THE CRAFT JOURNEY

A Discussion of some of its Finger-posts and Milestones,
by
W.Bro.  J. R. CLELAND, M.A., D.D., P.P.A.G.Chap. (Kent).

Part 7. "CONCLUSION,

with some remarks on the Ceremonies of Installation and the Holy Royal
Arch."

Yet some there be that by due steps aspire
To lay their just hands on the golden key
That opens the palace of Eternity."

MILTON.  Comus 1. 12.

I do not see them here; but after death
God knows I know the faces I shall see,
Each one a murdered self, with low last breath.
'I am thyself - what hast thou done to me?'
'And I - and I - thyself', (lo! each one saith,)
'And thou thyself to all eternity!'"

D. G. ROSETTI.  The House of Life.  LXXXVI, Lost Day.

"EUREKA!" or, in the vernacular, "I got it!"

ARCHIMEDES (287-212 B.C.) quoted by Vitruvius Pollio,  De  Architecture, 
IX,  215.

"NUNC SCIO QUID SIT AMOR." " Now do I know what Love is."
VIRGIL. Eclogues, 63.

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he
rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  And God
blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested
from all his work which God created and made."

GENESIS, II,  1-3.

And let him that heareth say, Come.  And let him that is athirst come.  And
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

REVELATION, XXII, 17.

In this, the concluding part of this paper - or, if you prefer, the last paper
of this series - I want to sum up the lessons of the whole series, but, first,
I must deal with those concluding stages to which I have already referred
perfunctorily, and which form the completion of the Craft picture.

We have seen that in the M.M degree the Aspirant is left, so to speak, " in
the air" - incomplete and unfinished.  The Temple is structurally complete,
so far as one can judge, but the chief architect - representing the Third
Logos - is overwhelmed and completely limited in Matter, and the g......
s...... of a M.M. are lost.  When one analyses the situation, it is clear that
they, and they alone, were the main objects of desire in the Aspirant, when
he undertook the quest, which entailed upon him the erection of that great
edifice.  Until he finds them he cannot undertake the building of a Universe,
through which to express himself, and into which to pour his life in
complete service.  True, he has certain substituted s..... s, but these are
only substitutes, and all the inward impulses and intuitions in the man, tell
him plainly that he can never be fully satisfied until he has regained the
genuine.  He is manifestly suffering from what has been called a " divine
discontent."

Even the temple of his body is incomplete except to the mortal sense of
sight.  We have heard the Christian Master give the warning, "touch me
not," and this warning must apply equally to the temple or vehicle of the
M.M. While it is still in this condition he is not really "Master," although he
may have realised to the full his potential mastership.  This potentiality is
expressed in the p ... w ... with which the Master Elect should be entrusted
when he comes forward for Installation, after his election to the Chair by the
Brethren in open lodge.

It is extremely difficult, in a mixed gathering such as this, to deal with the
Installation Ceremony, yet it is a task which must be attempted, and the
difficulty is in no way eased by the fact that the majority of those who have
been installed under the English Constitution are unaware of a high
proportion of the secrets restricted to the Chair.  Those missing generally
include the p ... w ... I have mentioned, at least two vital s ... s, and the
W.T's. There is, however, a thread which we can follow which will point the
direction of the journey.

The EA, you will remember, found and worked upon a stone rough, as it
was taken from the quarry, and he fashioned it into an ASHLAR, which,
although still rough and unfinished, was still a recognisable CUBE, the

ROUGH ASHLAR."

The F.C. took this rough ashlar and still further smoothed and prepared it,
so that it presented itself to us as a perfect cube, the "PERFECT ASHLAR."

In the M.M. degree we find no specific stone, yet the Perfect Ashlar
appears, and is seen to be sacrificed - opened out, so that its six faces,
lying flat, form for us the shape of a Latin Cross, as the basis of our o ... g
.... or c .... n. Over this cross the Aspirant ascended into the atmosphere
of a new dimension - the Fourth - and there he met, without being
necessarily conscious of its presence another Ashlar. This Ashlar had its
existence within a four-dimensional continuum. It is a four-dimensional solid
- TESSERACT - corresponding to the three-dimensional Cube, as that Cube
corresponds to the two-dimensional Square, and the Square to the
one-dimensional line.  We may even carry the analogy a step further to the
Point, which is, of course, without dimension.  Each is developed from its
predecessor on the ascending scale of dimensions by a movement at right
angles to all previous directions of motion.  This new Ashlar is specifically
implied (although it is never explained in our ceremonies), both in the Third
degree and in the Ceremony of Installation of a Master in the C. of K.S. in
a duly constituted B. of I.M's.

The Ashlar, sometimes referred to as the "PERPEND ASHLAR," is always
present in every Masonic Lodge.  It is of such a shape that each of its eight
three-dimensional boundaries is a Cube.  As a figure it is the resultant of
moving a Cube at right angles to all its three dimensions through a
distance equal to one of its sides, which gives us, theoretically at least, a
figure bounded by eight cubes.

In our lodges it commences with the Rough Ashlar of the E.A., and finishes
with the Perfect Ashlar of the F.C., so that, when these two lie exposed on
the floor of the lodge, the remaining six bounding cubes lie between them,
in the fourth dimension of space to complete the Tesseract.  Only the two
end cubes can be visible to entities who normally function in a
three-dimensional continuum, as is the case with ourselves.

