CHAPTER X

Master Mason

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; while the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain; in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel brok en at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."

-Ecclesiastes XII: 1, 7

The Entered Apprentice degree, dealing with the material, is preparatory; that of Fellowcraft is psychical, away FROM the material, toward the spiritual. The degree of Master Mason (if the assumption that Masonry stems from the Mysteries is correct) is the summit, wholly spiritual. Interrogation as to personal desire, preparation and worthiness is repeated. For a second time the necessity for proficiency in the preceding degree is emphasized: Patience is still a virtue. The spiritual is not forced upon any individual. One must reach a level where he is cognizant of it and, of his own volition, seek it. In the third degree the Candidate approaches the spiritual. He is to MAKE OF HIMSELF the complete man, the MASTER. He includes the physical, the psychical and the spiritual. The process is symbolized by the preparation which includes that of both preceding degrees.

Demanding proficiency in the preceding degrees is not an arbitrary ruling of the Lodge. It is for the Candidate's personal benefit. He who has not learned the lessons of the physical and psychical degrees has not attained a level where he can hope to achieve understanding of the spiritual. Knowing the true symbology of the compasses, a "more noble and glorious" explication than the "rational explanation" given in the Lodge is apparent. The compasses are emblematic of the spiritual; therefore on his first admission into a Lodge of Master Masons the Candidate is confronted with the fact that he has entered upon the spiritual degree of Freemasonry.

The Rite of Circumambulation is most ancient. It is the "Rite of purification" of him who is about to be initiated. The direction taken is to comply with the ancient saying: "if you would do reverence to the gods, you must turn on the right hand." Masonically, there is additional significance: the "right is the stronger side of man"; it symbolizes the psychical side of his nature, also Universal Law - Jachin. Thus in reverencing the gods, the right hand and the right side are kept toward the altar. This custom in turn has its origin in ancient Solar Worship, and exemplifies: "As the sun in his course moves round the world by way of the south, so do I follow that luminary, to obtain the benefit arising from a journey round the earth by way of the south."

Rabbinical commentaries on the Scripture quoted (Ecclesiastes 12: 1-7) during the perambulation are of interest to all Masons. A literal translation from the Hebrew by Isaac Leeser better lends itself to this explanation; it is therefore quoted in full: "But remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youthful vigour, while the evil days are not yet come, nor those years draw nigh of which thou wilt say, I have no pleasure in them. While the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars are not yet darkened, and the clouds not return again after the rain. On the day when the watchmen of the house will tremble, and the men of might will bend themselves, and the grinders stand idle because they are become few, and those be darkened that look through the windows. And when the two doors on the streets will be locked, while the sound of the mill becometh dull, and man riseth up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low. Also when men will be afraid of every elevation, and are terrified on every way, and the almond tree will flourish and the locust will drag itself slowly along, and the desire will gainsay compli ance. Because ma n goeth to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets. While the silver cord is not yet torn loose, and the golden bowl is not crushed, and the pitcher is not broken at the fountain, and the wheel is not crushed at the cistern. When the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it."

"Remember thy Creator" turn to God in thy "youthful vigour" before the calamities enumerated overtake thee - "while the evil days are not yet come." Wait not until those years "draw nigh" when, having no more pleasure in life, one waits for but death; when failing sight makes all the luminaries of heaven appear "darkened." The "watchman who tremble" are likened to the shaking hands of an old man, the "men of might who bend themselves," the legs weakened by age. The "grinders," the teeth, and those "who loo k through the windows," the dimming eyes. The "two doors" are the lips; the "mill" by some is interpreted to be the mouth, but Rashi attributes the reference to the stomach. "And man riseth up at the voice of the bird" - the voice of the old man rises to shrillness like the voice of a bird. The "daughters of song," Rashi interprets to mean "when the song of the singers appears dull in the ears." Philippson prefers: "when the several notes become unintel ligible." "Afraid of every elevation, and terrified on every way" - the terrors and forebodings of the aged. "And the almond tree will flourish - "will blossom" man's head will turn white like the almond tree covered with blossoms. "The Locust" is emblematic of the ease with which the strong man labours; whereas in age activity becomes less and less, as though the locust, otherwise so nimble, had to drag its light weight as a burden. By some Hebrew scholars the "loosening of the silver cord, crushing of the bowl etc." is a description of the general disso lution of the body. Others suppose the silver cord to be the spinal marrow. The latter has support in occult teaching, where the "silver cord" is described as the connection between the spiritual and material bodies which is severed at death.

It was discovered the "approach" of the Entered Apprentice was material. The "approach" of the Fellow-craft, being psychical, was necessarily different. Herein it is reiterated that the spiritual combines the other two, for the "approach" of the Master Mason includes them both. Likewise does that "due form" in this degree partake of elements of the previous degrees. A study herein of the obligation would be Masonically improper. However, it pertains strictly to those duties assumed toward the Order, and because of them, to a brother.

"What is the length of a cable-tow?" The answer to the oft-voiced query is contained in the remarks of the Master. The cable-tow is symbolic of the ties to the Fraternity. How "far" the individual Mason is "bound" by his obligation (beyond the recognized minimum) rest solely WITH HIS OWN CONSCIENCE; that alone is the determining factor of its length. Some cable-tows will scarcely reach out of the Lodge room; some, belonging to those Masons truly imbued with brotherly love, seemingly reach around the worl d. Attention is directed to the "three Great Lights" and the "representatives" of the "three Lesser Lights." These latter are the "Sun, Moon, and Worshipful Master, * * * and are thus explained: as the Sun rules the day and the Moon governs the night, so should the Worshipful Master rule and govern his Lodge with equal regularity and justice." This is an extremely poor analogy. The only thing "regular" about the Sun and Moon is their "irregularity," for they rise and set at a different time each day. Neither do they, in the sense used here, "rule" or "govern" with "justice." "For He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good." The three Lesser Lights are a group of symbols of two distinct meanings. In the ritual, however, these two meanings are confusingly combined into one explanation which lends itself to misinterpretation. The error is caused by comparing the Worshipful Master to the Sun and Moon.

Pythagoras was previously quoted as saying: "God formed two things in his own image; first the universe itself, and second man." We conceive of a macrocosm and a microcosm. The underlying idea is a "Great Lodge" - the Universe, and a "Lesser Lodge" - the human institution.

The Lesser Lights are the Master, Senior and Junior Wardens. This is clearly exemplified in the English Lodge, where one light is placed at each officer's station, rather than grouping them as in most American Lodges.

