The Guttural

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners

Many of you may have at some point in your life found yourself in a similar situation to one I had recovered from recently. On November 27, 2018, I had to have my tonsils removed. I'm a 45 year old man. When I wrote this, I was twelve days post-surgery and my throat was still hoarse and sore. As is often the case with me during times in my life where I need guidance, I turn to the lessons taught to us during our degrees. In the first degree, we are taught, “to be able to make yourself known among other Masons by certain signs, a token, a word and the points of your entrance which are four: the guttural, the pectoral, the manual and the pedal. These four points allude to the four cardinal virtues: Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice. “

We are further taught that “Temperance is that due restraint upon affections and passions which renders the body tame and governable, and frees the mind from the allurements of vice.” It is stressed to us that this virtue, “should be the constant practice of every Mason, as he is thereby taught to avoid excess, or the contracting of any licentious or vicious habit, the indulgence in which might lead him to disclose some of those valuable secrets which he has promised to conceal and never reveal, and which would consequently subject him to the contempt and detestation of all good Masons, if not to the penalty of our obligation, which alludes to the guttural.”

What is the guttural? From the Latin: “guttur”, meaning throat, literally meaning,“of the throat”. It’s a term usually reserved for sounds which are particularly harsh or grating. Because the throat is the entrance way through which vice, (alcohol, tobacco, food) enters the body, that this would be why temperance is associated with the guttural. Allowing such vice to influence a Mason’s behavior would inevitably lead to the possibility of giving up the secrets of the Craft via a loose tongue. The old saying, "Loose lips sink ships." comes to mind. However, In this day and age, it would be as easy to write down the secrets (using the manual) on a form of Social Media, and press enter. To complicate matters, the attachment of the four cardinal virtues to the “perfect” points of entrance didn’t occur in the ritual until the mid-1800’s. So why then is the guttural so important to our Craft?

While thinking about it and beginning to research why temperance would be associated with the guttural, I came across something that I never thought about. Operative Masons (at least in Ireland), had their own secret language (https://www.jstor.org/stable/534860?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents). 

Called “Bearla lagair”, it was an artificial or technical jargon or gibberish used by Masons. Furthermore, in Ireland, this language was traced back to a character named Goban Saor or Goban Saer (Gobban the Builder). He is regarded in traditional Irish Folklore as originating in the 7th Century, as one of the Tuath De’ (Tribe of the Gods), who are a supernatural race in Irish Mythology. According to myth, Goban forged their lethal weapons and brewed their magical elixirs of invincibility. (Hmmm, does this archetype of a master instructor in metallurgy sound familiar?) Historically – he is thought of as the builder/founder of many churches in Ireland and was canonized as St. Gobhan for his works. The canonization of Pagan gods was common during the early spread of the Roman Catholic Church, as many local pagan gods would become Saints in order to ease the transition from the Pagan religions to the Catholic one, and this is most likely the case with St. Gobhan.

In any case, the knowledge of this secret mason’s talk was known by many throughout Ireland. Like our degree system, apprentices obtained “papers” from the master-mason, and an increase of wages with each paper. The third paper (or third degree as we might think of it), was called an indenture. No apprentice would be entitled to this until he was able to speak the Bearla lagair. They were forbidden to teach it any one not a mason, even to the members of their own family. They also had secret signs, methods of handling their working tools, ways of pointing, smoothing and laying mortar which would also identify them, but only the other member of their craft would pick up on these things. To the non-mason, it would have been their cryptic language which identified them as free-masons.

This being said, the points of one entrance can be thought of the precise moment that a candidate for initiation enters the lodge, or the entire ceremony of initiation. The first thing a candidate does after knocking three times on the door from the preparation room to the lodge room is to use his voice to answer a question. Without the guttural, he would never be able to enter to lodge room. As only a man who affirms that he is entering of his own free will and accord can become a Freemason. Yes, a candidate needs to use his voice to repeat his obligation, and the penalty of the obligation of the Entered Apprentice impacts the guttural, but at this point, the candidate has already vocally affirmed four times that he is entering the lodge and wanting to receive the rights and benefits of Freemasonry. It is at the point of entry, where they affirm that they are joining without being asked, invited, solicited or pressured to join.

