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August 2008

Masonic Lectern

Saint Edmunds Falinge

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2/28Freemasonry: Its not about me changing them , its about me changing me .

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Featured ArticlesRecent Confusions By Ren Gunon ...................................................................3The man who would be King ............................................................................... 6Erudition Culture and Wisdom by Giovanni Lombardo ................................ 8Grand Orient de France Recognition ..............................................................10Masonic Bill of Rights by Tim Bryce ................................................................14Meditation the Roand to the Transendant .......................................................16We Three or Three such as We by Karen Kidd ............................................... 25

Volume 2 - Issue 8 - September 2007

Between The PillarsI may not agree with what you say,

but I will defend to the death your right to say it

Of This Take Due Notice, and Govern Yourselves Accordingly:Neither the editors, publishers or writers of this magazine represent themselves as speakingFOR any Grand Lodge or official body. The material presented in this publication is intendedsolely for informational purposes. The opinions presented herein are solely those of theauthors, editors and publishers. This magazine may be redistributed freely, but may not besold. The contents of the magazine are Copyright of the respective authors and may not be

republished without permission of the Lodgeroom International Magazine.

Published by: Willam McElligott, P.M. PZ,United Grand Lodge of England

Senior Editor: Giovanni LombardoGrande Oriente dItalia

Questions or Comments: [email protected]

Volume 2 - Issue 8 - September2007

Letters to the EditorThe staff at the Lodgeroom Internationalwould like to invite you to send yourcomments in for inclusion in themagazine. This magazine is for you, andwe would like to hear what you think about

the articles and about the magazine. If you have any questions about thearticles, or would like to ask the author a question, please feel free to sendthem in as well.

Send your comments to:

[email protected]

We will run your letters in the magazine and on the Lodgeroom USLodgeroom International Magazine forum. We look forward to hearing

from you!

Regular FeaturesBetween The Pillars ..............................................................................................2Masonic Forum...................................................................................................... 9

Jokes and Humor ................................................................................................ 25

Well as you can see I am trying hardto fill the shoes of our DepartedBrother Theron, sometimes I doOK, sometimes not so good. But theimportant thing is I am trying.

I listen on the Internet to manymumbles and grumbles aboutFreemasonry. I sometimes despairas to being able to find those oldstyle Masons who just did it. No

fuss, no Hey look at me Ma! I amthe greatest. They just got on withthe job in hand.

I have concluded that there are those

who want to know, What Freemasonrycan do for them? and there are those whowant to know What they can do forFreemasonry.?

OK its not an original phrase, but it doesillustrate what I think. Those that just geton with the job, seem to me to be thebeneficiary in the end.

by a natural tendancy it conduces tomake those so who are obedient to itsprecepts

Bill McElligott

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RECENT CONFUSIONSBy Ren Gunon

continued on next page

from Initiation and SpiritualRealisationA few years ago we had to reportthe strange attitude of those whofeel the need to deliberately confuseesoterism with mysticism, or even,speaking more exactly, to expoundthings in such a way as to entirelysubstitute mysticism for esoterismwhenever they encounter it,particularly in Eastern doctrines.1This confusion first arose amongthe orientalists, and at the beginningmay have simply been due to their

incomprehension, of which thereare so many other proofs that oneneed not be too surprised at it. Butthe matter becomes much moreserious when in certain religiouscircles this confusion is seized uponfor motives that are visibly muchmore conscious and with aprejudice that is no longer merelyone of forcing everything willy-nillyinto Western categories. Thesecircles were formerly contentsimply with denying the existenceof all esoterism, which is obviouslythe easiest attitude because itdispenses with the need to examinemore deeply something that isparticularly inconvenient, which itis for those who, like the exclusiveexoterists, claim that nothingescapes their competence. But itseems that at a certain moment theyrealized that this total andsimplistic negation was no longerpossible and that it was also moreclever to misrepresent esoterism insuch a way as to annex it byassimilating it to something which,like mysticism, really belongs onlyto religious exoterism. Thus onecould still forego use of the wordesoterism, since the word mysticism

everywhere took its place, and thething itself was thereby so travestiedthat it seemed to enter into theexoteric domain, which was nodoubt what was essential for theirproposed aims and allowed somepeople to make random judgmentsabout things they were not in theleast qualified to appreciate andwhich, by their true nature, werefrom every point of view entirelyoutside their jurisdiction.Most recently we have noted yetanother change of attitude, and, wewill freely say, a change of tactics,for it goes without saying that in allof this it is not simply a matter of anattitude which, as erroneous as itmay be, could at least pass for,being disinterested, as one canconcede in the case of mostorientalists.2 What is rather curiousis that this new attitude began toshow itself precisely in the samecircles as the preceding, as well asin others which adhered ratherclosely to them, judging from thefact that the same people appear inboth.3 Now, there is no longer any

hesitation to speak plainly of esoterism, as if this word hadsuddenly ceased to be frightening tocertain people; what could havehappened to make them come tothis point? No doubt it would berather difficult to say exactly, butone is permitted to suppose that inone way or another the existence of esoterism has become too evident atruth for them to continue to passover in silence, or to hold thatesoterism is nothing more thanmysticism; to tell the truth, we fearthat we ourselves count forsomething in the rather painfuldiscomfiture that this finding musthave caused in these circles, but thatis the way things are and we can donothing about it. One must resignoneself to it and do ones best to

accommodate oneself to changes inthe circumstances of the milieu inwhich one lives! This moreover iswhat people are keen to do, but thisis not to say that we mustcongratulate ourselves overmuch,for there are hardly any illusionsabout what one could call thequality of this change. Indeed, it isnot sufficient for us that theexistence of esoterism as suchfinally be recognized; it is alsonecessary for us to see how it ispresented and how it is discussed,and, as we ought to have expected,it is just here that things deterioratein a rather singular way.First of all, these people seem toadmit not only the existence of esoterism but also, to a degree, itsvalidity, especially under the coverof symbolism, although it is notalways easy to know what some of them really think because they seemto try hard never to dispel entirelythe ambiguities that enter into theirwritings (and we do not wish towrong them by believing that this issolely incompetence on their part);

and surely it is already somethingappreciable that, as regardssymbolism, they are no longercontent with the annoying banalityof current exoteric interpretationsand the shallow moralism whichusually inspires them. Nonetheless,we will readily say that in certainrespects, they sometimes go too farin the sense that, to these verylegitimate considerations, they mixothers from a wholly fantasticpseudo-symbolism that isimpossible to take seriously. Shouldone see here only the effect of acertain inexperience in this domainwhere nothing can be improvised?Something of this is very possible,

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but there may also be somethingelse; one could even say that thismelange is expressly made todevalue symbolism and esoterism,and yet we cannot believe that thisis the intention of those who writethese things, for they would thenhave to resign themselves to seeingthis discredit recoil uponthemselves and their own work. Butit is less certain that this intentiondoes not exist in any way amongthose who direct them, for it goeswithout saying that in such cases allare not equally conscious of theunderlying motives for the tacticsin which they collaborate. Howeverthis may be, until we have proof tothe contrary we prefer to think thatwhat is involved is only aminimizing of the esoterism theycan no longer deny (this is what aproverb calls keeping the fire fromspreading), of reducing its scope asmuch as possible by introducingquestions that are of no realimportance, and that are evenwholly insignificant, amusementsfor a public that is naturally only too

disposed to form an idea of esoterism itself after these littlethings which, much more than allthe rest, are to the measure of itspowers of comprehension.4This however is not what is mostserious; there is something else thatseems even more disquieting incertain respects: the inextricablemixing of true esoterism with itsmany contemporary deformationsand counterfeits, occultist,Theosophist, and others, and thepractice of drawing notions andreferences from eachindiscriminately and then presentingthem as if they were all on the sameplane so to speak, while refrainingfrom indicating clearly what oneaccepts and what one rejects. Is thisonly ignorance or a lack of

discernment? Indeed, these lattermay often play a role in such cases,and moreover the directors oftenknow very well how to use them fortheir own ends; but it isunfortunately impossible for this tobe all there is to the present case,for we are entirely certain thatamong those who act thus are thosewho are perfectly aware of what isreally happening. How then shouldwe qualify this way of proceeding,which seems expressly calculated tocause trouble and confusion in theminds of their readers? Besides,since this is not an isolated case buta general tendency among those of whom we speak, it indeed seemsthat a preconceived plan isinvolved; naturally one can see inthis a new example of the moderndisorder that more and moreextends everywhere, and withoutwhich confusions of this kind could

