THE LETTER OF THE Master of the Lodge

WAITING FOR THE SOLSTICE

Dearest Brother,
although the month of December is characterized above all by the feast of Holy Christmas, it is evident that, since it is a religious feast, and the feast of a specific religion, it can have a direct meaning for each of us as men, but not as bricklayers, Freemasonry being independent of individual religions.
On the other hand, another anniversary full of interesting and evocative meanings for us falls in December: the Winter Solstice.
The symbols usually attributable to this astronomical event are known to all, rather I wanted to share with you a reflection on an aspect that was perhaps less addressed, and which suggested some ideas to me.
The day of the winter solstice is the shortest of the year, and then, slowly, the days start getting longer again. This sense of recovery, rebirth, continuation, renewal leads us to look at this day with an attitude of waiting: we wait for the year to reach its lowest point, to then resume. There is a death and a rebirth, and the year's death occurs in its coldest and darkest period, while the rebirth will lead to the shining of the Sun in its brightest and hottest season. And in the meantime what do we do? Well, let's wait.
The expectation of the Sun and the hope that is connected to it correspond in the macrocosm to all the hopes and expectations in our microcosm, from the most banal to the definitive one: Death. It too is expected, even if we prefer not to talk about it too much, however, as they always say, it is the only certain event in our future.
However, the difference between a layman and an initiate also lies precisely in the quality of waiting: the initiate has tools to manage this wait, which the layman lacks, and he is called to make good use of them, not to waste them, because even with all the best tools the stone doesn't grind itself: I would say that a rough stone left unfinished is a good example of passive waiting, don't you think?
For me, however, this period arouses a sense of active expectation, a spur to understand where to act for my personal progress, which obstacles to try to remove, which new goals to achieve, which old challenges lost or abandoned to try to recover.
Hoc opus hic labor est...
See you soon and Happy Holidays!

S&F

W.M. M.B. Master of Lodge