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These techniques are obscure and
difficult, abstruse and unpredictable.
How can one understand them if he does not have an occult virtue?.
Suen Sseu-mo
Essential formula of the classic alchemists (650 circa)
Some time ago, I read an essay by Anna Maria Isastia, Professor
of Contemporary History at La Sapienza University in Rome and
scholar of Freemasonry, which she defined as "an association
of many facets and undefined boundaries." She states that
"esoteric studies, which have exhausted many scholars, often
represent only the point of view of the author and, in any case,
this type of study attracts a very small number of members."
She came to the conclusion that "most Masons have a quite
modest esoteric background and perhaps only 10% dedicate themselves
to this in a serious and consistent manner." (1)
This observation caused me to reflect a great deal on the issue.
There is no doubt that if Professor Isastia's 10% estimate is
accurate, we must sadly conclude that only a few hundred of the
Brethren can be considered authentic Freemasons. However, in reality,
the situation is probably better than that represented by the
Professor and, as a sociologist and the Grand Master, I would
like to emphasize that it is certainly better in the Gran Loggia
Regolare d'Italia. But although the situation is much better,
it is still far from the ideal that inspires us and the ideal
towards which we must constantly strive.
This gap between the reality of Freemasonry its ideal certainly
exists and I believe that the main cause for this difference may
be found in the disinterest in and progressive neglect of the
pursuit of knowledge by the individual.
If only a small percentage of Masons were really interested in
Freemasonry's esoteric history and in having a better understanding
of its allegories and symbols, as Professor Isastia sustains,
we would have before us a "Freemasonry made profane,"
in both senses of the word, which is to say, a Freemasonry colonized
by the profane and thus violated and vulgarized. If this were
the case, the essence of Freemasonry would be lost and it could
no longer be defined as an initiatic society because it would
be bereft of its natural esoteric dimension.
I would like to note here, that Freemasonry is often described
in the negative-which is to say, described as what it is not:
it is not a religion, it is not a private club, it is not a political
party, it is not a sect, etc. But we must try to define it in
the positive sense, on the basis of what it is, not what it is
not. We must use the power of words to clarify a thought that
is perhaps implied, but often implicitly denied: Freemasonry is
an initiatic society.
On 6 April, 2002, the day of my installation, I outlined a program
in various phases. It is a path from the elementary to the complex,
beginning with a simple definition of Freemasonry, seen from a
sociological point of view, as an associative phenomenon. The
next steps are the study of the historic origins of Freemasonry
and then the examination of the philosophical aspects to be followed,
in conclusion, by an in-depth study of its esoteric nature.
On that day and ever since, I have never intended to address
only 10% of the Obedience in developing the program, but to include
the Brethren of the Gran Loggia Regolare d'Italia in its entirety
and each Brother individually, in the effort to propose a formative
plan to create a homogeneity of ideas, language and thought.
In order to realise this ambitious program, it is necessary first
of all to adopt common texts. It is certainly important that we
have our own ideas, our own readings and can freely express our
opinions. However it is essential that we choose among the vast,
heterogeneous and sometimes misleading Masonic publications in
order to avoid becoming lost in a mare magnum of suppositions
and theories which are often unfounded and are sometimes damaging
to Freemasonry.
An example of the negative effects of imprecise studies conducted
on the wrong texts, is the accusation of "relativism"
that the Catholic Church made regarding Freemasonic thought. It
is important to note that this accusation was made for the first
time in 1974 after a meeting between German bishops and the United
Grand Lodge of Germany. Among the writings that the German Brethren
provided to the bishops in order to represent Masonic thought
was a book by Lennhoff, A Masonic Dictionary, in which
the author repeatedly describes Mason thought as, indeed, "relativistic."
It is understandable that the Catholic Church felt duty-bound
to take the position that it did at that point. Thus, it is obvious
that the choice of texts which should be studied is of utmost
importance.