This is also one of the most powerful arguments that one can use when Freemasonry is accused of being a religion. The custom of most religious groups is to urge people to join their religion. They proselytize actively, and during certain points in history, have persecuted people who are not of their religion. Freemasonry does no such thing. Albert Mackey when commenting on a man coming to Freemasonry of his own free-will and accord said: "This is a settled landmark of the Order," but, he did not include this ‘settled landmark’ among his list of Landmarks for some reason. In his article on Proselytism, He states; “Freemasonry is rigorously opposed to proselytism.” And follows: “Nay, it boasts as a peculiar beauty of its system, that it is a voluntary institution.” We accept men of all religious backgrounds, and allow them a forum to meet and enjoy fellowship with other men who might believe in a God that is not their own. But they must seek out us out.

Furthermore, if a Man was to join due to pressure from his father, brother, uncle, friend; and left it might result in a family argument, or a lost friendship. Mackey states that coming of our own free-will and accord means that Freemasonry is truly a voluntary association of men, and that this is where the saying ‘Once a Freemason always a Freemason’ comes from, and has meaning. This is what in my humble opinion ultimately unites us as a Fraternity. Each of us, who have stood at the door of the preparation room have answered affirmatively that we are joining of our own free will and accord by using the guttural. 

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is the Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of the new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282, and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL). He is also a member of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com.

Stop Wasting Your Time with Freemasonry and Do Something Worthwhile with Your Free Time!

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners

If you recall when the working tools of an Entered Apprentice Mason were being explained, you were told that we are to make use of the twenty four inch gauge for the noble and glorious purpose of dividing our time. As it is divided into twenty four equal parts, it is emblematical of the twenty four hours of the day. You were taught to divide the twenty four hours into three equal parts. You were told to devote eight hours for the service of God and a worthy distressed brother, eight for our usual vocation and eight for refreshment and sleep. Nowhere did you hear anything about time being used for the purposes of pursuing the activities of Freemasonry.

Do you consider Freemasonry service to God? According to the Masonic Service Association of North America (https://www.msana.com/religion.asp) : 

“Freemasonry is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion. It requires of its members a belief in God as part of the obligation of every responsible adult, but advocates no sectarian faith or practice. Masonic ceremonies include prayers, both traditional and extempore, to reaffirm each individual's dependence on God and to seek divine guidance. Freemasonry is open to men of any faith, but religion may not be discussed at Masonic meetings.”

 However, under this section, it reiterates that each member place his duty to God above all other duties: 

“Freemasonry Supports Religion. Freemasonry is far from indifferent toward religion. Without interfering in religious practice, it expects each member to follow his own faith and to place his Duty to God above all other duties. Its moral teachings are acceptable to all religions.” 

So, it seems that service to God would fall under one’s religious activities, and not within the scope of Freemasonry.

Do you consider service to a worthy distressed brother part of Freemasonry? Yes, of course it’s a large part of Freemasonry. However, in the Entered Apprentice Charge, you were taught about the duties that we owe to God, our neighbors and ourselves. The charge reminds you to act upon the square with your neighbor, rendering him every kind office that justice or mercy may require, relieving his distresses and soothing his afflictions, and by following the Golden Rule, doing to him as you would want him to do to you in a similar case. Therefore, your duty is not only to a worthy distressed brother, but rather to all of humanity. It’s obvious that serving all of humanity will take up a large part of the eight hours given for service to God and worthy distressed brothers. It’s pretty obvious that all of your Brothers that aren’t showing up for Masonic activities are busy performing that task.

Unless your vocation is Freemasonry, then you’re not going to be able to pursue Freemasonry during those eight hours you are at work. That then leaves the eight hours for refreshment and sleep. Are you able to attend lodge while you’re asleep? I mean I know a few grumpy Past Masters that I’ve seen doze off during meetings, but I don’t think that is what the explanation had in mind. What about during refreshment? If a lodge is at refreshment, then they are not performing Masonic labor, so one can only think that if you are refreshing yourself, that you are not performing it either.

