Post by thisisnecessary on Dec 27, 2011 12:01:30 GMT
I am interested to know what any of my Companions around this place have to say about their interpretation of the symbolism of the Keystone. Bear with me, I've been a lurker here for a while and have been busy doing much study of Royal Arch Chapter and Cryptic Council degrees...I've got a lot of my mind, so I apologize ahead of time for the wall of text you see before you!
In my Chapter, here in Illinois, we see the Keystone figure most prominently into our 4th, 6th and 7th degrees, the Mark Master, Most Excellent Master, and Holy Royal Arch. I cannot vouch for how these degrees are presented in other countries(though I am MOST curious about the differences) but with all the attention given to it, it remains a bit of an elusive symbol in a lot of ways for me and my new Companions. After reading a good armful of books about Royal Arch Masonry, the keystone and its surrounding story is given many interesting interpretations, but still remains a beautiful yet curious and mysterious symbol.
In my version of the Mark Master degree, we discover this mysterious piece of work in the quarry, and are encouraged by the Senior Deacon to present it for inspection to the Overseers as if it were our own. Here the Senior Deacon exhibits a role reversal of sorts, being the same one who at a later time, at that pivotal point at the Senior Warden's wicket, vouches for the candidate as a FC who has wrought with him in the quarries, thus avoiding any nasty penalties. (At that moment, the candidate has not progressed to the level of a true FC, understanding how to receive wages by placing his hand in a position familiar to those who may recognize this gesture of a spiritual master in religious art and esoteric representations...)
This is an interesting implication in and of itself, if nothing else, done to facilitate the lesson of how we should never presume to impose upon the craft in order to receive wages that are not our just due. If metaphorically we can assume on one level that our "Good Work" is really our presentation of pure Thoughts, Words, and Actions, and our personal Mark is the sincere representation of our obligation to be responsible for such work, the symbolism is beautifully simplistic and strongly practical for the individual Mark Master. This then might lead to the idea of Wages; the rewards for Good, True and Square work, which may be many things for each mason, depending on his craftsmanship.
If my memory serves me correctly, I believe it was Steinmetz who wrote in his book 'The Royal Arch; Its Hidden Meaning' about how the Fellowcraft of the Blue Lodge was paid in Corn(Wheat?) Wine and Oil, and how the Mark Master is paid in coin, maybe representing a new freedom to purchase our own type of sustenance, rather than that of which is chosen for us. This would make sense, as at this point in our masonic journey we are Master Masons, able to travel to foreign countries, work and receive master's wages. This hints that our work is now of a higher caliber, and therefore so should our payment for such.
Naturally, we are given the appropriate WTs to perform this task. As we now assume the responsibility of Marking our work, taking full responsibility for all that we are, all that we say, think and do, we are given the Chisel and Mallet. This is explained as representing Discipline and Education. Those students of esoteric thought may be familiar with Force and Form, a concept that can be a wonderful parallel here, the Content and the Vessel, Practice and Theory, of Thought and of Action. We see this as an important idea in Qabalah, relating to the Sephiroth and the creation myth, especially in reference to the vessels that broke upon the first attempt, leaving the universe with the Husks, explaining the forces of the universe, giving it order and drive, resulting in all the active and passive elements of duality itself.* This of course is not only a Qabalistic concept, but remains a universal one for many ideas within many systems.
:/ ANYWAYS... I am also very interested to see what you Royal Arch Masons think of the Christian parallels we present in the Chapter. For a degree that is historically/allegorically set in the time of King Solomon's Temple, we sure do use a lot of New Testament scriptural references (as an esoteric Christian, this doesn't bother me one bit, just does more to add different layers of symbolism), even quoting from Revelations 2:17, shrouding the Keystone further.
