THE WINDING STAIRCASE
by John L. Cooper III,
Grand Secretary Grand Lodge California
The ritual of the
Fellowcraft Degree encourages us to study the "Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences",
with particular emphasis placed upon the science of Geometry. Within the short
description found in that ritual is hidden a wonderful treasure of Masonic
Symbolism. Its careful study will prove quite fruitful for anyone who is
desirous of Further Light In Masonry.
The following series of four articles does not pretend to exhaust the
subject, but it does aim at suggesting a few lines of Inquiry that may be worth
pursuing. Those desirous of more information on Masonic Symbolism may contact
Institute for Masonic Studies, Grand Lodge, F. &. A. M. of California, 1111
California Street, San Francisco CA 94108-2284, 415.776.700
THE POINT
Many of our Masonic ideas can be traced back to
the Ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, who founded a school teaching a
"progressive moral science," much like our own. By studying the ideas of the
Pythagoreans, we may come to a better appreciation of Freemasonry.
The Pythagoreans were the first to elevate
mathematics from purely utilitarian aims to a study worth pursuing for its own
sake. Their method was different from that of modern science. They were more
concerned with the investigation of principles than with the investigation of
thing (1). And unlike our science today, which uses general theories and applies
them to specific cases, the Pythagoreans began with a specific phenomenon and
attempted to use it to discover universal principles. For the Pythagoreans, the
study of Geometry was not so much a separate mathematical discipline, as it was
an investigation of the laws which govern the universe itself. (2) And so it is
for us as Freemasons.
The heart of their philosophy was the concept of
Number, which was described as "the principle, the source and the root of all
things." And at the very center of this philosophy was the concept of Monad or
Unity: the point. Unity is the principle of all things and the most dominant of
all that is: all things emanate from it and it emanates from nothing. It is
indivisible and it is everything in power. It is immutable and never departs
from its own nature through multiplication (lxl=1). Everything that is
intelligible and not yet created exists in it; the nature of ideas, God himself,
the soul, the beautiful and the good, and every intelligible essence, such as
beauty itself, justice itself, equality itself, for we conceive each of these
things as being one and as existing in itself. (3)
The point brings to mind the ideas of initiation
and beginning. It also suggests initiative, inception, genesis, originality,
unity, singleness, isolation, concentration, self-consciousness and so forth.
(4)
As Masons, we are quite familiar with the symbol
of the Point Within the Circle. This marvelous device graphically represents the
relationship between the individual and the Great Architect of the Universe. It
is formed by first placing the point of a compass upon a piece of paper and then
circumscribing a circle around that central point. It will be observed that each
point of the circle thus traced is equidistant from the central point. Hence,
the Great Architect of the Universe, whom we all adore, is omnipresent in our
lives.
Further, the circle represents the boundary line
beyond which we should not allow our passions to lead us, lest we lose that
unity and common purpose that is so central to our Craft.
The Point Within the Circle is also the
alchemical symbol of the Sun. That Sun is the indwelling Spirit within each of
us and represents that part of us which our ritual states will "never, never,
die." The Sun is the center of our solar system, about which revolve all the
planets and (apparently) the signs of the zodiac. It is the source of light and
life and was therefore regarded as a symbol of God by the ancients. Even today
in modern Freemasonry it is an emblem of the Most High. (5)
This is an important clue to the inner
significance of the Master Mason degree, as well. For that degree, when rightly
understood, provides a complete summary of the entire Chemical Work. This is not
the place to enter into an in depth discussion of that work, but the inquisitive
Mason is encouraged to search out this meaning on this own.
There is clearly a great deal of meaning which
can be found in even the most simple symbol. We have provided a few clues, but
it is up to you to follow them to their logical conclusion. In our next
installment, we shall investigate the nature of Duality, represented by a line.
THE LINE
In our first installment, we examined the
nature of Unity represented by the Point. From the Point proceeds the Line,
representing Duality or the number two. The number 2 signifies duplication,
repetition, Wisdom and Science, opposition, polarity, antithesis, succession,
sequence, continuation, diffusion, separation, radiation, subordination,
dependence, and subconsciousness. (1) The reader would do well to look up each
of these words in a dictionary, as doing so will provide many insights into the
nature of Duality.
The most obvious representation of the number 2
within a Masonic Lodge are the two Brazen Pillars in the northwest corner of the
Lodge Room. These pillars are surmounted by globes, a terrestrial globe in the
north and a celestial globe in the south. While nothing is mentioned about any
such globes in the Old Testament description of King Solomon's Temple, they are
important symbolically. The celestial globe represents the essential forces of
Nature, the divine origin of creation and the principles by which the universe
is governed. Thus, it symbolizes the underlying unity of all.
