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- I became a Freemason because
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I was obsessed with understanding
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what death was at a very young age.
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I was born in Spain.
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My mother worked for the government
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and my father was in the Air Force.
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It was pretty soon when
we moved to New York
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that my parents got divorced,
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and then my mother
remarried to my step-father.
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As I grew up my step-dad became
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the prominent figure in my life.
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He was my hockey coach, I
played ice hockey for 13 years.
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On December 26th, 1991,
I was 14 years old.
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It was the night after Christmas
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and my step-father died of a heart attack.
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After my dad has died,
I really was looking
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for an answer for why this happens.
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It sent me on this journey to understand
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what this was, why it happens,
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and then what happens after you die,
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is there something, is
there not something?
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Part of what this story's about is
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the quest of going as deep
as you can into the unknown.
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- So as the story starts, we have
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some very peculiar questions.
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The fundamental message of masonry is
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truly man's pursuit of
communion with his creator.
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And masonry is a very unique and ancient
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age old repository of wisdom and knowledge
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that has been preserved through the ages
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and gives a whole new perspective
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to the man looking to
understand who he is,
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where he has come from,
what he is to be doing,
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and his ultimate direction.
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Masonry provides all of the tools
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for a man to think about that,
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and to come to grips
with who he really is.
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If you can think, you're probably
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a good prospect for masonry.
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If you can't think, it's probably better
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to follow the 10 steps to salivation
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that most folks ascribe to.
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Masonry is not for those folks.
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- Freemasonry has been a part of my life
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since the day I was born.
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Generations of my family have been masons.
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It's not been continuous.
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If memory serves, we can count back
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to a seventh generation Freemason.
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My father's a Freemason, my
grandfather's a Freemason,
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my great grandfather was a Freemason.
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I don't think I really
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understood it until I
was much older in life.
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Frankly, I'm not even sure
that I fully understand it now.
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I think that's one of the
beauties of Freemasonry
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is that it's not something you're going to
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necessarily be taught in a day.
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It's a lifelong commitment and a journey.
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Frankly, there are some
men who enter Freemasonry
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and don't continue.
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There were thoughts that I
would be one of those men
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because I joined Freemasonry
at a relatively young age
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and didn't come back for five years,
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until I met some guys
from a lodge where I'm
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a Past Master of now, and I just,
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as soon as I met these guys, I'm like
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these are the dudes that
I want to hang out with,
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and that was it, that was
really a turning point
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and after five years from
becoming an Entered Apprentice
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I said duh, it's time to continue.
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From that point forward
for seven, eight years,
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I was there every week.
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- Freemasonry of course is
traditionally thought of
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as the world's oldest and
largest fraternity for men.
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A true statement, it is a fraternity,
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it has always been a fraternity.
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It has been an organization that promotes
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the interests of men, or
at least traditionally.
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That was its purpose.
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There's a lot of theories of origin
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about the fraternity, and it in fact
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has been around for so many years
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we're not real sure where we came from,
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but the most popular theory of origin
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and the theory that is
supported by most Masonic
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scholarship today is that we evolved from
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the builder's guilds, the operative
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Freemasons of the Middle Ages.
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- It's a means by which men
can coordinate with men,
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can have fellowship with them,
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but it's really much much more than that.
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It's a means by which you
discover your own identity.
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It's a process in which
you learn who you are
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and gain some idea of what you're
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supposed to be doing in the universe.
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- Freemasonry is not
a secret organization,
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but it is an organization that has certain
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modes of recognition, ways in which masons
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make themselves known to one another
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that we keep confidential.
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Indeed, the whole
ceremony of receiving that
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and being exposed to the basic
principles of Freemasonry
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we also keep confidential.
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We keep these things confidential because
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they heighten the experience
of becoming a mason.
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They are essentially
based on the working tools
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and technics of the operative masons.
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Freemasonry is not really
an intellectual exercise
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as much as it is an emotional, spiritual
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and experiential exercise.
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- I ended up moving to London
for a short period of time.
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I studied abroad there.
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One day, I got a little too drunk
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and I ended up getting lost and
just wondering around London
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and I ended up on Great Queen Street
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and I saw this building
when I turned around.
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I'd never really seen a
building that looked like that,
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it was very very unique.
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I remember above the
doors of the building,
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high above the doors there were these
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two symbols and they were the symbols of
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the square and compass, the
symbols of the Freemasons.
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I would try to find
anything that I could about
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what the building was and
then I found out okay,
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it's for this group called the Freemasons
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and then I started
reading different authors
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Masonic authors like
Mackey, and Albert Pike,
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and different scholars and
essays, anything I could find.
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The more I read about
masonry, the more interested
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I became in it because not only
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did it have the same types of principles
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and philosophies that I
was already interested in,
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but some of the men that
had passed through masonry's
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doors were pretty big
idols of mine like Mozart,
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Voltaire, and Benjamin
Franklin, George Washington.
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Some of the greatest minds
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from human history had
been a part of this.
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I thought to myself, there has to be
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something to this if
all of these geniuses,
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if all of these great men
have been a part of this,
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this society, there's
definitely something to it.
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What really resonated with
me is that Freemasonry
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believes that all men are created equal.
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- In masonry, one of the
important parts of the mythos
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is the widow's son, and it so turns out
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that I actually am indeed a widow's son,
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my father passed when I was young.
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I was at my mom's house going through
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just a bunch of junk she
had and I found this mug,
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and this mug was full of pencils
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and it had the double headed eagle on it
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and it said Scottish Rite Spring Formal
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and through my studies, I
recognized that as a Masonic sign.
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It didn't say masonry, it didn't
have a square and compass,
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but I knew that the Scottish Rite was
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one of the branches of masonry and I
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was like whoa, this is really cool.
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I went to my mother and I asked her,
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"Mom, why do you have this mug?
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"Where did you get this from?"
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and she said, "Oh, that was
one of your dad's mason cups."
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I go, "What are you talking about?"
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She goes, "Your dad was a mason and we
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"went to this spring formal
for the Scottish Rite,
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"and they gave that to us."
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And I was just blown away.
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It's like something had
led me to that moment
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to affirm what I'd always felt inside.
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It felt like a whole
world opened up to me then
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because I was still
one of the uninitiated.
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I was one that still thought you had to be
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part of a bloodline or
part of a legacy per se
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to become a mason and I had tingles
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all over myself because I felt like
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oh wow, I actually qualify to
belong to this secret order,
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this mysterious group, this is part of me.
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That only inspired me to do more research,
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to actually start looking into lodges
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in my hometown of Boston, Texas.
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- Primarily I was intrigued because
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of the overlap between Freemasonry,
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other secret societies,
and ancient mystery cults.
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My big thing was ancient Egypt
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so that led to my study
of the phenomenon of
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mystery cults and secret societies
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and their inspiration from Greek
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and Roman and also Egyptian
style secret societies.
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- In Jamaica's a little bit interesting
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because I grew up in a
community called Oxford Spring
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and within the community's
little bit rural
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and so a lot of the folks are not aware
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of Freemasonry as it were, but,
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they would see rituals being done,
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especially at funerals and
they wonder what this is,
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and so a lot of folks would recognize this
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as oh, the blackheart man, because they
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were all dressed in black and white.
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I started understanding that masonry
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was really nothing more
than a brotherhood,
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but at the time because
they were referring
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to these men as the blackheart men,
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you thought these men were dangerous men,
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men who were diabolic in their nature
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and who wanted to really
dominant, take over,
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and control everything, but
that was not really the case.
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Good thing is I grew
with a man who understood
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the nature of what masonry's all about
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and they exhibit those type of attributes
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and I was one of those persons who
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learned from him, understood many things
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where masonry was concerned,
but he still did not tell me
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the whole spectrum so I became
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interested in learning about it myself.
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- If you don't know a mason
and you want to become a mason,
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it's a simple search of the internet.
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You can find a local lodge.
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- Most guys petition the lodge because
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there's something inside them,
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whether it was stimulated by their dad,
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or by their grandfather,
or by their neighbor,
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or their great uncle Joe, it's immaterial.
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The fact of the matter
is is that most guys
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are stimulated to seek the lodge
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and knock upon its door because
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there is a yearning within them.
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Now they may not
cognitively recognize this,
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it may not be in their
conscious awareness,
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but they know, they have a feeling,
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there's a drive that pushes them
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toward the door of the lodge.
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- Once you have gone through the process
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of getting to know a lodge, you are then
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essentially given a
application if you so request,
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and you fill out the application,
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you let them know that you're
not an atheist or a felon
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essentially, that you are of legal age,
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and once the application is put in,
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it's voted on in lodge.
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- There has to be a
unanimous vote in the lodge,
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that way no one is coming in that
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someone might have an issue with.
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They might look at another lodge.
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We want our guys who are interested
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to really meet the brothers of the lodge.
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We think it's gonna
create a longer lasting
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connection because you have just a better
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understanding of who everybody is and
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if you're gonna jive with them.
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- To become a mason you must
believe in a supreme being,
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however you might define that,
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and you must also believe
in a future existence.
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Again, however you might define that.
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- Freemasons believe that there
is an inherent need in men,
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to be initiated into manhood.
255
00:15:43,500 --> 00:15:47,670
There needs to be a set of
moral and ethical guidelines
256
00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:56,120
that teach a man what the
journey of mature masculinity is.
257
00:16:00,650 --> 00:16:04,290
To take a young man from
sort of the impetuosity
258
00:16:04,290 --> 00:16:08,080
of youth to the mature masculine soul.
259
00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:10,250
- Joesph Campbell among others talks about
260
00:16:10,250 --> 00:16:13,410
the enormous importance of initiation.
261
00:16:14,820 --> 00:16:17,720
He talks about the fact that for women,
262
00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:21,510
it's not necessary because
nature tells a woman
263
00:16:21,510 --> 00:16:25,390
unmistakably when she is no longer a girl,
264
00:16:25,390 --> 00:16:27,150
when she is a woman, it's dramatic,
265
00:16:27,150 --> 00:16:29,820
it's powerful, it's inescapable.
266
00:16:33,970 --> 00:16:37,720
Men don't become fully
autonomous adult males
267
00:16:40,220 --> 00:16:43,610
without some form of initiation.
268
00:16:43,610 --> 00:16:46,630
For many it's the military
or some other organization
269
00:16:46,630 --> 00:16:49,000
like that but if you
go way back in history,
270
00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:52,690
in every society which we have record,
271
00:16:52,690 --> 00:16:55,180
there's been a necessary moment,
272
00:16:55,180 --> 00:16:59,920
a necessary point in
which the man goes through
273
00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:03,380
a ceremony, a ritual, an understanding
274
00:17:03,380 --> 00:17:05,430
which divides his life and he talks
275
00:17:05,430 --> 00:17:07,550
about things which happen before
276
00:17:07,550 --> 00:17:09,120
and things which happened after.
277
00:18:39,620 --> 00:18:43,790
- Even a little bit of light
can dispel much darkness.
278
00:18:52,180 --> 00:18:53,020
Brethren.
279
00:18:53,850 --> 00:18:56,910
The soul passes to a point
in the Masonic journey
280
00:18:56,910 --> 00:18:59,450
when our minds were first about to behold
281
00:18:59,450 --> 00:19:03,480
the light of Freemasonry,
before the light,
282
00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:06,230
there was a sound that commanded.
283
00:19:07,670 --> 00:19:12,060
In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth,
284
00:19:12,060 --> 00:19:14,930
and the earth was void and without thorn,
285
00:19:14,930 --> 00:19:18,950
and darkness was upon
the face of the deep.
286
00:19:18,950 --> 00:19:21,860
And God said, "Let there be light."
287
00:19:23,310 --> 00:19:25,030
Think about it.
288
00:19:25,030 --> 00:19:27,250
We're talking big bang.
289
00:19:27,250 --> 00:19:32,000
Creation, the beginning
of becoming a Freemason.
290
00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,600
The first injunction upon all creation
291
00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:38,330
and upon us as newly initiated masons
292
00:19:38,330 --> 00:19:39,910
let there be light.
293
00:19:41,390 --> 00:19:44,580
Brethren, I submit to you that these words
294
00:19:44,580 --> 00:19:47,280
are the purpose of life and the foundation
295
00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:51,440
of all that we were meant
to do as men and as masons.
296
00:19:54,830 --> 00:19:57,740
- The Blue Lodge is considered your
297
00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,400
first experience in Freemasonry and that
298
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,830
consists of three degrees,
the Entered Apprentice Degree,
299
00:20:04,830 --> 00:20:07,770
which is the First Degree,
the Fellow Craft Degree,
300
00:20:07,770 --> 00:20:10,790
which is the Second Degree,
and the Master Mason Degree
301
00:20:10,790 --> 00:20:12,550
which is the Third Degree.
