…Freemasonry is exceptional. That is, I believe that Freemasonry is something special. It isn’t the same as the Rotary, Lions, or any other civic group. Nor is it equivalent to your bowling team. It is a very specific system designed to effect the moral and spiritual transformation of its members. When done conciously and properly, it should actually change the men who join. It should set them in a lifelong journey of spiritual, moral, and mental growth that the average person can’t get anywhere else.
It was a huge honor and quite the experience for me to work side by side with Missouri’s Most Worshipful Grand Master and other Grand Lodge officers, in this temple.
Since it’s relevant, and I’m sure many have the question, as did I, I’d like to clarify and explain the naming convention of “Worshipful Master” we use in Freemasonry. Firstly, we do not worship any man. The term Worshipful comes from ancient England and was an honorary title that simply meant “respected” in the past. The structure of each individual lodge/temple consists of a Worshipful Master at the top and a few offers that support him. Basically, the WM (Worshipful Master) serves as the chief officer and oversees all lodge functions, lodge officer duties, and presides over each lodge meeting. He ultimately has the last say on matters but we are all considered equal.
Now, if you define worship as what most people see in the Abrahamic religions (ie. singing, prayer, sermon, praising God directly, etc.), I’d say Freemasons do not worship anyone or anything period. I know this was my definition of worship, basically just praising/kneeling to God directly in different ways.
My definition of worship has expanded though. If you define worship as: a wwide-rangedavenue to give adoration and respect to diety, a personal act of the heart rather than outward actions, and that worship can be expressed in all areas of life – then you could argue we do worship.
But I would say what we worship more specifically isn’t diety per se, but the divine spark that resides in each of us. So worshipping the sanctity and power of the individual. Something I clearly support and stand behind.
So long story short: Missouri has many individual temples/lodges (city to city), in each, a Worshipful Master presides over it. Each state in the U.S. has a Grand Lodge, which is the overarching governing body over all the individual lodges in the state and functions just as the rest of the lodges do. So, the Grand Lodge’s Worshipful Master title is “Most Worshipful Grand Master.”
Since I’ve been quiet with my blog post/writing lately I’d like to explain why. Most of the content for my blog post come from the books I read and I was reading at least 5 days a week. I haven’t really been reading much due to the time I’m investing into Freemasonry. Instead of reading, in the last 7 months, I’ve learned the bulk of all 3 degree ceremonies. I’ve learned the lines and floor work for big roles in these plays – a total of around 5k-6k words in different chunks. This includes learning/mastering a 3,000 word lecture (20+ consecutive mins of talking). The ceremonies don’t really change so once you learn everything then you’re set and can perform in all the ceremonies. I’m trying to get to that point.
With books, it’s easy to extract information from what you’re reading. The insights I’m gaining from Freemasonry come much slower. Partly because right now I’m too busy learning lines, floor work, getting over nerves, etcetera to extract deep meaning from the teachings. You really have to get proficient and confident with the ceremonies to be able to focus on extracting deeper meaning from them. What I’m learning is also very repetitive, so I’m not really learning anything “new” so to speak. The information comes slower but, perhaps, more rewarding. Such is the nature of any esoteric teachings but more so with Freemasonry than any other esoteric teachings I’ve engaged with.
There is something very profound about Freemasonry that I’ve uncovered with my therapist about what Freemasonry is doing for me. One of the core aspects of counseling is that the therapy session is a safe place you can express your feelings/emotions and explore your thoughts/desires. A safe place to speak your truth – safe meaning both physically and emotionally. This is one reason I advocate for everyone needing therapy. We have to have a safe place to explore our minds openly. Most people use their spouse, friend, family, and the like for their safe place(s). But there is nothing like having a professional to help you better navigate your internal world.
In mitigating trauma, having a safe place is absolutely essential for healing and growth. This safe place allows you to explore your trauma in a healthy and controlled way. Instead of your triggers controlling your thoughts and behavior. Because when you’re in that state, it’s almost impossible to explore your feelings in any constructive way.
One of the roadblocks I face right now, in relation to therapy and my personal development, is that underneath my anger/rage I have a fear driving those emotions. I know this logically, but I can’t explore the fear underlying my rage. I can’t explore my fear because I do not physically feel it in my body at all. I really need to be able to explore my anger and fear in the moment, which is really hard to do. This is because not too many things trigger this emotion, and when it does, it puts me in a state of fight or flight so I’m not thinking cognitively to watch it. Freemasonry is very nerve-racking for me. With performing in the ceremonies you have to speak/lecture to strangers while looking them in the eye, while a crowd is watching you, knowing that everyone is criticizing your every word and action. It’s very much out of my comfort zone. The fear I feel when performing is the closest feeling I’ve ever gotten to my anger/rage feeling, while still being in control.
