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Volume 1 - Issue 11Noember 2006

Living As MasonsLiving As Masons

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www.lodgeroomus.com www.lodgeroomuk.comFreemasonry: Its not about me changing them, Its about me changing me.

The LodgeroomInternational Magazine

Cover:George Washington Masonic Temple

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Published by:Willam McElligott, P.M.

R. Theron Dunn

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Volume 1 - Issue 10 - November 2006

Living As MasonsFeatured ArticlesLegend of Hiram by Wr. Bill McElligott ....................... 3Philosophy of Masonry by Johann Gottlieb Fichte ..... 3Freemasonry: A Tradition From The Past, A

Relevance For Today by Stephen J. Trachtenberg ... 6Did You Know?? By Galen R. Dean ............................... 6He Found Out By M.W. Carl Claudy, PGM .................. 7Freemasonry 101 by Wr. Jarrod Morales ...................... 7Manner of Masonic Dress

By Wr. Giovanni Lombardo, P.M. ............................ 8

Regular FeaturesBetween The Pillars ................................................. 2Wordsearch Puzzle by Lance Ten Eyck ...................... 29Masonic Humor ..................................................... 32Valuable Links to Masonic Works ........................ 33The Last Word ....................................................... 34

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Between The PillarsAn Editorial

Bullying in Lodge?

By Bil l McEll igot t , P.M.ei ther of them again.

Why would I want to be excluded fromthis? I t s been my exper ience that theSecretary can use of the knowledge of hisposit ion to influence many things withinthe Lodge appointments, promotions,who does what job, etc.

Likewise, a Treasurer with his paws onall the financial matters will know whoh a s f i n a n c i a l p r o b l e m s a n d w h o j u s tp l a i n a i n t g o n n a p a y h i s d u e s . ABrother with less then perfect morals canle t s l ip l i t t l e gems of goss ip tha t caninfluence a Brother to stay or leave theLodge. Having been at both ends of thefinancial schism, there were t imes thatI was pe t r i f i ed tha t my wel l meaningTreasurer might let my fr iends know Iwas financially challenged.

When considering posit ions, theres alsothe power of the elder statesmen thatwell entrenched group that wil l say inunison we never did i t that way in myday. They can stif le a new Mason andmake him t remble a t there tut - tut orthats not r ight , even though they havethe best interests of the Lodge at heart .Its intimidating and is one of the guisesto consider when looking for bullying.

There is also the power of withholdingthat some use to bully. Not gett ing thatpromotion or not being appointed to aparticular posit ion can have tremendousinfluence on a Brother. No one can beopen and honest i f hes worr ied aboutbeing turned down or passed over.

Of course, one doesnt have to play thatgame. I made up my mind on this when If i r s t became ac t ive on the In te rne t . Irealized early on that the only way I wasg o i n g t o b e a b l e t o s a y w h a t I t r u l ythought was to give up all possibil i ty ofb e i n g p r o m o t e d o r a p p o i n t e d t o a n yprestigious Masonic position. Id love tobe the center of attention. Im a big hamlike that, but integrity is something thathas a p r i ce . Some say the g rea t havegreatness thrust upon them. I have felt

I was pos t ing on anI n t e r n e t f o r u mrecent ly and anotherposter remarked thatI d i d n t u n d e r s t a n db u l l y i n g . I h a v e t o

admit this made me stop and think, doI? At 17.5 S tone and 6 feet , I ve heldmany a physical ly demanding job mostof my 40 years in the work place. I haveto be honest I don t suf fer from physicalabuse unless you count my wife .

But bul lying takes on many guises . I t sn o t r e s t r i c t e d t o p u s h i n g s h o v i n g o rindeed a swif t smack in the mouth. Thisi s w h a t m a d e m e s t o p a n d t h i n k .Bullying has to be the most un-Masonico f a l l t he s in s . I f I were to have myB r o t h e r s h o l d o n e t h o u g h t o n t h i ssubject i t s that bul lying is jus t that u n - M a s o n i c a n d t h a t o u r c o n d u c tshould never inc lude or endorse i t inourselves or others .

I encourage you to become more awareof the many guises . One such guise ist he many sub t l e ways peop l e de l i ve rput downs . I have met some peoplew h o h a v e m a s t e r e d t h e a r t o fhumil ia t ion. With one l ine or a coupleof wel l chosen words, they use a wel lhoned put down and their mark ish i t ha rd . No b lood i s sp i l l ed bu t t hevict im gets the message. The bul ly hasgot ten his way.

Bullying can take place due to the abuseof power posi t ions conscious or not .I n F r e e m a s o n L o d g e s , t h e r e a r e t w oOf f i c e r s w h o h a v e t h e a b i l i t y t o u s ebullying tact ics with the ful lest force the Secretary and the Treasurer. I don tcount the Master because by the t imehes f igured out what on ear th is goingon, hes most l ikely preparing to instal lh i s s u c c e s s o r . B e c a u s e t h e t w oexecutive posts are so empowered by theLodge, i t s my bel ief that they shouldb o t h b e f i l l e d w i t h M a s o n s o f t h eh ighes t s tandard . I ve done bo th jobsand can honest ly say Id not l ike to do

no thrusting but I do feel greater for myintegri ty.

T h e r e i s o f c o u r s e t h e q u e s t i o n o fsens i t i v i ty. In o the r words , a r e someBrothers more sensit ive to a remark orc o m m e n t t h a n w e m i g h t e x p e c t ? Isuppose that is probably the case, but arewe not better than that? Can we not seeif a person is sensit ive? Can we not armourselves with respect? When all is saidand done, a good measure to use if thequestion of over sensit ivity is raised isasking, is what we are doing here fair,respectful and considerate to all that arei n v o l v e d ? C a n w e a s k m o r e o fourselves? While over sensitive Brothersm u s t u l t i m a t e l y b e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t ot h e m s e l v e s , w e c a n b a l a n c e t h i s b yconsidering our words and actions in arespectful l ight.

Case in point: The Regimental Preceptorscared the beejeebers out of me when

Continued on Page 31 - Bullying



The Legend of HiramBy Wr. Bill McElligott, P.M.

The First T.B. opens withthe statement that theusages and customs amongFreemasons have ever bornea near affinity to those of the

Ancient Egyptians; The Philosophers of Egypt,unwilling to expose their mysteries to vulgareyes, concealed their systems of learningand polity under heiroglyphicalfigures, which were communicatedonly to their chief priests and wisemen, who were bound by solemnoath never to reveal them. Thesystem of Pythagoras wasfounded upon similarprinciples and maintainedunder the same conditions.We might, therefore,reasonably expect that a studyof the system originated, oradopted, by the great teacher,Pythagoras, would tend tothrow some light upon thisMasonic Craft of ours. There arefour questions which we mightput to ourselves in this connection:-

The Widows Son

In 1997, Evidence was discovered, that the truesymbolic origin of the Drama of Hiram Abiff, mayhave been a real life actual event. The murderedKing, or King that was Lost may have beenSeqenenre Tao II of Egypt, 1554 BC.Egyptologists have now dated Seqenenres ruleto 1558 - 1554 BC. King Seqenenre was killedby at least two separate, distinctively differentweapons. An Axe, a pointed iron rod or possiblya stone maul. The placement and shapes of theskull shattering marks on the mummys head areonly part of the proof.

Some of these seventeenth-century manuscripts[preserving the Old Charges] do not refer toHiram Abif, which has led some to believe thatthe character was an invention of this relativelyrecent period. However, the name Hiram Abif wasonly one designation for this central figure; he isalso referred to as Aymon, Aymen, Amnon, A Manor Amen and sometimes Bennaim. It is said thatAmen is said to be the Hebrew word for thetrusted one or the faithful one, which fits therole of Hiram Abif perfectly. But we also knowthat Amon or Amen is the name of the ancientcreator god of Thebes, the city of Sequenere TaoII. Could there be an ancient linkage here?

A Connection with the Mystery Religions

To the initiated Builder the name Hiram Abiffsignifies My Father, the Universal Spirit, one inessence, three in aspect. Thus the murdered

Master is a type of the Cosmic Martyr - thecrucified Spirit of Good, the dying god - whoseMystery is celebrated throughout the world.

The efforts made to discover the origin of theHiramic legend show that, while the legend inits present form is comparatively modern, itsunderlying principles run back to remotest

antiquity. It is generally admitted bymodern

Masonic scholars that the storyof the martyred Hiram is

based upon the Egyptianrites of Osiris, whosedeath and resurrectionfiguratively portrayedthe spiritual death ofman and hisregeneration throughinitiation into theMysteries. Hiram isalso identified withHermes through the

inscription on theEmerald Tablet.

