Posted on by Kyle Roques

Forget – Me – Not

I want to share, what I feel, is a cool piece of Freemasonic history.

The “forget-me-not” flower (Myosotic arvensis – from the Greek, meaning “Mouse’s Ear,” after the shape of its five petals) has a pretty rich history in ancient folklore. The Germans have a few different mythological stories surrounding the origin of flower and how it got its name.

The flower – in general – symbolizes true love, enduring memory, steadfastness, and faithfulness. In 1926, after the first world war in Germany – during their economic crisis – at the German Grand Lodge annual communication, they gave its members a forget-me-not pin, to remind the brethren of their charitable obligations.

During WW2 when Hitler took power, Freemasonry was forbidden and disbanded. The Nazis even had exhibitions showing all the Masonic regalia they had seized. An estimated 80k – 200k Freemasons were executed throughout the Nazi empire.

Masonic lore tells us that during this time of Nazi control, the Grand Lodge of Germany adopted the forget-me-not, not as an emblem of charity, but as a substitute for the square and compass. It was used as a sign of recognition for the brethren, reducing their risk of exposure to the Nazis.

“During the ensuing decade of Nazi power a little blue Forget Me Not flower worn in a Brother’s lapel served as one method whereby brethren could identify each other in public and in cities and concentration camps throughout Europe. The Forget Me Not distinguished the lapels of countless brethren who staunchly refused to allow the symbolic Light of Masonry to be completely extinguished, even under penalty of death.

It was a symbol that masonry, like the flower itself, was not dead, but had merely gone dormant to weather the decade long winter. It was a symbol to its members not to forget each other, or their masonic vows, until spring had come again and the blue of masonry could flourish once more.”

“Legends like these are not told to teach us historical fact; they are meant to teach us enduring truth, or even truths, plural. And the truths of the forget-me-not are these; we must never forget our duty to the poor and distressed. We must never forget to persevere through troubled times, as light and life will always spring anew. We must never forget those who have come before us; the sacrifices they made, and the love that they shared with us. We must never forget our duty to honor their memory, and continue their legacy of brotherly love, relief, and truth. Amor fraternus, levatio, veritas. Forget. Me. Not.”

Posted on by Kyle Roques

The Many Dimensions of a Freemasonic Lodge Meet

In the course of one lodge meeting, Freemasonry is a spiritual organization when the chaplain leads the brethren in prayer and asks for the blessing of Diety. It is a guild when the Master of the lodge teaches the new Mason the symbolic uses of stonemason’s tools. It becomes a school of instruction when the new brother learns about the importance of the 7 liberal arts and sciences. At other moments, it is an amateur theater company when the ritual is performed. The lodge becomes a men’s social club when meeting for dinner and fellowship. It becomes a charitable group when relief is provided to distressed brothers, their families or the local community perlocal community. It is also a business association when members with similar interests share ideas. The lodge resembles a family when fathers and sons, strangers and friends bond as ‘brothers’, and it is a community league when volunteers are needed for a project.

Mark Tabbert
Posted on by Kyle Roques

So, What is Masonic Ritual?

Traditionally, the primary purpose of the ritual is to educate the candidate. The rituals are closer to a play/drama/performance than anything else.

The ceremonial lore revolves around the period during which the First Temple at Jerusalem was built by King Solomon. King Solomon. The stories build from a peaceful and regal beginning which explains the inspiration for and construction of the Temple, leading up to a cataclysmic event which has come to symbolize the central morality of Speculative Freemasonry.

Throughout the series of short plays, you’ll come across dozens of metaphors, imparting the moral criteria which a Freemason is expected to aspire to. The ritual is composed of exquisitely crafted language, and for most masons the messages go in and stay in, enabling them to live a more positive and fulfilled live.

Rick Smith

Many avoid Freemasonry because they feel it would be “too religious” for them (myself included, until I learned more about the fraternity). If you have no issues with attending a church wedding or funeral, or being a Godfather for someone’s new baby, you should not meet any greater religious demands in craft masonry. Masons do not worship in craft lodges; that is the role of the Church.

