double headed eagle

By Wisdom a House is Built – The Path of Tav

Scottish Rite, AASR, double headed eagle, janusThe following is the introduction to the Fellow of the Craft, a book on the second degree of Scottish Rite Masonry.  Where and when the final work will see publication is still to be determined.  In the mean time, I thought it would be good to share and discuss.

In totality, the Rite degree differs from the Webb-Preston ritual, as it lends itself to the 32 degrees of Scottish Rite progression.  From a traditionalist point of view, these degrees may seem heretical in that they lend themselves to see the 32 degree progression, a divergence from the idea of “no degree greater than the third.”

The title of this complete work is By Wisdom a House is Built which stems from the degree prayer In strength shall this, my house, be established which in itself comes from the 24th Proverb whose 3rd and fourth verse reads:

By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.

The degree of becoming a Fellow of the Craft is, in essence, the building of ones house from foundation to eaves.

This work follows in line with the first installment Ain Soph to Malkuth – the first degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry

Intelligence to understand, Honesty to guide intelligence, Courage to act, Prudence to guide courage, and Love to humanity composed of the four others….

…By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established…

The true alchemist will extract the lessons of wisdom from the babblings of folly…

kabbalah, Cabbalah, tree of life, Hermetic QabalahThe second degree is our enigma. Having undertaken the ritual and trials of the first degree, we now are at a crux in that we are in one aspect the coalesced form of Malkuth yet faced with our next stage of evolution, an evolution that necessitates our further need to be transformed and given shape for the tasks before us both here and beyond this degree. To do this we need to study and learn – not simply what it means to be a mason but how that practical application applies to the world around us and our interactions on the material influences that we encounter. Why we do this, you will remember, is to relate our own elemental being, as Malkuth, to the elemental world in which we have both become and inhabit. We are Malkuth, the elemental world, and need to now traverse the path of Tav upon the pillar of mercy towards our apex in the craft lode in becoming Master. But, we are getting ahead of ourselves and must first begin our lesson of the Second Degree and the implementation of our will into manifested action to act the square to all mankind. This is our summation of all things, our end which is without end. In the Christian VSL, it begins with the utterance of the Great Architect in saying “Let there be LVX“, and then there was LVX. So too, as LVX was created man become the blazing star of LVX so too uttering our creative force. To realize that vision, as a traveler, we must climb the steps and reach our gnosis which we do through our wisdom journey to surmount the three steps of our existence, the five steps out antiquity, and the seven steps of knowledge, and only there at the top can we acknowledge our being as a fellow of the craft as it is there that we find our self – the man made manifest as he knocks upon the door of greater illumination. As the warning above the temple door reads, “Know Thyself” because “as what you seek you already are.” Little in this journey will change you in a manner you may expect. Rather it is in the subtle shifting of thought that the greatest and most noble developments will occur. This is the middle chamber, the way before the Holy of Holies which is where the need to transform must take place before venturing forward. While these ideas may seem strange and foreign know that they have been a manner of practice for millennia in the houses of wisdom and schools of the sacred. We cannot say with certainty these ideas existed in their present form but in a manner of cause and effect they have been a part of this sacred practice to bring its students from the earthly state to the celestial so as to see the various heavenly apartments above us in the unfolding universe. This is the mystic tie that binds us – as a fellow of the craft, as a lodge, as a member of humankind, and as one can imagine to the Great Creator. In this chain of union, the brilliance of the sun illuminates us, and the moon and stars sing us the glories of the divine harmony of Truth. As the great author Pike says “Light! All comes from Light, and all returns to it.” Of the many great lessons of this degree to be learned this is the most important to understand.

As the great book itself says, “Let there be LVX!”

fellow craft, tracing board, second degree, esoteric masonry, second degree of freemasonry

Read more about the Fellow of the Craft in the Symbolic Lodge.

