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Freemasonry-FellowCrafts, Wisdom Ancient
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]THE FC'S HANDBOOK
by J.S.M. Ward
PREFACE
Those who have read the first volume of this series, which deals with the E.A.
Degree, will realize that our ceremonies have a deep inner meaning and teach
profound spiritual lessons seldom
realized by the average Mason.
In the second volume we are dealing with the degree of Life, in its broadest
sense, just as in the first degree we were dealing with the degree of birth, and
as life in reality is educational for the Soul, we are not surprised to find that
throughout the whole degree the subject of education is more or less stressed.
We should, however, realize that each of the degrees builds on the one which
has gone before, and the ingenuity with which the lessons inculcated in the first
degree are carried forward and developed in the succeeding degrees is one of
the most striking characteristics of our Masonic ritual.
This is true not only of the obvious exoteric moral instruction conveyed in the
ceremonies, but even more of the deep mystical and spiritual lessons which lie
hidden beneath the surface. For example, in the first degree we perceived that
the st....s which led the initiate to the Ped. when combined with that which we
found thereon symbolically produced the Name of God, and in the second
degree the main lesson is that the Brn. discover the name of God in the M. Ch.,
while the manner of approaching the Ped. gives us the Divine name, written
with the five letters which denote that the Creator has become Messias, the
King. Thus among other lessons we learn that the second person of the Trinity
comes forth from the first. When we come to the book which deals with the
M.M. we shall perceive that that degree likewise builds on what has gone
before.
In the first few years of my Masonic career I utterly failed to realize the
tremendous importance of the second degree, and used glibly to say that, while
the first and third degrees impressed me greatly, and had valuable lessons to
impart, the second disappointed me by its lack of depth and mystical teaching.
Many brethren have said practically the same thing to me, but I have come to
the conclusion that those of us who think this are mistaken. The truth is that
the real inner teaching of the second degree is less obvious than that of the first
and third, but every whit as important, and until one has grasped its full
significance one has no conception of the wonderful symmetry of our Craft
rituals. In short, the interpretation of the second degree forms the key to the
full interpretation of the third.
It is to impress this fact on my Brn. that I have written this book, and in
particular have laid so much stress on the manner of approaching the M. Ch.,
and the full Kabalistic meaning of the Name there discovered.
It must never be forgotten that while there are meanings within meanings in the
Craft ritual, all of which are important, the great lesson of our system is the
Mystic Quest after God, and the journey of the Soul towards union with its
Creator.
With these brief words of introduction I venture to place in the hands of my
Brn. this little volume, which, whilst not attempting to be exhaustive, will, I
hope, be of some help to those who, amid the turmoil of mundane affairs, have
Little time to devote to an extensive study of the inner meaning of those
ceremonies which they have nevertheless grown to love and venerate.
As one or two Brn. who have read this manuscript have asked me to refer them
to a copy of the Kabala where they can themselves read what those ancient
sages wrote concerning the descent of the letter "Shin," I would recommend the
"Kabala Denuda," translated by Mathers, where they will find that, and many
other points of peculiar interest to Masons.
J.S.M. WARD.
CONTENTS
Introduction by The Hon. Sir John Cockburn
Chapter 1 Preparation, P.W., and Opening ...........
Chapter 2 Preliminary Steps ........................
Chapter 3 The S .....ts.............................
Chapter4 Conclusion of the Ceremony ...............
Chapter 5 The Tracing Board ........................
Chapter 6 Closing Ceremony .........................
INTRODUCTION
By THE HON. SIR JOHN A. COCKBURN
In this little volume W. Bro. Ward justly emphasizes the importance of the 2
degree. In former times it was no mere passing stage of a Mason's career. In the
Fellowship of the Craft lay the whole body of Masonry. An Apprentice was
regarded as a brother but not as a member of the Lodge; while a Master Mason
was merely, as we still state in the ritual, an experienced Craftsman selected to
preside over the Lodge in the capacity of Master.