The obvious overlap between Religion and Freemasonry is morality, which both teach as a primary function. The key difference in their approach is that fundamental religion tends towards ‘God-fearing morality’ whilst craft masonry speaks more to the Moral Compass, and the idea that your behavior in life should be geared towards preserving the stability of society and the happiness of everyone around you. For the purpose of learning and executing Masonic craft ritual, religion has no direct relevance whatsoever.

They say that “Politics is showbiz for ugly people!” For the rest of us, there’s Masonry. Ritual’s primary purpose is to implant the moral metaphors of Masonic teaching. That’s unequivocal.

Rick Smith

Being initiated into the 1st degree of Freemasonry, passed to the 2nd degree, and raised to the 3rd degree of Master Mason, does not at all make you instantly enlightened. You’re more or less just obligated into keeping the “secrets” of Masonry at that point. Being the candidate, going through the three degrees (plays), you’re really not participating, you’re just being instructed and walked through. So, actually learning the ritual, being engaged and involved, actually playing a role in the ritual (drama/play), is what enables you to really learn the metaphors/teachings. It is meant to be something that you will be taking in and learning for a lifetime – and that’s the point. While also finding fulfillment in having an active role in passing down these teachings, bettering yourself, your brothers, and community.

So, in short: As I’ve stated before, there really are no secrets in Freemasonry, all the “secret” knowledge is passed down through the ritual. This “secret knowledge” being universal teachings that we all know and live by as humans. The only real secret being how this knowledge is delivered — via the ritual.

The main reason for the secrecy is because it’s like spoiling a movie. If I tell you what the ritual is, everything that’s in it and how it’s delivered, then when you experience it yourself it won’t have the same impact and effect as it would if you didn’t know anything about it. Knowing everything beforehand would totally ruin the experience and the effect it is supposed to have on your psyche.

Posted on by Kyle Roques

Ritual and the Freemasonic Tradition

Freemasonry is different things for different men. We all join the fraternity for different reasons, nonetheless, we are all bound by one core tenet, and that is: to make good men better. We’re all here to improve ourselves individually and to help lift each other up as a group. 


I became a Freemason, and maintain my position in the lodge, for a few reasons. One of the main reasons, the one that has had the most profound effect on me, is the ritual. 


There really are no secrets in Freemasonry. All of their teachings are self evident, universal truths, known to all of humankind. The only thing that is “secret” (i’d say a better term is hidden, or rather, occult knowledge) about Freemasonry is how that information is taught/delivered. They do this through ritual. Most people start thinking Satan worship when they hear of occult rituals, this couldn’t be further from the truth in Freemasonry. Their rituals are basically just plays we act out and that’s how the knowledge is delivered. 


As humans, we all have a part of ourselves that extends itself out to the world, in an attempt to understand the things that we don’t know. We do this in our behavior, in image, myth, story, drama, ritual, symbolism, etc..There is something very profound about ritual as a phenomenon. Evolutionarily, this is one of the most vital and essential ways we have passed down our knowledge, for 100s of 1000s (if not millions) of years. The most ancient stories we have as a species allude to this. Using the Bible for example, the biblical stories were created in part from observing each other and our behavior for millennia. They are patterns of human behavior that we observed, acted out (ritual/play/drama), then articulated in the biblical narrative. (Partly why Bible verse is used in our ritual)


Ritual is at the very core of how we evolved as a species, it cannot be stressed enough how crucial this has been for our evolution. Understanding and knowledge begin with ritual. We first act things out as human beings, behaviorally, it’s essentially just a drama/play. Understanding isn’t just knowledge, understanding means you embody the information and act it out. It’s like children playing (“rough housing”), they don’t KNOW what they’re doing conciously, they’re just acting it out, observing each others behavior (learning), then distilling that information. That’s why we are able to dance with each other, it’s just knowledge and understanding that we embody and act out.


