Post by maat on Sept 9, 2005 1:09:14 GMT
Where do we come from and where are we going? The perennial questions.
I loved this little signpost and really wanted to share it with you, my fellow travellers.
SOJOURNERS
A Piece of Architecture presented by Bro Gaynor Fraser
Adelaide Lodge #406
A sojourner is defined as someone who stays for a short time, a temporary resident not living in his or her native land.
The fact that there are three in the Royal Arch degree is another of those trinities that abound in Freemasonry. Between them, the three sojourners have a variety of roles, the most important and interesting role belonging to the principal sojourner and being that of guide and illuminator. It is the principal Sojourner who illuminates the Lodge and becomes the guide to the new traveller, assisting him/her to ascend through the layers of matter of decreasing density, and ultimately reach their destination. The main role of the sojourner then, is guide, instructor and light bringer, ever and there for the traveller when needed.
I was not very successful in finding any further specific information about the role of the sojourners in our ritual, but facets of the ceremonial story of the Royal Arch Degree remind me so much of a poem I love very much, the Gnostic parable of the soul, known as "The Hymn of the Robe of Glory", that I would like to share parts of it with you. Some of you may be familiar with it.
Its author is unknown, but it is dated to the 2nd or 3rd century AD, being originally written in the Syriac language. It tells the story of the Soul - its preparation, descent, forgetfulness and then, when all seems lost, the coming of a messenger from heaven and the subsequent awakening of the soul to its original nature and purpose, the then successful search for precious wisdom, and its final ascent & return to the Heavenly City, its native land. There are many similarities between this poem and to the inner story of the Royal Arch Degree. I am sure both are talking about the same experience
The hymn of the robe of glory begins thus:
"When I was a little child and dwelling in my kingdom, in my father's house, and in the wealth and the glories of my nurturers had my pleasure, from the East, our home, my parents having equipped me, sent me forth.
"And of the wealth of our treasury they had tied up for me a load, large it was, yet light, so that I might bear it unaided.
The equipment, of course, are the layers or veils the soul requires for its journey into matter and which, as they become denser, isolate it from the light of heaven. The load is light though, for the soul is never extinguished by its descent into creation, however burdened it may be
The poem continues:
"And they took off from me the bright robe, which in their love they had wrought for me, and my purple toga, which was measured and woven to my stature.
And they made compact with me, and wrote it in my heart,
so that it would not be forgotten.
“If thou goest down into Egypt, and bringest the one pearl,
which is in the midst of the sea hard by the loud breathing serpent, then thou shalt again put on thy bright robe
and thy toga, which is laid over it, and with the Brother, our next in rank, thou shalt be heir in our Kingdom.
Thus a promise is made to the descending soul as it becomes enveloped in the veils of matter, its body of light becoming fainter & fainter until all that remains is a tiny reminder, in the vault of the heart, of its true and royal origins, indicated by the reference to the purple toga. Egypt, in this context means the domain of the fleshly, the physical realm, and a common allusion in Gnostic writing.
The nurturers, or those who prepare and guide the soul, are three in number – the parents & the elder brother, a slightly different triangular configuration to ours, but fulfilling the same role.
"I quitted the East and went down, there being with me two guides, for the way was dangerous and difficult, and I was young to tread it.
Here the two guides sent with the soul are not spirit guides as such, they represent the power to see the inner Light and the power to hear the inner Voice, which the soul will need when it finds itself in such a dark and unfamiliar place.
"I went down into Egypt, and my guides parted from me.
I betook me straight to the serpent, hard by his dwelling I abode,
waiting till he could slumber and sleep And I could take my pearl from him.
"I forgot that I was a son of Kings, and I served their king,
and I forgot the pearl, for which my parents had sent me.
And by reason of the heaviness of their food, I fell into a deep sleep.
At this stage the soul is so deeply immersed in the world, it has forgotten its true nature, and lost the ability to see and hear in the inner worlds. The serpent in the sea, standing in the way of retrieving the pearl, here represents the emotions and senses – loud, turbulent, and never sleeping.
"But all those things that befell me,
my parents perceived and were grieved for me;
And they wrote to me a letter and every noble signed his name thereto:
"It flew in the likeness of an eagle, the king of all the birds;
It flew and alighted beside me, and became all-speech.
At its voice and the sound of it's rustling,
I started and arose from my sleep.
"I took it up and kissed it,
and loosed its seal, and read;
And according to what was traced on my heart were the words of my letter written.
“From thy father, the King of Kings, and thy Mother, the Mistress of the East,
And from thy Brother, our next in rank, to thee our son, who art in Egypt, greeting!
