

#: 22365 S13/Becoming A Mason
    03-Oct-93  04:35:23
Sb: #Aims & relationships
Fm: Jacques Huyghebaert 100142,1234       Belgum
To: Michael Segall 100275,1313 (X)        Paris

Dear Mike

Here is the definition of Freemasonry generally known under the title
"AIMS AND RELATIONSHIPS OF THE CRAFT


from the Year Book of the Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of
Scotland, Edinburg 1993, pp.50-51

AIMS AND RELATIONSHIPS OF THE CRAFT
-----------------------------------

In August 1938 the Grand Lodges of England, Ireland and Scotland each agreed
upon and issued a statement identical in terms except that the name of the
issuing Grand Lodge apeared througout. This statement which was entitled "Aims
and relationships of the Craft" was in the following terms.

1. From time to time the Grand Lodge of Scotland has deemed it desirable to set
forth in precise form the aims of Freemasonry as consistently practised under
its jurisdiction since it came into being as an organised body in 1736, and
also to define the principles governing its relations with those under other
Grand Lodges with which it is in fraternal accord.

2. In view of representations which have been received, and of statements
recently issued which have distorted or obscured the true objects of
Freemasonry, it is once again considered necessary to emphasise certain
fundamental principles of the order.

3. The first condition of admission into, and membersip of, the Order is a
belief in the Supreme Being. This is essential and admits of no compromise.

4. The Bible, referred to by Freemasons as the Volume of the Sacred Law, is
always open in the Lodges.  Every candidate is required to take his obligation
on that Book, or on the Volume which is held by his particular Creed to impart
sanctity to an oath or promise taken upon it.

5. Everryone who enters Freemasonry is, at the outset, strictly forbidden to
countenance any act which may have a tendency to subvert the peace and good
order of society, he must pay due obedience to the law of any state in which he
resides or which may afford him protection, and he must never remiss in the
alegiance due to the Sovereign of his native land.

6. While Scottish Freemasonry thus inculcates in each of its members the duties
of loyalty and citizenship, it reserves to the individual the right to hold his
own opinion with regard to public affairs.  But neither in the Lodge nor at any
time in his capacity as a Freemason is he permitted to discuss or to advance
his views on theological or political questions.

7. The Grand Lodge has always consistently refused to express any opinion o
questions of foreign or domestic state policy either at home or abroad, and
will not allow its name to be associated with any action, however humanitarian
it may apear to be, which infringes its unalterable policy of standing aloof
from every question affecting the relations between one Government and another,
or between political parties, or questions as to rival theories of Government.

8. The Grand Lodge is aware that there do exist bodies styling themselves
Freemasons, which do not adhere to these principles, and while that attitude
exists the Grand Lodge of Scotland refuses absdolutely to have any relations
with such bodies or to regard them as Freemasons.

9.  The Grand Lodge of Scotland is a sovereign and independent body practising
Freemasonry only within the three degrees and only within the limits defined in
its Constitution.  It does not recognise or admit the existence of any superior
Masonic authority however styled.

10. On more than one occasion the Grand Lodge has refused, and will continue to
refuse, to participate in conferences with so-called International Associations
claiming to represent Freemasonry, which admit to membership bodies failing to
conform strictly to the principles upon which the Grand Lodge of Scotland is
founded.  The Grand Lodge does not admit such claim, nor can its views be
represented by such Association.

11. There is no secret with regard to any of the basic principles of
Freemasonry, some of which have been stated above.  The Grand Lodge will always
consider the recognition of those Grand Lodges which profess and practise, and
can show that they have consistently professed and practised, those established
and unaltered principles, but in no curcumstances will it enter into discussion
with a view to any new or varied interpretation of them.  They must be accepted
and practised wholeheartedly and in their entirety by those who desire to be
recognised by the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

                      ---------------------------------

A Conference held in June 1949 between the Grand Lodges of England, Ireland and
Scotland and all unhesitatingly reaffirmed the statement that was pronounced in
1938; nothing in its present-day affairs (1993) has been found that could cause
them to recede from that attitude.

