Esoteric Roots of the Masonic Due Guards

By: Ian B. Tuten

                                                                                                             Photo Credit: Wor. Matthew D. Anthony

This post is an abridged adaptation of an article I wrote entitled “Kabbalistic Roots of the Masonic Modes of Recognition in the Craft Degrees,” in which I explore some of the connections (as I see them) that exist between certain Masonic modes of recognition, and certain aspects of Kabbalistic though. That paper goes much more in depth than I will here, but I would like to share some of my findings with the world, since I find them fascinating. As a disclaimer, I will say up front that I will not break any of my obligations, but rather I plan to only allude to signs and symbols that any Master Mason should already be familiar with.

Freemasonry, we’re told, is a “peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.” Generally speaking, how each brother of the Craft decides to interpret those symbols and apply them to his own life is largely up to him. This practice of showing symbols and allowing the initiate to interpret them dates back to the Greo-Roman mystery schools. The word mystery comes from the Greek word myo (μύω) and means “to close or shut.” From this same root comes the word mystes (μύστης), which means “[an] initiate”. So, to speak of “mystery schools” and to speak of the “initiatic tradition” is to speak of one and the same thing.

When I first began learning about the initiatic tradition, before I became a Freemason, I found it somewhat hard to comprehend. Why would showing symbols and metaphors be more effective than just telling someone whatever secrets or moral truth they wanted to impart? It dawned on me one day, that the same lack of communicative ability exists with us today, even outside of esoteric initiation. If you’ve ever though of something, said it, and then thought, “that didn’t come out quite like I meant,” then you’ve experienced the same inability of language to convey certain ideas. For that matter, could you explain to someone what salt tastes like, without using the word “salty?” I would venture that it’s nearly impossible. Though I don’t remember who told it to me, I always have in my mind a certain maxim: once a specific thought is translated into words, it ceases to be the original thought. Nobody understood this more than the initiatics. Metaphors, symbols, allegories — these express ideas far more succinctly and efficiently than words ever could.

This is somewhat contradicted by the original rabbis and practitioners of a Jewish mystical system called Kabbalah (Hebrew qabalah, קבלה, meaning “reception”). Whereas the initiatics in their mystery schools believed that words could not convey ideas sufficiently, Kabbalah teaches that everything know as existent is actually made up of words. There is no separation between what something is called and what something is. The Sefer Yetzirah (ספר יצירה, literally “book of creation”), the earliest known book about language as it related to the Kabbalah, explains how the God of Israel created existence using a series of words, and how those words and their associations came to become the Hebrew alphabet. This is not to say that the original progenitors of Kabbalah were so bold as to assume that their God spoke Hebrew as we understand it today, but keep in mind that words are nothing more than a series of vibrations from the throat, and everything that exists is nothing more than vibrations, down to the atomic level. Letters and words are symbols, metaphors for these vibrations of creation. This theory can be backed up by John 1:1, “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It is worth noting that the Hebrew word used for “the Word” here, ha-dabar (הדבר) refers to a spoken word, as opposed to written.

Now, my point in all of this, is to explain that even letters can be symbolic of greater truths. According to the Sefer Yetzirah, every Hebrew letter is connected with a certain aspect of Deity, and therefore with a certain aspect of creation, with a number, with a concept, &c. In studying the due guards and penal signs, and trying to make a connection with Kabbalistic thought, I initially had some trouble connecting the two. It was only after using a technique of the Illustrious Brother Albert Pike, and looking instead at the Samaritan version of the Hebrew alphabet, that everything began to fall into place. When the letters fell into place, the concepts behind them made too much sense to disregard.

What I’ve found is that the due guards all represent, in shape, certain letters. The Entered Apprentice due guard resembles the Samaritan letter kaaf, analogous to the Hebrew letter kaf (כ).

This name, kaaf, literally means “palm,” representative of manual work, which is quite appropriate given the teachings of the first degree. We are to learn to control our physical aspects by the gauge and the gavel, a teaching that is underscored by this letter’s association with Jupiter, a symbol that is alchemically associated with balance and equilibrium. We are to improve ourselves physically, by the work of the palm. The penal sign of the first degree associates it with the first triad of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life [note: a subject I explore in the full article, however not in this post], the beginning of divine emanation, yet incomplete.

