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THE KNOTTED ROPE IN MASONIC MASO NIC ESOTERIC TRADITION TRADITION by Bro. William Steve Burkle KT, 32°, KCRBE Alpha Lodge No. 116, Grand Lodge of New Jerse y Philo Lodge No. 243, South South River, New Jer sey Scioto Lodge No. 6, C hillicothe, hillicothe, Ohio.
The knotted rope is an ancient Masonic Symbol commonly associated with the Tessellated Border , which in modern times is represented by a series of contiguous eq uilateral uilateral triangles triangles extend ing around the perimeter of the Lod ge floor . The story of the transformation of the tessellated border from wavy knotted rope used as a frame for the Tressel Board (Figure 1) to its modern configuration configuration a s a sk irt irt for the Lodge Floor appe ars to be shrouded in the m ists of time time , and rema ins mostly conj conj ecture ecture . T he e soteric symbolism of the knotted rope however has survived more-or-less intact and is much more interesting. This pap er will deal with this symbolism and will exam ine the e soteric character characteristic istics s a nd us es o f the k notted rope both in non-Maso nic tra tra ditions as well as in Masonic tradition. It will conclude with speculation that the reconfiguration of the Tessellated Border from Tre ssel Board frame to Lodge Floor Skirt Skirt ma y have bee n due to its pe rceived rceived eso teric teric purpose purpose .
times is repres ented by a series of contiguous equilateral triangles extending a round the perimeter of the Lodge floor[II]. Mackey[III], speaking on the Tess ellated Border states: “The French call it "la houpe dentelee," which is literally the "indented tessel"; and they describe it as "a cord forming truelovers' knots, which su rrounds th e tracing-board.”
and: “The Germans call it "die Schnur von starken Faden," or the "cord of strong threads", and define it as a border surrounding the tracing-board of an Entered Apprentice, consisting of a cord tied in lovers' knots, with two tassels attached to the ends.”
further: “The idea prevalent in America, and derived from a misapprehension of the plate in the Monitor of Cross, that the tessellated border was a decorated part of the Mosaic pavement …does not seem to be su pported by thes e definitions . They all indicate that the "tessellated border" was a cord.”
The story of the transformation of the tessellated border from wavy knotted rope used as a frame for the Tressel Board to its modern configuration as a skirt for the Lodge Floor appears to be shrouded in the mists of time and is mired in conjecture. The generally accepted explanation is that the modern configuration may be attributed to errors in translation, o r e ven illiteracy. In de pictions of the knotted rope version of the Tessellated Border, the Masonic “Love Knot” or “Infinity Knot” is the type of knot employed. Also called the “Figure Eight” knot, examples of this knot have bee n found in Egyptian Middle Kingdom Burial sites [IV] incorporated into anklets a nd bracelets. It is the premise of this pape r that there may be anothe r explanation for the change in form of the knotted rope from the Tressel Board to the Lo dge floor skirt which is based upon e sote ric symbolism and asso ciated rationale. This paper will deal with this symbolism and w ill e xamine the eso teric characteristics and uses of the knotted rope both in nonMasonic traditions as well as in Masonic tradition. It will conclude with speculation that the reconfiguration (if such a change indeed did occur) of the Tessellated Border from Tresse l Board frame to Lodge Floor Skirt may have bee n due to its perceived o r intende d es oteric purpose . Knotted rope s a nd cords ha ve be en used for centuries for pragmatic applications such as counting [V], measurement[VI], as memory aids for prayer recitation [VII], and for simple binding and tying. It could easily be said that knot tying may have bee n o ne of the major de velopments in the advancement of mankind, perhaps even overshadow ing the invention o f the whe el in terms of its impact. Anthropologists theorize [VIII] that during the period in w hich man wa s learning to do mesticate animals the rope became the very symbol of his maste ry of brute nature.