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scarcely occur, much less spread.But this is not a sufficientexplanation and once again we mustask what more precise intentionsunderlie all of this? Perhaps it is tooearly to distinguish them clearly,and it is best to wait a while in orderto see in what direction thismovement will develop; but wheneverything is thus confounded, is itnot in the first place a question of transferring to authentic esoterismsomething of the suspicion that verylegitimately attaches to itscounterfeits? This might seem tocontradict the very acceptance of esoterism, but we are not quite surethat this is really so, and this is why.First, the very fact of theambiguities to which we alludedabove means that this acceptance isonly in principle as it were anddoes not actually bears on anythingclearly defined; then, although theyrefrain from any assessment of thewhole, from time to time they throwout malicious insinuations, whichalmost always happen to be directedagainst true esoterism. These

remarks lead one to ask whether inthe final analysis it is simply amatter of preparing theestablishment of a new pseudo-esoterism of a rather particular kindmeant to give an appearance of satisfaction to those who are nolonger content with exoterism,while at the same time divertingthem from the true esoterism towhich they intend to oppose it.5 If this is the case, since thispseudoesoterismof which perhapswe already have a few samples inthe fantasies and the amusementsmentionedis probably still quitefar from being entirely complete,it would be understandable that,while waiting for it to be so, theyshould have every interest inremaining vague, with the idea of

going forth and openly taking theoffensive at the right moment, andin this way all would be quite wellexplained. Of course, until we knowmore we can only present what wehave just said as a hypothesis, butall who know the mentality of certain people will surely recognizethat it does not lack plausibility; andas for ourselves, for some time nowwe have received from varioussources accounts of claimedinitiations that, howeverinconsistent they may be, alsoconfirm this.We do not wish to say anythingmore about this for the moment, butwe were obliged not to wait longerto warn those who, with the bestfaith in the world, risk lettingthemselves be too easily seduced bycertain deceptive appearances; andwe will be only too happy if, assometimes happens, the mere fact of exposing these things is sufficient toarrest their development before theygo too far. We will add that, at amuch lower level than this, we haverecently also observed confusions

which are in the final analysis of thesame sort, and with these at leastthe intention is in no way doubtful:this is manifestly to try to assimilateesoterism with its worstcounterfeits, and the representativesof traditional initiatic organizationswith the charlatans of the variouspseudo-initiations. There isassuredly a difference between thesecrude ignominies, against whichone cannot protest too strongly, andcertain much more subtlemaneuvers; but fundamentally doesnot all of this tend in the samedirection, and are not the mostclever and insidious attempts, bythis very fact, also the mostdangerous?

NOTES

1. See Perspectives on Initiation, chap. 1.2. We say most for obviously an exceptionmust be made for certain orientalists whoare found to have at the same time more or less close links with the religious circles inquestion.3. We have already given an example of theattitude in question in our recent book reviews, in connection with a new book,

and we will shortly have occasion to giveothers. But it is well understood that for themoment we are keeping to more generalconsiderations, without going into the

particular and detailed examination of certain individual cases (and we also meangroups and their agents as well asindividual persons), which will be better done elsewhere at the appropriate place.4. We know of one ecclesiastic who, after expounding views of incontestable interest about symbolism, later thought himself obliged, not to renounce them, but toattenuate them by declaring that heattached to them only a very secondaryimportance and considered themdoctrinally insignificant. This seems tosupport what we were saying about thedeliberate belittling of esoterism, whichmoreover can be accomplished in manyapparently contrary ways by making out asimportant what is not so, and by belittlingwhat really is.5. The incorporation of certain reallytraditional elements does not prevent it, as

a construction and as a whole, from beingonly a pseudo-esoterism; besides, theoccultists themselves have proceeded inthis way, although for different reasons and much less consciously.

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The Man who would be Kingserialised:- 7 - 10

If the man with the beard had givenme a rupee I should have kept it as amemento of a rather curious affair.But the consciousness of havingdone my duty was my only reward.Later on I reflected that twogentlemen like my friends couldnot do any good if they foregatheredand personated correspondentsof newspapers, and might, if theyblackmailed one of the little rat-trapStates of Central India or SouthernRajputana, get themselves intoserious difficulties. I therefore

took some trouble to describe themas accurately as I could remember topeople who would be interested indeporting them; and succeeded, so Iwas later informed, in having themheaded back from the Degumberborders.Then I became respectable, andreturned to an office where therewere no Kings and no incidentsoutside the daily manufacture

of a newspaper. A newspaper officeseems to attract every conceivablesort of person, to the prejudice of discipline. Zenana mission ladiesarrive, and beg that the Editorwill instantly abandon all his dutiesto describe a Christianprize-giving in a back slum of aperfectly inaccessible village;Colonels who have been overpassedfor command sit down and sketchthe outline of a series of ten, twelve,or twentyfour leading articles onSeniority versus Selection;missionaries wish to know why theyhave not been permitted to escapefrom their regular vehicles of abuse,and swear at a brother missionaryunder special patronage of theeditorial We; stranded theatrical

companies troop up to explain thatthey cannot pay for theiradvertisements, but on their returnfrom New Zealand or Tahiti will doso with interest; inventors of patentpunka-pulling machines, carriagecouplings, and unbreakable swordsand axletrees call withspecifications in their pockets andhours at their disposal; teacompanies enter and elaborate theirprospectuses with the office pens;secretaries of ball committeesclamour to have the glories of theirlast dance more fully described;strange ladies rustle in and say, Iwant a hundred ladys cards printedat once, please, which is manifestlypart of an Editors duty; and everydissolute ruffian that ever trampedthe Grand Trunk Road makes it hisbusiness to ask for employment as aproofreader.And, all the time, the telephone bellis ringing madly, and Kings arebeing killed on the Continent, andEmpires are saying, Youreanother, and Mister Gladstone iscalling down brimstone upon the

British Dominions, and the littleblack copyboys are whining, kaa-pi chay-ha-yeh (Copy wanted),like tired bees, and most of thepaper is as blank as Modredsshield. But that is the amusing partof the year.There are six other months whennone ever come to call, and thethermometer walks inch by inch upto the top of the glass, and the officeis darkened to just above reading-light, and the press machines arered-hot to touch, and nobody writesanything but accounts of amusements in the Hill stations orobituary notices.Then the telephone becomes atinkling terror, because it tells youof the sudden deaths of men andwomen that you knew intimately,

and the prickly heat covers you witha garment, and you sit down andwrite: A slight increase of sicknessis reported from the Khuda JantaKhan District. The outbreak ispurely sporadic in its nature, and,thanks to the energetic effortsof the District authorities, is nowalmost at an end. It is, however,with deep regret we record thedeath, etc. Then the sickness reallybreaks out, and the less recordingand reporting the better for thepeace of the subscribers.

But the Empires and the Kingscontinue to divert themselves asselfishly as before, and the Foremanthinks that a daily paper really oughtto come out once in twenty-fourhours, and all the people at the Hillstations in the middle of theiramusements say, Good gracious!why cant the paper be sparkling?Im sure theres plenty going on uphere. That is the dark half of themoon, and, as the advertisementssay, must be experienced to beappreciated.

It was in that season, and aremarkably evil season, that thepaper began running the last issueof the week on Saturday night,which is to say Sunday morning,after the custom of a London paper.This was a great convenience, forimmediately after the paper was putto bed the dawn would lowerthe thermometer from 96 degrees toalmost 84 degrees for half an hour,and in that chill you have no ideahow cold is 84 degrees on the grassuntil you begin to pray for it a verytired man could get off to sleep erethe heat roused him.One Saturday night it was mypleasant duty to put the paperto bed alone. A King or courtier or acourtesan or a Communitywas going to die or get a new

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The story of A Man who would to be

