed to providing quality educational discourse about Freemasonry on the web.

Some of the very best minds in Freemasonry have gathered at TSS to assist the developing Freemason get the most out of his Craft, and to assist the public to understand Freemasonry.

At TSS we are constantly developing projects and programs to meet our goal of providing quality interactive and educational experiences about Freemasonry.

Form Your Own Blue Lodge, by WB William A. Isabelle

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:44:15 PST

Brethren, there seems to be a number of very intelligent brothers who, by their contributions, seem to be saying a lot of the same things.

"How can I improve the Craft in my area?"

"How can I give back to the Craft, what it has given to me?"

"How can I enact positive and progressive changes in the Craft?"

"How can I create a Masonic environment, that will attract new Masons?"

"Where do I go to find Masons my age, who share my perspectives and my interests?"

These kinds of questions seem to be coming up more and more frequently in discussions amongst brothers everywhere, and there is no easy answer.

However, there does exist an opportunity to perhaps explore these kinds of questions in a new light.

If you know other Masons like yourself, who are as motivated as you are, who are seeking more light in Masonry, and are dedicated and dependable brothers, then I have a suggestion for you...

Form a new Blue Lodge in your jurisdiction.

Create your own Lodge. Build a Masonic Temple around the shared interests and pursuits that you and brothers like you, share and enjoy as Masons and as friends.

Most of us have never even considered the prospect of forming our own Blue Lodge, but I am here to tell you brothers, that it is not really that difficult a task to accomplish.

Where do you think all the Lodges in your area came from in the first place? Brothers just like you, thats where.

If you feel like you're "banging your head against the wall" in your Lodge and there doesn't seem to be an opportunity for you to make a contribution of your own unique talents and abilities to the established practices and Landmarks of your Lodge, then start your own.

Every Grand Jurisdiction has it's own individual requirements for forming new Lodges, but there are a few things that are necessary which are the same everywhere, and here is a shopping list:

1) A like-minded group of twenty or so Master Masons

2) A progressive Grand Lodge, willing to support growth and change in their own backyard.

3) A "Petition for Dispensation" available from the respective Grand Lodge administration office.

4) Money. Starting your own Lodge requires resources and money, you will have expenses, foreseeable and unforeseen.

5) Brothers who are proficient and can confer the 3 Degrees of Masonry.

6) Brothers who can chair the elected and appointed offices of the Lodge.

7) An appropriate place to meet as a Masonic Lodge.

8) Lodge furniture and regalia, most of which can be collected as donations of surplus items from supportive and established Lodges in your area.

9) A meeting schedule that all of the members of your effort can abide by and commit to.

10) The gumption and dedication to see your project through to conclusion and constitution of your very own Blue Lodge.

There you have it, brothers. For those of you who feel like you are being held back in your current Lodge, and would like to do more than the average bear to strengthen and improve Freemasonry in your neighborhood, round up the brothers who you already know feel as you do and start your own Blue Lodge.

You will never regret it, because it is easier to build a new Lodge from the ground up, than it is to try and fix an old broken Lodge that doesn't want to help itself.

Freemasonry is an individual journey, brethren. Don't ever stop looking for new and undiscovered roads to take in your travels.

What Young Freemasons Want, by WB William A. Isabelle

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:29:19 PST

What do young Freemasons want?

Why do young men go out of their way to become Freemasons in the first place?

Why did you become a Freemason?

A generation or so ago, there was something called “anti-establishmentarianism”. As an attitude, this notion changed the world we live in today.

Today, we have “political-correctness”: no one is a winner or a loser; everyone is now a participant with no set standard to follow, or to be held to.

Parents no longer discipline their children; “they talk about their issues”; children no longer fear consequences because they don’t have any.

Men no longer have a definable role in society.

The term “man’s work” is sexist and discriminatory; Using such phraseology is considered to be harassment.

Most of Generation X came from broken homes, from parents who got divorced because they could, unlike many of our grandparents who really believed it was “’till death do us part”.

Most young men of today who are becoming the young Freemasons of today, do so because they perceive our fraternity as a bastion, an island of social constants where your word is your bond and the prerequisite is that you must be a man, good and true.

Most young Freemasons today are starved for adequate role-models because the society of today seeks to produce an androgynous homogeny, where the consideration of one’s Manhood is a misnomer, because today we seek to achieve “Actualized Persondom”.

What most young Freemasons want is a place where they can go and be around MEN. Men who have contributed in their way to the greatness and growth of the modern world. Men who have wisdom, and are not Dr. Phil.

What young Freemasons want is to make their mark on the world, because we believe it is our right and our responsibility to do so.

What young Freemasons want is to be a part of something greater than ourselves, something that will last longer than the popularity of the latest and greatest video gaming console.

What young Freemasons want is to be good Freemasons; the problem is that we don't have enough good examples to follow, because for most of us, we’re a generation too late.

I'm a young Freemason, and I want to leave the world, my Craft and Fraternity better than I found it.

Thank you.

TSS: Interactive Alchemy 101 with WB Timothy W. Hogan

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:46:22 PST

TSS is hosting its first interactive Alchemy 101 course proctored by world reknowned master alchemist and author WB Timothy W. Hogan!

Available only in the restricted Master Mason forum.

Date and time the course begins will be announced this weekend on TSS.

Bro. Hogan has written The Alchemical Keys to Masonic Ritual, and Revelation of the Holy Grail.

www.TheSanctumSanctorum.com

Order not Chaos, by "The Hammer"

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:44:49 PST

Brethren,

The following is a presentation I give to newly passed Fellowcrafts, explaining what we as Freemasons expect of them as Masons and as members of society.

ORDER NOT CHAOS

I am going to reference a particular paragraph from the Second Degree Charge, and show how relevant it is to the manner in which the human family is governed or ordered. The inspiration for this topic is the wisdom of our Founders. I hope to show just how perceptive they were with the ideas they put forth to impress upon our minds wise and serious truths.

The Second Degree Charge gives a blueprint for how a well-ordered human family can function effectively. The passage I am talking about begins “In the providence of God, with the breath of life, each of us became a member of the human family.” The most significant aspect of this sentence is that it begins with the words “in the providence of God.” Everything in life happens “in the providence of God;” everything in Freemasonry happens “in the providence of God.” This is order. This is a wise and serious truth.

What is it that happens in the providence of God? With the breath of life, we go from being one, to being one of many. Further, we understand that as we grow we face the needs and responsibilities of life and if as adults, we are fortunate enough to join the Masonic Fraternity, then as Fellowcrafts we understand that we face a duty to our neighbor. In these few words we are reminded that as Masons, we have a duty to that human family we joined when we took our first breath of life. What is the nature of this duty? “God never brought us into being to live in the narrow groove of a selfish individualism, but as brethren, one of another, in mutual dependence and support.” The nature of this duty is that we are to live as brethren, as a Masonic Fraternity, in mutual dependence and support, not “in the groove of a selfish individualism.” The “groove of a selfish individualism” is the place where those live who have not seen the Light. Brothers mutually depend upon each other. Brothers mutually support each other. Reflect. This is order. This is a wise and serious truth.

