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Post by jratcliff on Nov 15, 2005 18:04:49 GMT
So, I'm now working to learn the ritual and I have some questions. I realize that the basic answer to my question is just going to be "because you want to do it right", but I'm hoping to get a little more than that.
While it is fairly obvious that if you are going to perform a dramatic play 'correctly' then memorizing your lines word perfect, with correct pronunciation and expression, is desirable.
And, I suppose the same thing could be said for floor work as well.
However, I am still quite puzzled and I am unwilling to ask my teachers since they are being so kind and patient to help me along. Since I was recently asked to post a message to the forum, I figured I would do so by asking some questions which continue to nag my rational mind. During ritual, as I get corrected again, and again, and again, my rational mind keeps screaming "why the heck does it matter?" I don't say it aloud because something tells me it would be rude and disrespectful, but it doesn't silence the question in my mind.
Why does it matter if I step off from the left foot, except when I step off with the right? Why does it matter whether I turn to the right, or the left, or do a rod change, or don't do a rod change? As my dear friend Pee Wee Herman once said, "What's the significance!?"
I'm lucky if I can remember generally where I'm supposed to go and be. When you throw in the exacting requirements for the floor work I have a hard time keeping track of it all. I have never served in the military nor was I ever in a marching band, so this is all new and difficult to me.
And, as I said, why does it matter? I'm sure the floor work in any other state is substantially different than our own, even more so in other countries. So why is it so important that every step of every foot is performed with absolute perfection to some undefined code (floor work is not written down, only passed orally from teacher to student)?
Above and beyond the obvious answer that "You should strive to do it 'correctly'" is there some other rational explanation of why the left foot one time, and the right foot another? Why a rod change here, and then there? Why three raps, or one?
You know, on another message forum I am frequently told that "I have never seen anything 'occult' in my decades of experience with Freemasonry." I find that statement kind of hard to reconcile with this notion of striving for perfection in ritual form.
The only thing I am aware of that requires absolute perfection of ritual is ritual magick. Now, I don't understand ritual magick either, mind you. However, at least that is 'some kind of' an explanation. If the 'purpose' of performing this ritual to absolute perfection is based on esoteric beliefs, then at least that is something I can get my head around.
Otherwise, it just seems like nonsense to me. Much of our spoken ritual has strong messages of morality in them and ends up feeling reassuring in repetition. The floor work, on the other hand, seems far more arbitrary unless there is some greater reason for it to be performed with military precision. Finally, if anyone here actually does believe that ritual has an esoteric purpose, then could you direct me to some content that a rational guy could get his head around? How does performing a ritual ceremony to absolute perfection 'produce anything' of substance or merit? And, if so, what is this 'something', how is it measured, felt, or understood?
Thanks,
Brother John
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Post by middlepillar on Nov 15, 2005 19:06:36 GMT
John
A lot in this question to think about!
Can we start with squaring the Lodge, The real reason for 'squaring' the lodge is that in the good old days '1700' it was customary in the Lodges Normally upstairs in Taverns to draw the Tracing Board on the wooden floor in the centre of the room. Brehtren would obviously not want to walk on the drawing so would walk around the outside, thus squaring the Lodge, later the wives of the masons would embroider a Tracing Board and again it was laid on the floor.
The reasons we stand in the NE corner after initiation and S E after passing is because in the old days this is where the two ashlars were stood and the candidate would put his left and right feets against the sides of the ashlars (rough after initiation smooth after Passing. In the old days of course there was no Master Masons Degree.
Only a couple of things John but a start.
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Post by jratcliff on Nov 15, 2005 19:11:43 GMT
Hmmm..even though I am interested in the larger reasons for our ritual (why do we make each offcier repeat their job description as a large part of opening ritual, seems kind of unnecessary) I was even more curious about the obessive detail with complete and utter trivia.
I am constantly corrected for 'doing things wrong', like holding the rod not exactly the correct number of inches off of the floor, not grabbing it with the correct hand, or in exactly the correct posture and way.
And, most specifically, the exact and perfect requirement for where your feet move, not only which one comes first, but the *exact* number of steps to walk from point A to point B, how far you walk from adjacent surfaces, and all manner of tiny and sublte details.
It's an overwhelming amount of minuitia with absolutely no rational explanation as to 'why' any of it makes any difference.
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Post by taylorsman on Nov 15, 2005 19:35:56 GMT
As has been mentioned, there is nothing gratutious in Freemasonry and if one cares to look deeply enough one can find a reason for most Symbols, Words,Signs, Steps and Practices.
