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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 Aaron Michael Weyburn |
1-Should Freemasonry be secret, or should we be more open about it?
2-Is a member of your family a Freemason, and how do you feel about that?
3-If you are a Mason, what does Masonic ritual mean to you?
4-How did you feel when you were made a Mason?
5-And what role has Masonic ritual played in your life since?
6-Do you feel it is something which can not, or perhaps should not, be put into words?
7-Do you think Freemasonry benefits society?
1- I believe the word used in this question is, "Sacred'. We're not talking about the 'Lord of the Rings' here (Did you keep it secret?! Is it safe?! Meaning: FreeMasonry isn't evil/destructive.) I believe, as guardians of the mysteries, FreeMasons have the obligation to transmit the knowledge that they recieved to the worthy and well qualified initiates who seek knowledge. The books that you have published on the topic of FreeMasonry have been an outstanding contribution to the world, and I believe many in the lifetime to come will honor your decisions to educate people, while still observing and respecting a degee of secrecy of the Craft. I hope that my answer is clear for you.
2- My great uncle, (God be with him) who has since passed away, was once a Mason. Although I never had a great deal of time spent around him, I did respect him and knew that he was a man of good report. He was a military man who like me, worked in Intelligence as was a POW in Vietnam. Anyway, I know that when asked about his religion, he mentioned that he would only indentify himself as a 'FreeMason'. Other than that, I do not know of any other family members who were in the Craft. My being one of the only people in my 'tribe' to commit myself to such a mysterious thing as FreeMasonry, only hieghtens the effext of the mystery and makes me feel more set apart from the loan and dreary world, and accepted as a seeker of knowlege amongst my fellow brothren.
3- Masonic ritual, to me, means sacred/secret information delivered via ancient ritual to initiates who were worthy and well qialified to recieve and transmit this same teaching. Masonic ritual is the medium whereby the modern world can understand have some sort of concept, albeit apocryphal and occultish in nature, the modis operandi of the ancient world. The Masonic ritual (Masonic Testament) is my 'Bible' if you will, my 'Light'. It is very near and dear to my heart and I consider it (the Masonic ritual/Testament) to be insprired of God.
4- When I was made a Mason, I felt like a child (as Saint Paul described the state of new believers), a child of The Great Architect of the Universe, in that, I was at the beginning of a new journey. I also felt the wisdom of the ancients speaking directlty to me, to my immortal spirit. My innitiation opened my eyes. Your book, 'The Book of Hiram' played a great role in my decisoin in becoming a Mason (Note: I would have eventually joined the Lodge even without your book), and I believe, gave order to the mystery and history.
5- Masonry has always been on my mind, either at the forefront, or directly. I believe in God, I am a military man, and I have a wife and daughter. To me, being a Mason entails that I love God and my fellow man, and place the needs of others above my own. I try to live my life and act as if I know and understand the rituals - meaning, I as a Mason, act as an innitiated ancient in the modern times we live in.
6- Yes, to a degree. I believe you once said (in a text I cannot find at the moment), "FreeMasonry is dying." If the Masons of our time do not write about the Craft (as you have done) and we do not continue to invite/seek out others (Men and Women) who are worthy and well qualified, then we, as an Ancestral Body, will never Resurrect...and the future world will miss out on what we have gained.
7- It can. I have been become a better man because of Masonry, and I make the world a better place. Masonry unites the world, gives insight into our ancestral past,( its hopes, dreams, visions, and achievements) and reteaches man about the holiness and meaning of life which comes from God.
Thank you for helping me on my journey. May God bless you...I know that my family will know your name for generations to come.
I am your brother.
Agape,
2LTAaron Michael Weyburn
United States Army, Military Intelligence
Fort Huachuca, Arizona, USA |
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By richard_surrey |
To me it is mainly about self improvement: social, moral, intellectual and spiritual.
Social improvement is perhaps the lowest priority. Nevertheless I have made many very good life long friends in Masonry that I might not otherwise have known.
Intellectual improvement comes from learning about the historical and apocryphal stories of the various figures that feature throughout the various degrees in freemasonry.
Moral improvement is unavoidable! The ritual contains many lessons, illustrations and examples of good moral behaviour. As a direct result of studying and committing this to memory I feel that it provides a constant influence to the good. The ritual has been very carefully designed and written to do just this.
