Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:01,302 --> 00:00:04,802
(Tricoast Worldwide tone)
2
00:00:10,340 --> 00:00:14,173
(slow tempo melancholy music)
3
00:00:26,939 --> 00:00:29,772
(mid tempo piano)
4
00:01:32,475 --> 00:01:34,975
- I became a Freemason because
5
00:01:35,862 --> 00:01:37,700
I was obsessed with understanding
6
00:01:37,700 --> 00:01:40,554
what death was at a very young age.
7
00:01:40,554 --> 00:01:42,221
I was born in Spain.
8
00:01:44,193 --> 00:01:47,706
My mother worked for the government
9
00:01:47,706 --> 00:01:50,623
and my father was in the Air Force.
10
00:01:51,597 --> 00:01:54,800
It was pretty soon when
we moved to New York
11
00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,251
that my parents got divorced,
12
00:01:57,251 --> 00:02:00,763
and then my mother
remarried to my step-father.
13
00:02:00,763 --> 00:02:02,767
As I grew up my step-dad became
14
00:02:02,767 --> 00:02:04,399
the prominent figure in my life.
15
00:02:04,399 --> 00:02:07,985
He was my hockey coach, I
played ice hockey for 13 years.
16
00:02:07,985 --> 00:02:11,568
On December 26th, 1991,
I was 14 years old.
17
00:02:13,657 --> 00:02:15,368
It was the night after Christmas
18
00:02:15,368 --> 00:02:18,868
and my step-father died of a heart attack.
19
00:02:20,499 --> 00:02:22,958
After my dad has died,
I really was looking
20
00:02:22,958 --> 00:02:25,443
for an answer for why this happens.
21
00:02:25,443 --> 00:02:29,106
It sent me on this journey to understand
22
00:02:29,106 --> 00:02:31,606
what this was, why it happens,
23
00:02:32,706 --> 00:02:34,370
and then what happens after you die,
24
00:02:34,370 --> 00:02:37,953
is there something, is
there not something?
25
00:02:40,966 --> 00:02:43,447
Part of what this story's about is
26
00:02:43,447 --> 00:02:47,614
the quest of going as deep
as you can into the unknown.
27
00:02:53,513 --> 00:02:56,263
- So as the story starts, we have
28
00:02:57,234 --> 00:02:59,651
some very peculiar questions.
29
00:03:03,021 --> 00:03:06,610
The fundamental message of masonry is
30
00:03:06,610 --> 00:03:10,777
truly man's pursuit of
communion with his creator.
31
00:03:17,165 --> 00:03:21,033
And masonry is a very unique and ancient
32
00:03:21,033 --> 00:03:24,533
age old repository of wisdom and knowledge
33
00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:28,173
that has been preserved through the ages
34
00:03:28,173 --> 00:03:30,941
and gives a whole new perspective
35
00:03:30,941 --> 00:03:34,892
to the man looking to
understand who he is,
36
00:03:34,892 --> 00:03:38,029
where he has come from,
what he is to be doing,
37
00:03:38,029 --> 00:03:40,187
and his ultimate direction.
38
00:03:40,187 --> 00:03:43,683
Masonry provides all of the tools
39
00:03:43,683 --> 00:03:45,841
for a man to think about that,
40
00:03:45,841 --> 00:03:49,679
and to come to grips
with who he really is.
41
00:03:49,679 --> 00:03:52,815
If you can think, you're probably
42
00:03:52,815 --> 00:03:55,148
a good prospect for masonry.
43
00:03:56,681 --> 00:03:58,877
If you can't think, it's probably better
44
00:03:58,877 --> 00:04:02,421
to follow the 10 steps to salivation
45
00:04:02,421 --> 00:04:04,671
that most folks ascribe to.
46
00:04:05,632 --> 00:04:09,019
Masonry is not for those folks.
47
00:04:09,019 --> 00:04:11,630
- Freemasonry has been a part of my life
48
00:04:11,630 --> 00:04:13,713
since the day I was born.
49
00:04:16,964 --> 00:04:20,028
Generations of my family have been masons.
50
00:04:20,028 --> 00:04:22,111
It's not been continuous.
51
00:04:23,206 --> 00:04:26,218
If memory serves, we can count back
52
00:04:26,218 --> 00:04:29,348
to a seventh generation Freemason.
53
00:04:29,348 --> 00:04:32,454
My father's a Freemason, my
grandfather's a Freemason,
54
00:04:32,454 --> 00:04:34,757
my great grandfather was a Freemason.
55
00:04:34,757 --> 00:04:36,590
I don't think I really
56
00:04:38,857 --> 00:04:42,607
understood it until I
was much older in life.
57
00:04:45,988 --> 00:04:50,054
Frankly, I'm not even sure
that I fully understand it now.
58
00:04:50,054 --> 00:04:52,906
I think that's one of the
beauties of Freemasonry
59
00:04:52,906 --> 00:04:57,104
is that it's not something you're going to
60
00:04:57,104 --> 00:04:59,387
necessarily be taught in a day.
61
00:04:59,387 --> 00:05:02,773
It's a lifelong commitment and a journey.
62
00:05:02,773 --> 00:05:05,781
Frankly, there are some
men who enter Freemasonry
63
00:05:05,781 --> 00:05:07,364
and don't continue.
64
00:05:08,717 --> 00:05:11,443
There were thoughts that I
would be one of those men
65
00:05:11,443 --> 00:05:16,380
because I joined Freemasonry
at a relatively young age
66
00:05:16,380 --> 00:05:19,069
and didn't come back for five years,
67
00:05:19,069 --> 00:05:22,736
until I met some guys
from a lodge where I'm
68
00:05:23,637 --> 00:05:27,061
a Past Master of now, and I just,
69
00:05:27,061 --> 00:05:28,653
as soon as I met these guys, I'm like
70
00:05:28,653 --> 00:05:31,303
these are the dudes that
I want to hang out with,
71
00:05:31,303 --> 00:05:34,839
and that was it, that was
really a turning point
72
00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:37,567
and after five years from
becoming an Entered Apprentice
73
00:05:37,567 --> 00:05:40,832
I said duh, it's time to continue.
74
00:05:40,832 --> 00:05:44,749
From that point forward
for seven, eight years,
75
00:05:45,779 --> 00:05:47,696
I was there every week.
76
00:05:48,628 --> 00:05:51,725
- Freemasonry of course is
traditionally thought of
77
00:05:51,725 --> 00:05:55,892
as the world's oldest and
largest fraternity for men.
78
00:05:59,584 --> 00:06:02,390
A true statement, it is a fraternity,
79
00:06:02,390 --> 00:06:05,372
it has always been a fraternity.
80
00:06:05,372 --> 00:06:08,789
It has been an organization that promotes
81
00:06:10,490 --> 00:06:14,694
the interests of men, or
at least traditionally.
82
00:06:14,694 --> 00:06:16,396
That was its purpose.
83
00:06:16,396 --> 00:06:18,355
There's a lot of theories of origin
84
00:06:18,355 --> 00:06:21,355
about the fraternity, and it in fact
85
00:06:22,429 --> 00:06:25,118
has been around for so many years
86
00:06:25,118 --> 00:06:28,669
we're not real sure where we came from,
87
00:06:28,669 --> 00:06:31,752
but the most popular theory of origin
88
00:06:33,057 --> 00:06:37,057
and the theory that is
supported by most Masonic
89
00:06:38,968 --> 00:06:42,385
scholarship today is that we evolved from
90
00:06:43,540 --> 00:06:45,372
the builder's guilds, the operative
91
00:06:45,372 --> 00:06:47,872
Freemasons of the Middle Ages.
92
00:06:52,974 --> 00:06:56,974
- It's a means by which men
can coordinate with men,
93
00:06:56,974 --> 00:06:59,474
can have fellowship with them,
94
00:07:00,632 --> 00:07:04,292
but it's really much much more than that.
95
00:07:04,292 --> 00:07:08,420
It's a means by which you
discover your own identity.
96
00:07:08,420 --> 00:07:12,403
It's a process in which
you learn who you are
97
00:07:12,403 --> 00:07:14,356
and gain some idea of what you're
98
00:07:14,356 --> 00:07:17,439
supposed to be doing in the universe.
99
00:07:19,242 --> 00:07:23,103
- Freemasonry is not
a secret organization,
100
00:07:23,103 --> 00:07:26,036
but it is an organization that has certain
101
00:07:26,036 --> 00:07:28,889
modes of recognition, ways in which masons
102
00:07:28,889 --> 00:07:31,329
make themselves known to one another
103
00:07:31,329 --> 00:07:33,496
that we keep confidential.
104
00:07:36,529 --> 00:07:39,340
Indeed, the whole
ceremony of receiving that
105
00:07:39,340 --> 00:07:42,275
and being exposed to the basic
principles of Freemasonry
106
00:07:42,275 --> 00:07:44,955
we also keep confidential.
107
00:07:44,955 --> 00:07:47,821
We keep these things confidential because
108
00:07:47,821 --> 00:07:51,904
they heighten the experience
of becoming a mason.
109
00:07:54,073 --> 00:07:58,001
They are essentially
based on the working tools
110
00:07:58,001 --> 00:08:01,715
and technics of the operative masons.
111
00:08:01,715 --> 00:08:06,288
Freemasonry is not really
an intellectual exercise
112
00:08:06,288 --> 00:08:09,636
as much as it is an emotional, spiritual
113
00:08:09,636 --> 00:08:11,803
and experiential exercise.
114
00:08:13,359 --> 00:08:16,205
- I ended up moving to London
for a short period of time.
115
00:08:16,205 --> 00:08:18,433
I studied abroad there.
116
00:08:18,433 --> 00:08:21,859
One day, I got a little too drunk
117
00:08:21,859 --> 00:08:26,685
and I ended up getting lost and
just wondering around London
118
00:08:26,685 --> 00:08:30,395
and I ended up on Great Queen Street
119
00:08:30,395 --> 00:08:34,218
and I saw this building
when I turned around.
120
00:08:34,218 --> 00:08:36,761
I'd never really seen a
building that looked like that,
121
00:08:36,761 --> 00:08:38,859
it was very very unique.
122
00:08:38,859 --> 00:08:40,755
I remember above the
doors of the building,
123
00:08:40,755 --> 00:08:42,606
high above the doors there were these
124
00:08:42,606 --> 00:08:45,156
two symbols and they were the symbols of
125
00:08:45,156 --> 00:08:47,625
the square and compass, the
symbols of the Freemasons.
126
00:08:47,625 --> 00:08:51,071
I would try to find
anything that I could about
127
00:08:51,071 --> 00:08:53,506
what the building was and
then I found out okay,
128
00:08:53,506 --> 00:08:55,827
it's for this group called the Freemasons
129
00:08:55,827 --> 00:09:00,267
and then I started
reading different authors
130
00:09:00,267 --> 00:09:02,732
Masonic authors like
Mackey, and Albert Pike,
131
00:09:02,732 --> 00:09:06,629
and different scholars and
essays, anything I could find.
132
00:09:06,629 --> 00:09:09,060
The more I read about
masonry, the more interested
133
00:09:09,060 --> 00:09:12,278
I became in it because not only
134
00:09:12,278 --> 00:09:15,116
did it have the same types of principles
135
00:09:15,116 --> 00:09:18,779
and philosophies that I
was already interested in,
136
00:09:18,779 --> 00:09:23,187
but some of the men that
had passed through masonry's
137
00:09:23,187 --> 00:09:27,539
doors were pretty big
idols of mine like Mozart,
138
00:09:27,539 --> 00:09:31,706
Voltaire, and Benjamin
Franklin, George Washington.
139
00:09:32,873 --> 00:09:35,040
Some of the greatest minds
140
00:09:35,875 --> 00:09:39,674
from human history had
been a part of this.
141
00:09:39,674 --> 00:09:41,123
I thought to myself, there has to be
142
00:09:41,123 --> 00:09:44,423
something to this if
all of these geniuses,
143
00:09:44,423 --> 00:09:48,835
if all of these great men
have been a part of this,
144
00:09:48,835 --> 00:09:51,532
this society, there's
definitely something to it.
145
00:09:51,532 --> 00:09:54,146
What really resonated with
me is that Freemasonry
146
00:09:54,146 --> 00:09:57,652
believes that all men are created equal.
147
00:09:57,652 --> 00:10:01,819
- In masonry, one of the
important parts of the mythos
148
00:10:03,399 --> 00:10:06,624
is the widow's son, and it so turns out
149
00:10:06,624 --> 00:10:08,934
that I actually am indeed a widow's son,
150
00:10:08,934 --> 00:10:11,767
my father passed when I was young.
151
00:10:12,989 --> 00:10:15,210
I was at my mom's house going through
152
00:10:15,210 --> 00:10:18,069
just a bunch of junk she
had and I found this mug,
153
00:10:18,069 --> 00:10:20,438
and this mug was full of pencils
154
00:10:20,438 --> 00:10:23,050
and it had the double headed eagle on it
155
00:10:23,050 --> 00:10:26,112
and it said Scottish Rite Spring Formal
156
00:10:26,112 --> 00:10:29,383
and through my studies, I
recognized that as a Masonic sign.
157
00:10:29,383 --> 00:10:32,084
It didn't say masonry, it didn't
have a square and compass,
158
00:10:32,084 --> 00:10:34,613
but I knew that the Scottish Rite was
159
00:10:34,613 --> 00:10:36,369
one of the branches of masonry and I
160
00:10:36,369 --> 00:10:38,491
was like whoa, this is really cool.
161
00:10:38,491 --> 00:10:40,002
I went to my mother and I asked her,
162
00:10:40,002 --> 00:10:41,999
"Mom, why do you have this mug?
163
00:10:41,999 --> 00:10:43,427
"Where did you get this from?"
164
00:10:43,427 --> 00:10:47,466
and she said, "Oh, that was
one of your dad's mason cups."
165
00:10:47,466 --> 00:10:48,446
I go, "What are you talking about?"
166
00:10:48,446 --> 00:10:49,882
She goes, "Your dad was a mason and we
167
00:10:49,882 --> 00:10:52,453
"went to this spring formal
for the Scottish Rite,
168
00:10:52,453 --> 00:10:53,879
"and they gave that to us."
169
00:10:53,879 --> 00:10:56,417
And I was just blown away.
170
00:10:56,417 --> 00:11:00,250
It's like something had
led me to that moment
171
00:11:00,250 --> 00:11:03,716
to affirm what I'd always felt inside.
172
00:11:03,716 --> 00:11:06,006
It felt like a whole
world opened up to me then
173
00:11:06,006 --> 00:11:08,452
because I was still
one of the uninitiated.