That having been said, whilst I like a good Ceremony well performed, I have no time for pedants . Of course one cannot make it up as one goes along , but the substitution of the occasional word for one of the same style and meaning is far better to keep the flow going than to hear the WM or some other Officer stumble and stammer over the "right" word. I had the habit of using "prior to" instead of "previously to" in one part of the Second Degree Ceremony. Frankly is doesn't matter it means the same. As for carrying a Wand , there are various ways to hold it so use the one you find most comfortable. I had this problem when a Deacon, I tried to do it as the DC suggested and nearly tripped up, thankfully only at LOI, so I simply reverted to holding it my way and had no further problems although the DC wasn't happy, but that's Life!
I think we place far too much importance on learning the words of Ritual off by Heart "Parrot Fashion" and this too often with no understanding of the meaning of what is being said. Also this puts a lot of stress on people who are no longer used to learing by rote as in bygone days and puts some off from advancing in The Craft. I would far rather the words were read with feeling, drama and dignity rather than recited word perfect but in a dull monotone as is too often the case.
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Post by jratcliff on Nov 15, 2005 19:49:30 GMT
Taylorsman, thanks for the kind reply. I can tell by your post that you are not from a US blue lodge, because little of what you just mentioned matches any of our own ritual.
I understand what you are saying about the performance of the ritual being smooth. I agree with that, as do all of my brothers. Once we are actually in a meeting if someone makes a mistake of any kind we just move right on over it, it isn't ever seen as a big deal.
However, during school of instruction it is another matter entirely. Why is the footwork so exacting? It's no great mystery why a candidate is placed in the north east corner of the lodge, the ritual tells us why. But what are the answers to the 'why' of the trivia of the footwork?
Not just 'we march the candidate around the lodge for this reason or that' by why a particular foot sequence, distance, number of steps, etc. Who decided this? For what purpose is it supposed to serve?
It looks like I am going to be able to visit a lodge in Paris next Monday while I am on a business trip. I expect it to be an extremely interesting experience to see the ritual performed in another language and nation. So far I have only read or heard about the differences but I think it will be fascinating to see them.
Brother John
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Post by taylorsman on Nov 15, 2005 20:45:41 GMT
Indeed not, although born in Scotland I am an English Freemason and my Craft or (Blue) Lodge as you would call it in the USA uses Taylors Ritual. There are difference of course in your Workings compared to ours , as there are within the various areas of England and indeed the Scots and Irish use different Rituals too, that is one of the great beauties of Freemasonry, the variety.
LOI can be an unpleasent experience compared to Lodge itself and many Brethren here in the UK do not attend but become "Knife and Fork" Masons as we call them perhaps a bit unfairly. A good Preceptor/ DC will know not to push his Brethren too hard , but a pedantic martinet will soon drive them away.
Freemasonry should be something we ENJOY doing , not a chore or an imposition that we come to dread.
I wish you well in your Masonic Journey and remember that, (even if you do not to progress to The Chair), what the poet said, "They also serve who only stand and wait"
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Post by zz-Midlander on Nov 15, 2005 21:04:29 GMT
Having just come home after LOI where we covered the work of the JD in an Initiation, I'm glad to say the Preceptor was not too much of a pedant! However, he has given me my 'job' for this season: Learn the 1st Degree Charge!! By January would be nice..................Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by hollandr on Nov 15, 2005 21:21:36 GMT
John
I wonder if you might benefit from learning Tai Chi
From that you might learn the energetic and spiritual implications of movements
cheers
Russell
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Post by maat on Nov 15, 2005 21:37:22 GMT
Dear Bro John
I feel you will go far in Freemasonry. You are asking the right questions right from the start. To get some satisfactory answers I feel you are going to have to start your journey into esoteric Freemasonry for that is where you will find all the answers. I do not have a handy list of recommended reading at hand at the moment - and as I have been on that road for years I am not sure I could select the most appropriate books to start with.
Lodge ritual is mirroring internal processes of Body/Mind/Spirit. - this concept will explain the knocks in time.
When standing correctly as a Mason - the SEVEN chakras are bought into alignment and the Energy/Spirit can flow freely. Do you feel energised after a meeting? Even gone in with a cold and came out with none?
LF = Intuition - follow your instincts RF = ? Logic?
Other footwork - remember how long it took you to take your first step? and now you run! Body/Mind/Spirit sometimes gets straight to the point and at other times we seem to go round in circles (necessarily) to reach the goal. Don't forget external processes are explaining internal processes.
NE Cnr you are in the reflected light of the Sun and the Master(of knowledge) with regard to this mysterious knowledge which you hope to access. It is the Master of the Lodge (who is a mere external symbol of the Master in YOU)who takes you to the SE a place where there is Light.
One book you might do well to start with is Kirk McNulty's "The Way of the Craftsman"... if it is still in print.
