Post by giovanni on Feb 21, 2006 16:51:06 GMT
THE LETTER G AND THE SWASTIKA
Bro. René Guénon
IN The Great Triad, a propos of polar symbolism and the Chinese word i, designating unity (the pole star is called Tai-i, that is, the ‘Great Unity'), we had occasion to make several observations on the Masonic symbolism of the letter 'G', the normal position of which is also 'polar', and drew a parallel with the letter ‘I’ representing the ‘first name of God' for the Fedeli d'Amore. [1] This connection was justified by the fact that the letter ‘G', which could not in itself be considered as a true symbol inasmuch as it belongs to modern languages that have nothing sacred or traditional about them, but which stands for God [2] according to the English Masonic rituals and is indeed the initial letter of the word God itself, has, in certain cases at least, been regarded as a substitute for the Hebrew yod, symbol of the Principle or of Unity, in virtue of a phonetic assimilation between God and yod.[3] These few remarks on our part were taken as the starting-point for researches which have given rise to some new findings of the greatest interest,[4] and this is why we think it worthwhile to return to this subject in order to complete what we have already said.
First of all, it should be noted that in an ancient catechism of the grade of the Companion, [5] the question What does the 'G' denote? is expressly answered, Geometry or the Fifth Science (that is, the science occupying the fifth rank in the traditional enumeration of the ‘seven liberal arts’, the esoteric transposition of which in medieval initiations we have already pointed out on other occasions);[6] this interpretation in no way contradicts the assertion that this same letter stands for God, God being especially designated in this grade as the ‘Great Geometer of the Universe’, and on the other hand, what gives it all its importance is that, in the oldest known manuscripts of operative Masonry, Geometry is constantly identified with Masonry itself; and this is something that cannot be considered negligible. Besides, as we shall soon see, it appears that the letter 'G', as the first letter of the word Geometry, has taken the place of Γ [gamma], its Greek equivalent, which the very origin of the word ‘Geometry' sufficiently justifies (and here, at least, a modern language is no longer involved). Furthermore, this letter Γ presents a certain interest in itself from the point of view of Masonic symbolism by reason of its form, which is that of the set-square [7] - obviously not true of the Latin letter 'G'.[8] Now, before going further, one might well wonder whether this does not stand in opposition to what was said about 'G' being a substitute for the Hebrew yod, or at least-since this substitution also existed-whether in these circumstances there might not be reason to think that they may have been introduced after the event and more or less belatedly; and since it really does seem to have properly belonged to the grade of Master, such must be the case for those who follow the most current opinion on the origin of the latter. On the contrary, to those like ourselves who refuse for more than one reason to consider this grade as the product of a ‘speculative' elaboration of the eighteenth century, and who rather see in it a sort of ‘condensation' of the content of certain higher grades of operative Masonry that, as far as possible, made up the deficiency resulting from the ignorance of the founders of the Great Lodge of England regarding these grades, the whole matter appears in a very different light. It then becomes a question of the superimposition of two different meanings that are by no means exclusive, something not at all unusual in symbolism. Furthermore, until now no one seems to have noticed that the two interpretations, Greek and Hebrew respectively, agree perfectly with the specific character of the two corresponding grades, ‘Pythagorean' for the second and 'Solomonian' for the third: and it is this above all that allows us to understand what is really involved.
Let us now return to the ‘geometric' interpretation of the grade of Companion, about which what we have said thus far is not the most interesting aspect as concerns the symbolism of operative Masonry. In the same catechism cited above, the following enigma is also to be found: By letters four and science five, this G aright doth stand in a due an and proportion. [9] Here, science five obviously designates the ‘fifth science’, that is, Geometry; as for the meaning of letters four, at first sight and by symmetry we might be tempted to suppose that there is a mistake and that letter must be read in the singular, so that it would be a question of the ‘fourth letter', that is, in the Greek alphabet, the letter ‘Δ’ [delta], which indeed is interesting symbolically because of its triangular shape; but since this explanation would have the great defect of presenting no intelligible connection with the letter ‘G; it is much more likely that it is really a question of 'four letters', and that the rather unusual expression science five, instead of fifth science, has been put there intentionally to render the statement yet more enigmatic. Now, the point that may seem most obscure is this: why are four letters spoken of, or, if it is really still the initial letter of the word Geometry that is meant, why must it be quadrupled to stand aright in due art and proportion. The answer, which must be related to the ‘central' or ‘polar' position of the letter 'G', can only be given by means of operative symbolism; and moreover, it is here that we see the necessity of taking this letter in its Greek form, Γ, as indicated above. Indeed, four gammas joined at right angles form the swastika, symbol, as is also the letter 'G', of the pole star, which is itself the symbol of, and for the operative Mason, the actual seat of, the hidden central Sun of the Universe, Yah,[10] which obviously very much calls to mind the T'ai-i of the Far-Eastern tradition.[11] In the passage from The Great Triad which we cited at the beginning of this chapter, we had already called attention to the existence, in the operative ritual, of a very close relationship between the letter 'G' and the swastika; however, we did not then have knowledge of information which, by introducing the Greek Γ, makes this relationship still more direct and completes its explanation.[12]
It is well to note further that the bent part of the arms of the swastika is considered here as representing the Great Bear, seen in four different positions in the course of its revolution around the pole star, to which the center where the four gammas meet naturally corresponds, and that these four positions are related to the four cardinal points and the four seasons; and it is well known what importance the Great Bear has in all traditions in which polar symbolism plays a part. [13] If we consider that all this pertains to a symbolism which may truly be called ‘ecumenical; and which by that very fact indicates a most direct link with the primordial tradition, we can easily understand why 'the polar theory has always been one of the greatest secrets of the true master Masons'. [14]
________________________________________
[1] The Great Triad, chap. 25.
