Post by corab on May 30, 2005 8:02:25 GMT
**Part Two**
I may not believe in gods, but I need but cast one cursory glance outside to know in the deepest centre of my being that there is something out there, some Supreme Ordering Principle, that has designed all of this – this lump of rock with its carefully balanced atmosphere, its ecosystems, its inhabitants; all life and how it fits together – there is no doubt that there is a Grand Design for it all, but who’s the Designer? God? No – not God, not Allah, not the Goddess – these are all small fish in the big pond designed by that Supreme Ordering Principle; each of them a little facet of that colourful lantern around the Light. Is it possible that that which we can perceive of the Creator is just too much for our human minds to conceive, so we wear our shades and give it a humanoid appearance? Is it possible that the Creator disseminated His Truth to all of His Creation and is just waiting for us to piece it back together again?
And there I was – back to Square One, but with a whole new world of understanding to take that journey again, and synthesise all these different experiences and schools of thought into something new.
Suddenly I am able to give Faith a place in my life again, and it’s a better life for it. Even as my logical mind tries to analyse the stories read to me as a child, the stories that, true or not, are at the core of who I am, I know it is utterly insignificant whether they are actual fact or not – their message, their morals, their values stand; the solid foundation of my own Code, my own beliefs.
Does that make me a Christian once again? I don’t know. I don’t follow blindly, I am cynical of the Church, and I cannot take literally what is written in the Bible – but still it is my Volume of the Sacred Law. It lays down morals and values I hold highly, and it is where my sense of honour and obligation has its roots – Christian or not; it’s part of me.
So, I think after this long deliberation I’m ready to answer my husband’s question now: “What are you looking for and why do you think you’ll find it in Freemasonry?”<br>
I relate to the world, the Universe, and all it encompasses through my intellect. Yes, I am an intuitive person, but reason’s firmly ensconced in the driving seat. Luckily it’s a learner’s car, and there’s a secondary set of controls in the passenger’s seat, so when reason is threatening to drive dangerously, intuition takes charge.
As an intellectually wired person, I need to learn, always, as much in terms of my professional life as that of my personal and spiritual life. I hunger for knowledge, for understanding. And because each bit of knowledge is but a foundation for the next, I will move on from one thing to the next – yet there is direction to the apparent chaos. What the bystander may perceive as religious pick and mix is in fact a logical succession of experiences for me. First the blind and unquestioning belief in God, then the notion that gods may actually be a projection of the Self, and finally, after a steep learning curve, the understanding that the concept of gods is merely a way to temper the overwhelming magnificence of the One who Designed it all; a way to enable us to relate to Him.
As one who holds Honesty at her very core, and perceives Love and Honour as proceeding from it, there is another reason why Freemasonry appeals to me. It’s the moralistic side of it; the Trinity of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth – it’s startlingly close to my own personal Code of Honour, Love and Truthfulness.
More than anything, however, it is the esoteric side of Freemasonry; that side which W.L. Wilmshurst writes about in his Meaning of Masonry – the knowledge and understanding of the Self, the self-improvement. And that, for me, is a logical extension of what I began in Wicca. I started my inner work as a Wiccan, seeking to improve myself for myself, but now I’m ready to take it up a notch and seek to improve myself for the good of the world.
Arrogant? I don’t think so. I firmly believe that a single smile can make the world a better place – imagine what good an improved person can do to the world!
Just reading about Freemasonry has changed me. Last Friday I had a colleague asking me what my secret was; what I’d done to radiate such happiness. I could only smile and say my spiritual life’s back on track. A week ago my husband and I received some bad news. Had it happened a week earlier I would’ve blown my top, pulled out all legal registers and thundered in with guns ablazing. Not so now. I waited a day before any response, let the anger subside and the understanding surface, and achieved far more with a calm and understanding attitude than I would’ve had I gone in roaring with rage. Ever so slowly I’m bringing my emotions under my mind’s control, and it’s making the world a better place – as any poor soul who’s been at the receiving end of my considerable temperament would readily testify.
So, a long story short – I like where I am in life right now, and I’m looking forward to experience Masonry first hand. If all goes well I’ll be meeting with two prospective Lodges mid-June, and we’ll take it from there. Meanwhile – expect questions … many questions!