Since early antiquity, knotted cords have bee n used for magical p urposes ; primarily p urposes asso ciated with the binding capa bility of knots. In this rega rd knots we re viewe d to hold the pow er to bind or s tore spells and enchantments until they w ere released through the act of untying. An example includes the magical “wind knots” used by sailors[IX]. Wind knots were normally tied in groups of three, and were used to bind winds which could later be called upon w hen nee ded. Release o f the first knot was believed to activate a moderate breez e, release o f the second, a s trong breeze , and releas e of the third knot cause d a hea vy wind. Other variously cited and be neficial uses of Knot Magic include the curing of fever, alleviation of diseases of the groin, prevention of scarlet fever, and keeping a person o ut of harm’s way. Because of their association with binding, knots were often viewed to restrict, impede, or constrain certain events such as childbirth, marriage, and death. It is recorded[X] that in 1705, tw o persons we re conde mned to dea th in Scotland for ste aling charmed knots w hich w ere subse quently used to interfere w ith the marriage of Spalding o f Ashintilly. In 1718 the pa rliament o f Bordeaux sente nced a p erson to death by b urning for having spread deso lation through an entire family by the use of knotted cords. Knot magic was also use d for othe r malevolent purpose s; such as causing impotence in men, or to surreptitiously prevent a desired pre gnancy. In the tradition of the religion of Islam, there is a story that the Prop het w as be witched and w as rende red very ill by a man whose daughters tied a spell into a cord using 11 knots. God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet [XI] carrying two Chapters containing 11 verses and revealed where the Prophet could find the cord. The Prophet recited the 11 verses of the two Cha pters over the knots a nd a t the end of each recital one knot was untied by pow ers unknown. As soon as all eleven knots w ere untied the prophet was cured of his bew itchment. Magical Knot tying in Islam is a serious o ffense . Even in Christianity, Priests and Ministers we ar collars, but e schew ties, a tradition oste nsibly based upon an aversion to Knot Magic. In the Hebrew religion [XII] the “ta llith”, or prayer shaw l contains eight tasse ls, each tied with five knots. Using the system of Kabalistic Gematria, 8 + 5 sums to 13; the numerical Gematria value of the word “tzitzit”, which is the collective term for the eight tassels is 600. The sum of 13 + 600 is 613, the total number of precepts in the Torah. Nea rly e very major re ligion in the world can be show n to have practices o r traditions relating in some w ay to knot magic. The Masonic Love Knot The Love Knot, Knot of Hercules, Infinity Knot, or Figure of Eight Knot is described [XIII] as a continuous knot having the form of a figure-eight which originated as a healing charm in ancient Egypt. It well known for it’s use in ancient Greece a nd Rome as a protective amulet or a s a we dding symbol. Other sources identify the Love Knot to be an adaptation of one of the eight Buddhist symbols having origin in Tibet. Various interlocking Celtic knots also bear a striking resemblance to the Love Knot. Figure 1 illustrates the form of the Masonic Love Knot. The crossing strands in a
we ll beyond its ancient o rigins, and w as a very common s ymbol in medieval and Renaissa nce love tokens.
Knotted Ropes and Cords In Freemasonry there is a very strong parallel be twe en the Love Knot and the “Cha in of Union” According to Bro. Carlo Martinez Jr. [XV]: “This ‘chain’, is actually a rope, which, circumvests the inner walls of the Masonic Temple in its upper part. Its “elevated location” gives it a celestial connotation, confirmed by the twelve knots that appear at intervals all along said rope, and, which, symbolize the twelve s igns of the zodiac. These knots also correspond to the twelve columns that, except in the East side, surround the In ner Sanctum of our Temples in its entirety. Five of thes e columns are situated in the North, the other five in the South, and th e remaining two, “Jachin” and “Boaz”, in the Wes t.” Bro. Martinez Jr. further states (regarding the Chain of Union): This emblem is, indeed, the “celestial frame” which limits, separates, and protects “The World of Light” from “The World of Darkness”; t he Sacred from the Profane.
The read er w ill recognize that the form taken during the Chain o f Union is one in which the crossed arms and grasped hands of the participants form a se ries of connected love knots. Brother Shawn Eyer in his Pap er o n the Mosaic
following the 1813 union of the Antients a nd the Moderns. He w rites: “The indented or Tessellated border refers us to the planets, which in their various revolutions form a beautiful border or skirtwork round that grand luminary, the Sun, as the Other does round th at of a Freemason’s Lodge.,,”
Brother Albert Pike also made a llusion to the knotted rope and it’s parallel to the Chain of Union w hen he wrote : "...a man’s intellect is all his own, held direct from God, an inalienable fief… if the stream be but bright and strong, it will sweep like a spring-tide to the popular heart. Not in word only, but in intellectual act lies the fascination. It is the homage to the Invisible. This power, knotted with Love, is the golden chain let down into the well of Truth, or the invisible chain that binds the ranks of mankind together."
