CHAPTER XIX.

INEFFABLE DEGREES— THOUGHTS ON ECCLESIASTES-I. N. R. f.
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HE Symbolic degrees are those conferred in the Blue Lodge and ej|_ known as: ist, The Entered Apprentice; 2nd, The Fellowcraft, and 3rd, The Master Mason. These degrees are recognized throughout the world universal as the most ancient. All those who have taken them have the pre-requisite of being elected to the higher degrees of the York Rite, or to be inducted into the sublime and Ineffable degrees conferred in our own beloved Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Bodies of both the Northern or Southern Jurisdictions. That is, providing the applicant is in good and regular standing, in some regularly constituted Lodge, working under a Charter or warrant from some Grand Lodge in the United States of America, or in good and regular standing in any Foreign Lodge that is recognized by the Grand Lodges of the United States of America. Then, if the applicant is found worthy and well qualified he will, most assuredl}^, be elected to receive those sublimely beautiful degrees from the 4th to the 14th inclusive, which are called Ineffable, in order to distinguish them from the Symbolic degrees of the Blue Lodge.
These degrees are known as 4° Secret Master^ 5° Perfect Master, 6° Inthnate Secretary^ 7° Provost and Judge ^ 8° Intendent of the Building, 9° Elu of the Nine, 10° Elu of the Fifteen, 11° Flu of the Twelve, 12° Master Architect, 13° Royal Arch of Solomon, 14° Grand Elect or Perfect Elu. I have shown, in a previous chapter, that the first three degrees of Blue Masonry are based upon the ancient Astronomical Alle- gories of the Egyptians, whose Astronomical ideas and solar symbols are intimately woven into the very hea:t of our glorious Fraternity. The whole of which will be very readily understood and comprehended by the Masonic student who has risen to the Sublime heights of the Ineifable degrees of our own beloved Scottish Rite Masonry.
They are indescribably grand, sublimely beautiful and truly Inef- fable. They can only be acquired, thoroughly appreciated and learned
438 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
by all those who pass from the square to the compasses whose swinging leg circumscribes every moral virtue. They will then be enabled to thoroughly understand the true value of Secrecy, Obedience and Fidelity, and in passing from one to the other our Aspirant will soon realize that there is a vast difference between the York and Scottish Rite of Masonry.
He will realize that just as soon as he steps across the very threshold of Scottish Masonry, on his way to the higher degrees in our Lodge of Perfection, that he is entering upon a rich field of intellectual research so vast and so grand that our Neophyte will scarcel}^ realize the sublimity and grandeur of its teachings. At first he will be so blinded, as it were, by the refulgent glory, that he will but dimly sense in dark- ness visible the sublime ceremonies, and from out their profound depths he will in Silence begin to realize that he carries the light of all Knowledge within his own heart ; aye, within his own grasp, and will come to an understanding that, in order to acquire knowledge, we must look within for the Light of Truth and Wisdom.
Let me state right here, that I earnestly desire my readers to know that " The Key to each degree is the Aspirant himself," and we must ever remember that " it is not the fear of God which is the beginning of Wisdom, but the Knowledge of Self which is Wisdom itself."
We gain knowledge and information in reading the thoughts of others ; but we only attain Wisdom or become Wise when we 7'ead ojir oivn thoughts, or Think for onrselves. By the Light of Truth and Wisdom we ponder upon Death, and realize tliat there is no deatli, and that there is no inorganic matter ; that all molecular forms are pulsing with life, and so far as this physical body of man is concerned, the old shard, or shell, the Personality at death passes away never to appear again in that form. Every atom and molecule that went to build it, disin- tegrates and becomes the dust of the earth once again, while the Individu- ality lives, the immortal part of man never dies, but endures forever. This separation of the Personality and the Individuality is most beauti- fully described by Sir Edwin Arnold, as :
■ ' ' Faithful friends ! It lies I know, Pale and white, and cold as snow ; And ye say, ' Abdallah's dead ! ' Weeping at the feet and head.
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 439
"I can see your falling tears, I can hear your sighs and prayers ; Yet I smile and whisper this — I am not the thing you kiss ; Cease your tears and let it lie. It was mine — it is not I.'
"Sweet friends! What the women lave For its last bed in the grave, Is a hut which I am quitting, Is a garment no more iitting, Is a cage from which at last Like a hawk, my soul has passed.
"What ye lift upon the bier Is not worth a wistful tear ; 'Tis an empty seashell — one Out of which the pearl is gone ; The shell is broken — it lies there The pearl, the all, the soul is here.
" Now the long, long wonder ends ; Yet ye weep, my erring friends, While the one whom 5'e call dead In unbroken bliss instead, Lives and loves you — lost, 'tis true, For the light as shines for j'ou ; But in the light ye can not see Of undisturbed felicity — Lives a life that never dies."
What we call Death comes to every one, it meets us everywhere ; is ever by our side, and yet we should not fear it, for it is that which opens for us the portals to a Life Eternal. We must ever remember that it is our bounden duty to live so as to become Perfect Masters in very deed, and carefully follow the teachings that are embodied in our ineffable degrees b}^ doing unto others ivhaicver you would Justly icn's/i that they should do unto you ; then will Wisdom, Power and Benevolence lead your footsteps on to higher planes where peace and concord reign supreme.