King by Rudyard Kiplingwill continue in the nextissue of this Magazine

Constitution, or do something thatwas important on the other side of the world, and the paper was to beheld open till the latest possibleminute in order to catch thetelegram.It was a pitchy-black night, asstifling as a June night can be,and the loo, the red-hot wind fromthe westward, was booming amongthe tinder-dry trees and pretendingthat the rain was on its heels. Nowand again a spot of almost boilingwater would fall on the dust withthe flop of a frog, but all our wearyworld knew that was only pretence.It was a shade cooler in the press-room than the office, so I sat there,while the type ticked and clicked,and the night-jars hooted at thewindows, and the all but nakedcompositors wiped the sweat fromtheir foreheads and called for water.The thing that was keeping us back,whatever it was, would not comeoff, though the loo dropped and thelast type was set, and the wholeround earth stood still in thechoking heat, with its finger on its

lip, to wait the event. I drowsed,and wondered whether the telegraphwas a blessing, and whether thisdying man, or struggling people,might be aware of theinconvenience the delay wascausing. There was no specialreason beyond the heat andworry to make tension, but, as theclock-hands crept up to three o-clock and the machines spun theirfly-wheels two and three times tosee that all was in order, before Isaid the word that would set themoff, I could have shrieked aloud.Then the roar and rattle of thewheels shivered the quiet into littlebits. I rose to go away, but two menin white clothes stood in front of me. The first one said, Its him!The second said, So it is! And

they both laughed almost as loudlyas the machinery roared, andmopped their foreheads. We seedthere was a light burning across theroad, and we were sleeping in thatditch there for coolness, and I saidto my friend here, The office isopen. Lets come along and speak to him as turned us back fromDegumber State, said thesmaller of the two.He was the man I had met in theMhow train, and his fellow was thered-bearded man of MarwarJunction. There was no mistakingthe eyebrows of the one or thebeard of the other.I was not pleased,because I wished to go to sleep, notto squabble with loafers. What doyou want? I asked. Half an hourstalk with you, cool and comfortable,in the office, said the red-beardedman. Wed like some drink, theContrack doesnt begin yet,Peachey, so you neednt look,but what we really want is advice.We dont want money. We ask youas a favour, because we found outyou did us a bad turn about

Degumber State.I led from the press-room to thestifling office with the maps on thewalls, and the red-haired manrubbed his hands. Thatssomething like, said he. This wasthe proper shop to come to. Now,Sir, let me introduce you to BrotherPeachey Carnehan, thats him, andBrother Daniel Dravot, that is me,and the less said about ourprofessions the better, for we havebeen most things in our timesoldier, sailor, compositor,photographer, proofreader, streetpreacher, and correspondentsof the Backwoodsman when wethought the paper wanted one.Carnehan is sober, and so am I.Look at us first, and see thats sure.It will save you cutting into my talk.

Well take one of your cigarsapiece, and you shall see us lightup. I watched the test. The menwere absolutely sober, so I gavethem each a tepid whisky-and-soda.Well and good, said Carnehan of the eyebrows, wiping the froth fromhis moustache. Let me talk now,Dan. We have been all over India,mostly on foot. We have beenboilerfitters, engine-drivers, pettycontractors, and all that, and wehave decided that India isnt bigenough for such as us. Theycertainly were too big for the office.Dravots beard seemed to fill half the room and Carnehans shouldersthe other half, as they sat on the bigtable. Carnehan continued: Thecountry isnt half worked outbecause they that governs it wontlet you touch it. They spend all theirblessed time in governing it, andyou cant lift a spade, nor chip arock, nor look for oil, nor anythinglike that, without all theGovernment saying, Leave it alone,and let us govern. Therefore,such as it is, we will let it alone, and

go away to some other place wherea man isnt crowded and can cometo his own. We are not little men,and there is nothing that we areafraid of except Drink, and we havesigned a Contrack on that.Thereforewe are going away to be Kings.Kings in our own right, mutteredDravot.Yes, of course, I said. Youvebeen tramping in the sun,

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Erudition, Culture andWisdom

Erudition, culture, wisdomby Giovanni Lombardo

Doubtless, each of these words has

its own peculiar meaning whichdiffers one from them from eachothers, nevertheless I think they aresomehow tied reciprocally.

Or, better, they are hierarchicallyordered. Let us examine them.

Let us start from erudition. It pointsat a mechanical phenomenon, thatis, the storage of data in our brain.An erudite is a man who amasseddata and then is able to operateconnections among them and togive them off. Erudition is theantechamber of any culture, whichstems from Latin colere, tocultivate. It implies the daily andpatient effort to think over whatman has learned.

Culture is essentially criticism, thatis, the ability to judge the externalreality without prejudices so todistinguish the wheat from thechaff, as we are taught by theGospel. In Masonic terms, thisprocess is to polish the rough ashlar.Wisdom is the art of living. A wiseman is not a learned man, at leastnecessarily, but who knows thelifes rules, which reveal the

existences ultimate reasons: Platosaid that wisdom is The knowledgewith which he [the man] discernsgood and evil. (1)

Wisdom therefore implies initiaticKnowledge, which is not the sum of what a man learns by his mentalfaculties, but rather the sight of good, beauty and truth and

subsequent identification in them.To know means to go beyond mindand to grab transcendent ideas byintuition directly (intus ire, to gointo, in depth), hence to go beyondthe existing duality between subjectand object of knowledge, as theGreat Initiates continuously teachus.

I conclude quoting one of the, theSufi poet Abu Said:

I asked my love: Why do you makeyourself so beautiful?

To please myself. I am the eye, themirror, and the loveliness; Theloved one and the lover and thelove.

(1) Charmides, XXII-174

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Novus Ordo Saeculorum

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Grand Orient de Francede recognition

The de recognition of the GrandOrient de France bymainstream Freemasonry

First we must have a look atsome of the history that goeswith this subject. But first I mustacknowledge that the GodF isthe oldest and the largestGrand Lodge in France.

In 1877, the Grand Orient ofFrance decided to suppress theinvocation To the Glory of theGrand Architect of the Universein its rituals. For most of theAnglo-Saxon readers, this actcan be seen as outrageous andirregular for a Masonic body.

The United Grand Lodge ofEngland decided to break itsrelationship with it because ofirregularity.

Now the question is, was this areasonable and lawful act forUGLE to take, or did itmanufacture an excuse to rejectthe GodF.

From : A Concise Study OfFreemasonry In France

by Dr. Claude Harrison Harris

Grand Lodges of the UnitedStates have been for more thana century asking the question

whether or not French Masonryis regular. One should point outthat up to 1849 the Grand

Orient of France contained nodoctrine concerning a belief inGod, following the nonsectarian

view expressed by Dr.Andersons Constitutions. Yet,

the Grand Orient of France wasrecognized by almost everyGrand Lodge in the world at thattime.

In 1849 the Grand Orient ofFrance declared thatFreemasonry has for its

principles the existence of Deityand the immorality of the soul,taking a firm hold in itsinternational Masonicrecognition; but with abolishingthe office of Grand Master, andsubstituting a governmentalcouncil in 1871, the Grand Orientagain started a departure fromthe form of Freemasonry.

The greatest and most importantchange in its constitution came in1877 when it declared that

the basis of Freemasonry wasabsolute liberty of conscienceand the solidarity of Humanity.

All of the rituals were amended toomit the reference to God, andwithin three years the display ofthe Bible was made optional

within the lodges. The UnitedGrand Lodge of England severedrelations with the Grand Orientas did most of the Grand Lodgesthroughout the United Stateswhich had not already done so.This divided the Grand Orientwhich consequently resulted inthe formation of the Grand Lodgeof France.

Timeline of events

1717 (June 24) Foundation of theGrand Lodge of London,(protestant masonry) whichpatronized the first speculativelodges in French territory.

1736 Lodges on French territoryrequest for authorization toestablish a Provincial GrandLodge.

Charles Radcliffe, Count ofDerwentwater, becomesGrand Master of the EnglishGrand Lodge of France.

1738 Second edition ofAndersons Constitutions.

1738 (May 4) Condemnation

of Freemasonry by the PopeClement XII (bull Ineminenti).

1751 Another condemnationby Pope Benoit XIV ofFreemasonry.

1756 The English GrandLodge of France revised itsstatutes and dropped theword, English, from its name.

1758 The Grand Lodge ofFrance becomes independentfrom England.

1772 The National GrandLodge at the Orient of Pariswas proclaimed and known asthe Grand Orient of France.

1799 By the treaty of unionsigned May 21,

1799, the Grand Orient tookover all the authority of theolder Grand Lodge of France(also named Grand Lodge ofClermont).


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1849 The Grand Orient isreorganized declaring thatFreemasonry has for itsprinciples the existence of Deityand the immorality of the soul.Prior to this time, Frenchmasonry followed

Andersons Constitutions,espousing no religious doctrine.

1869 The Grand Orient resolvedthat neither color, race, orreligion should disqualify acandidate. This seemed to raisethe Negro question anddisturbed many of the GrandLodges of the United States,breaking off relations with many.

