Some questions on Masonic Light and Wisdom

[Hwey Kim]

Hello!

My name is Hwey Kim and I love reading the scriptures.

After reading for a year or two it became apparent to me that the Word of God is written in a very special way... It seems like this 'Coding' of information through the aspects of God is something that has been passed on through many Mystery Schools, Alchemy and Freemasonry.

When I understood that the Name of God, in its true meaning, I was very excited and further investigated the Face, Right Hand and other aspects that associate with this Light.

Then when I kept reading , I was able to differentiate the Spirit from the Word... And thus the Hand, the Breath, the Zeal and Armour became apparent to me through His Wisdom.

I accidentally watched a video by Manly Hall and discovered that he and I share a very similar view on the World and the Creator and was delighted by his teachings. I also found that many Freemasons who were attending the lectures were audibly agreeing with the points that I was agreeing upon. Some of these were profound truths.

What I would like to know is why this Knowledge of God is not taught openly by Freemasons to the public.

From what I can ascertain, the knowledge that many of you have attained is Beauty, Light and has come from Truth. Many have heard directly from the Mouth of the Creator and have seen his Face and know him by Name.

I feel an affinity towards those who have chosen the way of Righteousness, Justice and Equity and I believe that Freemasons fit this category. However I am reluctant to join because I fear I might not be able to teach the 'Profane' in the 'Language' of the Creator. Is this an absolute rule?

May I teach the public about 'Who is like God?' as a Freemason?

Thank you in advance for your time,

Hwey Kim

 

[MRichard]

Hello!

My name is Hwey Kim and I love reading the scriptures.

After reading for a year or two it became apparent to me that the Word of God is written in a very special way... It seems like this 'Coding' of information through the aspects of God is something that has been passed on through many Mystery Schools, Alchemy and Freemasonry.

When I understood that the Name of God, in its true meaning, I was very excited and further investigated the Face, Right Hand and other aspects that associate with this Light.

Then when I kept reading , I was able to differentiate the Spirit from the Word... And thus the Hand, the Breath, the Zeal and Armour became apparent to me through His Wisdom.

I accidentally watched a video by Manly Hall and discovered that he and I share a very similar view on the World and the Creator and was delighted by his teachings. I also found that many Freemasons who were attending the lectures were audibly agreeing with the points that I was agreeing upon. Some of these were profound truths.

What I would like to know is why this Knowledge of God is not taught openly by Freemasons to the public.

From what I can ascertain, the knowledge that many of you have attained is Beauty, Light and has come from Truth. Many have heard directly from the Mouth of the Creator and have seen his Face and know him by Name.

I feel an affinity towards those who have chosen the way of Righteousness, Justice and Equity and I believe that Freemasons fit this category. However I am reluctant to join because I fear I might not be able to teach the 'Profane' in the 'Language' of the Creator. Is this an absolute rule?

May I teach the public about 'Who is like God?' as a Freemason?

Thank you in advance for your time,

Hwey Kim

Freemasonry is not a religion or a substitute for one. Members come from various faiths.

 

[Hwey Kim]

Freemasonry is not a religion or a substitute for one. Members come from various faiths.

I'm sorry if you misunderstand my question.

As you can say the same knowledge has been encoded int every major religion. The knowledge of Godhead at it's essence is universal.

Whether it be from Daoism (Shangdi, Hwngdi and the Tao), Hinduism or Buddhism the essence lies in the Distribution of power and emanations thereof. It is even shown in the Emerald Tablets, Hermetics and Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Phonecian religions.

My question has to do with the specific knowledge of the Godhead and the secrecy regarding it.

 

[MRichard]

I'm sorry if you misunderstand my question.

As you can say the same knowledge has been encoded int every major religion. The knowledge of Godhead at it's essence is universal.

Whether it be from Daoism (Shangdi, Hwngdi and the Tao), Hinduism or Buddhism the essence lies in the Distribution of power and emanations thereof.

My question has to do with the specific knowledge of the Godhead and the secrecy regarding it.

I didn't misunderstand your question. I chose not to even address it. Then I made a statement regarding Freemasonry.

 

[Hwey Kim]

I didn't misunderstand your question. I chose not to even address it. Then I made a statement regarding Freemasonry.

Did you not address it because you think the question is irrelevant? I never said that Freemasonry was a religion, but I think it can help in your interpretation of one's faith.

Cheers

 

[MRichard]

Did you not address it because you think the question is irrelevant? I never said that Freemasonry was a religion, but I think it can help in your interpretation of one's faith.

Cheers

It can help your interpretation of your faith. I can agree with that. You say that you feel an affinity with certain people. Yet most Freemasons would probably not agree with your views. Where are you from?

 

[Hwey Kim]

It can help your interpretation of your faith. I can agree with that. You say that you feel an affinity with certain people. Yet most Freemasons would probably not agree with your views. Where are you from?

I'm Korean but have lived in England most of my life and have moved to Toronto Canada 5 years ago.

Thank you for your replies! It is nice to talk to someone about the subject.

 

[MRichard]

I'm Korean but have lived in England most of my life and have moved to Toronto Canada 5 years ago.

