THE LETTER OF THE Master of the Lodge

INITIUM 2

Dearest Brother,
 

last month I offered you a reflection on the characteristics of our Initiation. Let's try to continue our discussion by directing the analysis to further elements that seem to me to be of some interest.
I well remember when I saw an Initiation ceremony for the first time, after mine of course: I had the impression of attending a ritual that contained both a religious element and a martial element at the same time, meaning both terms in a broad sense.
Religious without a doubt, because the Volume of the Sacred Law and various invocations to the Great Architect were present, martial because the insignia, the processions and the various movements of the lodge officers reminded me of certain military parades. We recently attended the coronation ceremony of King Charles III of England, and I think it was not difficult to see the religious and military elements present, as well as certain parallels with our Emulation Ritual.
The presence of these elements in the ritual is certainly not accidental, and is justified by the historical influences that Freemasonry has undergone during its formation. From a certain point of view, we could also trace the martial elements themselves back to a religious matrix, if we consider the sacred value that war has always had in the traditions of ancient peoples.
Perhaps this is why the English Freemasonry tradition is inextricably linked to the concept of the Great Architect of the Universe: if a brother does not bring his own personal conception of it within himself then he lacks the connection with the sacred roots of the religious and martial tradition, on the which bases our ritual is based.
If the reference to the "vertical" dimension is missing, what remains, if not a sophisticated and moralizing role-playing game?
I think that sometimes, when one discusses the origins of Freemasonry, one forgets that the current ritual is certainly the daughter of past influences, but acquires its pre-eminent meaning based on the understanding that the brothers who implement it today have. Conversely, even if it had possessed a very profound meaning today, however, largely lost, who would benefit from repeating his gestures and words? Obviously, as you know, there are also those who attribute objective effects to our rituals regardless of the understanding that their executors have of them, therefore right away, starting from the Initiation itself. It is an approach that could be read in a psychological or even… magical sense. We will never stop questioning ourselves. Fortunately.

See you soon!

S&F

W.M. M.B. Master of Lodge