[The framework of this Lecture is from Chapters 2 & 3 of MYSTIC MASONRY (1897) by J.D. Buck, but has been revised and expanded with the teachings of Gnosis, especially chapters 1-5 of The Gnostic and Esoteric Mysteries of Freemasonry, Lucifer and the Great Work]

 

The Origins of Freemasonry

“Freemasonry rests upon three fundamental degrees, summarizing the triple study which must occupy the mason:

• where he comes from (the study of God);
• what he is (the study of himself and his perfection),
• and where he is going (the study of his transformation).

In 1646, Elias Ashmole (helped by initiates) who had observed the decreasing number of the actual Guilds of masonic workmen in the ‘corporation of workmen’ which served to shelter them and which were still alive in England, protected by their separation from the continent of Europe, Ashmole occupied himself with regenerating the mysteries of ancient indian and egyptian initiation under the architectural veil of masonry, and of giving to the new association a goal of union, of fraternity, of perfection, of equality and of science, by means of a universal bond, based upon the laws of nature and upon love for humanity.

He created (according to the ancient traditions and the documents that he was able to collect) the first degree in 1646, the second degree in 1648, and the third degree in 1649”

-paraphrase from Ch. 9 of Masonic Orthodoxy (1853) by J.M. Ragon

The Degrees of Freemasonry

“1st DEGREE. Freemasonry is called the royal art: art, because all work is only achieved through a certain combination of principles tending towards the accomplishment of the subject that the artist proposes; royal, in order to paid homage to the wise king, who possessed in depth laws of the philosophical work.

The object of research for the masons is the knowledge of the art of perfecting that which nature left imperfect in the human being and of arriving at the treasure of true morality, symbolized in ancient philosophy as the philosophical stone. The purification or ‘divesting the matter of its impurities’ has its symbol in masonry as well, one must divest the candidate of all the prejudices and of the error of their dangerous passions, in order to bring them to virtue and to perfection. This is the same brute stone [or rough ashlar] that the masons work with or polish, and with which they seek to remove the superfluousness, which in moral masonry is called the destruction of vices.

2nd DEGREE. This is where the truth of Masonry is proven; the sense of things is explained, such as the blazing star, etc. Masonry has adopted the primitive doctrine, proclaimed the G. A. of the universe, whom it honors through praises free of all cult and of superstition; it recommends: the love of one’s neighbor, the practice of virtue, of equality and of charity, and the horror of vice, of lies and of hypocrisy, as well as tolerance for opinions, submission to the laws, respect for the rights of others, universal kindness and the perfection of oneself through instruction and the spirit of fraternity.

In masonry, the celestial quintessence is designed or manufactured through the five pointed blazing star, called the central fire of nature by the philosophers, and also symbolized by the letter G, which means generation of bodies.

3rd DEGREE. Is where actual mastery is known. It is (in its summary) only a pale reflection of primitive initiation, where the allegorical drama was disfigured by the succession of political events at the time of its renovation. Such that the moral symbolism leaves a great part of the philosophic symbolism behind, the alteration of the system is such (and the developments are so incomplete) that today, one must have the skill of a venerable instruction in order to give some insight into the interpretations of the condensed hieroglyphs (even the Phoenix has disappeared) from this beautiful degree.”

-paraphrase from Ch. 1 of Occult Masonry (1853) by J.M. Ragon

The Roots and Customs of Freemasonry

Modern Freemasonry honors as its great teachers Zoroaster, Pythagoras, Plato, and many others, and has adopted their teachings and in some of its degrees, it even gives a brief summary of their doctrines. These great teachers were all initiated into the Mysteries, and fundamentally their doctrines were all the same. All of these ancient teachers taught the existence of the Great Architect of the Universe, the importance of the Soul, and the unqualified Brotherhood of all of Humanity.

The whole superstructure of Masonry is built upon the traditions of the universal Science and the sublime philosophy, that was once taught in the Great Mystery Schools of Egypt, Chaldea, Persia, India, and other nations of antiquity and Masonic Ritual serves as a living monument to the Great Mystery Schools of the past.

