The Letter G

[LorrB]

For your consideration..

The Greek letter G, the Gamma, looks like an inverted letter L which is a Masonic Square in shape.

It also resembles the 'lip' of the Roman G - which letter is made up of three quarters of a circle plus a Square or "an angle of 90 degrees or the fourth part of a circle" the extreme angle also indicates the centre of that circle.

The G stands for Geometry as originally (it is said) the terms Geometry and Masonry were synonymous.

G also stands for Generation.

G is the initial of God, and reduplicates the Yod initial of Jehovah; and also of Jehoshuah (=Jesus), which is spelled YHShWH, with the letter Shin (a tooth, or tongue of flame) which in shape consists of three letters Yod branching out of an elongated fourth.

The Greek word "theos" (God) begins with a T in English, in Greek the initial is a Theta, written like an O spanned diametrically by a horizontal line.

Dare I say that in the above there is 'a secret' or two within plain site?

[LorrB]

G as a shape resembles the Fibonacci spiral which is a constant prevalent in Nature ... (so represents God as a Geometer/Mathematician?)

[paul]

Idries Shah tells us that the arabic Q is what should be used in the lodge



Rotate the letter 90 degrees and lose the dots and it looks like a G

There are said to be 99 known names of God but the 100th name is secret

www.jgambini.com/hundredth_name.html

As the letter Qaaf has the value 100 it is used to represent the 100th secret/lost name (lost word)

Hence the "G" refers to the Lost Word as the secret name of God

[maat]

So simple, so beautiful.

[maat]

Talking about Camels (if you accessed Paul's link) that brings us to Gimel

www.inner.org/hebleter/gimmel.htm

and Jesus saying "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:24).

www.meru.org/letteressays/gimel.html

Not so simple, but just as beautiful?

[jzryk8]

So, the Letter G means all this huh ?

So, only in Lodges that speak English or use the Roman Alphabet as we do ? - what about in more ancient times when English (or Hebrew) was not used in the Lodge, what was in place of the 'G' then and what did it mean :-)

Philip

Past Master or the SA Lodge of Research, so I ask lots of questions :-)

[LorrB]

Was there a G in ceremonies way back then? The G may be a 'modern' innovation? I don't know. It sure gives us something to ponder upon.

I do rather like the philosophy of the the shape though...

.. working backwards (earthly life mirrors heavenly life) +/-
.. from the Centre (an erroneous free place) .
.. there is movement (upon the face of the waters) _
.. Spirit descended (solidified ?) l
.. into what we know as the Universe (area of creation as we know it) O

Hence G

I would suggest that the gap in the circle indicates 'the unseen'.

I just made all that up... and it really makes me happy to see what the mind can see when you let it do its work

[LorrB]

I still like Geometry as a serious candidate for the letter G. Even at the most basic level of Freemasonry we are told that we are builders - and the Universe demonstrates to us that it is built according to the laws of Geometry.

If we are to build ourselves into better human beings we could do well to revisit basic geometry and apply some of the rules to our own lives.

..Every caring parent or employee knows how s/he must divide themselves into many different parts but still remain whole. (This could apply to the argument for G for God?

..Point, line, plane, cube ... if we want to build something lasting even here in our suburb or city we must find our starting point.

..If we want to meditate (or conduct an awesome lodge meeting) we put a ring-pass-not about ourselves (or tyle the lodge) to keep the worldly worries at bay.

Paying attention to geometry can be very useful.

[maat]

In the Scottish ritual lecture known as Middle Chamber Lecture, the final paragraph goes as follows:

My brother, we have now arrived at a place representing the Middle Chamber of King Solomon"s Temple. Behold the letter G suspended in the east; it is the initial letter of geometry, the first and noblest of sciences

freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/theletterg.html

An excellent site.

[petergower]

Why not Gnòsis? in Greek it means "knowledge", or better that kind of knowledge that man gets by walking the inner path.

[paul]

It has certainly been suggested before that the G relates to gnosis. If so perhaps lodges should use a Gamma - it being in the form of a square

[LorrB]

www.meru.org/Lettermaps/3x9-inlevls.gif

Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh
Spirit connects so that Spirit is multiplied? = G for Generation?

How would you interpret a Shin if it was added to the centre?
Yod-Heh-Shin-Vau-Heh = Jehoshua = Jesus?

Shin is the pyramid of fire in the middle ..

Love mind games.

[LorrB]

G - Letter G - The seventh letter in the English alphabet. "In Greek, Chaldean, Syriac, Hebrew, Assyrian, Samaritan, Etrurian, Coptic, in the modern Romaic and Gothic, it occupies the third place in the alphabet, while in Cyrillic, Glagolitic, Croat, Russian, Servian and Wallachian, it stands fourth."

As the name of "god" begins with this letter (in Syriac, gad; Swedish, gud: German, gott; English, god; Persian, gada, etc., etc.), there is an occult reason for this which only the students of esoteric philosophy and of the Secret Doctrine, explained esoterically, will understand thoroughly; it refers to the three logoi - the last,the Elohim, and the emanation of the latter, the androgynous Adam Kadmon.

All these peoples have derived the name of "god" from their respective traditions, the more or less clear echoes of the esoteric tradition. Spoken and "Silent Speech" (writing) are a "gift of the gods", say all the national traditions, from the old Aryan Sanskrit-speaking people who claim that their alphabet, the Devanagari (lit., the language of the devas or gods) was given to them from heaven, down to the Jews, who speak of an alphabet, the parent of the one which has survived, as having been a celestial and mystical symbolism given by the angels to the patriarchs. Hence, every letter had its manifold meaning.

A symbol itself of a celestial being and objects, it was in its turn represented on earth by like corresponding objects whose form symbolised the shape of the letter.

The present letter, called in Hebrew gimel and symbolised by a long camel’s neck, or rather a serpent erect, is associated with the third sacred divine name, Ghadol or Magnus (great). Its numeral is four, the Tetragrammaton and the sacred Tetraktys; hence its sacredness. With other people it stood for 400 and with a dash over it, for 400,000.

www.experiencefestival.com/a/G_-_Letter_G/id/200526