by W.Bro. B. C. Pottinger, LGR
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no
power but of God, the powers that be are ordained of God
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of
God - and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Will
thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and
then shalt have praise of the same:
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that
which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain for
he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him
that doeth evil.
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also
for conscience sake.
(Romans ch.13 vs. 1 5)
During the ceremony of our Initiation we were informed that it was
customary at the erection of all stately and superb edifices, to
lay the first, or foundation, stone at the north-east corner of
the intended building, and that, being newly admitted into
Freemasonry, we were placed in the north-east part of the Lodge,
figuratively to represent that stone, and on the foundation laid
"may you raise a superstructure, perfect in its parts, and
honourable to the builder." The Charge, which is given by the
Initiating Master, then proceeded to conduct us through a very
dramatic episode concerned with Charity in the form of a trial to
educe, in the Socratic method, the fact that at that point we had
nothing to give. It was an embarrassing moment which almost
certainly is indelibly impressed on every Candidate's heart, even
though we were immediately told that it was not done with a view
to sport with our feelings but for three especial reasons; firstly,
to put our principles to the test; secondly, to evince to the
Brethren that we had neither money nor metallic substances about
usno money to buy our way in, nor weapon to fight our way out;
thirdly, to ensure that we were oriented to cheerfully embrace the
opportunity of practising Charity at any future period when called
upon so to do by a distressed Brother.
Having successfully gone through the trial, the Working Tools of
that degree were then presented to our notice, and it is obvious
that there are several reasons why they should have been presented
at that particular stage. Briefly we can say that as we had been
obligated and entrusted in the approved manner, the working tools
were then presented to our notice to enable us to upgrade
ourselves in order to qualify for further advancement in due time.
In connection with these working tools we were informed that being
free and accepted, or speculative, Masons we apply these tools to
morals, and as the word speculum = mirror or reflection, by its
meaning as intuition, spiritual or mental vision, the Hermetic Law
of Correspondence "As Above," so Below, but in a different manner"
is implied.
The fact that the Initiating Master handles the Working Tools, and
presents them to us in the East, is an indication that our
acceptance of them was by mental apprehension only. This appears
to be borne out in the Lecture on the First Tracing Board in which
it is said: "That immovable Jewels are the Tracing Board, the
Rough and Perfect Ashlars . . . they are called immovable Jewels
because they lie open and immovable in the Lodge for the Brethren
to moralise on."
This idea is further strengthened at the Long Closing of the Lodge,
which commences with the words: "You are now about to quit this
safe retreat of peace and friendship, and to mix again with the
busy world; amidst all its cares and employments, forget not those
sacred duties which have been so frequently inculcated, and so
strongly recommended in this Lodge . . .", bearing in mind that
the Lodge is Closed from the West, and it is through the Western
Gate that we enter from, and emerge to, the mundane world against
which the Lodge is Tyled, but yet it is this realm in which we
should put our principles into practice.
The moral indications of the Working Tools were stated as relating
the 24-inch gauge to the 24 hours of the day, which are divided
into three sections: part to be spent in prayer to Almighty God,
part in labour and refreshment, and part in serving a friend or
brother in time of need. The common gavel was said to denote the
force- of conscience and there are three gavels in constant use in
the Lodge. While the work of education, symbolised by the chisel
which removes the darkness of ignorance to convert the rough
ashlar into a perfect one for the Craftsman to try and adjust his
Jewels on, of necessity must be spread over the three degrees to
enable us to become members of well-organised society.
So far we have been considering particular aspects of the First
Degree as they would have appeared to us at our Initiation. In
order to set the scene for this current study it is apposite to
quote a philosophical axiom: Simple means suffice for simple ends;
integral means are required for integral ends. Let us therefore
expand our understanding by taking a more penetrating look at the
first set of Working Tools, and retrace our steps with deeper
understanding, adding facts
and inferences in order to arrive at possible conclusions, or open
doors leading to new avenues of thought or study (the daily
advancement in Masonic knowledge), from our vantage point of
Fellowcrafts and Master Masons, ever bearing in mind another
philosophical axiom that the end is always in the beginningwithout
which there would be no purpose or will to proceed.
According to the First Book of Moses, called Genesis, ch. 1 vs. 3
5 "and God said. Let there be light; and there was light. And God
saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from
the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
The Bible is, as are all sacred writings, an esoteric manual. To
those who can interpret them, the correspondences, symbols and
allegory are a mine of information from which can be garnered
deeper understanding and an elevation to higher levels of
consciousness. In common with Freemasonry the secrets are
incommunicable save to those who are worthy as we say in our
ritual: properly prepared. We would be exceedingly foolish to
equate God's six days of creation with six of our Earth's days!
An Earth day is the period of a complete revolution on its axis
ordinarily divided into 24 hours. The mean solar day, used in the
ordinary reckoning of time, among most modern nations begins at
mean midnight; its hours are usually numbered in two series, each
from 1 to 12, but sometimes now more conveniently in a single
series of 1 to 24, known as the civil day. The Babylonians and
Hindus began their day at sunrise, the Athenians and Jews at
sunset, the ancient Egyptians and Romans as midnight (Webster
dictionary ) . Some Qabalistic astrologers start their day at
midday.
It was the Egyptians who devised the calendar of 12 months with 30
days in each plus 5 additional days at the end of the year, and
divided the day into 24 hours, 12 for daylight and 12 for
nightthough these hours were originally not of even length but
were dependent on the seasons. These seasonal hours were replaced
by theoretical hours of constant length by Hellenistic astronomers,
and at this period all astronomical computations were carried out
in the sexagesimal (pertaining to sixty) system. Our present
division of the day into 24 hours of 60 minutes each is the result
of the Hellenistic modification together with the use of
Babylonian numerical procedures of an Egyptian practice.
As an aside it is interesting to note that Pythagoras, who received
training from the Egyptians in astronomy, geometry and numerical
symbolism, related odd numbers to spirit and even numbers to
matter (however tenuous the matter), and was thoroughly acquainted
with the Euclidian 47th theorem dealing with the 3-, 4-, 5-sided
triangle, has been associated with the 12 hours each of daylight
and night and 60 minutes each hour because 3 + 4 + 5 = 12 and 3 x
4 x 5 = 60.
As this two-fold division of the 24 hours was a common factor
world-wide when our rituals were first recorded why do we use a
three-fold division of the first working tool presented to our
notice? Why is the second working tool the single common factor or
symbol used by the three Rulers of the Lodge? Why does the third
working tool appear to have fulfilled its function by the time we
have completed the Second Degree, yet our education (to educate
means to bring out or lead forth) obviously continues in the
Third, and other Degrees?
To try and answer these provocative questions let us move to those
questions we answered in the First Degree prior to being entrusted
with the test of merit leading to the Second Degree but first some
observations on them: The questions and answers are formal, or in
other words "strictly ceremonious, having the form without the
substance" (dictionary definition of formal); the answers cannot
be educed from the Candidate for Passing (even supposing he had a
photographic memory) because the necessary information to enable
him to answer the questions is not contained in the Ritual he was
taken through at his Initiation. Regarding the "tokens", those
given in the degree are on "hills" whilst those given between
degrees are in "valleys" this indicates a change in the faculty
used, or a change in the level of consciousness, or both.
The questions we are going to consider tot the present (others will
be considered later) are: What is Freemasonry? alld, Who are fit
and proper persons to be made Freemasons?
The answer to the first question is: A peculiar system of morality,
veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols.
The answer to the second is: Just, upright, and free men, of mature
age, sound judgment, and strict morals.
The breakdown of the answer to the first question was given in
Transaction No. 148, but as each Paper stands on its own, even
though they are part of an overall pattern, it is restated as
follows:
Peculiar: An exclusive privilege; exclusive quality.