All this may seem to be something of an abstraction, but it is most
necessary to gain some understanding of it, if we are to grasp, even
symbolically, the mighty changes in the type of consciousness which are
involved in the later steps.

In the full opening of a Board of Installed Masters all the usual preliminaries
are followed out, just as in the opening of a lodge in the three degrees. 
The lodge is seen to be close tyled.  The brethren s .... to o . . . . as M.M's.,
and the J.W. proves them in due course to be installed Masters.  It is at this
point that so many of our I.M's. fail to function, when they try to visit
lodges, at home and abroad, wherein the full secrets are imparted, because
they have never been shown and do not know how to prove themselves to
be I.M's. by signs.  The proof having been given, the J.W. copies the
example and the W. M. acknowledges the correctness as usual.  Certain
portions of Scripture are then read, and the Board is declared to be duly
open. I cannot of course, deal fully with the ceremony of Installation itself
except to repeat that the severe abbreviation of the work, as usually seen
in this country is a great loss to those who have seen no more than is
usually given of the ceremony.  The main essential, which is a certain
"laying on of hands," remains, however, and is effective in producing
results. Its effect is somewhat analogous to the laying on of hands in the
Consecration to the Episcopate in the Christian Churches which preserve
the Apostolic Succession, to which there is something very nearly related
in Freemasonry.  Just as the Bishop is invested with the power to confer
the Minor Orders, to ordain to the Diaconate and Priesthood, and to
consecrate another Bishop "to preserve the succession"; so the Master is
given the power to make Masons, E.A's., F.C's., and Masters, and to Instal
his own Successor "to carry on the succession." The secrets passed on, to
those who are properly prepared and sufficiently developed to receive
them, are closely analogous; but each body has its own particular reservoir
of power upon which to draw. The powers and the rates of vibration
conferred differ in quality, but the methods and, to a very large extent, the
results achieved closely resemble each other.  The difference is largely one
of degree, of the channels opened and of the source of the power with
which contact is made.
 
The instinctive suspicion and dislike shown towards Freemasonry by certain
religious bodies, comes largely from the sub-conscious recognition of the
fact that Freemasonry is giving freely to all who seek earnestly, and that,
whatever may be their race or creed, their caste or denomination, their
class or colour - those closely guarded truths and principles, not to speak
of powers, which certain authorities would so much prefer to reserve for
themselves, in order to gain material ends and hold temporal power over
the lives of their fellow men.

The true Freemason, who lives up to the tenets of the Order, is, above all
things, completely tolerant.  While ready at all times to aid those who seek
the Path, he remains totally void of that quality to which we generally give
the title of "missionary zeal." He has, or should have, no desire to force his
own way of thinking upon others, for he knows that real truth must
ultimately be sought and found by each man for himself.  He knows that
Truth has as many facets as there are types of men to have view-points, so
that the chance of an exactly similar enunciation of the truth seen being
equally acceptable to any two persons chosen at random is infinitely
remote.

A single example of what I mean is to be found in one of the oldest puzzles
in the world.  A plate, with three holes cut in it, is handed to the victim, and
he is asked to make a block which will pass through all of them and which,
in doing so, will exactly fill each hole, without distortion.  The three holes
chosen are, as a rule, those fundamental figures which we meet in
Freemasonry in the build-up of the Altar in the H.R.A., viz., the Square, the
Circle and the Triangle.  The factor common to all in this case is the
measure of the side of the square and the equilateral triangle, and the
diameter of the Circle.

Surely it is very much the same with our humanity.  The basic Unity which
man calls GOD is the same for all, but the manner of observing and
contacting God are as many and various as are the units of humanity.

The Master, on his Installation, becomes Worshipful. It is quite impossible
(unless the brother is already a P.M.), for a brother to be elected W.M. of
a Lodge.  He can only be Master Elect, by the vote of the Brn. assembled;
and so he must remain until some duly qualified and already worshipful
brother takes a hand and instals him in the C. of K.S. in due form, passing
on to him in the process the quality of WORSHIP, so that he in turn
becomes worshipful.  Only too often do we hear of lodges meeting "to elect
a W.M. for the ensuing year," and immediately referring to the Bro.
concerned as W.M. Elect.  The Worship which is attained in the Installation
ceremony is the same as that which the Knights of the Round Table of King
Arthur set out to achieve and for the gaining of which they were prepared
to sacrifice everything which could make for comfort and worldly prosperity. 
To attain this Worship in its perfection was to "achieve the Adventure of the
Holy Grail."

When he is Installed in the C. of K.S., the W. M. should be "as a Plumb-Line
set in the midst" of his Brethren, by reference to which they can test their
own lives and progress, and, above all, their capacity to serve their
Brethren.

The implications of the ceremony are unmistakeable.  The W.M. is the
Aspirant who is in process of completing that Resurrection which was left
unfinished in the Ceremony of Raising.  He is invested with a Jewel of
Office which will enable him, when it really becomes a part of himself, after
the necessary trial and opposition, which here takes the form of his
installing his successor in due form, to present himself as a candidate and
permit him, as such, to "sojourn" among the Companions of the H.R.A.,
who are engaged in the clearing of the ground for the building of the
"Second Temple." The Jewel on the collars worn by the Sojourners is the
same Jewel which is worn by the W.M. in the Craft, and remains so in spite
of the fact that modern conditions have led to the admission to the
Supreme Degree of the H.R.A. of brethren who have not yet gained the
necessary qualifications by having occupied the C. of K.S.