Cora
I may not believe in gods, but I need but cast one cursory glance outside to know in the deepest centre of my being that there is something out there, some Supreme Ordering Principle, that has designed all of this – this lump of rock with its carefully balanced atmosphere, its ecosystems, its inhabitants; all life and how it fits together – there is no doubt that there is a Grand Design for it all, but who’s the Designer? God? No – not God, not Allah, not the Goddess – these are all small fish in the big pond designed by that Supreme Ordering Principle; each of them a little facet of that colourful lantern around the Light. Is it possible that that which we can perceive of the Creator is just too much for our human minds to conceive, so we wear our shades and give it a humanoid appearance? Is it possible that the Creator disseminated His Truth to all of His Creation and is just waiting for us to piece it back together again?
And there I was – back to Square One, but with a whole new world of understanding to take that journey again, and synthesise all these different experiences and schools of thought into something new.
Suddenly I am able to give Faith a place in my life again, and it’s a better life for it. Even as my logical mind tries to analyse the stories read to me as a child, the stories that, true or not, are at the core of who I am, I know it is utterly insignificant whether they are actual fact or not – their message, their morals, their values stand; the solid foundation of my own Code, my own beliefs.
Does that make me a Christian once again? I don’t know. I don’t follow blindly, I am cynical of the Church, and I cannot take literally what is written in the Bible – but still it is my Volume of the Sacred Law. It lays down morals and values I hold highly, and it is where my sense of honour and obligation has its roots – Christian or not; it’s part of me.
So, I think after this long deliberation I’m ready to answer my husband’s question now: “What are you looking for and why do you think you’ll find it in Freemasonry?”<br>
I relate to the world, the Universe, and all it encompasses through my intellect. Yes, I am an intuitive person, but reason’s firmly ensconced in the driving seat. Luckily it’s a learner’s car, and there’s a secondary set of controls in the passenger’s seat, so when reason is threatening to drive dangerously, intuition takes charge.
As an intellectually wired person, I need to learn, always, as much in terms of my professional life as that of my personal and spiritual life. I hunger for knowledge, for understanding. And because each bit of knowledge is but a foundation for the next, I will move on from one thing to the next – yet there is direction to the apparent chaos. What the bystander may perceive as religious pick and mix is in fact a logical succession of experiences for me. First the blind and unquestioning belief in God, then the notion that gods may actually be a projection of the Self, and finally, after a steep learning curve, the understanding that the concept of gods is merely a way to temper the overwhelming magnificence of the One who Designed it all; a way to enable us to relate to Him.
As one who holds Honesty at her very core, and perceives Love and Honour as proceeding from it, there is another reason why Freemasonry appeals to me. It’s the moralistic side of it; the Trinity of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth – it’s startlingly close to my own personal Code of Honour, Love and Truthfulness.
More than anything, however, it is the esoteric side of Freemasonry; that side which W.L. Wilmshurst writes about in his Meaning of Masonry – the knowledge and understanding of the Self, the self-improvement. And that, for me, is a logical extension of what I began in Wicca. I started my inner work as a Wiccan, seeking to improve myself for myself, but now I’m ready to take it up a notch and seek to improve myself for the good of the world.
Arrogant? I don’t think so. I firmly believe that a single smile can make the world a better place – imagine what good an improved person can do to the world!
Just reading about Freemasonry has changed me. Last Friday I had a colleague asking me what my secret was; what I’d done to radiate such happiness. I could only smile and say my spiritual life’s back on track. A week ago my husband and I received some bad news. Had it happened a week earlier I would’ve blown my top, pulled out all legal registers and thundered in with guns ablazing. Not so now. I waited a day before any response, let the anger subside and the understanding surface, and achieved far more with a calm and understanding attitude than I would’ve had I gone in roaring with rage. Ever so slowly I’m bringing my emotions under my mind’s control, and it’s making the world a better place – as any poor soul who’s been at the receiving end of my considerable temperament would readily testify.
So, a long story short – I like where I am in life right now, and I’m looking forward to experience Masonry first hand. If all goes well I’ll be meeting with two prospective Lodges mid-June, and we’ll take it from there. Meanwhile – expect questions … many questions!
Cora