THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SOME OF OUR SYMBOLS

BY BRO. F.V. MATARALY

(This Paper is reproduced in our Transactions by permission of the
Worshipful Master and Brethren of The Lodge of Living Stones No.
4957).

"The old time Masons were religious men and as such sharers in the
great human experience of Divine things, and did not need to go to
hidden teachers to learn mysticism. They lived and worked in the
light of it. It shone in their symbols, as it does in all symbols
that have any meaning or beauty. It is, indeed the soul of
symbolism, every emblem being an effort to express a reality too
great for words. So then, Masonry is mystical as music is mystical,
- like poetry, and love, and faith, and prayer, and all else that
makes it worth our time to live; but its mysticism is sweet, sane,
and natural, far from fantastic, and in no wise eerie, unreal or
unbalanced. Of course, these words fail to describe, as all words
must, and it is therefore that Masonry uses parables, pictures, and
symbols."

"The Builders" - Fort Newton.

This Paper is an attempt to discover the significance of some of
the allegories and symbols which pervade our Ritual. There is no
pretence at endeavouring to assess how the symbols crept into the
Ritual, but at trying to interpret certain parts of the Ritual as
it is this day for the benefit of fellow Masonic students. As it is
practically impossible to consider the subject apart from its
relation to mysticism, a few words regarding the origin of this
word will nit be out of place by way of introduction to its
connection with Freemasonry.

Illumination or "muesis," although sometimes used, as we in the
Craft use "initiation," to denote the whole process of spiritual
regeneration, was the technical term in the ancient Greek mysteries
for the second stage of the work; the first being "catharsis" or
purification, and the third "epopteia" or mystical union. A
"mustes" (mystic) is one who has been, or is being, initiated into
some esoteric knowledge of Divine things, about which he must
maintain silence; one who is not yet an "epoptes." The adjective
"mustikos" was used of something seen through a glass darkly, some
knowledge purposely "veiled in allegory and illustrated by
symbols." The safeguard of mysticism is the belief that we have not
merely to renounce the world of ordinary experience, but to find
its deeper and more spiritual meanings and so to advance in the
knowledge of God, the world, and ourselves, that every aspect of
our experience may be exalted and consecrated together.

All who are acquainted with the literature of mysticism, the study
of which has come greatly to the fore in recent years, will know
that the mystic makes his life's aim to be transformed into the
likeness of Him in whose image he was created. Just as Freemasonry
is a quest for "Light," so the mystic quest is the pursuit of
ultimate objective truth, the journey of the soul by an inner
ascent to the presence of God and immediate union with Him. The 
mystic loves to figure his path as a ladder reaching from earth to
heaven, which must be climbed step by step. This "Scala
perfectionis" is generally divided into three steps. The first is
called the purgative life; the second the illuminative; while the
third, which is really the goal rather than a part of the journey,
is called the unitive life or state of perfect contemplation. It is
a fundamental mystical doctrine that, while purification removes
the obstacles to our union with God, our guide on the upward path,
the true hierophant of the Divine mysteries, is LOVE. In our
Masonic system we have, as a connecting link between heaven and
earth, the symbol of Jacob's Ladder (definitely identified at one
point in the Ritual with the "infallible P.R.,") with its many
staves or rounds, but it is significant that there are "three
principal ones" corresponding to the three stages of mysticism, the
"third and last" comprehending the whole being designated by the
term "Charity" understood in "its most ample sense" i.e. LOVE.

The notion of purification or purgation - "catharsis" - runs
through our three Degrees very insistently. We have to purify our
physical and moral nature in the First Degree, our mental and
psychic nature in the Second, and our spiritual nature in the
Third. In each degree there is also a measure of illumination,
(fresh access of light, or enhancement of consciousness), and of
union; (we become united to all others on the same rung of the
ladder). While each degree considered separately thus consists of
purification, illumination, and union, it is true to say that the
First is more especially the Degree of purification, the "rough
ashlar" stage when we are given two W.T.'s, in order "to knock off
all superfluous knobs and excrescences," so that "our words and
actions may ascend pure and unpolluted" and became acceptable to
T.G.A.O.T.U. The Second Degree is that of illumination and
knowledge, where we are exhorted to study the "liberal arts and
sciences." The Third is the Degree of union, - after a mystical
death we are raised to a "reunion with the companions of our former
toils." We experience symbolically the death unto sin which must
necessarily precede the new birth unto righteousness, and learn the
significance of the "f.p.o.f."

