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Esoteric Masonry
- Thread starter • RM
- Start date
1) Ignorance for the most part on both the members seeking it and the people in power who realize the seekers are too often deluded in what they seek.
2) HUGE ignorance as to what it actually is and the fools who try to make it something it ain't.
3) Mismanagement of Freemasonic Education that masquerades as Masonic Education ;-)
Keith C
Registered User
I will also chime in that there are those who will categorically deny there is any esoteric content at all. I witnessed two Past Masters of my Lodge speaking to a potential petitioner and tell then Freemasonry is essentially only a social club and the rituaal is just "mumbo Jumbo" and the real point is the social and societal connections, that they would be sorely disappointed if there were looking for more than that.
I was just a FC at the time and had heard differently from OTHER Past Masters who were mentoring me, but I felt unqualified to comment. I wonder how many others had been turned away from the Craft by such talk?
I was just a FC at the time and had heard differently from OTHER Past Masters who were mentoring me, but I felt unqualified to comment. I wonder how many others had been turned away from the Craft by such talk?
Bloke
Premium Member
I agree with @MarkR , you need to define what esoteric Freemasons is...
I think Freemasonry is esoteric by nature. We call it THE CRAFT, that label itself is esoteric in that the uninitiated might think we are speaking of a group of basket weavers..
I also agree with @coachn - ignorance is a factor. It amazes me how ignorant some "experienced" Freemasons are of the meaning and philosophic nature of Freemasonry even when clearly articulated in our ceremonies.
Even if you only look at the Ritual itself, there are many esoteric elements in it. To understand it, you must have an interest in the esoteric. A great example in our ritual is the inclusion of a charge we call "Ecclesiastes" - you can't understand it unless you take an esoteric approach.
When I think "esoteric Freemasonry" I don't think of Kabbala or numerology or astrology (although some do), I think of meaning and philosophic ideas - and the context of how they became incorporated into the ceremonies of Freemasonry.
Brother Bloke is correct. And so is Brother MarkR!
Ritual by its very construction alludes to more than what appears upon its surface. If you do not have a rich history of the classics (and I include The Bible in this), most all of what it intends to communicate to candidates and crew is not there; it remains hidden in plain sight!
In this respect, the esoteric nature of Ritual is only revealed to those who have been already initiated elsewhere.
However, I get what many esoterically inclined members are seeking. They want to know WHAT is hidden within Ritual. Unfortunately, far too many of these members chase things that have nothing to do with what is hidden. Being ignorant of the classics, they want to make more of it than is there. They associate it with other schools that ARE esoteric and in that association, Ritual is bastardized. They also tend to be ruffians in that they want to have handed over to them what they have yet to earn by the hard Work required to understand the very things they seek.
And there in lay the catch-22 of esotericism that is clearly alluded to by the third degree drama. The ruffians wanted the secrets. Those secrets would enable them to obtain The Master's Word. They were told they had to complete their temples to obtain the secrets and thereafter apply those disciplines to also obtain The Master's Word.
But, by not having completed the temple, an esoteric way of saying, "they have yet to do the Work to understand what needs to be understood", a process that requires the internalization of specific disciplines, they would not understand that they are unprepared and unskilled to obtain The Master's word. And, ironically, neither is the Candidate, for most every Candidate going through these degrees has NOT internalized the very disciplines required to understand The Master's Word. This is why they all get a substitute for the real thing; they have yet to earn the real thing!
And, because most jurisdictions do not support the internalizing of these disciplines, the esoteric aspect of Ritual remains hidden from most members.
In this respect, there is no such thing as esoteric freemasonry. There will never truly be such a creature until Freemasonry is practiced with the intent to cultivate Masonry within Freemasonry. All there is currently are hidden things. There is no structure in place that is supported by The Craft to cultivate these disciplines with membership that have done this already and who support this cultivation in others.
...my 2 cents.
Ritual by its very construction alludes to more than what appears upon its surface. If you do not have a rich history of the classics (and I include The Bible in this), most all of what it intends to communicate to candidates and crew is not there; it remains hidden in plain sight!
In this respect, the esoteric nature of Ritual is only revealed to those who have been already initiated elsewhere.
However, I get what many esoterically inclined members are seeking. They want to know WHAT is hidden within Ritual. Unfortunately, far too many of these members chase things that have nothing to do with what is hidden. Being ignorant of the classics, they want to make more of it than is there. They associate it with other schools that ARE esoteric and in that association, Ritual is bastardized. They also tend to be ruffians in that they want to have handed over to them what they have yet to earn by the hard Work required to understand the very things they seek.
And there in lay the catch-22 of esotericism that is clearly alluded to by the third degree drama. The ruffians wanted the secrets. Those secrets would enable them to obtain The Master's Word. They were told they had to complete their temples to obtain the secrets and thereafter apply those disciplines to also obtain The Master's Word.
