FILED UNDER: The Master's Word - Not Hidden at All!

A Brother Asks: The question arises as to whether the Master's Word was originally communicated in the Third Degree?

Coach: Clearly it wasn't, no matter what the claim.

First off, when you realize what The Master's Word actually is, you realize that It cannot be communicated. All that one can do is point It out and, if there is interest in It, next point the interested party toward the path to understanding It.

That being said, regarding The Master's Word:

1) It was clearly present in all three degrees,
2) It was alluded to in the first degree,
3) How to understand It was pointed out in the second degree,
4) And if you didn't do the Work the first two degrees pointed you toward, you got a participation trophy during your third degree - in the form of a substitute.

Everything that was pointed out to you in the first two degrees was to prepare you to understand The Master's Word so that you could glean our Master's Rules & Designs to agreeably erect your spiritual building.

Any one who says that they can give you The Master's Word is lying. It can't be given! It can only be pointed out. It is up to you to do the Work to "get It."

 For Further Light: https://www.coach.net/TCM.htm

 

 

A Brother Asks: Making Master Masons

 

A Brother Asks: Isn't the basic function of a Masonic Lodge is to make Master Masons? 

Coach: Unfortunately, for most every Lodge, the entire purpose of a Freemasonic Lodge is thought to be to make members. This is so that the money coming in from those members will help to cover the overhead of the white elephants they maintain. Those white elephants are their lodge building and associated properties commonly owned by the Fraternal organization itself. 

As far as making Master Masons, this is very far from the actual reality of Lodge operations. Lodges can call the members who go through three degrees "Master Masons" till the end of time or till they turn blue in the face, whichever comes first. However, with rare exception, these assembly line members are merely dues paying members. They're anything but masterful in what espoused Ritual asks of them. Most members have no clue what their Masonic purpose is.

Brother: Then what should the Lodge's focus upon to correct this?

Coach: The Lodge's Basic Function SHOULD be first and foremost making Masterful Masons. This focus would shift their activity insanity FROM new membership driven activities that try to keep the doors open by making more members TO a sane betterment drive that attracts new members because these pre-masons see evidence of mastery in the current membership.

With rare exception, pre-masons will NEVER see Masonic Mastery exhibited by the majority of the Lodge members they inspect because Masonic Mastery has NOT been cultivated in them; just the ability to memorize and regurgitate stuff that they have little to no understanding of.

 

 

 

A Brother Asks: Is Mastery Different for Each Person?

 

A Brother Asks: How does one "master" something that is (by definition) potentially different for each person?

Coach: It might be considered different if you do not truly understand what that thing is.  However, we are not talking about something that is by definition potentially different for each person.  We are talking about something that is the same for everyone. 

Let me expand upon this.  

The end that each of us is directed toward is to Erect a Spiritual Building and to do so agreeably to God's Rules & Designs.  THAT special and sacred task REQUIRES mastering a very specific skill set that is pointed toward by the first two degree Rituals.

 You cannot accomplish this end without mastering that skill set that enables the ability to accomplish it.

Brother: So, what makes a man, a "better" man? 

Coach: What makes a GOOD man better is cultivating that aforementioned skill set and then applying that skill set to Erect a Spiritual Building and to do so agreeably to God's Rules & Designs.  Once you start that process, you cannot avoid becoming better.

Brother: Because we say so?

Coach: No.  Because the path that Ritual provides us says that we must do whatever it takes to erect that spiritual building agreeably to God's Rules & Designs.  And by default, since God's Rules & Designs are moral, implementing them into our erected spiritual building makes us better

Brother: But everyone's path to being "better" is going to be different.

Coach: Yes.  However, the skill set required to better oneself is standardized for Masons by way of God's Rules & Designs. How we go about that task will be uniquely our own.

 So, is mastery different for everyone?  Yes, because Beauty is put forth as a fingerprint of the master who creates it.  However,  That mastery was arrived at by implementing God's Rules & Designs, which can only be understood and applied by those who took the time to cultivate specific skills.

 

 

A Brother Asks: How do "Mysteries" Shape Our Values & Philosophies?

 

A Brother Asks: How significant is the notion of "mystery" in shaping the value system and philosophical teachings of Freemasonry?


Coach: The meaning being the word "mystery," as used by Freemasonry and Masonry, one was quite a delightful surprise for me. 

Brother: How so?

Coach: I had originally taken the word "mystery" to mean:

Mystery: (1) anything that is kept secret or remains unexplained or unknown: the mysteries of nature. any affair, thing, or person that presents features or qualities so obscure as to arouse curiosity or speculation.

And I pursued Freemasonic mysteries accordingly

But while doing Masonic research a while back, I came across this definition:

Mystery: (2) Occupation; trade; office; profession; calling; art; craft.

I also found out through that research that the words "Mastery" and "Mystery" were at one time taken to be synonymous!

