A Masonic Dialogue Between Self and Soul

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Phillip Welshans

William Butler Yeats, Irish playwright and poet, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, has been heralded as arguably one of the greatest English language authors. Yeats was a Symbolist poet in that his work contained symbols or imagery that was designed to evoke some emotion or allude to some idea. His name has also been mentioned among other famous men as being Freemasons, however, there is no record of his having officially joined a Masonic lodge during his life.   

Nonetheless, Yeats was a known occultist and student of mysticism and magic. In 1890, he joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and spent the next 35 years of his life studying magic and Hermeticism. In 1925, he authored A Vision, a philosophical and theosophical tract explaining his views on mysticism. Several years later in 1933, he published a collection of poems titled The Winding Stair, which included a particularly well‐known symbolic poem, “A Dialogue of Self and Soul.”1 A Masonic reader of this poem cannot help but see numerous allusions to Masonic themes, symbols, and teachings.   

Yeats begins “A Dialogue of Self and Soul” with the Soul calling us “to the winding ancient stair” (1), in order to focus our minds on the challenging road ahead. We begin as rough, unfinished, or even damaged structures, like the ancient battlements referenced in the stanza. But the journey will require man to concentrate and face “that quarter where all thought is done,” in other words: death, is the common equalizer for humanity. The Soul views this as the ultimate destination for humans. It ends by asking a potentially rhetorical question: Who can examine their own soul and determine the dark from the light (the bad from the good)?   

For Masons, this first stanza of the poem should remind the reader of the Middle Chamber lecture, where the journey via a winding staircase is laid out before the candidate. Freemasonry consists of many journeys, some short and others last a lifetime. Regardless of the length, however, the Soul in this first section admonishes us that the ascent will require our entire concentration, most notably on what lies beyond life: death and the afterlife. In asking “Who can distinguish darkness from the soul,” (8) Yeats implies God/Deity, but we as Masons should also imagine he is asking if humans ourselves can eventually make this distinction. The duality of the human soul, the darkness and the light, is one of the central teachings of the Craft degrees of Masonry and finds its way into many of the teachings of the appendant bodies as well. The Soul’s question takes on greater significance for Masons as a result. 

The Self responds in the second stanza of the poem, arguing that the past of history and present of the material world should not be sacrificed for the benefit of the impossible goals of the Soul’s tomorrow. Yeats uses “Sato’s ancient blade” as the image of a man’s family. Yeats had spent time in Japan, during which a friend named Sato had gifted him a sword that had been in his family for more than half a millennium.  We can equate the sword with a man’s inheritance, both material, but also intellectual, “unspotted by the centuries”. The Self argues this legacy is just as important as our spiritual considerations. For some of us, joining the Fraternity was partly driven by family and a desire to continue the tradition. Posterity and tradition can be powerful motivators for many Brethren. This, the Self states, is not something to take lightly and is not necessarily separate from what the Soul is contemplating. 

Other portions of this stanza allude to this Masonic link. In referencing the ability of the sword, adorned with the “flowering, silken” embroidery to still provide protection even after all these years, Yeats tells us that the Self and its temporal inheritance, even if imperfect and eventually old and worn, provides a benefit to the Soul of physical encirclement and protection. As Masons, we are taught this link between the spiritual and physical applies to all men in the universe, and that while the Soul may be the entity that exists for eternity, it cannot reach its full potential of enlightenment without the Self.   

The third stanza of the poem belongs to the Soul, who responds to the Self by asking which of them is better suited for achieving the ultimate goal: immortality. “Why,” it posits, “should the imagination of a man / Long past his prime remember things that are / Emblematical of love and war?” In other words, how is it the soul can hold these dual memories and reflections at the same time? The physical body cannot do this. While the Self can allow us to enjoy and take advantage of the benefits of material life, the Soul alone can help us contemplate that “ancestral night” and imagine things beyond the physical realm and “deliver from the crime of death and birth.” 

To this, the Self says the duality of the human soul occurs in its material existence as well. The prose here juxtaposes symbols of life and light (flowers, embroidery, and the color purple) with allusions to death and the night (the tower). It is this imperfection of human life that makes it worth living, the Self intimates, that we may continue to live perhaps eventually revoking the “charter to commit the crime once more,” and enjoying immortality beyond the physical. This should speak to us as Masons, for this is the essential process whereby we polish and work the rough ashlars of our lives to fashion them into living stones for that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heaven. 