Be zealous in the Cause, Faithful to yourself and Brother, Benevo- lent and Charitable to the needy, ever striving to be the Peace-Maker, and
440 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
you will be most assuredly recompensed in attaining a just reward — Per- fection. Thus will you be qualified to do good and instruct your Brother in all of these truly ineffable degrees of our beloved Scottish Rite of Masonry.
Through all your life, in your dealings with your fellow-man, when- ever placed in a position to do so, a/zcavs dispense ivipariial justice to all. For it hath been written : " With what judgment ye judge., ye shall bejjidged; and with what measure ye mete., it shall be measured to you again?'' Causes that are sown by every individual, each moment and every hour, produce their effects, and Justice Rules the World.
The mighty wheel of Karmic Law brings to every man the Karmic effects of his every act ; aye, his every thought ! Our beloved Rite teaches us that we live in a world of our own making, or creating, and that all the thoughts generated in our brain go forth from it with a potenc}^ for good or evil. As they pass on in their mission, through the universe, they come in contact with others, for like attracts like, and they will receive from them some subtle essence, returning to the source from which they emanated far more heavily charged with powers for Good or Evil, and we shall reap the. effects in bitterness of heart, or inexpressible j 03' and hap- piness, as the case may be.
We cannot, by any possible means, escape from ourselves, yb/'c/^rfzw? Thoughts are our ozvn Judge., that is Unerring, Precise and True. Event- ually these very judgments will accumulate around us until we shall finally stand fully revealed before ourselves and our Brothers as we act- ually are — Good and True, or False and Fores\vorn.
If we will onlji- pause to consider, we shall realize how unqualified we are to judge of the actions of our fellow-men, and consequently should not, under any circumstances try to do so ; as in the first place we have not the ability nor the necessary means to j udge au}^ one ; and for the best of all reasons, we have not the three great requisites of a Judge, like the Supreme Architect of the Universe, Ojinipresence, Omnipotence AND Omniscience. We should most assuredly thoroughly understand that each and every one of us is capable only of judging of but one person, and that one is ourself—a.ndi right there our j udgment should cease.
We should also know that Judging and Discriminating are two different things and if we may not Judge we can discriminate. For
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 441
instance, in recognizing a fault in our Brother we should not judge him for it ; but rather sympathize with him in his inability to rise above it therefore, it is our duty to give him generous sympathy, and not to be harsh with him, because he is entangled in the meshes of an irresistible force which compels him to act in the manner that he does. Each and every one of us possess those finer senses by which we are enabled to distinguish an hypocritical foe from a true friend, and by the develop- ment of which we can readil}^ tell the true from the false, and develop a force that ^vill give us help, in our every day life, among our Brothers by the wayside. There are a great many deeds performed by many men, deeds that we execrate ; yet, if we ourselves were placed under the same conditions, and compelled by similar forces, we would doubtless act in the self-same way. Therefore Jzidge not, but if you are compelled or called upon to do so " decide justly and impartially, and do justice to all men." Every Brother who has attained to the honor of " Intendent of the Building " should work most earnestly and faithfully for the benefit of our glorious Scottish Rite in particular, and Masonry in general, making Charity and Benevolence his watchwords, and practicing these virtues every hour and every day of his life. It will be his especial Duty to make himself thoroughly familiar with the esoteric teachings of Masonry and Masonic Jurisprudence, so that he will not be a mere drone among the zealous workers of this degree ; but advance along the Masonic road which will ultimately lead him to those of Perfection, so that he may be enabled to explore the profound depths of Philosophy that lie beneath the surface of each and every one of our supremely beaiitiful Ineffable Degrees. In his endeavors to discover the true meaning of the Sym- bology, that permeates each and every one, he will most assuredly discover that they were intended to reveal far more than the symbol itself, for, as previously stated, Symbols were made to' conceal, and not to reveal, in the generally accepted meaning of that word. It will only be, therefore, after long and earnest study, and profound meditation, that he will come to an understanding of their Iriie significance. In the twinkling of an eye their meaning will finally flash across his brain and illuminate his mind, revealing to him the fact that Masonry is devoted to all Truth, not alone to Science and Philosophy, but more especially and particularly to Political and Religious Truths as well.
442 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
Many of our degrees were created in order to reward those Elus who had proved their worthiness to our glorious Fraternity by their Obedience, Fidelitj^ and Devotion ; not to the Fraternity only, but to the cause of suffering Humanity, the destruction of Ignorance, and the Liberty of the People. It is the Duty of every Brother to WORK, earnestly and untiringly, in the interest of his fellow man, his country, the destruction of Tyranny and Fanatacism and to champion the Rights of the People against Intolerance, Bigotry and Persecution. Masonry sits apart from all plots and conspiracies, and does not countenance either I/icentiousness or Anarchy ; but will always be a power for Liberty and Justice, believing that every man has the right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience ; that no man or body of men, have a right to condemn another's faith or belief because it does not agree or conform to their own conception of Right or Wrong. All really good and true men, as well as Masons, are alike in their ideas respecting all forms of worship, as they tolerate all opinions, establishing a fellow- ship with all worth}'- men, without distinction to race, creed, cast, or color. True Masons are charitable to the faults of others, self-sacrificing to all men, speakjng and acting well toward others, and if, by any means, they cannot speak a good word in praise of their fellowman and Brother, they prefer to remain silent, rather than say anything evil of any one.
