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And those who would like to inquire within The following
article is from the October 1998, Scottish Rite Journal of
Freemasonry, Southern jurisdiction, USA.
Masonic tracing boards and Western metaphysical tradition
by W. Kirk McNulty 32nd degree.
Masonic Tracy boards are training devices in the earliest
days of speculative masonry. The master would sketch designs
on the floor of the lodge using chalk, then he would talk about
the drawing, during the meeting. During the course of the 18th
century, the drawings were transferred to tracing boards
which are pictures. One per degree that encapsulate,
the symbols of each of the degrees.
The board's do which we will refer our English speculative,
masonry started in the 1600s and its Are references to that vast
body of literature and philosophy, Which documents
Renaissance thought in the Renaissance.
The dominant metaphysic was judeo Christian monotheism with
an admixture of classical thinking Renaissance,
philosophers Incorporated, many Greek, particularly neoplatonic
and Jewish mystical ideas into their Orthodox Christianity.
Some of these influences came from the hermetica which had
itself been a substantial influence in the formation of
early. And doctrines.
Others came from Kampala the mystical tradition of Judaism,
this Fusion of classical and Jewish philosophy is called the
Hermetic kabbalistic tradition and after it had been
interpreted in the context of Orthodox Christian doctrine, it
became the basis of Renaissance thinking speculative masonry
dates from the end of the Renaissance, the mid 17th
century and it is no surprise that Masonic symbolism reflects
this tradition. The first degree tracing board,
which looks at first glance, like, collection of
heterogeneous objects is, I think a representation of the
entire universe. It is also a picture of a human
being standing in a landscape. Neither of these images, is
immediately obvious, but I think these ideas will become clear.
The central idea of Renaissance thought was the unity of the
universe and the consequent omnipresence of the deity.
This idea is represented by the ornaments of the law.
The fact that masonry has gathered these three objects
into a single group suggests that we consider them together,
the ornaments of the lodge are the Blazing star or Glory, the
checkered pavement and the indented tessellated border.
All refer to the deity the Blazing star or glory is found
in the heavens at the center of the picture.
It is a straightforward heraldic representation of the deity,
look at the Great Seal of the United States on a dollar bill
and you will see the data represented there in the same
manner, the checkered pavement, represents the day dies
perceived in ordinary life, The light and dark squares,
represent paired. Opposites it mixture of mercy
and Justice, reward and Punishment, passion and
Analysis, Vengeance, and loving kindness.
They also represent The Human Experience of Life, light and
dark, good and evil, he's and difficulty, but that is only how
it is perceived. The squares are not the symbol.
The pavement is the symbol The light and dark squares fit
together with exact nicety to form the pavement.
A single thing. A Unity the hole is surrounded
by the tessellated border which binds it into a single symbol.
The Border binds, not simply the squares but the entire picture
into a Unity. The idea of Duality occurs
throughout the board from the black and white squares at the
bottom, to the sun and moon at the top.
In the central area of the board, Duality is represented by
two of the three columns. But here, the third column
introduces a new idea. The Striking thing about these
columns is that each is from a different order of architecture
and Masonic symbolism. They are assigned a names.
Wisdom to the ionic column in the middle strength to the door
column on the left. And Beauty to the Corinthian
column on the right. How shall we interpret these
columns in their names? One of the major components of
Renaissance thought was Kabbalah the principle diagram which is
used by the cabal list to communicate.
Their ideas is the Tree of Life. The column on the right is
called the column of Mercy. The active column that on the
left is called the column uh severity.
The passive column, the central column is called the column of
Consciousness, it is the column of equilibrium, with the role of
keeping the other two in balance.
The three columns all terminate in Divinity, at the top of the
central column referring to the columns on the first-degree
tracing board note. That the Corinthian pillar of
beauty is on the right and the classical world.
The Corinthian order was used for buildings dedicated to
vigorous expensive activities, the Doric Pillar of Strength is
on the left. The Doric order was used for
buildings housing activities in which discipline, restraint and
stability were important. The ionic pillar of wisdom is in
the middle. The ionic order is recognized as
an intermediate between the other two and was used for
temples to the rulers of the Gods who coordinated the
activities of the pantheon, the three pillars like the Tree of
Life. Speak of a universe in which
expensive, and constraining forces are held in Balance by a
coordinating agency. The universe of the Renaissance
philosophers consisted of four Worlds, the Kabbalah static
representation of this idea is shown by the for large circles.
Denoting for worlds, they are the elemental or physical world,
the celestial world of the psyche, or Soul the super
Celestial world or Spirit and the Divine World, these same
levels are represented on the first-degree tracing board.
