7 In-Depth Details About Freemasonry To Change Your Perspectives!
First things first. It's not actually 7 but since 7 is considered as the perfect number in all Masonic readings, the thought of putting 7 in the title made it more 'tempting'.
We've been hearing about their presence all along, even more so in the latest years with popular culture items like Dan Brown's writings, Assassin's Creed video game series, documentaries and so on. Whether you think they're good or bad, Freemasonry is here to stay.
Having said all these, we've put together some information using only historical facts, research, and personal experiences to provide a more 'cliche-free' list!
1. Have you taken "Introduction to Freemasonry" class, yet?
Yupp. The books you see here were actually used during the 1960s-70s across certain United States lodges to help newcomers learn more about the philosophy behind the whole thing.
They refer to Freemasonry as 'Not a secret society but society with secrets.'
All the rituals are considered as imitating the acts of God and paying homage to the Unseen Presence (quite possibly the spiritual world) and what you actually do there are explained AFTER you do them!
2. What do you mean they used to be artisans?
No, Freemasonry did not start with or actually descendants of Knights Templar.
Back in the day, people who made their living out of working with stones called Masons and they were pretty skilled (naturally) in Geometry. Hence the admiration of Maths and Geometry is still existent amongst Freemasons.
The fascination towards architecture, Maths and Geometry dates back to the 14th century with recently discovered Egyptian manuscripts.
3. Freemasons actually get paid for their work! (Well, sorta...)
Back in the day, since they actually did physical work, they literally got paid. But especially after the 18-19th century, this payment evolved into recognition, little 'goodies' and awards. (Hiram Award above is given to Lodge officers who put a lot of hard work over the years. This work being event organizing, emailing, coaching candidates and such.)
Regardless, each lodge charges you a certain amount of money to remain a member. Like an annual subscription. In some countries this is around $500 but whereas in others it's $50 for a year! And this fund is used for giving dinners, building maintenance or helping other members in case of emergency health problems.
4. So who is this guy Hiram Abif and why did HE build Solomon's Temple?
If you Google some Masonic history or watch any of those controversial videos, you'll run into this chap named Hiram Abif.
What they don't tell you is Hiram was simply chosen because he ruled the land around Lebanon and had access to quality trees and craftsmanship to help King Solomon build the temple.
The reason why all Freemasons look after him is that he was the architect of Solomon's Temple and was murdered during the construction by the rebellious group. This treason is also a part of the Master Mason degree ritual.
5. Here come The Templars and tons of mysteries!
At first yes, Templars were just soldiers helping the Crusade. Their daily routines consisted of mainly praying, remaining silent, and helping re-build the city. However, the Templars were placed in the very vault of Solomon without even realizing it.
There's still so little evidence of WHAT they actually discovered while living there but mainstream theories suggest The Ark Of Covenant, a golden chest that had Moses' staff, a mana potion, and The Ten Commandments. This is where it gets interesting. During this time period, until Templars get extremely wealthy, there remains so little historical evidence.
Did they really discover such powerful relics or was it all made up to use the Church for their own good? Still, a mystery we have to wait and see.
6. The true reason behind fortnight and full moon meetings...
Back in the 16-17th century, Freemasons did not get together in the sense that they do nowadays. During that era, traveling in the evening was not as easy as it is today. So they decided to start using full moon nights to have maximum light possible during their journeys. Not because of having enough mana to cast spells in World of Warcraft or something.
7. "What we do is just basically role-play and memorizing lines..."
This is a very gray area for sure. Neither on the manuscripts nor on the books are there exact details or descriptions on what the rituals are about.
However, according to a rank 32 Scottish Rite Freemason and the book Genesis of Freemasonry, Master Mason degree is highly sacred and cared for where the real enlightenment happens. During that, the candidate is surrounded by other Freemasons in an actual coffin or something similar to resemble the resurrection of Christ.
Another personal experience claims that the Master Mason degree is actually two parts. When the candidate thinks it's sort of over, a second to quote, 'play' part begins where he's almost blindfolded. We think that during this 'play' they do the death and birth.
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