With all that in mind, Freemasonry is giving me a safe place that I can explore my fear. A place that I can conquer, master, and get curious with my fear. They say metaphor and analogy are the key to life. This Freemasonry fear analogy is helping me to unlock my fear and empower myself. I think this is a big reason why I enjoy Freemasonry so much. So find small and manageable ways to explore your trauma via analogy. This is how you “sit with your demons”, talk to them, ask them questions, find out what they want/need so you can integrate them into your being – shadow work essentially. There is a lifetime of secrets to unlock in Freemasonry and I’m just hitting the tip of the iceberg.
Charity is one of the core principles of Freemasonry that a new canindate is instructed in, in the very 1st degree. The lesson is taught to us in a very dramatic, almost harsh way. We are told that charity lies at the foundation of Freemasonry.
Freemasonrys mission is to help reduce suffering in all of society. We strive to do this on a global scale. Part of how this is done is by “making good men better” and through charity. Charity isn’t just about handouts. You can be charitable with your time and conduct. We square our actions by the square of virtue.
A small handful of the more active guys in the lodge put some money together to make these complete Thanksgiving dinner baskets. We reached out to a local elementary school to find families in need and delivered the baskets. Though it’s a very small and humble gesture, I believe that no act of kindness is too small. Sometimes that’s all somebody needs to keep going.
It is true that Freemasonry is the parent of all religion, the original worldwide cosmic gnosis, diffused in ancient times to the uttermost ends of the earth. Freemasonry is the Pompeii of prehistoric science. All the Masonic ritual, it’s Egyptian signs, it’s Chaldean grips, it’s Sanskirt passwords, is ancient Hebrew symbols, it’s cabalistic allusions and its historical records are supremely scientific and a survival through long ages, by various underground channels, of the knowledge of the universe which was gained by Sabian astronomers from the temple tops of Chaldea, India and China and recorded by the equally learned geometers and mathematicians of the ancient Orient.
Partially what has inspired me, and led me to the path that I’m on, is watching and learning from the great Symbolists. People that can readily and pragmatically, extract meaning from, and interpret, esoteric/occult/religious symbolism, art and the like. People that approach dreams, the imagination and spirituality, with a more academic approach. I want to be able to see the world as they do, because they see the world in a completely different way than the lay person.
So one of the main focuses in my study is the development of my intuition, with the intention of being able to understand and interpret the universal language of symbolism. As you can imagine, or know from experience, this is very difficult to do. Partially because symbolism is intentionally vague, yet has to be interpreted through a certain framework. You have to train your intuition and study the roots of the symbology academically.
Starting out years ago, I wasn’t able to extract hardly any sort of meaning, from any kind of symbolism and/or art. I’d look at say a tarot card, and get nothing out of it without looking up what everything means, and relying on other people’s interpretation, which defeats the purpose of esoteric/occult symbolism.
I see a lot of people (and this was myself in the past) ask: “What does this image mean?”. No one can tell you what the image means. Esoteric and occult symbolism is intentionally vague to allow the individual to impart their own personal level of interpretation (again, still limited within a certain framework). The subtle aspects of our nature is what makes us more than who we are, more than just an animal, or just material elements in a meat sack. The things that you can’t quite explain, feelings and meanings you can’t articulate, phenomenon that can’t be explained by material science – it’s these aspects of our being that esoteric/occult symbolism is supposed to communicate with. It’s supposed to invite these divine, subtle aspects of our nature to step forward. The meaning has to come from within.
For years I have had the same problem I described above, about not being able to extract meaning from the symbolism. Finally, after many years of research, study and training, I have gotten to a point where I’m starting to intuit meaning from the art. It sort of just hit me out of no where. I guess a piece of the divine spark has touched me. So I’d like to share one of my recent interpretations. Partly because I’m very proud of myself, but majoraly because I want to let people in on how profound this ability is.
Below will be my interpretation of this image. For people not read on hermetic or qabbalistic philosophy, you’ll likely see most of this as gibberish. A quick Google search on the hermetic principle of the “All”, and a search on the alchemical “magnum opus”, will definitely help and for the most part, get you up to speed.
For me the raven represents sort of the most evolved intelligence in the bird kingdom – specifically noting how social and intuitive they are. Plus all the other traditional meanings birds imply. So in other words the most advanced state of consciousness in the bird kingdom.
Seeing the circle, encapsulated (or perhaps “nested”) in the square, the square in the triangle, and triangle in the circle, represents a totality of the structure of our material and divine constitution within the “All” (the hermetic and qabbalistic concept of the All).
I see the first circle as me (us – humans), it’s the “dot” or “point” (perhaps one individual seed of conciousness), radiating out, unfolded in its highest, most divine form, yet still encapsulated in this material realm.