System: An aggregation or assemblage of objects united by some form
of regular interaction or interdependence . . . arranged in
regular subordination . . . a complete exhibition of essential
principles of facts, arranged in a rational dependence or
connection; a regular union of principles or parts forming one
entire thing.
Morality: That which instils moral lessons. An allegorical play,
so termed because it consisted of discourses in praise of morality
between actors representing such characters as Charity, Faith,
Death, etc.
Allegory: The representation, by means of a figurative story of
narrative, of some thing metaphorically suggested, but not
expressly stated.
Symbol: A visible sign or representation of an idea or quality.
(These definitions were taken from the Webster dictionary.)
The breakdown of the answer to the second question under
consideration is to be found as follows:
Firstly, being just and upright. In the Fifth Section of the First
Lecture of the Craft Lectures on the Three Degrees, where, in
moralising on the three Movable Jewels, it says: "The infallible
Plumb Rule, which, like Jacob's Ladder, connects Heaven and Earth,
is the criterion of rectitude and truth. It teaches us to walk
justly and uprightly before God and man, neither turning to the
right nor left from the paths of virtue. Not to be an enthusiast,
persecutor, or slanderer of religion, neither bending towards
avarice, injustice, malice, revenge, nor the envy and contempt of
mankind, but giving up every selfish propensity which might injure
others. To steer the bark of this life over the seas of passion,
without quitting the helm of rectitude, is the highest perfection
to which human nature can attain. And as the builder raises his
column by the level and perpendicular, so ought every Mason to
conduct himself towards this world; to observe a due medium
between avarice and profusion; to hold the scales of justice with
equal poise; to make his passions and prejudices coincide with the
just line of his conduct; and in all his pursuits to have Eternity
in view. Thus the . . . Plumb Rule teaches justness and
uprightness of life and actions.
A point was made earlier in the use of a philosophical axiom which
stated that the end was in the beginning. In the three-fold
constitution of Man as being of Spirit. Soul and Body through
which the consciousness descends from and ascends to God there is
of necessity an hierarchical order of beginnings and endings
related to levels of consciousness and the gnostic powers of man in
which parts are related to each other, to the whole, and to the
ends for which they exist. Each level of consciousness is a
reflection of that which is above it to quote the Hermetic axiom;
"As Above, so Below, but in a different manner" and a foreshadowing
of that which is to follow.
You will have noticed that the three Movable Jewels explained in
the First Degree Tracing Board are the Working Tools of the Second
Degree.
Secondly, in response to the question why the privileges of
Masonry were restricted to free men, the Second Section of the
First Lecture gives the answer: "That the vicious habits of
slavery might not contaminate the true principles of freedom on
which the Order is founded."
An even fuller answer was given in the preceding Section of the
Lectures where, after the answer that we had left the West to go
to the East "To seek a Master, and from him to gain instruction"
(we should be aware that this does not refer to the Master of the
Lodge), the question is put: "Who are you that want instruction?
A Free and Accepted Mason" "What manner of man ought a Free and
Accepted Mason to be?A free man, born of a free woman . . .,and
"Why free-born?"
The answer to the last part of this catechism has a distinct
bearing on the theme, so after the exoteric explanation given in
the Lecture which is quoted in full, we will consider a possible
esoteric explanation or allegorical interpretation:
"In allusion to that grand festival which Abraham made at the
weaning of his son Isaac, when Sarah, Abraham's wife, observing
Ishmael, the son of Hagar the Egyptian bondwoman, teasing and
perplexing her son, remonstrated with her husband, and said: Put
away that bondwoman and her son for such as he shall not inherit
with the freeborn, even with my son Isaac. She spake as being
endued with aprophetic spirit, well knowing that from Isaac's loins
would spring a great and mighty people, who would serve the Lord
with freedom, fervency, and zeal; and fearing that if the two
youths were brought up together, Isaac might imbibe some of
Ishmael's slavish principles; it being a general remark in those
days, as well as the present, that the minds of slaves are more
vitiated and less enlightened than those of the free-born. This is
the reason we as Free Masons, give why every Mason ought to be
freeborn but in the present day, slavery being generally
abolished, it has therefore been considered under our Constitution,
that if a man be free, although he may not have been freeborn, he
is eligible to be made a Mason."
In sacred writings, myths, and parables there is constant reference
to two mothers, to mother and daughter, or to two sisters. One
such pair is that of the Great World Mother or Mother of Wisdom,
and the Mother or Mistress of Nature. The World Mother is ever-
virgin, pure, spotless, eternal and unchanging; while from the
Mistress of Nature proceeds the ever-changing forms of Nature
according to time, place and circumstance, which are manifested
from the Sixth World or realm of Nature, likewise known as the
Astral World.
Man cannot alter the prototypes of the World Mother, but can, and
does, alter the manifested forms of the Mother of Nature by such
processes as selective breeding.
There is also constant reference to two brothers. One stays at
home or is bound by his natural duty; the other travels and is
free. These are references to the secondary principles of the
Soul, one in the Astral World, and the other in the physical
world.
In the allusion to that grand festival which Abraham made, it is
suggested that Sarah, the nobly born, was spiritually conscious,
as her son Isaac was destined to be, and she did not wish him to
be contaminated either by identification with the astral world
through association with and assimilation of Ishmael's slavish
principles or by identification with that realm inherited from his
mother, Hager, whose consciousness was bound to Nature. If these
names are translated into principles, which every man has and can
identify within himself if he so wishes, then it can be readily
appreciated why the passage we are refering to, ends ".... it has
therefore been considered under our Constitution, that if a man be
free, although he may not have been free-born, he is eligible to
be made a Mason."
To continue with our breakdown of the question of who are fit and
proper persons to be made Freemasons, and having dealt with the
formal answer as far as "Just, upright, and free men, . . ." we
have the further questions put in the Lectures: "Why of mature
age?_The better to be able to judge for ourselves, as well as the
Fraternity at large."
This warrants the passing comment that "mature age" is taken as the
full age of 21 years, below which one cannot be intiated into the
Craft, and 21 is the product of 7 x 3, indicating the sphere of
Objectivity of Soul, Nature and Matter with which the Lodge deals.
And the final question: "Why of sound judgment and strict morals?
That both by precept and example we may the better be enabled to
enforce due obedience to those excellent laws and tenets laid down
in Freemasonry."
This last answer is an integral part of our Circle's Closing
Invocation which says "May the Light from the Inner Sanctuary
shine forth through this our Dormer, that men without may see our
goodly works of Heart and Mind."
It is also an echo of various parts of our Rituals which, in
several ways and stages along the Path of Spiritual Regeneration,
remind us that our inner condition is manifested outwardly.
This objective manifestation of our subjective condition may be
consciously directed at any stage, but it requires a steady
perseverance and vigilance until the "Dormer" window is
permanently opened a stage of advancement associated with a real
Initiate whose third eye, or ajna chakra, is fully operative
(Transaction No. 27)or it may occur spontaneously according to mood
or conditioned reflex, such as when we clothe ourselves previous
to entering a
Lodge. It is basically completely unconscious until the "will to
be" is brought to conscious recognition.
The basic tone or condition emanating from each personality may be
said to be occasioned by the moral quality of that personality. It
is revealed for all to see by the way we walk, our general posture
and bearing, the way we wear our clothes, our manner of speech and
timbre of voice, the gestures we use, and so on.
Obviously, if we possess a moral quality which varies according to
our spiritual growth and level of consciousness, it must be
derived from a Moral Order to which it is related by a
corresponding faculty. It would also follow that if our Masonic
system is universal, it must of necessity use universal principles
applicable to all mankind irrespective of his evolutionary status.
If this reasoning is valid and correct there will be moral
indications in all our degrees, which, of course, is apparently so
with just a cursory appraisal. On a closer examination it is
revealed that our moral character is considered from the time of
our application to be admitted, and is the subject of one of the
Working Tools in each degree.
