12-24-2020, 01:15 AM
We may ask why was secrecy so important? First, there was a practical reason as only those skilled and learned in the craft where allowed to progress
through the various stages of initiation from apprentice to master mason and learn their trade secrets. If the ignorant could learn how to carve or draw architectural plans, the stonemasons and architects would be out of work! It was common sense to keep the skills ‘in house’ and off limits to the general populace. Even today, revealing patented trade secrets of a company is a serious crime. However, secrecy was important for other reasons. In the medieval period, the study of the philosophy surrounding the seven liberal sciences was often shrouded with mystery and kept a private matter among those of ‘higher intellect’ as the ignorant could often perceive the research of the scholars to be something bordering on the satanic. Alchemy could be misconstrued as brewing witch potions, astronomy closely bordered on astrology in those days, and the study of mysticism in numbers, especially the strange geometrical figures associated with architecture, could be misjudged to be pagan witch-circles and diagrams. In fact, innocently studying the ‘occult’ or hidden mysticism of the earth in the footsteps of the Three Kings or Magi was a risky business, scholars were often labelled ‘wizards’ in the incorrect sense rather than philosophers, the word ‘occult’ corrupted into something associated with the demons, hence the requisite for secrecy. As a result, masons developed codes to recognise each other, the infamous development of secret fraternal handshakes among lodge members comes from this practise. However, the protective shroud of secrecy was often taken to extremes. We recall the confidentiality surrounding the Venetian glass blowers guild of the medieval days was infamous, their glass was so prized throughout Europe that it would be detrimental if their trade secrets should be made common knowledge, their source of income would come to an end. Of interest, glass-blowing was also a unique form of alchemy, the base material of sand turned into something pure, clear, hard and brilliant through the cleansing process of fire was a prime example of the quintessence at work in Nature and displayed how the world in the end times would eventually be purified by fire. The fortunes and mysticism of the glass-guild also had to be kept from the prying eyes of the vulgar and ignorant. Those who attempted to leave were hunted down by an assassin and killed with a sword or dagger made of glass.
As time progressed, the requisite of secrecy in the lodges helped to contribute towards the friction between the Church and Freemasons. Scholars of the medieval and Renaissance periods who wished to study pagan sources of ‘wisdom’ and various scientific works banned by Rome found a hidden sanctuary from the Church’s scrutiny in the lodges as ‘speculative members’, that is, as members who did not intend to acquire the practical skills of the stone carvers, but who wished to study the esoteric and ‘speculative’ history of masonry in addition to the associated liberal ‘occult’ sciences. However, the occult knowledge acquired in the lodges was ‘all inclusive’ ~ wisdom had to be ‘good’ no matter where it was found ~ therefore many heretical concepts and ideas contrary to Church doctrine continued to be melded with the Judeo-Christian mysticism of the speculative branches of the guilds. Hence, not only were hermetic scholars concealing their studies, they began to separate themselves from the theology of the Church as well.
Over time, the various trades and sciences were divested of their ‘speculative’ nature and progressed into the forms we know today: alchemy became chemistry, astronomy was purged of astrological study, mathematics became the study of equations, and so forth. Stone masonry was also gradually stripped of its mysticism, yet the speculative branch survives in Freemasonry. When this separation took place, it is difficult to discern considering the secrecy surrounding
the lodges, although we may safely say the speculative Freemasons still operated according to the charges of their stonemason lodges for a considerable amount of time, albeit independently from the carvers that is until June 24, 1717 when a small group of four lodges in London formally united to created the first fraternal organisation with a common set of Charges. Six years later in 1723 the Grand Lodge of England was established from which all other recognised Masonic grand lodges throughout the world claim their origin. This period is generally considered the first official historical division of the operative or practical practise of stone masonry from speculative Freemasonry. From this time onward, Freemasonry as a fraternal society quickly spread throughout Europe. As the true history of masonry as a stone carvers’ craft was lost over time or obscured in speculation, the various lodges began to vie with each other in the quest to discover which had the oldest charters, and therefore, the lodge that should hold supreme authority over the others. In addition to the hunt for the oldest charters, many attracted to speculative Freemasonry attempted to form their own rival esoteric Masonic orders, attracting adherents by claiming they had discovered the true origins of the hermetic craft. At this point, many other forms of mystic philosophy such as Jewish cabala, Gnosticism, Egyptian lore, Persian wisdom myths, in addition to Christian doctrine, were all considered valid modes of attaining wisdom for a Masonic philosopher, the various Christian symbols of the stonemasons trade, including the All-Seeing Eye of the Trinity, was often placed side by side with other pagan images of ancient Babylon, Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome, not to mention those from other non-Christian belief systems. Eventually the All-Seeing Eye become recognised as a definitive Masonic symbol circa the 1790s.
