My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

The Shrine Lecture

FriendshipCube

Registered User
Ark of the Covenant Priest Painting Final.jpeg
Delivered by
M.W. Bro., Cornelius W. O. McEvoy,
D.F.C., Q.C., LL.B, A.C.I. Arb., C. Arb., K.G., K.T., K.C.A.


Chairman, Ashlar College of Freemasonry, 1910-1913

December 22nd, 1917

The Emulation Lodge of Improvement is restricted to Master Masons in good standing. The work of the lectures is always done with the Lodge open in the Third Degree. The general salutes are therefore always done with the Lodge open in the Third Degree. Signs and tributes required by that of the Lectures will always be relevant to the Lecture being worked. Lectures can properly be collaborated with the Lodge open in the Entered Apprentice degree, but should never be worked to a lower degree than that appropriate to the Lecture. As the content of these Lectures has never been given any formal approval from Grand Lodge, they should not be regarded as reflecting the official reason for anything that is done. The CHARGE of this Lecture is, "I AM, the heart that conceals, and the tongue that never improperly reveals, any or either of the secrets or mysteries of or belonging to Free and Accepted Masons in Masonry, as revealing secrets could ruin the fun of it for other Masons, so to order, Brethren."

ALL- "E.A. sign, three times, seated."

The Articles of Union from the formation of the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England in 1817, proclaims that Ancient Masonry consists of three degrees, including that of the Holy Royal Arch. It is customary, at the erection of all stately and superb edifices, to lay the first or foundation stone at the North-East corner of the building. "May you raise a superstructure, perfects in its parts, and honorable to God, the builder." Freemasonry teaches us to practice the virtues we profess to admire. An apprentice must keep his tools clean, "That our words and actions may ascend unpolluted to the throne of Grace, through the will of God."

ALL: "We should serve Him with Freedom, Fervency, and Zeal."

Nothing is freer than chalk. The slightest touch leaves a trace. Thusly, chalk symbolizes freedom. Nothing is more fervent than charcoal, for when properly lighted, no metal can resist its force. Charcoal thusly symbolizes fervency. Nothing is more zealous than clay, for our mother earth is continually laboring for our support. The wind blows due East to cool men at work, and the wind blows due West to refresh. The wind is indeed, a due allusion to freedom, imbibed in the principle of labor, freedom, and equality among Free and Accepted Masons in Masonry. Dues may be paid in words, in tokens, and in favors. A Masters Wages are to arise from rebuilding the Temple of King Solomon within his heart.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."

Free and Accepted Masonry has a foundation stone of mutual faith and credit, of which is ascribed the personal properties of honor. Loyal and steadfast Masons come to see the Cosmic Ashlar in the light of this most ancient honor. It symbolizes the greatest of the three great lights, though it is, in contradistinction, relegated to complete darkness within the Lodge, beneath a black curtain in the South-East corner of Grand Emulation Lodges. Freemasonry is founded upon the fifth science, that of Geometry. Geometry is a science whereby we find out the content of bodies unmeasured, by comparing them with those already measured. Its proper subjects are magnitude and extension, a progression of science from a point to a line, and to the beginning of regular matter. A solid is length and breadth given thickness, which forms a cube, and comprehends the whole, be it the sun or the universe. When the sun is at its meridian, a Mason enters the craft and unfolds a divine mystery.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."

From the earliest days of Masonry, there has been an ancient secret, the ultimate of the craft system. The most sacred part of Masonry is a degree that educates Masons about the lengthy period following the end of Solomons reign.

ALL: "Eager to learn, willing to participate."

Being initiated into an ancient craft teaches you of the duties you owe to God, your neighbor, and yourself. There is a placing of the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place, within the ritual, to celebrate the completion and dedication of the whole structure. The hidden mysteries are within the Cosmic Ashlar, the Scrolls of Abraham, and the Tablets of Moses. The lost secrets instruct the initiate in the subject of restorative architecture. The craft teaches Masons to seek for that which was lost. The glimmer in the eye of a Mason, who has been prepared to meet death fearlessly, may indeed, be a tear of gladness.