Services and remembrance for Br. Nelson King

This was posted in the Canadian Mason Yahoo Group

Nelson King
June 13, 1945 – August 17, 2011

Born June 13, 1945 in Montreal, received his primary education in Perth Ontario, and graduated from Banting Institute, University of Toronto, 1967. Married to Ellen, and has two children, Christopher, and Victoria and two granddaughters. Nelson was appointed Assistant Editor in 1992 and Editor in August 1994 of The Philalethes Society Journal of Masonic Research and Letters, the first non-United States Citizen to hold these positions.

He is also only the second Mason to ever hold the position of President and Editor of The Philalethes at the same time. He retired as Editor in June 2009. Nelson is a well-known Masonic speaker, having spoken in the jurisdictions of Alberta, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Costa Rica, Cuba, The District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Jamaica [EC], Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Nelson developed the highly successful Internet Masonic Leadership Course. His book “Confessions of a Born Again Fundamentalist Freemason” has become a Masonic Best Seller. VoicePrint®, The National Broadcast Reading Service Inc. an international broadcasting reading service for the visually impaired has recorded some of his historical articles.

Nelson was instrumental in the formation of the Masonic Relief for Cuba Committee. And he serves as the Executive Director of that program.

He is also one of the few Canadian Freemasons, listed in latest edition of the “Who is Who of Freemasonry.”

Br. King, you may remember, was a guest on Masonic Central in 2008 where he spoke with us about Masonic Scholarship, Cuban Freemasonry, International Freemasonry, and his work with the Philalathes Society. If you missed the original airing of the program, you can listen to the very informative podcast here.
[podcast]http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-19162/TS-147530.mp3[/podcast]

Funeral Arrangements are today.

Friday August 19, 2011 – Visitation between 7:00 and 9:00 pm
Saturday August 20, 2011 – Masonic Service and Memorial Reception starting at 2:00 pm

Ogden Funeral Homes
4164 Sheppard Ave. E.
Scarborough ON
M1S 1T3

The notice, posted in the Toronto Star, is below:

KING, Nelson – Peacefully at Scarborough Grace Hospital on Wednesday, August 17, 2011, at age 66. Beloved husband to Ellen and loving father to Vicki and her husband Greg Rout. Grandfather to Rebecca and Sarah. Nelson received his primary education in Perth, Ontario and graduated from Banting Institute, University of Toronto in 1967. He was appointed Assistant Editor (1992) and Editor (1994) of The Philalethes Society Journal of Masonic Research and Letters, the first non-US citizen to hold these positions. He is only the second Mason to ever hold the position of President and Editor of The Philalethes at the same time. He retired as Editor in June 2009. Nelson was a well known Masonic speaker throughout North and South America and the Caribbean. His book “Confessions of a Born Again Fundamentalist Freemason” has become a Masonic Best Seller. Nelson was a member of the Grand Lodge of Canada, in the Province of Ontario and Honorary Member of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut and was a member of a number of other Prince Hall Lodges. He has received many honors and awards throughout his lifetime. Friends will be received at the Ogden Funeral Home, 4164 Sheppard Ave. East, Agincourt (east of Kennedy Rd.) on Friday evening from 7-9 p.m. A Masonic Service will be held at 2 o’clock on Saturday, August 20, followed by a memorial gathering. In lieu of flowers, please sign your organ donation card or go online to the Trillium Gift of Life Network Organ and Tissue donation www.giftoflife.on.ca

time for change

A Lodge is Like a Church

time for change

Time for change dosen’t tell you how to change.

The headline is just a grabber, but after seeing first hand how a church operates, it became very clear that the way a Masonic lodge is designed to operate is exactly how contemporary churches are operated – very likely the former emulating the latter.

Now this may not come as a surprise to those reading who are already active in their own church.  By active I mean sitting on church committees, engaged in the church council, or actively making decisions in weekly/monthly/yearly operations.  But for most pew sitters or side-liners a lot goes on behind the scenes.

Why is this relevant to Masonry you may be wondering?  From my observations, the health and well being of the church is not measured by the clergy or the messages that they preach (though they do play a large contributory role).  The vitality of the church comes in the activity of the membership and the committees that they participate in especially in their role of their evangelism which in turn contributes to the growth and vitality of the church.

