Free Masons of Gorby Arthur

On several occasions in posting on the GPB and other places I’ve made reference to my being a Freemason, and have been asked to explain why I think Freemasonry is compatible with Gorean philosophy, or might hold some interest for those who actively try to live the philosophy. Explaining this will require laying some groundwork in history, but I’ll try to keep the discussion interesting.

Freemasonry is the world’s oldest and largest fraternity. It has been described as “a beautiful system of morals, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols.” It’s chief tenets are brotherly love, relief and truth; and is built on a foundation of an unfeigned belief in the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man, and the immortality of the soul.

Freemasonry welcomes men of every race, creed, class and social station. It requires a belief in a Supreme Being, but leaves the name, nature and manner of worship up to the individual. Discussions of religion and politics are forbidden within Freemasonry, as these topics tend to separate men, while the Fraternity seeks to bring together men that otherwise might remain at a perpetual distance.

While the basic Masonic organization, the “Blue Lodge”, is only open to adult men, there are affiliate organizations for teenagers, women, and for both men and women. These include the International Order of Job’s Daughters for girls and the Order of DeMolay for boys, and the largest of the “women’s” organizations, The Order of The Eastern Star - open to both men who are members of a Blue Lodge, and women related to them by blood or marriage.

The origins of the Fraternity are lost in history. Early theories and mythology place it at the building of King Solomon’s temple, a secret society from the dawn of civilization, an outgrowth of the stone worker’s guilds from the Middle Ages, and the secret underground railroad of the suppressed Knight’s Templar. My own research, reading and best guess is a combination of the last two. For knowledgeable historians, Freemasonry and the word “Illuminati” don’t belong in the same sentence; anything that tries to say otherwise is fiction.

In the Middle Ages traveling stone workers established a system of apprenticeship and certification, to better determine whom to hire at building sites throughout Europe. No single area could supply the number of skilled craftsmen needed for large projects like castles and cathedrals, and most of the population was illiterate. When a skilled stone mason took on an apprentice, he would teach him “the Craft”, and on achieving a certain level of skill and knowledge the apprentice would be solemnly invested with a secret password and handshake. On traveling to another building site, the apprentice could approach the site’s Master Builder, and on demonstrating these signs show that he had passed a proper apprenticeship. Such a method prevented the wasteful destruction of valuable tools and building materials, and a certain degree of honesty when applying for work or assistance if no work was to be had. If the Master was unable to employ the apprentice, he would provide a night’s lodging, food, and recommendations where else to seek work; that is, where to find the next “lodging.” The “Lodge” on building sites was a temporary structure for the workers, who would sleep, eat and socialize within it. A similar procedure was used for journeymen, or “Fellows of the Craft”, and for “Master Masons” - journeymen that had completed a “master’s piece” demonstrating their level of skill. Only after becoming a Master Mason could a man seek to become a “Master Builder”.

Status as a Master Builder (later called “Worshipful Master”, from a term that meant “worthy of respect”) required more than simply masterful stone working skills; it required a knowledge of geometry, engineering, architecture, transport, logistics, economics, law, negotiating and management skills - everything needed to survey the ground, design and erect a structure like a castle or cathedral. Obviously, a system like this is quite comparable to the Caste of Builders on Gor. Even if born into the Builder’s Caste, a man would have to be trained.

There are records of such operative (actual stone working) Lodges in Scotland, from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, some of which are still in existence. A few of these even still limit their membership to actual workers in stone and the associated building trades.

During the Renaissance or “Age of Enlightenment” men sought philosophy and systems of morality outside that provided by the Church. The Lodges of stone masons had derived codes of law for their members, codes which took into account the different customs, religious beliefs and languages of workers who might have come from anywhere. The codes were taught through symbolism, allowing for different languages and eliminating the need for literacy. These seekers were eventually admitted as “speculative”, “accepted” or philosophical masons, interested in studying the moral philosophy and brotherhood of the Lodge. Later, these “accepted” masons outnumbered the traveling operative or “free” masons. Today the Fraternity is known as “Free & Accepted Masons” or “Ancient Free & Accepted Masons.”