You might remember that you were told in your Entered Apprentice degree that it was hoped and expected that you would apply yourself to the study of Masonry. You will recall from your Fellowcraft Charge, that the impressive ceremonies of that degree were calculated to inculcate in the mind of the novitiate the importance of the study of the liberal arts and sciences, especially of the noble science of Geometry, which forms the basis of Freemasonry. It is clear that while you’re wasting your time in lodge; your missing Brethren are hard at work learning this useful knowledge.

Stop wasting your time with Freemasonry and do something worthwhile with your free time! I’m serious. Yes, you read that correctly. You didn’t pay attention during your degrees! All of the brothers that aren’t showing up for stated meetings, degree work, and Lodge social events; they obviously are not showing up for the reasons given above. They’re managing their time according to the 24 inch gauge! They’re pursuing the study of the Liberal Arts and Sciences, especially Geometry! Why aren’t you? Why are you continuing to attend paralyzing business meetings? Why do you subject yourself to the same mundane experience meeting after meeting? 

There is a line within the Fellowcraft obligation regarding answering and obeying all due signs and summons if within the length of your cable tow. What is the length of your cable tow? Is it long enough to allow you to continue to prop up lodges and appendant bodies that aren’t giving you any meaningful experience?

I hope by this point in the article, my attempt at satire isn’t lost on you. Maybe it is, and you’ve only read the title and not the article and you’re flaming me on social media. Let’s do some basic math. In most cases, out of the dues paying membership of your lodge, you have 90% - 95% that are not participating actively. Out of that percentage, there is maybe 5%-10% that might participate. Maybe they’ve not attended in a long time, and they’re embarrassed about forgetting the passwords. Maybe they’ve been ill, and no one from the lodge has checked in on them. Or maybe they just got tired of attending a two hour long business meeting without getting anything that improves them as men out of it?

If you’re not getting new members, or you’re failing to get members to show up, then our lodges leadership needs to take a good look in the mirror. There’s obviously something wrong with what some of us are currently doing. We're not going to figure it out by talking to the guys that still show up for lodge meetings, degree work, social events and the like. We need to engage those that are not showing up. We need to reach out to those members. Ask them what’s keeping them from attending, and work to correct that. Ask them to help turn things around. Engage them! Give them a role, and support them in it. Or stop wasting your time with Freemasonry and do something worthwhile with your free time. The choice is yours.

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is the Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of the new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282, and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL). He is also a member of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com.

The “Real” Legend of the Temple

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners

I recently discovered that our sacred temple legend is vastly different from the one that is claimed to be the original. According to Rudolf Steiner, in his lecture: “The Temple Legend – The Mystery known to the Rosicrucians”, which he gave in Berlin on the 4th of November 1904, The Legend of the Temple came from Christian Rosenkreutz in the 14th or 15th centuries.

(https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA093/English/RSP1985/19041104p01.html) 

We know that the Freemasons accepted it in the 18th century, as it appeared in Masonic Literature at this time. We can suspect that the legend was known before the time it appeared in the Masonic Literature. Albert Mackey seems to back this up, stating: “But I do not believe that this lost legend of the stone-masons was ever intended to be historical. It was simply a symbol to illustrate the idea that the temple at Jerusalem was the type of all Christian cathedrals. This symbolic Legend, which I suppose to have existed among the stone-masons of the Middle Ages, was probably lost before the revival of Masonry in the year 1717. Anderson therefore framed a new legend out of the Legend of the Craft, the Scriptural account, and his own invention. Upon this Andersonian legend, simple in the first edition of the Constitutions, but considerably expanded in the second, the modern ritualists have framed another legend, which in many important details differs from Anderson's, from the Legend of the Craft, and from the account in the Bible.” 

(http://www.themasonictrowel.com/new_files_to_file/the_temple_legend.htm)

Getting back to the original legend, it’s doubtful that a character by the name Christian Rosenkreutz ever existed. Steiner believed him to be a real historical figure, but he only turns up in 1616 in a work titled:

Chymische Hochzeit: Christian Rosenkreutz, Anno 1459. Roughly translated into English: Chymical Wedding: Christian Rosenkreutz, or better known as The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, authored by Johann Valentin Andreae. Regardless of the historical authenticity of Christian Rosenkreutz, Rosicrucianism has heavily influenced Freemasonry. Many figures associated with early Freemasonry are also associated with Rosicrucianism.

