Fraternalism--The Lost Word in Charity

BY: ROBERT G. DAVIS, 33*, GRAND CROSS

Any study of the beginnings of Freemasonry will clearly show that fraternalism was the first and most distinguishing characteristic of Masons and Masonry. We are, above everything else, our own brother’s keeper. This has been the raison d’ etre which distinguishes us from all other groups.

Masonic charity, in its original terminology, meant fraternal, or private, charity—and is represented by the meaning of Brotherly Love and Relief in the great Masonic triad of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. It is “the cement which unites us into one common band, or society, of friends and brothers.” 

Our obligations are obligations we have taken on behalf of each other. Our moral, social and financial duties are first and foremost to our brothers, their family members and survivors. In the ties and duties we received at the altar of Masonry we swore “to help with generous care all those in sorrow hidden; the brother on the darkened square….while tears gush forth unbidden ”

The admonition we get from the lodge Master in his opening charge, “let us be happy ourselves,”has everything to do with our kindness and brotherly affection toward each other. We are reminded of this again in the installation of officers: “we have one aim; to please each other and unite in the grand design of being happy and communicating happiness.”

Until the Shrine of North America institutionalized Masonic charity in 1922 by introducing an outside cause into Masonry, Masons always took care of their brothers and families first. They understood the traditional meaning of fraternity and fraternalism.

But institutional charity was appealing. It felt good to help others outside the lodge, and even better when that effort was directed at mitigating childhood misfortune. So, on the coattails of the good publicity the Shrine received nationally, we decided to move our charitable hearts beyond the confines of our lodges. It didn’t happen all at once; like some passing fad. It was a one lodge at a time inspiration which just kept growing across the landscape of communities.

Of course, it wasn’t long until the Masons also discovered it was much easier to tell their friends about Masonry by pointing to what we did, rather than explain what we were. Too, it was much easier for the public to discover and accept us when we were doing things they could see, rather than wonder what we were up to behind our closed doors.

By the 1950’s, this public charity thing had become an exciting partnership for all Bodies of Masonry. It felt good. It was convenient.

We should have known where all this would take us; but we didn’t pay much attention. As our lodges continued to grow in numbers, it became more difficult to stay intimately connected with every lodge member. In American Freemasonry, bigger was perceived as better. Especially in the larger urban areas, there was a kind of competition among lodges as to which would have the most members. It became nothing to boast of a lodge membership exceeding 500 brothers. The largest lodges had more than 5,000. It was no wonder outside charity became more important. It was simply much easier to apply our charitable dollars to outside causes than to stay on top of the needs of our own brothers, their widows, and children. Besides, the publicity was better; and the positive public image was both appealing and tempting.

Our brothers in need didn’t really know what was lost to them. The process of moving our charitable focus from inside our lodges to the outside world was so gradual, so subtle, we didn’t even realize when we had corporately lost the single most important tangible benefit of being a Mason—that we and our surviving families would have the security of Masonic aid and assistance for as long as we lived. The new reality is, in many lodges, the faithful few who regularly attend meetings rarely know those who don’t--let alone their human condition. Yet the lodge community charitable program is often firmly established and well known. In my own state, 227 lodges gave $2.7 million to community causes last year. That’s no small change.

In retrospect, with the increasing mobility of our society over the past few decades, who’s to know whether this has been a good or bad thing. Maybe we would not have retained our intimate connections anyway. Perhaps we would not have survived without better public contact and the improved public image that good works create.

This is really not the main concern of this musing anyway. To me, the scary thing is that it took only three generations of men to change a 400 year tradition. It makes one wonder how many other Masonic traditions have been lost to time only because a current generation had not a clue about the past.

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A Mason’s Studied Comments on the Soul

By: Dr. Jim L. Seeger, Ph.D

The immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life…the spiritual principle embodied in human beings, all rational and spiritual beings, or the universe…. an immaterial force within a human being thought to give the body life, energy, and power <many religions teach that the soul is immortal> [Merriam-Webster, 2011]

...many words and names do not tell us what “it” is, but they do confirm that “it” is.  They also point to its mysteriousness.

