Fiannawolf wrote:
jfritzyb: Albert Pike was Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite's Southern Jurisdiction from 1850something to his death.
I am an Entered Aprentice Mason, with my Fellowcraft test coming up shortly.
So b/c he was Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, that means he isn't a reliable source for Freemasonry? Isn't his book on the required reading list? Another thing; Freemasonry is fashioned in the way some temples are fashioned. You have the outer court, the inner court, and THEN you have the ESPECIALLY Holy place...and THEN you have the abode of the shrine.
The Blue Lodge is the "outer court"; they can lie to you if they want b/c you're not an adept but a beginner. In their mind, you don't deserve to know what the "adepts" know so you're the one who's expendable!
Quote:
Masonry, like all the religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, CONCEALS it secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it. Truth is not for those who are unworthy or unable to receive it, or would pervert it" (the symbolic meaning behind why they blindfolded you). "The Blue Degrees [that's where you're at, my friend] are but the outer court or portico of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the Initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them, but it is intended that he shall imagine he understands them."
When you took your oath, you were blind folded, led to the "Worshipful Master", and stated that you were in darkness seeking the light of Freemasonry. I think you missed the symbolicness of what you were doing; symbollically speaking, you came to them, not to join a philanthropic society
but to find truth--their truth! If you joined them b/c you were trying to find the truth that's one thing. But if you joined them b/c you wanted to be a part of a "charitable organization", I suggest you look elsewhere for they are a religious organization.
For Freemasonry, in many respects, is no different then the Mystery Religions that existed before and after Christ's time. Not only that, much of your money you pay goes towards the parties that the shriners hold every so often.
Quote:
"Man is a god in the making, and as in the mystic myths of Egypt, on the potter's wheel he is being molded. When his light shines out to lift and preserve all things, he receives the triple crown of godhood and joins that throng of Master Masons who, in their robes of Blue and Gold, are seeking to dispel the darkness of night with the triple light of the Masonic Lodge."
"The glorious privileges of a Master Mason are in keeping with his greater knowledge and wisdom...For Him the Heavens have opened and the Great Light has bathed him in its radiance. The Prodigal Son, so long a wanderer in the regions of darkness, has returned to his Father's house. The voice speaks from the Heavens, its power thrilling the Master until his own being seems filled with its divinity, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' He [The Master Mason], in truth has become the spokesman of the Most High. He stands between the glowing fire light and the world. Through him passes Hydra, the great snake, and from its mouth there pours to man the light of God." (The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, Manly P. Hall, pages 92, 54-55, Macoy Publishing and Supply Co., Richmond, Va, 1976)