The Fellowcraft due guard resembles the Samaritan letter labad, analogous to the Hebrew letter lamed (ל).

The name, labat, among other things, means “to teach” or “to discipline.” Again, this meaning should immediately prove apropos. The letter is also important because when combined with the Hebrew letter alef (א), we can create either the word “God” (אל, el), or the word “not” (לא, la) – an interesting juxtaposition of the everything and nothing. As Fellowcrafts, we stride the divide between darkness and light. We are neither fully illuminated nor full ignorant of knowledge. Lamed is also a title given to scholars and teachers, which all Fellowcrafts should strive to be – intellect and study being the central tenet of the degree. Finally, this letter’s association is with the astrological sign Libra, the scales. It represents balance, decision, a certain maturity of thought that can only come with proper study. The penal sign of the second degree associates it with the second triad of the Kabbalistic Tree, imparting further divine inspiration, though still incomplete.

Finally, the due guard of the Master Mason degree may not resemble its Hebrew counterpart, but when compared to the Samaritan equivalent, one can certainly see the resemblance to the Samaritan letter yut. This letter is analogous to the Hebrew letter yod (י), which all Scottish Rite Masons especially will  know as symbolically important.

This letter’s name, yut, literally means “hand,” but has a different connotation than the letter kaaf (“palm”). This time the hand is not demonstrative of physical labor, but the idea of the creation coming from manual work. The Hebrew letter yod is a metaphorical flame; when blown upon it flickers and shifts and creates all the other letters. Beyond this, the letter yod is the “G,” the initial letter of the divine name, of special significance to all Freemasons. The final penal sign represents the lower triad of the Kabbalistic Tree, with full divine spirit, ready to deliver to mankind, as we are taught to do through and by the Craft.

There is almost no end to the associations and symbolism that one can derive from the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. But at a cursory glance, it should become quite evident that these three letters don’t merely visually resemble the due guards of the degrees. Moreover, when combined with the symbolism of the Kabbalah, a whole new aspect of symbolism and light is opened up, and we learn that much more about our Craft and about ourselves.

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Are You a Master Mason?

By: Robert G. Davis, 33*, Grand Cross

Bro. Bro. Joseph C. Harrison.
Photo Credit: Wor. Matthew D. Anthony

A lot of men ask me if I think every Mason should be a 32° Mason. Since I am privileged to serve the craft in Oklahoma as the Secretary of one of the most popular and respected Scottish Rite organizations in America, you would think I would enthusiastically respond in the affirmative; touting a long list of reasons why it is so very true that all Masons should be Scottish Rite Masons!

Well, you might be surprised to learn that my answer to this question is “no.”

I think what we get out of Masonry depends so much on how we feel in our heart about being a Master Mason. We all know that some men are Master Masons in name only. Remember—we are admonished by the Worshipful Master well after we have taken all the obligations of Craft Masonry that we are not yet Master Masons; and we may never become Master Masons. We are told of a journey we must first make, and are informed the path will be arduous at best. We are warned that if we do make it, we will make it only as a matter of faith and will.

It turns out this journey is no less than our own life journey. And, for every one of us, that journey is still a work in progress. In a very real sense, we are all Master Masons at times; while, at other times, our actions fall short of the ideals we are taught in Masonry.

In evaluating how we are doing, here are some important questions: Have we done anything different with our life since we were initiated as Entered Apprentices? Do we know we are better men today than before? Have we become transformed by our experience of becoming a Mason? Are we more caring, less selfish, more thoughtful, less judgmental, more sharing, less rigid, more willing to learn and grow and help others who are on the same journey with us?

There are many ways of testing whether or not we have done anything different with our lives since we became brothers of the Mystic Tie together. It’s really a matter of becoming aware that we are actively and consciously working toward our own personal growth and development. It is this awareness which makes Masonry the most important work we will ever do--because, in large measure, our happiness is based on ourselves.

This brings me back to my earlier response. Here’s the question I usually ask when a brother inquires about becoming a 32° Mason. Are you ready to make the journey into yourself to discover who you are and learn what it means to live a life of meaning; so that you will not only become a better man, but will also have made so lasting an impression on your family and fellowmen that they, in turn, will want to live like you?

You see, this is the kind of faith and will which ultimately makes us Master Masons. To be a good man is not the only qualification to be accepted. An appropriate intellectual and spiritual level of personal development is also to be considered.

