Blessed Evening, Loves 😊

I Pray All Is Well With Everyone…And Your Hearts And Minds Are Full Of Love, Joy, And Compassion…For All God’s Children…And All God’s Creation. And Whenever Circumstances Arise That May Prompt Us To Be Anything Other Than The Love That Created Us…Let Us Remember That The Easiest Way To Feel Love And Compassion In The Moment Is To Mentally Place Ourselves In The Other Person’s Position…Or On The Negative Side Of The Situation; For Surely, None Of Us Are Perfect In Our Human Living And Thinking. And If We Truly Believe That We Are Created In The Image Of The One Living God That Dwells Within All Of Us…And That Living God Is The Pulse Of All Living Beings…Then When Conflict Do Arise – And It Will At Times – Let Us Simply, Yet Wisely…Endeavor To Perceive It Through The Loving Eyes…Of Our Own “Mighty I AM Presence”. Cuz That “Presence” Is The Love And Light Of God…That Will Never Fail Us! Amen…

Give Thanks And Praises For Love And Life…

And Y’all Be Love…

“As research into its history are pursued, it appears more and more probable that the Masonic movement, to state it generally, was a sort of broad, semi-mystic and largely moral movement, worked from certain unknown centers, and deriving its origin from some ancient and not generally known basis. That is to say, its basis was, and is, unknown to all of those who do not recognize a definitely spiritual guidance in the practical, mental, and moral developments, which from time to time, change the surface of society by the introduction of new factors into the evolving processes of which life consists of.

Research into Masonic literature must be made in many languages and countries before this view can be firmly established for the general world, but to the student of Theosophy who is also a student of Masonry, it becomes more and more apparent that the movement which is generally termed Masonic had its roots in that true mysticism which originated, as an ideal effort, from the spiritual Hierarchy which guides the evolution of the world; and that however much the branches may be separated from the root-idea, there is nevertheless a mystic teaching in Masonry for those who will seek below the surface.

One such searcher into the origin of Masonry gives the following interesting and suggestive passage in his study on the discoveries respecting the obelisk made by Commander Gorringe, which tend to “prove that an institution similar to Freemasonry existed in Egypt,” and the writer proceeds:

“According to our reading of history, the priesthoods of Belus, or Baal in Assyria, of Osiris in Egypt, of Jehova in Palestine, of Jupiter in Greece and Rome, of Ahura-Mazda in Persia, of Brahma in India, and of Teutates in Britain, were primitive secret societies, who instructed and governed the primitive families and races. It little matters whether we call the members of those priesthoods Belites, Pastophori, Levites, Curetes, Magi, Brahmins, or Druids; they were connected by secret ties, and intercommunicated from the Indus to the Tiber, from the Nile to the Thames. Hence there ever has been, is, and ever will be Freemasonry on our planet. Masonry was ever more or less connected with priesthoods till about the thirteenth century of our era, when Masons declared themselves Freimaurer (Freemasons). Since about that period, priesthoods have ever denounced and persecuted Freemasonry.”

The evidence of the basic mystic teaching can be largely traced by watching the eddies and undercurrents which constantly break the smooth stream of ordinary Masonry. Frequently do we find other and smaller bodies, whose mystic aim was more marked and whose occult tendencies were more decidedly definite, springing up within the larger organization. Some few members with deeper insight gather round themselves others with the same tendencies, and thus we find formations of smaller societies constantly taking place.

…We find that at a later period many of the semi-Masonic bodies had “Unknown Heads,” and more especially those whose aims were avowedly occult, this being the term which was applied in Germany, Austria, and Hungary, to those organizations that did not make public the sources from which their teachings were derived, nor say from whom their inspiration came. To find the origin of such secrecy we must turn back to the early history of the Masonic tradition and sketch briefly what is told us by a Mason of the early part of this century, when dealing with this historic secrecy. He tells us:

“We find among all the priests of ancient peoples, and in order that none but really capable and worthy men should be associated with their offices and studies, they instituted forms of probation and examination upon which followed some kind of initiation. Now as the oldest writers ascribed such mysteries and initiations to the Egyptian Priests, it is very probable that they already existed before the downfall of that people, for we find traces of them in equally ancient nations and perceive from the likeness of their fundamental principles and of the teaching and customs of their priests, that they must have had a common origin. Among the Chaldeans the Magi dwelt on the summits of the mountains, and among the Celtic races the Druids lived in the quiet solitude of the forests. Among the Indians and Ethiopians, the Brahmins and Gymnosophists had localities specially dedicated to them, and among the Egyptians the Priests had intricate dwelling-places far beneath the surface of the earth. All had their symbols and distinctive signs and owed their fame only to the secrecy of their initiation.

The secrets of Antiquity had a twofold aim. In the first case, religion was chosen as the object of care; the greater the mysteries the more eternally secret were they to be kept from the people. The aim in the second case was to guard the Wisdom of all things. He who would be initiated must be a man of upright character and true mental power. The sacred mysteries fell into decay with the Roman Empire, the flourishing and spread of the Christian religion being the chief cause of this decadence. The initiation into the mysteries of the Wisdom was however of much longer duration. They changed only from time to time either the name, the inner constitution, the degrees, and various kinds of knowledge bound up in these, or even the nature of the union itself.

The men, who were known under the name of Magi, or the White Masters, made one of their most important aims the true knowledge of the human heart, which lay always open before their eyes. To them alone was entrusted the bringing up of Kings and the great of the earth, for they alone could understand science as well as art, and careless of all prejudice, taught a simple and natural theology, which based itself upon the worship of a Supreme Being. Because, however, their method of teaching was symbolical, many errors of which they were entirely incapable were ascribed to them on account of their numerous hieroglyphics.

The Magi of Memphis and Heliopolis were held in such esteem, and their renown was so widespread that the greatest heroes of war, philosophers, and strangers of the highest rank, journeyed to Egypt and sought to be initiated by the Priests in order to learn the secrets of the Priesthood. From among these priests, Lycurgus and Solon drew a part of their system of philosophy; and Orpheus was also initiated by them, and by this means enabled to introduce into his own land, festivals from which the Greek mythology afterwards arose. Thales also was instructed by them, Pythagoras received from the same source his doctrine of Metempsychosis, Herodotus obtained much information, and Democritus his secrets. Moses also, who was brought up by the Magi, used his knowledge of the mysteries to free the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and lead them to the service of the true God. It is well known that Moses prescribed certain probation for his Levites, and that the secrets of the Priesthood were inaccessible to the rest of the Israelites, and this principle ruled till the time of Solomon.”

And this policy of silence was a wise one, for the bitter vituperations, which were showered on the heads of the few who were the exoteric leaders in such organizations, demonstrated the wisdom which guarded the personalities of the real leaders. Such work was better done by small groups, and this appears to have been the view held by those leaders with whom the student does come into contact.”

Traces of a Hidden Tradition in Masonry and Medieval Mysticism, by Isabel Cooper-Oakley, 1900