THE CRAFT UNMASKED BOOK PREVIEW: Chapter I. The Grand Assumption

Good Day My Fellow Travelers,

Here's an article published in Nov. 2014 based upon my upcoming book, "The Craft UNMASKED! The Uncommon Origin of Freemasonry and its Practice", due out in 3 days that might be of interest to you. 

Fraternally and Sincerely,

Bro. John S. Nagy

Building Better Builders Series Author

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Chapter I. The Grand Assumption

  

So many Seekers assume that Freemasonry comes from Roots that are somehow Disclosed by or Alluded to within its very Rituals and Lectures.  Unfortunately, the very Craft Freemasonry conceals is done so well that it required no hiding at all! 

 

From all that is written about Freemasonry, one could conclude quite safely that the Society from its very beginning has masked its origins in Masterful veils.  One could also easily conclude that it was purposefully done this way as to take focus off its primary root and on to what it was designed to do.  Such conclusions are easily supported by the overwhelming lack of consistency among the multitudes of theory surrounding the craft built up by years of conjectures from hundreds of zealous authors.

Along these same lines, anyone removing these carefully placed layers would not find disclosed any deceit or deception.  They would not find a terrible grand conspiracy of any sort.  They would find, as with every Masterful Production, Freemasonry’s intention to accomplish something wonderfully Grand.

It is abundantly clear that the Freemasonic Organization was a truly Masterful way to do something that was life changing for any generation.

 

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      There is one constant within these writings which stands out as a beacon which has led many members and non members to crash upon the rocky shores of self-deception.  That one consistency is the assumption that the Freemasonic Organization came from any origin other than the one that would be most obvious and clear to an unbiased observer. 

Far too many have accepted without question the offerings of those who have come before them.  Equally, far too many have not stepped back and actually Observed what the Craft was actually doing.  As a result, when faced with investigating Craft origins, they start out upon their quest on a biased road and in directions that lead them toward further illusion.

From our Society’s very beginning, one specific assumption was made by almost every member Entering the Craft.  From then on that one assumption has had each member redirect his thoughts away from its true origins and toward historical fantasies that had nothing to do with Craft origins. 

 

A Brotherly Light House 

 

Brother Albert Mackey had a good sense that this was the case.  His thoughts on investigating Craft Origins are captured in a few of his attributed writings on Freemasonic History.  He was not kind in what he had to say about many of the authors of his time, or those whom preceded it.  Brother Albert states very concisely that to write Freemasonry’s history, one must first take extreme care in how you define it.  He goes on to convey that it is also clear that to include Masonry in this writing, it must not be taken to be synonymous with Freemasonry unless “we confine ourselves closely to the events that are connected with the Institution in its present form and organization.”  Our Brother also tells us that far too many authors use the word “Masonry” loosely.  He provides several examples of this looseness and he then summarily dismisses their contributions as a result.  His message is a warning that very few have heeded, even to this day.

For me, I believe he conveyed great wisdom and was on the right path.  I believe his observations and conclusions were brilliant on this issue.  I also believe that he did not go far enough in his statements.  He did however reveal the path to future Craft Origin discovery for those who would follow his works.

Tagging Along

A few years back, I began to see that there was a difference between how all the words associated with Freemasonry and Masonry were being used.  Sometimes they were being used synonymously.  Other times they would be used within the same sentence and they would change their meaning each time they were being used.  The consistency of this was enough to grab my attention and hold it.  And I would find that I was not alone in this piquing.

Within a very short time, I had gathered enough information to conclude that the two words were entirely different in their focus.  I also concluded that there exist many people, in particular Brothers, who take them to mean the same thing.  Included in this latter group are many of the writers that help shape the psyche of each generation, inside and outside the Society. 

Furthermore, not only did they take these two words to be synonymous, but they used them interchangeably and with shear irreverence to their roots.  In that acceptance, they were blind to their blatant differences.  With every sentence they constructed, they soon could not see any difference whatsoever as they employed them in their writings.

I began to share my observations about these two words with others.  I first did this with those who expressed to me their confusion as to what the Society was actually doing.  We seemed to have come to the same conclusions along similar lines of investigation.  It was a breath of relief for all who engaged in these thought exchanges.  In a very warm way what we saw was being confirmed through our interactions. 

This validation brought about a bit of boldness on all our parts and we began sharing our thoughts and conclusions with others outside our circles when opportunities arose.  It was amazing to us how we would get such a mix of responses to our disclosers. 

Some listeners simply nodded their heads in understanding.  It was clear to us by their response that they saw and believed the same things.  You could see in their countenances, and more specifically their eyes, how much they appreciated our putting words to what they intuitively felt.  It was an awesome experience for all of us.

 

Brotherly Ugliness

There was a dark side to all this.  There were some self-appointed protectors of the Craft that took exception to our sharing.  They found it annoying and antagonistic to what they had come to believe about the Fraternity.  In response, they reacted very negatively to any and all sharing that was contrary to what they themselves had accepted to be true. 

Sometimes they would respond with abusive indignation.  They took any opportunity they could to attack both the thoughts and the very person who shared these thoughts.  They did so with a barrage of words and actions that made the heads spin of those involved and even of those who observed. 

The fallout of their negative behavior degraded many opportunities for harmonious discourse.  Their broad strokes of disharmony were seen everywhere contrary thoughts were shared.  They employed dissention with every word they conveyed.  Their mere presence would be a signal to shut discourse down.  Many left who came together for intelligent exchange.  They soon shut down any efforts to share Light contrary to what they dogmatically held to be true. 

It was clear to all of us that the Light we shared was not welcome by Darkness.

 

Further Down the Path

As thoughts evolved around the differences between Freemasonry and Masonry, investigations continued.  Thoughts were exchanged and conclusions became more refined.  Some, other premises that were normally taken for granted, were approached, inspected and ascertained as to whether they could be taken to be valid any longer.  A whole new world of investigation soon unfolded before our eyes.

And we were delighted by what we found!
 

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