The Candidate is informed that three inanimate objects, giving no material light, are the "Great Lights." Reference is made to "representatives" of the Lesser Lights, but there are no "representatives" of the Great Lights. These are categorically stated to be the "Holy Bible, Square and Compasses." The search for light is a search for knowledge. It is not light but enLIGHTenment that is desired. This great illumination that the Candidate may obtain by aid of "representatives of the three Lesser Lights" (the Master and Wardens) is that ENLIGHTENMENT to which these three officers may assist him, when they themselves are informed in Masonry.

Of the two meanings which have been combined, the deeper spiritual lesson intends to teach of the unity of the universe and God. In the "Great Lodge," the universe, the Lesser Lights are the Sun, Moon and Stars. By their aid we are enabled to behold the "Three Great Lights of the Universe." With the physical eye we behold the earth. In the seeing thereof we view God manifested, as He, the Great Light, materialized Himself in the world by means of the second Great Light, the "Word" or Universal Law. Thus , in viewing the world, we see also God and Law by which He created it, and actually behold the "THREE GREAT LIGHTS OF THE UNIVERSE."

In the second degree the Candidate is informed that certain symbology teaches that "ours is a progressive science." The progression continues in this degree, and he now observes a further change in these symbols. Accepting the material explanation, AND PROVIDED that was "but partial light," he has every right to assume that he has now received ALL the light, but is informed that such is not the case. He has received ONLY SUCH LIGHT as can be conferred IN A LODGE.

In seeking the spiritual explanation illustrated by the square and compasses, the latter, emblematic of the spiritual, are observed elevated above the square, (typical of the material), which now serves only as a background for the spiritual. The true significance of the changing positions of these two Great Lights is thereby revealed. First the square dominated the compasses, progress was made, and they were next seen to be intertwined. Finally in the great exposition of the spiritual the compasses have c ome to the fore, they now predominate. Thus is symbolized "THE SUBJUGATION OF THE HUMAN THAT IS IN MAN BY THE DIVINE."

By the process of deductive reasoning it is evident that the position of the square and compasses, as now viewed, is not the logical conclusion of their progression, and that "something" is missing. Lost, in the sense that it has not yet been found. This reasoning is correct. There is another position of the square and compasses, but it will not be found on the altar. It is on the floor of the Lodge. At some time in the past the blazing star was shorn of one of its points and changed into a five-pointed star. Apparently some ritualists, not familiar with the ancient significance of the six-pointed star, associated it with the "five points of fellowship" (with which it has no connection) and decided it should have five points. In my own studies I have failed to discover a place in Masonic Symbology for a five-pointed star, and while some few authorities place it among the Masonic symbols, by so doing t hey deny its Masonic implication, for in its use they attribute a Christian reference, which immediately detracts from both the antiquity and universality of Freemasonry.

The compasses are always open to sixty degrees, and if a cross piece be placed from one to the same distance from the apex, on the other, an equilateral triangle is formed. All that can be produced by the same procedure with the square is a right-angle triangle, which is the symbol of the complete man.

Envisage the square on a quadrant. If it is progressed thirty degrees (which is one twelfth of a circle and a complete sign of the zodiac) to sixty degrees, then joined by a cross piece, an equilateral triangle is formed. The ancient symbol of Deity is an equilateral triangle with an angle pointing downward toward His creation. The perfect man is symbolized by an equilateral triangle with an angle pointing upward toward his Creator. Here is the SYMBOL of man, "in the image and likeness" of the SYMBOL of his Creator. When these two triangles are intertwined they form a six-pointed star, the shield of David, or seal of Solomon, as it is likewise known, which for ages has been the Grand Symbol of the perfect union of the Supreme Being with the Divine Man.

This is logically depicted by the blazing star in the centre of the floor. It is properly placed in the floor rather than on the altar, for the Candidate, having assumed all his obligations, will not again kneel at the altar.

In ancient times the Hebrew Priest appeared before the congregation with the tallith (praying shawl) over his head, which he held uplifted from his face with both raised hands. His index fingers touched each other and the thumbs, extended below, likewise touched each other, thereby forming a triangle. The fingers of each hand divided into two by two, forming the Hebrew letter "Shin," initial letter of "Shaddai, meaning "hovering over"; and carrying the inference that it was "Divine Presence" which was "ho vering over." In this manner the Priest uttered the "three-fold benediction," repeating three times:

"May the Lord bless thee and keep thee. May the Lord let His countenance shine Upon thee and be gracious unto thee. May the Lord lift up His countenance Upon thee and give thee peace."

This beautiful benediction suffers through translation; the English word "peace" does not convey the fullness of meaning of the Hebrew word "Shalom," which means "completeness of being."

A certain sign is given the candidate, who is told to what it alludes. This explanation is entirely consistent with the meanings attributed to signs given him on two former occasions, under similar circumstances. However, in addition to the "rational explanation" given, the other two signs, as has been recounted, had definitely more recondite applications. The sign in question can have no other interpretation, IF IT IS CORRECTLY GIVEN in the ritual. Further it is inconsistent with a statement made later , when a certain word is declared lost, and it is inferred the sign likewise is lost. Later in the ceremony it is stated that in a certain manner both the substitute word and sign would be indicated. Subsequently the allegory narrates that the hands were placed in a described position, and offers a logical and quite natural reason for such a position being assumed. This then should logically be the sign, having a double "rational" meaning, a nd susceptible of an esoteric explanation as well. It is the wr iter's understanding that the G.H.S., as used in most American jurisdictions, is unknown in English Masonry where the sign lust discussed answers the purpose.

It is highly possible that long usage and carelessness on the part of those using these signs throughout the centuries have corrupted them. Originally both signs were probably one, that is the hands were held in the same relationship to each other, but in the two different positions related to the body. They obviously bore some relationship (which the informed Mason will immediately discern) to the manner in which the Hebrew Priest conferred the benediction. Assuming a connection exists, what symbolism i s conveyed by the position? The triangle, formed by the thumbs and fingers, symbolizes the spiritual. The letter "Shin," formed by the fingers, typifies "Divine Presence hovering over." The position of the hands has immemorially been associated with the three-fold benediction, bespeaking "completeness of being." Therefore we have "illustrated by symbols" the TRUTH that the SPIRITUAL is COMPLETENESS OF BEING, which is attained through recognition of Divine Pres ence which is constantly hovering over.

