2009-08 Lodgeroom

August 2009

Lodgeroom International Magazine

Mortality From time immemorial, mankind has pondered the amazing cycle of birth and an d death. Approaching later years, it is only natural that one contemplates the 'hereafter' and the fact that life is, indeed, fleeting. In a world where life seems exceptionally cheap and people are willing to give their lives for a cause, it is more difficult to remember a simpler time when - to those who took the time to contemplate - death was a powerful reminder that we have precious little time on earth and that soon we will return to the dust. Some appendant bodies of Freemasonry have taken the eternal search for understanding the meaning of life and death and have sought to incorporate it into their symbolism. It is for that reason, we sometimes find the skull and crossbones, for example, in Masonic iconography. There are several reminders of mortality in the Masonic degrees: the hourglass through which the sands of time run so very swiftly, Father Time with his scythe, the scythe itself, the spade, the coffin, and the evergreen which reminds the Mason that from death springs the hope of everlasting life. The Knights Templar Degree (in the York York Rite, one on e of the 'family' of Masonic Degrees), the skull is a potent reminder of one's limited opportunities to do good due to fleeting time. At least one appendant body has a degree where the petitioner is left alone in a room with a skull in order that he might contemplate the possibility and potential of his remaining time on earth. http://www.masonicinfo.com/mortality http://www.masonicinfo.com/mortality.htm .htm

Between The Pillars ‘I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it’

Mortality Is it part of the Masonic way of life to talk about death ? Even if it is read by those who have not yet been through the devastation of loosing that special person. I would like to make some observations. I like many others have had a brush with the grin reaper and I guess I think that gives me some right to express my opinion. But my life experience I think also allows me to voice this opinion. My Mum died when I was 16 years old. I came home from a day out with friends and she was gone. I was a bit shell shocked and I cried, but I remember thinking it should be worse than this, but hey, I was 16 and a MAN.

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Letters to the Editor Questions or Comments: [email protected] Published by: Senior Editor:

Willam McElligott, P.M. PZ, United Grand Lodge of England Giovanni Lombardo Grande Oriente d’Italia

Of This Take Due Notice, and Govern Yourselves Accordingly: Neither the editors, publishers or writers of this magazine represent themselves as speaking FOR any Grand Lodge or official body. The material presented in this publication is intended solely for i nformational purposes. The opinions presented herein are solel y those of the authors, editors and publishers. This magazine may be redistributed freely, but may not be sold. The contents of the magazine are Copyr ight of the respective authors and may not be republished without permission of the Lodgeroom International Magazine.

Featured Articles Mortality by Bill McElligott ............................................................................... 2 The Book of the Dead ...........................................................................................3 Articles of Nelson King ......................................................................................... 6 Articles of Tim Bryce ............................................................................................ 8 In St. Johns Prologue By: Piero Vitellaro Zuccarello .....................................12 Shakti and Shakta by Sir John Woodfoffe ....................................................... 16 George Washington the Man and Mason by Carl Claudy ............................. 24 A Solution by Theron Dunn .............................................................................. 26 The Tylers Sword by annon ............................................................................... 29 The Lodgeroom Contact Centre ........................................................................ 33 The Scandal that shook Freemasonry and Interview with Stephen Dafoe . 34

The staff at the Lodgeroom International would like to invite you to send your comments in for inclusion in the Volume 2 - Issue 8 - September magazine. This magazine is for you, and we would like to 2007 hear what you think about the articles and about the magazine. If you have any questions about the articles, or wouldVolume like to ask2the please feel free - author Issue a8question, - September 2007 to send them in as well. Send your comments to:

[email protected] We will run your letters in the magazine and on the Lodgeroom US Lodgeroom International Magazine forum. We look forward to hearing from you!

Featured Articles Book Reviews begin at page ............................................................................. 34 More Light ........................................................................................................... 38 Haunted Chambers + Lifting the Veil ...............................................................39 The Teachings of Freemasonry .......................................................................... 39 The Lodge of Perfection + Masonic Orders of Fraternity ............................ 40 Freemasons and Rosicrucians - the Enlightened ............................................ 41 The Threshing Floor by Dr. J. Naggy .............................................................. 44 Building Boaz by Dr. J. Naggy.......................................................................... 44

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Mortality About a year later, my Cousin got married, everything was going OK and then one of my relations came up behind me and said " Your Ma, would have loved to be here today'. Three days later, I managed to stop sobbing. Today I make it a 'must do' job to speak openly to my Grandchildren about death and I explain at some point I will not be here any more. You see I had managed to get to the age of 16 and it never crossed my mind for one second that at some point my Mother would not be here. I also tell my Grandkids that of course My Mother and Father are still here, I am the sum total of who they were. And that when I am gone, I will carry on in them. All they have to do is listen and they will hear me telling them all those silly sayings my Father told to me. ’Children that play with fire get their fingers burned' ’Stay alert and you won't get hurt' ’Play nice and others will play nice with you'. Like many of you, these days I seem to go to a funeral about once a Month, to be honest it does not get any easier. I started life in Freemasonry some time back and I can remember seeing my name printed on the bottom of the Lodge summons. I can remember how I looked up to all those names that were before me. I am now about 3 down from the top of the summons. A whole generation has gone, that makes me sad and happy at the same time, sad they have gone and Happy they made a difference. As a Freemason I am the sum total of who and what they were. Bill McElligott

The Book of the Dead Book of the Dead is the common name for ancient Egyptian funerary texts known as The Book of Coming or Going Forth By Day. The name "Book of the Dead" was the invention of the German Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius, who published a selection of some texts in 1842. The Books were text initially carved on the exterior of the deceased person's sarcophagus, but was later written on papyrus now known as scrolls and buried inside the sarcophagus with the deceased, presumably so that it would be both portable and close at hand. Other texts often accompanied the primary texts including the hypocephalus (meaning 'under the head') which was a primer version of the full text. Books of the Dead constituted as a collection of spells, charms, passwords, numbers and magical formulas for the use of the deceased in the afterlife. This described many of the basic tenets of Egyptian mythology. They were intended to guide the dead through the various trials that they would encounter before reaching the underworld. Knowledge of the appropriate spells was considered essential to achieving happiness after death. Spells or enchantments vary in distinctive ways between the texts of differing "mummies" or sarcophagi, depending on the prominence and other class factors of the deceased. Books of the Dead were usually illustrated with pictures showing the tests to which the deceased would be subjected. The most important was the weighing of the heart of the dead person against Ma'at, or Truth (carried out by Anubis). The heart of the dead was weighed against a feather, and if the heart was not weighed down with sin (if it was lighter than the feather) he was allowed to go on. The god Thoth would record the results and the monster Ammit would wait nearby to eat the heart should it prove unworthy. The earliest known versions date from the 16th

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The Book of the Dead century BC during the 18th Dynasty (ca. 1580 BC-1350 BC). It partly incorporated two previous collections of Egyptian religious literature, known as the Coffin Texts (ca. 2000 BC) and the Pyramid Texts (ca. 2600 BC-2300 BC), both of which were eventually superseded by the Book of the Dead. The text was often individualized for the deceased person - so no two copies contain the same text however, "book" versions are generally categorized into four main divisions - the Heliopolitan version, which was edited by the priests of the college of Annu (used from the 5th to the 11th dynasty and on walls of tombs until about 200); the Theban version, which contained hieroglyphics only (20th to the 28th dynasty); a hieroglyphic and hieratic character version, closely related to the Theban version, which had no fixed order of chapters (used mainly in the 20th dynasty); and the Saite version which has strict order (used after the 26th dynasty). This is a beautiful color version of the Papyrus of Ani, one of the books of the dead which were often buried with the dead person who could afford to have one written, to ease his/her way into eternal life. Above is a picture from the book. Ani (man with his wife bowing to the gods), while Anubis weighs his heart against Maat's feather of truth, and Thoth records the event, and Ammit the devourer waits patiently. There are several books by E. W. Budge about this papyrus. But Faulkner's version is better and more beautiful. And, considering the page after page of beautiful color pictures, this paperback version is amazingly inexpensive. You may find yourself just sitting and marveling at it for hours and hours, maybe years and years.

The Papyrus of Ani is a papyrus manuscript written in cursive hieroglyphs and illustrated with color miniatures created in the 19th dynasty of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, (1240s BC). Full pictorail can be viewed on line at :http://projects.vassar.edu/bookofthedead/ Egyptians compiled an individualized book for each person at their death, called the "Book of Going Forth by Day". This book is more commonly known

as the Book of the Dead. It usually contained declarations and spells to help the deceased in their afterlife. The "Book of the Dead" for scribe Ani from Thebes is the manuscript called the Papyrus of Ani. It was purchased in 1888 by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge for the collection of the British Museum where it remains today. Before shipping the manuscript to England, Budge cut the 78 foot scroll into 37 sheets of nearly equal size, damaging the scroll's integrity at a time when technology had not yet allowed the pieces to be put back together. Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (July 27, 1857 – November 23, 1934) was an English Egyptologist, Orientalist, and philologist who worked for the British Museum and published numerous works on the ancient Near East. Budge's works, particularly his translation of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, which was very important to such writers as the poet William Butler Yeats and James Joyce. Budge's works on Egyptian religion have remained consistently in print since they entered the public domain; this is most likely because Budge was, himself, a proponent of liberal Christianity and devoted to comparative religions, and his works often appeal to those who are similarly interested.

So the connections between freemasonry and the Ancient Egyptian's have been referenced by many. W.L. Wilmshurst, we find the statement:

I am acquainted, for instance, with an Egyptian ceremonial system, some 5,000 years old, which taught precisely the same things as Masonry does,... In the book, Freemasonry Its Hidden Meaning, by George H. Steinmetz, we find the statement: Regardless of the origin of the modern lodge, or of the name "Freemason," we can, after freeing the symbolism of modern adaptations, discern in Freemasonry the outline of the teachings of the ancient mysteries of Egypt.


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The Book of the Dead

In the same book Mr. Steinmetz makes the statement connecting Freemasonry and the Egyptian mysteries. If the symbols can be consistently interpreted in this manner, throughout the three degrees we have confirmed Freemasonry to be the reincarnation of the Ancient Mysteries of Egypt". 33" Mason Manly P. Hall relates the efforts of early Masonic historians to link Hiram Abiff to the Egyptian Mystery Religion.

Early Masonic historians such as Albert Mackey, Robert Freke Gould and Albert Pike were of a single purpose in their efforts to establish a definite correspondence between the Hiramic legend of Freemasonry and the Osiris myth as expounded in the initiatory rituals of the Egyptians. From The Lost Keys of Freemasonry by 33° Manly P. Hall:

Man is a god in the making, and as in the mystic myths of Egypt on the potter's wheel he is being molded. UNAS EATS MAGICAL CHARMS Behold, Unas eateth of that which the red crown "sendeth forth, he increaseth, and the magical charms of the gods are in his belly; The following quote is a comment on the texts about King Unas by the translator of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, E.A. Wallis Budge: The notion that, by eating the flesh, or particularly by drinking the blood, of another living being, a man absorbs his nature or life into his own, is one which appears among primitive peoples in many forms.

Ref: * 1. Wikipedia * 2. Crystalinks


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The Articles of Nelson King http://nelsonking.ca/ Confessions of a Born Again Fundamentalist, Freemason

I confess that I am a Born Again, Fundamentalist, Freemason. Now before you have a cardiac arrest, or a stroke, let me explain what a Born Again, Fundamentalist, Freemason is. I used to be a very [for want of a better word] liberal Mason. I am now a very Conservative or Traditionalist, Freemason. Therefore, I am Born Again. By Fundamentalist, I mean that I believe that no one has a right to be a Freemason. I believe those who want to be Freemasons must be good and true men, free born and of a mature and discreet age and sound judgment, no bondsmen, no women, no immoral or scandalous men, only men of good report. I believe that a man who wants to be a Freemason must believe in the existence of God, and take his Obligation on Volume of The Sacred Law of his choice and that he owes a duty to that God and to his fellow man no matter what their creed, color, or religion. I believe that a Freemason is obliged to obey the moral and civil law. I believe that a man’s religion or mode of worship should not exclude him from the Order of Freemasonry, provided he also believes in the existence of a Supreme Being, and that Supreme Being will punish vice and reward virtue. I believe that a Freemason is bound never to act against the dictates of his conscience. I believe that Freemasonry is the center of union between honest men and the happy means of conciliating friendship amongst those who must otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance. I believe a Freemason”s Lodge is the temple of peace, harmony, and brotherly love; nothing is allowed to enter this Lodge which has the remotest tendency to disturb the quietude of its pursuits. I believe all preferment among Masons is grounded upon real worth and personal merit only, therefore no Brother should be passed cha ir to chair, whether it is in a Lodge or a Grand Lodge, just because he knows the right people or has held the previous office for one year, no Grand Master, Master or Warden is chosen by seniority, but only for his merit . I believe that there is nothing wrong with Freemasonry, as laid down for our instruction in our Ancient Charges. I am a Born Again Fundamentalist, Freemason. F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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The Articles of Nelson King http://nelsonking.ca/ YABUTS YABUTS are monstrous little beasts that inhabit the meetings and conversations that take place all over our Fraternity. A YABUT’S purpose in life is to sap a team of its competitive strength by killing any new ideas or creative approaches as soon as they are suggested.

They do this by grabbing someone’s tongue and making them say things like: “YABUT” we tried that three years ago.

“YABUT” we’ve never done it like that before. “YABUT” Grand Lodge will never go along with it.

“YABUT” the members will never buy into that kind of idea

“YABUT” they [the ubiquitous “they” who control the world] won’t let us. “YABUT” it might not work.

“YABUT” I think it says in the Book of Constitution and /or the Bylaws we should do it this way. Be aware that when they crawl onto the table during a meeting or swoop down into a Lodge room conversation, those “YABUTS” sometimes don’t look monstrous at all. Often, they adopt the appearance of a cute, cuddly, perfectly acceptable, or even helpful contribution to the discussion. But If “YABUTS” are not recognized and stomped out right away, they usually succeed in their deadly, negative missions. The flow of ideas soon changes from: “This is how we can make it work.” To “How can we make it work?” and all the reasons it won’t work, and therefore, it isn’t worth trying.