Though each degree is separate and distinct, it is clearly stated
that the First and Second are conjoined, which could be given as
the inter-relationship between moral truth and intellectual truth.
The Third Degree deals with a totally different form of mentation
while still dealing with intellect but this form is above the
level of discursive reasoning, although we are re-united with the
companions of our former toil, for they are a necessary part of
our mundane existence on Earth. Royal Arch Companions would know
from the Opening Prayer of the Chapter that the three Craft
Degrees are welded into an indissoluble whole or unity. This is so
of any form of advancement. We focus our consciousness on a
particular aspect of our being in order to actualise its
potentiality, and then proceed to integrate it into the fabric of
our existence, each level of consciousness being unitive to those
below it.
It has been stated many times in our Transactions that the First
Degree is equated with Truth, the Second Degree with Beauty, and
the Third Degree with Goodness the ancient philosophers would, in
my opinion, wholeheartedly concur in this. In the preceding
paragraph it was said that the three Craft Degrees are a whole or
unity. Truth, Beauty and Goodness are a triad or triangle enclosed
in the Circle of unity. We can focus our attention on one aspect of
this triad, but the other two aspects.are also present. One aspect
may bedominant in our consciousness (and usually is) but cannot
act in an executive capacity without the consent and co-operation
of the other two: Three rule a Lodge, and although it is the
function of the Master to rule and direct his Lodge, he cannot
Open the Lodge in due form without the assistance of two regularly
invested Wardens.
Truth, Goodness and Beauty are Eternal verities, beyond space and
time; primary attributes of the three aspects of the Godhead in
Whose Names we Open the three Degrees. In order to communicate
truth, goodness or beauty we must possess an appropriate faculty,
either in the regulative or assimilative mode, to allow us to
distribute or receive. Each faculty, again separate and distinct,
needs to be related to the other two, and yet again we find this to
be so in the three degrees, with the emphasis changed accordingly,
where we are lead by graduated stages to the final goal of using
knowledge with wisdom and understanding.
We will look at the primary triad in the order they are presented
to us in the three Degrees: Truth, Beauty and goodness.
Truth is approached by the illative faculty, or reason.
Beauty is approached by the aesthetic faculty, inner taste or
heart.
Goodness is approached by the moral faculty, conscience or will.
Once again we have a demonstration of the axiom quoted that the end
is in the beginning, for our entrance into Freemasonry was
governed firstly by a favourable opinion preconceived of the
Institution an apprehension of the goodness manifested by those we
knew to be associated with the Institution and a due enquiry into
our moral standing in the community of which we were a member;
secondly, we were placed in a situation calculated to allow the
heart to conceive through inner taste; thirdly, we were allowed to
perceive intellectually that which the heart truly dictated. In
another manner the Hermetic axiom As Above, so Below, is implied,
for the Supreme Triad of the Lodge is reflected in the beginnings
of the Craft Journey.
Obviously our peculiar system of morality covers a very wide
spectrum (and the word spectrum is used advisedly), for humanity
is composed of human beings with differing racial backgrounds with
the attendant collective unconscious mind field, differing
psychological types within each field, and differing levels of
understanding.
Our rituals use the word "moral" in different guises, which
demonstrates an inherent knowledge of a moral order. The moral
faculty, conscience or will, is concerned with goodness, and
goodness is the very ground of our being. From being, life
proceeds through our various vehicles or bodies of manifestation,
is guided by the aesthetic faculty of inner taste or heart, the
traditional seat of life, .and seeks the beautiful or perfection
of form with which to identify and express itself. The illative
faculty, or reason, with which we make inferences or deductions,
perceives the connection between two ideas and forms conclusions,
and directs the manifesting life towards the end for which it
exists in conformity
with the purpose of the Soul as it is revealed in our progression
through the degrees, and walk steadily along the mystic path.
Each of these faculties has a two-fold application the twin pillars
of manifestation which, when conjoined in stability, frees the
consciousness to ascend to higher levels and, at the same time, to
radiate that joy in creation which is the ultimate birthright of
all human Souls, as is so amply illustrated in the Installation
Address to the Brethren: "I therefore trust that we shall have but
one aim in view, to unite in the grand design of being happy and
communicating happiness. May you enjoy every satisfaction and
delight which disinterested friendship (impartial brotherly love
or non-attachment) can afford."
The two-fold, or positive and negative (force and form) aspects,
when held in balance, allow our aspirational nature to develop
towards our ideal perfection and expand our communicative energy
in goodwill towards all men; this two-fold expression again being
held in synthesis and characterised by devotion. The positive and
negative aspects may be briefly stated as attraction and repulsion,
desire and antipathy, expression and repression.
The word "moral" has several interpretations in addition to
conscience or will. Webster's dictionary defines it as
"Characterised by practical excellence, or springing from, or
pertaining to, man's natural sense of what is right and
properchiefly in the phrase 'moral Virtue', which, in the medieval
doctrine, derived from Aristotle's, is distinguished from
intellectual virtue. " It means quality or character; a tale or
writing; inference, meaning or lesson; a kind of allegorical play;
rectitude of life; conformity to the standard of right. While Bacon
says "the end of morality is to procure the affections to obey
reason, and not invade it": an admixture of will, heart and mind.
When the subject of morals is introduced in general conversation,
the concensus of discussion usually revolves around sexuality in
its various ramifications outside the marital status. This points
to an overall use of the opinionative mode of mentation by the
majority of people, who have not had either the opportunity to
learn to use the process of reasoning from principles for
themselves (the daily advancement in Masonic knowledge), or prefer
to be carried along in the stream of mass opinion under the
pressure of Nature and the collective unconscious mind.
Half a century ago sexual instruction and the discussion of sexual
relationships were strictly taboo. In these days we are bombarded
with sensuality by all the media. It is a curious situation that
shows clearly how the pendulum swings backwards and forwards
between the two pillars of manifestation, likewise symbolised by
the black and white flooring of the Lodge.
Whatever our personal views are on the subject, it has to be
acknowledge that we are at present dealing with one of the three
most powerful forces in Nature. In the Platonic disciplines the
main channels of the personality were known as self-preservation,
self-assertion, and self-expression. In present-day terminology
they would be acknowledged as survival techniques the acquisitive
function, and the sexual tendencies.
But it is all too easy to fall into the opinionative trap by the
assumption that the moral code in relation to the sexes in vogue
in that land from whence we derived our birth and infant nurture
is acceptable world-wide. An examination of racial customs extant
since the formation of the United Grand Lodge of England shows
that a great variation continues. Monogamus marriages then and now
are in the minority. In the frozen northlands where population was
sparse and isolated it was a custom for some tribes to offer a
traveller the services of a daughter. In some parts of Tibet a
woman married into a family. In some desert lands a friend
visiting was offered the services of one of the wives. In some
countries a man's mistress was accepted socially, whilst in others
she would be ostracised.
There is a perfectly natural reason for these variations in social
codes; such as the introduction of new stock to off-set in-
breeding, a low fertility rate, high death rates in childbirth,
and a high child morality rate, and so on.
Other factors emerge, such as the increase in the percentage of
male children born during a war, and the acceptance by many women
of male partners from the armed forces of other countries.
Nature is truly wonderful in the way she manipulates us with a
prescience not generally recognised and even less understood.
Dion Fortune in her book The Mystical Qabalah makes the point that
if the word polarity was used instead of sex we would have a much
better understanding of the subject, for sex is particular to this
world, but polarity extends throughout all realms The joys and
sorrows of this, our mortal existence in the mundane world of
Earth, is symbolised, as already stated, by the black and white
squared flooring of the Lodge, as are all the positive and
negative effects derived from the causes stemming from other
realms, for manifestation, or the objective world, is the
threefold sphere of Soul, Nature and Matter as symbolised by our
pillars which are themselves three-fold, consisting of a base or
pedestal, a column, and a chapiter.