But Yeats gives the final word in this section of the poem to the Soul, which belies his own focus on the spiritual and occult during his life. We return to “that quarter” mentioned in the first stanza, an allusion to the afterlife. And like the earlier mention, where “all thought is done” , here Yeats writes that in this quarter a soul is filled with such awe “and falls into the basin of the mind / That man is stricken deaf and dumb and blind”. Our journey to the afterlife renders all physical senses, all human material understanding, even our honed intellects, moot. Death, as we Masons know, is the great equalizer. 

This is the soul’s ultimate advantage over the human body: one day the human body will cease to exist, yet the soul, if properly prepared, can live on in a more illuminated state. This is intensely Masonic and alchemical prose, as the immortality of the soul is one of the most central teachings within Masonry. If the soul is immortal, then death is merely another transformation of the material into the ethereal, and life is but one small part of a person’s journey toward that perfect state, exemplified by the perfect ashlar.   

At this point, the Soul departs and we hear from it no more in the remainder of the poem. Presumably, it has ascended into the spiritual plane, leaving the Self to converse with itself and to contemplate its own existence from this point forward. But we should not view this as the less important section of the poem. Instead, the second half of the poem can be read as a meditation on a man’s Masonic journey from rough ashlar towards perfect ashlar and the illumination gained along the way.  

The second section’s first stanza addresses this exact premise. This stanza is essential a series of rhetorical questions. “A living man is blind and drinks his drop. \ What matter if the ditches are impure? \ What matter if I live it all once more?” In other words, every person lives their life in a state of ignorance or blindness. And despite the physical pleasures and material enjoyments available in life, what is the greater point of life if everything lacks permanence thanks to death? And if there is a greater meaning, how do we find it?   

Yeats rubs salt in our wound by adding age into the equation. Time is a one‐way journey in the material world and maturation can be an uncomfortable or even painful process for men, especially when physical growth far outpaces spiritual growth. “The unfinished man and his pain / Brought face to face with his own clumsiness”. As Masons, we are tasked with pursuing our own journeys, making our own progress and advancement, and gaining our own Masonic light. It is a lifelong process, and therein lies the rub. Our spiritual journey is limited by our physical lives. This is an issue central to Masonry: giving men the tools to grow beyond the physical limitations imposed by our material existence even as the sands continue to pass through the hourglass. There is no time to waste. 

“How in the name of Heaven can he escape / That defiling and disfigured shape” (50‐51) the poem continues. How can we hope to transcend the imperfections of the physical world, when most people remain firmly tethered in it? The pressure to bend to the accepted norms of society, to place consumption and accumulation ahead of spiritual well‐being, and to strive for that perfect ashlar, can be overwhelming. But at the end, when death comes, “…what’s the good of an escape / If honor find him in the wintry blast?”, Yeats asks. Masonry is the answer to this dilemma for many men. Masonry and its teachings make physical life rewarding beyond material pleasures, as it uses our finite time in this physical universe to prepare us for the infinite time after death.   

Yeats uses the remainder of the poem to add his own view on these questions. Yeats was clear in his other writing that he was unsure if there was an afterlife, to which all human souls can transcend upon physical death. However, he did believe in reincarnation; that a soul was itself immortal and would transition from one physical form to another over many lifetimes. “I am content to live it all again/ And again” he writes. Masonry espouses the immortality of the human soul as well, and while many Western religious traditions teach an afterlife, not every faith or doctrine does (Buddhism being perhaps the most well‐known). Thus Christian (or Muslim or Jewish) Masons can agree with our Buddhist brethren (and with Yeats) that our souls are immortal, even if we differ in our belief on their ultimate destinations post‐mortem. 

The rest of the poem is largely optimistic then, just as the Master’s lecture in the third degree ends on an optimistic note, despite focusing on death. Yeats writes: 

 I am content to follow to its source

Every event in action or in thought;

Measure the lot; forgive myself the lot!