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The Articles of Tim Bryce http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm 100 MASTER MASONS NIGHT by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN [email protected] Palm Harbor, Florida, USA "A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry"

Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M. is a Masonic craft lodge located in Dunedin, Florida, a town in the Tampa Bay area with a strong Scottish heritage. Currently we have about 200 members of which approximately thirty attend a stated or called communications; forty on a good night. Having been Secretary of the Lodge, I noticed that attendance is high in the spring but low in autumn (we are dark for the summer). It isn't until November, when the "snow birds" return to Florida and attendance starts to bounce back. Knowing this, I wanted to try something different during my year in the East. Basically, I was looking for something to stimulate the Craft and give us some momentum going into the Fall. Believe it or not, the idea came from The Philalethes Society's Internet discussion group where a member from the north reported his Lodge held a "100 Master Mason Night" to encourage attendance. To me, this was the idea I was looking for and seized on it. In June, just before our summer recess, I called a meeting of our officers and suggested the idea which was warmly received. Consequently, I scheduled August 17th, our first meeting back from recess, for our version of "100 Master Mason Night" and began to promote it in our newsletter and printed up flyers which I distributed to Lodges in our area. I also brought it to the attention of our Masters & Wardens Association who embraced the idea. I personally invited local Masonic VIPs, including area Worshipful Masters, the President of the Masters & Wardens Association, representatives of the local High 12 Club, and members of the Grand Lodge. All were introduced accordingly. Realizing this was not going to be an ordinary stated communications, I started to prepare checklists with assignments for my officers who pitched in without question. I also formed a telephone committee to contact the Craft about the meeting. Between this, along with an e-mail campaign, people started to register for the meeting, slowly at first, but then faster as we moved closer to August 17th. By the morning of the

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The Articles of Tim Bryce

conducted by the Lodge Instructor for two Brothers. Following this, they were presented their white leather http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm aprons. Interestingly, one of the Brothers returning his catechism was the son of the District Deputy, who was day of the meeting, we had 132 reservations. Although proud to present him with his apron, a very moving we expected some "no shows" we came close to the moment in the Lodge. mark with 126 people in attendance. Because we were expecting a large crowd, I wanted to keep the program concise, upbeat, and to the point. One variable I had not anticipated was that our new District Deputy Grand Master, who happens to be a member from our Lodge, wanted to use this date to make his first official visit with his entourage. At first, I thought this would drag things out, then I realized it would be a golden opportunity to help our DDGM kick start his year. Consequently, I kept him advised of our plans as they unfolded. In fact, we went so far as to schedule a rehearsal with his people so that everyone knew their parts. Knowing that it was important to put on a first class dinner prior to the meeting, our Junior Warden stepped up to the plate without batting an eye and did a great job. Not only did he secure the services of his stewards and other volunteers, but he contacted a Lodge member who was a restaurateur who greatly assisted in the laying out of the menu, ordering the supplies, and orchestrating the kitchen. Because of the Lodge's Scottish background, our Senior Deacon, who is a superb bagpiper, piped into the Lodge the Masonic VIPs along with the District Deputy and his entourage. This stirred the attendees noticeably.

* Another high point was the presentation of a 70 year Masonic service award to a Brother who hadn't been back to Lodge in the last few years as his health had been slowly declining. Nonetheless, there was a twinkle in his eye as we presented his 70 year pin and rendered grand honors to him. I received an e-mail from his wife the next day saying how excited he was to sit in Lodge again and receive the award. * For Masonic Education and to improve awareness about our lodge, we showed a new MS PowerPoint presentation featuring a brief history of Dunedin Lodge (about 9 minutes in length). * Knowing our Secretary was celebrating his 55th birthday on this day, I surprised him by having him escorted west of the altar and led the Craft in singing him "Happy Birthday." The Master's gavel was then turned over to the District Deputy Grand Master who conducted his program. Following the meeting, many of the attendees

As this was a stated communications, the Lodge naturally had some business to attend to which we expedited as quickly as possible. Other than normal Lodge business, theprogram included:

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* As Worshipful Master, I began with some introductory remarks discussing the need for more Freemasonry, not less (see speech below). * First time visitors were presented west of the alter where I met each one individually on the level (a local Lodge custom). * A Master Mason catechism examination was F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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The Articles of Tim Bryce http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm adjourned to nearby Dunedin Brewery which was specially opened for the Masons. This was an interesting experiment. Hopefully, this will not only invigorate Freemasonry in Dunedin, bu t it will also stimulate all of the Lodges in our area (a few are considering a similar meeting in their own Lodge). My officers did an outstanding job and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts which, as an aside, kept them organized and motivated during the summer months. The spirit of cooperation was truly infectious. For example, our chaplain was called away on an emergency at the last minute and a chaplain from a neighboring Lodge quickly volunteered his services. Likewise, our organist was out of town and another readily filled in for him. It seemed everyone wanted to take an active part in this historic evening. Through this program of "100 Master Masons" the message I tried to communicate was twofold in nature: that our Lodge had its act together, and; that a Masonic Lodge meeting need not be boring. Hopefully, the evening's spirit of Masonic goodwill will rub off and encourage others to redouble their efforts for the fraternity.

As we have learned, stagnation means death. The critics of our fraternity claim that Freemasonry has outlived its usefulness; that it is no longer in step with the times; that it is actually an evil society that must be stamped out. I vehemently disagree. Although we are an imperfect society with our own unique set of problems, I hardly believe we are an obsolete institution. Now, more than ever, the world needs more Freemasonry, not less. We need more patriotism and civic pride, not less. We need more cooperation, loyalty, and teamwork, not less. We need more religious tolerance, not less. We need more Faith, Hope, and Charity, not less. We need more positive examples of ethics and pride in workmanship, not less. We need more Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love, not less. To do all this, we need more honest and respectful debate, not less.

I don't know who exactly it was from The Philalethes Society that came up with the idea, but thanks! It works.

Yes, we need more Freemasonry, not less.

WORSHIPFUL MASTER'S REMARKS - WE NEED MORE FREEMASONRY, NOT LESS - by W:.Tim Bryce, PM

Maybe I'm old fashioned; maybe I'm wrong, but this is how I see True Masonry; a universal and beautiful concept embraced by men around the world. We must remain the example for others to emulate. We must practice what we preach.

My Brothers, these are indeed strange times we live in. The economy has been shaken to its foundation, people are out of work, companies are closing their doors, morality is crumbling, we have considerable political wrangling and backbiting underfoot, we have grave concerns about health care and the national debt, the country is still on guard against terrorism, and the nuclear threat has never dissipated. Obviously, we can ill-afford to conduct business as usual. If we are to survive, we must find new and imaginative ways to grow and evolve. Maintaining the status quo is simply not an option. F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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The Articles of Tim Bryce http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm And Brothers, consider this: If not us, who? Our Politicians? The media? Religious zealots? Who? Freemasonry is uniquely qualified to lead the charge. We are not a religious or political organization, we represent a cross-section of people from all social stratas, located around the world, with honorable intentions. We are well established and have a strong historical background. As long as we do not deviate from the basic tenets of Freemasonry, we'll be fine. I therefore admonish all of you to redouble your efforts as Masons and help perpetuate this great fraternity and make the world a better place.

NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction or any other Masonic related body. As with all of my Masonic articles herein, please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on Masonic web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following: "Article reprinted with permission of the author." Please forward me a copy of the publication when it is produced. To receive notices of Tim's writings, subscribe to his private Discussion Group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/timbryce/

Thank you.

Also be sure to check out Tim's "Pet Peeve of the Week" (non-Masonic related) at:

Keep the Faith!

http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm


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On St. John’s Prologue By: Piero Vitellaro Zuccarello Italian lodges that run their business with AASR open the with the VSL on the Prologue of St. John, upon which the square and compasses are placed. Indeed, St. John’s gospel has a Gnostic and esoteric feature, also the universal content which goes far beyond any religious and clerical perspective. Word, Light, Life In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

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In the traditional doctrine, the Word is the Prologue’s theoretical core; it is the source of all that is created, or better, of the universal manifestation. The spiritual light which stems from Fiat Lux1 is the first creation itself. At human level, id est in the world where we live, such a spiritual light is the subtle states’ one, their vital principle.2 Synthetically, this is the Logos’ essential doctrine, which man finds in all traditions, in various forms, though. John’s gospel and the Gnòsis Western society knew Logos’ doctrine through the platonic thought, which marked Christianity in exoteric terms, as they were defined by the Council of Nicea, and also in the various Gnostic forms.

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In a short essay man cannot evaluate the various Gnostic doctrines, the contents of which reveal a very deep knowledge of metaphysics and cosmology, that man can hardly grasp by the Roman Catholic exoterism. Over centuries man could know the Gnostic schools’ teachings through the fathers of the Church, their fiercest adversaries. The situation lasted till recent times a nd partially changed after the discovery of old Gnostic texts, which man found in the Egyptian upper desert. These texts are known as the Nag Hammadi library. F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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On St. John’s Prologue

Esoteric

By: Piero Vitellaro Zuccarello Kurt Rudoph, a keen scholar of Gnosticism, thinks that “the lògos shows a Gnostic background, and probably also derives from a Gnostic hymn.”3 In his opinion, Rudoph Bultmann and other scholars validated his theory. The Trimorphic Protennoia, a Gnostic text which is surprisingly similar to the part of the Nag Hammadi library, is Prologue :

I am the Word who dwells in the ineffable Voice. I dwell in undefiled Light and a Thought revealed itself perceptibly through the great Speech of the Mother, although it is a male offspring that supports me as my foundation. And it (the Speech) exists from the beginning in the foundations of the All. But there is a Light that dwells hidden in Silence, and it was first to come forth. Whereas she (the Mother) alone exists as Silence, I alone am the Word, ineffable, unpolluted, immeasurable, inconceivable. It (the Word) is a hidden Light, bearing a fruit of life, pouring forth a living water from the invisible, unpolluted, immeasurable spring, that is, the unreproducible Voice of the glory of the Mother, the glory of the offspring of God; a male virgin by virtue of a hidden Intellect, that is, the Silence hidden from the All, being unreproducible, an immeasurable Light, the source of the All, the root of the entire Aeon. It is the foundation that supports every movement of the Aeons that belong to the mighty glory. It is the foundation of every foundation. It is the breath of the powers. It is the eye of the three permanences, which exist as Voice by virtue of Thought. And it is a Word by virtue of Speech; it was sent to illumine those who dwell in the darkness.

Now behold! I will reveal to you my mysteries, since you are my fellow brethren, and you shall know them all.

(5 lines missing) I told all of them about my mysteries that exist in the incomprehensible, inexpressible Aeons. I taught them

the mysteries through the Voice that exists within a perfect Intellect, and I became a foundation for the All, and I empowered them. The Second time I came in the Speech of my Voice. I gave shape to those who took shape, until their consummation. The Third time I revealed myself to them in their tents as Word, and I revealed myself in the likeness of their shape. And I wore everyone’s garment, and I hid myself within them, and they did not know the one who empowers me. For I dwell within all the Sovereignties and Powers, and within the angels, and in every movement that exists in all matter. And I hid myself within them until I revealed myself to my brethren. And none of them (the Powers) knew me, although it is I who work in them. Rather, they thought that the All was created by them, since they are ignorant, not knowing their root, the place in which they grew. I am the Light that illumines the All. I am the Light that rejoices in my brethren, for I came down to the world of mortals on account of the Spirit that remains in that which descended (and) came forth from the innocent Sophia. I came, and I delivered [...], and I went to ... (5 lines missing)

... which he had formerly, and I gave to him from the Water of Life, which strips him of the chaos that is in the uttermost darkness that exists inside the entire abyss, that is, the thought of the corporeal and the psychic. All these I put on. And I stripped him of it, and I put upon him a shining Light, that is, the knowledge of the Thought of the Fatherhood...4

The text is quite cryptic and incomplete, nevertheless it contains very important metaphysical and cosmological subjects, which are expressed by symbolic language. All traditions ground the human sufferance on a


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By: Piero Vitellaro Zuccarello cosmic drama, consisting in the intellectual dimming of the Spiritual Man; exoteric religions know it as the “original sin”. The cosmic manifestation is parted. There is a spiritual, bright part and another one which is dark. The Spiritual Man – Adam Kadmòn in the Jewish Cabbala, Universal Man in the Islamic esotericism – is originally the lord of the creation and of the cosmic powers – that is, impersonal psychic powers which serve the function of displaying the cosmic manifestation. Due to an intellectual darkening process, the Spiritual Man, once undivided, identifies with the dark and thick side of the creation, thus losing his freedom. He then lives as a common human being, divided within, prisoner of a solidified nature, slave of cosmic powers, unable to communicate with the Father’s spiritual world, which seems to be very far and therefore inaccessible. There is, however, still a glimmer of hope. In each human being there is a bright, divine spark which enables him to receive the Word, that he perceives as a message of freedom coming from the spiritual, upper world. Through this message he becomes aware of his deep, bright nature and can restore his original undivided state. Bela Hamvas wrote: “The traditional doctrine of men’s two types was secret and hidden. In each tradition, initiations’ core consisted in that, that on one hand there was a man coming from heaven, with his royal nature, on the other hand there was another man, coming grassroots, who wandered the Powers’ corrupted existence... for the time being, it suffices to say that the two men are still linked. Both remained One, but Oneness sank so much that material men could not see it any longer. The spiritual man is aware of Oneness. He acts like the Eternal Man who spreads the forces from above on the lower layers, thus elevating them. It is the secret of the primordial sacred man, the holy king, the high priest, the bard, the prophet, the ascetic.”5

The Cosmic Duality The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. This passage pertains to the cosmic duality between light and darkness as well as to the relationship between opposites. On this purpose, Meister Eckhart – the giant of medieval mysticism – wrote a profound commentary on John’s gospel. Here below I quote some excerpts: “The light shines in darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” means that light is God himself, and all that which is divine and perfect. “Darkness” is all that which is created... One cannot see the transparent element of light, unless he has added something opaque to it, such as pitch, lead or something similar... The light shines in the darkness because the principle hides into itself, but shines and reveals itself through the manifestation... evil is always in the good, and man cannot see it; it is however shining in the good’s light. So man knows falsity through truth, want through possession, negation through affirmation. Man however reads afterwards “but the darkness has not understood it.” Actually, nothing is thoroughly evil or false. “Every false doctrine is intermingled with something true”, says Beda in a homily. The same is valid for other things, such as possession, affirmation and so on. Furthermore, “the darkness has not understood it” means that evil does neither upset, nor alters, nor influences, nor names the good in which it rests. And so for any other thing”. Eckhart’s words adapt to the Tessellated Pavement, the Masonic symbol which hints at the cosmic duality and embraces all the couples of opposites. It has the same meaning as the Yin-Yang in the Far-East. Eckhart’s teachings match those of Muhyid-din Ibn ‘Arabi, the great Sufi master, who wrote as follows: “When the possible was dyed in light, it turned towards the left and saw non-being. It began to examine it. It was like the shadow of an individual which emanates from him when exposed to light. The possible exclaimed, “What is this?” The light Continued on next page


