Meeting On The Level - Maybe

The views and opinions of the following are only that, views and opinions. If you’re searching for facts look inside.
Curiosity brings you to the door of Freemasonry, but intuition is what you will need to proceed.
Everything you are about to see, sense, and intuit will come from your lens of perception, formed by your knowledge of comparative philosophies, symbolic interpretations, and ancient mysteries. Deficiencies in any one of these categories will limit your ability to fully interpret what you perceive.
With this in mind it is easy to see how so many project different meanings on the symbolic nature of our craft. One could say that Masonry actually speaks on many levels.
As of late there seems to be a push to take the mystery out of Masonry, to show the public a different face.
Is that even possible?
According to some brothers the only secrets are handshakes and a few secret words, other than that we are a fraternity that gives to charity and enjoys the company of men.
Is that true? Or maybe that just happens to be one of the levels, a level that most seem to reside.
If that were true why the rituals, why allusions to astrological theology, I could go on and on, why?

Hypothetical situation (and more common than you think): imagine an individual hears that Masonry is an organization, a men’s club, created to make good men better men, an organization that meets monthly and contributes to charity, no secrets, no mysteries. One day he decides to petition.
Now, hypothetical, this gentleman although God fearing has a very limited exposure to say alchemical thought, Kabbalah, Enlightenment philosophies, Pythagorean principles, etc. What would his perception be? Assuredly he could only compare to what he sees to what he knows, either that or he sees just what he was told, a charitable organization with no mystery.
In a perfect world this individual might just expand his knowledge and seek the underlining message and thought by expanding his consciousness, he might just seek the greater depth of meaning.
If not, the rest of his life as a Mason he belongs to a fraternity that is all about rituals with no meaning and charity.

Now before you think this is a condemnation against limited awareness, let me state clearly Masonry is a chartable organization. Even on the most basic level Freemasonry does have the ability to make a good man better. I firmly believe it, yet it is the most basic level.

The High Priestess Knows The Secret

"That which constitutes the essence of heaven, earth, air and water, and that which embraces the life of man, as well as that which the fiery God creates in the whole world: I, Philosophia, bear all in my breast."...Albrecht Durer

For many a year I have been interested in the symbolism pictured on the tarot cards, since my initiation into Freemasonry I have found the symbolism in the cards has taken on a different meaning. Call it a coincidence (although I think not); call it synchronicity, no matter what you call it any observant mason will quickly find familiar symbols, especially in the case of the High Priestess.
I am sure most of my Masonic brothers are familiar with the tarot, but I am not sure if most are similar with the shared symbolism, I think it will surprise and enlighten, literally.
The High Priestess, a defined by Wikipedia, The High Priestess wears plain blue robes and sits with her hands in her lap. She has a lunar crescent at her feet, a horned diadem centering a globe on her head and a large cross on her breast. The scroll in her hands, partly covered by her mantle, bears the word TORA. She is seated between the white and black pillars—'J' and 'B' for Jachin and Boaz—of the mystic Temple of Solomon. The veil of the Temple is behind her: it is embroidered with palm leaves and pomegranates. Further behind all of that is what seems to be a body of water, most probably the sea.

According E. Swedenborg (1688-1772) Blue signifies the celestial love of truth. That "blue" has this signification, is because it belongs to the color of the sky, and because by this color is signified truth from a celestial origin. Although I have many other references to blue, I found Swedenborg’s very universal and most likely considering what our Priestess is sitting between, the pillars often symbolizing the entrance of the “Hall of Truth“.

“The High Priestess stands at the entrance to the spiritual and mystical world that lies beyond the material. She will not step aside to allow anyone to enter easily into the hidden sanctuary, but what she will do is point people in the right direction. Similarly to the teachings of Buddha, the High Priestess will show the way of truth but man must walk the path on his own.”