One of the few remaining pointers in the Craft itself which shows this
distinction is to be found in most of the printed rituals and is generally
completely overlooked, and its implications ignored. It will usually be found
that the "s.m.i.b." which is therein substituted for the "sealing word" or "word
of power" at the end of prayers is put into the mouth of the I.P.M. or a P.M.,
to be spoken by him alone.  One form of the real word is to be found in the
H.R.A. and, in point of fact, this direction in the rubric is a reminiscence of
the days when only a P.M. who was also a Companion of the H.R.A. had
the power to pronounce the "seating word." The most usual form in which
we meet the word in question is AMEN, but even this was felt to be too
much of an indication of its nature and the words "s.m.i.b." were
substituted; but the rubric was, in most cases, retained.  It is a peculiar and
interesting survival.

There are many other points upon which I would like to expatiate in
connection with the Installation, but the restrictions must be obvious to you
all. I will say, however, that the full ceremony brings us the Trowel in its
proper guise, as the instrument of constructive Brotherhood, for the
cementing of which it serves as the manipulator in binding the Brethren
together into a vital unity. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity." (Ps. CXXXIII, I. A Song of degrees of
David.)

In the full ceremony of Installation the M.E. is entrusted with the necessary
formula of P.G. & P.W. to enable him to gain admission to the open B. of
I.M's. Into his keeping are given the usual array of secrets, in which are
included no less than five s ... s, which carry the symbolism of the three
degrees a stage further.  He is told of three most essential and appropriate
W.T's. He should also gain the right to use a peculiar knock which, as
before, indicates his position on the ladder, and which he should be able
to use later to gain admission to the Chapter for the purpose of being
exalted.  It is unfortunate that this knock is not generally known.

The Closing of the Board follows the same general scheme as the other
ceremonies of closing.

Now, for a few minutes, let us consider the Supreme Degree of the Holy
Royal Arch of Jerusalem, to give it its full title, to which, as we have seen,
only the Master who has been Installed in the Chair of the Craft is qualified
to claim admission, and even he only when he has proved his Worship by
installing his successor in due form, for the real qualification for exaltation
is not the fact of having been installed, but the fact of having passed this
supreme test of worthship, the passing on of his powers of Mastership "to
preserve the succession."

On several occasions we have drawn the parallel between the stages in the
Masonic Craft Journey and the outstanding events in the Christian Gospel
narrative.  I need not here repeat that parallel.  If you will, in due course,
refer back to it, you will see that we have now reached a point which is
culminative.  Such a condition of Perfection has been attained in a human
body that the next step must of necessity carry the Aspirant out of
Humanity, as we know it, to a state of consciousness which must be
beyond anything which we can rearise on the plane of this earthly
existence.  This is exactly what happens in both cases.  In the Gospel story
we have the description of the Ascension; in Freemasonry we have the
same fact symbolised in the Exaltation ceremony.  In each case we reach
the concluding stages of a major cycle.  The parallel need not be too
closely pressed by those who do not desire to press it, but the fact must
be recognised that it exists.

In the H.R.A. we have the natural completion of the events which have
gone before in the M.M. and I.M. The H.R.A. is not, however often we may
hear it said, merely "the completion of the M.M. degree."

In the H.R.A. the I.M. appears as a Sojourner among the Companions who
are engaged in the work of "preparing the ground for the building of the
Second Temple." There is a hint here of something so vast that it makes
one hold one's breath in awe!

The whole atmosphere in the H.R.A. is totally different from that of the three
Craft degrees. The arrangement of the principal officers is utterly different. 
He whom we have previously known as the S.W. now occupies first place,
as King and Ruler, but he acts only in the closest concord with those whom
we knew as W.M. and J.W. respectively.  The Three Aspects or Persons
have become ONE, while still remaining manifest to the eye as a Trinity. 
The outward symbolism of the officers still points their stations.  The Third
Principal carries the priestly headdress which is the stabilization of the G.
or R. S ... of the M.M., when given in the manner suggested in my remarks
on that degree (see Part V).  The Second Principal carries the symbol of
the Open Eye, showing that the power to use the Third Eye to the full is
now attained.  The First Principal carries the Crown Celestial, the Crown of
Thorns, corresponding to the First Sephira - KETHER - of the Kabbalists,
and to the "Crown of Glory" of the higher Christian interpretation.  The
Crown Celestial is now actively in operation, the last of the bodily centres
of force to be activated.  A certain sign, appearing in a place which I cannot
here specify, indicates the power now gained to use the third eye, at will,
as a channel through which to view the Universe as a whole.

In the passage through the three Principal Offices of the Chapter we find
a short digest of the experiences to be passed through by our Humanity in
the future on its journey back to the place of Union with the Source from
which it sprang.