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By: Piero Vitellaro Zuccarello answered the possible from the right, “It is yourself. If you were pure light, there would have been no substantial basis for the shadow. I am pure light and I have no shadow. The light which is in you is due to a certain portion of you facing me. You should know that you are not I, for I am light without shadow. You are mixed light, for a part of you is towards me and the other towards non-being. So you are between being and non-being and between good and evil... God is pure light. The impossible is pure darkness. Light is never turned into darkness and darkness is never turned into light. The creature is a demarcation between light and darkness. It is not attributed with light or darkness by itself. It is the mixed middle which is governed by both the sides. Therefore, God gave man two eyes and led him along two roads because he is between two roads. With one of his eyes and from one side he receives light and faces it according to his capacity. With the other eye and from the other side he receives darkness and faces it similarly. By himself he is neither light nor darkness. He is neither existent nor non-existent. He is a powerful obstacle which prevents pure light from driving away light. These two sides join in him. From the side of light he gets the attribute of being and from the side of darkness he gets the attribute of nonbeing. He is protected on both the sides and he protects both of them.”6

Gnosticism, Harper & Row, p. 149

4 Translated by John D. Turner. http:// www.gn?sis.org/naghamm/trimorph.html 5 Bela Hamvas, Scientia Sacra, Edizioni All’Insegna del Veltro, p. 122-123 [translated from Italian, ED] 6 Muhyid-din ibn ‘Arabi, al-futuhatu ‘l-makkyyah, in S. A. Q. Husaini, The pantheist monism of ibn al’Arabi, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, Lahore, p. 131-132

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The Prologue, by which we ritually begin to run our masonic business, is therefore a casket containing an important part of the masonic doctrine. Such a doctrine is just a particular expression of the Unique Tradition and marks both rituals and symbols. It is not closed like any modern philosophical systems, or any other dogmatic thought, be it lay or religious. It is grounded on various symbols and is therefore open to the highest ideas. Any Mason can grab it if he interprets symbols with intellectual clearness and sincerity, and the Prologue is helpful for this purpose. 1 Let there be light [ED] 2 René Guénon, Verbum, Lux & Vita, in Perspectives on Initiation, Sophia Perennis, p.291 3 Kurt Rudolph, Gnosis. The nature & history of F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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Shakti and Shâkta by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) Chapter Seven Is Shakti Force? There are some persons who have thought, and still think, that Shakti means force and that the worship of Shakti is the worship of force. Thus Keshub Chunder Sen (New Dispensation, p. 108), wrote: Four centuries ago the Shaktas gave way before the Bhaktas. Chaitanya's army proved invincible, and carried all Bengal captive. Even to-day his gospel of love rules as a living force, though his followers have considerably declined both in faith and in morals. Just the reverse of this we find in England and other European countries. There the Shaktas are driving the Bhaktas out of the field. Look at the Huxleys, the Tyndalls and the Spencers of the day. What are they but Shaktas, worshippers of Shakti or Force? The only Deity they adore, if they at all adore one, is the Prime Force of the universe. To it they offer dry homage. Surely then the scientists and materialists of the da y are a sect of Shakti-worshippers, who are chasing away the true Christian devotees who adore the God of Love. Alas! for European Vaishnavas; they are retreating before the advancing millions of Western Shaktas. We sincerely trust, however, the discomfiture of devotion and Bhakti will be only for a time, and that a Chaitanya will yet arise in the West, crush the Shaktas, who only recognize Force as Deity and are sunk in carnality and voluptuousness, and lead natures into the loving faith, spirituality, simplicity, and rapturous devotion of the Vaishnava. Professor Monier Williams ("Hinduism") also called it a doctrine of Force. Recently the poet Rabindranath Tagore has given the authority of his great name to this error (Modern Review, July, 1919). After pointing out that Egoism is the price paid for the fact of existence and that the whole universe is assisting in the desire that the "I" should be, he says that man has viewed this desire in two different ways, either as a whim of Creative Power, or a joyous self-expression of Creative Love. Is the fact then of his being, he asks, a revealment of Force or of Love? Those who hold to the first view must also, he thinks, recognize conflict as inevitable and eternal. For according to them Peace and Love are but a precarious

Esoteric coat of armor within which the weak seek shelter, whereas that which the timid anathematize as unrighteousness, that alone is the road to success. "The pride of prosperity throws man's mind outwards and the misery and insult of destitution draws man's hungering desires likewise outwards. These two conditions alike leave man unashamed to place above all other gods, Shakti the Deity of Power -- the Cruel One, whose right hand wields the weapon of guile. In the politics of Europe drunk with Power we see the worship of Shakti." In the same way the poet says that in the days of their political disruption, the cowed and down-trodden Indian people through the mouths of their poets sang the praises of the same Shakti. "The Chandi of Kavikangkan and of the Annadamangala, the Ballad of Manasa, the Goddess of Snakes, what are they but Paeans of the triumph of Evil? The burden of their song is the defeat of Shiva the good at the hands of the cruel deceitful criminal Shakti." "The male Deity who was in possession was fairly harmless. But all of a sudden a feminine Deity turns up and demands to be worshipped in his stead. That is to say that she insisted on thrusting herself where she had no right. Under what title? Force! By what method? Any that would serve." The Deity of Peace and Renunciation did not survive. Thus he adds that in Europe the modern Cult of Shakti says that the pale anaemic Jesus will not do. But with high pomp and activity Europe celebrates her Shakti worship. "Lastly the Indians of to-day have set to the worship Europe's Divinity. In the name of religion some are saying that it is cowardly to be afraid of wrong-doing. Both those who have attained worldly success, and those who have failed to attain it are singing the same tune. Both fret at righteousness as an obstacle which both would overcome by physical force." I am not concerned here with any popular errors that there may be. After all, when we deal with a Shastrik term it is to the Shastra itself that we must look for its meaning. Shakti comes from the root Shak "to be able," "to do".




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Shakti and Shâkta by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) Chapter Seven Is Shakti Force? It indicates both activity and capacity therefor. The world, as word, is activity. But when we have said that, we have already indicated that it is erroneous to confine the meaning of the term Shakti to any special form of activity. On the contrary Shakti means both power in general and every particular form of power. Mind is a Power: so is Matter. Mind is constantly functioning in the form of Vritti; Reasoning, Will and Feeling (Bhava) such as love, aversion and so forth are all aspects of Mind-power in its general sense. Force is power translated to the material plane, and is therefore only one and the grossest aspect of Shakti or power. But all these special powers are limited forms of the great creative Power which is the Mother (Ambika) of the Universe. Worship of Shakti is not worship of these limited forms but of the Divine will, knowledge and action, the cause of these effects. That Mahashakti is perfect consciousness (Cidrupini) and Bliss (Anandamayi) which produces from Itself the contracted consciousness experiencing both pleasure and pain. This production is not at all a "whim". It is the nature (Svabhava) of the ultimate. Bliss is Love (Niratishayapremaspadatvam anandatvam). The production of the Universe is according to the Shakta an act of love, illustrated by the so-called erotic imagery of the Shastra. The Self loves itself whether before, or in, creation. The thrill of human love which continues the life of humanity is an infinitesimally small fragment and faint reflection of the creative act in which Shiva and Shakti join to produce the Bindu which is the seed of the Universe. I quite agree that the worship of mere Force is Asurik and except in a transient sense futile. Force, however, may be moralized by the good purpose which it serves. The antithesis is not rightly between Might and Right but between Might in the service of Right and Might in the service of Wrong. To worship force merely is to worship matter. He however who worships the Mother in Her Material forms (Sthularupa) will know that She has others, and will worship Her in all such forms. He will also know that She is beyond all limited forms as

Esoteric that which gives being to them all. We may then say that Force is a gross form of Shakti, but Shakti is much more than that "here" (Iha) and the infinite Power of Consciousness "there" (Amutra). This last, the Shakti of worship, is called by the Shastra the Purnahambhava or the experience "All I am". by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) Chapter Eight Cinacara (Vashishtha and Buddha) It has been the subject of debate whether the Tantrik Pañcatattva ritual with wine and so forth is a product of Buddhism, and whether it is opposed to Vaidika Dharma. Some have supposed that these rites originally came from yellow Asia, penetrated into India where they received its impress, and again made their way to the north to encounter earlier original forms. I have elsewhere put forward some facts which suggest that these rites may be a continuance, though in another form, of ancient Vaidik usage in which Soma, Meat, Fish and Purodasa formed a part. Though there are some Maithuna rites in the Vedas it is possible that the Bengal Shakta ritual in this respect has its origin in Cinacara. Possibly the whole ritual comes therefrom. I have spoken of Bengal because we should distinguish it from other forms of Shakta worship. The matter is so obscure at present that any definite affirmation as to historical origins lacks justification. Most important however in the alleged Buddhist connection is the story of Vashishtha to be found in the Tantras. He is said to have gone to Mahacina (Tibet), which, according to popular belief, is half way to Heaven. Mahadeva is said to be visible at the bottom of the Manasarova Lake near Kailasa. Some of the Texts bearing on it have been collected in the Appendix to the edition of the Tara Tantra which has been published by the Varendra Anusandhana Samiti. The Tara Tantra opens (l. 2) with the following question of Devi Tara or MahanilaSarasvati: "Thou didst speak of the two Kulabhairavas, Buddha and Vashishtha. Tell me by what Mantra they became Siddha'. The same Tantra (IV. 10) defines a Bhairava as follows: "He who purifies these five (i.e., Pañcatattva) and after offering the same (to the Devata) partakes thereof is a Bhairava." Buddha then is said to be a Kula-bhairava. It is to be




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Shakti and Shâkta by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) Chapter Eight Cinacara (Vashishtha and Buddha) noted that Buddhist Tantriks who practice this ritual are accounted Kaulas. Shiva replied, "Janardana (Vishnu) is the excellent Deva in the form of Buddha (Buddharupi)." It is said in the Samayacara Tantra that Tara and Kalika, in their different forms, as also Matangi, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, and Dhumavati belong to the northern Amnaya. The sixth Chapter of the Sammohana Tantra mentions a number of Scriptures of the Bauddha class, together with others of the Shakta, Shaiva, Vaishnava, Saura and Ganapatya classes. Vashishtha is spoken of in the XVII Chapter of the Rudrayamala and the 1st Patala of the Brahmayamala. The following is the account in the former Tantrik Scripture: Vashishtha, the self-controlled, the son of Brahma, practiced for ages severe austerities in a lonely spot. For six thousand years he did Sadhana, but still the Daughter of the Mountains did not appear to him. Becoming angry he went to his father and told him his method of practice. He then said, "Give me another Mantra, Oh Lord! since this Vidya (Mantra) does not grant me Siddhi (success); otherwise in your presence I shall utter a terrible curse."

Esoteric (Atharvavedashakhini). Numerous Shastric references connect the Tantra Shastra with the Atharvaveda. (See in this connection my citation from Shaktisangama Tantra in Principles of Tantra.) She protects the beings of the worlds. Her action is spread throughout the moving and motionless. Worship Her, my son. Be of good cheer. Why so eager to curse? Thou art the jewel of kindness. Oh, son, worship Her constantly with thy mind (Cetas). Being entirely engrossed in Her, thou of a surety shalt gain sight of Her." Having heard these words of his Guru and having bowed to him again and again the pure one (Vashishtha), versed in the meaning of Vedanta, betook himself to the shore of the ocean. For full a thousand years he did Japa of Her Mantra. Still he received no message (Adesha). Thereupon the Muni Vashishtha grew angry, and being perturbed of mind prepared to curse the Mahavidya (Devi). Having sipped water (Acamana) he uttered a great and terrible curse. Thereupon kuleshvari (Lady of the Kaulas) Mahavidya appeared before the Muni. She who dispels the fear of the Yogins said, "How now Vipra (Are Vipra), why have you terribly cursed without cause? Thou dost not understand My Kulagama nor knowest how to worship. How by

Dissuading him Brahma said, "Oh son, who art learned in the Yoga path, do not do so. Do thou worship Her again with wholehearted feeling, when She will appear and grant you boons. She is the Supreme Shakti. She saves from all dangers. She is lustrous like ten million suns. She is dark blue (Nila). She is cool like ten million moons. She is like ten million lightningflashes. She is the spouse of Kala (Kalakamini). She is the beginning of all. In Her there is neither Dharma nor Adharma. She is in the form of all. She is attached to pure Cinacara (Shuddhacinacararata). She is the initiator (Pravarttika) of Shakticakra. Her greatness is infinitely boundless. She helps in the crossing of the ocean of the Samsara. She is Buddheshvari (possibly Buddhishvari, Lord of Buddhi). She is Buddhi (intelligence) itself (Buddhirupa). She is in the form of the Atharva branch of the Vedas F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing



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by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) Chapter Eight Cinacara (Vashishtha and Buddha) mere Yoga practice can either man or Deva get sight of My Lotus-Feet. My worship (Dhyana) is without austerity and pain. To him who desires My Kulagama, who is Siddha in My Mantra, and knows My pure Vedacara, My Sadhana is pure (Punya) and beyond even the Vedas (Vedanamapyagocara). (This does not mean unknown to the Vedas or opposed to them but something which surpasses the Vaidik ritual of the Pashu. This is made plain by the following injunction to follow the Atharvaveda.) Go to Mahacina (Tibet) and the country of the Bauddhas and always follow the Atharvaveda (Bauddha deshe' tharvaveda Mahacine sada braja). Having gone there and seen My Lotus-Feet which are Mahabhava (the great blissful feeling which in Her true nature She is) thou shalt, Oh Maharisi, become versed in My Kula and a great Siddha". Having so said, She became formless and disappeared in the ether and then passed through the ethereal region. The great Rishi having heard this from the Mahavidya Sarasvati went to the land of China where Buddha is established (Buddhapratishthita). Having repeatedly bowed to the ground, Vashishtha said, "Protect me, Oh Mahadeva who art the Imperishable One in the form of Buddha (Buddharupa). I am the very humble Vashishtha, the son of Brahma. My mind is ever perturbed. I have come here (Cina) for the Sadhana of the Mahadevi. I know not the path leading to Siddhi. Thou knowest the path of the Devas. Seeing however thy way of life (Acara) doubts assail my mind (Bhayani santi me hridi: because he saw the (to him) extraordinary ritual with wine and woman). Destroy them and my wicked mind which inclines to Vaidik ritual (Vedagamini; that is, the ordinary Pashu ritual). Oh Lord in Thy abode there are ever rites which are outside Veda (Vedavavahishkrita: that is, the Vaidik ritual and what is consistent with Veda as Vashishtha then supposed). How is it that wine, meat, woman (Angana) are drunk, eaten and enjoyed by naked (Digambara) Siddhas who are high (Vara), and aweinspiring (Raktapanodyata). They drink constantly and enjoy (or make enjoy) beautiful women (Muhurmuhuh F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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Shakti and Shâkta by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) Chapter Eight Cinacara (Vashishtha and Buddha) prapivanti ramayanti varanganam). With red eyes they are ever exhilarated and replete with flesh and wine (Sadamangsasavaih purnah). They are powerful to favor and punish. They are beyond the Vedas (Vedasyagocarah). They enjoy wine and women (Madyastrisevane ratah)" (Vashishtha merely saw the ritual surface). Thus spoke the great Yogi having seen the rites which are outside the Veda (Veda-vahishkrita. v. ante). Then bowing low with folded hands he humbly said, "How can inclinations such as these be purifying to the mind? How can there be Siddhi without Vaidik rites?" Manah-pravrittireteshu katham bhavati pavani Kathang va jayate siddhir veda karyyang vina prabho. Buddha said, "Oh Vashishtha, listen the while I speak to thee of the excellent Kula path, by the mere knowing of which one becomes in a short time like Rudra Himself. I speak to thee in brief the Agama which is the essence of all and which leads to Kulasiddhi. First of all, the Vira (hero) should be pure (Shuci). Buddha here states the conditions under which only the rites are permissible. His mind should be penetrated with discrimination (Viveka) and freed of all Pashubhava (state of an uninitiate Pashu or animal man). Let him avoid the company of the Pashu and remain alone in a lonely place, free from lust, anger and other passions. He should constantly devote himself to Yoga practice. He should be firm in his resolve to learn Yoga; he should ever tread the Yoga path and fully know the meaning of the Veda (Vedarthanipuno mahan). In this way the pious one (Dharmatma) of good conduct and largeness of heart (Audarya) should, by gradual degrees, restrain his breath, and through the path of breathing compass the destruction of mind. Following this practice the self-controlled (Vashi) becomes Yogi. In slow degrees of practice the body firstly sweats. This is the lowest stage (Adhama). The next is middling (Madhyama). Here there is trembling (Kampa). In the third or highest (Para) stage one is able to levitate (Bhumityaga). By the attainment of Siddhi in