We cannot know what exactly we are referring to because its nature remains shadowy, revealing itself mainly in hints, intuitions, whispers, and the sudden urges and oddities that disturb your life and that we continue to call symptoms.  [Hillman, 1996]

The original purpose of this paper was to seek a better understanding of the soul in relation to my inner-self - the paper began as an effort to better understand what the word soul means, or perhaps more accurately, implies.  Rather than delve into ancient Greek or Egyptian philosophy as a starting base, I decided to approach Soul from my own ‘naked’ perspective.  The more I read the more expansive and frustrating the effort became.  Related questions arose:  What is a soul, the soul – does it really exist?  If it does exist, from where does the soul originate?  Can a soul die?  Is immortality a trait of a soul, of all souls?  Do souls move among and between corporeal bodies?  Do all souls have the same intrinsic value?  Does each species of life as we know it have a soul?   Hall (1928) stated:  Every existing creature manifests some aspect of the intelligence or power of the Eternal One (p.86).  I soon realized how difficult it was to develop a typical paper that moved sequentially from beginning to end since I could not with clarity of thought determine the beginning or the end of the soul itself.

Mason-oriented publications (Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, 1997) are replete with information that supports the belief that “Masonry is a process of self-discovery and self-awareness” [p.3].  It is a small step to suggest that a search for the meaning of our soul parallels that of one’s search and process of self-discovery – that masonry inculcates the charge that it is our duty to seek and understand our soul as a means of self-awareness and understanding.  Perhaps one of the early foundations for this belief can be attributed to Jesus Christ in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas (Meyer, 1984) that was unearthed in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, Egypt.  Thomas quotes Jesus in Saying 3 - which suggests that we must study ourselves and seek self-knowledge in order to attain a richness of life:   

“…The kingdom is inside you, and it is outside you.  When you know [emphasis added] yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are the children of the living Father.  But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and embody poverty [p.19].

What follows are a series of comments, in no particular order or sequence, that represent the thoughts I am able to place on paper – each “comment” represents a “mini-essay” on the subject of the soul.

Comments:

 ·       An enigmatic subject:  What is the Soul?  Addressing this question requires a determined and serious commitment and an admission, or at the very least an insight that at some level one cannot know or factually comprehend, or may not be capable of comprehending the mystery – or the answer to the question.  Soul is a term that is little understood, difficult to ponder, and for this writer, seemingly impossible to accurately describe - yet there is general concurrence in science, religion, philosophy and, in Masonry, that a soul exists and that it represents a profound impact on an individual’s life.

·       As Masons, we tend to accept a premise that each soul is created by a Grand Architect of the Universe (GAOU).  It is posited that every soul is a child with a common source yet each soul represents an individualized uniqueness within each of us (within its corporeal container?).  We like to believe that our soul is unique yet we often seem indifferent to its source or to its origination or termination – we choose to believe that it is eternal.  Hillman (1996) stated:  “The [soul’s] home is not on the earth; it lives in an altered state; the body’s frailty is a basic precondition of the soul’s life on earth…” [p.57]. Is it of substance to say that the soul is incorporeal, yet has the ability to reside within the materiality of the human being?

·       As living beings, we sense a presence of a soul as an animating essence, perhaps independent from the body, perhaps dependent on the body.  Similarly, we can sense the absence of a soul (as in a corpse) - yet we remain inadequate when attempting to convey its meaning to ourselves or others.  The soul may indeed be an invisible engine. Perhaps it is only ours during our very brief lifetime, after which it is suggested that it transitions to another vessel or milieu.

·       We speak, read or write the word soul almost every day, yet an understanding of the term in relation to its actuality remains a mystery.  In print, music or everyday language, the word is frequently used, yet rarely defined – because it is utilized so often, it would seem that there is an assumption that each of us knows what it means, yet many of us are unable to define or even feebly attempt to describe its meaning.

·       The soul drives us, it may even shape our character, yet we seem unable to describe it. Understanding its true mystery from a human perspective may not be possible.  It is posited that the soul has no mother and father nor can it acquiesce to death, except to the extent that as humans we understand death – it cannot be destroyed, nor, once created, can its energy cease to exist.

