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Post by paul on Feb 19, 2012 7:06:05 GMT 9.5
.. By definition reality is real. As you correctly pointed out Reality is a reification and hence a fallacy.
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Post by credibility on Feb 19, 2012 7:11:17 GMT 9.5
.. By definition reality is real. As you correctly pointed out Reality is a reification and hence a fallacy. credibility.
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Post by paul on Feb 20, 2012 8:09:41 GMT 9.5
Smithee, you surprise me again. You are quite correct. Credibility is another reification.
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Post by LorrB on Feb 22, 2012 7:11:27 GMT 9.5
The Purpose of Masonry ... Quotes from The Silver Birch Book of Questions and Answers
Q - What is spirit?
A - SPIRIT is perfect in its origin, spirit possess intrinsically the creative forces of all life. Spirit is not subject to age, infirmity,wastage or to any of the defects that affect the physical body. The line of spirit evolution is from immaturity to maturity.
Part of its evolution is accomplished through a physical body, which it has created for that purpose. Spirit is dominant, spirit is the king, spirit is the ruler. But here comes the paradox. There is an interaction between spirit, mind and body, and the body restricts the activity of the spirit on earth because the spirit can express itself on earth only through the body at its disposal. Emphasis mine. Solomon the King represents our Spirit. Solomon the King, the Master in the Chair, uses his 'officers' to open and close lodges. Spirit Mind Body - the Three Prinicipal Officers? The line of spirit evolution is from immaturity to maturity. = Good men making themselves better?
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Post by LorrB on Feb 22, 2012 7:31:40 GMT 9.5
The Purpose of Masonry ... White Eagle teaches that we are spirit first and body last. "You could be as kings,’ he says, ’ruling supreme over all negative conditions in your lives; but too often you can succumb to the negative forces instead of releasing, with your own master key, the power and light stored up within you to combat these forces."
He also says that spirit has the power completely to change the body. "You are spirit. The real you, the consciousness, is spirit. As you strengthen this realisation through meditation and worship of your Creator your spirit will begin to dominate the physical atoms, until your body becomes irradiated with life, and every particle obeys the direction of spirit, the real you." Above the door to the temple is the sign "Man, Know Thyself".
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Post by paul on Feb 22, 2012 7:59:53 GMT 9.5
Certainly Masonry requires Spirit to shine through the Persona, but so do all mainstream religions.
What then is the purpose of Masonry?
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Post by LorrB on Feb 22, 2012 8:40:42 GMT 9.5
... to instruct us on how to allow our/the Spirit to reign supreme and then to employ and instruct others on how to achieve the same result. WE can achieve this most effectively by service, service, service .. becoming living examples of wisdom, love and understanding.
Or as Rose Croix points out to us... sacrificing our self(-ish desires) when on the cross of matter (in material manifestation) for the Will of The King .. or however much of it we are able to discern.
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Post by paul on Feb 22, 2012 9:11:45 GMT 9.5
I still do not see how that distinguishes Masonry from love-based religion.
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Post by LorrB on Feb 22, 2012 12:14:33 GMT 9.5
Neither do I... except we are left free in masonry to find out own way. Instruction in Freemasonry takes to form of fellow journeyman... not priest or pope.
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Post by paul on Feb 22, 2012 12:26:41 GMT 9.5
I suggest that one aspect that distinguish Masonry from mainstream religions is that the temple extends across the planet and into the heavens.
What then are the brethren supposed to be doing in such a temple?
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Post by LorrB on Feb 22, 2012 13:47:47 GMT 9.5
Darned if I know... apart from doing the best that you can with whatever.
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Post by cwhite on Feb 25, 2012 4:12:15 GMT 9.5
Phoenician character Samekh, meaning fish. That reminds me of the non-Christian form of the Cross of Lorraine Lorraine has pre-Christian connections, for example to the grail and perhaps to the fish(er) king The Annedotus were/are amphibians. The Annedotus came out of the sea each morning to teach the Greeks the relevant sciences and civilising institutions....Were/are Osiris and Isis part of the Annedotus? Samekh and Mem form the abbreviation for the angel Samael, maybe he was Annedotus?
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Post by cwhite on Feb 25, 2012 4:16:40 GMT 9.5
Samekh meaning fish. Mem meaning water.
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Post by cwhite on Feb 25, 2012 4:21:29 GMT 9.5
60 & 40
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Post by sekhmet on Feb 25, 2012 13:34:47 GMT 9.5
I have also seen this symbol (the single upright with the 3 crossbars) on the robes of Grand Masters of the Knights Templar...I would assume it could possibly refer to the Tree of Life; a "Master of the Temple" is, after all, one who has 'crossed the Abyss", and thus attained the actual sanctuary of the Temple, i.e the Sheqinah.
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Post by jackjack on Mar 9, 2012 6:36:53 GMT 9.5
For me personally, I think that it was Helen Blavatsky who plainly stated the purpose of Freemasonry; and that was to preserve the ancient teachings from ages past and basically hand them down from one generation to the next. At least, this was the stated will of "the heirarchy." So all this talk about making good men better is a red herring; the real purpose is to indoctrinate people with ancient esoterica. Of course, I think that it's an established fact that they borrowed a lot of their ideas from the Rosicrucians.
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Post by LorrB on Mar 9, 2012 7:28:25 GMT 9.5
The word 'indoctrinate' has a positive and a negative side to it.
I much prefer the word 'introduce'. One can introduce a subject and a setting for testing it, then it is up to the individual to prove or reject. The individual is free to build his own temple.
I do agree in thinking that one of the purposes of Freemasonry is to reveal to man that he is more than just a mortal body.
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Post by paul on Mar 9, 2012 8:46:42 GMT 9.5
I would hope that the ancient teachings preserved have some practical application both at the level of the individual and of the race.
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Post by LorrB on Mar 9, 2012 9:31:42 GMT 9.5
Can you give us some examples please..
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Post by paul on Mar 9, 2012 9:40:59 GMT 9.5
For example, the posture and motions used with the triple word of HRA are a proper mechanism for the invocation of energies.
That is perhaps the oldest part of the Holy Royal Arch, predating the zodiacal structure.
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