A couple of things really caught my attention that evening. One, the quest for knowledge and rewards without paying ones dues, the second was a term I've heard hundreds of times before....basely assassinated.
Presumably most of you are well acquainted with the allegory of Hiram Abiff, if you're not then it is openly available on Wikileaks. In the story, workmen in the temple are desirous of obtaining the secrets and pass words of a Master Mason. By being in possession of these things the workman, who were fellowcrafts could move on and earn Master's wages in all areas.
The three fellowcrafts who were premature in their quest were told by Hiram Abiff that they were not ready for that level and if they would patiently wait and earn their due then they would surely receive what they most desired....the ability to freely travel and earn Master's wages.
That part of the story dovetailed nicely with my latest post on this blog. In that post I had mentioned that in today's society we have become overwhelmed by the notion of instant gratification or instant rewards without working through the ranks and paying ones dues.
Also in today's world we are bombarded by steadily changing options.....from our car radio which now has satellite reception with hundreds of stations....to the TV with thousands of channels and choices....even the phone which is now carried with most people and they can be in immediate constant communication with others.
I've heard of instances where a man becomes a Mason and immediately wants to be Secretary or a newly made Mason is thrown in line as Junior Warden.....or a man petitions a lodge and wants to be a Mater Mason in a matter of days. When this happens the new brother is really being cheated out of valuable experience which will aid him in his journey....and we are cheating ourselves by denying tremendous opportunities to get to know the brother and actually teach him about our traditions, heritage and ritual. It's been said that the teacher often learns more than the student.
Isn't it odd that the ritual is still relative all these years after it's completion. It could be argued that it is in fact timeless. Many lessons in the Bible have the same characteristics....the behaviors are the same today as all those years ago...situations are similar....and the lessons taught are the same....the only change is the technology.
Recently the Regional Grand Lecturer and I had a discussion about our ritual. If you've read any of the posts on this blog then you know that I feel the authors of our ritual were very precise and measured in their choice of words. The words and phrases used get the utmost out of each phrase. WB Gil mentioned that he had read an article in which the author felt that the writers of the ritual had merely got lucky by having some words, phrases, lectures, etc. fall into place and give the impression that they had been thought through....the author of that article felt that "purpose" has been read into the words of the ritual.
Both of us agree that we believe nothing could be farther from the truth. When one breaks down phrases into the words comprising those phrases it becomes very apparent that the words were chosen very wisely. Upon researching those words one learns the true meaning of those words and their clear intended meaning and representation.
Back to the allegory of Hiram Abiff and one phrase that really made me take notice....whom we have basely assassinated.
Basely is a word not commonly used today, but was very common in days of old, it comes obviously from the word....base. Upon researching basely we find that it means;
1.
morally low; without estimable personal qualities; dishonorable;meanspirited; selfish; cowardly.
2.
of little or no value; worthless
Assassinated is another interesting word...one comedian said what level does one have to attain to move from murder to assassination...well according to the meaning of the word...it deals specifically with certain criteria we see it defined as follows;
1.
to kill suddenly or secretively, especially a politically prominent person;murder premeditatedly and treacherously.
The story of the ruffians who basely assassinated the Master Craftsman Hiram Abiff were described through two very wisely chosen words. I've always thought that basely assassinated meant that they basically killed the Grand Master...which they did but the words describe their character and their actions as well.
The three who did not recant from their murderous desires are aptly described as morally low, without estimable personal qualities, they were dishonorable, definitely mean-spirited, cowardly because they hid by the three gates and launched surprise attacks.....all for selfish reasons to gain the Master's word to enrich their personal wealth.....and I think we all agree they were of little or no value....worthless members of society....oops that's the behive from the EA degree....see what I mean.
As we move on to assassinate we learn that it means to kill suddenly....the murder did happen in a very short span of time.....and it was definitely secretive in nature as they remained behind when the other workers left the temple to eat their noon time meal.
Obviously the Master Craftsman was a politically prominent person....he was one of the three Grand Master Illustrious Artisans and held the third element of the Master's word. We also learn from the 12 Fellowcrafts that his demise was premeditated and the fatal blow was treacherous for it split his skull.
It's always fascinating to me to research a phrase that jumps out at me to find that I had absolutely no idea just how much is conveyed by such seemingly simple phrases.
My brothers I encourage you to venture out on your own, find a phrase that makes you think and do some thinking and researching to discover for yourself just exactly what the ritual says....talk about more light in Masonry...my brothers I'm afraid we have barely struck the match.
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