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Post by paul on Mar 17, 2011 17:27:04 GMT 9.5
Why should Compasses be one of the Great Lights?
Why not a gavel or plumb line?
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sallyroberts
Beauty
"Let us serve according to our means and our strength"
Posts: 21
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Post by sallyroberts on Mar 17, 2011 18:01:27 GMT 9.5
Why should Compasses be one of the Great Lights? Why not a gavel or plumb line? Because one point of the Compasses forms the point within - and the other point draws the circle around it? |
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Post by Henka on Mar 18, 2011 2:57:32 GMT 9.5
Why should Compasses be one of the Great Lights? Because they are tools of an architect. Because they are working tools. Simple  |
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Post by Cora B on Mar 18, 2011 6:46:41 GMT 9.5
Why should Compasses be one of the Great Lights? Why not a gavel or plumb line? Because one point of the Compasses forms the point within - and the other point draws the circle around it? Or perhaps it is he who wields the Compasses that is a source of Light -- and the opened Compasses symbolic of its beam... The Light is within you; let the Light shine! |
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Post by paul on Mar 18, 2011 7:42:00 GMT 9.5
Or perhaps it is he who wields the Compasses that is a source of Light -- and the opened Compasses symbolic of its beam...  The above image is more complex than it looks as it combines realities from several levels - just like Masonry |
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Post by LorrB on Mar 18, 2011 7:51:52 GMT 9.5
Like that Corab. Blakes painting.
The compasses are the symbol of the creative mind, and that means by which the perfect circle is made manifest.
Circles remind me of delineated spaces, rings-pass-not, stars planets and the Universe.
If the great creative force works with circles, maybe we should use the compasses as an encouragement to working more creatively in our own circles. Become co-creators at our level of being.
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Post by Cora B on Mar 18, 2011 8:02:08 GMT 9.5
Like that Corab. Blakes painting. Precisely! It also reminds of that certain fourth part of a circle. Which somehow loops back again to Chinese symbolism -- the Circle represents Heaven, and the Square represents Earth. Earth proceeds from Heaven -- Square proceeds from Circle. If Light then proceed from Darkness, is Darkness not simply the absence of awareness of the Light? If the square is the fourth part of a Circle -- the arc -- then we have all the means necessary to achieve perfection. All we have to do is to find the Centre and apply our tools. Awareness. We may not yet have it, but we have it within us to attain to it. Quite so -- and in doing so, attain to One-ness. |
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Post by paul on Mar 18, 2011 8:27:36 GMT 9.5
Blake's painting is entitled Ancient of Days.
It is easy to consider that the AoD may be the GAOTU but since there is also an Ancient of Ancients, it is clear that the AoD cannot be the GAOTU.
Nevertheless seeing the compasses as a reference to the GAOTU is valid. Why?
The depiction shows the AoD in a strong wind. What can that mean?
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Post by LorrB on Mar 18, 2011 9:42:48 GMT 9.5
Ha - Hu - aH
Abram -> Abraham
Sara -> Sarah
Breath of God?
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Post by paul on Mar 18, 2011 9:47:47 GMT 9.5
The Breath of God, in my view, is a valid naming of the second aspect of the GAOTU. But that may not work in the context of the AoD image in that the wind comes from the side. Perhaps the AoD is moving sideways - applying the dividers to the surface of the Earth? Here is an earlier version  And here is something much older - with the dividers combined with a bow that has an angle - suggesting that the artist was a bit unclear as to what ought to be depicted  |
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Post by paul on Mar 18, 2011 10:05:19 GMT 9.5
Blake however was capable of profound observation, so here is only using the historical events as an allegory illustrated by symbol
And that takes us back to the original question - why compasses?
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Post by Henka on Mar 19, 2011 8:38:52 GMT 9.5
Blake however was capable of profound observation, so here is only using the historical events as an allegory illustrated by symbol And that takes us back to the original question - why compasses? As I said earlier, compasses are the tool of an architect. Symbolically, they represent the Great Architect laying out the blueprint of creation, also, that as Master Masons we direct the labor in the quarry. |
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Post by Henka on Mar 19, 2011 8:48:20 GMT 9.5
This is the Babylonian god Anshar. That is a bow, not a stylized representation of compasses. The gods of Babylon were often engaged in war against one another. |
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Post by paul on Mar 19, 2011 8:54:42 GMT 9.5
As I said earlier, compasses are the tool of an architect. Symbolically, they represent the Great Architect laying out the blueprint of creation, I would have thought the 24 inch gauge plus the compasses were sufficient for all geometric forms - including right angles How then would a square be the other Great Light? I think we have to look past the allegory of the GAOTU |
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Post by paul on Mar 19, 2011 9:11:28 GMT 9.5
This is the Babylonian god Anshar. That is a bow, not a stylized representation of compasses. The gods of Babylon were often engaged in war against one another. I dare say the gods were capable of more than one task - hence perhaps the ambiguity in the bow that has no curve Perhaps this image is closer to Blake's  Note that in all examples the god is travelling sideways - hence the side wind in Blake. This also means that the god is not interested in the viewer - perhaps being engaged in some function - as indicated by the compasses. Still however Blake looks beyond the gods in his depiction |
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Post by paul on Apr 4, 2011 15:28:33 GMT 9.5
"In Chinese mythology, the carpenter's square is traditionally held by the legendary male hero Fu Hsi and represents the earth, while the compass is traditionally held by the female Nu-Kua (sister-wife of Fu Hsi, Mother Earth) who represents the moon. The characters for compass and carpenter's square when combined form the word gui ju (kuei chu) which means virtuous living " www.luo-shu.com/book/part_one/chapter_three/symbolic_significance_carpenter%22s_square_lo_shuInterestingly the archetypal use of the square and compasses in China seems Co-Masonic  |
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Post by LorrB on Apr 8, 2011 9:40:31 GMT 9.5
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Post by paul on Apr 17, 2011 8:40:52 GMT 9.5
Another way of asking the same question may be: which way around should the compasses be when the lodge is open? Why?
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Post by LorrB on Apr 20, 2011 8:39:44 GMT 9.5
In the back of my mind I can remember something about the "North Wind". Can't remember anything else about it. So if the wind was blowing from the North in Blake's painting then the compasses should have the hinge pointing West.
But that is contrary to the Architect in the painting having the compasses hinged towards him. And I can't picture the person in the image being other than East.
I give in. ?
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Post by paul on Apr 20, 2011 8:47:36 GMT 9.5
Ancient of Days in Blake's painting is flying through the air measuring the Earth with dividers - hence the appearance of wind. The image is related to an ancient Egyptian depiction of two beings with dividers and cord measuring a spherical planet. I doubt that Blake would have seen that but there may well have been an oral tradition.
The Blake picture (minus the wind) is also a depiction of the GAOTU who emits light rays symbolised by the compasses. Thus the points of the compasses are away from the source of Light. Blake saw many beings including outside the solar system, and I suspect he had some direct perception of the GAOTU.
In the lodge there are 2 competing sources of Light. The Light from the East sometimes enters the temple from that direction hence the points should be pointing to the West.
In some lodges however the VSL is turned so that the Master can read it. Thus if the VSL is considered to be the source of Light then the points of the compasses should be at towards the bottom of the book. In some lodges, by tradition that will be towards the East.
Personally I would go with the GAOTU.
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