-------------- HUMOR --------------
No! No! No! You've got that all wrong!
"Ride the Goat!" Not "Ride with the Goat!"
-------------- MASONIC EDUCATION --------------
For Further Light:
-------------- CHARACTER --------------
Far
too many Freemasons believe they are restricted to the Working Tools
disclosed within the first Three Symbolic Degrees,
and perhaps those
disclosed by other Degrees.
Once a Mason gets the basics,
he is not only
free to use all the Working Tools therein described,
but when he is
indeed a Masterful Mason,
he has already created a few of his own.
If
you have yet to understand it, know this:
The most important Working
Tool or Instrument of any Mason is his MIND!
-------------- VALUE --------------
will ever have any value whatsoever
until you use it to explore
the Territory it represents.
-------------- KNOW YOUR ROOTS! --------------
1.
of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration
or awe.[synonyms] exalted, elevated, noble, lofty, awe-inspiring,
majestic, magnificent, glorious, superb, wonderful, marvelous, splendid;
[informal] fantastic, fabulous, terrific, heavenly, divine, out of this
world
2.
used to denote the extreme or unparalleled nature of a person's
attitude or behavior. [synonyms] supreme, total, complete, utter,
consummate
1. cause (a substance) to do this.
2. [archaic] Raise or elevate to a high degree of moral or spiritual purity or excellence.
[Origin]
late 16th century (in the sense ‘dignified, aloof’): from Latin
sublimis, from sub- ‘up to’ + a second element perhaps related to limen
‘threshold,’ limus ‘oblique.’
1.
a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a
system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning. [synonyms]
truth, proposition, concept, idea, theory, assumption, fundamental,
essential, ground rule More
2.
a rule or belief governing one's personal behavior. [synonyms] morals,
morality, (code of) ethics, beliefs, ideals, standards; integrity,
uprightness, righteousness, virtue, probity, (sense of) honor, decency,
conscience, scruples
3.
morally correct behavior and attitudes. [synonyms] morals, morality,
(code of) ethics, beliefs, ideals, standards; integrity, uprightness,
righteousness, virtue, probity, (sense of) honor, decency, conscience,
scruples
4. a general scientific theorem or law that has numerous special applications across a wide field.
5. a natural law forming the basis for the construction or working of a machine.
"these machines all operate on the same general principle"
6. a fundamental source or basis of something.
7. a fundamental quality or attribute determining the nature of something; an essence.
[Origin]
late Middle English: from Old French, from Latin principium ‘source,’
principia (plural) ‘foundations,’ from princeps, princip- ‘first,
chief.’
-------------- CHARACTER --------------
(Hat tip to Bro. Nick Silver!)
"The
best gift we can bestow upon Man is manhood. It is that which Masonry
is ordained of God to bestow on its votaries: not sectarianism and
religious dogma; not a rudimental morality that may be found in the
writings of Confucius, Zoroaster, Seneca and the Rabbis, in the Proverbs
and Ecclesiastes: not a title and a cheap common school knowledge; but
manhood and science and philosophy"
-- Albert Pike Morals and Dogma
It's
never enough to bestow; we must Cultivate! To bring males to manhood,
we must Collectively Demand that each of us Do the Work that the First
Degree Directs us all to Do. Only afterward shall those Brothers who Did
the Work Understand fully what it takes to Bring a Youth to Maturity.
To do anything otherwise, is to Condemn the Craft to Perpetual
Immaturity.
-------------- MYTH --------------
(Hat tip to Bro. David Moran!)
-------------- UNWILLING --------------
When You're Truly Unwilling To
Do The Work To Transform Yourself
Toward The Better, It Truly Doesn't
Matter What Betterment You Profess.
-------------- EARN IT! --------------
When you have yet to do the Work,
you have yet to Earn the Rite to complain.
-------------- LIABILITY --------------
This is not a Trophy,
and it is not an Award.
It is a Liability!
Use it Responsibly!
-------------- UNWORTHY! --------------
An
organization deems itself unworthy
when it goes from "doing productive
stuff for money"
to "paying for the right to do nothing truly
productive".
BE PRODUCTIVE!
-------------- UNDERSTAND! --------------
Seeking to Understand the Objects
that Block the Light
that Cast Shadows
Keeps you Chained to the Cave Wall.
Seek the Light that made them.
-------------- UNWALL! --------------
Don't
Expect to Obtain Worthwhile Light
while Chained to Cave Walls
of your
own Making.
Unchain Yourself!
Unwall Yourself!
Get Out of Your Cave!
-------------- MEANING... --------------
"In
our estimation of Masonry, let us look beyond its secret works, its
rituals, lectures, ceremonies, signs, and symbols, for these are but the
garment in which it is clothed – they are the visible body – Masonry is
the invisible soul. The promotion of virtue, the practice of morality,
and the relief of distress, are but the fruits of the vital active
principle within. "Masonry is more than mere signs and ceremonies.
We
may know its history, its traditions, its achievements, and its laws;
we may be learned in its lectures and masters of its secret work; we may
be able to understand and interpret its symbolism, and be termed
“bright Masons,” and yet the whole volume of Masonry be to us a sealed
and a silent book. We may admire its spirit, and refuse that spirit a
dwelling within our soul; we may admire its wisdom, its strength, its
harmony, (which is beauty,) the perfection of its ceremonies, its
lectures, and its laws; and yet if we have failed to learn that these
are but avenues leading up to the moral edifice beyond; that they are
only emblems of like qualifies in the spiritual structure; then, indeed,
have we labored in vain, and spent our strength for naught"
Church, Frank. (1880). Freemasonry’s Wisdom, Strength and Beauty. The Voice of Masonry. University of Michigan.
It's a shame Bro. Frank is using the terms Masonry
and Freemasonry synonymously.
Had he taken the time to differentiate them,
his observations would have been groundbreaking!
Here's my take:
"Masonry
is more than mere signs and ceremonies.
We may know Freemasonic history, its
traditions, its achievements, and its laws;
we may be learned in its
lectures and masters of its secret work;
we may be able to understand
and interpret its symbolism,
and be termed “bright Masons,”
and yet the
whole volume of Masonry be to us a sealed and a silent book.
We may
admire Freemasonry's spirit,
and refuse Masonry's spirit a dwelling within our soul;
we
may admire Freemasonry's wisdom, its strength, its harmony, (which is beauty,)
the perfection of Freemasonry's ceremonies, its lectures, and its laws;
and yet if
we have failed to learn that these are but avenues
leading up to Masonry's moral edifice beyond;
that they are only emblems of like qualifies in
Masonry's spiritual structure;
then, indeed, have we labored in vain, and
spent our strength for naught"
Notice how they differ?
-------------- NO INNOVATIONS? --------------
How in the world are you going to Master anything in one day?
Oh Yeah! Blue Lightening!
Blue Lightening (A.K.A. "One Day Classes") focuses upon
creating Entitled Freemasons,
not Masterful Masons.
Even the Old Charges tell us that Apprentices
must serve no less than
6 to 7 years
and that no Mason shall advance
until he "be able in all manner of degrees".
Tell me once again what "no innovation" means?
-------------- ONE FINAL THOUGHT... --------------
Until
you Identify what you are truly supposed to Do
for those who Enter your
Lodge Temple,
you shall be a Casualty of your own Misidentification
and Cause
Collateral Damage
upon those who Trust your Conducting.
To prevent
these from occurring,
Seek Light on what you're supposed be Doing,
and
don't be distracted by the Superfluities!
They shall mislead you every
time!
-------------- END --------------
Be Well and Travel Light!
-- Coach Nagy ;-)
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