“The Degrees of Masonry are one-act plays often staged with costume, scenery, special effects, and the full rigging of any production. Their purpose is to examine different philosophies, ancient religions, and systems of ethics. Theater is the oldest known means of teaching, especially of teaching abstract ideas. It was one of the principal means of instruction in the Middle Ages as well as in ancient Greece and Rome. Most of the [Masonic] Degrees are set in ancient Israel because it is from the legends surrounding King Solomon’s Temple that Masonry takes many of its parables and lessons, but Ancient Egypt and Medieval Europe also serve as Degree settings.”

-paraphrase of “A Bridge to Light” from Scottish Rite Bulletin of Freemasonry,
Alexandria, VA (Feb. 2000)

In the Ancient Mysteries: Theater, Dance and Music were used to educate the initiates in the Higher Knowledge. In this way, the initiates were able to receive information in the “3 brains”: The Intellectual, Emotional and Motor-Instinctive-Sexual. These form part of the esoteric anatomy of the soul.

Through a performed story (or what we might call an Opera or Drama) the initiates were able to receive a lot of information, and it could be recalled somewhat easily, allowing the symbolic meaning of the story to be discovered anytime afterwards.

“The sacred dances in the times of Egypt, Babylon, Greece, etc., transmitted tremendous cosmic, anthropo-genetic, psycho-biological, mathematical truths, etc. Modern artists no longer know anything about the sacred dances of the ancient mysteries. The tenebrous ones have stolen the theatre and the stage. They have profaned it and totally prostituted it.

The Sabbath, the day of the theatre, the day of the mysteries, was very popular in the ancient temples. Marvelous cosmic dramas were then presented. Drama served to transmit valuable teachings to the Initiates. Different ways to experience the Being and the manifestations of the Being were transmitted to the initiates by means of drama. The cosmic dramas are based on the Law of Seven. Certain intelligent deviations of this law were always utilized in order to transmit transcendental teachings to the neophyte.

In music it is well known that certain notes can produce happiness in the intellectual center, other notes can produce sadness in the emotional center and other notes can produce religiosity in the motor center. Indeed, the old Hierophants never ignored that integral knowledge can only be acquired through the three brains. A single brain cannot give complete information.

The sacred dance and the cosmic drama, wisely combined with music, served to transmit tremendous archaic teachings of a cosmo-genetic, psycho-biological, psycho-chemical, metaphysical type, etc., to the neophytes. In addition to this, it is suitable here to mention sculpture. The latter was grandiose in bygone times. The allegorical beings chiseled on hard rock reveal to us that the ancient Masters never ignored the Law of Seven. Let us remember the Sphinx of Giza, in Egypt. The sphinx depicts for us the four elements of nature and the four basic conditions of the Superior Human Being.”

– paraphrase of ‘Art’ from Ch. 7 of Revolution of the Dialectic by Samael Aun Weor

The traditions, symbols and ritual of Modern Freemasonry cluster around:

• the Building of the Temple of Solomon,
• the Legend of the “Widow’s Son” (Hiram-Abiff, who lost his life in the defense of his integrity),
• and the search for the Lost Word of the Master.

All of its elements play their role to symbolically teach us something about the Spiritual Path and the development of the Soul.

 

Masonic Symbolism and the Legend of Hiram Abiff

Read the FIRST LEGEND in the ‘Legend of the Three Traitors of Hiram Abiff’ here
which can be found in p.13-38 of
The Gnostic and Esoteric Mysteries of Freemasonry,
Lucifer and the Great Work

An Interpretation of the Masonic Legend and its relationship with the Egyptian Legend

“One finds, in the modern masonic rite, the reproduction of the egyptian fable, only, instead of Osiris, inventor of arts, or the sun, the name of Hiram is taken, which signifies risen, raised or elevated (an epithet that belongs to the sun) and who was skillful in the arts. Let us examine the movement of the sun from the summer solstice and the allegory, in this decreasing period, with the last three months, represented as three companion assassins.