Masonry is not a Religion, and he who would make it such falsifies its claims ; as the Hindu, Bramin, Parsee, Jew or Christian can each, one and all, become members of our beloved Fraternity, provided they are found worthy and well qualified. Members of all denominations are to be found in all our Lodges, Chapters, Councils and Consistories through- out the world universal, and be he either Jew, Gentile, Hindu, Brahmin or Moslem, his belief will be respected by each member of our most glorious Fraternity.
Of course many pass through our portals, who are not worthy, and we are compelled to admit that there are black sheep within our^ fold, but by the Eternal God, Masonry never painted them black, for they were black at heart long before their petition was presented for admission into our beloved Fraternity.
In entering the fold of Masonry the first promise that is made by our aspirant is that " he will learn to subdue his passions and improve
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 443
himself in Masonry," and this pledge must be given before our aspiring candidate can advance one step along the path which leads to LiGHT AND Truth.
As herein before stated, a man by simply joining a Masonic Lodge, does not at once become a good or better man. Its sublime teachings point out the path he should follow in order to perfect himself in Masonry, and it lies entirely with himself, whether or not, he will ever learn to subdue his passions.
In all our Institutions Black Sheep crawl in among us by some means or other; certain it is they get there, just as in our Churches of all denominations. We find some of the Clergy themselves, black- hearted, entirely unworthy the position the}^ occupy. For my part I am truly sorry for this deplorable condition of things, and simply point out the fact of its being so. The only way that I can see to remedy this evil, is, for the examining committees to be more careful in searching for the True character of the applicants, and not depend upon their reputation, for it is not always safe to depend upon the reputation of any one, for this reason a man may have a good reputation and be apparently a grand good man, a jolly, jovial companion ; but at heart he may be a most damnable, black-hearted scoundrel.
In conclusion let me say this : Do not look at the fiiiaticial condition of your treasnry^ bnt rather to the character of the Applicants themselves for the npbuildiug of our beloved Fraternity.
What right has any man, or body of men, to persecute and condemn another because he does not, and can not, believe as others command him to do ? There are no two men constituted alike, neither are there two things exactly alike in the universe ; consequently no man should be censured or praised because he believes that Christ has come ; neither should we blame our fellow man because he believes that HE IS YET TO COME ; or find fault with any man if he believes that he never will come ; but, firmly believing that Christ, or the Christ principle, dwells in the heart of every man, and that every individual must be his own Saviour to work out his own redemption.
My dear Brothers and kind friends, if the so-called Light of the " New Dispensation " is not visible to either him or them, assuredly it is not your fault, nor their misfortune. Truth to one may not be Truth to
444 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
another, aud what may appear perfectly consistent to me, may seem to be the height of absurdity to yon and others ; but your thinking so does not make it so. Consequently we j/i/ts/ certainly realize at some time, that it is one of the greatest of crimes for any man or body of men to condemn and punish others, simply because they do not believe as they do.
The Hindu, Brahmin, Jew or Moslem, has just as much right to condemn, persecute and punish us, as we have to revile and persecute them. There is no particular merit in a man being a Jew, Gentile, Mohammedan or Hindu.
No matter what his faith may be, it is dependent in a great measure, upon his birth-place, and to the Mother "who bore him, for he drinks in with his Mother's milk the faith and belief which belongs to her. We shall find that these teachings are, in many instances, the most lasting, because he is so constituted as to need some system of worship, concrete and tangible, upon which to focus his hopes and aspirations, consequently he follows the form of worship, whose basic principles and rules, he learned at his Mother's knee.
It is self-evident that the country wherein we are born, and the religious belief of the Mother, are evidently mighty factors in the produc- tion of a belief in one thing and disbelief in another. All that Masonry demands of her applicants is a belief in the One Great God — 77/*? Supreme Architect of the Universe^ who holds the Solar System within the hollow of his hand.
As Grand Master Architects, we are, or should be, thoroughly familiar with the various instruments belonging to this most beautiful degree, because it is actually necessary for the Aspirant to thoroughly understand everything pertaining to one degree, before entering upon another. Every sign and every symbol should be thoroughl}^ compre- hended by our aspiring Brothers, they should earnestly study and care- fully examine each and every one, in order to comprehend their trite meaning, for the most elementary symbol will make some demand upon their intelligence and attention, therefore a most profound study will be required before they will understand the beautful lessons which they teach. Then will they increase their knowledge, be in a far better con- dition to discharge the duties alloted to them, and better able to instruct other Brethren in need of more Light. It is far better to have Wisdom
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 445
than riches, for the Wise are glad of heart always, while riches will take to itself wings and fly to the four corners of the earth. " Wisdom will remain with thee, and bring thee glory and honor when thou shalt, by earnest study and profound meditation, embrace her and hold her in thine arms ; aj'e, within thine heart ; then will she abide with thee and crown thee with glory that shall never die ; for the words and deeds of the truly Wise will live for ever."
