STB-81-07
SECRECY IN SYMBOLISM
by James M. Desmond
This Short Talk Bulletin has been adapted from a
paper presented to the Connecticut Philosophic
Lodge of Research in 1972. It was written by Brother
James M. Desmond, who served as Grand Master of
Masons in Connecticut in 1978. We thank M.W.
Brother Desmond and the Philosophic Lodge of
Research for sharing it as a Short Talk Bulletin.
The ideas presented in this paper are in
response to a question that arises in the mind of
nearly every newly-made Mason. Perhaps a
month or two from the time he is raised, a
helpful Brother presents the surprising news
that all our secrets have been exposed. It may
come up during an instruction session, or the
new Brother may be already trying to find out
how much of our work is secret, and how much
he can tell to his wife. Or it may be in the talk
over coffee after the lodge is closed. In any
event the Brother learns that the ritual work,
the signs and words, and everything else, can be
found written down in a book, an expose', and
he probably learns who has such a book!
However it comes about, the new Brother
begins to wonder why he was made to understand that Masons took secrecy so seriously,
and if he has been somewhat gullible for adopting a similar attitude. He wonders about it--
he remembers the penalties. How is he to
resolve this inconsistent situation? On the other
hand, he is sworn to secrecy, the lodge is tyled
to prevent unauthorized intrusion and visitors
are examined to see if they are Masons and
deserving to be admitted. On the other hand, he
finds that there remains no real secrecy, yet no
one seems greatly concerned. If he asks, they
kind of shrug, and change the subject. If
Masons feel this way about secrecy, do they
likewise take the other teachings lightly and of
no great importance? Do Masons go through
elaborate ritualistic means to present great
ideas of morality, and brotherly love, and then
have no more concern for these principles than
they apparently have for the practice of
secrecy?
Of course, there is no doubt that Masons
take their teachings, and secrecy, seriously. It is
not the purpose of this discussion to consider
such questions. Neither will we discuss the
usual traditional basis for secrecy; they do not
provide a satisfactory answer in the sense
sought here.
The approach taken here will be much narrower
in scope, perhaps even a technical approach. We will try to understand how the continued practice of secrecy can be necessary not
only because of its inherent position among the
landmarks as an essential ingredient of our
philosophy, but because it has a practical purpose, that of insuring the success of our
methods of teaching. To see how the method
used by Masonry for so long, depends on
secrecy for effectiveness. To show that secrecy
is valuable, not because it keeps those outside
the temple from finding what goes on within,
but because it makes the lessons within more effective for those being taught. We can even go
so far as to say that the enduring success of the
order for generations depends as much on this
effective method of presenting the teachings as
it does on their content.
We will show that the Masonic method is
consistent with rules for learning, rules which
require active involvement on the part of the
one being instructed. Furthermore, the practice
of secrecy enforces teaching according to this
principle of active involvement.
Let us examine in turn, then, the traditional
practices used in Masonry, the role of secrecy,
and possibility of further improvement in approaches to our goals which make use of findings from the science of learning.
1. Learning Principles
One principle of learning is that an idea is
learned better when we become more deeply involved with it. If there is a skill to be learned,
such as riding a bike or driving a car, then
muscular activity plays a part, and calls into use
additional avenues of perception. Such
muscular skills are extremely well learned and
retained for a long time, even after long periods
of disuse. If the thing to be learned is an idea or
a thought, we learn and remember it better by
going over it in our minds, examining it, trying
it out in different situations. We get deeply involved, and the learning takes place at a deep
level in our minds. On the other hand, ideas
that we receive only passively in the conscious
thinking levels of our minds, make little lasting
impression .
Concepts thus deeply learned are embedded
in our minds and become a part of our Self.
They play a most important part in controlling
our future thoughts, actions, and responses to
various situations. This process of deep learning has been going on in each of us since infancy, consciously or unconsciously. It can be a
powerful force, shaping the characters of men
according to highest standards, inculcating the
virtues of brotherly love, relief and truth.
It continues throughout our lifetime, forming our personality, shaping our character.
Masonry, to reach its goal of character development, tries to impress in our minds tremendous lessons. In its methods, Masonry takes its
candidates by the hand and literally leads them
in involved participation into the beautiful
ceremonies and lectures. Masonic instruction in
this manner clearly impresses the lessons on its
candidates, not by passive exposure, but by active experience.
Masonry has known and used this simple
principle for hundreds of years. Our instruction
is imparted by the ritual only. Candidates have
to participate, get involved, in the experience
they undergo.
Merely reading matter that we want to learn
is not as effective. The information is held in
the conscious training levels of the mind. It may
not reach the deeper levels where it becomes a
part of our self. If the lessons could be so easily
learned, the ritual would not be necessary. But
they cannot. Masonic teaching requires the active participation of the candidate.
With this understanding of the method of
learning which has long been used in Masonry,
it will be easy to see its relation to secrecy, or
rather the role played by secrecy in the Masonic
method.
II. Secrecy
Besides being essential to the form of
Masonry we know, and in spite of the fact that
the secrets can be obtained in a clandestine
manner outside the lodge, the importance of
secrecy lies in the part it plays in protecting the
prospective candidate from learning, or being
exposed to, the teachings without actively
entering into them through the degree work. He
must experience them.