The warrior monastic order known as the Knight’s Templar was founded in the early 12th century during the wars known as the Crusades. They initially were dedicated to insuring the safety of pilgrims traveling to the Middle East. Answering only to the Pope, their members came from every nation of Europe. They had three classes of members - the knights, who had to be of noble birth; priests; and commoners, who were soldiers and craftsmen of various types : infantry, sappers, quartermasters, armorers, weapon smiths, builders, drovers, cooks, carpenters and sailors. All were required to take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; this meant they donated all of their worldly possessions to the order on joining, and followed strict rules meant to enforce chastity - sleeping in common barracks, wearing underclothes they weren’t permitted to remove, etc

As a military organization, the Templars made full use of signaling, codes and passwords. Considering themselves a warrior elite, they used ritual to bind their members, kept their meetings and business private, and developed a strong sense of loyalty and esprit de corps. Together with the donations of pilgrims, monarchs and their own members - and the need to safeguard this wealth - they became incredibly rich, and also functioned as bankers. Moneys deposited with the Templars could be withdrawn elsewhere, using letters of credit. They also developed relationships of mutual respect with their foes; the fellowship of blood shed among warriors. Parleys, treaties, exchanged hostages who had been well treated, and occasional alliances against common enemies allowed for much of Middle Eastern culture and knowledge to make their way to Europe via the Templars who returned to their respective countries. The Templars developed a cosmopolitan and tolerant world view.

The downfall of the Templars is fascinating and complex. Summarizing, King Phillip (the Fair !) of France and Pope Clement V, desiring their wealth and fearing their political power, accused them of heresy and various other crimes. On the night of Thursday and the dark pre-dawn of Friday, October 13th, 1307 (origin of the modern superstition) coordinated mass arrests were carried out throughout Europe, and the Templar’s were imprisoned and tortured for confessions by the Inquisition. Years later, after first confessing under torture and later retracting their confessions, the leaders of the Order were put to death as heretics. The last Grand Master of the Order, Jacques DeMolay, was burned alive at the stake as an unrepentant heretic in 1314, after some 7 years imprisonment and torture. His last words recanted his confession, and pronounced a curse on the Pope and King Phillip of France - both were dead within a year.

At the time of the mass arrests many Templars escaped. The Templar fleet put to sea and was never seen again, and various friendly monarchs (Spain, England and Scotland) gave them sufficient warning for some to go into hiding. On country in particular, Scotland, became known as a safe refuge. There, the local Templars had established friendships with the nobility, the monasteries, and among the local Lodges of operative masons, whom they employed in building their strongholds. The pirate flag of later centuries, the skull and crossbones, may have been a Templar symbol; perhaps the Templar fleet turned freebooters.

It seems very likely that the Masons used their system of Lodges, passwords, and Brotherhood to give refuge to many Templars. Over time Templar rituals, habits of secrecy and language crept into the Lodges; this is born out by ritualistic and linguistic evidence. The Masonic rule of not questioning a man’s religious beliefs or politics is a logical outcome of hiding among them men who were both disillusioned with, and disavowed by, their kings and their Church. Templars, wearing their white surplices with red crosses, were reported at the Battle of Bannockburn, June 1314, fighting on the side of the Scots.

In 1717 the Grand Lodge of England was formed by four Lodges of London, and Freemasonry became public. Without explanation, the Grand Lodge stated that the reasons for their history of secrecy were no more, and Freemasonry hasn’t been a secret society since that date. Yet, it is a society with secrets. Freemasons take a solemn oath to preserve the secret passwords, handshakes and rituals of the Fraternity. However, all of these have been published numerous times in exposes - by men who have been expelled, and by some who joined with that deliberate intent. The passwords and such have not been changed in all this time; they are kept for their historical and traditional value. During the reign of the Nazis in Germany, Freemasons were arrested and sent to the camps together with the Jews, Gypsies and others. German Freemasons adopted emergency passwords and such to avoid imprisonment and death; after the war these were discarded as being no longer secret, but again are preserved as historically and traditionally valuable. The fact that you can go to the library and read these things does not absolve me from my solemn vow not to discuss them with non-members. The oath I took says that I would rather die in gruesome fashion then break my word in this regard, or fail to uphold the code. Anciently, treaties between warring tribes were often made by sacrificing and then eating together an animal. Each man took home a bone or piece of hide; after swearing he’d rather die, as did the animal, than break the treaty. The Fraternity doesn’t enforce the oath, except through suspension and expulsion; the penalties described in the oath are symbolic, a grown man’s version of “cross my heart and hope to die.”

