A Paper for…
Sequoia Council No. 228 (AMD)
… to
better serve the Craft through the medium of study and research…
Secrets of the Craft
By Rudy Olano
11Jul06
If there is a secret to be known in our Fraternity, it is
the fact that we have no secret worthy of exchange of anybody --Mason or
non-Masons life. If the post is referring to the "lost
word" since all Master Masons were told of the "secret"
substitute of the Lost Master's word, one can find that in Royal Arch Degree in
York Rite. Once he knew of that which we are in search of --- he
might be surprised that it is not really a secret after all. If our
Brother is talking about our rituals, all someone has to do is to type
"Duncan Rituals" in any Internet search engines or buy that book on
any book store. Those are not secret anymore. It is
pointless to pretend there are or is a secret when reality states otherwise
Veiled in allegories and illustrated by symbols. There are
lessons in our Craft that are NOT to be taken literally. The hourglass is not
about time keeping instrument equivalent to modern watch but it represents
human life. The scythe is supposed to be the symbol of time yet the lecture was
about death. This why studying lectures, symbols and allegories in our Craft
are fascinating. In delving into the lessons of the Craft the number one lesson
is not to take anything on its face value. There are meaning(s) behind the
symbols, letters, figures and characters--- representations of a message.
Our rituals including obligations were the relics of the
past; those were our links to the Craft's rich heritage of the by-gone
days. Old or ancient maybe but they are worth keeping since they meant
something which teaches us that Freemasonry is a study of science of morality,
veiled in allegories and illustrated by symbols. Deciphering or revealing
the meanings of symbols and allegories contained in the series of Degrees is
what the students of the Craft are studying for. To open up the knowledge
we could use for constructing a building not made by hands eternal in
heaven. "Secrets" or morality lessons we could share with our
fellow human beings for our collective benefit which hopefully makes this world
a better place to live. Those are lessons or lights in
Freemasonry that needs to be shared and not kept as secrets
From operative to speculative, from solving mathematical
problems to philosophical issues, even distinguished Masonic scholars were at
odds in describing what is Freemasonry. If this humble writer could hazard an
opinion, viewing Freemasonry is similar to defining beauty. What viewers see will depend on many things
including what the eyes want to see.
Demanding for further light is of no use if the eyes remain close not to
mention distortion of light waves if selected filter is involved. Some of us ended our search for that which
was lost in the Royal Arch degree. Maybe
because we believe that the search was about Faith. For those who did not waver in their Faith,
it is beyond that—something filtered through the calibrated prism of his
choosing. People wears different lenses,
different filters. Some found their Truth
by wearing their shades and discovered peace within their own temple, while
some continue to remain on their steed to hunt the fire-breathing dragon or to
seek out for their own personal version of Holy Grail.
There is no argument about the lessons veiled in allegories
and illustrated by symbols. The challenge is always has been deciphering
those lessons but more important is the application of those what we
discovered. Those are the "secrets" that this traveler
seeks. Lessons that could make good man a better man who in the process
positively influences everything in his path. ---lessons
that could be use to the betterment of this world. Lessons that should be shared and not kept as secrets.
If there is a syllabus for York Rite, this writer understands it comes in three
phases. One, the discovery of the Word, second, its preservation and finally,
the readiness to defend the object of the search. The search of that
which was lost could be translated as the Masonic version of popular medieval
romance known as Holy Grail. It all boils down to which lens we are
wearing in our personal journey.