No de scription of an eso teric function served by the Masonic Love Knot (other tha n the mentioned astrological association) is to be found in Masonic literature; however the exoteric explanation is that the knots represent the bond of love be twe en brothers. It is the Author’s view that the eso teric value o f the knots as symbols of unity, strength, and infinite love are self-evident. The Masonic Knotted Rope Falconer[XVII] reports that the e arliest recorded use of a Masonic Knotted rope may have been that of an 81 knot Rope dated August 23, 1773. Howe ver, during rese arch for this paper a story[XVIII] was located in which a Clockmaker in1986 discovered and restored a rare Neuchâtel Masonic clock dated by Josué Robert as being circa 1749. This clock wa s adorned with a Knotted Rope along w ith other s ymbols such as a skull & bones and Square & Compasses. Further research identified a Tapestry entitled “ The Hunt of the Unicorn” , one of seven Tapestries of similar theme, often referred to as the “ Unicorn Tapestries” . This tapestry, dating from 1495–1505, and currently on display at The Cloisters shows a group of noblemen and hunters in pursuit of a unicorn.. An analysis of these Tapestries[XIX] reveals significant Masonic symbolism, including that of the Knotted Rope.
The form of the Tassellated Border applied as a Tress el Board Frame is illustrated in Figure 2. Brother Gabriel Vasile Oltean provided an excellent description of the Knotted Cord used as a border within a Lodge Room in a recent article [XX] in Masonic Forum magaz ine. He w rote: “A red cord with 12 knots in the shape of a recumbent 8 (the symbol of th e infinite), called the kn ots of love, surrounds the temple and ends above the two Pillars upon the entrance (Boaz and Jachin), in laced tassels. The twelve knots of the cord remind us of the twelve Gates of Jerusalem, the cubic city where each side measured 144 cubits (12 X 12). The text of the Apocalypse states that this number is a Number of Man and, by this very reason, a Number of Angel.”
A similar de scription of the knotte d rope discovere d during a visitation to a Masonic Lodge in Portugal[XXI] is provided by Brother Norman Ryder. Brother Ryder writes: “A large rope (about 5/8 inch) was on the wall around the lodge with knots in it every so far. They also wear ties with a rope and knot configuration but I do not know th e story behind the knots …”
It is nota ble that image of the wavy cord containing love knots was at one time prominently assocciated with Masonic Symbolism, as is evident from Figure 3 , which shows the use of the Knotted Rope as artwork on a record album cover for Brother Mozart’s Masonic Music, produced between 1964 and 1968 w hen Pe ter Maag se rved as chief conductor at the Volksoper in Vienna. Knotted cords and ropes find extensive use in both folk magic and various forms of ceremonial magic as a protective ward or boundary against evil, especially during sacred rites. I believe the Masonic knotted rope Tessellated b order s erves in this capacity. While there is controversy concerning the Masonic origin and evolution of the Tessellated border, there are a number of autho ritative references which suggest that
its original purpose was to serve as a protective instrument. The MacBride Ritual[XXII] for example states: "You will see that our carpet has a tessellated border, which represents the divine protection encircling humanity..."
In The Master Key[XXIII], a s cholarly paper repute d to prese nt the form for the prestigious Presto nian Lectures , Dr. John I. Brow ne sta tes (concerning the Tessellated Border) that it is: "…the kind care of Providence wh ich so cheerfully surrounds us and keeps us within its protection ..."
In its capacity as a protective bounding device the Tessellated Border a lso exhibits certain parallels to the “Point Within a Circle”, within the bound ary of which no Mason is able to error. Conclusion Given the historical esoteric significance of knotted ropes it is not surprising that our Tessellated Border ended up being used on the Lodge Floor as a protective boundary between the profane world and our sacred rites. I would submit to the reader that a reconfiguration of the Tessellated Border did not occur because of a misinterpretation of the word “Tassellated”; rather the Border wa s, and always had bee n, intended as a p rotective e nclosure for the Lodge roo m. In closing I remind the reade r that if you wake up with knots in your hair, it's said that the fairies have played with your hair. Notes [I ] Falconer, Donald H.B. (2003). The Four Tassels . Chapter 24 in The Square and Compasses – In Search of Freemasonry. Retreived March 15, 2012 from Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry a t www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/don13.html