The True King andMaster of Egypt - 1554

BC.

In this instance the word King

was exclusive. A word only used to describe whatthe Egyptians called their True King and SolarLord. ..The Right of the Egyptians to be Sons ofGod and the Caretakers of Gods Word wasgiven to them by the Olai, who were directdescendents of the Star Regents of Atlantis. Godwas called The Law of One by the Atlantians...from the readings of Edgar Cayce

When these Star Regents left that land, they leftthe rulership on the hands of Caretakers, whowere the Children of the Nephilim. The Nephilimare other world beings who were from the fallenheaven, having created these children whomThoth calls the Nomads. They transferred thepower and mysteries to the Umosejhe, meaningcaretakers, with the understanding that in thefuture the Olai would return to put into motion thespiritual birth of the Child, who centuries laterwould incarnate in living flesh as the greatest ofthe Shepherd Kings.

History would know this Child as JesusChrist. Taken from.. New Age Bibleinterpretation Old Testament, Volume I, byCorinne Heline but because God has only onebegotten Son, he has many other names andfaces. This site will include those other Sons.

Sequenere Tao II?

The only reasonable explanation that we had

Continued on Page 10 - Hiram

By Johann Gottlieb FichteTranslated byWr. Roscoe PoundPast Master of Lancaster Lodge, No. 54Lincoln, NebraskaPast Deputy Grand Master of Masonsin MassachusettsWith an introduction by the TranslatorSummarized in an Address before theSupreme Council 33,Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite.Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A.Buffalo, New York: September 29, 1943.

Introduction

Johann Gottlieb Fichte, one of the great idealistphilosophers of the end of the eighteenth and forepart of the nineteenth century, was born atRammenau in upper Lusatia (Ober Lausitz) May19, 1762. Lusatia, a district between the Elbe andthe Oder, was then a part of Saxony. In thesettlement after the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 itbecame part of Prussia. Fichtes father was aribbon weaver and he seems to have had a strictbringing up under straitened circumstances. Buthe had the best of education at the famous school

Philosophy Of Masonry:Letters To Constant

at Pforta and at the Universities of Jena andLeipzig. From the beginning he showed the highand stern sense of duty which characterized himthroughout life. It is told of him that as a smallboy he had the task of tending a flock of geese.Some one had given him an illustrated book ofGreek mythology and hero stories which he tookwith him. Looking up from the book, in which hehad been absorbed, he saw that the geese werestraying and some were likely to get away. Hejumped up, brought his flock together again, andthen, shocked at his momentary neglect of hisduty, threw; away the book which had temptedhim to overlook it.

Faguet has said: A philosopher, howevereminent, setting out his system, is only a manwho is explaining his own character and perhapshis temperament. In Fichte we have a manprepared in his heart to be a Mason.

After leaving the university he acted for a timeas a private tutor in different families in Saxonyand a private teacher. Later, he went to Zurich,

Continued on Next Page - Letters



then back to Leipzig, and for a time was a privatetutor in Warsaw. After many ups and downs offortune, he visited Kant at Konigsberg. To attractKants attention, he wrote an essay entitledVersuch einer Kritik aller Offenbarung (EssayToward a Critique of all Revelation) in which heapplied the principles of Kants criticalphilosophy to investigation of the conditionsunder which religious belief was possible. Kantapproved the essay and helped find a publisher.It was published anonymously in 1792 and wasgenerally attributed to Kant. The latter correctedthe mistake, commended the essay, and thereputation of the author was established. In 1793,he became professor of philosophy at Jena and atonce proved an outstanding teacher. During thenext five years he published a succession of bookswhich make up his system of philosophy. In 1798,as editor of the Philosophical Journal, he receivedfrom a friend a paper on the Development ofthe Idea of Religion which he prefaced with apaper on The Grounds of Our Belief in a DivineGovernment of the Universe and printed in theJournal. Theological ideas were rigid at that time,and a bitter controversy arose as a result of whichSaxony and all the German states except Prussiasuppressed the Journal, and Fichte in 1799resigned his professorship and went to Berlin.He lived in Berlin until 1806, except that helectured at Erlangen in the summer of 1805.While in Berlin he wrote some of his mostimportant books. But in 1806, the Frenchoccupation drove him out, and he lectured for atime at Konigsberg and at Copenhagen. Hereturned to Berlin in 1807 and on the founding ofthe University of Berlin (for which he had drawnup the plan) he was its first rector (1810-1812).In one of the epidemics of typhus whichaccompanied the Napoleonic Wars, he was takenwith what was called hospital fever, and died onJanuary 27, 1814at the age of fifty-two.

It is not easy to make an intelligible statement ofFichtes metaphysics in short compass. Heconceives that the fundamental problem ofphilosophy arises from this, that along with theideas of individual consciousness, which comeand go voluntarily and contingently, there are incontrast ideas of another type which maintainthemselves and are characterized by a feeling ofnecessity. It is the task of philosophy to makethis necessity intelligible. The system of thoseideas which come forth with a feeling of necessityis called experience. Hence there is the problem:What is the basis of experience? Fichte holds thatthere are two ways of solving this problem. Sinceexperience is an activity of consciousness directedtoward objects, it must be derived, and derivedonly, either from things or from consciousness.The solution which begins with things he callsdogmatism. It regards consciousness as due tothings. The activities of intelligence are taken tobe due to mechanical necessities of causation.Hence, the dogmatic solution leads to fatalism

and materialism. The solution which begins withconsciousness is called idealism. It considersthings as products of consciousness andconsciousness a free function determined only byitself. The two solutions, as he sees it, areirreconcilable. As he sees it, if one does not wishto fall a victim to skeptical despair he must chooseone or the other. As each is a consistent system,which system one will choose depends on whatsort of a man he is. The ethical interest in Fichtenaturally inclined him toward idealism. This isthe metaphysical background of his Masonicphilosophy.

In his Theory of Right and Law (Rechtslehre) andTheory of Morals (Sittenlehre) he goes forwardupon the metaphysical basis. The conscious egobecomes aware of its own freedom, and theexistence of other egos and the existence of aworld in which they may act are conditions ofconsciousness of freedom. This follows from theegos coming to consciousness. Hence theabsolute (i. e. the unconditioned) ego from whichall individual egos derive is not subject to theseconditions. It freely discovers itself to them. Thisabsolute ego he defines as the moral will of theuniverse. It is God from Whom all individual egoshave sprung and in Whom they are included. Godis the absolute Life, the absolute One, becomingconscious of Himself by self separation into theindividual egos. God, the infinite will, manifestsHimself in the individual; and contrasted withthe individual there is the non-ego or the thing.Knowledge, he says, is not mere knowledgeof itself, but knowledge of being, and of the onebeing that truly exists, that is, God. It will beseen that here we have the religious backgroundof his Masonic philosophy.

In his ethical system, Fichte sought a synthesisof the individualist ethics which Kant and theFrench Revolution gave to the nineteenth centuryand the social ethics which we are familiar withtoday. In his political theory he considered itwrong to identify the ideal moral whole with thestate. Society and the state were to bedistinguished. Society, he held, had specificpositive values above those represented by thestate. He had a universal, a cosmopolitan idealof humanity, which naturally inclined him towardMasonry.

Fichte was made a Mason in Zurich in 1793, theyear in which he went to Jena as professor. Butin Jena there had been no lodge since 1764, so heaffiliated with the Gunther Lodge of the StandingLion at Rudolstadt (in Thuringia, 18 miles fromJena) of which the reigning Prince was patron.When he went to Berlin in 1799 he met Fessler,the Deputy Grand Master of the Grand LodgeRoyal York of Friendship, in which he soonbecame active. This had begun in 1752 as ofFrench constitution. It did not work in Germantill 1778. In 1796 Fessler undertook a thoroughreform. In 1798 it became a Grand Lodge, withthree subordinate lodges, and through Fesslersexertions by 1801 there were sixteen. Fessler also