By contrast, the terrestrial globe represents
manifestation, the physical world and the multiplicity of things. The material
world proceeds from the divine, just as the line proceeds from the point. The
point is finite and limited, but a line contains an infinite number of points
within it. The line is therefore unlimited.
The Pythagoreans, an ancient Greek school much
like our own Fraternity and the source of much of our Masonic Philosophy,
described this idea in terms of Matter (the Indefinite) and Form (Limit). These
were "the two most essential elements which are absolutely necessary for the
manifestation of phenomenal reality." (2)
If One represents the principle of Unity from
which all things arise, then Two, the Dyad, represents Duality, the beginning of
multiplicity, the beginning of strife, yet also the possibility of logos, the
relation of one thing to another. (3)
In Greek philosophy, the "Logos" was the means
by which Creation of the world took place, the "Expression" or "Word" of the
Creator. Although Christianity took this phrase over and applied it to Jesus
Christ, its use is older and more universal. In Greek philosophy the "Logos" was
not only the "act of Creation" itself, but also the means by which Creation took
place. In other words, the "Word", or "Expression of God", was responsible for
Creation, and was identified with God himself.
An astute reader will not overlook the
significance of the Word in our own Masonic allegory. In this sense, it
represents knowledge of the Divine. When the Master's "Word" is lost, what is
alluded to is the loss of our intimate connection with the Great Architect. The
Master Mason is encouraged in our rituals to go in search of that which was
lost, to reestablish a conscious connection with the Supreme Being.
The two pillars also establish a line between
the outside world and the sacred space inside a Lodge Room. The candidate, when
he is brought into a Lodge Room for the first time, is placed between the
pillars to reinforce the distinction between these two worlds. And every time we
step from the outside world into our Lodge, we should also be reminded of the
importance of leaving behind the mundane affairs of the outer world.
Another important idea conveyed by the principle
of Duality is that of opposites: Light and Darkness, Black and White, Good and
Evil, Male and Female, Order and Chaos. Within a Lodge Room are many examples
of the principle of opposites. The black and white tessellated floor, the sun
and the moon, east and west are just some examples.
What is important for us to understand is that
these symbols are meant to convey that opposites exist within each of us. Each
of us has within himself aspects of Good and aspects of Evil. Our task is to
understand and eventually reconcile these opposite forces within ourselves. For
in truth, these apparent opposites are actually just different qualities of the
same thing.
Good and Evil are really just aspects of the
quality of Goodness. Darkness is naught but the absence of Light. We will
discuss this idea further in our examination of the Superfice or number 3.
THE SUPERFICE
In the first two
installments, we looked at two of the symbols used in the Fellow Craft Degree
from the Science of Geometry, namely "The Point", and "The Line". In the first
article we explored one meaning of "The Point", which was "unity", and the roots
of our understanding of this concept from the philosopher Pythagoras was
discussed. In "The Line" the concept of duality, or of "opposing forces" was
discussed. In both, the Freemason was encouraged to look beyond the obvious
symbol, and to apply these meanings within his own life. The same may be said
for our discussion of the third concept, "The Superfice".
A "superfice" is a flat plane in geometry. A
point has no length or breadth; a line has length, but no breadth; but a
superfice has both length and breadth. If two lines cross each other they
create a superfice because together they establish "length" in two directions. A
line may be said to be a symbol of infinity, for it extends infinitely in two
directions, and (in Euclidean geometry) the ends never meet. It is only when we
arrive at the concept of a superfice that we enter what might be said to be the
human dimension. A superfice creates a "surface", or more poetically, a "stage",
upon which human action can take place. There are several possible Masonic
interpretations of this "stage", but one that is obvious to all who have read
the longer form of the First Degree Lecture in our Monitor, is the lodge
itself. The lecture puts it thus: "The form of a lodge is oblong. It extends
from East to West and from North to South, and it is said to be thus extensive
to denote the universality of Masonry and to teach us that a
Mason's charity should be equally extensive; for in every country and in every
clime are Masons to be found."
A Fellow Craft Mason who is properly instructed
in one Masonic meaning of "The Superfice" should be caused to reflect on what he
heard (or read) as an Entered Apprentice Mason about the Form of the Lodge. The
Fellow Craft earns his wages within the Lodge, and in doing so, he must become
aware of the two dimensions which constitute it, and which are referenced in the
Entered Apprentice Lecture. The first of these Masonic dimensions is
"universality".