Further evidence of the spirituality of this degree is amply at hand. The Biblical character Tubalcain is mentioned, but in some rituals proper emphasis on the esoteric meaning of this name is lacking. Therein it is merely stated that he was a "brother of Jubal, the eighth man from Adam, and the first known artificer in metals." The Bible, however, is more specific. Genesis 4:22. "And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron." This may seem to raise a sharp distinction but, if we are to understand the meaning of ancient symbols, sharp distinctions must be the rule rather than the exception. It is not sufficiently enlightening to know he worked "in metals," the specific metals must be known. Later on is discussed the meaning of Hiram Abiff as "cunning in all works of brass." The exact symbology applies in this instance in addition to which we are informed Tubalcain was likewise proficient in iron.

The reference to iron is better understood by referring to The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception, by Max Heindel. - "Iron is in reality the basis of separate existence. Without iron the red, heat-giving blood would be an impossibility, and the Ego could have no hold in the body. When red blood developed - in the latter part of the Lemurian Epoch - the body became upright and the time had come when the Ego could begin to dwell within the body and control it." Hence it is apparent that "iron" symbolizes the phys ical.

That Tubalcain was an "instructor" of every artificer implies greater skill and knowledge than that of a mere artificer." Recognizing this emphatic distinction, we discern that Tubalcain was a highly skilled worker on both the spiritual and the material plane, CAPABLE OF INSTRUCTING OTHERS. The lofty aim of the Master Mason is to attain like proficiency, hence Tubalcain may well be held up as a fitting reminder to the Master Mason of his own goal.

The manner of wearing the apron in the preceding degrees is recapitulated. A certain manner is both described and demonstrated, and the Candidate is then informed that it is "obsolete" because of certain reasons, and that the apron should be worn as a Fellow-craft.

An apron folded diagonally not only DOES NOT FORM A SQUARE (as stated in several jurisdictions in America) but loses all resemblance thereto - it becomes a triangle. It is the emblem of the spiritual, and concurs in the symbology of the compasses elevated above the square. For the sake of consistency, in view of the fact that the apron and the square and compasses have repeated the same progressing symbology thus far, it may be asked if a further change in the apron is indicated. It is impossible to fold an apron, evenly, into an equilateral triangle; it therefore will not change to concur with the symbology of the six-pointed star. The apron is worn by the evolving man, up to and including his attainment of "completeness." But the apron is a material thing, regardless of what it may symbolize; obviously it cannot be worn by the perfected man, who is a spiritual being, hence logically the progression of the apron ceases.

The working tools of a Master Mason are "all the implements of Masonry indiscriminately, ESPECIALLY THE TROWEL." A survey of "All the implements" reveals but six. This is inconsistent with the numerology of the Lodge. It is symbolically necessary they total seven, and if the setting-maul is included the total is seven. Masonically it is regarded as an instrument of violent death. For that reason it possibly was removed from the working tools by some early ritualists who did not realize its symbolical si gnificance. It should be reinstated for the same logical reasons which suggest it was originally included. Anyone who has watched a brickmason at work has noticed how he uses the handle of his trowel to tap the brick into proper position. A stone-mason performs the same task with a setting maul, as a stone is too massive to respond to the taps of a trowel handle. Thus the setting-maul is an essential tool of the operative mason.

The tools of the Apprentice are preparatory tools; those of the Fellow-craft, strictly speaking, are not "tools." They are "instruments" with which to measure, to bring into manifestation in the material building those concepts, formed in the mind of the architect, of "plumb" uprights, "level" footings and "square" joinings. Again it is repeated and emphasized that the spiritual encompasses the other two planes of existence; they are necessary to it, yet it extends away and beyond the material and psychica l, for in addition to employing the "tools" of the other planes it has "tools" peculiar to its own plane. True "brotherly love" is a spiritual attribute, and it is only the trowel which can spread the "cement of brotherly love and affection."

The other implements of Masonry are all right angles, horizontals, and perpendiculars. The trowel cannot be so described, for its point forms an acute angle. While operative trowels are varied in shape to adapt them to different purposes, the symbolic trowel of Masonry should be made with an angle of sixty degrees, wherein is discovered an equilateral triangle. Thus it is discovered the "working tool" peculiar to the Master Mason is the emblem of the spiritual. This is to demonstrate that, as an "oversee r of the work, he must be proficient in the use of all the implements indiscriminately," else he could not supervise others; but he must progress beyond the ability of those under his direction. He must also, and ESPECIALLY , work spiritually. The symbology of the trowel points to further evidence favouring the inclusion of the setting-maul. With its rounded base and sides tapering up to the handle, it discloses sixty degree angles and, coinciding with the trowel, diverges from those tools described as right-angles, horizontals and perpendiculars. Ready at hand, too, is an ethical lesson. A setting-maul is an instrument made use of by operative masons to coerce the unwieldy stone into its proper position in the building; but we, as Free and Accepted Masons are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of impelling ourselves into our proper positions in that building of which we are to form a part. A more recondite exposition is seen in the Constructive and Destructive actions of Universal Law. In the hands of the ignorant and unskilled workman it becomes an instrumen t of death and destruction, but in the hands of the enlightened and skilful craftsman it becomes a Constructive instrument with which the recalcitrant stone is forced into its proper position.

The proficiency examination of this degree is practically a recapitulation of the ceremony of initiation, and only two questions and answers shed any further light on the esoteric doctrine. Of all the material creation man alone can declare "I AM." But those words are far more than a declaration of a material fact. To so declare is recognition of consciousness - a statement of recognized individuality. AN AFFIRMATION OF DIVINITY - for ONLY God, and man, made in His image, can declare "I AM." Not in the m ere statement, but rather in the complete realization of its implications, is the power we seek, for it is an affirmation of immortality. There is more than one kind of foreign country. To reach those shown on the map, one must transport the physical body, but those foreign countries of the mental realm may be instantaneously reached by the mind. Those foreign countries are fields of thought "foreign" to our present mode of thinking, and when we travel in them we receive Master's wages in the bountiful rewards such thinking brings into our lives. The entire object of Freemasonry is to inculcate such thinking, for when followed to its logic al conclusion it is discovered that FREEMASONRY IS NOT A LODGE, NOT A RITUAL, BUT A PLAN FOR THE LIVING OF A LIFE.