undertook revision of the ritual, which had beenthat of the Rite of Perfection. At first he proposedthe English system of the three degrees ofsymbolic Masonry and no more. But the Masonsof the time were too much accustomed to thehigher degrees. He had to give up this idea and,instead, worked out a rite of nine degrees whereinthe first threethose universally recognizedhad superposed upon them six called the higherknowledge in which there was a criticalexamination of the theories as to the origin ofMasonry, of the origin of different rites, systems,and mysteries, and a critical history of all thatwas comprehended in the Masonry of the time.Later this rite was abandoned and the right of theEnglish Ancient Grand Lodge was adoptedinstead. It was this rite of Fessler s, whichMasonic scholars agree was the most learned andphilosophical of all Masonic systems, for whichFichte for a time cooperated on its philosophicalside. Fessler gave up his office of Deputy GrandMaster in 1802. In the meantime, Fichte, atFesslers instance, had written two lectures onthe philosophy of Masonry, the manuscript ofwhich he gave to Johann Karl Christian Fischer,the Master of the Inner Orient, who publishedthem as Letters to Constant in 1802-1803 in aperiodical in two volumes entitled Eleusiniansof the Nineteenth Century, or Results of UnitedThinkers on the Philosophy and History ofFreemasonry. The author of the letters was notnamed, but the publisher pointed him out clearlyenough. Yet in spite of his high esteem for theauthor, the publisher did not treat the manuscriptwith much respect. He changed the two lecturesinto fifteen letters to an imaginary non-Mason,and interpolated a complete letter (the second)in which he discussed at much length whatMasonry is not and inserted a bit of apologeticliterature which interrupts the strict logicalconstruction of Fichtes lectures. He also addedshort prefatory statements at the head of many ofthe letters and sometimes conclusions inepistolatory style. He admitted that he hadinserted certain illustrative additions and whatthe chosen dress [i.e. publication in the form ofletters] demanded. These additions andinterpolations are easily detected, since Fichtesstyle is characteristic and unmistakable. In thesecond of the two volumes (which contains letterssix to sixteen) the publisher professes to havebeen more restrained in his additions, so thatthe brethren may receive the ideas of the greatman almost entirely in his own words. But thereare not a few fairly long interpolations in someof the later letters. The preface to the secondvolume closes with a call to Fichte to continuehis deductions.

In the standard edition of Fichtes completeworks, published by his son in 1845, the letterswere not included. They were reprinted byReitzenstein in the first volume of his MasonicClassics. But they seem generally to have escapedthe notice of Masonic scholars. I find no mention

LettersContinued from Previous Page




of Fichte in the Masonic encyclopedias nor in anyof the summaries of Masonic philosophy. Indeed,I had no suspicion that any such lectures or letterswere in existence until about twenty years ago Icame upon a little book of eighty-three pages inwhich they were newly published with a veryvaluable introduction by Wilhelm Flitner(Leipzig, 1923). I have used Flitners text anddrawn freely upon his introduction.

As the editor of the reprint in 1923 says, sincethe original manuscript is undoubtedly lost, wecannot be certain of reproducing Fichtes originaltext. Not only were additions made but transitionsfrom one topic to another were stricken out andintroductions and conclusions in epistolatory stylewere substituted. All that can be done, therefore,is to follow the text of the Eleusinians. The editorin 1923 indicates by square brackets theinterpolations and additions and also indicatesthe second lecture as beginning with the eighthletter. He does this on internal evidence and hisconclusion seems eminently sound. It is clear thatthe eighth letter introduces a new proposition anda new chain of thought. Both lectures deduceFreemasonry. The first develops the idea of aseparate society for general human developmentand so comes to the setting up of a theory ofsociableness. The second lecture develops thepurpose and form of Masonic instruction throughmyth and ritual from the point of view of makingcultivated men. Thus there is a different themefor each.

I have followed the text of the 1923 reprint,leaving out the obvious interpolations andadditions. But I have kept the form of letters, asin the original publication, since we cannot saythat Fichte may not have wished or been contentto have it so. As Fesslers rite did not maintainitself, the lectures, even if adapted to use in thelodge, could not be used as such permanently,and the form of letters was not inappropriate.

You will ask naturally, as I asked myself at once,why letters to Constant? One thinks naturallyof an important character in a Scottish Ritedegree, and for a number of reasons I am satisfiedthat it is he who was intended. It is true the editorof the 1923 reprint assumes the letters areaddressed to an imaginary non-Mason, and oneof the interpolations states expressly that theConstant addressed is not a Mason. Indeed, inthe third paragraph of the first letter Fichtesuggests as much. But the reason for this is notfar to seek. Six years later, when Krausepublished his lectures on higher spiritualizationof the genuine traditional symbols of Masonryand afterwards when he published his great workon the oldest professional records of Masonry,the limits of permissible public discussion ofMasonic matters were not clear, and the libertyof the individual Mason to interpret for himselfwas not generally conceded. It will be

remembered that the very rumor of Krauses bookled to serious agitation. Great efforts were madeto prevent its publication, and Krause wassubjected to what amounted to persecution. It issmall wonder, therefore, that Fischer in 1803thought is wise that what he published seem tobe letters addressed to a non-Mason by one whoprofessed only to know what, on philosophicalprinciples, Masonry ought to be.

On the other hand, five points seem to medecisive.

1. Fessler undoubtedly used the ritual of the riteof perfection in working out his rite. Claveland Ragon say he used, among others, that ofthe Chapter of Clermont. Probably that meansthe ritual developed in France, independentlyof the Chapter of Clermont, under the Councilof Emperors of the East and West and itssuccessors. But the twenty-fifth degree of therite of perfection is the thirty-second of oursystem. The Royal York Lodge of Friendshipworked in French till 1778 and under theFrench ritual put into German till 1798 or1799. Thus Constant was a personage wellknown to continental Masonic scholars.

2. The letters regularly address Constant in thesecond person singular, appropriate to abrother, instead of in the second person plural,appropriate to a non-Mason. In German usagethis is clear enough. The second personsingular is now so unusual in English usagethat I have in the translation regularly usedyou instead.

3. Fichte himself addresses his lecture to someone in the second person singular and, in anumber of places in passages undoubtedlygenuine, addresses Constant by name.

4. The lectures were written for a lodge, andhence were addressed to Masons originally.

5. It can hardly be a mere coincidence that a namewas chosen for the addressee of the letterswhich is of real significance to the Mason andmeans nothing to the non-Mason. Nor can itbe that a Mason would choose that name asappropriate to a representative non-Mason.

For these reasons I have retained Fischers title,Letters to Constant in addition to what was nodoubt the original title, given to the manuscript byFichte, Lectures on the Philosophy of Masonry.

Fichte is far from easy to put into English. Evenphilosophers find his Wissenschaftslehre hard tounderstand. One reason is his characteristic useof words in unusual meanings. It is necessary toacquire a Fichte vocabulary, not merely oftechnical philosophical terms but of everydaywords which he uses frequently with meaningsof his own or shades of meaning not indictionaries and requiring to be drawn from thecontext. Again his mode of writing needs to be

learned. Often he debates with himself, and afterstating both sides he may leave the reader to drawthe conclusion for himself, as something whichhad become evident from the two statements orhe may sum up the discussion in a clearpronouncement. Hence, unless one reads carefullythere may seem to be contradictions andinconsistencies which in fact do not exist.Moreover, we have in English no term exactlycorresponding to the German word Bildung whichappears either itself or in some compound wordon almost every page of letters. Primarily in suchconnections it means the shaping or creating of acultivated man. But it may mean culture,civilization, education, training, or, incomposition, development. I have not pretendedto be consistent in rendering it, but have lookedto the context to suggest what will best bring outwhat seems to be the idea. For the rest, I havenot hesitated to break up the long and involvedsentences of the original and to resort toparaphrases so as to make what I take to be theidea of the text more easy of understanding bythe American Mason of today. As to what Masonicwritings Fichte may have used, all that I can besure of is Prestons Illustrations of Masonry, 1772,second edition, revised and enlarged, 1775. By1802 there had been six other English editionsand a German edition, any of which Fichte couldhave seen. It seems clear that he is arguing againstPrestons idea of knowledge and Prestons theoryof education and that he presupposes, as onemight expect, Prestons version of the history ofthe Craft and the story of its continuity fromantiquity. He does not consider these adequate topoint out a purpose for the order, much less tojustify its existence. Hence, he seeks to constructa philosophy of Masonry independently on thebasis of a metaphysically derived theory of societyand of man in society.

Three fundamental questions have been put byphilosophers of Masonry since Preston. They are:

(1) What is the purpose of Masonry as aninstitution? For what does it exist? What doesit seek to do? To Masonic philosophers thishas always presented itself as a question ofwhat ought to be the purposeof whatMasonry ought to seek as its end.

(2) What isand to the philosopher this meanswhat should bethe relation of Masonry toother human institutions? What is or oughtto be its place in a rational scheme of humanactivities? (3) How does Masonry go aboutand how ought it to go about attaining theend which it seeks? In seeing how Fichteanswers these questions we must not losesight of the social, political, and economicconditions of the time and place in which hewrote nor of the condition of Masonry in thattime and place.