The legend that Steiner references is taken from the work, The Secret Societies of All Ages and Countries, Vol. I, Book VIII, Ch.1, sec. 191 & 192 by Charles William Heckelthorn published in 1875. (The book is now in the public domain. I have summarized the chapters below, but I would suggest that you read them by following the link before continuing: https://books.google.com/books?id=wqCxE4CN3GsC&pg=PA239&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false).

The temple legend as outlined by Heckelthorn and attributed to Rosenkreutz presents an entirely different story. The story begins telling the story of Adam and Eve. The most striking difference between the story told in Genesis and the one told in the legend is that Cain, instead of being the Son of Adam, is actually the son of an Elohim. Elohim, according to this legend, are primitive genies. However, in looking into the etymology of the word, it is actually the plural of El, meaning gods or the children of El. El was in the pantheon of Canaanite gods, the highest God. So the legend is stating is that Cain is not only a son of a God, but that he is from a God other than Adonai or Jehovah. There is evidence for multiple gods in Genesis (1:26), “And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

Adam and Eve begat Abel. Cain was a demi-God, and Abel was human. Cain was not favored by Adonai, and he rejected his offerings. He subjugated Cain and his line to the family of Abel as punishment for Eve’s transgression. The legend relays that Adonai stirred up strife between the sons of the Elohim, generated out of Fire (Cain) and generated out of the Earth only (Abel). However, other than saying that it was an Elohim, the identity of Cain’s father is unknown at this point. As we know from Genesis, Cain killed Abel. It is mentioned that Cain’s sons were the ones that invented the arts and diffused science. It is also said that again the sons of Cain were subjugated to the sons of Abel, this time as punishment for Cain murdering Abel. However the bible does not mention whether Abel had sons or not. Also missing from the legend is Seth, who is also the son of Adam and Eve. It might be possible then to substitute Seth’s line as the one to which the sons of Cain were subjugated. This would make more sense, since Noah and Solomon are both of Seth’s line. The legend then shows the descendants of Cain, and their contributions to society in teaching the line of Seth certain tradecrafts.

In the descendants of Cain, we see two references to Freemasonry. “Methusael, another of his descendants, invented the sacred characters, the books of Tau and the symbolic T, by which the workers descended from the genii of fire recognised each other.” Those who have been through the Royal Arch will know that the Triple - Tau is a symbol of that Order. We are also told: “T-C, who first constructed a furnace, worked in metals, and dug subterranean caves in the mountains to save his race during the deluge; but it perished nevertheless, and only T-C and his son, the sole survivors of the glorious and gigantic family, came out alive. The wife of Ham, second son of Noah, thought the son of T-C handsomer than the sons of men, and he became progenitor of Nimrod, who taught his brethren the art of hunting, and founded Babylon. Adoniram, the descendant of T-C, seemed called by God to lead the militia of the free men, connecting the sons of fire with the sons of thought, progress, and truth.” The legend states that the son of T-C is handsomer than the sons of men. Because of Cain’s parentage, his offspring then would possess characteristics that were greater than a pure human. The passage is also important because it shows that the line of Cain survived the deluge, and eventually produced Hiram Abiff (Adoniram according to Mackey means the Lord Hiram.

http://www.themasonictrowel.com/new_files_to_file/the_temple_legend.htm) 

We then learn about Hiram Abiff and how he was responsible for erecting the temple, casting the golden throne of Solomon, and building other glorious edifices. However, Hiram lived a solitary and sad existence. He was hated by many, including Solomon who was jealous of his talents. During this time, the Wisdom of Solomon was well known in many nations of the earth. This apparently attracted Balkis, the Queen of Sheba, who came to visit Solomon and became betrothed to him. Solomon knowing Hiram to more talented and handsome than he, tried to keep the Queen from meeting Hiram. He however failed, and eventually they met. Of course, it was love at first sight for Hiram. The Queen was so impressed with the temple, she demanded to see all of the men who worked on it. Solomon thinking this impossible denied the request. However, Hiram quickly made the Tau symbol in the air from a high point, and the workmen assembled for Balkis to see. This action along with the gaze of Hiram apparently captivated her.