These three-fold pillars have several symbolic correlations. One
that is of use to us now is the three-fold constitution of Man of
Spirit, Soul and Bodies (mental, emotional, vital and physical),
for in the Ancient Mysteries Spirit was regarded as being
androgyne in nature, Soul as hermaphrodite, and the physical body
as particularised male or female with the secondary sexual
characteristics of the
opposite sex. This equates with the anima/ animus principle of the
psychologist Prof. Carl Jung.
The vital and physical bodies were (and still are) regarded as one
unit, for the vital or etheric body is considered to be the mesh,
pattern or template on which the aggregate of physical molecules
is held to form the physical bodyhence the dissolution of its
natural constituents when the etheric vehicle withdraws at death.
This is why the Tyler, who symbolises the physical body, is
stationed outside the door of the Lodge, for although there is a
principle of body, the physical body is not a principle. In this
sense it can be said that the vital or etheric body is the
principle and the physical body merely a collection of substance
or matter of the physical world through which the principle works.
The various bodies or vehicles in the constitution of Man are
predominantly masculine or feminine, or positive or negative, or
to put it another way force initiating or form limiting the
locking of force into form to fulfil a function: otherwise the
force or energy would merely be dissipated, of which the atom, in
itself a miniature cosmos, is a prime example. These individual
bodies of Man are said to be of alternating polarity in an
ascending scale: hence a man is held- to be positive in his
physical nature, but negative in his emotional nature. A woman is
of the opposite polarity.
In the myths about the human Soul a myth being an allegorical story
from which much can be learned or intuited concerning spiritual
principles, for these principles never change, irrespective of
mans knowledge or the changes in languages it is recorded that the
Soul, being hermaphrodite, needs to differentiate into male or
female to consciously learn how to use these two aspects of her
nature; and this is why man needs the companionship of a woman and
vice versa, so that they may educate each other and harmonise their
polarities in balanced stability to elevate their forces, powers
and energies to higher levels of consciousness rather than
frittering or dissipating them downwards at the behest of Nature.
Freemasonry is a balanced and ideal system, ever presenting by
precept and example in its dramatic morality plays (more of this
later) a portrayal of the ideals inherent as innate ideas within
the deeps of every Soul. To rephrase this in modern parlance one
could say that the Candidate in each degree, together with the
primary and secondary officers, and the brethren within the
columns, are portraying the emergence of the spiritual principles
within themselves as they are presented to their consciousness in
a sequential unfoldment.
With the conscious recognition of these principles they can be
exercised, according to our understanding, outside the Lodge in
the "popular world" where, removed from their ideal setting of the
peace and harmony of the Lodge, they are far more difficult to
manifest and maintain in an established stability.
We quite often use the expression "popular world" in a somewhat
derogatory manner, as if we, being "peculiar" in the sense that we
are of an "exclusive quality", are therefore superior to and apart
from the popular world. In our outer nature we, too, are part of
the popular world,and form part of the aggregate of human Souls in
manifestation, among which are many of different persuasions who
seek the Light with diligence and perseverance and follow a
particular off- shoot of the Mysteries congenial to their
understanding and purpose in life. They, too, are engaged in
building a superstructure, perfect in its parts and honourable to
the builder the perfect ashlar so that it may be utilised in the
building of the New Jerusalem, the Eternal City in the heavens that
will ultimately be built here on earth.
They are every bit as much our brethren in the Great Work, and
equally entitled to our regard although specialising in a
different department of the work.
All mankind is destined to assist in this Great Work sooner or
later in accordance with the Divine Plan. Even when we are within
the precincts of the Lodge we act as if we had already actualised
the spiritual principles within ourselves of which we are becoming
conscious, we find, if we are honest with ourselves, that when we
leave the Lodge theory and practice do not always go hand in hand.
Another aspect of the work is that as we assimilate, even in part,
one aspect of our Ritual, others disclose themselves, so that in
the progress through the degrees with an earnest intent to build
our superstructure, we are not only elevated in rank, but also
extended outward in service and responsibility to all who may
solicit our assistance on all levels of being. If this were not the
case, would we ever have had the chance to knock on the door of the
Lodge to seek admission under the qualifications required of us?
Let us look at the situation in which, as a Candidate for
Intiation, we were placed, and let us try to follow the ideal
progress which we could have made over the years as we identified
with successive candidates through the degrees in the light of
increased awareness and understanding, against a background of
morality.
The affirmation of a belief in a Supreme Being is the first end-in-
the-beginning that is presented to us, and one which we
unknowingly accepted, for our real aim is the actualisation of all
our potentialities in order to attain Union with God while
entombed in a body of flesh our earthly temple. This is a goal and
purpose in life seemingly so unattainable, so remote, and so
unexpected, that the cable tow would probably have put an end to
our endeavors in this life but it is our goal and purpose in life,
and we will accomplish this end eventually, if not in this
lifetime, then in another. As Lao Tsze said: "The journey of a
thousand miles begins with a single step "!
The first prayer given on our behalf was to the Supreme Governor
of the Universe. Supreme means highest in power or authority. The
Supreme Governor is therefore the First Person or Most High of the
Trinity, whom we can approach in the initial stages only through
the Third Person. It is by a continuation of the aid of the
Supreme Governor that we were introduced to the concept of the
Second Person. Yet if we take a closer look at the initial prayer
we see clear indications of the three Grand Principles on which
our Order is founded: Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth and of the
three Pillars supporting our Lodges: Wisdom, Strength and Beauty.
We did not take exception to the prayer. Frankly, we did not even
realise its purport or implications. But why did we so readily
acquiesce?
In addition to the three Grand Principles on which our Order is
founded, and the three Pillars which support our Lodges, we can
perceive a third veiled triad in this brief prayer of heart, mind
and will. Bearing in mind that we are dealing with an ideal level
of consciousness in a Candidate for our mysteries, it behoves us
to enquire why so much classified information though heavily veiled
and not easily seen even in retrospect should be presented to our
consciousness. But when we examine the ideal qualifications any
Candidate is said to possess, the position becomes clearer.
Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality, and every Candidate
ideally should be just, upright, free, of stature age, and of
strict morals. This raises the question that if this is so, what
is implied by these qualifications, and why should it be necessary
to give further instruction?
Our original belief in a Supreme Being is usually a very nebulous
concept carried over from childhood as an act of faith, and of an
opinionative mode without any real understanding of levels of
consciousness or faculties which must of necessity be attained to
or developed for a real appreciation of the Fount of All Being,
Life and Intellect. This immature act of faith is not necessarily
derived from childhood instruction, which is normally identified
with the religion extant in that country in which we derived our
birth and infant nurture, for the idea of God is indigenous to
every human Soul.
We may be just and upright men of strict morals by a passive
conformity to the moral code of our country of origin, ever
remembering that it is held by many systems of philosophical and
mystical training that a soul is born into the physical conditions
it has earned by past endeavours and which will be best conducive
to her progress in this life. The moral faculty, conscience or
will, addresses itself to goodness, and good people are just and
upright quite naturally.
The will may be divided into many aspects for the purpose of
delineating its action and field of use, each aspect being related
to a faculty and/or a level of
consciousness. But the main divisions derived from the ancient
teachings is a triad of the nature will, the personal will, and
the spiritual will. Will is the power of self-determination and
self-conduct the ability to say yes or no in the choice between
two or more alternative choices of action or inaction. Life would
be extremely difficult if, on each occassion, we had to go into
the pros and cons before making a decision to do or not to do
anything, either for our own good or for the good of the
community. We therefore have an inherited will-memory, and acquire
a personality will-memory during our life; and this will-memory is
our conscience, which can be modified and trained as our
understanding of goodness is expanded.
