Posted on by Kyle Roques

Civility Mosaic

The Civility Mosaic is a practical guide that zeros in on what is arguably the greatest ailment affecting Western civilization today: the almost complete breakdown of civility and the balkanization of the population into warring tribes engaged in a scorch Earth battle to silence one another’s opinions.

There is a razor thin line between democracy and rule by the mob…

John Adams wrote “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” They recognize that our nation’s ongoing survival depended on its citizens being equipped with the civic virtues of honesty, courtesy, responsibility, industriousness, marriage, and religious devotion of some kind.

Freemasonry was deliberately encouraged to expand westward across America specifically to teach this rough desperate and illiterate public how to get along with one another…. The Masonic lodge became a classroom wherein its members learned how to operate a Republic. In an age before widespread, organized schools, the lodge ritual introduced members to concepts of Enlightenment, of the liberal arts and sciences, of the importance of honor and duty of the Cardinal virtues and more… We still teach our members the same ancient code of behavior and elements of character that sustained Western civilization for centuries.

The Civility Mosaic is a Handbook, a primer about how to apply the philosophy, lessons, and structure of Freemasonry to repair our relationships with others and, in doing so, repair the society around us….

If you are not a Mason yourself, it will provide valuable insight into this ancient and honorable society. If you are a Mason, it’s an exciting book, a guide to spreading the evangel of equality, brotherhood, and the power of the individual to act as a powerful force in the world around him.

Chris Hodapp
Posted on by Kyle Roques

Mystery School’s – What Are They?

“Mystery School’s, the ancient Mysteries, Mystery traditions” – what does “Mystery” mean, and why is it sometimes capitalized?

I had the question myself the first time I heard the term. I use the term often when speaking about Freemasonry and it’s a term you’ll see often when studying esoteric/occult teachings. It’s definition is quite vast and can’t really be articulated, but I’ll attempt to be as succinct as possible here, with a few quotes to aid in understanding.

Taken from Wiki:
“Mystery religions, mystery cults, sacred mysteries or simply mysteries, were religious schools of the Greco-Roman world for which participation was reserved to initiates (mystai). The main characterization of this religion is the secrecy associated with the particulars of the initiation and the ritual practice, which may not be revealed to outsiders.”

“A ‘mystery’, as it was originally defined in ancient Greece and used in the Orphic and Eleusinian mystery schools, is a type of divine revelation that can only be conveyed by experience and is incomprehensible to reason. The revelation initiates or begins a cognitive change in the recipient – also known as the initiate – that alters the way he or she sees and interacts with the world. It is not based on information or even feelings and therefore, it cannot be put into words.” – Kirk C. White

Simply put, what all Mystery schools have in common, is that they just offer a circumstance dedicated to giving the necessary space one needs to start to understand who they really are, for one to discover their real Self. So it’s the study of the Self, as an individual endeavor, and cannot be learnt/learned from anything/anyone outside of yourself.

Some of the documented, original, most ancient Mystery School’s that some may know are the Greco-Roman Mysteries (ie. Eleusinian, Samothracian, Mithriac, Dionysian, etc.)

Historically, “Their primary mission was to protect and preserve the ancient systems of enlightenment, healing, manifestation, transmutation and transformation so that they can be continually used by humanity for its collective progression. Mystery School teachings are imparted by an oral tradition. Rooted in shamanic and mystic ways of wisdom, these teachings are handed down unbroken from teacher to student in an unbroken lineage that has withstood the test of time. … To understand GOD, we must first understand ourselves who were made in their image. Mystery schools exist to empower us to ‘Know Thyself’.

As you can see, the term Mystery, when used to speak about the ancient tradition of the Mystery School’s, is not defined as most people use the word ‘mystery’ today.
Hopefully this helps one to understand what the ancient Mysteries are and what the Mystery School’s impart. But like I stated above, the “Mysteries” can only be known and felt by the individual. No one can explain to you what it is. You have to have direct contact with diety to truly understand.

Posted on by Kyle Roques

Opulence

The Freemasonic ritual is intended to be a spiritually transformative experience. The initiatic aspect of Freemasonry is “intended to actually change the candidate; a rebirth with a new cognitive frame that allows him to see that he could not before – to behold the ‘mysteries’ of Freemasonry and not just the secrets.”

W.L. Wilmhurst writes:
“The purpose of initiation may be defined as follows: – it is to stimulate and awaken the candidate to direct cognition and irrefutable demonstration of facts and truths of his own being about which previously he has been either wholly ignorant or only notionally informed; It is to bring him into direct conscious contact with the Realities underlying the surface images of things, so that, instead of holding merely beliefs or opinions about himself, the universe and God, he is directly and convincingly confronted with truth itself; And finally it is to move him to become the Good and the Truth revealed to him by identifying himself with it.”

Part of how we make good men better is by this process of initiation. Which, when done right, fundamentally changes the way our brothers see, think, and act in the world. Mircea Eliade has this to say about the initiation process: “…the novice emerges from the ordeal endowed with a totally different being from that which he possessed before his initiation; he has become another.”

This is what happened to me when I was Initiated, Passed, and Raised through the fraternity. This is the main reason I stay active in the lodge, because this was so transformative and important to me. So now I am paying it forward to give new canindates the same experience. Because without me, new, and veteran Masons conferring these rituals, Freemasonry dies.

I get to take part in these initiations on a regular basis. I regularly have new canindates personally thank me and tell me that I helped in spiritually transforming them (since I typically perform very critical and involved roles) – as my brothers did for me when I was a new canindate. I’ve seen the transformations, sometimes even the very moment of epiphany.

This brings me a level of joy that I never knew existed. My life has never been more meaningful. I have never had so much direction, drive, and determination. I have never felt so powerful and strong. I have never been so happy. Words cannot convey my feelings. At the very least, all I can say is that all these feelings are felt with an intensity I never knew existed.

I now know the reason the Mystery School tradition has been passed down for 1000s of years. And I couldn’t be more honored to keep it alive and well.

Posted on by Kyle Roques · 2 Comments

Ancient Astrology

Astrology is based on the idea that the soul departs from Heaven, which is above the stars, through one of the constellations of the zodiac and then descends through the planets to live in a body on Earth. At each planet the god of that sphere clothes the soul in certain qualities that become its personality. This is the origin of the list of the seven virtues and seven vices. Effectively the planets function as a ladder or stairway to earth and as personal emanations or steps in every person’s individual creation. Through a complex system of correspondences between the planets and colors, metals, herbs and other objects on Earth, magicians can make use of the powers of the planetary gods in their magical practice.

Robert M. Place