Like our legend, we see Hiram in charge of building the temple. However, our legend has no mention of Hiram being solitary or sad. We also do not see the jealousy between Solomon and Hiram in our legend, in fact they shown to be quite fond of each other. There is also no mention of the Queen of Sheba. We do see however, a tie to Royal Arch Masonry by Hiram tracing the Tau symbol and how that symbol calls the workmen to assemble. In the Royal Arch, the Triple Tau is used as identification of Royal Arch Masons. The tau also has ties to Rosicrucianism, as it represents God and the attributes of wisdom, strength and harmony to them.

This action by Hiram and Balkis’ reaction to it made Solomon extremely jealous. Solomon was dependent upon Hiram to finish his temple, however there was one thing left to be completed, The Molten (Brazen) Sea. Solomon hired three fellow-craft, who were also envious of Hiram, since Hiram refused to raise them to the degree of Master. The three, named Fanor, a Syrian and a mason; Amru, a Phoenician and a carpenter; and Metusael, a Hebrew and a miner. They were tasked by Solomon to sabotage the casting of the Molten Sea. One of Hiram’s friends, Benoni, discovered the plot, and reported it to King Solomon. King Solomon did nothing to prevent the plot. When the Sea was cast, the molten metal poured over the mould. The crowd that had gathered to witness this soon fled in panic. Hiram stood his ground, using water to try to fight the flames, but this only caused steam to rise and then to cool and come back down to the earth spreading more terror and death.

Hiram looked to find his friend, Benoni, among those who had not fled. Little did he know that his friend had been executed by Solomon in order to keep his murderous plot a secret. At this point, Hiram accepted his fate, and turned his thoughts to the beautiful Queen Balkis. Just as he was about to perish, he heard a voice calling out his name. Hiram saw a giant figure, who told him that he had made Hiram fire-proof and told him to cast himself into the flames. Hiram did this. He was then taken to center of the Earth, to the realm of Cain. Hiram found out that he was spared by T-C, who was his Grandfather/Ancestor (Father of thy Fathers). Hiram then learned about the jealous nature of Adonai, when he met Cain. The legend then states: ”The angel of light that begat Cain was reflected in the beauty of this son of love, whose noble and generous mind roused the envy of Adonai.” The beauty of Cain made Adonai jealous, and that prompted his actions to curse Cain. (For the record, there’s no mention of Cain committing murder). Hiram then heard a prophecy about how the line of Cain would triumph over the line of Adam, and he was returned to Earth. T-C gifted Hiram a magical hammer, which he then used to fix and complete the Molten Sea in one night, leading to the adoration of Balkis and countless others.

Like the legend that we know, there are three fellow-craft who are jealous of Hiram and mad at him for not giving them the Master’s Word. However, they are named differently. We have no trace of the Molten Sea disaster in our legend. There is no mention of Hiram being taken to the center of the earth. He does not meet his ancestors. There is also no prophecy. Nor is there a magic hammer that is gifted to Hiram.

While travelling outside Jerusalem, Balkis came upon Hiram, and they confessed their love for each other. They married, and then plotted how to get Balkis out of her promise to marry Solomon. They decided to flee to Arabia. Balkis plied Solomon with wine, and then removed the ring from his finger to which she had betrothed herself. Meanwhile, Solomon had hinted that the removal of his rival Hiram would not bring punishment to the three fellow-craft. They assaulted Hiram when he came into the Temple, but Hiram was able to dispose of the Master’s Word, which was inscribed on a golden delta that he wore around his neck, into a deep well. They took Hiram’s body and buried it on a solitary hill, placing a sprig of acacia to mark the site. Hiram was not seen for seven days, and the people started to clamor for him. Solomon then called for a search for Hiram. Three master masons discovered his body and immediately suspected that the three fellowcraft who had not been given the Masters degree were responsible. The three masters, having the master’s word, decided that in order to keep it secure, they should change it. They decided that the first word uttered upon raising the body would become the new Master’s word. While trying to raise the body from the grave, one of the master’s exclaimed: “Macbenach!” (the flesh is off the bones!). This then became the substitute for the Master’s word. The three fellow-craft were hunted down, and rather than be captured, they committed suicide. Their heads were then brought to King Solomon. A search was then made for the Master’s word, which was found at the bottom of the well where Hiram had thrown it. Solomon then had it placed on a triangular altar erected in a secret vault which was built under the temple. The triangle, was further hidden by a cubical stone, upon which the sacred law had been written. The vault was known only to the 27 elect, and was walled up.