This may suffice to show that our Masonic ceremonies have a very
real affinity with the well-trodden mystic way, of which we read in
literature from the earliest times, 500 B.C. at least, and a proper
understanding of this seems to me to be necessary if we are to
"distinguish and appreciate the connection of our whole system and
the relative dependency of its several parts." One of the first
definitions we give our Candidates is that Freemasonry is "a
peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by
symbols," and it is this aspect that I wish to develop a little in
the present Paper, - to consider the mysticism of the Craft as
exemplified in some of its "Geometrical" symbols. Now, it is a
tendency of all symbols to petrify or to evaporate, and either
process is fatal; for in the former instance the recitals of
explanations become dry and meaningless through constant
repetition, and in the latter case the explanations become dry and
meaningless through constant repetition, and in the latter case the
explanations are so divorced from reality that, having become
fantastic, they cease to have vital significance.

We learn from the Old Charges, and also from the Ritual itself,
that Freemasonry is founded upon Geometry, and in fact is Geometry.
IN our charge to the F.C. we say that the Science of Geometry "is
established as the basis of our Art." It was a saying of Pythagoras
that "all things  are in numbers; the world is a living arithmetic
in development, - a realized Geometry in repose." Plutarch
attributed to Plato the saying that God is always geometrising, and
Henry Fabre, the great naturalist, in one of his books, makes the
following remark: - "Geometry, that is to say, the science of
harmony in space, presides over everything. We find it in the
arrangement of a fir-cone, as in the arrangement of an epeira's
living web; we find it in the spiral of a small shell, in the
chaplet of a spider's thread, and in the orbit of a planet; it is
everywhere, as perfect in the world of atoms as in the world of
immensities. And this universal geometry tells us of a Universal
Geometrician, whose Divine compass has measured all things."

Even the modern astronomer, Sir J.H. Jeans, says that "from the
intrinsic evidence of His creation T.G.G.O.T.U. now begins to
appear as a pure mathematician."

In short, "geometry," as applied to the science of Freemasonry, is
not to be construed in the narrow sense of mathematical limitation,
but in the much wider sense in which it was understood by the
Antients, namely an enquiry into the source of all things, and a
knowledge of the secrets of nature and science through the whole of
God's creation, including the innermost essence of man himself.

In dealing with these transcendental matters we must never forget
that our comprehension is of necessity very limited. The created
cannot compass the Creator, any more than a stream can raise higher
than its source. As Evelyn Underhill, a well known Writer on
mysticism, says, "If the reality of God were small enough to be
grasped, it would not be large enough to be adored." In particular
we, with our limited intellect and intuition, know little or
nothing in regard to origins; we can only speculate as to
probabilities. We cannot conceive that space and time are either
limited or unlimited. we are, however, aware that certain things
are independent of, or rather transcend, space and time, e.g. Life,
Mind, Goodness, Truth, Beauty, Wisdom etc., and all the
imponderables. The mystical doctrine is that the material creation
is everlasting and its Creator is eternal, and although we do not
know the "how" of the process, we must accept the fact that by some
means the "many" have arisen from the "One." While, therefore, we
cannot hope to attain any finality in discovering how the material
world of space and time came into being from the Absolute, we can
take life as we know it, and endeavour to construct a mental
picture of the relation of God to the world, which will serve until
a better and nobler takes it place. Faith has been defined as the
resolution to stand or fall by the noblest hypothesis.

A good starting point in our enquiry is the "POINT." It is stated
in the Hebrew "Zohar" ("Book of Splendour") that, "when the
Concealed of all concealed wished to reveal himself, He first made
a single Point. The Infinite was entirely unknown and diffused no
light before this Luminous Point violently broke out through the
vision," (i. 15); and again, "the indivisible Point, which has no
limit, and which cannot be comprehended because of this purity and
brightness, expanded from without, and formed a brightness which
served as a covering to the indivisible Point, yet it could not be
viewed in consequence of its immeasurable lights" (v. 20) As
regards the first of these sentences it may be relevant to point
out that the most complex living creature starts it career on this
earth as, in effect, a point, round which the physical-form gathers
in accordance  with the guidance of the underlying reason
principle, or Logos.