Life and Time are but a point within a circle, the centre of Eternity, and that point in the centre is a fitting emblem of the Deity, like the Pole star in the starry vault above :
Self-centered in the boundless blue,
Calm dweller of the vast unknown ; For ever tender, strong, and true.
Serenely from her distant throne, He gazes down the voiceless deep, While worlds are drifting at his feet, And mighty constellations sweep 'Round him like an endless fleet. The Northern I^ights across him flame,
The glorj- of their dancing spheres ; The morning star beneath him sing.
The chorus of creation's years. And while systems sink and rise,
And planets to each other nod. The light streams from his tranquil eye,
As steadfast as the Love of God. — (Reynolds, of Lebanon Lodge, Tacoma, Washington.)
When the Sun has set in the golden West, and the evening star rises in the East, then will shine resplendent in the starry vault above the glorious Pole star which guides the Mason o'er the stormy seas of Time, and the Mariner o'er the trackless waste of waters, as true as the Word of God Himself.
The various degrees of Architecture are emblematical to us of the five different divisions of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Masonry :
T/ze Tuscan — of the three Blue Degrees or the Primitive Masonry.
446 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
The Doric — of the Ineffable Degrees, from the 4th to the 14th inclusive.
The loinc — of the 15th and 16th, or the Council Degrees.
The Cor-intliian — of the 17th and iSth, or the Chapter Degrees.
The Composite — of the High Degrees from the 19th to the 3 2d inclusive.
We now pass from the working tools of the Architect and Geometri- cian. The trestle board, with all of its geometrical problems, we leave behind us and advance towards a profound Philosophy, and every degree we now receive is a step in that direction. - Therefore, we now devote our time to researches among the ruins of ancient Temples, and to the history concerning them, wherein was discovered the Luminous Pedestal, Cubical stone, and the Ineffable long-lost Word, belonging to the Grand Elect and Perfect Mason.
The Luminous Pedestal, emblem of the physical body of man, is lighted up from within by the Light of Reason that permeates the heart of every man, and by which he turns the pages of the Book of NatiLve^ and xevels in the sublime and profound Truths revealed to him, through the Divine Light emanating from his own heart.
The physical bod}^ of each and every man is a Great and Glorious Temple, not made with hands. No sound of a gavel was heard at its con- struction. The winking of an eye-lid puts to shame all mechanism, and man's Higher Self is the Light within, a spark from the Divine Essence. I ask you, my dear reader and Brother, to turn up that Glorious Light of your Higher Self, so that it may illuminate 3'Our inner vision. Turn it up, good and strong, that you may be enabled to discover ^-onr Higher Self, and the potential forces latent within you ; then will 3'ou realize that all things are within your own grasp.
The Cubical stone is a fit emblem of the Deity, because it contains, in miniature, all things in the Kosmos. The Master artist, given an Ashlar and proper tools, is capable of carving from it anything of which his mind may conceive, no matter what the thing may be ; therefore, the Ashlar, or Cubical stone, t3?pifies the Deity Himself, through whom are all things made manifest. He contains within himself all things, and He is, Himself, all manifest or unmanifested Nature.
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The Lost Word we shall devote to another chapter, for now we gird upon our loins the sword of Knight-hood, and with golden spurs enter the Philosophical field of investigation, in search of " More Light."
Every Scottish Rite Mason ; aye, every tnie Mason, is loyal to the cause of Liberty, Equality and Universal Brotherhood — because he knows full well that he himself is part of the Divine Jl^hole^ and that his fellow-man is another part, with equal rights to live, breathe and believe in a Deity according to his capabilities. Every True Mason will zealously assist his fellow-man in the upbuilding of the Symbolic Temple, the Holy House of the HigJiei- Se/f, wherein he will find, not only the Altar of Self-Sacrijice, but the ''^Antaskaraiia" or the bridge that sepa- rates him from all for which his soul has yearned and longed, and he will realize that the letters L. D. P. mean something more than to simply pass over the three spans of Ignorance^ Bigotry and Intolerance.
There was a time when our ancient Brethren were not allowed to think or act as their conscience dictated. Death was the penalty to all who belonged to our glorious and beloved Fraternity. It was proscribed ; but still it was equally feared and dreaded. It was at this time that the meaning of the letters L. D. P. was veiled from the profane, and only understood by those who had assisted in the building of the Temple, witli the trowel in one hand and the sword in the other. They recognized that the words of which the letters are simply the initials — signified Liberie de Pensar ; that is — Liberty to Think, or Freedom of Thought and Conscience, with Political and Religious Liberty — a cattse to which all Good and True Masons have ever devoted themselves.
The Bridge which spans the stream symbolizes the passage from Ignorance to Wisdom, from Slavery to Freedom, from Spiritual Bondage to Spiritual Freedom. In attaining to this glorious heritage of man we must distinctly understand that it is not gained in 'a day ; but only after a long and continued struggle with our animal passional nature can we hope to accomplish the subjugation of our Lozcer Set/, and in doing this we will have performed a deed greater than he who conquers a nation. We shall then be enabled to subdue Ignorance and Bigotry, trample beneath our feet Intolerance, Vice and Superstition, and pass across Antaskarana to Freedom, in the fullest sense of the word. It has been written that " The Initiates were many, but few wear the Thyrsus,^''
448 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
and how few are there worthy ? Every Brother should prove his Devo- tion and Fidelity to our beloved Fraternity and himself by deeds, not by words alone, then will not his merit go unrewarded.
