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Post by LorrB on Nov 4, 2010 10:00:30 GMT 9.5
 Before you read up on what previous people have to say about this image, can we extract some of what your inner self has to say about this image. |
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Post by LorrB on Nov 4, 2010 10:01:31 GMT 9.5
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Post by paul on Nov 4, 2010 10:56:52 GMT 9.5
My preference in Masonry is symbolism that directly connects to the structure of Creation or the practices of the ancient mysteries.
The above imagery seems to me a late addition based upon philosophising on death.
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Post by LorrB on Nov 4, 2010 11:19:30 GMT 9.5
Philosophising on being called from labour to rest and rest to labour again must surely lead someone to then contemplate more deeply about the connection to what the SW says when s/he closes a lodge.
Is it possible or even desirable that an EA could or should concern themselves with the structure of Creation at large before they concern themselves with what they are creating within themselves?
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Post by vajranagini on Nov 4, 2010 12:01:49 GMT 9.5
When I first got "hooked' on Freemasonry after reading "The Hiram Key", I had joined the dating site"Lavalife", so I decided that I would 'advertise' that I wanted to meet Freemasons (I will remark here that I really did start to meet a MUCH better class of men after that, and eventually ended up meeting an AMAZING Brother who I have been with for over EIGHT years now!). One of them sent me this picture, known as 'The Monument". For some reason it affected me strongly; I felt it had some personal significance for me. (Later, I found out what that was!)
The figure of the old man is not "Death" but TIME; the figure is that of Saturn, Lord of Time. In some versions of this picture the young woman is holding a lighted lamp. There are any number of interpretations; since Saturn represents Time, a motif of youth and old age would be appropriate to Saturn, as in the "New Year" symbolism of the old man and the baby, and the New Year, of course, takes place in the Zodiacal sign of Capricorn, which is ruled by Saturn. There is also supposed to be some connection between the Moon (Diana the Moon Goddess is said to be the "matroness" of girls and young women) and Saturn, which, of course, is represented by Binah, the Black Virgin/Great Mother on the Tree of Life. Hekate the lunar Crone Goddess, is distinctly Saturnian in many ways, and ironically, the word"crone" is derived from "Cronos", a name of SATURN in mythology
. There is no reason why Saturn should not be portrayed as an old WOMAN; in fact, an old woman might even make MORE sense in such a picture as this one!. Saturn has a dual nature and is connected with sexuality; in fact, Cap is said to be the next sexiest Sign next to Scorpio! Also a little food for thought: Saturn is connected with WIDOWHOOD.
Also, all Orders such as Freemasonry come under the aegis of Saturn, since the symbol of "the Temple" is under the rulership of Binah. If anyone has ever seen this arrangement of numbers:
4/9/2
3/5/7
8/1/6
...this is the planetary Square of Saturn.
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Post by paul on Nov 4, 2010 13:01:52 GMT 9.5
>all Orders such as Freemasonry come under the aegis of Saturn, since the symbol of "the Temple" is under the rulership of Binah. The second statement may be substantially correct but I doubt the first statement is, as can be seen by the quality of relationships promoted. Saturn does overlight some orders but I doubt that any of them could be seen as mainstream Masonry. Here is one Saturnine group user.cyberlink.ch/~koenig/fs3.htmFranz Bardon published an account of that group and their relationships were strongly saturnine www.amazon.com/Frabato-Magician-Franz-Bardon/dp/1885928157 |
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Post by LorrB on Nov 4, 2010 14:42:29 GMT 9.5
The meaning of the Broken Column as explained by the ritual of the Master mason degree is that the column represents both the fall of Master Hiram Abif as well as the unfinished work of the Temple of Solomon Read what Bro Burkle to say on this. Love the diagrams. www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/broken-column.html |
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Post by paul on Nov 4, 2010 14:49:32 GMT 9.5
From Burkle's article: The Broken Column is believed to be a fairly recent addition to the symbolism of Freemasonry,
I agree with that as I indicated in an earlier post.
I suggest there is more value in to be found in the core of Masonry
More from the article: "The basis for the Three Great Columns can be traced to an ancient Kabalistic concept "
Thus we have:
- one broken column as a modern adaptation of the Isis legend
- two columns at the entrance
- three 3 columns/pillars in the qabalah and at the stations of the principal officers
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Post by torence on Nov 4, 2010 22:29:19 GMT 9.5
The Pillar through the ages and in various places conveys immortality. Even a Greek Naiskos was often adorned with an image of a Phallic Bird as a lesson that it is possible to for man to conquer time. What an inspiration these places must have been. They were the place for public debate and the ornamentation must have added considerable dimension to the presented topics.