CHAPTER XI

The Great Moral Lesson

"In that deep force, the last fact behind which analyst cannot go, all things find their common origin. For, the sense of being which in calm hours rises, we know not how, in the soul, is not diverse from things, from space, from light, from time, from man, but one with them, and proceeds obviously from the same source whence their life and being also proceeds. * * * We lie in the lap of immense intelligence, which makes us receivers of its truth, and organs of its activity." -Emerson

Freemasonry is a beautiful system of morals, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols." The "illustration by symbols" is that portion of the ceremony which has preceded. The definition of allegory which reads: "presents a truth under the guise of fictitious narrative or description" is an exact description of what is done in this portion of this degree.

A story, is told, complete in itself, and if one desires to seek no further he has received a valuable lesson portraying the life and action of a man of high morality and integrity. This lesson, however, is incomparable to the spiritual truth presented. It is to prepare the Candidate for the acceptance of this truth that he is initiated and instructed in the preceding degrees.

The first time one takes a particular journey he instinctively notes certain landmarks along the way - a tree, a hill, or a stream. On a second occasion he judges his progress toward his journey's end by these landmarks. If necessity takes him that way again, for a third time, the landmarks have become old friends, beckoning him on with assurances that he is nearing his destination. Presuming he has completed his journey, his surprise and possible consternation may well be imagined when he is informed th at such is not the case. If under these circumstances he is told that further journeying is necessary ere his goal is reached, and that the journey may be rough and rugged and even beset with perils, the devout man will pray for Divine protection and assistance. He will turn to no earthly power, nor will he beseech others to pray for him. Every man, except he is an atheist, has some image of God before his mind's eye. To some the image is dim and indistinct of outline, a mere philosophical necessity. To others it is a clear concept, an abiding faith. Placed in a position of dire peril, where material assistance is of no avail, each man's trust in his God is put to the supreme test.

Before the Lodge prayed for the Candidate. The Lodge initiated him, held before him the symbols, gave him instruction and brought him to the same place as all who had gone that way before him. Its work was accomplished. Evolution raises the race to the level where the individual recognizes THERE IS A LAW and, learning to cooperate with it, he works out his further destiny. Here the Candidate is in that exact position. Further progress depends on his own efforts, hence he is informed that his goal has n ot been reached, and correct ritual will add that IT IS NOT KNOWN IF HE WILL EVER ACHIEVE IT.

It has been suggested that Masonry is Mental Science, the science of controlling one's life and destiny through the creative power of thought. In this connection the thesis of the objective and subjective mind proves helpful. The process of creative thought is to visualize with the objective mind the desired condition, and implant this picture in the subjective mind. The latter then creates that which the objective mind desires. This process is continuous, therefore negative, destructive thoughts transm itted to the subjective have the same effect as positive, constructive thoughts. Even though the individual be ignorant of this law it is still the law. Job illustrates the negative action when he laments: "The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me." Both the positive and the negative action is suggested in the statement: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." It is the creative power of thought that accounts for life's every condition. It is the purpose of Masonry to so inform its initiates that they may actively use the Constructive principle for good and, knowing of the Destructive principle, refrain from those mental attitudes which are causations of evil.

The requisite of constructive creative thought is faith. "Therefore I say unto you, what things whatsoever ye desire, when ye pray believe that ye receive, and ye shall receive." Particularly note the two tenses. First: "believe ye receive," present tense, "and ye SHALL receive," future tense.

This portion of the degree allegorically depicts this power of thought. The narrator, breaking into the middle of a story, informs the Candidate he represents a certain person. Of what has gone before the Candidate is not told; if he is curious he may turn to the Bible and been the tale. A Temple is under construction and partially completed. Three Grand Masters are in charge of the construction. Who are these three, and what is their symbolical significance? We too, may turn to the Bible for our answe r.

Relative to Hiram King of Tyre: "And Hiram sent to Solomon saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for; and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir." Here related is the agreement to furnish the material for the Temple, and it is indicative of the importance attached to the material or physical. Symbolically Hiram of Tyre is the "Material."

"In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said * * * I am but a child; I know not how to go out or come in. * * * Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad." Solomon symbolizes the psychical. It was the acquisition of wisdom which enabled Solomon to visualize or create the Temple in his mind, that it might be materialized on the chosen building site. A further less on in Mental Science is to be gained from this scriptural passage. Solomon asked for wisdom, not from selfish motives but that he might guide his people. This so pleased God, we are told, that He added riches and long life. This is the operation of Universal Law. With wisdom one need not ask for riches or health, for wisdom dictates that the Constructive Principle in nature be followed and when that Great Law is obeyed "all these things shall be added unto you."

"And King Solomon went and fetched Hiram out of Tyre, he was a widow's son * * * and he was filled with wisdom and understanding, and cunning to work all works of brass. And he came to King Solomon and he wrought all his works."

To understand the foregoing passage we must know the symbology employed in the Bible. The masses of the ancients regarded the sun as a god, the more enlightened as a symbol of God. Gold, because of its color, was the symbol of the sun. Likewise brass, being more plentiful and of similar color, was often substituted for gold. In the process of mental evolution the sun, because of its position in the "above," assumed an ethical aspect of the spiritual, and likewise those materials which symbolized the sun . In this sense the Biblical statement that "Hiram was filled with wisdom and understanding, and cunning to work all works of brass" actually informs us that he was cunning, or skilled, to "work all works" spiritual. Thus he clearly symbolizes the spiritual. Together with the other two we have the Spiritual, Psychical and Physical. Man alone is composed of these three components, thus the symbolical meaning of the Temple is clear.

The "Sanctum Sanctorum" of each individual is the secret chamber of the soul into which one should "habitually" retire. This individual Holy of Holies is UNFINISHED, for few have attained those spiritual heights which are the FINISHED WORK. The Grand Master is typical of the objective mind which retires to the secret closet of its own innermost being - withdrawing from the material world, there to "draw designs upon the trestle-board" - the receptive subjective mind, which but waits for the imprint of tho se "designs for living." The "craft" is Universal Mind which develops the plans drawn. The process of building the Temple is the development of character, the evolving of the real individual.

After the process of drawing designs upon the trestle-board the Grand Master offered up devotion to Deity. True devotion to Deity is obedience to Universal Law. Man's ideal of God forms his character, and his life work is the individual's contribution to the attainment of God's plans.

