This work on Mystic Masonry began with a study of esoteric architecture. It seems fitting that it be concluded with a related exposition of this same subject.
The esoteric Mason understands that the highest ideal of Masonry is the building.of that temple not made with hands, but which is eternal in the heavens. It consists in the Great Work of perfecting and spiritualizing the body-temple wherein abides the living God, the indwelling spirit. The student of mystic Masonry also understands that the inner meaning concealed beneath the magnificent ceremonialism of the various degrees symbolize the processes whereby the candidate qualifies himself for receiving the "Master's wages" which enable him to "travel in foreign countries."
The ancients included architecture among the sacred arts because they recognized something of its sacred origin.
In that far-off time known biblically as the First Creative Day, and among esotericists as the Saturn Period, architecture had its origin. Among the first lessons given to mankind-in-the-making was that of building forms. It was also at this time that he received the germ of the dense physical body. The study of architecture or form building was under the direction of the Hierarchy of Scorpio, the Lords of Form, who hold the cosmic pattern of all forms that exist on earth.
This creative Hierarchy was assisted in its work by the Hierarchy of Leo, the Lords of Love. In this connection it is significant to note that King Solomon's Temple was constructed in accordance with the basic pattern of man's body-temple and that all the workmen engaged in its building were under the direction of the two tribes of Dan and Judah that come under the hierarchical jurisdiction of Scorpio and Leo respectively.
All the world's Sacred Scriptures and Mystery Teachings take man for their principal theme. In some Mystery Temples of old a mannikin was placed on the altar, not, as some would suppose, out of paganism that elevated man to a station where he displaced God the Creator, but from a recognition of the truth that God's highest manifestation on earth is man, and that man can know only as much of God as may be discerned in his external expression in nature, the highest member of which on this physical plane is man himself. Made in the image and likeness of God, his earthly incarnations provide the means by which he gradually brings that divine pattern into concrete manifestation. In the Bible, life's supreme textbook, the story of man and his ever ascending path toward perfection is delineated with spiritually scientific accuracy as well as in the form of various parables, symbols and legends — from the opening chapters of Genesis to the final scenes of Revelation.
The principal work of architecture is to bring about a harmonious relationship between the verticle (masculine) and the horizontal (feminine) lines of force in their interaction throughout all nature. With the completion of this work a perfect balance or equilibrium is attained. It is then that the structure stands harmonious in proportion, beautiful in outline, quiescent and serene like some tangible benediction. This same law applies also to the building of man's Initiate body, that immortal vessel in which the spirit may pass unharmed and unperturbed through all the elements of Fire, Air, Water and Earth. It is the building of this vehicle which forms the summun bonum of all man's earthly efforts and aspirations. St. Paul describes this vehicle as the body celestial. One of the first lessons given the disciple when he enters upon the disciplines that lead to Initiation is that the laws that are found in architecture are also applicable to the body of man.
The establishment of a balance between the two contrary forces, the vertical and the horizontal, the masculine and the feminine, lies at the heart of the quest of the Mystic Mason. From the time he enters the Apprentice Degree in the Quest of Light until he attains to the end of that Quest in the sublimity of the Thirty-second Degree, this perfect consummation is known as the completion of the great White Work.
The earth and its humanity now stand upon the threshold of a new age in which the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man are to become glorious realities. The fundamental keynotes of this new day will be universal unity and world-wide peace. The rhythms of this new age will transform and glorify all the arts including architecture. It is then that every vertical and horizontal, every column and architrave, will unite in the exultant song that God is, and that man is made in His image and likeness. In this new day the sublime symbolism of Masonry will be better understood, and the innate spiritual powers inherent and concealed therein will be liberated for the benefit of the earth and all its progeny. Masons, when spiritually awakened, become true mystic builders of the new age and pioneers of the new age in preparing the way for the second coming of the Lord Christ.
As the number three figures prominently in masonic ceremonialism, three colors are in conspicuous use. There is white which symbolizes purity and regeneration; black, the symbol of darkness and death; and blue, the color of spirit. The first three masonic Degrees outline the path from darkness to light, hence they bear the name, The Blue Lodge. As an illumined soul has observed, when the disciple is ready to see all Nature as a vast Book of Symbols, then will all life become a Sacrament.