So this process of acting things out in our environment behaviorally, observing it, then distilling that information, is a process that has taken place for millions of years (arguably since beings with nervous systems have existed). This eventually led us to a place where we could actually articulate that knowledge, like the biblical narratives. This is powerful beyond comprehension. This how we have been able to pass down information, largely un changed, for millennia. Just like you can only get certain information/knowledge from a book that you can’t get from a movie, or movie to a book, or video game to movie or book etc., ritual is unique in the information it contains and how it distills that information. Ritual being a core process for our evolutionary success, it can teach you in ways nothing else can. It is absolutely fundamental to understanding. Ritual is powerful in inarticulate ways, something you just have to experience yourself to understand. These rituals are far from being just archaic and silly superstition (as many believe).

Many people may claim to understand and know Masonic teachings, and while they are universal truths, you will never quite understand what Freemasonry is about without experiencing their rituals. One thing is for sure though, I can attest to the profundity in the Freemasonic tradition. There is also a very powerful feeling knowing that you are part of, and have gone through, the same experience as many other very influential men from the past (14 presidents included). With vague ties as far back as the ancient Egyptian temple initiations, all the way through the ancient Mystery School traditions, culminating in the Age of Enlightenment when the fraternity was founded. 


I am an initiate of the flame, a seeker of Truth, bringer of light, warden of wisdom, and a candidate that has been raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. I have been forever changed for the better, this no doubt has been another rebirth for me, and a start to a very new and exciting chapter of my life. 

Posted on by Kyle Roques

“Get Out of Your Head”

I think a lot of people use the phrase “you need to get out of your head” without truly understanding what it means. This phrase relates to concious and subconscious brain functions.

About 95% of our daily brain processes throughout the day come from subconscious programs we are largely unaware of. What your concious mind is doing during these automatic functions is that it goes “inside” your mind and bounces thoughts around. Most of these automatic (subconscious) programs are detrimental to your mental well being and don’t move you constructively towards your wants/desires. To “get out of your head” is to bring your concious mind out from “inside” your head, expand your awareness (conciousness), and to bring your concious attention to your subconscious (automatic) processes that are driving you.

The benifits of this being that you can start to become aware of these detrimental programs running you, and once these are identified, you can begin to rewire your brain, to write new programs beneficial to your wants/desires.

Posted on by Kyle Roques

The Divine Power

Nearly all the sacred books of the world can be traced in anatomical analogy. This is most evident in their creation myths.

Proceeding from this assumption of the first theologians that man is actually fashioned in the image of God, the initiated minds of past ages erected the stupendous structure of theology on the foundation of the human body. The religious world of today is almost totally ignorant of the fact that the science of biology is the fountainhead of its doctrines and tenants. Many of the codes and laws believed by modern divines to have been direct revelations from Divinity are in reality the fruitage of ages of patient delving into the intricacies of the human constitution and the infinite wonder is revealed by such a study.

Christianity itself may be cited as an example.

The entire New Testament is in fact an ingenuously concealed exposition of the secret processes of human regeneration. The characters so long considered as historical men and women are really the personification of certain processes which take place in the human body when man begins the task of consciously liberating himself from the bondage of ignorance and death.

Manly P. Hall
Posted on by Kyle Roques

Freemasonry’s Priceless Heritage

The sanctum sanctorum of Freemasonry is ornamented with the gnostic jewels of a thousand ages; its rituals ring with the divinely inspired words of seers and sages. A hundred religions have brought their gifts of wisdom to its altar; arts and sciences unnumbered have contributed to its symbolism. Freemasonry is a world-wide university, teaching the liberal arts and sciences of of the soul to all who will hearken to its words. It’s chairs are seats of learning and its pillars uphold an arch of universal education.

The philosophic power of Freemasonry lies in its symbols – it’s priceless heritage from the Mystery schools of antiquity. In a letter to Robert Freke Gould, Albert Pike writes:

“In it’s symbolism, which and it’s spirit of brotherhood are its essence, Freemasonry is more ancient than any of the world’s living religions. …”

Though Zoroaster, Hermes, Pythagoras, Plato. and Aristotle are now but dim memories in a world once rocked by the transcendency of their intellectual genius, still in the mystic temple of Freemasonry these god-men live again in their words and symbols; and the candidate, passing through the initiations, feels himself face-to-face with these illumined heirphants of days long past.

