Secrets of ‘contorted’ freemason initiation to be revealed

The skull and bones as the emblems of mortality are not used in an initiation at all... at least not anywhere that I have been. Only continent I have not seen a meeting is Antarctica, where there would be only 27 or so constitutions to choose from.

ASE, could you explain the sense of the word "contorted" in the topic title, for the lay person and non-contortionist?

"Now Dr Robert Lomas, who like Brown’s protagonist Robert Langdon is an international expert on symbolism and myth, is to publish a no-holds-barred account of the secret initiation ceremony of a freemason.



In Turning the Hiram Key, Lomas, of Bradford University, describes his own initiation at the Eaglescliffe Masonic Hall, where he was ordered to strip and put on “rough linen pyjamas” in the ladies lavatory by a man wearing a lambskin apron and holding a sword.

He includes details of the “contorted question and answer session”, during which he was asked to twist his body into strange positions while blindfold in a masonic temple, his trousers and sleeves rolled up. "

I think the author intended the word to mean twisting his body into acward
positions.

Aha.

Thanks, Comrade A.S.E.

I have been in those positions, and while they are not complex and I am not a contortionist, I must say that it would be impossible to place yourself into them if you had no use of your legs, but even so, others could do that for you!

It's the height of the kneeling stool that governs the level of discomfort.

Also I would not recommend initiation on any occasion that you have had a really bad back spasm.

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar
The skull and bones as the emblems of mortality are not used in an initiation at all... at least not anywhere that I have been. Only continent I have not seen a meeting is Antarctica, where there would be only 27 or so constitutions to choose from.

What are you talking about? The 3rd degree makes very obvious use of the skull and bones as a symbol of mortality.

Originally posted by All Seeing Eye
"Now Dr Robert Lomas, who like Brown’s protagonist Robert Langdon is an international expert on symbolism and myth, is to publish a no-holds-barred account of the secret initiation ceremony of a freemason.



In Turning the Hiram Key, Lomas, of Bradford University, describes his own initiation at the Eaglescliffe Masonic Hall, where he was ordered to strip and put on “rough linen pyjamas” in the ladies lavatory by a man wearing a lambskin apron and holding a sword.

He includes details of the “contorted question and answer session”, during which he was asked to twist his body into strange positions while blindfold in a masonic temple, his trousers and sleeves rolled up. "

I think the author intended the word to mean twisting his body into acward
positions.

The only akward position I can remember is having to kneel, put my right leg in a right angle, and straighten my back. Mightve needed to stretch before that. Otherwise, there's no kinds of conortions going on.

And Lomas was told to dress inn the usual masonic garments by the Tyler, who is the guy that guards the lodge door with a sword. The sword is symbolic, and they are never sharp. Of course he wears his masonic apron. He probably had to get dressed in a girl's bathroom because it was a crappy lodge, with no decent rooms. I dont know about having to twist into weird positions, he was probably uncomfortable giving his obligation, as I was.

AND THERE ARE NO SECRET MASONIC INITIATIONS!!! THEY HAVE ALL BEEN THOROUGHLY EXPOSED AND DOCUMENTED. WHatever you read about Lomas exposing the secret initiation ritual is B.S., trust me. He's probably just going to give an account of the 1st degree of masonry. Nothing secret about it, it's all over the webb and ibraries. All of masonry's secrets can be found anywhere on the web... except the most important secret of all. And I'm not telling.


[edit on 18-4-2005 by sebatwerk]

sebatwerk, now dont go arguing with what a brother mason has to say. You asked, here it comes. Or maybe, all masons are not the same? Whats the chances of that? LOL

Hey, nice red chevrons on your sleeve

Originally posted by sebatwerk

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar
The skull and bones as the emblems of mortality are not used in an initiation at all

What are you talking about? The 3rd degree makes very obvious use of the skull and bones as a symbol of mortality.

You are correct, but the third degree is not the initiation, except in the "all seasons in one day" version of things, where truly it is still past the initiation.