Be that as it may, with a recent poke through my study Bible and also the internet, I find that John's reference of the Hidden Manna and the White Stone with a New Name basically represents the favor of heavenly blessings by virtue of our work to overcome sin, being our lower carnal and imperfect natures, and a new beginning of spirituality, a shifting of consciousness into a higher state of being.**
With this biblical commentary in mind, it seems to me that the New Name(HTWSSTKS) was meant for the one who designed the Keystone, Hiram Abiff, and NOT for us by itself of course, as it was his own personal Mark. The New Name for each of us, we representing at various times the Giblemites(Stone-Squarers) within a degree that is 'Dedicated to Hiram Abiff' and not the Saints John, must be our own Mark itself, being our personal addition residing comfortably within the Mark of our ancient Grand Master. This leads me to believe that our Mark represents that which may be the secret token granted to those that persevere towards a spiritual mindset versus a material one, once refused by the builders, but rescued from the rubbish pile and set into its proper place in the principal arch of King Solomon's Temple!
This concept is again illustrated by the fact that here we have a piece of work, unrecognized by the Overseers even, one of which is 'neither oblong nor square' (exhibiting features not made with any 90 degree angles, therefore not relating to the realm of the Material and Physical) but a shape curiously made with curves, one with which the Compasses has more to do. It is important to keep in mind here that we do NOT need a Square to create a right angle, we can do this with the Compasses, if you know your Geometry.
This emphasizes the transcendence of the Spiritual world, one which goes unrecognized by the Overseers, as they are not given any plans for anything other than the Good Work. Not even the Master Overseer knows!*** We extend the compasses, as we see in the 5th degree of Past Master by virtue of the Quadrant, to 60 degrees. Why is this angle important? This is the angle of an equilateral triangle, the proper emblem of Perfected Man, as opposed to the Right triangle, the emblem of the Complete Man(office of WM).
This is also why the golden plated equilateral triangle is used to set the lights in Royal Arch Masonry, but is curiously concealed within the pages of the VSL when open on the Mark for two reasons. The first being that the Mark Master has not yet perfected his natures through his journey through the Capitular degrees and is not yet privy to such secrets of perfection just yet, this is only his transition from the Material to the Spiritual. The second is revealed in the Select Master degree of the Council, where we see our Grand Master conceal the Word within the VSL as he deposits the Lost Word before his untimely death, and so we repeat the action to do the same for our own candidates before they receive the Grand Omnific Word.
We see here that the balance of each side of the triangle exemplifies the harmony of all that is the Trinity and the principles of 3, which include all the numerological correspondences that come with it, which we see also reflected in the Triple Tau, and the fact that the 3 principle officers of the Blue Lodge are no longer separated, but united in the East. Here we have seen the perfection of Body, Soul and Spirit in the Holy Royal Arch, that which the Lost Word, now restored, has set in all its glory.
SO, coming full circle back to the Keystone: Is it a catalyst of transformation? Is it our hidden spiritual natures that we must search to find, to bring from the lowest Material rubbish pile to the principle arch leading to the Holy Of Holies, the heart of the Spirit of man awaiting to be discovered, buried deep within, deep under the Temple? If taken in a Christian context, which much of our Masonry of old was at one time much more than it is today, are we to see the Keystone also as a symbol of Jesus himself, that mystic awakening of Christ Consciousness he taught we were capable of? (Luke 17:20-21) The stone that the builders refused? What do YOU think?
*The Active and Passive forces we also see beautifully represented by the Sword and Trowel of the the Cryptic Council, implements that remain strangely Secret and Silent within the York/American Rite, but are explained better in the 16th degree Prince Of Jerusalem of the AASR, a degree of which closely resembles the Order of the Red Cross of the York Rite Commandery. Maybe these glaring parallels should be expected, didn't the Royal and Select Master degrees originate as French side degrees of the Scottish Rite? We see echos of several other stories between the two Rites as well.
** The reference that I found most intriguing, from Barnes' Notes in the Parallel Commentaries (here: bible.cc/revelation/2-17.htm) reads; "It is, that the Saviour would give him who overcame a token of his favor which would have some word or name inscribed on it, and which would be of use to him alone, or intelligible to him only: that is, some secret token which would make him sure of the favor of his Redeemer, and which would be unknown to other people. The idea here would find a correspondence in the evidences of his favor granted to the soul of the Christian himself; in the pledge of heaven thus made to him, and which he would understand, but which no one else would understand.
