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Post by jet144 on Sept 25, 2019 3:29:13 GMT
Hi everybody. I like Freemasonry. I like to read about them. One day I would like to join. I just wanted to be a part of this community to learn more things about Freemasonry.
Thanks.
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Post by peter2 on Sept 25, 2019 5:54:28 GMT
welcome Jet
Can you say what are your interests in becoming a Freemason?
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Post by offramp on Sept 25, 2019 8:31:16 GMT
Welcome to the forum, Jet. I hope we can answer any questions that you have.
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Post by jet144 on Sept 26, 2019 3:26:43 GMT
peter: Hi Peter. I'm interested in Freemasonry because I'm American and a lot of our Founding Fathers were Masons, and I'd like to see what they saw in Freemasonry or what about Freemasonry influenced them. I also like the rituals, and would like to see where the rituals evolved from. Thank your for the welcome! offramp: Hi Offramp. Thank you for the welcome. I'll ask question when I have them. I've been reading threads here and have read some of your posts. I like your posts.
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Post by peter2 on Sept 26, 2019 7:33:04 GMT
> I'd like to see what they saw in Freemasonry
There is much that is valuable in Freemasonry, but like many social institutions the tide has been going out for more than a century. This means that flow of Light is reduced and now the brethren have to work much harder as individuals to discover the genuine secrets. In my view very few work hard enough.
>I also like the rituals
This is common for brethren that have had past lives in monasteries. Indeed many join Freemasonry instinctively in order to be with their friends from past lives. Such brethren are satisfied with ritual and festive boards.
>would like to see where the rituals evolved from
Freemasonry is much older than commonly believed with the remains of Egyptian and Sumerian practices in our rituals. The Egyptians and Sumerians in turn inherited their practices from much older civilizations still.
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Post by jet144 on Sept 27, 2019 3:23:55 GMT
> I'd like to see what they saw in Freemasonry There is much that is valuable in Freemasonry, but like many social institutions the tide has been going out for more than a century. This means that flow of Light is reduced and now the brethren have to work much harder as individuals to discover the genuine secrets. In my view very few work hard enough. >I also like the rituals This is common for brethren that have had past lives in monasteries. Indeed many join Freemasonry instinctively in order to be with their friends from past lives. Such brethren are satisfied with ritual and festive boards. >would like to see where the rituals evolved from Freemasonry is much older than commonly believed with the remains of Egyptian and Sumerian practices in our rituals. The Egyptians and Sumerians in turn inherited their practices from much older civilizations still. That's a very impressive and ancient history the spirit of Freemasonry has. I've read at some sites that back in 1717 there were only two degrees. I've always thought that the further back in history we go, the less developed Freemasonry would be.
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Post by peter2 on Sept 27, 2019 3:48:32 GMT
>the further back in history we go, the less developed Freemasonry would be.
As far as I know the earliest Gothic cathedrals had the highest and widest naves as if the technology arrived fully formed but was progressively lost.
Similarly, Masonic legend claims that the genuine secrets were lost at the building of King Solomon's temple but perhaps that is to cover up what happened after 1717 when four London lodges broke away and made clear their allegiance to the German king then ruling in London. Most English Freemasons at the time were inclined to follow the Stuart line, despite the official English position being that the line had died out.
The breakaway lodges apparently knew very little about Freemasonry. They had the first degree, but it is not clear they had the second degree.
About 1723 they have the third degree based on the legend of Noah and his sons but in 1725 it seems that is replaced by the modern third degree based on Hiram. Curiously that appears first in a lodge in which the Master of the lodge is not a member of that lodge. How did he walk in and take over?
So what was going on? Whence did the new third degree come?
A few years later Chevalier Ramsay announced the existence of higher degrees and suddenly there were lots.
What was going on?
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Post by peter2 on Sept 27, 2019 3:54:56 GMT
>a very impressive and ancient history the spirit of Freemasonry has
Most Masonic historians track the Body of Freemasonry - lodges and membership - based on surviving lodge records as well as standard histories.
A few track the Soul of Freemasonry: brotherhood, ritual and Light. This requires knowledge of ancient ritual and inner practices.
Only a handful track the Spirit of Freemasonry - the purpose for its existence. That requires significant inner planes skill and relationships.
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