Esoteric Pranayama one becomes a master in Yoga. Having become a Yogi by practice of Kumbhaka (restraint of breath) he should be Mauni (given over to silence) and full of intent, devotion (Ekanta-bhakti) to Shiva, Krishna and Brahma. The pure one should realize by mind, action, and speech that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are restless like the moving air (Vayavigaticancalah). Quaere. Perhaps the transient nature of these Devatas, as compared with the supreme Shakti, is indicated. The man of steady mind should fix it on Shakti, who is consciousness (Cidrupa). Thereafter the Mantrin should practice Mahavirabhava (the feeling of the great hero) and follow the Kula path, the Shakti-cakra, the Vaishnava Sattvacakra and Navavigrah and should worship Kulakatyayani, the excellent one, the Pratyaksha Devata (that is, the Deity who responds to prayer) who grants prosperity and destroys all evil. She is consciousness (Cidrupa), She is the abode of knowledge (Jñana) and is Consciousness and Bliss, lustrous as ten million lightnings, of whom all Tattvas are the embodiment, who is Raudri with eighteen arms, fond of wine and mountains of flesh (the text is Shivamangsacalapriyam, but the first word should be Sura). Man should do Japa of the Mantra, taking refuge with Her, and following the Kula path. Who in the three worlds knows a path higher than this? By the grace gained therein, the great Brahma Himself became the Creator, and Vishnu, whose substance is Sattva-guna, the object of adoration of all, highly deserving of worship, the great, and Lord of Yajurveda, became able to protect. By it Hara the Lord of Viras, the wrathful one, Lord of wrath and of mighty power, became the Destroyer of all. By the grace of Virabhava the Dikpalas (Protectors of the quarters) became like unto Rudra. By a month's practice power to attract (Akarshanasiddhi) is attained. In two months one becomes the Lord of Speech. In four months one becomes like unto the Dikpalas, in five months one becomes the five arrows (probably masters the five Tanmatras), and in six months he becomes Rudra Himself. The fruit of this method (Acara) is beyond all others. This is Kaulamarga. There is nothing which surpasses it. If there be Shakti, the Vipra becomes a complete Yogi




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Shakti and Shâkta by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) Chapter Eight Cinacara (Vashishtha and Buddha) by six months' practice. Without Shakti even Shiva can do nought. What then shall we say of men of small intelligence". Having said this, He whose form is Buddha (Buddharupi) made him practice Sadhana. He said, "Oh Vipra, do thou serve Mahashakti. Do thou practice Sadhana with wine (Madyasadhana) and thus shalt thou get sight of the Lotus Feet of the Mahavidya." Vashishtha having heard these words of the Guru and meditating on Devi Sarasvati went to the Kulamandapa to practice the wine ritual (Madirasadhana) and having repeatedly done Sadhana with wine, meat, fish, parched grain and Shakti he became a complete Yogi (Purnayogi). A similar account is given in the Brahmayamala. There are some variants however. Thus while in the Rudrayamala, Vashishtha is said to have resorted to the shore of the ocean, in the Brahmayamala he goes to Kamakhya, the great Tantrik Pitha and shrine of the Devi. (The prevalence of Her worship amongst the Mongolian Assamese is noteworthy.) It may be here added that this Yamala states that, except at time of worship, wine should not be taken nor should the Shakti be unclothed. By violation of these provisions life, it says, is shortened, and man goes to Hell. According to the account of the Brahmayamala, Vashishtha complaining of his ill-success was told to go to the Blue Mountains (Nilacala) and worship parameshvari near Kamakhya (Karma in Assam). He was told that Vishnu in the form of Buddha (Buddharupi) alone knew this worship according to Cinacara. Devi said, "without Cinacara you cannot please Me. Go to Vishnu who is Udbodharupi (illumined) and worship Me according to the Acara taught by Him." Vashishtha then went to Vishnu in the country Mahacina, which is by the side of the Himalaya (Himavatparshve), a country inhabited by great Sadhakas and thousands of beautiful and youthful women whose hearts were gladdened with wine, and whose minds were blissful with enjoyment (Vilasa). They were adorned with clothes which inspired love

Esoteric (Shringaravesha) and the movement of their hips made tinkle their girdles of little bells. Free of both fear and prudish shame they enchanted the world. They surround Ishvara and are devoted to the worship of Devi. Vashishtha wondered greatly when he saw Him in the form of Buddha (Buddharupi) with eyes drooping from wine. "What" he said, "is Vishnu doing in His Buddha form? This map (Acara) is opposed to Veda (Vedavadaviruddha). I do not approve of it (Asammato mama)." Whilst so thinking, he heard a voice coming from the ether saying, "Oh thou who art devoted to good acts, think not like this. This Acara is of excellent result in the Sadhana of Tarini. She is not pleased with anything which is the contrary of this. If thou dost wish to gain Her grace speedily, then worship Her according to Cinacara." Hearing this voice, Vashishtha's hairs stood on end and he fell to the ground. Being filled with exceeding joy he prayed to Vishnu in the form of Buddha (Buddharupa). Buddha, who had taken wine, seeing him was greatly pleased and said, "Why have you come here?" Vashishtha bowing to Buddha told him of his worship of Tarini. Buddha who is Hari and full of knowledge (Tattvajñana) spoke to him of the five Makaras (M: that is, the five commencing with the letter M are Madya, or wine and so forth) which are in Cinacara (Majnanam Cinacaradikaranam) saying that this should not be disclosed (a common injunction as regards this ritual and renders it from the opponents' standpoint suspect). "By practicing it thou shalt not again sink into the ocean of being. It is full of knowledge of the Essence (Tattvajñana) and gives immediate liberation (Mukti)." He then goes on to explain a principal feature of this cult, namely, its freedom from the ritual rules of the ordinary worship above which the Sadhaka has risen. It is mental worship. In it bathing, purification, Japa, and ceremonial worship is by the mind only. (No outward acts are necessary; the bathing and so forth is in the mind and not in actual water, as is the case in lower and less advanced worship.) There are no rules as to auspicious and inauspicious times, or as to what should be done by day and by night. Nothing is pure or impure (there is no ritual defect of impurity) nor prohibition against the taking of food. Devi should be




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Shakti and Shâkta by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) Chapter Eight Cinacara (Vashishtha and Buddha) worshipped even though the worshipper has had his food, and even though the place be unclean. Woman who is Her image should be worshipped (Pujanam striya) and never should any injury be done to her (Stridvesho naiva kartavyah). Are we here dealing with an incident in which Sakyamuni or some other Buddha of Buddhism was concerned? According to Hindu belief the Ramayana was composed in the Treta age, and Vashishtha was the family priest of Dasharatha and Rama (Adikanda VII. 4, 5, VIII. 6), Ayodhya-kanda V. 1). The Mahabharata was composed in Dvapara. Krishna appeared in the Sandhya between this and the Kali-yuga. Both Kurukshetra and Buddha were in the Kali age. According to this chronology, Vashishtha who was the Guru of Dasharatha was earlier than Sakyamuni. There were, however, Buddhas before the latter. The text does not mention Sakyamuni or Gautama Buddha. According to Buddhistic tradition there were many other Buddhas before him such as Dipankara "The Luminous One," Krakuccanda and others, the term Buddha being a term applicable to the enlightened, whoever he be. It will no doubt be said by the Western Orientalist that both these Yamalas were composed after the time of Sakyamuni. But if this be so, their author or authors, as Hindus, would be aware that according to Hindu Chronology Vashishtha antedated Sakyamuni. Apart from the fact of there being other Buddhas, according to Hinduism "types" as distinguished from "forms" of various things, ideas, and faiths, are persistent, though the forms are variable, just as is the case with the Platonic Ideas or eternal archetypes. In this sense neither Veda, Tantra-Shastra nor Buddhism had an absolute beginning at any time. As types of ideas or faiths they are beginningless (Anadi), though the forms may have varied from age to age, and though perhaps some of the types may have been latent in some of the ages. If the Vedas are Anadi so are the Tantra-shastras. To the Yogic vision of the Rishi which makes latent things patent, variable forms

Esoteric show their hidden types. Nothing is therefore absolutely new. A Rishi in the Treta Yuga will know that which will apparently begin in Kali or Dvapara but which is already really latent in his own age. Vishnu appears to his vision as the embodiment of that already latent, but subsequently patent, cult. Moreover in a given age, what is latent in a particular land (say Aryavarta) may be patent in another (say Mahacina). In this way, according to the Hindu Shastra, there is an essential conservation of types subject to the conditions of time, place, and person (Deshakalapatra). Moreover, according to these Shastras, the creative power is a reproducing principle. This means that the world-process is cyclic according to a periodic law. The process in one Kalpa is substantially repeated in another and Vashishtha, Buddha, and the rest appeared not only in the present but in previous grand cycles or Kalpas. Just as there is no absolute first beginning of the Universe, so nothing under the sun is absolutely new. Vashishtha, therefore, might have remembered past Buddhas, as he might have foreseen those to come. In Yogic vision both the past and the future can project their shadows




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Shakti and Shâkta by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) Chapter Eight Cinacara (Vashishtha and Buddha) into the present. Every Purana and Samhita illustrates these principles of Yogic intuition backwards and forwards. To the mind of Ishvara both past and future are known. And so it is to such who, in the necessary degree, partake of the qualities of the Lord's mind. The date upon which a particular Shastra is compiled is, from this viewpoint, unimportant. Even a modern Shastra may deal with ancient matter. In dealing with apparent anachronisms in Hindu Shastra, it is necessary to bear in mind these principles. This of course is not the view of "Oriental scholars" or of Indians whom they have stampeded into regarding the beliefs of their country as absurd. It is however the orthodox view. And as an Indian friend of mine to whose views I have referred has said, "What the Psychic research society of the West is conceding to good 'mediums' and 'subjects' cannot be withheld from our ancient supermen -- the Rishis."

Esoteric Vishnu is also spoken of as Udbodharupi and the Devi as Buddheshvari. The Tara Tantra calls him a Kulabhairava. As is well known, Buddha was an incarnation of Vishnu. Vashishtha is told to go to Mahacina by the Himalaya and the country of the Bauddhas (Bauddhadesh). The Bauddhas who follow the Pañcatattva ritual are accounted Kaulas. It is a noteworthy fact that the flower of the Devi is Jaba, the scarlet hibiscus or China rose. As the last name may indicate it is perhaps not indigenous to India but to China whence it may have been imported possibly through Nepal. This legend, incorporated as it is in the Shastra itself, seems to me of primary importance in determining the historical origin of the Pañcatattva ritual.

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The peculiar features to be noted of this story are these. Vashishtha must have known what the Vedas and Vaidik rites were, as ordinarily understood. He is described as Vedantavit. Yet he was surprised on seeing Cinacara rites and disapproved of them. He speaks of it as "outside Veda" (Vedavahishkrita) and even opposed to it (Vedavadaviruddha). On the other hand the connection with Veda is shown, in that the Devi who promulgates this Acara is connected with the Atharvaveda, and directs Vashishtha always to follow that Veda, and speaks of the Acara not as being opposed to, but as something so high as to be beyond, the ordinary Vaidik ritual (Vedanamapyagocarah). He is to be fully learned in the import of Veda (Vedarthanipuno). It was by the grace of the doctrine and practice of Cinacara that Vishnu became the Lord of Yajurveda. The meaning there fore appears to be, that the doctrine and practice lie implicit in the Vedas, but go beyond what is ordinarily taught. Vishnu therefore says that it is not to be disclosed. What meaning again are we to attach to the word Visnubuddharupa? Buddha means "enlightened" but here a particular Buddha seems indicated, though F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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George Washington the Man and Mason Lodgeroom Store

By Carl H. Claudy, “Washington was so obviously a man’s man, a soldier, a statesman, a farmer, a thinker of great thoughts of his government and of his people. Its no wonder that the fraternal side of life made to Washington a powerful appeal, no wonder that the ancient craft of Freemasonry should have become so interwoven with his life. Yet, particularly is it natural, that a man who so loved his home, and whose religious feelings were so strong should turn to his lodge for that particular variety of spiritual strength which to many men comes from no other place. The effect upon character produced by a man’s religion and church affiliation can only be measured by the yardstick of a man’s reputation, few great men have set down in black and white those things of the spirit which, intimate and personal, are the very man himself.