A very old mystical saying has it that, "God is a circle whose
centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere." A point
has position but it is without magnitude. This saying is thus
another way of indicating that God being eternal is above space and
time, but at the same time is present, or immanent, at every point
in space. This is the first point in our Masonic ontology, for the
"point within a circle" is one of the most important symbols, and
at the moment the emphasis is on the point. This particular point
is then a symbol of God. It is the point from which we all come and
to which we all return. It is the centre where all knowledge
resides and where we shall find the lost grand secrets. Until we
arrive at the centre we must perforce be content with substituted
secrets, for as Isaac Pennington says, "All truth is a shadow
except the last. But every truth is Substance in its own place,
though it be but a Shadow in another place. And the Shadow is a
true Shadow, as the Substance is a true Substance."

The idea connoted by the "centre," which is itself an adequate
subject for a complete Paper, not merely a passing reference
appears variously in our Ritual as "the All-seeing Eye," the
"Sacred Symbol," in the centre of the building," "the Blazing Star
or Glory in the centre," and by certain Hebrew Characters related
to the Middle Chamber of the Temple which are depicted on the
Second degree T.B. by the letter "G". In the Platonic dialogue
known as the First Alcibiades it is plainly declared that "to know
oneself is wisdom and the highest virtue of the soul; for the soul
rightly entering into herself will behold all other things and
Deity itself; laying aside multitude and the variety of all
manifested powers which she contains she ascends to the highest
watchtower of beings."

I used also to be said that, when the Almighty wished to create the
Universe, He described a circle. Now the instrument we use for this
purpose is the Compass - the emblem of restraint and limitation -
so that the idea behind this old saying is evident; creation in
space and time is a limitation of the Divine Essence. We recollect,
of course, that the Compasses will do their work properly only when
one point is fixed, thus making the other point free to range over
infinite space. The fixed point is a vital condition of their
proper activity. Just as the point can be anywhere, so the
circumference is unlimited.

The Lectures tell us that the proper subjects of Geometry are
Magnitude and Extension, or a regular progression from a point to
a line, a line to a superfices, and a superfices to a solid, i.e.,
1 to 2, 2 to 3, and 3 to 4. This progression in ancient Geometry
was known as the Pythagorean Tetractys, and was represented by ten
dots arranged in the form of an equilateral triangle with four dots
in the side - and this has a deeply mystical meaning. The single
dot carried the significance just accorded to the centre, and was
regarded as the Active principle in Nature, or SPIRIT. The two dots
represent the Passive principle, or MATTER, and here it is
pertinent to notice that in these modern times matter is regarded
as consisting in the last resort of a combination of protons and
electrons, positive and negative charges of electricity, something
we know nothing about except in its manifestations. The three dotes
denoted the combination of the  active and passive principles or
physical form; and the four dots denoted the perfection of nature.
The whole was thus a glyph of the perfection of the Deity in
manifestation.

From another angle this regular progression referred to the
tetrahedron, the first of the Platonic solides, of which we read in
the "Timaeus." The apex, the line, the equilateral triangle, and
the solid itself. More poetically we can refer it to the seed,
stem, leaves, and fruit, the whole symbol signifying the perfection
of the complete entity. I would like to develop the mystical
significance of this regular progression of 1,2,3,4 in a slightly
different way.

The underlying meaning of the ONE has been indicated, but by no
means exhausted, in the foregoing references dealing with the
point. The ONE, or the Absolute, is beyond space and time, the
world of becoming, and perhaps even beyond Being. It, or He, is in
mystical literature called the No-Thing because He is all things -
the foundation of all being, - and can only be described by saying
"not this; not that; but something more." The One is the particular
theme of Neoplatonism, and union with it was the goal of the
Ancient Mysteries, - the flight of the alone to the alone.

When the One manifests in space and time, it necessarily becomes
"tow" or dual, positive and negative, and everyone is familiar with
the pairs of opposites which pervade creation; light and dark, heat
and cold, and so on. In the Craft we have B. and J., which we are
told referred to the "pillar of Fire" which gave light and the
"pillar of Cloud" which proved darkness. B.J. therefore clearly
correspond to the two our of progression. Just as positive and
negative charges of electricity in the modern theory of matter
unite in a stable manner to produce chemical elements and the
bricks of the material world, so in Freemasonry we learn that
"Strength" (power or positive activity) when conjoined with
something "Established" (or passive) produces "Stability." Of the
two as a line I will deal later on in this Paper.

