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What Masonry means to people
Their thoughts on the Meaning of Masonry
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Turning The Hiram Key
Find out what Masonry means to Robert by reading his latest book,
Turning The Hiram Key.
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By Michaelthebusdriver.org |
Hello Future Brothers,
At this time I am not a Mason but I need to be. I have reached 41years on this planet and have tried many things to try and fill the hole in my spirit. I never took drugs or drank myself into deep thoughts, that's not my way.
While in the Army, I had the pleasure of being helped by a Mason and ever since then I have had a drive to learn as much as I could about Masons. Over the years I have met several but at closer look they were not as they appeared on the outside.
The one Mason I have found to be a friend is from Hati and is unsure if he can help me as is needed because he has not become a brother in a Temple here.
Is it possible for me to submit a type of petition to a local Temple ? I live in Central Florida
Please help, I am tired of being in the Dark.
Michael |
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By kne2u2 |
i hope do you have a traslator. Siempre he dicho que la masoneria no debe porque se abierta que raye en lo indiscreto, y ni cerrada que nadie sepa donde se encuentra. Asi como auqellos que buscan en los monasterios la respuesta a sus dudas, y no se quedan, de la misma forma les sucede a los que acuden por curiosidad, invitacion o peor amigismo.
Creo que los rituales de los dos primeros grados no los vives intensamente, como los difrutaras hasta que estas empapado de la historia, lo que en realidad significa la masoneria para la humanidad y el progreso.Logico el primer grado es muy impactante si no sabes nada de las hermandades o de rituales, pero si has estado en una escuela militar o te has impregnado previamente de literatura especifica y afin, sabiendo que es lo que uno busca y que desea.
para mi fue encontrar mi tesoro perdido el momento de mi iniciacion.
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By KT2005US |
I would first like to thank Bro. Lomas for making this site available for masons and non-masons to comment about their perceptions of Freemasonry.
1) Should Freemasonry be secret, or should we be more open about it?
I think the initiations, rites, passwords, grips, etc. should remain secret as a way of authenticating a true mason from an impostor. I do, however, feel that in this era of the "Information Age" it is easy to gain access to information regarding freemasonry. The only problem that I've found is there seems to be more negative untruths published in the information arena than actual, truthful facts. I have seen various websites published by people who appear to harbor animosities towards an organization they do not understand, were not admitted to, or became disenchanted with. I don’t feel that there is adequate truthful information available for a reasonable-minded person to effectively way the pros and cons of the organization. I would like to see more information available to the public (non-masons) regarding the truth about the lessons taught or reiterated in the initiation rites of the various degrees. This can be done without giving the details of the processes to which an initiate completes the degrees. I would like to see more information publicized about the various charities supported by the various bodies within Freemasonry. Everyone knows about the Shriners Children’s Hospitals and Burn Centers. How many know about the various organizations supported by the Knights Templar and Scottish Rite? I think the time has come where the proper information can be shared with the public without fear of releasing a “secret”. I am reasonable enough to know that with “secret societies” there will always be a biased one way or the other but it does not help when it appears that the “secret society” enables a negative view of themselves.
2) What does Masonic ritual mean to you?
Masonic ritual, to me, is a very useful tool. It is a means of discipline, respect, honor for tradition, and also improves the mental abilities of those who choose to become officers. The amount of information a Master of a Lodge has to retain, on top of their jobs, family obligations, and anything else they may have to keep track of, is amazing. Some of the rituals require remembering bits of language not used for centuries. Discipline and respect go hand-in-hand in ritual work. If you respect the Craft, your Lodge, Master, and fellow Lodge members and officers, you will be disciplined enough to learn and perform your duties properly and in a dignified manner. You cannot help but have honor for a tradition that has changed minimally over centuries when you see rituals performed properly and correctly.
3) How do you feel when you were made a Mason?
I felt I had become part of an organization that saw itself and its purposes as greater than the individual men that composed the group. I felt part of an organization that believed in setting the example, doing the right thing, and most of all, believers in that Christian value of help thy neighbor. Unlike many organizations, it is not the man that shines through the organization, but that the organization will shine through the man.
4) And what role has Masonic ritual played in your life since?
I have tried in daily life to apply the principles learned in Christian upbringing and reinforced in Masonry. The tradition of the ritual reminds me that, as human beings, we were once upright and honorable people and can be that way again. I am also reminded that, as an individual, we are a small part of a much larger thing (humanity) and that we all have to work together to survive as the Craft has done for centuries. By the working tools presented and discussed in ritual I am reminded of how I should conduct myself as a man. By my obligations I am reminded to exercise the virtues and charity toward mankind. I am human and therefore make mistakes just as any other Christian, Mason, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, etc. My ring is a constant reminder to me of all the progress I’ve made so far but that there is always room for improvement tomorrow.
