Freemasons

Well I am happy to commence this discussion - let us build upon it and see where it leads. How this for a start...In the beginning as soon as two or more men began associating fraternities began. Many of our ancient societies established the Man's area. Tribal elders met and even rituals were performed and various initiatory rites were performed...these being secret and away from the eyes of the women of the society. These were secret in fact so secret that there revelation was treated with harsh punitive measures. Sound familiar...well this can be traced back to the very beginnings of time in fact...Societies of Men, Initiatory rites, ritual, we do have a link to this so can we begin from here and build from this our own origins.

Lets extend it further ....

By the time of the evolution of cities circa 3000BCE until today, men have been repressed by those holding power. At the same time other groups of men have held forth a philosophy whereby all men are equal and worthy of our respect irrespective of their place in society (Universalism) and that every man has the right to question ignorance and superstition. At various times in our past, but certainly for most of it, such beliefs have been punishable, often by torture and death.

As literacy was resticted to very few of the aristocracy and the clergy, what better way to reach and transmit this philosophy than to attached it by symbolism and allegory to the most esteemed symbols of the last two millenia - the great buildings and churches.

_________________
Jeff Allan, PM
Lodge Tironui No400
United Masters Lodge No167

If anyone is interested in reading about the possible impact on the Knights Templar and Freemasonry, then cast an eye over "The Temple and the Lodge" by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh. While I am not completely convinced by all their theories there are some thoughtful questions that they do pose.

I understand that a better Templar "work" is Born In Blood by John J. Robinson. Has anyone read it? I would be interested in their comments.

Fraternally - William

_________________
William Durning
Hamilton
Waikato - New Zealand

Lodge Hillcrest #363
Waikato Royal Arch #22

durning@xtra.co.nz

I found this link which is quite good about origins:
http://www.sbmasons.com/sbmasons/aboutus.htm#Founders

_________________
Hadyn Nicholls PM
Homewood Lodge 447
Recruitment & Publicity Officer
http://www.homewood-lodge.net.nz
Wellington District Education Officer

"Born In Blood" holds that Freemasonry was assisted by the peasants revoult in the 13/14th Century. That it came about via the KTs, as they werent as persecuted in the British Isles as in mainland Europe.

Another take on the origins is an extension of the mystery plays - eg Osiris in ancient Egypt.

I think that maybe freemasonry is a variation on a theme from these ancient origins and that its evolution is over determined and florished as a result of the the rennaicence and other free thinking...

Phil Ivamy
PM Victory Lodge #40

Well gents I have finally managed to get a copy of "Born in Blood" once I have finished reading it I will give you my call on it.

The other resource that I found and I suppose its old hat to most brethern was to raid your Lodge library, my master was very pleased to see that someone wanted to have a good and the 20 odd works that we have in our lodge

I now am in dire need of a speed reading course so that I can get through my reading list which is growing by the week and come Christmas I would imagine will resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa by Christmas

Fraternally Book lover of Hamilton otherwise know as William

_________________
William Durning
Hamilton
Waikato - New Zealand

Lodge Hillcrest #363
Waikato Royal Arch #22

durning@xtra.co.nz

I have noticed the designation 'Freemason' under the usernames of posts here and I wish to start by correcting this in my case, for I am not a Freemason. I am not sure whether or not my posts here are unwelcome as a result, if so please forgive me ~ I will desist if being a Freemason is a requirement of participating in these message boards.

Sitting at my keyboard a couple of months ago, a picture of the NZ Grand Master came to mind (from an advertisement I had seen some time ago at Christchurch airport) and on a whim I decided to find out more about your organisation. I am in the very early stages of my research, which has become something of a hobby. I have read with interest the references here to some works covering your history that I will follow up on in due course.

I started with "The Freemasons" by Jasper Ridley. This was an interesting read, even if the style of the author was a little dry. Briefly, the author puts forward the belief that the origin of Freemasonry is in early trade unions and that the tools of operative masonry were then utilised to describe a philosophy. The book is packed with information and Mr. Ridley made every effort to ensure that his conclusions were based on referenceable material. The only difficulty with this, while the methodology and intention behind it are certainly laudable, is that it felt at times as though the conclusions were restricted by this strict requirement. That is to say, there seemed to be hints of so much more to the story, but that the author stopped with his references and restricted the conversation within the parameters they laid down without allowing room for intelligent hypotheses. The reasoning behind this of course was to ensure that the conclusions were "correct", however I submit that it is just as easy to arrive at erroneous conclusions that way, as it is by making careful conjecture! He also had the disadvantage (although I'm sure it was also an advantage in some ways) of not being a Freemason. That said, I found the information in the book very interesting indeed and Jasper Ridley is very balanced in his appraisal of your fraternity. He does a lot to dispel a lot of the lies told of Freemasonry and rubbishes (successfully, I would say) the idea of there being one secret Masonic Agenda.