302
00:20:12,550 --> 00:20:15,520
Once you have completed
those three degrees,
303
00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:18,780
you are considered a Master Mason.
304
00:20:18,780 --> 00:20:21,080
- Still to this day the
First Degree of Masonry,
305
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:22,430
the Entered Apprentice is one of the most
306
00:20:22,430 --> 00:20:25,860
beautiful things I've ever
experienced in my life.
307
00:20:25,860 --> 00:20:30,030
It feels like almost like
you're a new planet being born,
308
00:20:32,020 --> 00:20:33,680
but you're in a state of darkness,
309
00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:36,610
like you're revolving in this orbit,
310
00:20:36,610 --> 00:20:38,820
because you're literally
traveling in the lodge
311
00:20:38,820 --> 00:20:41,310
in an orbital fashion, you're not going
312
00:20:41,310 --> 00:20:43,730
in a specific square
pattern, or you're not
313
00:20:43,730 --> 00:20:47,230
going in a triangle, you're like orbiting.
314
00:20:49,270 --> 00:20:51,350
It felt like, like I was,
315
00:20:55,330 --> 00:20:58,930
like I had been born into this new life
316
00:20:58,930 --> 00:21:01,340
and I knew everything from
my life up to that point
317
00:21:01,340 --> 00:21:05,510
but I couldn't see and I was
in this whole other realm.
318
00:21:08,570 --> 00:21:12,570
- It is meant to be
profound and transformative.
319
00:21:13,470 --> 00:21:16,330
It is definitely a basic understanding
320
00:21:16,330 --> 00:21:19,080
of the principles of Freemasonry.
321
00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:25,670
I think in terms of being the candidate,
322
00:21:25,670 --> 00:21:28,860
it might be overwhelming because it
323
00:21:28,860 --> 00:21:33,030
may be your first experience
with that type of activity,
324
00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:39,390
but it is definitely meant to
be an eye opening experience.
325
00:21:39,390 --> 00:21:42,590
- When I was about to do my First Degree,
326
00:21:42,590 --> 00:21:44,610
I really didn't know what to expect.
327
00:21:44,610 --> 00:21:48,250
It was a transition of rebirth basically.
328
00:21:48,250 --> 00:21:51,550
It was something that was a new and unique
329
00:21:51,550 --> 00:21:53,760
part of my life at that point.
330
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,680
It was various stimuli coming at me
331
00:21:59,020 --> 00:22:02,280
and I was traveling in an orbital fashion,
332
00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:06,770
like a planet would, not
knowing what to expect
333
00:22:06,770 --> 00:22:08,690
but just trying to take it all in,
334
00:22:08,690 --> 00:22:12,240
and it was actually a very sort of
335
00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:15,050
exciting moment for me that I knew
336
00:22:15,050 --> 00:22:16,320
something different was going
337
00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:18,990
to happen in my life after that.
338
00:22:21,170 --> 00:22:23,350
- After you get your First Degree,
339
00:22:23,350 --> 00:22:24,740
you're told in order to progress
340
00:22:24,740 --> 00:22:27,000
you have to memorize a portion of
341
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,140
the ceremonies that you just went through.
342
00:22:30,140 --> 00:22:32,180
You're given that
information in the form of
343
00:22:32,180 --> 00:22:34,920
what's called a Blue Book,
it's your cipher book.
344
00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,900
The cipher isn't written in
English, it's literally a code,
345
00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:40,920
and you memorize this and
it's basically like a test
346
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,780
where when you go back into the lodge room
347
00:22:43,780 --> 00:22:46,110
to give your proficiency,
it's called meaning
348
00:22:46,110 --> 00:22:48,350
that you're proficient in understanding
349
00:22:48,350 --> 00:22:51,010
the Degree that you just went through.
350
00:22:51,010 --> 00:22:53,130
For some people it takes them,
351
00:22:53,130 --> 00:22:56,820
it could take a month, for some
people it could take years.
352
00:22:56,820 --> 00:22:58,860
It's just dependent upon
the person's schedule,
353
00:22:58,860 --> 00:23:03,630
their work, how much time
they put into learning it.
354
00:23:03,630 --> 00:23:04,790
It's not easy.
355
00:23:06,370 --> 00:23:08,110
But it also improves the mind,
356
00:23:08,110 --> 00:23:10,440
the way the mind begins to think.
357
00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,020
You memorize your cipher
for your First Degree,
358
00:23:14,020 --> 00:23:17,600
you go back to lodge,
you recapitulate that
359
00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:20,560
for your proficiency and
then you're scheduled
360
00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:22,970
for your Second Degree which
is the Fellow Craft Degree.
361
00:23:22,970 --> 00:23:27,140
- The Second Degree is kind
of looked at as emblematic of
362
00:23:32,580 --> 00:23:35,250
period of growth in your life,
363
00:23:35,250 --> 00:23:38,160
and there's a big focus on learning
364
00:23:39,500 --> 00:23:42,420
and improving the mind by studying.
365
00:23:43,470 --> 00:23:47,390
Looking at things like
arithmetic, or geometry,
366
00:23:48,620 --> 00:23:49,460
astronomy,
367
00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:51,390
music,
368
00:23:53,050 --> 00:23:54,980
grammar, logic, rhetoric.
369
00:23:54,980 --> 00:23:58,480
These are concepts and areas of study that
370
00:24:00,810 --> 00:24:04,310
really help make people more well rounded.
371
00:24:09,310 --> 00:24:12,910
- A lot of the rituals and
ceremonies in Freemasonry
372
00:24:12,910 --> 00:24:16,620
take place around King Solomon's Temple.
373
00:24:16,620 --> 00:24:20,420
- King Solomon's Temple
is the grand metaphor
374
00:24:20,420 --> 00:24:23,560
that unites all of us,
and sort of represents
375
00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:27,240
the journey we're going
through in the Three Degrees.
376
00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,300
The First Degree being sort
of the porch of the temple,
377
00:24:30,300 --> 00:24:33,940
the Second Degree being
the middle chamber,
378
00:24:33,940 --> 00:24:37,410
and then the Third Degree
being the inner chamber,
379
00:24:37,410 --> 00:24:39,290
you know, the holy of holys,
380
00:24:39,290 --> 00:24:43,820
the secrets of secrets to be
had at the end of the journey.
381
00:24:43,820 --> 00:24:46,890
- One of the most beautiful
aspects of the Fellow Craft
382
00:24:46,890 --> 00:24:50,150
Degree is what's called the
Winding Staircase Lecture
383
00:24:50,150 --> 00:24:54,760
and it talks about how these
different sets of stairs
384
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:57,500
going up this winding staircase
385
00:24:57,500 --> 00:25:00,920
instruct on different things like beauty,
386
00:25:01,750 --> 00:25:05,790
strength, and wisdom, and the five senses
387
00:25:05,790 --> 00:25:08,290
and the seven liberal arts and sciences,
388
00:25:08,290 --> 00:25:12,120
and the main focus that
comes to the forefront
389
00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:18,940
of the Second Degree is
the study of geometry.
390
00:25:18,940 --> 00:25:21,640
- Freemasonry, of course,
is based on geometry
391
00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:24,330
and we refer to it as the symbol
392
00:25:24,330 --> 00:25:26,910
of the harmony of the universe.
393
00:25:27,750 --> 00:25:31,590
So if the harmony of the universe
is the work of the divine,
394
00:25:31,590 --> 00:25:34,080
which we could refer to as the logos,
395
00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:37,880
in geometry is the symbol of that work,
396
00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:41,890
then on the principle
of hypostasis, geometry
397
00:25:41,890 --> 00:25:44,810
is the symbol of the supreme being.
398
00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:55,220
- Looking at the celestial gallery,
399
00:25:55,220 --> 00:25:57,070
you can see that there's the hand of
400
00:25:57,070 --> 00:25:58,660
the great architect in the sky.
401
00:25:58,660 --> 00:26:01,530
I think about the
heavens, I think about the
402
00:26:01,530 --> 00:26:05,210
celestial globe, I think
about the constellations,
403
00:26:05,210 --> 00:26:10,150
and I kind of think about
this larger body of patterns,
404
00:26:10,150 --> 00:26:12,520
beautiful geometric patterns in the sky,
405
00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:15,600
sort of reflecting as above so below.
406
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:19,760
- So you complete the Fellow Craft Degree
407
00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:21,350
and similar to the First Degree you then
408
00:26:21,350 --> 00:26:24,090
have to memorize a portion
of the lecture of the Degree,
409
00:26:24,090 --> 00:26:25,850
and then at that point you're ready
410
00:26:25,850 --> 00:26:28,210
to be raised to Master Mason.
411
00:26:28,210 --> 00:26:31,550
- So after the Second Degree
you have the Third Degree,
412
00:26:31,550 --> 00:26:35,220
and that's what I say is when a mason
413
00:26:35,220 --> 00:26:38,640
becomes a made man within the fraternity.
414
00:26:39,630 --> 00:26:43,520
It is the ultimate
transformative experience.
415
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:47,600
It is the end of the
journey as far as Blue Lodge
416
00:26:48,460 --> 00:26:53,010
Masonry becomes, and it
is when, after you have
417
00:26:53,010 --> 00:26:57,180
persevered through the Degree,
you have all the rights
418
00:26:58,150 --> 00:27:02,320
and benefits possible to you
as a mason in the fraternity.
419
00:27:03,830 --> 00:27:05,580
- The Third Degree is
420
00:27:07,710 --> 00:27:10,380
it's one of my favorite Degrees.
421
00:27:11,820 --> 00:27:15,990
It is kind of emblematic of
the twilight years in life
422
00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:19,360
and I think it
423
00:27:23,130 --> 00:27:26,800
it encourages the
initiate to be comfortable
424
00:27:29,180 --> 00:27:31,100
with the fact that this
425
00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:38,080
place, the time we have
here, is not infinite.
426
00:27:41,260 --> 00:27:43,340
That we are not immortal.
427
00:27:48,580 --> 00:27:50,700
Even though that's kind of a given,
428
00:27:50,700 --> 00:27:52,330
when you really think about it,
429
00:27:52,330 --> 00:27:55,830
it can be earth shattering when you really
430
00:27:56,740 --> 00:27:59,660
sit and contemplate your mortality.
431
00:28:03,670 --> 00:28:05,510
I mean there can be no
432
00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,870
more profound an experience in my mind
433
00:28:10,870 --> 00:28:14,090
than really understanding
and coming to grips
434
00:28:14,090 --> 00:28:17,430
with the fact that someday you will die.
435
00:28:21,140 --> 00:28:23,510
- The main lesson of
the Master Mason Degree
436
00:28:23,510 --> 00:28:27,190
is that all of life is
a preparation for death
437
00:28:27,190 --> 00:28:28,990
and so how are you gonna live your life
438
00:28:28,990 --> 00:28:31,400
in the time that you're here?
439
00:28:35,870 --> 00:28:39,450
- Of course, everything
is entirely energy.
440
00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:43,510
Energy cannot be created or destroyed,
441
00:28:43,510 --> 00:28:47,680
so almost by definition,
because we are energy,
442
00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:49,270
there is going to be some part of us
443
00:28:49,270 --> 00:28:52,520
that's going to exist beyond our death.
444
00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:57,190
- We're all ultimately trying to connect
445
00:28:57,190 --> 00:28:59,690
with the part of ourself that doesn't die.
446
00:28:59,690 --> 00:29:01,920
We're all ultimately
trying to purify ourselves
447
00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:06,160
and trying to deal with
destruction and renewal.
448
00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:08,570
We are copying the book of nature
449
00:29:08,570 --> 00:29:12,080
and the book of nature,
every year, she dies
450
00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,990
and she is reborn because
that's what happens.
451
00:29:14,990 --> 00:29:19,550
Winter time, spring, summer,
fall goes in seasons.
452
00:29:19,550 --> 00:29:23,630
We go in seasons, so our
Degrees go in seasons,
453
00:29:23,630 --> 00:29:25,640
our lives go in seasons.
454
00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:29,020
- Elements of those Degrees
that I went through,
455
00:29:29,020 --> 00:29:32,190
come up throughout the day in my life.
456
00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:39,040
I'm always noticing things
that relate to masonry
457
00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:43,460
and it's a way of living my
life, it's a code of ethics
458
00:29:43,460 --> 00:29:47,230
and other masons live by those same codes.
459
00:29:47,230 --> 00:29:50,900
I can meet a mason
anywhere in the world and
460
00:29:51,930 --> 00:29:54,990
we might not have a lot in common,
461
00:29:54,990 --> 00:29:57,930
but I know that I can go with that person
462
00:29:57,930 --> 00:30:02,510
and trust them to be living
the same code of ethics
463
00:30:02,510 --> 00:30:07,070
that I am myself, and there's
a certain unity there.
