STB-95-02
Music by Brother J. L. F. Mendelssohn.
"FOREVER CONCEAL, AND NEVER REVEAL"
The "Secrets" of Freemasonry
By: Eugene L. Goldman, P.M.
Brother Goldman is a member ot Blackmer
Lodge #442, Free and Accepted Masons, State of
California. He served his lodge as Master in
1993 and currently serves as Chairman of it's
Masonic Education Committee.
While serving my Lodge, I had occasion to call
on one of our Entered Apprentices to ask about
the reasons for his long absence from the Work.
Like all too many men who join our Fraternity,
he completed his initiation and then disappeared.
He had several reasons; the demands of his business had picked up, some personal issues requiring his attention at home, scheduling problems
with his Coach, etc. All these were valid, but
there appeared more to this than he was letting
on. After some more conversation the truth was
revealed... he was concerned about his obligation, particularly about the penalties for revealing
our secrets.
Our Brother is a man who is very interested in
Symbolism, Metaphysics, and (what we call our)
Esoteric Work. The reason he sought out a
Lodge to join was to write some papers on our
Symbolism! He explained that he became
alarmed when taking the obligation. We never
informed him of what "secrets" he had just
vowed to protect! We simply advised him of
grave penalties for failing to protect them. This
caused him concern, as it was his goal to bring
some light to non-initiates in his writings. Being
a man of much honor, he felt it better to go no
further in our mysteries to be free to explain
some of our symbolism to non-masons.
Symbolic vs. Pragmatic
We entered a discussion of the penalties. The
need for protection of our secrets was, and is,
self evident . . . if everyone knows our secrets,
we have none. Having none, we are no longer
unique, or even special. Nothing then remains to
induce men of good moral character to want to
associate with us. We discussed the historic
nature of the penalties. Without addressing the
accuracy of our alleged descent from the Knights
Templar, there have been other times in history
when Masons have faced death simply for being
Masons, and living according to Masonic principles. Hitler, Franco, Khomeni, and others have
issued death sentences for freethinkers. We teach
our candidates to be freethinkers by the nature of
our ceremonies.
He was surprised to learn that, under Masonic
Law, the strongest penalty a Lodge can impose
on a member is simply expulsion from the
Fraternity ! Although to most Masons, separation
from the Craft would be tar worse than the grisly acts described in our Ritual ! The term "no less
a penalty" applies here, in great measure. The
thought of revealing our secrets to the unentitled
should cause revulsion in the minds of our membership.
The Secrets Themselves
What are our secrets? Today, in this country,
our existence is well known. Published phone
numbers and meeting times, even the jewelry
openly and proudly worn by many Masons is
evidence of this.
That we use mystic ceremonies, embedded
with symbolism to impart moral and ethical
lessons to our novitiates is almost as well documented. Any interested person could enter a specialty bookstore, purchase a book or two and
learn the essence of our ceremonies. At the Local
Masonic Center in my area there is a book store,
well stocked with books on and about Masonry,
and writings by many Masons. Many of these
books clearly explain our ceremonies and the
reasons for the manner in which we exemplify
them. Within the same building there is a library
containing hundreds of volumes of writings by
countless Masonic scholars. Most of these books
discuss either the history of our Craft, or the
Ceremonies and symbolism we employ in our
Work. Who we are, what we do, and how we do
it are clearly not secret.
We proudly refer to our modes of recognition
as the only secrets in our craft today. In my
library at home, I have books describing our ritual in detail. These books have clear English text
and include our cherished modes of recognition
(complete with diagrams). These books were
purchased at a wonderful little bookstore in the
Business district in my neighborhood. Any interested person, with a few dollars, can do the same.
Though Masons treat the modes of recognition as
secret, they could not be considered unknown
outside the Craft.