The Grand Master also "meditated upon the wonders of the Universe." Such meditation brings a realization of the Infinite Wisdom which planned this world whereon we abide. Through that meditation the Infinite Power of creation is dimly realized. Thus it dawns upon our consciousness that we were created by that same Universal Wisdom and Power. When we contemplate the physical body of man we realize it is as wonderful as the universe itself. Continued meditation brings the further realization that, wonderf ul as the body may be, the mind is even more marvelous. Thus we arrive at the true meaning of being in the image and likeness of our Creator. The mind, the likeness of God, is endowed with the power to create the microcosm, as God manifested in the creation of the macrocosm.

It should be remembered that this retirement into the Sanctum Sanctorum was a "custom." We have only to make the comparison between the material Temple and the Human Temple, to realize the need of habitual retirement to the Holy of Holies. Had the Grand Master's retirement been irregular, had he drawn plans for several days and then neglected to do so for a period, the "craft" could not have maintained their labors. There would have been times when "no plans were on the trestle-board," and the craft idle. So with the individual; unless he daily "draws designs upon HIS trestle-board," makes thereof a "custom," his craft will remain idle and his Temple unfinished.

Upon one occasion the Grand Master encountered opposition, and it is his conduct under the circumstances which is the basis for the Great Moral Lesson. We rightly emphasize his devotion to duty, his integrity, but in so doing the equally important lesson illustrated by the "opposition" should not be lost.

Names are given "things" for the purpose of identification. They are also given individuals for the same reason. Names originally were descriptive. Any attempt to an understanding of the Bible or Freemasonry is useless without a knowledge of the nomenclature. Similar names obviously derive from the same country or tribe. Identical names usually denote family relationship.

Each of the cities of Canaan had some one god it revered above all other gods. Baal was the local nature god of Tyre, thus "Baal" or "Bal" appearing in a name identifies the bearer as a "man of Tyre." An identical prefix would indicate family connection, while the dissimilar suffixes denote the individuals. Incidentally, such ritual as refers to the "peculiarity" of these names is incorrect. They were not "peculiar" and may well have been as common as the English "Smith." "Similarity" is the correct expr ession.

Depicting them as "brethren" and "men of Tyre" is for definite symbolic purpose. As brothers they spring from the same parentage (source). As "men of Tyre" they are shown to be worshipers of Baal, the nature or MATERIAL god, which establishes a distinction between them and "men of Israel," who are worshipers of Jehovah, the SPIRITUAL God. It is inoperative to the consistency of the allegory that these Tyrians perpetrate the deed. A symbolic impossibility for "men of Israel." This is emphasized by the "r oll-call"; all Hebrew names answering present, while the only Tyrians called are the absent ones under discussion. (It is hoped the reader gathers the subtle distinction - it is impossible to be more explicite.)

The "First" typifies material desires, greed, avarice and covetousness, which prompt the attempt to gain selfish benefits regardless of the rights of others. True to Masonic symbology he strikes with the one working tool which above all others symbolizes the material or physical, and it is likewise noteworthy that it is a working tool of the degree we have discovered to be the material degree.

The "Second" symbolizes the psychical. He incites those attitudes of mind rather than material desires. He it is who is responsible for intolerance, bigotry, hatred and envy. It is he who is conquered when we "keep our passions within due bounds." Again the symbology of the weapon used is in conformity. It is the emblem of the psychical and the principal working tool of the psychical degree.

Vicious and malevolent as are the first two, it is the "Third" who is deadly, and he strikes with a SETTING-MAUL! Here is yet another outstanding example of the beautiful consistency of our symbology. This is the instrument which by all logic must have at some time been numbered among the working tools of the Craft. Its deeply significant symbology in this instance strengthens that presumption, and adds conviction that it was a working tool of the third degree - the spiritual degree of Masonry.

The individual retires to his Holy of Holies and plans his life in thoughtful solitude. Primarily man realizes intuitively a first cause. Then his intellect formulates for him a Supreme Being, thus intuition and intellect form a basis for faith. That faith embodies the realization that he is as his Creator. But in order to attain this lofty vision he must wait, patiently, until his Temple is completed. Only then, if found worthy, shall he receive that which he seeks. However, on his return to the "mat erial world" of every day affairs, he is accosted by "DOUBT" - "IF I am like my Creator, why cannot I create conditions in accordance with my desires?" He does not recognize the fact that the Temple is not yet completed, that he has not proven his worthiness, that his wisdom is not commensurate with the power he seeks; "DOUBT" strikes down "FAITH," which alone can give him his desire. Then indeed is there confusion in the Temple of that individual.

According to Mental Science there is sound reason for the Biblical admonition that we shall be held accountable for "every idle word." We indulge in many thoughts, in themselves not necessarily detrimental to our spiritual welfare, but useless, wasting mental power which might be put to better purpose. This thought is conveyed by the action of other craftsmen. These, when properly directed by King Solomon, proved their worth. Three of these who "repented" accomplished their mission. Thus is illustrated the truth that, changing the process of thought from the destructive to the constructive, the negative can be mastered and we build where formerly we destroyed.

This portion of the allegory is taken from the Solar Myth of the murder of the sun by three of the signs of the zodiac, and the search for him by the other nine signs. It is quite obvious that no search would be undertaken in the "north," for that was the region of darkness. (Masonic ritual reveals full knowledge of this fact in the arrangement of the three principal officers' stations.) Therefore the ritual is in error in reciting: "we twelve with three others, etc." It would be more consistent with both the facts in the case and other portions of the ceremonies if it stated: "we nine with three others, etc." Later the instructions are given to "divide into bands of three, travel, etc." These instructions should exclude the "north."

In the attempt of the fugitives to leave the country is contained a further allegorical lesson. Only in one way can the human mind leave its present plane of existence, the "country" in which it now abides. That way is in conformity with Universal Law. The inability to "leave the country without Solomon's passport" which in this case is authority, or law, is analogous.

Lacking that authority and unable to depart they turn back into the country (i.e., continue on the same plane) and hide in a cave. A "cave" being definitely a material place, we are allegorically informed they took refuge in the material. Recalling what then transpired we see in its enactment the continued repetition of the lesson reiterated throughout the degrees of Masonry. Not mere punishment of crime but the inevitable results of invoking the Destructive principle, the law of cause and effect.

The remaining Grand Masters express the fear that the "word" is lost. If the word is lost to the extent that it cannot be given, inferentially, the sign intended to symbolize the word is likewise lost. This being the case it is apparent that the true and loyal workmen cannot be rewarded as promised. This is consistent with Universal Law, but it is beyond the intent of this book to develop minute detail. This inference, like others which have been made, must be left to the inclination of the individual r eader to develop if he is so minded. Suffice it to state there is an inference that future generations will discover the right.