464
00:30:07,070 --> 00:30:08,750
- So the options for a candidate,
465
00:30:08,750 --> 00:30:11,040
once they have attained the Third Degree,
466
00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:12,760
are a few different things.
467
00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:15,900
They can stay right where
they're at in their understanding
468
00:30:15,900 --> 00:30:17,870
of what they've just
experienced and try to
469
00:30:17,870 --> 00:30:21,530
figure it out, they can
obviously join the line
470
00:30:21,530 --> 00:30:24,320
and participate in the Blue Lodge,
471
00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:26,770
they can also pursue the York Rite
472
00:30:26,770 --> 00:30:29,120
and the Scottish Rite
Degrees, both of which
473
00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:31,840
elaborate on what was taught
to them in the Blue Lodge
474
00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:36,000
and really expand upon it
in a much larger format.
475
00:32:20,930 --> 00:32:22,640
- In Scottish Rite Masonry you have
476
00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:24,160
two main jurisdictions,
you've got the Northern
477
00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:26,040
jurisdiction and the
Southern jurisdiction.
478
00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:27,950
The Northern jurisdiction
is relatively small
479
00:32:27,950 --> 00:32:30,850
encompassing a degree of the
Northeast of the United States
480
00:32:30,850 --> 00:32:34,120
and I think parts of the Northern Midwest.
481
00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:36,540
Then the Southern jurisdiction
encompasses everything else
482
00:32:36,540 --> 00:32:39,520
worldwide, it's a much
bigger organization.
483
00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:43,200
Within the Southern jurisdiction
you have different valleys.
484
00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:46,090
So you would have for
instance, in Tennessee,
485
00:32:46,090 --> 00:32:48,290
we would have the Valley of Knoxville,
486
00:32:48,290 --> 00:32:51,120
the Valley of Chattanooga,
the Valley of Nashville,
487
00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:54,120
and the Valley of Memphis,
and such is the case
488
00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,910
with all the different states,
489
00:32:56,910 --> 00:32:57,890
and all the different regions of
490
00:32:57,890 --> 00:33:00,060
the Scottish Rite worldwide.
491
00:33:00,060 --> 00:33:01,860
Within the different valleys, we have
492
00:33:01,860 --> 00:33:04,710
four different bodies that encompass
493
00:33:04,710 --> 00:33:05,600
different parts of the Degrees,
494
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:07,190
different groups of the Degrees,
495
00:33:07,190 --> 00:33:08,760
ending finally with the Consistory
496
00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:11,050
which would be the 32nd Degree.
497
00:33:11,050 --> 00:33:15,220
- The Supreme council rules
the entire jurisdiction,
498
00:33:15,220 --> 00:33:17,380
the Southern jurisdiction and as you know
499
00:33:17,380 --> 00:33:19,920
there's a Northern jurisdiction as well,
500
00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:23,050
considerably smaller than
the Southern jurisdiction.
501
00:33:23,050 --> 00:33:25,990
- The Supreme Council's main focus is to
502
00:33:25,990 --> 00:33:29,240
add a bit of unity to what would otherwise
503
00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:33,170
be a very very large
and heavy organization.
504
00:33:33,170 --> 00:33:35,660
- The typical Scottish Rite Valley
505
00:33:35,660 --> 00:33:39,000
is comprised of the Lodge of Perfection,
506
00:33:39,910 --> 00:33:42,040
the Chapter of Rose Croix,
507
00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:45,540
the Council of Kadosh, and the Consistory.
508
00:33:47,340 --> 00:33:51,270
We go through each of
the Degrees that comprise
509
00:33:51,270 --> 00:33:54,240
each of those individual bodies.
510
00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:57,990
It's absolutely essential
that a Master Mason
511
00:33:58,990 --> 00:34:02,950
going through the Scottish Rite
achieve at least the minimum
512
00:34:02,950 --> 00:34:07,100
of the 14th Degree, which
allows him then to sit
513
00:34:07,100 --> 00:34:11,070
in the stated meetings
where business is conducted.
514
00:34:11,070 --> 00:34:14,040
So that becomes an essential part of
515
00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:15,640
the Scottish Rite training, and then
516
00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:17,200
obviously you want to move beyond that
517
00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:20,100
and achieve the 32nd Degree,
518
00:34:20,100 --> 00:34:22,840
and I suppose if you're
a really lucky guy,
519
00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:25,330
you'll get the 33rd.
520
00:34:25,330 --> 00:34:27,180
- I would describe the Scottish Rite
521
00:34:27,180 --> 00:34:29,760
as a modern day mystery school.
522
00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:32,560
The way that I like to think about it
523
00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:37,140
is really, it involves a lot
of training in the virtues,
524
00:34:37,140 --> 00:34:41,710
it involves a lot of training
in personal improvement,
525
00:34:41,710 --> 00:34:44,690
personal transformation,
personal purifications
526
00:34:44,690 --> 00:34:48,030
that are necessary so that
the parts of the self,
527
00:34:48,030 --> 00:34:52,730
which are not working,
which are dysfunctional,
528
00:34:52,730 --> 00:34:55,970
they're symbolized by different
characters in these dramas,
529
00:34:55,970 --> 00:35:00,130
that they can be cast off and
that the true self can emerge.
530
00:35:05,890 --> 00:35:10,060
- The fraternity is basically
the source of male initiation.
531
00:35:12,270 --> 00:35:15,160
The Scottish Rite on the other hand
532
00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:17,580
takes that to the next level.
533
00:35:18,670 --> 00:35:21,740
It goes way past initiation, it assumes
534
00:35:21,740 --> 00:35:24,780
that's already taken
place, and now it goes
535
00:35:24,780 --> 00:35:27,270
into learning and development.
536
00:35:27,270 --> 00:35:31,200
What kind of human being are you gonna be?
537
00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:33,530
What is your value system going to be?
538
00:35:33,530 --> 00:35:36,520
How are you going to
understand what's important?
539
00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:37,620
And how are you going to understand
540
00:35:37,620 --> 00:35:39,370
your relationship to the universe?
541
00:35:39,370 --> 00:35:41,130
Your relationship to deity?
542
00:35:41,130 --> 00:35:44,470
These are all issues that
the Scottish Rite deals with
543
00:35:44,470 --> 00:35:47,580
and I think deals very effectively.
544
00:35:47,580 --> 00:35:51,780
That's actually the
task of the first body.
545
00:35:51,780 --> 00:35:54,520
First is called the Lodge of Perfection.
546
00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:57,140
On a mundane level it pays the bills,
547
00:35:57,140 --> 00:36:00,550
it's the organizational body of the Rite,
548
00:36:02,610 --> 00:36:06,230
but it's quest themed,
the thing it teaches,
549
00:36:06,230 --> 00:36:08,920
the thing it does is to find this original
550
00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:12,190
source of who you are, and it uses
551
00:36:12,190 --> 00:36:13,950
the same kind of thing
you're gonna find in
552
00:36:13,950 --> 00:36:18,480
the ancient Greek traditions,
you'll find it in Maslow,
553
00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:20,690
you'll find it in basic psychology,
554
00:36:20,690 --> 00:36:23,180
find it in Freud, this idea of making
555
00:36:23,180 --> 00:36:25,520
the journey inside and down,
556
00:36:26,650 --> 00:36:29,750
and into the deepest level of your ego
557
00:36:29,750 --> 00:36:33,460
where you discover the cubical stone
558
00:36:33,460 --> 00:36:36,910
in the Scottish Rite, you'll discover
559
00:36:36,910 --> 00:36:40,040
the material world with
the symbol of deity,
560
00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:42,740
the triangle insured into it.
561
00:36:42,740 --> 00:36:45,110
It tells you something about what you are
562
00:36:45,110 --> 00:36:48,440
as both a divine and a mundane creature.
563
00:36:52,700 --> 00:36:55,900
- This concept of perfection is
564
00:36:55,900 --> 00:37:00,030
very similar to, connected to in alchemy
565
00:37:00,030 --> 00:37:01,750
the process of transmutation,
566
00:37:01,750 --> 00:37:03,790
the process of raising the stone.
567
00:37:03,790 --> 00:37:05,950
This whole thing is about the first temple
568
00:37:05,950 --> 00:37:10,230
and the concept that's really
powerful to me is secrecy
569
00:37:10,230 --> 00:37:13,010
and silence, fidelity, and obedience,
570
00:37:13,010 --> 00:37:16,510
those concepts, they're necessary in order
571
00:37:17,780 --> 00:37:20,270
to go into the mystery school,
572
00:37:20,270 --> 00:37:21,830
and it takes a lot of studying,
573
00:37:21,830 --> 00:37:25,300
a lot of scratching under
the surface to understand
574
00:37:25,300 --> 00:37:27,300
what it is that you've just been through,
575
00:37:27,300 --> 00:37:28,890
what it is that you've just seen.
576
00:37:28,890 --> 00:37:31,350
They have a sign of silence,
they have a sign of secrecy,
577
00:37:31,350 --> 00:37:32,820
it's like you're entering into this thing
578
00:37:32,820 --> 00:37:35,430
and you can't really shout
it from the rooftops.
579
00:37:35,430 --> 00:37:37,960
Even if you tried to reveal it,
580
00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:40,900
it would be impossible,
to me that's the symbolism
581
00:37:40,900 --> 00:37:43,030
of the secrecy in the Fourth Degree.
582
00:37:43,030 --> 00:37:46,860
- Secrecy and silence
are so important because
583
00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:52,000
people need to learn how
to keep their mouths shut,
584
00:37:54,460 --> 00:37:57,150
and that is a thing which we have lost.
585
00:37:57,150 --> 00:38:00,550
How can you trust a man if you tell him
586
00:38:00,550 --> 00:38:02,300
what's really important to you because
587
00:38:02,300 --> 00:38:05,620
you need to get it dealt
with, you need to get it out,
588
00:38:05,620 --> 00:38:08,720
and he goes and tells
everybody what you said?
589
00:38:08,720 --> 00:38:12,520
How can you possibly ever
trust him again with anything?
590
00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:13,690
Why would you?
591
00:38:16,500 --> 00:38:20,750
We live in this very
strange world in which
592
00:38:20,750 --> 00:38:24,920
we have decided that secrecy
is somehow a bad thing.
593
00:38:27,490 --> 00:38:30,190
I'm forced to disagree, I think secrecy
594
00:38:30,190 --> 00:38:33,590
is a very good thing,
a very positive thing.
595
00:38:33,590 --> 00:38:35,430
It could be used for bad purposes,
596
00:38:35,430 --> 00:38:39,640
there's no question about that, certainly.
597
00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:41,800
But you know, I have a feeling
598
00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:45,060
when they were working
out the D-Day invasion,
599
00:38:45,060 --> 00:38:48,810
they didn't really want the
enemy to know the plans.
600
00:38:52,810 --> 00:38:56,980
There are things it's useful
just to keep quiet about.
601
00:38:58,990 --> 00:39:01,030
One of the things that just
absolutely fascinates me,
602
00:39:01,030 --> 00:39:05,820
because I do not understand
it, is this Facebook phenomena
603
00:39:05,820 --> 00:39:07,860
where everybody is busy telling
604
00:39:07,860 --> 00:39:10,600
everybody else everything about them.
605
00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:13,060
I can not imagine that I have any friends
606
00:39:13,060 --> 00:39:17,510
who are fascinated in
knowing what I had for lunch.
607
00:39:17,510 --> 00:39:20,930
- The Lodge of Perfection is dealing with
608
00:39:21,930 --> 00:39:26,090
the initial Degrees that
take you all the way through
609
00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:31,330
essentially the same story
as the first Three Degrees,
610
00:39:31,330 --> 00:39:34,160
but with considerably more detail.
611
00:39:35,590 --> 00:39:38,890
There are little side vignettes to explain
612
00:39:38,890 --> 00:39:40,930
some of the happenings that occur
613
00:39:40,930 --> 00:39:43,520
in the first Three
Degrees, so we're really
614
00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:46,330
talking about the Hiramic legend
615
00:39:46,330 --> 00:39:50,080
and how that pertains
to each individual man.
616
00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:56,390
That's really our fundamental pursuit.
617
00:39:56,390 --> 00:39:58,890
So we can talk about these Degrees
618
00:39:58,890 --> 00:40:02,970
in a sort of concrete
sense, but the real message
619
00:40:04,100 --> 00:40:08,020
of masonry is tremendously
lost in that regard,
620
00:40:09,580 --> 00:40:12,330
because it's really not about the
621
00:40:14,250 --> 00:40:16,470
actual movements and the rituals,
622
00:40:16,470 --> 00:40:18,230
it's not about the actual words,
623
00:40:18,230 --> 00:40:21,060
it's about what's behind all that.