As for the scroll on the lap of our priestess some would say it is the Torah, the Holy Scriptures in which God's will is revealed. Others see it as the Divine Plan of man, or the Book of Wisdom. What is agreed on is that this scroll holds many secrets which should not be revealed to those who aren't yet ready for them.
Not to be missed by masons is the seven pomegranates, who adopted pomegranates as the symbol of plenty. In the world of the esoteric the pomegranate is a symbol of the resurrection and the hope of eternal life, the seeds bursting forth from the pomegranate are also likened to Christ bursting forth from the tomb. (Please beware of literal translation)

While researching the symbolism of the High Priestess I came upon a passage written by P. D. Ouspensky, talk about beautiful:

When I lifted the first veil and entered the outer court of the Temple of Initiation, I saw in half darkness the figure of a woman sitting on a high throne between two pillars of the temple, one white, and one black. Mystery emanated from her and was about her. Sacred symbols shone on her green dress; on her head was a golden tiara surmounted by a two-horned moon; on her knees she held two crossed keys and an open book. Between the two pillars behind the woman hung another veil all embroidered with green leaves and fruit of pomegranate.
And a voice said:
"To enter the Temple one must lift the second veil and pass between the two pillars. And to pass thus, one must obtain possession of the keys, read the book and understand the symbols. Are you able to do this?"
"I would like to be able," I said.
Then the woman turned her face to me and looked into my eyes without speaking. And through me passed a thrill, mysterious and penetrating like a golden wave; tones vibrated in my brain, a flame was in my heart, and I understood that she spoke to me, saying without words:
"This is the Hall of Wisdom. No one can reveal it, no one can hide it. Like a flower it must grow and bloom in thy soul. If thou wouldst plant the seed of this flower in thy soul--learn to discern the real from the false. Listen only to the Voice that is soundless... Look only on that which is invisible, and remember that in thee thyself is the Temple and the gate to it, and the mystery, and the initiation."

To be continued…..

Wisdom From The Past - The Ties That Bind

Since learning that Swami Vivekananda was a freemason I became interested in what the great teacher sensed or saw in the teachings of Freemasonry.
Diligently I have been researching, exploring, and watching our rituals with an open mind; I think I’m getting it.
I found the following article while researching similarities, even though written in the 1890’s I rather enjoyed its substance.
I have made a few grammatical corrections, and italics are mine.

“There can be no essential difference between the spirit of Christ and the spirit of Buddha, or the spirit of any manifestation before or since. There is only one Absolute Being and all Divine manifestations are from that Source. In a family a father may appear one day in one garment and on another day in another, and the children would be foolish indeed if they did not recognize him in the different garments he may wear. We are equally foolish when we fail to recognize the one universal Father under all His various forms, and condemn those who invoke Him by other names“…Swami Paramananda student of Brother Vivekananda)



THE FUTURE OF HINDUISM
Hinduism today is attracting the attention of the learned everywhere. We find that it has many times received shocks during different ages and different stages of civilization. We find it has influenced nearly all ancient religions, the Eleusinian and we believe the Pythagorean teachings of the past.
If we study the Neo-Platonists of the second or third century after Christ, or the Christian era, we see its influence on their thought. Indelible traces of it are seen here and there in Greek philosophy. The Christian Gnostics have arrived at the same truths on subjective thought as is revealed in Vedanta philosophy. Today we find people in the West embracing this religion, and I believe the time is gradually drawing near when there will be a general adoption of Vedantic Truths, which will influence largely the character of all nations.
A student of philosophy in the West has many creeds to study. He begins with the creeds and dogmas of Christianity. He may examine them minutely and carefully. If his spiritual intuitions are quickened, he must go deep and further examine more deliberately. He must examine something more liberal, perhaps the mystical writings of Emanuel Swedenborg or the transcendental philosophy of Anna Kingsford in her "Perfect Way." (A member of the Hermetic Society and mentor to Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, Freemason.)
He may go further and take up German metaphysics, and in Germany we find to-day Vedanta’s is gaining ground. (Schopenhauer exclaims that “in the whole world there is no religion or philosophy so sublime and elevating as Vedanta… this Vedanta has been the solace of my life, and it will be the solace of my death. The philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel refers to Indian thought reminiscent of Advaita-Vedanta in his introduction to his The Phenomenology of Spirit and in his Science of Logic.”)

We have no gradual studies, but all conflicting schools, whereas, in Hinduism they have reached the most beautiful and transcendental ultimate, the

"I AM BRAHMAN, I AND THE UNIVERSE ARE ONE,"

and have left the filling in of man's gradual progress for lesser thinkers.
Those who have reached these heights have been jealous that any of the minor sciences should in any way influence the mind or interrupt it during its ascent, or in the reaching of these lofty conclusions. All other sciences, the minor sciences, have at once been relegated to that of Maya or illusion. These teachers have called the objective an illusion. Materialists cannot understand this, but the Hindu Rishi’s (the rishi is a "seer" or "shaman" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness.) thought it necessary, that the ultimate might be practically reached. This is the opinion of the best thinkers today.


