An Excellent And Important "Anonymous" Letter

This is a link to an excellent blog post on the blog "philosophicalfreemason.com".  It is in the form of an open, somewhat anonymous letter.  I think this is a good format for this kind of sensitive subject, and I hope we can find some way of continuing this conversation.

I recently stood and told my lodge that if some things did not change, the lodge would be losing more members. I don't think the message got through.  Some masons sometimes find themselves in the awkward position of being the only one who continues to come after others have fallen away.  That is when the real opportunities for communication occur.

I had no intention of this blog being a place to discuss anything like this.  But I will reserve some small corner for this kind of information.  So I'm gonna try to call out some of the points in this open letter in the coming days.
A Letter to Hometown Lodge No. 1

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Temple of Hephaestus

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Doric Temple of Segesta

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The Number Seven (Astrology)

Anciently the number of the bodies presumed to make up our solar system, to which number was ascribed a magical significance. Identified with them were the days of the week and the seven notes of the Diatonic scale. In 1666 Newton ascribed to them the seven hues of the spectrum.

Man was presumed to be a seven-fold being:

Sun:......His life-forces; the spiritual being within.

Moon:.....His psychic being; the vegetable kingdom.

Mercury:..His intellect; the realm of Mind.

Venus:....His divine, immortal self; the benevolent nature.

Mars:.....His bestial nature; the animal nature.

Jupiter:..His higher physical nature; the quality of optimism.

Saturn:...His physical being; the mineral kingdom.

The seven deadly sins of the ancient theologians were said to have been of astrological origin: Pride, Jupiter; covetousness, Saturn; lust, Venus; wrath, Mars; gluttony, Mercury; envy, Moon; indolence, Sun.

Also the seven virtues: Chastity, Moon; love, Venus; courage, Mars; faith, Jupiter; hope, Sun; wisdom, Mercury; and prudence, Saturn.

There were also seven wise men of Greece; the seven-fold Amen; the Seven Wonders of the World; the Book of the Seven Seals (Rev. 5,5), and the seven angels (Rev. 5,8).

The Seven against Thebes were the seven heroes who undertook an expedition to aid Polynices against his brother Eteoclus. The oracle promised success to whichever brother Oedipus favored; but he cursed both, and the brothers slew each other.

Seven has been explained as compounded of "The Ternary of God and the Quarternary of the world," as representing "three-fold and four-fold happiness," making 3 + 4 = 7 a sacred number: a reference to the 4 quadruplicities and the 3 triplicities. Any multiple of seven became a "great number": a jubilee year of restitution.

Since every seventh year from time immemorial was believed to form some material alteration, it has been observed in some professions as a sabbatical year of rest, comparable to the seventh day on which the Creator rested from his labors - as recounted in the Book of Genesis. For the Seven Ages of Man, v. Planetary, Ages of Man.

(Nicholas deVore - Encyclopedia of Astrology)

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Medinet Habu, Egyptian Temple

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That's UGLE

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The Canted Square

Within the rituals of occultic orders, such as our Order ( Freemasonry ), it is required that the candidate circle the altar of the lodge in a particular manner. It is called circumambulation. Circumambulation is the practice of "...making a circuit about a thing or in an area of reverence..." In Masonry, circumambulation involves the making of a circuit around the Lodge, while keeping the right hand toward the altar.

"The rite is symbolic of the apparent daily course of the sun, and was undoubtedly derived from
the ancient sun-worship."

"During the circuits of the lodge room, corners should be squared in accordance with the ancient tradition of 'squaring the lodge'".

Further, the Entered Apprentice during initiation shall proceed to the northeast corner of the Lodge three times during the circumambulation, the Fellowcraft during passing shall proceed there four times, and the Master being raised shall proceed there five times.

The 47th Proposition of Euclid is known as "that amazing Proposition which is the foundation of all Masonry." It is also known as the Pythagorean Theorem. The Pythagorean Theorem is important in building, and one of its uses is to square a room. Builders use the theorem to square the corners of rooms by using the ratio of the numbers three, four and five. three squared plus four squared = five squared.  This was, with the Egyptians several thousand years ago, the standard and symbol of perfection ; and they made it also the basis of all their measurements ; they looked on it as the symbol of Universal Nature, the side "4" being "Osiris" the male principle, "3" the female principle "Isis", and "5" "Horus the son", the product of these two principles;---they said 3 was the first perfect odd number, that 4 was the square of 2 the first even number, and 5 was the result of 3 and 2.

Any Mason, after having been raised, has reproduced by circumambulation the numbers three, four and five in the most significant corner of the Lodge, the Northeast, and thereby has unknowingly recited with his feet the formula which is contained in the 47th problem, and thereby has "squared the Lodge".

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