"Up and arise from thy sleep, and listen to the words of our letter.
Call to mind that thou art a son of kings.”
The letter, of course, is the equivalent of the creative Word of God, emanating from the trinity of Father, Mother and Elder Brother.
"I remembered that I was a son of Kings,
and my free soul longed for its natural state.
I remembered the pearl, for which I had been sent to Egypt,
and I began to charm him, the terrible loud breathing serpent.
"I hushed him to sleep and lulled him into slumber
By naming the name of my Father upon him, and of my Mother, the Queen of the East;
And the name of our next in rank.
"And I snatched away the pearl, and I turned to go back to my father’s house.
After this awakening, then, the soul remembers its quest, calms the dragon of the senses and emotions by naming the Holy Trinity, snatches the pearl, and begins the return journey, first leaving behind the body.
"And their filthy & unclean garb I stripped off, and left it in their country, and I took my way straight, to come to the light of our home, the East.
"And my bright robe which I had stripped off, and the toga wherein it was wrapped, from the heights of Hyrcania my parents sent thither.
"But I remembered not the brightness of it;
For I was yet a child and very young when I had left it in the palace of my father.
"On a sudden as I faced it,
The garment seems to me like a mirror of myself, I saw in it my whole self, and I also perceived in myself that my stature was growing according to my labours.
"And love urged me on, that I should run to meet it and receive it; and I stretched myself forth and received it.
With the beauty of its colours I adorned myself
And in my royal robe excelling in beauty I arrayed myself wholly.
"I clothed myself therewith, and ascended to the gate of salutation and homage; I bowed my head and did homage
to the majesty of the Father who had sent me.
For I had done his commandments, and he too had done what he had promised.
I think it is important to note that the soul has achieved growth and development through its sojourn in the physical world, with the help of its nurturers. Perhaps this world is the only place where such growth and change is possible
In the poem, the return to the Court of the King in the Heavenly City is the final goal and desired outcome. Our story however, seems to be saying that, even after reaching the Heavenly City, there is yet more work to be done. I think we can rest assured, however, that there will be sojourners to help, guide and illumine us.
Bibliography
The Robe of Glory
John Davidson
Element Books 1992
NB - edited version for general publication
I sought Bro Fraser's permission to share this 'shining jewel' with you.
I loved this little signpost and really wanted to share it with you, my fellow travellers.
SOJOURNERS
A Piece of Architecture presented by Bro Gaynor Fraser
Adelaide Lodge #406
A sojourner is defined as someone who stays for a short time, a temporary resident not living in his or her native land.
The fact that there are three in the Royal Arch degree is another of those trinities that abound in Freemasonry. Between them, the three sojourners have a variety of roles, the most important and interesting role belonging to the principal sojourner and being that of guide and illuminator. It is the principal Sojourner who illuminates the Lodge and becomes the guide to the new traveller, assisting him/her to ascend through the layers of matter of decreasing density, and ultimately reach their destination. The main role of the sojourner then, is guide, instructor and light bringer, ever and there for the traveller when needed.
I was not very successful in finding any further specific information about the role of the sojourners in our ritual, but facets of the ceremonial story of the Royal Arch Degree remind me so much of a poem I love very much, the Gnostic parable of the soul, known as "The Hymn of the Robe of Glory", that I would like to share parts of it with you. Some of you may be familiar with it.
Its author is unknown, but it is dated to the 2nd or 3rd century AD, being originally written in the Syriac language. It tells the story of the Soul - its preparation, descent, forgetfulness and then, when all seems lost, the coming of a messenger from heaven and the subsequent awakening of the soul to its original nature and purpose, the then successful search for precious wisdom, and its final ascent & return to the Heavenly City, its native land. There are many similarities between this poem and to the inner story of the Royal Arch Degree. I am sure both are talking about the same experience
The hymn of the robe of glory begins thus:
"When I was a little child and dwelling in my kingdom, in my father's house, and in the wealth and the glories of my nurturers had my pleasure, from the East, our home, my parents having equipped me, sent me forth.
"And of the wealth of our treasury they had tied up for me a load, large it was, yet light, so that I might bear it unaided.
The equipment, of course, are the layers or veils the soul requires for its journey into matter and which, as they become denser, isolate it from the light of heaven. The load is light though, for the soul is never extinguished by its descent into creation, however burdened it may be
The poem continues:
"And they took off from me the bright robe, which in their love they had wrought for me, and my purple toga, which was measured and woven to my stature.