Is there more order for the human family? “No household can fashion the home where dissension and selfishness knell the death of unity and peace.” The foundation of the human family is the home, not the household, the home. What is the difference? The home is a place where dissension and selfishness have been banned forever. Dissension and selfishness live in the household; unity and peace live in the home. Masons live in homes because we live in mutual dependence and support, others live in households. This is order. This is a wise and serious truth.

Is there a further order for the human family? “No community can protect character where petty strife is born of mischievous tongues.” Why must character be protected? We understand this answer too. “Your manhood does not depend upon your position, but upon your character. The establishment as well as the acknowledgement of true manhood is in your own hands. Do not have two characters; one for your fellows and another for privacy. Be a true man in your own home as well as out in life.” Here is reference to that most profound of all Masonic concepts - the true man. To Masons, the texture of our characters is absolute. It is protected in a community - a community composed of homes whose inhabitants are true men, living in mutual dependence and support, as brothers. This is order. This is a wise and serious truth.

True men live in homes, communities and cities. “No city can become a place of prosperous growth whose citizens care little and do less for its advancement.” True men live in homes, communities, cities and states. “No State can derive the benefit of its own resources whose people obey but the one law of individual inclination and greed.” True men are the real resources of the State and true men could never obey but the one law of individual inclination and greed. Finally, true men are ordered by a government. “No government can stand firm whose adherents are blind to the unalterable law, in union is strength, in harmony is peace.” True men understand the importance of this order. True men live as brethren in mutual dependence and support. This is a wise and serious truth.

On the surface in this passage our Founders suggest an order for the human family as it could work today. There is the individual, the home, the community, the city, the state and finally the government. Masonically, each entity should be inhabited by true men living in mutual dependence and support - the more true men the better the human family; the more successful the established order.

However, just below the surface I believe that what we have is another brilliant example of Masonic double meaning. This passage not only presents a blueprint for order in the human family, but it presents a blueprint for order in the Masonic Family as well. Reflect! “No household can become a home where dissention and selfishness knell the death of unity and peace.” It is no stretch to say that no group of men can become a successful Masonic Lodge where dissention and selfishness knell the death of unity and peace. Be a true man in your own home and your Masonic Lodge where we all should live as brethren in mutual dependence and support.

To carry this further: no Masonic Lodge can protect character, in other words, function as ordered by our tenets, where petty strife is born of mischievous tongues. No Masonic Lodge can become a place of prosperous growth where brothers care little and do less for its advancement. No Masonic Lodge can derive the benefit of its own resources, its true men, when its brothers obey but the one law of individual inclination and greed. No Masonic Lodge can stand firm whose brothers are blind to the unalterable law in union is strength, in harmony is peace. No Masonic Lodge can function properly where men do not exhibit mutual dependence and support; where brothers do not show each other the full respect implicit in these words. Your Masonic Lodge is a home. This is a most wise and serious truth.

It makes no difference whether we are talking about citizens, people, adherents, or brothers. To make the human family work, to make our Lodges work, we must adhere to the few basic principles of order stated so eloquently in the Second Degree Charge. We must banish dissention, selfishness and petty strife born of mischievous tongues to achieve unity and peace. We must care and do everything in our power to advance the cause of Freemasonry. We must banish individual inclination and greed and live as true men understanding that in union there is strength, in harmony there is peace and in brotherhood there is mutual dependence and support.

Why? Because as Masons, we are told that although we are but one man among many, we cannot escape or shirk our share in this great responsibility. No matter what we may think; no matter how insignificant we may feel, ours is the responsibility of helping maintain order in the human family of which the Masonic family is an integral part. So my brothers, there are really two responsibilities implied in the admonition “you cannot escape or shirk your share in this great responsibility;” one as a member of the human family, and the other as a member of the Masonic family. No matter what you do, you should not escape or shirk either. You might have been able to as just another member of the human family, but as a member of the Masonic human family, as a true man, never.

In the Providence of God, our great responsibility is to our neighbor who lives in a home, a community, a city, a state, and who is ordered by a government. In the Providence of God, our great responsibility is to our Masonic Family which is ordered by the tenets of the Craft. Both responsibilities are fulfilled as the true man strives to order his existence by living in His Providence, mutually dependent upon and supportive of his brethren, never forgetting that he is the human image of the Mason's God and that this is THE most wise and serious truth of all.

Thoughts From a Young Mason, by G. Cliff Porter, 32°

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:46:39 PST

The other day I heard, once again, from a brother approximately 30 years my senior who told me “what young Masons want.” It was one time too many for me, and so I have put my thoughts on paper as to what a young Mason wants. After all, I’m 34-years old and have been a Mason for 4 years—I should know!

I do not mean this to be a commentary on the division of young and old, but rather to be a proclamation of a young Mason concerning what I believe we want. This is so we might all improve our understanding of one another and progress our fraternity.

It occurred to me that some may not know what young Masons really want. Worse, I think it is often misunderstood or misstated. We “young Masons” or new Masons bear some of the responsibility for this. We are often uncomfortable declaring our desires, our disappointments, and our frustrations. And what do we do? We quietly stop appearing at meetings and simply slip off the rolls. We return to our communities outside the lodge disheartened with Masonry, and—unfortunately for the fraternity—we will often share our disappointments with our friends. Sadly, we then join a group of Masons as diverse as the lodge itself: unfulfilled Masons.

Well, Brethren, I don’t intend to become an unfulfilled Mason. So here I stand. It is vital for the members of the Craft to understand one another so that we can create an environment that is beneficial for all.

Initially, we must discuss Blue Lodge, the birth place of the Master Mason, for without it, Scottish Rite Masonry does not exist. The young man approaching the Craft today does so to supplement and add to what his church and family have already given him. A certain tugging at his soul speaks to him to seek a deeper meaning in life, in family, and in God. He researches and desires an initiation into the esoteric and ancient quest for Truth. He requests a petition with these hopes in mind. Why shouldn’t he? The eloquent writings of Masonic scholars, including the Scottish Rite’s Albert Pike, have hinted at the existence of such knowledge, and Masonic writings abound with hints of this very thing.

What does this man find once he joins? For too many, it’s membership drives, one-day classes, poor and hastily planned ritual, late nights, and a push to become an officer before he is even proficient as a Master Mason. If that man has made it through the three degrees hoping that at the end of his journey some of the promises might be fulfilled, he only learns phrases like “progressive science” and “self-improvement.”

Excitedly, he stands up in lodge one day or approaches a small group of brethren in the parking lot and explains some ideas that he has for lodge and changes he might like to see. He is immediately told, “It has never been done that way, they won’t allow it, and anyway it’s against the rules.”

He swiftly learns that they won’t allow much of anything, and worse, no one will claim to be a member of them. They are the most elusive, but most powerful members of Masonry. They are responsible for every poor, hasty, or frustrating decision ever made, and more importantly, they rigidly enforce their number one rule: NO CHANGES.