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The same may be said of a man’s Freemasonry. What it is in his heart can only be judged by the externals. Judging by this standard, Washington frequently expressed his love and veneration for his Masonry and his Lodge. Many of his closest friends and associates, his generals and military aides in the revolution were members of our ancient craft, and his whole life of consecration and service to his fellow man carried out the ideals which radiate from our Masonic altar. We members of this Ancient

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George Washington the Man and Mason By Carl H. Claudy,

Craft understand why Freemasonry made so great an appeal to this great leader. But, my brethren, anyone who will read even a little of the history of Freemasonry will understand why this body of truth, this organization of such great teaching and high endeavor, this society with such strict moral ideals, was at once a magnet and a comfort to the man whom we honor this evening, on the 200th anniversary of his birth, Worshipful Brother George Washington.” Eulogy delivered by MW Carl H. Claudy in the George Washington Masonic National Memorial On February 22, 1932, the 200th Anniversary of the birth of George Washington, Past Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22 Note: MW H. Bruce Green told MW Donald M. Robey, that he was in attendance at this meeting in 1932, when he was WM of Columbia Lodge No. 285 and his father, MW Harry K. Green, was Grand Master of Masons in Virginia. He said when the President of the GWMNMA called upon Claudy to deliver the Eulogy on George Washington, that he could hear the groans from the audience. It seems that Claudy had a reputation as a long-winded speaker. Claudy approached the Altar in the center of the floor in the Main Auditorium, and just contemplated for a few moments before speaking. He then delived the above Eulogy in his deep, loud voice. When he finished, he paused for a moment of contemplation before returning to his seat. There was total silence in the room, as all were startled at the power of the words he had spoken and that he did not take advantage of the fact that he could have spoken much, much longer. The President of the United States, Herbert Hoover, was on the stage and came to his feet and began a slow, methodical clapping of his hands and this prompted all to come to their feet in a thunderously loud applause for the Eulogy that they had just heard delivered by Carl H. Claudy on this historic day.


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A Solution By: Theron Dunn Have you ever had one of the moments when you are talking to someone about some issue and suddenly you realize you are uttering the answer to a problem that has been vexing you? I had one of those moments with my wife five years ago, in answering her question about a few brothers and their actions regarding Freemasonry when I said: It's not about me changing them, it's about me changing me. Well, yesterday, another one of those moments occurred during an email answer to a brother in Iraq regarding his issue with the Grand Lodge of Kentucky and a Prince Hall Lodge. For instance, regarding the whole Prince Hall Recognition issue. We all know, of should know by now that there are 13 Grand Lodges in the United States that do not yet recognize Prince Hall Masonry as regular Masonry. The coincidence that the 13 Grand Lodges were ALSO core Confederate States in the southern United States is also not lost on the casual observer. This is NOT to say that all the brethren in the southern United States are racists! A point must be made here that this is a complex issue. There is also a somewhat logical argument that can be offered and rationally defended that it is ALSO about territorial sovereignty, and not about race. As an example of that, I have been reliably informed that men of color and and have joined lodges in Florida, and served as officers and are treated as good and true brothers as they should be, yet the GLoFL is one of the 13 that does not recognize Prince Hall Masonry.

We refer to the one other regular Masonic group in the United States as "Prince Hall Lodges" or PHA (Prince Hall Affiliation) and a perfectly good term was offered recently: George Washington Masonry. THis seems a more appropriate designation than that of "Mainstream Masonry" since the later term says that PHA is NOT "Mainstream" and by implication Regular. Wr. George Washington was once offered the Grand Mastership of a group to be called the Grand Lodge of America and he is arguably the single most famous "UGLE Type" Mason. Therefore, I will henceforth refer to the larger group of regular Grand Lodges, GLoCA, GLoNV, GLoCo for example, as "George Washington Masonry". The very real fact that not all Prince Hall Grand Lodges WANT to be recognized. There are considerations for them, to wit they have fought long and hard against racism and long odds to survive and thrive while ignored, resented and yes, attacked in courts and elsewhere, by George Washington Masonry. There is a thought that if they accept recognition, intervisitation and amity, their member base will slowly erode into the George Washington system and they will just vanish. There is also, truth be told, some racism in the Prince Hall lodges. This information is not offered to surprise anyone, or make a point one way or the other regarding Prince Hall recognition, but to lay the foundation for the epiphany, if it can be called that, I had the other day. Bear with me as I lay another course in that foundation. I have, in the past, called for the George Washington Grand Lodges to withdraw recognition from any of

By the way, I have never liked the term "Mainstream Masonry". Its very use denigrates all other "Masonries". Calling the 51 United States grand lodges UGLE lodges is incorrect, since we are all independent grand bodies.

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their Grand Lodge that do not recognize Prince Hall Masonry as regular in all respects. However, on careful reflection, I realized that this would be counter productive, and have said so here . My thoughts not withstanding, it has been brought to my attention that there is at least one (and it may be several from other reports) Grand Lodge that will be, in the next two years, entertaining a vote by the brethren to withdraw amity/recognition of regularity from any Grand Lodge anywhere that does not at least recognize Prince Hall Masonry as regular. That train IO once advocated is now arriving, for good or bad and we can only watch to see how it plays out. I cannot at this time reveal the Grand Lodges that are contemplating this legislation, but it will become obvious over the next year. ESPECIALLY if the legislation passes. Now that the foundation is laid, let me present to you my epiphany: What would happen if a progressive Grand Lodge were to remove its residency requirement for joining a lodge under it for any Master Mason in good standing? For this to work effectively, it would also almost be necessary that a "Grand Master's" Lodge be created (an additional financial incentive to the Grand Lodges as well...) so that a brother from outside the state would not need to find a lodge inside the state willing to be a "host".

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This "Grand Masters" lodge has been offered in my grand lodge previously, as a potential solution to other issues, but has been turned down because it would burden a lodge with members for which it was receiving no financial support. This rational alone is one reason why I think it would make a serious impact on the Grand Lodges the brethren left to join the "open" grand lodge. Therefore, the "Grand Master's" Lodge would have to be restricted to members outside the open Grand Lodge. That is a detail for legislative consideration, however.


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A Solution By: Theron Dunn Based on the current rules of visitation, if this rule were removed (and perhaps a Grand Master's Lodge created for these out of state brothers) any Master Mason in good standing in a regular lodge in amity with that Grand Lodge would be able to petition for membership in the "Grand Master's Lodge"... and then if he desired, dimit from the Grand Lodge he is currently a member of without impacting his lodge meetings. He could continue attending his lodge, though of course, he could no longer be an officer. A good brother would continue to support his lodge with "donations" instead of dues, because the lodge is not the problem, and the donations would not go to the grand lodge. What this means in real terms is that if a brother is unhappy with his Grand Lodge, for whatever reason (and to hear it on the smoldering stub, all the posters there hate their grand lodges and policies and procedures) they could join a different Grand Lodge, without residency, and no longer be "restricted" by their own Grand Lodge. If we consider Freemasonry as a product for a moment (a concept I personally find anathema, but it will do as a metaphor) and we are not happy with the product as it is being presented by the "company" presenting it, then if we have a choice in what "company" to buy it from, market forces will effect change. What we have today is Freemasonry as it existed in the 1700s. Local. Issues were dealt with by the lodges locally then, but today, we have Grand Lodges that span hundreds of thousands of square miles. Look at a map, the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island operates pretty much the same way as the Grand Lodge of Texas or California. Today, we have telephones and internet, which makes all issues local, whether is a lodge in Bangor, Big Sur, Los Angeles or Dallas. Yet the Grand Lodges still operate on territorial boundaries, and to a certain extent, that is a good thing. But it also means that if a Grand Lodge is unresponsive, or "repressive" of the needs or perceived needs of the brethren in that jurisdiction, the brethren have no choice.

would HAVE to, market forces would drive them. Market forces... remember that term. If the Grand Lodge of XYZ would not allow a brother to speak or run a web forum, for whatever reason, and he quit that Grand Lodge and joined another, the Grand Lodge could STILL silence him, for make no mistake, the Grand Master is still sovereign in his territory no matter where your dues card is from, but the Grand Lodge would not be receiving income from your membership. If enough brethren quit the grand lodge that was repressive over its policies, it would either suffer from a declining membership (income) to itself and its constituent lodges (and imagine the influence the lodges, suffering from declining paying membership and eligible brothers because of Grand Lodge policies will have with the Grand Lodge). Market Forces would drive the Grand Lodge that is not responsive to learn to become responsive, or fade away while the membership in its state maintains or even grows. A logical progression of this is the survival of progressive, responsive, responsible Grand Lodges, and the withering of... other Grand Lodges. If this works, this simple concept may be the acorn from which a new Freemasonry grows, it may be a turning point which our future brethren may look back and say: Like the 1717 meeting, THAT is where Freemasonry made the second turn which made it viable into the digital age.Have you ever had one of the moments when you are talking to someone about some issue and suddenly you realize you are uttering the answer to a problem that has been vexing you? I had one of those moments with my wife five years ago, in answering her question about a few brothers and their actions regarding Freemasonry when I said: It's not about me changing them, it's about me changing me. Well, yesterday, another one of those moments occurred during an email answer to a brother in Iraq regarding his issue with the Grand Lodge of Kentucky and a Prince Hall Lodge.

If even one Grand Lodge dropped its residency requirement, other Grand Lodges would follow, they F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing



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A Solution ?? By: Theron Dunn For instance, regarding the whole Prince Hall Recognition issue. We all know, of should know by now that there are 13 Grand Lodges in the United States that do not yet recognize Prince Hall Masonry as regular Masonry. The coincidence that the 13 Grand Lodges were ALSO core Confederate States in the southern United States is also not lost on the casual observer. This is NOT to say that all the brethren in the southern United States are racists! A point must be made here that this is a complex issue. There is also a somewhat logical argument that can be offered and rationally defended that it is ALSO about territorial sovereignty, and not about race. As an example of that, I have been reliably informed that men of color and and have joined lodges in Florida, and served as officers and are treated as good and true brothers as they should be, yet the GLoFL is one of the 13 that does not recognize Prince Hall Masonry. By the way, I have never liked the term "Mainstream Masonry". Its very use denigrates all other "Masonries". Calling the 51 United States grand lodges UGLE lodges is incorrect, since we are all independent grand bodies. We refer to the one other regular Masonic group in the United States as "Prince Hall Lodges" or PHA (Prince Hall Affiliation) and a perfectly good term was offered recently: George Washington Masonry. THis seems a more appropriate designation than that of "Mainstream Masonry" since the later term says that PHA is NOT "Mainstream" and by implication Regular. Wr. George Washington was once offered the Grand Mastership of a group to be called the Grand Lodge of America and he is arguably the single most famous "UGLE Type" Mason. Therefore, I will henceforth refer to the larger group of regular Grand Lodges, GLoCA, GLoNV, GLoCo for example, as "George Washington Masonry". The very real fact that not all Prince Hall Grand Lodges WANT to be recognized. There are considerations for them, to wit they have fought long and hard against

racism and long odds to survive and thrive while ignored, resented and yes, attacked in courts and elsewhere, by George Washington Masonry. There is a thought that if they accept recognition, intervisitation and amity, their member base will slowly erode into the George Washington system and they will just vanish. There is also, truth be told, some racism in the Prince Hall lodges. This information is not offered to surprise anyone, or make a point one way or the other regarding Prince Hall recognition, but to lay the foundation for the epiphany, if it can be called that, I had the other day. Bear with me as I lay another course in that foundation. I have, in the past, called for the George Washington Grand Lodges to withdraw recognition from any of their Grand Lodge that do not recognize Prince Hall Masonry as regular in all respects. However, on careful reflection, I realized that this would be counter productive, and have said so here . My thoughts not withstanding, it has been brought to my attention that there is at least one (and it may be several from other reports) Grand Lodge that will be, in the next two years, entertaining a vote by the brethren to withdraw amity/recognition of regularity from any Grand Lodge anywhere that does not at least recognize Prince Hall Masonry as regular. That train IO once advocated is now arriving, for good or bad and we can only watch to see how it plays out. I cannot at this time reveal the Grand Lodges that are contemplating this legislation, but it will become obvious over the next year. ESPECIALLY if the legislation passes. Now that the foundation is laid, let me present to you my epiphany: What would happen if a progressive Grand Lodge were to remove its residency requirement for joining a lodge under it for any Master Mason in good standing? For this to work effectively, it would also almost be necessary that a "Grand Master's" Lodge be created (an additional financial incentive to the Grand Lodges as well...) so that a brother from outside the state would not need to find a lodge inside the state willing to be a "host".




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A Solution ?? By: Theron Dunn This "Grand Masters" lodge has been offered in my grand lodge previously, as a potential solution to other issues, but has been turned down because it would burden a lodge with members for which it was receiving no financial support. This rational alone is one reason why I think it would make a serious impact on the Grand Lodges the brethren left to join the "open" grand lodge. Therefore, the "Grand Master's" Lodge would have to be restricted to members outside the open Grand Lodge. That is a detail for legislative consideration, however. Based on the current rules of visitation, if this rule were removed (and perhaps a Grand Master's Lodge created for these out of state brothers) any Master Mason in good standing in a regular lodge in amity with that Grand Lodge would be able to petition for membership in the "Grand Master's Lodge"... and then if he desired, dimit from the Grand Lodge he is currently a member of without impacting his lodge meetings. He could continue attending his lodge, though of course, he could no longer be an officer. A good brother would continue to support his lodge with "donations" instead of dues, because the lodge is not the problem, and the donations would not go to the grand lodge. What this means in real terms is that if a brother is unhappy with his Grand Lodge, for whatever reason (and to hear it on the smoldering stub, all the posters there hate their grand lodges and policies and procedures) they could join a different Grand Lodge, without residency, and no longer be "restricted" by their own Grand Lodge. If we consider Freemasonry as a product for a moment (a concept I personally find anathema, but it will do as a metaphor) and we are not happy with the product as it is being presented by the "company" presenting it, then if we have a choice in what "company" to buy it from, market forces will effect change. What we have today is Freemasonry as it existed in the 1700s. Local. Issues were dealt with by the lodges locally then, but today, we have Grand Lodges that span hundreds of thousands of square miles. Look at a map, the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island operates pretty much the same way as the Grand Lodge of Texas or California.

Today, we have telephones and internet, which makes all issues local, whether is a lodge in Bangor, Big Sur, Los Angeles or Dallas. Yet the Grand Lodges still operate on territorial boundaries, and to a certain extent, that is a good thing. But it also means that if a Grand Lodge is unresponsive, or "repressive" of the needs or perceived needs of the brethren in that jurisdiction, the brethren have no choice. If even one Grand Lodge dropped its residency requirement, other Grand Lodges would follow, they would HAVE to, market forces would drive them. Market forces... remember that term. If the Grand Lodge of XYZ would not allow a brother to speak or run a web forum, for whatever reason, and he quit that Grand Lodge and joined another, the Grand Lodge could STILL silence him, for make no mistake, the Grand Master is still sovereign in his territory no matter where your dues card is from, but the Grand Lodge would not be receiving income from your membership. If enough brethren quit the grand lodge that was repressive over its policies, it would either suffer from a declining membership (income) to itself and its constituent lodges (and imagine the influence the lodges, suffering from declining paying membership and eligible brothers because of Grand Lodge policies will have with the Grand Lodge). Market Forces would drive the Grand Lodge that is not responsive to learn to become responsive, or fade away while the membership in its state maintains or even grows. A logical progression of this is the survival of progressive, responsive, responsible Grand Lodges, and the withering of... other Grand Lodges. If this works, this simple concept may be the acorn from which a new Freemasonry grows, it may be a turning point which our future brethren may look back and say: Like the 1717 meeting, THAT is where Freemasonry made the second turn which made it viable into the digital age.