ALL: "Enter and depart with gladness."

The keys to that which was lost, lead us gradually along the path of greater knowledge and personal understanding. An ancient language of light is evident in the hidden secrets of the enduring Order, the Order of the Cosmic Ashlar. Orders of Knighthood have been interlaced within the Royal Arch Degree of Ancient and Accepted Masonry, for millennia. The Oath and duty of every Master Mason, is to hail, conceal, and never reveal the secrets. There is no shortcut to Masonic knowledge within the enduring work. A Mason must be initiated, and be in good standing within the Lodge, in order to receive or deliver a Lecture, that the ancient work may endure.

ALL: "May our work endure. So Mote It Be."

The mark degree contains a dramatic message that fraud can never succeed, and yet, that lesson can only be taught through the Ancient and Holy Royal Arch. The symbol of the Mark Degree is a Keystone. The completion of the first temple in Israel, through ritual, empowers a Freemason to secure the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place, the Sanctum Sanctorum.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."

There is a basis for the well-known legend of the Prophet's ascension in Israel. Within the Al-Israel is an adapted Decalogue that reminisces of Jewish history. The Al-Isra, thus completes the Story of the Ancient Order of Companions. There is a reference to the Psalms, recollecting the meaning of the Psalms, the sense of the "Song of Solomon." Within the Psalms is a deep discussion among the Companions of the Order with The Holy Spirit.

ALL: "Herein Summoned."

There was an extended period following the end of Solomon's reign. The Temple of Jerusalem had been destroyed. The Kingdom of Judah had been divided. The Tribes had been taken into captivity. Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great and became part of the Persian Empire. A Persian Nobleman and poet, the first Knight of the Cosmic Ashlar, traveled from Jerusalem to Medina to Mecca and placed the Cosmic Ashlar intact into the Kaaba. In this time in history, Cyrus the Great set free the Jewish Captives. Cyrus the Great invited them to return to Jerusalem to commence the rebuilding of the Temple, and to restore the official secrets. Workers accomplished this through a great discovery. And yet the work has not been completed, and the secret has not yet been restored. Only the work of Freemasons can complete and restore Temple.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."

The Holy Writ of the Al-Isra states, "Glory be to Him who took His servant, by night, from the Sacred Shrine to the further Shrine, whose environs We have blessed, that We might show him some of our signs... He it is who is the One who Hears, the One who Sees. Verily, give good tidings unto the Believers, so that ye may seek bounty from your Lord, and ye may know the secret number.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."

We appointed Guidance for the Children of Israel, saying, "Take for yourselves no guardian beside Me."

ALL: "We should serve Him with Freedom, Fervency, and Zeal."

God Commands, "We will set between them and those who do not believe, a veil, spread like a curtain. We have set upon the hearts of the unbelievers, a covering, lest they shall understand it. And to their ears, heaviness. When thou makest mention of the Lord, in the lesson, they turn tail in flight. We will know how they will listen. They will say, "Who is going to restore us?"

ALL: "King Solomon, through the Craft of Hiram Abiff."

It is your Lord, who speeds along the ships for you in the Son, that ye may seek of His bounty. God suffices as a witness between you and me. He indeed is well informed about and observant of His servants. Am I anything more than a man who has come as a messenger?"

ALL: "A Guardian and Messenger."

In the Al-Isra, the first Knight of the Cosmic Ashlar travels by Heavenly Steed, from Mecca, back to Jerusalem, to the place of the First Temple, and ascends in the same space where Hiram Abiff was initiated into the Order. The Order of the Cosmic Ashlar teaches that Abraham built the first Shrine, the first Kaaba, and placed the Cosmic Ashlar in the South-East corner, beneath a black curtain. Abraham also built an Altar to the Lord in its center. Upon it, he set a square and compass. He was endued with a Prophetic Spirit through his working of the Shrine degrees.