I bring up them as it leads into discussing what they have decided the young Mason or unfulfilled Mason is looking for. I will attempt to list some of the most common things I’ve heard. Make no mistake, I am listing these because they are misconceptions, and we do not want them.

X 1. Young Masons want everything easier and faster, which leads to one-day raisings, watered down ritual, and little or no memory work.

This simply is not true. Once I arrive at the West Gate and am permitted entry, I want a fulfilling and life-changing experience on which I can build a better understanding of my relationship to my brethren and my God. I don’t mind hard work. To the contrary, and this is a big one, I want to feel like I have achieved something. I don’t want to be handed a pin, given a handshake, and told thank you for your small fee, and by the way, here is your membership card. I want my path to be challenging and enlightening.

X 2. Young Masons want or need low dues.

I am very willing to pay higher dues. I do, however, want a quality experience—educational, social, and community—for my money. I don’t need low dues. If the fraternity does not value itself, why should I value it? Can something that comes so cheaply have real value? These are questions I asked myself when I saw Masonry’s low dues schedules.

X 3. Young Masons want it to be easy to get in.

I don’t want to believe that just any man could or should get in. I wish that every investigations committee treated their assignment with the importance it should have—if we did not worship at the altar of bigness. I already belong to the community at large, and that costs me nothing in time or money. I would like the Fraternity to be guarded and to care greatly about the men who enter it. If I am going to call a man my brother, I want to be able to trust him. I don’t trust everybody who shows up with some money in one hand, and a petition in the other. I have seen brothers sign both lines of a petition, as if increasing our numbers is the only thing that counts. Let us care about our fraternity enough to guard it against those who do not deserve the title of Master Mason and brother.

These observations would prove of little value, if I did not offer some solutions and provide an explanation of how they might be applied to the Scottish Rite.

It begins with ensuring a quality Blue Lodge experience. We as Master Masons should return Masonry from a primarily social institution to one that studies ancient symbolism and the truths so revealed. Encourage and allow the candidate to have a meaningful experience in the initiatic phase of his degree work. Follow up with quality education and instruction in regards to the symbolism and, more importantly, how to apply it to his life.

The concepts I provide above are succinct, but no less complete. Let us address how they might apply directly to Scottish Rite Masonry and tie it all together.

Scottish Rite Freemasonry is the graduate faculty, the pinnacle of Masonic thought and study, the “University of Masonry.” This implies a higher learning and higher level of understanding, research, and study for its members.

Outside of reunions, I cannot remember any Masonic instruction on the Scottish Rite degrees ever being presented—even once—in the years of my involvement. The cure is simple really: treat Scottish Rite Masonry as the university it purports to be.

Do not thrust an application at men the night they are raised Master Masons as if the only thing of importance is a signature and $250. It debases the man’s night, for one, and it says that the man—without further evaluation—is ready for the degrees of the Scottish Rite, which debases our membership.

Do not rush through a reunion like it must be done in three hurried days or it doesn’t count. Many of us “Young Masons” work 50 or 60 hours a week and earn about a week of vacation a year. Our wives don’t want us to burn two of those precious days on another Masonic event. No candidate can take in what the degrees have to offer in three days. To pretend they can says that all Scottish Rite has to offer can be learned in 72 hours. Let’s back off the tight three-day schedules. Offer the degrees throughout the year. Offer some degrees at the stated communications and have a few Saturdays thrown in.

And if it takes a man a couple of years to reach the 32nd Degree, so what? If the man understands what has been presented, if the degrees were done with brothers that knew and understood the work, and if each degree was treated as a special event, then the brother is not going to mind the time. Remember, it is not the speed of the education, but the quality of it that young and unfulfilled Masons are interested in.

Bring education and discussion to the forefront of the meetings.

Period.

You are not going to retain young Masons without real change. It is not about a gimmick or a slogan. It is about improving men within the fraternity who seek a higher understanding and deeper meaning of the Craft.

Let the Scottish Rite take its rightful place as the University of Masonry. Let’s improve our men and make them better. Let every aspect of Scottish Rite Masonry radiate perfection in ritual and education.

It is not going to be easy because we are asking you to imagine a Masonry many have never seen in their lifetime. I am asking you to see beyond your own personal experiences and allow progress in this beautiful philosophy and science of ours.

The Initiatic Experience, by W.B. Robert Herd

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:13:59 PST

Preface: My sincere desire is that this paper, as the first presented before the Enlightenment Club, will serve as a firm foundation on which to educate the current and future members on certain theories, elementary yet necessary, in a journey of study regarding Freemasonry and its philosophies. By articulating my own firm beliefs and observations concerning these philosophies, I hope that I might stimulate or inspire more thought, debate, and study by other members, as well as instill an appreciation for this practice encouraged by the Enlightenment Club concept.

The Initiatic Experience

W.B. Robert Herd

Oct. 2006

I’ll begin with a simple definition of “initiation” from the Columbia Encyclopedia as it would relate to our subject:

Coming from the Latin, initiation implies a beginning. The related verb initiates means to begin or start a particular action, event, circumstance, or happening.

The initiatic process is often compared to a simultaneous death and rebirth, because as well as being a beginning, it also implies an ending of existence as one level drops away leading to ascension of the next.

From time immemorial, initiations have been performed by many--maybe even most--cultures, races, religions and philosophical orders. The purpose may be as simple as initiating a boy into manhood, or as complex as initiating priests into priesthood. Mankind has carried out this practice throughout all of time to assist in answering those eternal questions.

Where does it all come from, this quest, this need to solve life’s mysteries, where the simplest of questions can never be answered? Why are we here? What is the soul?

Many different initiatic orders have been formed to assist in the quest to search for more light. They are too numerous to name all; however, I would like to list a few that are of great importance in understanding the origins of Freemasonry and its philosophies toward the initiatic process. It is not possible or practical for me to elaborate on them to any depth in this paper, but hopefully this will challenge the reader to take it upon themselves to further their knowledge by studying these concepts in depth, and finding their own ties to our fraternity.

Egyptian Priesthoods: There were many different orders of priesthoods in ancient Egypt, teaching practical sciences as well as religious, spiritual and philosophical ones.

Hermeticism: Hermeticism is a magical and religious movement stemming from the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus. It consists of some of the most ancient and most widely adopted philosophies.

Alchemy: Alchemy is a system of esoterica, initiation, and spiritual development. It is one of the few initiatic systems that put equal emphasis on the outer, physical work of the world as well as the inner, spiritual work of the soul.

Rosicrucianism: The Rosicrucian Order, devoted to the study of ancient mystical, philosophical, and religious doctrines, was concerned with the application of these doctrines to modern life.

Pythagoreanism: This order held that reality, at its deepest level, is mathematical; that philosophy can be used for spiritual purification; that the soul can rise to union with the divine; and that certain symbols have mystical significance.

