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Post by leonardo on May 1, 2008 16:55:26 GMT
I just finished reading a most wonderful article on why we start off with the left foot, found here.It has some wonderful suggestions, which I recommend everyone read: but I am wondering if there are any other possibilities?
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Post by maat on May 2, 2008 0:44:44 GMT
It is a natural way to begin circumabulating in a clockwise direction. It is the heart side and indicates following your intuition. It is the mercy side of the Tree of Life. --------------- There could also a connection to Ida-Isis-Moon/Passive-108. Ida (of Pingala & Sushumna fame)is the LEFT side energy and is considered feminine, passive/intuitive. There are heaps of references (and statues of) Goddesses (passive/intuitive) trampling snakes (sushumna?) with their LEFT FOOT (Christian and non Christian). From memory there is supposed to be a connection with Isis/Moon/Venus and the number 108.... and 108 brings us to the Buddha's LEFT FOOT. (All Buddhists accept the Buddha Footprint with its 108 Auspicious Illustrations. These areas are considered have been marked on the Buddha's left foot when his body was discovered.) webtechstore.hypermart.net/cgi-bin/auto3m.cgi?2003-10-17-14-32-58.txt (Don't ask me what it all means... I just file all this stuff away.) Maat
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Post by maat on May 2, 2008 1:30:40 GMT
Lord Shiva may give us a few CLUES also... "His planted (RIGHT) FOOT stands for the syllable MA and symbolizes His concealing grace, tirodhana shakti, which limits consciousness, allowing souls to mature through experience. Lord Siva's RAISED LEFT FOOT symbolizes His revealing grace, anugraha shakti, by which the soul ultimately transcends the bonds of anava, karma and maya and realizes its identity with Him. www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/dws/dws_sivas_dance.htmlThis link is worth reading for clues to other symbols in Masonry also. Maat
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Post by maat on May 2, 2008 1:34:12 GMT
I can start to see now the connecting thread of the clues. When we follow our intuition our three sacred energies will rise high enough to transcend the bonds of physical life, whilst still living. We will know ourselves enough to realise that death is not the king of terror we thought it once to be. Our bodies are mortal, we are not.
Maat
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Post by hollandr on May 2, 2008 2:41:11 GMT
The link gives us: The left foot is advanced to represent the power of Isis.
I understand that to be correct but it does not tell us why
Here is part of the ritual to do with Apophis (who may be the King of Terrors):
the magical procedure is basically .......'spitting upon' ..... 'trampling upon.... it with his 'left foot' 'spearing' ............'binding' .......... wrapping it in the papyrus, before placing it on the fire
The trampling is originally either by Isis the Widow or her son Horus the Lord of Life/Light
Note that the Widow, the King of Terrors and the Lord of Light/Life all rate a mention in the MM degree
But that only establishes the precedents. We are still left with the question: why the left foot?
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Post by maat on May 2, 2008 3:33:41 GMT
Heart side, which is where the 'permanent atom' is believed to reside in the left venticle of the heart, which is a part of the heart that heart surgeons will not touch because if disturbed the patient dies... or so I hear tell.
Heart - God - God rules - let Him show us the way ??
I know that there are dowsable differences in the types of energy emanating from the extremities on each side of the body, but I don't know that this would have much to do with things. I would be very interested to hear if it does.
Why do you think the left foot is significant Russell? And how can we test it?
Maat
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Post by maat on May 2, 2008 3:36:03 GMT
Did you know that there is a legend that states that Adam when expelled from Eden he was overcome with remorse and stood on one foot for a very long time to prove to God that he was sorry. Don't know what leg is was Maat
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Tamrin
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Post by Tamrin on May 2, 2008 4:57:29 GMT
Play can indeed be creative, but just as we are taught to lead of with the left foot and follow-up with the right, so too should we encourage playful intuition but, before taking it too seriously, follow-up with reason.
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Post by maat on May 2, 2008 6:12:52 GMT
Play can indeed be creative, but just as we are taught to lead of with the left foot and follow-up with the right, so too should we encourage playful intuition but, before taking it too seriously, follow-up with reason. That's the point of the thread. We don't know why we are taught to lead off with the left foot, so we are searching the world's literature for clues. I can't even begin to imagine why Adam would stand on one foot to prove to God he was sorry... or any reason for it. But there are an aweful lot of one footed statuary and stories out there... ?? I believe even in modern culture the position of the front feet of horses sculptures indicate whether the rider was killed or wounded in battle. Read that just recently. Why wouldn't the position of feet indicate something in days of olde? How about peculiar position of the feet of the Hanged Man and the Emperor in the Tarot cards... ? The positions of the feet used by Leonardo DaVinci...? Revelations 10:2 - And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his LEFT FOOT on the earth...? Maat
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Tamrin
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Post by Tamrin on May 2, 2008 6:49:22 GMT
That's the point of the thread. We don't know why we are taught to lead off with the left foot, so we are searching the world's literature for clues. I wasn't suggesting otherwise: After all, "It is a poor symbol which means only one thing." I was simply offering my two bob's worth from a previous post.
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Post by mattjtayl on May 3, 2008 3:29:27 GMT
Lord Shiva may give us a few CLUES also... "His planted (RIGHT) FOOT stands for the syllable MA and symbolizes His concealing grace, tirodhana shakti, which limits consciousness, allowing souls to mature through experience. Lord Siva's RAISED LEFT FOOT symbolizes His revealing grace, anugraha shakti, by which the soul ultimately transcends the bonds of anava, karma and maya and realizes its identity with Him. www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/dws/dws_sivas_dance.htmlThis link is worth reading for clues to other symbols in Masonry also. Maat hmm that is totaly different then what I was lead to believe, Interesting though. I thought this was clearly explained in the EA lecture? It seems to be in our ritual that we use, but everywhere is a little different. I am memorizing the EA lecture for next year and it is explained in the ritual why the left side is used.
