Originally posted by andrew ky
[
I find the following quotes from Albert Pike to be pretty good reasons to begin questioning the true nature of freemasonry.
"LUCIFER, the Light-bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darknesss! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the
Light, and with its splendors intolerable blinds feeble, sensual or selfish Souls? Doubt it not!" p.321
...
Why is it that every time this is quoted here, Pike always gets cut off in mid-sentence?
"Masonry, like all the Religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or
the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled, to conceal the truth,
which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it. Truth is not for those who are unworthy or unable to receive it, or would pervert
it."
Can anyone really deny the truth of this? Did not Christ himself warn the Apostles of casting their pearls before swine.
Anyone who deserves knowledge will sooner or later receive it. Anyone who does not deserve it wouldn't know what to do with it even if it was given
to them on a silver platter. This isn't a rule of any fraternity, but an inherent law of nature.
"The Blue Degrees are but the outer court or portico of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the Initiate, but he is intentionally
misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them; but it is intended that he shall imagine he understands them. Their
true explication is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry ... It is well enough for the mass of those called Masons, to imagine that all is
contained in the Blue Degrees; and whose attempts to undeceive them will labor in vain."
That's fine, but really is meaningless these days. The big secret, which is hidden from the Blue Degrees (according to Pike) is that Masons are the
successors of the Knights Templar. Pike's comments here are generally ignored by modern Masonic scholars because it has since been shown that Pike's
theories concerning it were incorrect.
I also consider the notion of protecting truth by swearing vicious oaths vis a vis the breaking of freemaonsy's secrecy code, to be contrary
to any kind of truth I would wish to belong to.
So would I. Luckily, there aren't any "vicious oaths" in Freemasonry.
I also consider truth or real spirituality to be intimately connected with the merging of oneself with life/God/the Self etc in a spirit of
humility.
Which is indeed the Great Work of the Adepts, and the Stone of the Philosophers.
....and all this Grand Master titled stuff to be exactly at odds with this true wisdom, in that we are dealing with something that is exalting
the ego rather than warning against it.
What does being elected as a Masonic official have to do with "exalting the ego"?
Crowley's "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" incidentally is the prefect summation of the satanic belief, or if one is repelled by
such dramatic words as satanic, it is the exaltation of the ego.
Actually, Crowley's maxim has the opposite meaning to that which you've described. "Do what thou wilt" concerns the True Will, which often, if not
practically always, conflicts with the ego. The occult theory has it that everyone exists for the purpose of accomplishing this Higher Will. According
to Crowley and the other occultists, as long as we are following the True Will, we are fulfilling our purpose, and are in harmony with the Universe.
When we work against the True Will, then we fall into chaos and error.
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" requires one to discover the True Will, then abide by it. The first maxim is always answered by
the second: "Love is the law, love under Will", which shows that love is the basis of the True Will, while revealing the formula of utilizing it.
And this may sound great and liberating to some, but remember that the logical follow ons from this idea are that, for example, there is
nothing wrong with extermination camps. Or that the vilest thing you can imagine is not vile at all. That for example slitting a child's troath and
forcing another child to drink the blood(forgive the ugliness of the example but the point should be made), before sexually abusing that child.. well
that's all perfectly ok and even good as it exalts one's sense of self.
Obviously, that isn't what Crowley meant. He noted that as long as one is following the Will, he will not conflict with the Will of others, since the
Will is derived from the One Source. Again, "Do what thou wilt" doesn't mean "do whatever you want". It concerns the metaphysical Will, the
purpose of life itself.