174
00:11:08,452 --> 00:11:11,431
I was one that still thought you had to be
175
00:11:11,431 --> 00:11:14,980
part of a bloodline or
part of a legacy per se
176
00:11:14,980 --> 00:11:17,880
to become a mason and I had tingles
177
00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:19,001
all over myself because I felt like
178
00:11:19,001 --> 00:11:22,893
oh wow, I actually qualify to
belong to this secret order,
179
00:11:22,893 --> 00:11:26,393
this mysterious group, this is part of me.
180
00:11:28,554 --> 00:11:32,144
That only inspired me to do more research,
181
00:11:32,144 --> 00:11:34,144
to actually start looking into lodges
182
00:11:34,144 --> 00:11:36,811
in my hometown of Boston, Texas.
183
00:11:38,598 --> 00:11:40,196
- Primarily I was intrigued because
184
00:11:40,196 --> 00:11:42,895
of the overlap between Freemasonry,
185
00:11:42,895 --> 00:11:47,062
other secret societies,
and ancient mystery cults.
186
00:11:48,446 --> 00:11:51,066
My big thing was ancient Egypt
187
00:11:51,066 --> 00:11:54,733
so that led to my study
of the phenomenon of
188
00:11:56,457 --> 00:11:58,309
mystery cults and secret societies
189
00:11:58,309 --> 00:12:00,976
and their inspiration from Greek
190
00:12:02,850 --> 00:12:07,017
and Roman and also Egyptian
style secret societies.
191
00:12:10,802 --> 00:12:12,452
- In Jamaica's a little bit interesting
192
00:12:12,452 --> 00:12:15,868
because I grew up in a
community called Oxford Spring
193
00:12:15,868 --> 00:12:18,733
and within the community's
little bit rural
194
00:12:18,733 --> 00:12:21,020
and so a lot of the folks are not aware
195
00:12:21,020 --> 00:12:23,603
of Freemasonry as it were, but,
196
00:12:24,538 --> 00:12:26,448
they would see rituals being done,
197
00:12:26,448 --> 00:12:29,150
especially at funerals and
they wonder what this is,
198
00:12:29,150 --> 00:12:31,069
and so a lot of folks would recognize this
199
00:12:31,069 --> 00:12:33,833
as oh, the blackheart man, because they
200
00:12:33,833 --> 00:12:36,205
were all dressed in black and white.
201
00:12:36,205 --> 00:12:38,939
I started understanding that masonry
202
00:12:38,939 --> 00:12:42,545
was really nothing more
than a brotherhood,
203
00:12:42,545 --> 00:12:44,138
but at the time because
they were referring
204
00:12:44,138 --> 00:12:46,016
to these men as the blackheart men,
205
00:12:46,016 --> 00:12:48,339
you thought these men were dangerous men,
206
00:12:48,339 --> 00:12:50,876
men who were diabolic in their nature
207
00:12:50,876 --> 00:12:53,446
and who wanted to really
dominant, take over,
208
00:12:53,446 --> 00:12:56,796
and control everything, but
that was not really the case.
209
00:12:56,796 --> 00:12:59,365
Good thing is I grew
with a man who understood
210
00:12:59,365 --> 00:13:01,651
the nature of what masonry's all about
211
00:13:01,651 --> 00:13:03,977
and they exhibit those type of attributes
212
00:13:03,977 --> 00:13:06,362
and I was one of those persons who
213
00:13:06,362 --> 00:13:08,771
learned from him, understood many things
214
00:13:08,771 --> 00:13:13,492
where masonry was concerned,
but he still did not tell me
215
00:13:13,492 --> 00:13:15,826
the whole spectrum so I became
216
00:13:15,826 --> 00:13:18,152
interested in learning about it myself.
217
00:13:18,152 --> 00:13:20,769
- If you don't know a mason
and you want to become a mason,
218
00:13:20,769 --> 00:13:23,852
it's a simple search of the internet.
219
00:13:24,725 --> 00:13:26,438
You can find a local lodge.
220
00:13:26,438 --> 00:13:28,888
- Most guys petition the lodge because
221
00:13:28,888 --> 00:13:30,721
there's something inside them,
222
00:13:30,721 --> 00:13:33,494
whether it was stimulated by their dad,
223
00:13:33,494 --> 00:13:36,470
or by their grandfather,
or by their neighbor,
224
00:13:36,470 --> 00:13:40,227
or their great uncle Joe, it's immaterial.
225
00:13:40,227 --> 00:13:42,765
The fact of the matter
is is that most guys
226
00:13:42,765 --> 00:13:45,910
are stimulated to seek the lodge
227
00:13:45,910 --> 00:13:48,980
and knock upon its door because
228
00:13:48,980 --> 00:13:51,273
there is a yearning within them.
229
00:13:51,273 --> 00:13:54,376
Now they may not
cognitively recognize this,
230
00:13:54,376 --> 00:13:58,129
it may not be in their
conscious awareness,
231
00:13:58,129 --> 00:13:59,832
but they know, they have a feeling,
232
00:13:59,832 --> 00:14:03,312
there's a drive that pushes them
233
00:14:03,312 --> 00:14:05,729
toward the door of the lodge.
234
00:14:14,442 --> 00:14:17,163
- Once you have gone through the process
235
00:14:17,163 --> 00:14:20,216
of getting to know a lodge, you are then
236
00:14:20,216 --> 00:14:24,946
essentially given a
application if you so request,
237
00:14:24,946 --> 00:14:28,034
and you fill out the application,
238
00:14:28,034 --> 00:14:31,726
you let them know that you're
not an atheist or a felon
239
00:14:31,726 --> 00:14:34,984
essentially, that you are of legal age,
240
00:14:34,984 --> 00:14:37,614
and once the application is put in,
241
00:14:37,614 --> 00:14:39,320
it's voted on in lodge.
242
00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,120
- There has to be a
unanimous vote in the lodge,
243
00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:44,834
that way no one is coming in that
244
00:14:44,834 --> 00:14:46,340
someone might have an issue with.
245
00:14:46,340 --> 00:14:49,090
They might look at another lodge.
246
00:14:51,088 --> 00:14:54,005
We want our guys who are interested
247
00:14:55,125 --> 00:14:58,919
to really meet the brothers of the lodge.
248
00:14:58,919 --> 00:15:01,528
We think it's gonna
create a longer lasting
249
00:15:01,528 --> 00:15:04,758
connection because you have just a better
250
00:15:04,758 --> 00:15:06,960
understanding of who everybody is and
251
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,543
if you're gonna jive with them.
252
00:15:16,179 --> 00:15:19,451
- To become a mason you must
believe in a supreme being,
253
00:15:19,451 --> 00:15:21,656
however you might define that,
254
00:15:21,656 --> 00:15:25,330
and you must also believe
in a future existence.
255
00:15:25,330 --> 00:15:28,722
Again, however you might define that.
256
00:15:28,722 --> 00:15:32,889
- Freemasons believe that there
is an inherent need in men,
257
00:15:37,224 --> 00:15:39,641
to be initiated into manhood.
258
00:15:43,683 --> 00:15:47,850
There needs to be a set of
moral and ethical guidelines
259
00:15:52,139 --> 00:15:56,306
that teach a man what the
journey of mature masculinity is.
260
00:16:00,837 --> 00:16:04,472
To take a young man from
sort of the impetuosity
261
00:16:04,472 --> 00:16:08,267
of youth to the mature masculine soul.
262
00:16:08,267 --> 00:16:10,430
- Joesph Campbell among others talks about
263
00:16:10,430 --> 00:16:13,597
the enormous importance of initiation.
264
00:16:15,002 --> 00:16:17,903
He talks about the fact that for women,
265
00:16:17,903 --> 00:16:21,698
it's not necessary because
nature tells a woman
266
00:16:21,698 --> 00:16:25,575
unmistakably when she is no longer a girl,
267
00:16:25,575 --> 00:16:27,333
when she is a woman, it's dramatic,
268
00:16:27,333 --> 00:16:30,000
it's powerful, it's inescapable.
269
00:16:34,158 --> 00:16:37,908
Men don't become fully
autonomous adult males
270
00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,794
without some form of initiation.
271
00:16:43,794 --> 00:16:46,817
For many it's the military
or some other organization
272
00:16:46,817 --> 00:16:49,186
like that but if you
go way back in history,
273
00:16:49,186 --> 00:16:52,869
in every society which we have record,
274
00:16:52,869 --> 00:16:55,360
there's been a necessary moment,
275
00:16:55,360 --> 00:17:00,100
a necessary point in
which the man goes through
276
00:17:00,100 --> 00:17:03,568
a ceremony, a ritual, an understanding
277
00:17:03,568 --> 00:17:05,609
which divides his life and he talks
278
00:17:05,609 --> 00:17:07,737
about things which happen before
279
00:17:07,737 --> 00:17:09,305
and things which happened after.
280
00:17:09,305 --> 00:17:12,555
(dramatic piano music)
281
00:18:05,126 --> 00:18:08,376
(dramatic piano music)
282
00:18:36,032 --> 00:18:38,032
(flick)
283
00:18:39,807 --> 00:18:43,974
- Even a little bit of light
can dispel much darkness.
284
00:18:52,366 --> 00:18:53,199
Brethren.
285
00:18:54,036 --> 00:18:57,098
The soul passes to a point
in the Masonic journey
286
00:18:57,098 --> 00:18:59,629
when our minds were first about to behold
287
00:18:59,629 --> 00:19:03,666
the light of Freemasonry,
before the light,
288
00:19:03,666 --> 00:19:06,416
there was a sound that commanded.
289
00:19:07,850 --> 00:19:12,244
In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth,
290
00:19:12,244 --> 00:19:15,117
and the earth was void and without thorn,
291
00:19:15,117 --> 00:19:19,131
and darkness was upon
the face of the deep.
292
00:19:19,131 --> 00:19:22,048
And God said, "Let there be light."
293
00:19:23,491 --> 00:19:25,209
Think about it.
294
00:19:25,209 --> 00:19:27,431
We're talking big bang.
(dramatic explosion)
295
00:19:27,431 --> 00:19:32,179
Creation, the beginning
of becoming a Freemason.
296
00:19:32,179 --> 00:19:34,787
The first injunction upon all creation
297
00:19:34,787 --> 00:19:38,515
and upon us as newly initiated masons
298
00:19:38,515 --> 00:19:40,098
let there be light.
299
00:19:41,577 --> 00:19:44,761
Brethren, I submit to you that these words
300
00:19:44,761 --> 00:19:47,460
are the purpose of life and the foundation
301
00:19:47,460 --> 00:19:51,627
of all that we were meant
to do as men and as masons.
302
00:19:55,011 --> 00:19:57,928
- The Blue Lodge is considered your
303
00:19:59,587 --> 00:20:01,586
first experience in Freemasonry and that
304
00:20:01,586 --> 00:20:05,016
consists of three degrees,
the Entered Apprentice Degree,
305
00:20:05,016 --> 00:20:07,953
which is the First Degree,
the Fellow Craft Degree,
306
00:20:07,953 --> 00:20:10,977
which is the Second Degree,
and the Master Mason Degree
307
00:20:10,977 --> 00:20:12,729
which is the Third Degree.
308
00:20:12,729 --> 00:20:15,706
Once you have completed
those three degrees,
309
00:20:15,706 --> 00:20:18,968
you are considered a Master Mason.
310
00:20:18,968 --> 00:20:21,262
- Still to this day the
First Degree of Masonry,
311
00:20:21,262 --> 00:20:22,609
the Entered Apprentice is one of the most
312
00:20:22,609 --> 00:20:26,042
beautiful things I've ever
experienced in my life.
313
00:20:26,042 --> 00:20:30,209
It feels like almost like
you're a new planet being born,
314
00:20:32,199 --> 00:20:33,859
but you're in a state of darkness,
315
00:20:33,859 --> 00:20:36,794
like you're revolving in this orbit,
316
00:20:36,794 --> 00:20:39,003
because you're literally
traveling in the lodge
317
00:20:39,003 --> 00:20:41,492
in an orbital fashion, you're not going
318
00:20:41,492 --> 00:20:43,912
in a specific square
pattern, or you're not
319
00:20:43,912 --> 00:20:47,412
going in a triangle, you're like orbiting.
320
00:20:49,450 --> 00:20:51,533
It felt like, like I was,
321
00:20:55,518 --> 00:20:59,109
like I had been born into this new life
322
00:20:59,109 --> 00:21:01,525
and I knew everything from
my life up to that point
323
00:21:01,525 --> 00:21:05,692
but I couldn't see and I was
in this whole other realm.
324
00:21:08,756 --> 00:21:12,756
- It is meant to be
profound and transformative.
325
00:21:13,651 --> 00:21:16,510
It is definitely a basic understanding
326
00:21:16,510 --> 00:21:19,260
of the principles of Freemasonry.
327
00:21:22,225 --> 00:21:25,853
I think in terms of being the candidate,
328
00:21:25,853 --> 00:21:29,046
it might be overwhelming because it
329
00:21:29,046 --> 00:21:33,213
may be your first experience
with that type of activity,
330
00:21:35,780 --> 00:21:39,573
but it is definitely meant to
be an eye opening experience.
331
00:21:39,573 --> 00:21:42,775
- When I was about to do my First Degree,
332
00:21:42,775 --> 00:21:44,789
I really didn't know what to expect.
333
00:21:44,789 --> 00:21:48,434
It was a transition of rebirth basically.
334
00:21:48,434 --> 00:21:51,737
It was something that was a new and unique
335
00:21:51,737 --> 00:21:53,945
part of my life at that point.
336
00:21:53,945 --> 00:21:56,862
It was various stimuli coming at me
337
00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:02,459
and I was traveling in an orbital fashion,
338
00:22:02,459 --> 00:22:06,950
like a planet would, not
knowing what to expect
339
00:22:06,950 --> 00:22:08,874
but just trying to take it all in,
340
00:22:08,874 --> 00:22:12,422
and it was actually a very sort of
341
00:22:12,422 --> 00:22:15,238
exciting moment for me that I knew
342
00:22:15,238 --> 00:22:16,503
something different was going
343
00:22:16,503 --> 00:22:19,170
to happen in my life after that.
344
00:22:21,355 --> 00:22:23,537
- After you get your First Degree,
345
00:22:23,537 --> 00:22:24,927
you're told in order to progress
346
00:22:24,927 --> 00:22:27,180
you have to memorize a portion of
347
00:22:27,180 --> 00:22:30,323
the ceremonies that you just went through.
348
00:22:30,323 --> 00:22:32,365
You're given that
information in the form of
349
00:22:32,365 --> 00:22:35,102
what's called a Blue Book,
it's your cipher book.
350
00:22:35,102 --> 00:22:38,081
The cipher isn't written in
English, it's literally a code,
351
00:22:38,081 --> 00:22:41,105
and you memorize this and
it's basically like a test
352
00:22:41,105 --> 00:22:43,963
where when you go back into the lodge room
353
00:22:43,963 --> 00:22:46,289
to give your proficiency,
it's called meaning
354
00:22:46,289 --> 00:22:48,538
that you're proficient in understanding
355
00:22:48,538 --> 00:22:51,190
the Degree that you just went through.