The profound truth underlying Masonry is Polarity or Equilibrium. The harmony resulting from resolving contraries into complimentaries as interpreted by many sages, including that prominent Masonic illuminator, Albert Pike, has been known down through the ages. Its importance and transforming effects have, however, been generally unrecognized by the masses, hence nations have risen and fallen, civilizations have flourished and declined. How different would have been world history if mankind had been centered and stabilized in the basic truth embodied in the term Polarity! The two columns in equilibrium, of which Seth and Enoch taught, and which adorned the Temples of Hercules, of Samson and of Solomon, also proclaimed this truth but to an uncomprehending world. Polarity, in simple language, means harmony between the masculine and feminine poles in nature and in man, which again means perfect equality between man and woman. It is this state of equilibrium that will give stability, harmony and fruitfulness to a civilization and eventually establish universal peace in the world. That this long sought for goal will be greatly advanced in the new Aquarian Age is indicated in the pictorial symbol of Aquarius, the sign governing the New Age, which is an androgynous figure embodying the features of both man and woman.
The human body-temple bears witness to the law of polarity. In the earlier stages of man's development the body was androgynous. Separation into the sexes came later. In the distant future the masculine and feminine forces will again be equally incorporated in the human form. This is how an eminent mystic has described the signature of polarity in man's present body: "The human temple, as does the building of the architect, follows the lines of natural beauty and depends upon the proper subordination of the parts to the whole and the harmonious inter-relationship between these parts. This harmonious relationship is exemplified in the polarity of the two sides or parts. An 'inevitable duality' exists throughout the body in both structure and motion. Two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two lips, hands to hands, feet to feet, in one body, grooms and brides." In the words of the Psalmist, man is indeed 'fearfully and wonderfully made."
States a profound modern mystic: "In periods of mystical enlightenment, men have used the human figure, the spirit's temple, as an archetype for sacred edifices. The greatest architects say that all sacred buidlings should be founded upon the proportions of the human body. Architecture is highest when it is most nearly human."
Milton Pottinger, an eminent masonic authority, states that "there is an ancient legend in connection with the building of King Solomon's Temple, which relates that all the stones and timbers that were used were prepared in the quarries and forests of Lebanon, transported to Joppa on the seacoast, and then floated to the temple, where they were fitted into place without any further cutting, hewing or shaping. So perfectly were the materials prepared that the various parts fitted together without the sound of any metal tool being heard.
"This is simply a Masonic kindergarten story, stating the labors of the soul during the nine months of gestation, for the materials that enter into the formation of the human foetus are floated to it through the umbilical cord, and the work of building is done from within.
"Pure arterial blood from the mother's heart is sent through this umbilical cord to the builder, the soul, which works in secret and not having mortal eyes in darkness, erecting a physical temple for its future habitation, and the materials are fitted into place by the supreme power of love."
In order to understand more fully the marvels of the human temple in its relation to masonic architectural patterns, it will be helpful to note the correspondence between the descent of the spirit into physical embodiment and the down-pouring of fire from heaven upon Solomon's completed temple in Jerusalem.
The adventures of the human spirit as it descends into earth life are threefold. The first adventure is conception, which may be likened to Masonry's First or Apprentice Degree. In both instances, the soul goes forth in search of added experience from which to garner greater wisdom. The second adventure of the incoming ego occurs during the pre-natal epoch and corresponds to the experience encountered in the second or Fellowship Degree when the candidate comes into direct contact with added measure of inner plane truths and their manifestation in the outer world. The third adventure of the incarnating spirit begins when it takes possession of the physical body and embarks upon an individual existence. This event corresponds to the Third of Master's Degree in Masonry. Rightly understood, this Degree gives mastery over both life and death.
One of the incarnating ego's most important activities during pre-natal development is weaving the silver cord. This cord connects the several vehicles of the threefold body with the mental sheath and the indwelling spirit. It is the cable-tow of Masonry. In man's present stage of evolution this cord is composed of three strands. The masonic cable-tow is likewise tripartite, and must be tied in three places. The portion of the silver cord which connects the physical and the etheric bodies is built by the ego with angelic assistance during the prenatal interval. The second part which connects the etheric and desire bodies is built during childhood, and the third part which connects the astral body and the mental sheath is completed when coming of age at about twenty-one.