How is this to be accomplished? By all the veiled hints which may be discovered in the ritual it is clear that it must be through PERSONAL, INDIVIDUAL EFFORT. Reasonable presumption indicates it was thus acquited, originally, by the Grand Masters. There is a difference, however; the workman is to be given a substitute which we may correctly assume contains a clue to the right. The method of choosing a substitute was announced, and should be kept in ntnd, as it has a bearing on what is later brought out i n connection with the meaning of the substitute.

In the effort to raise the body, the first means tried was ineffectual, because in conformity with scientific truth no effect can be greater than its cause. The grip of an Entered Apprentice is of the material, and the material cannot "cause" itself.

A second effort was likewise impotent. Mind alone cannot cause life, hence the use of psychical means, symbolized by the grip of the Fellow-craft, cannot bring back life. In this extremity it was natural to ask Divine guidance. Being inspired to use means which we have seen to be emblematic of the spiritual, a natural law is invoked - that "like attracts like" spirit responds to spiritual means.

In Mackey's Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry he comments on "Marrow of the Bone" as follows: "An absurd corruption of a Jewish word, and still more absurdly said to be its translation. It has no appropriate signification in the place to which it is applied, but was once religiously believed in by many Masons who, being ignorant of the Hebrew language, accepted it as a true interpretation. It is now universally rejected by the intelligent portion of the craft."

The word in question is incorrectly pronounced, which is quite understandable under the circumstances surrounding its transmission to us. Fortunately the pronunciation has not been so badly mutilated as to be no longer recognizable. Therefore the meaning is not lost to us. This is actually two Hebrew words. The first is the Hebrew interrogative pronoun "what." Dependent on its use it might also signify "why" or "how." Coupled as it is in this instance, "how" is preferable. It can correctly be interpret ed: "what a great master" - "what, a great master" or "how great a master." As uttered by King Solomon, if the circumstances are brought to mind, it is apparently addressed to The Supreme Being, and can therefore as easily be construed to mean; "How great is Thy might."

On mention of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Christian immediately traces the lineage of Jesus, and interprets such reference as pertaining to him. No criticism is intended of these views, no particular interpretation is ever forced upon the Mason, nor is Masonry dogmatic in the sense that any specific interpretation of its mysteries is insisted upon as being the one and only true meaning of its allegories and symbology. No Mason should ever be intolerant of the views of others, and he should conside r any intelligent interpretation offered by another, for it is through diversity that the harmony of unity is eventually attained, be it in the Universe or in the Lodge.

According to tradition, Jesus was a widow's son when he began his ministration. He was subjected to three temptations, which he withstood. Some maintain the Masonic allegory re-enacts the temptations and death of Jesus. There are indeed parallels present but, upon the theory that Masonry had its origin at the building of King Solomon's Temple, a date is established approximately one thousand years prior to the lifetime of Jesus.

Some two thousand years before the building of Solomon's Temple, history reveals a similar event. We refer to the Egyptian legend of Osiris. How much further into prehistoric time it extends we have no means of knowing. There are extant paintings on the walls of Egyptian tombs of a priest with the head and claws of a lion covering his own head and hands, raising an individual clothed in white robes, presumably the candidate of the Mysteries, from a reclining position in an open sarcophagus.

The essential substance of all these allegories is that there is one Infinite Power, an Omnipotent Creator and Sustainer of the Universe - that man is created in the image and likeness of that Creator. He is not material but spiritual, hence man in His likeness partakes of that spirituality. Man, through the misuse of his freedom of choice, lost the knowledge of the use of his spiritual power. He misused that freedom of choice to choose the material rather than the spiritual. The intent of all these all egories is to bring man to the realization of his spiritual nature, that he may "find that which is lost." Only as man thinks of himself in terms of a spiritual being can he regain his lost estate, for: "AS A MAN THINKETH IN HIS HEART, SO IS HE."

Freemasonry is taught by degrees only. Just as surely can it be said it is only learned "by degrees" gradually - as the result of sincere desire and effort on the part of the seeker after its light. There is no "substitute" for these two requirements, "SINCERE DESIRE and EFFORT," but there is guidance in the search. A clue is found - in the closing prayer of the Lodge. "Wilt Thou be pleased so to influence our hearts and minds that we may, each one of us, PRACTICE OUT OF THE LODGE those great moral duti es which are inculcated in it, and with reverence STUDY AND OBEY the laws which Thou hast given us in thy Holy Word."

CHAPTER XII

Master Mason Lecture

"Only those are truly Masons who enter their Temple in reverence, who seek not the ephemeral things of life but the treasures which are eternal, whose sole desire is to know the true mystery of the Craft that they may join as honest workmen those who have gone before as builders of the Universal Temple." -Manly P. Hall

The Bible relates that the Temple was seven years in building. Its chief supports were three columns denominated "WISDOM, STRENGTH and BEAUTY." Further data is given regarding the number of columns and pilasters, the number of Grand Masters, Masters, Fellow-craft and Apprentices employed in the work.

These data refer to the human body, of which the Temple of Solomon is symbolical. Some authorities are of the opinion that the numerology of the Temple refers to the number of bones, nerves, muscles and organs of the body according to some ancient theory of anatomy. Others believe the numerology is Kabalistic. The latter would be impossible of modern application. There is no translation of the Kaballah in English which accounts for its numerical values and, due to the nature of the Hebrew method of comb ining letters and numbers, such translation would be an impossibility. The first mentioned theory is not in agreement with modern anatomy, Either or both may be correct.

The fact that the Grand Masters so obviously represent the three planes of existence, Physical, Psychical and Spiritual, together with the last portion of the lecture, strongly supports the anatomical theory. The lecture states: "All these were so classified and arranged by the wisdom of Solomon that neither envy, discord nor confusion was suffered to disturb the peace and good-fellowship which prevailed among the workmen." The affirmation of Mental Science that the subjective mind is the controller of bodi ly functions affords a logical and consistent interpretation. When subjective mind, or "Solomon," is in charge of the planning and arranging it so organizes the various organs of the body (the workmen on the Temple), that there is "neither discord nor confusion," and perfect harmony prevails, resulting in health and well-being for the physical man.