356
00:22:51,190 --> 00:22:53,315
For some people it takes them,
357
00:22:53,315 --> 00:22:56,999
it could take a month, for some
people it could take years.
358
00:22:56,999 --> 00:22:59,040
It's just dependent upon
the person's schedule,
359
00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:03,810
their work, how much time
they put into learning it.
360
00:23:03,810 --> 00:23:04,977
It's not easy.
361
00:23:06,554 --> 00:23:08,291
But it also improves the mind,
362
00:23:08,291 --> 00:23:10,619
the way the mind begins to think.
363
00:23:10,619 --> 00:23:14,205
You memorize your cipher
for your First Degree,
364
00:23:14,205 --> 00:23:17,788
you go back to lodge,
you recapitulate that
365
00:23:18,862 --> 00:23:20,739
for your proficiency and
then you're scheduled
366
00:23:20,739 --> 00:23:23,153
for your Second Degree which
is the Fellow Craft Degree.
367
00:23:23,153 --> 00:23:27,320
- The Second Degree is kind
of looked at as emblematic of
368
00:23:32,767 --> 00:23:35,430
period of growth in your life,
369
00:23:35,430 --> 00:23:38,347
and there's a big focus on learning
370
00:23:39,683 --> 00:23:42,600
and improving the mind by studying.
371
00:23:43,657 --> 00:23:47,574
Looking at things like
arithmetic, or geometry,
372
00:23:48,807 --> 00:23:49,640
astronomy,
373
00:23:50,741 --> 00:23:51,574
music,
374
00:23:53,230 --> 00:23:55,159
grammar, logic, rhetoric.
375
00:23:55,159 --> 00:23:58,659
These are concepts and areas of study that
376
00:24:00,989 --> 00:24:04,489
really help make people more well rounded.
377
00:24:09,493 --> 00:24:13,091
- A lot of the rituals and
ceremonies in Freemasonry
378
00:24:13,091 --> 00:24:16,806
take place around King Solomon's Temple.
379
00:24:16,806 --> 00:24:20,599
- King Solomon's Temple
is the grand metaphor
380
00:24:20,599 --> 00:24:23,748
that unites all of us,
and sort of represents
381
00:24:23,748 --> 00:24:27,423
the journey we're going
through in the Three Degrees.
382
00:24:27,423 --> 00:24:30,486
The First Degree being sort
of the porch of the temple,
383
00:24:30,486 --> 00:24:34,123
the Second Degree being
the middle chamber,
384
00:24:34,123 --> 00:24:37,590
and then the Third Degree
being the inner chamber,
385
00:24:37,590 --> 00:24:39,470
you know, the holy of holys,
386
00:24:39,470 --> 00:24:44,005
the secrets of secrets to be
had at the end of the journey.
387
00:24:44,005 --> 00:24:47,070
- One of the most beautiful
aspects of the Fellow Craft
388
00:24:47,070 --> 00:24:50,332
Degree is what's called the
Winding Staircase Lecture
389
00:24:50,332 --> 00:24:54,948
and it talks about how these
different sets of stairs
390
00:24:54,948 --> 00:24:57,685
going up this winding staircase
391
00:24:57,685 --> 00:25:01,102
instruct on different things like beauty,
392
00:25:01,936 --> 00:25:05,975
strength, and wisdom, and the five senses
393
00:25:05,975 --> 00:25:08,470
and the seven liberal arts and sciences,
394
00:25:08,470 --> 00:25:12,303
and the main focus that
comes to the forefront
395
00:25:14,468 --> 00:25:19,124
of the Second Degree is
the study of geometry.
396
00:25:19,124 --> 00:25:21,822
- Freemasonry, of course,
is based on geometry
397
00:25:21,822 --> 00:25:24,514
and we refer to it as the symbol
398
00:25:24,514 --> 00:25:27,097
of the harmony of the universe.
399
00:25:27,937 --> 00:25:31,774
So if the harmony of the universe
is the work of the divine,
400
00:25:31,774 --> 00:25:34,264
which we could refer to as the logos,
401
00:25:34,264 --> 00:25:38,065
in geometry is the symbol of that work,
402
00:25:38,065 --> 00:25:42,076
then on the principle
of hypostasis, geometry
403
00:25:42,076 --> 00:25:44,993
is the symbol of the supreme being.
404
00:25:52,419 --> 00:25:55,405
- Looking at the celestial gallery,
405
00:25:55,405 --> 00:25:57,254
you can see that there's the hand of
406
00:25:57,254 --> 00:25:58,848
the great architect in the sky.
407
00:25:58,848 --> 00:26:01,709
I think about the
heavens, I think about the
408
00:26:01,709 --> 00:26:05,392
celestial globe, I think
about the constellations,
409
00:26:05,392 --> 00:26:10,336
and I kind of think about
this larger body of patterns,
410
00:26:10,336 --> 00:26:12,705
beautiful geometric patterns in the sky,
411
00:26:12,705 --> 00:26:15,788
sort of reflecting as above so below.
412
00:26:17,981 --> 00:26:19,944
- So you complete the Fellow Craft Degree
413
00:26:19,944 --> 00:26:21,535
and similar to the First Degree you then
414
00:26:21,535 --> 00:26:24,271
have to memorize a portion
of the lecture of the Degree,
415
00:26:24,271 --> 00:26:26,029
and then at that point you're ready
416
00:26:26,029 --> 00:26:28,397
to be raised to Master Mason.
417
00:26:28,397 --> 00:26:31,730
- So after the Second Degree
you have the Third Degree,
418
00:26:31,730 --> 00:26:35,403
and that's what I say is when a mason
419
00:26:35,403 --> 00:26:38,820
becomes a made man within the fraternity.
420
00:26:39,818 --> 00:26:43,699
It is the ultimate
transformative experience.
421
00:26:43,699 --> 00:26:47,782
It is the end of the
journey as far as Blue Lodge
422
00:26:48,641 --> 00:26:53,197
Masonry becomes, and it
is when, after you have
423
00:26:53,197 --> 00:26:57,364
persevered through the Degree,
you have all the rights
424
00:26:58,335 --> 00:27:02,502
and benefits possible to you
as a mason in the fraternity.
425
00:27:04,014 --> 00:27:05,764
- The Third Degree is
426
00:27:07,893 --> 00:27:10,560
it's one of my favorite Degrees.
427
00:27:12,007 --> 00:27:16,174
It is kind of emblematic of
the twilight years in life
428
00:27:18,381 --> 00:27:19,548
and I think it
429
00:27:23,315 --> 00:27:26,982
it encourages the
initiate to be comfortable
430
00:27:29,368 --> 00:27:31,285
with the fact that this
431
00:27:34,427 --> 00:27:38,260
place, the time we have
here, is not infinite.
432
00:27:41,443 --> 00:27:43,526
That we are not immortal.
433
00:27:48,762 --> 00:27:50,880
Even though that's kind of a given,
434
00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:52,514
when you really think about it,
435
00:27:52,514 --> 00:27:56,014
it can be earth shattering when you really
436
00:27:56,925 --> 00:27:59,842
sit and contemplate your mortality.
437
00:28:03,856 --> 00:28:05,689
I mean there can be no
438
00:28:08,105 --> 00:28:11,050
more profound an experience in my mind
439
00:28:11,050 --> 00:28:14,276
than really understanding
and coming to grips
440
00:28:14,276 --> 00:28:17,609
with the fact that someday you will die.
441
00:28:21,325 --> 00:28:23,696
- The main lesson of
the Master Mason Degree
442
00:28:23,696 --> 00:28:27,373
is that all of life is
a preparation for death
443
00:28:27,373 --> 00:28:29,171
and so how are you gonna live your life
444
00:28:29,171 --> 00:28:31,588
in the time that you're here?
445
00:28:36,055 --> 00:28:39,638
- Of course, everything
is entirely energy.
446
00:28:40,588 --> 00:28:43,690
Energy cannot be created or destroyed,
447
00:28:43,690 --> 00:28:47,864
so almost by definition,
because we are energy,
448
00:28:47,864 --> 00:28:49,456
there is going to be some part of us
449
00:28:49,456 --> 00:28:52,706
that's going to exist beyond our death.
450
00:28:53,986 --> 00:28:57,369
- We're all ultimately trying to connect
451
00:28:57,369 --> 00:28:59,872
with the part of ourself that doesn't die.
452
00:28:59,872 --> 00:29:02,103
We're all ultimately
trying to purify ourselves
453
00:29:02,103 --> 00:29:06,343
and trying to deal with
destruction and renewal.
454
00:29:06,343 --> 00:29:08,750
We are copying the book of nature
455
00:29:08,750 --> 00:29:12,267
and the book of nature,
every year, she dies
456
00:29:12,267 --> 00:29:15,171
and she is reborn because
that's what happens.
457
00:29:15,171 --> 00:29:19,734
Winter time, spring, summer,
fall goes in seasons.
458
00:29:19,734 --> 00:29:23,816
We go in seasons, so our
Degrees go in seasons,
459
00:29:23,816 --> 00:29:25,819
our lives go in seasons.
460
00:29:25,819 --> 00:29:29,204
- Elements of those Degrees
that I went through,
461
00:29:29,204 --> 00:29:32,371
come up throughout the day in my life.
462
00:29:35,702 --> 00:29:39,226
I'm always noticing things
that relate to masonry
463
00:29:39,226 --> 00:29:43,640
and it's a way of living my
life, it's a code of ethics
464
00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:47,413
and other masons live by those same codes.
465
00:29:47,413 --> 00:29:51,080
I can meet a mason
anywhere in the world and
466
00:29:52,114 --> 00:29:55,177
we might not have a lot in common,
467
00:29:55,177 --> 00:29:58,116
but I know that I can go with that person
468
00:29:58,116 --> 00:30:02,689
and trust them to be living
the same code of ethics
469
00:30:02,689 --> 00:30:07,257
that I am myself, and there's
a certain unity there.
470
00:30:07,257 --> 00:30:08,929
- So the options for a candidate,
471
00:30:08,929 --> 00:30:11,227
once they have attained the Third Degree,
472
00:30:11,227 --> 00:30:12,941
are a few different things.
473
00:30:12,941 --> 00:30:16,086
They can stay right where
they're at in their understanding
474
00:30:16,086 --> 00:30:18,050
of what they've just
experienced and try to
475
00:30:18,050 --> 00:30:21,716
figure it out, they can
obviously join the line
476
00:30:21,716 --> 00:30:24,507
and participate in the Blue Lodge,
477
00:30:24,507 --> 00:30:26,954
they can also pursue the York Rite
478
00:30:26,954 --> 00:30:29,307
and the Scottish Rite
Degrees, both of which
479
00:30:29,307 --> 00:30:32,021
elaborate on what was taught
to them in the Blue Lodge
480
00:30:32,021 --> 00:30:36,188
and really expand upon it
in a much larger format.
481
00:30:40,078 --> 00:30:43,495
(Scottish bagpipes play)
482
00:31:28,738 --> 00:31:32,155
(Scottish bagpipes play)
483
00:32:08,371 --> 00:32:11,788
(Scottish bagpipes play)
484
00:32:21,109 --> 00:32:22,827
- In Scottish Rite Masonry you have
485
00:32:22,827 --> 00:32:24,340
two main jurisdictions,
you've got the Northern
486
00:32:24,340 --> 00:32:26,220
jurisdiction and the
Southern jurisdiction.
487
00:32:26,220 --> 00:32:28,138
The Northern jurisdiction
is relatively small
488
00:32:28,138 --> 00:32:31,038
encompassing a degree of the
Northeast of the United States
489
00:32:31,038 --> 00:32:34,306
and I think parts of the Northern Midwest.
490
00:32:34,306 --> 00:32:36,720
Then the Southern jurisdiction
encompasses everything else
491
00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:39,702
worldwide, it's a much
bigger organization.
492
00:32:39,702 --> 00:32:43,379
Within the Southern jurisdiction
you have different valleys.
493
00:32:43,379 --> 00:32:46,269
So you would have for
instance, in Tennessee,
494
00:32:46,269 --> 00:32:48,476
we would have the Valley of Knoxville,
495
00:32:48,476 --> 00:32:51,307
the Valley of Chattanooga,
the Valley of Nashville,
496
00:32:51,307 --> 00:32:54,299
and the Valley of Memphis,
and such is the case
497
00:32:54,299 --> 00:32:57,090
with all the different states,
498
00:32:57,090 --> 00:32:58,073
and all the different regions of
499
00:32:58,073 --> 00:33:00,245
the Scottish Rite worldwide.
500
00:33:00,245 --> 00:33:02,039
Within the different valleys, we have
501
00:33:02,039 --> 00:33:04,898
four different bodies that encompass
502
00:33:04,898 --> 00:33:05,782
different parts of the Degrees,
503
00:33:05,782 --> 00:33:07,378
different groups of the Degrees,
504
00:33:07,378 --> 00:33:08,941
ending finally with the Consistory
505
00:33:08,941 --> 00:33:11,235
which would be the 32nd Degree.
506
00:33:11,235 --> 00:33:15,400
- The Supreme council rules
the entire jurisdiction,
507
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:17,565
the Southern jurisdiction and as you know
508
00:33:17,565 --> 00:33:20,105
there's a Northern jurisdiction as well,
509
00:33:20,105 --> 00:33:23,233
considerably smaller than
the Southern jurisdiction.
510
00:33:23,233 --> 00:33:26,170
- The Supreme Council's main focus is to
511
00:33:26,170 --> 00:33:29,421
add a bit of unity to what would otherwise
512
00:33:29,421 --> 00:33:33,355
be a very very large
and heavy organization.
513
00:33:33,355 --> 00:33:35,848
- The typical Scottish Rite Valley
514
00:33:35,848 --> 00:33:39,181
is comprised of the Lodge of Perfection,
515
00:33:40,095 --> 00:33:42,227
the Chapter of Rose Croix,
516
00:33:42,227 --> 00:33:45,727
the Council of Kadosh, and the Consistory.
517
00:33:47,525 --> 00:33:51,449
We go through each of
the Degrees that comprise
518
00:33:51,449 --> 00:33:54,423
each of those individual bodies.
519
00:33:54,423 --> 00:33:58,173
It's absolutely essential
that a Master Mason
520
00:33:59,171 --> 00:34:03,130
going through the Scottish Rite
achieve at least the minimum
521
00:34:03,130 --> 00:34:07,288
of the 14th Degree, which
allows him then to sit
522
00:34:07,288 --> 00:34:11,254
in the stated meetings
where business is conducted.
523
00:34:11,254 --> 00:34:14,227
So that becomes an essential part of
524
00:34:14,227 --> 00:34:15,820
the Scottish Rite training, and then
525
00:34:15,820 --> 00:34:17,384
obviously you want to move beyond that
526
00:34:17,384 --> 00:34:20,287
and achieve the 32nd Degree,
527
00:34:20,287 --> 00:34:23,026
and I suppose if you're
a really lucky guy,
528
00:34:23,026 --> 00:34:25,517
you'll get the 33rd.