1877 The Grand Orient ofFrance modifies (directed by thereport of the Pastor FrederickDesmons), the first article of itsconstitution: To the Glory of theGrand Architect of the Universeand in lieu of a belief in God andimmortality its basis is absoluteliberty of conscience and thesolidarity of Humanity

1877 All regular masonic ties arebroken with the Grand Orient ofFrance.

1884 Encyclical HumanumGenus of the Pope Leon XIII.

1913 (November 5) Two Lodgesof the Grand Orient of France:

Logo Le Centre des Amis andLes Amis du Progres set up ananonymous authority.

Under the impulsion of Edouardde Ribeaucourt this obediencetakes the name of Grande LogeNationale Independante etReguliere pour la France et lesColonies Franaises. (TheIndependent and Regular/

National Grand Lodge forFrance and the FrenchColonies); the United GrandLodge of England immediatelyrecognizes the new bodyfollowed by all the AmericanGrand Lodges.

There is a school of thoughtwhich says there was never arequirement by the OriginalGrand Lodge or the subsequentUnited Grand Lodge of Englandto enforce a belief in a Supremebeing and to make this a part ofthe rules of recognition.

However I submit some snippets

of information that show it wasincumbant upon any initiate tobelieve in God or at least tobelieve in his God.

A. Douglas Smith, Jr., Lodge ofResearch #1949, AF&AM

The original 15 Original MasonicLectures.

They carried the date of 1719,and were edited

by Dr. Anderson. It is doubtful ifthey were used more than a fewtimes as they were shortened in1721, and again in 1723. Thereis no record as to the continuallyshortening of the Lectures;

BUILD ME A TEMPLE

(First lecture of the first)None but GOD himself couldhave caught a single word of allthat they might have chosen tospeak. A pause and thenSolomon began again. Therewould I build such a house forthe Living GOD as the world hasnever seen. Hiram Abif, will thoudo it for me? Canst

Thou?

TEMPTATION OF HIRAM

(Second Lecture of the First)

Left alone, Hiram Abif turnedtoward the East, fell on hisknees, and bent forward until hisgray head lay in the dust. OhGOD he uttered, I thank theethat I live, that I have health andstrength. I thank thee that I haveWisdom and that my hands arecunning. I thank thee for thetender Father Love of my earlyyears, and for the Mother that

has been doubly dear since thedread day when it was true that Iwas the Widows Son.

Knowing, Oh Omnipotent one,that thy wisdom is infinite, thyword hath created all things. Ithank thee for all that is, all thathas been, and all that ever shallbe.

A full copy this book can be

obtained through this linkhttp://www.lodgeroomus.net/ downloadcenter/ index.php?act=view&id=140

Libraries at University ofNebraska-Lincoln

on line copy Constitutions of theFreemasons

Printed; London 1723.

Philidelphia 1734

V11

And the Candidate shall alsosolemnly promise to submit tothe Constitutions, the Charges,and Regulations, and to suchother good Usages as shall be



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intimated to them in Time andPlace convenient.

You will note that theConstitution clearly states thatthe candidate [ Initiate] mustsubmit to the

Charges

Andersons Charges 1723 state:

I. Concerning God and Religion

A Mason is obligd by his Tenure,to obey the moral law; and if herightly

understands the Art, he willnever be a stupid Atheist nor anirreligious Libertine. But

though in ancient Times Masonswere chargd in every Country tobe of the Religion

of that Country or Nation,whatever it was, yet tis nowthought more expedient only

to oblige them to that Religion inwhich all Men agree, leaving

their particular Opinions tothemselves; that is, to be goodMen and true, or Men of

Honour and Honesty, bywhatever Denominations orPersuasions they may be

distinguishd; whereby Masonrybecomes the Center of Union,

and the Means ofconciliating true Friendshipamong Persons that must haveremaind at a perpetual

Distance.

It is therfore implicit that theCharges and the instruction that

an Initiate will never be a stupidAtheist. In other words he musthave a belief in God.

In addition we place somequotes from well knowndocuments to support the aboveclaims :

Halliwell Manuscript 92615 points1. Every Mason shall cultivatebrotherly love and the love ofGod, and frequentholy church.......................................................

The Statutes and Rules ofBologna, from 1248

In the name of the Father, theSon and the Holy Spirit. AmenIn the year of the Lord 1248,sixth indiction.Statutes and Rules of the MasterMasons and Carpenters

These are the statutes and rulesof the trade union of the mastermasons and carpenters, madein honor of God, our Lord JesusChrist, the blessed Virgin Maryand all saints, and in honor ofthe good fortune of the town ofBologna and the trade union ofsaid masters

......................................................Indigo Jones ? MasonicManuscript ? 1655THE MIGHT of the FATHER of

HEAVEN, and the Wisdom ofthe Glorious SON,through the Grace andGoodness of the HOLY GHOST,three Persons and OneGOD; Be with us and Give usGrace so to Govern us here inour living, that wemay come to his B1iss thatnever shall have Ending. AMEN.

.......................................................

This is repeated in:Roberts Pamphlet of 1722The Almighty Father of heaven,with the kingdom of thy GloriousSon, thro the goodness of thyHoly Ghost.

.......................................................

We can not take the stand ofUGLE at this time withoutlooking at what was actually

happening in relation to Religion



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and politics during this period.

1604 King James (1566 - 1625)of England commissioned theKing James translation of theBible. He also banned theJesuits1616 The Church prohibitedGalileo from further scientificwork.

1618 Protestant uprising inBohemia initiated the ThirtyYears War.

1619 Humanist Lucilio Vaniniwas tortured and burnt at thestake for atheism.

1621 Church banned JohannKeplers The Epitome of theCopernican Astronomer.

1624 Cardinal Richelieu becamechief minister in France. Hecontinued until 1642 and wasinstrumental in making France agreat international power.

1633 Galileo was forced by the

Inquisition to renounce theoriesof Copernicus. Descartesstopped publishing in France inresponse to the Churchs attackson Galileo.

1641 Catholics massacredProtestants in Ulster.

1642 ? 1649 Puritans andPresbyterians on one sidefought with Anglicans andCatholics on the other side in theEnglish Civil War.

1648 Thirty Years War endedwith the Peace of Westphalia,with Germany divided betweenCatholic and Protestant states.

1662 Book of Common Prayerwas declared the only legal formof worship in England by the Actof Uniformity.

1673 Roman Catholics andnonconformists in England weredeprived of public office by theTest Act.

1685 French King Louis XIVrenounced the Edict of Nantesand denied religious freedom toFrench Protestants, resulting ina mass exodus of Huguenotsfrom France.


1689 Dissenters from the Churchof England were granted rights bythe Act of Toleration. Catholicswere excluded from the Englishthrone by the English Bill ofRights.1723 England allowed Jews totake oaths without the words, Onthe true faith of a Christian.

1829 With the CatholicEmancipation Act in Britain,Roman Catholics were allowed tohold public office.

When we read this historicalbackground we are asked tobelieve by the accusers thatFreemasonry was able to excludeFaith as a basic point ofmembership. I say that would beinconceivable in this climate.

Now it is clear from the lack ofdocumentation, that much ofwhat was said and done wasindeed not recorded. But I submitthat the above accumulation offacts leads to the inevitableconclusion that if you did nothave a belief in God, you wouldnot be allowed to become aFreemason under the GrandLodge and subsequently theUnited Grand Lodge of England.

It is today a stated requirementfor membership and ofrecognition:Freemasons under its jurisdictionmust believe in a Supreme Being.

.
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A MASONIC BILL OF RIGHTS

by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS,[email protected] Harbor, Florida, USAA Foot Soldier for Freemasonry

When you enter the Masonicfraternity you tend to take a lot for

granted.For example, that your Lodge willoperate like other nonprofitinstitutions you are familiar with orthe general laws and rules of thecountry and state where you reside.Interestingly, it doesnt and, instead,marches to its own unique drummer.Aside from the obligations you takeas a Mason, you are really notcognizant of the mechanisms of thefraternity or what you are entitledto. This caused me a couple of yearsago to start seeking a Bill of Rights for the individual Mason.Remarkably, you dont find verymuch in this regards.There is of course the AncientLandmarks of Freemasonry, butthis is more geared towards theadministration of the Grand Lodgesystem. Masonic law differs from

jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but ittoo primarily addresses theworkings of the Grand Lodge. Butfinding a listing of the fundamentalrights we should all enjoy asindividual Master Masons isanother matter altogether. To thisend, I have assembled an initial listof rights. I began by examining the

U.S. Bill of Rights as well as other

comparable documents. I thenreviewed drafts of my proposedrights with otherMasons whom I respect.

Below is my final draft of the rightsall Master Masons in good standingshould enjoy.