One of the most popular rites that emerged was the Rite of the Strict Observance founded by Baron von Hund in the late 1800s allegedly ruled by a group of secret ‘Unknown Superiors’. Hund claimed that hermetic Freemasonry had originated with the medieval crusader Templar Knights who had discovered esoteric secrets of the East during their time guarding the Temple and escaped to England disguised as stonemasons when their chivalric order was disbanded and persecuted. All English lodges were reputedly descendants of the exiled Templars according to Hund, who therefore claimed his order was the legitimate form of Masonry. The theory that the Templar knights had stumbled across occult wisdom hidden in caverns under the temple mount and practised it secretly similar to the hermetic scholars of old was a popular theme among masons, accounting for the introduction of numerous ‘Templar grades’ in Masonic rites, the symbol the Templar masons adopted was a skull and crossbones. Another strange contender to legitimacy was the charlatan Count Cagliostro (1743-1795) who claimed to have received mystic powers at the ancient pyramids of Egypt, inventing a new Egyptian Masonic Rite with which he attempted to “ ... exercise universal jurisdiction over Freemasonry” according to the New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry.75 Cagliostro allegedly founded a private Temple of Isis in Paris where he ordained himself High Priest, or Copht, Bearer of the mysteries of the gods Isis and Anubis from the Far East. It quickly grew in popularity until the lodges of France rejected his ‘order’ and it dwindled into obscurity. However, before it lost its popularity it was a rite to be reckoned with and was influential in establishing Egyptian-oriented rites such as the Rite of Mizraim.
75 Arthur Edward Waite, A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry (Ars Magna Latomorum), And of Cognate Instituted Mysteries: Their Rites, Literature and History ~ Combined Two Volume Edition, Vol. I (New York: Wing Books, 1996), p. 90.
through the various stages of initiation from apprentice to master mason and learn their trade secrets. If the ignorant could learn how to carve or draw architectural plans, the stonemasons and architects would be out of work! It was common sense to keep the skills ‘in house’ and off limits to the general populace. Even today, revealing patented trade secrets of a company is a serious crime. However, secrecy was important for other reasons. In the medieval period, the study of the philosophy surrounding the seven liberal sciences was often shrouded with mystery and kept a private matter among those of ‘higher intellect’ as the ignorant could often perceive the research of the scholars to be something bordering on the satanic. Alchemy could be misconstrued as brewing witch potions, astronomy closely bordered on astrology in those days, and the study of mysticism in numbers, especially the strange geometrical figures associated with architecture, could be misjudged to be pagan witch-circles and diagrams. In fact, innocently studying the ‘occult’ or hidden mysticism of the earth in the footsteps of the Three Kings or Magi was a risky business, scholars were often labelled ‘wizards’ in the incorrect sense rather than philosophers, the word ‘occult’ corrupted into something associated with the demons, hence the requisite for secrecy. As a result, masons developed codes to recognise each other, the infamous development of secret fraternal handshakes among lodge members comes from this practise. However, the protective shroud of secrecy was often taken to extremes. We recall the confidentiality surrounding the Venetian glass blowers guild of the medieval days was infamous, their glass was so prized throughout Europe that it would be detrimental if their trade secrets should be made common knowledge, their source of income would come to an end. Of interest, glass-blowing was also a unique form of alchemy, the base material of sand turned into something pure, clear, hard and brilliant through the cleansing process of fire was a prime example of the quintessence at work in Nature and displayed how the world in the end times would eventually be purified by fire. The fortunes and mysticism of the glass-guild also had to be kept from the prying eyes of the vulgar and ignorant. Those who attempted to leave were hunted down by an assassin and killed with a sword or dagger made of glass.