529
00:34:25,517 --> 00:34:27,360
- I would describe the Scottish Rite
530
00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:29,943
as a modern day mystery school.
531
00:34:30,867 --> 00:34:32,748
The way that I like to think about it
532
00:34:32,748 --> 00:34:37,323
is really, it involves a lot
of training in the virtues,
533
00:34:37,323 --> 00:34:41,892
it involves a lot of training
in personal improvement,
534
00:34:41,892 --> 00:34:44,873
personal transformation,
personal purifications
535
00:34:44,873 --> 00:34:48,216
that are necessary so that
the parts of the self,
536
00:34:48,216 --> 00:34:52,917
which are not working,
which are dysfunctional,
537
00:34:52,917 --> 00:34:56,151
they're symbolized by different
characters in these dramas,
538
00:34:56,151 --> 00:35:00,318
that they can be cast off and
that the true self can emerge.
539
00:35:06,077 --> 00:35:10,244
- The fraternity is basically
the source of male initiation.
540
00:35:12,458 --> 00:35:15,347
The Scottish Rite on the other hand
541
00:35:15,347 --> 00:35:17,764
takes that to the next level.
542
00:35:18,855 --> 00:35:21,921
It goes way past initiation, it assumes
543
00:35:21,921 --> 00:35:24,963
that's already taken
place, and now it goes
544
00:35:24,963 --> 00:35:27,455
into learning and development.
545
00:35:27,455 --> 00:35:31,388
What kind of human being are you gonna be?
546
00:35:31,388 --> 00:35:33,715
What is your value system going to be?
547
00:35:33,715 --> 00:35:36,700
How are you going to
understand what's important?
548
00:35:36,700 --> 00:35:37,803
And how are you going to understand
549
00:35:37,803 --> 00:35:39,556
your relationship to the universe?
550
00:35:39,556 --> 00:35:41,315
Your relationship to deity?
551
00:35:41,315 --> 00:35:44,657
These are all issues that
the Scottish Rite deals with
552
00:35:44,657 --> 00:35:47,762
and I think deals very effectively.
553
00:35:47,762 --> 00:35:51,968
That's actually the
task of the first body.
554
00:35:51,968 --> 00:35:54,705
First is called the Lodge of Perfection.
555
00:35:54,705 --> 00:35:57,320
On a mundane level it pays the bills,
556
00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,737
it's the organizational body of the Rite,
557
00:36:02,794 --> 00:36:06,411
but it's quest themed,
the thing it teaches,
558
00:36:06,411 --> 00:36:09,107
the thing it does is to find this original
559
00:36:09,107 --> 00:36:12,377
source of who you are, and it uses
560
00:36:12,377 --> 00:36:14,138
the same kind of thing
you're gonna find in
561
00:36:14,138 --> 00:36:18,660
the ancient Greek traditions,
you'll find it in Maslow,
562
00:36:18,660 --> 00:36:20,876
you'll find it in basic psychology,
563
00:36:20,876 --> 00:36:23,366
find it in Freud, this idea of making
564
00:36:23,366 --> 00:36:25,699
the journey inside and down,
565
00:36:26,836 --> 00:36:29,937
and into the deepest level of your ego
566
00:36:29,937 --> 00:36:33,648
where you discover the cubical stone
567
00:36:33,648 --> 00:36:37,090
in the Scottish Rite, you'll discover
568
00:36:37,090 --> 00:36:40,228
the material world with
the symbol of deity,
569
00:36:40,228 --> 00:36:42,921
the triangle insured into it.
570
00:36:42,921 --> 00:36:45,293
It tells you something about what you are
571
00:36:45,293 --> 00:36:48,626
as both a divine and a mundane creature.
572
00:36:52,886 --> 00:36:56,083
- This concept of perfection is
573
00:36:56,083 --> 00:37:00,217
very similar to, connected to in alchemy
574
00:37:00,217 --> 00:37:01,935
the process of transmutation,
575
00:37:01,935 --> 00:37:03,973
the process of raising the stone.
576
00:37:03,973 --> 00:37:06,138
This whole thing is about the first temple
577
00:37:06,138 --> 00:37:10,418
and the concept that's really
powerful to me is secrecy
578
00:37:10,418 --> 00:37:13,198
and silence, fidelity, and obedience,
579
00:37:13,198 --> 00:37:16,698
those concepts, they're necessary in order
580
00:37:17,964 --> 00:37:20,458
to go into the mystery school,
581
00:37:20,458 --> 00:37:22,011
and it takes a lot of studying,
582
00:37:22,011 --> 00:37:25,486
a lot of scratching under
the surface to understand
583
00:37:25,486 --> 00:37:27,481
what it is that you've just been through,
584
00:37:27,481 --> 00:37:29,076
what it is that you've just seen.
585
00:37:29,076 --> 00:37:31,531
They have a sign of silence,
they have a sign of secrecy,
586
00:37:31,531 --> 00:37:33,004
it's like you're entering into this thing
587
00:37:33,004 --> 00:37:35,617
and you can't really shout
it from the rooftops.
588
00:37:35,617 --> 00:37:38,148
Even if you tried to reveal it,
589
00:37:38,148 --> 00:37:41,085
it would be impossible,
to me that's the symbolism
590
00:37:41,085 --> 00:37:43,212
of the secrecy in the Fourth Degree.
591
00:37:43,212 --> 00:37:47,045
- Secrecy and silence
are so important because
592
00:37:48,021 --> 00:37:52,188
people need to learn how
to keep their mouths shut,
593
00:37:54,645 --> 00:37:57,338
and that is a thing which we have lost.
594
00:37:57,338 --> 00:38:00,732
How can you trust a man if you tell him
595
00:38:00,732 --> 00:38:02,488
what's really important to you because
596
00:38:02,488 --> 00:38:05,800
you need to get it dealt
with, you need to get it out,
597
00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:08,905
and he goes and tells
everybody what you said?
598
00:38:08,905 --> 00:38:12,702
How can you possibly ever
trust him again with anything?
599
00:38:12,702 --> 00:38:13,869
Why would you?
600
00:38:16,684 --> 00:38:20,935
We live in this very
strange world in which
601
00:38:20,935 --> 00:38:25,102
we have decided that secrecy
is somehow a bad thing.
602
00:38:27,674 --> 00:38:30,376
I'm forced to disagree, I think secrecy
603
00:38:30,376 --> 00:38:33,774
is a very good thing,
a very positive thing.
604
00:38:33,774 --> 00:38:35,616
It could be used for bad purposes,
605
00:38:35,616 --> 00:38:39,820
there's no question about that, certainly.
606
00:38:39,820 --> 00:38:41,982
But you know, I have a feeling
607
00:38:41,982 --> 00:38:45,246
when they were working
out the D-Day invasion,
608
00:38:45,246 --> 00:38:48,996
they didn't really want the
enemy to know the plans.
609
00:38:48,996 --> 00:38:51,829
(bombs exploding)
610
00:38:52,992 --> 00:38:57,159
There are things it's useful
just to keep quiet about.
611
00:38:59,170 --> 00:39:01,218
One of the things that just
absolutely fascinates me,
612
00:39:01,218 --> 00:39:06,004
because I do not understand
it, is this Facebook phenomena
613
00:39:06,004 --> 00:39:08,047
where everybody is busy telling
614
00:39:08,047 --> 00:39:10,786
everybody else everything about them.
615
00:39:10,786 --> 00:39:13,243
I can not imagine that I have any friends
616
00:39:13,243 --> 00:39:17,693
who are fascinated in
knowing what I had for lunch.
617
00:39:17,693 --> 00:39:21,110
- The Lodge of Perfection is dealing with
618
00:39:22,111 --> 00:39:26,278
the initial Degrees that
take you all the way through
619
00:39:27,224 --> 00:39:31,509
essentially the same story
as the first Three Degrees,
620
00:39:31,509 --> 00:39:34,342
but with considerably more detail.
621
00:39:35,771 --> 00:39:39,074
There are little side vignettes to explain
622
00:39:39,074 --> 00:39:41,117
some of the happenings that occur
623
00:39:41,117 --> 00:39:43,699
in the first Three
Degrees, so we're really
624
00:39:43,699 --> 00:39:46,516
talking about the Hiramic legend
625
00:39:46,516 --> 00:39:50,266
and how that pertains
to each individual man.
626
00:39:52,739 --> 00:39:56,577
That's really our fundamental pursuit.
627
00:39:56,577 --> 00:39:59,070
So we can talk about these Degrees
628
00:39:59,070 --> 00:40:03,153
in a sort of concrete
sense, but the real message
629
00:40:04,284 --> 00:40:08,201
of masonry is tremendously
lost in that regard,
630
00:40:09,766 --> 00:40:12,516
because it's really not about the
631
00:40:14,433 --> 00:40:16,656
actual movements and the rituals,
632
00:40:16,656 --> 00:40:18,415
it's not about the actual words,
633
00:40:18,415 --> 00:40:21,248
it's about what's behind all that.
634
00:40:23,206 --> 00:40:25,286
- Overall theme of the Lodge of Perfection
635
00:40:25,286 --> 00:40:28,768
is this search for this cubical stone.
636
00:40:28,768 --> 00:40:32,253
This lost word which is
alluded to in the Third Degree
637
00:40:32,253 --> 00:40:36,257
about this word has
been lost upon the death
638
00:40:36,257 --> 00:40:40,135
of the master architect
of King Solomon's Temple.
639
00:40:40,135 --> 00:40:42,672
As you progress through the Degrees of the
640
00:40:42,672 --> 00:40:45,781
Lodge of Perfection, the allegory of
641
00:40:45,781 --> 00:40:48,847
King Solomon's Temple is expanded upon.
642
00:40:48,847 --> 00:40:52,097
There is a funeral for the Master Hiram
643
00:40:53,347 --> 00:40:56,947
who was murdered, there is
an anniversary of his death,
644
00:40:56,947 --> 00:40:59,441
and a lot of these things play
into themes of daily life,
645
00:40:59,441 --> 00:41:04,091
about letting go, and taking
the tie to grieve things,
646
00:41:04,091 --> 00:41:06,944
to be able to move on, to
find the truth about things,
647
00:41:06,944 --> 00:41:08,331
to be able to continue to grow.
648
00:41:08,331 --> 00:41:10,561
What comes into focus there also is
649
00:41:10,561 --> 00:41:14,765
how important it is to
transmit and share knowledge.
650
00:41:14,765 --> 00:41:17,132
When Master Hiram would finish his work
651
00:41:17,132 --> 00:41:19,704
at the end of the day
he would love talking
652
00:41:19,704 --> 00:41:22,891
about the Egyptian mysteries
with these five young men
653
00:41:22,891 --> 00:41:24,772
that he believed one
day could take his place
654
00:41:24,772 --> 00:41:26,526
if something happened to him.
655
00:41:26,526 --> 00:41:29,505
That was important that
he did that because
656
00:41:29,505 --> 00:41:31,544
one of them eventually does take his place
657
00:41:31,544 --> 00:41:34,461
and the work is then picked back up
658
00:41:35,385 --> 00:41:38,357
and they keep building the temple.
659
00:41:38,357 --> 00:41:41,748
Eventually, the assassins
that murdered the Master Hiram
660
00:41:41,748 --> 00:41:45,165
are found and they're brought to justice.
661
00:41:47,307 --> 00:41:49,675
So as you come to the close of the Degrees
662
00:41:49,675 --> 00:41:51,269
of the Lodge of Perfection, you come
663
00:41:51,269 --> 00:41:54,005
upon the 13th and 14th Degrees.
664
00:41:54,005 --> 00:41:58,415
The 13th Degree is one of
the most interesting Degrees
665
00:41:58,415 --> 00:42:01,355
in all of masonry to me because
666
00:42:01,355 --> 00:42:04,368
the story behind the
13th Degree is about the
667
00:42:04,368 --> 00:42:07,295
biblical character Enoch who received
668
00:42:07,295 --> 00:42:10,649
the true name of God, and
he supposedly built these
669
00:42:10,649 --> 00:42:13,100
nine vaults deep down within the earth,
670
00:42:13,100 --> 00:42:15,837
vertical vaults and in the ninth vault,
671
00:42:15,837 --> 00:42:17,636
he placed the true name of God there,
672
00:42:17,636 --> 00:42:20,498
for future generations to discover that.
673
00:42:20,498 --> 00:42:24,707
That vertical line of those
vaults represents spirituality.
674
00:42:24,707 --> 00:42:26,911
So it's about going within the self
675
00:42:26,911 --> 00:42:29,274
to discover the truth,
and bringing that forward
676
00:42:29,274 --> 00:42:32,049
and emanating that light
out into the world.
677
00:42:32,049 --> 00:42:35,632
- There's also a focus
on the nature of man
678
00:42:39,001 --> 00:42:42,668
and the surroundings
that we find ourselves.
679
00:42:43,543 --> 00:42:45,903
You're encouraged to not only study
680
00:42:45,903 --> 00:42:49,380
but then also understand how you fit into
681
00:42:49,380 --> 00:42:51,424
the natural order of things.
682
00:42:51,424 --> 00:42:54,000
- If I take it out of
the realm of the literal,
683
00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:56,373
out of the realm of trying to
684
00:42:56,373 --> 00:42:58,014
understand everything like something that
685
00:42:58,014 --> 00:43:00,681
actually happened in a year, BC,
686
00:43:01,813 --> 00:43:06,433
and look within myself and say
what part of myself is Enoch?
687
00:43:06,433 --> 00:43:08,107
How can I connect to that?
688
00:43:08,107 --> 00:43:10,470
What do I need to cast
away to connect to that?
689
00:43:10,470 --> 00:43:13,006
What purifications do
I need to do to connect
690
00:43:13,006 --> 00:43:17,299
with this Enoch character
that actually lives within me?
691
00:43:17,299 --> 00:43:20,799
And what is this thing that's buried in me
692
00:43:21,904 --> 00:43:24,563
in the ninth vault, in my heart?
693
00:43:24,563 --> 00:43:27,645
What is this thing that's buried?
694
00:43:27,645 --> 00:43:30,606
If I want to search for that thing,
695
00:43:30,606 --> 00:43:33,056
it might help to know where it's buried.
696
00:43:33,056 --> 00:43:35,710
- In the 14th Degree,
the really fascinating
697
00:43:35,710 --> 00:43:38,038
part of the story in the
Masonic allegory is that
698
00:43:38,038 --> 00:43:40,855
when King Solomon was building his temple,
699
00:43:40,855 --> 00:43:43,507
there were nine crypts built horizontally
700
00:43:43,507 --> 00:43:46,125
underneath King Solomon's Temple.