Let us trace man's progress, or in other words, man's gradual development through the misty past until today; and let us see how Hinduism can affect him. The new science of anthropology reveals that man has lived long, long ages ago, contrary to what some theologians would have us believe; and here we find religion rather in an ignoble position, that of being contradicted by science. Anthropology has undeniably shown primitive man to be little better than an animal with tiny perceptions living in forests, caves, and on mountains. Let us watch him and see the first dawn of his higher nature. He is alone with nature, the stars, the running streams, the golden sunshine, and living and breathing, we would scarcely care to claim relationship with him. Can we imagine him asking, "Who am I," "why am I here," "where am I to go," "whither am I going”? In his solitude he finds how nature acts, how the great storms and cosmic disturbances happen, and one of his first ideas is that there is an Unknown power; he does not understand and therefore he fears it. Fear was the beginning of his worship. Brute force is what he craves. Hercules is his god to fight his battles. We can see the culmination of this stage in the Spartan's perfect physical body, where the warlike nature becomes fully developed.
Psychologists have called this the Adamic Man or the Animal Man. The next stage is the intellectual, sometimes called the Hermetic. At this stage his fears grow less, love of something higher grows a little stronger. His intellect now dawns. This is the period where he gains ideas, seeing things in different lights. He is not yet serving others. He is still serving himself. Sometimes he is full of faith in his own being. He becomes aware of the elements of his own nature, perhaps becomes materialistic. All souls are incarnated, differing in experiences, all seeking expressions, finding different paths: one says come and drink of my water, it is the only pure water; another says, don't take that water, poison is mixed with it. So according to one individual's intelligence, we have the world of creeds and beliefs, narrow or broad according to his development or evolution. Peak after peak does he ascend, showing that intelligence is higher and mightier than brute force, as the arts of war and military power became a science where brute force held sway before. He has been serving himself. He has been the master of himself, building his own body. Let us watch him in his next development the higher man where he no longer serves himself but others. Here is the turning point. His perception advances; he begins to understand creation. He understands why he is here, where he is destined to, where he has been eternally progressing. The spiritual man is born. By this time he feels his higher spiritual intuitions that reason cannot follow. Instead of being satisfied with his five senses, he wants others with which to interpret this higher man; a sixth sense, as one of the French philosophers calls it, is the "magnetic "or " psychic” sense. Not only has he these physical senses but their counterparts in his spiritual self. Clairvoyance, or Devic Seeing, I believe is what the Upanishads call it, whereby one can discern intelligence at the back of every object. Clairaudience is another sense whereby he can hear sounds too subtle for the physical ear. He can taste sweetness and discover aromas which are not discerned through the physical senses only. Contrasting with this physical sense of touch he finds the power of psychometry awakened. This is a wonderful sense. If I take up this letter I imprint on its aura, or astral atmosphere, which is around every object in the universe, my image; the state of my mind is photographed and recorded in the Great Book of Life. His intuitions, just referred to, become inspirations; he feels divinity within him. Divine power comes upon him. In fact he is inspired by the Divine Spirit. The soul speaks and the words carry conviction.
Let me say something of another sense through the help of which one can speak with the Higher Intelligences at will. It does not matter by what term we call them, gods, angels, Buddha’s, those who are free from cares, desires, from the trammels of the material world. By this time our pigmy man with his puny perception has become a spiritual man, perfected. His heart is now in the breast of everyone and the blood of all living creatures is running through his veins. He has one sense, an ALL-SENSE, united with and to all beings. The sorrows of all are his. His heart is full of sympathy, full of love. He is all love; his wisdom is sublime; he is prophetic. He no longer possesses a so-called discordant element in nature. He has simply unfolded his potentialities. This is the spiritual man.
These truths are better understood by the Hindu, who is naturally godly, who is ever holding to the idea, "I am approaching nearer my God." This is the true Hindu spirit, trying by head and heart to become Divine or to gain that exalted consciousness of his Divinity. . . . (Hinduism, I say most emphatically, supplies spiritual provision for all sorts and conditions of individuals. Hinduism is an all-inclusive religion open to all. It envelops and reverences all religions. It reflects universal truths for all.) Sound familiar!
We are approaching the dawn of a new day for humanity. Man understands himself, his soul, and finds that he is not the mere outward senses but that there is something greater within him. He sees he has nothing to fear. Fear is banished. Man's progress has always been kept back through fear. Fear not anything. Search for this All-Wisdom within you, and all matters will at once become clear, all questions whether political, social or religious will be answered from that centre. It is easier for the Hindu, I believe, than for an American. Why? Let us compare the two for a moment: The American people are energetic, always in a hurry, never satisfied, always trying to go ahead of others, forgetting that we shall all get there on time, flesh eaters and centering attention closely on material welfare. While on the other hand, the Hindu is proverbially mild, godly, and religious; he can and does easily reach that centre. It is this country that has sent the newest and last great thoughts. The world is turning its eyes on India for the solution of the many problems of this universe. Everywhere its study is being eagerly taken up. We are only gradually becoming aware of the sacrifice and unselfishness of many of the leaders both past and present, and of the touching history of the noble Sannyasins. I say it is a very hard matter to understand this devotedness and the cultivation of that spirit of renunciation. To give up home, friends, family, dress and the surroundings which we hold so dear is undoubtedly a very difficult task for the Western people. This idea of renunciation can only be grasped from the highest feelings in the human heart. This is an idea just going through our understanding, that of intense realization to become united with the Para-Brahman. In this country we expect to see the Atman manifest in man. Your past has produced many such ideal men, and more will yet be born. No matter what upheavals and shocks India meets this is her ideal. . . . Have beautiful thought and you will become beautiful, have spiritual thought and you will become spiritual. — Coulson Turnbull, Esq., Ph.D., in "The Dawn," Calcutta.

