West Kent Mentoring Part 9 Section C1 Talks. What does Freemasonry mean to me?

Transcription

1 West Kent Mentoring Part 9 Section C1 Talks What does Freemasonry mean to me? The enclosed information is supplied for the purpose of individual interest, research and / or discussion. It does not represent the official view of the Province of West Kent or its Executive or membership and should not be relied upon as such. Wherever possible alternate meanings and conclusions have been provided John Perkins Provincial Grand Mentor Issue No 4 1 st August 2016

2 1. What does Freemasonry mean to me? This lecture was delivered by Bro. Michael Thomas to the Lodge of St. John, Barbados, W.I. (Scottish Constitution). For me it is a pleasure and privilege to be invited to deliver the Paul Best Memorial Lecture. Although I cannot claim that Paul and I were great friends, I can attest most sincerely to an admiration of the man and his achievements, and to an enjoyment of his company. I found him to be always friendly and courteous, whether as Master of his Lodge or Commodore of The Cruising Club". He always made a point of making the visitor welcome. He was one of those rare individuals who laugh with their eyes. He was also the Brother, who delivered the obligation to me when I became a member of Lodge St John. On a brief personal note, I was initiated into the craft in 1982 into Lullingstone Lodge No in the county of Kent in the UK. Being passed and raised took two years a standard procedure. I first visited St John in 1984 as a newly raised Master Mason Don Marshall was, I think, Right Worshipful Master. As a matter of interest and as a direct comparison, I could have expected a wait of some 17 years before I would have been promoted to the chair, during which time I would have been expected to have filled each preceding office to specified level of competence. After having served as master, one would anticipate another 10 year wait for the most basic of provincial/district grand lodge honours. To provide a further interesting comparison between the two systems, I was once told that Elliott Belgrave also became a mason in 1982, he has since served a term as DGM - I am still a MM. Milton s immortal line springs to mind "They also serve who only stand and wait. So, Brethren, to revert to the text - "What does Freemasonry mean to me?" The standard definition - "A peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols" does not start very promisingly does it? Do you remember all the fuss in the local press in November about legalising a potentially peculiar system of morality? I would, however, like to return to that later if I may. Is it a secret society or a society of secrets? Frankly Brethren, at our level, I do not think it is either. Most of the secrets that we are introduced to in the various ceremonies relating to the three degrees are to be found in the Volume of the Sacred Law. The obvious exceptions are the grips or tokens, which are unique to the craft. Let us be absolutely realistic, most arcane knowledge appertains to the acquisition of money or power, and the fewer people who know about it the better. It is, therefore, most unlikely that too much of any great value is going to settle in our particular domain. Equally it is true to say that most secret knowledge usually has some political or religious significance and it is specifically forbidden to discuss any such matters while the lodge is sitting. 1

3 Is it a gentlemen s dining club? From my experience in the Caribbean that as a definition is a nonestarter. To be sure there are Lodges in the UK and without doubt in the rest of the world, where the quality of the dining is on a par, if not better, than the work in the Temple; and the work in the Temple is exemplary. An immaculate performance in the Temple is followed by the finest food and drink I would have to confess that a great deal of my interest in the Craft lies in its history which, let us freely admit, is often quite obscure. The Grand Lodge of Scotland was formed in 1736, but a number of Lodges are known to have been in existence for up to 250 years before that. The magnificent chapel at Roslin in Scotland was started in 1440, and contains many items pertaining to basic Masonic symbolism, in fact its patron William St Clair is described in "The Hiram Key" as the "Architect" of Freemasonry as we know it today. The Masonic "Kirkwall Scroll has been dated to between AD. The Priory of Sion was founded in 1099, and assisted in the formation of the Knights Templar in The Knights Templar were forcibly disbanded on Friday 13th October 1307, the Priory still exists, and has throughout the years had many of the greatest names in history as its Grand Master. The ritual itself gives quite definite clues that the fraternity was in place for a long time but how long? The charge says Ancient no doubt it is, having subsisted since time immemorial." This, I am advised, is generally accepted as being When the candidate is invested with his apron he is told that it is more ancient than the Roman Eagle. The first degree tracing board tells us that "The usages and customs of freemasons have ever borne a near affinity to those of the ancient Egyptians." As we are by definition free and accepted or speculative masons, let us therefore speculate. Is it possible that the origins of the Craft could in fact date back to Ancient Egypt? A French Egyptologist by the name of Christian Jacq has written a series of five books about Ramses II, and has also produced a fascinating series of four books about the craftsmen who were responsible for building the Temples and the Tombs. In the foreword to the series he says, The amazing building works of the Egyptians were never the work of hordes of slaves or captive labour, but were created by brotherhoods, whose select band of members were both priests and craftsmen. They saw no distinction between the spirit and the hand. This Brotherhood formed a true elite, who was responsible directly to Pharaoh." He goes on to say, "As luck would have it, we possess abundant documentary evidence about one of these brotherhoods which for about five centuries (from 1550 to 1070BC), lived in a village in Upper Egypt, which outsiders were forbidden to enter. These amazing men lived with their families in a village with an extraordinary name called The Place of Truth (Set Ma at) - the place where the goddess Ma at revealed herself through the 2