The innate Idea of God and conformity to the moral code of the
country of our origin has a three-fold derivation. From the unity
of Spirit which is, was, and forever will be perfect and
indivisible and at one with the Triple Logos or Trinity, we have
a perfect, though veiled, knowledge of our relationship with the
One and only Good and with all spiritual beings throughout the
universe. From this unity of Spirit we are differentiated into
individual Souls who are capable of turning their attention
upwards to Spirit, capable of living a life within themselves in
an intellectual manner, and capable of turning their attention
downwards through secondary principles to the realms of Nature and
Matter or Body. All individual Souls are parts of the Great World
Soul to which they are conjoined in one indissoluble wholeness;
but their field of awareness is narrowed down to race or country
when a Soul is identified with the realm of Nature; and still
further isolated to town, family and self in the realm of
personality.
We are all aware that in the process of growing up children develop
self- assertion and establish themselves within a pattern of
leaders and followers; they next develop self-expression in line
with their particular personality traits according to the vogue
currently in use at that time. But as they appear to possess an
inherent sense of immortality, selfpreservation is developed last.
one has only to view nature to see how self-assertion can lead the
immature young to stray too far from the protection of the mother
or herd to court disaster from which, if they survive, they can
become leaders within the social code, or deliquents and social
outcasts. With an established sense of self-preservation coupled
with self-expression, the leaders can eventually become pillars of
the society of which they are an integral part.
The condition of being free men of mature age is one of the
questions answered with an affirmation and the utmost sincerity of
conscience, but freedom and maturity are in actual fact the
hallmarks of relative perfection. From the most exoteric point of
view we are indeed free inasmuch as we were not born slaves in the
generally accepted sense of the term; and we were considered,
historically, to be or mature age in our society when we reached
the age of 21 years. But as was shown earlier in relation to the
grand festival given by
Abraham at the weaning of his son Isaac extracted from the book of
Craft Lectures, from the esoteric point of view far more is
involved.
We are only free in conformity to the law. To quote an aphorism in
full: "Freedom under the law is in proportion to conformity to the
law." The moment we step outside a law or misapply it, whether by
ignorance or desire, trouble ensues through excess, deficiency or
confusion.
Misuse comes about by wrong identification, taking the word
identification to mean "to become the same; to coalesce in
purpose" which can apply equally well to the will, the heart, or
the mind.
The Soul, like all principles, is triple-aspected. It can abide,
proceed, and return, and these aspects can be variously indicated
in the sacred mythoi handed down from epoch to epoch. In this case
it is suggested that Abraham represents the abiding principle in
the allusion quoted, Sarah the proceeding principle, and Isaac the
returning principle. But as we need a vehicle or body consonant
with a particular realm of manifestation, Abraham would still
remain the abiding principle, but Hagar would represent the
secondary principle of Sarah in the Astral World or World of
Nature, and her son Ishmael the returning principle in that realm.
The Astral World is the world of desire and appetency, the fount of
our animal nature, being symbolically covered by our pure white
lambskin apron which denotes innocency. Innocency is defined
(Webster) as "Freedom from guilt or sin, especially through lack
of knowledge; purity of heart; blamelessness. You win it, not
through innocence, but through the consciousness of virtue. "
Identification with that realm therefore implies that Ishmael, the
elder half brother who "knew" his father was still a slave or
bondsman to that realmit could not be otherwise and he could, by
association, ensnare Isaac.
And the Lecture goes on to make the point that "in those days, as
well as the present, the minds of slaves are more vitiated and
less enlightened than those of the free-born," for the level of
mentation is that of pictorial images related to the senses. Hence
Isaac when he reached maturity, the 3 times 7 (the 7 being the
number of divisions or planes in each world), would be able to
extend his consciousness over three worlds, while Ishmael would
remain bound to two worlds.
Earlier in this discourse it was said that the moral faculty,
conscience or will, is concerned with goodness, and that goodness
was the subject of the Third Degree, yet it was the tongue of good
report in relation to our moral standing in the community that
allowed us to be recommended for entrance into the Lodge. We will
now look at the first question asked before we were entrusted in
preparation to being admitted into the Second Degree: "Where were
you first
prepared to be made a Freemason?" and the answer was given: "In my
heart." It was also earlier said that the heart, or inner taste,
was the aesthetic faculty by which we approached beauty, and
beauty is the subject of the Second Degree.
This enigma is a little puzzling at first sight, but if our good
moral standing was a natural one, would we not also have a natural
inner taste for what is beautiful? Beauty is the revelation of
perfection, and perfection is the complete manifestation of an
idea. But this question "Where were you first prepared to be made
a Freemason?" is asked at the commencement of the Second Section of
the First Lecture, and the catechism goes on: 'Who brought you to
be made a Freemason? A friend, whom I afterwards found to be a
Brother."
It is not fitting to go through all the questions and answers, but
in relation to the Tyler it is said: "Being armed with a drawn
sword to keep off all intruders and cowans to Masonry . . ." and
"Having sought in my minded I asked of my friend . . .- and the
door of Freemasonry became open unto me." ". . . who came to your
assistance? One whom I afterwards found to be the Inner Guard."
The sword symbolically teaches us to set a watch at the entrance of
our thoughts, place a guard at the door of our lips, and post a
sentinel at the avenue of our actions, thereby excluding every
unworthy thought, word, or deed, thus preserving a conscience void
of offence towards God and towards man. This is the discriminative
power of the mind with which we control our outward actions in
life in accordance with our inner taste and conscience as governed
by our mundane appreciation of truth. Our mundane appreciation of
truth is the subject of the First Degree, through which we
perceive unqualified imitations and intrusions which if taken
symbolically could be interpreted as the phantasy working of the
lower mind in relation to our sensual nature and appetencies which
have to be kept at bay if we are to pass through the "door" and
move our consciousness inwards to our vital principle or etheric
body, symbolised by the Inner Guard, who admits us in due form and
hands us over to the Junior Deacon, the returning intellectual
principle of the etheric soul.
What we have been considering is a demonstration of the Hermetic
axiom As Above, so Below, but in a different manner.
In the descent of Spirit through Soul to Matter through the six
worlds or conditions of existence which are encompassed by the
Circle of God, the subjective triad of Being, Life and Intellect
are the fount of Goodness, Beauty and Truth which manifest as
will, heart, and mind. Will is reflected into Matter or Body as
the moral faculty of conscience, heart is reflected through Nature
as the aesthetic faculty of inner taste, and mind is reflected
through the dianoetic mind of Soul as the illative faculty.
This is the condition of natural innocency of an ideal Candidate
who comes of good report and with a favourable opinion
preconceived of the Institution through the agency of a friend,
and knelt to receive the benefit of a blessing invoked, not only
on his behalf, but on behalf of all present as a unity.
From this stage we had a conscious recognition of our situation
presented to us in such a way as to create an interior
illumination of the subconscious guidance previously received from
a higher aspect of ourselves, which permitted us to freely
undertake the necessary obligation in full knowledge of our
condition before the next level of consciousness was revealed to
us the translation from the natural level to the personal level.
We were then taken through a recollection to more firmly impress
this knowledge on the consciousness, and then taken through
another short morality play within the larger whole in which we
were entrusted with the necessary knowledge to enable us to
consciously traverse the same interior journey under our own
volition up to the stage of being invested with the Badge of
Apron.
This Apron is a symbol of the spiritual body we are in the process
of furnishing and adorning. It has always been with us, but, it is
assumed, we have been completely unconscious of it until we were
formally invested with it. On no account should we enter the Lodge
without being properly clothed, for in the process of preparing to
enter the Lodge, we are deemed to be moving our consciousness from
the mundane level of existence, which is left outside in the care
and guardianship of the Tyler.
The next stage is that of being placed in the north-east part of
the Lodge, and we were informed that it is customary at the
erection of all stately and superb edifices, to lay the first, or
foundation, stone at the north-east corner of the intended
building. Why?