(3) The purpose of masonry. Fichte assumes that

Continued on Page 12 - Letters

LettersContinued from Previous Page



Continued on Page 30 - Tradition

Did youknow???

By Galen R. Dean

In Europe, Masons do notgenerally wear any MasonicJewelry, pins, insignias or anyother identifying markings. Infact, there is a law in England

that requires any public official or lawenforcement personnel to disclose theirmembership and/or affiliation with any Masonicorganization. There is a common belief that aMasonic Judge or Police Officer will let offanother Mason even if he is guilty.

Im amazed that in this day and age ofenlightenment that a civilized society wouldopenly discriminate and persecute a group suchas the Masons. All it takes is one person ofsufficient persuasion to inflame others that areeven less informed and small-minded. Peopleseem to thrive on gossip, innuendoes and scandal.

We, however, do not suffer as our brothers do inEurope. We openly and proudly declare ourmembership and affiliation; we are in parades,we support youth organizations, belong to theChamber of Commerce and are an integral partof the community. What freedoms we enjoy!

Yet, remember, freedoms are earned, enjoyed andretained at a price. The price we must pay is toalways be cognizant of the forces that wish toslander and destroy us. We must always conductourselves to the dictates of our high standardsand morals. Never let the current and fleetingstandards of society be your guide to your behavioror values.

As we endeavor to raise the awareness in thecommunity of who we are and what we represent,we must be ever diligent to always display thebest side of Masonry. The general public mustbe able to look to a man and say, you can trustthat person, hes a Mason. Dont be the onethat our community points to and says, Theregoes that scoundrel, Joe Smith, the Mason.

Stand proud and strong; be an exemplaryMason.

Freemasonry: A Tradition From The Past, ARelevance For Today

Stephen J. Trachtenberg,33 Grand CrossPresident, The GeorgeWashington University

Masonry plays a specialrole for young Americanstoday.

In his famous bookDemocracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville, aFrenchman, summed up, among other things, theAmerican inclination to form all kinds ofvoluntary groups aimed at civic improvement andthe general betterment of society. Tocqueville waswriting at a time when most Americans lived insmall and self-contained communities. And hewas writing, as we all know, long before theinvention of the telephone, the automobile, andthe airplane.

Modern technology has turned the United Statesinto a far looser and more lonely society than thethinkers of the 19th century could envision. Evenin our largest cities, it is possible for the individualAmerican to feel very isolated. The sense ofcommunityof mutual support and joint effortis always in danger of simply dribbling away.

Against such a loss of the sense of mutualitystands the Masonic Fraternity. And it does so inways that cannot be matched by otherorganizations. Freemasonry embodies theawareness that Americans share a profoundobligation to each other and to their society.

Sometimes this sense of obligation takes the formof charitable endeavor. Sometimes it takes theform of shared thoughts, or our need to hear nobleprinciples eloquently enumerated. And sometimesit takes the form of shared ceremony, when weare lifted beyond our most selfish and pettyconcerns by the symbolism of the Fraternity,derived from a history that extends back forhundreds of years. What makes the Fraternity sounusual in American life is the fact that it neversurrenders its ideals. Its function is brotherhood.Its style is participation. And its goals are typicallyembodied in Lodges that are held together by asense of loyalty even as they loyally form part ofthe larger Masonic Order. Masonry serves toheighten a whole range of American values thatin turn are deeply tied to the progress of worldhistory and the global yearning for freedom anddignity.

Masons are often associated with patriotism, andthis is very important to young people today. The20th century has not always been an easy centuryfor the United States. Two world wars and a hostof other conflicts have made it clear thatdemocracythe idea of individual freedom and

responsibilityhas not always been a notiontradition-bound societies accept. WhatFreemasonry encourages is a vision ofindividuality without chaos and disorder.Patriotism, the Fraternity insists, can represent aunion between complete selfhood and completenational dedicationprecisely because a fullydeveloped individual is also the kind of personwho treasures good civic order.

For young people today, the sense of a nationalset of values that doesnt contradict individualstriving is especially urgent and important. Theyhave often been encouraged to regard theircountry and its government as oppressive forces.They are invited to join cults and conspiracieswhich oppose nearly everyone who isnt aparticipating member. In contrast to theseunfortunate tendencies, Masonry values freedomwhile also valuing our national consensus as theworlds oldest industrial democracy.

As President of a major university, The GeorgeWashington University (GWU) in Washington,D.C., I am necessarily deeply involved in the livesof young people. I watch them arrive on the GWUcampus in quest not only of academic degreesbut of a sense of personal completion. Those whograduate do so in two senses: they graduate fromthe University; they graduate into their adult lives.

What a profound resemblance there is betweenthe progress of our young people through higher

education and the progress of a Mason throughthe various Degrees of the Fraternity. Growth,development, striving for perfectionthese aresome of the important values shared by mostyoung persons who enter college or post-collegiateeducation and by most members of the MasonicFraternity. For me as an academic administrator,there is not only no contradiction with myMasonic side but a profound sense of continuityand similarity.

Clearly, the values Masonry celebrates are crucialto our country. Let me illustrate with a historicexample. The year was 1961 when Ill. Allen E.Roberts first published his book HouseUndivided: The Story of Freemasonry and theCivil War. More than twenty years later, as heprepared for the second printing of his book, headded an Authors Post Script in which hedescribed the historical event that first got himinterested in the Civil War.

During a church service sponsored by his Lodge,a retired Baptist minister told a story about JosephFort Newton. Newtons father, Lee, had beenmade a Master Mason in a Confederate militarylodge during the American Civil War. Later, Leewas captured by Federal forces and taken to aprisoner-of-war camp at Rock Island, Illinois.There he became deathly ill. The commander ofthe camp learned the elder Newton was a Mason,took him into his home, and nursed him back to



He Found Outby M.W. Carl Claudy, PGM

Old Tyler I can save yousome trouble! announcedthe New Brother.

The Old Tyler leaned hissword up against the walland motioned the NewBrother to a seat. I am

never adverse to anyone saving me trouble!

A petition was read in lodge tonight, continuedthe New Brother. Man by the name of NedBrinkley. I have known old Brinkley for years. Iheard your name on his committee. I can tell youanything you want to know.

Nice of you! repeated the Old Tyler. Why doesMr. Brinkley want to be a Mason?

Oh, I dont know... same reason we all do, Iguess.

You speak of him as Old Brinkley. How old ishe?

Must be all of 65, or maybe 68. Carpenter bytrade, he is; worked for me off and on for years.The wife never wants a shelf put up or a hingemended or a fence painted or the gutter spoutfixed that we dont call on old Brinkley. Hes afine old chap, very religious too. I rather wonderedat the Master putting you on his petition.

Why? asked the Old Tyler.

I know your reputation as a committeeman!smiled the New Brother. You dig to the bottom.They dont waste you on people everyone knowsabout. Brinkley is a dead open-and-shutproposition. Everyone in town knows him, I guess.I dont see why they put an old ferret like you onhis trail. But I can tell you anything you want toknow about him.

Except why he wants to be a Mason! answeredthe Old Tyler, dryly.

Well, that isnt important in this case. He is avery religious man, and I suppose wants thereligious part of lodge work.

You suppose! Suppositions are not good enoughfor me. How does friend Brinkley know there isanything religious about a lodge or Masonry? Whydoes a very religious man find his churchinsufficient to supply his religion? Why does hewait until he is 65 years old to want to be aMason? Those are questions I want answered.You know Brinkley as a workman, an obligingtinkerer with shelves and gutter spouts. Butapparently you know nothing else about himexcept that he is religious. Suppose you tell me

how you know that much.

How do I know he is religious? Why, he goes tochurch every Sunday and he talks a great dealabout it... I dont know!

Ill say you dont know! You dont really knowanything about Brinkley, do you? Your attitude istoo sadly common for the good of Masonry. Youare familiar with Brinkleys name and hisappearance and his looks; he has worked for youas an odd job man for years. Because he neverstole your silver or beat your dog you think he isa good man. Because he talks religion and goesto church you term him religious. He is a part... asmall part, but yet a part... of your life, andtherefore he is all right for your lodge! Oh,conceited man! As if you couldnt be fooled andtaken in and hornswoggled and deceived likeanyone else!

I happen to know considerable about Brinkley. Iheard he was going to petition this lodge and Imade it my business to find out. Listen, and seehow much damage you might have done if I hadbeen less well informed and had taken yourestimate of Brinkley for truth!