ALL: "We shall honor His Shine."

The Shrine lectures teach the initiate to abide by the ancient usages and established customs of the Order of the Cosmic Ashlar. The Cosmic Ashlar, Scrolls of Abraham, and Tablets of Moses are the triune secret of the Order. The title of its initiates is, "Nobleman." All initiates, wherever dispersed over the face of the earth and water, are entitled to be speedily relieved from all their sufferings, and given a safe return to their native country, if they desire it.

ALL: "So Mote It Be.'

Through the workings of the Order of the Cosmic Ashlar, the Mighty Nation of Israel became highly favored of The Lord. The Order precedes the functioning of the Order of the Garter, based in England. The plans of our Monarch and King are to keep calm and carry on in the magnificent structure we deduce from our present system of government.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."


(Refer to Master of Ceremonies)

ALL: "Fidelity, Fidelity, Fidelity, and May God Be With Us All."


Foreign Office,
November 2nd, 1917.
Dear Lord Rothschild,

I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with the Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.
"His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours,
Arthur James Balfour

Adopted and Approved for Open Lodge this sixth day of September, A. L. 5984
 
Last edited:

Bloke

Premium Member
Delivered by
M.W. Bro., Cornelius W. O. McEvoy,
D.F.C., Q.C., LL.B, A.C.I. Arb., C. Arb., K.G., K.T.


Chairman, Ashlar College of Freemasonry, 1910-1913

December 22nd, 1917
6jAEpEalBfaFYg6qU10sKcBgMQ-5SahY8A659AcvnTEw8qGdvEp6nzP0l80fR1tGo6N0wPKakJk4f01WMMJkx-7CUfj9U9I9qfsQqNhaJviF4nZ0tjXU=w1075



The Emulation Lodge of Improvement is restricted to Master Masons in good standing. The work of the lectures is always done with the Lodge open in the Third Degree. The general salutes are therefore always done with the Lodge open in the Third Degree. Signs and tributes required by that of the Lectures will always be relevant to the Lecture being worked. Lectures can properly be collaborated with the Lodge open in the Entered Apprentice degree, but should never be worked to a lower degree than that appropriate to the Lecture. As the content of these Lectures has never been given any formal approval from Grand Lodge, they should not be regarded as reflecting the official reason for anything that is done. The CHARGE of this Lecture is, "I AM, the heart that conceals, and the tongue that never improperly reveals, any or either of the secrets or mysteries of or belonging to Free and Accepted Masons in Masonry, as revealing secrets could ruin the fun of it for other Masons, so to order, Brethren."

ALL- "E.A. sign, three times, seated."

The Articles of Union from the formation of the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England in 1817, proclaims that Ancient Masonry consists of three degrees, including that of the Holy Royal Arch. It is customary, at the erection of all stately and superb edifices, to lay the first or foundation stone at the North-East corner of the building. "May you raise a superstructure, perfects in its parts, and honorable to God, the builder." Freemasonry teaches us to practice the virtues we profess to admire. An apprentice must keep his tools clean, "That our words and actions may ascend unpolluted to the throne of Grace, through the will of God."

ALL: "We should serve Him with Freedom, Fervency, and Zeal."

Nothing is freer than chalk. The slightest touch leaves a trace. Thusly, chalk symbolizes freedom. Nothing is more fervent than charcoal, for when properly lighted, no metal can resist its force. Charcoal thusly symbolizes fervency. Nothing is more zealous than clay, for our mother earth is continually laboring for our support. The wind blows due East to cool men at work, and the wind blows due West to refresh. The wind is indeed, a due allusion to freedom, imbibed in the principle of labor, freedom, and equality among Free and Accepted Masons in Masonry. Dues may be paid in words, in tokens, and in favors. A Masters Wages are to arise from rebuilding the Temple of King Solomon within his heart.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."

