That s certainly one interpetation.
Another is far more esoteric. I wrote this little paper a while back which has a focus on this very aspect of the 2nd degree
As we have just passed a brother to the second degree, I would like to reflect on a specific element contained within the ritual which, when I first heard it spoken during my own passing, was quite puzzling to me. The section I am referring to is the explanation of the secrets with a focus on the password and its allegorical origin. I first however, need to lay a little groundwork to help support the philosophic foundation for the symbolism contained therein.
It is essential to note that Masonic allegory and symbolism is well rooted in Hermetic and Neo-platonic philosophy. Hermeticism is basically a philosophy founded on the writings originating in ancient Egypt under the name of Hermes Trismegistus, which is most commonly summed up in the phrase " As above so below". For example, we make an allusion to this philosophy of the macrocosm and microcosm within the Junior Wardens lecture during the first degree, whereby the candidate is informed that:
"We ornament our Masonic Lodge rooms with Mosaic Pavement to remind us of the uncertainty of all things here below;(followed shortly by)… while then our feet tread on this Mosaic Pavement, let our ideas recur to the original which we copy;…"
Hermeticists, connected symbols to their philosophies, such as the tools of geometry (the compass and square) and astrological symbols (sun, moon, and star), “as embodiments of matter and spirit, as these symbols contained the truth of nature and divinity"1
Neo-platonic philosophy suggests that
“The mysteries of the universe could be unraveled by combining the mathematical and scientific models of the Egyptians and the Greeks with the empirical endeavors of medieval alchemists and astrologers. This approach became a simultaneous pursuit for spiritual and worldly knowledge. The alchemist’s quest for the philosopher’s stone, the material that could change base metals into gold, became an allegory for the human quest for spiritual perfection."2
“Symbolism pervaded Neo-platonic philosophy, embodying its essential concepts: the unity of matter and spirit, of object and idea, and of man and the universe."3
With these fundamental philosophic ideals in mind, let us now view the allegory wherein the password is derived. As we are told in the lecture the password is usually designated in a F.C. lodge by an ear of corn near a stream of water and we are informed that after the Ephraimites crossed the Jordan in a hostile manner and failed to burn both Jephthat and his house, there fell at the passages of the Jordan, 40 and 2 thousand due to a defect in aspiration peculiar to the tribe.
This particular story, on a basic exoteric or literal level, offers us an origin for the secret password in our second degree but the esoteric message contained within the allegory provides a deeper insight with a direct connection to the philosophy of unity between spirit and matter. In order to explain this esoteric meaning we first must understand the symbolism used within the allegory. The key symbols are water (the Jordan), fire and the numbers 40 and 2 thousand.
In the ancient esoteric lore of the Hermeticists and Platonists man was viewed to be in transition between his natural state and the realm of spirit. He needs to pass a border line from nature to God, and therefore stands between the two worlds of matter or body, and spirit or mind.4
With relation to the four ancient elements, water and earth are symbols for matter, fire and air that of spirit. When the Ephraimites crossed the waters of the Jordan they were thus born of matter and, as so, were the personification of lower man or matter separate from spirit. Their second birth, a baptism of fire or spiritual union, is symbolized by the attempt to burn Jephthat and his house and share in the rich spoils with which Jephthah and his army were laden. Alvin Boyd Kuhn, in his enlightening interpretation of ancient symbolism provides us with an explanation of this particular Masonic allegory, which brings together the underlying Hermetic and Neo-platonic philosophy in a profoundly clear and insightful manner. He states,
“It must never be lost sight of that the Jordan was a stream that marked the boundary line between the desert and the Promised Land. To migrate from animal existence to godlike status of being we must cross the boundary line separating the two kingdoms. The soul plunges in this water on the western marge, swims or sails across and reaches the "farther shore" on the eastern boundary where he rises to a new day like the sun”5 It should be noted that Ephraim was geographically located on the west side of the Jordan river.
As this is allegory however, all was not lost to the Ephraimites, their death at the banks was not an end but merely a symbolic gestating period. The 40 and 2 thousand if taken literally would be nothing more than genocide, esoterically however, the 40 has a much deeper significance. Kuhn, once again supplys us with a simple yet profound esoteric interpretation,
“The Lenten period of forty days has two mythological origins. First it was derived from the Egyptian agriculture, where the seed was in the ground forty days before germinating. As the seed in the soil was a natural figure for the soul in incarnation, the period of incubation was transferred to the spiritual allegory.