Once again, we have no mention of the Queen nor of a romance between her and Hiram Abiff in our legend. Hiram being assaulted in the temple by the three fellow-craft, his body taken, buried and marked by a sprig of acacia matches up. However, Solomon ordering the assassination is missing in our version of the legend. The time between when they discover Hiram missing is also drastically different. In our version, King Solomon orders the search, but he does so because there is confusion between the workmen as to their instructions missing, not because of the people clamoring for him. The circumstances and particulars around the pursuit of the fellow-craft, who are captured in our version, the discovery of Hiram’s body, and the raising of it differ greatly between our version and the “original”. The word given as the substitute for the Master’s word is different in our version. The Golden Delta holding the Master’s word which is recovered by Solomon evokes the delta used in the opening of a Lodge of Royal Arch Masons. King Solomon building the secret vault to hold the Master’s word is completely absent in our version. However, the vault does come into play in the Royal Arch Degree, as well as the 13th Degree in the Scottish Rite for both jurisdictions. However, it is said that it was built by Enoch in those degrees.

Of course, we know that Hiram Abiff is a figure who goes by the name of Hiram – Abi (Huram – Abi) in the bible. He appears two times in the Old Testament. In 2 Chronicles 2:11-14, Hiram King of Tyre replies to a request by Solomon stating: “And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, Huram my master craftsman 14 (the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.” Also, in 1 Kings 7: 13-14, “Now King Solomon sent and brought Huram from Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.”

The accounts of Hiram’s parentage differ in the accounts. In the account in 2 Chronicles 2:11-14, his mother is alluded to be from the Tribe of Dan, and his Father was a man of Tyre, making him from the tribe of Asher. In the account in Kings, his mother is from the Tribe of Naphtali, and his father was from Tyre (meaning that he was from the Tribe of Asher). However, the city of Dan was a city within the boundaries of the Tribe of Naphtali. Is it possible that the author of Kings took him being the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan to mean not the tribe of Dan, but rather the city of Dan? This would then make his mother from the tribe of Naphtali. There is a discrepancy regarding Hiram’s father also. In the account in Chronicles, it uses the past tense when referring to his father (his father was a man of Tyre). While in the account in Kings, it states that he was the son of a widow and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker. So is it possible that the account given in Kings is wrong again? By making the assumption that due to the past tense description of his father, maybe there was an assumption made that he was deceased. Is it possible that Hiram’s father isn’t deceased? For example, his Father was a man of Tyre could easily mean his father was born in Tyre.

If we then take the account in Chronicles as being accurate, and the account in Kings as being inaccurate, then Hiram might not be a widow’s son. In the original temple legend, it states that the father of Cain was married to Eve, and had a son called Cain. The next line says that Jehovah then created Adam and united him with Eve to bring forth the family of Abel. In ancient Hebrew law, divorce wasn’t an option for a woman, and having a child with someone infers that they were married. Men in that time were able to have more than one wife, but a wife could not have more than one husband. So the only possible way that Eve could have been re-married to Adam would have been if her husband was dead. This would make Cain the son of a widow, IE: A widow’s son.

In the legend, the sons of Cain are said to have invented the arts and diffused science. We are taught in Freemasonry to study the seven Liberal Arts and Sciences. We refer to members of Cain’s line within our ritual. We refer to Hiram Abiff in our ritual as being a Widow’s son, yet there is evidence as presented above that he might not be. It might be a leap of faith, but I think that the reference to Hiram being a Widow’s son in our ritual might refer to Hiram Abiff being a descendant of Cain. If Hiram is as skilled in architecture, masonry and metallurgy as the original legend portrays him to be, (as well as the account in Chronicles), then this would lead further credence to this possibility, since Cain’s line was skilled in these arts as well. Another clue indicating Hiram’s ancestry would be the use of the Triple Tau in Royal Arch Masonry as a way to identify other Royal Arch Masons. As the legend says, the Tau is how the workers descended from the genii of Fire recognized each other. This would seem to then match up Hiram’s ancestry in our legend with the ancestry as given in the “original” legend.