1. Freedom of speech - the right forrecognized Master Masons toassemble and discuss subjectspertaining to the fraternity ingeneral, and the right of recognizedMaster Masons belonging to aspecific jurisdiction to assemble anddiscuss subjects pertaining to theirgoverning Masonic body. Thisincludes the drafting and debatingof legislation pertaining to theMaster Masons Craft Lodge and

governing Masonic body. Suchdiscourse should be donerespectfully and not violate Masonicobligations.

2. Universal treatment - the right tobe treated with equal courtesy anddignity as other members of theLodge, whether at home or as avisitor, with friendship, morality,and brotherly love. This includes

being treated fairly, honestly,respectfully, and helpfully byMasonic brothers and act as such inreturn; to offer wise counsel toBrothers when needed, and acceptsuch in return; and to promote trustand cooperation between brothers.To avoid discussions in Lodgeregarding religion and politicswhich may disrupt the harmony of

the Lodge. Master Masons respectthe opinions and dignity of theindividual.

3. Freedom of information - theright to be made aware of theactions and activities of thegoverning Masonic body of whichthe Master Mason belongs. Thisincludes full disclosure of financialaccounting, the rules andregulations under which theMasonic body operates, all recordspertaining to the individual Mason(his own records), the names andcontact information of Lodgebrothers, and a report on the generaladministration of the Masonic body.

4. Freedom to participate - the rightto attend all recognized Masonicmeetings and related functionswhile adhering to proper Masonicdecorum. To volunteer time andservice in support of the Lodge, thecommunity, and the world at large.

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5. Fair trial - In all Masonicprosecutions, the accused shallenjoy the right to a speedy, fair andimpartial trial, open to allrecognized Master Masons, and

judged by a jury of his Masonicpeers. The accused will be informedof the nature and cause of theaccusation; to be confronted withthe witnesses against him;to have compulsory process forobtaining witnesses in his favor, andto have the assistance of counselfor his defense.

6. Right to vote - the right to voteand ballot on all pertinent issuesrelated to the Master Masons CraftLodge and governing Masonic body.

7. Right to representation - the right

to expect the elected officers of theCraft Lodge to represent thecollective interests of itsmembership, and that the electedofficers of the governing Masonicbody to represent the collectiveinterests of the Craft Lodges. In noevent are the elected officers of theCraft Lodge to usurp the rights ormisrepresent the Master Mason, andin no event are the elected officers

of the governing Masonic body tousurp the rights or misrepresent theCraft Lodges.

8. Right to seek further light - theright for a Master Mason to seek outand investigate the secrets, history,and workings of the Masonic Orderand to share such knowledge withrecognized Master Masons.

I have been over this list numeroustimes and have been very sensitivetothe wording. Nonetheless, I amsure there is an omission I haveundoubtedly overlooked orsomething requiring clarification orimprovement. Consequently,I see this Masonic Bill of Rightsas a work in progress and wouldwelcome your suggestions forimproving it.

This list alone should make forsome interesting food for thought,particularlyfor our younger Brethren as theyembark on their Masonic career.

Keep the Faith!

Copyright (c) 2008 by Tim Bryce.

All rights reserved.

You will always find thecollaboration between Tim Bryceand Lodgeroom International onall the Forum and the PodcastService.

Plus you can purchase Tims Bookpubliched by Cornerstone byfollowing this link.

The Free Thinking Freemason
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EsotericMeditation the road tothe Transcendent

Meditation the road to the Transcendent

Miroslav Nachev

IntroductionThis paper is a result of a profoundpersonality transformation andacquisition of knowledge on thematter. It is possible to findsimilarities with the thoughts andideas of other authors but there is onlyone truth after all. At the same time Ihave to say that so far I have not comeacross a consistent view on this matterthe way it is presented here. One hasto read at least 20-30 books, master

various techniques and practices inone way or another in order toaccumulate the knowledge shared inthis paper. Apart from that I havealways believed that reading aboutsomething, knowing about it andunderstanding it are completelydifferent things. It is the same to claimthat one can swim or drive a car justbecause he has seen how other peopledo it. Attending various courses doesnot help a lot either if a person stillhas no experience. Only when anindividual reaches a stage when hefeels confident behind the steeringwheel or in the water he can claim thathe has the skills and understands whathe does. Otherwise one can only saythat he has heard of or read about this.

Types of consciousnessWhat is meditation? What ishypnosis? Before giving an answerto these questions, I would like topresent my theory on the varioustypes of consciousness which isdrawn upon eastern philosophiesand western psychologists. Botheastern and western theories arebased on the understanding thatthere are three types of

consciousness awake state,dreaming and deep sleep. Scientistshave studied the electromagneticwaves generated by the human mindand have established that each of the above-mentioned states of consciousness is characterised byspecific frequency wave range (seeAppendix I). They have also foundout that when a person is dreaminghis eyes move very rapidly in alldirections which explains theimages and happenings which aperson sees while sleeping. Sleepconsists of a number of interchanging series of dreams, eachseries lasting approximately 90 min.and divided in three parts lightsleep, deep sleep and dreaming.What amazed psychologists duringtheir studies was that instead of asmooth transition from one stateinto another, an individual goesthrough a transient type of consciousness called Theta which isunlike any of the main three statesof consciousness and is also knownas transcendental neither sleeping,nor dreaming or awake state.

Studying people under hypnosis,scientists have established that thisstate is identical with the state of transcendental consciousness.Psychologists have also found outthat when under hypnosis the braingenerates a different type of electromagnetic vibrations.Conducting detailed studies in thatphase, however, is difficult. Studiesof meditating people have provedthat a meditating individual and aperson under hypnosis fall in oneand the same state which points tothe conclusion that the purpose of meditation and hypnosis is the same conscious transition into atranscendental consciousness for alonger period of time, the onlydifference being the path leading tothis state. During meditation it is the

meditating individual who is incontrol of the process and attainingdeep meditation takes much moretime and efforts whereas withhypnosis there is someone else totake you to the transcendental phaseand it is done much quicker at that.

The other types of consciousness Cosmic, Godlike and Unified -established by psychologists are notwell studied but are well known toeastern philosophies.

What is characteristic of Cosmic

consciousness is the permanentstate of peace of mind where thenervous system is free of any stress.It is considered that while being inthis state the nervous system is soflexible and adaptable when facingchallenges that no stress can begenerated.

Godlike consciousness is defined asunlimited awareness of cosmic

consciousness directed to the self,existing along with the developmentof refined sensory perception duringthe three relative states of awakefulness, dreaming and sleep.The 6th type of consciousness isdefined as godlike because theindividual is capable of perceivingand understanding the full spectrumand mechanisms of creation and isfilled with love and dedication tothe creation and its Creator. Thus aperson not only experiences internalpeace but also establishes deeprelations of love with the others.

While being in the 7th and higheststate of consciousness known asUnified consciousness, theindividual experiences existence asthe fundament of life underlying all

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its aspects: everything is perceivedas a manifestation of the Existence.Although diversity of life is takeninto account, the dominating sensewhile being in the state of Unifiedconsciousness is the feeling that allaspects of life, ranging from thefinest to the most obvious ones, arenothing else but an interactive initself dynamics of existence, pureconsciousness, the substance of ourown transcendental consciousness.Only the Unified consciousnessallows bridging the abyss betweeninner and outer reality and between

subjective and objective existence.Being in this highest state of enlightenment, the individualdiscovers his own self in allcreatures and all creatures inhimself.

Transcendentalconsciousness and

connection with the brain

Brain is like a computer carrying outthe tasks set by man in the respectivepriority order. Among other things itis responsible also for themaintenance of the human body.However, this priority list isrearranged by our busy daily routine,by the stressful environment (pollutedair, unhealthy food, media andpsychotronic aggression, work, etc),by the orders we give to our brainevery day, by our fears and desireswhich seem to be of greater priority.As a consequence the brain fails totake care of our energy andphysiological systems which in turnresults in energy misbalance leadingto the next stage health problems.The state of transcendentalconsciousness, where time has a

different dimension, allows the brainto perform its other duties. Thus everymeditating person triggers a processof self healing and dissolving all kindsof stress mental, physical,emotional, etc. Another change takingplace during the process of meditationis the increased energy level of themeditating person which as a resultintensifies his vibration frequency.That is possible because the processesof thinking and main perceptionrequire the greatest amount of energywhereas being in a transcendentalstate a person is in harmony with theUniverse and thus he is able to absorbeven more energy. Therefore manyscientists and medics have establishedthat people who meditate are healthierthan the rest, they slow down theprocess of ageing and they obtain amagic healing effect. Anotherinteresting effect of the highervibration frequency of a meditatingperson is his power of telekinesis,clairvoyance, telepathy, etc.