A second origin derives it from another natural phenomenon of incubation, the forty weeks spent by the human fetus in the womb. As forty weeks was too large a portion of the year to devote to a commemoration of one phase of the spiritual drama, the typical forty days were substituted, the number alone being significant. And after all, what more natural a typology of the incarnation could be found than the fetal cycle?”6 Allegorically, the Ephraimites are at a crossroads, or a point of evolution wherein the soul is unified with animal matter. They have crossed the Jordan from west to east and are metaphorically at a point of rebirth or resurrection to a more evolved state. Albert Pike, in his book Morals and Dogma, gives us pause for thought with regard to the destruction of the Ephraimites, as well as the Temple of Solomon, when he simply states “Destruction is not annihilation, but regeneration.”7 In chapter 24 'Prince of the Tabernacle', Pike also informs us, with reference to the symbolism contained in the ancient mysteries, that
"Initiation was considered to be a mystical death; a descent into the infernal regions, where every pollution, and the stains and imperfections of a corrupt and evil life were purged away by fire and water; and the perfect Epopt (that is a person initiated into the mysteries) was then said to be regenerated, new-born, restored to a renovated existence of life, light, and purity; and placed under the Divine Protection."8
What more apt description could be applied to the story of the clamorous Ephraimites found in scripture? Their symbolic crossing of the Jordan and subsequent death, when viewed allegorically, provides a beautiful esoteric secret from the ancient mysteries. Mans regeneration and spiritual evolution is glyphed in a story not about slaughter but one of advancement to a higher state of being. Jesus and his 40 days in the wilderness after baptism by John, the 40 days and nights of Noah's flood, the 40 years of Moses and his people wandering in the desert after crossing the Red Sea, they all share in the same symbolism of a passage from a lower to a higher state, a symbol of growth, or gestating period, to an evolved state of being.
You may also find it of interest, as I had mentioned earlier, the password is usually designated in a F.C. lodge by an ear of corn near a stream of water. An ear of grain, which would be a more accurate description since our modern corn was unknown in antiquity, has been an emblem of plenty since the birth of ancient symbolism and the dawn of mythology. It is, by all accounts, seed in plentiful form and as such another symbol for the Divine seed as germinating matter. The Gnostic concept of the divine seed was the spark of knowing: consciousness, intelligence, light as the "uncreated self".” “This seed of intellect was the self-same substance of God. It was man's authentic reality, the glory of humankind and divinity alike... There was always a paradoxical awareness of duality in experiencing this "self-within-a-self". By all rational perception, man clearly was not God, and yet in essential truth, was Godly. This conundrum was a Gnostic mystery, and its knowing was their treasure..”9
To complete our analysis of the 40 and 2 in our allegory we may discern the esoteric symbolism expressed by the number two as duality.
“Pythagoreans revered the monad but despised the duad, because it was the symbol of polarity. By the power of the duad the deep was created in contradistinction to the heavens. The deep mirrored the heavens and became the symbol of illusion, for the below was merely a reflection of the above.”10
It should be noted that this concept of duality, which is rooted in Hermetic philosophy, is not only depicted by the before mentioned Mosaic Pavement, but also the pillars of Boaz and Jachin, through which the candidate must pass. It is the point of union, where conjoined, stability is gained, a harmony between spirit and matter. The command directing the student to ‘know thyself,’ is the means by which this esoteric secret is revealed.
I hope that this short overview as it relates to the password in the second degree has been both informative and interesting. The esoteric wisdom contained within the layers of Masonic allegory and symbolism provide for us an incredible path to journey as we seek that which was lost and gives every Mason the tools with which to build that Temple not made with hands.
1. Hans Christian von Baeyer, Taming the Atom: The
Emergence of the Visible Microworld (New York: Random House, 1992), p. 11; Stevenson, Origins of Freemasonry, pp. 79–80.
2. Hans Christian von Baeyer, Taming the Atom: The
Emergence of the Visible Microworld (New York: Random House, 1992), p. 11; Stevenson, Origins of Freemasonry, pp. 79–80.
3. Mircea Eliade, The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy, 2d ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1972), p. 234
4.Alvin Boyd Kuhn- The Lost Light – An Interpretation of Ancient Scripture
5 ABK – Lost Light
6. SPIRITUAL SYMBOLISM of the SUN AND MOON by AKB
www.theosophical.ca/sunandmoon.htm 7. Albert Pike Morals and Dogma 2nd degree Fellowcraft
8. Albert Pike 24th degree Prince of the Tabernacle
9. Lance S. Owens An Introduction to Gnosticism and The Nag Hammadi Library
10. Pythagorean Mathematics - The Secret Teachings of All Ages Manley P. Hall