In other words, the Sunday service is just one component of the function of the church, and the growth and prosperity comes in the 6 days of work before that worship service.

The thing to remember here is that the strength comes in the committees and the activities that they plan and implement.  Before we look at the committees we need to take a look at smaller group lead by the individual committee heads that, together, steer the church through a church council, which goes by a variety of names across the denominations.

As issues arise the church council votes on behalf of their fellow members and when needed bring major issues to the church body to vote upon.

christian emblems, denominations, religious symbols

Just a few of the denominational emblems used to visually denote the different brands of protestant Christianity.

All of this happens under, generally speaking, a larger church body – a Bishop or governing council of churches.  This larger body sets general policy and administers the landmarks of what makes that denomination unique.  By and large, most Christian denominations are very similar with the differences being in their culture rather than their doctrine.  So, from a church perspective, the differences come in their activity.  It’s because of this head office type of leadership model that I would suggest so many churches take on a go-it-alone path and open up as their own organization or forming loose associations of churches which is an entirely different subject to look at.

Think of these parent organizations in the same capacity that the Roman Catholic Church operates under, except where the Pope is the final authority; these denominations have councils and conventions that steer the overall church policy.

Back down stream, the church while in line with the denomination, operates in its community taking on the flavor and tone of the community in which is exists.  Most of its activity takes place in light of the people who comprise it.  In fact, I think you would be hard pressed to find many members in a local church who could really tell you what the larger body is doing in any given month and even fewer who give the body much consideration.  This is true of most Masonic lodges too and probably the way it should be.  The congregation should be concerned with its own day to day operation because the parent body is seldom a factor other than when managing the underpinnings of the denominational church brand.  Even when it comes to liturgical practice, most follow a pattern across most denominations of a liturgical year.  For most, this is a transparent process but if you pay close attention you can follow over the course of a year.

Let’s look at how this works locally; churches hire clergy and staff to run their program, while the congregation goes about the activity of being Christians.  Presumably, the hired and placed clergy is selected by the area Bishop to be a good fit with the local congregation and a pastoral placement can last from many, many years to just a few depending on the needs of the congregation.  That clergy, while function as the religious and spiritual shepherd, are guided by the church council.  In fact, their work is shaped by the church liturgical cycle, church planningcongregation themselves based on their interactions and needs within the bounds of biblical principal and denomination methodology.  So, reciprocally, the pastors lead in the direction the congregation wants to go within the framework of the denomination which is essentially the role of the lodge worshipful master during his term in the east.

At times, the church sermons vary, but by and large the cycle of worship follows a liturgical calendar teaching the message of the church.  Sermons are developed based on the seasonal message, all of which takes place in the context of the biblical teachings.

In essence, you could say that the weekly service, while inspiring, serves to facilitate the tradition of the church which in turn inspires the congregation to grow with activity between services.

It really is an amazing process to watch when it happens.

Having come a long way barely touching on the idea of a lodge being like a church, but if you’ve been reading closely, you can already see the connections.  What I’ve learned is that the vitality of the church isn’t so much about the leadership as they will simply do what the membership asks of them.  Rather, the vitality comes from the activity of the members, the committee members who plan, produce, and grow the church.

One thing that really stood out to me in the Masonic parallel is that the monthly lodge meeting, while seen as the most important meeting in the life of the lodge, is really no more than a council meeting with reports from the various committees.  In the church example, the meeting while open to all members of the church, is generally only attended by the heads of the various committees to, of course, get the business of running the church (insert lodge here) done.

This is not to say that the Church council debates the major issues such as paying the phone bill or the laundry costs of linen table cloths.  To the contrary, like any responsible operation, the church hires a business manager from outside of the membership (when able of course) to manage the day to day business activity.  Doing this, I can see, dissolves the intimacy of relationship that can develop between treasurer and secretary and divests the feeling of ownership of the lodge from a few long in office fiefdoms, to a single professional with oversight from a finance committee and the clergy leadership.