701
00:43:46,125 --> 00:43:49,883
What begins to come
into appearance here is
702
00:43:49,883 --> 00:43:52,418
a very very interesting symbol.
703
00:43:52,418 --> 00:43:55,234
When you take the vertical
line of the vaults
704
00:43:55,234 --> 00:43:58,218
that Enoch built and
buried this divine spark
705
00:43:58,218 --> 00:44:01,604
at the bottom of it, and
you take the horizontal line
706
00:44:01,604 --> 00:44:04,668
of the crypts underneath
King Solomon's Temple
707
00:44:04,668 --> 00:44:07,648
you begin to see the symbol of the cross,
708
00:44:07,648 --> 00:44:09,488
and that's a very powerful symbol
709
00:44:09,488 --> 00:44:11,901
when you look at it like that because
710
00:44:11,901 --> 00:44:15,953
the crypts, the horizontal
crypts represent the earthly
711
00:44:15,953 --> 00:44:20,120
and it's about progressing
through these nine arches,
712
00:44:21,007 --> 00:44:25,740
these nine crypts and improving
the self through study,
713
00:44:25,740 --> 00:44:30,439
through constant refinement,
through subduing our passions,
714
00:44:30,439 --> 00:44:32,243
and trying to find that balance,
715
00:44:32,243 --> 00:44:34,903
and as we do that we begin to also ascend
716
00:44:34,903 --> 00:44:38,736
at that same time that
spiritual path upwards.
717
00:44:40,946 --> 00:44:43,647
The Lodge of Perfection concludes
718
00:44:43,647 --> 00:44:47,448
with the preservation
of that which was lost
719
00:44:47,448 --> 00:44:49,734
and is now found again, that lost word,
720
00:44:49,734 --> 00:44:54,634
that name of God as a symbol,
but that divine spark,
721
00:44:54,634 --> 00:44:58,514
and it reminds me of the
verse in the Book of John,
722
00:44:58,514 --> 00:45:01,170
when it says, "In the
beginning was the word,
723
00:45:01,170 --> 00:45:05,375
"and the word was with
God, and the word was God."
724
00:45:05,375 --> 00:45:09,211
So as you see these things
start to be revealed
725
00:45:09,211 --> 00:45:11,870
and the word revealed means revel,
726
00:45:11,870 --> 00:45:13,959
so one thing is revealed to you,
727
00:45:13,959 --> 00:45:16,446
but it's hidden by
another thing and that's
728
00:45:16,446 --> 00:45:20,042
the nature of God in a sense, is that
729
00:45:20,042 --> 00:45:23,729
God will reveal one thing, and
then veil it in another way
730
00:45:23,729 --> 00:45:26,841
because it's the constant
quest of the infinite
731
00:45:26,841 --> 00:45:28,967
of seeking light and
seeking this knowledge.
732
00:45:28,967 --> 00:45:31,375
It's a constant refinement of the self.
733
00:45:31,375 --> 00:45:33,958
As we see that symbol of
the cross appear between
734
00:45:33,958 --> 00:45:37,791
the vaults of Enoch and
the crypts of Solomon,
735
00:45:39,192 --> 00:45:42,178
you start to understand the importance of
736
00:45:42,178 --> 00:45:45,011
understanding Kabbalah as a symbol
737
00:45:47,578 --> 00:45:51,990
and as a way to understand how
these things are presented.
738
00:45:51,990 --> 00:45:54,601
Not as a dogma, or as a religion,
739
00:45:54,601 --> 00:45:57,927
but to learn from the
symbolism and the wisdom
740
00:45:57,927 --> 00:46:00,792
that that school of thought
brings into Freemasonry.
741
00:46:00,792 --> 00:46:03,818
It allows us to understand the importance
742
00:46:03,818 --> 00:46:05,946
of playing the peacemaker in life,
743
00:46:05,946 --> 00:46:08,349
and to if we have to be the judge,
744
00:46:08,349 --> 00:46:10,849
to be impartial in situations.
745
00:46:12,417 --> 00:46:15,969
- The stories being told is profound.
746
00:46:15,969 --> 00:46:18,998
Very influential on the
mind and the psyche,
747
00:46:18,998 --> 00:46:22,887
and it brings you into a
state of understanding,
748
00:46:22,887 --> 00:46:25,995
that none of the other degrees
actually brought me into.
749
00:46:25,995 --> 00:46:28,532
Yes, you're looking for the lost word,
750
00:46:28,532 --> 00:46:31,269
but most importantly, you're actually
751
00:46:31,269 --> 00:46:33,681
discovering the word within yourself,
752
00:46:33,681 --> 00:46:35,478
you're discovering who you are,
753
00:46:35,478 --> 00:46:37,396
you're discovering the purpose of this,
754
00:46:37,396 --> 00:46:40,136
you're recognizing that
there is a true value
755
00:46:40,136 --> 00:46:43,303
underneath wanting to just be a mason.
756
00:46:47,447 --> 00:46:51,046
- Uncovering the word is an allegory for
757
00:46:51,046 --> 00:46:53,827
discovering yourself,
improving yourself and
758
00:46:53,827 --> 00:46:57,140
understanding the mysteries of life.
759
00:46:57,140 --> 00:46:59,392
- You're dealing with these
great universal secrets
760
00:46:59,392 --> 00:47:01,513
and into that realm of communication
761
00:47:01,513 --> 00:47:03,556
and this time outside of time.
762
00:47:03,556 --> 00:47:08,334
Freemasonry basically has
preserved the best of mankind,
763
00:47:08,334 --> 00:47:11,805
that's why we harken
back to ancient times,
764
00:47:11,805 --> 00:47:15,440
that's why we ruminate on Greek and
765
00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:19,282
Cerastrian philosophy
in the Scottish Rite.
766
00:47:19,282 --> 00:47:21,949
It brings us back to these times
767
00:47:23,030 --> 00:47:25,324
when mankind was searching
for these answers,
768
00:47:25,324 --> 00:47:27,037
these eternal questions that we have,
769
00:47:27,037 --> 00:47:28,668
and we're still doing it of course,
770
00:47:28,668 --> 00:47:32,835
but it puts us in that mood
of where the ancients were.
771
00:47:34,297 --> 00:47:37,075
- So one of the things
Freemasonry addressed
772
00:47:37,075 --> 00:47:41,628
particularly on what were
called the Higher Degrees
773
00:47:41,628 --> 00:47:45,966
such as the Scottish Rite
was to consider the journey
774
00:47:45,966 --> 00:47:48,549
of manhood as the hero's quest.
775
00:47:49,685 --> 00:47:53,852
We applied contemporary
mythos around the old ideas.
776
00:47:58,020 --> 00:48:02,061
So what Freemasonry has become in our time
777
00:48:02,061 --> 00:48:04,061
is a set of lessons that
778
00:48:06,303 --> 00:48:08,971
helps a man become consciously aware
779
00:48:08,971 --> 00:48:10,971
of what he's here to do.
780
00:48:13,553 --> 00:48:15,756
- That's the first body, the second body
781
00:48:15,756 --> 00:48:17,843
is called the Chapter of Rose Croix,
782
00:48:17,843 --> 00:48:20,295
which really ought to be Rose Croix,
783
00:48:20,295 --> 00:48:24,343
but I pronounce it the
other way 99% of the time,
784
00:48:24,343 --> 00:48:26,343
it means rose and cross.
785
00:48:27,529 --> 00:48:31,696
15th and 16th deal with
principles ethics essentially.
786
00:48:34,448 --> 00:48:38,630
They deal with the question of
how do you know what's right?
787
00:48:38,630 --> 00:48:40,692
Is right always right?
788
00:48:40,692 --> 00:48:42,817
Is the same thing always right?
789
00:48:42,817 --> 00:48:46,575
Or are right and wrong hardly defined
790
00:48:46,575 --> 00:48:48,745
classifications you can deal with?
791
00:48:48,745 --> 00:48:52,298
- The 15th and 16th Degrees
get into the story of
792
00:48:52,298 --> 00:48:55,048
building the second temple and it
793
00:48:56,668 --> 00:48:59,038
it can be looked at from a sense of
794
00:48:59,038 --> 00:49:00,468
these things that we go through in life,
795
00:49:00,468 --> 00:49:04,635
like this constant, again,
whether it's a career or
796
00:49:06,390 --> 00:49:10,197
a marriage or friendships or family,
797
00:49:10,197 --> 00:49:11,752
we have these great
things that we build up
798
00:49:11,752 --> 00:49:13,917
and we have these great moments,
799
00:49:13,917 --> 00:49:16,943
and then there destroyed
right in front of our eyes.
800
00:49:16,943 --> 00:49:21,022
- The 17th Degree is based
on the Book of Revelation,
801
00:49:21,022 --> 00:49:25,189
or takes its thematic material
from the Book of Revelation.
802
00:49:26,625 --> 00:49:29,208
It, to me, is all about energy.
803
00:49:33,554 --> 00:49:36,659
One of the questions
that you always have is
804
00:49:36,659 --> 00:49:39,976
where does the dynamic of life come from,
805
00:49:39,976 --> 00:49:42,266
where does the energy
to do things come from
806
00:49:42,266 --> 00:49:45,824
and part of it obviously is purely mental,
807
00:49:45,824 --> 00:49:47,787
purely emotional, spiritual.
808
00:49:47,787 --> 00:49:49,037
Take your pick.
809
00:49:49,951 --> 00:49:51,832
And the 17th Degree is about that,
810
00:49:51,832 --> 00:49:56,367
about the power which comes
into a person when they are
811
00:49:56,367 --> 00:49:57,837
doing what they should be doing,
812
00:49:57,837 --> 00:50:00,701
when they are paying attention.
813
00:50:00,701 --> 00:50:02,368
Then comes the 18th,
814
00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:06,003
and the 18th is one of
the most beautiful Degrees
815
00:50:06,003 --> 00:50:08,864
of all the Scottish Rite.
816
00:50:08,864 --> 00:50:11,197
It is the Knight Rose Croix.
817
00:50:14,389 --> 00:50:16,306
It is structured around
818
00:50:19,350 --> 00:50:21,933
the story of Jesus of Nazareth.
819
00:50:22,910 --> 00:50:25,993
Not as a redeemer, but as an example,
820
00:50:27,900 --> 00:50:32,481
as an archetype because the
Scottish Rite is nonsectarian.
821
00:50:32,481 --> 00:50:36,319
But it does, part of the language says,
822
00:50:36,319 --> 00:50:38,076
if he were nothing more, he was surely
823
00:50:38,076 --> 00:50:41,512
the ideal of the race made whole.
824
00:50:41,512 --> 00:50:44,179
The great teacher, the exemplar.
825
00:50:45,280 --> 00:50:48,863
And it talks about the
love and the caring.
826
00:50:50,220 --> 00:50:53,387
He died in agony, not cursing humanity
827
00:50:56,476 --> 00:50:59,059
but uttering blessings upon it.
828
00:51:00,365 --> 00:51:03,282
That's an important set of lessons.
829
00:51:04,651 --> 00:51:05,734
It sort of is
830
00:51:07,803 --> 00:51:11,157
the question of what should be your model.
831
00:51:11,157 --> 00:51:15,213
If you're gonna try to live
a productive useful life,
832
00:51:15,213 --> 00:51:18,334
what kind of model can you find?
833
00:51:18,334 --> 00:51:20,872
- The one thing that I would say is truly
834
00:51:20,872 --> 00:51:24,644
the mystery of Freemasonry
is that it's love.
835
00:51:24,644 --> 00:51:26,940
It's a mystical state of being.
836
00:51:26,940 --> 00:51:30,857
It's little wonder that
Christ spoke about love
837
00:51:33,198 --> 00:51:36,031
in a very deep and fulfilling way.
838
00:51:36,961 --> 00:51:39,044
It's a love for the soul.
839
00:51:43,302 --> 00:51:45,506
- One of the questions
that started this whole
840
00:51:45,506 --> 00:51:49,678
story off for me about
why death existed and
841
00:51:49,678 --> 00:51:51,190
why are things the way they are,
842
00:51:51,190 --> 00:51:53,023
why is there darkness?
843
00:51:54,374 --> 00:51:57,541
What starts to come into focus is that
844
00:51:58,650 --> 00:52:00,370
it's about love.
845
00:52:00,370 --> 00:52:04,537
It's not about fully comprehending
why these things exist
846
00:52:06,532 --> 00:52:08,782
and it's about forgiveness.
847
00:52:13,822 --> 00:52:16,353
- When I look at these Degrees,
848
00:52:16,353 --> 00:52:20,196
I see all these characters in a dream,
849
00:52:20,196 --> 00:52:23,060
and I see myself in much the same way
850
00:52:23,060 --> 00:52:26,415
I would expect somebody
may have experienced this
851
00:52:26,415 --> 00:52:29,194
in ancient times in the
ancient mystery schools
852
00:52:29,194 --> 00:52:30,915
but in a modern context.
853
00:52:30,915 --> 00:52:35,196
I see myself projecting
my own sense of who I am
854
00:52:35,196 --> 00:52:39,114
onto these various characters,
to these various stories.
855
00:52:39,114 --> 00:52:41,363
Some of them have history to them,
856
00:52:41,363 --> 00:52:44,018
others are more symbolic.
857
00:52:44,018 --> 00:52:46,597
I see myself going through
these transformations,
858
00:52:46,597 --> 00:52:49,430
they're making me a better person.
859
00:52:51,052 --> 00:52:53,101
- Those are the first two bodies.
860
00:52:53,101 --> 00:52:56,861
Then the third body is
the Council of the Kadosh.
861
00:52:56,861 --> 00:52:58,694
Kadosh means separate.
862
00:53:01,391 --> 00:53:04,214
It's often translated as holy,
863
00:53:04,214 --> 00:53:05,770
but it's holy in the sense of being
864
00:53:05,770 --> 00:53:09,124
set apart from the rest of the world.
865
00:53:09,124 --> 00:53:12,120
So it's not an isolationist thing, but
866
00:53:12,120 --> 00:53:15,620
that which is more than the mundane world.
867
00:53:19,277 --> 00:53:22,860
It explores many many
many different ideas,
868
00:53:24,886 --> 00:53:28,277
but the basic theme of them is,
869
00:53:28,277 --> 00:53:31,068
what kinds of things do you need to do
870
00:53:31,068 --> 00:53:34,214
and what kinds of things
do you need to avoid
871
00:53:34,214 --> 00:53:37,724
to live productively, to be
able to say at the end of it,
872
00:53:37,724 --> 00:53:39,974
hey, I didn't do too badly?
873
00:53:41,575 --> 00:53:43,871
What ideas should you hold onto?
874
00:53:43,871 --> 00:53:46,446
What ideas do you need to get rid of?
875
00:53:46,446 --> 00:53:48,490
Vengeance, anger?
876
00:53:48,490 --> 00:53:50,157
Despotism, purinant?