624
00:40:23,020 --> 00:40:25,100
- Overall theme of the Lodge of Perfection
625
00:40:25,100 --> 00:40:28,580
is this search for this cubical stone.
626
00:40:28,580 --> 00:40:32,070
This lost word which is
alluded to in the Third Degree
627
00:40:32,070 --> 00:40:36,070
about this word has
been lost upon the death
628
00:40:36,070 --> 00:40:39,950
of the master architect
of King Solomon's Temple.
629
00:40:39,950 --> 00:40:42,490
As you progress through the Degrees of the
630
00:40:42,490 --> 00:40:45,600
Lodge of Perfection, the allegory of
631
00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:48,660
King Solomon's Temple is expanded upon.
632
00:40:48,660 --> 00:40:51,910
There is a funeral for the Master Hiram
633
00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:56,760
who was murdered, there is
an anniversary of his death,
634
00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:59,260
and a lot of these things play
into themes of daily life,
635
00:40:59,260 --> 00:41:03,910
about letting go, and taking
the tie to grieve things,
636
00:41:03,910 --> 00:41:06,760
to be able to move on, to
find the truth about things,
637
00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:08,150
to be able to continue to grow.
638
00:41:08,150 --> 00:41:10,380
What comes into focus there also is
639
00:41:10,380 --> 00:41:14,580
how important it is to
transmit and share knowledge.
640
00:41:14,580 --> 00:41:16,950
When Master Hiram would finish his work
641
00:41:16,950 --> 00:41:19,520
at the end of the day
he would love talking
642
00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:22,710
about the Egyptian mysteries
with these five young men
643
00:41:22,710 --> 00:41:24,590
that he believed one
day could take his place
644
00:41:24,590 --> 00:41:26,340
if something happened to him.
645
00:41:26,340 --> 00:41:29,320
That was important that
he did that because
646
00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:31,360
one of them eventually does take his place
647
00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:34,280
and the work is then picked back up
648
00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:38,170
and they keep building the temple.
649
00:41:38,170 --> 00:41:41,560
Eventually, the assassins
that murdered the Master Hiram
650
00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:44,980
are found and they're brought to justice.
651
00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:49,490
So as you come to the close of the Degrees
652
00:41:49,490 --> 00:41:51,090
of the Lodge of Perfection, you come
653
00:41:51,090 --> 00:41:53,820
upon the 13th and 14th Degrees.
654
00:41:53,820 --> 00:41:58,230
The 13th Degree is one of
the most interesting Degrees
655
00:41:58,230 --> 00:42:01,170
in all of masonry to me because
656
00:42:01,170 --> 00:42:04,180
the story behind the
13th Degree is about the
657
00:42:04,180 --> 00:42:07,110
biblical character Enoch who received
658
00:42:07,110 --> 00:42:10,470
the true name of God, and
he supposedly built these
659
00:42:10,470 --> 00:42:12,920
nine vaults deep down within the earth,
660
00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:15,650
vertical vaults and in the ninth vault,
661
00:42:15,650 --> 00:42:17,450
he placed the true name of God there,
662
00:42:17,450 --> 00:42:20,310
for future generations to discover that.
663
00:42:20,310 --> 00:42:24,520
That vertical line of those
vaults represents spirituality.
664
00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:26,730
So it's about going within the self
665
00:42:26,730 --> 00:42:29,090
to discover the truth,
and bringing that forward
666
00:42:29,090 --> 00:42:31,870
and emanating that light
out into the world.
667
00:42:31,870 --> 00:42:35,450
- There's also a focus
on the nature of man
668
00:42:38,820 --> 00:42:42,480
and the surroundings
that we find ourselves.
669
00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:45,720
You're encouraged to not only study
670
00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:49,200
but then also understand how you fit into
671
00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:51,240
the natural order of things.
672
00:42:51,240 --> 00:42:53,820
- If I take it out of
the realm of the literal,
673
00:42:53,820 --> 00:42:56,190
out of the realm of trying to
674
00:42:56,190 --> 00:42:57,830
understand everything like something that
675
00:42:57,830 --> 00:43:00,500
actually happened in a year, BC,
676
00:43:01,630 --> 00:43:06,250
and look within myself and say
what part of myself is Enoch?
677
00:43:06,250 --> 00:43:07,920
How can I connect to that?
678
00:43:07,920 --> 00:43:10,290
What do I need to cast
away to connect to that?
679
00:43:10,290 --> 00:43:12,820
What purifications do
I need to do to connect
680
00:43:12,820 --> 00:43:17,120
with this Enoch character
that actually lives within me?
681
00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:20,620
And what is this thing that's buried in me
682
00:43:21,720 --> 00:43:24,380
in the ninth vault, in my heart?
683
00:43:24,380 --> 00:43:27,460
What is this thing that's buried?
684
00:43:27,460 --> 00:43:30,420
If I want to search for that thing,
685
00:43:30,420 --> 00:43:32,870
it might help to know where it's buried.
686
00:43:32,870 --> 00:43:35,530
- In the 14th Degree,
the really fascinating
687
00:43:35,530 --> 00:43:37,850
part of the story in the
Masonic allegory is that
688
00:43:37,850 --> 00:43:40,670
when King Solomon was building his temple,
689
00:43:40,670 --> 00:43:43,320
there were nine crypts built horizontally
690
00:43:43,320 --> 00:43:45,940
underneath King Solomon's Temple.
691
00:43:45,940 --> 00:43:49,700
What begins to come
into appearance here is
692
00:43:49,700 --> 00:43:52,230
a very very interesting symbol.
693
00:43:52,230 --> 00:43:55,050
When you take the vertical
line of the vaults
694
00:43:55,050 --> 00:43:58,030
that Enoch built and
buried this divine spark
695
00:43:58,030 --> 00:44:01,420
at the bottom of it, and
you take the horizontal line
696
00:44:01,420 --> 00:44:04,480
of the crypts underneath
King Solomon's Temple
697
00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:07,460
you begin to see the symbol of the cross,
698
00:44:07,460 --> 00:44:09,300
and that's a very powerful symbol
699
00:44:09,300 --> 00:44:11,720
when you look at it like that because
700
00:44:11,720 --> 00:44:15,770
the crypts, the horizontal
crypts represent the earthly
701
00:44:15,770 --> 00:44:19,940
and it's about progressing
through these nine arches,
702
00:44:20,820 --> 00:44:25,560
these nine crypts and improving
the self through study,
703
00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:30,260
through constant refinement,
through subduing our passions,
704
00:44:30,260 --> 00:44:32,060
and trying to find that balance,
705
00:44:32,060 --> 00:44:34,720
and as we do that we begin to also ascend
706
00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:38,550
at that same time that
spiritual path upwards.
707
00:44:40,760 --> 00:44:43,460
The Lodge of Perfection concludes
708
00:44:43,460 --> 00:44:47,260
with the preservation
of that which was lost
709
00:44:47,260 --> 00:44:49,550
and is now found again, that lost word,
710
00:44:49,550 --> 00:44:54,450
that name of God as a symbol,
but that divine spark,
711
00:44:54,450 --> 00:44:58,330
and it reminds me of the
verse in the Book of John,
712
00:44:58,330 --> 00:45:00,990
when it says, "In the
beginning was the word,
713
00:45:00,990 --> 00:45:05,190
"and the word was with
God, and the word was God."
714
00:45:05,190 --> 00:45:09,030
So as you see these things
start to be revealed
715
00:45:09,030 --> 00:45:11,690
and the word revealed means revel,
716
00:45:11,690 --> 00:45:13,780
so one thing is revealed to you,
717
00:45:13,780 --> 00:45:16,260
but it's hidden by
another thing and that's
718
00:45:16,260 --> 00:45:19,860
the nature of God in a sense, is that
719
00:45:19,860 --> 00:45:23,550
God will reveal one thing, and
then veil it in another way
720
00:45:23,550 --> 00:45:26,660
because it's the constant
quest of the infinite
721
00:45:26,660 --> 00:45:28,780
of seeking light and
seeking this knowledge.
722
00:45:28,780 --> 00:45:31,190
It's a constant refinement of the self.
723
00:45:31,190 --> 00:45:33,770
As we see that symbol of
the cross appear between
724
00:45:33,770 --> 00:45:37,610
the vaults of Enoch and
the crypts of Solomon,
725
00:45:39,010 --> 00:45:41,990
you start to understand the importance of
726
00:45:41,990 --> 00:45:44,830
understanding Kabbalah as a symbol
727
00:45:47,390 --> 00:45:51,810
and as a way to understand how
these things are presented.
728
00:45:51,810 --> 00:45:54,420
Not as a dogma, or as a religion,
729
00:45:54,420 --> 00:45:57,740
but to learn from the
symbolism and the wisdom
730
00:45:57,740 --> 00:46:00,610
that that school of thought
brings into Freemasonry.
731
00:46:00,610 --> 00:46:03,630
It allows us to understand the importance
732
00:46:03,630 --> 00:46:05,760
of playing the peacemaker in life,
733
00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:08,170
and to if we have to be the judge,
734
00:46:08,170 --> 00:46:10,670
to be impartial in situations.
735
00:46:12,230 --> 00:46:15,790
- The stories being told is profound.
736
00:46:15,790 --> 00:46:18,810
Very influential on the
mind and the psyche,
737
00:46:18,810 --> 00:46:22,700
and it brings you into a
state of understanding,
738
00:46:22,700 --> 00:46:25,810
that none of the other degrees
actually brought me into.
739
00:46:25,810 --> 00:46:28,350
Yes, you're looking for the lost word,
740
00:46:28,350 --> 00:46:31,090
but most importantly, you're actually
741
00:46:31,090 --> 00:46:33,500
discovering the word within yourself,
742
00:46:33,500 --> 00:46:35,290
you're discovering who you are,
743
00:46:35,290 --> 00:46:37,210
you're discovering the purpose of this,
744
00:46:37,210 --> 00:46:39,950
you're recognizing that
there is a true value
745
00:46:39,950 --> 00:46:43,120
underneath wanting to just be a mason.
746
00:46:47,260 --> 00:46:50,860
- Uncovering the word is an allegory for
747
00:46:50,860 --> 00:46:53,640
discovering yourself,
improving yourself and
748
00:46:53,640 --> 00:46:56,960
understanding the mysteries of life.
749
00:46:56,960 --> 00:46:59,210
- You're dealing with these
great universal secrets
750
00:46:59,210 --> 00:47:01,330
and into that realm of communication
751
00:47:01,330 --> 00:47:03,370
and this time outside of time.
752
00:47:03,370 --> 00:47:08,150
Freemasonry basically has
preserved the best of mankind,
753
00:47:08,150 --> 00:47:11,620
that's why we harken
back to ancient times,
754
00:47:11,620 --> 00:47:15,260
that's why we ruminate on Greek and
755
00:47:15,260 --> 00:47:19,100
Cerastrian philosophy
in the Scottish Rite.
756
00:47:19,100 --> 00:47:21,770
It brings us back to these times
757
00:47:22,850 --> 00:47:25,140
when mankind was searching
for these answers,
758
00:47:25,140 --> 00:47:26,850
these eternal questions that we have,
759
00:47:26,850 --> 00:47:28,480
and we're still doing it of course,
760
00:47:28,480 --> 00:47:32,650
but it puts us in that mood
of where the ancients were.
761
00:47:34,110 --> 00:47:36,890
- So one of the things
Freemasonry addressed
762
00:47:36,890 --> 00:47:41,440
particularly on what were
called the Higher Degrees
763
00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:45,780
such as the Scottish Rite
was to consider the journey
764
00:47:45,780 --> 00:47:48,370
of manhood as the hero's quest.
765
00:47:49,500 --> 00:47:53,670
We applied contemporary
mythos around the old ideas.
766
00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:01,880
So what Freemasonry has become in our time
767
00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:03,880
is a set of lessons that
768
00:48:06,120 --> 00:48:08,790
helps a man become consciously aware
769
00:48:08,790 --> 00:48:10,790
of what he's here to do.
770
00:48:13,370 --> 00:48:15,570
- That's the first body, the second body
771
00:48:15,570 --> 00:48:17,660
is called the Chapter of Rose Croix,
772
00:48:17,660 --> 00:48:20,110
which really ought to be Rose Croix,
773
00:48:20,110 --> 00:48:24,160
but I pronounce it the
other way 99% of the time,
774
00:48:24,160 --> 00:48:26,160
it means rose and cross.
775
00:48:27,350 --> 00:48:31,510
15th and 16th deal with
principles ethics essentially.
776
00:48:34,260 --> 00:48:38,450
They deal with the question of
how do you know what's right?