Did you, my dear Brothers and readers, ever realize the profound depth of philosophical thought veiled in the twelfth chapter of Eccle- siastes ? The beautiful and sublime significance is not very easily under- stood until we solve the meaning underlying the figurative language used therein. Therefore, for j'our special edification, we will endeavor to explain and interpret its true meaning, so that 3'ou ma}- be enabled to realize its significance and beauty.
Verse i, " Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth while the evil days come not, nor the 3'ears draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.
2nd. " While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain.
3rd. " In the days when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because th&y are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened.
4th. " And the doors shall be shut in the street, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and the daughters of music shall be brought low.
5th. " 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.
6th. " Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7th. "Then shall the dust rettxrn to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
You will notice, ni}' dear Brothers and readers, that I especiall}? call your attention to the first seven verses, and here is a synoptical inter- pretation :
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. -449
1ST. ' REMEMBER NOW THY CRliATOR IN Tin
This is tlie time that we should learn to control our animal passional nature, as well as the desires of the animal man within us, for if we let (Kama) oitr drsircs master us in our youth, when temptation comes to us in Manhood, we are then, by force of habit, unable to control ourselves, and the " evil days " are nigh when we gratify our every wish. But the time will come to every man when he will say truthfully " I have no pleasure in them,'' The lust and frivolities of Life.
2ND. " WHILE THE SUN, OR THE IJCIHT, ICTC."
It is in the sunny days of our youth, or boyhood, and in the full radiance of Divine potential generative force, when the Moon, or female, tempts us before our eyes are darkened by age, that we should conquer self, then the dark clouds of evil deeds will never o'ershadow our declin- ing years, for there will have been no rain, only joy and hope in a glorious future.
3RD. "IN THE DAY WHEN THIi KI^rEPERS OV THE HOUSE, I'lTC."
The keepers of the house are man's lower animal nature. Lower Manas or the Personal i/y, and his Higher ligo or Ifiolier Manas, the Individuality. The Lower Manas includes the whole of the passional emotional desires and appetites, all its wants, such as .sexual desire, hatred, love, pride, anger, etc., in fact, it is what goes to make our animal man, or as it is sometimes called, our Animal Soul. While the Higher Ego, or Manas, that dwells and acts in us, is the other keeper of the hou.se. Now, between these two there is a continual battle being waged, for our Lower Manas, or Lower nature, animal like, is ever striving to gratify his evil desires, while our Higher Manas — a ray from the Divinity, is continually striving to curb the evil propensities of the animal Man. One is Good the other Evil, and thus the battle of Good and Evil, or God and the Devil, is continuously going on within us. And this is where we crucify Christ in our own heart, every day of our lives, if we permit our imbridled passions to dominate our Higher Manas. If we do so. Lower Manas drags down the Christ principle, to the level of its own Animal Soul., and thus Christ is crucified between two thieves — the Human and Animal Souls. 29
450 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
Now, my dear Brothers, I want you to thoroughly comprehend this very imporant assertion, or definition, and possibly you may be better enabled to understand me if I quote you from Brother J. D. Buck, 32° " Mystic Masonry," page 1S6 :
" The Higher Self in man, called his ' God ' or Christos^ was form- erly ' crtxcified between two thieves,' namely, the Higher and Lower Manas. Hence the saying, ' when I would do good, evil is present with me.' As the body is crucified (a symbol of death and suffering), the Christ OS says to one of the thieves : ' This day shalt thou be with me in paradise.' This refers to the Higher Manas, now freed from the lower nature. The other ' thief,' or the brain-mind, is left to perish with the physical body of Christos on the Cross of Time. It may thus be seen how the battle-ground of Man's lower nature, with the higher, is the Mind, and that self-conquest, and the higher evolution are synonymous."
"THE STRONG MEN,"
which is the dual nature of man, shall bow before the approach of Death.
"THE GRINDERS SHALL CEASE BECAUSE THEY, ARE FEW."
Beautiful^ illustrates the approach of old age, for as it creeps upon us our teeth decay and grow less, and are few indeed, compared to those in the days of our youth.
"THOSE THAT LOOK OUT OF THE WINDOWS."
The Higher and Lower Manas, the Human and Aitzniai Sou/s, no longer look forth from the windows (eyes) of the house, for the darkness of death o'er shadows it.
"THE DOORS SHALL BE SHUT IN THE STREETS."
Man grows deaf as old age comes upon him, and the doors (ears) are shut in the street on account of his sense of hearing failing him. '
"THE SOUND OF THE GRINDING IS LOW."
Because now it is difficult for him to hear the most familiar sounds.
"RISE UP AT THE VOICE OF THE BIRD."
The soul was represented by the ancient Egyptians by a bird. It is
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 451
the voice of his own spiritual Soul that tells him to awake and rise into Life, by passing through the portals of Death.