*** The Master Overseer, revealed to be Adoniram, of who we exemplify in the Select Master degree, and to whom is attributed the creation of the Lesser Lights, having been presented to Grand Master Hiram for the furnishings of the Temple, as a design of King Solomon himself rather than of HAB.
In my Chapter, here in Illinois, we see the Keystone figure most prominently into our 4th, 6th and 7th degrees, the Mark Master, Most Excellent Master, and Holy Royal Arch. I cannot vouch for how these degrees are presented in other countries(though I am MOST curious about the differences) but with all the attention given to it, it remains a bit of an elusive symbol in a lot of ways for me and my new Companions. After reading a good armful of books about Royal Arch Masonry, the keystone and its surrounding story is given many interesting interpretations, but still remains a beautiful yet curious and mysterious symbol.
In my version of the Mark Master degree, we discover this mysterious piece of work in the quarry, and are encouraged by the Senior Deacon to present it for inspection to the Overseers as if it were our own. Here the Senior Deacon exhibits a role reversal of sorts, being the same one who at a later time, at that pivotal point at the Senior Warden's wicket, vouches for the candidate as a FC who has wrought with him in the quarries, thus avoiding any nasty penalties. (At that moment, the candidate has not progressed to the level of a true FC, understanding how to receive wages by placing his hand in a position familiar to those who may recognize this gesture of a spiritual master in religious art and esoteric representations...)
This is an interesting implication in and of itself, if nothing else, done to facilitate the lesson of how we should never presume to impose upon the craft in order to receive wages that are not our just due. If metaphorically we can assume on one level that our "Good Work" is really our presentation of pure Thoughts, Words, and Actions, and our personal Mark is the sincere representation of our obligation to be responsible for such work, the symbolism is beautifully simplistic and strongly practical for the individual Mark Master. This then might lead to the idea of Wages; the rewards for Good, True and Square work, which may be many things for each mason, depending on his craftsmanship.
If my memory serves me correctly, I believe it was Steinmetz who wrote in his book 'The Royal Arch; Its Hidden Meaning' about how the Fellowcraft of the Blue Lodge was paid in Corn(Wheat?) Wine and Oil, and how the Mark Master is paid in coin, maybe representing a new freedom to purchase our own type of sustenance, rather than that of which is chosen for us. This would make sense, as at this point in our masonic journey we are Master Masons, able to travel to foreign countries, work and receive master's wages. This hints that our work is now of a higher caliber, and therefore so should our payment for such.
Naturally, we are given the appropriate WTs to perform this task. As we now assume the responsibility of Marking our work, taking full responsibility for all that we are, all that we say, think and do, we are given the Chisel and Mallet. This is explained as representing Discipline and Education. Those students of esoteric thought may be familiar with Force and Form, a concept that can be a wonderful parallel here, the Content and the Vessel, Practice and Theory, of Thought and of Action. We see this as an important idea in Qabalah, relating to the Sephiroth and the creation myth, especially in reference to the vessels that broke upon the first attempt, leaving the universe with the Husks, explaining the forces of the universe, giving it order and drive, resulting in all the active and passive elements of duality itself.* This of course is not only a Qabalistic concept, but remains a universal one for many ideas within many systems.
:/ ANYWAYS... I am also very interested to see what you Royal Arch Masons think of the Christian parallels we present in the Chapter. For a degree that is historically/allegorically set in the time of King Solomon's Temple, we sure do use a lot of New Testament scriptural references (as an esoteric Christian, this doesn't bother me one bit, just does more to add different layers of symbolism), even quoting from Revelations 2:17, shrouding the Keystone further.
Be that as it may, with a recent poke through my study Bible and also the internet, I find that John's reference of the Hidden Manna and the White Stone with a New Name basically represents the favor of heavenly blessings by virtue of our work to overcome sin, being our lower carnal and imperfect natures, and a new beginning of spirituality, a shifting of consciousness into a higher state of being.**
With this biblical commentary in mind, it seems to me that the New Name(HTWSSTKS) was meant for the one who designed the Keystone, Hiram Abiff, and NOT for us by itself of course, as it was his own personal Mark. The New Name for each of us, we representing at various times the Giblemites(Stone-Squarers) within a degree that is 'Dedicated to Hiram Abiff' and not the Saints John, must be our own Mark itself, being our personal addition residing comfortably within the Mark of our ancient Grand Master. This leads me to believe that our Mark represents that which may be the secret token granted to those that persevere towards a spiritual mindset versus a material one, once refused by the builders, but rescued from the rubbish pile and set into its proper place in the principal arch of King Solomon's Temple!