[2] This italicized English expression, and the others to follow in this chapter, were printed in English in the French text. [Ed.]
[3] The author of a work on Masonic symbolism believed it necessary to address to us, in somewhat discourteous terms, a criticism on this point, as if we ourselves were responsible for this phonetic assimilation; nevertheless, we are not responsible, any more than we are for the fact that formerly the English Masons also identified the three letters of the same word God with the initials of the three Hebraic words Gamel, Oz, and Dabar (Beauty, Strength, Wisdom). One may think what one likes of the value of such parallels (and there are still others), but one is in any case obliged to take note of them, at least historically.
[4] Marius Lepage, 'La Lettre G' in Le Symbolisme, November 1948; article in the Speculative Mason, July 1949, written in connection with the previous article and from which the greater part of the information used here is drawn.
[5] Prichard, Masonry Dissected, 1730
[6] See The Esoterism of Dante, chap. 2. [Ed.]
[7] Let us recall that the set-square, with its arms of unequal length, which has precisely the form of this letter, represents the two sides of the right angle of the 3-4-5 right triangle which itself has, as we have explained elsewhere, a very particular importance in operative Masonry (see 'Lost Word and Substituted Words; in Studies in Freemasonry and the Compagnonnage).
[8] All the observations which have been made based on the farm of the letter 'G' (its likeness to a knot, to the alchemical symbol for salt, etc.) are manifestly artificial or even fanciful; rather, they have not the slightest connection with any recognized meanings of this letter, and in any case they are not based on any authentic data.
[9] We must not neglect to mention in passing that in response to the question Who does that G denote? (who and not what as before, when it was a question of Geometry), this catechism further contains the following phrase: The Grand Architect and contriver of the Universe, or He that was taken up to the Pinnacle of the Holy Temple. It will be noted that the 'Grand Architect of the Universe' is here identified with Christ (and therefore with the Logos), Himself linked with the symbolism of the 'cornerstone, understood according to the sense that we have explained [see chap. 43]; the ‘pinnacle of the Temple' (and note the curious resemblance of this word 'Pinnacle' with the Hebrew pinnah meaning ‘angle') is naturally the summit or the highest point and as such equivalent to the ‘key of the arch' (Keystone) in Arch Masonry.
[10] In the article of the Speculative Mason from which this citation is taken, the swastika is mistakenly called gammadion, a name which, as we have noted on several occasions, was really applied in former times to different figures altogether (see ‘Al-Arkan' [see chap. 45], where we have reproduced the figure); but it is true nevertheless that the swastika, although never having borne that name, may also be regarded as formed by the union of four gammas, so that this rectification of terminology alters nothing in what we have said here.
[11] We will add that the divine name Yah, which was just mentioned, is linked more especially with the first of the three Grand Masters of the seventh degree of operative Masonry.
[12] It might be objected that the documentation presented by the Speculative Mason concerning the swastika comes from Clement Stratton, and that the latter was said to be the chief author of a 'restoration' of the operative rituals in which certain elements, lost under circumstances never fully explained, were probably replaced by borrowings from speculative rituals, borrowings which cannot be guaranteed to conform to the old ones; but this objection is invalid in the present case since we find no trace of anything like this in speculative Masonry.
[13] See also The Great Triad chap. 25, concerning the 'City of Willows' and its symbolic representation by a bushel measure filled with rice.
[14] It may be interesting to point out further that in the Kabbalah, the yod is considered to be formed by the union of three points representing the three supreme middoth and arranged as a set-square; the latter, moreover, is turned in the direction opposite that of the Greek letter Γ which could correspond to the two opposite directions of rotation of the swastika.
