THE MASONIC OATH
Reverence of Hierarchy has its balance in the understanding
of the pledge.... Thus, the pledge is indestructible when
Hierarchy is realized. I testify that as the Teacher is
immutable, so is the pledge firm. Therefore, do not pronounce the
word Teacher in vain. But having pronounced it do not think of
severing this silver thread.
.
Master Morya
Hierarchy, #299
...Great is the responsibility of him who takes the pledge.
Not in vain is it said the hand burns!
.
Master Morya
Heart, #46
There is no greater mystery and Teaching in Masonry than that
which is hidden in the degree pledges or oaths. As with the
Ritual and the degree work, there are several layers to this
"onion" which require time and patience to unravel.
Before we investigate some aspects of the oath (which is really
called by another name) I must confess that I cannot reveal these
oaths in writing lest I commit a crime of a most serious and
fatal nature. That which is hidden can only be alluded to and
only those initiated into the craft will understand.
The absolute dignity, beauty, wonder, covenant, and esoteric
Teaching contained in the Masonic oath is unparalleled anywhere,
save in the chambers of Hierarchy or in the presence of the
Teacher, Christ, and the One Initiator.
The Masonic oath is
- a covenant between you, your brethren, your Soul, the
Head of All True FreeMasons, and the Head of the
Hierarchy. In some obediences, the pledge includes an
obedience to the ruling aspect of that obedience (a
Supreme Council, Grand Master, etc.). It is a covenant
between your brethren because they are representative of
all humanity, and all oaths related to the path of
holiness are in actuality oaths related to service. The
brethren are symbolic of that which you have dedicated
yourself to serve. They will act as watchers to see if
you will in fact remain true to that oath. Your Soul is
that which you are becoming through your service. It is
your guide on your path of service, and It will help you,
if you listen and obey, and stay true to your pledge. The
H.O.A.T.F. is especially interested in this oath because
all of Hierarchy rejoices when a true server steps upon
the way. If He sees that you are doing your work, He will
guide you to a real Teacher who will act as an
intermediary between Him, your Soul, and you. The Head of
the Hierarchy is the Christ. It is He who is the Teacher
of all true servers, and it is He who first initiates you
into the Great Service. His bond is in the heart, as are
all bonds. When you serve your oath and humanity, you are
serving Him and helping Him to heal, uplift, and
transform this planet.
- a great Teaching that is relevant in part and in whole to
the entire path of holiness, from the beginning steps
right up to Mastery. From the E.A. to the 33rd Degree,
each pledge contains a Teaching upon which all the other
pledges rest or are built. Each of the Masonic degrees
are designed to move the student forward in their
evolution. The pledge or oath is the keystone to the
Teaching in Masonry. Without it, there is no Masonry.
- a vision and continuous challenge for each Mason to
maintain and follow with the utmost sincerity and trust.
Generally, the Teaching in the oath is a serious
challenge to us far greater than mastering music,
science, or any other feat. It is so because it is a
challenge to master ourselves.
- The Masonic oath is a symbol and contains certain
esoteric information that is carefully coded of which
only those whose inner heart is awakened can understand
and utilize.
- Ageless, Timeless, and for all Eternity. It is not
something that is convenient for now, when it suits us,
and can be dispensed with later when it does not suit our
personality interests, greed, selfishness, or ego. This
is exactly where each and every Mason fails many on the
first step. They think that the oath can be lived up to
one day and discarded the next if it suits their
purposes. If the oath says to not slander your brother it
means just that. Don't do it! If you do (and who
doesn't?) then you have failed your oath and must make
reparations toward your Soul and on your path.
- a Great Test in which your personality and Soul strive
toward advancement. When you make pledges in the highest
moments of your aspirations, these moments are recorded
in Hierarchy. This sets into motion a whole level of
reality that would not ordinarily have come into your
life. This will express itself as challenges, obstacles,
increased repayment of ancient karma, opportunities for
striving, and opportunities for labor and sacrifice. All
these things are designed to test your sincerity and help
you to become your true Self.