The silver cord, like other members of the human body, is fashioned according to the spiritual archetype. Being of a threefold composition it is not easily broken. When severed, the ego can return no more to its physical body, which then dies and returns to the elements out of which it was formed.
The symbolic cable-tow, as used in the Masonic Lodge, always refers to a bond that links either persons or things together. The silver cord binds man's threefold personality, namely, the dense physical body, the etheric body and the desire body to his higher principles. When, as previously stated, the silver cord is severed, the dense physical body dies. Solomon describes this severance in a mystic chant of dissolution in the twelfth chapter of Ecclesiastes, a chant used with solemnity in Masonic Lodges when observing the final rites at a brother's passing: "The almond tree shall flourish and the grasshopper shall be a burden and desire shall fail, because man goeth to his long home and the mourners go about the streets. Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken or the pitcher be broken at the fountain or the wheel be broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." In the words of an unidentified writer, "the wonders of the human body have their outline in the sciences of Numbers, Music and Architecture."
Among the most important of masnoic symbols are the two pillars or columns that stand at the entrance of Masonic Temples, and which adorned the entrance to King Solomon's Temple. These two columns typify polarity, perfect equality between the masculine and feminine forces in nature. It is said that "In strength will God establish His house." That strength comes from these masculine and feminine forces in both man and nature; from a perfect balance between the two. Society at large, a culture, a civilization or a nation is strong and stable to the degree that it establishes such a balance between these fundamental forces which operate through all creation. This being true, it is Libra, the sign of the balance, that points to the New Adam, the New Age man.
In the wondrous mysteries of the human body are found the two columns representing the two complementary forces in nature. These pillars within man are the two nervous systems, namely, the sympathetic or feminine system and the cerebra-spinal or masculine system. As previously noted in this series, the activities of the Masonic Lodge center large in the Jachin, the masculine, column, whereas Boaz, the feminine column, remains inactive. The Masonic Temple in Washington, D. C., Masonry's national headquarters, sets forth this fact architecturally in the two sphinxes before the main entrance, the feminine sphinx having its eyes closed.
In the feminine nervous system (pillar) of the human structure is found the workings of this same analogy. The office and function of the sympathetic system is mostly secretive and hidden, as in digestion, assimilation, etc. Its powers are largely latent. The sensations transmitted by it are not as acute as those of the cerebra-spinal system. Some, however, of the most powerful spiritual centers to be developed in the physical body are connected with this feminine system as the ductless glands; they will blossom forth in full splendor as man enters the new Aquarian Age.
Part of the work of a true initiate is to become conscious of all vital processes, to feel and know what is taking place in all parts of his body at all times, even during sleep, and by such knowing to learn the "arts and crafts of bodybuilding." This is basic to the true harmony whereby man will be able to fashion immortal bodies in which to dwell in the here and now. And it is significant to note that as the human body-temple is perfected through the establishment of polarity between the two nervous systems, so will the New Age herald the establishment on earth of equality between man and woman. Thus the outer will reflect the inner unfoldment.
The sympathetic system consists of a double chain of nerve ganglia on either side of the vertical column. These ganglia extend from the head to the coccyx (lower end of the spine). Seven of these centers are of special importance in relation to the New Age body-temple. They are designated as "the seven flower centers of the body" and they correspond in beauty of color and fragrance to the motif of lilies and pomegranates that adorned the feminine column of Boaz which stood before Solomon's Temple.
The cerebro-spinal system, the masculine pillar, was a later development in body-building. Its most important function was the building of the frontal brain, seat of the reasosoning mind. This is termed the intelligence lobe and it controls the voluntary muscular system in all its many and varied activities. It has been most aptly designated as "the plexus of a thousand branches."
There are seven ventricles in the brain, the spiritual functions of which are little understood. They, too, are largely latent and will not come into the full splendor of their awakening until equilibrium has been established between the two columns of the nervous system, which again points to the wonders of the new cycle of the Aquarian Age. The seven ventricles in the brain bear the same relationship to the cerebra-spinal system that the seven flower centers bear to the sympathetic system. Each represents the supreme development of the system to which it belongs. The seven brain ventricles in their full flowering were represented by the decorative motif of lilies and pomegranates which adorned the masculine column of Jachin as it appeared in the porch of King Solomon's Temple.