When such as I cast out remorse

So great a sweetness flows into the breast

We must laugh and we must sing,

We are blest by everything,

Everything we look upon is blest. (65‐72)

 

In other words, our physical lives should not be seen as sentences to be served, but as time well‐spent learning, adapting, and preparing ourselves for the next phase of existence. We should memento mori and live to the fullest, for we are lucky creatures indeed to be able to experience the beauties of life while knowing there is still more to come beyond the grave.

1 William Butler Yeats. “A Dialogue of Self and Soul.” Poetry Foundation, 1933, 

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43294/a‐dialogue‐of‐self‐and‐soul. All line references in this paper are taken from this poem.

~PW

Phillip Welshans is currently serving as the Junior Warden of Palestine Lodge #189 in Catonsville, MD under the Grand Lodge of Maryland A.F. & A.M., and is Senior Warden-elect for the 2023 term. I’m currently going through the process of exemplifying the first three degrees of Masonry in preparation for going into the East in 2024. I am also a member of the Maryland Masonic Lodge of Research #239, and a member of the Hiram Guild of the Maryland Masonic Academy. As a member of the Scottish Rite in the Valley of Baltimore, he has completed the Master Craftsman programs and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society.

In addition to his officer’s duties, he has been a contributor to the Free State Freemason, the magazine of the Grand Lodge of Maryland. His interests are primarily in Masonic education, particularly the history of the Craft, esoteric topics, and the exploration of the philosophy of Masonry.

Practicing "Safe" Masonic Intercourse

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Michael Arce

The Moral Debate On Clandestine Masonry

Morality. You will hear that word many times as a Freemason. Merriam-Webster has four definitions for morality. I believe the one that best fits the discussion of clandestine masonry is: "a literary or other imaginative work teaching a moral lesson." Ironically, Merriam-Webster lists "Aesop's Fables" as a "famous example of morality". While the subject of clandestine masonry is a vast, unknown entity to many Freemasons, what is clear is: clandestine groups claim to seek for the same "morality" that we, as Freemasons, overtly pursue. The problem is, their members are all to often unknowing participants in their covert, fictitious work.

Often when we think of clandestine masons, the idea of someone wearing a masonic ring purchased at an estate sale, possessing an apron that is not their own, or claiming to know "our secrets" come to mind. The image of a copycat, wannabe, or pretender who presents fake credentials to access a conversation or find relevance. Someone who would see being a Freemason as a status symbol, not as a privilege. In reality, clandestine masonic groups not only mimic our dress, degree systems, ritual, and education -- they also try to claim legitimacy in our communities. These groups are not quiet "pretenders," rather the opposite; they are well organized, well funded, and target gentlemen who have a sincere desire to become a Freemason.

Three common themes surfaced during my research on clandestine groups: intent, race, and realization.

The Clandestine Experience

"I was Junior Warden of my Lodge, Junior Deacon of the District," began Bro. Alvin Gyles, member of Mt. Vernon Lodge #3, F&AM - Albany, NY, Ancient Temple Chapter #5 RAM - Albany, Bloss-DeWitt Clinton Council #14 - Albany. "And, I was in Queen of the South and Royal Arch. The only thing I was missing was the Shriners which they consider the highest degree." The "they" here is a local group of International Free and Accepted Modern Masons, a corporation based out of Detroit, Michigan. International Masons and Easter Stars Worldwide is an unaffiliated clandestine group, not recognized by The Grand Lodge of the State of New York -- in turn, not recognized by ANY Masonic jurisdiction in the United States. This clandestine group looks, feels, and acts legitimate but is far from having the title of Freemasons.

Bro. Gyles' intent was pure, he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, a Past Grand Master in Prince Hall. "He had a big impression in my life with the square and compasses," reminisced Gyles. "When I was growing up, since my name started with an "A", I would draw the square and compasses with my letter 'A'." Yet, Bro. Gyles's first masonic experience was clandestine. He unknowing invested almost four years of his life with the International Masons after meeting a member through his church.