Spiritual and religious improvement also follows from the study of the Christian origins of the various ceremonies. I constantly find myself referring to the relevant books of the bible for further information and knowledge of the various stories that feature in various rituals.
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By Jeremy Bragg |
I believe Masonry means different things to different people, including Masons themselves. While I am not a Mason, my maternal grandfather was, at one time, the Grand Master of West Virginia. He was a member of the same lodge as the longest tenured senator in U.S. history, Robert C. Byrd. There could not be a better example of my above statement, as Byrd used the craft simply as a vehicle to further his political career, while my to my grandfather the lodge was everything. I feel that if one were to pin down the absolute origins and intent of the rituals, there would still be (and perhaps always has been) a myriad of interpretations and levels of devotion. This brings to mind what Manly P. Hall (and the ritual itself) said...that a true Mason is made in his heart.
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By Adrian 441 |
Dear Bro Robert,
I thought you'd be interested to hear that I read your book "The invisible College" a number of years ago hoping that it might reveal the innermost secrets of freemasonry. However enjoyable and historically interesting as it was I was so dis-apponinted that I had to tread the steps required to becoming a brother myself. I recently was raised to MM and can't thank you enough!
Adrian 441 |
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By Ed Buongiorno |
In 1997 at the age of 18, I encountered the first Freemasonic building I have ever seen, the Scottish Rite Temple in San Francisco. This was also my first encounter with the word Freemasonry. My impression was that it had a Gothic majesty to it. I don't know that that was the intention of the facade of the building, but going up to the entrance was something buddies and I dared ourselves to do. Just walking up to it.
I didn't pay much attention to Freemasonry for years except as a sort of abstract interest that was tied to history. As an artist, for some reason the phrase "Pythagoras, the Freemason" seemed like it would fit into a poem or a scifi story,etc. although Pythagoras wasn't a Freemason. A few years later I read Albert Pike's biography. There was finally a relatively accurate account for me to go by, answering the question 'what is a Freemason'. I identified with Pike a bit and looked up to him very much.
These days I think the pitch black aura surrounding Freemasonry is still there, despite your efforts, Colin Wilson and (pardon, if you find him crass) Dan Brown. It's the Bilderbergs, and The Bohemian Club that have achieved extremely Bluebeard-esque notoriety in a very tainted way. The grandeur of "Turning the The Hiram Key" and "The Hiram Key" --your only two I've read, so far--seem to have just the right amount of mystery. Without mystery I think the incentive to achieve greater experience and knowledge within the craft goes away.
I can say with reasonable certitude--fact mingled with gut feeling- that the earth is a richer, happier place for having The Craft around. |
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By Fuer Grissa Ost Drauka |
Personally I'm not a Freemason, But would love to become one. Although I have reservations about becoming one. I just don't feel worthy of becoming a Mason. But for your purposes It has it's secrets Justly so. But I wish I could find out more about it before making a life long commitment Into something that you don't know Quite what it is about or what you're getting yourself into. But then again You shouldn't put PEARLS in front of swine, only to be trampled on. So in my conclusions Freemasonry has it's reasons for it's secrecy. Although the Knight & Lomas Books have opened me to more of what Freemasonry is about and I appreciate it Immensely. And I must thank you both. Along with a few other authors books I've read.
So mote it Be,
Fuer Grissa Ost Drauka |
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By Masonic seeker of truth |
Brought up in a western society, and "taught" to believe in certain philosophies and histories, I started to question a lot of these and found them to be hollow - "knowledge" passed down through time without question or even understanding. I have spent the last 25 years seeking truth. I become a Mason as part of this goal. When I talk about truth, I am referring to many things: the origins of mankind, the origins of religions, the mystery of creation, and spiritual matters. While Freemasonry hints at some of these, the rituals do not, in themselves, provide answers.
It was when I started learning parts of the rituals, and wondering what some of the, sometimes cryptic, content actually meant, that I realized that that was the true purpose of Masonic ritual - that the ritual, with its symbols and allegories, are just keys that we can use to unlock truth; that we need to search, and contemplate, in order to understand. |
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By Barry Minster |
Freemasonry attracts like minded men, who are taken on a journey of discovery. This journey means many things to many people - however the three primary degrees are or can be aligned with the life cycle of a human.