877
00:53:51,234 --> 00:53:54,297
All of those things are destructive,
878
00:53:54,297 --> 00:53:57,445
and the Scottish Rite does try to teach
879
00:53:57,445 --> 00:54:00,884
that they're not always obvious.
880
00:54:00,884 --> 00:54:03,704
It's pretty clear when
somebody invades your country,
881
00:54:03,704 --> 00:54:06,475
takes it over and starts issuing laws
882
00:54:06,475 --> 00:54:08,194
and says you'll be killed if you don't,
883
00:54:08,194 --> 00:54:09,545
that you're dealing with a dictator,
884
00:54:09,545 --> 00:54:12,488
that's an easy thing to spot.
885
00:54:12,488 --> 00:54:14,321
It's less easy to spot
886
00:54:15,802 --> 00:54:17,560
if you find that one of your friends
887
00:54:17,560 --> 00:54:21,727
is spending all of his time
trying to tell you what to do.
888
00:54:22,795 --> 00:54:25,628
Or that some other person you know
889
00:54:26,677 --> 00:54:28,884
is trying to substitute their
890
00:54:28,884 --> 00:54:32,051
judgment of right and wrong for yours.
891
00:54:32,926 --> 00:54:35,139
So dictatorship and despotism is
892
00:54:35,139 --> 00:54:37,962
an easy thing to have happen, and
893
00:54:37,962 --> 00:54:40,416
that's one of the things
that the right warns against,
894
00:54:40,416 --> 00:54:42,833
you've got to guard yourself.
895
00:54:43,859 --> 00:54:45,361
If you're going to be independent,
896
00:54:45,361 --> 00:54:48,222
if you're going to be free to think,
897
00:54:48,222 --> 00:54:52,305
then you got to make sure
you stay free to think.
898
00:54:55,785 --> 00:54:58,318
- The Consistory, finally, is the last
899
00:54:58,318 --> 00:55:00,767
of the organized pieces
of the Scottish Rite
900
00:55:00,767 --> 00:55:03,254
and within the Consistory,
we find the ultimate
901
00:55:03,254 --> 00:55:07,097
tying together of all the
Scottish Rite Degrees,
902
00:55:07,097 --> 00:55:09,755
all the main themes that
run through them all.
903
00:55:09,755 --> 00:55:13,397
Consequently, upon becoming
a 32nd Degree Scottish
904
00:55:13,397 --> 00:55:17,076
Rite Mason, your title is
Master of the Royal Secret
905
00:55:17,076 --> 00:55:19,240
because at this point,
you have understood,
906
00:55:19,240 --> 00:55:21,202
at least you should have understood,
907
00:55:21,202 --> 00:55:23,573
all of the esoteric
teachings that came before
908
00:55:23,573 --> 00:55:25,291
and how they're all tied together.
909
00:55:25,291 --> 00:55:26,965
- At the end of the 30 Degree,
910
00:55:26,965 --> 00:55:29,965
there's a lot of symbolism of death.
911
00:55:31,540 --> 00:55:36,525
At the beginning of the 31st
Degree you're in another world.
912
00:55:36,525 --> 00:55:38,563
- The 31st Degree is one
of my favorite Degrees
913
00:55:38,563 --> 00:55:41,143
and I think all Southern
jurisdiction Scottish Rite Masons
914
00:55:41,143 --> 00:55:44,326
can agree that this is one of
the absolute greatest Degrees
915
00:55:44,326 --> 00:55:46,859
within the Scottish Rite, it's a real gem.
916
00:55:46,859 --> 00:55:51,286
We go to amenti, the
Egyptian Court of the Dead,
917
00:55:51,286 --> 00:55:53,821
where a new soul has arrived and
918
00:55:53,821 --> 00:55:56,757
must be judged by his actions.
919
00:55:56,757 --> 00:55:59,534
So among some of the
chief characters we have
920
00:55:59,534 --> 00:56:03,701
are Osiris and Anubis, and
Thoth, the giver of knowledge
921
00:56:04,594 --> 00:56:07,594
and the giver of life to the people.
922
00:56:08,583 --> 00:56:13,555
The soul makes its way
through the Court of the Dead,
923
00:56:13,555 --> 00:56:17,062
and the Gods themselves
are asked to weigh in
924
00:56:17,062 --> 00:56:21,229
and judge the soul's worthiness
to enter into the afterlife.
925
00:56:22,281 --> 00:56:24,198
- This Degree teaches there's going to be
926
00:56:24,198 --> 00:56:26,285
some uncomfortable things in it
927
00:56:26,285 --> 00:56:29,469
that I will have to let go of.
928
00:56:29,469 --> 00:56:33,958
It makes a point that we
have these human roles
929
00:56:33,958 --> 00:56:36,121
even if they might have spiritual titles
930
00:56:36,121 --> 00:56:39,553
such as Pope, or Bishop, or King,
931
00:56:39,553 --> 00:56:41,853
that has been ordained by God,
932
00:56:41,853 --> 00:56:45,251
that we will still die, all of us die,
933
00:56:45,251 --> 00:56:48,834
and that these temporal
leaders can't crush
934
00:56:50,027 --> 00:56:52,694
that human spirit if it is wise,
935
00:56:53,552 --> 00:56:57,302
if it has abandoned the
follies of the world,
936
00:56:58,899 --> 00:57:03,066
that there's parts of us
that just remain eternal.
937
00:57:05,232 --> 00:57:09,315
- The 31st Degree catches
you when you're feeling
938
00:57:10,522 --> 00:57:13,100
hey I've just about got it,
939
00:57:13,100 --> 00:57:16,649
and you can be feeling just
a little self satisfied
940
00:57:16,649 --> 00:57:20,816
at that point, one thing
I've survived all of them.
941
00:57:21,673 --> 00:57:25,673
Then it says okay, let's
talk about what's real.
942
00:57:28,796 --> 00:57:32,470
There are these series of questions
943
00:57:32,470 --> 00:57:36,637
and they are questions that
sneak up behind you, for example
944
00:57:37,861 --> 00:57:41,028
have you contributed to the United Way
945
00:57:41,910 --> 00:57:45,258
or other nice safe charities, but walked
946
00:57:45,258 --> 00:57:50,118
across the street to avoid
the bag lady who needed money?
947
00:57:50,118 --> 00:57:51,627
To have done that do you dare
948
00:57:51,627 --> 00:57:54,460
call yourself a charitable person?
949
00:57:58,045 --> 00:57:59,968
Have you been perfectly
willing to help people
950
00:57:59,968 --> 00:58:02,908
who need a hand up as long
as you don't get dirty?
951
00:58:02,908 --> 00:58:05,683
Have you been so careful about your image
952
00:58:05,683 --> 00:58:09,927
that you didn't care what
happened to other people?
953
00:58:09,927 --> 00:58:12,093
These things are easy to have happen.
954
00:58:12,093 --> 00:58:13,426
They really are.
955
00:58:15,527 --> 00:58:17,376
Along with more predictable questions like
956
00:58:17,376 --> 00:58:19,991
are you sure you have not tried to help
957
00:58:19,991 --> 00:58:23,911
put power in hands that don't deserve it?
958
00:58:23,911 --> 00:58:27,303
Or have you been nice to somebody
959
00:58:27,303 --> 00:58:29,566
just because they have power and you think
960
00:58:29,566 --> 00:58:33,565
you can get someplace
by being nice to them,
961
00:58:33,565 --> 00:58:35,247
which is a really contemptible thing
962
00:58:35,247 --> 00:58:38,269
but a very human thing to do.
963
00:58:38,269 --> 00:58:40,517
It takes you through all of these because
964
00:58:40,517 --> 00:58:44,267
it's saying if you are
going to know yourself
965
00:58:45,255 --> 00:58:48,156
then you've got to ask these questions,
966
00:58:48,156 --> 00:58:50,767
and it's fine just to
say yes, I'm charitable,
967
00:58:50,767 --> 00:58:55,633
I believe in education, I
believe in free government,
968
00:58:55,633 --> 00:58:59,229
and the question is how
much do you believe in that?
969
00:58:59,229 --> 00:59:02,830
Are you willing to let
people disagree with you?
970
00:59:02,830 --> 00:59:06,163
Are you willing to say okay I'm revolted
971
00:59:07,532 --> 00:59:10,389
by every single thing you are saying
972
00:59:10,389 --> 00:59:14,556
but I will absolutely
defend your right to say it?
973
00:59:16,525 --> 00:59:20,108
The 32nd Degree, Master
of the Royal Secret
974
00:59:20,981 --> 00:59:23,314
disappoints a lot of people,
975
00:59:24,463 --> 00:59:27,123
because they come to it expecting
976
00:59:27,123 --> 00:59:28,961
that the heavens are going to open,
977
00:59:28,961 --> 00:59:31,091
the scroll is going to unfold
978
00:59:31,091 --> 00:59:33,630
and there in letters
of fire are going to be
979
00:59:33,630 --> 00:59:38,202
the 18 words that teach you
how to control the weather,
980
00:59:38,202 --> 00:59:41,388
make sure crops never fail
and all the rest of it.
981
00:59:41,388 --> 00:59:46,049
Low and behold, what
they end up being told is
982
00:59:46,049 --> 00:59:48,382
you've known this all along.
983
00:59:49,925 --> 00:59:53,239
There is nothing new that you don't know.
984
00:59:53,239 --> 00:59:55,490
You know what's important,
985
00:59:55,490 --> 00:59:59,657
you know what is required to
lead a good life and go do it.
986
01:00:01,911 --> 01:00:05,210
Some people are just absolutely crushed.
987
01:00:05,210 --> 01:00:08,024
They figure they are now
going to be among those
988
01:00:08,024 --> 01:00:10,637
who are the King makers and they find out
989
01:00:10,637 --> 01:00:13,131
that there are no Kings to be made.
990
01:00:13,131 --> 01:00:15,507
- It's not about the external.
991
01:00:15,507 --> 01:00:17,916
It's completely about the
internal and you realize
992
01:00:17,916 --> 01:00:21,183
that everything else is like dualism,
993
01:00:21,183 --> 01:00:24,206
a total illusion and that the oneness that
994
01:00:24,206 --> 01:00:26,821
pervades everything, ourselves,
995
01:00:26,821 --> 01:00:29,886
the world that we live in, the
universe our world lives in,
996
01:00:29,886 --> 01:00:32,133
and everything that we can imagine,
997
01:00:32,133 --> 01:00:35,300
is all tied to that same divine spark,
998
01:00:36,540 --> 01:00:39,321
and that spark resides within all of us,
999
01:00:39,321 --> 01:00:43,167
and upon learning that,
upon integrating that
1000
01:00:43,167 --> 01:00:46,437
into our souls, into our very being,
1001
01:00:46,437 --> 01:00:48,069
at that point we truly become
1002
01:00:48,069 --> 01:00:50,819
32nd Degree Scottish Rite Masons.
1003
01:00:51,901 --> 01:00:56,087
- Now, there's something really
important being told here.
1004
01:00:56,087 --> 01:01:00,457
You come to the realization
that the creator
1005
01:01:00,457 --> 01:01:04,040
created you and you
are the only one of you
1006
01:01:07,248 --> 01:01:09,831
ever to exist in this universe,
1007
01:01:10,719 --> 01:01:13,302
there can never be another you.
1008
01:01:15,090 --> 01:01:17,757
- I confer the 33rd Degree here.
1009
01:01:19,465 --> 01:01:21,544
As did my father before me if
1010
01:01:21,544 --> 01:01:24,294
we're gonna talk about tradition.
1011
01:01:25,251 --> 01:01:29,983
It, I think, contains one of
Pike's most beautiful writing.
1012
01:01:29,983 --> 01:01:32,816
I think it is just terrific stuff.
1013
01:01:35,696 --> 01:01:37,863
It is not new information.
1014
01:01:41,698 --> 01:01:43,701
Many people figure it's going to be.
1015
01:01:43,701 --> 01:01:45,704
Finally I'm gonna get on the 33rd.
1016
01:01:45,704 --> 01:01:49,432
Here's where I find out
how I control the weather,
1017
01:01:49,432 --> 01:01:52,804
and make Kings and all the rest of it,
1018
01:01:52,804 --> 01:01:55,863
and that's not the point at all.
1019
01:01:55,863 --> 01:01:58,113
The point is to remind you,
1020
01:01:59,126 --> 01:02:01,576
well there's one place where it says
1021
01:02:01,576 --> 01:02:03,332
Master of the Royal
Secret is what you call
1022
01:02:03,332 --> 01:02:05,739
somebody who's got a 32nd Degree,
1023
01:02:05,739 --> 01:02:07,987
and the people are taking the Degrees,
1024
01:02:07,987 --> 01:02:11,127
our 32nd Degree Masons, and Pike says
1025
01:02:11,127 --> 01:02:14,069
Master of the Royal Secret,
1026
01:02:14,069 --> 01:02:16,902
do you deserve that name you bear?
1027
01:02:18,152 --> 01:02:22,319
Are you first and foremost
among the performers of charity?
1028
01:02:24,881 --> 01:02:27,798
Have you learned, have you studied?
1029
01:02:28,970 --> 01:02:32,137
Are you sure you have not lost the key
1030
01:02:33,260 --> 01:02:36,318
and therefore wander up and down the halls
1031
01:02:36,318 --> 01:02:39,818
of this magnificent palace, thinking it is
1032
01:02:41,102 --> 01:02:43,685
no such great structure at all,
1033
01:02:44,988 --> 01:02:48,571
but only such as are
built by ordinary men?
1034
01:02:50,206 --> 01:02:54,286
If that is true, then the oracles of truth
1035
01:02:54,286 --> 01:02:57,953
are encoded in you, and
you are in name only
1036
01:03:01,084 --> 01:03:04,153
a Master of the Royal Secret.
1037
01:03:04,153 --> 01:03:04,986
Wow.
1038
01:03:05,831 --> 01:03:08,859
You talk about laying it out.
1039
01:03:08,859 --> 01:03:10,816
And he does that so often.
1040
01:03:10,816 --> 01:03:13,350
Another of my favorite lines is
1041
01:03:13,350 --> 01:03:16,943
the truths of philosophy and religion are
1042
01:03:16,943 --> 01:03:19,443
for most men like the sun rays
1043
01:03:20,688 --> 01:03:24,279
that strike upon the arctic snows.
1044
01:03:24,279 --> 01:03:26,779
They glitter and are reflected
1045
01:03:29,261 --> 01:03:32,178
but they do not penetrate and warm.
1046
01:03:35,506 --> 01:03:37,256
So it's a Degree that
1047
01:03:42,300 --> 01:03:46,588
reminds you of some of
the important things
1048
01:03:46,588 --> 01:03:49,171
and reminds you that there is a
1049
01:03:51,160 --> 01:03:54,243
connecting thread in all of humanity.
