For any inquiring mind, this little book sets out to help answer questions – not so much: ‘What does it mean?’ but rather: ‘What can it mean?’, since the journey is concerned not with learning other people’s answers, but in working out answers for yourself. This is a book about what it means to walk the path of a Freemason; to be inspired by its rituals, to live your life by its precepts and to cultivate virtue within yourself. You may want answers to questions such as Why can I not become a Freemason by reading about it in a book? What does initiation do for me? What is the point of secrets in Freemasonry? Why are the square and compasses in Freemasonry such a universal symbol? What are Masonic symbols for? Do they mean anything? Can Freemasonry be as meaningful for me as my religion? By being a Freemason, can I be closer to God? Why are we called ‘Free’ Masons? If secrets in Freemasonry are not to hide something, what are they for? What does the ritual mean when it talks of avoiding fear and rashness? How can symbols best be used? Can working tools really be used to make me a better person? If so, how? Why is it said that lodges stand on holy ground? How am I to understand light in a symbolic sense? At the end of each little talk there are some questions to be answered. This book can be used either as a list of short talks to be given in Lodge, or as an individual study for the Freemason in his own home.
Review
This is a book of short talks to be given in lodge, or for a freemason to take home and read at his leisure. It is a sort of masonic primer, in which one can find answers to questions that commonly engage our attention. Why are we called ‘Free’ masons? If secrets in freemasonry are not to hide something, what are they for? What does the ritual mean when it speaks of ‘avoiding fear and rashness’? How may we best use symbols in daily life? How am I to understand ‘light’ in a masonic sense? Why is it said that lodges stand on Holy Ground? What does initiation do for me? Why are the Square and Compasses such a universal masonic symbol? By being a freemason, can I be closer to God?
This book is about what it means to walk the path of a freemason; to be inspired by its rituals, to live your life by its precepts and to cultivate virtue within yourself. The little lectures are well-structured and easy to read. Some are appropriate to all three degrees, and others are specific to the second or third degrees. Each one has appended to it a list of subjects for the individual freemason to explore and to find his own answers to. This book is quite simply a gem; a mine of simple and easy to read aspects of the ancient art.
Michael Baigent