CEREMONIAL PREPARATION
ORIGINS OF THE RITE
by Brother Don. Falconer
Ceremonial preparation is an ancient rite that has its origins
shrouded in
the mists of time. In every period, from the primeval ages of the most
primitive races to this modern era of diverse and sophisticated peoples,
some form of preparation has been required and continues to be required of
candidates for acceptance into many of the broad spectrum of our religious organizations, sects and societies. Lengthy and arduous preparation, which
usually involved fasting and frequently involved danger, was a prerequisite
for admission into the ancient Mysteries. Severe personal trials also must
be completed for initiation into many African, Australian, South American
and other aboriginal tribes. Ceremonial preparation frequently includes
washing, or an equivalent symbolic purification, followed by the wearing of
a special garment such as a white robe to signify that the candidate has
completed the purification process. Ceremonial preparation is an integral
part of many religious ceremonies as diverse as the Jewish bar mitzvah,
Christian baptism and the Islamic hadj.
In the Mysteries of Osiris in Egypt, Mithras in Persia, Eleusis in Greece,
the Druids of Britain and Gaul and many others, as much care was taken with
the preparation of the candidate as with the initiation ceremonies that
followed. It is recorded in the Scriptures that great care also was taken
in respect of the personal condition of every Israelite who entered the
tabernacle or temple for Divine worship. In a similar manner, Muslims are
required to wash their hands and remove their shoes before entering the
mosque for prayers. The traditional preparation of a candidate for
initiation into modern speculative Freemasonry obviously has been
influenced by these ancient practices, although it was derived more
directly from the usages and customs in operative lodges, which have been
modified and extended. The mode of preparation is entirely symbolic, with
every part conveying an important message. It is an essential part of a
candidate's initiation and is one of the most delicate duties to be
performed, because of the lasting impression it will create in the
candidate's mind.
OPERATIVE BACKGROUND
The rituals of the operative Free Masons were based on Biblical events.
Nimrod, the renowned hunter who also was the first great builder mentioned
in the Scriptures, plays an important role in the ancient traditions. The
floor work in the several operative degrees is based symbolically on the
procedures used during the erection of the temple at Jerusalem for King
Solomon. In each degree the candidate personifies a particular stone used
in the construction of the temple, on the basis of which he receives moral
instruction, is gauged and must pass the test. Whilst being conducted
around the candidate's track, from which the perambulations in a
speculative lodge were derived, the candidate is required to take steps
that symbolize either the placement of the stones in a particular course or
the measurement of the relevant dimensions. The steps used in a speculative
lodge to approach the altar for obligation are not used in operative
lodges.
In operative lodges the initiate was "neither naked nor clad" and wore
a
special white garment or "toga candida" to give effect to that
description.
"Candidate" derives from the Latin and originally meant "clothed
in white",
from the Roman custom of requiring candidates for office to wear a "toga
candida" in the form of a white robe. In the old operative lodges,
candidates were examined by the Fraternity's physician to ensure that they
were "perfect in all their parts". If found to be whole and physically
fit
and accepted by the brethren and fellows of the lodge, the candidate was
required to bathe seven times and to be clothed in the "toga candida".
He
was then conducted around the lodge to prove to the brethren and fellows
that he was "properly prepared" and "fit and proper" to be
admitted to the
Fraternity. In contrast to speculative practice, candidates in operative
lodges were specially prepared only for their initiation, being clothed in
the apron of their degree for later advancements.
DIVESTITURE OF METALS
In operative lodges the candidate for initiation usually was a young
teenager seeking his first employment, who therefore was poor and
penniless. Towards the end of the initiation ceremony the new apprentice
would be asked how he would subsist until he drew his first wages. On
receiving the inevitable response, the master would have a collection taken
on the new apprentice's behalf, relieving him of his embarrassment and
illustrating the generosity of the Fraternity. The apprentice then received
a brief homily on the importance of service and charity in the Fraternity.
As candidates for initiation in speculative lodges cannot be in a similar
situation, they are divested of all metals so that a similar moral can be
imparted. The lesson simply is that a man should not be esteemed on account
of his worldly possessions, but that when he is in need he should be
assisted to the extent that prudence and the capacity to assist will allow.
THE HOODWINK
In all of the ancient Mysteries the aspirant was shrouded in darkness for
long periods, most commonly deep within a cave, when he was required to
fast and undergo a series of trials and afflictions. In the rites of
Mithras around 5000EBC and in the Eleusian rites around 1800EBC, the
aspirants endured fifty and twenty-seven days respectively in darkness, to
remind them of their inherently wicked nature and prepare them by solitary
contemplation for the full light of knowledge. The hoodwink represents that
darkness and also is a mystical reminder to the candidate that he is lost
without the light that comes from above. The removal of the hoodwink
signifies that the candidate has acquired the right attitude of soul that
will lead him quickly from darkness to everlasting light, as symbolized in
JohnE1,EvE5, which in the New English Version of the Bible says: "The light
shines on in the dark and the darkness has never mastered it". The hoodwink
is also a symbol of silence and secrecy.