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The Tylers sword By: Annon Throughout history, as an instrument of justice, truth, equality and firmness, swords have been used at every great event and have become imbued with great symbolism. For this reason, freemasons use swords in all their ceremonies. This beautiful MASONIC SWORD compiles many of the symbols used in the craft: the compass and square set, the plumb line and the hammer, the sacred book and the eye of the Supreme Being, and the five-pointed star inscribed in the capital "G" of the Great Architect. "WHAT YOU MAKE MAKES YOU" Masonic swords have been used by Freemasons throughout medieval history and have carried with them symbolic meaning for the order of Freemasons. Freemasons would use their swords in all their ceremonies. Masonic swords are highly decorative with various symbols and emblems that have represented rank and other qualities unique to the masons and their societies. Those swords used by the Knights Templar during the crusades would not have been as decorated. As part of their societies, Masonic swords have becomes status objects representing justice, truth, equality and firmness. Their construction and design have allowed each sword to have a unique meaning and symbol. Masonic swords have traditionally been used during ceremonies and events of the Masonic societies, which would have added on to their symbolism and importance. Article continues after the break. Masonic swords are often used symbols in Freemasonry, but are also used in Masonic rituals and ceremonies. Some Masons also collect these swords, which are often embossed with symbols that represent justice, honor, might, integrity and truth – the tenets that Masons aspire to be. BOOK OF CONSTITUTIONS GUARDED BY THE TILER'S SWORD That Sword over the Book is this little old sword lying here on the table beside me. You know, this sword isn't any good to hurt anybody with, but it is just a symbol by which Freemasonry protects itself against cowan's and evesdroppers. So it is just a symbol of Masonry on guard and, as the Book of Constitutions is a symbol of constitutional government, the Tiler's Sword is a symbol of Masonry on guard. Do you see what I'm

getting at? I believe the Book of Constitutions Guarded by the Tiler's Sword teaches us that Masonry should always be the Guardian of Constitutional Government. http://www.masonicworld.com/education/files/ artjan02/bookofconstgbytilersword.htm Carl Claudy wrote: THE BOOK OF CONSTITUTIONS, GUARDED BY THE TILER'S SWORD Before the door of all lodges stands a Tiler "with a drawn sword in his hand." Customarily it is a straight blade; such a shining shaft of steel as was carried by knights of olden time. According to Mackey it should have a snake-like shape in allusion to the "Flaming sword which was placed at the east of the Garden of Eden which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life." "The Book of Constitutions, guarded by the Tiler's sword," is a comparatively modern symbol; its introduction has been traced to Webb, about 1800. It reminds us to be "ever watchful and guarded in our words and actions, particularly when before the enemies of Masonry, ever bearing in remembrance those truly Masonic virtues, silence and circumspection." But the Book of Constitutions is not a secret work. It was first ordered printed by the Mother Grand Lodge, and a few original copies as well as uncounted reprints of the Old Charges and the General Regulations of 1723 are in existence to be seen by Mason and profane alike. Obviously neither silence nor circumspection regarding this particular Masonic volume is necessary. Some read into Webb's symbol the thought that it expresses the guardianship of constitutional government by the Masonic Fraternity but this seems rather farfetched. It is easier to think that the Tiler's sword admonishes us to brook no changes in our ancient landmarks, to be guarded lest our words and actions bring the foundation book of Masonic law into disrepute before the enemies of Masonry, applying to the Book of Constitutions as well as to the secrets of Freemasonry "those truly Masonic virtues, silence and




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The Tylers sword By: Annon circumspection." The second edition of Anderson's Constitutions sets forth that in 1731 the Grand Master, the Duke of Norfolk, presented to the Grand Lodge of England the old trusty sword of Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, that was worn next by his successor in war, the brave Bernard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, with both their names on the blade, which the Grand Master had ordered Brother George Moody (the king's sword cutler) to adorn richly with the arms of Norfolk in silver on the scabbard, in order to be the Grand Master's sword of state in the future. Early prints of lodge meetings on the Continent show the sword in use in the ceremonies; in this country the sword was never worn in the lodge room even during that era when a sword was as much a necessary article of a gentleman's dress as shoes or gloves. It was deemed then as now incompatible with meeting upon the level. Either as a weapon which made its possessor stronger than the man who was unarmed, or as a badge of rank, the sword has no place in the lodge, except that it is usually presented to the Tiler in the lodge at opening. It is almost universal for the Tiler to request military men in uniform to leave their swords without the lodge before entering. This custom, comparatively little known in this country because few military men in times of peace go to lodge in full uniform, was often broken during the war when soldiers clanked up and down lodge rooms with their arms at their sides. But it is as Masonically inconsistent to wear a sword in lodge as to appear therein without an apron. The Tiler's sword is wholly symbolic; whether it was always so is a matter lost in the mists which shroud ancient history. The Tiler of the operative lodge may well have been armed with a sword for actual defense against the cowan, who wanted the word and the secret of the square without the necessity of serving a long period as an Apprentice and labouring to produce a satisfactory Master's Piece. The modern Tiler keeps off the cowan and the eavesdropper by the simple process of refusing to admit those he does not know; if they still desire to enter the tiled door, they must either be vouched for or request a committee. The Tiler's sword is but the emblem of his authority, as the gavel is the symbol of that possessed by the Master.

From a Masonic perspective, the tyler continued this "guarding" tradition. In the 1723 "First Book of Constitutions", Dr. James Anderson mentioned "another brother to look after the door, but shall not be a member of it" and in Regulation XXVI charged the use of "porters or doorkeepers." The English Grand Lodge, in 1728, ascribed him more importance as an "officer who kept the door" and in its minutes of June 8, 1732, initially referred to his specific title as "the Tyler." In 1738 he was described as "brother the doorkeeper to lock up all aprons." The word "tyler" first appeared in print in new Regulation XXVI of the 1738 "Second Book of Constitutions." Here Anderson recalled "Old Regulation XIII" of the first Grand Lodge of 17l7, which required that "another brother and Master Mason, should be appointed the Tyler, to look after the door." And so our ritual today tells us that he is "a brother without the door." The early tylers wore very colorful clothing. The Grand Lodge Tyler of 1736, for example, was described as wearing a red waistcoat under a dark blue coat trimmed with gold lace, yellow trousers and a large triangular hat. He even wore this uniform in public, as when delivering summonses or in processions, and was often subject to ridicule.

With apologies to Rudyard Kipling I offer this little Masonic Shortie

If you can keep respect when all about you are loosing theirs If you can call a man Master and not feel inferior If you can call a man Apprentice and not sound superior If you know that Compassion and Integrity walk hand in hand You are a Freemason my son.


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We have added a few more facilities for you the Lodgeroom Members to use. As usual it is all FREE to use.

Lodgeroom Contact Center Here we want to create a link system for Masonic web Sites, where you the Web Master and you the Reader have a chance to find examine and comment on Masonic Web Sites of all kinds.

Lodgeroom International Blog For all those who would like to occasionally create a comment or just have a few words to say but do not want to maintain a standard blog site themselves.

1 : You can submit an Article if you wish. 2 : You can submit a review of a web site or a Book or a Paper. so that others may share your thinking 3 : You may submit a Link to your Web Site 4 : You may send in the RSS or Aton feed from your Blog and I will add it to the system. 5 : Commercial Sites can submit their web sites. You can write a review on that site if you wish. You will see from the icons that you can - Email - Print - Create a .pdf file at a touch of a button, so sharing information from here with friends is easy. email: \[email protected]

http://lodgeroomstore.com/wordpress/about-2/ All you have to do is sign up, I will create a category in your name and you place your article under that category.

So you can publish an article weekly - Monthly Yearly. It will be carried over to the Contact Center automatically and appear under the section for the LR Blog. Like this : http://lodgeroomstore.com/news/ index.php?view=newsfeed&catid=5%3Abusinessgeneral&id=37lodgeroominternational&option=com_newsfeeds&Itemid=49 So we offer more facilities to use the Internet as much or as little as you wish.

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Here are a few:-

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News - Links - Details of Masonic Blogs - Book Reviews - Web Site reviews.

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You can add to it and comment on the content as much as you wish.

Lodgeroom Download Center


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Morgan: The Scandal That Shook Freemasonry

Trade Paper - 484 pages With 25 B&W Illustrations

B y Stephen Dafoe With A Foreword By Arturo De Hoyos

Cornerstone Book Publishers ISBN: 1-934935-54-9 ISBN 13: 978-1-934935-23-1 Interview with Stephen on next page Product Dimensions: 6 X 9 Two-minute documentary trailer for Stephen Dafoe's book Morgan: The Scandal That Shook Freemasonry. http://lodgeroomstore.com//

Was William Morgan Murdered By Masons?

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On September 11, 1826 William Morgan was arrested for petit larceny and taken from his home in Batavia, New York to answer the charge. He never saw his home or family again. What became of Morgan after he was freed from a Canandaigua jail cell in the middle of the night forms the basis of one of the great unsolved mysteries of American history, made all the more mysterious by the circumstances that preceded it. Several months before his arrest, Morgan had begun work on a book on the Freemasons, a group with which he had recently had a falling. The problem for Morgan and his book was that it sought to expose Masonic secrets, something the local members of the fraternity wished to prevent at all costs. This book is the story of William Morgan, his associates and the book they proposed to publish. It is the story of how a handful of young, impetuous members of the Masonic fraternity took matters into their own hands to prevent its publication and how their plans took a deadly fork in the road, nearly exterminating the very organization they sought to protect. It is also a book written by a member of the Masonic fraternity.

sample Chapter available here

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Praise For Morgan “Stephen Dafoe’s account is unique. It is not dry history. Written in a narrative form, it conveys the elusive balance which historians demand while remaining a ‘damn good read.’” - Arturo De Hoyos Grand Archivist and Grand Historian The Supreme Council, 33º, Southern Jurisdiction F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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Stephen Dafoe interviewe by Bill McElligott Question: OK Stephen, thank you for agreeing to this interview, I guess you know there is still a lot of interest in your writing after the success of your previous books. Question : When last we talked, your agent was shopping Morgan. Bring us up to speed on how that came together.

Morgan was an extremely difficult book to find a home for because it is a book that takes a contrary view as to what really happened to William Morgan after he was kidnapped in 1826. Masonic publishers including my own publisher Lewis Masonic were interested but leery on publishing a book that claimed freemasons killed Morgan, lest it alienate customers. Non-Masonic publishers who take on Masonic themes rejected the idea for the same reason – fearing the alienation of Masonic book buyers. The irony of that oxymoron did not escape me at the time. An esoteric publisher liked the idea but felt it wasn’t esoteric enough for their readers, which prompted me to ask if I should have channeled Morgan’s ghost to write it. Only one publishing house had the courage to allow me to tell a story that will not be popular with some Masons and that was Cornerstone Book Publishers in the United States. From start to finish Mike Poll was a joy to work with and encouraged me through the rough spots and second guessing that the book might bring him undue criticism.

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In the end we wound up with a book of nearly 500 pages that is the most detailed and authentic account of the Morgan Affair to date. Question : Is there a difference in Morgan: The Scandal That Shook Freemasonry to your previous work, Stephen?

There is a vast difference between this book and anything else I’ve ever written. My previous books, whether speculative or straightforward histories, have been written in a conventional nonfiction style. That is to say - in my own voice. Morgan is quite different because it is written in a narrative. That is not to say that it is a work of fiction. It certainly isn’t. But the book reads like a novel and yet has copious endnotes for those who want to check my work or know more. I really struggled with doing the book the way I did because it was such a departure from my previous work. In the end I concluded that a narrative voice was the only was the book could be written because for 180-some years the story of Morgan was told through the biases of mason and antimason alike. The only way to truly tell the story was to let the people involved tell it in their own voice. As a result you get to be there with William Morgan when he sits a long way from his family and reads the letter his wife wrote him telling him of F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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Stephen Dafoe interviewe

by Bill McElligott

the death of their infant child. It was important to me to humanize the players in the drama on both sides of the lodge door because for nearly two centuries both sides have been dehumanized and even demonized by the opposing camp. Question: What would you like the reader to take from this book?

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That the story we have told and the story the anti-masons have told about what happened to William Morgan after he was arrested on September 11, 1826 is not the whole truth. That somewhere between the two extremes lays a story that is like a Shakespearean tragedy. I think one of the most important things I’d like Masonic readers to take away from the book is that the story Rob Morris told that Morgan was deported to Canada with $500 and a new horse is improbable if not implausible. Although I wrote the book in a narrative form, there is an afterword of some 10,000 words in which I offer my own opinion on the likely chain of events and how the Morris story was a fabrication. Question: What prompted you to write Morgan: The Scandal That Shook Freemasonry and who is the probable reader?

I think like all Freemasons, I developed my own interests of an historical nature over the years. Morgan was certainly the one for me, largely because I have travelled through the region where the events happened, even sitting in lodges that once were closed as a result of the Morgan Affair.

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The more I researched into the history of the event, the more I came to realize that the story being told didn’t stack up. On one side Freemasons were claiming we were the good guys helping this Morgan chap out. On the other were the anti-Masons claiming it was an organized Masonic conspiracy. They both couldn’t be right, and - as it turned out - both were wrong. Question: Can you give us some insight into how you constructed Morgan: The Scandal That Shook Freemasonry?

Like all books, Morgan started out with a tremendous amount of research. I acquired virtually every book written on the subjec t, certainly the ones written close to the time of his abduction and disappearance. From there I expanded to newspaper accounts, court documents – depositions, affidavits and the like. The Chancellor Robert Livingston Library of the Grand Lodge of New York was a big help in making the papers of Victor Birdseye available to me. Birdseye was the last special commissioner hired to investigate the matter and his papers include a number of letters F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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Stephen Dafoe interviewe by Bill McElligott between lawyers and from the men who were sent to track down the masons who fled the scene to avoid prosecution.

ago. Now I draw on good music and – if the writing is getting on late in the evening – some fine single malt scotch.

I cannot tell you how exciting it was to hold in my hands a copy of the handwritten trial notes that were copied down during one of the major trials.

The key to writing is discipline and the ability to park one’s backside on a chair for long periods of time. I generally write books in the winter and lock myself away for three to six months. In summer, I do as little as possible in that regard because summers are so short here in north-central Alberta. I think the time I spend freely in the summer, apart from my regular freelance work, allows me to pour it on in winter when I have a book to write.

From there, I began researching the cast of characters apart from the Morgan Affair. For example histories of Western New York State provided a wealth of information on people like David C. Miller who was Morgan’s publisher and a man who the masons also tried stealing away. The historical information allowed me to understand that Miller was not the villain we have made him out to be. Question: Who or what was your inspiration in the writing of Morgan: The Scandal That Shook Freemasonry?