Many unwarranted hypotheses have been put forward with regard to this
reunion with, or absorbtion into, Deity.  Quite recently a speaker on the
Radio repudiated the whole idea out of hand, on the assumption that such
a return would be like the return of a drop of water to the ocean, and would
therefore involve complete loss of individuality.  The whole aim and object
of the descent of Spirit into Matter has been the direct antithesis of this
idea.  In the first place, a drop of water has no developed individuality to
lose.  If he had such, we might, with equal truth, say that the ocean is
swallowed up in the drop.  In actual fact - although this may appear to our
limited understanding to be a paradox - that which is designated as the
drop becomes the ocean, and the ocean is the drop.  It is practically
impossible to express in the imagination - and how much more so to
express in words - the complete ONENESS of the relationship which we are
attempting to delineate.  The one thing which is most certainly NOT
involved is loss of individuality.

Let me give you one clue to the study of these continual paradoxes, which
are so apt to worry brethren.  At one point in the ceremony an Historical
lecture is delivered in which will be found the key to much which would
otherwise be obscure.  We are told of three Grand Lodges - the First or
Holy Lodge, the Second or Sacred Lodge and the Third or Grand and
Royal Lodge. In the Craft, of which we have been making a study in these
papers, we are dealing with the Present, and looking to the Future.   If we
realise that the three lodges mentioned are the representations in Masonic
Symbolism of the conditions of human life on earth in the Past, in the
Present and in the Future, we will at once reach the conclusion that the
Craft represents the Present and carries within it the lessons which should
guide us towards perfection in some Future period.  It follows therefore that
there must have been a lodge representative of the past existence of
Humanity, and that its work is over and its object accomplished, so far as
that is possible. This Lodge would have had as its Master that Aspect of
Trinity which we attribute to the principal officer whom we designate as
J.W., representing Force-Matter, and holding the Lodge together as its
"ostensible Steward." This Lodge and its functioning lie behind us.  In our
Craft of to-day we are dealing with Life-Form, represented by our W.M. in
the C. of K.S. Creative Activity lies behind and now is the reign of
Preservative Love-Wisdom.  But this cannot be the end, and in the H.R.A.
we have a vision of things to come, when these two Aspects will be the
supporters of a new World Polity in which the ruler will be that perfected
expression of Humanity which lies hidden in the symbol of the S.W., the
Aspect of Strength, as Divinity-Humanity.  When Man and God are ONE;
then, and then only, shall come the consummation of the Goal. I would
suggest to you that as basic Hinduism found its consummation in the
Philosophy of Buddha, that Illumination which is the goal of the First or
Holy Lodge, so the Hebraic dispensation finds its consummation in a new
outlook which finds one of its expressions in Christianity, delineating that
Fellowship which is the key-note of the Second or Sacred Lodge. In like
manner the present philosophical and religious outlook of the world as a
whole, must reach a further consummation, representing that Unity which
is Strength, and the expression of the absolute Oneness which is the
key-note of the Grand and Royal Lodge.  Tennyson called it "The
Parliament of Man, the Federation of the world." This, I suggest, is what
attempt has been made to express in the H.R.A., the "Supreme Degree."

Now, I have been rushing ahead too fast, so I must retrace my steps for a
time, in order to deal more fully with the actual ceremony of Exaltation.

The accepted Aspirant finds himself armed with a most significant P.W.,
and by its means he gains admission as one aspect of a trinity - of course,
he does not realise this until much later - a trinity which is in the position
of "Sojourning" in the symbolic West.  After his entrance he stands upon the
summit of the Skull - that Golgotha which is also the Holy Mount Moriah -
that centre in which he has suffered, has served, and has attained that
perfect comprehension and compassion through which alone, as a Lord of
Compassion, his further progress is made possible.  But, so far as he
himself can comprehend, there is a great darkness upon the face of the
Earth.  In this darkness the Aspirant is re-enacting our Craft degrees in a
new symbolism, which is the real reason for the darkness. It is the usual
preliminary to a new stage of rebirth.  Once more he has to rely upon his
conductors, the now completely spiritualised Emotional and Mental
Faculties.  With their aid he approaches the crown of the Arch - in other
symbol, the Vault of the Skull. This is the moment represented in the
completed Calvary symbol wherein the skull and cross-bones have been
added at the foot of the Cross, to represent this minor trinity of the western
nadir.  Coming to the central point, he sets to work, again with the help of
his conductors, and removes one Ashlar from either side of the central
key-stone.  These are the Rough and Perfect Ashlars of the Craft, here
appearing in a new guise, and their removal indicates that the Perpend
Ashlar, the Tesseract of the perfected M.M. now hangs unsupported, in the
fourth dimension.  One might almost say that it also "rests upon the
prospect of futurity." The removal of these supporting Ashlars finds its
correspondence in the Christian Gospel in the story of the death of the two
thieves.  The one is unrepentant governed by the lower reasoning mind; the
other repentant, carried away in a flood of highest Emotion, which brings
him to the threshold of Illumination.  These are the cross-bones behind the
skull.  The skull itself is a symbol analogous to the Key-stone and the
Perpend Ashlar, as also the Master's Cross.  Only by passage through
these three can the full realisation of the meaning of the Spiritual Crucifix,
which grows out of them, be gained.  Through their removal, in a peculiar
manner and sequence detailed in the ceremony, the Aspirant finds, as we
have already seen in the paper to which I have so often referred upon "The
Masonic Trinity and Way of the Cross," that the upright of the Cross has
turned back upon itself to form a figure which indicates the Supercession
of the Cross by a combination of the Master's Square superimposed upon
the Circle of the Zodiac. It is the Egyptian resurrection symbol of the Ankh
Cross in one of its intermediate forms, and it is also, for those who know
that peculiar symbolism, the Round Table of King Arthur.