Each of these aspects, and there are more levels to it than
this, must be understood not only in the head but in the heart as
well. Too many Masons pledge these oaths and then conveniently
forget about them after they are taken; they literally do not
look or think about them again until it is required of them to do
so for the advancement of someone else in the Craft.
These oaths were carefully constructed to raise the
consciousness of the Mason to higher levels of beingness. They
are the work of the Greatest Souls ever to walk upon this Earth.
They were never meant to be just another part of the Ritual that
needed to be done for dramatic purposes, but they were designed
to give a great and advanced Teaching. This can be tested by a
systematic study and meditation upon each word and sentence of
the oath. Superficially, they reveal an allegorical
understanding, much in the same way the Master Jesus and other
Great Ones taught. But, by peeling away the very first layer, a
whole new understanding presents itself to us. If we attempt to
live that understanding, then another level reveals itself...and
so on.
Every time we live up to the essence of our oaths, we
strengthen the inner bonds between ourselves and our Soul.
Conversely, each time we betray some aspect of each oath we close
a doorway on our path and shrink the line of communication in our
heart. If we attempt to consciously follow each aspect of our
oaths, we also build new lines of communication that eventually
establish the rainbow bridge between ourselves, the Master, our
Solar Angel, Hierarchy, and beyond.
When a Mason makes this oath in the presence of his brethren
in T.G.A.O.T.U., he is inspired with daring, nobility, humility,
and great beauty. If he entered the craft with sincere motive and
aspiration, the Soul takes the moment and the oath and records
this event to see if the person will strive toward its principles
and Teachings. The actual moment of consecration and of making
this covenant is one in which the Soul sends a beam of light into
the mind and heart of the candidate which inspires him or her to
greater striving on the path.
Any conscious violation of the oath in a willful fashion
creates and sets into motion the following effects.
- It creates karma that is related to the level and treason
of the violation. This karma then takes all the related
events that are involved in the treason and ties it to
the person's path.
- It closes a door of opportunity in which the person might
have had in the future related to the Teaching or some
other thing. By this betrayal, the person will never know
what he will have missed, because the opportunity will
now not present itself. For example, I knew a woman who
had taken an oath of secrecy. Unknown to her, if she had
stayed faithful to her pledge, she would have made a
great contact with a very advanced Arhat. Within thirty
days of taking this pledge, she failed it. This doorway
closed for her definitely for the rest of her life; she
does not realize the lost opportunity because it will
never become known to her. Another boy chose to lie to
his Teacher and contact with an esoteric school never
came his way, but the invitation was only days away.
These examples illustrate for us the serious nature of
the oaths and pledges that we make in the chamber of our
heart. The marriage oath is of a similar nature. How many
families lose out on lasting harmony, love, and bliss by
the continual betrayal of their oaths?
- It short-circuits the etheric/electrical pathways around
the brain. This is a cause of blackouts, amnesia, and
various other memory disorders. It also creates barriers
into higher levels of meditation and contact. This
violation exists in the aura as a huge boulder which must
and will one day come into the person's life for payment.
If you realize that somewhere in your past you have violated
your oath, it is not too late to redeem yourself and your path.
If such a situation exists for a person, he or she should do the
following:
- Retake the oath with sincerity and humility. This can be
done at home or in the Temple.
- Make a sincere prayer to the highest you can realize
(God, the Teacher, Christ, or some Great One) and ask for
the wisdom to do better the next time.
- Find all those people who have been hurt by the betrayal
and make any amends that are necessary. In many cases,
the damage is on Soul levels and only sincere striving
and service to humanity will erase the darkness of the
Treason.
- Make a promise to yourself to daily or weekly set aside a
time for the study and meditation upon the inner meanings
of the oath.
- Live the rest of your life as an example of that oath.
Copyright 1994, Don Bradley
FreeMasonry in the 21st Century
Further
Enlightenment