We should not forget that our brainfulfils all our thoughts no matter

whether they are positive ornegative. That is why very oftenwhen we are afraid of something orwe think of something unpleasant,in most of the cases it becomes areality. Therefore, it is advisable tothink positively even about negativethings.

When we put our body in anextreme situation or overwork it, weautomatically switch totranscendental consciousness whichis a kind of protection mechanism.An example of such a transition intoa transcendental state is when oureyes are fixed at something but weactually do not see neither hearanything. There is not probably asingle person who has notexperienced that.

Quantum theory andeastern philosophies

This is the point to make a reference

to quantum theory and physics whichintroduce the notion of unified field.Time and distance are not taken intoconsideration because they are veryrelative. The smallest particles arenonmaterial and they differ in theirspinning direction, speed andorientation. Two particles areconsidered linked, regardless of thedistance between them, in case theirparameters mentioned above areidentical. Nonmaterial particles inturn form elementary materialparticles which in their turn constitutethe matter such as we know it. In 1994quantum physicists noticed the greatsimilarity between microcosm studiedby them with the help of expensiveaccelerators and the macrocosmstudied by astronomers withtelescopes and rockets. They have

come across impressive coincidencebetween the correlation of stars,planets and the distances among them.The question arises then how comeour senses register the matter assomething solid given the fact that thecorrelation between nucleases,electrons and distances of the matterare comparable to the correlationbetween stars, planets and thedistance between them. But this is notsomething new for mathematicswhere it is known as Mandelbrotsmultitude (fraction-like structure).Quantum physic discusses the GreatBlast, material and nonmaterialparticles, intelligence of energy andconnection with humanconsciousness. Prominent professors,

Meditation the road tothe Transcendent

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physicists and mathematicians likeRoger Penrose (Oxford University),Martin Gardner and Stephen Hocking(Cambridge University) contributesubstantially to the verification of theabove statements. Has humanity,however, become aware of these factsover the past few decades? My answerbased on eastern philosophies isNo. Eastern peoples had known allthat for thousands of years. You wouldwonder how that is possible. Theiranswer would be that they had gainedthat knowledge by turning theirattention to their inner self unlike

contemporary science which focusedattention on the outer. Turning toones inner self is achieved bymeditation where one reaches a stateof transcendental consciousnesswhich serves as a gateway to higherstates of consciousness and manbecomes one single whole with theUnified field and thus he can accessany information he needs. The notionof Unified field is common of both

western and eastern theories eventhough they use different paths toreach the same point. In his book titledThe Kings New Reason, Prof.Roger Penrose proves mathematicallythe origin of intelligence, the link between spirit, brain, matter andconsciousness. In the East they claimthat each one of us is a God becausewe are all part of one and the samething as a result of the Great Blast.That is why people say that oneshould not return evil for evil becausethe same evil will hit you back. Thesame thing is if we imagined that ourleft hand did not know that the righthand was part of the same body andit started for selfish or any otherreasons punishing the right one. Aftera while the punishment would affectthe other parts of the body and finally

the left hand would be punished byitself.

Energy SystemA person practising meditation needsless energy by blocking the standardperception senses while at the sametime he increases the inflow of cosmicenergy by improving the operation of the chakras thus providing energy tothe body in two ways. The wordchakra is of Sanskrit origin meaninga spinning object. The Bulgarian wordfor a spinning wheel (chekrak)derives from the same root. When

breathing we inhale not only oxygenthrough our lungs but also cosmicenergy through our chakras. Similarly,when we breathe out we exhalecarbon dioxide and at the same timewe get rid of the energy we do notneed through our chakras. Chakras arelocated along energy channels(meridians) which allows them toregulate the energy flow runningthrough our bodies materially,emotionally and spiritually. We canvisualise this system as a water pipesystem where pump stations (chakras)have been installed on certainlocations in order to control stablepressure levels. According to easternphilosophies there are 365 chakras -as many as the days of the year. Thechakras are divided in two maingroups: big and small ones. The big

chakras are seven. All the rest aresmall ones and they are used byacupuncturists to regulate bodyenergy by spinning the needle in eitherone or the other direction. Nowadaysscientists have established that thenumber of chakras is over 1600. Theyhave confirmed the existence of the365 chakras and have divided themin 3 groups. When there is an energy

obstruction (a blocked chakra orclogged up meridian) at a givenchakra, all body organs near thechakra fall ill after some time. Whenwe meditate the energy locates energyblockage and attempts to clear thepath. That explains why sometimeswhen we meditate we feel pain atplaces which were painful years agoor the pain is an indication of a healthproblem which we are still unawareof and which is not manifested onenergy level yet. Therefore we shouldnot be worried if we felt pain orexperienced something bad because

this would be a process of healing. Incase the pain was too severe and wecould not stand it, we should stopmeditating for a couple of minutes,concentrate on the pain until it wentor became less intensive and thenresume meditation.

One of the results of meditation isthat man becomes aware and gets tonotice things which he has taken for

granted until now or he has neverstopped to think about. That ispossible because while being in thisstate, consciousness perceiveseverything around it from adifferent angle, from a differentposition higher than the usual one.One of the first things I noticedwhile experiencing meditation wasthe stress and chaos that surroundus. I realised that all media andcommercials are used as brain-washing tools and I am convincedthat they are one of the mostpowerful psychotronic weaponshumanity has ever known. Another


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effect which comes as aconsequence of the increased energylevel is giving up all harmful habits.I myself, quite unconsciously atthat, gave up alcohol, fizzy drinks,etc.

Types of meditationand benefits from

themMeditation is divided in three maintypes passive, active and dynamic.Passive meditation helps to releaseour mind of all thoughts and to attain

transcendental consciousness. Weneed to go through passive meditationfirst before moving to activemeditation. The important thing hereis that we start thinking while beingat transcendental level. Dynamicmeditation is characterised by a statusof trance achieved as a result of monotonous physical activities. MostOsho types of meditation are of thatkind. The silent repetition of a sound

(mantra) can be considered a passivemeditation which allows an easiertransition of the mind into a state of transcendental consciousness.

The difference between hypnosisand active meditation is that toattain transcendental consciousnessunder hypnosis a person needs theassistance of someone else whereasactive meditation does not requireany additional equipment orassistance. There are some types of active meditation where themeditating person relies on the helpof someone else but these are notvery popular because they arepractised only in Tibet and theHimalayas in India in special casesand by people familiar with thetechnique. I should point out that

the great Russian psychologistswere very well acquainted withalmost all Tibetan and Indiantechniques and they developed mostof the psychotronic weapons basedon that knowledge.

What do psychologists achieve byusing transcendental consciousnessas a tool? They take their patientsback to situations and periods of their lives which theirconsciousness refuses or fails toremember while being in awakestate. This process helps the patient

to unlock and resolve the problem.Apart from that hypnosis is alsoused to increase the mental,psychological, physiological andphysical potential of peopleexperiencing or not any problems.

Some other beneficial effects of meditation achieved in the East:

- self-healing of all kinds of diseases;

- treatment of other peoplesdiseases;

- increasing ones own energywhich results in increasedenergy of the astral andphysical body of themeditating person; this in turnallows him to widen thespectrum of his senses andthus he develops the so-calledparapsychological capabilities clairvoyance (opening of their third eye), telepathy,telekinesis, psychometrics,astral journeys, etc. From thepoint of view of quantumtheory and quantum physicsin particular, the existingmatter in our Universeconsists of a single unifiedfield which via different

vibrations creates theelementary immaterialparticles which in turn createelementary material particlesand they create the mattersuch as we know it. Theconclusion here is that the air,stones, water, fire, humanbeings, light, electromagneticwaves and all material andimmaterial objects andphenomena, are created orgenerated by one and the sameenergy which, however,vibrates differently and that is

why through our senses (eyes,ears, nose, sense of touch andtaste) we perceive one and thesame thing differently. Bymeditating we intensify thesensitivity of our senses andactivate other senses whichare in a latent state with mostpeople;

- Atta in ing the othe r threestates of consciousness

cosmic, godlike and unified.

