THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF FREEMASONRY ILLUSTRATED BY  SYMBOLS

THE CRAFT AND THE ROYAL ARCH PRELIMINARY and 

1. CONTINUITY OF CEREMONIAL

2. THE CERTIFICATE AND CONTINUITY OF SYMBOLISM 
by W.Bro. J. H. E. Marshall, MA, FRIC, PGStB

Brother "Jim" Marshall passed to the Grand Lodge Above in September
1984 at the  age of 63, after a very short illness. He spoke quite
openly to those he knew would  understand of his innate knowledge
of the fact that he knew he was "going home"  very soon there were
no apparent signs of any physical illness at that time so 
obviously he had made provision for his departure.

He was of a quiet, reserved nature, yet had the extraordinary
ability when  conducting our "Miscellaneous Topics" meetings of
getting non-stop discussions  taking place without seeming to say
much himself, confining his contribution to  asking what appeared
to be innocuous questions.

His private avocation coincided with his nature, for he was an
analytical chemist.  This is reflected in a series of short papers
left by him: concise sentences, clear-cut  ideas, logical concepts.
He does not lead us along an associational chain of  thought: to
the contrary, he keeps on stopping us, to make us think for
ourselves.

One can almost hear his admonition: Man is the superior animal
because he has  the power to reason please use that power.

President

 THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF FREEMASONRY

In the middle of this the twentieth century, we have joined a world
wide order, which  knows many Constitutions, and which has adopted,
adapted and makes use of,  ritual ceremonial, allegory and symbols.
Particularly we in Britain have had  conferred on us three degrees,
and regretably it is the case that little or no attempt  is ever
made to set out their overall purpose, or individually to explain
them.

Masonry requires a perfect freedom of inclination in every
candidate. Thus every  man is free to make of Freemasonry what he
will. Perhaps it even puts every  candidate under an obligation to
do so. Therefore these thoughts are offered for  acceptance or
rejection, perhaps to inform and instruct, certainly to interest,
even to  inspire, but not to assert or dogmatism Unfortunately,
they will not mean anything to 

anyone who has not already wondered what it is all about, and who
has not sought  for something of its meaning and purpose.

Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality. This might be put
better.  Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality dramas, for
this does not alter the  meaning. Morality here means the same as
in the morality plays of the middle ages,  for the episodes are
dramas intended to teach morals or lessons. This meaning of 
"morals" is different from that in the sentence that "True and
proper persons to be  made Freemasons are just, upright and free
men of mature age, sound judgment  and strict morals." In the
latter context, "morals" mean "principles of conduct."

But the commonly quoted definition that "Freemasonry is a peculiar
system of  morality" can be turned round without altering the
meaning to read "The morality of  Freemasonry is systematic." It is
complete within itself and self-affirming. The  validity of any
part serves to affirm the validity of the whole. If the morality is 
systematic, then also is the symbolism, i.e. the meanings of the
Symbols is  systematic, but, within the broader framework of the
system of morality, for the  system is illustrated by symbols.

If we put forward the overall, comprehensive concept that the lodge
is a symbol of  man, we are making the interpretation of our
symbols systematic, in that  interpretations of all the parts must
fall within these limits. They are to be  interpreted only in the
light of man himself, and thus the landmarks and boundaries  of our
symbolism are established. Not only are the symbols related, for in
the main  they are architectural, but the meaning also must fit
into this broad pattern. We may  examine the validity of this
concept by considering the supportive evidence.

If the lodge is a symbol of man, we are perpetuating the intentions
of our operative  predecessors, for they built churches and
cathedrals (of course among other  reasons and for other purposes)
as a symbol of man. It is well known that Chartres  Cathedral is
built according to the dimensions of a man. But, behind this, an 
architect with such an idea will have been motivated by a desire to
express the  psychological make-up of man in the physical forms and
proportions of his intended  structure.

It follows also that when a candidate comes into our Order, and
into a lodge, he is  being introduced to a symbol of himself, and
hence he is from the moment of his  initial reception embarking on
the pursuit of that most interesting of all human  studies, a
knowledge of himself. We say that Freemasonry has subsisted (note 
subsisted, not existed) from time immemorial, and if the purpose of
Freemasonry is  to teach self knowledge, then it is clear how we
may ascribe such a great age to it,  for has not man always asked
who and what he is, where he is, why he is and  whither shall he
go? Did not these self same questions perplex the Ancient 
Egyptians?

And it follows that when a brother becomes Master of a Lodge, he is
symbolically  master of himself. How many of us can say we are
truly masters of ourselves, 

masters at all times and under all circumstances? For example: some
like to  smoke, and are hooked on the habit. Are they masters of
themselves? Are we  always in control of our moods and our
emotions? Are there not occasions when  we are e.g. indecisive, or
non-plussed, or speechless, or shattered, or have over  indulged?

In the first degree, the candidate is made acquainted with the
principles of moral  truth and virtue, and in the second degree, he
develops his intellectual faculties by  a study of the liberal arts
and sciences, and he must extend his researches into the  hidden
mysteries of nature and science. If we remember that meanings of
words  have changed, sometimes considerably, since the time the
ritual was drawn up (say  two to three hundred years ago) the
hidden mysteries of nature and science mean  "the hidden mysteries
of human nature and the science of self knowledge." So it is 
obvious that Freemasonry is concerned with man's inner life. It is
concerned with  the serious things in life, and this is its
function and purpose.

In the third degree the candidate is charged: "Guide your
reflections in that most  interesting (nowadays ' rewarding' might
be a better word) of all human studies, the  knowledge of
yourself." What is this knowledge of oneself that is referred to?
What  do we want or need to know about ourselves?

It might help to include here some of the things that Freemasonry
is not, in order to  arrive at a clearer idea of what it is, and
what it is designed to do. It should be  obvious that a vast
organisation such as ours was not brought into being, and 
maintained now for more than 250 years, just to support a Charity,
worthy though  this is; nor was it to teach us love, which we learn
from our mothers; not to give  academic instruction of any kind,
which we get in our schooling, nor was it to tell us  that we
should inevitably die. Freemasonry perpetuates something more than
the  trade associations of the stonemason, and must be something
more than a code of  elementary morality, for moralising upon a few
building tools does not require a  costly organisation. Indeed, is
it not likely that the operative mason of old, whilst  working away
at his stone, said to himself; "Thus must I square the stone of my 
soul?" What Freemasonry has to give is inculcated by means of
extensive and  elaborate ceremonies. Even the great central legend
of the third degree can never  have had any practical bearing on or
connection with the actual trade of an  operative mason. The
secrets of architecture have never been lost. Other societies  are
philanthrophic, and social conviviality is a valuable and
humanising asset.  Freemasonry is not concerned with anatomy, or
any of the sciences to do with the  physical body, neither is it
concerned with physical development, nor with physical  skills. Yet
it known as the Royal Science and the artless art. It is concerned
with  that vast inner part of man, known as the mind, or the soul,
or the immortal part. It  is to the mysteries of man's own inner
nature that Freemasonry seeks to direct its  members.

All men are equal in origin and destiny, but are not all men also
made of the same  basic ingredients? What men have in common far
exceeds their differences. Do not  all men have the same heart,
will, the same hopes, ambitions, ideals, even the 

same thoughts, ideas, the same virtues, and even the same vices?
Haven't we all  got hang-ups, and in our psychological development,
left-behind bits? We may  differ in our capacities for study or
physical endurance, in our individual gifts, and  of course, in our
political environment or economic geographical circumstances.  Men
differ because all these things interplay, and every man is a
different  permutation of them.