This is but a brief outline of the wonders to become manifest in the human body-temple of the future. As we meditate upon the glories of this transfigured vehicle we come into a deeper and increasingly reverent understanding of the true spiritual significance of its conjoined columns. "In strength will God establish His house."
It has been noted that three is the numerical corner-stone of Masonry. Three is a combination of two and one. The third quality is always a new thing, formed by uniting one (masculine) and two (feminine). By means of complete equilibrium between these masculine and feminine factors a third or new factor is the glorious product. Union of the masonic columns of Strength and Wisdom begets the third column of Beauty, which becomes the principal support of the Holy of Holies. The famous cathedral builders used this principle strikingly by placing at what they termed the "crossing" (merging or blending of the two forces) of the two great tower-columns an architectural motif (dome or third tower) that was more ornate and elaborate than the other two.
This fundamental masonic principle finds its reflection in the human temple also. The spinal cord is divided into three sections which combine to enclose a hollow tube. The two nerve ganglia rising on either side of the tube belong to the cerebra and sympathetic systems; these ganglia are both positive and negative. The Ida (left nerve ganglia) is feminine and luminous like the Moon. The Pingala (right ganglia) is masculine and brilliant like the Sun. These conjoin to add increased lustre to the magic spinal Spirit Fire which ascends through the central tube or canal.
In Egyptian Masonry the degrees were truly esoteric. For a candidate to be raised from one to another meant for him to receive real initiateship power. A seven year interval of preparation was required between each of the three fundamental degrees. With initiation into the Apprenticeship Degree the forces of Pingala were awakened and "raised." At the culmination of the third cycle of seven years came the Master Degree wherein these two forces were conjoined with the ascending Spirit Fire and the candidate became a Sun of the Morning in possession of the Master's wages which enabled him to "travel at will in foreign countries." With the final stage of "raising" the powerful threefold force — that of the Ida, the Pingala and the Spirit Fire — the head becomes indeed the Holy of Holies of the body-temple. It forms a gleaming triangle of light which encloses the third eye or pineal gland. Herein we may discover the occult origin of the well known masonic symbol of the All-seeing Eye enclosed within a triangle.
And finally, at the end of this Cosmic Day, when the body-temple shall allow the highest degree of perfection possible within the limitation of form, the threefold force will still be centered in the masonic principle of polarity, the union of one and two and the development from their amalgamation of the three on a higher scale of expression. This transformation will occur through the union of the two great columns of the body-temple, the two nervous systems. From their blending or marriage will be evolved another spinal cord. Thus man will again become androgynous. God in manifestation is male-female. Man, made in the image and likeness of God, must also manifest as masculine-feminine.
In all its magnificent ceremonialism, esoteric Masonry points toward the exaltation of the divine feminine as its supreme goal. This will be verified in the human body-temple as the sympathetic system (latent, inferior, feminine) is transformed and finds its highest expression in a second spinal cord. Astrologically, the functions of the sympathetic and cerebro-spinal systems, now under the direction of Mars, Venus, Mercury and the Moon, will be taken over by the Sun, Uranus, Neptune and Vulcan and produce the perfected body-temple of the coming superman.
Here is given only a brief resume. Between the two spinal cords there will be three connecting bridges of light formed of transmuted creative substance. The first will be in the sacral plexus at the end of the spine and will correlate with the First or Apprentice Degree, the keynote of which is purity through self-control. The second bridge will connect through the larynx and will correlate with the Second or Fellowcraft Degree whose keynote is the lost masonic Word, which will be rediscovered in this divine center of the sacred body-temple. The third bridge will connect the pineal and pituitary glands and correlate with the Third or Master Degree, of which the keynote is self-mastery through the power of love. This we may designate as the glorious dome of light which will adorn the holy structure, for "Ye are the temple of the living God'. — II Cor. 6: 16.
One of the wisest of sages has said, "In all the earth there is no miracle so great, no power so excellent, as man redeemed and remade in the image and likeness of God."
— Corinne Heline
