A Brother Asks... Where are the Masters?

A Brother Asks:  Hey Coach!  I understand the Roadmaps, the Work they point toward, and the conceptual ideas behind each of them.  However, I have yet to meet one of these perfect and Masterful men.  Just how do you find one? Ask the Dali llama? Most Grand Masters I've met aren't overly masterful either. Is there a secret list of them in some dusty archive somewhere? Coach?  Help me out here!

My Response: They are out there my Brother!  I have seen them.  I have talked with them.  I have become friends with them.  And I have learned from them. 
 
Brother: Yeah, but how do I find them?

Coach:  How do I find them still? 
 
Brother: Yes!
 
Coach: I look for evidence. Masterpieces are a dead giveaway.
 
Brother: Masterpiece?

Coach: Yes.  A Master to rightfully wear the title but have created at least one "Masterpiece".  That's how they earned the title.
 
Brother: I had not thought about it in that way.
 
Coach: You're not alone. I also don't sabotage my efforts by defining the word "perfect" to be "flawless" when I seek them.
 
Brother: What do you look for?

Coach: I look for "maturity"; which is a word much more suitable in my eyes, in line with Ritual and that is what they need to be gazing upon according to Ritual.
 
Brother: Interesting... what else?
 
Coach: I also look for Work being done, and done better than it was done the previous day.
 
Brother: Ah!  Constant and never ending improvement!
 
Coach: Yes.  The whole character of a Master is a never ending perfecting process, founded upon previous perfected processes.
 
Brother: That makes so much sense.
 
Coach: You would think most members would grasp this simple truth.
 
Brother: Yes.  What else?
 
Coach: I also look for the well-written Roadmaps that they have created and left for their fellow Travelers to follow so that these Travelers can also develop and cultivate Mastery in themselves; maps that make it easier to identify the Work to be done, should these Travelers choose to do so.
 
Brother: You mean like a guide for others to follow?
 
Coach: Yes.  Masters want others to succeed, just as they have.
 
Brother: So they will not be alone in their Mastery?
 
Coach: Exactly!  Masters thrive best wen surrounded by other Masters!
 
Brother: What else?
 
Coach: Lastly, I apply the Acid Test and seek those who have combined measures of B, S & W in such a way that they are all present and in agreement.
 
Brother: Ah!  The acid test!  Good choice of words Coach!

Coach: Thanks! 
 
Brother: You're welcome!

Coach: So, please, don't loose heart.  They are out there my Brother.  They are not easy to find though, especially by those hoodwinked by Craft Dogma, Laziness and Misinformation designed to keep Members chained to the Walls of Ignorance, Naiveté and Doubt.
 
Brother: Nice reference to Plato's allegory of the cave there!

 

Coach: Thanks!  I was given something the other day.  I was aware of it before, but the reminder is timely for it to be included in this response.
 
Brother: What's that?
 
Coach: The biblical description of the classes of worker at King Solomon's temple were (Freemasonic Degree Titles Added - according to "Ritual"):

1. Laborer (Apprentice)
2. Skilled Worker (Fellow)
3. Overseer (Master)

Brother: Neat!

Coach: I think in light of your question, the following scripture is a great resource to review and to be included in your quest to find Masterful men.   

Brother: Please share it!

Coach: Okay, here it is:

Qualifications of Overseers
 
3 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop [Literally: overseer], he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Brother: Where is that from?

 

Coach: It comes from 1 Timothy 3 of the New King James (NKJV) Volume of Sacred Law.  I do believe it speaks well to some of what you are Seeking and is a good information to create a starter list for yourself.

Brother: Sweet!

Coach: One last comment...  Be what you seek.  I hope you get the message implied.

 

F&S,

 

Brother John S. Nagy