The “Obligation”, the oath or code, is what makes a man a Mason. Basically, it is the adoption of the Obligation which entitles a man to be considered a Brother; this establishes a presumption of honesty, trustworthiness, and responsibility. A Master Mason promises never to strike a Brother in anger, though defense (applying to self, family, property and country) is specifically permitted. Along with several positive injunctions he also promises never to steal from or defraud a brother, to keep confidences, to come to the aid of a Brother in danger or distress, to never commit rape on the family member of a Brother, and to provide for the worthy widow and orphans of a Brother if they require assistance. The obligation is both exacting and broad, in that it leaves it up to the individual how best to keep the promises made, and allows for establishing one’s own priorities - for instance, I need not provide financial assistance if doing do would harm my own family.

There are literally hundreds of documented cases where a man’s Masonic membership has saved his life in times of both war and peace, even between soldiers of opposing armies. There are Masonic Lodges on every continent and in most countries. Only those countries with dictatorships (China, Iran and Iraq) ban the Fraternity, as they ban any organization where men meet in private away from the government’s control. In recent years the Fraternity has been reestablished, or come out of hiding, in Turkey and states of the former Soviet Union.

A list of famous Masons would be another article in itself. While the Fraternity takes no side or part in politics, it’s teachings of universal brotherhood and hatred of tyranny have prompted it’s members to patriotism and active roles against despotic governments. The American, French, Italian, Philippine and many South American revolutions have been led by Freemasons. Famous Freemasons include heads of state (including royalty), generals, composers, authors, clergymen, athletes and movie stars. Of special interest to Goreans might be Voltaire, Thomas Paine, George Washington, Simon Bolivar, Theodore Roosevelt, and Rudyard Kipling.

Freemasonry doesn’t recruit; each man must come of his own free will and accord, and ask a Mason to sponsor him. Candidates must be adult, of sound mind, literate, capable of earning a living (much easier nowadays what with computers and all), be of sound moral character, and have lived in their particular jurisdiction a minimum amount of time. There is an ancient requirement that a man must be free born; generally not a problem any more. Initiation fees and annual dues are usually nominal; my own Lodge charges $150 to join and $60 per year in dues.

Freemasonry uses allegory, symbolism and ritual to teach honesty, truth, integrity, responsibility for oneself and those dependent upon you, charity for those worthy of assistance, and self improvement through study and reflection. It stresses education, spirituality of your own interpretation, the importance of community; and giving others the freedom to live their lives how they choose, so long as they harm no one else. It advocates freedom of religion and tolerance for others; I actually became more active in my spiritual life through it’s influence. In it’s affiliate organizations it teaches virtues and lessons appropriate to teenagers and women: self control, steadfastness, loyalty, faith, patience, respect, filial duty and hospitality.

Having been raised by a single mother, I was fortunate to have several men take an active interest in helping me reach manhood. Later, I found many of these men were Masons. When several years ago I met a friend who is an active Mason, I was filled with questions he was happy to answer, as I am now. The greatest honors of my life have been becoming a Master Mason, and seven years later being elected and asked to serve as Worshipful Master of my Lodge. I have joined the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, where I hold the 32nd degree; last spring I became a Shriner, which is the highly visible and charitable arm of the Fraternity. My wife and I are both members of Eastern Star, and this year are the elected heads of our chapter. The young men and women of DeMolay and Job’s Daughters are role models among their peers; excellent students, respectful to authority, with much lower rates of drug use and teenage pregnancy.

I have sat in Lodge with Christians of every sect, Moslems, Jews, Buddhists, Wiccans, pagans and those “unchurched”; with black, white, Asian and Native American; with doctors, lawyers, computer programmers, carpenters, house painters, polygamists, police officers and students. They are all Brothers, and the Worshipful Master of a Lodge is just as likely to be a black lawyer as a white plumber or asian restauranteur. Merit - based on dedication, character and effort - is the only means of preferment and leadership.

There has been much discussion of Goreans meeting together off line, associating with those of similar beliefs and world view. While those who have studied in depth the writings of John Norman are few and far between, the vast majority of Freemasons hold very similar values. The altar of Freemasonry, where every man takes his Obligation with his hand on the Holy Book of his own Faith, is in effect a Home Stone.