If we are men of such hope and conviction; if we have a deep yearning to discover our inner nature and strive to make the best of our own life’s journey--to live a life that makes a positive difference to ourselves and others--then we are Master Masons; and the right kind of men to be Masters of the Royal Secret.

For such men, the "book of the world" lies open before them. The reward is in the journey.

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Tolerance: A True Measure of Compassion

By: Charles M. Harper, Sr.

                                                                                 Constant Union Masonic Lodge, Rio Grande, Brazil - Credit: Eugenio Hansen

Originally Published in the June 2014 Edition of Living Stones Magazine

We came here to learn to subdue our earthly passions, to increase our intellect and spiritual awareness, to find Light, or better yet, our spiritual reality.  Going one step further, we search for the true understanding of life, our place and purpose in it through the ability to reason.  The realization of the true ability to find reason within the mental and emotional processes of life is the fulcrum between the choices of good and evil, and between right and wrong.  This is what we are truly saying when we recite the beginning of our catechism.  Sure, the words may differ from one masonic jurisdiction to another, but we all came here to subdue our passions and improve ourselves in Masonry.  This process is accomplished through different practices.

We learn the definitions of the Masonic symbols and from our mentors, we are explained the philosophies.  The transformative process of Masonry, the change of one state of conscious and subconscious conviction to a more improved state through the application of spiritual exploration and the understanding of various philosophies, communicated through various symbols within the construct of Masonic ritual to our inner most convictions, start to make themselves realized by the epiphanies we come to have and the changes in our perception of life and those circulating in it.  These changes are only possible through study and discussion with those others who have themselves solid understandings of such, and who can provide credible explanations that contributes to self-reflection without bias to the conclusions.  How do we measure through self-reflection of how far we have come though?  One of the identifiable measures of how far our passions have been subdued is to pay attention to the depth of our tolerance.  In this article we will search to understand specifically what tolerance is, whence it derived its meaning, and the difference between possessing tolerance and simply being tolerant.  It is that understanding that allows us to measure the tolerance one may possess to calculate how they have identified their vices and superfluities to illustrate to them the direction of education that may need to pursue in the improvement of self.

Tolerance is defined as the “willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own” by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.[i]  In regards to religious tolerance, Daniel Taylor of Christianity Today writes that intolerance became a sin and was developed as a result of the Christian wars of the 16th and 17th century that resulted in mass slaughtering in the name of Christ.  He states the answer to the problem was tolerance and that historically then, “was the liberal, secular answer to the inability of conservative religionists to compromise with those who differed from them.”[ii]  Voltaire, who lived from 1694 until 1778 and who was a Freemason actively involved with the Enlightenment stated that, “Of all religions, the Christian should of course inspire the most tolerance, but until now Christians have been the most intolerant of all men.”[iii]  The word itself came into usage in the 14th century and by the 17th century in France, it meant the same as when it was first used as a “tendency to be free from bigotry or severity in judging others.”[iv]  Not only is tolerance taught and espoused by Christianity, it is found in all religious dogma in one verse or another.  What is interesting is that with examples of tolerance found in all religious texts, the practice of intolerance can be seen in our society by many professed religious leaders from the West for those of other religious faiths, ethnicities, or politics.  In an effort to be politically correct, they ACT tolerant, but do not demonstrate a POSSESSION of tolerance.  The possession of tolerance, and it having depth, is different from simply being tolerant. 

One’s depth of tolerance is predicated on several aspects such as education, philosophical understandings, and the ability to evaluate without influencing the results with bias of self- conviction.  Dialectical thinking, “a form of analytical reasoning that pursues knowledge and truth as long as there are questions and conflicts,” is a great asset to have when doing such evaluating of one’s measure of tolerance.[v]  The absence of bias and attitude of dismissal is essential in the successful use of this method.  An example of the use of this type of investigative academic procedure is the Socratic Method.  But as Manzo notes, this method can be easily abused as one asking questions can easily begin their quest as educationally investigative, but without specific and moral direction of the questions, the quest can become misaligned and promote defensive mindsets then resulting in fruitless arguments rather than expanded understanding.  The indifference that may result relieves us from gaining the possession of tolerance and may leave us with the resolve of simply tolerating an indifference as to not further spurn more arguing, instead of intellectually or spiritually increasing our understanding of foreign convictions that tends to expands tolerance.