In speaking with Brethren from all over the world, I have realized
that we often find ourselves quoting from texts which are fundamental,
but are not part of those habitually defined as "Masonic"
texts. However, for their significance these "non-Masonic
texts" can be of great use in a serious, interdisciplinary
study of Freemasonry.
In the light of these considerations, one thing becomes evident:
the necessity for all who are concerned with Masonic studies to
formulate a "Canon" that includes not only texts directly
related to Freemasonry, but all texts from various fields of knowledge
which can give a better understanding of Freemasonry in its historic,
philosophic and esoteric dimensions even to those on the outside
or to neophytes who are willing to learn. For its part, Freemasonry
must make itself intelligible through the rediscovery and reclaiming
of its authentic identity as an initiatic society and an increased
consciousness of its own esoteric nature.
One can begin this discussion by suggesting a few texts which
are worthy of inclusion in this "Masonic Canon", which
remains open to further contributions. This Canon can offer a
higher perspective for contemplation and discussion.
1. L'ésotérisme: Qu'est-ce que l'ésotérisme?
by Pierre A. Riffard
Entering into the world of Freemasonry, one will encounter terms
and concepts that are uncommon in daily life. An initiatic society
communicates through symbols and allegories and all that is part
of that greater phenomenon defined as "esoteric". Concepts
such as esoteric, hermetic and gnostic are
part of a common vocabulary used by initiates, but often their
real significance is lost, confused or misinterpreted.
L'ésotérisme by Pierre A. Riffard is a text
that is presented as a detailed excursus in the world of
the esoteric tradition from Aristotle to Guénon, through
the Renaissance of Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus. But the text
serves above all to clarify, both on linguistic and conceptual
levels, certain terms which are used quite often: for example
differentiating and contrasting the terms esoteric and
exoteric. For Riffard: "Exoteric logic is founded
on the contrast between object and subject, while esoteric logic
is founded on the homology between man and the world. Exoteric
logic holds that man is extraneous to the world and that knowledge
is an intellectual and cerebral construction acquired with great
effort throughout history. Esoteric logic sustains that like
knows like and opposite knows opposite because all is in all
and the microcosm is the macrocosm in small scale." Consequently,
in exoteric logic symbolic language is founded on mathematic data,
while esoteric language considers language as symbolic in the
primary sense, as a natural language that institutes unconventional
relationships between the significance and the significant. (2)
The conclusion which Riffard reaches is also interesting. He
sustains that while it is possible to be a professor of literature
without being a writer, or a critic of art without being an artist,
it is not possible to be a scholar of esotericism without being
an esoterist, (which is to say initiated into and practicing esotericism)
because an understanding of esotericism does not come from the
cold science of study, but from an empathic knowledge.
Inevitably, Riffard identifies the archenemy of esotericism to
be "rationalism." He states that: "Rationalism
rejects mysticism, revelation and tradition. According to the
hypotheses of Rationalism, to make an error or trick oneself means
to think of nothingness, thus to not think of anything. Rationalism
can easily become the dogma of the adversaries of esotericism.
The Rationalist views esotericism in a negative light and rejects
it a priori. He doesn't even consider it because he has
removed "thought" from his concept of esotericism just
as the atheist denies the existence of God and as the politician
denies the very idea of anarchy…But esotericism has never
required the denial of reason, it simply considers it one of many
ways of knowing. The esoterist rejects the prejudice of rationalism
but he has never despised reason. He looks for its foundation
and has found its extension, the spirit." (3)
Other fundamental concepts and terms analysed by Riffard are
gnosis and Hermeticism. Esotericism tends toward
gnosis and this presupposes Hermeticism. The following text provides
a better understanding of these concepts.
2. Il Corpus Hermeticum
Hermeticism does not have its own precise, unified doctrinal
system. One of its fundamental principles is the process of initiation
that the individual must undertake through knowledge or gnosis,
in order to liberate his divine self from earthly bonds. Gnosis,
therefore, is seen as the only tool effective for elevation and
interior purification.
Hermeticism, presumes the existence of revealed texts,
interpreted and communicated through a "master" to disciples
who have had some preliminary preparation. It is therefore indispensable
to know what these texts are in order to understand Hermeticism.