And they made compact with me, and wrote it in my heart,
so that it would not be forgotten.
“If thou goest down into Egypt, and bringest the one pearl,
which is in the midst of the sea hard by the loud breathing serpent, then thou shalt again put on thy bright robe
and thy toga, which is laid over it, and with the Brother, our next in rank, thou shalt be heir in our Kingdom.
Thus a promise is made to the descending soul as it becomes enveloped in the veils of matter, its body of light becoming fainter & fainter until all that remains is a tiny reminder, in the vault of the heart, of its true and royal origins, indicated by the reference to the purple toga. Egypt, in this context means the domain of the fleshly, the physical realm, and a common allusion in Gnostic writing.
The nurturers, or those who prepare and guide the soul, are three in number – the parents & the elder brother, a slightly different triangular configuration to ours, but fulfilling the same role.
"I quitted the East and went down, there being with me two guides, for the way was dangerous and difficult, and I was young to tread it.
Here the two guides sent with the soul are not spirit guides as such, they represent the power to see the inner Light and the power to hear the inner Voice, which the soul will need when it finds itself in such a dark and unfamiliar place.
"I went down into Egypt, and my guides parted from me.
I betook me straight to the serpent, hard by his dwelling I abode,
waiting till he could slumber and sleep And I could take my pearl from him.
"I forgot that I was a son of Kings, and I served their king,
and I forgot the pearl, for which my parents had sent me.
And by reason of the heaviness of their food, I fell into a deep sleep.
At this stage the soul is so deeply immersed in the world, it has forgotten its true nature, and lost the ability to see and hear in the inner worlds. The serpent in the sea, standing in the way of retrieving the pearl, here represents the emotions and senses – loud, turbulent, and never sleeping.
"But all those things that befell me,
my parents perceived and were grieved for me;
And they wrote to me a letter and every noble signed his name thereto:
"It flew in the likeness of an eagle, the king of all the birds;
It flew and alighted beside me, and became all-speech.
At its voice and the sound of it's rustling,
I started and arose from my sleep.
"I took it up and kissed it,
and loosed its seal, and read;
And according to what was traced on my heart were the words of my letter written.
“From thy father, the King of Kings, and thy Mother, the Mistress of the East,
And from thy Brother, our next in rank, to thee our son, who art in Egypt, greeting!
"Up and arise from thy sleep, and listen to the words of our letter.
Call to mind that thou art a son of kings.”
The letter, of course, is the equivalent of the creative Word of God, emanating from the trinity of Father, Mother and Elder Brother.
"I remembered that I was a son of Kings,
and my free soul longed for its natural state.
I remembered the pearl, for which I had been sent to Egypt,
and I began to charm him, the terrible loud breathing serpent.
"I hushed him to sleep and lulled him into slumber
By naming the name of my Father upon him, and of my Mother, the Queen of the East;
And the name of our next in rank.
"And I snatched away the pearl, and I turned to go back to my father’s house.
After this awakening, then, the soul remembers its quest, calms the dragon of the senses and emotions by naming the Holy Trinity, snatches the pearl, and begins the return journey, first leaving behind the body.
"And their filthy & unclean garb I stripped off, and left it in their country, and I took my way straight, to come to the light of our home, the East.
"And my bright robe which I had stripped off, and the toga wherein it was wrapped, from the heights of Hyrcania my parents sent thither.
"But I remembered not the brightness of it;
For I was yet a child and very young when I had left it in the palace of my father.
"On a sudden as I faced it,
The garment seems to me like a mirror of myself, I saw in it my whole self, and I also perceived in myself that my stature was growing according to my labours.
"And love urged me on, that I should run to meet it and receive it; and I stretched myself forth and received it.
With the beauty of its colours I adorned myself
And in my royal robe excelling in beauty I arrayed myself wholly.
"I clothed myself therewith, and ascended to the gate of salutation and homage; I bowed my head and did homage
to the majesty of the Father who had sent me.
For I had done his commandments, and he too had done what he had promised.
I think it is important to note that the soul has achieved growth and development through its sojourn in the physical world, with the help of its nurturers. Perhaps this world is the only place where such growth and change is possible
In the poem, the return to the Court of the King in the Heavenly City is the final goal and desired outcome. Our story however, seems to be saying that, even after reaching the Heavenly City, there is yet more work to be done. I think we can rest assured, however, that there will be sojourners to help, guide and illumine us.
Bibliography
The Robe of Glory
John Davidson
Element Books 1992
NB - edited version for general publication
I sought Bro Fraser's permission to share this 'shining jewel' with you.