Cable-tow

Apparently the recently posted photo of the new Fellowcrafts prompted a little discussion among the brothers.....which is exactly what it was supposed to do.

Someone mentioned that the photo had been flipped because the aprons were not correct.....the photo wasn't flipped because the letter G is oriented correctly.......the aprons are wrong. There has been some speculation on brother Hodapp's blog and facebook page that the photo was staged.....perhaps it was..........perhaps it was staged to get us thinking.......hmmmmm

Also, another argument was that we are taught in the Entered Apprentice degree that it is the inner part of man and not the outer that Masonry considers...

Now on to something a little different. We hear the term cable-tow used quite often in Masonry.....I would say that it is an idiom of Masonic language.....or Masonic jargon.

So, what is meant by cable-tow. In the EA degree it is meant literally....a cable-tow is a strong rope for towing something, or in this case for leading the candidate out if necessary. In my 30 years I've yet to see that done.

As we move through the degrees the cable-tow takes on a more metaphorical meaning. In the FC we used to learn ( that is before the proficiency requirements were loosened to the point of not existing) that we had a cable-tow twice around the naked right arm to signify that we were under a double tie to the fraternity. Then in the MM we learn that the cable-tow around our body three times was to signify that our ties to the fraternity became more extensive as we advanced in Masonry.

The cable-tow has several symbolic meanings. First, it could have been used to withdraw an unwilling or unworthy candidate from the degree ceremony. Secondly, it becomes more of a symbol of our ties to the fraternity and our limitations.

In our obligations we are told to do certain things communicated to us by the lodge or brother if within the length of our cable-tow. Now in modern times our cable-tow may in fact be "wireless" through the courtesy of the internet. One brother may communicate to another brother by wireless means. Contrary to that if we publish a newsletter and a brother in Florida receives communication that the lodge will be holding a meeting concerning fund raising, more than likely that brother will not attend because his cable-tow is too long, or the distance is to great to travel for such a meeting.

The FC and the MM gives a pretty good description of our "ties" to the fraternity. As we advance in Masonry we all know that our ties to the fraternity become more and more extensive, in some cases quite extensive.

At our Regional School of Instruction we learned that there are no "small parts" when it comes to the ritual. To take that a step further there are no "small parts" in the fraternity period. If you have ever done a jigsaw puzzle you know that if one or two small pieces are missing you cannot finish the picture, it looks incomplete. The fact is that if you are missing one or two small pieces, it is glaringly obvious that the picture is not complete or not whole. Those missing pieces while small look enormously big when you look at the big picture, but when all the pieces are there and they unite into one beautiful picture it is sometimes difficult to decipher that the big picture is made up of many small pieces.

Again, such a small term, cable-tow, takes on enormous meaning. My brothers that is just one term made up of two small words with gigantic symbolic meaning. The framers of our ritual were exceedingly wise.....delve into the ritual and discover for yourself the meaning behind the words. So the next time you are asked to do just one small job or big job......remember you may be that last piece of the puzzle that makes this wonderful fraternity paint a big beautiful picture to it's members whether they are new or a seasoned veteran.