5) Do you feel it is something which can not, or perhaps should not, be put into words?
I don’t think that all people whether masons or non-masons can put into words what they think or feel about masonry. I think there are many on both sides of the fence that do not understand many aspects about the Craft. I also know that many masons attend Lodge meetings only to say they’ve been but do nothing more to further themselves as human beings, the Lodge, or mankind. I think many valuable lessons can be taught and reinforced with honest and practical discussion on Freemasonry by those that understand and respect it.
Personal Comment:
I think there is more to Freemasonry that just a “clic”, “secret society” or “good ol’ boys club”. I believe that a form of an organization of Freemasons has been around since civilized man. I think they may have been in the background trying to guide mankind on a moral, productive, and progressive path. Unfortunately, I think the weaker side of man (greed, lust, power) may have caused man to become side-tracked. I think as masons, we need to come together, get our individual acts together, to set a unified and organized example for society. Not to sound like a doomsday preacher but I think society is leading itself down darkened paths. I would hope that we as Masons would be able to set the example and by the light help our fellow man back onto the correct path and be the organization that everyone would want to be a part of because of the examples we set. |
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By Revisionist from South Africa |
Dear Robert
My humble answers/view to your survey questionnaire is given below:
1)
In the case of Free Masonry, I interpret the word “secret” rather as selective, virtuous, private and jealous. I hold the opinion that there is more than enough information available to answer the question “What is Free Masonry”. Also, much (if not all) of the charitable work done by Free Masons is public knowledge. To describe itself as a society with secrets holds well with me. I would not be keen to see Free Masonry advertised or open as the latest mobile phone special.
2)
My uncle was a Free Mason. How active he was or to what degree he progressed is not known to me or the family. Nobody spoke much about it nor which other family members were Free Masons. He sadly passed away many years ago. I would most certainly have asked him.
3)
Yes, I am a Free Mason. Participating and being part of an age old act/ritual, performed many times and many years before, gives me a thrill, excitement and satisfaction that I’m part of something special, not privy or open to any Tom, Dick or Harry. I eagerly participate and give my all. It is my contribution to ensure that that which was hold dear by the ancients, though not always understood, is preserved and passed on to future generations.
4)
I am privileged to be part of, and be appreciated by a society, devoted to preserving ancient knowledge and lessening the plight of the needy. It further adds value to me as a being, forming part of the cosmos.
5)
Masonic ritual is primarily confined to Lodge activities/participation. It does however add much value when reading certain published material.
6)
No, the more one speaks about matters close to the heart the better one can understand them, explain them and debate issues.
7)
Interesting questions! Did Isaac Newton or Galileo benefit society? Directly I suppose not. Most certainly not in the short and medium term. From a charitable point of view yes, there is a measurable benefit. Other than material, I suppose not. However, as an individual grows and improve himself and there are a number of like minded individuals, sharing and supporting a common goal, then there should be some benefit!
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By cerridwen |
Hi I have had no contact with freemasonry other than reading your books and some history. I also lived next door to some freemasons at one time and basically knew that they attended lodge meetings.
I strongly believe that it a system of belief that should continue and grow.
However it is with great interest that I read in "Turning the Hiram Key" that there are feamle masons and indeed female lodges.
I would be very interested in this but suspect as I live in Orkney it is highly unlikely I will ever get the opportunity. |
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By Juliette |
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Having had first my dad, then my mother join the craft , I was well aquainted in the social side of masoniic events. I naturally thought , oh this would be fun if I joined, I just thought *we* just went through the rituals, to be honest in the past 3 years I have been a member, nothing of the history has been explained , I had to do that off my own back. The *elder * members were more concerned that I needed to learn the words , wear the correct shoes and make sure that my skirt was the correct length. This is when I began to reasearch properly about the craft, so I could make up my own mind. My senior lodge members also seem absessed with reading and passing on messages and communication from Grand lodge. |
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By Craig H. Cowan |
Dear Dr. Lomas,
I think your writings along with Christopher Knight are amazing. URIEL'S MACHINE, especially, was a truly inspired piece of work, and I accept it as absolutely true. This was an amazing piece of archaeology, and coming from amateurs, was even more amazing. The fact that it has received derision from "mainstream" archaeologists makes it all the more valuable, given their "debunking", which has consisted of stating that the Megalithic Yard is simply an extension of the building ability of a megalithic worker. Acadaemia tends to protect their own and it usually takes a generation or two to recognize genious. I feel totally comfortable in saying that you will receive your due in the next generation.