If Freemasonry once deviated from its course by expressing an opinion on
political or theological questions, it would be called upon not only publicly
to approve or denounce any movement which might arise in the future, but would
sow the seeds of discord among its own members.

The three Grand Lodges are convinced that it is only by this rigid adherence to
this policy that Freemasonry has survived the constantly changing doctrines of
the outside world, and are compelled to place on record their complete
disapproval of any action which may tend to permit the slightest departure from
the basic principles of Freemasonry.  They are strongly of opinion that if any
of the three Grand Lodges does so, it cannot maintain a claim to be following
the Antient Landmarks of the Order, and must ultimately face disintegration.

                      ---------------------------------

There is 1 Reply.

#: 22401 S13/Becoming A Mason
    03-Oct-93  16:29:56
Sb: #22365-Aims & relationships
Fm: Michael Segall 100275,1313     from Paris
To: Jacques Huyghebaert 100142,1234 (X)      Belgum

Dear Jacques,

It seems that we see eye to eye with these Brethren. The problem is in the fact
that not all regular bodies are recognised, mainly due to the very unevenly
applied and recent rule that only one GL can be recognized in one country, that
some irregular bodies are recognised, and that the number and content of
Landmarks has varied wildly over the last couple of centuries.

Whence my modest proposal of a "smallest common denominator" definition of
Freemasonry, that would allow Masons to break out of their present ghettos and
Freemasonry to actually apply the ideas of universal Brotherhood it talks so
much about.

You will also note that this document does nowhere deny the right of a MM to do
what he pleases, as a free man, outside his Lodge, as long as he does not take
position in political and religious matters in the name of his GL.

The very last paragraph calls a comment. The Grand Lodges which face
disintegration today are often from among those which practise a  >>rigid
adherence to this policy<<. Rigidity on one side, coupled with debasing of the
level of Masonic work on the other, seem to be the main problem of these bodies
today.

Fraternally, Mike


#: 29218 S2/History/Symbolism
    25-Dec-93  06:37:18
Sb: #29172-Symbolism, you said?
Fm: John Day 100236,2364
To: William Wine (Sysop) 72435,1512 (X)

Bro. Bill,

Hi, I'm back again with some more for you!

The book "Freemasonry Illustrated, a complete exposition of the First Three
Masonic Degrees" by Jacob O. Doesberg, Chicago, Ezra A. Cook ca. 1867 has the
following to say:

Page 300, note 174: "Within the last fifty years there has been added to the
American emblems of Freemasonry that which is sometimes termed a heiroglyphical
figure - a female weeping over a broken column, a book open before her. In her
right hand a sprig, in her left an urn; Time standing behind her, with his
fingers enfolded in the ringlets of her hair. This figure was designed by Rev.
Jonathan Nye for the Heiroglyphic Monitor, published by Jeremy L. Cross in
1819. The idea doubtless was derived from the legend of Isis weeping at Byblos
over the column torn from the palace of the King, which contained the body of
Osiris, while Horus, the god of time, pours ambrosia on her hair." - Pierson's
Traditions, page 220.

Page 301, note 175: "Osiris and the Tyrian Architect are one and the same - not
a mortal individual, bu an idea - an IMMORTAL PRINCIPLE! In Egyptian
Freemasonry Osiris was the type of Beauty, Goodness, Order and Truth. So in the
temple myth, the Tyrian is the symbol of Beauty and Order, and of that Creative
art which is ever ready to seize the Ideal and incarnate it in material forms -
that divine art which robes the physical world in immortal splendors." -
Sickel's Ahiman Rezon, page 196.


Maybe we should see if someone has a copy of "The Heiroglyphical Monitor" Rev.
Jonathan Nye, 1819 Jeremy L. Cross; which we can concult to ascertain the
veracity or otherwise of the claim that the emblem was added to your ritual
around 1819.

If this symbolism were an addition of around that date then we can see why it
doesn't appear in rituals of English origin.