“Let not interest, favour, or prejudice bias your integrity, or influence you to be guilty of a dishonourable action.”[vi]

Cultural Relativism, “a method whereby different societies or cultures are analyzed objectively without using the values of one culture to judge the worth of another,” is another means to implement a progression in the depth of one’s tolerance.[vii]  In the analysis of another person’s character, conviction, or cultural practices of varying natures, our experiences, education, dogma’s and so forth, our culture, undoubtedly coerces us to judge in relation to them.  We must, in the interest of the exploration of cultural assimilation of moral improvement to be exemplified to mankind, resist this innate desire to judge with bias. This is not to say that all we objectively inspect will be of virtuous quality that is beneficial in a positive means of assimilation to our own moral betterment, but if we cannot without bias analyze those that are different from us in whatever respects that are presented, we will deny ourselves even the opportunity to explore if there were qualities that were beneficial to begin with. 

The growth of tolerance and resistance to simply be tolerant is a necessity in the advancement of moral progression of humanity with Freemasons being the exemplars. 

“The blind force of the people is a force that must be economized, and also managed, as the blind force of steam, lifting the ponderous iron arms and turning the large wheels, is made to bore and rifle the cannon and to weave the most delicate lace.  It must be regulated by intellect.  Intellect is to the people and the people’s force, what the slender needle of the compass is to the ship…”[viii]

As many athletic coaches have stated during practices for big games in whatever sport, it is what you do in practice that will ultimately determine your performance on the field.  This is not so different than Lodge, which actually is not limited by the walls in which we tile as the Lodge symbolically extends from the East to West, between North and South, from the Earth to the heavens and from the surface to the center.  What we exercise in demonstrating the possession of tolerance in Lodge with our brethren and their shared opinions or beliefs is what we intrinsically will demonstrate, and maybe with less awareness, in the public.  I do not doubt that we have heard the sighs from the sideline when a Brother may be expressing a thought, even though he has repeated the same objection time and time again perhaps, as the Brethren have grown tired and desire to end lodge, but I ask, is that a demonstration of tolerance, or simply being tolerant because there are visible repercussions?  We must search for why someone is speaking or acting from a particular mindset or with a certain ideology before we can began to rule out the validity of their position.  It is this act, this being in “due bounds of mankind and more especially a Brother Mason,” that will ultimately vindicate the conviction of our members to be involved with lodge instead of feeling as if they are an outcast, will ultimately give them confidence in contributing to the betterment of the lodge.  This act of compassion, this demonstration of tolerance exemplified by the Brethren within the lodge will be exemplified by the same members outside the lodge with an inherent confidence that will leave those of mankind one comes in contact with, inspired. 

So, we must ask ourselves, “What came we here to do?”  To that, we must add the question of how do we accomplish the answer we profess every time we sit in the West of the Lodge, or listen to the Senior Warden recite to the Master of the Lodge.  How do we stem the rising of our blood pressure at the speaking of, or action, of another?  How do we measure our growth of compassion?  Tolerance.  By understanding how we can develop our tolerance of others in a morally upright manner, we can better implement the tenets of our institution and inspire the world that merit is the title of our privileges and that on us, they have been deservingly bestowed.  This will undoubtedly influence those we come into contact with to consider their own moral convictions as they see in us a mirror of their own conduct to be measured.  I charge myself often with this large responsibility to improve so I may become a better human being.  I encourage you to charge yourself with the same responsibility.  Together, we can move forward parallel to one another, our differences and similarities working in harmony, expanding our positive effect on one another, and inspiring a better world for those that will endeavor to follow us into the future. 

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END NOTES:

[i] Tolerance. (n.d.) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tolerance

[ii] TAYLOR, D. (1999). Are you tolerant? (Should you be?). (Cover story). Christianity Today, 43(1), 42.

[iii] Voltaire

[iv] Barnhart, Robert K., (1998) Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology, H.W. Wilson Co.

[v] Manzo, A. (1992) Dialectical Thinking: A Generative Approach to Critical/Creative Thinking, Institute of Education Services, 

[vi] Preston, W. (1776) (1867) Illustrations of Freemasonry, Masonic Manufacturing and Publishing Co.

[vii] www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/Cultural-Relativism.php

[viii] Pike, A. (1871) Morals and Dogma