I want to make it clear that I am not a particularly high ranking Mason and I have no ambitions to eminence. Neither do I belong to every Masonic 'side order' (though I do belong to one or two and used to belong to more, but I'm registered 'partially sighted' and have cut down as I grow older.)
For those not Masons, can I say first that there isn't much secret about Freemasonry and you could easily discover most of what is secret, if you really wanted (many public libraries have ritual books you can borrow) - but you won't learn any secrets from me. Second, that I think the real secrets of Masonry lie within the mystery tradition and escape the notice of many Freemasons. They arise from the high moral standards and involve changes to, and renewal of, the personality. Freemasonry describes itself as " a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols ". Many Masons do not look beneath the veil or explore the symbols. Reading, or even watching, the entire ritual would not help you learn the secrets if your inner eyes were closed, so to speak. Finally, for those who are Masons, fraternal greetings. I do have ideas about the origins of Masonry, but this isn't a ram-it-down-your-throat page. There are several web sites which deal with origin myths, facts and fantasies and genuine research. Suffice it to say that I find John J. Robinson's Born In Blood more convincing than the official history (or lack of it!) produced by United Grand Lodge of England, though I'm perhaps not really convinced, even by Robinson.
Masonic regalia is (I will say for non -masons) pretty standard fromGrand Lodge to Grand Lodge around the world, the main feature being a lambskinapron edged in light blue, with decorations indicating degree attained.There are variations in the colour of the edging, indicative of highergrade or status (and a proportion of masons are quite 'precious' abouttheir 'status') There are also collars of office, which are tied to rolerather than status.
At this point I did have, in an earlier version of this page, a full list of my Masonic and further-than-Masonic interests. However, I concluded that it wasn't either necessary: (or even, perhaps, advisable, since my own interests and opinion are just that - my own!) Instead, you can click this link: http://www.thefreemason.com or better yet if you want some basic background information, visit the website of the Corinthian Lodge (in Barrie, Ontario, Canada) http://www.corinthianlodge.com The largest collection of Masonic Art on the web, all for sale (with downloadable rituals for all the main Masonic degrees and orders) is at http://www.freemasoncollection.com
I would also refer you to the book Beyond the Craft by Keith Jackson (1980; Lewis Masonic, Shepperton UK; ISBN 0 85318 182 9) for details of the various additional Masonic Orders. I will content myself with drawing your attention to two groups which overlap with Masonry, but are not themselves Masonic.
The first Society I want to mention is the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia: Soc. Ros. or the SRIA for short. It requires one to be (a) a Christian and (b) a Mason. It has certainly been around for 150 years in its present form, and is heir to a much older organisation. The so called 'Rosicrucian Manifestos' (The Fama Fraternitatis , the Confessio and the quaintly named Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz) are anonymous and date back to the 17th century. They refer to the finding of the tomb of Christian Rosenkreutz and establishment of a brotherhood some 120 years before the manifestos themselves (ie: somewhere around 1450). Serious scholars are divided as to whether the writer(s) was/were just 'kite flying' to try and establish such an Order, expounding some kind of allegory - possibly for the progress of knowledge in the dark ages of Europe, when ancient Greek works were translated into Arabic and from Arabic to Latin - or telling more-or-less a true story. Certainly the brotherhood was around in the 17th century, because Louis Claude de Ste. Martine, (who established the Ordre Martiniste) and his initiator/teacher, (who founded what became a Martiniste Inner Order), both were (or claimed to have been) members. There are also a couple of colleges with an easily found web presence. The SRIA site is at www.sria.info
All the male founders of the Order of the Golden Dawn and the Stella Matutina were members of the SRIA first, and gained their initial occult and esoteric learning there. There are groups (called 'Colleges') in England & Wales, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. There is also a Societas Rosicruciana in Scotia (Scotland), The SRICF in in the USA, a more recent SRIC in Canada and now (I hear) a Societas Rosicruciana in Gallia (France, Belgium and Luxembourg) There are 9 grades in the SRIA, which is divided into a First Order (Grades I - IV) , a Second Order (Grades V, VI and VII) and a Third Order (Grades VIII and IX) with very few, almost no, members beyond High Council.