We now come to three, the first number which has a beginning,
middle and end, and which has been known as the first perfect
number. You will recall the many trials in our Ritual, which is a
symphony in three movements upon the number three. The threefold
idea runs through the whole with great insistency, but the
particular triad I am concerned with at the moment is that of the
three Grand Pillars which support a Freemason's Lodge, - Wisdom,
Strength, and Beauty. In the first T.B. they are definitely called
Divine attributes, and the passage wherein they are described,
After dealing with their Application to the individual, continues
with their cosmic significance as follows:-

"The Universe is the temple of the Deity whom we serve; Wisdom,
Strength and Beauty are about His throne as the pillars of His
works; for His Wisdom is Infinite, His Strength omnipotent, and
Beauty shines through the whole creation in symmetry and order."

Wisdom, Strength and Beauty thus lead us to Omniscience,
Omnipotence, and Omnipresence, and all are attributes of the Deity
in the eternal sphere of the Divine Mind above space and time, that
spiritual world which the Neoplatonists called the intelligible
world which is intermediate  between the One and the Soul world.
They have a very close affinity to the three great Platonic values
of Goodness, Truth, and Beauty.

The three as an equilateral triangle is a glyph of the spiritual
world, and this symbol refers to the three-in-oneness of the Divine
Nature, an idea by no means restricted to the Christian religion.

The addition of the fourth point completes the tetrahedron> Image
the solid standing on its base. Any plane parallel to the base will
contain a perfect tetrahedron above it. The apex corresponds to the
ineffable Godhead - the One; - the three lines radiating therefrom
represent Wisdom, Strength and Beauty, and the equal sides of the
base correspond to B.J. (action and reaction) and the result of
their conjunction - balance, harmony, and stability. There is an
infinite number of bases to which the apex and the three radiating
lines are common.

Bearing in mind that tetractys, and now the tetrahedron, represent
the perfection of the Deity in manifestation, we are now in a
position to consider the application of this glyph to the building
of King Solomon's Temple, which in the First T.B. refers
symbolically to the creation of the Universe. Has not the First
T.B. been aptly called the description of the Cosmic Temple? "The
Universe is the temple of the Deity whom we serve."

We find in the first Lecture that the materials for Solomon's
Temple were brought from afar off and the whole erected in silence.
Also we learn that when the material came to be put together, "each
piece fitted with that exact nicety that it appeared more like the
work of T.G.A.O.T.U., than of human hands." Penetrating below the
literal surface meaning this seems to refer to the activity of the
Divine Intelligence, or Logos, building up the temple of the
material universe in space and time out of the material prepared in
those far off days when what we now know as matter was crystallised
out of the nebulae from which our stellar and solar systems arose.
We need no reminding of the essential "silence" of the natural
processes of growth. "I am not in the habit of speaking," Plotinus
makes Nature say.

The two outstanding features about the building of Solomon's Temple
were:-

a) The two Great Pillars

b) The fact that there were three Grand Masters who bore sway,
neither of whom could carry on without the consent and co-operation
of the other two.

I have already alluded to the two Great Pillars when referring to
the dual nature of matter, or the material of the Cosmic Temple,
which is symbolised by B. & J. and the stability of their union. It
should now be noted that the three Grand Masters are specifically
identified, in the Lecture on the First T.B., with Wisdom,
Strength, and Beauty; "S.K.I., for his Wisdom, H.K.T.for his
Strength in providing men and materials, and H.A.B., for his
curious and masterly workmanship in  beautifying and adorning the
same." In terms of individual activity, wisdom is shown forth by
thought or intellect, strength by will or action, and beauty by
feelings, emotions and desires; in other words, by those three
facets of the complete personality otherwise known and described as
head, hand, and heart. Here we may perhaps be able to resolve an
apparent inconsistency in the Ritual and the Traditional History,
for it will be recollected that whereas in the actual ceremony the
representative of our Master is slain and raised by the three
principal Officers of the Lodge, in the narrative of the
Traditional History the offence is committed and the body raised by
three workmen.

Now, H.A.B., as we have seen, corresponds to the Divine attribute
of Beauty, the principle which "shines through the whole of the
creation in symmetry and order," and which is thus responsible for
Form. But Beauty is further stated "to adorn the inward man," and
this individual reference serves to show that H.A.B., also typifies
the hidden man of the heart, the Divine spark in everyone, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world, and which shineth in
darkness though the darkness comprehendeth it not until it is
sought for and its light diffused over all being. This spark which
the Cambridge Platonists called the seed of the deiform nature,
cannot sprout or grow to full perfection until we purify our whole
nature, intellect, will and feelings; our workmen, so to speak;
good servants when disciplined, but bad masters when allowed to run
riot.At the same time, these activities when purified to become the
principal officers of our personal "Lodge," are the self-same means
by which we can, by constantly orienting them towards Wisdom,
Strength, and Beauty respectively, raise our Master from his
imprisonment and restore him to his rightful place in the scheme of
things.