Manly P. Hall
Posted on by Kyle Roques

How To Approach The Bible


This is summary of a comment Jordan Peterson made in regards to “atheistic type people”, in so far as they have a type. He thinks that they don’t approach the Bible with enough respect. (And I’d argue most don’t even approach the Bible at all).

My approach to the Bible is the same as his, and he stated that he approaches it with the presupposition that “there’s probably more to this than I know”, and tries to understand the Bible from that perspective. Rather than to think that this is just a collection of superstitions we’ve outgrown – which isn’t a deep enough analysis.

That thinking has some truth but it doesn’t take into account the fact that the propositions in the Bible still stand at the foundation of our culture. It doesn’t take into account Nietzsche’s central concern, that if you blow out the notion of God, the entire structure crumbles. The “atheist types” haven’t wrestled with the real issues.

Posted on by Kyle Roques

The Redemptive Hero

Watching Son(s) of Sam on Netflix got me thinking about the human desire of wanting to be a part of a group, something bigger than yourself. This seems to be neurophysiological condition hard wired into us.

The problem being, not knowing if a group, organization, religion, cult, policy or the like, is dangerous or worthy of your time/sacrifice. There is one concrete and guaranteed principle you can use as a rule to determine if any said group is dangerous and should be avoided. That is: the group should never require you to sacrifice your individuality for the group.

Any group, society, organization, etc. that requires you to sacrifice your individuality for the “greater good” of the group is doomed to fail. This is a tenet that has been potrayed in the oldest myths – from the ancient Summerian’s to the Egyptian’s all the way through the East to the West including Christianity.

The “group/society” will stagnate and die without renewal from the heroic individual. That’s what these myths are essentially saying, that we need to embody and act out being the redemptive hero to revivify the stagnated state.

The most glaring examples of groups doomed to failure, from sacrificing the individual for the group being Communism and Fascism. This is how our laws are set up in every successful civilization – that there is something redemptive and divine in every individual, as a human being. This includes murderers, rapists, or any criminal – we acknowledge that there is something divine, worthy and capable of redemption in each individual. Whether you know this and/or believe this explicitly or not, this is what we all act out.

This is how I know Freemasonry, as a fraternal organization, is founded on safe and solid principles. They explicitly state that your first priority as a Brother Mason is your “vocation”, not just meaning your work, but meaning working on yourself, as an individual, is priority #1 – then comes your brothers and the lodge (the group).

So this applies to any group (ie. LGBTQ, cars, environmental, etc.), government, organization religion, etc., etc.. While this isn’t the only criteria, it is the first and foremost, one that CANNOT be infringed upon. If they want you to sacrifice yourself for the group (whether explicitly stated or not – typically it’s not and cleverly veiled) GET OUT! It will be doomed to fail and could be dangerous.

Posted on by Kyle Roques

Slavery Will Set You Free

Nietzsche has said that in order to be free you first have to become a slave. What he means by that is you just don’t grow up from being a (free) child to the same (free) generalized individuality as an adult, without first dedicating yourself to some sort of discipline (ie. religion, sports, the Scouts, school, etc.), to become something specific – a voluntary slavery if you will – and that sets the foundation for developing your individuality as an adult.

The discipline sets you free to becoming an individual as an adult. I see this as a necessary step, one that cannot be dismissed or avoided.

If you don’t have the discipline to voluntarily commit yourself to becoming something specific, other than just being “yourself”, you will not develop an individuality as an adult. You’ll be a nobody, nihilistically wandering through life, constantly reacting, never in control, a slave to life’s burdens and suffering – never being able to “find” who you are.

This is the nihilism I’m seeing so much of today with my generation and the one’s under me coming up. You HAVE to have the discipline to dedicate yourself to becoming something other than what you are, or you’ll always be a nobody, just a slave to the harshest parts of this reality. In order to be free, you first have to become a slave, it’s better to choose something constructive to be a slave to.