This concept is again illustrated by the fact that here we have a piece of work, unrecognized by the Overseers even, one of which is 'neither oblong nor square' (exhibiting features not made with any 90 degree angles, therefore not relating to the realm of the Material and Physical) but a shape curiously made with curves, one with which the Compasses has more to do. It is important to keep in mind here that we do NOT need a Square to create a right angle, we can do this with the Compasses, if you know your Geometry.
This emphasizes the transcendence of the Spiritual world, one which goes unrecognized by the Overseers, as they are not given any plans for anything other than the Good Work. Not even the Master Overseer knows!*** We extend the compasses, as we see in the 5th degree of Past Master by virtue of the Quadrant, to 60 degrees. Why is this angle important? This is the angle of an equilateral triangle, the proper emblem of Perfected Man, as opposed to the Right triangle, the emblem of the Complete Man(office of WM).
This is also why the golden plated equilateral triangle is used to set the lights in Royal Arch Masonry, but is curiously concealed within the pages of the VSL when open on the Mark for two reasons. The first being that the Mark Master has not yet perfected his natures through his journey through the Capitular degrees and is not yet privy to such secrets of perfection just yet, this is only his transition from the Material to the Spiritual. The second is revealed in the Select Master degree of the Council, where we see our Grand Master conceal the Word within the VSL as he deposits the Lost Word before his untimely death, and so we repeat the action to do the same for our own candidates before they receive the Grand Omnific Word.
We see here that the balance of each side of the triangle exemplifies the harmony of all that is the Trinity and the principles of 3, which include all the numerological correspondences that come with it, which we see also reflected in the Triple Tau, and the fact that the 3 principle officers of the Blue Lodge are no longer separated, but united in the East. Here we have seen the perfection of Body, Soul and Spirit in the Holy Royal Arch, that which the Lost Word, now restored, has set in all its glory.
SO, coming full circle back to the Keystone: Is it a catalyst of transformation? Is it our hidden spiritual natures that we must search to find, to bring from the lowest Material rubbish pile to the principle arch leading to the Holy Of Holies, the heart of the Spirit of man awaiting to be discovered, buried deep within, deep under the Temple? If taken in a Christian context, which much of our Masonry of old was at one time much more than it is today, are we to see the Keystone also as a symbol of Jesus himself, that mystic awakening of Christ Consciousness he taught we were capable of? (Luke 17:20-21) The stone that the builders refused? What do YOU think?
*The Active and Passive forces we also see beautifully represented by the Sword and Trowel of the the Cryptic Council, implements that remain strangely Secret and Silent within the York/American Rite, but are explained better in the 16th degree Prince Of Jerusalem of the AASR, a degree of which closely resembles the Order of the Red Cross of the York Rite Commandery. Maybe these glaring parallels should be expected, didn't the Royal and Select Master degrees originate as French side degrees of the Scottish Rite? We see echos of several other stories between the two Rites as well.
** The reference that I found most intriguing, from Barnes' Notes in the Parallel Commentaries (here: bible.cc/revelation/2-17.htm) reads; "It is, that the Saviour would give him who overcame a token of his favor which would have some word or name inscribed on it, and which would be of use to him alone, or intelligible to him only: that is, some secret token which would make him sure of the favor of his Redeemer, and which would be unknown to other people. The idea here would find a correspondence in the evidences of his favor granted to the soul of the Christian himself; in the pledge of heaven thus made to him, and which he would understand, but which no one else would understand.
*** The Master Overseer, revealed to be Adoniram, of who we exemplify in the Select Master degree, and to whom is attributed the creation of the Lesser Lights, having been presented to Grand Master Hiram for the furnishings of the Temple, as a design of King Solomon himself rather than of HAB.