As heretical as it may seem to some members of the fraternity, William Morgan himself and a quest to find the truth were the real inspiration as I worked on the book. I have never been more emotionally invested in a book project than I was on this one. As the story unfolded I found myself feeling anger, pity, sadness and compassion for and towards characters on both side of the fence. Question: Can you tell our audience what books have influenced you?

I think any book I read has an influence on me. Whether it is showing me a better or worse technique for writing, or opening my eyes and mind to new ideas, books simply expand the mind. Having said that, I really cannot think of one book or one author that has shaped my writing as it exists today, although I feel most writers imitate other styles until they develop a voice and style of their own. Question: What or who do you draw on when engaged in the task of writing?

I used to draw on a pipe dangling perpetually from the side of my mouth. But I gave up that habit about a year

Question: What other books can we look forward to from Stephen Dafoe in the future?

I am under contract with Lewis Masonic to do a third illustrated book, which will complete a trilogy of sorts. It is a straight up illustrated history of the Knights Templar. Beyond that, I am working on a couple of compilation books with fellow Albertan Randy Williams and a novel series with Kevin Noel Olsen from Montana. Question: any other projects?

This fall will see the release of the Templar Tarot: The Journey. This is a project I recently completed and one I’m really excited to hold in my hands. Allen Chester of Virginia is this insanely talented artist from whose work I was asked to select 22 major arcana cards and provide the interpretations. I divided the cards into three groupings of seven, with each section depicting and chronicling part of the Templar story – birth, life and death. Each of the cards has an historical context as well as a symbolic context, and then there are the traditional divinatory and reverse interpretations. Even if you think Tarot is some form of quackery, the major arcana cards can be laid out to pictorially tell the historical story of the Templars. As a meditative and introspective tool, the deck is just going to be phenomenal. Beyond that there is the Templar comic book series Outremer which I am doing with artist Bob Prodor. I’m hoping to have issue 2 out later this year.


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Book Review More Light - Masonic Enlightenment Series Foreword by Michael R. Poll

6 x 9 Softcover 194 pages ISBN 1-934935-36-0 There are some terrific Interveiws on Masonic Central:http://masoniccentral.blogspot.com/

Published by Cornerstone Book Publishers.

and

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Masonic-Central

You can listen to Stephen Dafoe and many of the other famous or some say infamous names we all know and love. You can add Masonic Central to your web sites with a small piece of ‘html code’. You can get this off the above sites. The Masonic Central Pod Cast has moved. You can find us at Masonic Central on BlogTalk Radio Listen to the show LIVE Sunday evenings at 9pm PST/6pm PST at the site above or on

You can contact the Guys on line and you can also phone in. You will find a number of the books andvertised here and the Authors talking about their books, [as if you could stop them talking about them]. On line all the time, for your enjoyment.

This is the a follow-up to the popular book “Masonic Englightenment.” Includes the inspired Masonic essays: “Mythology and Masonry” by R.J. Meekren; “Geometry of God” by Joseph Fort Newton; “The Suppression of the Order of the Temple” by Frederick W. Hamilton; “Was William Shakespeare a Freemason?” by Robert I. Clegg; “The Religion of Robert Burns” by Gilbert Patten Brown; “Hysteria in Freemasonry” by WM. F. Kuhn; “The Square and the Cross” by A.S. MacBride; “Toleration and Freethinking” by H.L. Haywood and more. SAMPLE CHAPTER AT STORE


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Book Review Haunted Chambers By; Karen Kidd FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THE MOST COMPLETE WORK OF EARLY WOMEN FREEMASONS AND DETAILS ABOUT TEHIR LIVES. Lifting the Veil Esoteric Masonic Thought Created by Giovanni Lombardo for Lodgeroom International

Cornerstone Book Publishers in New Orleans, LA., recently announced the soon-to-be released “Haunted Chambers: the Lives of Early Women Freemasons”. The book’s author, Karen Kidd, is a Co-Mason and member of a Seattle, WA-based Lodge that works under the Honorable Order of American Co-Masonry, American Federation of Human Rights, headquartered in Larkspur, CO. “Haunted Chambers” is Kidd’s first book. Kidd touches only briefly on what many will find as the real challenge in this book: that these women existed at all. Instead, “Haunted Chambers” provides the best evidence available that these women did exist and as many details about their lives as is still available. The women in Haunted Chambers include an American writer of women’s rights, an early New Brunswick settler, an Irish immigrant girl, a war hero, a cou ntess and the sculptress who created the statue of Abraham Lincoln that stands today in the US Capitol Rotunda.

The Teachings of Freemasonry The Teachings of Freemasonry By H.L. Haywood Edited by Michael R. Poll 6x9 Softcover 144 pages ISBN 1-887560-92-0

Myself, I am an Italian Freemason, and my lodge runs its business with the AASR ritual. Therefore, there are some differences as far as the ritual is concerned. I add that Italy is, at an esoteric level, the heir of the mysteries practiced in the Mediterranean area years ago, especially in Greece. There is a different mentality involved and different practices. To Masons who don’t practice within Italy, some of our rituals can appear quite weird, if they are unexplained and not understood. Our lodge involves our new members in an educational process from the start. We provide new members with a booklet containing various informative articles. These articles cover both the general aspects of Freemasonry and the most common symbols which man finds in our Temple.

One of the most beloved and respected Masonic educators provides a true course in Masonic education in this rare classic. This is an excellent Masonic education


Foreword Two years ago, Robert Theron Dunn (“Theron”), Bill McElligott and I discussed how to help the American Brethren who set up “Traditional Obedience” lodges, and others who merely desired to improve their esoteric knowledge.

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Lodgeroom International Store

The Lodge of Perfection by Albert Pike Foreword by Michael R. Poll 6x9 Softcover 152 pages Retail Price: $16.95 ISBN 1-934935-13-1

http://lodgeroomuk.net.wwwebserver.net/ catalogue.php?shop=1

The degrees of the Lodge of Perfection are often viewed as the heart of the Scottish Rite. In these degrees, Albert Pike explores human relations, responsibilities and moral codes. We learn of how humans should interact with each other, how we should govern ourselves and live within our communities. "The Lodge of Perfection" provides each Masonic student with a collection of reflective philosophical lessons which can be used to grow as both a Mason and a member of the human family. The text has been somewhat modernized making an easier reading experience.

Masonic Orders of Fraternity by Manly P. Hall Originally published in 1976, an exploration of the seventeenth and eighteenth century revivals of the Mystery Rituals, with information on the influence on Masonic circles of the Rituals of Memphis and Illuminati, and the revival of Egyptian Masonry.

Fat Masons Need Love Edited by Michael R. Poll 6x9 Softcover 90 pages


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Freemasons and Rosicrucians the Enlightened by Manly P. Hall “The average Mason, as well as the modern student of Masonic ideals, little realized the cosmic obligation he takes upon himself when he begins his search for the sacred truths of Nature as they are concealed in the ancient and modern rituals. He must not lightly regard his vows, and if he would not bring upon himself years and ages of suffering he must cease to consider Freemasonry solely as a social order only a few centuries old. He must realize that the ancient mystic teachings as perpetuated in the modern rites are sacred, and that powers unseen and unrecognized mold the destiny of those who consciously and of their own free will take upon themselves the obligations of the Fraternity. Freemasonry is not a material thing: it is a science of the soul; it is not a creed or doctrine but a universal expression of the Divine Wisdom. The coming together of medieval guilds or even the building of Solomon’s temple as it is understood today has little, if anything, to do with the true origin of Freemasonry, for Masonry does not deal with personalities. In its highest sense, it is neither historical nor archaeological, but is a divine symbolic language perpetuating under certain concrete symbols the sacred mysteries of the ancients. Only those who see in it a cosmic study, a life work, a divine inspiration to better thinking, better feeling, and better living, with the spiritual attainment of enlightenment as the end, and with the daily life of the true Mason as the means, have gained even the slightest insight into the true mysteries of the ancient rites. The age of the Masonic school is not to be calculated by hundreds or even thousands of years, for it never had any origin in the worlds of form. The world as we see it is merely an experimental laboratory in which man is laboring to build and express greater and more perfect vehicles. Into this laboratory pour myriads of rays descending from the cosmic hierarchies. These mighty globes and orbs which focus their energies upon mankind and mold its destiny do so in an orderly manner, each in its own way and place, and it is the working of these mystic hierarchies in the universe which forms the pattern around which the Masonic school has been built, for the true lodge of the Mason is

the universe. Freed of limitations of creed and sect, he stands a master of all faiths, and those who take up the study of Freemasonry without realizing the depth, the beauty, and the spiritual power of its philosophy can never gain anything of permanence from their studies. The age of the Mystery Schools can be traced by the student back to the dawn of time, ages and aeons ago, when the temple of the Solar Man was in the making. That was the first Temple of the King, and therein were given and laid down the true mysteries of the ancient lodge, and it was the gods of creation and the spirits of the dawn who first tiled the Master’s lodge. The initiated brother realized that his so called symbols and rituals are merely blinds fabricated by the wise to perpetuate ideas incomprehensible to the average individual. He also realized that few Masons of today know or appreciate the mystic meaning concealed within these rituals. With religious faith we perpetuate the form, worshiping it instead of the life, but those who have not recognized that truth in the crystallized ritual, those who have not liberated the spiritual germ from the shell of empty words, are not Masons, regardless of their physical degrees and outward honors. In the work we are taking up it is not the intention to dwell upon the modern concepts of the Craft but to consider Freemasonry as it really is t o those who know, a great cosmic organism whose true brothers and children are tied together not by spoken oaths


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Freemasons and Rosicrucians the Enlightened by Manly P. Hall but by lives so lived that they are capable of seeing through the blank wall and opening the window which is now concealed by the rubbish of materiality. When this is done and the mysteries of the universe unfold before the aspiring candidate, then in truth he discovers what Freemasonry really is. Its material aspects interest him no longer for he has unmasked the Mystery School which he is capable of recognizing only when he himself has spiritually become a member of it. Those who have examined and studied its ancient lore have no doubt that Freemasonry, like the universe itself, which is the greatest of all schools, deals with the unfolding of a three-fold principle; for all the universe is governed by the same three kings who are called the builders of the Masonic temple. They are not personalities but principles, great intelligent energies and powers which in God, man, and the universe have charge of the molding of cosmic substance into the habitation of the living king, the temple built through the ages first of unconscious and then conscious effort on the part of every individual who is expressing in his daily life the creative principles of these three kings. The true brother of the ancient Craft realized that the completion of the temple he was building to the King of the Universe was a duty or rather a privilege which he owed to his God, to his brother, and to himself. He knew that certain steps must be taken and that his temple must be built according to the plan. Today it seems that the plan is lost, however, for in the majority of cases Freemasonry is no longer an operative art but is merely a speculative idea until each brother, reading the mystery of his symbols and pondering over the beautiful allegories unfolded in his ritual, realized that he himself contains the keys and the plans so long lost to his Craft and that if he would ever learn Freemasonry he must unlock its doors with the key wrought from the base metals of his own being. True Freemasonry is esoteric; it is not a thing of this world. All that we have here is a link, a doorway, through which the student may pass into the unknown. Freemasonry has nothing to do with things of form

save that it realize form is molded by and manifests the life it contains. Consequently the student is seeking so to mold his life that the form will glorify the God whose temple he is slowly building as he awakens one by one the workmen within himself and directs them to carry out the plan that has been given him out of heaven. So far as it is possible to discover, ancient Freemasonry and the beautiful cosmic allegories that it teaches, perpetuated through hundreds of lodges and ancient mysteries, forms the oldest of the Mystery Schools; and its preservation through the ages has not depended upon itself as an exoteric body of partly evolved individuals but upon a concealed brotherhood, the exoteric side of Freemasonry. All the great Mystery Schools have hierarchies upon the spiritual planes of Nature which are expressing themselves in this world through creeds and organizations. The true student seeks to lift himself from the exoteric body upward spiritually until he joins the esoteric group which, without a lodge on the physical plane of Nature, is far greater than all the lodges of which it is the central fire. The spiritual instructors of humanity are forced to labor in the concrete world with things comprehensible to the concrete mind, and there man begins to comprehend the meaning of the allegories and symbols which surround his exoteric work as soon as he prepares himself to receive them. The true Mason realized that the work of the Mystery Schools in the world is of an inclusive rather than an exclusive nature, and that the only lodge which is broad enough to express his ideals is one whose dome is the heavens, whose pillars are the corners of creation, whose checkerboard floor is composed of the crossing currents of human emotion and whose altar is the human heart. Creeds cannot bind the true seeker for truth. Realizing the unity of all truth, the Mason also realized that the hierarchies laboring with him have given him in his varying degrees the mystic spiritual rituals of all the Mystery Schools in the world., and if he would fill his place in the plan he must not enter this sacred study for what he can get out of it but that he may learn how to serve. In Freemasonry is concealed the mystery of creation, the answer to the problem of existence, and the path the student must tread in order to join those who are


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Freemasons and Rosicrucians the Enlightened by Manly P. Hall really the living powers behind the thrones of modern national and international affairs. The true student realizes most of all that the taking of degrees does not make a man a Mason. A Mason is not appointed; he is evolved and he must realize that the position he holds in the exoteric lodge means nothing compared to his position in the spiritual lodge of life. He must forever discard the idea that he can be told or instructed in the sacred Mysteries or that his being a member of an organization improves him in any way. He must realize that his duty is to build and evolve the sacred teachings in his own being: that nothing but his own purified being can unlock the door to the sealed libraries of human consciousness, and that his Masonic rites must eternally be speculative until he makes them operative by living the life of the mystic Mason. His karmic responsibilities increase with his opportunities. Those who are surrounded with knowledge and opportunity for self-improvement and make nothing of these opportunities are the lazy workmen who will be spiritually, if not physically, cast out of the temple of the king. The Masonic order is not a mere social organization, but is composed of all those who have banded themselves together to learn and apply the principles of mysticism and the occult rites. They are (or should be) philosophers, sages and sober-minded individuals who have dedicated themselves upon the Masonic altar and vowed by all they hold dear that they world shall be better, wiser, and happier because they have lived. Those who enter these mystic rites and pass between the pillars seeking either prestige or commercial advantage are blasphemers, and while in this world we may count them as successful, they are the cosmic failures who have barred themselves out from the true rite whose keynote is unselfishness and who workers have renounced the things of the earth.

eliminated by their inability to meet the requirements for admission. The successful candidate who did pass between the pillars entered the temple, keenly realizing his sublime opportunity, his divine obligation, and the mystic privilege which he had earned from himself through years of special preparation. Only those are truly Masons who enter their temple in reverence, who seek not the ephemeral things of life but the treasures which are eternal, whose sole desire is to know the true mystery of the Craft that they may join as honest workmen those who have gone before as builders of the Universal Temple. The Masonic ritual is not a ceremony, but a life to be lived. Those along are truly Masons who, dedicating their lives and their fortunes upon the altar of the living flame, undertake the construction of the one universal building of which they are the workmen and their God the living Architect. When we have Masons like this the Craft will again be operative, the flaming triangle will shine forth with greater luster, the dead builder will rise from his tomb, and the Lost Word so long concealed from the profane will blaze forth again with the power that makes all things new.” Freemasons and Rosicrucians - the Enlightened by Manly P. Hall Edited by Michael R. Poll 6x9 Softcover 152 pages Other Cornerstone Books

In ancient times many years of preparation were required before the neophyte was permitted to enter the temple of the Mysteries. In this way the shallow, the curious, the faint of heart, and those unable to withstand the temptations of life were automatically F r e e m a s o n r y : It’s not about me changing

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The Threshing Floor by Dr. John S. Nagy The Threshing-Floor A House Built upon sand shall neither stand well nor stand long.1 Dr. John S. Nagy

Yet, if Masons took time to examine Ritual carefully and look into the history of King Solomon’s Temple, as provided by the Volume of Sacred Law and specifically the land in which it was Built upon, they would find a rich harvest of connections. Before them would be an abundance of lessons that would profit them and those they encounter. They would have examples of human desire focused in grand style to assure actions were honorable and respecting. They would discover deeper meaning and understanding that made for better choices in life. They would also create a clarity and continuity surrounding the Work that they endeavor to undertake as Masons in Masonry.