Thank you for your replies! It is nice to talk to someone about the subject.

It may help if you talked to some freemasons that are really into the esoteric stuff. There are probably some on this site. You can do a search for relevant threads that may be of interest and you might be able to locate some. They are plenty of Facebook groups.

 

[hanzosbm]

It may help if you talked to some freemasons that are really into the esoteric stuff. There are probably some on this site. You can do a search for relevant threads that may be of interest and you might be able to locate some. They are plenty of Facebook groups.

MRichard has alluded to a very important aspect here. Yes, the affinity that you felt and the ideas that you hold are held by some Freemasons (myself being one of them) but I would say that we are definitely in the minority. Every major religion tends to have a small esoteric side to it, and while Freemasonry is not a religion, we also have a small esoteric community that reads more into our teachings than what is given on the surface.
Now, as to your questions...

Our teachings are private. While there might be a lot of it out there for the public to see, we nonetheless swear to keep our teachings secret. I once heard someone say that just because a peeping tom took naked pictures of your wife doesn't mean you're going to start showing your friends. Our practices, rituals, teachings, etc. are private, some use the word secret. We take an oath that we will never reveal them, so, to answer your question, if you joined, yes, you would expected to uphold that same promise. However, as you mentioned, these ideas can be found in many different religions and philosophies around the world. If one accepts the idea of a universal truth, then it could be taught using any of those other systems and leaving Freemasonry out of it entirely.
As to why we don't share it openly; well, that's a bit more involved. There are a lot of different opinions as to why. Fear that without proper context, the message might be misunderstood. Fear that others who do not share the views would actively try to destroy them (less a concern these days, but read any anti-Masonic websites and you'll see it's not completely unfounded). The theory that its value might be thought of as less if it were freely given. Concerns that the masses wouldn't understand it would therefore be cheapened. You name it. Mystery schools have always guarded their teachings, and Freemasonry does the same. I recently wrote a paper in the Religion and Spirituality section of this forum presenting an argument that Jesus Christ was attempting to openly teach the ideas held by esoteric groups. Spoiler alert: my conclusion is that the result was a distortion of the original message propagated by the masses thus further muddying the waters. Not everyone will agree (and I'll probably piss a lot of people off, but oh well). However, regardless of the 'why' behind it, at the end of the day, 'them's the rules'.

Edited to add: keep in mind that should you decide to request entrance into our society, and should that request be granted, there is no guarantee that you'll end up finding anyone in your lodge who shares your ideas. There are certainly those of us out there, but not in every lodge. I just don't want you to expect to join and find this society of esoteric thinkers, because that is not the case.

 

[Hwey Kim]

Are you familiar with the Zohar? http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/tku/

Some books of the Zohar make the same sort of distinctions that you are making.

This is an approach to Divinity that, while at least 1000 years old, has been followed by relatively few people, being one aspect of the Jewish mystical approach called the Kabbalah.

As you may know, any valid set of spiritual practices exists within the energy field or light body of a greater entity. This means that those practices, even when taught in a non-spiritual context, draw the practitioners into the aura of the sponsoring presence. The practitioners thereby primarily see the Light of that sponsor.

In the rituals of Freemasonry it is possible to see the Lights of several sponsors. This experience allows the true initiate to enter into the temple in the heavens as an active participant capable of choice and intent.

If this is true, then you may see that teaching a single Light is a constraint upon Freemasonry.

Best wishes on your path.

Thank you for your reply! I found the Kabbalistic teachings after I had found out some of the coded 'language' used in the scriptures. Essentially I found out the symbolism first and then found that the Kabbalah was based around this 'wisdom' of the body of God.

What I do find fascinating is that this coding is present in scriptures that span over millenia, and that this knowledge is present in almost every religion past or present. Thus the will of the creator and knowledge is present everywhere and we all see a path to the Light.

Essentially, all religions worship the Creator and it is one's own responsibility to find the wisdom therein.

Once again, thank you for your insightful reply and God Bless

 

[Hwey Kim]

It may help if you talked to some freemasons that are really into the esoteric stuff. There are probably some on this site. You can do a search for relevant threads that may be of interest and you might be able to locate some. They are plenty of Facebook groups.

Thank you for your reply and information.

Cheers and stay blessed

 

[hanzosbm]

Essentially, all religions worship the Creator and it is one's own responsibility to find the wisdom therein.

And now you see why we accept men of all faiths.

 

[Hwey Kim]

MRichard has alluded to a very important aspect here. Yes, the affinity that you felt and the ideas that you hold are held by some Freemasons (myself being one of them) but I would say that we are definitely in the minority. Every major religion tends to have a small esoteric side to it, and while Freemasonry is not a religion, we also have a small esoteric community that reads more into our teachings than what is given on the surface.
Now, as to your questions...