The pavement represents the elemental physical world, the
central part of the board, including the columns.
And most of the symbols represents the celestial world,
for the psyche of the soul. The heavens represent, these
super Celestial world of the spirit and the glory represents
Divinity. These ideas describe the
landscape. Where is the man?
Another important Renaissance concept was that of a macrocosm
the universe as a whole and a corresponding microcosm the
human individual. The idea is that the Universe
and human beings are structured using the same principles both
being made in the image of God. Consider the latter it extends,
from the scripture on the altar, to the glory, which represents
the deity. And in the Masonic symbolism, it
is said to be Jacob's Ladder. We consider the ladder together
with another The point within a circle bounded by two parallel
lines, which is shown on the face of the altar.
These symbols are discussed together because in many early,
Masonic drawings, they appear together as if they have some
connection. Consider the two parallel lines
first, they like the Doric and Corinthian, columns represent
paired, opposites active and passive qualities.
In Masonic symbolism, they are associated with the Saint, John,
the Baptist day is, Midsummer the Evangelist is midwinter.
Now this point within a circle bounded by two parallel lines
together with the ladder and it's three levels reveals a
pattern. Very similar to the three
columns. There are three verticals The
lines relate to active and passive functions while the
third, the ladder between them, reaches to the heaven and
provides the mean, by which we hope to arrive there.
The latter has three principal rounds or levels represented by
faith hope and charity which correspond to the three lower
levels of the for level Universe.
We observed earlier. both the macro Cosmic Landscape and the
microcosmic man, share, the fourth level of divinity
represented by the Blazing star, or Glory taken together, the
ladder and the point within a circle bounded by two parallel
lines, represent the human individual made in the image of
God according to the same principles on which the universe
is based, Amazing is sometimes called a traveling man.
One of the Masonic catechisms gives us an insight into this
term question. Did you ever travel answer my
forefathers did question, where did they travel answer due east
and west question? What was the object of their
travels answer? They traveled East in search of
instruction and West to propagate.
The knowledge. They had gained Notice the
cardinal points of the compass on the border of this Tracey
board. They defined the East-West
Direction in Masonic terms and in doing so.
They describe the nature of the journey to which the new Mason
apprentices himself that Journey from west to east is represented
symbolically by the progress, through the Masonic degrees.
And it is, in fact, the ascent up Jacob's Ladder.
One of the principal rounds for each degree.
The notion of a mystical Ascent was part and parcel of the
Hermetic kabbalistic tradition. It is a devotional exercise
during which the individual Rises through the worlds of the
soul. And the spirit, and a last finds
himself, experiencing the presence of the deity, some of
these assets are deeply Christian in their character.
In day, occulta philosophy, Agrippa Rises through the three
Worlds, the elemental world, the celestial world.
The super Celestial world where he is in contact.
The Angels were the Trinity is proved the Hebrew names of God
are listed though. The name of Jesus, is now the
most powerful of all names. The second degree tracing, born
shows a familiar pattern two columns, which have opposite
characteristics and between them a staircase.
A form of ladder. We cannot investigate this
symbol here because of space limitations, but we know, we are
to climb this staircase. The picture summarizes the
Renaissance idea of the approach to data t as an interior
Journey. Find the third degree tracing
board. The grave, probably does not
refer to physical death during the Renaissance.
There was much discussion about the fall of Man and its effect.
The fall seems to refer to some event, by which human beings who
are at one time, conscious of the divine presence, lost that
Consciousness after the fall ordinary, human life.
As we live it on a day-to-day basis is like death when
compared to human potential and to a life lived in the conscious
awareness of divine presence. The grave suggest, such a death
to be our present State, The Acacia growing at the top of the
Grave suggest that there is a spark of Life, which can be
encouraged to grow and refers to the possibility of regaining.
Our original Divine connection, The view of the temple in the
center of the third degree board shows King Solomon's porch.
The entrance to the holy of holies.
The veil is drawn black with a little offering a glimpse into
that chamber. Where the data was said to
arise, this suggests that at the end of the journey from west to
east some process, analogous to death enables.
The individual to experience the divine presence.
After this process has occurred, he lives once more to his full
potential. Again, I think that this Neither
to a resurrection after visible death, nor to a life after
physical death. Both of which are the domain of
religion, not masonry rather, it refers to a psychological
spiritual process which can occur.
If it be God's will with any devout individual, who seeks it
earnestly and which I believe it to be the business of
Freemasonry to encourage after all, we claim to be Freemasons.
And that is the truth, The Knowing of which makes you free.
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