The explanation of this astronomical occurrence and of the instruments of the so-called murder will give us the interpretation of the degree:

The sun, in the summer solstice, provokes (among all those who breathe) songs of remembrance; so, Hiram, who represents it, can give (to whosoever has the right) the sacred word, that is to say the life. When the sun descends in the inferior signs, the mutism of nature begins, Hiram can then no longer give the sacred word to the companions who represent the three last inert months of the year (1).

[Note: (1) In ancient initiation, the wicked companions were: the hippopotamus of the Nile, the greek Python (anagram of Typhon), the boar who mortally wounds the handsome Adonis; the Giants, who undertook the goal to dethrone Osiris: the Titans, who attempted to climb Mount Olympus; the genii of darkness and evil; the three months of winter; the scandinavian wolf; the chinese dragon, who hunts the sun, Arhiman. One of these companions is named, in some degrees, Abi-Bamah (one who overturns the father). These monsters, men or animals seem to struggle against the ostensible father of men (the sun)…]

The first companion is supposed to have weakly struck Hiram with a ruler of 24 inches, image of the twenty-four hours that last for each daily revolution: first distribution of time which, after the exaltation of the great star, attends weakly to his existence, by giving him the first blow.

The second struck him with a square of iron, symbol of the last season, represented in the intersections of the two right lines which divide the zodiacal circle in four equal parts, the center of which symbolizes the heart of Hiram, where the dividing point of the four squares represents the four seasons: second distribution of time which, in this age, carries a greater blow to the solar existence.

The third companion struck him mortally in the forehead with a strong blow of the mallet, the cylindrical form of which symbolizes the year that is to say a circle, or ring: third distribution of time, the accomplishment of which carries the last blow to the existence of the expiring sun (1).

[Note: (1) The image of this successive and natural law of things, terrible law of the life over death, of the present over the past, a law which has been so abused, is ingeniously symbolized in this degree. In fact, each period or cyclic empire can only be established by the murder or deletion of one who represented the empire or the previous epoch: thus the seed (son) kills the grain of wheat (his father) in the womb of the earth (his mother); as Uranus kills his father Acmon, as Saturn kills his father Uranus; as Jupiter, lord of good, mutilated, in order to reign, his infertile father Saturn, who, relegated to the dark Tartarus, where the Titans [are] chained; as the twelfth apostle Judas, left Jesus, his master, to die like the twelfth month (December) kills the year that ends; like Saturday kills the week. Our [west or] occident (from occidere, meaning to kill), which kills the stars, has no other origin; and it is with this mystical language of imaginary assassins, such as that of Abel, etc., that charlatans have added monstrous superfluities to the degree of master…]

From this interpretation, one concludes that Hiram, founder of metal, became the hero of the new legend (with the title of architect) and is Osiris (the sun) of modern initiation; that Isis, his virgin, is the Lodge, emblem of the earth (in sanscrit loga, the world) and that Horus, son of Osiris (or of the light) and son of the virgin, is the freemason, that is to say, the initiate who lives in the terrestrial lodge (child of the virgin and of the light).

-paraphrase from Ch. 9 of Masonic Orthodoxy (1853) by J.M. Ragon

The Building of the Temple of Solomon (part 1)

Now let’s take a look at the Temple. Remember that in 1st Corinthians 6:19, it says:

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?…”

The building of the Temple is a symbol for the process of the development of the Soul, and is related to what is called the Holy Spirit in Christianity. The “Holy Spirit” is one part of the Trinity of God (the Triple Unity): the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These are the Christian names for the 3 Primary Forces (other religions use different terms to describe these same aspects).

In Gnosis, the Triple Unity of God is known as “the Logos” in its Unified aspect and as “the First Logos (Affirming), the Second Logos (Denying), and the Third Logos (Reconciling)” in its Triple aspect.

“The Father, the Son and Holy Spirit are substances, forces, they are transcendental and extremely divine energies. That is all. What happens is that people, unfortunately, have a marked tendency to anthropomorphize these superior forces.”

– paraphrase from Ch. 33 of The Perfect Matrimony by Samael Aun Weor

So what is called the Holy Spirit, or the Third Logos, is the Holy Reconciling Force. The building of the Temple or the development of the Soul requires a reconciliation between the individual and the Divine, between humanity and God, between Spirit and Matter.