On the other side of the coin is the weekly service which, I see, takes on the aspect of the degree meeting.

In the lodge, it seems that from the body of the membership somewhere along the line the activity of the being a Mason has been eclipsed by the business of being a Mason, and the ceremony of making new masons, the weekly service if you will, has become more a foot note in attendance when compared to the monthly business meeting.  After all, lodges publicize their monthly stated as the important meeting to attend, rather than the actual weekly service of making Masons.

This point could be debated for hours on the necessity of meeting more and the value (or waste of time) that such activity fosters.  I’ll save that debate for the comments or another post, but as with any activity, value to worth can be measured in the balance of activity.  Fred Milliken made the point in a post a few months back, At the Crossroads of the Many Paths of Freemasonry, that masonry is not all things to all people, especially when it comes to personal goals and aspirations.  In his piece, he says explicitly to go out and find what you’re looking for outside of the lodge, which is good advice for both lodge and church.  But, as the saying goes, you can be the change you seek to see a process that can be worked through the activity you seek in your congregation or lodge.  Again, the topic for another discussion.

zeitgeist, member of society, culturally currentEven with their own special monthly meeting segment, reports of special committees, the committees should be the driving force behind the lodge (as with the church) outside of the weekly and monthly get ceremonial gatherings.

And, this is the case in many lodges, committees are already the beating heart of activity and only as restricted as the vision that they take on.  When viewed in light of the evangelical aspect of the church, committees can develop programs that could appeal to like minded community members, and made open to friends and associates as a means of bolstering presence:  movie nights, day trips, education seminars, art shows, and so on.  Really, the list of activities that can be planned are only as limited as the vision of the committee behind them.

So, this is a long way to say what you probably already know – committees are the force behind the congregation and the lodge.  What I’ll add is that prior to seeing it action in a church, with its members and activity, I didn’t see it in the lodge.  The champions of the church are those members who have the vision of what the church should represent and not those concerned with preserving what it was.  Does it ruffle feathers, absolutely!  Does it introduce new community members to the congregation, absolutely.  Not having an active group of committees means a stagnant church and hoping on people to walk in off the street to check out the congregation which works, bit not nearly enough to sustain growth.  Will they stay if it’s a drab congregation with or little activity that appeals to them?  Even if the service is dynamic and the facility beautiful, if an engaging program of activity is missing, people will not stay and look for other venues to engage themselves in. Greatest prosperity comes in more activity, activity where one to one interactions are possible and relationship can be made which works, but not nearly enough to sustain growth.

conspiracy theory, antifreemasonry, hate

How rampant is anti-Masonry today?

anti-masonryA brother forwarded this to me. What you have below is a teaser video to a longer telecast that is appearing on various broadcasting outlets including Direct TV, where it appeared on the NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) network, channel 378.

The video is by Dr. Ron Carlson, posted in June of 2008; essentially make the argument that a Christian cannot be a Mason using biblical citation for his particular point of view.

This isn’t unique, rather just one of a long list of religious leaders using the pulpit to rail against the lodge as a part of their own personal ministry. Other such luminaries include Jack Chick Ministries, Ephesians 5:11, Order of former Freemasons, and many many more.

In fact, there are so many more, if you know of one, drop their name in the comments below and I’ll add it to the list.

One thing I can say is that Carlson has man of his facts mixed up, but he washes them with his particular logic.  Listen for the story about the church he convinced to jack hammer off the corner stone.  Its sad, really, like listening to echoes of forgotten history.

Without getting to deep into the philosophical, spiritual maybe, question (we’ve done that before in Can a Christian be a Freemason?) if a man can or cannot not be a Freemason AND a Christian, the better question to answer I’ve been leaning toward is who is it that can cast judgment or others – people or groups to evaluate such things.

The crux of Carlson’s argument is the incompatibility of Christian faith and being a Mason which, essentially, puts the syncretic religious view of masonry over the authority of Jesus. That the teachings of one subvert the teachings of the others?