THE CABLE TOW
In operative Lodges the candidate was fully restrained and
guided by pairs
of ropes held by four members, who thus conducted him into and around the
Lodge. One of the ropes was a cable tow, which seems to have been used the
same way in the ancient Mysteries. This symbolism is very old and has been
found around the world. In some Temples in Egypt, the bas reliefs show
candidates being led into the Mysteries by a cable tow. A vase found in
Mexico depicts several candidates going through a similar ceremony, each
having a cable tow with a running noose round his neck A cable tow was also
used by the ancient Israelites when leading their victims for the burnt
sacrifice to and around the altar, whence it became known as an emblem of
death.. The cable tow obviously provides a means of restraint until the
candidate has taken his obligation. As an emblem of death the cable tow
also signifies that the candidate is prepared to sacrifice his old life to
gain a new and higher one, that spiritual rebirth achieved in his search
for the Light and symbolized by his initiation.
After admission into the Fraternity, the cable tow should be a continuing
reminder to every freemason that he is bound to attend and serve his Lodge,
"if within the length of his cable tow". This is derived from
operative
practice, in which the cable tow was replaced by a blue cord after the
candidate had been obligated and had signed his indenture. The Indentured
Apprentice was required to wear that cord for the full seven years of his
apprenticeship, as a constant reminder of his bond to the Fraternity. The
blue color of the cord was a token of the universal friendship the
Apprentice would always find within the Fraternity. In the Irish working
the candidate wears the cable tow as an emblem of servitude until he is
about to take his obligation. It is then removed by the conductor and
thrown contemptuously onto the floor behind the candidate, who is informed
that none but a free man may be made a freemason. In some old Scottish and
related workings the cable tow is wound three times round the neck in the
first degree, twice in the second degree and once in the third degree, symbolizing
a progressive reduction in the "bondage of ignorance".
THE BARE RIGHT ARM
The use of the right hand as a token of sincerity and as a pledge of
fidelity is ancient and universal. For example the members of many Indian
tribes of Central and North America, when preparing for their sacred
dances, apply the mark of the right hand to their naked bodies by smearing
them with white or colored clay, to demonstrate their sincerity and
allegiance to their Deity. We also know from the Scriptures that the
Israelites, from the time of Abraham to the days of Saint Paul, considered
the right hand to be an emblem of truth and fidelity. Among the Hebrews
"iamin" signified the right hand, which was derived from "aman"
meaning to
be faithful. Among the Romans "jungere dextras" meant to join the
right
hands and thereby to give a mutual pledge. Among the Persians and the
Parthians the right hands were joined by those entering into a pact, to
signify that they had taken an inviolable obligation of fidelity. In
ancient days, before printed books were available, operative masons took
their obligations with their right hands placed on a cubic stone on the
altar. This was the custom in Biblical days, when it was deemed essential
that nothing should be interposed between the flesh and the stone. When
printed books became available, operative masons were obligated supporting
a copy of the Holy Book on the left hand with the right hand placed upon
it, from which is derived the Scottish practice.
In masonic preparation the right arm is made bare as a token of sincerity
and to signify that an obligation of fidelity is being taken. The right arm
is used for the reasons already mentioned and also because, from time
immemorial, the right side has been regarded as the stronger or masculine
side. Plato was the first to rationalize this belief, when he expressed his
opinion that the right side is the stronger because it is used more than
the left. By way of interest, this is supported by statistics, which
indicate that at least 90% of the members of the human race use their right
hand as their working and therefore stronger hand. The bare right arm also
demonstrates that no weapon of offence or defence is being carried, because
neither is required when within the lodge. Whilst the usual convention is
for a sword to be worn on the left side so as to be readily available for
use in the strong right hand, it is a traditional belief that small weapons
usually are concealed in the right sleeve.
THE BARE LEFT KNEE
As a corollary to the ancient belief that the right side is the stronger,
so the left side is considered to be the weaker. In the symbolism of
Freemasonry, the candidate is taking his first or weakest step when he is
being initiated, therefore it logically follows that an apprentice is
typified by the left side. It is for this reason that in speculative lodges
the initiate kneels on his bare left knee. The progressive kneeling
postures adopted in speculative lodges were not derived from operative
practice, but they probably are intended to reflect the symmetry of nature
and to symbolise the progressive character of freemasonry, as well as
reminding the candidate of the posture of his daily supplications that are
due to the Creator. In operative lodges the candidate was required to kneel
with both knees bare on the rough ashlar stone, so that nothing was
interposed between his flesh and the stone. This perpetuated the ancient
concept that the strength and stability of the stone would thereby be
communicated to the candidate, so that an oath taken on a stone would be
inviolable.
THE SLIPSHOD HEEL
From the most ancient times it has been customary, as a token of respect,
to remove the shoes before stepping onto holy ground. The practice is
mentioned many times in the Bible, on the first occasion when Moses saw the
burning bush and the angel of the Lord said to him: "put off thy shoes from
off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground". In most
Eastern countries it is customary to remove the shoes before entering a
temple, as the Muslims do before entering a mosque. The Druids practised
the same custom when celebrating their sacred rites. The ancient Peruvians
are said always to have removed their shoes before entering their
magnificent temple consecrated to the worship of the sun. In Freemasonry
the candidate is considered to be on holy ground when taking his obligation
and therefore symbolically is required to "slip his shoes from off his
feet". It also was an ancient custom among the Hebrews, when sealing a
bargain and "confirming all things", to hand over a shoe, as recorded
in
the Bible in relation to Boaz and Ruth. Symbolically, the "slipshod
heel"
might be regarded as equivalent to removing the shoes on holy ground, as
well as ratifying the obligation taken by the candidate. The custom is
derived only indirectly from the practice in operative lodges, where the
candidate for initiation must slip off both his shoes at the appropriate
time in the ceremony. Later he is also required to remove and hand over his
left shoe to confirm his obligation.
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