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The principal characters around whom Masonry centers are King Hiram of Tyre, King Solomon of Jerusalem, and Hiram Abiff the Master Builder.
History gives but slight information relative to King Hiram of Tyre. It is known that he himself was a Master Builder, and that his home city, the capital of Phoenicia, was embellished with magnificently beautiful buildings erected under his supervision. In fact, the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem is said to have been a duplication of the splendid Temple of Tyre with its two majestic columns symbolical of fire and water. Hiram supplied eighty thousand workmen to labor on the erection of the Jerusalem Temple and also rare cedars from the ancient forests of Lebanon.
King Solomon was the great king of peace and wisdom. The name Solomon means wisdom of the sun. By an early testing such attainment of the young king was proven when he was given permission from on High to ask whatever he would and it would be granted him. He answered, "Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad." Milton Pottinger writes in his book Three Master Masons: "Let us analyze the name of this earthly king who plays so prominent a part in Masonry. The name is divided into three syllables: 'Sol' meaning light; also the name of our sun. 'Om' is the name of God in many of the languages of the World. 'On' is a word that signifies motion. The three words combined signify the Sun-God in motion." King Solomon represents the Path of the Mystic, the way of faith and love centered in the heart.
A recent issue of The New Age Masonic Messenger details an interesting story about Hiram Abiff. The legend tells of a boy who greatly admired his father, watching his sire work in iron and brass and listening to stories of his travels in search of knowledge. To the lad's deep sorrow he lost his wonderful father and became known as "the widow's son." Thereupon he resolved to dedicate his life to an intensive application of that parent's principles. He carried on his work at the home of his mother until he reached manhood. By that time he had become his sire's equal in mechanical ability, and was able to provide financial support for his widowed mother. But he had also acquired a burning desire to travel in foreign countries in search of wisdom and to learn the building secrets. This he did.
After a number of years Hiram Abiff returned to Tyre, where his outstanding ability as a builder attracted widespread attention. Those who came to admire the product of his accomplishments in this field were also impressed by his manner of speaking, and soon regarded him as a practical philosopher. And again, this time as a tribute of respect, he became known as "the widow's son."
When Hiram, King of Tyre, heard of the Builder who used a special technique he had gained in foreign lands, the king sought to become a very personal friend of the widow's son. As a result, King Hiram himself became a very ardent student of the philosophy conveyed to him by Hiram Abiff — a philosophy that Hiram had gained in distant countries through secret ceremonials known as The Mysteries.
Was it any wonder that King Hiram came to regard Hiram the Builder as his own son, and that he took pride in the latter's accomplishments? And was it not natural that King Solomon, when he heard of the wisdom evidenced by a neighboring monarch, should seek to learn the source of it? When Solomon announced that he would build a temple that would excel in splendor, he understood King Hiram's willingness to cooperate in the work and the latter's offer of Hiram Abiff's services. So it is not strange that King Solomon has long been reported to be an adept in the secret lore of The Mysteries.
The name Hiram, a contraction of Khuram, denotes that which is high, noble, up-lifted. The message of all great spiritual allegories remains obscure unless one realizes that each character mentioned represents some phase of attainment to be developed within man himself. For example, King Hiram of Tyre typifies the Occult Path, the path of reason or intellect centered in the mind. King Solomon typifies the Mystic Path, the path of love which is centered in the heart. Hiram Abiff, the Master Builder, is the Christ of Masonry. In him the two paths merge; head and heart function in perfect unity. Hiram Abiff also typifies the Christ principle latent within every candidate. The goal of all degree work is to awaken this Christ principle and bring it into fuller manifestation. Every candidate is a "widow's son" until his powers of head and heart are brought into equilibrium-that is, a harmonious blending of the masculine and feminine forces of spirit within himself.
An ancient masonic legend relates that Hiram Abiff wished his supreme and final labor in Solomon's Temple to be the building of the molten sea. This magic alloy is formed by the perfect blending of the two potencies of Fire (mind) and Water (heart). Before it was completed, however, some of King Solomon's workmen spoiled the shining mixture by an over-addition of water. Thus it is that every builder continues to be known as a widow's son because the forces of head and heart have not yet been brought into a completely harmonious equilibrium.
The molten sea is but another name for the Golden Wedding Garment, the garment with which every illumined candidate must be clothed before he is worthy to attend the Marriage Feast and stand in the presence of the Bridegroom. This Marriage Feast will be observed in all its glory and wonder in the upper ethertic realms. St. Paul has stated that we must be ready "to meet the Lord in the air." Today the world is rife with stories of space travel and of visiting other planets. The poet has well said that "coming events cast their shadow before." This mundane space travel is but a reflection of the spiritual glory which will mark the culmination of the coming air age, when man shall be found worthy to meet the Christ in high ethertic realms and reign with Him and His hosts of Angels and Archangels.