Gnosticism: The doctrines of certain pre-Christian, Jewish, and early Christian sects that valued the revealed knowledge of God and of the origin and end of the human race as a means of attaining spiritual redemption.

These are but a few examples of other initiatic orders with ties to Freemasonry via a system of initiatic processes and a passing down and mixing of philosophies. This brings us to the very important question…

What is or what should be the Initiatic Experience in the context of Freemasonry?

I emphasize that the following are my personal opinions and beliefs. I firmly believe that no one man can speak for all of Freemasonry. I offer this to you as the product of only my own thoughts and study and will keep this general so as not to violate the basic principals of my obligations or expose any of our work to anyone who may not be a Freemason.

The brethren conducting the initiation, who are in possession of a certain knowledge and state of being in respect to each of the degrees, transfer this knowledge or state to the candidate being initiated.

The energy of this transmission, it is important to note, is as important as the knowledge itself.

Think of it in terms of how solemn our degrees are to the initiate when they are done by brethren who truly know and understand the work, and are not just transmitting words, but feelings or “energy” to the candidate as well. This is a portion of the initiatic energy I’m speaking of. The transfer of this “energy”, via the initiatic experience, is intended to cause a fundamental process of change within the candidate, be that physical, mental, spiritual or a combination thereof.

Modern Freemasonry deals with this tripartite nature of man (physical, mental, spiritual) in that order by means of the three degrees.

We first teach the initiate about the physical portions of his environment in the lodge and of the necessary control of his physical outward actions in the first degree. Then we touch on the mental state and encourage him to study and improve his mind and further his knowledge by educating him with a base knowledge of the sciences to gain intellect in the second degree. Lastly, in the third degree, we expound on the spiritual side of man and convey to the candidate those contemplations of the eternal cycle of man’s spirit.

Birth, life, death, rebirth.

Recognizing the tripartite nature of man is essential to understanding what I will call the Mystery, because the Mystery is that which cannot be distinguished by the physical being through the senses, or by the mental being through the intellect, but rather is perceived directly by the spirit…that element of man’s being that is one with what some call the Grand Architect of the Universe, Universal Truth or simply stated our unconscious connection to the Divine. My definition of Mystery rests upon the premise that there is a reality beyond the material plane.

Freemasonry consists of many men with many diverse beliefs, but with one common understanding and belief in a greater Creator.

However, it would be unreasonable to expect a reader who does not view himself as sharing that belief in a non-physical reality to accept this premise without question.

Instead, I ask any reader not a brother to consider what this message refers to as the “spiritual” or “non-material” existence, as that which he himself believes is incomprehensible to the senses, but nevertheless a reality that transcends his mere self.

To one man, this may be a Deity; to another, the vital essence that animates all living creatures; and to yet another, this may be a simple mysterious force of electricity, which is present throughout the universe.

My belief is that it is a form of connection between us and Deity.

Yet, how do we explain what is not physical, or mental; how do we explain, much less communicate to an initiate this concept? For this I will ask you to remember back to the “energy” I wrote of earlier--energy that we as Initiators are trying to convey or transfer to the candidate in our Initiatic Order, carrying out our goal of providing a complete Initiatic Experience for the candidate.

Any number of experiences may cause man to consider the existence of an unseen reality. It may be that he is suddenly controlled by the mysterious and powerful emotion of Love; he may be moved by an overwhelming spirit of Brotherhood; he may feel the penetrating presence of the All Seeing Eye while searching his soul in a chamber of reflection; or perhaps he feels his spirit affected by an inspiring work of music. Whatever the circumstance, such exalted experiences result in an awakening of consciousness. This is the goal of the Initiatic Experience within Freemasonry, my brethren, this awakening of an individual to his connection to the spiritual plane. The individual is no longer blissfully ignorant of a non-material existence and begins to thirst for direct communion with the spiritual reality that he senses. In essence, a part of him has stopped existing, and a new part has started a journey, fulfilling the basic definition of initiation given previously.

To quench his desire to explore this higher consciousness, he may now delve into music, poetry, philosophy, and other intangible arts that inspire this feeling beyond the limitations of the body and the mind.

The Greek figure Orpheus, a poet and musician, represented this idea that the transcendent Mystery can be expressed through the arts.

Since ancient times, art and music have been the two primary means through which man achieved this Mysterious illumination. The second degree, I believe, is what best lays this out for the initiate. He has been through his first initiation and learned to control his vices, the better to open his mind to the teachings of the liberal arts and sciences, music of course being one of them that I will use as an example.

Entrapped in his “tomb of flesh,” man still struggles to express himself through this spiritual language, and he attempts to communicate it to others. Inspired by music, he sings or plays with such passion that he may awaken his own spirit and the spirit of others to a form of recognition of the Mystery. Thus, music and the other arts and sciences, as modes of human expression, are not merely incidental to human civilization, but are intrinsic and essential to it. Plato taught that through music, a definite purification takes place within the soul, and man’s regeneration is thereby advanced.

Love and Brotherhood are other examples of this intangible force.

When the Initiate is awakened to the mysterious power of these “energies”, the whole ethical and moral tone of his life is advanced. Because he now understands that there is a universal Mystery of which he and every other human being is a part, he no longer perceives himself as an individual, but rather as an element of one great consciousness. He no longer identifies himself with the body or mind, which emphasizes his individuality, but instead with the spirit, which affirms his universality. With this heightened consciousness comes the understanding that “Fraternity” refers not only to Freemasonry, but to the brotherhood of Man. It is experienced in the informal social gatherings as well as felt in the lodge room. It is encountered in the degree work and taught in the lectures.

A powerful example of the Mystery of brotherhood and fraternity makes itself known through the grip, one of the secrets of the order. Our veins have tingled as the handshake of a stranger has become a brother's grip.

There is, in truth, mysticism in fraternity.

We cannot comprehend or explain it in entirety; it cannot be counted, weighed, or shown. We can only feel it in our spirit. These words impart the message that the Mystery is no less real than that which we perceive through the physical senses or through the intellect. It is a clear lesson on faith, and the acceptance as reality of that which one cannot see, leading us to that sublime degree which exemplifies the virtues and benefits of faith.

These are the energies I believe we seek to transfer during the Initiatic Experience of our candidates.

Without proper attention to details, study, practice and a solemn regard for the rituals, this transferal cannot be obtained or yet worse an opposite energy can be transferred. Think of the times in our lodges where uneducated brethren have given poor lectures or sloppy work. Not only were there not a strong positive energies communicated to that candidate, but likely a strong negative one. Instilling disinterest in him for the craft or for the work, a pity for the brother who gave the poor work, a distraction from what was to be communicated by him resulting in an incomplete presentation sending the candidate down a path possibly not desired. In using the analogy of music again, it’s as if a musician were playing him a beautifully written piece of music on a piano out of tune…the discord and disharmony felt by his spirit could be almost physically painful.