Reconcile means to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent.

Reconciliation means:

1. an act of reconciling or the state of being reconciled.
2. the process of making consistent or compatible.

Therefore, we need to bring ourselves into agreement or harmony with God, that is: to make ourselves consistent or compatible with the Divine, which is (of course) the purpose of Religion. Religious Principles or Eternal Values are what we call the Esoteric Knowledge which was transmitted to the neophyte in the Mystery Schools.

Spirit and Matter both exist and our goal is not the exclusion of one over another. Our goal is to make it so that the Spirit is not a slave of Matter, so that Spirit controls Matter. The purpose of this is so that we are not slaves of our Senses, our Desires, or our Fears. Buddhism emphasizes this concept very well and Christianity also stresses its importance. And this is (of course) the reason that the candidate had to be “Duly and Truly prepared” before their entrance into the Mystery School.

Our senses, our desires and our fears serve a purpose within us and in order to understand that purpose, we must study Gnostic Psychology. My senses give me information, and I can use that information Consciously, but what I must not do is become a slave of that information and live only for it, neglecting the Spiritual aspect of life (including the faculties of the Soul which I may need to develop).

The Building of the Temple of Solomon (part 2)

The building of the Temple at Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible (see 1 Kings Ch. 6, 7, and 8). Here are some highlights:

6:1-2 In the four hundred and eightieth [480] year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth [4] year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second [2] month, he began to build the house of the Lord. The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty [60] cubits long, twenty [20] cubits wide, and thirty [30] cubits high.

In Masonry the measurements and proportion of the temple are highlighted in order to emphasize the science of numbers, form, and proportion, which manifest themselves in architecture, and to connect them with the “spiritual temple” to which they are kabalistically related.

6:7 When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.

6:29 Around all the walls of the house he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms.

If we also consider the statement that the temple was constructed without the sound of hammer or any tool of iron, then it becomes clear that this is more likely referring to the Spiritual Temple, “not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (from 2nd Corinthians 5)

7:1 Solomon was building his own house thirteen [13] years, and he finished his entire house.

7:13-14 And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.

[Note: Bronze is a metal alloy of copper (Venus) and tin (Jupiter)]

7:40 … So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord

8:6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.

In the Masonic Legend, Hiram Abiff is dramatically represented to have lost his life when the temple was near completion, yet in the Bible it says that he completed the temple and elsewhere it is recorded that after the completion of the temple Hiram labored for years constructing and decorating a palace for King Solomon.

 

The Symbolism in the Masonic Lodge

Masonic Lodges are dedicated to the Saints John: one of whom is John the Evangelist, who opens his Gnostic Gospel with the Greek philosophy of the Logos; and the other is John the Seer of Patmos, who wrote Revelations, a book symbolic of ancient initiations, which many un-initiated persons has tried in vain to interpret.

There is a deep significance in the dedication of Lodges to the Saints John, because of what we already know about the “Verb” (Logos) and because in Revelations we learn about the establishment of the Heavenly Jerusalem (the City which we already know is the location of the Temple of Solomon)

Let’s take a look, for example, at Revelations 21:16-17, where it says,

And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth;
and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand [12,000] furlongs. The length, and the breadth and the height of it are equal [a perfect cube].

And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is an angel.

The language is evidently a veil, designed to conceal the real meaning from the uninitiated. As the measure of man; that is, a perfect man, or “angel,” we have the cube as a symbol of perfect proportion. Hence a Square Man, meaning an Right, Just or Upright human being: a Balanced Human Being.

The temple of Solomon; the Cubical City—which unfolded becomes a cross, and hence the “measure of a man”—all these refer to the work of regeneration, or initiation.* (* See Plate XIII from Mystic Masonry)

This is reminds us of the “Cubic Stone of Yesod”, and the “Stone that the builders refuse” mentioned in Psalm 118:22, which is the foundation of the Spiritual Work and the development of the Soul. In Masonry this Stone or Rock is called the “Ashlar/Ashler” and is something that must be transformed from the Rough Ashlar into the Smooth/Perfect Ashlar.