This is the full consummation and completion of Resurrection in the entry
of the Aspirant into the full Light, wherein he must spend a period of study,
contemplation, and service, before he can aspire to enter upon the last
three steps of the Major Cycle, in the passing of the Three Chairs which
occupy the three points of the Master's Square.  May I remind you once
more that the true Master's Square or Cross, is not the four-equal-armed
Greek Cross, so often wrongly shown upon the representations of the
Nimbus or Halo of the Christos in pictorial art. The true symbol within the
circle has three arms only, the downward pointing arm of the cross being
missing, just as we find it in the APRON of the I.M. If the symbolism of the
H.R.A. is grasped in its entirety the sequence becomes obvious. First we
build up the Cross of Calvary, three arms of three cubes each imposed
upon a central cube, which, in turn, rests upon the upright of twelve cubes. 
The total is, as you will see, 22, of which number we have studied the
significance, linking it with the Tarot and the Sephirothic paths.  In the
H.R.A. ceremony, the twelve become a circle which is formed from and
replaces the upright.  The Master's Square remains unmoved, surmounting
the figure.  With the passing of the Chairs, the three upper arms are
absorbed into and vivify the Circle, making the most perfect symbol of Unity
known to man.

I cannot enter further into the working of the Chapter, without running the
risk of taking the flavour from the greatest of Spiritual fruitional treats lying
before those of you who have not yet taken the degree.

It must suffice to say that the Installation of a Successor in the Chair of First
Principal in the Chapter marks the final completion of this Major Cycle and
qualifies the Aspirant - for Aspirant he still remains - for the title of "True of
Voice" on a higher level than before, so that he may hope to "present
himself at the door of the Lodge" on the next higher ring of the spiral,
"humbly soliciting to be admitted to the M. and P. of A.FM." with the object
of further expanding his consciousness, and having "a general desire for
knowledge and a sincere wish to render himself more serviceable to his
fellow-creatures."

In the H.R.A. there are, apparently, only two W.T's. presented to the
candidate, and even they are so casually mentioned as sometimes to pass
virtually unnoticed.  They are, nevertheless, of tremendous significance. 
They represent the conferment of the powers which lie behind the
processes of Involution and Evolution, the vital forces of Integration and
Disintegration or, to use terms commonly used - and almost as commonly
misunderstood - in the West, "the Fall and the Atonement." Actually there
is a third T. Its presence is, however, only implied, for the simple reason
that it neither requires to be, nor can be, presented to the Candidate.  It is
inherent in the Candidate, as such, from the moment that he takes upon
himself to do the work required of it, in his acceptance of the C. of K.S.,
with all its joys, its trials and its responsibilities in the Craft Lodge.

There is, as you will doubtless have noted, a kind of pendulum swing about
the whole chain of Involution and Evolution upon each successive level,
each set of lesser swings being superimposed upon a single greater swing. 
Each set is perhaps best represented diagrammatically by the figure used
by the Chemists to represent the succession of Elements, in terms of what
is called Valency.  It is generally shown as a zig-zag line, centering round
a medial vertical, and exhibiting a peculiar hesitancy where it crosses from
one side to the other.  Alternatively it is shown, in three dimensions, by a
model in the form of a double spiral, forming a succession of figures of
eight, the point being that each ring is on a higher or lower level than the
last, according as the course pursued is up or down.  Elements having the
same valency will be found occupying corresponding places on the rings
so that they all lie upon the same vertical line.

And so, perhaps, in the case we are considering, AD INFINITUM.  Can
there be any finality, you will ask? I do not know; but I can see nothing to
suggest that there is, or can be. To postulate any finality seems to me to
involve the acceptance of a beginning, and to be an attempt to visualise
something which must, from the very nature of our known limitations, be
completely beyond our powers of imagination.

From the very start we are up against the questions which have puzzled
and perplexed the reasoning faculties of mortal man, from the moment
when he commenced to exercise these faculties, even until the present day.
Only if we can cease, for a moment, to look upon the prospect from the
point of view of mortal man and, realising ourselves as the immortal spirits
which we really are, view it from the point of view of Spirit, will we see it in
its proper perspective.

It certainly takes on a very different aspect and complexion.  And, in my
opinion, it is this new point of view, from which to observe the Universe in
which it is our fate to have our being, that our Masonic teachings are
intended to unveil to our eyes.  We are the Children of the Widow, the
offspring of the Great Mother, call her by what name you will.  In Egypt she
was Isis, and which one of us can truly say that he has gazed upon her
unveiled? Yet gaze upon her we must, if we would gain that perfect chastity
of outlook through which alone the veils dissolve and are dissipated, so
that Isis can be known to us by her other tide, the Virgin Sophia, the
ever-virgin Wisdom of the most High God.

And now, let me make an attempt to sum up the teachings which I have
tried - no one recognises the utter inadequacy of the attempt more than I
- to set forth in these papers.