Every illumined candidate who has earned for himself the powers conferred by the Master's Degree should have created for himself this Golden Wedding Garment, this soul-body of light, and be able to pass at will into the higher ethertic realms. In masonic parlance, he should have earned a "Master's Wages" and be able to "travel in foreign countries."
The Third or Master's Degree has been called the "Accolade of Masonry," for a candidate passing through this Rite should have earned the powers and abilities of true mastership. A candidate to the Master's Degree is permitted to use all the tools of the two previous Degrees plus an additional one, the trowel, symbolic of the cohesive power of love. This is the ultimate power of life, for mastership can be achieved only as love becomes the motivation of the candidate's every thought, word and act.
The legends about Hiram Abiff bring in a wonderful new element apropos of the above. It states that he induced the two kings with whom he was working to promote a personal bond of affection between themselves and the laborers. Hiram Abiff himself taught his fellow workers the secrets of mechanical skills from a keen desire to help them and to promote in them a greater appreciation of labors done to the best of one's ability. It is noteworthy that two kings agreed to cooperate in the new ideal of respect for the dignity of those who labor.
The symbolic death of Hiram, the masonic Christ, is also interestingly significant.
While he was working upon the "divine plan" drawn upon his tracing board for the emulation of the craftsmen, he was attacked by three derelict members of the Fellow-Craft. One of the ruffians struck him across the throat with a twenty-four inch gauge, the measurement of time. The throat, center of speech, can never develop beyond the imminence of death so long as time is wasted in idle, frivolous talk or the force is wasted in cruel and bitter words of criticism and hatred. The second ruffian struck him over the heart with a square. The heart is the love center of the human body-temple while the square represents the feminine pole of spirit through which love manifests. Man's terrestrial body can never be exchanged for a celestial (Master Initiate) so long as lust supersedes love. The third ruffian struck a blow upon Hiram's forehead with a gavel.
The path of masonic illumination is that of spiritualizing or Christing the mind. This is never accomplished without the development of self control (symbolized by the gavel).
Early the following morning King Solomon visited the Temple and found the workmen in a state of confusion because no plans had been formulated for the day's work. Fearing some evil had befallen the Master Builder, the king sent twelve Fellow-Craftsmen to search for him. Three journeyed toward the north, three toward the south, three toward the west, and three toward the east. After long and weary searching, Hiram's body was discovered by the candidate who carried a sprig of acacia, symbol of eternal life.
Stellar science has always been sacred to those who understand its true meaning. The sacred science of the stars has always been an important part of the curriculum in every Mystery School, both ancient and modern. There are twelve divisions in the heavens, each of them under the guidance in one of the twelve zodiacal Hierarchies. These divisions are again divided into four triplicities: Earth, Air, Fire and Water, each triplicity composed of three signs.
Across the glittering highway of the heavens, in all their radiant splendor and beauty, shine twelve glorious fixed stars of the first magnitude. They are Aldeberan, Rigel, Betelgeuze, Sirius, Procyon, Regulus, Spica, Arcturus, Antares, Vega, Altair and Formalhaut, each one a beacon of the eternal Light. It is man's spiritual destiny to find this Light in the course of his many earthly pilgrimages; Pottinger alludes to this where he writes: "Ancient Masonry admitted twelve original points, which constitute the basis of the entire system, and without which no person ever was or can be legally . received into the fraternity. Underneath these twelve points are buried twelve sublime mysteries; and he who discovers them will see for himself how beautifully letters and words conceal yet reveal. Every candidate is obliged to pass through all the essential forms and ceremonies, otherwise his initiation would not be legal."
Every year at the time of the Autumnal Equinox the Sun descends, or has its "fall" into Libra, passing from the light and life of summer into the darkness and death of winter. Mackey, t.he famed masonic historian, writes that every well informed Mason knows what an important part the symbolization of the
Sun plays in the ceremonialism of Free Masonry. The Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, represents the Sun. He was slain at the time of the Autumnal Equinox, when the Sun descends below the equator into the darkness of winter. This is the time of the cosmic crucifixion.
Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius, the three signs through which the Sun in its passage decreases in light, correlate to the three ruffians who take part in the death ritual of Hiram Abiff, the Sun. Each of them strikes a blow as the day-star is increasingly shorn of light and power. It is also significant that there are three stars in the constellation of Libra whose names are similar to those of the three ruffians in the masonic legend. These stars form a triangle, one pointing to the south, one to the west, and one to the east. The names of these stars will be recognized as cryptic derivatives of the names assigned to the ruffians: Jubelo, Jubela and Jubelum.
At the time of the Winter Solstice the Sun lies buried beneath a "heap of rubbish," the dying and decaying products of nature. Only the evergreen trees acclaim triumphantly that death is but transition, and that life is eternal.