When we speak of Hermeticism, we refer, naturally, to Hermetic
literature, or specifically, to the treatises that compose
the Corpus Hermeticum. The text, as it is known today,
is a number of written works compiled by Byzantine scholar, Michele
Psello. It is a group of written works of a pseudo-epigraphic
nature, produced between the second and third centuries a.d.,
attributed to Hermes Trismegist. His name is the fruit of Greco-Egyptian
syncretism, a combination of Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing,
and Hermes, the Greek god of writing and interpretation, and he
was considered a real being. The work was revived in Macedonia
in the form of a manuscript by the Monk Leonardo da Pistoia by
whom it became part of the Medicean Court (and is today preserved
in the Biblioteca Laurenziana in Florence.)
Cosimo de' Medici immediately commissioned Marsilio Ficino to
translate the manuscript from Greek to Latin and it was published
in 1471 under the name of Poimandres. In 1614, Isaac Casaubon
announced, in the De Rebus Sacri set ecclesisticis exercitiones
XVI that Hermes Trismegist was not a historic person, but
a literary invention and that the writings did not pre-date Moses,
but were written much more recently - during the second or third
century a.d.
The Corpus Hermeticum is a compilation of 17 treatises.
The best known is the first, Il Pimandro: The Nous-Dio represented
in Pimandro reveals Divine Knowledge to Hermes Trismegist.
This revelation came through a sidereal voyage which led him to
a regeneration and a transformation into God himself.
Among Hermetic writings, The Asclepius or Perfect Discourse
(Logos Teleios) is one of the most significant. It describes how
the Egyptians fashioned their idols and afterwards magically animated
them infusing them with spirit.
Other treatises in Hermetic literature which are worthy of mention
here are the Stobaeus Fragments. In the wonderful Kore
Kosmou, which is part of the Fragments, Stobaeus, a pagan
writer, tells the story of how Isis, thanks to the mediation of
Hermes, reveals the great creation myth and the destiny of souls
to her son Horus.
Finally, there are those texts which came from Coptic tradition,
belonging to the library of Nag Hammadi, the most important of
which is The Ogdoad and the Ennead.
3. Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition by Frances A.
Yates
Among the texts exploring Hermeticism in depth, one of the best
known and most often mentioned for the originality of its theories
is undoubtedly that of Warburg Institute scholar Francis A. Yates.
In her Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition, the work
of Giordano Bruno is viewed in light of his interest in hermetic
philosophy. Yates maps out a detailed history of Renaissance Hermeticism
and its influence in the centuries that followed.
The chapter on Marsilio Ficino and his comments on four of the
fourteen treatises of the Corpus Hermeticum is of great
interest. In the first treatise, the Pimandro, Ficino brings out
the many similarities between Hermes and Moses. In his comments
on other treatises (the Secret Discourse on the Mountain by Hermes
to his son Tat, the Mind of Hermes, Hermes Trismegistus and Tat),
one finds interesting manifestations of that gnosis that Yates
defines, according to the situation, dualistic, optimistic or
pessimistic.
In the chapter on Hermes Trismegist and Magic, Yates explains
that the two currents running through Hermetic literature - the
philosophical treatises mentioned above and the astrological,
alchemistic and magic literature-cannot be considered separately,
but must be considered in a complementary manner.
Yates's analysis of the treatise on hermetic magic, the Picatrix
is, indeed, very interesting. She brings out the fact that
even the hermetic magicians did not ignore gnosis, which is to
say, a comprehension of Nature and of the All.
I would like to conclude this brief analysis of Yates's writings
with her wonderful chapter on Pico della Mirandola and Cabbalistic
magic. The author presents Pico as the proponent of the union
between Hermeticism and the Cabbalism and as one who succeeded
in realizing this union, a tradition that successively has had
far-reaching consequences.