But what is the self-knowledge that Freemasonry can teach? What do
we really  need to know about ourselves? Most people, when asked,
will say they know  themselves quite well, so let us pose a few
questions. What is the relationship  between conscience and will?
Conscience drives the heart, mind and will to right  activity. A
simple question such as "Have you taken the dog for a walk today?" 
produces an answer instantly yes or no or whatever. But in that
instant we dip into  both memory and conscience before producing an
intellectually coherent answer.  What processes have been involved
in producing it?

What sort of things always make us feel cross? And who feels cross?
The things  which always make us feel cross could be e.g., bloody-
mindedness,  obstructivism/obstructionism, the arrogant ignorance
of petty officialdom. Who feels  cross? We can after all control
our degree of "crossness?" What do we really mean  when we say:
"This is my hand?" Who "owns" the hand? Where do our thoughts  come
from? Inside us? Or outside us? That two people have the same
thought at  the same time is quite a common experience. If they
originate from inside us, how  is it they are new thoughts? Why
have we not had them before? The sword of the  Tyler is said to
teach us to set a watch at the entrance of our thoughts, but 
nevertheless, have there not been occasions when we have
deliberately put a  thought into someone else's mind? Or again, we
have second thoughts, checking  the first lot; . . . and with
intuition, no thought process is involved at all! All these  are
related to the true Self within ourselves, and this Self is what
Freemasonry  would help us become aware of, for we do not know
ourselves very well at all. The  secrets, mysteries and privileges
of Freemasonry are truly great, profound and  valuable. This Self
is the Centre within ourselves, the vital and immortal principle, 
and is known elsewhere as the Divine Spark, the Spirit of God, the
Overself, the  Transpersonal Centre.

The Self is that which is secreted deep within the most
impenetrable part of man,  and it is to its recovery that the
ritual, ceremonial, allegory and symbols of our  Freemasonry are
directed. This is the mission and purpose of Freemasonry.

Freemasonry seeks not to preserve its secrets, but to reveal them,
to those  properly prepared and entitled to them. There is no point
in having secrets at all if  they are never revealed. The secrets
of a speculative science are really no  different from those of any
other human activity, in that they are quite simply "the  tricks of
the trade." They are not really complicated, and they shorten the
process  of initiation. It must follow that initiation, with its
fulfilment in the return/restoration of  man to his Divine Origin
or original divinity, is not something which can in any way  be
confined to a few individuals calling themselves Freemasons. but
must be freely 

available to, and ultimately required of, humanity in its entirety.
It will be found that  there are many other Institutions giving
initiation to its adherents. Even life itself is  a school of
initiation.

Now all this has developed from the suggestion that the Lodge is a
symbol of man,  and there is already ample evidence for its
validity. We have all expressed a firm  belief in a Supreme Being,
and we may say that one of the functions of  Freemasonry is to help
a man convert his faith in God into a knowledge of God.  The Lodge
has been deliberately constructed as a symbol of man; each officer 
representing a part of man, either a faculty or an activity. He is
required to get to  know each part (which he does by occupying each
office) and then as Master to  rule over all the individual parts
and weld them into an orderly whole. The Lodge is  a collection of
not always harmonious elements which man has to learn to unite. 
Thus is chaos changed into regular form and peaceful existence. The
symbolism is  designed for this purpose.

Now what of the ritual? This is designed to awaken man to his own
nature, to make  him question himself e.g. are we always as
charitable as the lesson of the first  degree would have us be? Do
we always remember the peculiar moments we were  received into
Freemasonry, poor and penniless? It should be noted exactly what,
in  the ritual sense, charity really is. The first degree clearly
demonstrates that a man  is required to show charity when his
pocket is empty, and it emphasises that true  charity comes only
from the heart. This lesson is brought home to the candidate  very
early on in his masonic career in order to point out that we cannot
receive until  we have given. If we deplete the chalice we have all
been given to carry through  life (and the chalice is a symbol of
the heart) it is at once replenished by a gift from  on High, and
so is the Senior Warden able to truly say, in closing the lodge in
the  first degree, that every brother has had his due, implying in
the manner each of the  brethren is paid out, a complete absence of
caprice, favouritism, delay, conditions  or qualification. Hence
every brother may be enriched by the act of giving himself, 
ultimately to the point where his chalice bears only purity and
truth. So every  brother is required to question himself and his
motives.

These suggestions have concerned only this perhaps outstanding
episode, but  every degree can be, as it were, separated broadly
into a number of episodes,  namely: admission, prayer,
perambulation and recapitulation, presentation,  advance,
obligation, enlightenment, entrustment, testing, investiture, and 
instruction variously in history, legend, design, morals, etc. Each
episode may be  related to, or have a parallel with, an inner
experience.

The ceremonial is an extensive elaboration of that part where we
say the method of  advancing from West to East is as follows, and
advance in this direction takes  place in every degree in
Freemasonry (including those outside our Craft system.)  What do
East and West mean? East is the Greater world of infinite Spirit,
the place  of enlightenment, e.g., altars are in the eastern end of
churches: the Moslem turns  to the East. What is West? This is our
present world, the Lesser world of finite  matter, this sublunary
abode, the place of darkness, this tomb of transgression, this 

arena of toil, trouble, testing, spiritual wickedness, ignorance
and doubt. Now  remember the parable of the prodigal son, who left
home, the East, journeyed into  the world, the West, suffered and
when poor and penniless, returned to his father's  house, humble
and wiser for the experience, for which he was rewarded, over the 
brother who had not so travelled. This part of the parable is
enacted in the first  degree. A candidate, poor and penniless,
decides he has had enough of the  darkness of the West, and
voluntarily embarks on the journey back to the East.  Obviously in
our ceremonies, the journey is far from being on a simple straight
line  between two points. Ceremonially, the journey involves a
number of  perambulations, back and forth, wherein the candidate
encounters the many sides  of his nature, represented by the four
sides of the lodge, and this advance  becomes orderly and more
regular, only after the appropriate order via the Senior  Warden
and Deacon, that it may henceforth be "proper." Even so, it still
never is a  straight line.

Perhaps as candidates ourselves we did not realise that this was
what we were  doing, but sooner or later, we must all abandon the
husks (of the parable) for the  worthwhile fruit, the true ear of
corn, the bread of life. So in brief, the ceremonial  may be summed
up as an advance to the Light.

