A Brother Asks: A Place of Darkness

 

A Brother Asks: Could you give us some information on the place of the North in masonry? 

Coach: Sure.  It's claimed that, because King Solomon's temple was situated north of the Tropic of Cancer, no light rays were able to show through any opening on its north facing side.  Due to this fact of nature, a tradition arose among many Jurisdictions that honors this location in its Lodge rooms as a "Place of Darkness" where no light
shines.

That's about all that is revealed directly through Freemasonic Symbolic Lodge Rituals and Lectures.*

Brother: Some lodges have a station in the North; some don't. Some past masters like sitting in that station. Like it's a place of honor.  

Coach: There's typically a station or chair in the North in many Lodges.  However, it is most atypical in many jurisdictions to have anyone sit in it, unless there is an actual shortage of chairs and the person sitting in it who is so well-liked that the usual tradition of it being kept vacant is overlooked - I have seen this quite a few times while traveling around the country visiting a wide verity of Lodges.  In many jurisdictions it is frowned upon for anyone to sit in that chair if there are other chairs available.  Yet, I have seen well-liked Brothers sit in the chair with a facetious grin while getting an affirming murmur from the other attending Brothers.

Brother: What is the North's proper role in a lodge?

Coach: To represent a "Place of Darkness."

That being said, that "Place of Darkness" is given a symbolic and honorable place within the Lodge room, It represents for all Brothers the symbolic places that they as Apprentices must go to  Complete their Apprentice Work - not physically, but internally.  They should know that when they do not travel there, and they do not seek and properly address what is in their dark places, it will be absolutely impossible for them to Complete their Apprentice Work.

Additional to this, It also represents the unknown and what we as Masons must willingly face who desire further Light in those places where it is most lacking. 

And more especially when we KNOW a dark place exists that NEEDS a Light bearer!

 

* Esoteric related Light related to religious and mythological information on "North" can be found in numerous articles on this subject and within Bro. Mackey's Encyclopedia under "North."

A Brother Asks: Our Disenchanted Masses

 

A Brother Asks: Where to Masons go who have grown tired of those members within the Craft who perpetuate the play but do not live or work towards the direction of what the play espouses? 

Coach: Ah!  A great question about our disenchanted masses! I take it that you are referring to people who you never see either in The Symbolic Lodge or any associated bodies.

Brother: Yes!

Coach: These members typically fall into three categories.

1) Most all of them eventually join our massive ever-growing alumni association.

2) A few remain members of the Lodge, even some associated bodies, but you will never see them ever attend any of them again, unless they are asked to attend to receive something. 

3) A very rare few stick around anyway and actually do become what our ritual directs us to become. And some of these become likened in spirit to the little boy in Hans Christian Anderson's tale "The Emperor's New Clothes" where you'll find them actively and continually pointing out the naked emperor either directly or through extremely subtle yet potent satire, parody, or associated educational pieces directed at those who actually do want to do the Work our Ritual directs us to do.

Brother: I presume the alumni association term to be figurative and not literal. If I'm wrong, I respectfully ask for more information.

Coach: LOL! Sorry about that.  Our Alumni Association is a euphemistic term conveying a reality that we have a huge body of ex-members who, for all intents and purposes, "graduated" from our unique style of education by quitting (either by demitting or ghosting) and never return even for class reunions.

 

 (A Hat tip to my Brothers!  You KNOW who you are!)

A Brother Asks: How can you Prove Previous Light?

  

A Brother Asks: How can you prove previous Light?

Coach: Great question! 

Here's a quick list of 12 things off the top of my head...

Proving Previous Light (APPRENTICE LEVEL)

1. Explain to another human being exactly what a vice and a superflity are and how they are divested successfully.

2. Communicate how you identified and divested yourself of at least 5 vices and/or superfluities. 

3. Explain how one goes about setting one's plumb. 

4. Communicate how to create one's square of virtue. 

5. Explain how setting your plumb is related to your use of your twenty-four inch gauge. 

6. Communicate the differences between a desire and a passion. 

7. Explain how you can tell when someone has not circumscribed and subdued their passions. 

8. Communicate: 

        a. what our masonic purpose is, 

        b. where you will find it clearly spelled out in our ritual, 

        c. and how you go about fulfilling it. 

9. Explain: 

        a. where one finds God's rules & designs, 

        b. how one prepares one's self to both understand and employ them, 

        c. and what structure one applies them to. 

10. Name 12 reasons and 8 premises justifying the belief in God to fulfill one's masonic purpose. 

11) Share and explain what 17 Working Tools are used, displayed, conveyed, and need to be used or developed to perfect one's Ashlar before moving on to Second Degree Activities. 

12) Explain how the modern day definition of the word "perfect" is different from the definition employed by our original ritual writers.

You have 24 hours to complete... yeah, open books are okay.

Begin!

 

 

A Brother Asks: The Lost Word

  

 

A Brother Asks: If you study the cultures where Brother Pike takes you, do you come to
recognize the real lost word is geographically East and it is philosophically non-Hebrew and non-Arabic.

Coach: The problem us that Brother Pike uses the term "The Lost Word" to claim it is "The Sacred Name" and The Creative Word" in his 13 degree lecture. Unfortunately, "The Lost Word" is a term that also refers to what was lost in our third degree drama.  As a result, far too many believe "The Master's Word" is "The Sacred Name" and "The Creative Word."

