Mysticism of Masonry

"Only the Perfect Master [he who has lived the life according to the Law
until the Soul is brought into Consciousness] can so chip away the stone as to
reveal in all its grandeur and beauty the Divine Ideal, and endow it with the
breath of life [Immortality]. Such is the building of character. The fable of
Pygmalion and Galatea is, after all, more real than history. The thread of
history is not in isolate facts, joined by conjecture and warped to the
ignorant, bigoted and time-serving opinions of men. The real thread is to be
sought in the theme that runs through the symphony of creation; in the lofty
ideals that inspire the life of man and that lead him from the clod and the
lowlands where hover the ghosts of superstition and fear, to the mountains of
light where dwell forever inspiration and peace. Such ideals are the Christ
[of the true church], Hiram [of the Masonic Order] and the Perfect Masters [of
the Occult Fraternities].
"No genuine Mason, imbued with the spirit of liberality, will treat any
religion [or religious belief, even if it has but one sincere adherent] with
derision or contempt, or exclude from fellowship any Brother who believes in
the existence of God, the Brotherhood of Man and the Immortality of the Soul.
This catholic Liberal and all-embracing spirit is the very foundation of
Masonry and any departure from it is un-Masonic and subversive of the ancient
Landmarks and Genius of Masonry. True Masonry has, for ages, held aloft the
torchlight of Toleration, Equity and Fraternity. The bigoted sectarian,
whoever he may be, divides the world into two classes: those who, with zeal
and blind faith, accept his dogmas and those who do not.
"In its ritualism and monitorial lessons, Masonry teaches nothing in
morals, in science, in religion or in any other department of human knowledge
or human interest, not taught elsewhere in current forms of thought or by the
sages of the past. In these directions it has no secrets of any kind. It is in
the ancient symbols of Freemasonry that its real secrets lie concealed and
these are as densely veiled to the Mason as to any other, unless he has
studied the science of symbolism in general and Masonic symbolism in
particular. In place of the term Mystic Masonry, the term Symbolic Masonry
might as well have been used; but just there lies the whole secret - a
profound mystery - and few Masons up to the present time have had the interest
or the patience necessary to such investigation as might bring revealment.
This is a fact and not intended as either a criticism or a reproach. If,
lacking a knowledge of the profound meaning of Masonic symbolism and its
transcendent interest and importance, Masons have allowed the whole
organization not only to fail in all real progress but to degenerate, that is
indeed a reproach.
"There never was greater need than at the present time, never so great an
opportunity as now, for Masonry to assume its true place among the
institutions of man and to force recognition by the simple power of Brotherly
Love, Relief and Truth, based upon philosophy such as nowhere else exists
outside of its ancient symbols. If the majority of Masons do not realize the
true significance and value of their possessions, there is all the more need
for those who do to speak out, even in the face of discouragement and
detraction, and do their utmost to demonstrate the truth. Does any intelligent
Mason imagine that the guilds of practical Masons of a century and a half ago
originated the order of Freemasons? There were indeed Architects and Master
builders among them but the great majority of Masons were far more
ignorant, as manual servants, than the majority of such builders are today.*
"Freemasonry is modeled on the plan of the Ancient [Osirian]# Mysteries,
with their glyphs and allegories. This is no mere coincidence; the parallels
are too closely drawn. Albert Pike came to the conclusion, after long and
patient investigation, that certain Hermetic Philosophers had a hand in the
construction of the organization of Free and Accepted Masons and, if they
embodied in its symbolism more than appears on the surface and far deeper
truths than the superficial student readily discerns, it was evidently
designed that future generations should uncover and use these profounder
secrets.
"In brief, then, the real secrets of Freemasonry lie in its symbols, and
the meaning of the symbols reveals a profound philosophy and a Universal
Science, that have never been transcended by man.
"There is a thread of tradition connecting modern Masonry with the most
ancient Mysteries of Antiquity. The ancient landmarks may be discovered in
every nation and time. `Notwithstanding the connection that so evidently
exists,' says Dr. Rebold, `between the Ancient Mysteries and the Freemasonry
of our day, the latter should be considered an initiation rather than a
continuation of those ancient Mysteries; for initiation into them was the
entering of a school, wherein were taught art, science, morals, law,
philosophy, philanthropy and the wonders and worship of nature.'" -Dr. Buck,
Mystic Masonry.
The universal science and sublime philosophy once taught in the Greater
Mysteries of Atlantis, Egypt, Chaldea, Persia and India, have undoubtedly been
a dead letter in the lodges of modern Freemasonry but this science and
philosophy have not been either lost or destroyed as so many, even among the
scholars, seem to think. They are carefully conserved in the Archives of the
older Fraternities and ever at the command of the sincere aspirant who is
willing to study, to learn to live the life. Nothing of the Ancient Mysteries
will be withheld from the true student if he is liberal enough and of
sufficiently pure mind, to see the beauties in the grossest shell. Only man's
unworthiness can prevent him from rending the veil of the Mysteries, bringing
to mind the ancient and very true maxim: "Naught from without can harm you;
fear only that which is within yourself." How well it would be if all men were
to comprehend the spirit of this saying and were they to live in that spirit;
what a "shelving" there would be of twentieth century reformers - those
fanatics and hypocrites, who would make men good (external white-washing) by
the enactment of countless legislative acts which require an army - in the
parlance of the street of grafters and political hangers-on who must be
maintained at the expense of an unfortunate but honest citizenry.
"It should be borne in mind that in modern Freemasonry, in the Ancient
Mysteries and in all the truly great Religions, there always was an exoteric
portion given out to the masses - the uninitiated, and an esoteric doctrine
reserved for the initiate [who could appreciate and respect it] and revealed
in the degrees, according as the candidate demonstrated his fitness to
receive, conceal and rightly use the knowledge so imparted.