As previously noted, technical-practical literature is joined
with philosophical-speculative literature and both are presented
as strongly connected. The philosophical texts are articulated
in the form of a dialogue in which the Divinity addresses a small
number of disciples to transmit knowledge, while the technical-practical
texts communicate that relative knowledge to various branches
of Hellenistic Occultism such as astrology, magic and alchemy.
Among these are Il Liber Hermetis Trismegisti (37 chapters
in Latin), the aforementioned Picatrix, the writings of
Bolo di Mendes, the Kiranidi of Hermes and others.
4. The Elixir and the Stone by Michael Baigent and Richard
Leigh
Even though the path of the hermetic-philosophical treatises
is well-known-from the Byzantine world to the Florence of Cosimo
de'Medici-the history of how the technical-practical and the magical
treatises arrived in Europe is less known. An interesting text
that proposes a detailed excursus of hermetic thought from its
origins to our times is the book by Michael Baigent and Richard
Leigh: The Elixir and the Stone. In this book one learns
how the esoteric and hermetic doctrines, born in Alexandria of
Egypt two thousand years ago, have been passed down to the present
day mainly by the research of magicians and alchemists. The history
of Hermetic thought has its epicenter in Harran, a city in the
South of Turkey where many thinkers, philosophers and masters
moved between the second half of the second century and the beginning
of the third, after the destruction of the libraries of Alexandria.
There they were able to spread Hermetic thought and Harran became
the new center of Hermetic studies. Here the Sabians practiced
Hermeticism as their official religion which was even recognized
by the Islamic authority. Most importantly, they produced a new
hermetic text about magic which was later to have a great influence.
The book is called Ghayat al-hakim in Arabic, but is better-known
in the West as Picatrix.
Baigent and Leigh bring to light the great influence which Hermeticism
had on Islamic thought and philosophy. Hermeticism, in particular
alchemy, was embraced with great enthusiasm by Sufi thinkers.
Sufi Masters also introduced in their teaching the Hermetic doctrine
of correspondence and of the correlation between macro-cosmos
and micro-cosmos. Many Sufi texts are analogous to the Hermetic
Corpus. (4)
The authors document how Western civilization came to know these
writings through Islam which, at the beginning of the VIII century
during the conquest of Spain, imported the Harran texts such as
The Emerald Table and the Picatrix which spread
to the rest of Europe from Spain, translated in Arabic. (5)
5. Treatise on the History of Religions and The Sacred and
the Profane by Mircea Eliade
A text which I feel is essential for the comprehension of the
concept of the sacred and the profane is the Treatise
on the History of Religions by Mircea Eliade. As we know, Freemasonry
is not a religion; however, its relationship with the sacred is
evident and undeniable. Freemasonry places itself in the world
of the sacred, calling those who are uninitiated in the "Mysteries
of Freemasonry," the profane. And so it is vital that
a Freemason clearly understand the two terms. Yet, as sociologist
Roger Callois correctly notes, "In the end, the only thing
one can affirm with certainty regarding the sacred is intrinsic
in the definition of the term: that which is the opposite of the
profane." (6)
Eliade, distinguishing between cosmic religions and historic
religions proposes in the end a prototype of a homo religiosus
defined, in fact, by a sacred approach to the Universe. The Freemason
is a homo religiosus by definition since initiation is not permitted
for atheists.