The Hiram Key and The Book of Hiram by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas are a completely different take on things. The authors link modern Freemasonry with not only the Knights Templar but also with the ancient Egyptian concept of Ma'at and beyond. Their belief is that the tools of operative masonry were used to convey teachings that have existed for millennia. Mr. Knight and Mr. Lomas are less reluctant to make intelligent conjecture based on the evidence, sometimes taking this a little *too* far some might say, but their ideas are very compelling. They have other books out that I am yet to read (I'm on my way through the Book of Hiram at the moment) but they do have a website hosted by Bradford University in the UK that others here might find interesting reading:

http://www.brad.ac.uk/webofhiram

Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike, while I know this is not so much a historical text, nor is it concerned principally with the Blue Lodge, I have found it to be an incredible book... one I am chewing my way through at my leisure. While I have not read it in its entirety, I must say that so far it is a text that outlines a philosophy that resonates very deeply for me in a way that very few others have. If any of you haven't read it, I would recommend it.

Oh, one other thing, if you are after texts or early editions that are out of print or hard to find that you wish to own try eBay ~ I picked up a 1925 copy of Morals and Dogma, mint condition for USD15... although the shipping was reasonably pricey! Definitely worth it though!

Best regards

Me again!... One more thing, I have been searching for a book or text that might be described as "anti-masonic" (in order to try and obtain a balanced view, not from any desire to attack Freemasonry) that present their arguments in a reasonable way. The only negative opinions I have been able to find have been "backed up" by analysis that is FAR from rational or objective ~ mainly religious rant and conspiracy theories that try to link Freemasonry with every evil in the world! If anyone has come across a book that makes a reasonable attempt at objectivity but that nonetheless comes down against Freemasonry, I would be interested in hearing about it. It may well be that there are no such books!

Respectfully yours

Firstly Lux a warm welcome to this site. I have to compliment you on the calibre and depth of your articles. Do not be concerned about your status Freemason or not, but I admire your honesty. Enough said on that subject. Re your reading and quest for knowledge, you obviously enjoy that pursuit....keep it up. I believe a publication that may fit the bill for your posting is: 'Who's afraid of Freemasons' by Aleander Piatigorsky. Described as an important partial study of Freemasonry and a valuable addition to the history of comment on this strange and anachronistic institution. Dr Piataigorsky is a professor of comparative religion. It gives a well-balanced account from various viewpoints, in-depth analysis and is neither one way or the other. I leave it up to you.

The next book I would recommend is 'Behind the Lodge Door' Paul A Fisher. It is a great follow on read from the other to give the 'heavier' view.

Thanks for such a warm welcome cheker! Yes, I really am enjoying my research into Freemasonry and the discovery of this site as somewhere I can share my excitement (as I have been quite excited after a number of reading binges!) is just great

My gratitude also for the two titles you have suggested ~ I have noted them down and will put my hands on copies for sure.

Another book worth acquiring if you can find a copy is "A Lexicon of Freemasonry" by Albert Gallatin Mackey. I have found it to be a great reference resource.

Best regards

Interesting topic that will while away many hours of discussion. However, while not professing to be a historian, none-the-less I am always struck by the dilemma of history in that while it may be relatively easy to ascertain WHAT happened, ascertaining WHY it happened is never so easy.

For this reason I think it important to approach thoughts and theories on the origins of Freemasonry with a healthy scepticism. For example Patrick Byrne presents a case for a different view of the role of the KTs to that of Knight and Lomas - equally compelling in my view. Which means for me, the jury is still out.

On the other hand tracking through the various acts, rules, and regulations enacted in Britain through the Middle Ages could lead to the conclusion that formation of Lodges and their development to the form we now know may have had a much more pragmatic, and significantly less mystical path.

One rather interesting implication regarding the name "Freemason" may emerge from such a study. There were artisans described at various times in these documents as "Freemasons" because they worked in "free stone".