1050
01:04:01,447 --> 01:04:05,114
(dramatic chanting singing)
1051
01:04:59,011 --> 01:05:01,678
(fire crackles)
1052
01:05:05,573 --> 01:05:09,240
- The York Rite per se
doesn't really exist.
1053
01:05:10,433 --> 01:05:13,631
It's kind of an umbrella
that's used to describe
1054
01:05:13,631 --> 01:05:17,131
three separate and independent structures.
1055
01:05:18,038 --> 01:05:20,788
The Chapter of Royal Arch Masons,
1056
01:05:21,676 --> 01:05:23,431
The Council of Cryptic Masons,
1057
01:05:23,431 --> 01:05:25,922
and the Commandery of Knights Templar,
1058
01:05:25,922 --> 01:05:27,963
are three separate organizational bodies
1059
01:05:27,963 --> 01:05:30,151
that make up the York Rite.
1060
01:05:30,151 --> 01:05:33,734
It's the term we use
to govern all of them.
1061
01:05:36,865 --> 01:05:39,440
So the story that makes
up the Chapter Degrees
1062
01:05:39,440 --> 01:05:43,445
is primarily the story of the completion,
1063
01:05:43,445 --> 01:05:47,612
dedication, destruction of
the Temple of King Solomon.
1064
01:05:50,845 --> 01:05:53,468
Of course there's important symbolism
1065
01:05:53,468 --> 01:05:56,338
that carries throughout,
in particular things like
1066
01:05:56,338 --> 01:05:59,521
the key stone, which
is an important symbol
1067
01:05:59,521 --> 01:06:01,817
in the Mark Master Degree,
the Most Excellent,
1068
01:06:01,817 --> 01:06:03,865
and the Royal Arch Degree and further
1069
01:06:03,865 --> 01:06:05,708
throughout the York Rite as well
1070
01:06:05,708 --> 01:06:09,271
that ties all of them
together in some way,
1071
01:06:09,271 --> 01:06:10,986
but ultimately they are the story
1072
01:06:10,986 --> 01:06:13,653
of our life, death, and rebirth.
1073
01:06:18,239 --> 01:06:21,668
- There is an important lesson imparted
1074
01:06:21,668 --> 01:06:25,634
in the course of this
that number one shows
1075
01:06:25,634 --> 01:06:28,467
you have to surmount the confusion
1076
01:06:29,986 --> 01:06:33,744
and the pandemonium of everyday life,
1077
01:06:33,744 --> 01:06:36,994
which is in essence the course traveled
1078
01:06:38,275 --> 01:06:40,646
from Babylon to Jerusalem.
1079
01:06:40,646 --> 01:06:43,097
Think about it, Babylon is a place
1080
01:06:43,097 --> 01:06:45,847
of confusion, chaos, incoherence,
1081
01:06:47,304 --> 01:06:50,054
and Jerusalem is a city of peace.
1082
01:06:55,109 --> 01:06:58,939
We begin clearing away the rubble of the
1083
01:06:58,939 --> 01:07:03,106
First Temple of Solomon, which
is now historically in ruins.
1084
01:07:04,861 --> 01:07:08,850
This is essentially the rubble of our life
1085
01:07:08,850 --> 01:07:12,317
and the working tools in Royal Arch become
1086
01:07:12,317 --> 01:07:16,028
the spade and the
pick-axe and the crowbar,
1087
01:07:16,028 --> 01:07:19,028
used to demonstrate to the candidate
1088
01:07:20,938 --> 01:07:25,147
that it requires some heavy
hand tools to pry away
1089
01:07:25,147 --> 01:07:27,188
some of the rocks and boulders
1090
01:07:27,188 --> 01:07:30,083
of your own prejudice
and your own ignorance
1091
01:07:30,083 --> 01:07:33,000
and your own lack of understanding.
1092
01:07:34,615 --> 01:07:38,782
Then, they're sent off to dig
into the ruins of the temple,
1093
01:07:40,496 --> 01:07:44,663
and they find an opening that
leads them down into a vault.
1094
01:07:45,685 --> 01:07:49,268
How curious, a vault
down inside the temple
1095
01:07:50,633 --> 01:07:54,550
of which the rubble is
the rubble of your life.
1096
01:07:55,743 --> 01:07:59,410
So therefore the temple
must be your temple,
1097
01:08:00,285 --> 01:08:04,452
your temple, your self that
has fallen to rag and ruin
1098
01:08:06,792 --> 01:08:11,528
and now you have descended
down into this vault,
1099
01:08:11,528 --> 01:08:15,695
into the inner you and you
come up from that vault
1100
01:08:16,908 --> 01:08:21,075
with a variety of treasures
hidden deep within you.
1101
01:08:23,092 --> 01:08:28,048
These are presented to the
three stationed officers
1102
01:08:28,048 --> 01:08:31,676
who could easily be representing your
1103
01:08:31,676 --> 01:08:33,716
super conscious, your conscious mind
1104
01:08:33,716 --> 01:08:35,756
and your sub conscious mind.
1105
01:08:35,756 --> 01:08:39,173
There are four veils, each of these veils
1106
01:08:40,283 --> 01:08:44,449
has a banner attached
to it, then the banners
1107
01:08:44,449 --> 01:08:49,324
are the banners of the lion,
the ox, the eagle, and the man.
1108
01:08:49,324 --> 01:08:52,106
These banners are said to be emblematic of
1109
01:08:52,106 --> 01:08:55,732
the four principle tribes of Israel.
1110
01:08:55,732 --> 01:08:57,489
The principle tribes?
1111
01:08:57,489 --> 01:08:59,971
Yeah, the principle tribes.
1112
01:08:59,971 --> 01:09:01,600
Well why are they the principle tribes?
1113
01:09:01,600 --> 01:09:03,516
What about the other tribes?
1114
01:09:03,516 --> 01:09:06,166
Well, we believe there were 12 tribes
1115
01:09:06,166 --> 01:09:08,246
plus the Levites who tended the
1116
01:09:08,246 --> 01:09:11,079
Arch of the Covenant in the Sinai.
1117
01:09:12,296 --> 01:09:16,296
These 12 tribes are very
much like the 12 houses
1118
01:09:17,763 --> 01:09:21,596
of the zodiac, and these
four principle tribes
1119
01:09:22,666 --> 01:09:26,249
are emblemized by the
four principle tribes
1120
01:09:27,619 --> 01:09:31,333
of the zodiac, or four
cardinal signs of the zodiac,
1121
01:09:31,333 --> 01:09:34,391
they're one and the same,
four principle tribes,
1122
01:09:34,391 --> 01:09:36,185
four cardinal signs of the zodiac,
1123
01:09:36,185 --> 01:09:38,349
and they're in exactly the same place.
1124
01:09:38,349 --> 01:09:42,516
Then, about 2,000 years ago,
we have a new dispensation
1125
01:09:43,952 --> 01:09:47,508
and that dispensation is
in 326 under the reign of
1126
01:09:47,508 --> 01:09:49,999
Constantine called Christianity.
1127
01:09:49,999 --> 01:09:53,710
Christianity has a doctrine and they have
1128
01:09:53,710 --> 01:09:56,293
their gospels and those gospels
1129
01:09:57,871 --> 01:10:02,255
are represented by Mathew,
Mark, Luke, and John.
1130
01:10:02,255 --> 01:10:06,345
Curiously, they are represented
by the very same emblems,
1131
01:10:06,345 --> 01:10:08,762
the lion, the ox, the eagle, and the man.
1132
01:10:08,762 --> 01:10:11,179
What is it trying to tell us?
1133
01:10:17,902 --> 01:10:22,069
It spells the name of Yhwh, Y-H-W-H,
1134
01:10:24,116 --> 01:10:27,783
and it's all buried
deep within this ritual.
1135
01:10:33,737 --> 01:10:36,487
(dramatic music)
1136
01:10:40,862 --> 01:10:44,362
The Council of Cryptic Masons provides two
1137
01:10:46,178 --> 01:10:50,095
different Degrees, the
Royal and Select Master.
1138
01:10:51,156 --> 01:10:55,323
Those Degrees were borrowed
from the Scottish Rite.
1139
01:10:56,677 --> 01:11:00,844
In order to help explain
how we get from the lodge
1140
01:11:03,225 --> 01:11:07,028
of Solomon to the Second Temple that is
1141
01:11:07,028 --> 01:11:10,831
illustrated and demonstrated
to us in the Royal Arch,
1142
01:11:10,831 --> 01:11:14,664
so that becomes explanatory
of the Royal Arch.
1143
01:11:17,397 --> 01:11:20,897
- The Cryptic picks up on some things that
1144
01:11:22,086 --> 01:11:24,248
happened in Hiram Abiff's life,
1145
01:11:24,248 --> 01:11:28,170
you learn some more of the secrets and get
1146
01:11:28,170 --> 01:11:30,996
a little bit more explanation
on how things took place.
1147
01:11:30,996 --> 01:11:33,996
They have this undertoe of symbolism
1148
01:11:36,460 --> 01:11:39,324
that makes them very beautiful.
1149
01:11:39,324 --> 01:11:43,157
There is a Third Degree
in the Cryptic Council
1150
01:11:44,067 --> 01:11:47,234
and that is the Super Excellent Master
1151
01:11:48,275 --> 01:11:49,513
which sounds like something out
1152
01:11:49,513 --> 01:11:52,776
of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure,
1153
01:11:52,776 --> 01:11:55,187
but that's more of a dramatic presentation
1154
01:11:55,187 --> 01:11:58,009
and that really feels like
a Scottish Rite Degree
1155
01:11:58,009 --> 01:12:00,219
much more than a York Rite Degree,
1156
01:12:00,219 --> 01:12:03,083
and it actually dips
back into the timeframe
1157
01:12:03,083 --> 01:12:06,760
of the Royal Arch itself and
the destruction of the temple
1158
01:12:06,760 --> 01:12:09,343
and depicts some of that drama.
1159
01:12:13,175 --> 01:12:16,442
- I came into this looking for
1160
01:12:16,442 --> 01:12:20,025
a system of moral, and
esoteric instruction
1161
01:12:22,039 --> 01:12:26,031
that would build me into
a better version of myself
1162
01:12:26,031 --> 01:12:30,198
that I could then really
understand on a deeper level.
1163
01:12:37,930 --> 01:12:41,151
- Jacques de Molay was a Grand Master
1164
01:12:41,151 --> 01:12:44,502
of the Knights Templar
during the crusades.
1165
01:12:44,502 --> 01:12:48,250
He was actually burned at the stake.
1166
01:12:48,250 --> 01:12:51,469
It's less of a burn and
more of a slow roast.
1167
01:12:51,469 --> 01:12:54,783
They really put this
man through the ringer.
1168
01:12:54,783 --> 01:12:57,690
The church wanted him to give up his
1169
01:12:57,690 --> 01:13:01,440
so called Lieutenance and to turn over
1170
01:13:01,440 --> 01:13:05,607
the wealth that the Templars
had amassed and he refused.
1171
01:13:06,838 --> 01:13:09,671
At its core, The Order is meant to
1172
01:13:13,529 --> 01:13:16,279
instill that same characteristic,
1173
01:13:18,018 --> 01:13:20,099
to be true to your word even
1174
01:13:20,099 --> 01:13:23,699
when things aren't going your way.
1175
01:13:23,699 --> 01:13:26,366
- Many people in masonry like to
1176
01:13:28,633 --> 01:13:32,800
see the Knights Templars of
the Crusades in their origins.
1177
01:13:33,978 --> 01:13:36,712
They had a certain moral and ethical code
1178
01:13:36,712 --> 01:13:40,129
and we liked to incorporate many of those
1179
01:13:40,995 --> 01:13:43,745
codes into our ritual and Degree.
1180
01:13:44,705 --> 01:13:49,075
- I had the honor of
becoming a Knight Templar.
1181
01:13:49,075 --> 01:13:51,524
I learned secrecy, and not secrecy
1182
01:13:51,524 --> 01:13:55,356
that most anti masons want to pin on us as
1183
01:13:55,356 --> 01:13:58,421
some subversive group that's
trying to take over the world,
1184
01:13:58,421 --> 01:14:01,152
but the secrecy of the inner self,
1185
01:14:01,152 --> 01:14:03,110
and of the world, the mysteries
1186
01:14:03,110 --> 01:14:05,777
that need to stay what they are.
1187
01:14:07,031 --> 01:14:09,643
- If a mason holds to the Christian faith,
1188
01:14:09,643 --> 01:14:11,761
then the Order of the Temple is something
1189
01:14:11,761 --> 01:14:13,720
that he really should consider pursuing.
1190
01:14:13,720 --> 01:14:16,970
It is such a deep spiritual experience.
1191
01:14:20,690 --> 01:14:24,850
In masonry, we have so many opportunities
1192
01:14:24,850 --> 01:14:28,446
for those deep transformative experiences.
1193
01:14:28,446 --> 01:14:30,164
Some of them are more
intellectual than others.
1194
01:14:30,164 --> 01:14:32,499
Some of them are very emotional.
1195
01:14:32,499 --> 01:14:36,288
Some of them open up new
vistas of ways of thought
1196
01:14:36,288 --> 01:14:38,955
into the teachings that we have.
1197
01:14:41,412 --> 01:14:42,983
In the Order of Temple Degree,
1198
01:14:42,983 --> 01:14:45,142
you're caused to represent someone who's
1199
01:14:45,142 --> 01:14:47,149
joining the literal Knights Templar
1200
01:14:47,149 --> 01:14:50,649
and you go through the pilgrims journey in
1201
01:14:52,086 --> 01:14:55,419
moving from the traveler to the warrior,
1202
01:14:58,579 --> 01:15:00,742
to eventually the Knight's Templar.
1203
01:15:00,742 --> 01:15:03,642
It ties in to the Third Degree as well,
1204
01:15:03,642 --> 01:15:06,412
it's pretty symbolic, as you move through
1205
01:15:06,412 --> 01:15:10,579
the progression of masonry,
I think it's a nice capstone.
1206
01:15:12,378 --> 01:15:16,211
It wraps up the York
Rite Degrees really well.
1207
01:15:19,496 --> 01:15:23,286
- There's a huge huge
huge difference between
1208
01:15:23,286 --> 01:15:25,576
the York Rite and the Scottish Rite.
1209
01:15:25,576 --> 01:15:29,545
Even though they're
telling the same story,
1210
01:15:29,545 --> 01:15:31,828
little different twists here and there
1211
01:15:31,828 --> 01:15:34,558
but essentially the same stories.
1212
01:15:34,558 --> 01:15:38,725
The massive difference at
the end of the York Rite
1213
01:15:39,912 --> 01:15:42,995
is that the York Rite requires you to
1214
01:15:44,027 --> 01:15:47,360
declare an adherence to a set of dogmas.