Our Master is slain by three great knocks, representing the
rebellion of our workmen, intellect, will and feelings, who have
misused their working tools, i.e., thoughts, actions and desires.
By three knocks at the door of our personal Lodge we commence the
great work of raising him to the mastership of our personal being.

In the foregoing discussion we have dealt more especially with
points. The first development of a point in space is a line, and I
would like to draw out the symbolic significance of some of our
lines.

A single vertical line represents the Plumb Rule, and the Working
Tools. Two vertical lines, parallel, refer to B. & J. but when we
consider that the significance of B. & J., is that of a pair of
opposites, in particular from their ascribed meanings of activity
and passivity, we shall find their ascribed meanings of activity
and passivity, we shall find that it will be more appropriate for
one of the lines to be vertical and the other horizontal. We
actually meet two pairs thus in Lodge on the Wardens' Ps. with
exactly this meaning.When these two lines are conjoined we have a
glyph of the level, if the vertical rises from the mid-point of the
base, or of the square, if from either end, another intimation that
B. & J., when conjoined denote stability, harmony, or balance.

There is another more covert reference to these two lines at  right
angles, for if you consider the Signs of the Three degrees you will
find that the right hand moves in the Three degrees in such A way
as to come to rest in the third in the position denoting perfect
balance, at the centre of the body.

In the Ritual these tow lines occur combined in the former manner
under different circumstances and with a correspondingly different
meaning - in the three regular steps. I have referred earlier to
the fact that the three degrees refer respectively to the
purification of our physical, mental, and spiritual natures. In
each case before we are entrusted with the Secrets of the Degree or
the rewards of our continued progress, we are required to take a
special step, which from the instruction given is specifically in
the form of a Tau Cross. This cross has been the emblem of Life in
all ages, and in its grosser aspect refers to the baser parts of
our nature, which require to be disciplined before we attain our
goal of spiritual regeneration. These regular steps symbolise,
therefore, the necessary work of treading underfoot the baser
elements of our physical, mental, and spiritual natures at each
stage of our progress towards the light. As we step into each
charmed circle, the left foot forms a chord of that circle and the
right foot bisects it at right angles, pointing to the centre. In
passing it may be mentioned that there seems to be a distinct,
though somewhat hidden reference to the Tau Cross in its highest
aspect in the Third Lecture, where we are told that the candidate
is raised from a superficial flat to a lively perpendicular; also
that the gavels, the emblems of power wielded by the Master and
Wardens, are shaped in the form of the Tau, and their use is the
prerogative of the Rulers in the Craft.

The next time we see three Taus in conjunction is on the Installed
Masters' Apron, where they replace the rosettes, the feminine
emblem of submission. This seems to indicate symbolically that an
Installed Master having completed his journey in a Craft Lodge is
deemed to have effected the work of purifying his three-fold
nature, and is in fact the "just man made perfect."

So far in dealing with these three Taus we have been concerned with
the individual in his progress from the "rough ashlar" stage to the
perfect ashlar stage; but there is implicit in the Ritual a further
more elaborate symbol which in its development will link up with
that portion of the earlier part of this Paper which dealt with
Masonic ontology and with the Cosmic Temple of which we are all
living stones.

We are told in the Lecture on the First T.B., that in all "regular,
well formed, and duly constituted Lodges, there is a point with a
circle round which the Brethren cannot err." This centre is bounded
"between N. and S. by two parallel lines, the one representing
Moses and the other King Solomon; on the upper part of the circle
rests the V. of the S.L., unfolded.: Now, Moses symbolises STRENGTH
- was he not the strong man who led Israel out of Egypt "with a
high hand and outstretched arm"? Solomon, moreover, symbolises
WISDOM, while the V.S.L., refers to the BEAUTY of holiness and the
divinity which pervades all things, so that we have a covert
reference to the three Great Pillars. When we consider that the
Compasses, And by implication the circle, are emblematic of that
restraint which keeps the Freemason within due bounds, we can see
that from the point of view of the individual, when we open our
personal Lodge on the centre, we are bound by Wisdom, Strength, 
and Beauty, the ultimate terms of thought, action, and desire,
respectively. The individual reference in the First T.B., Lecture
you will remember, is "Wisdom to conduct us in all our
undertakings, Strength to support us in all our difficulties, and
Beauty to adorn the inward man."

