A Poem by Gen. Albert Pike, 33�

EVERY YEAR
By
Albert Pike


Life is a count of losses,
Every year;
Lost springs with sobs replying,
Unto weary autumn's sighing,
While those we love are dying,
Every year.

The days have less of gladness,
Every year;
The nights more weight of sadness
Every year.
Fair springs no longer charm us,
The winds and weather harm us,
The threats of death alarm us,
Every year.

There come new care and sorrows,
Every year;
Dark days and darker morrows,
Every year.
The ghosts of dead hopes haunt us,
The ghosts of changed friends taunt us,
And disappointments daunt us,
Every year.

To the past go more dead faces,
Every year;
As the loved leave vacant places,
Every year;
Everywhere the sad eyes meet us,
In the evening's dusk they greet us,
And to come to them entreat us,
Every year.

"You are growing old," they tell us,
Every year;
"You are more alone," they tell us,
Every year;
"You can win no more affection;
"You have only recollection,
"Deeper sorrow and dejection,
Every year."

The shores of life are shifting,
Every year;
And we are seaward drifting,
Every year;
Old places, changing, fret us,
The living more forget us,
There are fewer to regret us,
Every year.

But the truer life draws nigher,
Every year;
And its morning star climbs higher,
Every year;
Earth's hold on us grows slighter,
And the heavy burden lighter,
And the dawn immortal brighter,
Every year.

www.secretoflife.com...

I absolutely love that poem! Thanks for posting it. I found it very insightful and very, very true. I think that it brings out our fears of the unknown of the future.

[edit on 11/28/2004 by HALLOWEEN78]

Oh yes, very nice poem, very nice indeed.
Haven�t the slightest what�s it about but then again Masonry never was ment for us "normal" to understand was it?

Here�s some screengrabs I did from a lecture by Stanley Monteith in which he discuss Albert Pike and his book Morals and Dogma. These are quotes from this book.







No secrets here, ehh?

Originally posted by HALLOWEEN78
I absolutely love that poem! Thanks for posting it. I found it very insightful and very, very true. I think that it brings out our fears of the unknown of the future.

I've always been a fan of Pike's poetry too; unfortunately, his poetic works have often taken a backseat to his philosophical and Masonic writings.

Soon after his death, his daughter Lilian compiled several collections of his verse, which were then published. A bibliograohy of Pike's writings can be found on the University of West Virginia's literature department's page here:

www.wvu.edu...

Originally posted by Dawnaj
Oh yes, very nice poem, very nice indeed.
Haven�t the slightest what�s it about but then again Masonry never was ment for us "normal" to understand was it?

Here�s some screengrabs I did from a lecture by Stanley Monteith in which he discuss Albert Pike and his book Morals and Dogma. These are quotes from this book.







No secrets here, ehh?

The attacks on Masons never end huh? I'm not a Freemason but I do think some people should let it go.

Oh yeah. I also don't agree with his philosophic views on Masonry, however, he's still a great poet. So I will be checking out some more of his writings.

One more little thing. Hence the signitures, I have spent many years studying the Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson inparticular. Anyway, I found out that well over half of our Founding Fathers(prettymuch everybody except Thomas Jefferson) were Masons. The Founding Fathers were GREAT if not almost godlike men(T.J. being my favorite.). And the way I see it is, if most of the Founding Fathers were members, then it must not be a bad bunch of people. In fact it must be a great bunch of people.

Now back to the topic:....

Why is this poem in the Secret Societies forum? Shouldn't it be in Chit-Chat?

Originally posted by wecomeinpeace
Why is this poem in the Secret Societies forum? Shouldn't it be in Chit-Chat?

A lot of folks around here make a point of misquoting him on a regular basis, so I thought it'd be interesting to quote him accurately.

[edit on 28-11-2004 by Masonic Light]

So did Stanley Monteith quote him correctly or not? It seems to me that when Pike is quoted in a negative fashion, masons will claim that he was just one man and does not represent Freemasonry as a whole. Yet after the noise dies down, they will quote other writings by Pike and laud him as a great mason. Masons here claim that there is nothing secret about masonry apart from the acceptance and a few handshakes, that they are merely defending their order from groundless slander and defamation, yet they continue to post new threads in the Secret Societies forum. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Your posting of his poem without comment comes across purely as propaganda. If it isn't propaganda, then it should be in Chit-Chat, just as works by any other poet would be.

Originally posted by wecomeinpeace
So did Stanley Monteith quote him correctly or not?

The quotes are indeed accurate, but of course are out of context.

It seems to me that when Pike is quoted in a negative fashion, masons will claim that he was just one man and does not represent Freemasonry as a whole.

What do you mean by "negative fashion"? A quote is either accurate, or it's not. If it's inaccurate, it is ipso facto bogus.

Pike was of course only one man, and spoke for himself on Masonic philosophy. As Sovereign Grand Commander, he was entitled to speak for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite on matters of jurisprudence and administration only. Some Masons agree with Pike's mystical and metaphysical interpretations of Masonry, while others do not. Personally, I usually find myself in agreement with him.

Yet after the noise dies down, they will quote other writings by Pike and laud him as a great mason.

There can be no doubt that Pike was a great Mason, regardless if one disagrees with him. When he became Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, the Rite only had a couple thousand members, and no official charities. By the time he resigned his office, just days before his death, the Rite's membership had grown by over 500%, and its charitable and educational dimensions were swelling to unprecedented heights.

