Masonic Education - The Lily

The plant so frequently mentioned in the Old Testament under the name of lily, as an emblem of purity and peace, was the lotus lily of Egypt and India. It occupies a conspicuous place among the ornaments of the Temple furniture. The brim of the molten sea was wrought with flowers of the lotus; the chapiters on the tops of the pillars at the porch, and the tops of the pillars themselves, were adorned with the same plant. Sir Robert Ker Porter, describing a piece of sculpture which he found at Persepolis, says

Almost every one in this procession holds in his hand a figure like the lotus. This flower was full of meaning among the ancients and occurs all over the East. Egypt, Persia, Palestine, and India present it everywhere over their architectures in the hands and on the heads of their sculptured figures, whether in statue or in bas-relief. We also find it in the sacred vestments and architecture of the tabernacle and Temple of the Israelites.

The lily which is mentioned by our Savior, as an image of peculiar beauty and glory, when comparing the works of nature with the decorations of art, was a different dower probably a species of lilium. This is also represented in all pictures of the salutation of Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, and, in fact, has been held in mysterious veneration by people of all nations and times. It is the symbol of divinity, of purity, and abundance, and of a love most complete in perfection, charity, and benediction; as in Holy Scripture, that mirror of purity, Susanna is defined Susa, which signified the lily flower, the chief city of the Persians, bearing that name for excellency.

Hence, the lily's three leaves in the arms of France meaneth Piety, Justice, and Charity." so far, the general impression of a peculiar regard to this beautiful and fragrant Sower; but the early Persians attached to it a peculiar sanctity. We must not, however, forget the difference between the lotus of the Old Testament and the lily of the New. The former is a Masonic plant; the latter is scarcely referred to. Nevertheless, through the ignorance of the early translators as to sacred plants, the lotus is constantly used for the lily; and hence the same error has crept into the Masonic instructions.
- Source: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

sent in by W.M. Wilson Revelle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Few Words About Our Degree Work

Two email letters that I received from Brothers Mike Poll and Bobby Barth about the Master Mason’s Degree on February 27, a most impressive degree! Reprinted with their permission -kkueck

Dear Brothers,
I just wanted to write something about last night's Lodge meeting - actually the MM degree part of the meeting.. If we break it down even further, I really wanted to write about just one aspect of the degree. It was the music provided by W. Bro. Bobby Barth that I wanted to talk about. For those who were present, I would like you to think about last night and remove everything from your minds except the music. Beautiful, right? Not only did it sound wonderful, but didn't it make you feel something? I know that I felt something.
Masonry is tied to the old Mystery Schools because we do not admit members, we initiate candidates. It is our method of initiation that sets us apart from worthy charitable organizations or civic clubs. One of the great problems that I have with the "one-day" classes is that the candidate loses out on what makes Masonry so very special - the initiation. In these large classes, the candidate is reduced to only being part of the audience watching a play. He is not initiated by any sense or proper understanding of initiation. So, what is initiation?
The old Initiatic Orders and Societies, from which our present day Masonry borrowed so much, had a clear formula for "proper initiation." They knew that initiation was a means to reach in and touch that "something" inside a worthy candidate and help him open a "door" through which he could pass - if he so desired. It was to help candidates reach higher levels of existence - to take something less and make it better. They knew that if any hope of having a proper initiation was to be expected, certain elements had to be present. If we boil everything down to the most simple manner, they knew that 3 things were absolutely necessary for a "proper initiation." They knew that there had to be present a desire to initiate, a desire to be initiated and the proper setting. If the ones giving the initiation were not truly interested, or if the one being initiated was not truly interested or if the setting of the initiation was not proper then the initiation would probably not be valid. The "door" would probably not be opened for the candidate. It is pretty clear what it means to have the desire to initiate. This means that the ones doing the initiation must have a sincere desire to do their job to the best of their abilities. They must understand what initiation means and wish to do all in their power to initiate. The same goes for the one being initiated. Obviously, if he does not really care about the initiation, then he probably will get very little out of the experience. But what does it mean to have the proper setting?
Those old Orders and Societies which are said to be part of the Mystery Schools, knew that in order for an initiation to have a sound chance of success required that the mood of the ceremony had to be one that was solemn, impressive and uplifting. Everything was designed to teach and place the candidate in a mood or situation where he could best appreciate what was happening to him. Music was one of the elements that was vital to setting the proper mood.
Just as we should all know that an initiation is a most serious event which should be very well rehearsed, void of laughter, cutting up, side-line chats or disorganized running about, we should also know the great importance of music in setting the proper mood for the degrees. I believe we all owe a great deal of thanks to W. Bro. Bobby for contributing such a vital service to the lodge and the candidates last night.
Fraternally, Michael R. Poll, PM - Germania Lodge #46 - New Orleans, LA

W. Bro. Bobby’s response:

Thanks for the kind words Mike, I would pass this on to all the bro's , but my computer won't let me. One thing I wanted to bring up, and this might make me unpopular, but in line with what you were saying about the impact on the candidate.
Lodges have a tendency to slowly, over time, fall into some bad habits during degree work, not just our lodge, but all of them. We need to remind each other that the purpose for the degree is to impress upon the candidate the power of the degree. When done properly, I have seen men in tears from the beauty of it. We must remember that chatter among officers or side liners is instant death to the mood and solemn nature of the degree. As our man sits or lies quietly, nervous and at times unable to see, he is looking inward, trying to understand the meaning of the degree and possibly his life. Nothing breaks that mood more than hearing " Where did you put the gloves" or "No, you're supposed to stand there" or "Have you talked to Earlene lately", anything but total silence is improper.
Sadly, most of us are aging and losing a bit of our hearing and have no idea how loud those comments can be, but I assure you all that they damage the degree much more than a forgotten word or phrase by the degree team. We have a tendency to over act many of the movements, stomping our feet. etc. It's just not necessary, it has far more impact if we are silent and respectful. As some of you know, both my wife and I have spent many years in the entertainment business, onstage, television and movies, by far the toughest lesson I ever learned, is that "less is more" We must remember that we do this for the candidate, not for ourselves, he should walk away with his heart touched and not the memory of people disagreeing loudly or laughing at each other as though it was a junior high play. The work is there, we have no need to try to "improve" it. I mean no disrespect to anyone in bringing this up, especially the officers who work so hard learning the work, they do a wonderful and thankless job, but, we are all guilty. I am reminded of my first 3 degrees and how powerful they were for me, and truth be known, I didn't know anyone was in the room except when they wanted me too.
We can do better, and we should discuss trying to do just that. If we are not trying to improve, we have forgotten what we learned in our degrees, and I know that none of us would never do anything on purpose, to detract from the power of those lessons. Again, thanks for the kind words, I am always there to help. Your Brother – Bobby Barth P.M. - pass this on if you wish