The point of departure of the Treatise is immediately clear:
"All the definitions thus far given to the religious phenomenon
have one feature in common - each contrasts in its own way the
sacred and the religious life with the profane and
the secular life. The difficulties begin when one tries to define
the sphere of the notion of sacred." (7)
For Eliade, each document-ritual, myth, cosmogony or God-constituted
a hierophany. Thus, they can be considered manifestations of the
sacred in the mental universe of the one who received them. (8)
A Masonic ritual, by Eliade's definition could be considered a
hierophany, a manifestation of the sacred. For example, in the
ritual of the Royal Arch there is something that could be described
as a raid on the divine when the Companions unveil the name of
God which had been previously hidden. The act of consecration
is the culmination of a rite which Eliade describes with great
insight: "An object becomes sacred in the measure that it
incorporates (which is to say, reveals) something which is different
from itself….the object becomes a hierophany only at the
moment it ceases to be a simple profane object and acquires a
new dimension: sacredness." (9)
All of this cannot help but remind us of the ceremony of the
consecration of a Lodge which creates a "sacred" space
where once there was only a profane space. "The notion of
sacred space implies the idea of the repetition of the primordial
hierophany that consecrated that space, transfiguring it, singling
it out, in short, isolating it from the profane space all around
it…. The place is transformed in this way in an inexhaustible
source of strength and sacredness, which allows man the only condition
in which it can be penetrated, the participation in that strength,
and communion with that sacredness." (10)
In the other great text by Eliade, to which we referred, The
Sacred and the Profane, the writer describes of the attempt
to clarify the particularity of two antithetical terms: "Man
becomes conscious of the sacred because the sacred manifests itself
to man, shows itself to be completely different from the profane.
To translate this act of manifestation of the sacred, we have
proposed the word, "hierophany", which is fitting, as
it does not implicate a supplementary definition; it does not
express anything other than its etymological essence: something
sacred which manifests itself to us." (11) I find the
use of the term hierophany to be appropriate. In fact, Eliade
specifies that "in the manifestation of the sacred, any object
may become another thing, without ceasing to be itself, in as
much as it continues to be part of the cosmic environment which
surrounds it." (12)
The choice of man to interpret his life according to certain
principles and ethics, brings him inevitably to the point of having
to choose between two camps: "the sacred and the profane
are two ways of being in the world, two existing situations of
man throughout the course of history." (13)
The sacred is a founding and indispensable part of any path to
perfection in that "in the homogenous, infinite expanse,
without points of reference nor any possibility to orientation,
the hierophany provides an absolute "fixed point" a
"Centre." (14) However Eliade pays great attention to
the place in which the sacred manifests itself: "For this
reason the techniques of orientation which are the techniques
of the construction of a sacred space have been elaborated."
(15) He goes on to say, "It is not a geometric space, but
an existential and sacred space, with a completely different structure,
susceptible to an infinite number of breaches therefore, of communication
with the transcendent." (16) Think of the orientation and
structure of a Masonic Temple.
Another important text useful for the comprehension of the meaning
of "Sacred" and "Profane" is Man and the
Sacred, by Roger Caillois. This essay brings attention to
the modern phenomenon of dissociation between sacredness and religiousness
stating that there are certain intersections but certainly not
complete superimposition between the sacred (understood in its
aspect of social bonds) and the religious (particularly that linked
to cultural practice and the dogma of traditional religions.)
Like Eliade, Caillois makes reference to "homo religiosus"
when he speaks about the sacred, defining him "first of all
as the person for whom two complementary dimensions exist: one
in which he can act without anguish (fear and trembling) but where
his activities involve only his superficial self. The other in
which a sense of intimate dependence holds him back and directs
all of his impulses in which compromise without reserve can be
seen." (17)
According to Caillois, "The profane person must be
seen as being in a constant search for that equilibrium, for that
balance that allows one to live with fear and with wisdom, without
ever exceeding that which is permitted, and settling for that
aura of mediocrity in which the precarious conciliation of the
two antithetical forces are expressed. Only through the reciprocal
neutralization of these two forces can the continued existence
of the universe be assured. The way out of this stasis, this place
of relative calm, where the stability and security are most present,
is the entrance to the world of the sacred...The sacred is that
which gives life and that charms life, the source of the river
of life and its estuary." (18)
The writing of Caillois is interesting for the interdisciplinary
approach typical of the author and for his remarkable writing
skills: "It is necessary to protect the sacred from the attacks
of the profane. The latter causes the former to lose its being
and its specific characteristics and empties it in one blow of
the powerful and fragile virtue that it contains." (19) In
the same way, the Freemason leaves "all metals outside of
the Temple," which is a consecrated place.