Secrets Defined
Well, what does that leave? It sounds like it's
all out in the open. Our existence, methods, ritual, even the ways we recognize each othecr are
known to any expressing an interest. The real
secret of our Craft is the spiritual and emotional
growth we encountered because of the experiences we shared The true Mysteries of Freemasonry are contained within the acts of being
conducted around the Lodge Room, kneeling at
the Altar, first learning the Grips and Words of
the several Degrees, and participating in the
Third Degree Ritual. Experiencing this as we do
(first hand) cannot be described in words. As
with many other life experiences "you have to be
there" to really understand it. Words could only
confuse the issue, never explain it.
What this means to us, my Brother
What does it mean that we are required to keep
all this secret? The prohibition against unlawful
disclosure of these secrets is meant to protect our
ritual from corruption. It is not prohibited to
instruct a candidate in the Work. Proper instruction of Candidates is strongly encouraged by
Lodges.
Candidates Coaches (the unsung warriors of
our Fraternity ) spend hour after hour personally
instructing candidates in a myriad of areas. The
Ritual Work, the history of Freemasonry, even
proper Lodge etiquette are topics of much discussion. They spend many additional hours
sharpening their proficiency in the Work to do
this more effectively. They patiently answer the
hundreds of questions posed by Candidates.
Officers spend evenings away from their families to attend practices to improve their Work. In
California, Coaches and Officers are required to
attend District Schools of Instruction, and when
proficient, they are certified by District
Inspectors. Inspectors are supervised by
Assistant Grand Lecturers. These men come
under the oversight of the Grand Lecturer. The
Grand Lodge of California, and most of its constituent Lodges, have active committees on
Masonic Education. This elaborate system exists
to insure that Candidates receive proper instruction.
Work is done only in a tyled Lodge, by qualified Officers. Coaching is done in private settings, by skilled and dedicated men. In this way
the Ancient Landmarks are preserved. If Degrees
were to be conducted by the unqualified, errors
would begin to seep in and Keystones would
begin to change or disappear. The essence of the
Work would change and those elements that
make it what it is would be lost. Thus, it is easy
to see why the admonition against unlawful disclosure of our Work exists.
The 'flip side"
"That is it'? All I have to do is leave things to the
Officers and Coaches and I have fulfilled my
Obligation?" Not at all! Remember promising
never to reveal these secrets unlawfully? That
promise contains a hidden injunction to reveal
lawfully. Relate the emotions you feel in Lodge
to your family and friends, and to the way in
which you conduct your life. Share what
Masonry means to you by your conduct out of
the Lodge. Remind yourself why you are a
Mason. Let the world see, by your actions, evidence of the growth you experienced. Promote
your Lodge's activities and invite non-Masons to
social activities. They just might get caught up in
the spirit of Brotherhood and ask "How may I
become a Mason'?". Then discuss the membership and degree processes with him. If he asks
for a petition, help him fill it out. Introduce him
to other members of your Lodge.
Lawful disclosure of our secrets
Signing a petition also carries with it a moral
obligation. It obliges you to support our new
Brother through his Masonic travels. Be present
at his Degrees and Proficiency examinations.
Patiently answer his questions, or refer him to his
Coach. Sit with him at Lodge dinners and in
Lodge. Be to him the friend you told your Lodge
he was to you.
Being a member of a Lodge enjoins you to
attend whenever you can, even if you are not an
officer. A full Lodge room for an initiation
expresses the love of the fraternity to the
Candidate and encourages him to become more
active himself.
Doing these things will go a long way to fulfilling your "unstated" obligation to lawfully
communicate the secrets of Freemasonry.
Become a True and faithful Brother and encourage others by your cackle.
Meanwhile back at the Coaching Room
Remember our Candidate'? As this paper is
being written, he has actively resumed meeting
with his Coach. He is looking forward to completing his Degrees, and writing many excellent
articles on our Craft. I know he will be happy as
he forever reveals, and never conceals much of
the non-secret information about our Fraternity.
He will be happier still as he lawfully communicates many of our secrets.
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