Five years into the experience, at 23 years old, Bro. Gyles noticed how his dues kept increasing. The cost didn't rise because of changes in the economy, the sources that called for contributions grew over time. He did the math, he was paying almost $200 a month! "When I first started it was $25 a month, by the time I stopped it was $35. Once you are a member you paid district fees. That was another $12 every Saturday plus the raffles." Wait, raffles? These weren't charitable or legitimate non-profit efforts. No, this fundraising was for the clandestine treasury, paid for by the members. "Every month you would get a book of tickets you have to sell. They were $25 a book. You don't wanna hassle everyone you know, every month, so you basically buy those too. You get one from your Lodge, District, and Grand Lodge." He began wondering where all of this money was going since Bro. Gyles would often pay for dinner, tools, and items needed for degrees.

At this point, I had to know, just as you are probably thinking, how did this group perform ritual? What was their education and history? What exactly were they telling (and selling) to their members? The International "Modern Masons" consider the Shrine the highest degree. Bro. Gyles explained their degree system. "Basically we had three degrees in Blue Lodge," he started. "Then you have to get your Eastern Star Degree. After the Easter Star, you become a member of the Queen of the South. Then comes Royal Arch, Scottish Rite, and you end up as a 32nd degree Shriner." The group used the Duncan Ritual, which you can purchase on Amazon for under $20. "When I do ritual work now, I have to stop at certain moments, to pull back the clandestine words because they are memorized. It's like a lyric from your favorite song that has another version that is played on the album versus the radio."

If you are keeping score:
• This group approaches men who show an interest in Freemasonry
• To apply, men fill out a petition, in this case online
• Initiated men are put through a degree system
• Their ritual is not secret • Dues are paid weekly
• They claim to be founded upon Christian values

So far some of what clandestine groups offer is similar to Freemasonry but we are starting to see a few differences. Oh, and there is a major distinction that Bro. Gyles revealed.

"The only physical building this group had is in Detroit."

 Bingo! That fact surfaced when Bro. Gyles' researched this group's legitimacy after a fellow member tried to petition another recognized Masonic body and was denied. It was at that point, Bro. Gyles was told the Modern Masons group was not a recognized Lodge. They were also told to produce a copy of their charter. To regular Freemasons, there is formal communication process between recognizes Lodges that facilities these requests, but to clandestine members this is an awakening moment. For Bro. Gyles, he continued to find the truth.

Creating Racial Division

After his friend called, they reached out their Grand Master for answers. "He was the most honest one we spoke to," noted Bro. Gyles. "He came back to us and said, 'This is what it is: they consider us clandestine... but who are they to call us that? We did the same process that they did to start their Lodges. Who tells these white guys they can do it and we can't?'" It's not uncommon for some clandestine groups to play to the same racial tensions that have divided good men in country since the birth of our democracy.

When I looked at the homepage of the International Masons, as the pictures cycled on the screen, I noticed they all shared one thing in common: the members pictured were all African American. The general thought is, historically, as black men sought admittance to Freemasonry, they were excluded or prevented from joining. At that point, their only recourse was to join other groups, like Prince Hall Lodges. Since Prince Hall Lodges have only recently (late 1990's to early 2000's) been recognized as regular Masonic bodies by the independent Grand Lodges in jurisdictions across the United States -- this divide created an opening for other groups to promote the values of Freemasonry while positioning their organization as a body that offered acceptance to members of the black community.

This might explain the development of "progressive fraternal orders" and their use of the Square and Compasses with letter "G" in their logo -- but upon further, careful examination, you'll notice an addition (like the symbol for a key) or other slight variation, that to the initiated, are clear indicators of clandestine masonry. But you'd have to know that. Like the viceroy butterfly that mimics the monarch, clandestine groups appear legitimate to the untrained eye. This stealthy deception allows these groups to exist in the same mind space as Masonic Lodges and Temples that have legitimately been in the community for generations.

"Brother C" presented a similar story as Bro. Gyles when he shared his clandestine experience. He approached a friend, who was a clandestine member, inquiring about Freemasonry. He did not know that he was talking to a clandestine mason. "Brother C" then went through the Blue Lodge ritual to earn his Master Mason degree. It wasn't until he was asked about his background, that he discovered he was clandestine. "Brother C" is also an African American. Like Bro. Gyles, he eventually went through the steps to become a legitimate Mason. As "Brother C" tells is, "after I approached by a true Brother who then asked about my background, I came to find out that I was a clandestine Mason. I was extremely disappointed because my original sponsor had passed. I don't believe that he knew we were clandestine either. I wanted to be a legitimate Mason."