4 righteousness, justice and harmony of the work carried out by generations of Craftsmen - The Servants of The Place of Truth." Any replacements needed were carefully selected, and entered the village as apprentices. They were taught their skills by the existing tradesmen, and progressed slowly to achieve more senior status. The work was exacting and the standards that were required were set extremely high. Yet many of these men gave their whole working lives to the village, and in return had a comparatively privileged and envied position. There were initiation and similar ceremonies which reflected a candidate s progress within the craft. All of which sounds familiar. This concept of Ma at was central to Egyptian civilisation. What characterised Egypt was the need for order. Egyptian religious beliefs had no great ethical content but in practical terms there was a general recognition that justice was a good so fundamental that it was part of the natural order of things. The word Ma at signifies something more comprehensive than fairness. Originally the word was a physical term, it meant level, ordered and symmetrical like the foundation plan of a Temple. Later it came to mean righteousness, truth and justice. Could there be a clearer and more succinct description of freemasonry? The newly made mason is told that all squares and levels are sure and certain signs by which to know a mason. Freemasonry is not a religion in the same way that the concept of Ma at was not an integral part of some theological structure or legend. Both are pragmatic realisations that the continuation of civilisation and social progress rests upon the individual s ability to "do unto others as you would be done to - remember the Charge! The fact that both use the design and building of a Temple as an example and observe that human behaviour should be on the level and upright is surely beyond coincidence. It is rare to find a moral code in any society outside a religious system and it is fair to say that Ma at and masonry, stone for stone and level for level, are a match that could teach the modern world a great deal. Ma at was pure goodness freely given. It would seem reasonable to say that if Western Society ever reaches its broad based objective of equality and stability, it will finally have rediscovered Ma at. And yet although the link between Ma at and masonry seems hard to deny, it is an unfortunate fact that Egyptian hieroglyphics could not be understood until the Rosetta stone was deciphered in 1822, some 100 years after the formation of Grand Lodge. In Ancient Egypt there was civilisation which preached similar principles to those which we learn from Masonic ritual, which also used the concept of two conjoined pillars to provide stability, and a murder and resurrection story in which Osiris could be compared with Hiram Abiff. In fact in The Hiram Key", Knight and Lomas attempt to identify Hiram Abiff with Seqenenre Tao, a Pharaoh, who was murdered because he would not reveal secrets which related to the Pharaoh s special journey after death when he went to join Osiris. 3