St. John's Eve & Marie Laveau - Similarities

On my last trip to New Orleans I made it a point to visit the crypt of Marie Laveau, also known as the Widow Paris, the Voodoo priestess of New Orleans.
Above is one of the many photos I took of the supposed “most haunted crypt” in America, the burial place of Marie Laveau.

While researching the life of Marie I found some interesting symbols that have similarities in other mysteries’ schools.

History informs us that Marie Laveau presided over rituals on St. John’s Eve, which began at dusk on June 23rd and ended at dawn on the 24th.
The Feast of St John coincides with the June solstice, the Christian holy day is fixed at June 24, but in days of old, festivities are celebrated the night before, on St John's Eve.
St John the Baptist is one of the two patron saints of Freemasonry, the other being St John the Evangelist, whose festival occurs on December 27, six months later. According to McCoy's Masonic Dictionary, participation in the Festival of St. John at midsummer is a duty of every Mason. The two saints stand at either end of the spectrum marked by the solstices, the doorways of light and dark, of zeal and of learning. For those so interested in why lodges are dedicated to the holy St. Johns I highly recommend reading the informative paragraph on “dedication” in The Encyclopedia of Freemasonry by Albert Gallatin Mackey.
Please do not confuse Freemasonry with Voodoo, I’m just showing shared of symbols, in this case the Holy St. John.
A small side note, call it trivia if you like: John Wolfgang Goethe, the illustrious German poet was initiated into Freemasonry on the eve of the festival of St. John the Baptist, in 1780; and on the eve of the same festival, in 1830, the Masons of Weimar celebrated the semi-centennial anniversary of his admission into the Order.
Now back to St. John’s Eve and the rituals of Marie Laveau.
St. John’s Eve is the most important date on the Voodoo calendar. On this night, the Voodoos have always gathered for a great conclave. There is an alter on the ground with snakes and food in front of it. The queen goes on top of the table and does her dance of worship. She then puts a picture on the ground of St. John, signaling the start of the meeting. Everyone present then goes to the ground and knocks on it three times. This is in representation of faith, hope, and charity.
Hundreds attended, including reporters and the curious who were charged fees. There were drums beating, bonfires and animal sacrifices. Offerings were made to the appropriate Loa for protection.
The Loa are the spirits of the Voodoo religion. They are also referred to as Mysteries and the Invisibles. The three classes which the “Les Invisibles” break down into are the basic fundamental principles of voodoo which consist of: Les Morts (which are the collective dead), Les Marassu (the original twins from which the human race has evolved) and Les Mysta (also known as the mysteries; the Loa (lwa) or the Gods). The Loa has the status of a divine spirit and represents either an aspect of life, natural element, or a moral principle.
They are somewhat akin to saints or angels in Christianity in that they are intermediaries between Bondye (Bon Dieu, or good god) the Creator, who is distant from the world and humanity. Unlike saints or angels however, they are not simply prayed to, they are served. They are each distinct beings with their own personal likes and dislikes, distinct sacred rhythms, songs, dances, ritual symbols, and special modes of service. Contrary to popular belief, the Loa are not deities in and of themselves; they are intermediaries for a distant Bondye.
Although I am not familiar with the mythical significance of the werewolf I do enjoy the idea of Loup-Garou. People were kept safe from the Loup-Garou, the Cajun werewolf that, allegedly, was afraid of frogs. Once the soul of a man is cursed to be the Loup Garou, he will become the dreaded creature, and will roam the bayou tearing into and devouring whatever or whoever crosses his path. Cajun legend says that the werewolves even gather for Loup Garou Balls. It is said that they fly in on large bats, and dance together under the full moon.
Participants danced in intoxicated abandonment and, seemingly, became possessed by various Loas. She sat on her throne and directed the activities. Marie kept a large snake, Le Grand Zombi, which she would dance with in worshipping Damballah, shaking a gourd rattle to summon the deity. Damballah is one of the most important of all the loa. He is depicted as a serpent and is closely associated with snakes. He is considered the father of all the rest of the loa and, along with his wife companion Ayida Wedo, to be the Loa of creation. He is usually symbolized with the Catholic figure Moses. Damballah has been linked to Moses, because of the bronze serpent staff that Moses used to protect the Israelites from the poisonous snakes as described in the Old Testament.