In closing let me say I am excited about the Enlightenment Club concept and its goal of bringing Freemasonry back to a plane of practicing and conferring knowledge regarding man’s spiritual transcendence. Practicing this new concept gives me the feeling of being initiated into a new order, in that we are in effect beginning a new path, a new quest. I know that through continued education and attention to conferring a complete, positive and sublime Initiatic Experience, we can transfer positive, inspiring energy and allow ourselves and our candidates that communion with the Divine by opening them up to the Mystery within them…which I believe has always truly been the purpose of the Initiatic Experience of Freemasonry.

Freemasonry and Pop Culture, by WB William A. Isabelle

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:01:56 PST

We are living in the beginning of the post-capitalist era.

Consumer culture has been defined by disposable luxury. Just as we grew up watching our parents enjoy the fruits of the golden age of Americana, we are also increasingly burdening ourselves with bobbles and trinkets that are material and totally unfulfilling.

Our inner nature--our spirit, really--is starting to reject the accumulation of misspent energies, having earned to buy and bought, and gained no satisfaction for the effort, just a desire for more and better.

We are looking for more because our collective subconscious is waking up to the cultural vacuum that has been created by 40 years of folks being glued to their TVs and not talking to their neighbors.

Masonry, in some cases, has trouble speaking for itself because we don't know what to say anymore, and those who are entrusted with providing such rebuttal, response or statement, don't really know themselves.

There are currently four generations of men in this fraternity. Currently, the majority of decision-making offices are filled with folks who have an inherently different perspective than you or I, and perhaps just can't--or don't--want to see things differently. If you were in your twenties or teens in the forties, you’d see things differently, too.

Masonry doesn't recognize itself anymore. It's like Bro. Porter mentioned in his essay on his Lodge-building experience: most of the senior Masons are looking back at how things were the way their fathers described, who likely heard them from their fathers, and so on. It's been that long since things were really like that in Masonry.

Those who could speak for Masonry prefer not to, because the face of the Masonry of today is changing very quickly; and perhaps, in some cases, by the time you have formulated an all-encompassing statement, your response is no longer current.

The Problem of Fraternity, By Angel Millar (Bro.)

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:37:42 PST

Even before I joined the Craft I had noticed that it had acquired a strange and rather off-putting reputation. Freemasonry was fascinating, but Freemasons were not really interested in it, so I heard. Freemasons thought of it as a social club, was the cliché. After my initiation I was pleasantly surprised to see that most were in fact extremely interested and enthusiastic Masons, and were prepared to share anecdotes of rituals, and hotly debate the Craft during the Lodge dinner. However, after a while it became increasingly apparent that this was completely abandoned once inside the Lodge itself. In my first year there was not a single lecture on Freemasonry given, and not a single discussion of Masonic symbols, rituals, or philosophy took place. Instead we were treated to lectures on tax law, men’s health, and the life of a fireman. It is a simultaneous failure of imagination and common sense that banishes Freemasonry from the Lodge, though the situation is hardly the fault of Lodge Masters alone.

With the decline in membership, and the loss of revenue from dues, in recent years Grand Lodges have become especially alarmed. They have often committed vast amounts of capital to homes for the elderly, and these can’t simply be abandoned. While they have encouraged Lodges to initiate more and more men, and to make the initiation process easier, they have not instituted policies that – to use the cold language of the modern age – give value for money. They have been reactionary rather than pro-active; and they have largely promoted the Craft in a way that appealed to them when they were young men, or, perhaps, that appealed to their fathers, who introduced them to the Lodge in the first place. Consequently new members often disappear after a short while.

But the situation cannot be entirely blamed on the various Grand Lodges and the elder statesmen that populate them either. Simply, put, they cannot legislate initiative. Freemasonry is, and has always been, a voluntary society, and has always required its members volunteering their talents, knowledge and understanding. In the eighteenth century when it was enormously popular Freemasonry was characterized by creative zeal. Men painted their own Masonic aprons, or their wives sowed and embroidered them. They made the tools for the Lodge, painted tracing boards, or drew illustrations directly onto the floor in chalk. Moreover, Freemasons discussed and even argued over Freemasonry. They delivered lectures. They ate, drank, sang, and even put on Masonic plays together. It deserved the name, “the Craft.”

There is another important change. If in the eighteenth century the philosophical and so-called “esoteric Freemasons” were particularly active and vocal – writing books, lecturing, creating Rites and Degrees (even if these were frowned upon) – today they a silent, and one might say a rather guarded group. Such Freemasons are, typically, aware of the esoteric tradition generally (the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, alchemy, Cabala, etc.), and, as such, they may be more knowledgeable about related traditions than the average Brother. They have something to contribute to the Lodge, but, instead, it seems they want to hoard their knowledge, as if it is a finite resource which will run dry if shared. Some of them have expressed to me that their Grand Lodge may disapprove or even punish them in some undefined way if they hear of their interests.

No doubt I am an esoteric Mason of sorts. I have given talks on the Golden Rosicrucians in Lodge, and in May my book, ‘The Forest of Symbols,’ specifically charting the impact of Freemasonry on the Western Esoteric Tradition, will be published. So far I have encountered no hostility from the Grand Lodges, and have even been praised by many of the members of the Grand Line, and asked to do more. I am not trying to inflate my importance, but simply to point out that the fears of esoteric Freemasons are probably not justified. Most Brothers did not join the Craft because of fraternity or charity. To differing degrees most have an interest in philosophy, symbols, mythology, esotericism, etc., and all have a burning interest in the Craft itself.

Grand Lodges might be faulted for not encouraging a lively intellectual tradition within Freemasonry, but those of a century ago were no better than those of today. Indeed, one might cite positive examples of our own time, such as the Grand Lodge of New York’s publication of a manual for Masters of Lodges, containing history, lectures, and even a few texts from the eighteenth century, and the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon posting of an extensive list of papers on Freemasonry and esotericism on its site. In Europe, where Freemasonry is flourishing, Entered Apprentices are expected to give lectures on the Craft. It’s a good practice. New Brothers get to learn a lot in a short time, and Lodges ensure that they have knowledgeable members who are getting the most out of Lodge, and who are able to give the most back, and mentor younger Brothers, or simply answer their questions intelligently, when the time comes.

Brothers in English-speaking countries may bewail the promotion of the Craft as a fraternity-cum-charity (certainly I do), especially when it is currently attracting global attention as a Mystery tradition. But unless individual Freemasons as well as Lodges take the initiative, go out on a limb, and give talks on the Craft, and cultivate the kind of enthusiasm for Freemasonry inside the Lode that one regularly experiences with Brothers outside of the Lodge, then Grand Lodges will be unable to promote it as a Mystery tradition, or a school of philosophy or esotericism, etc. Masters and Officers of a Lodge are responsible for encouraging discussion of Freemasonry in Lodge, but Brothers who are philosophically or esoterically inclined are equally responsible. Lodges need to be the one place a man can go to learn about Freemasonry. They have to be places of ‘mutual education,’ not entertainment. Only in this way will it remain a rewarding experience for men of our time.