What do you think? Are the two compatible? Are they compatible when you look at it from Carlson’s, and those like his, point of view?

More on Anti-Masonry.

Ron Paul Freemason

Ron Paul, it seems, is not a Freemason.

At least according to the note purported to be written by Paul’s hand, as published on the Ron Paul fan site RonPaul.com.

It’s been variously said that because his father and mother had Masonic ties, that he was by consequence, a fellow traveler.  But, take it as you may.  According to Paul himself, he’s not a member of the lodge.

In a piece on the blog Aftermath, it cites a much older post in which a former scheduler by the name of Liberty Oak confirms the same saying that Paul’s father was a mason, that his wife is a member of Eastern Star, and his two daughters were both Rainbow Girls.  Other than his familial links, there doesn’t seem to be any other connection to the fraternity.

History of Scandinavian Freemasonry

Scandinavian MasonryThe evolution of Scandinavian Masonry by Dr. Andreas Önnerfors as published on the World Wide Exemplification of Freemasonry, better known as WEoFM.

He is the former director of First Academic center of Freemasonry and Fraternalism at the University of Sheffield.

In this lecture, Dr. Önnerfors explores the history of Scandinavian Freemasonry and the dissemination of Freemasonry in the Danish and Scandinavian world.

Interestingly, he explores this style of Masonry and its strong Christian connections.

The Evolution of Scandinavian Freemasonry from WEOFM on Vimeo.

Norwegian Order of Freemasons expel Breivik

The following was posted Sunday on the Grand Lodge of Norway website from the Grand Master of Norwegian masons.

The Norwegian Order of Freemasons expressing compassion and care

– I am appalled by the horrible atrocity that was committed in the government district and at the Utøya island, says the Sovereign Grand Master of the Norwegian Order of Freemasons, Ivar A. Skar.

We are filled with mourning and compassion for those who have been affected and their relatives.

It has appeared in the media that the accused has been a member of the Norwegian Order of Freemasons.

He has now been excluded (expelled) – the exclusion immediately effective.

The exclusion reflects that the acts he is accused of having carried out, and the values that appear to have motivated them, are completely incompatible with what we stand for as an Order.

We build our activity on Christian and humanistic values and want our members to contribute to the promotion of charity, peace and goodness among all people.

The police will of course get all the help and information we can give to contribute to the investigation.

 

Norway Monster Anders Behring Breivik

It’s been reported that Norwegian gunman and bomber Anders Behring Breivik was, amongst several affiliations, a freemason, this according to the British Mail-online.

In addition to the claim, it is also said he was a nazi, and right-wing anti muslim.

You can read the reporting in the Mail Online article: Norwegian massacre gunman was a right-wing extremist who hated Muslims

The link comes from Breivik’s Facebook profile, in which it is reported that his interests included body-building and freemasonry.

Perhaps unnecessary to say, his actions in no way reflect the teachings of Masonry, and to the contrary contradicts its teachings and even its very essence. The taking of human life is one of the most heinous of acts humanly possible making Breivik’s actions those of a monster.

Our hearts go out to those affected by this tragedy.

 

Trouble brewing in the Philippine house of Masonry

The following comes from a note I picked up on in news link from Facebook. The article posted on the Isagani Lodge No. 96 Facebook page, and is less an inditement and more a question as to a growing cloud of mismanagement and nepotism that, they believe, has infultrated Philippine Freemasonry.

Its called the author to ask the question – Is Philippine Masonry self-destructing?

…It was only during the late seventies that the tentacles of patronage politics, Philippine style, started to creep slowly into the activities during annual communications. Even then, it was only an on-off thing and it was tolerable to say the least. Expenses were limited to lunch and snack invitations, under the guise of fraternal fellowships. These practices, more common to civic and social clubs, have spread among the brethren and were tolerated…

Politics per se is not all evil….What makes it taboo in masonry are the strategic actions employed by aspirants, particularly those bordering on bribery and corruption.