The candidate is prepared in a state of helpless indigence to
instruct him that  whatever academic standard he might reach,
whatever his social status, whatever  his worldly attainments,
there remains a very great deal yet to learn and acquire, 
privileges available to those who solicit them with humility, and
in order to gain  these, he must approach with the openmindedness
(innocence) of a child, with the  wonder of the unprejudiced. This
does not mean that everything in the past was  wrong. The proper
approach requires openmindedness, and to a considerable  extent
self surrender. We are all so certain of ourselves, so wise in our
own eyes,  that we are quite unaware of how much we have to
unlearn, just how much we are  prejudiced. The more we can cast off
from ourselves, the better we can progress on  this path from West
to East. What are to be cast off are mental barriers, symbolised 
by the door of the lodge through which the candidate has to pass.
How? By three  distinct knocks which, as the Sections of the
Lectures state, have an allusion to that  passage in Matthew ch. 7,
"Seek and ye shall find, ask and ye shall have, knock  and it shall
be opened unto you." These correspond with three faculties in man. 
The candidate should seek with the intellectual activity of his
mind, ask with the  aspirational activity of his heart, and knock
with his strength, the physical activity of  his body. Only the
whole man can receive initiation, and to ensure complete  sincerity
on the part of the candidate, certain questions are put to him to
test his  motives, and we insist that there should be no evasion,
equivocation or mental  reservation of any kind in his replies.
There has also been previously the ballot,  which has a
significance in that as the lodge is a symbol of man, we require
the  whole man to concur in the initiation and acceptance of the
candidate. Truly it is  that if his heart is not in it, a candidate
will never truly be conformed to our Order.  That the whole lodge
must concur in any step a candidate takes is shown by the 
repetition in each and every degree that all members of the lodge
should give their  approval to the advancement. A candidate for the
second or third degrees answers 

certain questions, and there is an opportunity for further ones to
be put to him by  any brother. If the candidate does not answer
satisfactorily, nor gain the approval  of the entire lodge, his
next step can be postponed, by resolution and agreement of  the
brethren. The Master Elect is likewise elected to his preferment,
as is a  candidate for the Royal Arch. The brethren thereby
regulate the progress of any  candidate, at every stage, or rather,
bearing in mind that the lodge is a symbol of  man, we regulate our
own progress.

It was stated earlier that ritual is designed to make man question
himself. How does  it do this? Words have meanings as of course we
all know  but consider what  happens when we hear just one word,
e.g., the word "virtue." This may mean to one  "an irreproachable
attitude ;" to another "goodness," or any one of a range or of 
many shades of meaning, but whatever this outer meaning, this word,
such "virtue,"  has an irrational element, an element which appeals
to our feelings as well as our  intellects. It stirs our feelings,
elevates our being and makes us to be in harmony  with other
beings. Such a word has this effect, and our ritual, by its
deliberate  construction with such words, has this power. This is
the power behind masonic  brotherhood, that so much of our ritual
appeals to our higher natures and stands  the test of our
intellects. This power cannot be refuted, contradicted or evaded.

This leads to the reason for stepping off with the left foot, which
we do because the  left side of the body is the heart side, the
"feelings" side, and the right side is the  head side, or the
"intellect" side. And it is certainly true that any situation, or 
thought, or idea received by man is dealt with by the feelings,
before it reaches the  head or intellect. (If you do not accept
this, then observe yourselves.) We step off  with the left foot
because the head should confirm what the heart truly dictates.

But analysis of the ceremonial must cease, because there are three
whole degrees,  and all we have covered so far is just about enough
to get the candidate inside the  lodge for his first degree. As is
well known, in the course of the ceremonies, which  do indeed make
full use of a deliberately constructed ritual, the candidate 
encounters many officers and brethren in the lodge, all of whom
symbolise and  represent a part of his own being. Some of the
officers represent qualities, and  others represent activities.
Later he may get to know them by filling them. He is  also engaged
in a search for light, for something that was lost, by means of a 
journey from West to East, and during the ceremonial, the candidate
is entrusted  with certain secrets, or knowledge, or safeguards. At
the completion of a ceremony,  he is restored to his personal
comforts, which is a way of saying he loses nothing in  terms of
possessions and knowledge, nothing of what he came into the lodge
with.  His personal comforts are his knowledge, experience, status,
memories, common  sense together with all his weaknesses, blind
spots, gaps, hobby horses, worldly  attachments, his monies and
metallic substances, for Freemasonry does not take  anything away
from a man. It does not criticise him for what he was, or is, nor
does  it threaten him in any way. It only seeks to offer him
something better, something  eternally durable. He regains all
this, but he has been entrusted with a peculiar  knowledge, indeed
an expression in miniature of the science of self knowledge,  which
we know as substituted secrets. These comprehend the principles of
moral 

truth and virtue, a development of the intellect embracing the
seven liberating arts  and sciences, but principally they are a
reminder of man's divine origin and his  ultimate destiny, not of
death, but of a higher state of living.

Perhaps there should be just a brief mention of the dramatic climax
to the central  legend in the third degree. This represents that,
by self-purification and self- building, a candidate may, as it
were, lie dead to his present natural self, and may  be brought out
from this state of imperfection, to be finally exalted into the
Light  which shines around. We have all been made to represent
Hiram A'Biff, and if we  can see this character as representing a
part of our own being, then perhaps we  can see in what sense it
has to be slain and eliminated. It is perhaps inappropriate  to
develop this here. Such a development is very much a personal
responsibility.  The ceremonial is completed in the Holy Royal Arch
as may be reasonably  inferred, by the recovery of the genuine
secrets.

So all these thoughts have evolved from, and are based on, the
concept that the  Lodge is a symbol of man's inner being.
Freemasonry exists to help man to improve  in self knowledge, and
to bring him into the Light. It started with a reminder that 
masonry requires a perfect freedom of inclination in every
candidate. We may take  the ritual, ceremonial and symbolism of
Freemasonry at face value, as simple  moralistic instruction,
observable by all men, whether Masons or not, or we may  look for
a more secret knowledge, a more advanced doctrine.

These levels of knowledge may find a parallel in interpreting the
significance of  each of the two pens in the Secretary's jewel.
These suggestions are put forward  only to indicate that
interpretations can be made on many levels. The first pen  records
what it is directed by the Master to do, i.e., issue summonses,
record the  proceedings and activities of the Lodge, and to deal
openly with its ordinary affairs.  The second pen works in secrecy
andsilence, recording with confidentiality in the  book of life
every thought, word, deed, and of course, our errors and omissions,
our  debits and credits. For the pencil of the Most High is two
plumed with speech and  silence. Isn't there a Secretary within
each one of us, coping on the one hand with  our everyday lives on
the mundane level, and on the other recording absolutely  every
detail aye, even our very thoughts? Yes, and it is "un-rubbable-
out"/ "un- rub-out-able." Is this not so? Isn't this what we are
all doing, all the time, albeit  unconsciously? Likewise, there is
a Treasurer within each of us, and any of the  other officers, but
these thoughts must be brought to a close, with the summary that 
the mission and purpose of Freemasonry is instruction in self
knowledge, and an  advancement to Light.

ILLUSTRATED BY SYMBOLS

Of course the morality of Freemasonry must be illustrated by
symbols, for.there is  nothing else. Many papers, not just recent
onesshave pointed out that everything  we use is a symbol. A symbol
is something we are familiar with, which, in addition  to its
conventional meaning, has a specific connotation, beyond the
obvious one. It  is not necessary to elaborate on the distinction
and difference between a sign and 

a symbol. No one has ever yet "invented" a symbol  a sign yes, but
symbol no.  Symbols originate in the subconscious. Every word is a
sort of shorthand to  express a concept or define an object. Words
mean more or less the same to each  of us, but . . . only more or
less. Even the letters making up the words have a  deliberate
meaning, form and a peculiar relationship to each other.

Masonic symbols are generally architectural. They are borrowed from
architecture,  which has been defined as living mathematics. They
are applied to the science of  soul measurement and soul
development, to self knowledge, that most rewarding of  all human
studies. But why should the square teach morality? What was the 
process of logic, or was it a revelation, whereby this tool became
associated with  this concept? We should not forget that the square
was used thus as a symbol in  China over 6000 years ago. In the
definition of 'morality" is there not an element of  both e.g.
equality and uprightness? If therefore there is a degree of
arbitrariness in  allocating morality to the square, or the square
to morality, how much does this  matter? What is important is that
we try to fully understand morality. Could you  define "morality?"
And of course, distinguish it from "morality!" When we can do so, 
we no longer need any symbol for it at all, and so could discard
the square.