All our Lodges are, or ought to be, situated due East and West, for
which are assigned three Masonic reasons The Sun, the Glory of the
Lord, rises in the East and sets in the West; learning originated
in the East and thence spread its benign influence to the West;
the Tent or Tabernacle erected in the wilderness by Moses
according to a pattern shown him by the Lord on Mount Sinai was by
God's especial command situated due East and West (4th Section,
First Lecture) and this pattern proved afterwards to be the
ground-plan of that most magnificent Temple built at Jerusalem by
King Solomon. It is suggested that, allegorically, the ground-plan
is the principles contained in the Universe or macrocosm, of which
man is the microcosm, and the superstructure to be raised
therefrom is still evolving from potentiality to actuality, and
this is the reason why the Temple or superstructure has to be
periodically rebuilt in a manner far transcending our present
ideas.
According to a Brother Mason, who is operative as well as
speculative, Temples and Churches were carefully planned in
advance, and the materials assembled to ensure a continuity of
work according to the seasons. From simple research it is evident
that sites were carefully selected relevant to ley lines (psychic
lines of force) which criss-cross the land, the cross-over of
major ley lines producing the psychic field necessary for a place
of worship in the same way that the cross- over of major nerve
ganglion in the physical body are associated with the etheric
chakras (the "gateways" for various energies from the (to us)
subjective worlds). This is why many churches were erected on the
sites of pagan temples and apparently out-of-the-way places, and
that throughout the world we find places designated as holy.
In the old days compasses were unknown, and the position of the
rising sun is variable according to the time of the year except
for the spring and autumn equinoxes when the sun does rise due
east. The apprentice mason was placed at the north-east corner of
the intended structure at day break, usually at the spring
equinox, and his shadow carefully marked on the ground "from whence
a line was drawn." This gave the east-west line of the north wall
of the temple or church. By the use of the principle of the 3-, 4-
, 5-sided triangle the 90d right- angle to form the north-south
wall in the east could be determined. The apprentice could then
hold the line at the south-east corner, and by the same principle
the east-west wall in the south could be determined.
The placing of the apprentice in the northeast corner of the Lodge
is therefore of a tradition based on empirical knowledge, and the
exhortation to raise a superstructure, perfect in its parts and
honourable to the builder, wholly in accord with ancient custom
based on spiritual knowledge.
But this spiritual knowledge cannot be imparted without due regard
to the Ancient Landmarks of the Order, involving a sequential
following of a regular gradation which has to be earned every step
of the way by a daily advancement, without which the parable of
the Sower (Mark ch.4, vs. 3 11) gives a graphic warning of the
deleterious effects of the out-of-balance four Elements of Air,
Fire, Water and Earth.
The parable quoted of the Sower and the kingdom from Mark does not
end at verse 11. In verse 10 reference is made to the disciples
who were the 12 (Royal Arch Companions please note), and the whole
of the chapter (41 verses) is replete with esoteric wisdom,
revealing a vast knowledge of the constitution of the psyche, her
gnostic powers and the faculties through which they work, together
with indications of the negative qualities of the personality which
bar our progress and have to be kept at bay by the sword of
discrimination, the working tool of the Tyler.
Verse 35 is a particular interest, for it is an allusion to a part
of the Egyptian Mysteries wherein the consciousness is elevated to
a higher level en masse, as should happen in our Lodges in the
Second Degree when we ascend to the Middle Chamber.
Verses 27 and 38 are of special interest, for they refer to two
different states of "sleep". Verse 38 says: "And he was in the
hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow . . .". The condition
of being "asleep" and the resting of the head on a "pillow" are
frequently found in mystical writings, and the pillow is said to
represent the level of intellect or consciousness in the setting
depicted, the head resting upon it denoting that that level of
consciousness has been transcended; while verses 26/27 says " . .
if a man should cast seed into the ground; (27) And should sleep
...." which refers to the identification of consciousness with a
particular realm so that one is ruled instead of ruling: the normal
condition of mankind bound to the realm of Nature through the
hypnotic thraldom of the senses to the sensible realm.
Let us rejoin our Candidate still waiting patiently at the north-
east part of the Lodge and take a deeper look at the dramatic
morality play concerning charity. Due to the mode of preparation
and presentation, the solemnity and instruction, the questions and
answers, the average candidate is slightly confused and
disorientated he is meant to be!and in a heightened state of
sensibility. It is in this condition that it is educed from him,
as said at the beginning of the Paper, that he had nothing to
give; no money to buy his way in, no weapon to fight his way out.
It is an awful moment, in which we were all aware that every pair
of eyes in the Lodge was foccused upon us. The Master informs the
Candidate that the trial was not made with a view to sport with
his feelings, and gives three excellent exoteric reasons for the
procedure which, it could be said, conceal more than they reveal.
Why? Because it is another end-in-the beginning presented to the
consciousness as a goal to be striven for, but for which the
Candidate is not yet equipped to attain. We are more fortunate, and
hopefully apply our knowledge to the best of our skill and
ability.
In the Fourth Section of the First Lecture we are informed that
Jacob's Ladder is composed of many staves or rounds, the three
principal ones being the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and
Charity (Love). By Faith we have a continual acknowledgment of a
Supreme Being: Hope is an anchor of the Soul, both sure and
steadfast, and enters into that within the veil; Charity (quoted in
its entirety) "Lovely in itself, is the brightest ornament which
can adorn our Masonic profession. It is the best test and surest
proof of the sincerity of our religion. Benevolence, rendered by
Heaven-born Charity, is an honour to the nation whence it springs,
is nourished, and cherished. Happy is the man who has, sown in his
breast, the seeds of benevolence; he envies not his neighbour, he
believes not a tale reported to his prejudice, he forgives the
injuries of men, and endeavours to blot them from his
recollection. Then, Brethren, let us remember,
that we are free and accepted Masons; ever ready to listen to him
who craves our assistance; and from him who is in want, let us not
withhold a liberal hand. So shall a heartfelt satisfaction reward
our labours, and the produce of love and Charity will most
assuredly follow." And further in the Fourth Section, it says ". .
. But the third and last, being Charity, comprehends the whole;
and the Mason, who is possessed of this virtue in its most ample
sense, may justly be deemed to have attained the summit of his
profession; figuratively speaking, an ethereal mansion, veiled
from mortal eyes by the starry firmament . . " The superstructure,
perfect in its parts, and honourable to the builder!
As we are looking through the discerning eyes of a higher stage, we
can acknowledge that the answer made in the north-east that we had
nothing to give was appropriate at that time, but we expressed a
willingness to give when circumstances permitted it, and that was
sufficient to allow us to be presented with the means to enable us
to commence giving the one essential thing we, quite unknowingly,
did have to give the one thing that all Aspirants on the Path of
Light must of necessity give ourself in service: the charity of the
heart, mind and will.
If this is so, then why wasn't a simple logical explanation,
sufficient to convey the facts. And what is the real relevance of
the quotations from the Bible and from the official Craft
Lectures?
In mystical writings there is constant reference to two distinct
levels of consciousness in man. There are, in fact, more than two,
with a sliding scale between them, but the distinct levels require
a change in consciousness, not an increase or diminution of a
particular type. For instance, one can think in terms of pictures,
words, geometrical symbols etc., all of which are included in our
Masonic system. The Chinese have a saying that a picture in worth
10,000 words: a saying that can be misleading unless qualified by
relating it to its proper principle. One such picture well known
in the Western world has come to us from India, derived from the
Hindu dispensation, of two birds in a tree, one high up watching
the one lower down who is pecking away at the fruit.
These two levels are also referred to as opening the eyes of the
Soul, of moving from darkness to light, of being asleep and
awakening from sleep, and of being woken from sleep as in the case
of the fairy story of the Sleeping Princess. It is difficult to
grasp the fact that according to the seers, saints and sages of all
ages and all climes, our usual state of consciousness is, to an
advanced Soul of enlightened man, a dreamlike condition.
