The Mysteries of Free Masonry Part 35

Q. What did you see when you were received? A. Things that were marvellous.

Q. How were you received? A. By water and the effusion of blood.

Q. Explain this to me? A. A Mason should not hesitate to spill his blood for the support of Masonry.

Q. What are the ornaments of the Grand Council? A. Superb thrones, sun, more perfumed ointment, and a basin of water.

Q. What is the figure of the draft? A. An heptagon within a circle.

Q. What is the representation of it? A. A man vested in a white robe, with a golden girdle 'round his waist--'round his right hand seven stars--his head surrounded with a glory, a long, white beard--a two-edged sword across his mouth, surrounded by seven candlesticks, with these letters: H. D. P. I. P. R.

Q. What signifies the circle? A. As the circle is finished by a point, so should a Lodge be united by brotherly love and affection.

Q. What signifies the heptagon? A. Our mystic number which is enclosed in seven letters.

Q. What are the seven letters? A. B. D. W. P. H. G. S.; which signifies Beauty, Divinity, Wisdom, Power, Honor, Glory, and Strength.

Q. Give me the explanation of these words? A. Beauty to adorn; Divinity, that Masonry is of divine origin; Wisdom, a quality to invent; Power, to destroy the profane and unworthy brethren; Honor, is an indispensable quality in a Mason, that he may support himself in his engagements with respectability; Glory, that a good Mason is on an equality with the greatest prince; and Strength, is necessary to sustain us.

Q. What signifies the seven stars? A. The seven qualities which Masons should be possessed of: Friends.h.i.+p, Union, Submission, Discretion, Fidelity, Prudence and Temperance.

Q. Why should a Mason be possessed of these qualities? A. Friends.h.i.+p, is a virtue that should reign among brothers; Union, is the foundation of society; Submission, to the laws, regulations, and decrees of the Lodge, without murmuring; Discretion, that a Mason should always be on his guard, and never suffer himself to be surprised; Fidelity, in observing strictly our obligations; Prudence, to conduct ourselves in such a manner that the profane, though jealous, may never be able to censure our conduct; and Temperance, to avoid all excesses that may injure either body or soul.

Q. What signifies the seven candlesticks, with their seven letters? A.

seven crimes, which Masons should always avoid, viz.: Hatred, Discord, Pride, Indiscretion, Perfidy, Rashness, and Calumny.

Q. What are the reasons that Masons should particularly avoid these crimes? A. Because they are incompatible with the principles and qualities of a good Mason, who should avoid doing an injury to a brother, even should he be ill-treated by him, and to unite in himself all the qualities of a good and upright man. Discord, is contrary to the very principles of society; Pride, prevents the exercise of humanity; Indiscretion, is fatal to Masonry; Perfidy, should be execrated by every honest man; Rashness, may lead us into unpleasant and disagreeable dilemmas; and Calumny, the worst of all, should be shunned as a vice which saps the very foundation of friends.h.i.+p and society.

Q. What signifies the two-edged sword? A. It expresses the superiority of this degree over all others that precede it.

Q. Are there any higher degrees than this? A. Yes; there are several.

Q. What signifies the book with seven seals, which none but one can open? A. A Lodge, or Council, of Masons, which the Most Puissant alone has a right to convene and open.

Q. What is enclosed in the first seal? A. One bow, one arrow, and one crown.

Q. What in the second? A. A two-edged sword.

Q. What in the third? A. A balance.

Q. What in the fourth? A. Death's head.

Q. What in the fifth? A. A cloth stained with blood.

Q. What in the sixth? A. The power to darken the sun, and tinge the moon with blood.

Q. What in the seventh? A. Seven trumpets and perfumes.

Q. Explain these things to me? A. The bow, arrow, and crown, signifies that the orders of this respectable council should be executed with as much quickness as the arrow flies from the bow, and be received with as much submission as if it came from a crowned head, or the chief of a nation. The sword, that the Council is always armed to punish the guilty. The balance is a symbol of justice. The skull is the image of a brother who is excluded from a Lodge or Council. This idea must make all tremble when they recollect the penalties they have imposed on themselves under the most solemn obligations! The cloth stained with blood, that we should not hesitate to spill ours for the good of Masonry. The power of obscuring the sun and tinging the moon with blood, is the representation of the power of the Superior Councils--in interdicting their works, if they are irregular, until they have acknowledged their error, and submitted to the rules and regulations of the craft established by the Grand Const.i.tutions. The seven trumpets, signify that Masonry is extended over the surface of the earth, on the wings of fame, and supports itself with honor. The perfumes denote that the life of a good Mason should be, and is free from all reproach, and is perfumed by means of good report.

Q. What age are you? A. Very ancient.

Q. Who are you? A. I am a Patmian: (i.e., of Patmos.)

Q. Whence came you? A. From Patmos. End of the lecture.

TO CLOSE.--Q. What is the o'clock? Ans. There is no more time. The Most Puissant strikes seven, and says, "Venerable Knights Princes, the Council is closed." The two Wardens repeat the same, and the Council is closed.