Going back to the Treatise, the definition of ritual that Eliade
gives is extremely interesting for its differentiating between
sacred time and profane time: "Ritual always consists of
an archetypical gesture done in illo tempore (the primordial
era) from the ancestors and the gods...The ritual, due to its
repetition, coincides with its "archetype" and profane
time is abolished. It can be said that we participate in an act
performed in illo tempore in an auroric, cosmogenic moment.
(20) If we consider the Legend of Hiram, in the ceremony of the
elevation to the third degree, an exemplary mythic scene is re-lived,
making it real.
The part that Eliade dedicates to the presence and importance
of symbols in the experience of the sacred is among the most interesting
of his Treatise. Among these is an extract regarding the symbolism
of ascension, represented by Jacob's Ladder which is interesting
for the presence at the Tracing Board of the First Degree: "Jacob
also dreamed of a ladder that reached the heavens and the angels
of God ascended and descended that ladder. (Genesis 28:12). The
stone where Jacob slept was a betel which was located in
the "centre of the world" because it was a connection
between all cosmic religions. In the Islamic tradition, Mohammed
saw a ladder which from the Temple of Jerusalem (the Centre par
excellence) reached the Heavens with angels to the left and the
right; The souls of the righteous ascended towards God. Dante
also saw in the Saturn sky a golden ladder rising dizzily towards
the ultimate celestial sphere, upon which ascended the souls of
the blessed...the ascensions always signify a transcendence of
the human condition and a penetration to the superior cosmic levels...those
who ascend are distinguished from the great masses of the profane
and the uninitiated." (21)
The symbol, according to Eliade, is fundamental because it is
itself a hierophany, which is to say it reveals a sacred or cosmologic
reality that no other manifestation can reveal.
It is with another interesting text by Eliade on symbolism, Images
and Symbols that I would like to conclude this brief excursion
in the world of the sacred and the symbolic. The first essay included
in this text, "The Symbolism of the Centre",
is of particular interest. The writer documents the demiurgic
and persuasive force of the image of the Centre, understood as
origin, the umbilical of the world, which gives a superior and
arcane order to the unformed mass, but also communicates with
man, granting him the extraordinary power of metamorphosis. And
with the "Centre" of the Freemason, a Brother can find
again the lost mysteries of the architect Hiram.
6. The Craft, by John Hamill
One of the fields of studies and research on Freemasonry in which
more often we have to face unlikely and misleading theories is
undoubtedly the one dealing with its origins. This results in
the fact that we must make an extremely careful choice of texts
on this subject, in order to avoid consequences that would affect
the whole interpretation of the concept of Freemasonry.
Greatest merit of this book by John Hamill, who is among the main
authorities on English Freemasonry, consists in its expository
clarity and in its sobriety while proposing theories which never
are improbable nor fancy, but are instead always well grounded
on objective documents and verifiable sources. The text gives
an exhaustive account for the English Masonic system, including
Royal Arch and Charity.
One more well-documented book that makes easy reading is "Freemasons'
Guide and Compendium", by Bernard E. Jones. It contains a
thorough analysis of the concept of Initiation, the degrees of
Fellow of Craft and Master Mason, the Landmarks, the symbology
inside the Temple, symbolic significance of mason 's tools.
Above all however Records of "Quatuor Coronati" Research
Lodge proceedings are precious materials for scholars, being a
true mine of information and documents.
In recent years several important enterprises strongly stimulated
studies on Freemasonry: and we needed them. Let mention among
them Canonbury Masonic Research Center and its Canonbury Papers,
offering a wide range of materials for the studies on Freemasonry
specially in its social and historical aspects: and this is particularly
the case of the 1st volume on The Social Impact of Freemasonry
on the Modern Western World. Some more important institutions
are the Cornerstone Society, where I had twice the honour of speaking,
and the Centre for Research into Freemasonry, University of Sheffield,
leaded with high professionalism and enthusiasm by Professor Andrew
Prescott.
My sincere thank to Lord Northampton, Pro Grand Master of the
United Grand Lodge of England: without his personal commitment
and helpfulliness simply these enterprise would never have been
achieved, and all of us would have lost a great chance.