One needs only to view the symbolic representation of Damballah to see why I was excited by the symbol.



It is my hope to post more photos of my trip in the future, but for now adieu.

Tolstoy's Pierre Becomes a Freemason

I just love what Tolstoy wrote in War and Peace about Freemasonry, although written well over a century ago I think it still describes Freemasonry today. In his famous lengthly novel Pierre observes four different types of Masons, which are you?

"He divided all the brethren whom he knew into four categories. In the first he placed those who took no interest in the transactions of the lodges, or in human affairs in general, but were exclusively absorbed in the mysterious doctrines of the order, absorbed in questions as to the threefold nature of God, or the three primordial elements of matter, sulphur, mercury, and salt, or as to the significance of the Cube, and all the symbolism of Solomon's Temple. Pierre reverenced this class of Masons, to which belonged principally the older members of the brotherhood, and losiph Alekseyevitch, in Pierre's opinion,—but he could not share in their pursuits. His heart was not attracted by the mysterious side of Masonry.
In the second category he reckoned himself, and those like himself seekers, inclined to waver, not yet successful in walking the straight and intelligible way of Masonry, but all the time striving to walk in it.
In the third category he placed the brethren and they formed the majority who saw in Freemasonry nothing but superficial formalities and ceremonies, and who insisted on the strenuous fulfillment of these external forms, caring nothing for their real essence and significance. Such were Villarski, and even the Grand Master of the Supreme Lodge.
In the fourth category, finally, were reckoned also the great mass of the brethren, and especially those who had been recently admitted. These were men who, according to Pierre's observation, believed nothing, and desired nothing, and entered the brotherhood simply for the sake of bringing themselves into intimate relations with rich young men endowed with influential connections, of whom there were many in the lodges.
Pierre began to feel dissatisfied with his activity. Masonry, at least Masonry such as he knew it in Russia, it sometimes seemed to him, was founded on mere formalities. He did not dream of doubting Masonry itself, but he was persuaded that Russian Freemasonry was on the wrong track, and had turned aside from its first principles. And. therefore, toward the end of the year, Pierre went abroad to become initiated in the highest mysteries of the order."

Have We Forgotten - Masonic Alchemy

Have We Forgotten?


Its funny how sometimes when your researching something totally different Freemasonry pops up. Below is just that type of article. The italic is the article written by the author, the bold is my notes. Enjoy!