While there are specific prohibitions which if violated by a candidate can result to disqualification, these prohibitions were easily circumvented either directly or indirectly. In many cases the violations were committed by brethren who were identified as close to the candidates. The acts of bribery and corruptions come in various forms, such as free plane fares, hotel accommodations, fellowships and entertainments, registrations for voting delegates, payment of lodge arrears to the GLP, promises of appointments as Grand Lodge officers. Sad to say, many brethren have become vulnerable to these tempting offers, others make demands from these JGW wannabees as if extracting from Hiram Abiff. Most would succumb to these material favors and accept these freebies, and participate only during the roll call of lodges and the election of officers during annual communication. The rest of the time was devoted to enjoyment, courtesy of the candidate. The end result is an elected JGW not because of his Masonic maturity and qualifications but due to his financial capabilities and resources. And, after three years we see him as the GM of the GLP.

We have seen this scenario many times and there seems to be no improvement at sight. Those who bought their way up to the Grand Oriental Chair have come and gone. Some did well but most of them did not. Various scandals were unearthed during previous plenary sessions. The opening of clandestine GLP bank accounts, excessive foreign travel expenses, the bankruptcy of the Acacia Mutual Fund, and the breakaway of the Cavite brethren to form the IGLPI were just some of the unhealthy results of having irresponsible and immature brethren at the helm of power.

Is Philippine Masonry self-destructing?

What seems to be the problem? Is it in the process, the PGMs, the candidates or the voting delegates? The current process of selecting the next JGW depends largely on the suggested names and the final nominations by the PGMs. This part of the electoral process has a timeline of almost five months, during which all powers either to qualify or disqualify rest on the PGMs. Coincidentally, it is also during this five months period that most of the violations are committed. It is during this period when horse trading, acts bordering on bribery and corruption are rampant. It is an open activity and widely known amongst the brethren. Unfortunately, the PGMs are not aware of it or they simply plug their ears and look at the other side.

The candidates could not care less. Knowing the process, only those who aspire for fame and power would be interested to participate. Only those with overflowing financial resources would be willing to spend. Brethren with noble intentions would rather decline and not participate in the electoral process. They do not wish to be part of a mockery and disgrace to masonry.

The actions and decisions of the voting delegates reflect the shallowness and lack of Masonic education on the lodge level. It shows lack of understanding of what masonry is all about. It clearly reflects the Masonic immaturity of the present membership. This is a great challenge to the lodge leadership and the Grand Lodge as well.

It’s an interesting read for sure. Is it really a self destruction or just a change in the way things are done. What stood out to me most clearly was the statement that “…the voting delegates reflect the shallowness and lack of Masonic education on the lodge level…” but then maybe thats just where the problem is at.

Ain Soph to Malkuth – The First Degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry

apprentice, first degree of freemasonry, freemasonry, masonic, degree

The following is the introduction to The Apprentice, a book I’ve been working on for some time and I needed to let it see the light of day before it strangled me. It is not the complete work, rather the first paragraph of twenty pages that follow behind it which explore the ideas and claims made here-in.  In a nut-shell the work is an exploration of Freemasonry to the Hermetic system of Kabbalah that, I believe, matured into the systems that practice it today. Those systems, I believe, would not of evolved into what they have were in not for Pike’s work in crafting the Scottish Rite in the the manner he did.

So, I respectfully submit this to you and would delight in hearing your thoughts.

kaballah, mysticism, tree

To say there is a first degree of Scottish Rite masonry may come as a surprise.  As most commonly practiced, the Scottish Rite is a system of degrees that begins following from the traditional Masonic system in most prevalent practice today of blue, or craft, lodge masonry.  Specifically the Scottish rite craft lodge degrees parallel the first three degrees of the Webb Preston York Rite System which is the dominant system of lodge ritual adopted in American Masonry in the early 1800’s.