In general a candidate on initiation becomes an EA having completed the first degree, and the initiation is over. Passing and raising come later.

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar

Originally posted by sebatwerk

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar
The skull and bones as the emblems of mortality are not used in an initiation at all

What are you talking about? The 3rd degree makes very obvious use of the skull and bones as a symbol of mortality.

You are correct, but the third degree is not the initiation, except in the "all seasons in one day" version of things, where truly it is still past the initiation.

In general a candidate on initiation becomes an EA having completed the first degree, and the initiation is over. Passing and raising come later.

Point taken, I stand corrected. I took "initiation" as being used by you to refer to degrees in general. My bad.

Originally posted by All Seeing Eye
sebatwerk, now dont go arguing with what a brother mason has to say. You asked, here it comes. Or maybe, all masons are not the same? Whats the chances of that? LOL

Hey, nice red chevrons on your sleeve

Im not arguing, but the descrition you gave of what Lomas is supposedly about to "expose" is very common and all masons go through that. Again, it can all be found on the web very easily. Just saying

Maybe Lomas is trying to sell books by saying he's revealing the "secret masonic initiation ceremony", whereas he is only reveling the 1st degree. I think he's just hyping it up for the press.

What do you mean by the red chevrons?

[edit on 18-4-2005 by sebatwerk]

Originally posted by sebatwerk
What are you talking about? The 3rd degree makes very obvious use of the skull and bones as a symbol of mortality.

Is it's many forms. The presence of a skull and or bones in one Grand Lodge's Ritual may have been omitted or never present at all in another's. Proof positive once again that if we're going to take over the world, we better get our act together. The Occult Visage's remarks are well within my experience, though I have noticed "ye olde brain bucket" more than once in Scottish and York Rite Degrees.

Skull Monkeys, not just for "poor Yorick" anymore...

... and to make it abundantly clear, in the region where my mother Lodge meets, we certainly have the emblems present for the 3rd also.

But sometimes, where the Lodges have been able to orchestrate it so, the "emblems" are more let us say "actuals". I never questioned the origins of them.


S.M.I.B.

Originally posted by All Seeing Eye
"Now Dr Robert Lomas, who like Brown’s protagonist Robert Langdon is an international expert on symbolism and myth, is to publish a no-holds-barred account of the secret initiation ceremony of a freemason.

With all the expose's of Masonic ritual that exist (remember the PARTIAL list that I posted last p.m.?) I wonder what he (or ANYONE including YOU ASE) consider "secret" about the initiation ceremony.

Yes, there are several degrees of Freemasonry that have not been openly exposed (For example I've NEVER seen the Knight Commander of the Court of Honor [K.C.C.H.] or the Order of the Purple Cross exposed, but there's no one with a brain out there who couldn't find out the rituals of the Entered Appentice, Fellow Craft and Master Masons if he or she was just smart enough to look for it. That's NO secret...and that's what Lomas is purporting to expose? Fascinating. Imagine a Mason actually preying on the weak-minded like so many ANTI-Masons have done (and successfully I might add) before him.

Well I say GOOD FOR HIM. If he can make them believe he's doing something that's never been done before and they're ignorant enough to believe it and read his book (and put $$$$ in his pocket) MORE POWER TO HIM.

BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

...trolls truly are a simple lot...

Honetly senrak, I dont give a rats pink butt what you do together with your fellow yankers. I dont give two hoots for all the masonic gibberish created to mystify and hoodwink the gullable. I have learned how to read masonic works. I know the truth is in between the lines.

So, my question to you is simple, and I will address it in a new thread entitled "Who Hides The Orb"

Originally posted by All Seeing Eye
Honetly senrak, I dont give a rats pink butt what you do together with your fellow yankers. I dont give two hoots for all the masonic gibberish created to mystify and hoodwink the gullable. I have learned how to read masonic works. I know the truth is in between the lines.