Of course, all of this is as we refer to it, a legend. We know that our Masonic temple legend is an allegory created to tell man’s ultimate triumph over death. It is likely that the Rosicrucian “Real” Temple Legend is also an allegory. It is also possible that the author Hecklethorn made it up entirely, contrary to Steiner stating that it was presented by Christian Rosenkreutz to the a select few members of the Rosicrucian brotherhood in the 15th century. Steiner gives his own interpretation of the “Real” Legend himself explaining that it portrayed the destiny of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Post-Atlantean cultural epochs. Regardless of its authenticity, there is just enough of that version of the legend which corresponds with ours to make me believe that a version of it was present in some circles prior to Anderson’s re-telling of it. As to who the real author is, or what the “real” Legend is, we may never know. What I do know is that had our ritual stuck to the legend as described by Hecklethorn (and attributed to Rosenkreutz), it would tell a similar, but very different story.

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is the Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of the new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282, and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL). He is also a member of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com

Sacred Feminine?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Darin A. Lahners

Upon a recent viewing of the movie, The Da Vinci Code, I discovered something that had alluded me up until now. Dr. Langdon (played by Tom Hanks) was discussing the symbol of the sacred feminine with Sir Leigh Teabing (played by Ian McKellen). The feminine V which was presented reminded me very much of the Square displayed proudly daily on my Masonic Ring, which is intersected by a compass, with the Letter G in the middle. Is this accidental? Or like other symbols in Freemasonry – is there a hidden meaning to be found?

In Illinois, The blazing star is described as one of the ornaments of a lodge, as being a hieroglyphic representation of Divine Providence. In more ancient traditions, it is represented as consisting of two equilateral triangles interlocked. The triangle with the apex pointed down was emblematic of the Creator, with the apex pointing down toward the created universe, whereas the triangle pointing up was representative of man, pointing toward God, the Creator. When intertwined as a six pointed star, they would form a single figure, the symbol of unity between God and his creation. However, even more ancient was the hexagram being representative of sexual union between man and woman. The triangle pointed downward representing the feminine and the other triangle representing the male.

I know what you’re thinking. Don’t take my word for it. 

So what does this have to do with the Square and Compass? The Square and Compass is a representation of the Blazing Star. You have the Feminine Square intersecting with the Masculine Compass. Within the Square and Compass, a diamond shape surrounds the Letter ‘G’. This diamond shape also is similar to the double pointed oval used to represent the Yoni, or female sexual organs. This is more easily seen in the symbol of the Knife and Fork degree. G-D being the seat of creation of all things, he is positioned within the overtly feminine symbol of the Yoni, which is also representative of creation. 

In Albert Mackey’s “The Symbolism of Freemasonry: Illustrating and Explaining its Science and Philosophy, Its Legends, Myths and Symbols.”, he explains: “All the deities of pagan antiquity, however numerous they may be, can always be reduced to the two different forms of the generative principle—the active, or male, and the passive, or female. Hence the gods were always arranged in pairs, as Jupiter and Juno, Bacchus and Venus, Osiris and Isis.
But the ancients went farther. Believing that the procreative and productive powers of nature might be conceived to exist in the same individual, they made the older of their deities hermaphrodite, (having both male and female genitalia) and used the term man-virgin, to denote the union of the two sexes in the same divine person.”

Even in ancient Babylonian myth and early Hebrew myth, El , “God” – the supreme god of the Sumerians) and Yahweh shared the same consort, Asherah. According to Ronald L. Ecker, in his book “And Adam Knew Eve”:

“In the Bible her name often appears as ha asherah, meaning "the" asherah. In such instances the reference is not to the goddess but to a symbol of her, an object (in the plural asherim) that was apparently a sacred pole, tree, or group of trees (hence the translation "groves") at Israelite sanctuaries or "high places" as well as by altars of Baal. The erecting of asherim was among the "evil" deeds of kings like Ahab and Manasseh, and cutting the things down was a regular chore of "right" kings like Hezekiah and Josiah.