Put in another way, how may a glass of wine be interpreted as a
symbol? To one it  could represent drunkenness, to another
abstention and teetotalism, while to a  third it would suggest the
mellowness of moderation. So the meaning may very well  depend on
the environment or context. It is probably true to say that a
symbol can  never be precisely defined or fully explained. Symbols
are stimulating seed  thoughts.

The cross in Western religion expresses a multitude of ideas,
emotions and  aspects, but a cross after a name on a list can
simply mean that the individual is  dead or has not paid his
subscription. The graffiti of a twelve year old boy may  have an
explicit meaning, not present when an electrician speaks of male
plugs  and female sockets, and we should get very refined ideas
from an educated Hindu  on this significant and symbolic subject.
The meaning and significance depend on  the context. However, just
as in Masonry, the square always teaches morality, so is  it that
when we give the masonic fire or salutation, "Point, left, right,"
the Point  always refers to the Deity. (It does so in all degrees,
not just the Craft, and Royal  Arch.) For in the Deity is the
comprehensive conjointing of all opposites,  represented by "left"
and "right." There is a tradition that when the Creation came  into
manifestation, the first thing to appear was a Point, so the point
(or Jod) is a  symbol of God Manifest.

But a brother was recently heard to say he was looking for an
authoritative  interpretation of symbols. If we might regard Dr. C.
G. Jung as something of an  authority on symbols, we may take note
of some ideas which are expressed and  fully elaborated in his last
work entitled "Man and his symbols." It is well known that  Jung
regards dreams as a means used by the subconscious mind of man to
give  sensible instruction to the conscious mind. (Instruction here
is used to include:  awaken, warn, arouse, subdue, remind,
liberate, enlighten, provoke, restrain, 

enliven, direct . . . The subconscious mind just has to get through
to the conscious  mind.) Every aspect of a dream is of significance
to the dreamer, who alone can  interpret it. He may of course be
helped by a so called psychoanalyst or  psychologist, but the
dreamer alone can assess the validity of the interpretation.  Jung
also holds that the dream contains its own key to the understanding
of the  dream's message. The Talmud savs "The dream is its own
interpretation." In other  words, no dream symbol can be separated
from the dreamer. Curiously, this finds  an exact parallel in
modern scientific research, where it is becoming accepted,  perhaps
reluctantly by scientists, that the result of any research is NOT 
independent of the researcher.

So, with dreams, the dreamer gets instruction which originates from
within himself.  In Freemasonry, a brother gets instruction by a
deliberately constructed system of  morality. One may be regarded
as coming from "within," the other from "without,"  but both are
indeed illustrated by symbols.

Allegories are a way of stringing symbols together into coherence,
into some sort of  story. Dreams use the equivalent of mixed
metaphors  they do not make sense   neither do allegories, if
examined too literally and closely. Dreams are vivid and 
picturesque; so are allegories. It is the conscious mind, the so-
called intellect,  which needs concepts trimmed of their emotional
and fantastic content. A paper  such as this has to present ideas
in a somewhat cold, intellectual manner. This may  seem to be a
rather one-sided concessions to man's developing need, and it is 
possibly a result of the technological revolution over the last few
hundred years,  with its emphasis and insistence on intellectual
appreciation, because it has been  paralleled by a corresponding
decrease in man's use of his other perceptive  faculties.

But there are a surprising number of individuals who never use
their minds at all if  they can avoid it, and an equal number who
do use it but in an astonishingly naive  way. Many wide awake
people live as if they never use their senses. They do not  see the
obvious before them, hear not the sounds around them, and notice
not the  things they touch. They are even unaware of their own
bodies. Others, being  completely devoid of imagination, live as if
the state they had arrived at today were  final, with no
possibility of change, as if both their inner and outer worlds were 
static and permanently so. Truly thinking people apply their
intellects to trying to  adapt themselves to people and
circumstances; and there are equally intelligent  people who make
their way by feeling.

Sensation (i.e. sense perception) which may be equated with the
Tyler, tells us  something exists, the impressions having been
tationalised by the Inner Guard.  Thinking and feeling, as just
described above, the Junior Warden, tells us what it is  and
whether it is agreeable. Intuition, the Senior Warden, tells us
whence it came  and whither it shall go. Conscience, the Worshipful
Master, relates it to all other  things, i.e. to the Unity of all
things. (Note the derivation of the word "conscience.")  These
functions of our being are represented by these masonic symbols.

 So the significance of a masonic symbol is quite deliberate, but
nevertheless is  open to individual interpretation. Doubtless the
meanings attaching to the symbols  in the mysteries of ancient
Egypt were equally deliberate. In a way, the meanings  remain the
same, but the form the meaning is clothed with, changes. We can
quite  easily imagine an Egyptian neophyte asking "Where did this
Osiris-Isis myth come  from? Was Osiris a real person?" and hearing
an old Egyptian past master, on  being prodded into wakefulness,
reply "We always did it the other way in my day . .  . we never
asked questions." These questions need answers.

Do we not say "Masonry requires a perfect freedom of inclination in
every  candidate?" What a symbol means is not independent of the
individual. Our  masonic symbols are almost too well defined. If
they always meant exactly the  same thing, a symbol would become a
mere word, and the word a collection of  meaningless letters. Is it
not written "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life?"

So, Brethren, let us remember that Freemasonry is a means to an
end, an end  which is far more important than the means. And
likewise with its symbols. They too  are unimportant compared with
what the symbol means to you, for man in his  present state can
never really understand or comprehend anything.

 THE CRAFT AND THE ROYAL ARCH PRELIMlNARY

Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory
and illustrated by  symbols. Its morality is systematic and it
follows that the symbolism is also  systematic within the broader
framework of its systematic morality. Our operative  predecessors
built churches and cathedrals (among other reasons and of course 
for other purposes) as a symbol of man. It is well known that
Chartres Cathedral is  built according to the dimensions of a man.
But behind this, an architect with such  an idea, will have been
motivated by a desire to express the psychological make- up of man
in its physical forms and proportions. Our speculative lodges are 
likewise a symbol of man. It follows that when a candidate comes
into our order, he  is being introduced to a symbol of himself, and
he is at once embarking on the  pursuit of that most interesting of
all human studies, a knowledge of himself. We  say that Freemasonry
has subsisted (note subsisted, not existed) from time  immemorial,
and if the purpose of Freemasonry is to teach self knowledge, then
it  is clear how we may ascribe such a great age to it, for has not
man always asked  who and what he is, where he is, why he is, and
whither shall he go? And when a  brother becomes Master of a Lodge,
he is symbolically master of himself. How  many of us can say truly
we are masters of ourselves, masters at all times, and  under all
circumstances? If one of the purposes of Freemasonry is to perfect 
oneself, this cannot be systematically entered upon without seeing
oneself in all  one's parts. The lodge therefore is not merely an
assembly of persons, for it is  primarily a symbol of man, a
presentation of each individual man composing it, for  its purpose
is to be a fundamental symbolic object lesson in self-knowledge.