AMORC, the San Jose based Rosicrucian Order and the "Confraternity of the Rosy Cross" are founded on a more-or-less genuine initiation. I won't bore you with the ins and outs, but their line of initiatic succession is as good as that of the SRIA (but no better). Note, however, there is ban on Masons belonging to AMORC - don't ask me why, because I don't know why, but the tension is not between the Rosicrucians themselves, though a few SRIA members do seem to have reservations. There are at least six other orders: Builders of the Adytum (BOTA for short) - and I refer you to the teachings of Paul Foster Case in his book " The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order " ( 1989; Samuel Weisner; York Beach, Main; ISBN 0-87728-709-0) NOT easy reading and probably not for the beginner, but worth the effort. You can find their website at http://www.bota.org ; also Societas Rosicruciana in America (not related to the SRIA). The newly formed Order of the Rose and Cross is an offshoot of the SRIA, formed by members who wanted to have women members and a more Christian order, has a website at www.orderroseandcross.org
The fellowship of the Rosy Cross and some French and Spanish ones are also around.. On the other hand, there is also an SRI Scotia, which is a Scottish partner to the SRIA. I go into more detail of Rosicrucian groups in a paper called " The Pattern on the Trestle board" to be given to Thomas Linacre College and added to the esoteric page in early 2005.
This brings me to the second Order I want to mention - the Martinists. They are even more divided than the Rosicrucians, but with little rivalry between them. The TMO (Traditional Martinist Order) is linked to AMORC and has the same direct initiatic link. They will only initiate AMORC members. Martinists generally require a direct initiatic link involving the laying on of hands: since AMORC (allegedly, anyway) will initiate by post, most Martinist orders consider them not quite proper. The HOM (Hermetic Order of Martinists) is a purely Masonic branch, found mainly in English speaking countries and with a similar direct initiatic link. HOM does not initiate women (the others all do). Ordre Martiniste and Ordre Martiniste S. I. are largely to be found in French speaking countries, though branches (called 'Chapters') do exist elsewhere, especially the USA. Canada and Mexico. The North American variety is called MOUP (Martinist Order of Unknown Philosophers) and the UK version is SOMO (Strict Oberservance Martinist Order). Louis Claude de Ste. Martine wrote several books under the pen name 'The Unknown Philosopher', hence the UP (and SI in the French version) The 2004 meeting of the Grand Priory of Martinism in the UK saw an accord between most of the Martinist groups. Check out the MOUP on their website http://www.moup.org
Rosicrucian thought and learning is based on alchemy, particularly the higher spiritual alchemy and on the imagery and symbolism of the ancient world. The SRIA and Ordre Martiniste are both specifically Christian, though there are some gnostic tendencies and an element of Christian mysticism. There is also an awareness of the pre-Christian world view, into which Christianity came Nevertheless, apart from a general acceptance of Christian principles and doctrines, no specific creed, sect or denomination is suggested or even hinted at.
Alternatives to the Christian Paths
The late Mark Hedsel, in his book The Zelator: A Modern InitiateExplores the Ancient Mysteries remarks, quoting one of his own teachers
:
"...Of course, it may astound some of youto learn that a highly informed stream of initiate knowledge has been preservedwithin the Church ... One is often persuaded by the history of the Churchthat almost everything of esoteric worth either degenerated or was forgotten,as inner content gave way to outer form. .. However this is a mistake.Not only does the Bible - and the related apocryphal literature - remainthe supreme arcane literature of the West, but certain hidden truths derivedultimately from the ancient Mystery Schools are still preserved withinthe Church itself."
That said, there are other equally valid paths. The Kabbalah represents Jewish mysticism, as well as being an important part of the Western Mystery Tradition. Islam has the wisdom and the devotional mysticsism of the Sufis and the Dervishes. There are also Pagan (by which is usually meant a pre-Christian, Northern European wisdom) and Wiccan (not necessarily the same) Paths and Shamanism, usually meaning North or Central American tribal ideas. Though you might read my remarks in one of my Esoteric Papers about Techno-Shamans. All this is almost totally to ignore the eastern paths of Hinduism, Buddhism and Philosophers of ancient China and Tibet. If you seek those paths they may be right for you, but I cannot help you.
Making Contact
I am not an esoteric or spiritual teacher. I do not have pupils or apprentices. I have neither the standing nor the inclination to direct you to one path or another ... but if you are looking for somewhere to start out, I can make some suggestions. My ideas and contacts are first and foremost for those who live in the UK. Those not UK base may find my suggestions are more limited, but you still may find them of use. Those who want to look elsewhere could click the webring link.Click below to read what I have to say or to move on.
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