Brinkley owes a lot of money. His credit isexhausted. There is nothing bad about the man;he is a well-meaning but shiftless person, whohas never either the ambition or the ability to riseabove sporadic day wages and occasional jobs.He is weak, so he borrows right and left and runsaccounts which he seldom pays, not that he isnt

honest, but that he is careless.

A few years ago he got into difficulties, andseeing no other way out, attempted to become aCatholic. But the good fathers of the church turnedhim inside out in no time and found out that hehad been, at various times, a member of at leastfour other churches, all for the work he could getand the charity he could receive from theirorganizations. He has been a member of the OddFellows, the Pythians, the Red Men and a fewothers, in all of which organizations he has beendropped for N.P.D.

At 65 or more years of age he suddenly conceivesa great regard for the Masonic fraternity and wantsto join our lodge. Why, I dont know, but I stronglysuspect! And my suspicions are well founded inevidence that Mr. Brinkley wants to become aMason for what he can get out of Masonry in amaterial way that I shall register a loud, round,and emphatic negative on my report, and I verymuch suspect that both other committeemen willdo the same thing!

Oh, well, of course! answered the New Brother.I didnt know!

Of course you didnt! And because you onlyguessed and hoped and believed and had no realknowledge, you would have done this lodge agreat injury if all the committeemen had dependedsolely on your report!

But I know now... and I wont do it anymore!pleaded the New Brother.

The Old Tyler grunted.

Freemasonry101.

By Wr. Jarrod MoralesMasterInland Empire Lodge

Freemasonry is differentthings to different individualmembers. To some we are abig benevolent charity. Toothers we are a convivial

diners club, whose membership benefits includejovial fellowship and social networkingopportunities. To still others Freemasonry is thelargest remnant of bygone mystery schools andsimilar occult societies.

Yes, you read that right. I did mentionFreemasonry, mystery schools, and the occult,all within one paragraph, and in a positive context.Get over it.

The truth is that Freemasonry is a strange

amalgam of all the above. There is, however, atextbook definition of Masonry and its character,one that many Masons know, but few bother todissect and understand. That textbook definitionis one enigmatic sentence:

A peculiar system of morality,veiled in allegory,

and illustrated by symbols

It sounds impressive, does it not? It also soundscryptic and mysterious, which is (of course) thepoint. We Masons get too taken with ourselvesand our secrets, our titles and honors, the numberof degrees we have under our belt. Why else arenew Masons so eager to seek further light in theScottish Rite, if for no reason than to wear thedouble eagle lapel with 32 graven upon it?

Its not like its hard to achieve the hallowedlevel of 32; in most places, all it takes is ahundred dollars and two days of sitting (morelikely snoozing) in a mouldy amphitheater.

Oh, my apologies, that was rather impolitic.Moving on

Continued on Page 30 - 101



By Wr. Giovanni Lombardo,P.M.Lemmi Lodge #300Grande Oriente dItalia

The Masonic dress of brothersin lodge essentially consists of

the plain white lambskin apron, and white gloves.Both of these items have ritual and symbolicsignificance to a Mason. In addition, officers wearcollars with declare their station. From these collarsdepend what we refer to as Jewels; the Square ofthe Master, the Level of the Senior Warden, thePlumb of the Junior Warden, the Crossed Quillsof the Secretary, the Crossed Keys of the Treasurer,the Harp of the Organist, the Square and Compasssurrounding the shining sun of the Senior Deacon,the square and compass surrounding the CrescentMood of the Junior Deacon, the Cornucopia of theStewards and the Sword of the Tyler.

Each of these jewels has ritual and symbolicsignificance of their own, in addition to declaringwhich officer is which. And on one brother, themaster of the lodge, is the hat, usually a top hat,though in some jurisdictions it can be a cowboyhat, a beret, or a hat chosen by the master. Ofcourse, in some jurisdictions, the master does notwear a hat at all.

We are taught in ritual that in ancient times,stonecutters wore a lambskin apron, longer thanthe ones in use today. These aprons were strongenough to protect the wearer from splinters, scrapesand keep their clothing from being soiled whileworking in stone. This danger no longer exists aswe are speculative, not operative masons, so theapron today is symbolic. It represents the purity ofconduct so essentially necessary to gain admissioninto the great lodge above. As with everything inMasonry, the apron also has a deeper and moreesoteric meaning.

The apron is most often made of lambskin (or areasonable facsimile) though there are also apronsavailable in many lodges that are cloth or evensilk. Many believe that the lambskin apron shouldstill bear the wool, this being an animal fibre, inan esoteric sense, it can then act as insulator.

The aprons shape is that of a square, with atriangular flap on it. The square symbolizes thematter while the triangle, the vertex of which isup, reminds us of the alchemic symbol of fire, thussymbolizing the zeal that pushes Freemasonstoward heaven, the siege of the Supreme Being.

The apron also represents a Broached Thurnel,when the flap is turned up. This is particularlysymbolic of several things in most United StatesRituals. The Broached Thurnel is a symbol thathas been dropped from the ritual, while it isretained in the way an Entered Apprentice is taughtto wear his apron.

The apron covers the genitalias region, thusisolating it from the rest of the body. In order towork properly to the glory of the Grand Architect,as we are taught, all freemasons must learn tosubdue his passions within proper bounds.

Entered Apprentices wear their apron keeping theflap up: this further precaution is to protect theepigastrium, the part of human body which isimmediately over the stomach. This is where themanipura chakra is located. The passions chakracorresponds to the solar plexus. The EnteredApprentices job is to learn to subdue his passions,for like the youth the degree symbolizes, theEntered Apprentice is considered unable to controlincoming energies satisfactorily. Therefore, it isexpedient that they protect themselves and thebrethren adequately.

We have already noticed that the apron of theEntered Apprentice recalls the Broached Thurnel.This is a symbol which pertains to masters: thematter the square is turned into the spiritual:the triangle. The entered apprentice wears theapron with the top turned up to act as a reminder,showing to him the task which he must carry out.Conversely, Fellow Crafts and Master Masonskeep the flap down: this means that the mentaland the spiritual, respectively, closely interact withmatter, as it happens in the symbolism of Davidsstar.

White gloves are the other item of the Masonicdress. In Italy, it is compulsory to wear them ineach lodges meeting, as long as the meeting lasts.The only exception, is, when the brethren formthe unions chain at the close of lodge. In that case,hands must be bare so that the subtle energies ofthe Brethren can circulate more easily.

Gloves are symbol of purity: being hands symbolof human actions. Wearing the gloves reminds usof that purity and innocence with which we mustwork, performing only pure acts. Gloves, however,are also a tool: in the Temple everything is sacred,so nothing can be touched, but by pure hands.

It is worth noting that in old catholic liturgy, onlypopes and bishops could wear white gloves, thusevoking the hands of Jacob, that were covered withthe skins of the kids of the goats. We know thatthe name Jacob means the substitute, hencethe idea of regeneration, of a new man that takesthe place of the old one, like light which drivesdarkness away.

According the ritual of Grande Oriente dItalia,the Entered Apprentice receives two pairs ofgloves: one for himself and the other one for hisperfect lunar polarity. He should give that otherpair to the woman in whom he bears the utmostesteem. It is difficult to determine when thispractice started, though there is a small hint in

Prau in 1742, though it is thought this use is farolder. Masonic history informs us that Bro. Goethegifted his second pair of gloves to Mrs. Von Stein,remarking that even if the gift was seemingly poor,nonetheless it had a particular feature, that is, itcan be given by a Freemason only once in hislife.

Master Masons should cover their head when theywork in the third degree. The reason of this uselies in the esoteric feature of hair. Henry Allaixwrote that hair works like a receiving set, whilebeard and moustache are thought to emit energy.In ancient times, Christian monks received atonsure, which removed the hair on their heads,but they did not shave. So the master covers hishead thus showing he refuses any externalinfluences...

Other interpretations are however possible. Fromthe ritual we are learned that the Lodge begins towork when it is properly tiled. On the other side,every human body is the temple of the HolyGhost , so the Master Mason who covers his headactually tiles his own temple. Still today, in theirtemples where they are appearing before G-D,observant Jews wear the kippah, and in Italy manyMaster Masons do the same.

Last, but not the least, few words about the tunic.(fig. 1) In Italy, during the two world wars,Freemasons wore it. The tunic is black, and itscolor reminds us of the importance of the hermeticworks phase which is called Crows head, ornigredo. There is a deep esoteric meaning inwearing the tunic, for it teaches the brethren to

give up vanity and any outer difference. In wearingthe tunic, they are really meeting on the level.