 Man is a threefold being: an outside personality or body, an inner
being, often  referred to as "soul," and a supreme factor
affiliating him to the Source of all being,  his "spirit." This
last is man's "Centre," his "Blazing Star," that part of man which 
justifies the biblical assertion that man is made in the image of
God. The soul is  that part of man which survives the physical
experience known as death. It  animates the body, and the craft of
Freemasonry is directed towards developing it  from a state of
chaos to one of order and beauty, for it is only when the soul has 
been purified, rectified and perfected that the Divine Spark can be
brought to life  and consciousness. The Lodge is a model of the
faculties, activities and tendencies  which we call the soul,and
the work of the Craft transforms it from the rough ashlar  to a
perfect stone, from darkness to darkness visible. (Do please
remember that the  light of a master mason is merely darkness
visible. i.e., he has now become aware  of his surrounding
ignorance.) It is to the mysteries of the Soul that the symbolism, 
science and work of the Craft is directed. The mind must become
conscious of the  Divine Spark within it, and this is what is meant
by being Master.

1. CONTINUITY OF CEREMONIAL

Masonry is a progressive system, and in it we have birth, life,
death, raising and  exaltation. This may be paralleled with birth,
life, death, resurrection and  ascension. The first degree is an
emblematical representation of the entrance of all  men on this
their mortal existence, and the second degree may be likened to 
everyday life itself wherein we acquire knowledge, by a study of
the seven  liberating arts and sciences. Our third degree candidate
is made to represent  Hiram A'Biff, a name which means "the teacher
from the Father," and the same  candidate proceeds to the Royal
Arch, though it is instructive to remember that the  Royal Arch was
originally conferred only on an Installed Master, and that during
his  Installation the Master Elect is made to represent another
individual (albeit very  briefly) from whom and from which moment
henceforth he may now take the name  which means "Risen Lord." (It
may be instructive also to speculate how closely  these names may
be applied to Jesus, as a prototype of the Mysteries.) We have  two
preparatory degrees before any part of the third is conferred, and
the third  degree is the degree of true initiation, as it involves
a death and rebirth. Let us  therefore consider the third degree as
a whole. "You may perhaps imagine that this  day you have taken a
fourth degree in Freemasonry. Such however is not the case.  It is
the Master Mason's completed."

So in the Royal Arch, we complete the third degree. We have a
different set of  symbols by which to interpret the meaning and
significance of the Officers: we also  have a different allegory,
a different layout, and (in England) a different authority.  We
certainly have a different atmosphere. Let us follow in its proper
sequence the  journey of the candidate, and this will be different
from that in the ceremony. He  comes as a trinity of sojourners
from Babylon and is journeying to Jerusalem. It is  during this
journey that he would "Pass the Veils." Babylon is a place of
confusion,  (Is it indicative of the power and delusion of
"babble?" Is it the open grave of the  master mason?) and Jerusalem
means "Haven of Peace." The story in the ritual  explains the
object of the three (they are still master masons) and demonstrates 

their humility and docility. They may be said to represent (1) a
man in his triple  aspects of emotion, intellect and spirit, (2)
the three ruffians responsible for the  death of Hiram A'Biff, or
(3) the three Grand Masters, Solomon King of Israel,  Hiram King of
Tyre, and Hiram A'Biff. It may be that all these possibilities are 
merely different aspects of the same concepts.

Consider the first suggestion. It is the Principal Sojourner who
makes the ultimate  discovery of the Name. Spiritual things may
only be discerned spiritually. But the  Spirit has to be assisted
by the emotions and intellect (or body and soul) for it  cannot in
itself function in a way we can understand and in which we can 
consciously participate, without them. In considering the second
possibility,  remember the interpretations for these (suggested
earlier and elsewhere) of heart,  mind and will, for it is the
misuse of these parts of man's being, truly the three more 
determined and atrocious than the rest, that is responsible for his
loss of his  awareness of his divine origin, a loss symbolised by
the death of Hiram A'Biff.  There is the need that these repent,
reorientate their attitudes to themselves, and  reapply themselves
to their re-entry into "Eden," their entitlement to which they 
must earn. That they were previously misused does not lessen their
true value  when properly used, as they must be in the Second
Temple. The First Temple is a  symbol of man in his original Edenic
state, and the Second Temple represents the  ultimate regenerated
man. This leads to the third possibility, the recollection that 
even rubble from the former Temple could be used in the building of
the Second,  whose glory will exceed that of the First.

Man in his primal state before the "fall" was a perfect creation.
The first Temple  was allegorically built by Solomon, King of
Israel, Hiram, King of Tyre, and Hiram  A'Biff. King Solomon was
responsible for its conception arid construction, i.e., for  the
non-physical part of man. Hiram, King of Tyre, was responsible for
the physical  part, the materials of construction. Hiram A'Biff
provided a curious element, for he  represents the affiliation of
man to his Divine Source, man's spirituality, the  beautiful
adornment of man with Light. The Royal Arch ceremony includes the 
passage from Haggai, ch. 2, which says "the glory of the latter
house shall be  greater than of the former." In what way was the
first Temple "inferior" to the  second? The second Temple certainly
includes all that was in the first, but is  "greater" because of
man's experience coffined in this mortal, material existence, 
whereby and wherein he must acquire something of incredible value.
"Acquire" may  not be fully the right word, for man must
voluntarily and completely submerge his  petty will to the Divine
Will. He must become aware/conscious of the spirituality 
permeating throughout the whole of Creation. He must learn to use
fully and  properly the powers of his own mind. King Solomon at
Jerusalem sentenced the  three more determined and atrocious
characters to that death which the  heinousness of their crime so
justly merited. In other words, the "fully wise" or  higher mind,
because of its establishment in the "haven of peace," will
eliminate the  misuse, abuse, misdirection of the three lower
faculties of emotion, intellect and  petty will, which were either
excessive, deficient or defective.

 So as Hiram A'Biff represents man's conscious awareness of God,
and then in the  Royal Arch, he makes a very significant discovery.
The ritual details the hard work  necessary for him on the Temple
of his own being (truly a ruin) for this is what the  symbolism
refers to. The conflagration was a complete destruction, a "firing"
or  thorough cleansing, or rather perhaps it means a complete
reduction of the first  Temple to its elemental parts. The
fragments remaining are so tough and  impenetrableas to be a rock-
like, but eventually a break and entry is made. It is to  be noted
that it is the Principal Sojourner, the Spirit, the Divine Will, or
the lost  consciousness which so penetrates and discovers itself
(according to which of the  three possibilities suggested earlier
is followed). And this is on the end of the  lifeline, the silver
cord, the cable tow, the thread which binds all the parts of man 
together.

After removing two of the archstones, and in so doing identifying
himself with them,  for the very stones themselves, which indeed we
have fashioned, are obstacles  and impediments to the realisation
of the Light, the candidate is lowered into the  vault, the most
secret part of his own being. The Scripture readings relate to 
Wisdom in many ways. "The Lord by Wisdom hath founded the earth.
The Lord  giveth Wisdom. Happy is the man that findeth Wisdom." He
discovers a scroll, but  is unable to read it without the
assistance of his other two companions, for as was  stated just
now, the spirit cannot operate without the intellect and emotions
as a  means of expression, and these three together are necessary
to read the scroll.