And when I found out that there were things called "Mystery Plays" (a.k.a. "Occupational Plays!"), what I considered a lot of discrepancies within Freemasonic practices started to make a whole lot of sense that could not have made any sense using the first definition.

Using the second definition, I came to understand Freemasonry as an occupation!  It's actually a calling that needed to be practiced as a craft.  

The teachings are unusual in that they are more like provided directions. They are not there to actually teach us anything. They are there to show us what we must learn and how to go about that learning if we are to practice the Craft. 

And to practice the Craft of Freemasonry, one must embrace and exemplify through our actions the values and philosophies both pointed out and alluded to by its Rituals.

Otherwise mastering the mystery of these masterful craft mysteries will remain a masterful mystery.

Brother: I see what you did there.

Coach: Good!

 

 

A Brother Asks: Freemasonry's Design and Intent

 
 
A Brother Asks: What is our organization designed to do?

 
Coach: The Organization is Designed to Introduce men to what they can do to Improve themselves.  More specifically, what they must do to move themselves from Youth to Mastery.

Brother: Okay, so it introduces men to the work that improves them.  What occurs afterword?

Coach: Once Initiated into that System, it is up to each man to Step Up to Do the actual Work.

Brother: That's it?  There's nothing else?

Coach: Yes.  When a man truly Desires the Improvement he Professes, he Shall and Will do the Work.

Brother: What if he doesn't want to do the Work?

Coach:  When he only gives lip service to a Professed Ideal, you shall see no improvement Work pursued and, as a result of that lack of Work, you shall see no improvement in that man.  The man does not become better.

Brother: Why is it left up to each member to do this Work?

Coach:  The Work has been, is, and shall always be Self-directed and Self-initiated. It is internally driven and must be for mastery to be achieved.

Brother: That makes sense.   If you profess to be a man who desires betterment, then you'll not have to be told twice what needs to be done to get it.  You'll not have to be continually prodded to get to Work.  You'll get to work and do what all men should do to mature and cultivate mastery.  However, when you're not a man who is true to his word, you'll show the lack of integrity such men reveal by their very appearance.  That look shall betray them every time.

Coach: Exactly!  The Organization is only there to assist in pointing out the need for that improvement effort.  Additionally, there are only a few men within it who have done the Work to some degree.  Those who have done the Work shall never nag those who haven't.

Brother: Why not?

Coach: It's the antithesis of what needs to occur for men to mature.  Part of being a man is being proactive in matters of betterment.

Brother: I can see that.

Coach: There is a downside.  Not all men within the organinzation can provide the assistance needed to move males from Youth to Mastery, especially to those individuals who make every effort to go far beyond the accepted and well-entrenched norms of men who never seek this end.

Brother: I agree.  It's clear to me that the organization as a whole does not support such activities.  Additionally, there are very few within the organization who seek anything other than titles in their participations. 

Coach:  Yes.  Fortunately, when a man wants more, he shall find ways of Obtaining it.  He shall invest heavily in accomplishing his passion despite the lack of support he shall encounter at almost every turn.

Brother: Agreed!

Coach: However, when a man doesn't want more, he shall get that too.

Brother: Yes.  I've seen this as well.

Coach: The Work shall always be there for those who want its Benefits.

Brother: What can I do to improve?

Coach: You've been shown.  Study ritual, seek the clues within it that point toward what must be cultivated within you to achieve Mastery, create a plan to do this Work, and stuck to it regardless of what life throws at you.

Brother: That's very doable!  Thanks Coach!

Coach: You're most welcome!  Now... get to it!

F&S,

Brother John S Nagy

A Brother Asks: What is the Highest Degree?

 

 

A Brother Asks: What is the highest degree?

 

My Response: It might surprise you to know that it is the Fellow Craft.

 

Let me explain:

Since...

1. the "Master's Part", was originally the Premier Grand Lodge's Fellow Craft Degree [1], and
2. the "Master's Part" was an innovation to the original one degree system brought about by the GL era[2], and
3. the MM degree "legend" was an innovation to this innovative "Master's Part" [3], and
4. the Craft are known, taken and Accepted as "Brothers and Fellows", and
5. the original Apprentice Degree was split into two.  This created an abridged EA degree (EA version 2) and a different FC degree (actually the other half of the abridged EA degree)[4], only with a lot less fluff than we have today, and
6. the original Apprentice Degree was the highest degree necessary to be a full fledged member with all the rights, lights and benefits of "organizational membership", prior to Grand Lodge innovations to membership requirements, and
7. the splitting of original Apprentice Degree pushed the Apprentice Degree completion to the now new Fellow Craft Degree level, and
8. the Fellow Craft level (at the time of "Stonecraft") was obtained ONLY after seven years of Apprenticeship, and
9. the currently practiced Master's Degree, if done properly, is ONLY an acknowledgment and celebration of the skill development that one must cultivate to be proficient as a "Fellow of the Craft", and
10. the completion of Fellow Craft skill development makes you a Master of the Craft; not some title bestowed upon you by others,

the FC is the highest degree.  The rest is title fluff. ​​

 

Of course, in the USA the title of "Master Mason" bestowed upon members during the Master's Degree is now required to enjoy all the rights, lights and benefits of the Blue Lodge experience. 