There is nothing superfluous in Freemasonry I once saw a ballet where the dancers all took the part of a piece of the machinery. Together they showed the audience "how it all worked". And it was absolutley magnificent to watch.
Many will find themselves in a Lodge wherein not one single member would recognise anything of what I, and many others have said. There are many pedants to be found in the ranks who will take things just a tad too far - but even this has its advantages. As in the Mystery Schools of old, including Pythagorus, the Initiate must first be willing to keep silent and show obedience to the Teacher..... in other words sacrifice you own ego for a period so that a superior Wisdom can present itself to you.
PERSEVERENCE is one of the missing words of Freemasonry. For if you truly persevere you cannot help but find that for which you are looking.
Our whole lifetime is our true initiation.
With much encouragement and my HGW Maat
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Post by windtimber on Nov 15, 2005 22:26:20 GMT
Brother John -
This is more of an observation than an answer - take it for what it is worth. A couple years ago I vacationed in your home state and decided to take in a few Lodge meetings as a guest. Visiting a certain lodge I was "grilled" by the examining committee in minute detail. I learned thereafter that they were being examined that evening by a Grand officer to ascertain if they would qualify for some award recognizing for perfect work. The work was absolutely amazing, rote recited, martial movements on the floor, etc. They got their qualification and everyone was very pleased. I also learned that annual qualification for the perfect work recognition was an extremely important, long time object of this lodge.
Perhaps you find yourself in a lodge that has a long record of recognition of perfection in the work. There's not necessarily anything wrong with that - as stated above well done work is always a joy to behold - but substituting rote and nit-picking ritual perfection for a full understanding of our craft is truly a mistake. A balanced approach to perfect work is, like in all things, very important.
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Post by jratcliff on Nov 15, 2005 23:02:03 GMT
Thanks Windtalker (and Maat). Yes, I have found myself in a very qualified lodge indeed. We have one of the most active lodges in the State with numerous 'right worshipful's' in attendance each meeting.
I realize I am fortunate in this regard. I still don't understand 'why' we do the floorwork in such exacting detail for any reason above and beyond putting on a good performance and, now I suppose that is simply enough.
If I ever feel any Chi flowing through my body you guys will be the first to know.
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Post by jratcliff on Nov 16, 2005 0:29:43 GMT
Ok, just for the heck of it I did a google search on 'ritual magick' a subject I know exactly nothing about. I found this link interesting (of course out of tens of thousands). altreligion.about.com/library/weekly/aa090104a.htmThis certainly serves as an explanation/model for my floorwork question. Does anyone think it makes sense?
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Post by maat on Nov 16, 2005 1:08:53 GMT
Dear John ....and you think that was a coincidence? Knock - and it shall be opened unto you !!! It really DOES WORK that way. It's fun isn't it.. By the way I am going to post your link on another thread where I just lost a discussion on the use of the word 'magic' ;D Thank you - that piece came just in the nick of time for me too. Cheers Maat
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Post by a on Nov 16, 2005 7:55:46 GMT
John
This is a tangental way of thinking about this issue. But it may help. If it doesn't I apologise now.
Think about being in a bar/club and across the room your eyes meet with someones. Somehow your two respective energies collided and decided to stop and look. There is a connection. Now if you then dance with that person you are performing a ritual that could either be jerky and uneasy or it could flow beautifully lifting you both to another dimension where your combined focus is only on each other, and you become oblivious to the world outside. Body chemicals flow, bonds are made, spirits are lifted and you feel better for achieving something.
But there is more than this. Your perfect dancing has not only impressed others who may have stopped to watch, but the sheer beauty of it may have lifted the spirits of those around you as well. Other people can see the beauty, the strength, the elegance of your dancing and it has directly benefited all of them.
Now while dancing and florwork may appear to be very different. They are in fact very similar. They are both rituals. Once you know the moves you can do it, but more than this once you have perfected the moves you become a beacon of light which emotionally affects and illuminates all of those around you. And both of them, with thought, can lead to all sorts of internal growth.
To me, both are magic, for they both have the ability to help those involved transform.
Magic is all around you, hidden throughout nature and science. It is one of the things that makes life so beautiful.
Anyhow just some rambling thoughts. Hope they help.
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Post by petertaylor on Nov 16, 2005 8:08:36 GMT
In my Mother Lodge, we have never squared the carpet: drawing the TB on the floor was an English introduction. The candidate can sit anywhere in the Lodge he likes, (except the East of Course!), i.e. he doesn’t have to sit in the NE or SE after the EA and FC degrees. We do step off with the left foot, but that relates to a much older ‘tradition’ of putting your best foot forward. (Some Lodges step off with the left foot in the 1st degree and the right in the 2nd etc.)
There are a few other idiosyncrasies as well.