7. "The rites of passage" by Arnold Van Gennep
"The Rites of passage" of the great etologist Arnold
van Gennep is fundamental to the understanding of the concept
of "initiation", which is the foundation of the Masonic
experience. Van Gennep analyses the initiatic structure of "primitive"
societies, bringing to light that certain dynamics have survived
even in modern society. He observes that "in any society
an individual life consists of passages from one age to another;
the initiation is the main ceremony with ultimate aim of moving
the individual from one determined situation to another".
(22)
The author observes that rites of passage have a repeating schematic
structure that defines them. "The complete schema of rites
of passage contains, in theory, preliminary (separation), "liminary"
(the boundary) and post-liminary (aggregation) rites. In practice,
in primitive societies, the young male is first separated from
the family in a way that can be fairly violent, and is afterwards
subjected to various physical trials and at the end, he is reintegrated
into the community. The symbolic meaning of the three phases is
clear: the universe which the initiates penetrate is that of a
"sacred" world. Between the previous reality and the
one in which they are to enter, there is a breach: a new existence
is born through the ritual death of the old one. The formation
of the new man begins with his "death" in the initiation
rite.
This schema is applicable to Masonic rituals: in the path that
brings the initiate to the degree of Apprentice and then to Fellow
of Craft, and then to his final elevation to Master Mason, one
finds again that notion of "boundary", which Van Gennep
often refers to. He sustained that from one passage to another
it is always possible to identify a boundary, a sort of neutral
zone, that divides the two dimensions in which the "passage"
takes place. In separation or preliminary rites, the individual
is helped to break away from his original circumstances (in order
to eliminate the dross and "metals"). The boundary or
liminary rites, put the individual in a transitory state. The
aggregation or post-liminary rites allow his final entry in a
new community. In this path, the boundary can be seen as a state
that eliminates immediacy and makes the metabolization of the
previous state possible. This happens during the Masonic path
when a Brother proceeds from one level to the next and this must
be done in a way that the "assimilation" and "adaptation"
does not unduly disturb the Brother. On the other hand, Van Gennep
reminds us that "between the profane and the sacred world
there is such incompatibility that the passage from one to another
cannot happen without an intermediate stage". (23)
This immediately stirs in us the indelible memory of our own
initiation, particularly the moment in which, just outside of
the Temple, the "Tyler", indicates what we must do as
soon as we cross the threshold of the Temple. As noted, Van Gennep
identifies this area as a "boundary" and, according
to the situation, that neutral zone can contract until it becomes
a simple stone, a beam or, in our case, a threshold. "In
an ordinary home, the door constitutes the boundary between the
outside world and the domestic one. In a Temple, the door is the
boundary between the profane world and the sacred one. Therefore,
'crossing the threshold' means to become part of a new world...
Rituals performed on the threshold are boundary rites". It
is the Tyler who stops the initiate on the threshold and prepares
him for the beginning of the initiation ceremony, removing his
"metals" so that he can reach the sacred dimension,
leaving behind everything that belonged to the profane dimension.
It is the Inner Guard who, still at the threshold, submits the
initiate to a further trial after which, finally, he is allowed
to enter into the sacred space of the Temple.
I would like to conclude with a quotation from the marvelous
book of Van Gennep, in which the author gives his interpretation
of the "mysteries" within the rites of initiation: "By
the term "mysteries", I mean all ceremonies which allow
the neophyte to pass from the profane world to the sacred one,
placing him in continuous, direct and definitive communication
with the sacred one." (24)
8. Homo Hierarchicus, by Louis Dumont
You may happen to be asked the question if it is not an anachronism,
in a democratic and egalitarian society like the one in which
we live, the presence of a so strongly hierarchical organization
as Freemasonry: having in its complex structure several degrees,
offices, dignities, titles and at its top a Grand Master.