Hiram is buried at low twelve, the season of the Winter Solstice when the Sun reaches the lowest point in its southernmost declination. The three craftsmen journeying toward the south represent the signs of Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. The three who go to the east discover the sprig of acacia, symbol of the resurrection at the season of the Spring Equinox — the time when the Sun passes from the southern to the northern hemisphere and into the sign Aries, place of new beginnings. This is a season of beauty and rejoicing. All nature is bedecked in robes of softest green, the color of resurrected life.
King Solomon himself accompanies the three who journey toward the east in further search for the body of the slain Master. This quest is represented by the Sun's ascent through the signs Aries, Taurus and Gemini. Hiram is discovered and raised by the strong grip of the Lion's Paw at the Summer Solstice, when the Sun reaches its northernmost point and the earth comes into the full splendor of the midsummer floodtide of beauty.
Thus, in the heavens each year is re-enacted the mighty drama of the crucifixion and resurrection. The heavens both conceal and reveal the type-pattern of man's liberation. The first Bible was written in the glory light of the heavens. As one ponders upon these truths he begins to understand the deep significance of the wisdom saying that the stars contain an anticipated biography of man. During these four seasonal turning points of the year man receives replenishment of spiritual force. Mackay states further than when Masons understand and attune their lives to these eternal verities they will no longer be content to regard their lodge as a social club or a charitable organization. Instead, it will be a lamp unto their feet and a light shining through their lives.
After the three ruffians were found, King Solomon permitted them to choose the manner of their own execution. The first wished his body to be thrown into the sea; the second asked that his body be burned; the third wanted his exposed to the birds of the air. Water symbolizes the emotions; fire, the desire or passional nature; air, the mind. When the emotions are unbridled and the desire nature uncontrolled, and they are linked with the lower or instinctive mortal mind, they always bring about self-destruction.
When the final letters of the names of the three ruffians are added together, they spell AUM, the name of Divinity in various religions. "As above, so below." The highest, when perverted, resolves into degeneration and decay; the lowest, when lifted up, points toward immortality. This is well exemplified in the lives of John and Judas, two Disciples of the Christ. Judas is symbolic of the misused Leo love nature that leads to self-destruction. John typifies the Scorpio life force which, when raised or transmuted, opens the door to conscious continuity of life.
The climax of the beautiful masonic allegory of Hiram Abiff is the finding of the Master's body by the illumined candidate who bears in his hand a sprig of acacia, emblem of immortality. Herein is concealed the highest meaning of Easter. The illumined candidate is one who, by his ability to function on inner planes, has first-hand knowledge that death is but transition for life is continuous, eternal. Such knowledge has been the glorious heritage of Initiates down through the ages. In Egyptian Mysteries was heard the triumphal chant "Death is swallowed up in light." And when St. Paul attained this high state of consciousness he likewise sang "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" This is the consciousness that should condition every candidate who passes through the Third or Master's degree. Only as he develops it is he worthy to partake of the Master's Banquet.
It is well to note that high spiritual experiences as recorded in the Bible are often likened to a feast, although this does not necessarily imply the serving of actual food. If a group of dedicated candidates were suddenly aware of the Christ presence in their midst, the emanation of His benediction and blessing, and the power released through His words and the touch of His hand, would be to them as a spiritual feast no words could describe. The participants would then comprehend the deep significance of His statement that "I have meat to eat that ye know not of."
Milton Pottinger was a true mystic, a true esoteric Mason. The following quotation taken from his writings is most meaningful in relation to the Master's Banquet: "Their meal at its beginning was indeed a sorrowful one. His appearance among them was the turning of sorrow into rejoicing; and the meal that was begun in grief and tears was finished in joy and gladness and was well worthy the name of the Master's Banquet.
"When the Masonic Fraternity comes to recognize the Masonic Banquet as a symbol of the banquet in the little upper room, when the world's Master Masons demonstrated the power of the word, there will be no telling of humorous stories nor diverting conditions to detract from the divine teachings of the Degree.
"Masons who take advantage of the banquet table to relate cloudy stories and turn the occasion into one of frivolity show their utter ignorance of the true teachings of Masonic symbols."
The raising of the feminine force of love from an emotion into a power is but vaguely comprehended by the average aspirant. Deeply symbolic is the hieroglyph representative of Hiram's tomb: a broken column with the form of a woman weeping above it. A figure personifying Time stands behind her with his hand uplifted in blessing upon her. So marked is the meaning of this symbol that many Masons declare it has no place in their rites. This, however, cannot affect its significance. Woman continues to weep over the injustices perpetrated by men in man's world. Father Time waits to bestow his blessing in some coming age — not upon a broken and inferior feminine column but upon the two columns standing together in perfect polarity with man and woman passing hand in hand between them, thus restoring to Masonry the beauty and power of the Ancient Mysteries and revealing the true meaning and purpose of mastership.
— Corinne Heline
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