 

Sadly, little to no Mastery, as alluded to by Craft Ritual, is required.

 

If you're interested, here's a brotherly discussion on this blog post: https://buildinghiram.blogspot.com/2017/03/a-brother-asks-about-highest-degree-post.html

 

F&S,

 

Brother John S Nagy

PS - If you were paying attention, you might now ask:  Are you talking about the Fellow Craft, as in "the second half of the Apprentice Degree Prime"?
 

[1] A degree where a "Fellow Craft" was made.

[2] The Premier Grand Lodge (PGL) at the time required as Fellow of the Craft to run the lodge and only they, the Premier Grand Lodge, could make a FC.  (This is an innovation!  Becoming a Fellow of the Craft occurred by going through seven years of Apprenticeship under the oversight of a Fellow of the Craft!  It did not occur by some Grand Lodge putting an apprentice through a "degree" so that they could run a lodge!)

[3] The first documented evidence is that it appeared around 1725 CE.

[4] The PGL split the original Apprentice Degree into two degrees, thereby creating the now abridged EA degree and new FC degree, so that the lodges could make FCs to run lodges, rather then the PGL doing the degree.

 

For Further Light:
 

 

 

Now available on Video here: https://rumble.com/ve4ne3-top-ten-reasons-fellow-craft-degree-is-the-highest-masonic-degree.html

 

 

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



 

 

 

A Brother Asks... Initiation and Mysteries

A Brother Asks: Is it required to be initiated to learn the mysteries?

My Response: Let's first make effort to firmly establish a few understandings of what is involved before the answer is put forth.

1. Initiation as a "ceremony" has value only in the mind of the individual going through it.  It can be likened to a public commitment to a path, but it is not necessarily that. Initiation as a "new behavior" that indicates an individual is now fully engaged in something that is transforming him is wholly different then going through a ceremony, although engaging in that new behavior can be ceremonial.
2. Learning is only Effective when Behavior has Changed that is Supportive of the Lessons Presented.  When behavior has not changed in line with the lessons, other than repeating back what one has been told to repeat back, learning has not occurred.
3. The biggest problem with the word, "mystery" is that it initially meant "occupation", "trade" and "profession".  It did not, in this instance, mean "things that are only revealed to those initiated" or "hidden things".  Although, the word can be used in this manner, to use it to indicate the latter in this case is altogether misleading. 
4. Once you get past all the twists and turns, you may come to realize that "one must Engage in the Work to become Transformed".  This engagement can occur with or without the support of others, as has been proven so many times throughout recorded history by those who have brought forth things and ideas in our cultures that were not evident to the masses before.

Coming back to the original question, the answer is "No".  But you'll be hard-pressed to hear this from the hoards...

1. who are convinced otherwise, or
2. who have a vested interest in having you believe otherwise. 

That being said, there are plenty of initiatic societies that offer experiences that they claim to be transformative.  I refer you to Item 2 on the above list as your rule and guide to measure the success of your engagements in these matters.

F&S,

Brother John S. Nagy

PS - To read up more about this topic, please refer to the Building Series of Uncommon Masonic Education books and dvds. You can find them here: http://www.coach.net/BuildingBuilders.htm

Excerpt from: The Master’s New Works*

Excerpt from: The Master’s New Works*

…
The noble supporters who were to carry his works stooped low and reached for the floor as if they were picking up his efforts. Then they pretended ever so gallantly to lift and hold them high for all to see. They didn't dare admit they had nothing to hold. That would show them and their efforts for what they were.

So off went the Master in procession under his splendid canopy. Everyone in the lodge and the anti-rooms said, "Oh, how fine are the Master’s new works! Don't they complement him to perfection? And see his completed undertakings!"

Nobody would dare confess that he couldn't see anything, for that would prove him either unfit for his position, or a fool.

So they shouted in unison, "No work the Master had done before was ever such a complete success as these".
 
"But he hasn't done anything", a young Brother said.
 
"Did you ever hear such innocent prattle?" said his mentor. And one Brother whispered to another what the young Brother had said, "He hasn't anything done. A young Brother says the Master hasn't anything done."
 
"But he hasn't anything done!" the whole Lodge cried out at last.
 
The Master shivered, for he knew they were right. But he thought, "This procession has got to go on." So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noble supporters held high the works that weren’t there at all.
...

F&S,

Brother John S Nagy 

 * With MAJOR and SINCERE Apologies to Hans Christian Andersen