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Post by hollandr on May 3, 2008 3:56:03 GMT
>it is explained in the ritual why the left side is used
Matt
Perhaps your ritual is better than ours. Ours seems to leave everything veiled in allegory so that it is up to the brethren to pursue the hidden mysteries of nature and (Masonic) science
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Post by hollandr on May 3, 2008 4:01:43 GMT
>Why do you think the left foot is significant Russell? And how can we test it?
I think perhaps the nearest the heart is pretty close.
The right foot is the preferred foot for kicking for most people - watch a football match to check. Thus the right foot is more connected with anger.
The trampling of the King of Terrors, if done in anger, may actually attract the energies of the King of Terrors.
Thus the trampling may need to be done in love in order not to aggravate the situation
There are parallels in the mother bird "kicking" the fledglings out of the nest. It is a proper process - presumably done with some detachment.
So here is an experiment:
- Stand upright and then set off walking starting with a strong stamp of the right foot - and see what sort of feelings occur - might need to repeat that a few times to get the feel
- Repeat for the left foot.
Are the feelings different?
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Tamrin
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Post by Tamrin on May 3, 2008 4:52:34 GMT
It is a natural way to begin circumabulating in a clockwise direction. I suspect this may be the primary reason, with a bit of rhetorical gloss thrown in to dress it up.
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Post by parisfred on May 4, 2008 16:32:52 GMT
For the modern ritual (the oldest ~1755 ) still in use, it was the right foot,
I am not sure, but I believe, the side changed in UK and then in the english world when also the degree word and the name of the column were exchanged. ( J 1st° and B 2nd° )
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Post by maat on May 4, 2008 23:27:09 GMT
;D ;D ;D No wonder it is a crazy mixed up world. (Started to read The Voice of the Silence again last night, which says that when we start to view the waking world as we do the dream world then we will be getting closer to the True ... www.theosociety.org/pasadena/voice/voice1.htmWhich has just reminded me, whenever I have a 'significant dream' the main events usually happen on the left hand side) Maat
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ruffashlar
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Post by ruffashlar on May 7, 2008 14:42:30 GMT
None of these musings (illuminations by darkness, I'd call them) casts any light on why the originators of Masonic ritual favoured the left over the right. Even supposing all this began as late as the 18th Century and was not around earlier (which I don't reckon, as a matter of pure prejudice and opinion), you have to understand that our Masonic forebears were not in possession of any reliable information about, say, the Ancient Chinese or Egyptians. We know that, because no-one else in society at that time knew anything about those subjects, and you would expect that century's greatest exponents of secret knowledge to have been Masons. Also, whenever they *do* make explicit mention of, say, Egyptian matters, they are almost without exception completely wrong about them.
The simplest and most relevant explanation is usually correct. We know that in earlier times, there was much prejudice in favour of the right hand, side and direction over the left in all things. Making a beginning in Masonry, one is symbolically a callow, inexperienced youth, about whose abilities little is known and in whom little confidence is invested. Accordingly, the side of the body most imitative and indicative of that state and condition is the left.
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Post by leonardo on May 7, 2008 16:29:47 GMT
None of these musings (illuminations by darkness, I'd call them) casts any light on why the originators of Masonic ritual favoured the left over the right. Even supposing all this began as late as the 18th Century and was not around earlier (which I don't reckon, as a matter of pure prejudice and opinion), you have to understand that our Masonic forebears were not in possession of any reliable information about, say, the Ancient Chinese or Egyptians. We know that, because no-one else in society at that time knew anything about those subjects, and you would expect that century's greatest exponents of secret knowledge to have been Masons. Also, whenever they *do* make explicit mention of, say, Egyptian matters, they are almost without exception completely wrong about them. The simplest and most relevant explanation is usually correct. We know that in earlier times, there was much prejudice in favour of the right hand, side and direction over the left in all things. Making a beginning in Masonry, one is symbolically a callow, inexperienced youth, about whose abilities little is known and in whom little confidence is invested. Accordingly, the side of the body most imitative and indicative of that state and condition is the left. Firstly, good to see you again Secondly, thank you, and everyone else, for contributing to what has turned out to be a most fascinating topic. Some amazing suggestions.
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Tamrin
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Post by Tamrin on May 7, 2008 17:13:41 GMT
The simplest and most relevant explanation is usually correct. We know that in earlier times, there was much prejudice in favour of the right hand, side and direction over the left in all things. Making a beginning in Masonry, one is symbolically a callow, inexperienced youth, about whose abilities little is known and in whom little confidence is invested. Accordingly, the side of the body most imitative and indicative of that state and condition is the left. Good point (bearing in mind that, as Paris Fred has observed, commencing with the left foot has not always been the case). On a related point, it also fits with the limbic state of initiation, akin to the situation of The Fool in Tarot, (as well as ensuring that one does not commence wrong-footed on a clockwise path).
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Post by maat on May 7, 2008 23:23:47 GMT
you have to understand that our Masonic forebears were not in possession of any reliable information about, say, the Ancient Chinese or Egyptians. We know that, because no-one else in society at that time knew anything about those subjects. What an absolutely amazing statement to make! I am guessing that you personally knew everyone else in society at that time and quizzed them all about what they knew. You, have to understand that you are wrong in this instance. Maat (really nice to hear from you again )
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