There may be some good news in this regard. The internet – love or hate it – is connecting enthusiastic Masons with one another, and it is becoming increasingly clear that the interest that Freemasonry generates really is in its rituals, symbols, etc., not especially in its charitable works, wonderful though they may be. Brothers are gaining mutual support outside the Lodge, and they are getting quite a bit of information too. However, if it is not to end up comparable to the Lodge dinner, then those who are active online need to be active in Lodge. An article for an online Masonic forum needs to indicate a talk given in Lodge. A comment in a blog needs to suggest a Mason that gives sound advice to younger Brothers. In effect, from Grand Master all the way down to the Entered Apprentice, we are going to have to reinvigorate the Craft ourselves, by bringing it back into the Lodge. We need not worry that every word of a lecture is delivered like a professional speaker, or every talk crafted like the work of a historian or philosopher. We are members of the Craft, not the art. We have to expect the rough with the smooth, but, like online communities, members of Lodges need to share what skills and understanding they have.

used by permission

10 Planks of Lodge-Building, by WB William A. Isabelle

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 05:53:26 PST

Brothers,

A lot of people right now are complaining about what Freemasonry isn't to them. I submit that if the following initiatives were put into practice, things would improve dramatically and quickly.

1. We need to immediately start taking ourselves much more seriously than we currently are.

There is nothing more noble and valuable to this Craft, fraternity, culture and society of Freemasons than taking pride in ourselves as Freemasons and bringing honor to our institution will follow accordingly.

2. Don't walk, but rather run to your Blue Lodge and start giving a damn about the kind of Masons we bring into our midst!

Immediately cease the flow of the unprepared into offices of power that wield consequence to the detriment of all those in their care.

3. If your Lodge is broken and beyond repair, don't waste any more of your precious time listening to stupid, childish, nonsensical bluster and fuss over nothing.

Take charge of your own Masonic experience and go start your own Lodge with a group of like-minded and equally motivated Masons. You will be amazed at the social-alchemy that will be wrought amongst those who work together, to achieve a SHARED VISION.

4. Make Masonic Charity mean Masonic Charity!!!

Stop shoveling money to the administrative fees of faceless charities that don't need your money. Instead, go visit a widow of one of your departed Lodge Brothers and see if her home is in disrepair. Find out if her yard is in need of attention, or even go to lengths to see if she is eating cat food because she is in financial peril and too proud to say so.

If one finds such a situation in their midst, then fix it and stop writing checks to organizations that are endowed beyond this lifetime. Masonic Charity should look after its own house first, and then worry about those beyond our existing responsibilities and obligations.

5. Set an example.

Stand up in Lodge and show the new members that they too can stand up and voice their opinions or offer their individual expertise to benefit the Lodge. Read your Lodge By-Laws and identify the things that must change to adapt to the world we live in today, and vote it so. Read your Grand Lodge Constitution and By-Laws and identify what needs to be changed to adapt to the world we live in today, and write a Resolution or Amendment to that effect.

6. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, has any right to push anyone around in this organization and fraternity of enlightened souls!

If you see someone taking advantage of whatever pitiful authority they think they have, that has convinced them that it's OK to push around the new guy or an Entered Apprentice that doesn't know any better, then it's your immediate and imperative responsibility to step in and correct the situation!!!

7. Bring an immediate end to the promotion and acceptance of incompetence and arrogance!!!

To do so is despicable and patently un-Masonic. I don't know when or where the tenets of Masonry became trifling and petty favors to be bestowed upon the undeserving.

8. Make sure that every man who passes the West Gate of your Lodge has a solid and deepest understanding of how honored he should feel to have been accepted into your Lodge and that he realizes that it is he who owes his Lodge and not the other way around.

9. Past every other trifling concern and non-priority, ensure beyond all else that the ritual which your Lodge represents to its members and to its initiates is deserving of being labeled Masonic and enlightening.

Be ever watchful and ever-ready to provide resources for additional Masonic education to the occasional bright-eyed and overly-interested newly-minted Master Mason.

10. Call your Brothers, go for a beer or a Scotch!

Hang out with your Brethren, get to know each other and start building on the relationships that will define the necessary development of the Masonic community that you will ever be proud of , honored by and grateful for, to have the opportunity to support for the rest of your years.

If we start with this list, I guarantee that the resulting positives to the Craft and your individual journey will be swift and priceless and more than that, you will be on the road you were looking for when you first petitioned the Lodge.

Sincerely & Fraternally,

WB William A. Isabelle

New Forum: We are Live!!

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 08:02:21 PST

Greetings Brothers,

If you haven’t heard of it, there is finally an online Masonic discussion forum that is specifically geared towards Regular Masons by Regular Masons, and interests pertaining to their mutual associations as such.

www.TheSanctumSanctorum.com

Finally, there is a place to refer Masons to, new and not, young and old, on the internet, where there isn’t a concern that they will encounter the negative information that seems to fill the majority of the web pages out there.

I look forward to seeing you there, whether you just want to read and watch. If you have a desire to participate in the discussions being had, or even if you might feel compelled to start one of your own, you can.

This forum is for Regular Masons and those who might have questions about perhaps becoming a Freemason.

Best of all, it’s free!! If you like what you find there, feel free to spread the word and forward this message as appropriate.

Check it out and have fun, and enjoy meeting some good brothers from across the world.

Be well brothers.

Sincerely & Fraternally,

WB William A. Isabelle

What Are We Going to Do with Masonry? by Br. Ronald D. Martin

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:22:38 PST

What are we going to do with Masonry?

I have been pondering a potential comparison to our question of, "what do we do with Masonry." I, like many of you am just a rough ashlar that spends my days working in the Masonic mines. As such, I have come to realize over these many years the repetitive nature of all that we do.

This made me think about a little known psychologist in the early 1900's by the name of Karl Duncker. Duncker was one of the early psychologists that performed experiments that dealt with problem solving. Of course, many of you might ask, what does problem solving have to do with Masonry? We don't have any problems; at least we wouldn't if people would just do things the way we use to do them. Back when our halls were full; when brothers fought to get in line for the chairs (and that wasn't dinner chairs); you know, back when, well…when all was well.

Well let me tell you a little more about Mr. Duncker's experiments, and then maybe you can let me know what you think. Mr. Dunker use to set a table in the middle of a room and place a wide assortment of seemingly unrelated objects on the table. He would then call in a group of volunteers (subjects) and ask them to perform some task utilizing the objects set before them; none of which on the surface appeared appropriate. His goal was to see if the subjects could determine other possible uses for the objects and under what conditions.

In the first experiment, the subjects were asked to mount three small candles on the wall at eye level. Duncker had placed on the table; tacks, paper clips, paper, string, candles, and three small boxes. After pondering the situation all of the subjects realized that they could attach the boxes to the wall and use them as platforms for the candles.