Bro. René Guénon
IN The Great Triad, a propos of polar symbolism and the Chinese word i, designating unity (the pole star is called Tai-i, that is, the ‘Great Unity'), we had occasion to make several observations on the Masonic symbolism of the letter 'G', the normal position of which is also 'polar', and drew a parallel with the letter ‘I’ representing the ‘first name of God' for the Fedeli d'Amore. [1] This connection was justified by the fact that the letter ‘G', which could not in itself be considered as a true symbol inasmuch as it belongs to modern languages that have nothing sacred or traditional about them, but which stands for God [2] according to the English Masonic rituals and is indeed the initial letter of the word God itself, has, in certain cases at least, been regarded as a substitute for the Hebrew yod, symbol of the Principle or of Unity, in virtue of a phonetic assimilation between God and yod.[3] These few remarks on our part were taken as the starting-point for researches which have given rise to some new findings of the greatest interest,[4] and this is why we think it worthwhile to return to this subject in order to complete what we have already said.
First of all, it should be noted that in an ancient catechism of the grade of the Companion, [5] the question What does the 'G' denote? is expressly answered, Geometry or the Fifth Science (that is, the science occupying the fifth rank in the traditional enumeration of the ‘seven liberal arts’, the esoteric transposition of which in medieval initiations we have already pointed out on other occasions);[6] this interpretation in no way contradicts the assertion that this same letter stands for God, God being especially designated in this grade as the ‘Great Geometer of the Universe’, and on the other hand, what gives it all its importance is that, in the oldest known manuscripts of operative Masonry, Geometry is constantly identified with Masonry itself; and this is something that cannot be considered negligible. Besides, as we shall soon see, it appears that the letter 'G', as the first letter of the word Geometry, has taken the place of Γ [gamma], its Greek equivalent, which the very origin of the word ‘Geometry' sufficiently justifies (and here, at least, a modern language is no longer involved). Furthermore, this letter Γ presents a certain interest in itself from the point of view of Masonic symbolism by reason of its form, which is that of the set-square [7] - obviously not true of the Latin letter 'G'.[8] Now, before going further, one might well wonder whether this does not stand in opposition to what was said about 'G' being a substitute for the Hebrew yod, or at least-since this substitution also existed-whether in these circumstances there might not be reason to think that they may have been introduced after the event and more or less belatedly; and since it really does seem to have properly belonged to the grade of Master, such must be the case for those who follow the most current opinion on the origin of the latter. On the contrary, to those like ourselves who refuse for more than one reason to consider this grade as the product of a ‘speculative' elaboration of the eighteenth century, and who rather see in it a sort of ‘condensation' of the content of certain higher grades of operative Masonry that, as far as possible, made up the deficiency resulting from the ignorance of the founders of the Great Lodge of England regarding these grades, the whole matter appears in a very different light. It then becomes a question of the superimposition of two different meanings that are by no means exclusive, something not at all unusual in symbolism. Furthermore, until now no one seems to have noticed that the two interpretations, Greek and Hebrew respectively, agree perfectly with the specific character of the two corresponding grades, ‘Pythagorean' for the second and 'Solomonian' for the third: and it is this above all that allows us to understand what is really involved.
Let us now return to the ‘geometric' interpretation of the grade of Companion, about which what we have said thus far is not the most interesting aspect as concerns the symbolism of operative Masonry. In the same catechism cited above, the following enigma is also to be found: By letters four and science five, this G aright doth stand in a due an and proportion. [9] Here, science five obviously designates the ‘fifth science’, that is, Geometry; as for the meaning of letters four, at first sight and by symmetry we might be tempted to suppose that there is a mistake and that letter must be read in the singular, so that it would be a question of the ‘fourth letter', that is, in the Greek alphabet, the letter ‘Δ’ [delta], which indeed is interesting symbolically because of its triangular shape; but since this explanation would have the great defect of presenting no intelligible connection with the letter ‘G; it is much more likely that it is really a question of 'four letters', and that the rather unusual expression science five, instead of fifth science, has been put there intentionally to render the statement yet more enigmatic. Now, the point that may seem most obscure is this: why are four letters spoken of, or, if it is really still the initial letter of the word Geometry that is meant, why must it be quadrupled to stand aright in due art and proportion. The answer, which must be related to the ‘central' or ‘polar' position of the letter 'G', can only be given by means of operative symbolism; and moreover, it is here that we see the necessity of taking this letter in its Greek form, Γ, as indicated above. Indeed, four gammas joined at right angles form the swastika, symbol, as is also the letter 'G', of the pole star, which is itself the symbol of, and for the operative Mason, the actual seat of, the hidden central Sun of the Universe, Yah,[10] which obviously very much calls to mind the T'ai-i of the Far-Eastern tradition.[11] In the passage from The Great Triad which we cited at the beginning of this chapter, we had already called attention to the existence, in the operative ritual, of a very close relationship between the letter 'G' and the swastika; however, we did not then have knowledge of information which, by introducing the Greek Γ, makes this relationship still more direct and completes its explanation.[12]
It is well to note further that the bent part of the arms of the swastika is considered here as representing the Great Bear, seen in four different positions in the course of its revolution around the pole star, to which the center where the four gammas meet naturally corresponds, and that these four positions are related to the four cardinal points and the four seasons; and it is well known what importance the Great Bear has in all traditions in which polar symbolism plays a part. [13] If we consider that all this pertains to a symbolism which may truly be called ‘ecumenical; and which by that very fact indicates a most direct link with the primordial tradition, we can easily understand why 'the polar theory has always been one of the greatest secrets of the true master Masons'. [14]
________________________________________
[1] The Great Triad, chap. 25.
