Originally posted by andre18
Some stuff I’ve been thinking about…..
1. What does the All Seeing Eye represent to you as a mason personally?
Nothing in masonic terms. Not even sure there's one in my lodge as
decoration. Certainly not prominent if there is. On a personal level, hell, I was a fan of the Illuminatus! Trilogy when I was younger, and got the
Steve Jackson Games "Illuminati Membership Kit" with the lapel pin, bumper stickers, and other gag props. Still trying to tack down my Illuminati
Special Ops black pin to add to my Scottish Rite cap, just for grins.
Ultimately, there are a LOT of cool symbols in masonry. I still think one of my favorites (often overlooked) is the 24" Gauge:
The twenty-four
inch gauge is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to measure and lay out their work. But we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to make
use of it for the more noble and glorius purpose of dividing our time. It being divided into twenty-four equal parts, is emblematical of the
twenty-four hours of the day; which we are taught to divide into three parts, whereby we find a portion for the service of God and a distressed worthy
brother; a portion for our usual vocations, and a portion for refreshment and sleep.
—The Monitor of the Lodge
See, that's just cool. "Don't waste time, and use the time you do have wisely." Certainly a good way to lead your life.
2. How did the ‘masons are controlling the world’ conspiracy start?
I lean towards Nesta Webster's "World Revolution" (1921) as being one of the earliest conspiracy texts that I've seen that related masonry, the
Illuminati and the French Revolution. There were probably a handful of texts prior to that though.
3. Is there a collection plate type thing in Masonry? Eg: donate to the cause…
In my lodge there's no regular collection. In the Scottish Rite, there are collection plates that get passed around at each meeting, with the
suggestion that you put in "no more than you might spend frivolously in a day". So instead of super-sizing that big mac, toss a few dollars in the
jar.
4. Is money an issue?
Do you mean, do you have to have a lot of money to be a mason? No. My money is pretty tight, with a house & a kid, and back in school, and only
working part time, etc. You know, the daily grind and sob story for a LOT of people. I manage to pay my annual dues OK and recently when I was
semi-unexpectedly inducted into the Knights of St. Andrew (a service group within the Scottish Rite), and I didn't have $30 for initiation (because I
didn't know I was getting in that night), a brother paid my fee for me.
[edit on 3/10/2008 by JoshNorton]