Free and Accepted Masonry has a foundation stone of mutual faith and credit, of which is ascribed the personal properties of honor. Loyal and steadfast Masons come to see the Cosmic Ashlar in the light of this most ancient honor. It symbolizes the greatest of the three great lights, though it is, in contradistinction, relegated to complete darkness within the Lodge, beneath a black curtain in the North-East corner of Grand Emulation Lodges. Freemasonry is founded upon the fifth science, that of Geometry. Geometry is a science whereby we find out the content of bodies unmeasured, by comparing them with those already measured. Its proper subjects are magnitude and extension, a progression of science from a point to a line, and to the beginning of regular matter. A solid is length and breadth given thickness, which forms a cube, and comprehends the whole, be it the sun or the universe. When the sun is at its meridian, a Mason enters the craft and unfolds a divine mystery.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."

From the earliest days of Masonry, there has been an ancient secret, the ultimate of the craft system. The most sacred part of Masonry is a degree that educates Masons about the lengthy period following the end of Solomons reign.

ALL: "Eager to learn, willing to participate."

Being initiated into an ancient craft teaches you of the duties you owe to God, your neighbor, and yourself. There is a placing of the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place, within the ritual, to celebrate the completion and dedication of the whole structure. The hidden mysteries are within the Cosmic Ashlar, the Scrolls of Abraham, and the Tablets of Moses. The lost secrets instruct the initiate in the subject of restorative architecture. The craft teaches Masons to seek for that which was lost. The glimmer in the eye of a Mason, who has been prepared to meet death fearlessly, may indeed, be a tear of gladness.

ALL: "Enter and depart with gladness."

The keys to that which was lost, lead us gradually along the path of greater knowledge and personal understanding. An ancient language of light is evident in the hidden secrets of the enduring Order, the Order of the Cosmic Ashlar. Orders of Knighthood have been interlaced within the Royal Arch Degree of Ancient and Accepted Masonry, for millennia. The Oath and duty of every Master Mason, is to hail, conceal, and never reveal the secrets. There is no shortcut to Masonic knowledge within the enduring work. A Mason must be initiated, and be in good standing within the Lodge, in order to receive or deliver a Lecture, that the ancient work may endure.

ALL: "May our work endure. So Mote It Be."

The mark degree contains a dramatic message that fraud can never succeed, and yet, that lesson can only be taught through the Ancient and Holy Royal Arch. The symbol of the Mark Degree is a Keystone. The completion of the first temple in Israel, through ritual, empowers a Freemason to secure the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."

There is a basis for the well-known legend of the Prophet's ascension in Israel. Within the Al-Israel is an adapted Decalogue that reminisces of Jewish history. The Al-Isra, thus completes the Story of the Ancient Order of Companions. There is a reference to the Psalms, recollecting the meaning of the Psalms, the sense of the "Song of Solomon." Within the Psalms is a deep discussion among the Companions of the Order with The Holy Spirit.

ALL: "Herein Summoned."

There was an extended period following the end of Solomon's reign. The Temple of Jerusalem had been destroyed. The Kingdom of Judah had been divided. The Tribes had been taken into captivity. Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great and became part of the Persian Empire. A Persian Nobleman and poet, the first Knight of the Cosmic Ashlar, traveled from Jerusalem to Medina to Mecca and placed the Cosmic Ashlar intact into the Kaaba. In this time in history, Cyrus the Great set free the Jewish Captives. Cyrus the Great invited them to return to Jerusalem to commence the rebuilding of the Temple, and to restore the official secrets. Workers accomplished this through a great discovery. And yet the work has not been completed, and the secret has not yet been restored. Only the work of Freemasons can complete and restore Temple.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."

The Holy Writ of the Al-Isra states, "Glory be to Him who took His servant, by night, from the Sacred Shrine to the further Shrine, whose environs We have blessed, that We might show him some of our signs... He it is who is the One who Hears, the One who Sees. Verily, give good tidings unto the Believers, so that ye may seek bounty from your Lord, and ye may know the secret number.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."