As time progressed, the requisite of secrecy in the lodges helped to contribute towards the friction between the Church and Freemasons. Scholars of the medieval and Renaissance periods who wished to study pagan sources of ‘wisdom’ and various scientific works banned by Rome found a hidden sanctuary from the Church’s scrutiny in the lodges as ‘speculative members’, that is, as members who did not intend to acquire the practical skills of the stone carvers, but who wished to study the esoteric and ‘speculative’ history of masonry in addition to the associated liberal ‘occult’ sciences. However, the occult knowledge acquired in the lodges was ‘all inclusive’ ~ wisdom had to be ‘good’ no matter where it was found ~ therefore many heretical concepts and ideas contrary to Church doctrine continued to be melded with the Judeo-Christian mysticism of the speculative branches of the guilds. Hence, not only were hermetic scholars concealing their studies, they began to separate themselves from the theology of the Church as well.
Over time, the various trades and sciences were divested of their ‘speculative’ nature and progressed into the forms we know today: alchemy became chemistry, astronomy was purged of astrological study, mathematics became the study of equations, and so forth. Stone masonry was also gradually stripped of its mysticism, yet the speculative branch survives in Freemasonry. When this separation took place, it is difficult to discern considering the secrecy surrounding
the lodges, although we may safely say the speculative Freemasons still operated according to the charges of their stonemason lodges for a considerable amount of time, albeit independently from the carvers that is until June 24, 1717 when a small group of four lodges in London formally united to created the first fraternal organisation with a common set of Charges. Six years later in 1723 the Grand Lodge of England was established from which all other recognised Masonic grand lodges throughout the world claim their origin. This period is generally considered the first official historical division of the operative or practical practise of stone masonry from speculative Freemasonry. From this time onward, Freemasonry as a fraternal society quickly spread throughout Europe. As the true history of masonry as a stone carvers’ craft was lost over time or obscured in speculation, the various lodges began to vie with each other in the quest to discover which had the oldest charters, and therefore, the lodge that should hold supreme authority over the others. In addition to the hunt for the oldest charters, many attracted to speculative Freemasonry attempted to form their own rival esoteric Masonic orders, attracting adherents by claiming they had discovered the true origins of the hermetic craft. At this point, many other forms of mystic philosophy such as Jewish cabala, Gnosticism, Egyptian lore, Persian wisdom myths, in addition to Christian doctrine, were all considered valid modes of attaining wisdom for a Masonic philosopher, the various Christian symbols of the stonemasons trade, including the All-Seeing Eye of the Trinity, was often placed side by side with other pagan images of ancient Babylon, Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome, not to mention those from other non-Christian belief systems. Eventually the All-Seeing Eye become recognised as a definitive Masonic symbol circa the 1790s.
One of the most popular rites that emerged was the Rite of the Strict Observance founded by Baron von Hund in the late 1800s allegedly ruled by a group of secret ‘Unknown Superiors’. Hund claimed that hermetic Freemasonry had originated with the medieval crusader Templar Knights who had discovered esoteric secrets of the East during their time guarding the Temple and escaped to England disguised as stonemasons when their chivalric order was disbanded and persecuted. All English lodges were reputedly descendants of the exiled Templars according to Hund, who therefore claimed his order was the legitimate form of Masonry. The theory that the Templar knights had stumbled across occult wisdom hidden in caverns under the temple mount and practised it secretly similar to the hermetic scholars of old was a popular theme among masons, accounting for the introduction of numerous ‘Templar grades’ in Masonic rites, the symbol the Templar masons adopted was a skull and crossbones. Another strange contender to legitimacy was the charlatan Count Cagliostro (1743-1795) who claimed to have received mystic powers at the ancient pyramids of Egypt, inventing a new Egyptian Masonic Rite with which he attempted to “ ... exercise universal jurisdiction over Freemasonry” according to the New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry.75 Cagliostro allegedly founded a private Temple of Isis in Paris where he ordained himself High Priest, or Copht, Bearer of the mysteries of the gods Isis and Anubis from the Far East. It quickly grew in popularity until the lodges of France rejected his ‘order’ and it dwindled into obscurity. However, before it lost its popularity it was a rite to be reckoned with and was influential in establishing Egyptian-oriented rites such as the Rite of Mizraim.
75 Arthur Edward Waite, A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry (Ars Magna Latomorum), And of Cognate Instituted Mysteries: Their Rites, Literature and History ~ Combined Two Volume Edition, Vol. I (New York: Wing Books, 1996), p. 90.