These suggestions relate of course to the practice in English
Chapters, but a  consideration of the procedures in Scotland is
quite elucidating. Here each  sojourner in turn removes a stone,
makes a descent and a discovery. Each  removal, descent and
discovery can be equated with the significance of each of the 
three Craft degrees. The first sojourner is greatly troubled by
damp and noxious  vapours, and the first Degree is that concerning
the principles of moral truth and  virtue. The confusion caused to,
and the effect on an individual who carries these  to an excess,
and who thereby is emotionally unbalanced, without the stabilising 
restraint of the intellect, is well represented by the hints of the
anxiety caused by  confinement in a strange environment. The first
sojourner is then drawn up. After  the removal of the second stone,
the second sojourner descends, and by the use of  his developed
intellectual faculties, and still guided by the principles of moral
truth  and virtue, he discovers something like the base or pedestal
of a column, with  characters on it, and a scroll. The base of the
column being wrought into due form,  indicates that within us, all
is law and order, and the scroll points to the one Source  of all
such law and order. The last was only realised on the return of the
second  sojourner, who is thereby acknowledging the limitation of
his intellectual  development. It leads on to a forward looking
awareness of the next level, the  spiritual realms. A third stone,
the all important keystone is removed, and the third  sojourner
descends at high noon. The Secret Vault has been unharmed by the 
destructive fires, and has been proof against the fury of every
enemy. This  sojourner learns the full significance of the altar by
his spiritual perception. At the  heart of every man there is an
eternal principle whose perfection is inviolable. This 

applies, whether we know it or not, or admit it, to every man, in
each of whom God  "substantially dwells."

It is necessary to comment on the scroll. Formerly it read, "In the
Beginning was the  Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word
was God. ' The substitution by  what we now use was part of the
dechristianisation of the Royal Arch ceremony,  and it has perhaps
made the understanding of the allegory all the more difficult.

To resume the consideration of the English version. The next act by
the candidate  is to remove the keystone, thereby becoming
identified with it. A keystone is a  craftsman's masterpiece.
Whereupon on being lowered again, he is enabled by the  intimations
in the scripture readings of the coming and the glory of the second 
Temple, and by the "meridian sunlight of his understanding" to make
further  discoveries, including that of a Name, and this in a
particular position.

If in the English Royal Arch practice, there are only two descents,
then perhaps this  relates to that period in the history of English
Freemasonry when there were only  two degrees, the first being a
combination of what we now understand as the first  and second
degrees, and the second being the Master's part. Alternatively
perhaps  it may relate to the very essential conjointing of the
first and second degrees in  Truth and Stability before a candidate
is properly qualified to progress to the third  degree. Or, it may
remind us that one lodge of Fellowcrafts made no discovery of 
importance.

So the Lost Word was God. These words from the first verse of the
Gospel of John  mean exactly the same as the present wording used,
the first verses of Genesis.  When God said, "Let there be Light,"
the Light referred to here is the Light created  before the sun,
moon, stars or anything else. This is the Light to which the 
candidate is restored, the Everpresent Light which shines around,
and without  which nothing was made that was made. At the moment
when the candidate is  restored to Light, he becomes fully aware
of, and able to withstand the power of the  surrounding Light, and
we may see why the Craft part of the third degree is  conferred in
relative darkness. It is of the utmost importance to appreciate at
just  what point in man's journey there occurs this restoration to
Light. Sunlight, his  spiritual consciousness, enabled him clearly
to distinguish what had previously  been imperfectly discovered. In
the elaboration of the significance of the discovery  in the
ritual, the hope that is expressed in the opening of the third
degree, when it  is declared that secrets of a Master Mason may be
found at the centre of a circle,  has been fulfilled. On the top of
the double cube is a circle, at the centre of which is  the
triangle bearing the Name, in four languages corresponding to the
four levels of  consciousness, sensual, moral, intellectual and
spiritual. The significance of the  Circle is given in the Lecture
on the First degree Tracing Board. This Circle is  bounded between
North and South, by two Grand Parallel Lines, one representing 
Moses, the other King Solomon. Moses gave the moral law to Israel,
while the  wisdom of King Solomon is a fitting symbol of man's
intellect. On the Circle rests  the Volume of the Sacred Law, a
perfect symbol of man's spiritual nature. All this is  contained
within the full four-sided Square, which relates to man's life in
the outside 

world of activity. Thus the two Grand Parallels and the Volume of
the Sacred Law  symbolise the three subjective levels of life, the
moral, intellectual and spiritual.  The genuine secrets of a Master
Mason are found only when these are fully  integrated in balanced
proportions and expressed in the outer physical world of  activity.

In conjunction with the (original) words on the scroll, the Name
reminds us that it is  still only a substitution. Indeed the
candidate, in order to obtain a complete  knowledge of the Royal
Arch Degree has to pass the three Principal's chairs. In  doing so,
he identifies with each one of the trinitarian aspects of God
Manifest (not  Unmanifest) i.e., Priest, Prophet and Prince. The
Historical Lecture is directed to  the lower part of a man's soul,
for it is emotive and instinctual. As the control of the  emotions
is probably the hardest of all tasks facing a man, it needs the
strongest  possible ruler, i.e., a Prince to effect it. (This
Lecture should be ziven bv the Prince,  and there would appear to
have been a switch of offices. So may we speculated  The Symbolical
Lecture, given by the Prophet, is directed to a higher part of man, 
for it is intellectual instruction. The Mystical Lecture, properly
due from the Priest,  (for a priest is the logical source of
spiritual knowledge, rather than a Prince of the  people) is
directed to the Divine Spark within, and is intuitive instruction,
or  experiential cognition. (It may be noted that these modes of
communication do not  include the thought flashes and love thrills,
which the Deacons of the Craft degrees  symbolise.)

It is however still open to speculation whether the candidate,
having recovered the  longlost Sacred Word, knows how to pronounce
it. That three are required to give  it, admits only of the fact
that knowing what the Word is does not mean that its  correct
pronunciation is known. Perhaps the correct pronunciation is a
truly  incommunicable secret guarded even more closely by the
Spirit. This is quite  consistent with the Hebrew practice relating
to the pronouncing of the Word by the  High Priest.

2 THE CERTIFICATE AND CONTINUITY OF SYMBOLISM

During the ceremony of his Exaltation, the candidate is rewarded
with a jewel as a  mark of approbation, and is admitted as a
companion among the others of the  Chapter. Later he is presented
with a Certificate as documentary evidence that he  is a regular
companion of the Order, and that he has been properly registered on 
the books of Supreme Grand Chapter. Its principal importance
however lies in its  symbolical significance. Before proceeding to
mention in detail some of the  symbols it includes, we must
consider it as a whole and in conjunction with the  Craft
Certificate. The two certificates together add up to a fair version
of the First  Degree Tracing Board. This Board is a pictorial
representation of a synopsis of the  whole masonic system. The
Craft certificate may be said to represent the  disposable
scaffolding to be dismantled and discarded when the building is 
completed, and the Arch certificate presents the end and object of
the masonic  system, a perfected edifice, the double cube the lost
eternal element in man. In this  way the Craft and the Royal Arch
are interdependent.

 Before considering the symbols, it is necessary to take a look at
the relationship  between the Craft and the Royal Arch, i.e.,
between their whole organisations. To  the members of the original
Grand Lodge, the Moderns, formed in 1717, the Royal  Arch does not
appear to have been very important. To the Antients, whose Grand 
Lodge was formed in 1751, it was essential. Indeed an Antient's
Lodge was  empowered, not only to work the Craft degrees, but in
addition it was authorised to  confer the Mark Degree and the Royal
Arch, after the lodge had been opened in  the "High and Excellent
Supreme and Holy Royal Arch Chapter of Jerusalem." It  was a
fundamental part of the whole system. These differences in belief
and need  constituted a major stumbling block to the reconciliation
of the two Grand Lodges.  However without elaborating on the union
and how it came about, an examination  of our present Royal Arch
and its certificate shows traces of both origins.