As is taught in the first degree, when the candidateis neither naked nor clad, it is not the outerqualifications that make a man a mason, but theinner. The tunic makes all equal. The tunic alsoresembles the symbol of death, the grim reaper. In

Continued on Page 31 - Wear

Manner of Masonic Dress



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The Spirit of MasonryWilliam HutchinsonThe classic 1775 Masonic study as revised by George Oliver. Searchable-text PDF format. ISBN: 1-887560-61-0

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Continued on Next Page



come across regarding the actual name of theMasonic hero was that Hiram meant noble orkingly in Hebrew, while Abif has been identifiedas old French for lost one, giving a literaldescription of the king that was lost. Masonicritual refers to Hiram Abif as the Son of theWidow... In Egyptian legend the first Horus wasuniquely conceived after his fathers death andtherefore his mother was a widow evenbefore his conception. It seemed logical thereforethat all those who thereafter became Horus, i.e.the kings of Egypt, would also describethemselves as Son of the Widow.

The newly installed King became the God-Man,Horus, only after he was raised from the deadin a living resurrection ceremony. The words tothis ritual were never written on any scroll, butthey were handed down, learned and rememberedword for word. Although there is evidence for ageneric connection between the Craft and theAncient Mysteries, there is no explanation of howthe material might have been transmitted or howthe tradition could remain hidden through therigors of the Dark Ages and the probing of theInquisition.

The King that had died and had post-presentlybeen the God Horus, would become the GodOsiris at death providing the secret ritual wordswere spoken and he was resurrected to theultimate position of being the God of the Deadandthe King of the Underworld. Osiris, becomingimmortal, could return to the earth and incarnateinto a mortal man. In this state he could teachthe people, be a civilizer and legislator andthen return from whence he came. If the King-God Osiris had lived a righteous life, if he wasfree of sin, he achieved the status of being AMASTER in Heaven. This consists of his soulbeing weighed against the Feather of Maat. Ifhis soul is lighter than the feather, Osiris becomesa Master. As Osiris departs, Horus becomes theNew God-King.. The Book of the Dead (fromabout 1800 BC), reads very much like an oratorio.Although there is no evidence that it was actuallyperformed, the ritual is full of theatrical elements.It describes the journey of the soul, brought afterdeath by the jackal-headed god Anubis into theHall of Truth, where the dead mans heart isweighed against a feather. If the heart, made lightby goodness, does not outweigh the feather, thenthe soul is brought before Osiris and grantedimmortality. ..here Anubis checks the accuracyof the balance, Thoth records the results andAmmit prepares to gobble down hearts laden withsin.

The Ceremony was not only secret, but preformedand known only by the two Senior Priests of theTemple of Amen-Re, the Sun God. The Egyptiansbelieved in Eternal Life and they went to greatextremes to insure that the King achieved this.

Only the One True Living God could have taughtthem this. In these pages you will see why Godchose the Egyptians to be the Keepers of theWord and the Caretakers of the Knowledge.The Masonic Third Degree ceremony explainswhat happened that day over 3500 years ago inthe Temple at Thebes, which is now Luxor, whenthe True King and Master, Seqenenre Tao II wasmurdered. We concur with Knight and Lomas,that this legend becomes the story and drama ofthe Master Builder, Hiram Abiff.

The king-making ritual is known to have beenperformed in the pyramid of Unas. As in aMasonic temple, the ceiling of the main chamberrepresents the sky with stars in place. Thecommonly accepted view is that the ceremony wascelebrated on the last night of the waning moon,beginning at sunset and continuing all night untilsunrise, the purpose being a living resurrectionritual which identified the dead king with Osirisas an ascended Master. The picture is theformer Temple at Thebes. The real secrets of theEgyptian king-making ceremony, which includedthe raising of Osiris, died with Seqenenre, theman Masons symbolically refer to as Hiram Abiff,...the King that was lost. The Grand Master.The one who knew the ALL. This has alsobeen referred to as the reason for the Lost Nameof God and the Lost Word. After these wordswere lost, no king could journey to the afterlifeto be one with Osiris.

The Egyptian hieroglyphic for the morning starhas the literal meaning divine knowledge. Thisseems to support our thesis that the candidate forkingship was raised to the status of the new god/king Horus by sharing the secrets of the gods inthe land of the dead, where he learned the greatsecrets before returning to Earth as the morningstar broke the horizon just before sunrise. Atthe coronation/funeral ritual, the old king wasresurrected as the new one, and proved himself asuitable candidate by traveling around theperimeter of the entire country. This was really asymbolic act as the new king was conductedaround the temple room to show himself a worthycandidate to those present, which included thegod Re and his main assistant.

Gods people and Israel. Bible references do notexplain that there were two ruling factors in Egyptat the same time. However this is confirmed byEgyptian records and history. Consult TheSecond Intermediate Period of Egypt for thedating of this important factor. Seqenenre Tao IIis placed in the XVII dynasty of Thebes ( 1558 -1554 ) which directly corresponds with Apepi I(Archls) of Avaris, (Heliopolis) 1581-1541 inthe XV dynasty. XIII Dynasty see at the top ofthe page. However, in the XIV Dynasty of Xoisor Avaris, we see an (Aphphis I )with no date.This is a Greek interpretation by Manetho . Apepiis also called Aphphis so he must be AphophisI. We feel this is the correct Hyksos ruler whosends Insults to Seqenenre. The man who becameknown as Israel, Abraham, was a Hyksos

himself, and a priest from the land of Sumer. Allevidence is that Abraham was a high-born manfrom Ur, in the land of Sumer. In the KJ bible,God told the father of Abram to go to Canaan andhe gave the land of Jordan to Abram. The King ofSalem was Melchizedek and he was also a HighPriest of Gods word and a chosen son. Abrahambecomes a High Priest following the order namedafter the King. In this priesthood, he is alsoinitiated into the mysteries. This initiationsupports the theory that two separate groups ofpeople had Gods knowledge at the same time.

The legend says; After the destruction of theworld, these two pillars were discovered byHermes, the son of Shem. Then the craft ofmasonry began to flourish, and Nimrod was oneof the earliest patrons of the art. Abraham, theson of Jerah, was skilled in the seven sciencesand taught the Egyptians the science of grammar.Euclid was his pupil, and instructed them in theart of making mighty walls and ditches to preservetheir houses from the inundations ofthe Nile, and by geometry measured out the land,and divided it into partitions so that each manmight ascertain his own property. And he it waswho gave masonry the name of geometry. Onestory proclaims that Abraham is to return to theland of his fathers and regain from them thesecrets God left with the Caretakers. It is saidAbraham became friends with the Pharaoh, butthis alludes to the Hyksos Ruler, not SeqenenreTao or the other Thebian Royal House.. Thefamily of Abraham traveled to Egypt in 1780 BC.Hence the name Shepherd Kings. TheUmosejhe (Egyptians ) were bound to the Hyksosin ways of Spirit beyond the personal will becausetheir ancestors came from the same place.. Theseusurpers rewrote the history of Olai / Hyksos,making them enemies and conquerors of Egypt.The full explanation of this is on the ShepherdKings page.

Appendix

In Rabbinical Literature:

2. Artificer sent by Hiram, King of Tyre, toSolomon. He was apparently of a mixed race; hisfather being a Tyrian, and his mother of the tribeof Naphtali (I Kings vii. 13, 14) or of the tribe ofDan (II Chron. ii. 12 [A. V. 14]). The wordsHuram abi, which terminate II Chron. ii. 11(A. V. 13), generally translated Huram myfathers (see No. 1), are taken by some to be thename of the artificer; with this name compareHammurabi, of which Hiram Abi may be alocal variant or misreading. The name is curiouslyused in Freemasonry.

There is an essential difference, as regards thenature of Hirams technical specialty, between IKings and II Chronicles. According to the former,Hiram was an artificer only in brass; and the

HiramContinued from Page 3

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pieces which he executed for the Temple werethe two pillars Jachin and Boaz,

Bible text:

Chron. ii. 13 [14] it is said that Hiram wasskilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, iniron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue,and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to graveany manner of graving. Thus he seems to havesuperintended all the work of the Temple.Josephus says (Ant. viii. 3, 4) that Hiramsfather was Ur of the stock of the Israelites, thathe was skilful in all sorts of work, but that hischief skill lay in working in gold, silver, and brass.Josephus apparently interprets the words ish?ori to mean a man who lived in Tyre, and thename of Ur probably originated in the confusionbetween Hiram and Bezaleel. In I Kings vii.40 (A. V. margin) the form Hirom occurs.E.