However, I must simply dispute your allegations in THE SECOND MESSIAH. I waited until I had read all of your other works before making a decision to write to you upon this topic. There were several major issues which I wish to have a line of discussion upon:
1) Jacque De Molay was over seventy years old at the time of his execution. It is an accepted fact that he "gave in" and admitted to crimes he never committed, in order to avoid torture by the Dominican Inquisitors. That being said, the man in the shroud " photo" is clearly MUCH younger than 70 years old. Indeed, he appears to be much more like 20 than 70. This does not fit in with your theory that Jacque De Molay is the man in the shoud photo. Indeed, If I were an expert, it would seem to completely shoot a hole in that theory. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and allow you to explain yourselves on this. Also, the man in the shoud photo was clearly, horrifically tortured prior to his death. This again does not fit in with his biography. History holds that De Molay was unharmed until he was burned alive.
2) You contradict youselves in "The Hiram Key" and "The Book Of Hiram". In "The Hiram Key" you state that Seqenenre Tao of Egypt is in fact Hiram Abiff. Indeed, this was very plausible to me having read, "The Hebrew Pharoahs of Egypt", by Ahmed Osman. I was a wholehearted supporter of the ideas in "The Hiram Key", but then you turn around in "The Book Of Hiram" and state that Hiram Abiff was not Sequenere Tao, but rather some "Workhorse" from Tyre. Pardon my French, but it seems you gave in to Masonic tradition on this. While I respect Masonic tradition,I think you were on the right track with the original idea.
3) Again, on the subject of the Shroud. You are over reliant on carbon dating. While it is in fact true that a postage stamp sized piece of the shoud was dated to the 1600's, it is also true that the Catholic Church, which controls the shoud, only allowed the part of it to be dated that was MOST OFTEN HANDLED during its years on display. Had you carefully reviewed the research you would have mentioned this. The fact is that oils from the hundreds of years of handler's hands may have been what was dated, not the fibers themselves. I am a physician and I respect carbon dating, but you take as a given what is clearly a subjective interpretation by an unrepresentative group of scientists. Another fact is that certain pollens on the cloth have been dated to the holy land around the time of Christ, and that are completely alien to Europe, from whence you state the Shoud comes. The blood on the shoud has also been observed to have faded in accordance with expectations from 2000 years ago, whereas it would be much brighter if it were from 1650. You seem to take the lactic acid stain alone without considering the blood.
I look forward to hearing your response on these key issues. To be frank, I believe that the man in the shoud is in fact Jesus. This does not mean he was resurrected. I most wholeheartedly agree that the shoud image may have been caused by severe trauma to the body followed by a lactic acid stain. In short, I am not some American fundamentalist challenging your view because it conflicts with mine. I simply believe that you have been "hoodwinked" by the Roman Catholic Church into stating what is so totally at odds with their view that they can claim you are "atheist nutcases", which they have, when in fact your ORIGINAL concepts about the Bible and Christ may have been correct. As for Venus, the Astral cults, and a lost civilization imparting their knowledge to the Mesopotamian peoples, whether these folk were Grooved Ware people or not, I believe you are 100% correct. There was clearly a civilization in remote prehistory whose influence has surfaced in Easter Island, Egypt, and Cambodia, and whose remnants live on in Malta, etc. There are ties in all these civilizations which link them to each other. My issue with THE BOOK OF HIRAM is that it seems to come full circle and go right back to where it all began- the Jewish legends are just myths. Maybe this is of design and you are ready to retire...in which case you would have been better served by leaving things after Uriel's Machine. I fear you will now be remembered as crackpots and not as geniuses, of which (Genious) is your earned place as the authors of Uriel's Machine.
Your Brother,
Craig H. Cowan, MD |
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By Hatrock |
I always knew I had a soul, but where and what it was, I did not know.
I always knew there was a God, but where and who It was, I did not know.
I always knew that I could be a better person, but how to become one, I learned much from my parents, but as I grow older that pursuit should never end.
I always thought I knew myself, but the more I know, the more I know I don't know.
Freemasonry has awakened my soul in ways I never thought possible. But this didn't happen at my initiation, or my third degree. This awakening developed through witnessing my mentors in lodge, rigorous study, reading, and research into Masonic history, its aims, and especially absorbing the ritual into my very being.