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Post by paul on Nov 5, 2010 8:24:42 GMT 9.5
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Post by LorrB on Nov 5, 2010 9:16:04 GMT 9.5
..the Pillar of Beauty is Broken. Note especially that the center pillar, the Pillar of Beauty in the Sephiroth has a gap between Beauty and Crown, in effect making this column a Broken Pillar [xxi]. I believe this “fracture” symbolizes Man’s separation from knowledge of the Divine, and an interruption in the Pathway leading from Beauty directly to the Crown (which symbolizes “The Vast Countenance In lodge, notice how the Wardens need 'couriers' to convey info to each other and the Master. Da'at is not always depicted in representations of the Sefirot, and could in a sense be considered an "empty slot" into which the gem of any other sefirot can be placed. Properly, the Divine Light is always shining, but not all humans can see it. The concealment or revelation of the Divine Light shining through Daat does not actually happen in Daat itself. It only seems that way from the human perspective within Malkuth. The perception of change can only occur in Malkuth. Humans who become self-giving like the Light become able to see it, and for them the benefits of Daat's Light seem "revealed". However, humans who remain selfish cannot see it, and for them its benefits seem "hidden".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da%27at_(Kabbalah)
Lost something? |
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Post by paul on Nov 5, 2010 10:14:43 GMT 9.5
"the Pillar of Beauty in the Sephiroth has a gap between Beauty and Crown, in effect making this column a Broken Pillar"
Any "broken" structure of Creation may be more a perception than a reality. For example the Abyss on the Tree is only so for humans on the lower side. From the other side and for other species the Tree has no Abyss
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Post by LorrB on Nov 5, 2010 12:08:04 GMT 9.5
"the Pillar of Beauty in the Sephiroth has a gap between Beauty and Crown, in effect making this column a Broken Pillar" Any "broken" structure of Creation may be more a perception than a reality. For example the Abyss on the Tree is only so for humans on the lower side. From the other side and for other species the Tree has no Abyss Your post reminded my of a vision I had of the ToL. Rather an unsual one. The Tree was presented to me side on... ie a flat line. Yesod then rose up and Da'at dropped down, Tipareth being the fulcrum. A see-saw. I deduced from this image that Yesod is the key to arriving at Da'at. I already knew that the Christian Cabala refers to Tiphereth as Jesus. I found these little bits n pieces to help you put two and two together (or should I say ten and ten  ) The sephirah of Yesod translates spiritual concepts into actions that unite us with God.
...
In Christian kabbalah it is compared to the 'Holy Spirit', that aspect of God that descends upon the earth and sanctifies it, and it occupies a point on the central pillar, along with Keter ( God the Father ), and Tiphereth ( God the Son ).
Occultists compare it with the idea of 'Ether', from the traditional elements, and it is the cross-over from consciousness to matter. For that reason, some occultists compare it with the modern-day concept of a quantum field, pointing to the different theories suggesting that in quantum mechanics, human consciousness plays a vital role in physical processes.
Comparing with forms of Eastern mysticism, Yesod is most commonly associated with the Swadhisthana chakra, which is associated with the moon, with sexuality, and with the unconscious.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yesod_(Kabbalah)
....
"Jesus said:'I am the way the truth and the life; nobody gets to the father but by me." John 14:6"
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Post by paul on Nov 5, 2010 12:22:25 GMT 9.5
Yesod then rose up and Da'at dropped down, Tipareth being the fulcrum. A see-saw. I deduced from this image that Yesod is the key to arriving at Da'at. When the trees from the 4 worlds are superimposed, Daat from the lower world coexists with the Yesod of the higher  To be perhaps more precise, the Yesod of the higher world shines through into the lower world and we call that shining light Daat The quoted comments above about the Holy Spirit and about Ether are debatable - depending of course upon what is meant by the terms. |
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Post by torence on Nov 5, 2010 18:42:12 GMT 9.5
In the US, the pillars are not only encountered during the second degree. Today, each Warden has a column on their pedestal; and, they are used to indicate the condition of the Lodge to the Brethren. Originally, in the 1720’s, the London Officers paraded into the Lodge Hall dropping off at their stations and places. Their Wardens carried these columns with them s symbols of their office.
Then, William Cowper went to work as the Secretary of the Premier Grand Lodge. As a parliamentarian, he introduced the familiar rods employed by the Deacons and Stewards. In Parliament there were White rod offices and Black rod officers to transmit messages and run errands. When the rod system was introduced to Masonry, the columns then moved to their place on the pedestals.
The rods themselves are spiritual things; that is if a Brother takes the time to consider them. Imagine darkening the room and placing a light on the tip of each rod. The arcs and angles and patterns they form when properly held and taken around the room offer up many examples for reflection.
In all of the lodges that I have traveled to in the quarter of a century that I have been busy in Masonry, the Warden’s pillars were composed of wood, like the rods. Coincidence of manufacture or is this choice of material yet another hidden tie?
Fraternally,
Torence Evans Ake
Secretary – Auburn Park Lodge No. 789 – Crete, Illinois
PM – Arcadia Lodge No. 1138 – Lansing, Illinois
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Post by paul on Nov 5, 2010 19:25:36 GMT 9.5
When I was in LDH all the brethren processed in at each meeting in semi-darkness and the SD went to the RWM and the Wardens to light the candle on top of their column. When the lodge was opened then the temple lights were turned up.
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