"THE DAUGHTERS OF MUSIC SHALU BE BROUGHT LOW."
The voice of Man, nearing old age and dissolution, fails him, and there is no music in him, for the organs that originally produced it have lost their vocal powers.
"WHEN THEY SHALL BE AFRAID OF THAT WHICH IS HIGH."
Higher and Lower Manas has, during earth-life, sown the seed of thoughts and acts, and now they are about to reap the harvest in the Karmic effects of what they had sown.
"THE ALMOND TREE SHALL FLOURISH."
In extreme old age man's hair shall grow as silvery white as the blossoms of the Almond tree. He now grows old and feeble and is unable to bear the slightest burden, the weight of a grasshopper would, comparatively speaking, be a burden unto him.
"AND DESIRE SHALL FAIL."
Desires naturally desert the aged, Life contains no pleasures for them — they wait.
"MAN GOETH TO HIS LONG HOME."
The long home signifies Death and the Future Life.
"AND THE MOURNERS GO ABOUT THE STREETS."
These are friends and relatives who mourn his death, for there is no man so bad but that there will be some one who will mourn for him.
"THE SILVER CORD BE LOOSED."
Is the thread of Life which binds the true man to the physical body. When it snaps in twain death ensues, the Spirit is freed, and the shard or shell is left behind, just in the same manner as in the hatching of a chicken ; when the time comes, the chick pecks itself from out the old shard or shell, and goes forth into life and definition.
"THE GOLDEN BOWL BE BROKEN."
Is the head with its seven gateways to the senses, with its five attributes, container of the brain, that is looked upon as the organ of Consciousness and the seven Harmonies.
452 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
"OR THE PITCHER BE BROKEN AT THE FOUNTAIN, OR THE WHEEL BROKEN AT
THE CISTERN."
The "pitcher" is the left ventricle that empties into the Aor/a. The " Fountain " is the heart itself. The " wheel " is the arterial and veinous system combined, throngh which the life-giving forces are continnally cir- culating, and the " Cistern " is the right ventricle, into which the veinous blood is continually flowing. In order that you ma}' better understand this let me explain to you the circulating system, which is two-fold.
There is the lesser and the greater circuit of circulation, as in all natural processes, there is no beginning, neither is there any end. But we will begin at (the Pitcher), the Left ventricle of the heart, from which the Arterial cherr^v red blood is " poured " into the Aorta, on its Life-giving mission throughout the whole of the body. At the extremi- ties of the Arteries we have a system of capillaries, so verj' minute that the microscope is needed in order to detect them. These capillaries con- nect the Arterial with the Veinous S3'stem (forming the "wheel"), where marked chemical changes take place, converting the cherr}- red blood into the dark blue veinous. The veins bring back this used-up-blood to the heart again, emptying it into the right Auricle, from there it passes into the (cistern) Right ventricle, from which it is forcibl}' expelled b}' the contraction of the Heart (" Fountain '"), into and through the pulmonary arter\', which, b}' the wa}-, carries veinous blood. In the Lungs it becomes electrified, ox5'genized and vivified, when it is forced back to the heart again, entering at the Left Auricle, from whence it passes into the Left Ventricle and is started out once again on its life-giving journey throughout the whole of the Arterial ramifications.
The " Wheel " performs its revolution in this w-ay and the whole of the body is built up from the circulating life-forces in the blood.
"THE DUST RETURN TO THE EARTH."
Which is plainly demonstrated by the disintegration of the physical body at Death.
" AND THE SPIRIT SHALL RETURN UNTO GOD WHO GAVE IT.''
In reaching the first of the Philosophical degrees of our beloved An- cient and Accepted Scottish Rite, our worthj- aspirant and Brother enters upon a glorious field, wherein he will find the True Light, which will
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 453
lead him on to a knowledge of all that was lost, and the way to its Re- covery. The ruins of empires will be at his feet, and their broken columns will be a verification to him of the wondrous knowledge that pertained to our Ancient Brethren. The understanding of which will give him courage to suffer and conquer in the Cause, and Strength to work for its final triumph. He will be devoted and consecrated to the service of Tnit/i, Justice and J'iiiite, until, eventually, he will be found worthy to open the Great Book of the Law, by breaking the Seven Seals, and learn the True meaning of the great Truths contained within its sacred pages. Truths that have been gathered from the East and the West, and from out the heart of the sacred Books of all people.
The great banners of IMasonry are Faith, Hope and Charity, under which all men may gather from all nations and from every clime in the One Great Cause. Masonry is not a Religion^ in the general accepted sense of that word, with Creeds and Dogmas compelling blind Faith in any part of it, and in the account of the suffering and Death of Christ, every Brother as I hereinbefore stated, may believe as he sees fit. Let me quote you once again from " Mystic Masonry,'' page 103 et seq.