777
00:48:38,450 --> 00:48:40,510
Is right always right?
778
00:48:40,510 --> 00:48:42,630
Is the same thing always right?
779
00:48:42,630 --> 00:48:46,390
Or are right and wrong hardly defined
780
00:48:46,390 --> 00:48:48,560
classifications you can deal with?
781
00:48:48,560 --> 00:48:52,110
- The 15th and 16th Degrees
get into the story of
782
00:48:52,110 --> 00:48:54,860
building the second temple and it
783
00:48:56,480 --> 00:48:58,850
it can be looked at from a sense of
784
00:48:58,850 --> 00:49:00,280
these things that we go through in life,
785
00:49:00,280 --> 00:49:04,450
like this constant, again,
whether it's a career or
786
00:49:06,210 --> 00:49:10,010
a marriage or friendships or family,
787
00:49:10,010 --> 00:49:11,570
we have these great
things that we build up
788
00:49:11,570 --> 00:49:13,730
and we have these great moments,
789
00:49:13,730 --> 00:49:16,760
and then there destroyed
right in front of our eyes.
790
00:49:16,760 --> 00:49:20,840
- The 17th Degree is based
on the Book of Revelation,
791
00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:25,010
or takes its thematic material
from the Book of Revelation.
792
00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:29,020
It, to me, is all about energy.
793
00:49:33,370 --> 00:49:36,480
One of the questions
that you always have is
794
00:49:36,480 --> 00:49:39,790
where does the dynamic of life come from,
795
00:49:39,790 --> 00:49:42,080
where does the energy
to do things come from
796
00:49:42,080 --> 00:49:45,640
and part of it obviously is purely mental,
797
00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:47,600
purely emotional, spiritual.
798
00:49:47,600 --> 00:49:48,850
Take your pick.
799
00:49:49,770 --> 00:49:51,650
And the 17th Degree is about that,
800
00:49:51,650 --> 00:49:56,180
about the power which comes
into a person when they are
801
00:49:56,180 --> 00:49:57,650
doing what they should be doing,
802
00:49:57,650 --> 00:50:00,520
when they are paying attention.
803
00:50:00,520 --> 00:50:02,180
Then comes the 18th,
804
00:50:03,620 --> 00:50:05,820
and the 18th is one of
the most beautiful Degrees
805
00:50:05,820 --> 00:50:08,680
of all the Scottish Rite.
806
00:50:08,680 --> 00:50:11,010
It is the Knight Rose Croix.
807
00:50:14,210 --> 00:50:16,120
It is structured around
808
00:50:19,170 --> 00:50:21,750
the story of Jesus of Nazareth.
809
00:50:22,730 --> 00:50:25,810
Not as a redeemer, but as an example,
810
00:50:27,720 --> 00:50:32,300
as an archetype because the
Scottish Rite is nonsectarian.
811
00:50:32,300 --> 00:50:36,140
But it does, part of the language says,
812
00:50:36,140 --> 00:50:37,890
if he were nothing more, he was surely
813
00:50:37,890 --> 00:50:41,330
the ideal of the race made whole.
814
00:50:41,330 --> 00:50:44,000
The great teacher, the exemplar.
815
00:50:45,100 --> 00:50:48,680
And it talks about the
love and the caring.
816
00:50:50,040 --> 00:50:53,200
He died in agony, not cursing humanity
817
00:50:56,290 --> 00:50:58,880
but uttering blessings upon it.
818
00:51:00,180 --> 00:51:03,100
That's an important set of lessons.
819
00:51:04,470 --> 00:51:05,550
It sort of is
820
00:51:07,620 --> 00:51:10,970
the question of what should be your model.
821
00:51:10,970 --> 00:51:15,030
If you're gonna try to live
a productive useful life,
822
00:51:15,030 --> 00:51:18,150
what kind of model can you find?
823
00:51:18,150 --> 00:51:20,690
- The one thing that I would say is truly
824
00:51:20,690 --> 00:51:24,460
the mystery of Freemasonry
is that it's love.
825
00:51:24,460 --> 00:51:26,760
It's a mystical state of being.
826
00:51:26,760 --> 00:51:30,670
It's little wonder that
Christ spoke about love
827
00:51:33,010 --> 00:51:35,850
in a very deep and fulfilling way.
828
00:51:36,780 --> 00:51:38,860
It's a love for the soul.
829
00:51:43,120 --> 00:51:45,320
- One of the questions
that started this whole
830
00:51:45,320 --> 00:51:49,490
story off for me about
why death existed and
831
00:51:49,490 --> 00:51:51,010
why are things the way they are,
832
00:51:51,010 --> 00:51:52,840
why is there darkness?
833
00:51:54,190 --> 00:51:57,360
What starts to come into focus is that
834
00:51:58,470 --> 00:52:00,190
it's about love.
835
00:52:00,190 --> 00:52:04,350
It's not about fully comprehending
why these things exist
836
00:52:06,350 --> 00:52:08,600
and it's about forgiveness.
837
00:52:13,640 --> 00:52:16,170
- When I look at these Degrees,
838
00:52:16,170 --> 00:52:20,010
I see all these characters in a dream,
839
00:52:20,010 --> 00:52:22,880
and I see myself in much the same way
840
00:52:22,880 --> 00:52:26,230
I would expect somebody
may have experienced this
841
00:52:26,230 --> 00:52:29,010
in ancient times in the
ancient mystery schools
842
00:52:29,010 --> 00:52:30,730
but in a modern context.
843
00:52:30,730 --> 00:52:35,010
I see myself projecting
my own sense of who I am
844
00:52:35,010 --> 00:52:38,930
onto these various characters,
to these various stories.
845
00:52:38,930 --> 00:52:41,180
Some of them have history to them,
846
00:52:41,180 --> 00:52:43,830
others are more symbolic.
847
00:52:43,830 --> 00:52:46,410
I see myself going through
these transformations,
848
00:52:46,410 --> 00:52:49,250
they're making me a better person.
849
00:52:50,870 --> 00:52:52,920
- Those are the first two bodies.
850
00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:56,680
Then the third body is
the Council of the Kadosh.
851
00:52:56,680 --> 00:52:58,510
Kadosh means separate.
852
00:53:01,210 --> 00:53:04,030
It's often translated as holy,
853
00:53:04,030 --> 00:53:05,590
but it's holy in the sense of being
854
00:53:05,590 --> 00:53:08,940
set apart from the rest of the world.
855
00:53:08,940 --> 00:53:11,940
So it's not an isolationist thing, but
856
00:53:11,940 --> 00:53:15,440
that which is more than the mundane world.
857
00:53:19,090 --> 00:53:22,680
It explores many many
many different ideas,
858
00:53:24,700 --> 00:53:28,090
but the basic theme of them is,
859
00:53:28,090 --> 00:53:30,880
what kinds of things do you need to do
860
00:53:30,880 --> 00:53:34,030
and what kinds of things
do you need to avoid
861
00:53:34,030 --> 00:53:37,540
to live productively, to be
able to say at the end of it,
862
00:53:37,540 --> 00:53:39,790
hey, I didn't do too badly?
863
00:53:41,390 --> 00:53:43,690
What ideas should you hold onto?
864
00:53:43,690 --> 00:53:46,260
What ideas do you need to get rid of?
865
00:53:46,260 --> 00:53:48,310
Vengeance, anger?
866
00:53:48,310 --> 00:53:49,970
Despotism, purinant?
867
00:53:51,050 --> 00:53:54,110
All of those things are destructive,
868
00:53:54,110 --> 00:53:57,260
and the Scottish Rite does try to teach
869
00:53:57,260 --> 00:54:00,700
that they're not always obvious.
870
00:54:00,700 --> 00:54:03,520
It's pretty clear when
somebody invades your country,
871
00:54:03,520 --> 00:54:06,290
takes it over and starts issuing laws
872
00:54:06,290 --> 00:54:08,010
and says you'll be killed if you don't,
873
00:54:08,010 --> 00:54:09,360
that you're dealing with a dictator,
874
00:54:09,360 --> 00:54:12,300
that's an easy thing to spot.
875
00:54:12,300 --> 00:54:14,140
It's less easy to spot
876
00:54:15,620 --> 00:54:17,380
if you find that one of your friends
877
00:54:17,380 --> 00:54:21,540
is spending all of his time
trying to tell you what to do.
878
00:54:22,610 --> 00:54:25,440
Or that some other person you know
879
00:54:26,490 --> 00:54:28,700
is trying to substitute their
880
00:54:28,700 --> 00:54:31,870
judgment of right and wrong for yours.
881
00:54:32,740 --> 00:54:34,960
So dictatorship and despotism is
882
00:54:34,960 --> 00:54:37,780
an easy thing to have happen, and
883
00:54:37,780 --> 00:54:40,230
that's one of the things
that the right warns against,
884
00:54:40,230 --> 00:54:42,650
you've got to guard yourself.
885
00:54:43,680 --> 00:54:45,180
If you're going to be independent,
886
00:54:45,180 --> 00:54:48,040
if you're going to be free to think,
887
00:54:48,040 --> 00:54:52,120
then you got to make sure
you stay free to think.
888
00:54:55,600 --> 00:54:58,130
- The Consistory, finally, is the last
889
00:54:58,130 --> 00:55:00,580
of the organized pieces
of the Scottish Rite
890
00:55:00,580 --> 00:55:03,070
and within the Consistory,
we find the ultimate
891
00:55:03,070 --> 00:55:06,910
tying together of all the
Scottish Rite Degrees,
892
00:55:06,910 --> 00:55:09,570
all the main themes that
run through them all.
893
00:55:09,570 --> 00:55:13,210
Consequently, upon becoming
a 32nd Degree Scottish
894
00:55:13,210 --> 00:55:16,890
Rite Mason, your title is
Master of the Royal Secret
895
00:55:16,890 --> 00:55:19,060
because at this point,
you have understood,
896
00:55:19,060 --> 00:55:21,020
at least you should have understood,
897
00:55:21,020 --> 00:55:23,390
all of the esoteric
teachings that came before
898
00:55:23,390 --> 00:55:25,110
and how they're all tied together.
899
00:55:25,110 --> 00:55:26,780
- At the end of the 30 Degree,
900
00:55:26,780 --> 00:55:29,780
there's a lot of symbolism of death.
901
00:55:31,360 --> 00:55:36,340
At the beginning of the 31st
Degree you're in another world.
902
00:55:36,340 --> 00:55:38,380
- The 31st Degree is one
of my favorite Degrees
903
00:55:38,380 --> 00:55:40,960
and I think all Southern
jurisdiction Scottish Rite Masons
904
00:55:40,960 --> 00:55:44,140
can agree that this is one of
the absolute greatest Degrees
905
00:55:44,140 --> 00:55:46,680
within the Scottish Rite, it's a real gem.
906
00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:51,100
We go to amenti, the
Egyptian Court of the Dead,
907
00:55:51,100 --> 00:55:53,640
where a new soul has arrived and
908
00:55:53,640 --> 00:55:56,570
must be judged by his actions.
909
00:55:56,570 --> 00:55:59,350
So among some of the
chief characters we have
910
00:55:59,350 --> 00:56:03,520
are Osiris and Anubis, and
Thoth, the giver of knowledge
911
00:56:04,410 --> 00:56:07,410
and the giver of life to the people.
912
00:56:08,400 --> 00:56:13,370
The soul makes its way
through the Court of the Dead,
913
00:56:13,370 --> 00:56:16,880
and the Gods themselves
are asked to weigh in
914
00:56:16,880 --> 00:56:21,050
and judge the soul's worthiness
to enter into the afterlife.
915
00:56:22,100 --> 00:56:24,010
- This Degree teaches there's going to be
916
00:56:24,010 --> 00:56:26,100
some uncomfortable things in it
917
00:56:26,100 --> 00:56:29,290
that I will have to let go of.
918
00:56:29,290 --> 00:56:33,770
It makes a point that we
have these human roles
919
00:56:33,770 --> 00:56:35,940
even if they might have spiritual titles
920
00:56:35,940 --> 00:56:39,370
such as Pope, or Bishop, or King,
921
00:56:39,370 --> 00:56:41,670
that has been ordained by God,
922
00:56:41,670 --> 00:56:45,070
that we will still die, all of us die,
923
00:56:45,070 --> 00:56:48,650
and that these temporal
leaders can't crush
924
00:56:49,840 --> 00:56:52,510
that human spirit if it is wise,
925
00:56:53,370 --> 00:56:57,120
if it has abandoned the
follies of the world,
926
00:56:58,720 --> 00:57:02,880
that there's parts of us
that just remain eternal.
