Despite the fact it has never been
published, very little of our centuries-old Masonic ritual has changed. MW
Albert T. Ames, Past Grand Master, celebrates his 50th anniversary as
Master of Meridian Lodge, Natick, MA, by returning to the East and reciting the
same oath he took 50 years ago. Strict attention to detail is made at every
meeting in order to preserve the traditions that accompany the privileges of
Masonry, out of respect to our Brothers who have passed this way before.
Discussions of changes to our rituals are rare, and shunned by most as much as
any on religion or politics. The truth of Speculative Masonry is in the ancient
established usages and customs of the Fraternity, and those truths are built
upon the tools of Operative Masonry.
The meanings applied to Masonic
symbols and emblems are clearly defined in word-perfect detail in our unwritten
ritual. Yet, countless books are written that speculate about the hidden meanings
and interpretations of Masonic symbols adorning our facilities. Speculation
about meaning is a never-ending source of rhetoric for Masonic readers and writers
alike. Brothers do differ and debate, demand proof of research and opinions,
and there is little tolerance for ideas that are not supportive of previously
published, academic opinions. Most all of them try to reveal some hidden truth
about Freemasonry, but it is the working tools in our Lodge that provide a very
real and exacting truth: the sun rises in the east, sets in the west, and true
north is a constant no matter where we are. The proof is in the established
usage of the tools.
Masonic tools are the doorway, the
lock, and the key to a list of ancient scientific proofs that are from long ago,
and their discovery is long forgotten. Symbols of ancient working tools adorn all
of our Masonic lodges proving the cardinal directions that situate all members.
Do not confuse the square, compasses, level, plumb, and rule - pre-manuscript
traditions used for exacting sequential scientific measurements - with the
added value of speculative application succinctly outlined in our Masonic
ritual 300 years ago. The value of the east being 90° of true north is not a recent
discovery, nor does it require a reference library to prove. If a 3 foot line
and a 4 foot line originating from the same point have end-points exactly 5
feet apart, there is proof their angle is square. Rhetoric aside, without these
working tools civilizations could not exist.
The proof that pillars are plumb and
gauge the movement of the heavens above is not a matter of speculation. The
shadows they cast on Masonic Pavement allowing precise measuring of time on a
square-gauged level plane is not a matter of academic proof. The 10,000 year
old, square, level, and plumb Baalbek Trilithon is proof that these working
tools were in use in ancient times. A rule from Washington, DC to the spire of
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France reveals the truth that Baltimore,
Philadelphia, Ellis Island, New Haven, and Boston are on that straight line,
and my only proof is the working tool. These proofs are how we measure time,
distance, weight, and volume. The order of our universe is proved by these
tools from the vast reaches of space to the smallest sub-ether particles. The
only thing they cannot measure is the ultimate consistency, the Great Architect
of it all.
Whatever speculative beliefs may
divide our fellowship on Earth, the working tools are not part of any debate; their
use is not theory, their proofs are not arguable. We can debate how best to
help a Brother in distress, how best to balance our budgets, or how to reference
our speculation, but the working tools of Freemasonry are the symbols of truth hidden
in plain sight, and it is our charge to use them for more noble and glorious
purposes.
Article published previously in The Working Tools Magazine.
Article published previously in The Working Tools Magazine.
Jay R Snyder, Owner White Knight Studio, Natick, MA
Jay R Snyder is a Master Mason and Junior
Warden at Meridian Lodge, Natick MA.
He compiled, edited, and
published Dr. Robert Duncan-Enzmann’s book Ice Age Language: Translations, Grammar, Vocabulary available at Amazon.
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