The presence of Asherah or her symbol at places where Yahweh, the biblical God of the Hebrews, was worshipped raises the question of whether the Canaanite goddess was considered also to be the consort of Yahweh.

We know from references to,
"the sons of God" (Gen. 6:1-4; Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7)
"the host of heaven" (1 Kings 22:19)
"angels" (Gen. 19:1; Ps. 103:20)
God’s statement "Let us make man in our image" (Gen. 1:26),

...that Yahweh was not alone in his heaven.

We know also that Yahweh supplanted the Canaanite El to the extent that God’s other names in the Hebrew Bible include El, El Elyon ("God Most High"), El Shaddai ("God Almighty"), and the (originally) plural form Elohim (as in Gen. 1:1).”

But the Square and Compass isn’t the only symbol within Freemasonry that refers to this idea. If we go back to Mackey’s "The Symbolism of Freemasonry: Illustrating and Explaining Its Science and Philosophy, Its Legends, Myths and Symbols..”:

“Now, this hermaphrodism of the Supreme Divinity was again supposed to be represented by the sun, which was the male generative energy, and by nature, or the universe, which was the female prolific principle. And this union was symbolized in different ways, but principally by the point within a circle, the point indicating the sun, and the circle the universe, invigorated and fertilized by his generative rays. And in some of the Indian cave-temples, this allusion was made more manifest by the inscription of the signs of the zodiac on the circle.”

Mackey goes onto then give the following explanation: “So far, then, we arrive at the true interpretation of the Masonic symbolism of the point within a circle. It is the same thing, but under a different form, as the Master and Wardens of a lodge. The Master and Wardens are symbols of the sun, the lodge of the universe, or world, just as the point is the symbol of the same sun, and the surrounding circle of the universe.

But the two perpendicular parallel lines remain to be explained. Everyone is familiar with the very recent interpretation, that they represent the two Saints John, the Baptist and the Evangelist. But this modern exposition must be abandoned, if we desire to obtain the true ancient signification.

In the first place, we must call to mind the fact that, at two particular points of his course, the sun is found in the zodiacal signs of Cancer (June) and Capricorn (December).

These points are astronomically distinguished as the summer and winter solstice. When the sun is in these points, he has reached his greatest northern and southern declination, (a gradual falling off from a higher state) and produces the most evident effects on the temperature of the seasons, and on the length of the days and nights.

These points, if we suppose the circle to represent the sun's apparent course, will be indicated by the points where the parallel lines touch the circle, or, in other words, the parallels will indicate the limits of the sun's extreme northern and southern declination, when he arrives at the solstitial points of Cancer and Capricorn.


But the days when the sun reaches these points are, respectively, the 21st of June and the 22d of December, and this will account for their subsequent application to the two Saints John, whose anniversaries have been placed by the church near those days.”

Is it so far-fetched then to imagine that our mysteries then refer to the Great Architect of the Universe as being similar? Isn’t it possible that the ‘G’ within the Square and Compass refers to this more ancient understanding of the creator as encompassing both the Masculine and Feminine?

Before your blood begins boiling, I want to point out that this wouldn’t be the only place in Freemasonry where we have symbols that refer to genitalia. As this isn’t a tiled page, I would just point out that all Master Masons should know what this refers to within our rituals. However, it also has a further allusion which should be clear to everyone in the context of this article. Yes my brothers, it is sublimely referring to the act of creation.

Of course, there are many explanations for our symbols. I’m just pointing out some coincidences between them and how the feminine has been represented. Many of these coincidences that Albert Mackey also understood. There are obviously many explanations for the symbols I’ve presented here. It is my goal to educate my brethren and for them to ultimately decide for themselves what they think.

~DAL

WB Darin A. Lahners is the Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He’s a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of the new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D. and is the current Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign – Urbana (IL). He is also a member of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. When he’s not busy enjoying Masonic fellowship, Darin spends his time as a DM for his children’s D&D campaign, reading, golfing, watching movies and listening to music. You can reach him by email at darin.lahners@gmail.com.