Masons here claim that there is nothing secret about masonry apart from the acceptance and a few handshakes, that they are merely defending their order from groundless slander and defamation, yet they continue to post new threads in the Secret Societies forum. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

The only "secret societies" that exist (if any in fact do exist), are societies that no one knows about except its own members. The societies discussed on this forum are those that have a reputation for secrecy, regadrless if the reputation is accurate.

Your posting of his poem without comment comes across purely as propaganda. If it isn't propaganda, then it should be in Chit-Chat, just as works by any other poet would be.

Since the title here is A Poem by Albert Pike, and since that is exactly what was posted, I fail to see how it could be called "propaganda". If the Moderators wish to move it or delete it, that is within their rights. If not, no one is forcing you to read it.

[edit on 28-11-2004 by Masonic Light]

I think you're totally right Masonic Light. It wasn't propaganda. He mearly felt that many people miss quote him so he posted the poem in the secret societies forum for the sake of better understanding.

The quotes are indeed accurate, but of course are out of context.

So, how do you put it into context so it reads totally different?
I really want to understand.

Originally posted by Dawnaj
So, how do you put it into context so it reads totally different?
I really want to understand.

The easiest way to put Albert Pike's "Morals and Dogma" is to read the entire book; a daunting task, but well worth the time.

"Morals and Dogma" online.

Thanks for the link Mirthful.

I have always wanted to read that.

LVX

Originally posted by Dawnaj

So, how do you put it into context so it reads totally different?
I really want to understand.

Because if someone only quotes a couple of sentence fragments from a book of over 800 pages, the reader will have no idea what the original author is talking about.

Pike's views of Freemasonry are fairly easy to understand, if he is read in context. He believed that:

1. Freemasonry began to be populated by mystics, theologians, and scientists in the 17th century.

2. That these men had been previously intiated into the mysteries of Nature, (i.e., the Kabalah) in other societies, most notably the Rosicrucians and neo-Platonist schools.

3. That the primary reason that they transformed Masonry was in order to escape the clutches of the Church, which was hammering down on "heretics" (i.e., people who thought for themselves) with a bloodthirsty vengeance.

4. That the purpose and goal of Freemasonry was to preserve in their purity the teachings of the Kabalah, in order to transmit them to posterity in a form of a semi-secret society, which would allow the Adepts to work with minimal intrusion from the profane authorities who had declared war on all teaching not approved by Rome.

5. That only a select number of men are morally and intellectually capable of comprehending and understanding the concepts of the Kabalah, with fewer still having the ability to apply those concepts to their daily lives.

6. And therefore, that Masonry must teach symbolically through ritual and allegory instead of directly, lest those concepts be profaned by those who are unworthy to possess them. Pike believed that one became worthy of them through constant study, discriminating contemplation, and irreproachable morals.

Whether or not Pike was correct in his assesment is a matter of personal opinion; however, most people who have given serious study to the subject will often agree with him.

[edit on 29-11-2004 by Masonic Light]

The easiest way to put Albert Pike's "Morals and Dogma" is to read the entire book; a daunting task, but well worth the time.

In other words there ain�t no easy way for you or anyone else, mason or not, to explain the quotes I posted from the Monteith lecture?

Is that what you are saying?

Can�t get the book to load anyway... guess that�s just as well.

Thank you, Masonic Light, for sharing that poem with us. I've never heard of Albert Pike before, much less his writings. I found this poem very insightful, and very inspiring to me at this particular point in my life.

Thanks.

Masonic Light, thank you for your answer.
I won�t push the issue any longer.

Originally posted by Dawnaj

Can�t get the book to load anyway... guess that�s just as well.

If you really are interested to know, then I would think you would not be daunted by such a trivial thing as not being able to view a particular file...

I'm sure if you are truly interested in reading it, you can find it somewhere. I have run across 3 or 4 online versions.

I'm sure if you are truly interested in reading it, you can find it somewhere. I have run across 3 or 4 online versions.

Yes, that would be correct.

Originally posted by The Axeman

If you really are interested to know, then I would think you would not be daunted by such a trivial thing as not being able to view a particular file...

I'm sure if you are truly interested in reading it, you can find it somewhere. I have run across 3 or 4 online versions.

I was interested, which is why i shelled out the 75$ for my 1946 editon ($100+ on ebay and other places), not only is it the pride of my library, the purchase of it was without a doubt meant to be... i walked into the bookstore with one thought and wish "Just let them have Morals & Dogma" (i had hoped to find more then one masonic book in this used bookstore).

When i came in, the owner of the store (who's father had been of the 33rd degree) was with a customer, we exchanged quick pleasantries and allowed him to continue with the person he was with, and as i began to look at the titles near the door, the first book i layed eyes on, was Morals & Dogma... needless to say, my heart nearly lept up through my throat and out my mouth

Since then i have read much of the book, including chapter 28, which is the largest single chapter, and the beginning of the lectures on Kabalah, and every time i see a quote which would be used to suggest that Pike was an evil person or a devil worshiper i check it against my copy, and it has been my experience that the quote was ether grossly out of context, or that the quote was being use to point to something that the quoter obviously knew nothing about.

I would also like to say that the owner of this store (who has been a great help in furthering my education), is not a mason, but as stated his father (Stepfather acually, which leads me to belive he was being truthfull, afterall no one says anything nice about their step-parent if it isnt true) was of the 33rd degree, he said that the man that had raised him had been a model of the goodness of masonry, that he had been a kind and decent man, and had lived without ego as a man or as a mason

[edit on 30-10-2005 by Becon of Light]