We are, however, given a Cosmic reference in the same Lecture, to
which I have already alluded; "His Wisdom is infinite
(Omniscience); His Strength Omnipotent (Omnipotence); and Beauty
shines through the whole of the creation in symmetry and order
(Omnipresence)." If, therefore, we draw the radii from each of the
tangents to the centre of the circle we find a three-fold Tau, a
very adequate symbol of the Most High and the conjunction of the
three Divine energies, which are three yet one. The following
quotation from the "Book of the Wisdom of Solomon" will perhaps
serve to illustrate this truth, but examples could be multiplied:-
"wisdom is more moving than any motion; she passeth through all
things by reason of her pureness. For she is the breath of the
power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the
Almighty; therefore can no defiled thing fall into her; for she is
the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of
the power of God, and the image of His Goodness. And, being but
one, she can do all things, and, remaining in herself, she maketh
all things new; and in all ages entering into holy souls, she
maketh them friends of God and prophets, for God loveth none but
him that dwelleth with Wisdom; for she is more beautiful than the
Sun and above all the order of the stars ... she is privy to the
mysteries of the knowledge of God and a lover of His works."

The next step is form a line to a superficies. So far we have
confined ourselves to the point, the line and the circle. I would
like now to consider the triangle and the square, and to develop an
ordered sequence of ideas embodying their use. In the old days when
the earth was thought to be flat and square, the Square (or
quadrangle) was the emblem of the earth, and later, of the earthly
element of man, and matter generally. The triangle on the other
hand, and especially the equilateral triangle, came to refer to the
perfection of the Divine nature, and therefore Spirit. When applied
to the individual, the triangle and the Square have come to refer
to his spiritual and physical natures respectively.

We first encounter these two geometrical figures in conjunction in
the E.A.'s Apron, which in many workings is worn with the flapup,
its five-pointed form thus symbolising that the E.A. possesses a
material and an immaterial part, but that the latter has not yet
succeeded in controlling the former, or in coming into proper
relation with it. The spirit is as yet only brooding over the face
of the waters, so to speak.

In the F.C.'s Apron we have a change. The triangular flap is turned
downwards on to the square, implying that the work of subdual of
the physical or lower nature by the spiritual or higher nature is
in progress. Two rosettes also appear in this Degree, and this
leads us to consider the two-fold nature of the immaterial part of
our make-up, and its symbolical representation.

The triangle can be drawn with the apex pointing upwards or
downwards. These were known in medieval Kabbalism as the  triangles
of fire and water respectively. Symbolically the triangle of fire
refers to the spiritual nature, and the triangle of water to the
mental or psychic nature; one meaning of the interlaced triangles
being the perfection of manhood; spirit and soul in perfect
balance. Returning to the F.C.'s Apron, the water triangle of the
mental or soul nature is evident in the flap, but there is only an
adumbration of the triangle of fire. The triangle of fire here
consists of points only instead of lines, and the apex is hidden,
indicating that in this Degree, the spiritual is as yet half
concealed and half revealed. The F.C. is in the midway of
Freemasonry.

In the M.M.'s Apron the third point has become visible, and the two
triangles have become partly interlaced. We must wait until later
on before we arrive at the symbol of really perfect manhood or of
Divine Humanity - the interlaced equilateral triangles with a point
within and the whole surrounded by a circle.

"From a superficies to a solid" is the last step of our
progression. The three solids we meet with in a Craft Lodge are the
parallelopipedon, the rough and the perfect ashlars.

