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Post by a on Mar 6, 2005 21:11:04 GMT
Staffs
I will let you know.
Your friend, by the way, is doing a form of internal work.
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Post by a on Mar 9, 2005 13:34:35 GMT
Middlepillar I have been thinking about what you have said here Now the reason I think you would be an ultimate challenge is quite simple that you already have an immense working knowledge of Freemasonry, and I believe from the moment you are initiated you will want to start your next part of the journey to where you want to be, My journey is progressing fairly quickly just now, and I think that I have actually been slowing myself down over the past year, though I appreciate that may be hard to see. Possibly, but someone that I respect and trust may be more effective. I don't feel insulted Indeed, even I can see that. Having felt energies in (some) closed Lodges I can only imagine what an initiation ceremony is like when the candidate is receptive to what is going on energy wise, and the lodge officers are skillful in this regard. Though I appreciate that there are other aspects like bonding involved as well. Yes thank you As I have mentioned before I can do this directly, unless of course I am misunderstanding a great deal.
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Post by a on Mar 9, 2005 13:54:17 GMT
Whistler some preliminarythoughts If you ever become a Freemason, I think you will have a shock and feel quite alone. That is interesting as I do feel like I am coming home, yet my home appears not to be in very good shape. This is just how I feel. All from my heart. Whister you may be right here, but I don't think so. Far from hiding I am holding my hand out. Besides which "knowing oneself" is not academic gobbligook, but practical. I have been wondering for years why some esotericly orientated Freemasons have been takinga n interest in me. Last night I read a little about the Great Work in one of Alice Bailry books, and I now understand why. I can help others complete the work if they want help, if not fine at least I have offered to help where I can help. Assuming that you were not just provoking thought, and if you were you succeeded, but if you are serious about this comment, then Whistler I really do think taht you are wrong. Why? Is freemasonry not able to tolerate someone like me? You see that does not tie in with my off forum progress here. Could not agree more. Agarin agreed completely. Dito, agreed again. Noted and understood. Ummm no. You are wrong here. And I can point you in the direction of some of your brothers who can confirm this from their assessemnt of talking to me about it. I have, and also heard the opinions of a good number of your brothers on this specific issue. Nice one Whistler, this was a joke that I gave her that I use for fun. Always as Stewart again which your brotehrs who have met me can confirm I keep telling people I am but a simple man. No Whistler I do understand this, which is one of the reasons that I am here, at this moment in time, doing what I am doing.re-illumination Service yes, but internal work takes thought and reflection. ok Agreed. Possibly. Whistler as I say these are just my preliminary responses, I will be doing a lot more internal work on your comments. I am unsure, at present, if you are testing and provoking (in a nice way) me, or whether you either feel threatened by me, or misunderstand me. Regardless the time that you have taken to make me think has helped me grow and for that I am grateful.
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Post by a on Mar 13, 2005 20:47:21 GMT
Well the big day has come and gone, and it was rather interesting, but that is not the purpose of this post.
I promised that I would now let you know my decision on which fraternity/lodge I would be petitioning. So I had better keep my word.
But first a little recap. There are those who tell me that I would make a good Mason, and others tell me that I will never be allowed to join (mind you people have been saying that to me for years), with, as you know, a whole lot in between. In the last month alone I have received two offers, so either people are having fun with me or there are those who do value my opinions.
Anyway for about the last year I have made excuse after excuse (all genuine excuses by the way) why I have not followed up Lodge offers. The reason that I never gave to anyone was that I needed time to think and work a few things out myself instead of me hassling some very experienced true Freemasons for answers. I simply needed to get to a certain position of understanding on my own.
As you know I have always held a special place in myheart for Freemasonry, but when I moved to England I soon came to be of the opinion that it simply wasn't for me, due to countless stories of alleged corruption and bullying that have been recounted to me over the years.
Then in 1990 I went on holiday to Egypt and I went, for want of a better term, through an initiation of sorts, as my mind opened and I went on a fifteen year search which landed me back at the door of Freemasonry.
And in time I settled my issues and applied, to find myself promptly rejected.
This as you can imagine has left me with pause to think. I mean come on how many people get rejected nowadays?
Anyway while some of you have been working out where I could be placed, and it being workable, whether in UGLE, GLoS or LDH, I have been tacking this problem from a different perspective.
You see as I keep saying, I really do see Freemasonry as a Divine Gift that can be found in our hearts. And to me these man made divisions into fraternities are exactly that - man made. And this, if you think about it, makes picking one fraternity to join exceedingly difficult. In fact impossible.
Which is why I won't be asking to join any at present.