1 Kings 7

The Temples Furnishings

13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,[7] 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe ofNaphtali and whose father was a man of Tyreand a craftsman in bronze. Huram was highlyskilled and experienced in all kinds of bronzework. He came to King Solomon and did all thework assigned to him.15 He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubitshigh and twelve cubits around, [8] by line. 16 Healso made two capitals of cast bronze to set onthe tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits[9 ] high. 17 A network of interwoven chainsfestooned the capitals on top of the pillars, sevenfor each capital. 18 He made pomegranates in tworows [10] encircling each network to decorate thecapitals on top of the pillars. [11] He did the samefor each capital. 19 The capitals on top of the pillarsin the portico were in the shape of lilies, fourcubits [12] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars,above the bowl-shaped part next to the network,were the two hundred pomegranates in rows allaround. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico ofthe temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin[13] and the one to the north Boaz. [14] 22 The capitalson top were in the shape of lilies. And so thework on the pillars was completed. All these objects that Huram made for KingSolomon for the temple of the LORD were ofburnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast inclay molds in the plain of the Jordan betweenSuccoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon left all thesethings unweighed, because there were so many;the weight of the bronze was not determined.48 Solomon also made all the furnishings that werein the LORDs temple: 1 Kings 8

The Ark Brought to the Temple

17 My father David had it in his heart to build atemple for the Name of the LORD , the God ofIsrael. 18 But the LORD said to my father David,Because it was in your heart to build a templefor my Name, you did well to have this in yourheart. 19 Nevertheless, you are not the one to buildthe temple, but your son, who is your own fleshand blood-he is the one who will build the templefor my Name.

Solomons Prayer of Dedication

27 But will God really dwell on earth? Theheavens, even the highest heaven, cannot containyou. How much less this temple I have built! 28

Yet give attention to your servants prayer andhis plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear thecry and the prayer that your servant is praying inyour presence this day. 29 May your eyes be opentoward this temple night and day, this place ofwhich you said, My Name shall be there, sothat you will hear the prayer your servant praystoward this place. 30 Hear the supplication of yourservant and of your people Israel when they praytoward this place. Hear from heaven, yourdwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

41 As for the foreigner who does not belong toyour people Israel but has come from a distantland because of your name- 42 for men will hearof your great name and your mighty hand andyour outstretched arm-when he comes and praystoward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, yourdwelling place, and do whatever the foreignerasks of you, so that all the peoples of the earthmay know your name and fear you, as do yourown people Israel, and may know that this houseI have built bears your Name.

1 Kings 9

The LORD Appears to Solomon

3 The LORD said to him: I have heard the prayerand plea you have made before me; I haveconsecrated this temple, which you have built,by putting my Name there forever. My eyes andmy heart will always be there.

1 Corinthians 3

8 The man who plants and the man who watershave one purpose, and each will be rewardedaccording to his own labor. 9 For we are Godsfellow workers; you are Gods field, Godsbuilding.

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid afoundation as an expert builder, and someone elseis building on it. But each one should be carefulhow he builds. 11 For no one can lay anyfoundation other than the one already laid, whichis Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on thisfoundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood,hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what

it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It willbe revealed with fire, and the fire will test thequality of each mans work. 14 If what he has builtsurvives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it isburned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will besaved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

16 Dont you know that you yourselves are Godstemple and that Gods Spirit lives in you? 17 Ifanyone destroys Gods temple, God will destroy him;for Gods temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Huram is a name used by the Chronicler forHiram, king of Tyre. 2 Chronicles 2.3-16

Huram-abi is a name used by the Chronicler for thecraftsman, Hiram. 2 Chronicles 2.13, 14; 4.11-16

2 Chronicles 2:

2:7 Now send me a man who is skilled inworking with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, aswell as purple, crimson, and violet colored fabrics,and who knows how to engrave. He will workwith my skilled craftsmen here in Jerusalem andJudah, whom my father David provided.

2:13 Now I am sending you Huram Abi,22 a skilledand capable man, 2:14 whose mother is a Daniteand whose father is a Tyrian.23 He knows how towork with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, andwood, as well as purple, violet, white, andcrimson fabrics. He knows how to do all kinds ofengraving and understands any design given tohim. He will work with your skilled craftsmenand the skilled craftsmen of my lord David yourfather.

It would seem a reasonable conclusion. That if,we are inclined to hold the Egyptian foundationup as the origins of Masonic structure. Then aswith most stories, like the size of fish they changewith the proportions of time between the tellingof the tale. We must recognize that the art ofreading and writing was far from easily availableto the general populous at this time frame. Therewould have been a great reliance on remembranceand we all know as I said the tale changes fromtelling to telling. But, most often carries with itthe basics of the original story.

We then blend into this tale the fundamentals ofbeing able to move around the then known worldin safety and in an organized manner. If there wasalready a pattern laid down, that was proven tobe safe and efficient, then it would be a realisticproposition to follow that pattern.

Are these the foundation stones of the Masonicstructure? The fact, that this system of safe travelfrom one Lodge to another. The safe movementof funds. I would point out that the Israeli Bankingsystem of the Middle Ages was drawn on suchtrust. The Knights Templer appear to haveadopted many of these practices.


Continued on Next Page - Hiram



Is it a simple as that? If an Idea works, steal it.

We can speculate on the Egyptian origin, I amnot sure that it is that important to conclude thispoint. Other than, there was a great upheaval inthis part of the world with the Upper and Lowerempires of Egypt, fighting over the Deity. Oneand only True God or many Gods. There arescholars that support the Exodus as the Israelitesbringing out of Egypt the concept of the True andLiving God. The one and only God. Omnipotent.

We just do not have available to us definingevidence to support any of these hypothesis.

We are left with the preponderance of theevidence. All you can due is ask of yourself howwould you have decided in those circumstances.

Hiram Key

Hiram Abif (Seqenenre Tao II) -Hebrewtranslation, Hiram-nobleor kingly and Abifidentified as old French for lost one is literallytranslated as the king that was lost. Hiram isalso believed to be the last true heir and king ofEgypt (not a Pharaoh) at the end of the SecondIntermediate Period (1782-1570 BC), who wasmurdered (the only Egyptian King found to bemurdered) presumably by followers of the HyksosKing Apophis. This murder ushered out theHyksos Kings and the expulsion of over 200,000households from Northern Egypt by the murderedKings sons Kamose and Ahmose. There is a lotof confusion as to the reference of Hiram, Kingof Tyre who was recorded in the Bible (1 Kings5:1-18) as providing the materials and skilledlaborers to help build Solomons Temple, somebelieve the two share only a name in common

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_II_the_Brave

Tao IIs mummy was discovered in the Deir el-Bahri cache, revealed in 1881. He was interredalong with those of other, later 18th and 19thdynasty leaders Ahmose I (likely his son),Amenhotep I, Thutmose I, Thutmose II, ThutmoseIII, Ramesses I, Seti I, Ramesses II, and RamessesIX, as well as the 21st dynasty pharaohsPsusennes I, Psusennes II, and Siamun.

The mummy was unwrapped by Gaston Masperoon June 9, 1886. A vivid description by GastonMaspero provides an account of the damage thatwas done to the pharaoh at his death:

...it is not known whether he fell upon the fieldof battle or was the victim of some plot; theappearance of his mummy proves that he died aviolent death when about forty years of age. Twoor three men, whether assassins or soldiers, musthave surrounded and despatched him before helpwas available. A blow from an axe must have



severed part of his left cheek, exposed the teeth,fractured the jaw, and sent him senseless to theground; another blow must have seriously injuredthe skull, and a dagger or javelin has cut openthe forehead on the right side, a little above theeye. His body must have remained lying where itfell for some time: when found, decompositionhad set in, and the embalming had to be hastilyperformed as best it might. The hair is thick,rough, and matted; the face had been shaved onthe morning of his death, but by touching thecheek we can ascertain how harsh and abundantthe hair must have been. The mummy is that of afine, vigorous man, who might have lived to ahundred years, and he must have defendedhimself resolutely against his assailants; hisfeatures bear even now an expression of fury. Aflattened patch of exuded brain appears aboveone eye, the forehead is wrinkled, and the lips,which are drawn back in a circle about the gums,reveal the teeth still biting into the tongue

It has been convincingly argued that SeqenenraTaas wound across the forehead was caused byan axe, similar to examples that have been foundin Tell el-Daba. Egyptian axes of the same periodare distinctly different in shape and would nothave caused a similar wound. Given the angle ofthe neck wound, possibly caused by a dagger, itis most likely that the pharaoh was prone or lyingdown when the fatal blows were struck.[5] Inaddition, the absence of wounds to the arms orhands (which would be expected if the victimwere actively defending himself) indicates thatthe first blow must have incapacitated SeqenenraTaa. The popular theory is that he died in a battleagainst the Hyksos, though the wounds would alsobe consistent with someone who was killed whilehe slept.