[2] This italicized English expression, and the others to follow in this chapter, were printed in English in the French text. [Ed.]
[3] The author of a work on Masonic symbolism believed it necessary to address to us, in somewhat discourteous terms, a criticism on this point, as if we ourselves were responsible for this phonetic assimilation; nevertheless, we are not responsible, any more than we are for the fact that formerly the English Masons also identified the three letters of the same word God with the initials of the three Hebraic words Gamel, Oz, and Dabar (Beauty, Strength, Wisdom). One may think what one likes of the value of such parallels (and there are still others), but one is in any case obliged to take note of them, at least historically.
[4] Marius Lepage, 'La Lettre G' in Le Symbolisme, November 1948; article in the Speculative Mason, July 1949, written in connection with the previous article and from which the greater part of the information used here is drawn.
[5] Prichard, Masonry Dissected, 1730
[6] See The Esoterism of Dante, chap. 2. [Ed.]
[7] Let us recall that the set-square, with its arms of unequal length, which has precisely the form of this letter, represents the two sides of the right angle of the 3-4-5 right triangle which itself has, as we have explained elsewhere, a very particular importance in operative Masonry (see 'Lost Word and Substituted Words; in Studies in Freemasonry and the Compagnonnage).
[8] All the observations which have been made based on the farm of the letter 'G' (its likeness to a knot, to the alchemical symbol for salt, etc.) are manifestly artificial or even fanciful; rather, they have not the slightest connection with any recognized meanings of this letter, and in any case they are not based on any authentic data.
[9] We must not neglect to mention in passing that in response to the question Who does that G denote? (who and not what as before, when it was a question of Geometry), this catechism further contains the following phrase: The Grand Architect and contriver of the Universe, or He that was taken up to the Pinnacle of the Holy Temple. It will be noted that the 'Grand Architect of the Universe' is here identified with Christ (and therefore with the Logos), Himself linked with the symbolism of the 'cornerstone, understood according to the sense that we have explained [see chap. 43]; the ‘pinnacle of the Temple' (and note the curious resemblance of this word 'Pinnacle' with the Hebrew pinnah meaning ‘angle') is naturally the summit or the highest point and as such equivalent to the ‘key of the arch' (Keystone) in Arch Masonry.
[10] In the article of the Speculative Mason from which this citation is taken, the swastika is mistakenly called gammadion, a name which, as we have noted on several occasions, was really applied in former times to different figures altogether (see ‘Al-Arkan' [see chap. 45], where we have reproduced the figure); but it is true nevertheless that the swastika, although never having borne that name, may also be regarded as formed by the union of four gammas, so that this rectification of terminology alters nothing in what we have said here.
[11] We will add that the divine name Yah, which was just mentioned, is linked more especially with the first of the three Grand Masters of the seventh degree of operative Masonry.
[12] It might be objected that the documentation presented by the Speculative Mason concerning the swastika comes from Clement Stratton, and that the latter was said to be the chief author of a 'restoration' of the operative rituals in which certain elements, lost under circumstances never fully explained, were probably replaced by borrowings from speculative rituals, borrowings which cannot be guaranteed to conform to the old ones; but this objection is invalid in the present case since we find no trace of anything like this in speculative Masonry.
[13] See also The Great Triad chap. 25, concerning the 'City of Willows' and its symbolic representation by a bushel measure filled with rice.
[14] It may be interesting to point out further that in the Kabbalah, the yod is considered to be formed by the union of three points representing the three supreme middoth and arranged as a set-square; the latter, moreover, is turned in the direction opposite that of the Greek letter Γ which could correspond to the two opposite directions of rotation of the swastika.