That is my main reasoning. But it is also supported by the following sub reasons:-
1. I am coming to understand the esoteric side of life so fast just now, that I have slowed myself down (seriously Middlepillar I have been slowing myself for well over a year as I have dealt with issues of ethics and responsibility). And as I am making so much progress on my own, I do have concerns that if I were to join a Lodge I may either disrupt its current balance of energies or would be guided in a direction that did not feel right for me at this time.
2. Now this is a difficult one to explain sensibly, so I will work to describe what I mean symbolically, using feelings. I really do feel that I am coming home. But I also feel that my home is not in very good shape. And this saddens me. Another way of looking at it is almost like a father and child relationship, I want to help you grow and blossom again, but you have to find your own way. All that I can do is make suggestions for you to think about.
3. At a very practical level, at the present time I have insufficient disposable income to join. Since my rejection I have been using the funds that I would have used for Masonry buying books, magic tricks and juggling equipment (yet I can finally juggle - it took me years on and off but even I cracked it). As I am preparing to do some performances for charity later in the year and I still have props to buy this year is a no no.
4. Lets not forget that I already get a great deal out of Freemasonry, and not being a member has not stopped me from corresponding and meeting some very knowlegeable and in some cases ranking Masons, so in practical terms there is little need for me to join. I know that the oral traditions (and even the ritual as I have chosen not to read it beyond what I find in published commentaries) will be missing from my development, and that the benefits of a skillful initiation will be lost to me for the moment. But as some Freemasons have identified and pointed out to me on this forum I have possibly been through some solar initiations which makes the human ones less of an issue.
At the end of the day I may be the most positive supporter of true Freemasonry there is and I will continue to do what I can to ensure that Freemasonry has a promising and relevant future. But for the moment at least I will be continuing to do this from the outside.
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Post by taylorsman on Mar 14, 2005 10:15:36 GMT
A wise decision Stewart! and a retrospective "Happy Birthday". You may as well read the Rituals now as I feel you may well derive the Symbolical Benefit from them even if you do have to set up a virtual Lodge in your mind to visualise their performance. It is like Religion in a way. Many people require the assistance of an Organised Religion, need to attend a Church, to "belong" in order to benefit from their Faith. A lesser number can happily follow their beliefs and honour their God without the need of Clergy, Services, Organ Music, Vestments, Candles, Stained Glass. So with yourself Stewart. Truly you have been made a Mason "in your heart", I have even called you "Bro Stewart" in the past. You cannot partake in our Ceremonies from without, but that does not prevent you from studying and appreciating the Principles and Symbols of Freemasonry in its widest sense. I do hope you will stay on this Forum and continue to give us all the benefit of your knowledge and interpretation as you often highlight an aspect we have overlooked. I have certainly learned from your postings even if I have disagreed with some. Good Fortune to you, your Wife, Children and of course, your Cats! May TGAOTU watch and guide you in your endeavours.
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Post by a on Mar 14, 2005 11:23:33 GMT
I do hope you will stay on this Forum and continue to give us all the benefit of your knowledge and interpretation as you often highlight an aspect we have overlooked. I have certainly learned from your postings even if I have disagreed with some. Then I have achieved something. Just goes to show that learning to listen to your heart is a good skill to learn. Thank you. See above reply. Anyway I am not going anywhere, but I am moving forward, hopefully I will get a book published over the coming year or so. And before you ask, no it is not about Freemasonry (though Freemasonry will inevitably get a mention), it is about this precise moment in time, our future as a people and our place in the general scheme of things. Will it sell? Who knows, time will tell.
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Post by Trinityman on Mar 14, 2005 18:04:19 GMT
Bill Would that be:- 1. You choosing to incarnate? 2. Joining Freemasonry, which I understand that some call being alive as opposed to being in the world of the dead? 3. When you decide to live as opposed to just riding along life? (Stewart awaits the inevitable innuendo here). 4. Something else? Oh Stewart, that's like asking me to explain the punchline. Work it out for yourself. If you get stuck, apply Occam's razor.
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Post by a on Mar 15, 2005 13:23:40 GMT
Taylorsman I wonder if you realise how much work you have given me with these two words. For the first two decades of my life, I was so terribly lonely, and I would have possibly given anything to belong to something. And I can see how many of you consider me to be a lone individual. But I would suggest that I belong to many things. I belong to my self, my family, and to God. And for all of the hardships that I have had to endure in life (by western developed standards), I have just kept picking myself up and moving forward. Yes it has taken time, but could I suggest Taylorsman that the reason that I have no inner need to join something to enable me "to belong" is that I already do belong. It may take a bit of work for that to make sense.
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