5 At the opening of the Lodge, the principle Officers describe their positions in relation to that of the Sun. The IPM tells the Master that his place in the East. When asked why? He replies, "As the Sun rises in the East to open and enlighten the day, So is the RWM placed in the East to open the Lodge. The RWM enquires of the JW his constant place in the Lodge. He is told, "In the South". When asked why, he says, "To mark the sun at its meridian. He is told by the SW in the West, "To mark the setting sun. At the final part of the opening to the third degree the RWM says, "In the name of The Most High" - and then "Observe me Brethren!" - "All Glory to the Most High. Is it possible that this is symbolically a reference to the Ancient Egyptians and their worship of the sun? The symbolism of the two pillars is particularly significant. This again comes from Ancient Egypt, where the Sun s journey across the sky, represented the lintel conjoining these two pillars The one secular - the king - the other spiritual - the high priest. It is repeated again the VSL with Christ and John the Baptist, and again in Freemasonry with B*** - the secular, and J***** - the spiritual. Remember the ritual B*** - in strength, and J***** - to establish. The most important aspect is their joint significance - and when conjoined Stability. It is interesting to note that throughout history the most profoundly stable conditions have existed, when these two powers are in harmony - when the secular and the spiritual are at peace with each other. When either side becomes dominant, the result seems inevitably to be discord. One does not have to look too far today in our modern world to see obvious examples were this would seem to apply. I would expect that we are all familiar with the scientific signs for male and female. Mars spear and shield, and Venus mirror are in regular everyday use. In the past, however, different symbols were used. The male symbol was ^, an inverted shallow V with the apex at the top; the female symbol was the reverse, a V like a shallow bowl representing the womb or a chalice. It does not require too much imagination or manipulation to change the angles and the length of the arms to produce the square and compasses. Again think back to the first degree tracing board - The Sacred Words are to rule and govern our faith, as are the compasses and square when conjoined to regulate our lives and actions. Could that be intended to imply harmony between the sexes? If so we then have a recipe which is intended to provide peace and harmony for all mankind - Harmony between priesthood and state, the concept of Ma at and marital bliss. I would have to confess that the realisation of such simple ideas is what freemasonry means to me. As I said at the beginning of this piece I have been coming to Lodge St John for some 20 years. During this time it has become as my Mother Lodge to me - which, of course, it is with regard to Scottish Freemasonry. Many of the closest friends I have ever made are, or have been here. In the early days when I was much younger - nearer 50 than 70, we would retire below and still be there when the sun came up. 4

6 Serious friendships were forged during those hours with men who one would have literally trusted with ones life. Some like the Vieira brothers have regrettably gone for good, others like Tom Johnson and Trevor Straker have moved away; Alan Lewis and others just do not come out anymore. Fortunately we still have Robert Noel as a sort a relic - a talisman between the old and the new. For myself I am ashamed to admit that I can no longer last the pace and these days have to retire gracefully at some semblance of a civilised hour. It is very difficult to express the depth of feeling for those days adequately; they were incredibly special and are still indelibly printed on my mind. As I am sure you are all aware Barbados is a beautiful island, but it is not the only place on earth with sun, sea and sand, but it is the only place that has Lodge St John and its members. To you all, to our guests and most of all to the memory of Paul Best I dedicate this poem by Rudyard Kipling called "The Mother-Lodge". The Mother Lodge There was Rundle, Station Master, An Beazeley of the Rail, An Ackman, Commissariat, An Donkin o the Jail; An Blake, Conductor-Sargent, Our Master twice was e, With im that kept the Europe-shop, Old Framjee Eduljee. Outside - "Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!" Inside - "Brother", an it doesn t do no harm. We met upon the level and we parted on the Square, An I was Junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there! We d Bola Nath, Accountant, An Saul the Aden Jew, An Din Mohammed, draughtsman Of the Survey Office too; There was Babu Chuckerbutty, An Amir Singh the Sikh, An Castro from the fittin sheds, The Roman Catholick! We and t good regalia, An our Lodge was old an bare, But we knew the Ancient Landmarks, 5

7 An we kep em to a hair; An lookin on it backwards It often strikes me thus, There ain t such things as infidels, Excep, per aps, it s us. For monthly, after Labour, We d all sit down an smoke (We dursn t give no banquits, Lest a Brother s caste were broke), An man on man got talkin Religion an the rest, An every man comparin Of the God e knew the best So man on man got talkin, An not a Brother stirred Till morning waked the parrots An that dam brain-fever-bird; We d say twas ighly curious, An we d all ride ome to bed, With Mo ammed, God an Shiva Changin pickets in our ead. Full oft on Guv ment service This rovin foot ath pressed, An bore fraternal greetin s To the Lodges east an west, Accordin as commanded From Kohat to Singapore, But I wish that I might see them In my Mother-Lodge once more! I wish that I might see them, My Brethren black an brown, With the trichies smellin pleasant An the ~hog-darn~ passin down; An the old khansamah snorin On the bottle-khana floor, Like a Master in good standing With my Mother-Lodge once more! Outside - "Sergeantl Sir! Salute! Salaam!" Inside - Brother", an it doesn t do no arm We met upon the Level an we parted on the Square, An I was Junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there! 6