SOVEREIGN PRINCES, MASTERS ADVITIAM, OR VENERABLE GRAND MASTERS OF ALL SYMBOLIC LODGES.

DECORATIONS, ETC.--This Lodge must be decorated with blue and yellow.

The Grand Master sits on a throne elevated by nine steps, under a canopy before it is an altar, on which is a sword, bible, compa.s.s, square, mallet, etc., as in the Symbolic Lodges. Between the altar and the south is a candlestick with nine branches, which is always lighted in this Lodge. There are two Wardens in the west. The Grand Master represents Cyrus Artaxerxes (the Masonic name of Cambyses), wearing his royal ornaments, and a large blue and yellow ribbon crossing each other.

TO OPEN.--Grand Master: "I desire to open the Lodge." He then descends to the lowest step of the throne, and when he is a.s.sured that the Lodge is tyled, he knocks one and two with his mallet. Each Warden repeats the same, which makes nine. G. M.--"Where is your Master placed?" Warden: "In the East." G. M.--"Why in the East?" W. "Because the glorious sun rises in the East to illumine the world." G. M. "As I sit in the East, I open this Lodge," which is repeated by the Wardens.

Then all the brethren clap their hands one and two.

RECEPTION.--The candidate represents Zerubbabel, who enters the Lodge by himself, without being introduced, decorated with the jewels and badges of the highest degrees he has taken. The Wardens take him by the hand, and place him in a blue elbow chair, opposite to the Grand Master, who demands from him all the words, from an Entered Apprentice upwards; and after he has satisfied the Grand Master, and is found worthy to hold a sceptre, they make him travel nine times 'round the Lodge, beginning in the South, and then by nine square steps he advances to the throne, and walks over two drawn swords, laid across.

There must be a pot with burning charcoal close by the throne, that the candidate may feel the heat of the fire while taking the obligation; in doing which, he lays his right hand on the Bible, which is covered by the Grand Master's right hand, and then takes the following obligation:

OBLIGATION.--I, A. B., do solemnly and sincerely swear and promise, under the penalties of all my former obligations, to protect the craft and my brethren with all my might, and not to acknowledge any one for a true Mason who was not made in a regularly const.i.tuted and lawful Lodge. I furthermore do swear, that I will strictly observe and obey all the statutes and regulations of the Lodge; and that I never will disclose or discover the secrets of this degree, either directly or indirectly, except by virtue of a full power in writing, given me for that purpose by the Grand Inspector or his deputy, and then to such only as have been Masters of a regular Lodge. All this I swear under the penalties of being forever despised and dishonored by the Craft in general. He then kisses the Bible.

Here follow the signs, token, and word, viz.:--FIRST SIGN.--Form four squares, thus: with the fingers joined, and the thumb elevated, place your right hand on your heart (this forms two squares). Place the left hand on the lips, the thumb elevated so as to form a third square; place the heels so as to form a square with the feet. SECOND SIGN.--Place yourself on your knees, elbows on the ground, the head inclined towards the left. THIRD SIGN.--Cross the hands on the breast, the right over the left, fingers extended, thumbs elevated, and the feet forming a square. TOKEN.--Take reciprocally the right elbow with the right hand, the thumb on the outside, the fingers joined, and on the inside; press the elbow thus four times, slip the hands down to the wrists, raising the three last fingers, and press the index on the wrist. SACRED WORD.--"Razaba.s.si," or "Razahaz Betzi-Yah."

Pa.s.s-WORDS.--"Jechson," "Jubellum," "Zanabosan." Some, however, give Jehovah as the sacred word, and "Belshazzar" as the pa.s.s-word.

LECTURE.--Question--Are you a Grand Master of all Symbolic Lodges?

Answer.--They know me at Jerusalem to be such.

Q. How shall I know that you are a Grand Master of all Symbolic Lodges? A. By observing my zeal in rebuilding the temple.

Q. Which way did you travel? A. From the South to the East.

Q. How often? A. Nine.

Q. Why so many? A. In memory of the Grand Masters who traveled to Jerusalem.

Q. Can you give me their names? A. Their names are Esdras, Zerubbabel, Phachi, Joshua, Elial, Toyada, Homen, Nehemias, and Malchias.

Q. What are the pa.s.s-words? A. "Jechson," "Jubellum," and "Zanabosan."

Q. What object engaged your attention most, when you first entered the Lodge of Grand Masters? A. The candlestick with nine branches.

Q. Why are the nine candles therein always kept burning in this Lodge?

A. To remind us that there cannot be less than nine Masters to form a Grand Master's Lodge.

Q. What were your reasons for wis.h.i.+ng to be admitted and received in this Lodge of Grand Masters? A. That I might receive the benefit of the two lights I was unacquainted with.