[II] Bromwell, Henry P.H. (1909). Restorations of Masonic Geometry and Symbolry: Being a Dissertation of the Lost Knowledges of the Lodge. Denver: The H.P.H. Bromwell Masonic Publishing Co mpa ny. [III] Mackey, Albert Gallatin. (1929). Mackey’s R evised Encycloped ia of Freem ason ry and Kindred Sciences. Mas onic History Comp any. ASIN: B001LOY03C. [IV] Web ster, Richard. (2005). Gabriel: Communicating With The Archangel For Inspiration & Reconciliation . Llewellen. [V] Urton, Gary (1998). From Knots to Narratives: Reconstructing the Art of Historical Record Keeping in the Andes from Spanish Transcriptions of Inka Khipus . Ethnohistory. Vol. 45, No. 3 (Sum me r, 1998). Duke University Press. [VI] Zenner, Marie-Thérèse (Ed.). (2004). Villard's Legacy: Studies in Medieval Technology, Science, and Art in Memory of Jean Gimpel . Burlington, Vermont: Ashgate Publishing. I SBN: 0-7546 -0929-4. [VII] Day, Cyrus L. Knots and Knot Lore: Quipus and Other Menmonic Knots . In We stern Folklore Vol. 16, No. 1 (Jan., 1957), pp. 8-26. Wes tern States Folklore Society. [VIII] Taylor, Henry. The Cable Tow . in The Builder, Novemb er 1923. Volume IX - Number 11. [IX] Gordon, Stuart. (1993). The Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends . London: Headline. [X] F ra z e r , J a m e s G e o r g e . ( 1 9 4 7 ) . The Golden Bough: A Study In Magic And Religion: A detailed examination of the f o r m s o f o c c u l t p r a ct i c e a c r o s s t h e w o r l d a n d t h e a g e s . S u p e r n at u r a l B e l i e f s a n d M y s t i c i s m , M a g i c S p e l l s & P r a c t i ce , A nc i en t D e i t i e s , Wi t ch e s & W i t ch cr af t , F a i ri e s , D em o ns , H um a n S ac ri f i ce , t he D ru i ds , e t c. , et c. N e w Y o r k : M a c M i l l a n
Company. [XI] M a y e r , T o b y ( T r a n s ) . A ra b i c / En g l i s h . ( 2 0 0 9 ) . Keys to Arcana: Shahrastani's Esoteric Commentary o n the Qur'an . Oxford University Press. ISBN-10:199533652; ISBN-13:9780199533657. [XII] Hastings, James (Ed.) (2004). A Di ctionary of the Bible . Hono lulu: University Press of the P acific. [XIII] Love Knot. Symbols Dictionary . A Visual Glossa ry. R etrieved March 14, 2012 from http://symb oldictionary.net/?p=3030. [XIV] Parwani, Kritika (2011). Celtic Love Knot Meaning. Retrieved March 24, 2012 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/celtic-love-knotmeaning.html. [XV] Ma rtinez Jr., C arlos, Antonio. The Chain of Union: Another Omitted Essential Part of Our Ritual . Northern California R ese arch Lodge . Retrieved Ma rch 21, 2012 from http://calodges.org/ncrl/union.html. [XVI] Eyer, Shawn. The Mystery of the Mosaic Pavement . Philalethes. Fall 2009. No. 93. Retrieved March 10, 2012 from http://academialodge.org/pdf/eyer_mystery_of_the_mosaic_pavement.pdf [XVII] Op . cit. Falconer, Donald H.B. (2003). The Four Tassels .
around.com/en/subscribers-zone/magazine/article/les-memes-gestes-depuis-des-siecles.html. [XIX] Comeau, Howard. Freemasonry and the Hunt of the Unicorn . Re trieved Ma rch 16, 32012 from http://www.premiumorange.com/tapisseries-licornes/CHASSE/01j-%20Free-Masonnery.htm. [XX] Oltean, Gab riel Vasile (2008). The Masonic Chain. in Maso nic Forum m aga zine No. 33 Spring AL 6008. retrieved Ma rch 22, 2012 from http://www.masonicforum.ro/archive/en/nr33/oltean.html. [XXI] Ryder, Norma n. A Visit to Portugal: Would You Me et the C riteria to Becom e a Mason in Portugal ? The Newsletter of the Com mittee on Ma sonic Education, The Grand Lodge of Ca nada in the Province of Ontario. Vol. 19, No.2. [XXII] MacBride, Andrew Sommerville. (2008). The MacBride Ritual: The Complete Ritual of Andrew S. MacBride . Masonic Publishing Com pany. ISBN-10: 095442686X; ISBN-13: 978-09544 26866. [XXIII] Brown, John I. (2010). The Master-Key Through All the Degrees of a Free-mason's Lodge; to Which Are Added, Eulogiums and Illustrations, Upon Free-masonry; Theology; Astronomy; Geometry; Architecture; Arts; Sciences . Gale ECCO. ISBN-13: 9781170988213. Ilta
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