But this still leaves the question of how the symbolism appears in several
Scottish books. Did the Socttish authors 'borrow' some newer symbolism back
from the Americans in the latter part of the 19th century which has since been
'purged' from their ritual? If so then it must have been sometime after 1933,
possibly immediately before WW-II.

The search goes on!

S&F John

#: 29237 S2/History/Symbolism
    25-Dec-93  16:19:41
Sb: #29172-Symbolism, you said?
Fm: Michael Segall 100275,1313
To: William Wine (Sysop) 72435,1512 (X)

Brother Bill,

You are right, in the AASR the monument placed at the grave of HA is discussed
in the 5th and 6th degrees of the SR.

F&S, Mike

#: 29221 S2/History/Symbolism
    25-Dec-93  07:59:08
Sb: #28845-#Symbolism, you said?
Fm: Michael Segall 100275,1313
To: William Wine (Sysop) 72435,1512 (X)

Brother Bill,

I'm afraid our US Brethren are a bit wary of symbolism, which is the backbone
of European Masonry, where it mainly serves as a tool for a better
understanding of our Craft, of the meaning of how our Lodges are set up, of the
whys and wherefores of our rites and rituals.

This wariness is probably due to decades if not centuries of neglect, the main
preoccupation of US Masonry having very soon become a simple if not simplistic
set of morals (which certainly don't need symbolism, or even Masonry, to be
explained or understood) and very earthly preoccupations in the area of show or
festival masonry, with form largely overshadowing any content. I read a message
the other day about belly dancers performing in a Lodge. That's very far
removed from the intellectual and spiritual preoccupations Masonry has
elsewhere.

Our AASR has no reference whatsoever to the virgin & broken column symbol. The
ritual of the third refers to the Widow whose sons we all are, and the broken
column, which appears in a latter degree, refers to the death, and possibly the
funerary monument, of Master H.

On the other hand, monuments of young women (no way of knowing if they are
virgins or not<g>) weeping next to a broken column abound in cemeteries. The
symbolism, there, seems simple and obvious. The broken column obviously
represents the deceased. The woman represents either the bereft family, or the
soul of the departed lingering by the site of his interment (you like ghost
stories?).

The human sacrifice (not particularly of a virgin but mostly of a woman having
borne child) buried at the foot of a major building or bridge was frequent in
ancient civilizations. Innumerable old legends tell stories of this kind. In
mediaeval times, it was replaced by the ritual burial of a staff, a fathom
long, that had served before as the basic unit of measure for the building
(modulus).

Last word about columns and pillars. At the AASR we call columns the J and B
columns which flanked the entrance of Salomon's temple and which are physically
reproduced in our Lodges. We call pillars those, three in number, placed at
three of the four corners of the Pavement.

Fraternally, Mike


#: 29299 S2/History/Symbolism
    26-Dec-93  17:12:22
Sb: #29221-Symbolism, you said?
Fm: William Wine (Sysop) 72435,1512
To: Michael Segall 100275,1313 (X)

Brother Mike,

As I mentioned to Bro. John I sincerely appreciate your comments and research
into these symbol(s). Your comments are most interesting and yes, I do like a
good ghost story <grin>. I hope others are benefiting from these discussions as
well. I was beginning to wonder if my reference to 'temple sacfifice' came
strictly out of the mind of a Hollywood film producer <g>.

As a US Mason I do not, for the most part, take exception to your reference;
'I'm afraid our US Brethren are a bit wary of symbolism'. There are certainly
those, even Officers of Lodges, who have no idea of the beauty contained with
many of our symbols. Please do not, however, lump ALL of us into this category.
I am sure Brother Allen Roberts whose book 'The Craft and It's Symbols' would
tend to disagree with you regarding all US Masons. A program available to
members of the Southern California Research Lodge is to furnish Brother Allen's
book to all EA Masons on the night of their initiation. Many of us feel it is
important for the newly initiated to have a good idea as the meaning of our
symbols. The program is not wide spread and may not be as good as the one you
have in your GL but it is certainly better than nothing. (No heat here good
brother - just a simple comment.)