We appointed Guidance for the Children of Israel, saying, "Take for yourselves no guardian beside Me."

ALL: "We should serve Him with Freedom, Fervency, and Zeal."

God Commands, "We will set between them and those who do not believe, a veil, spread like a curtain. We have set upon the hearts of the unbelievers, a covering, lest they shall understand it. And to their ears, heaviness. When thou makest mention of the Lord, in the lesson, they turn tail in flight. We will know how they will listen. They will say, "Who is going to restore us?"

ALL: "King Solomon, through the Craft of Hiram Abiff."

It is your Lord, who speeds along the ships for you in the Son, that ye may seek of His bounty. God suffices as a witness between you and me. He indeed is well informed about and observant of His servants. Am I anything more than a man who has come as a messenger?"

ALL: "A Guardian and Messenger."

In the Al-Isra, the first Knight of the Cosmic Ashlar travels by Heavenly Steed, from Mecca, back to Jerusalem, to the place of the First Temple, and ascends in the same space where Hiram Abiff was initiated into the Order. The Order of the Cosmic Ashlar teaches that Abraham built the first Shrine, the first Kaaba, and placed the Cosmic Ashlar in the North-East corner, beneath a black curtain. Abraham also built an Altar to the Lord in its center. Upon it, he set a square and compass. He was endued with a Prophetic Spirit through his working of the Shrine degrees.

ALL: "We shall honor His Shine."

The Shrine degrees teach the initiate to abide by the ancient usages and established customs of the Order of the Cosmic Ashlar, and the Order of the Abrahamic Shrine. The Cosmic Ashlar, Scrolls of Abraham, and Tablets of Moses are the triune secret of the Order of the Abrahamic Shrine, and the title of its initiates is, "Nobleman." All initiates, wherever dispersed over the face of the earth and water, are entitled to be speedily relieved from all their sufferings, and given a safe return to their native country, if they desire it.

ALL: "So Mote It Be.'

Through the workings of the Order of the Cosmic Ashlar, the Mighty Nation of Israel became highly favored of The Lord. The Order of the Abrahamic Shrine precedes the functioning of the Order of the Garter, based in England. The plans of the Monarch are to keep calm and carry on in the magnificent structure we deduce from our present system of government.

ALL: "So Mote It Be."


(Refer to Master of Ceremonies)

ALL: "Fidelity, Fidelity, Fidelity, and May God Be With Us All."


Foreign Office,
November 2nd, 1917.
Dear Lord Rothschild,

I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with the Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.
"His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours,
Arthur James Balfour

Adopted and Approved for Open Lodge this sixth day of September, A. L. 5984

That ritual is lovely in itself, but the letter at the end is a bit weird, even given the date of 1917.... and why would a lodge adopt the whole thing in 1984 ?

Some further background and context would be interesting....
 

FriendshipCube

Registered User
My Phylacteries 1.jpeg


We have to internalize the Shrine. That's why I use cube tefillin in prayer. I have made many of these cube tefillin.

"Trust in the Lord God, for the Lord is an Eternal Rock." -ISAIAH 26:4

(phylacteries)
 

Bloke

Premium Member
It's not THAT shrine.
I thought it's kinda mixed but speaks of "the shrine degrees" (plural) but also initiates being called "nobles". I thought it might have refered to the " Sanctum Sanctorum" but was not sure.... the post still feels a bit fishy for some reason. Responses from the OP are also not quite meshing..
 

FriendshipCube

Registered User
The Order of the Cosmic Ashlar is mentioned in the Shrine Lecture. The lecture says nothing of "Shrine Degrees", and yet gives a standard introduction to the Royal Arch. I did some digging and found a shrine hat, along with a bunch of cryptic writing about the Air Force and Israel. "D.F.C" stands for distinguished flying cross.

The Shrine Shrine.jpeg
 
Top