Summary: King Solomon’s choice of location to Build his Temple upon has many overlaying references that have much significance to Masons. Examining its rich history reveals Strong criteria for its selection. Masons We each Build a Temple that is our own. The plans would do well to understand the connections this for that Temple are Masonic in origin and follow the Temple location has for any other Building they may prototype of that which was Built by King Solomon conceive, design and eventually Build. many years ago. That foundation is upon a mountain ————— called “Moriah.” The significance of that name is Overview important to all Masons. The significance of its Far too many Masons have grown up in cultures history is also as important. that do not give full credence to the rich metaphors that allow for instant understanding of the Masonic symbols History before them. The Threshing-floor is one such The name “Moriah” occurs metaphor of a special location for activity that all first in our Volume of Sacred Masons should be prepared to engage in very early in Law in the Book of Genesis. It is their Masonic Journey. attributed to a mountain range that has a rich history that On the Threshing-floor, the fruit of the harvest is Masons would do well to know laid out before them; further Work is put forth to separate the grain heads from the chaff that nurtured the grain to maturity. Winnowing efforts are put forth in this activity, forcing movement of the chaff away from the grain so desired. Like threshers from any era, Masons must also learn how to separate that which is important from that which is not. Without this vital skill, further improvement in Masonry, a primary goal for Masons at any stage, will not occur. Masons should learn this skill early on as Entered Apprentice Masons and apply it at all times from then on. This crucial skill though is not pointed out as a Foundation to which Masonry is Built upon. Archaic references to the Foundation are few and modern day Masons would be hard pressed to provide exact connections to the Foundation if they were limited to the Ritual references themselves.

and learn from. Traditionally, Moriah is the location of a specific mountain but Rabbinical tradition often attributes many significant occurrences directly to Mount Moriah particularly; many of which Masons would benefit from by knowing how they support their Masonic Work. Abraham One such occurrence was the story of a man who is credited to be the father of three monotheistic religions. The Moriah mountain range was the location to which the Friend of God 2 also known as “Abraham,” intended to sacrifice his son Isaac to his Lord. 3 As an interesting tangent to this, it is important to know what the word “sacrifice” originally meant


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The Threshing Floor by Dr. John S. Nagy many years ago. Its meaning was “to make Holy.” It was believed at that time that gifts must be offered and made to that which was revered and worshiped. To do this, one must “make Holy” that gift in order for it to be accepted. This often involved burning such offerings; a practice which was believed to make that gift transcend into the spiritual domain. The unfortunate aspect of the word is that it has changed over the years from its original meaning and shifted semantically to mean “to give up” and hence “loose something;” usually for a greater good. True sacrifice though involves no loss whatsoever. It only involves a willing act of glad-full giving. In this respect, to truly sacrifice, Masons must willingly and gladly make effort to “make Holy” that which they have been blessed with; no greater gift in sacrifice could be made. As important as the act of sacrifice has been emphasized to us over the years, the Volume of Sacred Law tells us that sacrifice itself is not the most desirable actions to take. If fact, it tells us that “the performance of charity4 and prudence5 is more desirable to God than sacrifice.6 “ It also tells us that “Loving-kindness7 I desire, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.8 “ As many Masons will admit outright, much of these sentiments are emphasized in Ritual throughout the degrees.

Jacob The next event significant to Masonic Work came with travels of the next generation. It was Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, that subsequently had occasion to visit Moriah and with grand significance to Masons. It was while he was upon Moriah9 , that he took its

freestones and made a pillow to support him in his sleep. During his sleep that night, Jacob dreamt10 of a connection between Heaven and Earth called a “Sullam.11 ” Sullam means “a graduated ramp, staircase or ladder.” It is the first and last time this word is used within the Volume of Sacred Law. In that dream, Jacob saw God’s Angels ascending and descending this connection. Upon waking from his dream, Jacobs said, “Surely Jehovah is in this place; and I knew not. This is none other than the House of God, and this is the gate to heaven.” Jacob proceeded to rename the location “Bethal”, which means “House of God.” He also set up the first of two stone pillars to acknowledge this belief, saying, “This stone which I have set for a Pillar shall be God’s House.” The Ladder of Jacob’s dream is most significant to Masons and their Work, especially at the EA level. The ladder represents the connection between Heaven and Earth. There are too few Masons that know the double significance of this. The Compasses and Square are symbolic of Heaven and Earth too. The connection dreamt of by Jacob also exists between these two. Masons associate the rungs of Jacob’s Ladder with the Seven Virtues that are spoken of in the EA Lecture. The message Masons should glean from these elements is that the connection between Heaven and Earth, and hence Masonry itself, is Strengthened through the practice of these Virtues, as symbolized by the ladder’s rungs. Ornan More Masonic significance occurred years later. Mount Moriah came under ownership of a Jebusite12 ruler named “Ornan” and whose Hittite title was “Araunah.” Ornan used the location as a threshing –floor. In modern times, threshing-floors are not what many Masons might be exposed to much less have any experience with. In fact, a random survey of Brothers may turn up only a few who understand what the act of threshing is. For many of us with a passing interest, we would look up this word and find that threshing is the act of breaking off the grain heads from the chaff that it grew upon. Further investigation would reveal that this act was followed by something called “winnowing;” a divestment of the chaff from the desired grain it was once connected to. This was


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The Threshing Floor by Dr. John S. Nagy sometimes done by rigorously fanning the grain and chaff but was best accomplished in a well lit open space that had lots of wind. The wind was useful in that it carried the lighter chaff away from the heavier grain by merely throwing all of it up into the air. Ornan’s Threshing floor was on the top of Mount Moriah which had aspects of light and wind in abundance. Of course, Masons will recognize immediately the significance of the threshing-floor. It is a place where that which is important is separated from that which is unimportant; truth from falsehood; that which nurtures from that which doesn’t; the very actions that Masons must take upon themselves as they progress through their Masonic Work. Obviously the use of Light and a fair amount of directed Wind, in the form of Spiritual guidance, is very useful in this activity. This should start to occur immediately upon entering upon the threshing-floor.

Of interest to note: The entrance of the threshing-floor is called the reshold.” Masons will recognize immediately that the threshold is symbolic of the entrance or porch to which all Masons must Pass through to bring them to Light and Spirit; abundantly found upon the Masonic threshing-floor within any existing Temple. Threshing and Winnowing are common metaphors for the exercising of judgment13 and purification.14 They are also vital skills that help Masons Divest themselves from the Vices and Superfluities of life.15 The threshing-floor also symbolizes blessings and abundance for Masons. As stated in the Volume of Sacred Law: And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.16 , The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.17 and When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted [to you] as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as produce of the winepress.18

This scripture echoes the sentiments often heard within the halls of Masonic discourse: You get from Masonry what you put in.

David Yet further significance for Masons came into play when King David had reign over the people of this area in and around Mount Moriah. It was this very mountain location, Ornan’s Threshing-floor, that King David noticed an angel of the Lord.19 When King David took notice, this angel was visiting a three day plague upon the surrounding communities as punishment to King David for taking a census of the war capable men within his kingdom. God didn’t like this and hence the angel was sent. When King David first noticed the angel, it was about to visit that plague upon King David’s people in Jerusalem too. The angel held off though and the prophet Gad instructed King David to Build an Altar to the Lord God in thanks. King David complied immediately without any hesitation of mind in him whatsoever. The message of King David’s actions should be clear to Masons: One must take action without hesitation when the instruction is sound and communicates Good Orderly Direction. There was of course the formality of Building upon land that was not rightfully his. King David recognized this issue and made effort to purchase the threshing-floor from Ornan. Being subject to King David’s rule, Ornan offered up the land freely along with an array of suitable sacrifices 20 for the intended Altar. King David would not hear of it; he said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy it for the full price.”21 His reasoning was straightforward. King David would neither take for his Lord what was someone else’s, nor offer burnt offerings which cost him nothing.22 His actions offered some Strong lessons for all Masons to learn from. One lesson was that he made sure that the Foundation he Built upon and what Continued on next page


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The Threshing Floor by Dr. John S. Nagy was to be “made Holy” was procured fairly and equitably before proceeding. Another lesson offered was “to treat others fairly and rightfully even if one

may reign over them. “ Yet another lesson that is important for Masons to note is to “deal in such a way that there is never any question of ownership.” Solomon Mount Moriah’s significance to Masons doesn’t stop there. It is also the location where King David’s son, King Solomon, Built a Temple and dwelling place for the Most High. The Temple was Built upon what was originally Ornan’s Threshing-floor, and surrounded King David’s Altar, the eventual resting place of the Arc of the Covenant. Masons use the Building of King Solomon’s Temple as a basis for many of the metaphors and symbols used within Masonry. One such symbol, the checkered pavement found upon the ground floor which occupies the very place where threshing once occurred, reminds Masons of the “Wheat and Chaff” that must be separated in their own lives once they are initiated into the fellowship; a skill that becomes more and more valuable as other Work is taken on in higher degrees. Candidates arriving at this threshing-floor, approach it from “the lofty towers of Babel, where language was confounded and Masonry lost.” Coming upon this threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, they find that language is restored and Masonry is found. Upon initiation, Masons come out of the profane world, filled with much darkness, ignorance and confusion, as there was at the tower of Babel, and that they approach a Masonic world, where there is Light, Understanding

and Order, as at the Temple Built upon Ornan’s threshing-floor. Review Reviewing all these events should help bring things into prospective as to the overall significance of this Temple Mount location. The place where Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac; where Jacob dreamt and acknowledged; where King Ornan threshed to separate; where King David Built an Altar in thanks to the Lord; where King Solomon built a Temple to House the Lord; all occurred upon Moriah. As significant as all these events may now seem to Masonic readers, the meaning behind this specific location should bear far more significance. For all of these events to unfold, specific aspects needed to be in place. A willingness to “make Holy” blessings was one such aspect. A willingness to separate that which is important from that which is not is another. A willingness to acknowledge God’s presence and the connection between Heaven and Earth was a third. A willingness to Build Sacred structures was a fourth aspect. Masons may ask themselves “what was the driving force behind all this willingness?” And they would not have far to look to find the answer. Moriah means “God is my Teacher.” Strict interpretation of the word conveys that it specifically means “ordained/considered by Yahweh.” Being the Foundation of so many events, it is clear that all of them were supported upon the Instruction of God. ——————— About the Article: This article is based on the Masonic writings, “The Threshing-floor” and “The Threshing-floor Catechism” written by Dr. John S. Nagy. They are found in the book “Building Boaz – Uncommon Catechism for Uncommon Masonic Education” by the same author. The book is published by PG Publishing. About the Author: Dr. John S. Nagy is a Master Mason and member of Tampa Bay Lodge No. 252 in Tampa Bay Florida and also the Florida Lodge of Research. He is their Lodge Musician and occasional Masonic Education provider. Continued on next page


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Uncommon Catechism for Uncommon Masonic Education .... Volume 2

The Threshing Floor by Dr. John S. Nagy

1 Matthew 7:26-27 2Isaiah 41:8, 2 Chronicles 20:7 3Genesis 22:10 4 tzedakah 5 judgment 6Proverbs 21:3 7 mercy 8 Hosea 6:6 9 Although the location of this event is clearly stated as not Moriah in the Volume of Sacred Law, Rabbinical tradition states that this location was indeed accepted as Mount Moriah. 10 Genesis 28:12 11 Those interested in the construct of Hebrew words would do well to investigate the significance of the Hebrew letters “SLM.” 12 1 Chronicles 21:15 13 Daniel 2:35 14 Matthew 3:12, Luke 3:17 15 Hosea 13:3 16 Numbers 18:27 17 Joel 2:24 18 Numbers 18:30 19 1 Chronicles 21:16 20 1 Chronicles 21:23 21 1 Chronicles 21:22 22 1 Chronicles 21:24

12 concise chapters of uncommon Masonic catechism with over 180 pages of quality information with footnotes and additional Masonic challenges throughout the book. What makes for really Strong Masons? What Strengthens them so they may continue to do long enduring Masonic Work? These are two of the many questions that Masonic author Dr. John S. Nagy set out to answer when he laid the Foundation for his new book, "Building Boaz - Uncommon Catechism for Uncommon Masonic Education." With earnest effort, Dr. Nagy lays out a series of 12 informative Masonic Catechisms that tie together aspects of the First Degree in Masonry and point to the Strengthening Work Masons must complete before they can successfully progress toward other degrees. What he personally uncovered as a result of this Work has changed his experience of Masonry. Within the pages of his book, Dr. John reveals connections to help Masons better understand... * The background and Masonic significance of the location of King Solomon Temple. * How Masons actually Strengthen the connections required for all future Work to succeed and last. * Meanings behind the checkered pavement, Jacob's Ladder and other symbols used within the first Masonic degree that assist in Entered Apprentice Work. * The connection between the Square and Compasses and its significance in the Work of all Masons. * The specific Work Entered Apprentices must do to Properly Prepare to be Passed to the next Degree. Dr. Nagy provides Masons with an interesting and thought-provoking guide to improve and strengthen their Masonic awareness and clarity. He shares key information and insights that helps readers better understand how facets of the first Masonic Degree fit together to help them in their Building. This is a must have book for Entered Apprentice Masons and all those Masons who mentor them.


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2009-08 Lodgeroom

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