·       Souls, it can be posited, are not pre-wired - meaning that as it may be exposed to certain environments, teachings or other influences it may be shaped toward certain characteristics or distinctions.  Then again, perhaps souls are pre-wired.  Hillman (1996), stated: 

The soul of each of us is given a unique daimon before we are born [emphasis added], and it has selected an image or pattern that we live on earth.  This soul-companion, the daimon, guides us here; in the process of arrival, however, we forget all that took place and believe we come empty into this world [John Locke].  The daimon remembers what is in your image and belongs to your pattern, and therefore your daimon is the carrier of your destiny [p.8].

As with drinking from the river Lethe, as the ancient Greeks believed, we are not able to remember from whence our soul came, nor can we remember the time our soul was created, patterned and sent forward in our body to reside.  Why can we not remember this period of our creation?  Is it possible that we once knew but have since forgotten—or perhaps as once suggested by Brother James Tresner [2012], repressed it?  It is posited that this can serve as one of the deepest and most profound mysteries that can be conceived by the human mind.

 ·       If one believes that the soul is indeed patterned before we are born and that that pattern carries one’s destiny, is it reasonable also to believe that the pattern can be kneaded through study, contemplation, reflection, experience and/or the continual acquisition of knowledge?  Clearly, it is easier to accept the notion of a self-made man than, as Hillman states, “….than the story that you may well be loved by this guiding providence, that you are needed for what you bring…” [p.12] 

Albert Pike [1871] analogized a tree that takes carbon from the air and transmutes that carbon into sap, ….so the soul imbibes knowledge and by a divine alchemy changes what it learns into its own substance, and grows from within outwardly with an inherent force and power like those that lie hidden in the grain of wheat [p.115].  Pike’s thought, thus, is suggestive that, unlike Hillman [1996] who suggests that the soul is pre-wired, indeed the soul, like the tree, is capable of change through the acquisition of knowledge.

·       If one believes that the GAOU is in each of us, is it of substance to say that the GAOU may be the soul in each of us?  Is it of substance to say that when we die, our soul, assumed to be immortal, transitions from its current container and returns to the broader universe, as we humans understand the universe?  An equally complex question is the definition of the GAOU – if one assumes the existence of a common definition, then it may also be assumed that one’s quest for an understanding of the soul may be equivalent to one’s quest for an understanding of the GAOU – is it of substance to say that the two are one and the same? (cf. Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, Saying 3)

·       Discussion of the soul immediately reminds us of the great mystery that surrounds this dimension, this realm of life.  Although she does not use the term soul, the Harvard Cosmologist, Dr. Lisa Randall (2013), references “consciousness” as a continuum; that it is not a binary “on” “off” thing.  When speaking of consciousness being present in all life, Dr. Randall states:  “I think there’s a spectrum of consciousness and I think it’s interesting to study that….the difference between a plant and a dog….the difference between a dog and a baby, between a baby and a slightly older human….I think it’s sort of a continuum.” (p.28) 

The conceptual symbolism depicted by the space under the theoretical Bell Curve may serve as a Masonic Tool to aid in comprehending the human soul (or perhaps human consciousness) in relation to the soul (consciousness) of its animas relatives.  Think of the individual soul-consciousness located somewhere along the continuum of an infinite Bell Curve – the horizontal plane representing “sophistication of ability, of function”, a vertical axis representing perhaps the number of a given species.  The Bell Curve can symbolically represent a part of the understanding that we search for – the idea of a continuum of levels of “soul ability”, “soul sophistication”, “soul intelligence”, or other levels of “soul differentiation”, emanating from a common source – related yet different.  The Bell Curve as a construct may be a useful tool in attempting to visualize and describe the human soul-consciousness in relation to a larger universe of non-human souls.  The Bell Curve locus of a soul could symbolically depict or suggest, or distinguish, whether it is a soul of a human or that of another species.  As Hall (1964) has suggested, …it is evident to the scientist that mathematics is not a man-made science, but a discovery by man of science that exists in the universe (p.59).  See Figure 1:

Figure 1

<__________less sophistication of abilities…….increased sophistication of abilities__________>

Finally, let each Mason confront the question, the Quest (Tresner, 2008) if you will, of What is my Soul?  When we are able to answer that question for ourselves, and internalize its meaning, I submit that our character will be more clearly defined, and that we will be better able to prepare for our inevitable death.  As Masons, you must not only be able to ask the question that defines your soul, but you must be able describe the circumstance of your soul.  If you can, then you will have bettered yourself as a man and as a Mason.