1st degree - is about being born to a new existance, an awarenes of finding yourself with a journey ahead.
2nd degree - shows the candidate the hidden mysteries of nature and science in that what ever course you set out to achieve - there are many elements in life which will assist or restrain you.
3rd degree - is preparing the candidate for the eventual demise of the human being. He is encouraged to get on with the task of living and remembering that the journey is long and the way can be mystifying.
Finally - Freemasonry doesn't stop there. With many additional degres and orders to explore a man can spend many happy hours examining the twisting pathway of life, sharing the journey with like minded men and gaining a quiet but confidence of the reason for life.
Brotherly love, relief and truth.
Life is a stage and everyone is a player - Freemasonry is a moral play shown to be vitally important - assisting good men to become better citizens of the world |
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By hrafn |
Hi,
I'm approaching a lodge at the moment in Sydney Australia and going to send in my petition soon. So this is a comment from outside (at the moment).
I have earlier been a member of a number of esoteric groups including Pagan and magical groups and so I guess the more esoteric side of masonry appeals to me. I had read a decade ago many of the 'masonry exposed' books just out of curiosity but they all seemed pointless to me (as in exposing nothing criminal).
In contrast to the many esoteric / magical groups the masonic ideas seem at this point much more abstract but also much less polarised. Many esoteric groups are very volatile, a slight disturbance will lead to schisms and implosion, I have seen (and been part of) this too often. But the longevity of masonry shows me that it must do something right, and it seems from the outside to be in fact that religion and political considerations are not for the Lodge, and that everyone is respectful of his brother's personal view of the GAOTU.
What sparked my interest in masonry was that it seemed if one traces the history of many Western Esoteric movements back to the 1880s they seem to converge in esoteric freemasonry. I am still pretty vague on what the actual esoteric ideas inside masonry are, but my friends inside masonry who are of the esoteric school seem to enjoy it so I will see.
What also appeals to me is the sense of brotherhood, at this stage in my life (mid 30s) I do feel that pitching in with a group of like-minded people can bring about interesting works in the community, whether by charity or discussion or fellowship.
I like the idea of the secrecy of masonry, which I think should just be around the ritual work, although I think that the Grand Lodges should do more to promote themselves and also to debunk negative criticism of masonry as well as promote the masonic charities.
I have to say that what I don't like about masonry thus far are some of the ossified things such as the dress code - a bow tie and white dinner jacket, I can already see my wife laughing at me.
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By the Feathered Serpent |
First of all, I apologize my poor English.
I am a brother in a country of Europe and my lodge is based on the Swedish freemasonry.
I want to thank you for your book, The book of Hiram.
I have two of your books, The Hiram key and The book of Hiram.
I will no comment on your themed questions.
• Should Freemasonry be secret, or should we be more open about it?
Since I’m only on the 1st degree I cannot really comment on that, since I have not received the whole knowledge
• Is a member of your family a Freemason, and how do you feel about that?
I am a Freemason
• If you are a Mason, what does Masonic ritual mean to you?
As you know, I can’t speak about what happens inside the lodge, but I can say that the work there helps me remember to be the good person I want to be.
• How did you feel when you were made a Mason?
Again, I can’t describe the thing, but I can honestly say that I was not pleased with myself and I thought I knew myself better.
• And what role has Masonic ritual played in your life since?
To help me remember what I really want. Also, it opened a whole new world for me, the world you describe in the Book of Hiram. It’s a whole new world for a person that has always (almost) believed that everything written in the past is true ;)
• Do you feel it is something which can not, or perhaps should not, be put into words?
Everyone’s interpretation of the feeling of love and some “spiritual energy” or craft, or god, is something that is hard for someone tyo put into words. But why should one not try? I think we should be more talking about it.
• Do you think Freemasonry benefits society?
I am almost sure about that, but as I am only on the 1st degree, I wouldn’t know.
What scares me is the fact that religious opinions are based on some ancient believes in stars and the Sun. Or do Venus and the Sun, and other planets and even stars, affect us?
That is the big question in my mind, do they? If not, then the whole Christianity is on a week pillars.
What is sure, that is the power of love.
Regards,
the Feathered Serpent :) |
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