The certificate bears the letters ITNOTGAOTU, not ITNOTTALGMH as
might be  expected, and the double cube stands on the flat flooring
of a Craft lodge, and  nowhere is it indicative of a concave vault.
The double cube, as the central  pedestal, or altar of dedication,
has largely disappeared from Craft lodges, but it is  (first)
encountered by an Entered Apprentice as the place where the prayer
is  offered on his behalf that he might dedicate himself to God's
service and thereby  become a true and faithful brother. Later he
is made to represent a foundation  stone and charged to erect upon
it a superstructure.

The ashlar may be said to represent the six parts of man's nature,
and these may  be equated with the six days of creation. It stands
on the base representing the  subconscious, and the top
correspondingly represents the conscious mind. The  four sides
represent the perceptive, emotional, intellectual and intuitional
parts of a  man's being, and in a perfected man, all these six
parts are properly balanced. This  state represented by a perfect
ashlar could be attained by a "humanist," one who  does not feel a
need for a Supreme Being, and one whose altruism is directed back 
into the material world. But for others for whom the soul of man is
vivified by the  Spirit, the Light which ever shines around, the
second and upper cube within the  double cube, is a very positive
object of attainment. Just what the superstructural  part of the
double cube signifies is the sole and absolute responsibility of
the  candidate himself. The double cube has many other valid
interpretations. Thus it  may be said to represent heaven and
earth, with the Sacred and Mysterious Name  to be found on the top
square. In the Royal Arch, perfection has been attained (at  least
that is the theory) so that the Lost Name is found in association
with it. But it  is to be noted that the double cube appears at the
beginning of a candidate's  journey through Freemasonry and at the
end.

Immediately above the Altar on the Certificate, there is the
Blazing Star, the Glory  in the Centre, the Divine Spark, framed by
the triangle, the Sacred Delta. The  attention of the Entered
Apprentice was drawn to this Blazing Star on the First  Degree
Tracing Board, and it appears here. Again the end is the same as
the  beginning. This is the G. the Sacred Symbol, the Grand
Geometrician of the 

Universe, to whom we must all submit and ought most humbly to
adore; it is the  Superconsciousness, and the source of the Light
which shines around.

On the left of the certificate is an outline of the Royal Arch
jewel. It is possibly as  plain as it is here because the jewel
itself incorporates so much detail, far too much  to be reproduced
on the Certificate. It merits much study not only because of the 
words on it, but also because of the many symbols, and their
interrelationships. It is  noteworthy that the Scottish jewel
incorporates the signs of the Zodiac, and the  Irish one, a
keystone. Perhaps its most significant lesson is that it
demonstrates  how the whole is far greater than the sum of its
parts. This is shown, very simply  but admirably, by the Triple
Tau. Each tau incorporates two right angles, but when  the three
are conjoined, they form a fourth pair in the centre, in all eight
right  angles.

On the right of the Certificate is the seal of Supreme Grand
Chapter. It is a  combination of the arms of the two original Grand
Lodges, differing only from the  seal of the United Grand Lodge in
the words around the edge, and the  incorporation of certain Hebrew
characters which mean "Holiness to the Lord," the  motto of one of
the Grand Lodges. That of the other was "In the Lord is our Trust." 
and the words "Holiness to the Lord," or the characters, are to be
found engraven  on the Sceptre of the Third Principle. Again this
is an indication of the paramount  importance of the Priestly
aspect.

There seems to be quite a lot of evidence to support the view that
at some time in  the history of the Royal Arch, the Priest and the
Prince have been interchanged. In  respect of man's inner life, the
Priest is the significant principle. Anyway we may  note that the
prophet is Holy, the prince is Royal, and the priest is Arch, or
Highest.

The words "Holiness to the Lord" form one of the sets of passwords
used in the  part of the ceremony of Exaltation known as "Passing
the Veils," now very seldom  worked in England outside Bristol, but
retained in Scotland and Ireland. The  ceremonial is based on three
episodes recorded in the early chapters of Genesis,  relating to
Aaron's serpent, the leprous hand and the libation of water.

This relationship between the Craft and the Royal Arch is confirmed
by many of the  other symbols which appear throughout the whole
system. In the Craft, the VSL  and the Square and Compasses are
both the Furniture of the Lodge and the three  Great Lights. These
twin interpretation are derived respectively from the Moderns  and
the Antients, and we must note that the Reconciliation caused them
to be  known as the three Great though Emblematical Lights in
Freemasonry. In the Royal  Arch, the three large candles are the
three Great Lights and represent the Sacred  Word itself, but this
also appears on the top of the Altar, an obvious repetition and 
this is yet further evidence of our present workings being derived
from more than  one source. The smaller candles are the Lesser
Lights.

The arrangements of the Lesser Lights in the Chapter is the same as
was the  common practice in Craft Lodges when a central altar was
usual. This was 

surrounded by three candles, whose relative positions indicated the
degree in  which the Lodge was open. When the central altar
disappeared, the lights were  moved outwards. Gradually the Master
and Wardens began to be thought of as the  Lights, but they really
only personify that which is much better represented by the 
candles themselves. It should be noted that the Master of a Lodge,
whom we  consider to be the highest "thing" in it, is only a Lesser
Light.

In the Craft, the three Great Lights are "brought down to earth."
The Divine Law,  i.e., the Volume of the Sacred Law, is the visible
emblem of the invisible Cosmic  Law, and is the virtual
representation of God Himself who underlines everything.  The
Compasses are the masonic symbol of the Divine Spirit issuing into 
manifestation, while the Square is the vesture of the substance in
which the Spirit  takes form. In conjunction they indicate the
cosmic purpose, and the three Lesser  Lights reflect this in man,
in whom the three great Cosmic Principles are  reproduced in
miniature. The sun represents spiritual consciousness, the moon the 
intellectual faculties, while the Master may be equated with the
will. With the RA  ritual in mind a dispensation is a progressive
revelation of wisdom, a gradual  unfoldment of Truth. The
Patriarchal Light alludes to the archetypal expression of 
religious fundamentals, as revealed to Moses, emanating directly
from the Deity.  The Mosaic Law glorifies the whole rather than its
parts, for it unifies fragments into  an intellectually
comprehended picture. A Prophet intuits an inspired revelation of 
Divine Will. There will be seen to be allusions to past, present
and future  revelations on three levels of consciousness, and
obvious parallels with the Lesser  Lights of the Craft. The ritual
itself hints of meanings on a much higher level. They  are
obviously interrelated, and demonstrate the Trinity in Unity and
the One in  Three.

The Square and Compasses have become separated from the VSL, or
Bible as it is  in the Royal Arch, which lies open at the Centre
when the Chapter is at labour, and  these two are now positioned in
the North, that part of the Chapter (and Lodge)  associated with
the element Earth, where they symbolise the strength and 
perfection of material substance when vitalised with the energy of
the Divine Spirit.

