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'This page has been approved by the United Grand Lodge of England’
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THE CLOSING Here we are reminded that we are working in symbolism, for we come back from the West, i.e., the grave, to this material world. But we have only obtained substitutes, and we offer them as some consolation to the spirit, i.e., the W.M. The advance to the centre of the room is an obvious reference to the other centre. The s...s are communicated by the body to the soul, which passes them on to the spirit. The meaning of these s....s is dealt with in the ceremony, but it is worth noting that the word shows clearly that the s....t is to be found only through the death of the body. The actual Hebrew word whose corrupt form we use really means " My son is slain." It is also well to remember that the p.s. and the s. of G.& D. (Scottish form) are, old signs which come down from the ancient mysteries, and are still found throughout the world. A brief summary of that has already been said may be helpful. The p.s. is often associated with Shiva, the Destroyer, and is also found appropriately used at Burobudor in Java; it refers to that occult centre, the solar plexus. In view of what the lost s...t is, this sign is therefore most significant. In other words, it is a hint to those who deserve to know while it conceals from those who do not. The Scottish sign of G. & D. is found all round the world, and always has the same meaning of an appeal for heIp. It is used in the most primitive initiatory rites of a boy into manhood, and in Kenya the boy takes it to indicate that he is ready for the operation of circumcision to begin. In Nyasaland, among the Yaos, it is associated with a grave, and in Mexico the Preserver is shown making it. He was slain and rose from the dead, and it is constantly found in Mexico in the form of a carving, consisting of a skeleton cut in half at the centre and making this sign, as, for example, at the Temple of Uxmal. The manner of communicating the s..s and the gr. are equally old. Indeed, the lion's grip appears to be the grip of all the Mysteries. It was the Grip of Mithra, and by this grip Osiris was raised. Among the Druids it was also known, as is shown by a carving at Iona. I have, however, gone into the evidence for the antiquity of our signs so fully that I will not take up further space here. We may as well add, however, that the number "5" no doubt refers to the five senses of man, just as the seven steps remind us of the Egyptian sub-division of every mortal. Having received the sub. s...s the W.M., or Spirit, confirms their use till the true ones are discovered. This last remark indicates that the quest is not ended or abandoned, in reality it has just begun; the first stage only has been passed, which stage is death. It also tells every Craft Mason that he a good craftsman till he has at least taken the Royal Arch. Thus the spirit acknowledges that death is a step forward. It has freed the soul of the trammels imposed on it by the body, and so our life's work on earth, as symbolised in the Lodge, is closed. The knocks indicate that the spirit now dominates the soul and body and before we leave these heights it is well to point out that almost all the great religious teachers have taught that in some mysterious way this physical body will be transformed, and still be used after death. In short, that matter, as well as spirit, is part of God. Science has shown that matter is indestructable, though its form may be changed completely, and so even after the symbolical death and resurrection, three knocks are still required. |
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