" The candidate is taught not merely to tolerate another's religion, but to respect it as his own, though still adhering to that into which he was born. To make reasonable this obligation, he is shown through the Kaba- lah, or Secret Doctrine, that at the heart of every great religion lie the same eternal Truths. Forms and observances only differ. The Ineffable Name is spelled in man}? "^vays, yet the J f^ord is one and eternal. Masonry is not a Universal Science, but a world-wide Religion owing allegiance to no one creed, and can adopt no sectarian dogma, as such, without thereby ceasing to be Masonic. Drawn from the Kabalah and taking the Jewish or Christian verbiage, or symbols, it but discerns in them universal truths, which it recognizes in all other religions. Many degrees have been Chris- tianized, only to perish ; as every degree eventually will, if circumscribed b}^ narrow creeds, and dwarfed to the bigoted apprehension of a few sec- tarians, to exclude good men of any other communion. Is Jesus any the less Chrisios because Christna was called "The Good Shepherd?" or because the Mexican Christ was crucified between two thieves ? or because Hiram was three days in a grave before he was resurrected ? Are we not as selfish in our religion as in our other possessions ? Then, wh}', is man,
454 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
while cherishing as his most sacred possession the religion of his fathers, eternally seeking to degrade and destroy that of his Brother ?
" The Great Republic, to which Brother Pike refers, is the Ideal of Masonry ; the Genius that hovers, like a protecting angel, over the Lodge. Make it impossible for a Jew or Parsee, Buddhist or Brahmin, to enter any Lodge without witnessing the profanation of his sacred altars or contempt for his religion, and the angel hides her face and retreats from altars already profaned by unbrotherliness. Masonry is the Universal Religion only because, and onl}^ so long, as it embraces all religions. For this reason, and this alone, it is universal and eternal. Neither persecution nor misrepresentation can ever destroy it. ' It ma}^ find no place in a generation of bigots ; it may retire for a century ; but again comes a Master Builder with the key to the ' shut Palace of the King,' throws open the blinds, lets in the Light, kindles anew the fire on the sacred altar, clears away the rubbish, when behold ! the tesselated pavement is as bright as when it first came from the quarries of Truth, the jewels are of pure gold and brighten at the touch, and the great Lights are undimmed and undecayed, ' When the candidate is ready the Master appears.' And men are yet so foolish and so vile as to imagine that they can destroy this heirloom of the ages : this heritage from the Immortals ! No age is so dark as to quench entirely the Light of the Lodge ; no persecution so bloody as to blot out its votaries ; no anathemas of Popes so lasting as to count one second on its Dial of Time ! These, one and all, serve only to keep the people in darkness, and retard the reign of Universal Brotherhood. There- fore, for humanity — the Great Orphan — the real Master laments. He smiles at the passions of Popes or Kings, and pities the folly of man. He only ivaits^ indifferent as to results, knowing these to be under eter- nal Law ; but ready and willing, whenever and wherever the instruction entering the listening ear may find lodgment in the faithful breast."
Masonry teaches toleration and the Union of all Religions and all philosophies. Within her temples the Jew, the Mohammedan, the Chris- tian, the Buddhist, the Brahmin or Parsee, may stand beside a common' altar, and be pledged upon the self-same emblems, and be devoted to the self-same cause that teaches to its members the duties they owe to their God, their fellow-man, and to themselves, and in this way we realize that it is our bounden duty to love our neighbor as ourself. Then will we
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 455
discover the same truth that the rich man told unto Jesus that " there is no neighbor, and there is no self, all is in the Father, and of the Father, and in loving him I love all things."
We do not claim for any one creed more Truth than another, for in every religion there is a basis of Truth, as well as pure Morality. From the earliest ages men have believed in an unseen, governing and control- ling and directing Power, and in every corner of the earth this Great Power has been located, by the various peoples of the earth, in Spatial depths around them.
Masonry does not teach the existence of an Anthropomorphic God, who is made in the image of man, with all the human attributes ; but, of course, if a brother desires to believe in such an one, it is his privilege so to do, and we should not, under any circumstances, revile him for his faith, or his God, be he Jew, Christian, Parsee or Hindu.
The so-called New Law, as taught by Jesus of Nazareth, is as old as the stars, and has been taught in every epoch of the world's history, and the sooner we understand this fact the better it will be for ourselves and our fellowman. We should never scoff at, or revile our Brother, because he believes God Loves him, when we believe God cannot Love any one, because God is Love and not Loving. Then if we believe that God is Love, let us follow the law of Love, by never permitting anything that a Brother may believe, say, or do, to offend us, so that the Law may be broken through our finite understanding of it. The Law of God passeth all understanding and we must learn, by experience, that it is better to love than to hate.
It is our bounden duty not to strive to be better than our Brother ; but to be better than ourselves, by conquering self and subduing our passions. We should never forget that the more we have, the more we owe to our Brother, and that it is our duty to give abundantly of our store, to all those who are in need of our assistance. My dear Brothers, let me quote 3'ou from " Supernatural Religion," by an English clergy- man, Vol. II, page 489 :
" We gain infinitely more than we lose in abandoning belief in the Divine Revelation. Whilst we retain pure and unimpaired the treasure of Christian Morality, we relinquish nothing, but the debasing elements added to it by human superstition. We are no longer bound to believe
456 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
a theology which outrages reason and moral sense. We are freed from base anthropomorphic views of God and His government of the universe; and from Jewish Mythology we rise to higher conceptions of an infinitely wise and beneficent Being, hidden from our finite minds, it is true, in the impenetrable glory of Divinity, but whose laws of wondrous comprehen- siveness and perfection we can perceive in operation around us.