The square, or us in the four fold material realm, is us realized to it’s most divine capacity, partaking or touching the higher, divine, trinitarian, ethereal realm of spirit. So that threefold aspect of divine cosmic spirit is nested within the “limitless and boundless” All (again I’m speaking in hermetic and qabbalistic terms).
So I see this image sort of as a reminder of what is possible with our “baser” self(s). The raven also intimates towards the alchemical philosophers stone or the magnum opus. A reminder that with just base elements you can create something evolved to its highest potential (ie. the raven), something that takes part in, or something that becomes divine. That with mastery over the material and spiritual realms, we can bring ourselves back to unity with the All.
But the deeper meaning this image has for me, I can’t articulate. This is why I love esoteric and occult symbolism. Partly because with just some simple symbols you can convey truths and realities that cannot be articulated. As I stated above, just as the subtle parts of the raven is what makes it divine, and the subtle parts of our nature is what makes us divine, occult symbolism speaks to that higher more ethereal parts of our nature. It stimulates and invites out our divine nature to step forward. The universal language of symbolism is a direct path to diety and brings you closer to divinity with every step. This is a Symbolist’s vision.
Many people look down on institutions or organizations that openly claim to keep secrets. Christians have been one of the harshest critics about this and baselessly claim Masonic secrets are kept for nefarious reasons. Yet even Christianity veils truths in their scripture and their teachings. Just about every esoteric and/or occult group, practice veiling their deepest truths in symbolism and allegory. Even nature hides Truths in plain sight.
Below are some quotes on the subject, one even coming from the bible.
Masonry, like all the religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals its secrets from all except the adepts and sages, or the elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it. Truth is not for those who are unworthy or unable to receive it, or would pervert it.
Albert Pike
Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not cast your pearls before swine, or they will trample them underfoot and turn and mow you.
Matt 7:6
There are a few reasons this is done and it’s not done for any nefarious reasons. Though, obviously a corrupt institution can do it for nefarious reasons.
One of the main reasons this is done is to prevent people from perverting the truth for their own gain. I can use the mainstream accepted “Truth” about Lucifer, from the Bible, as an example. The veiled truth is that Lucifer (as stated in the Bible, he is the Light Bringer) is to be thought of more as a force, not an existing personified demon. Understanding Lucifer as a force means that as an individual, seeing evil in their heart, has to take responsibility for that evil. Because it is a force that stems from them and that they partake in. If the uninitiated, profane, and/or unworthy find out this truth they would pervert it. They would rather think of Lucifer as a personified demon, as something separate from them, so that they can avoid all responsibility for that evil. “It’s not me, it’s the devil, it’s his fault!”
People would rather deny the torture of understanding their baser yearnings in self deceit. The more the actual truth is pushed on certain individuals the more they push back. Self deceit turns into denialism and a whole new way of seeing the world. These people build a new a better truth for themselves, at the detriment to the world around them, so it’s better to veil these deeper truths from the profane.
Another main reason the truth is veiled is because truth is actually a very subjective thing. “Truth is the aim of belief” and we all have different beliefs and aims.
Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality. In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs, propositions, and declarative sentences.
Wikipedia: Truth
Just telling an individual the Truth doesn’t work, they have to find the Truth for themselves. So you veil the Truth in such a way that it leads people on a journey to discover it for themselves, in their own way.
Without this method people will never understand the Truth on their own. This is the main reason Masons hide their Truths in symbolism and allegory. This is the philosophy of a Freemason, to attempt to lift the veil of reality into the deeper Truths that lay hidden in plain sight.
This edition of the book is of very high quality paper, illustrations, and binding.
Reading morals and dogma is an epic adventure punctuated by rhapsodic beauty and sheer confusion. Pike and his sources swing our attention to the perennial grear questions: Where do we come from? Who are we? Why are we here? What are the duties of man? What assurance do we have of a Divine Presence in the human spirit? What is the nature of reality? What ethical and moral obligations does one have to the world at large? Is there anything to be learned from human suffering? Can people of different faiths agree on a shared religious duty?
These questions, and many others, agitate the mind, and rivet our attention as much today as they did in Plato or Aristotle’s time, let alone a mere 140 years ago.
The relevance of Morals and Dogma today lies in it’s exploration of the great questions and philosophical dilemmas which have always moved humanity. Particularly for the Mason, this book serves the useful purpose of putting Masonic morality and ethics within the context of the general society. Morals and dogma bids man to think large – to cast aside the petty concerns of everyday life and to be better than he even believes he can be. As initiates of the 30 degree Knight Kadosh are aware, “Strive not to be better than others, but to be better than thyself” Is one of the duties of a Masonic philosopher.
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.”
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.
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