In the second experiment, utilizing the same materials and instruction, Duncker filled the three boxes with the other items that had previously been placed separately on the table. This time very few of the subjects were able to solve the problem. This time the subjects viewed the boxes as serving a specific purpose, simply because they were holding the other items. Therefore, the subjects had a hard time seeing another use for the boxes.

Duncker coined this impediment to problem solving "functional fixedness." This happens when someone that is expected to solve a problem sees the object as having only one specific function (sometimes due to repetitive exposure of a singular use and under repetitive singular understanding) and it becomes much more difficult for the subject to see any other use or function for the object. Duncker considered this a very important discovery (not quite as valuable as discovering the lost word; however, maybe close in our situation). Duncker explains that this is why, in many situations, the most knowledgeable people in any subject are the least likely to deduce a good solution to a new problem in their field of expertise. In a similar fashion, education can create expertise but also functional fixedness. The experts see their tools in terms of functions that they know they serve. He suggests that neophytes may, while coming up with uninformed and even absurd suggestions, see them more creatively. In addition, he suggests that it is no accident that most scientists generally make their most original and important contributions early in their career before suffering, “functional fixedness.”

So, is Masonry suffering from functional fixedness? Here are your three boxes, now tell us “what You are going to do with Our Masonry.”

Obligations. Who Cares, Right? by Br. T. Justin Robinson

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 18:53:18 PST

There are many things that I consider sacred in my life: my beliefs, my family, my word and my bond.

I was raised a Master Mason in 2005 and jumped right into the lodge. I have had many masonic experiences, both in lodge and on the internet; many good and some not so good. But when it comes down to it I have no regrets.

I have been asked countless times, What do I think needs to be done to improve the craft? What needs to be done to help retain membership? For a long time I have pondered questions such as these.

It wasn't until recently that the answer hit me like a bolt of lightning on a clear sky.

There is one thing at the heart of Masonry that is often overlooked or not taken seriously--our Obligations. It is this more than anything that I believe has led to the deradation of our fine craft. So many good and true Brothers have very deep discussions regarding regularity, PHA, Ancients and Moderns, etc...that they easly miss this simple truth. Many Brothers take their obligations with a grain of salt.

I have seen on several occasions a brother attacked, on no credible grounds, by both a non-mason as well as a brother. When I have seen this happen it has been rare to witness a fellow Mason come to the defense of said brother and much less vindicate him as we are obliged to do.

I have seen worthy, distressed brother Master masons seek assitance and find none. I have seen and heard secrets sworn before God let out on loose lips. I have seen brothers keep secrets from eachother regardless of their common bond of trust and many many more examples of disregard to our obligations.

These things are done, and then they ask, Whats wrong with our Fraternity? Why do brothers not take our Craft seriously? Why can't we retain our membership? The answer is before them, yet they seek it not; they wish others to seek it for them and then argue when it is presented.

When the day comes that our brothers truly feel connected, not only through beliefs and actions, but through our own obligations which are held sacred and invaluable; when the day comes that brothers unite in defense of one another, stand together through thick and thin; when the day comes that we are able to share secrets regardless of content without hesitation...that will be the day that this Fraternity regains its former grandeur.

Until that time, I will continue to do my part, Brothers...let us always meet on the level and part on the square!

How Do We Know When Our Strategic Mission Is Complete?, by Bro. Ronald D. Martin

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:51:45 PST

There once were grand temples that resonated with life. The thousand seat auditoriums would be filled with enlightened brothers listening to traveling orators who spoke from the inner chamber of their souls and presented laudably lofty speeches. Every brother in the room was seated on the edge of his chair, attentively listening to each word spoken. Each brother's heart and mind was enriched by Masonic philosophy, and an ever so descriptive picture of how Masonry can change the world.

Many of those buildings now resonate only from their own death rattle. The thousand seat auditoriums are now empty. There are no more traveling orators making laudably lofty speeches. Brothers seated in a room on the edge of their chairs, is now probably a good sign they are ready to leave. The once discerning hearts and minds of those who were being enriched by listening are now seeking the answer to the question, what has been lost?

There is something to be said about seeking for that which was lost. This is the life long quest of a true Master Mason. As Scottish Rite Masons and Master’s of the Royal Secret, we are presented with knowledge, that when applied correctly will become the wisdom of equilibrium in all our endeavors and understanding. If we seek to find the answer to the question, what has been lost, we may also find the answer to, “where have all the Masons gone?”

Human ignorance lives in the darkness of Wrong Thought, Wrong Desire, and Wrong Action. Some might say, “tell me that isn’t so,” and “what does that have to do with our fraternity?”

As brother Manly P. Hall stated, “a Mason is a builder of the temple of character. He is the architect of the temple of character. He is the architect of a sublime mystery; the gleaming, glowing temple of his own soul.” He realized that he best serves God when he joins with the Great Architect in building more noble structures in the universe below.

Why haven’t we been building all those noble structures that were once honed from so many rough ashlars? Are the quarries in which we look no longer marked by Brotherly Love, Truth, Relief, and Charity? Are the rough ashlars we accept as the underpinnings of our grand structure no longer on that personal journey in search of that which was lost?

Illustrious Henry Clausen, Past Sovereign Grand Commander, once stated, “We seek to instill into the hearts of our members a love of knowledge and thereby inflame their souls with a passion for mental and spiritual growth. They then may devote themselves to a search for the truth that should dominate their lives. The marks of a true Scottish Rite Mason are not glib phrases, nor ready answers, or shining jewelry, but an insatiable curiosity, a love of learning, and a desire to know and to find the radiant truth.”

Do not all great men learn from the words of other great men; is that not the building plan of the Great Architect of the Universe? The Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is the repository for that knowledge; it is the College of Freemasonic thought, and education. This Masonic organization, being the greatest that there is, has the grand responsibility of conveying this wisdom to mankind; so that it will be endowed, to shine the light, the whole world over, for time immemorial.

Have we been living up to our responsibility?

Emerson once said, “There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better or worse. It is the harder because you will always find those who think they know what your duty is better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness, the independence of solitude.”

Have we let the rest of the world redefine our duty for us? Are we living after the world’s opinion instead of our own? In our current solitude have we convinced ourselves all is fine? When is the last time we stood in the midst of the crowd, and unwaveringly knew exactly who and what we are?

Masonic education brings about human enlightenment, and the enlightened live in the light of Right Thought, Right Desire, and Right Action. So how will we know when our Strategic Mission is Complete?

I would suggest; we will know our mission is complete when, every candidate that enters through the West gate has an insatiable curiosity for knowledge and the truth. When the quarries in which we work are marked by Brotherly Love, Truth, Relief and Charity. When each of us has honestly embarked on that personal journey to find that which was lost.

When each of us has achieved the wisdom of equilibrium and is applying it in all our endeavors and understanding. When each of us has realized that we best serve God when we join with the Great Architect in building more noble structures in the universe below. When each of us learn one from the other.

When each of us in the midst of the crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness, the independence of solitude. When each of us lives in the light of Right Thought, Right Desire, and Right Action.