927
00:57:05,050 --> 00:57:09,130
- The 31st Degree catches
you when you're feeling
928
00:57:10,340 --> 00:57:12,920
hey I've just about got it,
929
00:57:12,920 --> 00:57:16,470
and you can be feeling just
a little self satisfied
930
00:57:16,470 --> 00:57:20,630
at that point, one thing
I've survived all of them.
931
00:57:21,490 --> 00:57:25,490
Then it says okay, let's
talk about what's real.
932
00:57:28,610 --> 00:57:32,290
There are these series of questions
933
00:57:32,290 --> 00:57:36,450
and they are questions that
sneak up behind you, for example
934
00:57:37,680 --> 00:57:40,840
have you contributed to the United Way
935
00:57:41,730 --> 00:57:45,070
or other nice safe charities, but walked
936
00:57:45,070 --> 00:57:49,930
across the street to avoid
the bag lady who needed money?
937
00:57:49,930 --> 00:57:51,440
To have done that do you dare
938
00:57:51,440 --> 00:57:54,280
call yourself a charitable person?
939
00:57:57,860 --> 00:57:59,780
Have you been perfectly
willing to help people
940
00:57:59,780 --> 00:58:02,720
who need a hand up as long
as you don't get dirty?
941
00:58:02,720 --> 00:58:05,500
Have you been so careful about your image
942
00:58:05,500 --> 00:58:09,740
that you didn't care what
happened to other people?
943
00:58:09,740 --> 00:58:11,910
These things are easy to have happen.
944
00:58:11,910 --> 00:58:13,240
They really are.
945
00:58:15,340 --> 00:58:17,190
Along with more predictable questions like
946
00:58:17,190 --> 00:58:19,810
are you sure you have not tried to help
947
00:58:19,810 --> 00:58:23,730
put power in hands that don't deserve it?
948
00:58:23,730 --> 00:58:27,120
Or have you been nice to somebody
949
00:58:27,120 --> 00:58:29,380
just because they have power and you think
950
00:58:29,380 --> 00:58:33,380
you can get someplace
by being nice to them,
951
00:58:33,380 --> 00:58:35,060
which is a really contemptible thing
952
00:58:35,060 --> 00:58:38,090
but a very human thing to do.
953
00:58:38,090 --> 00:58:40,330
It takes you through all of these because
954
00:58:40,330 --> 00:58:44,080
it's saying if you are
going to know yourself
955
00:58:45,070 --> 00:58:47,970
then you've got to ask these questions,
956
00:58:47,970 --> 00:58:50,580
and it's fine just to
say yes, I'm charitable,
957
00:58:50,580 --> 00:58:55,450
I believe in education, I
believe in free government,
958
00:58:55,450 --> 00:58:59,050
and the question is how
much do you believe in that?
959
00:58:59,050 --> 00:59:02,650
Are you willing to let
people disagree with you?
960
00:59:02,650 --> 00:59:05,980
Are you willing to say okay I'm revolted
961
00:59:07,350 --> 00:59:10,210
by every single thing you are saying
962
00:59:10,210 --> 00:59:14,370
but I will absolutely
defend your right to say it?
963
00:59:16,340 --> 00:59:19,920
The 32nd Degree, Master
of the Royal Secret
964
00:59:20,800 --> 00:59:23,130
disappoints a lot of people,
965
00:59:24,280 --> 00:59:26,940
because they come to it expecting
966
00:59:26,940 --> 00:59:28,780
that the heavens are going to open,
967
00:59:28,780 --> 00:59:30,910
the scroll is going to unfold
968
00:59:30,910 --> 00:59:33,450
and there in letters
of fire are going to be
969
00:59:33,450 --> 00:59:38,020
the 18 words that teach you
how to control the weather,
970
00:59:38,020 --> 00:59:41,200
make sure crops never fail
and all the rest of it.
971
00:59:41,200 --> 00:59:45,870
Low and behold, what
they end up being told is
972
00:59:45,870 --> 00:59:48,200
you've known this all along.
973
00:59:49,740 --> 00:59:53,060
There is nothing new that you don't know.
974
00:59:53,060 --> 00:59:55,310
You know what's important,
975
00:59:55,310 --> 00:59:59,470
you know what is required to
lead a good life and go do it.
976
01:00:01,730 --> 01:00:05,030
Some people are just absolutely crushed.
977
01:00:05,030 --> 01:00:07,840
They figure they are now
going to be among those
978
01:00:07,840 --> 01:00:10,450
who are the King makers and they find out
979
01:00:10,450 --> 01:00:12,950
that there are no Kings to be made.
980
01:00:12,950 --> 01:00:15,320
- It's not about the external.
981
01:00:15,320 --> 01:00:17,730
It's completely about the
internal and you realize
982
01:00:17,730 --> 01:00:21,000
that everything else is like dualism,
983
01:00:21,000 --> 01:00:24,020
a total illusion and that the oneness that
984
01:00:24,020 --> 01:00:26,640
pervades everything, ourselves,
985
01:00:26,640 --> 01:00:29,700
the world that we live in, the
universe our world lives in,
986
01:00:29,700 --> 01:00:31,950
and everything that we can imagine,
987
01:00:31,950 --> 01:00:35,120
is all tied to that same divine spark,
988
01:00:36,360 --> 01:00:39,140
and that spark resides within all of us,
989
01:00:39,140 --> 01:00:42,980
and upon learning that,
upon integrating that
990
01:00:42,980 --> 01:00:46,250
into our souls, into our very being,
991
01:00:46,250 --> 01:00:47,890
at that point we truly become
992
01:00:47,890 --> 01:00:50,640
32nd Degree Scottish Rite Masons.
993
01:00:51,720 --> 01:00:55,900
- Now, there's something really
important being told here.
994
01:00:55,900 --> 01:01:00,270
You come to the realization
that the creator
995
01:01:00,270 --> 01:01:03,860
created you and you
are the only one of you
996
01:01:07,060 --> 01:01:09,650
ever to exist in this universe,
997
01:01:10,540 --> 01:01:13,120
there can never be another you.
998
01:01:14,910 --> 01:01:17,570
- I confer the 33rd Degree here.
999
01:01:19,280 --> 01:01:21,360
As did my father before me if
1000
01:01:21,360 --> 01:01:24,110
we're gonna talk about tradition.
1001
01:01:25,070 --> 01:01:29,800
It, I think, contains one of
Pike's most beautiful writing.
1002
01:01:29,800 --> 01:01:32,630
I think it is just terrific stuff.
1003
01:01:35,510 --> 01:01:37,680
It is not new information.
1004
01:01:41,510 --> 01:01:43,520
Many people figure it's going to be.
1005
01:01:43,520 --> 01:01:45,520
Finally I'm gonna get on the 33rd.
1006
01:01:45,520 --> 01:01:49,250
Here's where I find out
how I control the weather,
1007
01:01:49,250 --> 01:01:52,620
and make Kings and all the rest of it,
1008
01:01:52,620 --> 01:01:55,680
and that's not the point at all.
1009
01:01:55,680 --> 01:01:57,930
The point is to remind you,
1010
01:01:58,940 --> 01:02:01,390
well there's one place where it says
1011
01:02:01,390 --> 01:02:03,150
Master of the Royal
Secret is what you call
1012
01:02:03,150 --> 01:02:05,560
somebody who's got a 32nd Degree,
1013
01:02:05,560 --> 01:02:07,800
and the people are taking the Degrees,
1014
01:02:07,800 --> 01:02:10,940
our 32nd Degree Masons, and Pike says
1015
01:02:10,940 --> 01:02:13,890
Master of the Royal Secret,
1016
01:02:13,890 --> 01:02:16,720
do you deserve that name you bear?
1017
01:02:17,970 --> 01:02:22,140
Are you first and foremost
among the performers of charity?
1018
01:02:24,700 --> 01:02:27,610
Have you learned, have you studied?
1019
01:02:28,790 --> 01:02:31,950
Are you sure you have not lost the key
1020
01:02:33,080 --> 01:02:36,130
and therefore wander up and down the halls
1021
01:02:36,130 --> 01:02:39,630
of this magnificent palace, thinking it is
1022
01:02:40,920 --> 01:02:43,500
no such great structure at all,
1023
01:02:44,800 --> 01:02:48,390
but only such as are
built by ordinary men?
1024
01:02:50,020 --> 01:02:54,100
If that is true, then the oracles of truth
1025
01:02:54,100 --> 01:02:57,770
are encoded in you, and
you are in name only
1026
01:03:00,900 --> 01:03:03,970
a Master of the Royal Secret.
1027
01:03:03,970 --> 01:03:04,800
Wow.
1028
01:03:05,650 --> 01:03:08,680
You talk about laying it out.
1029
01:03:08,680 --> 01:03:10,630
And he does that so often.
1030
01:03:10,630 --> 01:03:13,170
Another of my favorite lines is
1031
01:03:13,170 --> 01:03:16,760
the truths of philosophy and religion are
1032
01:03:16,760 --> 01:03:19,260
for most men like the sun rays
1033
01:03:20,500 --> 01:03:24,100
that strike upon the arctic snows.
1034
01:03:24,100 --> 01:03:26,600
They glitter and are reflected
1035
01:03:29,080 --> 01:03:31,990
but they do not penetrate and warm.
1036
01:03:35,320 --> 01:03:37,070
So it's a Degree that
1037
01:03:42,120 --> 01:03:46,400
reminds you of some of
the important things
1038
01:03:46,400 --> 01:03:48,990
and reminds you that there is a
1039
01:03:50,980 --> 01:03:54,060
connecting thread in all of humanity.
1040
01:05:05,390 --> 01:05:09,060
- The York Rite per se
doesn't really exist.
1041
01:05:10,250 --> 01:05:13,450
It's kind of an umbrella
that's used to describe
1042
01:05:13,450 --> 01:05:16,950
three separate and independent structures.
1043
01:05:17,850 --> 01:05:20,600
The Chapter of Royal Arch Masons,
1044
01:05:21,490 --> 01:05:23,250
The Council of Cryptic Masons,
1045
01:05:23,250 --> 01:05:25,740
and the Commandery of Knights Templar,
1046
01:05:25,740 --> 01:05:27,780
are three separate organizational bodies
1047
01:05:27,780 --> 01:05:29,970
that make up the York Rite.
1048
01:05:29,970 --> 01:05:33,550
It's the term we use
to govern all of them.
1049
01:05:36,680 --> 01:05:39,260
So the story that makes
up the Chapter Degrees
1050
01:05:39,260 --> 01:05:43,260
is primarily the story of the completion,
1051
01:05:43,260 --> 01:05:47,430
dedication, destruction of
the Temple of King Solomon.
1052
01:05:50,660 --> 01:05:53,280
Of course there's important symbolism
1053
01:05:53,280 --> 01:05:56,150
that carries throughout,
in particular things like
1054
01:05:56,150 --> 01:05:59,340
the key stone, which
is an important symbol
1055
01:05:59,340 --> 01:06:01,630
in the Mark Master Degree,
the Most Excellent,
1056
01:06:01,630 --> 01:06:03,680
and the Royal Arch Degree and further
1057
01:06:03,680 --> 01:06:05,520
throughout the York Rite as well
1058
01:06:05,520 --> 01:06:09,090
that ties all of them
together in some way,
1059
01:06:09,090 --> 01:06:10,800
but ultimately they are the story
1060
01:06:10,800 --> 01:06:13,470
of our life, death, and rebirth.
1061
01:06:18,060 --> 01:06:21,480
- There is an important lesson imparted
1062
01:06:21,480 --> 01:06:25,450
in the course of this
that number one shows
1063
01:06:25,450 --> 01:06:28,280
you have to surmount the confusion
1064
01:06:29,800 --> 01:06:33,560
and the pandemonium of everyday life,
1065
01:06:33,560 --> 01:06:36,810
which is in essence the course traveled
1066
01:06:38,090 --> 01:06:40,460
from Babylon to Jerusalem.
1067
01:06:40,460 --> 01:06:42,910
Think about it, Babylon is a place
1068
01:06:42,910 --> 01:06:45,660
of confusion, chaos, incoherence,
1069
01:06:47,120 --> 01:06:49,870
and Jerusalem is a city of peace.
1070
01:06:54,930 --> 01:06:58,760
We begin clearing away the rubble of the
1071
01:06:58,760 --> 01:07:02,920
First Temple of Solomon, which
is now historically in ruins.
1072
01:07:04,680 --> 01:07:08,670
This is essentially the rubble of our life
1073
01:07:08,670 --> 01:07:12,130
and the working tools in Royal Arch become
1074
01:07:12,130 --> 01:07:15,840
the spade and the
pick-axe and the crowbar,
1075
01:07:15,840 --> 01:07:18,840
used to demonstrate to the candidate
1076
01:07:20,750 --> 01:07:24,960
that it requires some heavy
hand tools to pry away
1077
01:07:24,960 --> 01:07:27,000
some of the rocks and boulders
1078
01:07:27,000 --> 01:07:29,900
of your own prejudice
and your own ignorance
1079
01:07:29,900 --> 01:07:32,820
and your own lack of understanding.