The Realization of Freemasonry

If you visit your Grand Lodge website and then scan a clandestine page, you'll find that both are a starting point for good men looking to be better. Both will have photos of gentlemen wearing aprons and regalia, or other things that look Masonic. When I scanned through the pages of true, Masonic Grand Lodges, every site shared the same story of our history. The oldest fraternity in the world... created in 1717... one Grand Lodge in each state and the District of Columbia... with references to historic/famous Masons like Franklin, Washington, Roosevelt, or Truman. We offer the authentic history that interested men want to be a part of.

Think back to the last interaction you had with a gentleman who was interested in Freemasonry. What questions did he ask you? What questions did you ask him? If he came to visit your Lodge, did you give him a tour? Did he stay for dinner? This is something to consider. With information just a Google search away, we need to improve the fact-finding process for men seeking to join Freemasonry. It should be the goal of every "Brother Bring a Friend Night" that those who visit our sacred buildings, whether it's for a social occasion or non-tiled meeting, that individual leaves with a clear picture of who we are and what we do.

In my conversation with "Brother C," he discussed how, as a Freemason, he has traveled to Lodges outside of his jurisdiction. He explained the examination process, "I know this now because you may not know you are a clandestine Mason, when you are one." How painful that reality must be. "You are going to always feel like you were robbed of your time," echoed Bro. Gyles. "I was dedicated and put myself in it. Time is the one thing I will never get back. This also caused relationship problems. My clandestine lodge took me away from my family for hours. In the end, it was all gone."

Understanding Our Obligation

The wording will differ across our jurisdictions but we can all agree that as Master Masons, we are prohibited from discussing anything Masonic in nature with clandestine members. The problem is, most of us don't know what or even IF we can say anything to a clandestine member. I reached out to RW Bro. Oscar Alleyne, Junior Grand Warden, Grand Lodge of the State of New York, F&AM for more insight on this issue. Oscar is widely considered an expert in our Craft on the subject of Clandestine Masons. He delivered an eye-opening presentation on "The Prevalence of Clandestine Freemasonry in the United States," at Masonic Con 2017, held at Ezekiel Bates Lodge in Attleboro, Massachusetts.

"I have often found that when speaking with Worshipful Masters or in Lodge discussions, many of us are unsure of how to interact with clandestine members," said RW Bro. Alleyne. His words prompted me to pick up my ritual book. "People hear the word 'intercourse' and wonder what that means. It's true: you are not supposed to talk about ritual or the secret work of Freemasonry. But, you can have a conversation with any gentleman about what it means to join a Lodge and the process for legitimately joining a Lodge." The challenge to Freemasons is finding the appropriate time or method, to gently explain the massive difference between clandestine and recognized Masonry.

Instead of looking at clandestine members as "the hackers of Freemasonry" or malicious evil-doers, keep in mind these men are preachers, the guy you work with, or someone who also volunteers to serve your community. The subject of being clandestine should be approached with caution. Bro. Gyles, who still sees members from his clandestine group, advises that, "every situation is different. Everyone isn't open to hearing that they are a member of something that is fake. When you get into these clandestine lodges, they program in your mind that they are right and that anyone who says different is a liar and you need to protect your family."

"Brother C" advises to use caution as well. "If I came across a clandestine mason, I would let him speak. If it was just somebody passing by, I would not say anything. If it was a gentleman who had a sincere interest, then if I am in particular jurisdiction (i.e. outside my Mother Lodge), I would seek permission to see if I could speak with that gentleman." It's important to note that as Master Masons, we are also instructed to be good members of the community in which we live. RW Bro. Alleyne summed up that duty the best. "We need to embrace who we are, express greater interaction among our recognized bodies, and also, engage the community so that people get a better understanding of what we are. These steps will build a better pathway to joining our Lodges!"

~MA

Brother Michael Arce is the Junior Warden of St. George’s #6, Schenectady and a member of Mt. Zion #311, Troy New York. When not in Lodge, Bro. Arce is the Marketing Manager for Capital Cardiology Associates in Albany, New York. He enjoys meeting new Brothers and hearing how the Craft has enriched their lives. He can be reached at: michael.arce@me.com