Freemasonry embraces men of "every country, sect
and opinion," and is "one sacred band or society of friends and brothers, among
whom no contention should every exist, but that noble contention, or rather
emulation, of who best can work and best agree." The first, and primary
dimension of a Masonic lodge is that it is universal, and this universality,
like one line of the superfice, has no end or boundary. There are no exclusions
in Freemasonry because of religion, race, or color.
The second principle, the second dimension
making up the "oblong form" of the lodge, is charity, or love. If Freemasonry
embraces men of all faiths and all social classes, of all races and all
nationalities, then there are no limits on the exercise of Brotherly Love. My
obligation to love others as a Freemason extends equally to all, and is without
limit. The Fellow Craft is later told that "Geometry [is] the first and noblest
of sciences, and the basis upon which the superstructure of Freemasonry is
erected." Indeed it is.
The geometric form of the superfice is a symbol
of the lodge, where Masonic work begins. And undergirding our work as Masons
must be an understanding that "the superfice", as a part of Geometry, is the
plane upon which we carry out our Masonic work. That "plane", symbolized by the
lodge itself, reminds us that our charity - our love for the brethren - must be
"equally extensive." And we are further encouraged that we will find co-workers
to help us with the Great Work wherever Freemasonry is established, "for in
every country and in every clime are Masons to be found."
THE SOLID
This is the fourth in a
series of discussions on the meaning of geometry, and especially as it is
explained in the Lecture of the Fellow Craft Degree. As we have seen in the
three, articles before, the candidate is taught that Freemasonry and geometry
are intertwined, and that a proper understanding of geometry is an important is
an important means of understanding Freemasonry. Why is this so? And what can
we learn from a study of the principles of geometry that can inform our daily
life?
The lectures of the Fellow Craft Degree are not really a short course in
geometry. On the surface they seem to imply that a well-educated Fellow Craft
ought to know something about the seven liberal arts and sciences, and ought to
know more about geometry than about any of the seven. Some writers have assumed
that William Preston, who wrote our lectures, was trying to provide a course in
education at a time when widespread public education was rare. If so, he went
about it in a strange manner, for the lectures do no more than touch upon the
subject of science general, and of geometry in particular. Moreover, Preston did
not invent the subject matter of his lectures. He merely arranged material in
use in the lodges in the 18th century. The association of "geometry" with
"Freemasonry" goes back to the Old Charges which pre-date the Grand Lodge era. A
manuscript of 1583 stated that geometry ".....teacheth a man the mett and
measure of earth and all other things. (Grand Lodge Ms., an edition of the "Old
Charges')
Geometry is thus said to be of primary importance to Freemasonry long before
William Preston wrote his Illustrations of Masonry in 1772, the source of our
current lectures. And if it teaches a man the "measure of .....all other
things," then is has to do more with what Man is than what he has learned.
It has to do with the heart, and not with the intellect. This interpretation
fits nicely with the explanation of geometry as having to do with a point, a
line, a superfice, and a solid. For as a solid has length, breadth, and
thickness, so Man, if he is to be whole, must be considered as a totality.
Contemporary psychology has taught us to understand the dysfunctional
personality, and this is frequently defined to mean a personality that stresses
some character trait at the expense of another. A dysfunctional personality is
not "whole". And for Freemasonry itself to be "whole" it has to develop the
entire personality. A "whole" Mason is one who develops his mind while
developing his spirit. A "whole" Mason is one who recognizes that God is the
source of life, and shapes his life in accordance with his understanding of the
God that he worships. A "whole" Mason is both inwardly directed, and outwardly
directed. He respects himself as a creature of his Creator, and respects the
society in which he lives as an outward extension of the "wholeness" of his
inner life.
A Fellow Craft Mason who understands the importance of geometry will use the
tools of a Fellow Craft Mason to shape his life, in accordance with its
principles. And in doing so, will illustrate the meaning of a "solid" in
geometry: From a point to a line, from a line to a superfice, and from a
superfice to a solid. "Solidity", which we translate as "wholeness", has been
attained.
FOOTNOTES
(1) Guthrie, Kenneth Sylvan. The Pythagorean
Sourcebook and Library. Grand Rapids, Phanes Press: 1987, p.21
(2)Ibid.
(3) Theon of Smyrna. Mathematics Useful for
Understanding Plato. Trans. by R. & D. Lawlor. San Diego, Wizards Bookshelf,
1979. (As quoted in Guthrie)
(4) Case, Paul Foster. Tarot: A Key to the
Wisdom of the Ages. Los Angeles, Builders of the Adytum, 1990, p. 8.
(5) Ward, J.S.M. An Interpretation of Our
Masonic Symbols. London, A. Lewis: 1956, p. 73.
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