“To raise the evanescent man to a state of perfection enjoyed by the permanent ideal man is the great Arcanum, which cannot be learned in books. It is the great secret that may be understood by a child, but will for ever be incomprehensible to him who, living entirely in the realm of his dreams, has no power to grasp it. The attainment of a higher consciousness is the Magnum opus, the great work, of which the Alchemists said that thousands of years may be required to perform it, but that it may also be accomplished in a moment, even by a woman while engaged in spinning.”
In my humble opinion the author’s idea of the perfected state is somewhat akin to “Divine Union”, pre-ego (understood by a child). When one is living in the realm of dreams they are living in the world of the uncontrolled mind, a mind that is either reaching to an illusionary future or stuck in a by gone past, an unaware condition. The Magnum Opus being unification of man with god, unification of the limited with the unlimited, although a Buddhist very rarely uses the word God think nirvana.
I just love the metaphor of a woman engaged in spinning, total present awareness, no past no future, just now.

“They looked upon the human mind as being a great alembic, in which the contending forces of the emotions may be purified by the heat of holy aspirations and by a supreme love of truth. They gave instructions how the soul of mortal man may be sublimated and purified from earthly attractions, and its immortal parts be made living and free. The purified elements were made to ascend to the supreme source of law, and descended again in showers of snowy whiteness, visible to all, because they rendered every act of life holy and pure. They taught how the base metals — meaning the animal energies in man—could be transformed into the pure gold of true spirituality, and how, by attaining spiritual knowledge and spiritual life, souls could have their youth and innocence restored and is rendered immortal.”
Such a beautiful passage!! Release from the bondage of cravings, ignorance, and delusion.

“Their truths shared the fate of other truths; they were misunderstood and rejected by the ignorant, who continually clamor for truth and reject it when it is offered, and ridiculed by fools. Theology and Masonry have—each in its own manner—continued the teachings of the Alchemists, and fortunate is the Mason or the priest who spiritually understands that which he teaches. But of such true disciples there are only few.”
Here we find the “stone the builders rejected.”

“The systems in which the old truths have been embodied are still in existence, but the cold hands of Sophistry and Materialism have been laid upon the outward forms, and from the interior the spirit has fled. "
The opposite of materialism is idealism. Idealism suggests that there is no material substance and that everything that seems to exist is a product of thought and consciousness.

“Doctors and clergymen see only the outward form, and not the hidden mystery that called these forms into existence. The key to the inner sanctuary has been lost by those that were entrusted with its keeping, and the true password has not been rediscovered by the followers of Hiram Abiff.”
If this statement were true I would think that Masonry has lost its way, but I don’t. I tend to believe that Freemasonry is still a path that is viable to those that understand the allegories and symbolism. Remember the secret of the Philosopher's Stone enabled a man's soul to attain unity with the divine spirit.

“The riddle of the Egyptian Sphinx still waits for a solution, and will be revealed to none unless he becomes strong enough to discover it himself.”
But the true Word still lives. The light of truth still shines deep into the interior world of man, and sends its divine influence down into the valleys, and wherever the doors and windows are open to receive it, there will it dispel the darkness, rendering men and women conscious of their own godlike attributes and guiding them on the road to perfection, until, when all their struggles have ceased and the law has been restored, they will find permanent happiness in the realization of the highest universal ideal, their own divine self“…Magic white and black, or, The science of finite and infinite life
By Franz Hartmann