Lets remember what Jesus says about the Rock [Petros/Petra] in Matthew 16:17-19,

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

And I tell you, you are Peter [Petros], and on this rock [petra] I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

And then again in Luke 6:47-49,

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:

he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock [petra]. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it was founded upon a rock [petra].

But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.

The building the house or the temple of God which is not made with hands is directly related to the Alchemical work, and clearly refers to spiritual development and progress (the Solar Work) from which results perfect proportion and perfect harmony. This is something symbolic that will be missed by those who are not “seeking something deeper” in their approach to their life and spirituality.

The Cubic Stone and the Initiatic Path

This symbol of the Stone or Rock has often been misunderstood and misrepresented. The Cornerstone of the Temple, the Philosopher’s Stone, the Authentic Cubic Stone, has 9 corners and looks like a cube with a pyramid on top.

So why 9? The number nine has deep esoteric significance. In Kabalah, it is the ninth Hebrew letter: Teth ט, and corresponds to the 9th Sephiroth “Yesod”, the Ninth Sphere, which is translated as “Foundation”.

Eliphas Levi says that the “number 9 represents the complete truth, perfect initiation…” (from Letter #145 written in 1862 to Baron Spedalieri). He describes the Hieroglyphic for Teth as follow:

“A sage leaning on his staff, and holding a lamp in front of himself; he is completely enveloped in his cloak. His inscription is THE HERMIT OR THE CAPUCHIN [a Monk], because of the hood of his oriental cloak; but his true name is PRUDENCE…”

-from Ch.22 of Ritual of High Magic by Eliphas Levi

Prudence is the ability to choose the appropriate actions at a given time; meaning to choose the best thing to do in a given situation.

Regarding this number Samael Aun Weor says:

“ARCANUM 9 – THE HERMIT: INITIATION: Solitude. Suffering.” (from Ch. 86 of Tarot & Kabalah)

“This Arcanum is that of the Hermit; he appears as an old man who carries a lantern in his right hand. This lantern must be raised up in order to have light on the path, it must be elevated, raised high in order to illuminate.” (from Ch. 31 of Tarot & Kabalah)

“Arcanum № 9: Is the Hermit, prudent and wise; it is Solitude.” (from Ch. 95 of Tarot & Kabalah)

Why is this number Solitude? Because the Spiritual Path is very personal and individual work, which is particular to our own psychology.

“Arcanum № 9 clearly indicates the 9 Spheres of the atomic infernos of Nature and the 9 Spheres of the 9 Heavens. This Arcanum also indicates the 9 Planets represented in the 9 Spheres of the Planet Earth. The Initiate has to descend to the 9 Submerged Spheres in order to later attain the 9 Heavens which correspond to each planet.” (from Ch. 9 of Tarot & Kabalah)

“One must learn to understand, one must learn to suffer, to be resigned [uncomplaining]. Those who do not, fail.” (from Ch. 95 of Tarot & Kabalah)

“Those who only concern themselves with their own Spiritual progress and do not work for others get absolutely nothing. Whosoever wants to progress has to sacrifice themselves for others… INITIATION is life itself, intensely lived, with rectitude and with love.” (from Ch. 9 of Manual of Practical Magic)

So the number 9 is the number of Initiation. It is related to the work upon ourselves, the process of the development of the Soul, and freeing of the Spirit from the bondage of Matter. This is the meaning of the work with the Stone or the Rock upon which the Temple of the Soul (the House of God) must be built.

In our present state we are the Raw or Brute Stone, but once we have refined ourselves, chiseled away our defects, our passions and our vices, then we are the Perfect Stone. Then our Psyche is clean and pure allowing the Divine to inhabit its House.

The Death of Hiram and the Three Traitors

Returning now to the Legend of Hiram Abiff.

