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Post by mumblingritual on Dec 28, 2004 9:37:15 GMT
There is much talk from people who have found the light in Masonry and talk of finding meaning in the ritual, but i have to admit it eludes me, I hear the words but even though I've spent months looking into this, I find little of astounding light bringing, so is it me or am i missing something. I see lots of ritual being spoken but virtually no understanding!
I'm not looking for a quick fix here but rather a place for people to discuss this openly. Maybe there is no light for me to find?
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bod
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UGLE - MM (London), MMM RAM(Middx), OSM (London)
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Post by bod on Dec 28, 2004 9:59:39 GMT
Hi there, and welcome to the forum. You say you have spent months looking for the 'light' - from my own experience, and from comments posted here and elsewhere - I would say keep looking. Some people never find it, others find it only after being in freemasonry for decades, one thing that is certain is that it takes a lot of searching to find it.
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staffs
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Post by staffs on Dec 28, 2004 10:03:13 GMT
Mumbling,There recently was a thread on this subject and what it means to different people and their perspective of light. a quick search will foind it.
Mumbling by your user name i presume you are on the square ?
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staffs
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Post by staffs on Dec 28, 2004 10:11:05 GMT
Mumbling,There is light for everyone and as Ruff Ashlar quoted it is not that which comes on when you open the fridge. It is a continuous search
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Post by leonardo on Dec 28, 2004 10:42:24 GMT
From what I understand about "Light" is the more you learn and UNDERSTAND the brighter the "Light" becomes. This is not only in Masonic terms as it also applies to everything. (IMPO)
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Post by kizzy on Dec 28, 2004 11:59:55 GMT
What may be the "Light" in Freemasonry to me may well be totally different to another but both are equally valid, neither is "Right" nor "Wrong".
I enjoy the Ritual, Symbolism and History of Freemasonry and the way all the various Degrees inter-relate so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I have to say I also enjoy the cameraderie and have made some really good friends through Freemasonry whom I would not have met otherwise.
I'm not into the purely social side though, Ladies Nights, Charity Festivals, PGM's Receptions etc do nothing for me, not to mention events such as Bowling Evenings, Theatre Trips or a Day at the Races that some Lodges run, and I do not attend them, but to others they are an important part of The Craft. Likewise some Brethren are heavily into the Charity side of Freemasonry in an active way. I pay my Covenants and contribute to the Alms bag but that is about it.
So "Mumbling" you will get out of Freemasonry whatever strikes a chord for you, so I would advise persevere. Perhaps reading up about the history and symbolism behind the Rituals may help?
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Post by mumblingritual on Dec 28, 2004 12:38:04 GMT
Thanks Kizzy, I think maybe I'm looking for something that may not be there for me. I have sometimes beat myself up a bit regarding the 'outside activities" and thought i should really make more effort. I have read alot over the years and talked about such things but i still havent really found the 'spiritual side' for want of a better word , that people talk about within this forum. I read the ritual and yes i can understand the ideas/principals that are there, and i understand this, but i suppose i looking to hard.....
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Post by taylorsman on Dec 28, 2004 12:56:01 GMT
If I can add to the observations of Bro Kizzy, I feel you need to go back to why you became a Freemason. Contemplate that and see where it has come up to your expectations and where for you it has fallen short.
You mention the "outside activities". NOT my scene, to me a boring irrelevance. If I wouldn't go to such things outside of Freemasonry I would not do so just because a Lodge was running it . If I had wanted that sort of thing I would have joined Lions, or Round Table or the likes.
However, is that YOUR scene? If so then being on the Ladies Festival Committee etc may be for you. If you are into the more "spiritual" side then the Higher Degrees may hold more for you than Craft, they do for me. It may also help to join the likes of the Cornerstone Society which is a Masonic Research Group.
As a matter of interest where are you in Freemasonry? In Craft only, in any of the Higher Degrees, are you a Master Mason or not?
Best of luck in your quest.
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Post by a on Dec 28, 2004 13:08:48 GMT
i still havent really found the 'spiritual side' for want of a better word , that people talk about within this forum. I read the ritual and yes i can understand the ideas/principals that are there, and i understand this, but i suppose i looking to hard..... Hello mumblingritual. Let me start by pointing out that I am not an initiated Freemason. But I do wonder if the following will help, in time:- What you are looking for is right in front of you, within you, and all around you. Your daily life will expose you to all sorts of aspects of it. The trouble is that it is all too easy to miss in our very physical, pressurised, stressful lifes. I am guessing here but I would imagine that there has been a moment in your life, possibly quite small, but a moment which has caused you to pause and reflect. If you can identify such a moment and try to work out what it means, how it fits in, you will in time be able to notice more and more. And you will come to understand how they are all interconnected. In the meantime you are right, you need to relax, open your heart (lots of ways to knock at this door) and you may well be in for a suprise when you come to realise how close you really are to what you seek. But it takes time, thought, much thought, reflection, etc etc. Hope that makes some sense.
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staffs
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Post by staffs on Dec 28, 2004 13:11:33 GMT
Ah Stewart,now i understand what you said on a previous topic when you told Leo that the door had already opened for you.Now i can tell what you mean.] Thank you
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Post by a on Dec 28, 2004 13:18:26 GMT
Staffs
Glad to be of service.