THE Central Issue that has to be addressed before you understand what The Lost Word actually is has to do with understanding what that “Lost Word” is referring to within context!

Is this "Lost Word" the same as:

1.       "The Divine Name"
2. "The Ineffable Word"
3. "The Creative Word"
4. "The Master's Word" aka "The Master Mason's Word"
   
5. "The Mason's Word"

My research says, "Not when you use the term "The Lost Word" to say that all these other terms are all one and the same."  

One must look to Ritual to understand why they are not that same.

Ritual refers to “The Lost Word” within the degrees which it is used.  

However, the term does refer to all of these other words when used in a general manner thereby equating all of them to each other. It is only referring to the word that was lost within the context of each degree.

From Ritual, we gather that:

The Divine Name and The Ineffable Word both refer to the Name of God solely. 

Furthermore:

The Divine Name IS The Ineffable Word AND neither are The Creative Word, The Master's Word nor The Mason's Word.

Moreover:

The Creative Word and The Master's Word are NOT The Mason's Word.

(The Mason's Word varies from one jurisdiction to another and is an effable word that is used for fraternal recognition purposes within that jurisdiction solely.)

Also:

The Creative Word IS The Master's Word. They are BOTH lost to any soul who has NOT done the Work the first two degrees direct us to do.

As an Aside:

The Master’s Word is literally spelled out (not ciphered) in the Trestle-board lecture of most 1^st degree rituals.

However:

Even though It is spelled out, you will NOT understand it until you have done the demanding Work pointed toward by the first two degrees.

In Other Words:

You already have The Master’s Word.  If you do the Work, you increase your chances of both recognizing this and understanding It.

That being said, Brother Pike is half correct when he said (15:09-15:33) that "The Master Mason's Word" is found within nature.  Most all of our first degree rituals point us to a second source that is also part of "The Master's Word."  It would be wise to include this in your use of The Master's Word activities.

(Inspirational hat tip to Bro. Brad Parkinson!)

A Brother Asks: Seeking God's Will

 

A Brother Asks: If we truly get around to seeking God’s will, how do we, as Masons, know & recognize it when it arrives? 

Coach: We'll know when we're given the power to carry it out. Otherwise, without that power, it isn't going to happen.

 

Brother: Where does the wisdom to recognize it originate, and the discernment to know it?

 

Coach: Here are the steps that need to be taken to obtain that wisdom and discernment:

 

Step 1: Complete a strong foundation (EA Work- Bring Order to the Chaos of your Heart)

 

(NOTE: "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." - Socrates )

Step 2: Complete your temple (FC work - Bring Order to the Chaos of your Thinking)

 

    (NOTE: Completing Steps 1 & 2 Bring Order to the Chaos of your Soul, Enable you to Know The Master's Word referred to in the EA degree, along with the Path on must Follow to Understand It)

 

Step 3: Employ all the Internalized Discipline Mastered by Completing steps 1 & 2 to Understand The Master's Word so that you may glean God's Rules & Designs (MM Work)

 

Step 4: Erect your spiritual building agreeably to God's Rules & Designs (MM Work)

 

    (NOTE: Engaging in Step 3 & 4 Work Brings Order to the Chaos of your Spirit)

 

There isn't any better way to get that wisdom!

 

Brother: How do we know how to critically examine the things and people we interact with and properly apply them in the bounds of our lives? 

 

Coach: Complete steps 1 and 2.

 

Brother: How do we know we aren’t overlooking or casting aside the worthy item that is the keystone for building a Temple?

 

Coach: Complete steps 3 and 4. 

Brother: Wow!  I have a lot of Work to do!

Coach: We all do!

 

 

(Source material: The Craft Mastered!  Completing the Temple - The Fellow Craft Dream!)

 

A Brother Asks: Esoteric Freemasonry and Religion

 

A Brother Asks: Can you provide a safe way to explain Esoteric Freemasonry!

Coach: The best response that I have ever heard is this topis is this:
 

So, you want to know about Esoteric Freemasonry?

Good! 

Do you remember that old trope, "Hidden in plain sight?"  

Yep!  That's what Esoteric Freemasonry is all about... 

It's revealing what is hidden in plain sight... and that requires seeing things through new eyes that is only brought about by being informed through specialized training that Freemasonry points toward but, and this is the key, only Masonry will provide to those who pursue it. 

Brother: But discussion of Esoteric Freemasonry is not allowed as we are not supposed to discuss religion. Yet, there’s no way to explain in detail the three main characters or first three grand masters without discussing religion. A conundrum!

Coach: I disagree!  I fail to see the connection between explaining Esoteric Freemasonry and discussing religion.

 

Brother: Please explain!

Coach: The three main characters are allegorical. They're based upon religious text characters, but they're not the characters of the religious text. 

 

Being allegorical, they personify "Wisdom", "Strength", & "Beauty" solely and do so to drive home the point as to how these specific personifications of each would act in a specific situation that is fabricated for educational purposes. 

 

When you're not trained to see this, then this point is hidden in plain sight.  Only those who have gone through specific training can see the lesson as plain as day.

 

No Conundrum at all. No Religion discussed!

 

 

(Hat tip to Bro. Brad Parkinson for the inspiration of this post!)