I have tried to lay before you a reasoned interpretation of the sequence of
degrees which we designate by the term, the Craft. I have done this with
the idea of leading gently up to an idea which I put before you with some
trepidation, as it is somewhat in advance of the understanding of the
average member of the Craft of today, and is apt to come as somewhat of
a shock even to the Brother who has made the deeper side of Masonry his
study over a period of years, if he does not happen to have stumbled upon
this particular line of approach.

The idea which I have in mind is that the three Craft degrees, the E.A., the
F.C. and the M.M., as commonly practised, when they are referred to the
scheme of Freemasonry as a whole, give a picture, not of the mounting of
successive steps on the ladder which leads from the material to the
spiritual, but, very much to our surprise, of the apparent descent of a series
of steps leading from the nearest point to God, to which we have been able
to again, down into the lowest depths of gross matter.  They bring to our
notice a picture of our past functioning on this Earth since our first
attainment of Individuality, at the point where we broke finally with the
animal group-soul, and set out upon the way, walking, as it were, upon our
own feet.  At that critical moment we reached realisation that into us had
been breathed "the Breath of God," and that each one of us had "become
a living soul."

Owing, however, to the peculiarities of the Cyclic Law, we may come to see
that in reality there is no such thing as retrogression, for every step taken
is, in its own way, a step forward.  So it has been possible to so clothe the
apparent descent in the garments of ascent that we see in them, in their
surface meaning, the later unfolding of consciousness in incarnate man. 
I will not labour this point as I think that, if you will read and study these
papers closely when they reach you, and compare them with my former
papers on "The Lodge Man and "Evolutionary Symbolism," you will gain a
very fair picture of the way in which the consciousness of man gradually
unfolds so that he obtains ascendency over all the planes of nature, and
gains knowledge of himself, first as that which sounds through the vehicle
which we call the Personality, then as that which comes into action in what
we have named the Individuality, and finally as that which comes to know
itself as something transcending both, yet but a facet in the stone of a
greater and more all-embracing Personality.  "Man, know thyself " contains
far deeper implications than are usually attributed to the injunction, when
we see it merely as the motto of the lower mysteries.

There are, as I have hinted, certain questions, which have been
propounded throughout the ages by all the great thinkers among men.
What is God ? What is Man ? What is the relationship between them, if
there is such a relationship ? What is Matter ? What is its relationship to
God and to Man ? Is there a primordial substance which lies behind matter,
and, if so, what is it ? Truly there is no beginning nor end to the inquisitive
faculty in man!

Towards the end of the last century the greatest brains of so-called Science
were full of speculation about the ATOM and the MOLECULE.  The whole
subject had been revived by the putting into words of the Atomic Theory
by Dalton.  Through all the scientific writings of this period runs a peculiar
bias - a bias which the Scientists themselves would have been the first to
repudiate, had it been pointed out to them, for they would have treated it
as being mere religious speculation - a bias which definitely tended to the
enunciation of a theory of "special creation." Every road which they
explored appeared to lead directly to this unacceptable hypothesis.

Then came the discovery of RADIUM.  The ATOM did not spell finality!
Here, in their hands, was an Element, the atoms of which were in a state
of perpetual disintegration. "Away with Special Creation" they cried, "We
men of science have proved that it is unnecessary.  The Atom, that which
was thought to be permanent and unchangeable, can be further
subdivided, can be broken down into yet simpler constituents!"

It was all very nice and proper, and very satisfactory to all.  But there was
a "still small voice" that would not let well alone.  The voice of the
Metaphysician was heard to whisper, "Yes, yes, quite so! The Atom can be
broken up into its constituents. But-after all, there is always that horrid little
'but' - whence come these constituents? And why? And how? And, above
all, what were they made out of? And who made them? "A truly formidable
array of age-old questions, revived upon a forgotten level; questions which
rocked the castle of cards to its foundations, and sent the Scientists
scuttling back to their Laboratories to initiate other and wider experiments,
and to send forth other and equally final pronouncements.  But ever the
real fact seems to escape notice.  For those who had eyes to see, and the
necessary knowledge of themselves, as the greatest of all instruments of
research, the whole system of universes, great and small, presented a
completely logical sequence of analogous units.  This fact remains the
same today, as ever from the beginning, and it will endure to the end.

We have traced the journey of our aspirant through the course of a Major
Cycle and, I trust, have all been able to form some kind of mental picture
of the course of events and the changes in consciousness and in outlook
which have been involved.

In some previous Cycle the Aspirant has made such progress as will
enable him to claim, knowingly or unknowingly, that he is "true of voice,"
and, when properly called upon, to substantiate that claim.  He is free and
of good report, such a one as will call to the remembrance of his Brethren
the former strong ties which have been forged between him and them, so
that they testify that the tongue of good report has already been heard in
his favour.  It may only have been a whisper, or it may have blared forth as
a trumpet blast, but it declares him to be worthy to be admitted once more
upon the hallowed path, the homeward way, Or, it may be, that he comes
for the first time, with the faltering steps of spiritual childhood, vouched for
by sponsors who believe that he has reached the beginning of the
appreciation of brotherhood.

Blindly he goes forward, yet, from the contact with his unknown conductor,
and with the Brethren assembled to receive him, he gains in Strength, and
makes a beginning of functioning as a prince and a ruler in the Ish-Ra-El
of his own multiple Personality.  Through the medium of this Personality the
contacts are made, and through it, for the moment, he finds a channel of
expression, however inadequate.