1. Know that All is One.
2. Know that everything is Thyself.
3. Know that the One in a state of vibration produces the great multiplicity of forms and activities in the Universe. 4. Know that if you examine this multiplicity from the standpoint of your intellectual reasoning, you will arrive at the following deductions:
5. Everything that you call " Life," "Energy," " Substance,” is a Duality.
6. Everything has a tendency to return to Unity.
7. All desire and therefore all suffering originates from duality.
8. Let thy aspiration be for enlightenment.
9. Know that the result of the joys experienced by the attainment of enlightenment is happiness.
10. Rise above the state of condensation.
11. Know that the result of the joys experienced in the state of condensation is suffering.
12. On the road from Unity in motion to tranquility is the state of condensation. It is the cause of your illusions, because you imagine it to be tranquility; and it is the cause of your doubts, because you regard it as the object of your desires. Know that the striving after the unification of the duality is the only source of your will, your desires, and of those joys whose results you call "suffering.”
13. Know that the door for the solution of that which is fixed is what is called "Matter.”
14. Know that everything has to pass through that door.
15. Know that the door for the solution of the fixed is also called "Life.”
16. Know that everything has to pass through that door.
17. And that the long sojourn in "Matter" and the interruption of the voyage by "Life" means retardation in the solution of the fixed and procrastination in the unification of the duality.
18. Enforce the practice of the power of that which is solved over that which is condensed.
19. Direct your attention to the consciousness of that which is dissolved over that which is condensed.
20. Carry this consciousness through all the planes of your being.
21. Elevate your whole body to the capacity to think, to hear, and to see.
22. Cause it thereby to become a fit instrument for the use of your self-consciousness of the One and of your self-power (resulting from unification).
23. Conquer the pains resulting there from.
24. When the divine Language is once heard within thy heart - when the King within thy interior has once obtained dominion - when thou hast passed through water and fire, and thy spirit has become the life of thy blood - then you may say: I am, I go, and I remain.
- Franz Hartmann, from Magic, White and Black

The Western Path Towards Enlightenment

Osiris fills the material world with happiness, purity and order, by which the harmony of Nature is maintained. It was said that he died at the autumnal equinox, when the Pleiades rose in the evening, and that he rose to life again in the spring, when vegetation was inspired with new activity.

“Enough is enough,” was the thought that ran through my mind as I read the newest edition of a very popular cerebral minded esoteric philosophical magazine, available only high end bookstores at a ridiculous price, “when am I going to find an article written about my path?”
Even though this enlightening (hint hint) magazine is published in the West, most of the writers teach an Eastern path, often using confusing and mystical Sanskrit words and unsolvable Zen koans as references. Not that I have anything against the great teachings of the East, I just wonder why one of the greatest spiritual paths of the West has been sadly ignored?
Before I re-introduce you to a Western path which parallels the paths of the East, please allow me explain why I think this path is often ignored.
First and foremost it is sadly misunderstood, first by those outside the tradition and sadly to most of those within.
What makes the tradition I have chosen misunderstood by the public is the ancient code of secrecy, a fact of most initiate paths, a secrecy that serves different purposes, none nefarious. Centuries ago in ancient Greece, and later also in Rome, solemn religious celebrations were held in honor of certain gods or goddesses, to which no one was admitted except those initiated and under the vow of secrecy. Violation of the vow meant death. Their purpose was not only to render worship, but to instruct the people in religious observances and by mystic dramas to preserve the traditions connected with the divinity.
In many ways the tradition I follow today mimics the ancient mysteries school, in fact many believe a continuous chain links us to these very same ancient mysteries, a fact I claim no knowledge of. Suffice to say the path of the initiate is usually secretive for protection from the forces of ignorance which I assure you do exist.
I myself prefer to think the tradition I follow is esoteric, a term comes from the Greek "esoteros" or inner, interior. It was applied in the ancient mysteries to those doctrines that were designed for the initiated, in contradiction to those that were imparted to the uninitiated and termed exoteric. The term Esoteric consequently stood for the mysteries and secrets of the Temple that could be known through preparation and timely initiations only. One expression of the motive for secrecy is found in the sayings of Jesus "that men do not cast their pearls before swine.” No offense intended.
Esoteric in the sense in which we employ it, does not imply any purposely concealed truth. All truth is esoteric until one is unfolded to comprehend it.
It is not my intent to justify this code of secrecy, it may be outdated, yet let the reader know that intolerance still exists.

As far as the crux of this my first blog, the Western esoteric path is still alive and well and yet few realize it. Why? Firstly I believe it has become unfashionable because it is misunderstood, and secondly seeking enlightenment from some mysterious monk has become vogue. After all for many Western seekers the religions of their youth has let them down and assume anything associated with Western esoteric traditions are more of the same, a premise that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Let me state from the beginning, and as clear as possible, I am NOT seeking converts.
It is not my intent to show you another mountain to climb, finish your assent on the path you have already chosen. Attempting to climb two mountains at once is but a fool’s game.
If you haven’t chosen a path, choose one, the world could certainly use a few more enlightened individuals.
My purpose is to reintroduce the path I have chosen in a universal manner to my brothers and others, a path of the heart, not the only path but one that deserves recognition, Freemasonry.