How to meditateHow to reach a state of transcendentalconsciousness by meditation?Meditation technique is a very simpleprocedure the individualsawareness settles down. It is not easy,however, to achieve this simple thing

because as we all know it is verydifficult to stop thinking aboutanything. As with everything else in

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nature, the beginning is always themost difficult part of the process. Theprocess of meditation progressesgradually just as a toddler who makesvery difficult first steps but later onbecomes more and more stable andconfident not only walking but alsorunning and performing all kinds of physical activities. The difficulty isonly to make the first step. If we failto remain undisturbed by anythoughts, we should not give themenergy by focusing on them. Weshould only observe them from asideand let them go. This is the point when

we begin to dissolve all stress. In casewe realise that we have focused on apersistent thought we should just letit go and keep acting as outsideobservers. How do we know that wehave used the right meditationtechnique? We can judge by variouscriteria but some of the most widelyknown are warming up, losing track of time (a meditating person cannottell how long he has been meditating),

subjective slowing down of time (theperson is left with the impression thatonly 5-10 min. have passed whereasin practice it is 15, 20, 30 min. or morethat have elapsed; experiencing a stateof blissfulness. Each of these criteriacharacterises the state of transcendental consciousness.

Connection between

material and immaterialIn order to give a comprehensive viewof the issue, I should explain what isthe connection between the materialhuman body and the immaterial spirit.Why is it necessary to keep our bodyfit as we have immortal soul whichlives in different bodies (a mans or awomans body, a beggars or rich


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Esoteric


mans body) every time wereincarnate. The human spirit candevelop and increase its energy andvibrations only while in the humanbody. One of the most importantelements that make such adevelopment possible is love but thatis not the love between a man and awoman, that is the love we have beencreated with and which our Creatorfeels to us some people call himGod, Buddha, others the GreatArchitect or Builder, etc. We havecertain tasks and goals we have toachieve during our lifetime and in

order to accomplish that we needgood working and healthy body. Forexample, what we need to move fromone place to another is a vehicle (aMercedes, Ford or our body) and aroute. If we failed to take good careof our vehicle, get into all the holeson the road we may not reach our finaldestination. Then we would needanother vehicle (another life) to tryand reach where we were headed to.

However, if meanwhile we haddeviated from the original route, wewould have to make somecorrections. We have to also realisewhat is the main principle in theUniverse it is based on theopposites. The good cannot existwithout the bad. There is no daywithout night. There is no electricitywithout positive and negative charge.Human evolution is driven by theman and the woman. These are alloppositions which are the two partsof a single whole. Everything innature is based on dualism just as amagnet is bipolar.

At the end of the day, when we increase our energy and

vibrations to a high enough level, we will unite with our

Creator and the process of reincarnation will come to an end.

In order to achieve that, it isnecessary to observe certain rules:1. Detoxification of the body

removing all toxins from the bodyis achieved in 4 stages:

- detoxification of the largeintestine;

- detoxification and recovery of the liver;

- detoxification of the kidneys;

- total detoxification of thebody.

2. Yoga Assani (exercises) clearthe energy channels, ensuresmoother operation of bodysmechanical parts and massage all

internal organs.3. Yoga breathing (Prana Yama)

charges body with energy andmental training.

4. Meditation relaxation of mindand nervous system, the bodygenerates more energy andrecovers. Strength is one of themain three parameters of theenergy system from the point of

view of quantum physics. Theother two are the spin (directionof spinning) and orientation of thevector in the space.

5. Love (people, animals, objects,nature, etc) compassion,dedication and kindness. All thesevirtues help the energy to spin inthe right direction in order toallow man to unite with the

Higher intelligence (Cosmicenergy, God, etc.) and to achieveself-realisation.

6. Rest 15 min. rest is obligatoryafter meditation in order to avoidinterrupting the startedphysiological changes in the body.

7. Food most of the time insteadof being a source of energy andhealth, food becomes an enemy

and poison for the body becauseof the following reasons:

- quantity the biggest mistakewe make when we eat is the

amount of food that we take;most often it is up to 10 timesmore than what we need.Therefore the body spendsmuch more energy in order toabsorb the food and this leadsto other physiologicalproblems causing in turnfurther problems;

- Eating foods separately it isvery important to eatincompatible foods separatelybecause in order to absorbdifferent types of food thebody uses different chemicalprocesses and when we eat thetwo types of food together,one of the foods is notproperly absorbed and itproduces toxins; the digestiveand secretory systems get

clogged;- Meat not recommended

because taken from quantumpoint of view vibrations of living matter are higher thanthose of inanimate matter.Thus when we eat food withlower vibrations the energy of our body is reducedsubstantially which is a

cumulative process. Apartfrom that the meat of abutchered animal startsdecaying which furtherchanges its quantum andenergy structure and that hasan additional negative impacton man;


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Esoteric- Alcohol the greatest harm

done by alcohol is the sharpdecrease of body vibrationsand energy, the body is takenby wandering souls, etc.;

- Fizzy drinks are not good forthe stomach.

Sexual energy, also called creative the eindividual is born with certainenergy which, depending on what hedoes, can either be increased, reducedor kept at the same level. When weare young we believe that we haveinfinite energy and we waste itthoughtlessly by having promiscuoussexual behaviour, smoking anddrinking alcohol, etc. There comes amoment when we realise that we arerunning out of energy but we eitherdo not know what to do in order toimprove the situation or we areunwilling to take the necessary steps.When we grow old we know what wehad to do but we are too weak alreadyand are unable to do what is right. This

is the lesson of Tantra Yoga andDaoist love techniques.

I would like to draw attention to a veryharmful trend setting in in modernsocieties using media as a tool forsatisfying material needs and formanipulation of the public and not fordevelopment of spiritual virtues andcreative potential. Psychotronicmanipulation of people is done mostlyby media such as television, movies,newspapers and magazines.Subjected to such manipulation for along time sometimes the individualcannot distinguish any more betweenwhat is right and what is wrong.

Attaining transcendental

consciousness

according to various philosophiesand religions

This is the right moment to give anoverview of the ways used bydifferent nations and religions toattain transcendental consciousness.Yoga is practised in the East; theprocess is blocked by the church inthe West even though the initialteaching of Christ was preachingnamely for development of the spirit.Many esoteric doctrines are based onsome of the knowledge about positiveand negative goals. Freemasonry is aninteresting example. All theirscriptures talk about Transcendentalbeginning, the Light, Humaneness,Love, Tolerance and Brotherhoodfeelings.

Appendix IConnection between

electromagnetic waves

generated by the human brain

and

the main types of humanconsciousness

State, frequency range/Type of consciousness, short description

Beta, 14 Hz 30 Hz

Awake state

Alfa, 8 Hz 12 Hz

Relaxation, mostly eyes-closed restwhen dreaming; also when deeplyfocused on ones inner world.Scientists have established that thechemical responsible for such a stateof euphoria is TNS and is a substituteof the natural substances in the brainproducing a feeling of happiness,known also as endorphins.


Among all kinds of wavesgenerated by the brain there is avery interesting wave range calledthe Alfa Theta boundary. TheTheta wave is that part of consciousness which is responsiblefor creativity, intellect and otherbrain-driven capabilities when brainis stimulated in an appropriate way.

This is a state where the centralnervous system reduces the burdencoming from the peripheral nervoussystem. Reduced sensory perceptionserves normally as a shield of thecentral nervous system against

sensory overload caused by stressand physical injuries.

Not having to perform such controlfunctions, the brain expands itsoperational capacity. The section of the brain which normally remainsinactive, is now enlivened andoperates at full capacity. This is thewave range between 7-8 Hz and it isnot surprising to find out that the

resonance frequency of the Earthand Ionosphere is approximately 7.5Hz. Our brain has developed withinthis dynamic field and uses it as astandard of operation.Consciousness experiences the bodyhalf way in and half way out ofthe dreaming state or state of remoteness. One has the feelingthat he is aware of everythingsurrounding him but the body isfully relaxed.The existence of this state has beenestablished by many cultures alongwith the methods to achieve it bothin a natural or artificial way. Manyreligions are based on attainment of this state and they preach strictdiscipline which allows anindividual to achieve it.

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Alpha-Theta range is manifested ina state of dreaminess, meditationand self-hypnosis.

