Interpreting Masonic Ritual

Interpreting Masonic Ritual

Author: Oscar Patterson

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2016-11-28

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 0761868615

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Interpreting Masonic Ritual endeavors to addresses the depth of the ritualistic experience through a discussion of what ritual means to man as well as what man means to ritual. Ritual teaches us about reality but we will not come to a full understanding of it if we disparage what others do and view their actions from a position of pseudo-intellectual or cultural superiority. Ritual is the core of Freemasonry and is that thing which sets it apart from so many organizations. It is the key to the Freemason’s “secrets” and the manner through which they transmit our “beautiful system of morality.” It is something to be treasured, maintained, taught, elevated, evaluated, and, above, reinforced through proper performance, decorum, and setting.


The Hidden Code in Freemasonry

The Hidden Code in Freemasonry

Author: Rob Lund

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2016-04-09

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 9781530667918

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This is a book that should be read by all Freemasons, and all those interested in Freemasonry. It will provide a deeper understanding of the hidden information that the rituals of Freemasonry are trying to convey to those who seek Truth. There are thousands of books on Freemasonry and most of them cover literal interpretations of Masonic ritual and expand on the moral lessons to be learned from them. This book is different to most, in that it looks beyond the literal veil, and digs into the deeper messages embedded in the rituals, symbols, and ceremonies. The symbols and rituals of Freemasonry have always been mysterious, even to the average Mason. This book exposes the hidden code that underlies each of the Craft rituals and which points to the true meaning of these ceremonies. People join Freemasonry for different reasons: the camaraderie; self-improvement; charitable service - mostly to fill some void in their lives. Many, today, are looking for something deeper, but are not interested in the formal trappings of the various religions. Many of these are disappointed because they don't find what they're looking for in Freemasonry and, as a result, leave the organization. This is unfortunate because embedded in the truly amazing, multi-layered ritual, are messages from the Ancient Mysteries, which point out a clear path, through ancient knowledge, to spiritual consciousness. This knowledge, which constitutes the real "secrets and mysteries of ancient Freemasonry", was regularly taught in the earlier days of the Craft, but seems to have been forgotten over the years. This book is aimed at reviving that knowledge and spreading it to Masons and non-Masons across the world, to reach those that seek Truth and Light, and gain the full benefit of what Freemasonry is all about.


Rough Mason, Mason, Freemason, Accepted Mason

Rough Mason, Mason, Freemason, Accepted Mason

Author: Oscar Patterson

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2017-08-09

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 0761869611

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Modern Freemasonry in the United States and Great Britain celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2017 tracing its direct history from the Grand Lodge of England founded in 1717. This text is intended to provide a theory of origin for the Fraternity. It is based on available sources, many of which are not Masonic in nature, but cover the disciplines of history, religion, ethics, economics, politics, and labor development. The book begins with an overview of how the Fraternity initiated members in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, and includes the ancient Legend of Noah. It then reviews how history is written and exams the utilization of Biblical and legendary accounts in the development of a country’s, peoples’, or organization’s history. The text moves on to the transition from craft guild to fraternal organization and gives the full text of Freemasonry’s four oldest documents: Regius Poem, Cooke Manuscript, Graham Manuscript, and Schaw Statutes. This is followed by a description of the London Masons’ Company based on the assumption that this city-wide organization of craftsmen chartered in 1481 may have been the administrative precursor of the Grand Lodge of England. The author then reviews the demise of craft guilds and the rise of fraternal societies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Additional chapters review the Masonic approach to ritual, education, and ethical decision making. The text closes with a discussion of the philosophy of Freemasonry as well as comments and suggestions regarding Freemasonry’s future. The last chapter is a Scottish Charge appropriate to all men, not just Freemasons.


Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor

Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor

Author: Malcolm C. Duncan

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9781581735307

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"The purpose of this work is not so much to gratify the curiosity of the uninitiated as to furnish a guide for the neophytes of the Order, by means of which their progress from grade to grade may be facilitated. Every statement in the book is authentic, as every proficient Mason will admit to himself, if not to be public, as he turns over its pages. The non-Masonic reader, as he peruses them, will perhaps be puzzled to imagine why matters of so little real importance to society at large should have been so industriously concealed for centuries, and still more surprised that society should have been so extremely inquisitive about them."-From the Preface.