In an earlier era, and along a parallel development, there existed a similar series of degrees that lead seamlessly into what we know of today as the 4th through 32nd Scottish Rite system. Sadly, only a few lodges today still practice the Rite’s precursor degrees, most notably the blue lodge in Louisiana, as the degrees are said to retain much of their earlier European and French roots[1]. Much of what is contained in those degrees mirror what is common practice in the York degrees, but there are differences and it is in those aspects of divergence that these earlier rituals hold some parlance for the Scottish Rite. To see this we must look to the earlier rituals so that we can find in them the fundamentals of the esoteric scholarship and taught in the Rite as applied by Brother Pike in the present day system. These differences become especially obvious in his degree analysis in Morals and Dogma giving us the opportunity to find out why. For those reading who are not already Scottish Rite masons the degrees, as they are taught in the multitude of valleys across America today, suggest a link between the Scottish Rite teachings by degree to the teachings of mystical Kabbalah, more precisely to the Kabalistic Tree of Life, something brought to the attention of the Scottish Rite candidates in the lecture of the fourth degree. In that fourth degree the connection is made loosely but in close analysis of the progressive degrees it becomes very clear to say that there is a distinct connection between the degrees, the 10 Sephirot and the 22 paths that compose the most universal representation of the esoteric Tree.  As the fourth degree mention is a superficial reference it is our starting point to see the two as related and necessitates an extensive exploration of the following degrees within which we can find a multitude of parallels in the Rite’s construction.

Scottish Rite, Rte, eagle

As one begins to climb the allegorical Tree, very quickly it becomes obvious that veiled in its canopy are metaphorical links, ineffable symbols, and outright allegorical references to the connections between them — something that many writers, both Masonic and lay, have traced through a variety of esoteric systems of study. Was this system intended to mirror an ancient Jewish system of esoteric theology, or a device made use of by Pike to capture with such detail the similarities that he saw between them?

As you will begin to see it is the latter as the degrees lack the theology of Judaism, rather it takes on a parallel structure borrowing from this older tradition in a way that they become a natural compliment to one another, such that the two have become intricately linked — the Kabbalah of old intermingled with the Christian Mysticism of Cabbalah to become a syncretic blend of spiritual Qaballah unencumbered by strict religious dogma. Throughout his work Pike keeps the systems separate, acknowledging the idea of the one true God keeping the system in a predominately Christian worldview. With the skill of a master artisan, Pike weaves a tapestry of old and new thought together to knit the details of what he sees as the ideas that underlie all modern religions illustrating that importance into the system that is the inheritor of those combined faiths into the Scottish Rite. That choice to link the three degrees of Freemasonry, an old system at the time of his own contributions, revived as best he could the systems of the Hermetic esoteric tradition that we find in several modern magical systems today.[2] But, before those traditions could build on that work Pike welding these disparate systems together into an amalgam of esoterica, such that I believe they have become inseparable from the deeper meaning of the degrees. The lesson with their Qabalistic teachings has been interlaced in a way that to change their composition would change the very nature of the Scottish Rite itself.  To that end the degrees, both the lower three and the higher 29 are — in and out of themselves — a complete loop which are formed into a circuit of learning that is its own birth, baptism, and maturation, that ever climbs the Tree towards a pinnacle of completion ending at the 32 degree. But before we get to that zenith, we must first start in the beginning, in the very roots of the Tree of Life, at the point just before the degree system begins where we can start to construct this understanding. That starting point is outside in the space before the door of the lodge room as the aspirant makes his first fateful knocks, which is the essence of what the first degree represents. To enter that space we must start with an explanation of the Kabbalah and our entry point through the degrees of Masonry into the Tree of Life through chaos of Ain Soph becoming the Sephirot of Malkuth.

You can find more on The Apprentice, in the Symbolic Lodge.


[1] No known catalog of ritual practice comparisons is believed to exist.

[2] Such traditions are likely, in the opinion of the author, outgrowths and parallel developments of the work of Pike in Morals and Dogma and the Scottish Rite.  Such groups include the Golden Dawn, Ordo Templi Orientis, Thelema, Theosophy, and other like Hermetic systems.

Read on to the second degree – By Wisdom a House is Built – The Path of Tav