Let say that there is something wrong at the very basis of the
question itself: the mistake, the misunderstanding, is the interpreting
of a hierarchical system - in this case the Masonic one - in an
authoritarian and antidemocratic sense moving from an individualistic
idea of society. We must on the contrary remember that societies
built on traditional thought rather put the individual at the
second place and have in view a collective concept of mankind.
In his work Homo Hierarchicus, Louis Dumont underlines
how misguiding is considering hierarchy as an order rigidly founded
on an up-to-bottom discharge of power. Through his analysis of
Indian society and caste system, the Author enlightens us on the
fact that hierarchy consists in degree and rank -but not power-
difference, and here authoritativeness is not authoritarism.
Dumont 's perspective likes better than individualism holism,
in which society is a collective body subjected to social rules;
in this context hierarchy is a weltanschaung, not just
a mere social organization system. In fact Dumont reminds: "In
other words, man does not merely think: man acts. Man does not
have mere ideas: man has values. To adopt a value is to hierarchize,
and a certain consent, a particular hierarchy of ideas, objects,
persons is indispensable to social life". (25)
Therefore, as man thinks and acts on the grounds of values, the
setting of a scale of values giving life to our existences and
the creation of consent about this hierarchic structure become
fundamental. This way Hierarchy of values will express not just
a given social structure, but a true vision of the world.
In conclusion today, I wanted to arouse your curiosity, provoke
a debate and rouse the pride of Brethren who need to live with
a better understanding of Freemasonry. I would like to make a
proposal that I recognize requires a commitment - from me and
from others who want to contribute their suggestions and their
own research to formulate what we defined an "Open Masonic
Canon". It is also demanding for every Brother who, distracted
and absorbed by profane life, would like to stand in the silence
of their Lodge and their own conscience in order to remember the
authentic value of the human life that resides in knowledge.
This requires effort and sacrifice, but promises wonderful discoveries
which will allow more profound and true existence. It is necessary,
first of all, to understand that being a Mason means making the
effort to search, being willing to learn, and pursuing the knowledge
that leads to virtue: this must be a lifetime habit. This is an
ethical duty from which no man, aware of his dignity, can be exonerated.
The Grand Master
The Most Worshipful Bro. Fabio Venzi
(1) Anna Maria Isastia, Mito e realtà della
Massoneria, in Massoneria e Chiesa Cattolica, Religioni
e Sette nel Mondo Trimestrale di cultura religiosa, Anno 7,
numero 3, Bologna, 2003-2004, p.102.
(2) Pierre A.Riffard, L'esoterismo. Che cos'è l'esoterismo,
Bur, 1996, p.57.
(3) Ibidem, p.32.
(4) Michael Baigent e Richard Leigh, L'Elisir
e la Pietra, Marco Troppa Editore, Milano, 1998, p.60.
(5) Ibidem, p.94.
(6) Roger Caillois, L'uomo e il sacro, Bollati
Boringhieri, Torino, 1981, p.9.
(7) Mircea Elide, Trattato di Storia delle Religioni,
Bollati Boringhieri, Torino, 1976, p.3.
(8) Ibidem, p.13.
(9) Ibidem, pp.15-16.
(10) Ibidem, p.333
(11) Mircea Elide, Il Sacro e il Profano,
Bollati Boringhieri, Torino, 1967, p.14.
(12) Ibidem, p.15.
(13) Ibidem, p.16.
(14) Ibidem, p.19.
(15) Ibidem, p.24.
(16) Ibidem, p.41.
(17) Roger Caillois, L'uomo e il sacro, Bollati
Boringhieri, Torino, 2001, p.14.
(18) Ibidem, p.128.
(19) Ibidem, p.15.
(20) Mircea Eliade, Il Sacro e il
Profano, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino, 1967 p. 34.
(21) Ibidem, pp.105-106.
(22) Arnold Van Gennep, I riti di passaggio, Bollati
Boringhieri, Torino, 1981, p.5.
(23) Ibidem, p.4.
(24) Ibidem, p.77
(25) Louis Dumont, Homo Hierarchicus, Adelphi, Milano,
2000, p.95.
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