Memory Palaces and Masonic Lodges

Memory Palaces and Masonic Lodges

Author: Charles B. Jameux

Publisher: Inner Traditions

Published: 2019-07-09

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781620557884

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Reveals how the art of memory is the origin of the Masonic method • Explains the classical techniques of the art of memory, how they were reworked by hermetic thinkers during the Renaissance, and how they contributed to the transformation of operative Freemasonry into speculative Freemasonry • Traces the creation of speculative Freemasonry to 1637, one hundred years earlier than previously thought • Explores how the “memory palaces” created with the art of memory enabled access to universal knowledge as well as represented the Masonic temple in its imaginary state In Antiquity, the art of memory was a mnemonic device that allowed an orator, such as Cicero, to recall all the points he wished to make by associating each of them with an image or architectural element in the site he was speaking. When this art was rediscovered in the Renaissance, hermetic thinkers like Giordano Bruno reworked it into a method that allowed them to acquire knowledge with the creation of “memory palaces.” The elements of these memory palaces were not intended to trigger the memory but would actually transform into talismanic objects with knowledge entirely new to the seeker. In this book, Charles B. Jameux shows that this hermetic reworking of the classical art of memory was no mystery to operative Masons, who grafted it onto their own rituals, catalyzing the transformation of operative Masonry into speculative Masonry. He shows how the hieroglyphic writing used during the Renaissance in the art of memory provided the groundwork for one of the most esoteric elements of masonic practice: the grasp of the realm of image by the letter, where symbols were “buried” within words. Using archival evidence from 17th-century Scotland and earlier, combined with the research of modern scholars such as Frances Yates and David Stevenson, Jameux argues that the creation of speculative Freemasonry can be traced back 100 years earlier than conventional history records--to 1637, when the first recorded use of the Mason’s Word appeared and with it, the first known appearance of the symbolic Temple of Solomon. He follows Giordano Bruno’s visit to the British Isles in the late 16th century and the subsequent activities of the men he met there, showing that Masonic symbolism owes much of its current form to early memory palaces, which represented the Masonic lodge and temple in their fully imaginary states. Revealing the pivotal role of the memory palace and hermetic traditions in early Masonic symbolism, Jameux sheds new light on the Masonic questions asked of each initiate and the spiritual importance of the Temple of Jerusalem to Freemasonry.


The Mason's Words

The Mason's Words

Author: Robert G. Davis

Publisher:

Published: 2013-07

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 9780615853826

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Freemasonry is entirely built around traditions. From time immemorial, those who have belonged to the world's oldest and largest fraternal order have metaphorically passed between the pillars of Solomon's Temple to nurture within themselves a harmonious bond between tradition and modernity. This is the story of the Masonic ritual, the language and ceremonial forms that have evolved into the present structure of American Freemasonry, defined its lodge space, and offered its members the same stablizing influence of instruction that has prevailed on every continent for nearly 400 years. The reader will discover that the language of the world's oldest fraternal society has also made its own interesting journey, and been tested by the most powerful and the most humbling of men. The result is, that, in Masonic lodges across America, and, indeed, the world, men from every walk of life, of all ages, every social category and every spiritual and philosophical conviction are able to find a basis for reflection on who they are, why they are here, and what has meaning to them. By its common language delivered in a common culture of fraternal relationship, Freemasonry is enabled to exemplify a univeral brotherhood of man. This is the story of the Mason's words; the history and evolution of the American Masonic ritual. It is an interesting bit of history that is perhaps all the more fascinating because it is so rarely known.


The Meaning of Masonry

The Meaning of Masonry

Author: Albert Pike

Publisher: Literary Licensing, LLC

Published: 2014-03-30

Total Pages: 86

ISBN-13: 9781497944015

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This Is A New Release Of The Original 1874 Edition.