Thanks for continuing to keep this 'History/Symbolism' section active.

Fraternally ---:> Bill 


#: 29222 S2/History/Symbolism
    25-Dec-93  07:59:18
Sb: Symbolism, you said?
Fm: Michael Segall 100275,1313
To: Daniel E. Wolpert 73542,3254

Bro. Dan,

As far as I'm concerned, the object itself carries as much of a symbolic
message as a graphism or a representation of it. In your example the trowel,
which is in Lodge essentially the WM's tool, serves in real life lo lay the
mortar which ensures the adherence between the stones constituting an edifice,
and to spread the mortar that will equalize the inequalities and cracks between
the stones, bringing them to an integrated, unified condition as a completed
building.

The same way, in a Masonic Lodge, the work which must be done by the WM to
ensure that men of different origins, of different backgrounds, having been
differently shaped by their differing life experiences, will be molded into a
cohesive Lodge where true Brotherhood reigns, where rough spots and splits and
cracks have been smoothed out, can be compared to the action of a Trowel.

Thus the object "Trowel" carries, for those able to perceive its symbolism, a
multi-faceted plan of human action, a reminder of the means and methods
available - or to be invented - towards the accomplishment of the desired unity
and brotherhood. The complex project could of course, be rather laboriously
defined even in the absence and without reference to a trowel. But the symbol,
be it an actual metal-and-wood trowel or a representation engraved upon a wall
or printed in a book, will immediately remind the initiated of the total job to
be done and means required to accomplish it.

Regards, Mike



#: 29243 S2/History/Symbolism
    25-Dec-93  16:24:13
Sb: #Forming a Grand Lodge
Fm: Michael Segall 100275,1313
To: John Day 100236,2364 (X)

Again a heavyweight message from you, my Brother and friend! Let's see if I can
say something useful on some of your points...

EVOLUTION FROM OBSCURITY - One can not speak of regular origins for very old
Grand Lodges, England, Scotland, Ireland and France, because they invented the
very notion of regularity. They were regular by definition. That is of course
no insurance from becoming irregular, by abandoning some of the basic tenets
they set for themselves.

Sometimes irregularity can be ignored or glossed over for decades, if the
weight and power of the irregular GL-s are sufficient. As you say and on the
other hand, many irregular GL-s have been >>cleansed of their sins by nothing
more than a stroke of an administrative pen<<, without becoming regular for it.


SCHISM - Attention, the two Lodges that broke away to become the GLNF did NOT
come from the Grande Loge de France, but from that epitome of irregularity, the
Grand Orient of France. True, the reason given for the breakaway was the fact
that the GO had become irregular. Also true, it took from 1877 to 1913,
thirty-six years, for the two Lodges to act on the irregularity of the GO.

LODGE SPLITTING - I am not aware of Grand Lodges issued from lodge- splitting
in Europe. Not very kosher regularity- wise, really.

>>Obviously the relationship between Grand Lodges will vary from place to place
and from time to time, reflecting the currents of thought and process that are
occuring at the time. But we must remember that no one group of men are the
custodians of masonry indefinitely and that we must act to ensure that no one
group attempts to hijack our Craft by reason of their own political actions<<.
Hear! Hear!

Sincerely and fraternally, Mike

There is 1 Reply.

#: 29262 S2/History/Symbolism
    26-Dec-93  06:38:09
Sb: #29243-Forming a Grand Lodge
Fm: John Day 100236,2364
To: Michael Segall 100275,1313 (X)

Michael,

On the subject of Grand Lodges:

It seems that if you evolve from obscurity then you can't become irregular!
Given what we know about the GL at London it was hardly from obscurity, but it
seems that when you are making the rules then what you do does not seem to
matter too much!

SCHISM - I don't recall mentioning the GLF as being the source of the GLNF, if
I did it was an unintentional error for which I must apologise!

SPLITTING - I don't know which GL's are supposed to have come about this way,
but I am assured it has happened so I left it in the list. I must do some more
research on the subject.

S&F John