But the seed, sown beside the flood of desire, gains nourishment
therefrom, and it sprouts out to the bearing of a full ear of corn, ushering
in a season of plenty, of apparent fulfilment, wherein the aspirant can rest
satisfied for a time.  It does not, however, bring with it any adequate means
of self-expression - it has a defect in aspiration - until realisation dawns that
this season of plenty is but a passing phase, a step on the way to
something which will give more scope for his self-expression.  So again he
presents himself at the door of the lodge, and there hands over and leaves
behind the limitation of the burden of plenty, in the hope that the
renunciation will recommend him to attain to something higher.

Onward he travels until he begins to establish himself as an assistant,
cooperating consciously with the Higher Self, the High Priest within his own
Temple, for the dedication of that temple to the task ahead.  Thus he gains
worldly possessions, and again, for a space, he rests satisfied.  But he
finds in time that his further progress is barred, and his footsteps clogged,
by those very worldly possessions to gain which he has striven so hard and
so long.  Once more he sees the necessity to overcome the limitations of
his gains, and again he hands them over as his passport to the next stage,
when he comes again to the door of the lodge.  He sells all that he hath,
and gives to the poor and to the fatherless, the "sons of the widow."

Now, the builder, the Creator, the third Aspect of the Divine Trinity within
him, is smitten.  His work is completed for the time being and, in the death
of the builder, the aspirant aggregates and then conquers the whole
essence of the material plane.

Thus, and thus only, can he attain to Mastership.  The supreme sacrifice is
made, voluntarily and whole-heartedly.  The seed of corn has fallen from
the ear, has sacrificed itself in the depths of the earth, that new generation,
growth and fructification may ensue.

Once more the traveller rests content with the progress made and the
height to which he has attained, but now he knows that all he has
experienced can only be in the nature of preliminary foundation upon which
to build to more purpose.  He knows that TRUTH is Infinite and that it can
only be found in INFINITY.

He must, therefore train himself, in order that, when the call shall come, he
may be ready to put off his Mastership and voluntarily renounce the title of
Master, as a further passport to the attainment of that state of Worth-ship,
which shall make him a Master of Masters, a perfect Mason.

In this great renunciation he learns to practice Mercy, and through the
practice of Mercy, he becomes himself one of those who have obtained
Mercy. The attainment comes only in the apparent loss of the Vision of
Celestial Bliss toward which all his struggling has hitherto been directed. He
comes to the realisation that he must forego even this title to mercy which
he has obtained, and he is apt to shrink involuntarily from the great
adventure.

Finally he reaches the decision and finds himself in a state of darkness and
bewilderment once more and in an atmosphere differing profoundly from
anything which he has before experienced.

Down, down he goes into the darkness and noxious vapours which lie
concealed under the Vault of Heaven.  Down he plunges into the depths
of his inmost self, in fear and trembling, and clinging tightly to his old friend
and guide, the C.T., which has itself developed three aspects,
corresponding to the three channels of force which we have so frequently
met in our enquiry.  In the Centre he finds an altar of incense which
conveys to him the truth of the Trinity in Unity, although he cannot yet
grasp its meaning.  In his blindness he cannot read the message.  Yet, on
his return, he brings back something which, in the light of previous
experience, he can decipher.  To his unbounded surprise he finds himself
already perfectly familiar with its content, as a record of the facts of
Creation.

In this moment of exaltation he inherits to the full the powers which he last
saw buried in the cruciform tomb of a M.M. By devious paths he has
reached the light once more.  This time it is a fuller light, showing clearly
the form of the Universe and the Central Control therein.  The secrets of
Life and Death, of Involution and Evolution, of Creation, Preservation and
Transmutation, all these are unveiled to his eyes and he is invested with the
power to use and apply any and all of them at will to himself, so that he
can act in the full three-fold capacity of Creator, Preserver and seeming
Destroyer.

Never again is it necessary to renounce that which he has gained, for he
knows the true value of all things and suffers limitation from nothing.  At
each step he can gather up all that has gone before and absorb it into
himself.  He has become the perfect sphere, the true "Rolling Stone" which
no longer gathers any moss on its way, but remains pure and translucent
in its perfected activity in service.

As Priest he attains to the perfection of humanity, as Prophet he gains the
open eye that can see the whole Universe as a perfect and well-ordered
scheme, and as King he gains the power to rule over a universe created by
himself as a vehicle for the further unfolding of that part of the Universal Life
which flows in him.

In performing these functions he knows, with a sure knowledge which is
quite beyond our comprehension, that universe, which he has created, now
preserves, and will bring to perfection, is merely another Personality, a
something through which he can sound, through which he can express
himself.

Sacrificing himself for its sake, he will again descend into the darkness, and
each smallest component of himself which shares in his life will go forward
until it, in its turn, may humbly solicit to be admitted to the mysteries and
privileges of Ancient Freemasonry.  The next stage of the Great Adventure
has commenced. In his own Universe he is true God, but that very fact only
serves to emphasise the more strongly that, now and for ever, he remains
- "The Candidate."

The whole story, upon which the Masonic Teaching is based, is a Paradox. 
I told you in the early stages of our companionship upon this Journey that,
in its course, you would meet many a paradox.  Surely the final Paradox is
the greatest of all.