Our teachings are private. While there might be a lot of it out there for the public to see, we nonetheless swear to keep our teachings secret. I once heard someone say that just because a peeping tom took naked pictures of your wife doesn't mean you're going to start showing your friends. Our practices, rituals, teachings, etc. are private, some use the word secret. We take an oath that we will never reveal them, so, to answer your question, if you joined, yes, you would expected to uphold that same promise. However, as you mentioned, these ideas can be found in many different religions and philosophies around the world. If one accepts the idea of a universal truth, then it could be taught using any of those other systems and leaving Freemasonry out of it entirely.
As to why we don't share it openly; well, that's a bit more involved. There are a lot of different opinions as to why. Fear that without proper context, the message might be misunderstood. Fear that others who do not share the views would actively try to destroy them (less a concern these days, but read any anti-Masonic websites and you'll see it's not completely unfounded). The theory that its value might be thought of as less if it were freely given. Concerns that the masses wouldn't understand it would therefore be cheapened. You name it. Mystery schools have always guarded their teachings, and Freemasonry does the same. I recently wrote a paper in the Religion and Spirituality section of this forum presenting an argument that Jesus Christ was attempting to openly teach the ideas held by esoteric groups. Spoiler alert: my conclusion is that the result was a distortion of the original message propagated by the masses thus further muddying the waters. Not everyone will agree (and I'll probably piss a lot of people off, but oh well). However, regardless of the 'why' behind it, at the end of the day, 'them's the rules'.

Edited to add: keep in mind that should you decide to request entrance into our society, and should that request be granted, there is no guarantee that you'll end up finding anyone in your lodge who shares your ideas. There are certainly those of us out there, but not in every lodge. I just don't want you to expect to join and find this society of esoteric thinkers, because that is not the case.

Thank you very much for your reply. It has essentially answered the heart of my question.

I understand your arguments and have found that when I have tried to teach the ideas to people that I am shunned or thought of as crazy.

It is not easy to open a mind and I suppose it only happens with permission from the Highest authority.

Thank you truly for your reply and may you be blessed with Light upon Light

 

[hanzosbm]

Essentially, all religions worship the Creator and it is one's own responsibility to find the wisdom therein.

I also wanted to add, I think you may have just helped to answer your own former question about why we do not openly teach our principles to the public. It is the responsibility of each of us to find the wisdom.
"Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you" -- Matthew 7:7
Notice, it doesn't say "Walk through the mall and some kid with a bike helmet on will shove a flier in your face"

 

[MRichard]

Thank you for your reply and information.

Cheers and stay blessed

You should also keep in mind that if you ever decided to petition a lodge and your views are made known for whatever reason, it could possibly get you blackballed. Depends on the lodge.

 

[Warrior1256]

You should also keep in mind that if you ever decided to petition a lodge and your views are made known for whatever reason, it could possibly get you blackballed. Depends on the lodge.

Very true. A lodge consisting primarily of men with conservative views would probably get slightly nervous when hearing these views.

 

[dfreybur]

I offer different reasons why we do not teach these topics to the general public - Freemasonry is defined by the collective activities and interests of Freemasons. What that locus is changes across time.

1) In the generation that is now starting to age few brothers had interest in mystical topics so the focus point changed and with it the locus. The mystical came to be on the edge of our practices. We don't teach it to the public because in most cases few of our own members are interested.

2) In the new generation a much higher percentage of candidates are interested in the mystical. Maybe what is taught to the public will change on this front. Probably not, but for a different reason. Mystical teaching flows from the old to the seeker. The seeker must decide the old person is a teacher and the seeker must come to the old person. Any one person in the general public is welcome to come to us and petition for membership. We aren't a closed group. We are a selective group where our reputation for selection is carefully cultivated because it serves us better than the mundane reality that we turn few away.

 

[Warrior1256]

We are a selective group where our reputation for selection is carefully cultivated because it serves us better than the mundane reality that we turn few away.

Very well said brother.

 

[dfreybur]

As an exoteric organization that is certainly true.

Still however there are symptoms within Freemasonry of a past and perhaps future esoteric organization.

Right.

Coachn makes the distinction between Freemasonry the organization and Masonry the personal practice. In my response I chose the word Freemasonry carefully based on his writings. The question was about the entire organization so I answered using the Freemasonry perspective rather than the Masonry perspective. Maybe I'm stressing the coach's meanings a bit far here, sorry if I'm doing that.

I'm one of the lost generation, one of the few late boomers who petitioned. Before I petitioned I looked at the membership statistics and saw trends lasting longer than a lifetime up and down. I knew that I would be surrounded by brothers who had spent the last 50 years watching our population decline. I predicted that if I could survive to be a 50 year Mason myself I would be surrounded by brothers who had spent the last 50 years watching our population climb. The population curve has been slower than I expected but the pattern is happening.

I'm also one of the few interested in the mystical. I have been so thrilled that the new generation trends to be interested in the topic. Suddenly I'm not alone in discussions about signs as chakra activations or seeing several levels of symbolic meaning or of comparing philosophy of the Romantic era with philosophy of the contemporary era.

 

[Warrior1256]

I'm one of the lost generation, one of the few late boomers who petitioned.

Same here.

The population curve has been slower than I expected but the pattern is happening.

It appears to be so here in Kentucky also.

I'm also one of the few interested in the mystical.

Again, me too.