Trying to explain esoteric stuff is not easy, particularly when you are just coming to understand it yourself.
But let me go out on a limb here - this knowledge is held within Freemasonry, and in my opinion, it should be in each and every single lodge to help people like mumblingritual. It is light and you seek it, and it is there. If you can find it. But I do know that this is an idealistic statement and that there are reasons why the light may be dimmer than it needs to be. I just think that it is sad that you can be a Freemason all of your life and miss all of this.
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staffs
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Post by staffs on Dec 28, 2004 13:26:13 GMT
Stewart,ypou put over another perspective of what light means to you and im glad the penny dropped for me on your perception.It is good to have another view so one can broaden their own understanding.
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Post by mumblingritual on Dec 28, 2004 13:53:56 GMT
im in Craft at the moment and RA
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Post by leonardo on Dec 28, 2004 17:46:24 GMT
It is good to have another view so one can broaden their own understanding. This is so very true. There was a time when I had little or no time for the opinions of others, or even the faith of others. But since I started to take an interest in how others see things (from the early 90s) my whole outlook has changed. For the better, I beleive. I do not think that anyone or organisation has the monopaly on what "Light" is, but it is certainly true that it is also to be found within Freemasonry. In fact, FM may well be the only place some will find this "Light". (IMHO) (ATSIML)
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Post by billmcelligott on Dec 29, 2004 4:09:06 GMT
Becoming a Freemason, never was nor ever will be a quick fix. A passport to where the light switch is.
However if you can not figure out that in order to reach the light switch , you have to go get a chair in order to reach it, then Masonry may well be able to help.
In other words if you were a selfish so and so before, you probably still are.
But if you listen to the lessons enacted by your friends when they actually for a short time become a man of complete integrity, honesty and that enactment shows clearly that this person would give his life rather than betray a trust he had been given by you. If, in your heart, you do not have a need for total friendship then it will mean nothing much. If however you do believe that giving your word to another man is so important as to be above wordly restrictions, then it will mean everything.
It is quite possible that as Leo has said, there is a change within yourself , you may just not be aware. The other explanation is so simple , if you were a good person before you became a Mason, maybe you still are.
I am reminded of when I was a young man. I said to my Dad, "why cant I get a girl friend dad". He said , " stop chasing them son, give them a chance to catch , you". Would you believe it he was right.
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Post by Hubert (N. Z.) on Dec 29, 2004 7:19:37 GMT
Welcome mumbling, I see you'r in RA, that, if you look deep enough will give you a great insight into finding the light. Concentrate on the reason, during the Exaltation, for the rope and where it leads... Use that in your daily life to answer REAL questions. As you gain better control of the responses you receive to you questions, you intuitive side will begin to function automatically. This in turn will give clearer understanding to the other facets of the Craft. Continue joining other side degrees, and higher office which in their own turn will provide further enlightenment.
WHGW, Hubert
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staffs
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Post by staffs on Dec 29, 2004 7:22:19 GMT
Bill,slightly off topic this but i still cant find a girlfriend maybe cause im an ugly git.
Wills, Freemasonry has certainly changesd me and definitely given me a different perspective on life.I have also seen people changed for the better because of freemasonry.
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Post by taylorsman on Dec 29, 2004 7:55:18 GMT
Have to agree with Staffs etc here. A VGO once said at a London Lodge where I was a Guest that all of us get different things out of Freemasonry and put different things back and that there is no one correct answer. The avid Ritualist is getting his satisfaction thereby, the keen Social Events participant his.
I hope you do get something back in return Mumbling.
Like Staffs it certainly changed me, and I feel for the better.
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staffs
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Post by staffs on Dec 29, 2004 18:12:54 GMT
Found this on Fc apron and it sheds some light:
An alternative presentation of the F.C.Apron
Bro... By the WMs command I invest you with the distinguishing badge of a FC freemason. After a candidate has been initiated, it is an old custom for the triangular flap of his plain apron to be raised, the triangle being an emblem of fire. When elevated it means the blessing of matrerial light has been restored to the wearer, enabling his eyes to perceive much of our symbolism. Now you have been passed to the degree of a fellowcraft, the flap is lowered. The downpointing triangle typifies the opposite element of fire and water, ot flow of intellect. At the foot of your apron you will observe two rosettes. These ancient heiroglyphics of light form the base of a third, at present, incomplete triangle- the 'Triangle of spirit', so that the fellowcraft apron is of a threefold nature, indicating the ascension of matter, the penetration of mind and diffusion of the spirit. If, therefore, our first degree denotes birth, the second implies life, or the preservative powers of the Diety, for the G.A.O.T.U. lovingly preserves his creatures and determines Life's unending truth.
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Post by billmcelligott on Dec 30, 2004 0:12:18 GMT
Bill,slightly off topic this but i still cant find a girlfriend maybe cause im an ugly git. Wills, Freemasonry has certainly changesd me and definitely given me a different perspective on life.I have also seen people changed for the better because of freemasonry. from understanding comes wisdom from wisdom comes enlightenment from enlightenment comes understanding and so the world revolves.
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