The ceremony of Admission to the Fellowship of the Craft has been abbreviated
and shorn of some of its characteristic features; for example a "Mark," which,
placed on the stones wrought by a Craftsman, entitled him to his wages, is now
no longer allotted to him. Nevertheless it is in the 2 degree that the essential
elements of the Craft are revealed. The degree is founded on that symbol which
is the basis of Masonry, and is regarded as the test of rectangularity in the
material, as well as of rectitude in the moral, world. The candidate is now
enlightened as to the meaning of the "Hieroglyphic bright which none but
craftsmen ever saw." He learns that it represents the ineffable names of the
G.G. as written in the four letters of the Hebrew Alphabet, to which attention
was specially directed in the M. Ch.. It is as a craftsman that he becomes
cognizant of the second P...r placed at the porch way of the Temple and he is
taught that stability can only be attained by the significance of both p....... rs
being conjoined. Herein is contained the Mystery not only of Masonry but of all
the religions; viz., the Union of Heaven and Earth and the Mediation between
God and man. As an Apprentice he has been taught to walk uprightly in the
sight of God: his mind has become imbued with moral Principles: he now has to
address himself to the much more difficult task of applying these principles in
his everyday relationship with his fellows. The lesson of the J.W.'s plumb has
now to be blended with that of the S.W.'s level. Spirit and Matter, theory and
practice, with their innumerable analogies, have to be reconciled in solving the
problems which are constantly encountered in life.
In the tables of the law one column contains the commandments relating to our
duty to God, the other our duty to our fellow men. The Fatherhood of God
involves as a corollary the Brotherhood of man. Therefore it is manifest that a
stage in the progress of a Mason that lays stress on applied religion demands
close attention. Although on the surface the ceremony of passing may appear
less attractive than that which precedes and that which follows it, a close study
will convince the reader that the 2 degree contains many lessons of priceless
value which will well repay the labours of investigation.
J.A.C.
CHAPTER I
PREPARATION, P.W., AND OPENING CEREMONY
The questions which are put to the C. are really a test of the lectures, which to-
day, unfortunately, are hardly ever given in open Lodge. The system as codified
at the beginning of the 19th Century was really a most efficient method of
educating the c., and had been carefully arranged so as to make sure that only
when he was properly prepared should he come forward to be passed to the
second. degree. After having passed through the ceremony of initiation a
summary of its main tenets, illustrated as it were on the blackboard, was given
to him in the form of a lecture on the Tracing Board.
The Tracing Boards were originally drawn in sand on the floor of the L., and
therefore correspond closely with the pictures and diagrams used among
primitive savages in the initiatory rites of a boy into manhood. These primitive
tracing boards are still drawn on the earth by means of specially prepared and
consecrated flour, and are an essential part of the ceremony. To-day the
Masonic tracing board has degenerated into a somewhat crude painting on
canvas stretched on a wooden frame, and its original purpose is therefore apt to
be overlooked by the C.. This is peculiarly so in the case of the first degree
tracing board, since the lecture on it is very seldom given. In the second degree,
as will be shown later, the tracing board still plays a very important part, and
we shall have occasion presently to consider it in full, but the connection of the
tracing board with the questions must be grasped-hence this short preamble.
Under the old system, at the next meeting of the L. the W.M. went through the
lecture proper. He asked the S.W. a sort of catechism, which the latter had to
answer. This would take well over an hour, or, in other words, as long as the
ceremony of initiation. This catechism gave the exoteric meaning of most of the
ceremony, together with a fair amount of traditional history of real interest.
Undoubtedly much of it was allegorical, and although the bulk of it was 18th
Century work, nevertheless it contained several very striking reminiscences of
the Ancient Wisdom. For example, the question " Whence come you ? " A.-"
From
the W." Q.-"Whither directing your feet?". A.-"To the E. in search of a M." Here
we have something of deep symbolical meaning, and of peculiar significance in
view of a slightly different, though cognate, phrase in a later degree.
As, however, we are not attempting to interpret the meaning of these lectures in
this book, we must pass the matter by, with the hope that our readers will
make a point of obtaining a copy of them (purchasable at any Masonic
furnishers) and study them at their leisure.