When our temples can once again be called grand, and each one resonates with life. When the seats are filled with enlightened brothers, listening to traveling orators who speak from the inner chamber of their soul and present laudably lofty speeches about Masonic philosophy, and poetically convey how the teachings of Freemasonry can change the world.

Then and only then, can we say, as Scottish Rite Masons, that Our Strategic Mission has been Accomplished!

The Moderators Rule!!!

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:56:22 PST

Brethren,

As I'm sure you have heard by now, The Sanctum Sanctorum is in the middle of getting ready for the big move! Cool huh?!

This discussion forum has become such a smashing success and the brothers here are enjoying such 1st Class fellowship that we have put into motion a plan to acquire our own dedicated space at

www.TheSanctumSanctorum.com,

so be sure to bookmark the domain name to your favorites now!

Since this kind of major move requires intensive, time consuming effort, your TSS admins have been busy getting ready and putting all the pieces of the puzzle together to make it happen.

So with that, the admins are going to be locked up in their basements, with nothing but the dim light of their computer screens, until they have our new home ready. As such, we have decided that since there is so much activity here, we needed help!

Therefore, we have invited a handful of brothers to help us out by joining the Moderation Team, which will be headed up by Damocles, our Moderator Admin, and Maximus, our Moderation Team Leader, both of whom will be working with our new team members to help our fellow forum members, wherever needed.

Thank you brothers, for your time, your effort and your energy, as your help will make all the difference while we are working to ensure a smooth transition to our new home!

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Masonry & Fish Fries, by Bro. Ronald D. Martin

thesanctumsanctorum@gmail.com (The Sanctum Sanctorum) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:01:43 PST

Question: What are most young men looking for in Masonry?

I agree that what most young Masonic applicants are seeking is Light! Let’s just analyze it from a realistic stance; from the outsiders’ view, the profane-the uninitiated; he that seeks admission through the West gate. There aren’t thousands of books written about Masonic picnics, nor Masonic fish fries, nor first Sunday breakfasts, nor Kazoo bands for entertainment, nor “yawn,” stated business meetings! However; there are thousands and thousands of books that have been written about Masonic History. There are thousands and thousands of books that have been written about Masonic Philosophy. There are thousands and thousands of books that have been written about Masonic Esoterica. What do these books offer a man in search for that which was lost? Hope, answers, a way to view and engage life for the betterment of himself, those around him, and the world at large!

We already know that many men did not become interested in Masonry in the past couple of decades because their fathers and grandfathers didn’t talk to them about Masonry. We already know that the local men of our union shops, our mills, the power company, the County and State workers no longer think they have an advantage at work by becoming a Freemason. We already know that a man simply interested in charity can give to any of a thousand plus good organizations without having to leave his home.

So who do we think would be interested in “us,” Freemasons that is? Well; maybe the guy who is seeking light! Maybe the guy who has read some of those thousands of books on Masonic History, Masonic Philosophy, and Masonic Esoterica! Why are we always so shocked with that Correlating Equation? Well I could tell you; however, I think you already know the answer!

Some would argue that these are men who don’t have a nuclear family; however, I would argue based on many Brothers responses that that simply isn’t true. Many of these men have families and young children; what they don’t have is time to waste. That means time to waste on Masonic picnics, nor Masonic fish fries, nor first Sunday breakfasts, nor Kazoo bands for entertainment, nor “yawn,” stated business meetings! That is because they already do picnics, fish fries, Sunday breakfast, entertainment, and meetings with their family and business associates.

What they have time for is something meaningful. They have time for something that provides them with the tools to make themselves better men; time for something that provokes thought, understanding, and makes them ask one more question about life’s mysteries. Asking a question of course requires someone to provide an answer. (I would interject here and say, “if we provide the answers then we might become part of their family and thus picnics, fish fries, Sunday breakfast, and entertainment.”)

Well; historically, intrinsic in the attributes of a College are answers for those who have questions. There are also some other intrinsic attributes; a well planned program, an appropriate time allotted for learning, an inherent mentorship, a fellowship, and a sense of something gained at a cost of both time and finance.

Now, if we provide those intrinsic attributes of what we claim to be, “the College of Freemasonry,” how does that play out with our long time members?

Well; some of the brightest and most knowledgeable men I know relative to the teachings of the Craft are guess what? Freemasons! Many of them have been members of our Craft for 50+ years. Surprising, some might say, but think about it; who wrote all those Masonic books in the last 50+ years on Masonic History, Masonic Philosophy, and Masonic Esoterica?

Then there are all those Masons who didn’t write any books. Some of them were the mentors for all those young initiates during the past 50+ years. Then there are those 50+ year Masons who wanted to learn more about the History, Philosophy, and Esoterica of the Craft during that time period; but Masonry didn’t fulfill its promise. Then there are those men that joined during that time period; but they didn’t join for the educational reasons, however, they did join for the right reasons in their mind, and that was to be amongst other good men and do the best they could as men with their own lives. Some of these men may not know much about Freemasonry relative to our History, Philosophy, and Esoterica; but, these men did what their Masonic leaders told them. These men took care of our buildings, they made dinner, they performed in the degrees, they did “whatever” was asked of them. Those men are no less a Mason than any of us, and in many cases showed greater Masonry than any of us will ever have the chance to display.

Many of these men helped change the world whereby other countries and its peoples were liberated. These men accomplished what many people thought was too lofty of a pursuit. And when finished on foreign soil, these men didn’t leave their ideals, devotion, and good works on the sands of some far away beach; these men came home and became Freemasons. Each one of these Brothers are men of great character! Each one of them personally knows the cost of Freedom. These are men who are use to giving when asked, and I would suggest if we ask properly, these men will give of themselves, too us, once again!

There is no doubt that the majority of men who seek admission into our “Gentle Craft,” today, are seeking that College education; however, not all of our caretakers of the Craft are College professors. (I might add here: and thank God!).

You see, the issue we face today has two faces due to the way in which we have framed it. The young man; who’s mirror tells him that he is strong, on a quest, and without question will quench his thirst for knowledge. Then there is the old man; who’s mirror tells him that he is not quite as strong as he once was, much of his quest is behind him, and much of his thirst for knowledge has already turned into a gain of wisdom.

If each would only stand side by side in the mirror; I believe that each would then see a complete Master Mason.

It is not them against us; it is the Master Mason against himself! Certainly we can find a way to accomplish that which we desire without splitting the Master Mason. Change must occur; as the true seeker for that which was lost understands. The true Master of the Royal Secret is the Architect of his own life; no where is it written that he is the Architect of melancholy of the spirit.

Our change must be Decisive! It must be Powerful! It must lead to Light!

A halfway attempt will not fill the needs of the new young Seeker of the Truth; and a halfway attempt will not fill the needs of the old Master of the Royal Secret! We will loose both; and then what will become of our “Gentle Craft?”

Let us be Architects, steadfast in our purpose, one working with the other!

used by permission of the author