This state is beneficial for creativeapproach to problems, improvedmemory, high spirits, reduced stress,etc. characterised by intuitiveinsights, creative juices,inspiration, motivation, dreaming,etc.

elaxation in awake state.Characterised by peaceful, relaxed,non-focused, pure mental states,

sleep and dreaming, pleasantfeelings and a sense of lightness.Stimulates ingenuity,resourcefulness, helps achievemental co-ordination, increasesrelaxation. Serves as a bridgebetween conscious andsubconscious level; alpha wavesindicate that a person is awake butnot actively processing information.More common with extroverts thanwith introverts; also common increative problem solving situations

Theta, 4 Hz 7 Hz

Transcendental consciousness,meditation, dreaming, images, close-to-sleep state. Characterised by lightsleep, dreaming in the rapid-eye-movement phase (REM) andhallucinations. The brain uses thisstate as an exercise like a fitnesssession for the muscles and totaltension release. When in a Theta statethe brain restores the balance betweenpotassium and sodium. Potassium andsodium levels are part of osmosiswhich is a chemical process of transfer of chemicals from and to thebrain cells. A prolonged period in Betastate disturbs the balance betweenpotassium and sodium. This is the

main reason for what is known asmental fatigue. A short period of Theta state (about 5 15 min) mayrestore the balance which results inrefreshing the mind

Delta, 3 Hz 4 Hz

Sleeping and dreaming

consciousness. Strengthens immunesystem, astral journeys

Delta, 1 Hz 3 Hz

Deep sleep without dreams, trance,reversal of ageing, reduced cortisollevel a hormone related to stress andageing. Increased level of DHEA(anti-ageing) and melatonine (slowsdown the process of ageing). Relatedwith unconscious mind and sleepingstate along with other frequenciesin awake state. Delta acts as a kind of radar searches for information byreaching the deepest level of theunconscious and tries to understandmatters which cannot be understoodthrough a thinking process. Providesintuition, instinctive insight,stimulates miraculous healing,godlike knowledge, internal life and

personal development, reincarnation,recovery after traumas, experiencingunity with the Universe (samadhi),experiences close to deathcharacterised by unconscious buthappy feeling of being, similar to deepsleep or coma

Appendix II

Common Use of Some Words andPhrases in Eastern Philosophies,Religions and Free Masonry

The road to Light starts from theDarkness of Ignorance and goesthrough various HardshipsStriving for the Light is a way toattain new knowledge about yourinner self and about life itself.The blindfold on your eyes is asymbol of all Passions, Prejudices

and Ignorance obstructing us fromseeing dangers on our road.It is water that makes your handsclean. Take care of your soul purity!You will be judged by your actions.More dangerous however are thethreats hidden in the self. Vanity andHeadedness often blind us and hidethe right Goal from our sight.The seeking man has found sometruths and gained experience. If heinterprets them in the right way,there is a chance that the Light caninspire him and show him the rightway. Then all his future life will

become a march to the Goal and hewill probably achieve it.Get to know yourself.The ultimate goal of Masonry isthe inner interpretation and spiritualunfolding of Man this goal willnot be achieved until the blindfoldof ignorance on our eyes prevents

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us from identifying the truth.And finally, in the East, separatedby the dominating image of the timemeasuring line, is the room wherethe symbols illustrating theconnection to the Transcendentalare located.The two columns are also a symbolof the active and passive principlesin life on whose alternated impactand balance is based Earthly life up and down, the Spirit and Matter,the Sky and Earth. They speak of the Power hidden in the Matterwhen it is inspired and when the

Earth building follows the Godsconception. Through its white andblack fields the mosaic flooringdisplays the constant alteration of Light and Shadow, Joy and Pain,Arrival and Departure, which arethe eternal companion of Earthlylife. the human cults to the Sun,Light and Fire. Just across it isthe Moon illuminated by it. Theytwo form, to the East, a contrasting

pair of the active and passiveprinciples like the two Columns tothe West.Only when we attain theKnowledge about the Right Step wecan get the chance to dominate overour insignificant human fate anddiscover the right way to the Light.Overcoming of the self is aprecondition for access to thetemple room in which you will findthe instruments necessary for yourpersonal perfection. The seven stepsin the East end of the mosaic are anallusion to mans opportunity toachieve higher levels in hisdevelopment.The further road of ourdevelopment is hindered by a 24inch line that reminds us to planwisely the hours and days.

The measures and criteria peopleuse are various. What is good forone is not necessarily good for therest.Light and Dark, Life and Death justseem to be incompatible opposites.Those who are devoted perceivethem as part of a single entity Thespirit of those who have achievedperfection should unite the activeand passive principles in a harmonyof spheres.Around the transcendentalsymbols, which are shaped as threetriple stars, is winding somethingthat has been uniting them since thevery beginning a rope with knots.It shapes an 8 the symbol of infinity. Its two ends drop to theearthly symbols. They seduce theman who is mortal to make his firststeps up the rope to the Kingdom of Eternal LightSpiritual Development is themeaning of our work.What happened to you? I passedthrough the gates of Death andearned a new Life.What does that mean? - That

immortality is inherent to the alive.

Raise your soul to heights fromwhich you will contemplate theinsecurity of Earthly life without anyfear.He has mastered the art of Life andDeath, he would never forget theworldly commitments and wouldever strive for perfectionWhat does He lives in the Sunmean? The spirit goes on living.What about the three MastersSteps? They are symbols of Birth,Life and Death.

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Co - Masonic

To many Male-Only Masons theworld over, it must seem that thereare, suddenly, women Brotherseverywhere. As if theyve never

been there before.

For those whove ever cared tolook, theyve always been there. Yetfor most of the last few centuriesmost cared not to notice; until, forsome reason, now.

Ive not yet put my finger to areason why but it does seem moreMasons from Male-OnlyObediences are willing to look; andmore Masons from Mixed andFemale-Only orders are willing toraise their heads, a little, above thebattlements. Whatever the reason(s)may be, the signs are clearly there.

The latest of these is the release of anew book by Judith Rasoletti andEmile Lancee, We Three or Three

Such as We. The book chroniclesthe lives of three women

Freemasons who, between them,labored in the Craft for about 150

years. One of these women was amember of an Operative Masonicguild.

The release of this book followedquickly on the heals of The OpenDoor, Ann Pilcher-Daytonshistory of Great Britains Order of Women Freemasons, published byLewis Masonic this past spring (andif my copy ever arrives from LewisMasonic, Ill review it in thiscolumn.

That came shortly before theopening the exhibition Women andFreemasonry: The Centenary June5, 2008 in London, England atFreemasons Hall Library &Museum of Freemasonry. Order of Women Freemasons Past DeputyGrand Master Dr Iris MonicaOktabcova and Assistant GrandMaster Mrs Zuzanka Penn werephotographed, wearing full regalia,in the vestibule of the FreemasonsHall to mark the opening. Thosephotographs have been widelyprinted in Masonic and Profane

publications and on the Internet.Interest, obviously, is there. Theexhibition runs thru December 19,2008.

Next month, Freemasonry andWomen will be the topic of theEighth Annual California Masonic

Symposium, sponsored by theGrand Lodge of California, theCalifornia Masonic Foundation andthe Institute for Masonic Studies.The symposium is Aug. 22 and 23at the Grand Lodge of California onCalifornia Street in San Francisco.

Signs such as these, I think, are onlythe beginning.

The latest sighting Rasoetti andLencees book, released in July. Thebook begins with the initiationMarch 29, 1949 of Charlotte Jones,then a widowed mother of threeliving in Harrogate. It was at herinitiation that the lives of her andthe other two women in the book,Aime Bothwell-Gosse andMarjorie C. Debenham, intersected

for the first time.

JudithRasoletti

Emile Lancee

We Three or Threesuch as WE

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More than the lives of these threeindividual women Masons, the book also tells the story of how Women-Only Masonry in Great Britainevolved from the older mixedorders, which also still exist there.All these orders survived thru warand other turmoil, some of itinternal, and continued to labor inthe Craft despite their nearby andfar more numerous male brethrenwho chose not to acknowledge themuntil the UGLEs statement onwomen Freemasons in 19991 .

These three stood in fraternal, if discreet, union with the likes of suffragette Leonora Cohen andwriter Marius Lepage, who greatlyinfluenced these Masonic pioneers,the books says.

Tracing the historyof Mixed and F e m i n i n eFreemasonry in Great

Britain is no easy task as several MasonicObediences were

founded, and continueworking, with theutmost discretion.

Ev en in the ag e of [the] Internet, only a

fe w show a web presenc e in th isvirtual space of modern connectivity.

. . .Many members of MasonicObediences do not realize thatthousands of women activelyparticipate as Masons in their mixed

and feminine Lodges and have doneso for over one hundred years,especially since World War II. Someof the women were also leaders inthe suffragette movement of theearly 20th Century.

From there, the book tells the storyof mixed and Female-Only Masonryin Great Britain, from Annie Besantthru World War II and into the livesof the three women who anchor thisbook. The story is retold with arefreshing lack of bias and bigotrythat often marks O

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