The title of my talk tonight, brethren, is "Masonry as a Mystery. Masonry is, in reality, many, many things. It is, on the surface, a fraternity, a brotherhood, where men can commune with each other as friends. It is an institution that encourages high moral conduct, leadership, and good works. It is an opportunity to engage in meaningful rituals that date back to the dawn of history.
Yet all of these functions—fellowship, moral development, leadership, community service, ritual work—are fulfilled by numerous other nonmasonic clubs, organizations and institutions such as The Lion's Club, Rotary, Kiwanis Club, IOOF, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Moose, Elks, Ethnic Clubs, Hose Companies, and, of course, all religious organizations. Is Freemasonry different from all of these organizations? What makes us unique?
I would like to suggest that what makes us unique is that Masonry is a genuine, bona fide mystery school. The fundamental purpose of mystery schools is to provide instruction, through ritual and allegory, on recognizing our divine nature and achieving complete union with God. All mystery schools teach that we are divine beings, but have all fallen, that is, separated from God and our true nature, by becoming trapped or enslaved in the material world, consumed by earthly passions. The Fall of Adam and Eve is an allegory describing each and every one of us.
Now, a person who falls from a great height will break his bones, and will need to be mended—put back together. Because we have fallen from God, we also need mending. The word religion ("re-ligare") means "binding back." We say that Masonry is not a religion per se, but is religious in nature. Did you ever consider wheat that means? Craft Masonry does not present itself as purely Christian, for genuine mystery schools transcend all religions and nationalities. St. Paul says in Colossians 3:11 , "there is neither- Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all," and in I Corinthians 3;3 he exhorts us to be free from strife and division. Jesus also forbade sectarianism, saying, "Do not. forbid him, for he who is not against us is for us" (Luke 9:50).
Masonry is religious, however, in that it describes how to repair our broken selves. The allegory of the building of King Solomon’s Temple, with its destruction and re-building (as described in Royal Arch Masonry) symbolizes the building or reconstruction of our spiritual bodies, of regaining our lost divine natures.
How do we know that Masonry is a mystery school? According to scholars, the ancient mystery schools differed in detail, but contained three characteristic features common to all of them. Let us see if Masonry shares those three features.
The first feature is a ceremonial, symbolic death and rebirth of the new initiate by acting out the part of the school’s founder. And indeed, all Master Masons act out the part of Hiram Abiff. Of course Hiram himself plays the same role as Jesus in Christianity, or of any other of the founders of the world’s great religions. As stated in Colossians 2:12, the initiate is, "buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him."
The second feature of mystery schools is a set of sacraments or rituals consisting of three stages. The first is purification, Sometimes this takes the form of sprinkling water; sometimes it refers to moral purification. Consider, my brethren, the tools, lessons, and admonitions given to the Entered Apprentice. The candidate for this degree is said to desire light more than anything. The Masonic term "Lewis" (son of a Mason) refers to the birth of the divine light in one’s self. The word Lewis itself derives from the Eleusis (place of the Eleusinian mysteries and other Greek terms for light. The second stage is illumination. In our Fellowcraft degree we mention the seven liberal arts. The original purpose of these arts can be seen in the root libertas; the liberal arts were designed to liberate or free the soul from the defects and illusions of matter. The third stage is contemplation. In the third degree of Masonry, we are required to contemplate what it means to be a Master Mason. Hopefully, we discover that a true Master Mason is master of himself, rising above the wild passions of lesser-developed men.
The third feature of the mystery schools is the revelation of Gnosis soterias, or secret knowledge of salvation. There are numerous references to this hidden wisdom in the New Testament. Originally I planned to cite them all, but found that there are simply too many. I had never realized how much Biblical material is relevant to Masonry until I looked! Perhaps that is why Brother George Lines so fervently instructs new Masons to read their Bibles!
"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rules of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (I Corinthians 2: 6-9)
"Let a man so consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." (I Corinthians 4:1)
"I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to full the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations but now has been revealed to his saints." (Colossians 1:25-26)
"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." (I Corinthians 15:51-52).
And you can also read the entire chapter 3 of Ephesians.
Do we have secret knowledge in Freemasonry? Evidently, for in our oath and obligation we are admonished to conceal and never reveal any part or parts, point or points, of the secret art and mystery of Freemasonry. Many of us think this refers to the secret grips and passwords. Certainly we should, as a matter of self-discipline, not bandy these about in public. However, they are not really secret. They are right here in print in Duncan’s Ritual, for example.
The real hidden wisdom concerns the secrets of salvation, and these are not open to any person. Jesus has said, "It is given unto you to know the mysteries of heaven, but to them it is not" (Matthew 13:11) and "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces" (Mathew 7:6). There is a genuine danger in sharing powerful knowledge with those who are not ready far it and would abuse it. That is why we investigate prospective candidates and ballot upon them.
How are we to find this hidden wisdom in the Lodge? It is not easy. Jesus says that we must strive to enter through a very straight and narrow gate. The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, likewise has said to see the Tao, one must walk through a gate of mysteries, mysteries upon mysteries.
"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The named is the mother of ten thousand things.
Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.
Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.
These two spring from the same source but differ in name; this appears as darkness.
Darkness within darkness.
The gate to all mystery." [translation of Chapter 1 of Tao Teh Ching by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English].
The first step, however, is clear "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock, and it will be open unto you."