This address was delivered on May 23, 2011 at Lodge Ad Lucem No. 812, our Traditional Observance Lodge. I chose this format as a way to encourage discussion afterward at the Agape Feast.
Disclaimer: I in no way hold myself to be a literary expert. I am not a Rumiologist, but rather a Rumiphile. The views expressed here are my own and based solely on the emotions and thoughts evoked by my reading of the poem. If you read the poem and have other insights, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
As I have been preparing these papers for publication on The Point Within a Circle, I realize that I quite often (nearly constantly) quote Rumi. I am of two minds on this. Part of me feels that I need to broaden my stable of quotable poets, as there are so many great ones from which to choose. The other part - obviously the one that is winning - feels that there is such a gold mine of elegant and simple metaphors and life lessons within his words that I should mine it until the lode is gone. Every reading and re-reading (and there have been countles re-readings) opens something new to me. When I finish reading, I am always left with a fresh question, and occasionally, if I'm lucky, the shadow of an answer...
In the Arc of Your Mallet
Don't go anywhere without me.
Let nothing happen in the sky apart from me,
or on the ground, in this world or that world,
without my being in its happening.
Vision, see nothing I don't see.
Language, say nothing.
The way the night knows itself with the moon,
be that with me. Be the rose
nearest to the thorn that I am.
I want to feel myself in you when you taste food,
in the arc of your mallet when you work,
when you visit friends, when you go
up on the roof by yourself at night.
There is nothing worse than to walk out along the street
without you. I don't know where I'm going.
You are the road and the knower of roads,
more than maps, more than love.
That poem by the Persian poet Rumi, while written hundreds of years prior to what we think of as the beginning of Craft Masonry, captures what I believe is the essence of what we as Freemasons are constantly seeking: a reconnection with the Divine.
While an individual’s reasons for seeking our Fraternity and the Light it can offer is as variable as the weather, the message that he will receive and the lessons he will learn – assuming that he applies himself – are changeless.
When stripped of all its trappings, the essential message of Freemasonry is the search for perfection and a connection with the Divine. Each and every working tool, every ornament or jewel within the Lodge and even the allegory of the Master Mason’s degree speak in some way to the loss of or hunt for perfection.
In tonight’s brief meditation, I want to read the stanzas of the poem and allow you to apply them to your profession as a Freemason. Tonight I will ask questions rather than supply answers. Tonight, you will work upon your own Trestleboards.
To whom is the poet speaking? What is he asking for? What would you be willing to do to have that kind of connection with your God?
Is there a reason that the poet chose vision and language as the first two symbols? Is there a Masonic connection between vision and language? Can it be said that a cathedral or great edifice is itself a prayer to Deity? What is the connection between how the night knows itself with the moon and how a man can better know himself by Freemasonry?
In this stanza, God is given very human qualities. He eats, works, socializes and relaxes. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves if we feel that He is present with us when wedo those things. Are we bringing our best selves to our Agapes? Our labors within the quarries of the Craft? What about our relationships with our Brothers?
As men who are seeking Light – more accurately, knowledge – is there anything worse than not knowing or understanding your God? Can we be sure of anything without the help of “the road and the knower of roads?”
Those questions are not necessarily meant to be answered out loud. I do not have the answers and I most assuredly do not have your answers, but take a little time to reflect on those lines.
Perhaps a poem that is over 800 years old can help you be a better man and Freemason today.
Continue reading...
Disclaimer: I in no way hold myself to be a literary expert. I am not a Rumiologist, but rather a Rumiphile. The views expressed here are my own and based solely on the emotions and thoughts evoked by my reading of the poem. If you read the poem and have other insights, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
As I have been preparing these papers for publication on The Point Within a Circle, I realize that I quite often (nearly constantly) quote Rumi. I am of two minds on this. Part of me feels that I need to broaden my stable of quotable poets, as there are so many great ones from which to choose. The other part - obviously the one that is winning - feels that there is such a gold mine of elegant and simple metaphors and life lessons within his words that I should mine it until the lode is gone. Every reading and re-reading (and there have been countles re-readings) opens something new to me. When I finish reading, I am always left with a fresh question, and occasionally, if I'm lucky, the shadow of an answer...
In the Arc of Your Mallet
Don't go anywhere without me.
Let nothing happen in the sky apart from me,
or on the ground, in this world or that world,
without my being in its happening.
Vision, see nothing I don't see.
Language, say nothing.
The way the night knows itself with the moon,
be that with me. Be the rose
nearest to the thorn that I am.
I want to feel myself in you when you taste food,
in the arc of your mallet when you work,
when you visit friends, when you go
up on the roof by yourself at night.
There is nothing worse than to walk out along the street
without you. I don't know where I'm going.
You are the road and the knower of roads,
more than maps, more than love.
That poem by the Persian poet Rumi, while written hundreds of years prior to what we think of as the beginning of Craft Masonry, captures what I believe is the essence of what we as Freemasons are constantly seeking: a reconnection with the Divine.
While an individual’s reasons for seeking our Fraternity and the Light it can offer is as variable as the weather, the message that he will receive and the lessons he will learn – assuming that he applies himself – are changeless.
When stripped of all its trappings, the essential message of Freemasonry is the search for perfection and a connection with the Divine. Each and every working tool, every ornament or jewel within the Lodge and even the allegory of the Master Mason’s degree speak in some way to the loss of or hunt for perfection.
In tonight’s brief meditation, I want to read the stanzas of the poem and allow you to apply them to your profession as a Freemason. Tonight I will ask questions rather than supply answers. Tonight, you will work upon your own Trestleboards.
Don't go anywhere without me.
Let nothing happen in the sky apart from me,
or on the ground, in this world or that world,
without my being in its happening.
To whom is the poet speaking? What is he asking for? What would you be willing to do to have that kind of connection with your God?
Vision, see nothing I don't see.
Language, say nothing.
The way the night knows itself with the moon,
be that with me. Be the rose
nearest to the thorn that I am.
Is there a reason that the poet chose vision and language as the first two symbols? Is there a Masonic connection between vision and language? Can it be said that a cathedral or great edifice is itself a prayer to Deity? What is the connection between how the night knows itself with the moon and how a man can better know himself by Freemasonry?
I want to feel myself in you when you taste food,
in the arc of your mallet when you work,
when you visit friends, when you go
up on the roof by yourself at night.
In this stanza, God is given very human qualities. He eats, works, socializes and relaxes. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves if we feel that He is present with us when wedo those things. Are we bringing our best selves to our Agapes? Our labors within the quarries of the Craft? What about our relationships with our Brothers?
As men who are seeking Light – more accurately, knowledge – is there anything worse than not knowing or understanding your God? Can we be sure of anything without the help of “the road and the knower of roads?”
Those questions are not necessarily meant to be answered out loud. I do not have the answers and I most assuredly do not have your answers, but take a little time to reflect on those lines.
Perhaps a poem that is over 800 years old can help you be a better man and Freemason today.
Continue reading...