" We are no longer disturbed by visions of fitful interference with the order of Nature ; but we recognize that the Being, who regulates the universe, is without variableness or shadow of turning. It is singular how little there is in the supposed Revelation of alleged information, however incredible, regarding that which is beyond the limits of human thought, but that little is of a character which reason declares to be the wildest delusion. Let no man, whose belief in the reality of a Divine Revelation may be destroyed by such an inquiry, complain that he has lost a precious possession, and that nothing is left but a blank. The Revelation not being a reality, that which he has lost was but an illusion, and that which is left is the Truth. If he be content with illusions, he will speedily be consoled ; if he be a lover only of truth, instead of a blank he will recognize that the reality before him is full of great peace.
" If we know less than we supposed of man's destiny, we may at least rejoice that we are no longer compelled to believe that which is unworthy. The limits of thought once attained, we may well be unmoved in the assurance that all that we do know, of the regulation of the universe being so perfect and wise, all that we do not know must be equally so. Here enters the true and noble Faith, which is the child of Reason. If we have believed a system, the details of which must at one time or another have shocked the mind of ever}' intelligent man, and believed it simply because it was supposed to be revealed, we maj- equally believe in the wisdom and goodness of what is not revealed. The mere act of communication to us is nothing ; Faith in the perfect ordering of all things is independent of Revelation.
" The arguments so often emploj'ed by Theologians, that Divine Revelation is necessary for man, and that certain views contained in that Revelation are required by our moral conscidusness, is purely imaginary, and derived from the Revelation which it seeks to maintain. The only
EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY. 457
thing absolutely necessary for man is Truth, and to that, and that alone, must our moral consciousness adapt itself."
It is asserted that when Christ was crucified upon the cross they placed above his head the Latin letters I. N. R. I., signifying, "Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judasorum," (Jesus of lYazairlh, King of the Jews). While others interpret the meaning of these initials quite differenth^, as : " Igne Natiira Renovatur Integra" Entire Nature is Renovated by Fire.
Dr. Wynn Westcott, Fra Rosa" Cnicis^ F. T. S., states in his " Her- metic Notes," in "Lucifer," Vol. VI, page 275, that "A very curious old Rosicrucian Manuscript passed through my hands a few years ago ; it gave a new rendering to the initials I. N. R. I. The Christian meaning of which is known to all, and which has several Alchemic significations, such as /g)ie Nitniin Ron's Im'cntitnr (' by fire the Nitre of the dew is discovered'). lammin Nour Ruach labesha, the Hebrew for ('Water, Fire, Air, Earth'). Igne Natura Regenerando Integrat ('Nature renews, in Regenerating by fire '). Igne Natura Renovatur Integra (' By fire Nature is renewed in its entirety ').
" The rendering I now publish for the first time is not a simple, use of initials, but the straining of the symbol shows the greater desire of denoting the doctrine : I. Ntra vos est Regum De I (' The kingdom of God is within you "). This seems to me a clear acknowledgment of the Higher Self within a man, which, if the Man rendered himself sufBcientty pure and spiritual, can communicate with Powers above him and to him Divine.
" The same manuscript also gave this reading : ' In Nobis Regnum Intelligentia (' The Kingdom of the intelligence is in us '). From the same source comes also the following:
" Force arising in the North passes to the South. Intelligence arising in the South passes to the North. Initiation arising in the East passes to the West.
" But to crown the above let me state that the Jesuits, who have ever been the bitter, unscrupulous and uncompromising enemies of Masonr}- frame for it their own infamous phrase 'Justum Necare Regnas Impios:' ' It is Lawful to Slay Irreligious Kings.' " Yes, or any one else whom they considered Irreligious. From the above we find that there is quite a
458 EGYPT, THE CRADLE OF ANCIENT MASONRY.
difference in the interpretations of the letters dawied to have been placed above the head of Christ upon the Cross, when crucified upon Calvary.
To-day there are millions of people who never heard of him, and if they have, they do not believe in him, nor do they wish to do so ; and yet, again, there are millions who do most earnestly and firmly believe that he was the Son of God, born of a Virgin, a Being of Divine Nature — in fact, that he was the Word made manifest in the flesh.
There are countless numbers who believe that he is yet to come, and the}^ wait with patience the coming of the Redeemer. Again there are countless millions who believe that he was but a man, with all the attri- butes of man, and could not be God and Man at the same time. Others believe the whole life and acts of Christ to be but an Allegory. While there are a vast number of people, throughout the world universal, who believe most earnestly and sincerely that Christ, or Christos, dwells in the heart of every living, breathing Man to-day, and that he will never be more manifest in the world or our hearts than he is right now.
I claim that every man or Brother Mason has a perfect right to his own belief in this matter, and should be free from the sneers and scoffs of others, .even though their views upon this subject do not coincide with his fellows. Masonr}^ existed thousands of j^ears before Christ was born, or dreamed of, and consequently it compels no man to believe either one way or the other. But before concluding this subject and