That's obviously not true and if any of the moderators are watching hopefully you'll get warned for saying it like that. If you TRULY didn't....guess what! You WOULDN'T FREAKING POST HERE! You're obviously obsessed with Freemasony and what my "fellow yankers" (as you so eloquently put it) are doing. Otherwise, you'd do us ALL a favor and GO AWAY! (Obviously you don't have anything better to do with your unmeaningful existence so why lie about it to make yourself feel better? You DO give a rats pink butt about it. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! That's pathetically funny. I find you TERRIBLY amusing.

So, my question to you is simple, and I will address it in a new thread entitled "Who Hides The Orb"

I'll NEVER tell! So NEAH!!!!!!!

BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

[edit on 18-4-2005 by senrak]

It seems AllSeeingEye has seen the light!

Another success story for genuine research and information exchange about the virtues of Freemasonry, at ATS.

May he go forth and spread the word about the wisdom that is in the lines and between the lines of the many versions of little blue books held closely to the chest in moments of silent rehearsal and learning, spread universally across the earth's surface.

And may we collectively thank TGAOTU that brotherly love, relief and truth are amongst his core values too, and not suspicion, greed and evil misdeed.

Originally posted by All Seeing Eye
I remember when I was young some bottles had the Jolly Roger, the Deaths Head, the Scull&Bones on them. It signified poison!!!!
Now, freemasons have the same symbol.

BEHOLD THIS RUIN! Twas a skull
Once of ethereal spirit full.
This narrow cell was Life's retreat,
This space was Thought's mysterious seat.
What beauteous visions filled this spot!
What dreams of pleasure long forgot!
Nor hope, nor joy, nor love, nor fear,
Have left one trace of record here.

Beneath this mouldering canopy
Once shone the bright and busy eye,
But start not at the dismal void,
If social love that eye employed,
If with no lawless fire it gleamed,
But through the dews of kindness beamed,
That eye shall be forever bright
When stars and sun are sunk in night.

Within this hollow cavern hung
The ready, swift, and tuneful tongue;
If Falsehood's honey it disdained
And when it could not praise was chained;
If bold in Virtue's cause it spoke,
Yet gentle concord never broke,
This silent tongue shall plead for thee
When Time unveils Eternity!

From the ritual of the Valiant and Magnimous Order of the the Temple (the Knights Templar) ...the Masonic flavor.

Does this explain WHY the skull is important in symbolism?

Well...probably not to you ASE but perhaps to lurkers....

Originally posted by senrak
BEHOLD THIS RUIN! Twas a skull
Once of ethereal spirit full.
This narrow cell was Life's retreat,
This space was Thought's mysterious seat.
What beauteous visions filled this spot!
What dreams of pleasure long forgot!
Nor hope, nor joy, nor love, nor fear,
Have left one trace of record here.

I just LOVE the masonic idiom. That was the first thing that truly impressed me about Freemasonry, aside from the brotherhood. When I was initiated, I was awestruck at how classical yet eloquent the language was. Freemasonry's real beauty is in its words.


[edit on 18-4-2005 by sebatwerk]

All I remember is that my bad knees about gave out during a certain point in my EA. In my mind I was thinking, "Damn my knees are hurting like hell, how much longer do I need to stay this way, they wont stop shaking!" The other Masons were probably thinking, "Look at this guy, knees shaking like mad. I wonder if I'm the one that scared the piss out of this 8 feet tall monster"

lol

Originally posted by All Seeing Eye
I have learned how to read masonic works. I know the truth is in between the lines.

Yeah, it sure shows that you've learned how to read between the lines. Any suspicious person will do nothing but find things to read between the lines, even when they're not there. It's like staring at the clouds.

You really just don't get it, do you?

Originally posted by senrak
From the ritual of the Valiant and Magnimous Order of the the Temple (the Knights Templar) ...the Masonic flavor.

Does this explain WHY the skull is important in symbolism?

Well...probably not to you ASE but perhaps to lurkers....

Dude that is awesome... Thank you for posting it, seriously.

I just can't wait to have my chance to experience all that for myself.

Superb writing, to say the least.

Next Akilles will be trying to say Sir Francis Bacon wrote it.