Although over the year many innovations have taken place in Speculative Masonry much of the rituals in Scotland have held onto the more ancient workings.
I guess to answer your question John: your Lodge has traditionally decided that that is the way they want to do things, and by way of discipline it should continue to do so.
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Post by taylorsman on Nov 16, 2005 8:40:20 GMT
Or to follow on from Bro Taylor's closing remark, "Join another Lodge where you will be happier in a more relaxed atmosphere".
Freemasonry should be enjoyed not endured and if the philosophy and modus operandi of your current Lodge makes you unhappy then perhaps you should consider joining another. There is no shame in so doing. I resigned in good standing from one Lodge as I did not like the way they did things and was becoming unhappy there.
Of course I am not au fait with all the differences in Custom and Practice in US Freemasonry as compared to the UK. Over here it is usually required that a man be a Master Mason before he can join another Lodge but this requirement can be waived if for example he moves to another area and cannot attend his original Lodge but is still an EA or and FC, or there are other important reasons for him to wish to change Lodges.
My advice, taking into account your previous postings, is that you stick it out in that Lodge until you gain your Third Degree, visit other Lodges and find one in which you feel at ease and the Brethren are happy with you , then join that one and resign in good standing from your present Lodge as I feel it is one where rigid perfection in Ritual is taken as a given. Good Luck in whatever you chose to do.
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Post by vadro on Nov 16, 2005 10:35:45 GMT
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giovanni
Member
odi profanum vulgus, et arceo
Posts: 2,627
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Post by giovanni on Nov 16, 2005 12:32:00 GMT
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Post by jratcliff on Nov 16, 2005 13:42:09 GMT
... if the philosophy and modus operandi of your current Lodge makes you unhappy then perhaps you should consider joining another. Hmmm..this comment makes me wonder. How did I fail to communicate myself correctly in the first place? I am very happy with my lodge and wouldn't be attending LOI regularily or be an officer (albeit at the end of the line) already. I am also a member of another blue lodge. I can and do enjoy being part of the ritual. However, right now, I only seem to get the surface value of it. (Fellowship and pride in trying to perform the ritual correctly.) My questions are merely those that arise in the rational mind. Perhaps all of you who are involved in Freemasony understand the meaning and purpose of ritual, including even the trivia, automatically. That is not the case for me. I think I have received some satisfactory answers here, the best of which came from that web site link. The idea that conducting a ritual (nearly *any* ritual), and doing it 'correctly', produces some benefit at a spiritual, intuitive, and subconscious level is a sufficient answer for me. I may do the ritual to perfection after ten years of practice and never feel this benefit, but I can at least make the effort. With this theory, then, the reason to perform a ritual, any ritual, to perfection is that it does not deliver it's perceived benefits to their maximum power unless they meet, or at least approach, that lofty goal. I can well imagine the uplifting feeling a lodge would obtain when they perform a degree and every single member of the lodge hits each mark, each word, and every motion to perfection. I'll take this as an answer and be satisfied for now. I will make sure I always lead with my left foot, except when it is with my right. I will always make a right turn, except when it is a left. I will always respond to every cue at the precise and exact moment and time. And, I will not allow my rational mind to object to all of this 'trivia'. I was not ever complaining about the ritual, or if it sounded like that I apologize. What I am trying to 'get my head around' is the rationale behind it. I still find it difficult to believe that a Freemason who learns and performs ritual to an exacting detail can honestly proclaim he has 'never seen anything occult' in Freemasonry. At this point it seems he is simply avoiding the obvious. We perform an exacting ritual with numerous references to pagan symbols and there is no hidden occult purpose behind it? Heck, I would be dissapointed if there wasn't! Because, otherwise, it would be empty forms with no hope of a larger meaning or purpose for putting your left foot in front of the other, or calling upon sun, moon, south, west, and east. Brother John P.S. I am a Master Mason at Wentzville Lodge #46 in Missouri where I hold the office of Junior Steward. In addition I am a dual member of Napathali Lodge #25, which holds its meetings in the incredible New Temple in downtown St. Louis. (Photograph of the New Temple: www.infiniplex.net/~jratcliff/temple.jpg)In addition to these two positions in the Blue Lodge I am also a Chapter Advisor for Troy DeMolay, a Masonic youth group that my 13 year old son belongs to. And, finally, I am a Noble of the Moolah Shrine.
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giovanni
Member
odi profanum vulgus, et arceo
Posts: 2,627
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Post by giovanni on Nov 16, 2005 16:31:48 GMT
IMO, to understand a ritual is more important than to perform it exactly.
Of course, man should strive for perfection, but without paranoia. Some little imperfections are witness of our human, thus imperfect, status.
If a Bro. really understands what is going to do, I am sure he will do it in the best manner.
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