Should we be on our death-bed, this question about the soul, if left unstudied, will perhaps haunt each of us as we draw that final breath.  My Brothers, as you absorb the meaning and depth of your answer to this question, you, and no one else, must address the answer according to your study and to the uniqueness of your ability.

To close the comments, the following passage is accorded to Jesus Christ in the Gnostic Gospel aka The Book of Thomas (Meyer, 1984); this seems to not only address the beginning of this paper, but its end as well:  ….for whoever does not know self does not know anything, but whoever knows self already has acquired knowledge about the depth of the universe. [p.41]

This paper has deepened my understanding and appreciation of my own self.  I believe that I am now better prepared to address and understand the Greek notion of Soul which can be traced from the Homeric poems and the Egyptian notion of Soul which can be traced from the hieroglyphics and beyond.

REFERENCES

Grand Lodge of Oklahoma.  Correspondence Course II – General Masonic Information.  The M:.W:. Grand Lodge of Oklahoma.  1997

Hall, Manly P.  The Secret Teachings of All Ages.  Los Angeles, California.  1928

Hall, Manly P.  Words to the Wise – A Practical Guide to the Esoteric Sciences.  The Philosophical Research Society.  Los Angles, California.  1964

Hillman, James.  The Soul’s Code – In Search of Character and Calling.  Random House.  1996

Merriam Webster Dictionary.  www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soul.  October, 2011

Meyer, Marvin.  The Secret Teachings of Jesus – Four Gnostic Gospels.  Random House.  1984

Pike, Albert, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, The Supreme Council of the Inspectors General Knights Commanders of the House of the Temple of Solomon of the Thirty-third degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America, Washington, D.C., 1871

Randall, Lisa.  Quoted in the article Welcome to the Dark Side by Ron Rosenbaum.  Smithsonian Magazine, Volume 44, Number 3, June 2013.

Science Daily.  www.sciencedaily.com.  August 23, 2011

Tresner, James.  Further Light.  The Masonic Service Association of North America.  Silver Spring, Maryland.  2008

Tresner, James.  What Has Been Lost?  The Quest.  An oral essay-presentation given as a part of the Albert Pike Lodge # 162 Education Plan.  Guthrie, Oklahoma.  March 12, 2012

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Wor. Seeger is a Past Master of Guildhall Lodge No. 553, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is also a member of the Scottish Rite and York Rite. Wor. Seeger is a 6th Generation Mason, in an unbroken Line.

In his professional life, he is Co-Founder of Newby-Vance Mobility in Guthrie, OK. He is former Chief of Staff, Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), Assistant State Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSDE), Executive Director - Oklahoma Disability Law Center, Inc., and former State Director of Special Education, New Mexico State Department of Education.

Wor. Seeger's education background includes a Ph.D.  Gallaudet University, Post Grad Studies:  George Washington University, American University, University of Iowa, M.S. University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and a B.A.  Northwestern Oklahoma State University

If you would like to contribute to The Laudable Pursuit, please send articles or ideas to: Editor@TheLaudablePursuit.com

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Masonic Traveling Men

By Guest Contributor: Bro. Byron J. Collier

Over the last weekend in September my Lodge road tripped to Washington, D.C. While there, we toured the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, VA, which is a pilgrimage I believe every Mason should make at least once in his lifetime. We also visited Lodge Sojourner Kilwinning #1798 at the Takoma Park Masonic Temple of Washington, D.C., where we were treated to a greater understanding of Scottish ritual, and we were treated to genuine fellowship and hospitality by our brethren in the nation’s capital.

Through travel and exposure to the unfamiliar we learn that the differences we believe to be set in stone are not nearly so concrete, and further understanding one’s past allows for its lessons to be learned from and expanded upon.