1080
01:07:34,430 --> 01:07:38,600
Then, they're sent off to dig
into the ruins of the temple,
1081
01:07:40,310 --> 01:07:44,480
and they find an opening that
leads them down into a vault.
1082
01:07:45,500 --> 01:07:49,080
How curious, a vault
down inside the temple
1083
01:07:50,450 --> 01:07:54,370
of which the rubble is
the rubble of your life.
1084
01:07:55,560 --> 01:07:59,230
So therefore the temple
must be your temple,
1085
01:08:00,100 --> 01:08:04,270
your temple, your self that
has fallen to rag and ruin
1086
01:08:06,610 --> 01:08:11,340
and now you have descended
down into this vault,
1087
01:08:11,340 --> 01:08:15,510
into the inner you and you
come up from that vault
1088
01:08:16,720 --> 01:08:20,890
with a variety of treasures
hidden deep within you.
1089
01:08:22,910 --> 01:08:27,860
These are presented to the
three stationed officers
1090
01:08:27,860 --> 01:08:31,490
who could easily be representing your
1091
01:08:31,490 --> 01:08:33,530
super conscious, your conscious mind
1092
01:08:33,530 --> 01:08:35,570
and your sub conscious mind.
1093
01:08:35,570 --> 01:08:38,990
There are four veils, each of these veils
1094
01:08:40,100 --> 01:08:44,270
has a banner attached
to it, then the banners
1095
01:08:44,270 --> 01:08:49,140
are the banners of the lion,
the ox, the eagle, and the man.
1096
01:08:49,140 --> 01:08:51,920
These banners are said to be emblematic of
1097
01:08:51,920 --> 01:08:55,550
the four principle tribes of Israel.
1098
01:08:55,550 --> 01:08:57,310
The principle tribes?
1099
01:08:57,310 --> 01:08:59,790
Yeah, the principle tribes.
1100
01:08:59,790 --> 01:09:01,420
Well why are they the principle tribes?
1101
01:09:01,420 --> 01:09:03,330
What about the other tribes?
1102
01:09:03,330 --> 01:09:05,980
Well, we believe there were 12 tribes
1103
01:09:05,980 --> 01:09:08,060
plus the Levites who tended the
1104
01:09:08,060 --> 01:09:10,900
Arch of the Covenant in the Sinai.
1105
01:09:12,110 --> 01:09:16,110
These 12 tribes are very
much like the 12 houses
1106
01:09:17,580 --> 01:09:21,410
of the zodiac, and these
four principle tribes
1107
01:09:22,480 --> 01:09:26,070
are emblemized by the
four principle tribes
1108
01:09:27,440 --> 01:09:31,150
of the zodiac, or four
cardinal signs of the zodiac,
1109
01:09:31,150 --> 01:09:34,210
they're one and the same,
four principle tribes,
1110
01:09:34,210 --> 01:09:36,000
four cardinal signs of the zodiac,
1111
01:09:36,000 --> 01:09:38,170
and they're in exactly the same place.
1112
01:09:38,170 --> 01:09:42,330
Then, about 2,000 years ago,
we have a new dispensation
1113
01:09:43,770 --> 01:09:47,320
and that dispensation is
in 326 under the reign of
1114
01:09:47,320 --> 01:09:49,820
Constantine called Christianity.
1115
01:09:49,820 --> 01:09:53,530
Christianity has a doctrine and they have
1116
01:09:53,530 --> 01:09:56,110
their gospels and those gospels
1117
01:09:57,690 --> 01:10:02,070
are represented by Mathew,
Mark, Luke, and John.
1118
01:10:02,070 --> 01:10:06,160
Curiously, they are represented
by the very same emblems,
1119
01:10:06,160 --> 01:10:08,580
the lion, the ox, the eagle, and the man.
1120
01:10:08,580 --> 01:10:11,000
What is it trying to tell us?
1121
01:10:17,720 --> 01:10:21,890
It spells the name of Yhwh, Y-H-W-H,
1122
01:10:23,930 --> 01:10:27,600
and it's all buried
deep within this ritual.
1123
01:10:40,680 --> 01:10:44,180
The Council of Cryptic Masons provides two
1124
01:10:45,990 --> 01:10:49,910
different Degrees, the
Royal and Select Master.
1125
01:10:50,970 --> 01:10:55,140
Those Degrees were borrowed
from the Scottish Rite.
1126
01:10:56,490 --> 01:11:00,660
In order to help explain
how we get from the lodge
1127
01:11:03,040 --> 01:11:06,840
of Solomon to the Second Temple that is
1128
01:11:06,840 --> 01:11:10,650
illustrated and demonstrated
to us in the Royal Arch,
1129
01:11:10,650 --> 01:11:14,480
so that becomes explanatory
of the Royal Arch.
1130
01:11:17,210 --> 01:11:20,710
- The Cryptic picks up on some things that
1131
01:11:21,900 --> 01:11:24,060
happened in Hiram Abiff's life,
1132
01:11:24,060 --> 01:11:27,990
you learn some more of the secrets and get
1133
01:11:27,990 --> 01:11:30,810
a little bit more explanation
on how things took place.
1134
01:11:30,810 --> 01:11:33,810
They have this undertoe of symbolism
1135
01:11:36,280 --> 01:11:39,140
that makes them very beautiful.
1136
01:11:39,140 --> 01:11:42,970
There is a Third Degree
in the Cryptic Council
1137
01:11:43,880 --> 01:11:47,050
and that is the Super Excellent Master
1138
01:11:48,090 --> 01:11:49,330
which sounds like something out
1139
01:11:49,330 --> 01:11:52,590
of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure,
1140
01:11:52,590 --> 01:11:55,000
but that's more of a dramatic presentation
1141
01:11:55,000 --> 01:11:57,830
and that really feels like
a Scottish Rite Degree
1142
01:11:57,830 --> 01:12:00,040
much more than a York Rite Degree,
1143
01:12:00,040 --> 01:12:02,900
and it actually dips
back into the timeframe
1144
01:12:02,900 --> 01:12:06,580
of the Royal Arch itself and
the destruction of the temple
1145
01:12:06,580 --> 01:12:09,160
and depicts some of that drama.
1146
01:12:12,990 --> 01:12:16,260
- I came into this looking for
1147
01:12:16,260 --> 01:12:19,840
a system of moral, and
esoteric instruction
1148
01:12:21,860 --> 01:12:25,850
that would build me into
a better version of myself
1149
01:12:25,850 --> 01:12:30,010
that I could then really
understand on a deeper level.
1150
01:12:37,750 --> 01:12:40,970
- Jacques de Molay was a Grand Master
1151
01:12:40,970 --> 01:12:44,320
of the Knights Templar
during the crusades.
1152
01:12:44,320 --> 01:12:48,070
He was actually burned at the stake.
1153
01:12:48,070 --> 01:12:51,290
It's less of a burn and
more of a slow roast.
1154
01:12:51,290 --> 01:12:54,600
They really put this
man through the ringer.
1155
01:12:54,600 --> 01:12:57,510
The church wanted him to give up his
1156
01:12:57,510 --> 01:13:01,260
so called Lieutenance and to turn over
1157
01:13:01,260 --> 01:13:05,420
the wealth that the Templars
had amassed and he refused.
1158
01:13:06,650 --> 01:13:09,490
At its core, The Order is meant to
1159
01:13:13,350 --> 01:13:16,100
instill that same characteristic,
1160
01:13:17,830 --> 01:13:19,920
to be true to your word even
1161
01:13:19,920 --> 01:13:23,520
when things aren't going your way.
1162
01:13:23,520 --> 01:13:26,180
- Many people in masonry like to
1163
01:13:28,450 --> 01:13:32,620
see the Knights Templars of
the Crusades in their origins.
1164
01:13:33,790 --> 01:13:36,530
They had a certain moral and ethical code
1165
01:13:36,530 --> 01:13:39,950
and we liked to incorporate many of those
1166
01:13:40,810 --> 01:13:43,560
codes into our ritual and Degree.
1167
01:13:44,520 --> 01:13:48,890
- I had the honor of
becoming a Knight Templar.
1168
01:13:48,890 --> 01:13:51,340
I learned secrecy, and not secrecy
1169
01:13:51,340 --> 01:13:55,170
that most anti masons want to pin on us as
1170
01:13:55,170 --> 01:13:58,240
some subversive group that's
trying to take over the world,
1171
01:13:58,240 --> 01:14:00,970
but the secrecy of the inner self,
1172
01:14:00,970 --> 01:14:02,930
and of the world, the mysteries
1173
01:14:02,930 --> 01:14:05,590
that need to stay what they are.
1174
01:14:06,850 --> 01:14:09,460
- If a mason holds to the Christian faith,
1175
01:14:09,460 --> 01:14:11,580
then the Order of the Temple is something
1176
01:14:11,580 --> 01:14:13,540
that he really should consider pursuing.
1177
01:14:13,540 --> 01:14:16,790
It is such a deep spiritual experience.
1178
01:14:20,510 --> 01:14:24,670
In masonry, we have so many opportunities
1179
01:14:24,670 --> 01:14:28,260
for those deep transformative experiences.
1180
01:14:28,260 --> 01:14:29,980
Some of them are more
intellectual than others.
1181
01:14:29,980 --> 01:14:32,320
Some of them are very emotional.
1182
01:14:32,320 --> 01:14:36,100
Some of them open up new
vistas of ways of thought
1183
01:14:36,100 --> 01:14:38,770
into the teachings that we have.
1184
01:14:41,230 --> 01:14:42,800
In the Order of Temple Degree,
1185
01:14:42,800 --> 01:14:44,960
you're caused to represent someone who's
1186
01:14:44,960 --> 01:14:46,970
joining the literal Knights Templar
1187
01:14:46,970 --> 01:14:50,470
and you go through the pilgrims journey in
1188
01:14:51,900 --> 01:14:55,240
moving from the traveler to the warrior,
1189
01:14:58,400 --> 01:15:00,560
to eventually the Knight's Templar.
1190
01:15:00,560 --> 01:15:03,460
It ties in to the Third Degree as well,
1191
01:15:03,460 --> 01:15:06,230
it's pretty symbolic, as you move through
1192
01:15:06,230 --> 01:15:10,400
the progression of masonry,
I think it's a nice capstone.
1193
01:15:12,190 --> 01:15:16,030
It wraps up the York
Rite Degrees really well.
1194
01:15:19,310 --> 01:15:23,100
- There's a huge huge
huge difference between
1195
01:15:23,100 --> 01:15:25,390
the York Rite and the Scottish Rite.
1196
01:15:25,390 --> 01:15:29,360
Even though they're
telling the same story,
1197
01:15:29,360 --> 01:15:31,640
little different twists here and there
1198
01:15:31,640 --> 01:15:34,370
but essentially the same stories.
1199
01:15:34,370 --> 01:15:38,540
The massive difference at
the end of the York Rite
1200
01:15:39,730 --> 01:15:42,810
is that the York Rite requires you to
1201
01:15:43,840 --> 01:15:47,180
declare an adherence to a set of dogmas.
1202
01:15:50,910 --> 01:15:54,820
The Scottish Rite provides
you with a myriad of
1203
01:15:56,920 --> 01:15:59,940
dogmas, or facets of different dogmas,
1204
01:15:59,940 --> 01:16:04,260
and tells you that you
are free to sort this
1205
01:16:04,260 --> 01:16:08,680
out for yourself, and to
form your own conclusion
1206
01:16:08,680 --> 01:16:12,600
about where you fit in
this sequence of dogmas.
1207
01:16:14,340 --> 01:16:17,360
What does this mean to you?
1208
01:16:17,360 --> 01:16:20,940
The York Rite says this
is what it means to you
1209
01:16:20,940 --> 01:16:24,010
and you must sign on the dotted line.
1210
01:16:24,010 --> 01:16:26,480
So there's a difference
there, one tells you
1211
01:16:26,480 --> 01:16:30,270
what to think, the other tells
you to think for yourself.
1212
01:16:30,270 --> 01:16:33,410
But they both kind of
get you to the same point
1213
01:16:33,410 --> 01:16:37,000
and then you have to
decide at the very end
1214
01:16:37,000 --> 01:16:40,320
exactly where you stand on the issues.
1215
01:16:40,320 --> 01:16:44,940
Very very important,
very profound experiences
1216
01:16:44,940 --> 01:16:47,190
for every man to undertake.
1217
01:16:55,950 --> 01:16:59,950
- What will the fraternity
be like in 100 years?