But, by not having completed the temple, an esoteric way of saying, "they have yet to do the Work to understand what needs to be understood", a process that requires the internalization of specific disciplines, they would not understand that they are unprepared and unskilled to obtain The Master's word. And, ironically, neither is the Candidate, for most every Candidate going through these degrees has NOT internalized the very disciplines required to understand The Master's Word. This is why they all get a substitute for the real thing; they have yet to earn the real thing!
And, because most jurisdictions do not support the internalizing of these disciplines, the esoteric aspect of Ritual remains hidden from most members.
In this respect, there is no such thing as esoteric freemasonry. There will never truly be such a creature until Freemasonry is practiced with the intent to cultivate Masonry within Freemasonry. All there is currently are hidden things. There is no structure in place that is supported by The Craft to cultivate these disciplines with membership that have done this already and who support this cultivation in others.
...my 2 cents.
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Bloke
Premium Member
Ahhhahahaahaha... Should I change my name ? It would amuse me
oops!Ahhhahahaahaha... Should I change my name ? It would amuse me
Hasn't ever stopped me! ;-)...do we really need an Original Poster to have a good conversation ?
I would counter your statement by saying that nobody has a problem with esoteric Freemasonry but what they do have is have a problem with people who wish to drag all manner of non-Masonic esoteric content into Freemasonry because it is "esoteric" with no basis in Freemasonry.
I have a stock answer that I use on Reddit that addresses it, reproduced below:
Stock response alert - a brief explanation from my own perspective might be useful to those who don't really get it. I am often worried because many who describe themselves as having an "esoteric bent" actually mean that they are drawn to the "mystical" and/or the "occult". Unfortunately many treat these words as if they are the same thing but in actuality they are merely similar. A look at an old dictionary such as the 1828 Merriam Webster (as modern ones seem to homogenise all synonyms until they become generic) shows that these words are not the same.
ESO'TERIC, a. [Gr. interior, from within.] Private; an epithet applied to the private instructions and doctrines of Pythagoras; opposed to exoteric, or public.
MYS'TICAL, a. [L.mysticus.] Obscure; hid; secret. 1. Sacredly obscure or secret; remote from human comprehension. 2. Involving some secret meaning; allegorical; emblematical; as mystic dance; mystic Babylon.
OCCULT', a. [L. occultus, occulo; ob and celo, to conceal.] Hidden from the eye or understanding; invisible; secret; unknown; undiscovered; undetected; as the occult qualities of matter. The occult sciences are magic, necromancy, &c. Occult lines, in geometry, are such as are drawn with the compasses or a pencil, and are scarcely visible.
So now that we understand that these phrases are not actually the same thing or interchangeable, on to the point.
I suppose to understand the term 'esoteric' we have to understand that it is one side of a coin the other being 'exoteric'. The exoteric nature of anything (including Freemasonry) is there for anybody who looks at a thing, it can be summed up as the "face value" of it. In Freemasonry the exoteric is the surface layer of teachings and rites taken at face value. These teachings are themselves made clear by merely having a dictionary understanding of the language and taking what is said as it is commonly used.
Esoteric Freemasonry means that we dig a bit deeper to see if there is a possible further understanding of the ritual and practices that lies beyond the surface. It is that which is not revealed until one has been taught how to find it and then one delves deeper into the meaning and significance of the words and actions.
How do I know this is right? Well it's quite simple, during our Initiation we are presented with an esoteric lecture, it is called the working tools. Not only does it teach a particular moral lesson it is also our first lesson on how to look for the esoteric within the Rituals. We are visually and mentally presented with the implements of the builders trade and told what they meant (exoteric) to the builders that employed them, this is followed by what they mean to us as Speculative Masons, that is their esoteric (understood only by Free & Accepted Masons) meaning!
MarkR
Premium Member
Yes, it does.
• RM
Registered User
Not the case. Couldn’t find this board.Yeah.. but he drops in and out.. and has his credentials.. .and do we really need an Original Poster to have a good conversation ?
Let's assume he has wandered off for a drink at the bar...
@MarkR does LEO stand for Lodge Education Officer ?
happy I did. Certain lodges are focused on events and fundraisers which is cool.
Other lodges more education and deeper
Meanings to blue lodge at a minimum. In my experience in some lodges. If you want to learn about the philosophies and psychology Of the ancient mystery schools some lodges just don’t offer or want to talk about.. some look at you like your a space cadet.
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MarkR
Premium Member
Different lodges certainly have different personalities, and their members different reasons for being Masons. A big mistake some eager young Masons make is expecting to go straight from talking about the next pancake breakfast to analyzing the Eleusinian mysteries and expecting the older brothers to see any connection whatsoever to Masonry. Take it slow. Start with discussing the symbols they are already familiar with. They still might not want that, but that's the logical starting point.
This thread isn't offensive. What's offensive is when Brothers try to force esotericism into a Lodge that isn't interested in the study. The result almost always engenders bad feelings and push back against any esoteric study as a result. I love studying the esoteric aspect both with and without Freemasonry (any other BOTA members here!) But I learned early on that trying to make Brothers love it like you do rarely goes well.