When Hiram’s body was first buried, an Acacia bush was planted upon his grave. What is the symbolism of this plant? According to Albert Pike, the significance of Acacia is as follows:

“The genuine Acacia also is the thorny tamarisk, the same tree which grew up around the body of Osiris. It is a sacred tree among the Arabs, who made the Idol Al-Uzza from it, which Mohammed destroyed. It is abundant as a bush in the desert of Thur, and of it the ‘crown of thorns’ was composed, which was set on the forehead of Jesus of Nazareth.

It is a fitting sign of immortality because of its tenacity of life; for it has been known, when planted as a door-post, to take root and shoot out budding boughs above the threshold.”

(from Ch. 3 of Morals and Dogma)

A brief analysis of the history of religion and mystery ‘cults’ will enable any person to recognize in the ‘master mason’ Hiram:

• the Osiris of the Egyptians,
• the Mithras of the Persians,
• the Bacchus of the Greeks,
• and even Jesus of the Christians who’s passion, death and resurrection, is still celebrated today

In astrology, Hiram is the related to the Sun, who’s “death” at the winter solstice and rebirth soon thereafter has been celebrated near the 21st and 22nd of December in all cultures.

Whether any of these Solar Heros or Redeemers were historical characters or not, the symbolism of their lives always teaches the same eternal truths. Hiram is, therefore, the prototype for our spiritual development. But then why was he killed?

He is killed because the enemies of our Soul’s development are a real danger for our spiritual progress and his death highlights these dangers through symbolism. There are three main principles or forces which take us away from the Spiritual Path (symbolized by the three Traitors). They are the misuse of the 3 Primary Forces within ourselves:

“So there are three degrees in the hierarchy, like there are three doors to the temple;

There are three rays in the light;

There are three forces in nature;

These forces are symbolized by the ruler, which unites, the lever which raises and the mallet or hammer which affirms.

The rebellion of brutal instincts, against the aristocratic hierarchy of wisdom, successively arms itself with these three forces with which it diverts harmony.

There are three typical rebels: The rebel of nature; The rebel of science; The rebel of truth.

They were symbolized in the hell of the ancients by the three heads of Cerberus.”

-paraphrase from Eliphas Levi’s History of Magic, Ch.7 of Book 5

“These three traitors are also called the Black Dragon with three heads.

The three rebels are:

1. The first is the one who struck Hiram with the ruler, so the righteous are killed in the name of Law and Order. {This is the history of justice put to death by human passions, in the name of law and order.}
2. The second one struck Hiram with the lever or crowbar, this is like the prejudices and beliefs of each epoch leading to the death of the great initiates. {It is thus that the popular lever or square of an insane equality becomes the instrument of tyranny in the hands of the multitudes…}
3. The third finished off Hiram with the hammer, {Just as the brutal instincts do, when they want to create order in the name of violence and fear…} This is like the violence of any epoch which assassinates the righteous and prohibits the diffusion of the Secret Doctrine.

These three traitors control the three bodies called: Astral, Mental and Causal (Willpower). The great clairvoyants have studied these three vehicles, but unfortunately they have not studied what is within them. The Astral is controlled by Sebal, the father of desire. The Mental is controlled by Ortelut, the horrible demon of the Mind and the Body of Willpower (the Causal Body) is controlled by Stokin, the terrible demon of ill-will.

These three traitors constitute that which is called the Prince of the World. The sacrificed victim is always the internal Christ of all human beings who come to the world. Hiram is our Internal Christ. Hiram is the Sun King.

Jesus Christ was assassinated by three traitors:
• Caiaphas, the high priest,
• Judas Iscariot
• and Pilate.

It is necessary for us to revive the Christ inside ourselves. This is only possible by decapitating the three traitors…”

-paraphrase from Ch. 4 of Samael Aun Weor’s Mountain of Juratena
(given in The Gnostic and Esoteric Mysteries of Freemasonry, Lucifer and the Great Work)
and the text in {these brackets} is from Eliphas Levi’s History of Magic, Ch.7 of Book 5

This is the Esoteric work: to convert the Lunar elements (desire, inferior mind or subjective reasoning, and ill-will) into their Solar counterparts (Superior Emotion or Love/Compassion, Superior Mind or Objective Reasoning, and Conscious Willpower). This is what the Spiritual Path is about: the Esoteric Knowledge is the method of converting ourselves into better people, and ultimately into Perfect Human Beings.