Brethren will remember the symbolical significance of the first of
these solids as explained in the lecture on the First T.B. In the
Craft the stone of true die or square is the symbol of mature
manhood "after a life well spent in acts of piety and virtue." It
has a correspondence with the other symbol just mentioned, the
interlaced triangles, for whereas this has twelve points and six
lines, the cube has twelve lines, or edges, and six surfaces. The
cube is such that its sides coincide with three planes at right-
angles; it is the first of the Platonic solids to which this
applies. The cube is thus in its structure triadic, and is a
peculiarly apt symbol for the human personality with its threefold
nature, hand, heart, and head; intellect, will, And feelings;
thought, actions, and desires; body, soul, and spirit. To apply
this idea still further, consider on a point of a cube. From it
radiate three lines, which correspond to the components of the
triads just mentioned. In the rough ashlar these are rough and
irregular. By the exercise of the three Working Tools, a straight-
edge, a chisel (also represented by a line), and a gavel
(represented by two lines at right angles), the rough material is
wrought into due form and the perfection of the whole brought into
manifestation. So in the individual, the material is rough, albeit
sound, stone; else he would not have been accepted as a candidate,
but by the exercise of the Working Tools of the personality,
purified thought, action, and desire, the individual is wrought
into due form and the hidden Master brought to light. This can be
exemplified by opening the perfect cube up into the form of a
Cross, when the hidden man of the heart, represented by the middle
square, will be seen surrounded by the other five perfect squares,
which correspond to the five purified senses. The upright line of
spirit - B - conjoined with the horizontal line of matter - J -
indicates that in the perfect man balance and harmony has been
attained, and as these lines form a Cross, we have an adumbration
of the method by which such balance is necessarily attainable, the
Cross having always been regarded as the gateway to  fuller and
more abundant life.

Before leaving the three lines radiating from the point of a cube,
there is a further point which may not be without interest. Just
before an E.A. is entrusted with the Secrets of the Degree he is
told to stand "perfectly erect, feet formed in a square," his "body
thus being considered to be an emblem of" his mind, and his "feet,
of the rectitude of his actions." It will be evident that his body
and feet are thus aligned along the three edges of a cube, which
were equated above with intellect, will, and feelings, among other
things. The upright line refers to intellect (or mind), and the
other two lines, will and feelings, the mainsprings of actions.
Incidently it may be remarked that the erect body refers in a
hidden way to the Plumb Rule, the feet to the Square, and from this
position the candidate advances to the first regular step which is
in the form of the level. He has just been told that all Ss. Ls.
and Ps. "are true and proper signs by which to know a Freemason,"
but there is also a suggestion here of the Working Tools of the
Second Degree, which the candidate learns more about when he
becomes a F.C.

The whole glyph thus indicates the progress from the rough ashlar
to the living stone. You will no doubt recall that St. Peter in one
of his Epistles exhorts his readers in this strain: "Be ye living
stones, built up into a spiritual house," and you may also have
heard the exhortation of Cornelius Agrippa, one of the medieval
alchemists: "Be ye transformed from dead stones into living
philosophical stones."

Our goal is to become living stones fit for the habitation not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens, the Heavenly Jerusalem, of
which Solomon's Temple with its middle chamber, containing "certain
Hebrew characters, alluding to God, T.G.G.O.T.U.," and also our
Masonic Lodges are earthly types. In the vision of the Apocalypse
at the end of the V.S.L., this city had twelve gates, it was four-
square, and the length, breadth, and height were all equal; its
wall was 144 cubits, the measure of a man who is an angel, square
man, the perfect man. There was no temple, but the Lord God
Almighty and the Lamb were the temple of it. The City had no need
of Sun or Moon, because the glory of God did lighten it, and the
Lamb was the light therefor. (In our earthly Lodges we have lesser
lights - "the Sun, the Moon, and the Master of the Lodge"). From
the temple flowed a river of living water beside which was the tree
of life, whose leaves were for the healing of nations. (In our
earthly Lodges we depict "an ear of corn, near to a fall of water")

I will end this section by showing how the tetractys can be
combined with the triangle, the perfect ashlar, and the centre,
into a comprehensive glyph of the Masonic process of regeneration,
The tetractys referred to the perfection of nature as a
manifestation of T.G.A.O.T.U. Joining the three outer points we get
the equilateral triangle representing the over-arching realities of
Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty, the trine attributes of Deity, which
are the ultimate terms of human activity; within is the centre, the
point from which creation commences in the physical world. BY
drawing the three radiating lines from the centre, the perfect
ashlar emerges symbolising the perfection of manhood bounded by
Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty.

 In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that in many respects
this study represents an individual point of view, the acceptance
of which is obligatory upon no one. It may be likened to a bunch of
flowers culled from many gardens; I have merely supplied the cord
binding the whole together, at the same time taking the liberty of
adding a few blossoms of my own. I put it forward with all
sincerity in the hope that it may assist Brethren, not only to
appreciate some of the hidden implication of our Ritual, but to
make the Ritual and all it stands for, a living issue for us all.

SO MOTE IT BE.