As far as the candidate is concerned, this
simple idea provides a satisfactory answer to
the question raised at the opening of this discussion. While our first thought might be that
secrecy prevents the outsider from learning
secrets that give us some supposed advantage,
we can now see that its most important effect is
to insure that the teachings are learned by real
experience under control of the ritual. We have
no secrets. We would proclaim our teachings
from the rooftops as loudly as we can for all to
hear, if they could be learned in that manner.
They are neither secret nor unique to Masonry.
The Masonic method uses secrecy to insure that
the initiate receives the message with all the advantages of active experiences.
This is a very important idea. It is of central
importance in the persistence of Masonry
throughout the ages. Masonry continues to exist not because it has esoteric power, but
because it uses secrecy to strengthen the sound
teaching principles which it uses. Secrecy
is used to keep the candidates from learning the lessons in any other than the most effective manner. Masonry takes the eternal
truths and through its method of instruction by
active participation deeply embeds them in the
minds and hearts of men.
We are led to a concept of symbolic secrecythe act or practice of secrecy is itself a symbol.
It symbolizes the Masonic method of instruction that requires active experiencing by the
candidate of the lessons in the work. This concept of secrecy as a symbol can have a dynamic
effect in the lives of those who choose to
become Masons and strive to perfect their skills
in our art. It gives rise to a power that molds
character and inculcates the higher principles of
moral conduct. This is what Masonry is all
about, and it can only be achieved in this manner of teaching. That is, of acquiring, at a deep
inner level, the knowledge and beliefs which
control and shape our lives in the most
desirable way.
The profane are excluded not by being
unable to obtain secret knowledge about
Masonry, but by being unable to profit by the
unique effective means of instruction employed
in the ritual.
The great truths of our art are learned not
by reading them or passively hearing them, but
by deep active experience which puts the ideas
into the innermost parts of our minds and
bodies, where they become active, powerful
forces controlling our behavior and shaping our
lives in accord with the highest principles of
moral character and personal development.
III. New Approaches lo Old Coals
Some psychologists have come to believe, as
a result of controlled experiments, that improvement can be gained not only by real practice, but also by practice in the imagination.
That is, once we have experienced a new idea or
skill, practice in the imagination is as effective
as actual practice. Thus basketball players or
golfers can improve their scores by regular
practice, not on the court or fairway, but in
their minds, by imagining that they are actually
playing.
In a controlled experiment, psychologist
R.A. Vandell proved that mental practice in
throwing darts at a target, wherein the person
sits for a period each day in front of the target,
and imagines throwing darts at it, improves aim
as much as actually throwing darts.
Another report concerns an experiment on
the effects of mental practice on improving skill
in sinking basketball free throws. One group,
which practiced every day in their imagination,
improved in scoring as much as another group
which actually practiced.
The deep inner mind, which we call the subconscious, receives its impressions of the outer
world from the conscious thinking part of our
brains. Since accurately imagined experiences
produce the same sort of impressions as real
ones, and since they follow the same channels
to the subconscious mind, real experiences and
imagined experiences cannot be easily
distinguished by the inner mind. In this manner
the imagined practice produced the same
beneficial results as actual practice.
You may wonder what all this has to do
with secrecy or with Masonry. Well, if we
find that secrecy supports Masonry's use of a
well-known principle of learning, why can't we
take advantage of a newer idea from the science
of learning? Why cannot a Mason, who has
been properly inducted into our order, gain
more, whenever he is present at the exemplification of one of the degrees, by taking an active
part by way of the imagination more than he
could by sitting passively on the sidelines.
Why can't we, while the officers are
enlightening and instructing the candidates, accompany him in our imagination? We can imagine in great detail, that we are again going
through the steps with the candidate. We can
thus strengthen the association between the
ritual and ideas it expresses so that the symbolic
acts become deeply embedded in our minds.
This provides a better foundation on which to
build an improved concept of what our life can
and should be.
In these procedures, it is important to have
clearly defined goals to guide the formation of
impressions transmitted to our subconscious
minds. The goals are found in Masonry: the
development of moral character, inculcation of
the Masonic virtues-charity, relief,
brotherhood.
SUMMARY
First, the method of instruction used in
Masonry is based on the principle, which is now
well-known, that active experience and deep involvement improve the process of education.
Second, in addition to its traditional basis,
Masonic secrecy is essential to the Masonic
method of instruction, the means of insuring
that our candidates receive their instruction in
the prescribed active manner. It matters not
that the work is exposed, since the profane lack
the "secret" of active involvement.
We started out looking for a symbolic
meaning in the continued practice of secrecy in
Masonry. Instead, we have come to realize that
secrecy is not for the purpose of excluding the
profane, but for the benefit of our initiates,
since it is, in effect, employed to insure the success of our method.
If we want to consider secrecy to be a symbol, it is a symbol of a method of learning by
active participation.
Third, in a recent extension of the principle
of learning by experience, it appears that practice or rehearsal carried out in the imagination
is nearly as effective as actual practice.
That we can apply this extension by not sitting passively on the sidelines, but by taking
part in our imagination while we are witnessing
the work.
Finally, and most important, those methods
of learning are more effective when they are
directed toward a goal. Masonry provides the
clearly defined goal. It is the improvement of
moral character, and the inculcation of
brotherly love and the Masonic virtues; that all
men may be brothers united in their labors, to
the eternal honor of the name of the Great Architect of the Universe.
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