On the South side are the Sword and Trowel, adopted by Royal Arch
masons to  build the Temple and protect it against unprovoked
attacks by enemies. The Tyler  of a Craft Lodge is armed with a
drawn sword to protect the Lodge from attacks  from without, while
the Inner Guard has a poignard, and this is of course repeated 
here, as is indicated by the ritual. As the Lodge and Chapter are
both symbols of  the soul of man, then they are defended and
protected from without and within by  these two swords. The end is
the same as the beginning. However as this Sword is  within the
confined area of the Ensigns, i.e. the special area of the Secret
Vault, it  reminds us of the necessity to guardagainst the
insidious emotions and antipathetic  thoughts arising within
ourselves. With his poniard, the Inner Guard symbolises the 
rational or reasoning faculty in man, an idea repeated here by
placing the Sword in  the South, the area associated with the
intellect. The Sword may cleave in twain  him whowields it, utterly
destroying him, for it turneth everyway.

 In recent years the Trowel has been adopted as the jewel of the
Charity Steward,  but for long it has had many and varied
associations. In some old Lodges it is the  jewel of the Tyler; in
Scotland the jewel of a Deacon, and it is associated with an 
Installed Master. Further there are those who would form the
outline of a Trowel  with the Working Tools of each of the three
Craft degrees, and with the implements  used by the Inner Guard,
when he admits a candidate. These reiterate repeatedly,  at many
diverse points in our whole system, the cementing of the
brotherhood by  love, and the strengthening of the ties of
affection and esteem, a system whose  purpose is integration.

There are three cords. One cord is used to indicate the wish to be
drawn up from  the vault, and this vertical movement may remind us
of the plumbline of the Junior  Warden. The other cord asks for
more liberty, permitting horizontal movement,  reminding us of the
level of the Senior Warden. The cord around the waist may be 
considered in association with (1) the cable tow, or (2) the
skirrett. These last both  refer to the silver cord, that tenuous
thread which binds all the parts of man  together, and which is
severed at death.

With the thought of Faith, Hope and Charity symbolised on the
ladder of the First  Degree Tracing Board by a Cross, and Anchor
and a Chalice, let us consider the  three implements used by the
sojourners, the crow, the pick and the shovel. With a  crosspiece,
the Crow becomes the cross of Faith. The cross may be interpreted
in  many ways. The vertical links earth with heaven, earthliness
with the spiritual. The  crow points to the erect manner in which
the spirit will arise on a certain awesome  day to meet its
tremendous though merciful judge. The horizontal refers to the 
duality of our present existence, which is fully pointed out by the
first and second  degrees, and as these have now been conjoined and
transcended, they and their  reference to the opposites have no
place in the Royal Arch. If the four arms of the  cross are
considered to refer to these four things, we all have a cross to
bear, the  burden of this material existence. We are unable to
descend from the cross until all  these four parts are correctly
balanced and aligned, or until we are "centred." The  pick loosens
i.e., helps to separate the earth, and later the shovel completes
the  separation. If we give the pick a crosspiece, we delineate an
anchor, which has  ever been considered an emblem of eternal life,
especially when in conjunction with  the cross. The chalice of
charity may be compared and contrasted with the shovel.  As a
symbol, the chalice has many meanings   as the Holy Graal of
Arthurian  legends, and in "Parsifal." Maybe it is that receptacle
wherein Purity and Truth  abide in fulness. It is a vessel in
Communion, a loving cup, and of all masonic  symbols, this is
possibly the one whose interpretation is the most personal. (What 
does it mean to you? What do you carry in your own chalice? Are its
contents  changing?) Is it a vessel for all that is desirable,
permanent, truly valuable, and do  not these have to be kept
utterly free from adulteration, in a manner adequately  depicted by
the work of the shovel? May the speculations of every thinking 
Freemason be instructive and rewarding.

Further items must be mentioned, though briefly. The triangle on
the square altar  plate finds a curious parallel in the triangular
flap and square sided apron of the 

Entered Apprentice. The apron demonstrates the twin aspects of man,
the spirit  being confined in matter, and its progressive adornment
indicates the stage of  development of man's immortal,
hermaphrodite soul. The triangle within the square  of the altar
indicates the manifestation in matter of the eternal androgynous
Spirit.

The four elements of earth, water, air and fire, which are included
in the penalties  of the Craft degrees, and which occur in some
workings as obstacles in the  parambulations, are of course
presented in the Royal Arch as the four Platonic  bodies, which in
our ceremonial get only a passing reference. The fifth Platonic 
body representing the sphere of the universe, may suggest that man
contains a  whole world within him. The lodge is a symbol of man,
and the universe contains  man. So each contains the other, for man
is the microcosmic equivalent of the  macrocosm.

In the Craft, there are two secret words in the Third Degree, each
of three syllables;  likewise in the Royal Arch. In the Craft they
are communicated between two on the  five points of fellowship. The
similarities and the differences may be demonstrated  and
explained. This is quite valuable as elsewhere among other masonic
degrees,  there are further variations of the five points of
fellowship.

The order of the five points may differ, but it would be consistent
to build them from  the lowest, or earthiest, to the highest. If we
recall the ritual relating to each point,  the first three points
(in both Craft and RA) are very similar. Two may give each  other
mutual support, but need a third for stability, an idea fully
elaborated in  another masonic degree. Foot to foot gives support
in all laudable undertakings.  Knee to knee, in my daily
supplications, I shall be reminded of your needs. Hand to  hand, in
brotherhood and companionship. Concerning the fourth, "your lawful 
secrets when to my care, I will carefully preserve as my own"
becomes the  realisation that in the Royal Arch "all hearts are
open." Lastly, when we raise the  left hand, what has symbolically
been exalted? All these five points show that mere  Brotherhood
between two has expanded to acknowledge and incorporate the 
Fatherhood of God. "When two or three are gathered together in my
Name, there  am I in the midst thereof."

So there is plenty to affirm the continuity of symbolism from Craft
to Royal Arch,  thereby showing their interrelationship, and
further the end is the same as the  beginning. The candidate does
not acquire anything new. He recovers that which  was lost to him.
His ignorance, or rather his innocence is replaced by knowledge, 
and he becomes aware of that which prompted the search. The lecture
on the First  Degree Tracing Board tells us that a Tracing Board is
an immovable jewel lying  open in the Lodge for the brethren to
moralise upon. As the complete certificate  has now become the
candidate's personal tracing board, he is enjoined to moralise 
upon it.

Lastly, on the Royal Arch Jewel occur words which translated Mean
"There is  nothing missing but the key." The Sections of the Craft
Lectures say that  Freemasons have secrets and hope to arrive at
them by the assistance of a key 

which hangs by the thread of life, in the passage of utterance
between guttural and  pectoral, and that this key is the tongue of
good report. At his initiation the tongue  of good report was heard
in favour of the candidate. The profundity of this  symbolism is
shown when we consider the significance of the Treasurer, who is 
distinguished by a key, a symbol of power, silence and
circumspection. As a  symbolic part of man, he receives, conserves
and distributes for the good of the  whole, wisdom and spiritual
riches, which he keeps in his heart, as with a key, for  the same
key which locks the heart against worldly materialism, whilst
admitting  only what is necessary, opens it to the knowledge of
God, and the wealth of the  kingdom within. The key, being an index
of the mind, should utter nothing but what  the heart truly
dictates. "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the
issues  of life."

May the candidate recover the Sacred Word in truth, but remember
the tradition  which required many washings and purifications by
the High Priest before he could  speak the Word. Possession of a
knowledge of the Sacred Word does not imply a  knowledge of its
correct pronunciation, and maybe this is a letter revelation, a
truly  incommunicable secret closely guarded by the Spirit. When he
dares to pronounce  the longlost Sacred Word, and pronounce it
properly, may once again the tongue of  good report be heard in his
favour. He is then ready and properly prepared for the  next round
on the helical of spiritual progress.