But the point which must be realized is that, while the tracing board is a
summary of the first degree lecture, the questions asked of a C. are on that
lecture itself. In short, the C. has to pass an oral examination, and the last
question, namely, " These are the usual questions, I will put others, etc.,"
although to-day practically meaningless, had originally an excellent object. It
indicated that the C., and also the other members of the L., had heard the full
lecture and that the former must be prepared to answer any question on it.
In the North of England it is very usual, in addition to these questions, to ask
the C. to repeat the whole of his O., and if he is unable to do so his passing is
deferred until he can.
Turning to the questions themselves, it will be noticed that great stress is laid
on the fact that the C. must be properly prepared. It is probably little known to
most brethren, but well worth bearing in mind, that the Ancient Kabalists had a
secret interpretation of the Old Testament, and one of the keys was to read
backwards the Proper Names contained in those books. Now, if the words
dedicated to the first and second degrees are read backwards, instead of the
official interpretation given, they produce the phrase " Being fortified by the
practice of every moral virtue, we are properly prepared." The significance of
this in relation to what has gone before, and also to what will follow, is self-
evident.
The inner meaning of the manner of preparation having been given in the E.A.
s
Handbook, it is unnecessary to write further on the subject, but of course if any
of our readers have not seen that book they should certainly get it, as otherwise
they will fail to understand the importance of these early questions.
We now come to the question which is rigidly termed a paradox. The
explanation thereof, though ingenious, is obviously somewhat Jesuitical. The
truth of the matter is that in Operative days lodges were held at mid-day, and
probably on a Saturday, which has always been the time when the workmen
receive their wages. The Speculatives, for their own convenience, changed the
time to the evening, a fact which was resented by the old Operative members. In
the first quarter of the 18th Century, at York, Operative Lodges continued to
meet at mid-day, while the Speculatives met in the evening. To-day, with the
disappearance of the Operatives, a Bro. may well wonder why this untrue
statement is still left in the ritual.
The fact that it is there warns the careful student that some deep symbolical
meaning must be attached to the time. The full significance of the phrase is
only revealed towards the end of a Brother
s symbolical career in the Craft, and
a detailed discussion must therefore be postponed to another book, but it is
permissible to point out the following facts :-The sun is at its full strength at
Noon; in his open pomp and glory; vested, as it were, with his full regal powers.
What more suitable time then for a solar cult to hold its meetings? And we must
remember that Freemasonry is distinctly solar in its symbolism. Again, we were
told that the J.W. marks the Sun at its meridian, and we have seen that this
officer represents the body, hence our meetings are held while the body is at its
full strength, and in possession of all its faculties. Thus it is peculiarly
significant that this question is put to the C. in the first degree, which degree
deals with the "Natural" man. If the "Natural" man cannot protect himself at
high noon against possible dangers, he is certainly helpless at any other hour of
the day. We may therefore say that one meaning of this phrase is that the c.
enters Freemasonry at the time of his greatest strength and physical well being.
That this is not a fanciful interpretation is proved by the insistence that a C.
must be perfect in all his parts. In the old days no man who was blind, maimed,
halt, etc., could be made a Mason, and in Scotland a Master of a L. still has to
take an Ob. not to admit such a man. The reasons for this are both practical
and symbolical. As an Operative Society Masonry was like a modern benefit
society and had to maintain sick Brn. and the widows of those who had died. It
is obvious therefore, that they were justified in refusing to admit a man, not yet
a Mason, who might easily become a burden to the society. Also, symbolically,
every Mason is a sacrifice, and the Old Jewish regulations laid down explicitly
that the ram offered for sacrifice must be without blemish, and perfect. These
points must suffice for the moment, except that it is well to bear in mind that
Christ was hung on the Cross at 12 noon, and our readers would be well
advised to ponder over that fact and correlate it with Masonic tradition.
The next question and answer have misled many thoughtful Bm. as to the true
meaning of Freemasonry. It should be remembered that it is addressed to an
E.A., who as yet has had hardly any indication what Masonry is anything else
than a system of morality. The first degree, for the most part, aims at teaching
its members simply to be good men and true, and strictly to obey the moral law,
but subsequent degrees teach much more than this. Until a man has grasped
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