Operative Masons
Apr 17, 2012 8:12:49 GMT 9.5
Post by paul on Apr 17, 2012 8:12:49 GMT 9.5
"One of the most remarkable facts about these secrets is that the VII Degree Operative Free Masons are taught that the Polar Star is the real seat of the power of the Most High" archive.org/stream/cu31924030272508/cu31924030272508_djvu.txt
This statement about the Pole Star and TMH directly reflects ancient Egyptian beliefs and is implicit in the Holy Royal Arch - the centre of the Arch being the Pole Star.
How would stone masons in the middle ages know such a thing? Egyptian hieroglyphs were not translated until the 19th century.
This knowledge (and it is essentially valid knowledge) was not part of London Freemasonry post 1717.
We therefore have some non-exclusive options:
- Operative masons retained ancient esoteric teachings independently of academic centers (monasteries and universities)
- Modern Freemasonry is a limited copy of operative masonry while including additional materials (e.g. Mithraic)
- There was at least one concealed source of ancient wisdom that supported both operative and speculative Masonry.
Some indication of the nature of the link to ancient teachings occurs with the operative reference to El Shaddai as the proper name for God suggesting that it is a Jewish esoteric current.
This statement about the Pole Star and TMH directly reflects ancient Egyptian beliefs and is implicit in the Holy Royal Arch - the centre of the Arch being the Pole Star.
How would stone masons in the middle ages know such a thing? Egyptian hieroglyphs were not translated until the 19th century.
This knowledge (and it is essentially valid knowledge) was not part of London Freemasonry post 1717.
We therefore have some non-exclusive options:
- Operative masons retained ancient esoteric teachings independently of academic centers (monasteries and universities)
- Modern Freemasonry is a limited copy of operative masonry while including additional materials (e.g. Mithraic)
- There was at least one concealed source of ancient wisdom that supported both operative and speculative Masonry.
Some indication of the nature of the link to ancient teachings occurs with the operative reference to El Shaddai as the proper name for God suggesting that it is a Jewish esoteric current.