Gurdjieff, in his system of esoteric development known as the
Fourth Way, draws the analogy that there is as much difference in
consciousness between an enlightened man and an average man, as
there is between an average man and a man laying asleep on a bed.
To quote in full verses 26 and 27 from Mark ch. 4 "And he said, so
is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the
ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed
should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how," and verse 28: "For
the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; . . .". This is natural
man, imprisoned within his personality as within a coffin, his only
means of communication with the outside world being through the
five physical senses which bind him with their reactional nature
to the appetencies and instinctual desires of Nature to the
sensible world as a shroud. He is not aware of his condition,
accepting it as normal, guided and guarded by a glorious hierarchy
of beings towards his inevitable destiny.
Some, however, are more fortunate, for they register in their
sensorium a quality emanating from certain people to which they
feel drawnthe attractive force that led to the Candidate standing
in the north-east corner. But the problem of waking the Candidate
up still remains, and having woken him, how to keep him awake. It
involves a change in consciousness, so what would be more obvious
than a conscious shock? That is precisely what Gurdjieff would have
called the episode concerned with Charity: a conscious shock.
Similar circumstances are quoted by Dr. Roberto Assagioli (The Act
of Will): "At a given moment, perhaps during a crisis, one has a
vivid and unmistakable inner experience of its reality and
nature."
And what of the quotations from the official Craft Lectures? In the
middle of the quotation from Charity, it said: ". . . Happy is the
man who has, sown in his breast, the seeds of benevolence; he
envies not his neighbour, he believes not a tale reported to his
prejudice, he forgives the injuries of men, and endeavours to blot
them from his recollection .... " These, and similar admonitions,
have been with us from childhood, and, like water off a duck's
back, have ceased to have any meaning for the majoity of people,
as, in the case of a portion of a prayer used so frequently
without understanding: ". . . and forgive us our trespasses, As we
forgive them that trespass against us. ", so glibly said, but so
very seldom practised because it is at variance with the "one-up-
manship" prevalent throughout the world, and is an un-understood
as the parables in the Bible, having no apparent value other than
the justification of a meek and mild temperament.
Those who have practised such disciplines will readily testify to
their beneficial effects to an aspirant or initiate in the
development of will or determination; the expansion of conscious
awareness of the needs, desires and moods of others; and the
cultivation of an increasing vigilance towards one's own thoughts,
words and deeds the sword of discrimination coming into use again,
and the level of consciousness already beginning to emulate that
of the bird high in the tree watching the bird lower down
partaking of the fruit in an endeavour to satiate its appetencies.
But even as the parables meant little or nothing to the multitude,
although they conveyed a pleasing impression, unless they "had
ears to hear" they would not pursue their enquiries further. In
like manner, the aphorisms available from different systems need
to be supplemented by private instruction according to one's
ability to make them a conscious integer in life, even as the
parables had to be explained to the disciples outside the inner
circle of 12, and Masonically speaking, we "leave the West and go
to the East to seek a Master, and from him to gain instruction."
As Freemasonry is a universal Order based on universal principles,
we are justified in seeking explanation and amplifications to such
principles enshrined in our particularised Rituals from wherever
we can garner them, even as King Solomon gathered men and
materials from all quarters to build the Temple at Jerusalem. In
this vein we can again consider part of the Gurdjieff system with
profit: Inner Talking. It is one of those things that is so
habitual to us all that it is part and parcel of our lives and
passes unnoticed until it is drawn to our attention. This interior
monologue is happening all thc time we are not engaged in active
conversation, not employed in a task requiring our full attention,
or when the mind is being specifically used for a particular
purpose. In this inner talking we subject the various events of
the day to a running commentary in which we see ourselves in the
best possible light, make excuses when we think we did not
distinguish ourselves, so that by a process of self-adoration and
self- justification we keep ourselves in the highest degree of
personal estimation.
This triggers off the process of "making accounts" of feeling
slighted, overlooked, not given our due etc., complete with the
appropriate associational memories and emotional reactions. It is
a tremendous wastage of yarious energies and forces and binds us
ever more closely to the reactional personality, which blots out
the light from above and within as a mask instead of transmitting
the light as a lens as a good and faithful servant illustrated in
our Lodges by the Deacons' and Inner Guard's ready obedience to
the authority of the Master through the Wardens.
At this juncture it would be as well to consider why it is
necessary that each Candidate for our mysteries should come of his
own free will and accord. For there are real dangers to be faced
by those who are persuaded to enter against their own inclination,
or enter for mercenary or other unworthy motives. If their will or
conscience does not freely allow them to accept our dispensation
without evasion, equivocation, or mental reservation of any kind,
a blockage could be caused against the protective blessing invoked
on their behalf as well as an interior refusal to acknowledge the
fact that their consciousness was in any way lacking or inferior
to those they sought to join.
Usually all that would happen in such a case is that the standard
and atmosphere of the Lodge would be lowered. But should any
member, for some reason best known to himself, outwardly conform
without any inner commitment, he could end up as the man quoted in
Matt. c.12, vs. 43-45: "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a
man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth
none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came
out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and
garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other
spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell
there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."
Nature abhors a vacuum, and will immediately fill one with the
first available material that which is most readily at hand is the
very material of the personality itself, our prison house if we
are in its control, but our earthly Temple when we control it from
a higher level of consciousness even as the Master controls his
Lodge.
But even as the Master does not permit the entry of any unqualified
person into his Lodge, so too, should we so compose ourselves to
be receptive to the beneficent powers wherewith, with trowel in
hand and sword by our side, we may ever be prepared to defend our
holy sanctuary against the unprovoked attacks of our enemiesthe
inimical forces. The symbolism of the sword as the discriminative
power of the mind we are aware of; the trowel is a composite
symbol sometimes worn by the Tyler made up of the poniard, the
square, and the compasses, all three of which are used by the
Inner Guard.
Therefore, a state having been induced in the Candidate in which he
consciously realises his impotence to do that which he professes to
admire, his awakening to his condition must be maintained and
reinforced until he is given the requisite information to enable
him to sustain his change or elevation of consciousness. He is
therefore praised by the Master and admonished to continually hold
on to the memory so forcibly impressed on his mind. If brethren
carefully ponder the Ritual, they will see that even at this stage
the will, heart and mind are operating as a unity, and it is as
this unity he is requested to advance to the pedestal to have the
working tools presented to his notice, and it is only the third
time during the ceremony that the Master has personally directed
his movement without the use of an intermediary the first time was
at the communication of the secrets of the degreeand it must be
pointed out that in this instance it is a request, not an order,
for freewill is involved.
As said at the beginning of the Paper, the 24 inch gauge is divided
into three sections, and not into two as one might expect from its
composition of two series of 1 to 12. Is this merely "poetical
licence" so to speak, or is the allegory and symbolism capable of
interpretation in such wise as to be acceptable to our reasori,
palatable to our inner taste, and in accord with our conscience?
The flooring of the Lodge is composed of black and white squares.
Black is placed first for two reasons: in the creation story of
Genesis first there was darkness and then there was light (this
sequence is a common one, such as the black egg of akasa);
secondly, we first enter the Lodge from the West in a state of
darkness, with light originating in the East; there is a third
reason which will disclose itself as we proceed on our journey.
When we refer to the positive and negative qualities of the pairs
of opposites which form the basis of manifestation the white or
positive factor is given first.
This two-fold division also refers to the Transcendence and
Immanence of God; the Macrocosm and Microcosm; Spirit and Matter.