Constant knows nothing of this. The Masonicliterature of the time, for which thephilosopher had a not unnatural contempt,did not discuss the question. Mostly derivedfrom or elaborated on the basis of the OldCharges, it had to do with a largely mythicalstory of the transmission of civilization fromthe biblical patriarchs and by the Hebrews,the Phoenicians, the Greeks, and the Romansto the Middle Ages. Fesslers rite was takenup with a historical critique of systems andrites and degrees and was well adapted toproduce Masonic scholars in the sense of mendeeply grounded in rites and rituals. But itdid not touch upon the three questions ofMasonic philosophy except incidentally andinferentially. What was to be had fromPrestons Illustrations, from Frenchdiscussions of the symbols, and from somepious discourses which had begun to appear,could not satisfy a philosopher. In short,Constant knew no more of the philosophy ofthe Craft than did the uninitiate. For the

LettersContinued from Page 5

purposes of philosophy he must begin at thebeginning.

Philosophical systems grow out of attempts tosolve concrete problems of a time and place. Thephilosopher finds a satisfying solution and putsit in abstract, universal terms. Then he or hisdisciples make it or seek to make it a universalsolvent, equal to all problems everywhere and inall times. Accordingly, Fichte starts with theurgent concrete problem of Masonry in his time.It appeared to be hopelessly divided into systemsand sects and rites. In England, the schism of theself-styled Ancients had produced two GrandLodges, each claiming to be the true successor ofthe Masonry which had come down from antiquitythrough the Middle Ages. On the Continent, thepulling and hauling of rival sovereign bodies, theclaims of self-constituted leaders to property inthe high degrees and the downright peddling ofthem, had produced an even worse condition. InGermany, the charlatanry of the Strict Observancehad led to scandals which inflicted serious injuryon the order. Hence it was necessary to go backto first principles and determine what Masonrycould be and what it ought to be.

Where was one to begin such an inquiry? Fichtesaw that he could get no satisfactory starting pointfrom the literature of Masonry as it then was.The Old Charges and the mythical history of thetransmission of civilization did not help. It wasnecessary to resort to reason. What in reason wasthere to be done which an immemorial universalbrotherhood could do and should be doing? Inanswering this question Fichte had before himalso the social, political, and economic conditionof Europe, and in particular of Germany, in histime, and the problem thus presented to thephilosopher possessed of an ideal of humanperfection or, if you will, civilization.

What impressed him as a child of the people whohad come up through adversity (his brother is saidto have died an agricultural laborer) was the gulfbetween the cultivated, professional man, the lesscultivated practical man of business, and theuncultivated man in the humbler walks of life,each, however wise in his calling and howevervirtuous, suspicious of the others, unappreciativeof the others purposes, and very likely intolerantof the others plans and proposals. Thus there wasin society the same unhappy cleavage which hesaw in the Masonry of the time. He saw the samephenomenon also in the political order of the time.

The medieval academic ideal of political unityof Christendom in the empire had broken downin the sixteenth century and had been supersededby nationalism. Since that time Christendom hadbeen torn by successive wars between nationsseeking political hegemony, and, when Fichtewrote, the wars of the French Revolution andempire were still waging. Society in westernEurope seemed hopelessly divided into states



unable to work together except in fluctuatingalliances and then not toward any common goalof humanity or of civilization but only towardpolitical self-aggrandizement. In Germany, not yetunified politically, but divided into more than twodozen states, in more or less constant strife witheach other, the political condition of Europe wasreflected in aggravated form.

A like phenomenon was appearing in the economicorder. The relationally organized society of theMiddle Ages had broken down. The FrenchRevolution had put an end to feudal society inFrance and it was passing in central Europe.Economic freedom of the middle class had givenit increasingly complete political control. But theproletariat was emerging to class consciousnessand was making continually increasing demands.Thus there was growing up a class-organizedsociety which has been a conspicuous feature ofthe economic order with the progressiveindustrialization which has gone on everywheresince the end of the eighteenth century. States,classes, professions, and walks of life alike weresuspicious of each other, prejudiced against eachother, intolerant of each other. Society in Europe,which was culturally a unit and had inherited auniversal tradition from the Middle Ages, wasinternally chaotic, and in a condition of internalstrife and conflict which stood in the way of theprogress of civilization. Even the unity of thechurch, which had held men together to someextent during the Middle Ages, had disappearedat the Reformation, and sects and denominationswere suspicious, prejudiced and intolerant amongthemselves.

Thus Fichte looked at the problem presented bythe condition of Masonry in his time and placesub specie ternitatis as part of a problem of allhumanity, along with one of social, political,economic, and religious organization of mankind,and sought a solution that would enable Masonryto meet or help meet a great need of mankind.Indeed, his Masonic philosophy is in a sense a partof a larger social and political philosophy in whichit is now considered that he laid the foundation ofmuch of the social philosophical thinking of today.But that is too large a subject to go into here.

What was demanded, as Fichte saw it, was anallaround development of the individual manwhich would enable him to cast off or preventhis acquiring the suspicions andmisunderstandings and prejudices which standin the way of cooperation with others towarddeveloping human powers to their highestpossibilities. As it was, each man was trained ortrained himself for some profession or vocationor walk of life and as he perfected himself for thepurposes of that profession or vocation or walkof life he narrowed his outlook upon the worldand came to look upon it and upon his fellowmen as it were through the spectacles of that

calling. Looking at other callings through thesespectacles, he became suspicious, prejudiced, andintolerant and so largely incapable of assisting inthe maintaining and furthering of civilization.There was need, therefore, of an organization inwhich men were to be given or led to an all-rounddevelopment, instead of the one sided vocationaldevelopment which they acquired in a societybased on division of labor. While in society atlarge they were adequately trained towardeffective division of labor, in Masonry they mustbe adequately trained for effective cooperationtoward the highest human development. Thepurpose, then, must be an all-round developmentof men as men; not merely as fellows in a calling,citizens of a state, members of a class or adherentsof a denomination, but as men fully competentand attentive to their duties as members of aprofession, as citizens, as churchmen, and yetconscious also of duties as men to rise abovesuspicion, prejudice, and intolerance, andappreciate and work sympathetically with theirfellows in every walk of life, of every politicalallegiance, and of every creed.

Today, when exaggerated nationalism andaggressive class consciousness are threatening todisrupt civilization, thinkers are approachingFichtes position not from metaphysics, as he did,but from the standpoint of social psychology. Weare told that no man can form an objective andunbiased judgment of a situation in which he isemotionally interested. Hence, he unconsciouslylooks at every one and everything from thestandpoint of a profession or trade or calling orclass or nation or denomination and so, even withthe best of motives, proceeds upon prejudices andmisconceptions which impede his relations withothers. Whether in business or industry or politicsor international relations, we see this manifestedevery day. We have had illustrations in strikes,in race riots, and in wars. It is recognized as givingus a major problem of social control. Every socialagency, the law, administration, international law,and all attempts at international organization mustreckon with it. Many of those who are urging somesort of world organization to secure peaceableadjustment of international relations are writingvery much in view of the second world war in ageneration as Fichte did during the NapoleonicWars. We must concede that he has set us a taskwhich transcends time and place.

2. the relation of masonry to other humanorganizations and activities. Fichtes conceptionof individual personality and its value led him tooppose any idea of merging the moral unit in thepolitical or any other organization. Such theoriesmisconceive the nature of organizations. Theyorganize certain of mens activities withoutincluding their personalities. Thus each of us maybe in any number of groups or associations orrelations which organize our activities in differentdirections while still leaving us free in all others.In consequence, there is no incompatibility inbeing an efficient professional man or man ofbusiness, a faithful worker in some calling, a

loyal, patriotic citizen, a devout churchman, anda Mason striving for the universal while attentiveto the particular. Fichte urges that one may be abetter citizen of the world for being a good citizenof his state, and a better citizen of his state forbeing a good citizen of the world. We should seekto shape many-sided men, but not so many-sidedthat we cannot find any particular side. Masonryis not to supersede calling, government, or church;it is to supplement them. It is to help us becomplete, well-rounded men as well as theefficient, patriotic, devout men which we are orshould be outside of the Order. It is not hard tosee why absolute personal governments in theeighteenth century and totalitarian governmentsin the present century have suppressed Masonry.An order which considers that any organizationof mens activities can

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