1218
01:17:01,610 --> 01:17:05,370
My father, my grandfathers, my uncles
1219
01:17:05,370 --> 01:17:08,620
were all very active in the fraternity.
1220
01:17:09,960 --> 01:17:13,960
I grew up, the young man
exposed to Freemasonry.
1221
01:17:15,760 --> 01:17:20,530
Freemasonry has changed so
much during my lifetime.
1222
01:17:20,530 --> 01:17:24,700
It'd be hard to predict
what it's going to be like.
1223
01:17:27,590 --> 01:17:31,670
But there's certain things
that have not changed.
1224
01:17:33,400 --> 01:17:36,400
The fact that it's a symbolic system
1225
01:17:38,260 --> 01:17:40,590
taught through Degrees only.
1226
01:17:43,030 --> 01:17:46,740
That we have a ritual
that, well it's evolved,
1227
01:17:46,740 --> 01:17:47,910
not that much.
1228
01:17:51,440 --> 01:17:55,610
I think those things will
still be here in 100 years.
1229
01:17:56,910 --> 01:17:58,990
Who will be a mason then?
1230
01:17:59,970 --> 01:18:01,520
What are some of the things that masons
1231
01:18:01,520 --> 01:18:04,060
might do out in the community?
1232
01:18:04,060 --> 01:18:07,400
Those things will evolve over time.
1233
01:18:07,400 --> 01:18:10,480
But,
1234
01:18:11,640 --> 01:18:15,810
would attracted combatence
in the English Civil War
1235
01:18:19,840 --> 01:18:23,170
til one night, they aside their disputes
1236
01:18:25,090 --> 01:18:28,420
in a country home and become Freemasons?
1237
01:18:31,620 --> 01:18:35,120
That kind of spirit, I think will live on.
1238
01:18:36,980 --> 01:18:38,980
- The outer trappings of Freemasonry
1239
01:18:38,980 --> 01:18:41,270
change through the ages.
1240
01:18:41,270 --> 01:18:43,390
Once our lodges were lit by candles,
1241
01:18:43,390 --> 01:18:46,370
once we rode horses to lodge meetings,
1242
01:18:46,370 --> 01:18:51,100
or came by moonlight,
nowadays we travel in cars,
1243
01:18:51,100 --> 01:18:53,260
we travel in planes to that.
1244
01:18:53,260 --> 01:18:57,550
100 years from now the external
world will have changed.
1245
01:18:57,550 --> 01:19:01,630
But the core values of
Freemasonry will not have changed.
1246
01:19:01,630 --> 01:19:03,960
The Grand Master 100 years from now
1247
01:19:03,960 --> 01:19:08,130
is going to need to find
ways to empower every mason
1248
01:19:09,060 --> 01:19:10,650
to pursue that journey which is
1249
01:19:10,650 --> 01:19:13,030
the heart of what Freemasonry is.
1250
01:19:13,030 --> 01:19:15,760
I would suggest that he not forget that
1251
01:19:15,760 --> 01:19:18,500
his primary job is that of a teacher.
1252
01:19:18,500 --> 01:19:20,170
He is to teach those around that
1253
01:19:20,170 --> 01:19:23,720
the principles of Freemasonry are eternal
1254
01:19:23,720 --> 01:19:26,830
and that the pursuit of
the journey of a Freemason
1255
01:19:26,830 --> 01:19:30,140
regardless of the time and
the era in which it happens,
1256
01:19:30,140 --> 01:19:32,630
will be a challenge because the world is
1257
01:19:32,630 --> 01:19:35,890
not an easy place to be
in, but a Grand Master
1258
01:19:35,890 --> 01:19:39,650
who is willing to help empower his lodges
1259
01:19:39,650 --> 01:19:42,350
and his brethren to be masons
1260
01:19:42,350 --> 01:19:46,230
will be doing what Freemasonry
needs 100 years from now.
1261
01:19:46,230 --> 01:19:49,290
- Nothing can take away
or fundamentally alter
1262
01:19:49,290 --> 01:19:52,420
the experience of the Masonic Degrees
1263
01:19:52,420 --> 01:19:54,830
and the lessons we are taught within them.
1264
01:19:54,830 --> 01:19:56,790
They have stayed consistent through all
1265
01:19:56,790 --> 01:20:00,340
evolutions of man and society
from hundreds of years ago,
1266
01:20:00,340 --> 01:20:03,310
and is my sincere hope that they remain
1267
01:20:03,310 --> 01:20:05,390
the same a hundred years from now.
1268
01:20:05,390 --> 01:20:09,140
- The future of
Freemasonry is in the hands
1269
01:20:09,140 --> 01:20:11,640
of people who aren't here yet,
1270
01:20:13,100 --> 01:20:17,260
and it is up to them to carry
that torch into the future.
1271
01:20:23,800 --> 01:20:27,970
Light has a unique
characteristic that it fills all.
1272
01:20:34,010 --> 01:20:37,170
I think that the seekers of that light
1273
01:20:38,130 --> 01:20:42,210
can make a profound impact
on others around them.
1274
01:20:44,880 --> 01:20:47,970
By living that example, we can really
1275
01:20:48,800 --> 01:20:50,960
make a change for the better.
1276
01:20:50,960 --> 01:20:53,990
- Where this is gonna be in
10 years, I haven't a clue.
1277
01:20:53,990 --> 01:20:56,440
I've given up guessing,
1278
01:20:56,440 --> 01:21:00,600
but I am convinced that it
is meeting a genuine need
1279
01:21:01,810 --> 01:21:04,520
in the human psyche, and that as long
1280
01:21:04,520 --> 01:21:06,600
as that's true, it's gonna be there.
1281
01:21:06,600 --> 01:21:08,930
It's gonna survive.
1282
01:21:08,930 --> 01:21:12,480
20 years ago, I kind of had my doubts,
1283
01:21:12,480 --> 01:21:15,050
but now, I know it's safe.
1284
01:21:15,050 --> 01:21:18,600
- In the future, I think
our greatest challenge
1285
01:21:18,600 --> 01:21:22,680
is trying to assemble guys
maybe more like myself
1286
01:21:25,140 --> 01:21:29,550
that are vested in trying
to help younger masons
1287
01:21:29,550 --> 01:21:32,880
understand who and what they really are,
1288
01:21:33,740 --> 01:21:37,410
and cultivate the divine
gift that is within
1289
01:21:39,510 --> 01:21:41,430
each and every one of us.
1290
01:21:41,430 --> 01:21:44,780
- Masonry really teaches us that
1291
01:21:44,780 --> 01:21:48,200
we're all brothers from the same creator.
1292
01:21:49,840 --> 01:21:53,840
People of all religious
creeds, all cultures,
1293
01:21:53,840 --> 01:21:56,260
we're all living as brothers.
1294
01:21:59,030 --> 01:22:02,250
When you understand that it really,
1295
01:22:02,250 --> 01:22:05,510
a person of any faith can go to the
1296
01:22:05,510 --> 01:22:08,430
Masonic altar and become a brother.
1297
01:22:09,470 --> 01:22:12,120
- It is very important
to value your brothers
1298
01:22:12,120 --> 01:22:14,570
and value the lessons learned,
1299
01:22:14,570 --> 01:22:17,550
and if you're gonna do
anything in masonry,
1300
01:22:17,550 --> 01:22:22,330
recognize that it's not
anything that is modern.
1301
01:22:22,330 --> 01:22:26,830
It has historic values
that need to be continued.
1302
01:22:26,830 --> 01:22:30,910
Yes, we understand that
100 years, 200 years,
1303
01:22:30,910 --> 01:22:34,920
things are gonna change, but
certain things must remain.
1304
01:22:34,920 --> 01:22:37,810
The principles of knowledge must remain.
1305
01:22:37,810 --> 01:22:41,730
You've got to vie for that,
you've got to search for it,
1306
01:22:41,730 --> 01:22:45,280
and you've got to make
sure that you respect it
1307
01:22:45,280 --> 01:22:48,300
because others before you certainly has
1308
01:22:48,300 --> 01:22:51,460
put in a lot of work, tremendous work,
1309
01:22:52,330 --> 01:22:55,600
and that came about simply because
1310
01:22:55,600 --> 01:22:59,110
persons desired to continue
this work through their craft,
1311
01:22:59,110 --> 01:23:01,680
through their practice,
through the brotherhood,
1312
01:23:01,680 --> 01:23:05,320
through friendship, and I'd admonish you
1313
01:23:05,320 --> 01:23:08,830
to continue to follow the trend so that
1314
01:23:08,830 --> 01:23:12,100
two, three hundred years after you,
1315
01:23:12,100 --> 01:23:15,370
the princeps and precepts still stands.
1316
01:23:15,370 --> 01:23:16,620
Most important.
1317
01:23:18,590 --> 01:23:21,730
- We have a saying in
masonry that it takes
1318
01:23:21,730 --> 01:23:24,550
good men and makes them better.
1319
01:23:24,550 --> 01:23:26,760
Naturally the question I have is
1320
01:23:26,760 --> 01:23:28,430
what is it making me better for?
1321
01:23:28,430 --> 01:23:30,150
Why am I doing this?
1322
01:23:30,150 --> 01:23:34,200
Am I just trying to make
myself a better person for me
1323
01:23:34,200 --> 01:23:36,120
so that I can feel like a better person
1324
01:23:36,120 --> 01:23:39,090
or so I can wear some badge
and have a good guy badge?
1325
01:23:39,090 --> 01:23:41,300
I don't think that's really,
1326
01:23:41,300 --> 01:23:42,680
where it's gonna stock.
1327
01:23:42,680 --> 01:23:45,770
For me it's about making
myself a better person
1328
01:23:45,770 --> 01:23:48,350
so I can be part of a better world.
1329
01:23:48,350 --> 01:23:50,590
So that the transformation that I feel,
1330
01:23:50,590 --> 01:23:53,160
that I achieved within myself can carry
1331
01:23:53,160 --> 01:23:56,020
forward through my actions into the world,
1332
01:23:56,020 --> 01:23:59,210
and the lives of people
around me that have no idea.
1333
01:23:59,210 --> 01:24:01,620
They don't have any idea that
1334
01:24:02,480 --> 01:24:05,620
I go and dress up and go through these
1335
01:24:05,620 --> 01:24:09,540
really interesting rituals and Degrees.
1336
01:24:09,540 --> 01:24:12,640
They might not ever know that.
1337
01:24:12,640 --> 01:24:16,560
- I did find that there
is without a doubt God.
1338
01:24:22,080 --> 01:24:25,000
That when you find God, the paradox
1339
01:24:27,350 --> 01:24:31,840
of finding God is that, it's
a similar paradox in masonry
1340
01:24:31,840 --> 01:24:35,080
which is that how do you speak of God?
1341
01:24:35,080 --> 01:24:38,930
You can't put it into words necessarily.
1342
01:24:38,930 --> 01:24:42,470
It's the same thing as far as the secrets
1343
01:24:42,470 --> 01:24:44,810
of masonry go too, you can't
1344
01:24:47,370 --> 01:24:50,070
describe it with the human tongue because
1345
01:24:50,070 --> 01:24:54,070
all words are are symbols for thoughts.
1346
01:24:54,070 --> 01:24:58,640
So it goes a lot deeper than
just what's on the surface
1347
01:24:58,640 --> 01:25:02,060
and that's what masonry is, it's a
1348
01:25:02,060 --> 01:25:06,230
mystery school that teaches
the importance of conquering
1349
01:25:07,570 --> 01:25:09,780
these vices and super
fluidities in our lives
1350
01:25:09,780 --> 01:25:13,770
so that we can align our
hearts and our minds with God
1351
01:25:13,770 --> 01:25:16,130
and then have communion with God
1352
01:25:16,130 --> 01:25:19,400
and speak with God, and
ultimately find balance
1353
01:25:19,400 --> 01:25:21,760
and find our way back home.
1354
01:25:21,760 --> 01:25:24,980
- So that when it's all said and done,
1355
01:25:24,980 --> 01:25:29,590
he can look back and he
can have some sense of
1356
01:25:29,590 --> 01:25:32,760
comfort that he has lived a good life,
1357
01:25:33,950 --> 01:25:36,280
he has lived an examined life,
1358
01:25:36,280 --> 01:25:38,970
and in the process of learning himself,
1359
01:25:38,970 --> 01:25:42,560
he has taught other
men how to be good men.
1360
01:25:44,030 --> 01:25:48,200
Our ultimate goal is to live
respected and die regretted.
1361
01:29:58,790 --> 01:30:00,950
That's it.
1362
01:30:00,950 --> 01:30:04,640
Dude, that looked
so ridiculous and awesome.
1363
01:30:07,040 --> 01:30:08,910
That's going in the blooper section.
110345
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