Of the emblems of this degree some are ancient and have occult meaning. Others appear to be modern additions, made by those who had little understanding of the symbology of the ancients. These modern additions bave no spiritual meaning; in fact, in some instances, they distort the truth the other emblems are intended to convey. These "modern additions" are: "The book of constitutions - "the hour glass" - "the scythe" - "the coffin" - "the anchor."

Books of constitutions were unknown to the ancients. The hour glass is obviously "modern." If this were an "ancient" emblem it would be a sun-dial and not an hour glass. The Scythe, as an emblem of "time and the grim reaper," is of recent adoption, as the ancients made no such use of the symbol. The coffin is such a "modern" touch that it scarcely is worthy of comment. The anchor in connection with the ark is an absurd contradiction of the very meaning of the ark, as will be seen when the symbolism of th e ark is later explained.

It is true that most of these additions have been made to teach some material lesson to the candidate, but they detract from the spiritual meanings of the truly ancient emblems. They merely suggest the brevity of material life and, as the lecture states, "close the explanation upon the solemn thought of death." The object of Freemasonry, however, is not to "dwell upon the solemn thought of death." Its whole teaching is the joyous thought of LIFE! These emblems serve to remind the candidate of the necessit y of experiencing physical death before he can know spiritual life. The secret the Master Mason is striving to learn is to ATTAIN SPIRITUAL LIFE before experiencing physical death.

Of the truly ancient emblems the first is the "pot of incense." The pot is emblematic of the human body, the material. The incense typifies the psychical within" the body. The flaming spark is the spiritual. The spark refines the psychical man, just as the common gavel "divests the heart and conscience of all the vices and superfluities of life." The "pot of incense" is another method of illustrating that "preparing the mind" to be a "living stone in that house not made with hands." With the gavel the "r ough corners" are broken off; with the "spark" of the incense pot, the dross and impurities are "burned," leaving the psychical nature the brighter for its purification by fire. It is not strange that a philosophy which originates in the dim past from Solar Religious teaching should borrow the analogy of purification by fire. More difficult of understanding is the fact that more of the ancient analogies have not been introduced.

In Morals and Dogma, Pike states: "To understand literally the symbols and allegories of oriental books as to ante-historical matters, is willfully to close our eyes against the light. To translate the symbols into the trivial and commonplace, is the blundering of mediocrity."

In the lecture, explanation of the "bee hive" approaches dangerously near the "blundering of mediocrity." This is a most complex symbol which may be used as a complete analogy of every aspect of life, yet only a material lesson of industry is drawn therefrom. Attention is directed to the helplessness of man in his infancy and the fact that "he who will not endeavor to add to the common stock of knowledge may be deemed a drone in the hive of nature, a useless member of society and unworthy of our protection as Freemasons."

It is true that the bee hive is an excellent example of industry. The analogy of dependence of the individual on society is patent, also the admonition that each must do his part for the benefit of the whole. These, however, are material lessons which might be conveyed by dozens of other symbols. What are the spiritual, the deeper lessons taught, peculiar to this particular emblem?

The Queen Bee lays but one kind of egg. Whether the egg shall eventually produce a worker, a drone or a queen is determined by the type of cell in which the egg is laid and the food furnished the larvae. This symbolizes that all come from the same primordial substance, that ALL are POTENTIALLY EQUAL. It directs attention to the role played by environment in the development of the latent potentialities of each individual. It admonishes that one exercise the greatest care in the choice of environment for h imself and others. This environment is not only the physical conditions with which the individual surrounds himself but is likewise his associations, and above all his mode of thought. Thus the bee hive is illustrative of that great truth: "As a man thinketh - SO IS HE."

The impression that the queen rules the hive is erroneous. She, as a fully developed female, lays the eggs. Apiarists, writing on bee culture, refer to the "spirit of the hive." It is this "spirit of the hive" which rules the bees. And this "spirit" is instinctive knowledge of Universal Law. The bee obeys the law, therefore "peace and harmony prevail" within the hive. When man as unerringly conforms to that same Universal Law he too finds that "peace and harmony prevail" in his life.

In that marvelous chemical laboratory, the bee, the law of "like producing like" also rules. Honey made from the nectar of the orange blossom has the aroma and flavor of that blossom; when made of nectar of the clover blossom it is clover honey. Nothing can change this law. Nature has given man the analogy that he may apply it to the action of his thoughts. Just as surely will his constructive thinking produce beneficial results, of like "aroma and flavor" as the source from which he obtains those thoug hts.

In search of nectar the bee flies far afield, yet instinctively returns to the hive. Similarly knowledge which, in man, we name intuition has impelled him throughout the ages to seek his proper place in the universe.

Man is a triune being, physical, psychical and spiritual. The bee hive is also a "one" composed of three component parts: the queen, the workers and the drones. Man, while operating on the physical plane, has need of all three of his component parts. At that transition which we call death he lays aside his physical body and continues in the psychical and spiritual. During the summer the drones are needed to fertilize the new queen bee. When they have fulfilled their purpose they are discarded. Through out the winter the hive functions with "two parts," the queen and the workers.

The Masonic symbols repeatedly reiterate the verity of Universal Law and the absolute necessity of conforming to that Law. To develop the body man must adhere to nature's physical laws. The development of his mentality depends upon obedience to the law of mind. So, too, spiritual progress may be attained only through compliance with spiritual law. This profound lesson is especially conveyed by the "sword pointing to a naked heart." Although too frequently interpreted as a symbol of revenge, "it demonstr ates that justice will sooner or later overtake us." It implies neither PUNISHMENT nor REVENGE. These are negative qualities of the human mind. The "heart and sword" is an exposition of the law of karma, of the absolute justice in the laws of the universe - the symbol of CAUSE AND EFFECT, that "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

The ancient teaching is unity and causation, and the symbols used typify that all phenomena spring from a single "First Cause," hence the ancient philosophers believed in a "one living and true God." The mind of man, ever evolving, has not changed fundamentally, and the ancients had the same difficulty as we have in conceiving an Omnipresent Deity. Therefore, to convey the idea of omnipresence more palpably, they typified that abstract idea by a human eye. An eye which sees all is ever conscious of the en tire universe. Thus the Universal Intelligence, of which the eye is the manifest presence, is omnipresent. The "all seeing-eye" is emblematic of God's ever-presence. The use of the emblem in the Lodge is sometimes misconstrued as a symbol for God, rather than His attribute, omnipresence.