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial is more than a colossal memorial and museum. It is a tourist attraction and destination; research center and library; community center; performing arts center and concert hall; banquet and celebration site; and meeting site for local and countless visiting Masonic lodges and organizations. However, first and foremost, it is a memorial to honor and perpetuate the memory, character and virtues of the man who best exemplifies what Freemasons are and ought to be, Brother George Washington.

At the Memorial I saw some of the early faces of American Freemasonry, their relics, and depictions of Masonic life from the nation’s inception. From the original charter of George Washington’s Lodge to his and other national leaders’ actual aprons and jewels, I was presented with tangible presentations of our collective Masonic past, American history and how the two twains intertwined. What particularly struck me was how those faces of the past have evolved into my brethren today. There appeared a certain air of contentment on the faces of our Masonic forefathers that permeates the ages, right to the pictures I took of my brethren that weekend. We are the living embodiment of the premise that all men - when on the level, can be brothers and their perceived differences are in fact the glue that binds them together.

The brethren of Lodge Sojourner Kilwinning # 1798 are themselves a unique story in diversity and tradition simultaneously.

Founded in the later part of the 20th century in January 1992 by a special dispensation for the formation of a new Lodge by the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, with the expressed purpose of serving as a Lodge for foreign Masons living in the Washington area, and especially to "... permit and encourage the preservation of cherished Scottish traditions and practices". Some of the founders of Sojourner Kilwinning had not been active in any Lodge, for some 17 years (!), and the enthusiasm they displayed working in Scottish ritual was inspiring and wonderful to watch.

Most of the founding members of the Lodge are from Africa and the Caribbean, originating from mostly Scottish Constitution Lodges, but also English. It was explained to us that they have a founder from a Scottish Lodge, and several Americans, some of whom joined Freemasonry when in the armed forces while deployed on tours in Scotland and Korea.

The primary purpose of their Lodge is "to bring together Masons whose mother Lodges are in amity with the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland and Ireland". The Brethren who have come together to form the Lodge were described as Sojourners - "those who stay temporarily in another place" while Kilwinning was chosen because of the links held with a small town in Ayrshire, Scotland, that holds a special place in Scottish Masonic history. The number, 1798, was the next number in sequence on the roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, but is not a sequential number in DC.

In good Scottish tradition, the festive board held that night was a fine affair with many of us Brethren earning our supper with anecdotes, humor, and the occasional interesting toast!

The world outside our sacred walls is rife with division and strife. Innocent blood is spilled and suspicion drives the machine’s retrograde motion. The simple truths of Freemasonry are low whispers in a din of white noise – but we must listen for those whispers! The example of fellowship itself doesn’t change the world, but it does plant seeds and change the ground in which they rest. By living as brethren for all to see we offer the world a better path by example. I pray fervently that it will be followed.

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BYRON J. COLLIER has over 20 years experience working in the financial services industry. As Founder of Artemis Capital Group, LLC,   Byron has served as its President and Managing Member since 2003. He was a Vice President of Investment Banking with Chicago Investment Group, LLC and held management positions within Global Custody at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., (JP Morgan), and Consumer Lending at United Jersey Bank (Bank of America). Byron received his baccalaureate degree from Howard University, Washington DC, and continued with graduate studies in International Business and Commercial Finance at New York University, New York, NY.

Byron served on the Business Advisory Board of Datameg Corporation (OTCBB: DTMG) and is actively involved with local community services including his church as Superintendent of Sunday School for the Ebenezer Baptist Church in New Brunswick, NJ. His interest in world history and cultures has led him to extensively study religions, philosophies, and esoteric traditions, which ultimately led him to the Masonic Fraternity.

Byron was raised to Light this past June and is a member of Jerusalem Lodge No. 26, in Plainfield, New Jersey. As a true lover of knowledge, Byron seeks to discover the meaning and Light that is present within the diaspora that is mankind and, applying this Light to his own spiritual path, help others in their journeys.

If you would like to contribute to The Laudable Pursuit, please send articles or ideas to: Editor@TheLaudablePursuit.com

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