A Brother Asks: Esoteric Freemasonry

 

A Brother Asks: I want to pursue Esoteric Freemasonry.  Have you any advice?

Coach: To pursue it, you have to understand what it is that you are pursuing.

Brother: Please explain.

Coach: Ritual by its very construction alludes to more than what appears upon its surface. If you do not have a rich history of the classics (and I include "The Bible" in this category), or a strong foundation required to understand them, most all of what Ritual intends to communicate to candidates, and the crew that performs it, is not there; it remains hidden in plain sight to all involved!

Brother: Wow!

Coach: Wow indeed!  In this respect, the esoteric nature of Ritual is only revealed to those who have been already initiated elsewhere.  However, I do understand what many esoterically inclined members are seeking.

Brother: What's that?

Coach: They want to know WHAT is hidden within Ritual. 

Brother: Yes!  I do!

Coach: Good!  Unfortunately, far too many of these members chase things that have nothing to do with what is hidden. Being ignorant of the classics, they want to make more of Ritual than is actually there. They earnestly & sincerely want to associate it with other schools that ARE esoteric and in that association, Ritual is bastardized. Many of these members also tend to be ruffians.

Brother: Ruffians?  Really?

Coach:  Yes, in that They want to have handed over to them what they have yet to truly earn by the hard Work required to understand the very things they seek.

Brother: You mean they're actually blind to what they seek?

Coach: Yes!  And there's the catch-22 of esotericism that is clearly alluded to by the third degree drama. The ruffians wanted the secrets. Those secrets would enable them to obtain The Master's Word. They were told they had to complete their temples to obtain the secrets and thereafter apply those disciplines to also obtain The Master's Word.

Brother: What's the connection?

Coach: Great question!  By not having completed the temple, an esoteric way of saying, "they have yet to do the Work to understand what needs to be understood" (a process that requires the internalization of specific disciplines), they would not understand that they were unprepared and unskilled to obtain The Master's word. And, ironically, neither is the Candidate; for most every Candidate going through these degrees has NOT internalized the very disciplines required to understand The Master's Word. This is why they all get a substitute for the real thing; they have yet to earn the real thing!

Brother: Ouch!

Coach: And, because most jurisdictions don't support the internalizing of these disciplines, the esoteric aspect of Ritual remains hidden from most members.

Brother: Wow!  The hidden aspect remains hidden!  This explains why I've been having difficulty getting traction on my efforts.

Coach: You're not alone in this!  Unfortunately, in this respect, there is no such thing as esoteric freemasonry. 

Brother: Yikes!  Really!?

Coach: Yes! And there will never truly be such a creature until Freemasonry is practiced with the overt intention of cultivating Masonry within Freemasonry.

Brother: Why?

Coach: There's no structure in place that is supported by The Craft to cultivate these disciplines.  There are very few is any member who have done this Work already and who support this cultivation Work in others. Until this support occurs deliberately, all there will be for members are hidden things that few members will ever see.

Brother: Are you telling me that I would be pursuing a ghost if I continue down this rabbit hole?

Coach: No.  What I am saying is that you have to do the Work before what you seek will be revealed to you.  Without the internalization of these disciplines, you remain blind to what is before you.

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