From the Transcendent aspect we get the Above and the Below; from
the Immanent aspect we get the Inner and the Outer. It also
represents the systolic and diastolic rhythm of the universe, the
Yin and the Yang of the Taoists, the two Pillars of the Temple,
live and its mirror reflection evil, creation and destruction,
first and second force of Gurdjieff, force and form of Qabalists
etc. These pairs, though partaking of the same principle of
duality while apparently unrelated due to their emplacement in the
sevenfold scheme of creation, are paradoxical in essence and
nature, being conjoined in stability by a third factor the apex of
the equilateral triangle Which again paradoxically has three
apices depending upon from which side it is viewed! ).
Man himself is a paradox, being, in this context, a duality and a
triplicity. He is a spiritual/ corporeal being composed of spirit,
soul and matter. As a human Soul he stands between the twin
pillars of manifestation equating with the pedestal, column and
chapiter of each pillar. Through spirit he is at one with the
transcendence and immanence of God; through soul he is the
microcosm of the macrocosm; through matter he is related to all
the kingdoms of nature. Man's superstructure is his Temple, not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens, through which he is at
one with all realms -- but a man of the popular world is deemed to
be conscious only of his manifested being in the world of matter.
In order to expand the consciousness inward and upward, knowledge
of the goal is required before any attempt to eradicate inordinate
attachments is made, otherwise, like the man in the parable, we
may end up in a worse condition of incarceration in our coffin of
flesh, which could be said to be the pedestal of the pillar, or
the lowest part of the threefold division of the Soul as described
by Proclus.
The first part of the threefold division of the 24 inch gauge is
related to God, to whom we turn in prayer. Prayer is the elevation
of the whole force of the Soul to its Sovereign Source through its
upper part, which is always at one with Spirit.
Why, it is sometimes asked, does an omnipotent, omniscient,
omnipresent deity require our prayers and worship? The straight
answer is that He doesn't need anything. But by His unbounded
wisdom and goodness He has ordained that being made in his image
we may be assimilated to Him so that the more like Him we become
the more can we exercise our God-given talents as the Crown of
Creation, and rulers over all manifested kingdoms. We have only to
look around us to see that it is an inherent part of man's nature
to imitate that which he admires, to adore, to love, and to
worship, whether possessions, appearances, or abilities. In
proportion as we are able to turn to God so do we consciously
receive that which has been available to us all the timeas it says
in Mark: "With what measure ye mete, so it shall be meted unto
you."
The second part is to be spent in labour and refreshment. This is
the middle part of the Soul which lives in itself according to its
own nature, exercising its regulative and assimilative functions.
The third part is serving a friend or brother without neglecting
the ordinary duties of our station in life. This, as an ideal
situation, involves the realisation that although we manifest in
diversity, in essence we are one or a unity. It requires the
moving outwards from ourselves in creative works for the benefit of
the whole, as against the acquisitiveness of selfish propensities
for mundane considerations that have to be left behind when we
depart from this mortal existence, for the lower part of the Soul
is related to its secondary principles in manifestation.
It raises the question as to what period is allocated to sleep !
There are various answers to that question, and we will dispose of
some of them as they are not relevant to the subject in hand. It
is held by some teachings that in one sense we are "asleep" all
the time our consciousness is identified purely with the physical
world, and are not awake unless or until our consciousness is
elevated and identified with the Soul.
In Cruden's Concordance it says: "Sleep is used in the Bible for
natural sleep; for the indolence and dullness of the. soul; or
figuratively for death."
The common gavel, we are told, denotes through the moral faculty as
an innate sense of what is right and proper in combination with an
inner taste for beauty of the aesthetic faculty and the creative
inferences of truth perceived by the reason of the illative
faculty. These three faculties are, according to the Platonic
disciplines, reflections of Being, Life and Intellect. Being
expresses itself in the archetypal forms of Life, from which
Intellect creates: They are an indissoluble whole, repeated on
lower levels in terms of that level. This is clearly demonstrated
in the Lodge, for when the Master sounds to order in the East, it
is repeated in the West and South. In like manner, our conscience
of being is related to the first part of the gauge and the upper
region of the Soul, our
conscience of life is related to the middle region of the gauge and
the Soul, and our creative conscience of intellect is related to
the third part of the gauge and the lower region of the Soul in
the charity of mind, heart and will. As an observation, it is
interesting to note the similarity of the shape of the gavel and
that of the tau crosses on a Master's apron, and their combination
in the Royal Arch Chapter.
The third of the triad of implements indicates the advantages of
education, the true meaning of the word education being to bring
forth. It has always been held that we already possess all
knowledge in the depths of our being, but that it is not permitted
to be revealed until circumstances freely warrant it. Those who
have qualified themselves by their purity of intention and moral
standing have always been able to progress through the paths of
heavenly science, and the study of the liberal, or liberating,
arts and sciences are a subject of their own. Of the empirical
sciences we, as Freemasons, are not concerned. But the chisel is
used on the rough ashlars to make them perfect, and perfection is
the attribute of beauty, the work of the Second Degree, and the
final accomplishment of the Craftsman. Why, then, does the chisel
seem to be of no further use after the Second Degree when the
ashlar is perfect?
Is not the pedestal of our pillars an ashlar? Is not a chisel used
by operative masons to further beautify and adorn both the column
and the chapiter? We know from the Third Degree that we moved from
moral truth to the contemplation of the intellectual faculties,
and from there to the principles of intellectual truth, virtue and
science. It is enough in this Paper to point out that the
intellectual virtues are above the processes of thought and
thereby outside the range of the illative faculty. The liberal
arts and sciences are the steps leading to the third Degree, the
intellectual virtues are the means whereby we are Raised.
Rejoining the Candidate, having been regenerated to a new level of
consciousness, and in that condition had the necessary instruction
in the means to maintain this new awareness, he is allowed to
retire and establish himself at that level. On his return this is
demonstrated by the step and sign, indicating that he can move and
energise himself correctly, and he is again placed in the north-
east where he is given instructional direction in priorities of
conduct and the expression of virtues which will eliminate
negative qualities without overtly arousing their opposition.
We can readily appreciate the fact that the Entered Apprentice is
still being guided by, and expected to continue to be guided by,
his expanded morality in thought, word and deed. For it is in the
next Degree that his awareness will be focussed on the twin pole
of manifestation, when he will be expected to hold a balanced
stability to make his passions and prejudices coincide with the
strict line of his duty because his life drives are meant to be
sublimated in service to
himself as well as to all human creatures not crushed and
annihilated so as to lead to the devitalisation of all his works.
It was said that the moral faculty was the channel of will or
conscience, and conscience was an innate idea of what was right
and proper. This raises the question as to why the quality or
quantity of conscience varies from person to person. Why, in other
words, do some men conform more to the moral code of their country
than others and are therefore more fitted for advancement?
In the Third Degree we find that, from the working tools, there is
a straight and undeviating line of conduct laid down for our
pursuit in the Volume of the Sacred Law which, we are told
elsewhere, is a record of His revealed will; that our words and
actions are observed and recorded, and we have to give an account
of our conduct through life; and that by His unerring and
impartial justice, having defined for our instruction the limits
of good and evil, we will be rewarded or punished as we have
obeyed or disregarded His Divine commands.
In the Second Degree we have a somewhat similar admonition to
regulate our lives and actions according to Masonic line and rule
in order to render us acceptable to that Divine Being from whom
all goodness springs, and to whom we must give an account on all
our actions; that a time will come when all distinctions save
those of goodness and virtue shall cease; and in all our pursuits
to have eternity in view.
This points most clearly to the law of kharma, the law of cause and
effect, by which the seeds sown in any life bear fruit sooner or
later. The life we lead is of our own making, our just deserts,
and the exact conditions requisite for our advancement if we
continue to perform our allotted task. Our moral standing
permitted us to knock on the door of the Lodge our inner being to
enable us to make a further advancement in the art and science of
the perfect life, and add to the superstructure we are in the
process of building.
And may the Most High grant us strength, life, and health so to
continue, to His Glory, and the welfare of our fellow beings.
Amen, so mote it be.