An ark has for ages been used as a symbol of a vehicle for the transmission of the life principle from an old order to a new order. This symbology was not exclusive with the Jew but was employed by other nations of antiquity - notably the Egyptians, from whom, doubtless, the Jew obtained it, as used in the Bible. The ark of Noah was such a vehicle of transmission. It carried the patriarch and his family from the antediluvian world of wickedness to that new world into which they disembarked after the floo d. The Ark of the Covenant was a symbol of the "passing over" of the children of Israel from the life of bondage in Egypt to that new order of life in the Promised Land. The lecture of this degree implies the same symbology when it states: "It (the ark) is emblematic of that Divine Ark which safely wafts us over this tempestuous sea of troubles * * *" However, this analogy makes use of but one portion of the symbology, and chooses the weakest lesson which can be drawn therefrom. It deals only with the destructive principle, life's "tempestuous sea of troubles." The Masonic philosophy never intended to dilate on troubles, death and disease. Our present understanding of Mas onry is inept when we embody in our prayer to God such sentiment as: "And support us under the trials and afflictions we are destined to endure while traveling through this vale of tears." By what authority may it be claimed man is DESTINED to endure "trials and afflictions"? Who but a misanthrope would call this life a "vale of tears"?

The purpose of Masonry is to impart to its initiates knowledge of Universal Law; to teach of its action and reaction throughout nature as two Great Principles - the Constructive and the Destructive. Only when man learns of these two principles of law and lives in conformity with the Constructive does he avoid these IMAGINARY calamities, for these are not God's visitations, but rather the effects of man's own misdoings. We should therefore seek a more beneficial analogy from the symbology of the ark.

The Ark is that "vehicle" which "safely wafts us" from an old order to a new order of life. It is appropriately an emblem of the third degree. It is emblematic of the Candidate being "raised" - "wafted over" from the degree of Fellow-craft, the psychical plane, to that of Master Mason, the spiritual plane. Therein, indeed, is he in a "NEW ORDER OF LIFE."

The "Forty-seventh problem of Euclid" is the key to Masonic symbology. It opens the door to the truth for which we are in search. If we must use a modern analogy, perhaps it had best be likened to a "combination" known only to a few; a "key" is too obvious. The horizontal line represents the physical body, the perpendicular line, the psyche. joining at a right angle they form a perfect square (the intellectual man, composed of mind and body). The hypotenuse typifies the spiritual, and its addition compl etes the figure. The "three" sides form "one" figure - the complete man.

The sum of the squares of the perpendicular and horizontal lines equals the square of the hypotenuse. The sum of the three angles is constant. When applied to man - irrespective of the length of the horizontal, the material; regardless of the height of the perpendicular, the psychical "the sum of their squares equals the square of the hypotenuse," the spiritual. In other words, as taught in the Mysteries, Man's spiritual evolution is effected by, and dependent upon, his physical and mental development an d attainment, but the spiritual always predominates in the complete man.

When one begins a quest which ends in the acquisition of a substitute for that of which he is in search, it cannot be claimed he has reached his goal. Logically the search was foredoomed to failure. The warning is constantly present, and repeatedly given, that such will be the case. The Entered Apprentice is told: "Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek, and ye shall find; Knock and it shall be opened unto you." Later he is informed: "you there stand AS A JUST AND UPRIGHT, etc."; but he is not told: "you t here stand A, etc." He is "AS" or "LIKE" - no definite statement that HE IS.

In the second degree he is advised he has received light BUT PARTIALLY, which is the negative statement that HE HAS RECEIVED PARTIAL LIGHT. It is assumed to apply at the specific time, but could as truthfully be said upon completion of the third degree.

The third degree is replete with these veiled hints. The Candidate is told that the practice of OPERATING in Masonry has become "obsolete," and "we now wear our aprons as Fellow-craft." An outright admission that we do not "OPERATE" on the spiritual plane of a Master Mason. Again he is informed he is "about to receive ALL THE LIGHT WHICH CAN BE CONFERRED UPON HIM IN A LODGE." Later the statement is made that, no matter what he PRESUMES, he has not reached his goal; and in the ritual of many of the older j urisdictions, which have not suffered the changes to which some of the younger jurisdictions have subjected their rituals (in spite of obligations to respect ancient landmarks), the frank admission is added that "IT IS NOT KNOWN IF HE WILL EVER ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSE." Finally he is told the Lodge will no longer pray for him, and that he must perform that duty for himself.

Modern Masons, in fact, are only Fellow-craft. THEY ARE NOT MASTER MASONS! The "True Word," reputedly, was introduced into the Royal Arch in the late eighteenth century by Dunckerley. At approximately that time he is said to have, either personally or associated with others, revised the "Blue" Lodge ritual, and to have taken the "True Word" therefrom. Technically, this would confine the Master Mason grade to those who have been exalted to the Royal Arch. In reality, the Royal Arch does not possess the "W ord." It is intellectually, logically provable that the "word," so claimed to be by the Royal Arch, CANNOT BE THE LOST WORD OF A MASTER MASON.

No degree of Freemasonry can GIVE the candidate the "True Word," for none possess it, and if they did they could not communicate it. THAT IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY! The "True Word," by its inherent nature, an only be DISCOVERED by the individual, himself. PREVIOUSLY THE LODGE PRAYED FOR HIM, BUT NOW HE MUST PRAY FOR HIMSELF.

There have been a few exceptions, forerunners of that Great Human Race which is to come, who have possessed the "True Word"; but humanity in general has not advanced to that stage in evolution where it can comply with the necessary requirements. As with the "substitute," it can only be acquired when one has "placed himself in proper position to receive it"; and that "proper position" is no posture of the physical body - IT IS AN ATTITUDE OF SOUL!

Previously, a psychical exposition of "traveling in foreign countries" was advanced. The "Foreign Country" therein discussed was the mental realm - "foreign," it is true, to him who has previously confined his thinking to the material world of everyday affairs. Yet this is but a SUBSTITUTE "foreign country," and is all that one can hope to enter, being possessed of but a "SUBSTITUTE PASS."

To him who in actuality has "PASSED" to the degree of Fellow-craft - who, within himself, has been RAISED TO THE SUBLIME DEGREE OF A MASTER MASON - comes that wisdom and ability to recognize the true meaning of "traveling." He discovers that the country in which he seeks to travel is but a "foreign country" to the "MATERIAL" man; that it is the TRUE HOME-LAND of the SPIRITUAL MAN - that it is THE SPIRITUAL REALM!