I've become extra-tolerant, humble, yet courageous. Each year gets more peaceful. I've renewed my religious beliefs to become my very own special relationship with my Maker.
I'm now studying physics, astronomy, and cosmology again and seeing that science and religion couldn't be more compatible with each other -- and Freemasonry commanding us to study these very things, only brings us closer to understanding nature, and the infiniteness of God.
And because I've put in over 8 years into Freemasonry, becoming active in my lodge and various bodies, I have received 800 years of enlightenment in return.
I am ever grateful. |
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By Bobbie |
Firstly, let me state that my husband is a 32nd degree Mason in the US and my daughter is a Junior Princess in Job's Daughters. After reading the DiVinci Code my interest was peaked as to the origin of it all. I had a lot of "why" questions. I found Robert's "The Hiram Key" on the bargain table at Barnes and Nobles along with "The Knight Templars". I had no idea it would be full of the answers I was seeking but found it oh so disappointing that my husband had very little of the knowledge that was the history of Freemasonry. The information contained in his book should be mandatory learning for every Mason on every level. It is just too important not to be included and known. I look forward to the new book "Turning the Hiram Key".
With regards the opening up of the Masonic "secrets", at this time in history, at least in the free worlds, there is no fear of being burned alive for positive beliefs. If we are to follow the creeds of the ancients and pattern our lives according to their Merican civilization, then bringing every human under one umbrella of love, respect and honor would not be a bad thing and perhaps this will be the future roll on our planet of the Masonic Order. Diverse cultures are a positive thing and should be respected until it starts losing respect and honor for others. That is where the line has to be drawn. The world needs a Merican creed to live by and unless it is made known that such a creed exists, all of those who are seeking a method to follow, will just be wondering around aimlessly, doing the best they can to live a good life, not knowing that they could be part of a bigger movement towards living in a Merican civilization. NOW IS THE TIME TO LET ALL THOSE LIVING THIS CREED UNKNOWINGLY, LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY ARE ONE IN SPIRIT AND HEART. PERHAPS LETTING THE SECRETS OF FREEMASONRY BECOME COMMON KNOWLEDGE IS A WAY TO LET ALL OF US WITH THE SAME HEARTS HAVE SOMETHING TO IDENTIFY WITH REGARDLESS OF OUR UPBRINGING. I believe there is a silent majority of people on this planet that are looking to unite under one belief system, to belong to something helpful, useful. If everyone with a pure heart knew what was behind the teachings of Freemasonry as Robert Lomas has laid out, they would identify themselves as being a part of that belief system.
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By Griffin |
1. Should Freemasonry be secret, or should we be more open about it?
The mix is about right in my jurisduction. We don't hide or deny our Freemasonry, but we don't advertise it either. When someone asks a question, we have clear guideliines about what is permissible to discuss with non-Masons and what is not. Basically, anything in the monitor is open for discussion with non-Masons.
2. What does Masonic ritual mean to you?
It provides progressive degrees of initiation that present the candidate with symbols, allegories and lectures that can aid in learning more about what it means to be a Mason. Ideally, Masonic ritual provides important waypoints on a path of philosophical enlightenment and spiritual transformation. I liken the EA degree to Karma Yoga, the FC to Jnana Yoga, and the MM to Bhakti Yoga.
3. How do you feel when you were made a Mason?
Very happy overall. To me it was a significant rite of passage as a man, as well as the beginning of a new phase in my spiritual quest.
4. And what role has Masonic ritual played in your life since?
Early in my Masonic life I was very active in ritual, in both the lodge and Scottish Rite. I still think it is important, and I still love to work or watch well-performed ritual. For many years now, the primary role played by ritual has for me been as a touchstone for contemplation and discussion with other Masons seeking to apply its teachings in their lives.
5. Do you feel it is something which can not, or perhaps should not, be put into words?
The ritual? The ritual should be preserved in written form as well as committed to memory. I think it is a valuable learning oportunity to commit it to memory, because it provides so many avenues for contemplation, and so many subtelties and nuances that can be missed otherwise.
As to communicating what all the symbols and allegories mean, men can share their ideas on such things, and the Craft can preserve traditional moral and interpretations, but the deeper meanings can never truly be communicated in writing; they must be directly experienced.
Finally, the most important point I wish to make is with regard to the future. Masonry must once again warmly embrace its initiatory and alchemical purposes. To serve those ends, Masonic education needs to be something that once again happens in the lodge and the temple, and limited neither to the privacy of one's own study nor to discussion groups on the Internet. |
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