But this can only occur if we understand that our enemies (the traitors) are within ourselves: we must overcome and conquer ourselves. This is the true meaning of a ‘Master’: to be a master of oneself. And in order to become masters of ourselves we must know ourselves: “Man know yourself and you will know the Universe”. This is why we study Gnostic Psychology, so that we can really know what we are: what we have in excess and what we lack. It is only in this way, by working on ourselves, that we can truly perfect ourselves.

Those who take the Legend of Hiram in a literal way, do not understanding its depth or its spiritual significance, and will continue to misuse the 3 Primary Forces.

“Instead of avenging the death of Hiram, they avenge that of his assassins.

They take the ruler, the square and the mallet, and write upon them the words liberty, equality, fraternity.

That is to say: liberty for desires, equality in degeneration and fraternity for destruction.”

-paraphrase from Eliphas Levi’s History of Magic, Ch.7 of Book 5

Force	Manifestation in the Human Being	Misuse of the Force	Negative Expression	Negative Justification	Positive Expression	Positive Justification
Affirming	Intellect and the Mental Body	The Rebel of Nature	Subjective Reasoning	Law and Order	Objective Reasoning	Justice
Denying	Emotion and the Astral Body	The Rebel of Science	Desire	Prejudices Beliefs	Love, Compassion	Equality
Reconciling	Action and the Causal Body	The Rebel of Truth	Ill-Will	Brutal Instincts, Violence, Fear	Conscious Willpower	The Creation of Order

Final Note – Generation vs. Regeneration

At the end of the 19th Degree in the book “Thuileur des trente-trois degrés de l’écossisme de rit ancien dit accepté” (1813) by François-Henri-Stanislas de L’Aulnaye, it says:

“This degree has as its object the new Jerusalem, that is to say Masonry Regenerated, crushing the three-headed serpent (the false and vain Masonry).” (p.149)

From this we can see two very interesting things mentioned:

1. The emphasis on the Regeneration of Masonry
2. and the 3-Headed Serpent

Here the 3-Headed Serpent symbolizes the misuse of the 3 Primary Forces and crushing it symbolizes the need to stop this misuse in order to ‘Regenerate Masonry’. So what is Regeneration in terms of the 3 Primary Forces?

In order to understand what Regeneration is, we must first understand what Generation is. At the end of the 33 degrees listed in the same book quoted above (“Thuileur des trente-trois degrés…”), the author has a short explanation of Generation, which he calls “System of the Universal Generation of all Beings” (click here for English translation of this explanation).

The author says that “religions, ancient and modern, are all equally physics, and it is only through the principles of Nature that one must search for the Gods of the nations” and since we have learned that “the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit are substances, forces, they are transcendental and extremely divine energies”, then we can understand what he is referring to. He explains his understanding of the Phenomenon of universal Generation by saying that it is related to several principles: Cause, Subject, Intermediate, Effect and Product (and that “Five powers accomplish the act of Generation”), but he does not explain Regeneration nor its principles very clearly (example: “The last of the five Powers … can be considered as … Regenerator.”).

His explanation of Generation makes sense in itself, but he often uses Generation and Regeneration almost interchangeably (suggesting that he does not make a distinction between the two). If he does know something about authentic Regeneration, he is not saying it explicitly or explaining it very clearly.

Regeneration is directly related to the 3rd Force or 3rd Logos, the Reconciliation of Spirit and Matter (and actually both Generation and Regeneration are related to the 3rd Logos). If we understand Generation, then we are prepared to study Regeneration. If we want to Regenerate ourselves and kill the Three Traitors (the 3-Headed Serpent or Black Dragon), then we must first of all comprehend what these two concepts are and how to start Regenerating. Samael Aun Weor explains these two concepts very clearly in Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 of his book The Perfect Matrimony. Basically Generation is to create something else which is new, whereas Regeneration is to renew something already created: transforming it into something new.

 

 

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