I for one am not convinced that modern Freemasonry had its roots in medieval craft guilds because I do not believe that the artisans of those times had sufficient leisure time to develop the philosophies we hold dear. Such philosophies are more likely to be the results of "free thinking".

But then again, who knows?

Fraternally,

Gary

_________________
Gary Kerkin
PG Lec (GLNZ)
PG Lec (SGRACNZ)
PM Waikato Lodge of Research No 445
PSR Three Arrows Research Conclave No 30

I agree Gary, WHY something happened is much more difficult to determine than WHAT happened.

"Why is the only real source of power" - The Merovingian, Matrix Reloaded

Ok, it's not Voltaire, but I think it's right on the money!

The book by Patrick Byrne, is it called "Templar Gold: Discovering the Ark of the Covenant"? If so, I will add it to my to-read list! While I am even further from what one would call a historian than you, and certain to be less well read, I too am not convinced that modern Freemasonry has its roots in medieval craft guilds. Not only would leisure time have been a factor, but also the question of WHY medieval craftsmen would do such a thing is one to which I have not yet heard/read satisfactory response. Why would they establish a philosophy and a set of rituals steeped in mysticism to go along with it that have a deep sympathy with those practiced by ancients?

Also, from what I have read of your rituals they appear to have connections to events, peoples and languages that are difficult to explain if it is to be believed that modern Freemasonry really was put together in its entirety by medieval stonemasons. Are these connections coincidental? Are these connections imagined? Or have the medieval craftsmen been seriously and unfairly underestimated by people who believe that the teachings of Freemasonry have an origin that is based back in the mysts of antiquity? I don't have the answer to any of these questions and probably never will... but I think that my reluctance to agree with the medieval theory is more one of 'sensing' something more to the story (no, I'm not claiming to be clairvoyant either!! ).

So, I don't think the medieval craft guilds are the origin of modern Freemasonry, but how far back that origin is? Knights Templar? The Essenes? Ancient Egypt? Sumer? Megalithic Europe? Further back? I have no idea!... So much to read, so little time! I would love to hear the thoughts of Freemasons on these and any other possible origins of your fraternity. It's all so fascinating and exciting!

Best regards

Could it be that the more educated people during the middle ages saw how members of guilds, lodges etc cared for each other, even those they had just met, and developed the esoteric side of freemasonry themselves
I agree that the origins of freemasonry very probably predate the building of the Norman stone castles and the subsequent cathedrals, however any ideas we may have on that are just speculation aren't they The stories we use in our ceremonies must have originated somewhere by someone - the 3rd Degree and its story is a relatively recent addition isn't it, and where did that story come from
I enjoy the posts Lux is submitting, he is obviously going into things in depth, he quotes books I've not come across yet, it's going to be a job to find them I think.

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Keith Walker
Kaimanawa 426
Waikato Lodge of Research 445

Lux and Keith,

The real difficulty I have is that it is not at all clear. Oh, well, yes, we agree on that.

Although, as I indicated, I do not easily accept that the antecedents of modern Freemasonry originated in the Craft Guilds, none-the-less there is compelling evidence that men of substance and influence joined some lodges in the middle of the last millenium. Some of the better known examples are:

John Boswell, Laird of Auchinlech, admitted a member of the Lodge of Edinburgh in 1600. (The first recorded admission of a non-operative Mason in a lodge of Scotland.)

Lord Alexander, Sir Anthony Alexander and Sir Alexander Strachan were made Masons at the Lodge of Edinburgh in 1634.

The earliest recorded initiation was that of Sir Robert Moray, by a group of Masons in a Scots regiment at Newcastle-on-Tyne on 20 May 1641.

Elias Ashmole recorded in his diary ‘1646: Oct: 16 4H 30pm, I was made a Freemason at Warrington…”

Where does that lead us? I'm not sure, but if the antecedents were not Craft Guilds, there is still a discernible link.

Lux, the work I referred to by Patrick Byrne I obtained across the internet - I paid the royalty to obtain a key to locked files. It is called "The Long Lost Secrets of Freemasonry (and Rennes-le Chateau)". It is dated February 1977; it doesn't have ISBN registration.

Fraternally,

Gary

_________________
Gary Kerkin
PG Lec (GLNZ)
PG Lec (SGRACNZ)
PM Waikato Lodge of Research No 445
PSR Three Arrows Research Conclave No 30