April 22, 2014

Lux E Tenebris (Light Out Of Darkness)


When I created this image for my now defunct lodge facebook page, I thought the quote itself was profound. However the more you think about a few wise words, the more they sink to you and deeper the meaning becomes.

It was a quote by this Grand Master in 1893 at a congress of masons in Chicago. In order to understand the real meaning of the quote, one has to understand the context by which a man who considered being a Prince Hall mason in Alabama in 1893 faced when it came to being educated.

He was determined to seek such enlightenment he had no idea of. Usually having parents and people around him who never understood the real value of education, he sought far and wide for a means and a way to educate himself so he could eventually improve himself, his family and his community as a whole.

Juxtaposed with today's society, the term educated may not necessarily mean such a man who is formally educated. Although he has the basic means to read and write, in today's society, it means a man who is willing to go above and beyond to explore and broaden his mind and his intellectual periscope. It may not neccessarily have to come from a formal education institution, it may be just be by self-study, travelling and being under the guidance and fellowship of well-read mentors.

Freemasonry offers this to all its members who seek it. It gives an opportunity for members to study the rituals and associated literature, it allows its members to "foreign lands" to explore different cultures with the knowledge that wherever that brother travels, he is safe with a fellow who wears an apron with the Square & Compass. It allows brothers sit alongside men who have gone in the same path and can teach them some things not only about freemasonry but about life as well.

 However, the issue is if our lodges and grand lodges are offering it to its members. Education in lodges and grand lodges is mostly ritualistic, if dare some be esoteric. But what how do these teachings positively improve our members who don't understand or can even apply these teachings? Where have we gone wrong in this respect?

First of all, we have to recognize and accept that in most cases, our lodges are open to all those who seek entrance to it who for the most part have clean records. We don't inquire onto their ability to be open minded and willing to educate themselves on what they are being taught and take in the lessons to be learned and have the capacity to apply it. Just come with your petition and your money and spend 3 months indulging us and you'll be a member. Whatever happens after that? What happens with the person who indeed has a capacity to learn after he goes through the degrees? Nothing.

Our lodges mostly don't have room for continuous education. While we see it set in some grand lodges as part of their operations, some members don't impart the real lessons of freemasonry during the degree process. As one proceeds through the degrees, is the candidate really understanding this enlightenment he seeks more and more of? Or is he in the dark throughout the processes and has no idea what he's seeking and even worse, goes ahead to seek more degrees that end up being fluff because of his lack of a firm foundation?

We owe it to our craft and fraternity to open the door of enlightenment to only those who have the capacity and desire not only to learn, but understand and apply whatever information we give them in the hopes of becoming better men. We owe it to them to begin the process and give them the best education we can while they are going through the degrees and understanding that proficiency is not a matter of just spitting back words, but more than that it's evidence that the brother is prepared to apply the lessons to his person and we can see such lessons making his rough ashlar a little smoother. Finally, we owe ourselves to keep being educated, to read more, to explore more than ritual and bring whatever education we can back to our fraternity to better enable our brethren (both candidates and master masons) to be worthy and support to themselves, their families and society as a whole.

Lux E Tenebris.

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