Yet, should not this Paradox - as well as others - have been expected by
us? Have we not had it drummed into us that "the last shall be first, and the
first last," "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will
lose his life for my sake shall find it," "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
all these things shall be added unto you", "Whom the Lord loveth He
chasteneth," and many other admonitions on the same lines?

The Master says, "Ye are gods; ye are all the children of the Most High".
Not "You shall be," but "Ye are". Here and now, each and every man is
"DIVINE." The Spirit within him is part and parcel of the Divine Spirit. He
needs only to let it show itself to the full, and he will have won everything
for which he came into the world,

You have wrought the progress through
of that which made you man,"
as someone has put it.

Throughout the whole Masonic Journey - as in all other systems which try
to teach the same basic truths - we have two distinct meanings which are
closely interwoven.  Sometimes other meanings are woven into the pattern,
but it will be found to be based upon these two main themes.  Of these, the
first tells of the stages in the path which must be trodden by every aspirant
to Initiation, while the second describes the descent of the second aspect
of Spirit, the Second Logos, into the Matter which has been formed for His
reception by the third aspect, the Third Logos.

The building of the Microcosm of Man, and the building of the Macrocosm
of the Solar System, or of the Universe, are so dovetailed into one another
that the fundamental system of Cosmogony stands for both, whatever may
be the dress in which it is presented by the particular religious system we
may be considering at the moment.  You will find the Jewish version set out
in the Book of Genesis, and the same story is even more clearly set out in
the Gnostic teaching of the Christian Religion.

The man, the world, the system, the universe, none is left to wallow along
on its own account, without guidance from above.  Each and every phase
and stage has its Great Hierarchies, upon which the units which compose
it can rely for guidance.

In this world of ours, there are "just men made perfect," who hold definite
offices and carry out definite functions in the ruling and helping of all that
lives therein.  They hold office and work under the Spiritual King of the
World, the Leader of its evolution.  He is the One Initiator, in whose name
all initiations are carried out, all degrees conferred, although, in the earlier
stage, the actual work may be done by a Deputy, and even by a deputy of
that Deputy.

The man who has made such progress in the Greater Mysteries as will
allow of his admission to the Third Stage comes face to face with the
Spiritual King Himself.  He is "presented in the Temple," and his age-old
Self cries out in the rapturous words of Simeon, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy
servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen
Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, to
be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy peace Israel."

If we can grasp the meaning and the plan of the progress of Man, we can
make a picture of the meaning and plan of the progress of the Solar
System.  The various stages are set out clearly in all religions if only their
followers have the eyes to see.  Even in Christianity, the early Church
Fathers lost no opportunity of impressing upon the followers of other
religions that their systems fell in no way behind, pointing out that their
faith, like all the others, had Mysteries which explained all these wonderful
things in detail.  But it seems that it was necessary that man, in the Western
world, should plumb the depths of the profoundest materialism in the "dark
ages," in which most things that were worth remembering were forgotten,
and the rulers of the Church succeeded in losing all the inner meaning of
the great allegories and so left Christendom to feed upon the husks of
mere reputed historicity of a physical plane event.

But the tradition did not die. In the Church and in Freemasonry magnificent
and stately rituals have been handed down through the ages, and the
utmost care has been taken that none of the highly significant details
should be changed or lost.  In both cases, despite the continued efforts of
the ignorant and the superficial amongst their followers, the task has been
faithfully accomplished, although it is quite certain that in neither case had
those, who so loyally fulfilled their trust, a full conception of the real
meaning of the ceremonies whose integrity they guarded with such loving
care.

As a direct result of their faithful and devoted service we are now able to
formulate with exactitude the information which the original founders of the
systems desired to convey.

Brethren, it is no "joy-ride" upon which you embark, when you enter upon
the Craft Journey, but there is a story of Dean Swift which is perhaps
pertinent.  The Dean was justly noted for his Charity sermons, but, like
most preachers he liked to have due and timely notice of what was
expected of him.  On one occasion he found himself faced with making an
appeal from the pulpit, of which he had no warning, although the
congregation had been informed that he would preach on the occasion. 
Justly incensed, he turned the tables on those whose lack of courtesy had
put him in such a position, by giving the shortest, and probably the best,
Charity sermon on record.  Ascending the pulpit he opened the Bible and
gave out his text, Proverbs, Ch. 19, v. 17-

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he
hath given will he pay him again."
If you like the security, down with the dust!" 
And he closed the book, and retired.

Brethren, if you like the security, it is up to you to give of yourselves
unstintingly to Freemasonry and all that for which it stands, ever
remembering that the way is hard, for it will lead you to transgress every
desire of the body, the emotions and the lower mind.

Let me close with the description of the typical Initiate as described for us
in the 53rd Chapter of the Book of the Prophet ISAIAH.

Do we accept the security as good ? Are we prepared to undertake the
required deposit of sacrifice ?

Remember -

"When you know - You will have the Wisdom to discriminate.  
When you can dream - you will have Strength to desire naught.  
When you Will - you will show Beauty of character in good conduct.  
When you can Keep Silent - You will have time to Love."

PEACE TO ALL BEINGS !

"May all that have life be delivered from Suffering!" (Hindu).

So mote it be.  AMEN