1215
01:15:51,091 --> 01:15:55,008
The Scottish Rite provides
you with a myriad of
1216
01:15:57,105 --> 01:16:00,125
dogmas, or facets of different dogmas,
1217
01:16:00,125 --> 01:16:04,447
and tells you that you
are free to sort this
1218
01:16:04,447 --> 01:16:08,863
out for yourself, and to
form your own conclusion
1219
01:16:08,863 --> 01:16:12,780
about where you fit in
this sequence of dogmas.
1220
01:16:14,526 --> 01:16:17,540
What does this mean to you?
1221
01:16:17,540 --> 01:16:21,128
The York Rite says this
is what it means to you
1222
01:16:21,128 --> 01:16:24,191
and you must sign on the dotted line.
1223
01:16:24,191 --> 01:16:26,662
So there's a difference
there, one tells you
1224
01:16:26,662 --> 01:16:30,454
what to think, the other tells
you to think for yourself.
1225
01:16:30,454 --> 01:16:33,595
But they both kind of
get you to the same point
1226
01:16:33,595 --> 01:16:37,186
and then you have to
decide at the very end
1227
01:16:37,186 --> 01:16:40,499
exactly where you stand on the issues.
1228
01:16:40,499 --> 01:16:45,119
Very very important,
very profound experiences
1229
01:16:45,119 --> 01:16:47,369
for every man to undertake.
1230
01:16:48,598 --> 01:16:51,431
(mid tempo piano)
1231
01:16:56,137 --> 01:17:00,137
- What will the fraternity
be like in 100 years?
1232
01:17:01,794 --> 01:17:05,552
My father, my grandfathers, my uncles
1233
01:17:05,552 --> 01:17:08,802
were all very active in the fraternity.
1234
01:17:10,144 --> 01:17:14,144
I grew up, the young man
exposed to Freemasonry.
1235
01:17:15,942 --> 01:17:20,717
Freemasonry has changed so
much during my lifetime.
1236
01:17:20,717 --> 01:17:24,884
It'd be hard to predict
what it's going to be like.
1237
01:17:27,775 --> 01:17:31,858
But there's certain things
that have not changed.
1238
01:17:33,579 --> 01:17:36,579
The fact that it's a symbolic system
1239
01:17:38,444 --> 01:17:40,777
taught through Degrees only.
1240
01:17:43,210 --> 01:17:46,926
That we have a ritual
that, well it's evolved,
1241
01:17:46,926 --> 01:17:48,093
not that much.
1242
01:17:51,628 --> 01:17:55,795
I think those things will
still be here in 100 years.
1243
01:17:57,093 --> 01:17:59,176
Who will be a mason then?
1244
01:18:00,156 --> 01:18:01,707
What are some of the things that masons
1245
01:18:01,707 --> 01:18:04,241
might do out in the community?
1246
01:18:04,241 --> 01:18:07,583
Those things will evolve over time.
1247
01:18:07,583 --> 01:18:10,666
But, (clears throat)
1248
01:18:11,827 --> 01:18:15,994
would attracted combatence
in the English Civil War
1249
01:18:20,023 --> 01:18:23,356
til one night, they aside their disputes
1250
01:18:25,275 --> 01:18:28,608
in a country home and become Freemasons?
1251
01:18:31,806 --> 01:18:35,306
That kind of spirit, I think will live on.
1252
01:18:37,162 --> 01:18:39,168
- The outer trappings of Freemasonry
1253
01:18:39,168 --> 01:18:41,456
change through the ages.
1254
01:18:41,456 --> 01:18:43,575
Once our lodges were lit by candles,
1255
01:18:43,575 --> 01:18:46,553
once we rode horses to lodge meetings,
1256
01:18:46,553 --> 01:18:51,282
or came by moonlight,
nowadays we travel in cars,
1257
01:18:51,282 --> 01:18:53,440
we travel in planes to that.
1258
01:18:53,440 --> 01:18:57,729
100 years from now the external
world will have changed.
1259
01:18:57,729 --> 01:19:01,813
But the core values of
Freemasonry will not have changed.
1260
01:19:01,813 --> 01:19:04,142
The Grand Master 100 years from now
1261
01:19:04,142 --> 01:19:08,309
is going to need to find
ways to empower every mason
1262
01:19:09,243 --> 01:19:10,835
to pursue that journey which is
1263
01:19:10,835 --> 01:19:13,211
the heart of what Freemasonry is.
1264
01:19:13,211 --> 01:19:15,942
I would suggest that he not forget that
1265
01:19:15,942 --> 01:19:18,683
his primary job is that of a teacher.
1266
01:19:18,683 --> 01:19:20,353
He is to teach those around that
1267
01:19:20,353 --> 01:19:23,905
the principles of Freemasonry are eternal
1268
01:19:23,905 --> 01:19:27,015
and that the pursuit of
the journey of a Freemason
1269
01:19:27,015 --> 01:19:30,321
regardless of the time and
the era in which it happens,
1270
01:19:30,321 --> 01:19:32,812
will be a challenge because the world is
1271
01:19:32,812 --> 01:19:36,072
not an easy place to be
in, but a Grand Master
1272
01:19:36,072 --> 01:19:39,832
who is willing to help empower his lodges
1273
01:19:39,832 --> 01:19:42,530
and his brethren to be masons
1274
01:19:42,530 --> 01:19:46,409
will be doing what Freemasonry
needs 100 years from now.
1275
01:19:46,409 --> 01:19:49,472
- Nothing can take away
or fundamentally alter
1276
01:19:49,472 --> 01:19:52,607
the experience of the Masonic Degrees
1277
01:19:52,607 --> 01:19:55,014
and the lessons we are taught within them.
1278
01:19:55,014 --> 01:19:56,969
They have stayed consistent through all
1279
01:19:56,969 --> 01:20:00,519
evolutions of man and society
from hundreds of years ago,
1280
01:20:00,519 --> 01:20:03,495
and is my sincere hope that they remain
1281
01:20:03,495 --> 01:20:05,571
the same a hundred years from now.
1282
01:20:05,571 --> 01:20:09,324
- The future of
Freemasonry is in the hands
1283
01:20:09,324 --> 01:20:11,824
of people who aren't here yet,
1284
01:20:13,279 --> 01:20:17,446
and it is up to them to carry
that torch into the future.
1285
01:20:23,984 --> 01:20:28,151
Light has a unique
characteristic that it fills all.
1286
01:20:34,189 --> 01:20:37,356
I think that the seekers of that light
1287
01:20:38,314 --> 01:20:42,397
can make a profound impact
on others around them.
1288
01:20:45,066 --> 01:20:48,149
By living that example, we can really
1289
01:20:48,986 --> 01:20:51,144
make a change for the better.
1290
01:20:51,144 --> 01:20:54,171
- Where this is gonna be in
10 years, I haven't a clue.
1291
01:20:54,171 --> 01:20:56,619
I've given up guessing,
1292
01:20:56,619 --> 01:21:00,786
but I am convinced that it
is meeting a genuine need
1293
01:21:01,996 --> 01:21:04,702
in the human psyche, and that as long
1294
01:21:04,702 --> 01:21:06,783
as that's true, it's gonna be there.
1295
01:21:06,783 --> 01:21:09,113
It's gonna survive.
1296
01:21:09,113 --> 01:21:12,665
20 years ago, I kind of had my doubts,
1297
01:21:12,665 --> 01:21:15,233
but now, I know it's safe.
1298
01:21:15,233 --> 01:21:18,783
- In the future, I think
our greatest challenge
1299
01:21:18,783 --> 01:21:22,866
is trying to assemble guys
maybe more like myself
1300
01:21:25,327 --> 01:21:29,734
that are vested in trying
to help younger masons
1301
01:21:29,734 --> 01:21:33,067
understand who and what they really are,
1302
01:21:33,926 --> 01:21:37,593
and cultivate the divine
gift that is within
1303
01:21:39,695 --> 01:21:41,616
each and every one of us.
1304
01:21:41,616 --> 01:21:44,966
- Masonry really teaches us that
1305
01:21:44,966 --> 01:21:48,383
we're all brothers from the same creator.
1306
01:21:50,024 --> 01:21:54,023
People of all religious
creeds, all cultures,
1307
01:21:54,023 --> 01:21:56,440
we're all living as brothers.
1308
01:21:59,210 --> 01:22:02,434
When you understand that it really,
1309
01:22:02,434 --> 01:22:05,698
a person of any faith can go to the
1310
01:22:05,698 --> 01:22:08,615
Masonic altar and become a brother.
1311
01:22:09,657 --> 01:22:12,306
- It is very important
to value your brothers
1312
01:22:12,306 --> 01:22:14,753
and value the lessons learned,
1313
01:22:14,753 --> 01:22:17,736
and if you're gonna do
anything in masonry,
1314
01:22:17,736 --> 01:22:22,510
recognize that it's not
anything that is modern.
1315
01:22:22,510 --> 01:22:27,010
It has historic values
that need to be continued.
1316
01:22:27,010 --> 01:22:31,097
Yes, we understand that
100 years, 200 years,
1317
01:22:31,097 --> 01:22:35,101
things are gonna change, but
certain things must remain.
1318
01:22:35,101 --> 01:22:37,997
The principles of knowledge must remain.
1319
01:22:37,997 --> 01:22:41,915
You've got to vie for that,
you've got to search for it,
1320
01:22:41,915 --> 01:22:45,460
and you've got to make
sure that you respect it
1321
01:22:45,460 --> 01:22:48,480
because others before you certainly has
1322
01:22:48,480 --> 01:22:51,647
put in a lot of work, tremendous work,
1323
01:22:52,516 --> 01:22:55,782
and that came about simply because
1324
01:22:55,782 --> 01:22:59,294
persons desired to continue
this work through their craft,
1325
01:22:59,294 --> 01:23:01,868
through their practice,
through the brotherhood,
1326
01:23:01,868 --> 01:23:05,503
through friendship, and I'd admonish you
1327
01:23:05,503 --> 01:23:09,012
to continue to follow the trend so that
1328
01:23:09,012 --> 01:23:12,282
two, three hundred years after you,
1329
01:23:12,282 --> 01:23:15,549
the princeps and precepts still stands.
1330
01:23:15,549 --> 01:23:16,799
Most important.
1331
01:23:18,774 --> 01:23:21,916
- We have a saying in
masonry that it takes
1332
01:23:21,916 --> 01:23:24,734
good men and makes them better.
1333
01:23:24,734 --> 01:23:26,943
Naturally the question I have is
1334
01:23:26,943 --> 01:23:28,616
what is it making me better for?
1335
01:23:28,616 --> 01:23:30,331
Why am I doing this?
1336
01:23:30,331 --> 01:23:34,379
Am I just trying to make
myself a better person for me
1337
01:23:34,379 --> 01:23:36,300
so that I can feel like a better person
1338
01:23:36,300 --> 01:23:39,278
or so I can wear some badge
and have a good guy badge?
1339
01:23:39,278 --> 01:23:41,483
I don't think that's really,
1340
01:23:41,483 --> 01:23:42,868
where it's gonna stock.
1341
01:23:42,868 --> 01:23:45,956
For me it's about making
myself a better person
1342
01:23:45,956 --> 01:23:48,530
so I can be part of a better world.
1343
01:23:48,530 --> 01:23:50,776
So that the transformation that I feel,
1344
01:23:50,776 --> 01:23:53,347
that I achieved within myself can carry
1345
01:23:53,347 --> 01:23:56,205
forward through my actions into the world,
1346
01:23:56,205 --> 01:23:59,390
and the lives of people
around me that have no idea.
1347
01:23:59,390 --> 01:24:01,807
They don't have any idea that
1348
01:24:02,660 --> 01:24:05,802
I go and dress up and go through these
1349
01:24:05,802 --> 01:24:09,726
really interesting rituals and Degrees.
1350
01:24:09,726 --> 01:24:12,826
They might not ever know that.
1351
01:24:12,826 --> 01:24:16,743
- I did find that there
is without a doubt God.
1352
01:24:22,264 --> 01:24:25,181
That when you find God, the paradox
1353
01:24:27,530 --> 01:24:32,025
of finding God is that, it's
a similar paradox in masonry
1354
01:24:32,025 --> 01:24:35,262
which is that how do you speak of God?
1355
01:24:35,262 --> 01:24:39,111
You can't put it into words necessarily.
1356
01:24:39,111 --> 01:24:42,656
It's the same thing as far as the secrets
1357
01:24:42,656 --> 01:24:44,989
of masonry go too, you can't
1358
01:24:47,557 --> 01:24:50,251
describe it with the human tongue because
1359
01:24:50,251 --> 01:24:54,249
all words are are symbols for thoughts.
1360
01:24:54,249 --> 01:24:58,819
So it goes a lot deeper than
just what's on the surface
1361
01:24:58,819 --> 01:25:02,244
and that's what masonry is, it's a
1362
01:25:02,244 --> 01:25:06,411
mystery school that teaches
the importance of conquering
1363
01:25:07,749 --> 01:25:09,960
these vices and super
fluidities in our lives
1364
01:25:09,960 --> 01:25:13,956
so that we can align our
hearts and our minds with God
1365
01:25:13,956 --> 01:25:16,318
and then have communion with God
1366
01:25:16,318 --> 01:25:19,581
and speak with God, and
ultimately find balance
1367
01:25:19,581 --> 01:25:21,944
and find our way back home.
1368
01:25:21,944 --> 01:25:25,163
- So that when it's all said and done,
1369
01:25:25,163 --> 01:25:29,775
he can look back and he
can have some sense of
1370
01:25:29,775 --> 01:25:32,942
comfort that he has lived a good life,
1371
01:25:34,130 --> 01:25:36,463
he has lived an examined life,
1372
01:25:36,463 --> 01:25:39,156
and in the process of learning himself,
1373
01:25:39,156 --> 01:25:42,739
he has taught other
men how to be good men.
1374
01:25:44,218 --> 01:25:48,385
Our ultimate goal is to live
respected and die regretted.
1375
01:25:49,477 --> 01:25:52,894
(mid tempo bright piano)
1376
01:26:34,386 --> 01:26:37,803
(mid tempo bright piano)
1377
01:27:36,041 --> 01:27:39,458
(mid tempo bright piano)
1378
01:28:04,298 --> 01:28:07,215
(slow tempo piano)
1379
01:28:40,624 --> 01:28:43,541
(slow tempo piano)
1380
01:28:58,724 --> 01:29:01,641
(fast tempo piano)
1381
01:29:15,631 --> 01:29:19,048
(mid tempo bright piano)
1382
01:29:57,194 --> 01:29:58,969
(laughter)
1383
01:29:58,969 --> 01:30:01,132
- [Man] That's it.
1384
01:30:01,132 --> 01:30:04,821
- [Man] Dude, that looked
so ridiculous and awesome.
1385
01:30:04,821 --> 01:30:07,219
(laughter)
1386
01:30:07,219 --> 01:30:09,096
That's going in the blooper section.
1387
01:30:09,096 --> 01:30:11,346
(laughter)
106301
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.