THE LETTER 'G'
Even a stranger, entering a Masonic
Lodge room, as he may do on a public occasion, must be
struck by a mysterious Letter which hangs in the center of the Lodge
Room. No one needs to tell him its meaning; it is a letter of light and
tells its own story. Yet no stranger can know its full import, much less how
old it is. Indeed, few Masons are aware of all that it implies, either as a
symbol or history. There it shines, a focus of faith and fellowship, the emblem of the
Divine Presence in the Lodge.
When the Lodge is opened, the mind and
heart of each member should also be opened to the meaning of the great symbol, to the
intent that its light and truth may become the supreme reality in our lives. when the
Lodge is closed, the memory of that Divine initial and its august suggestions ought to be
the last thought retained in the mind to be pondered over.
There it shines in the center of the
ceiling of the room, over the Altar, and the Lodge is grouped around it, rather than
assembled beneath it. Below it, is the checkerwork floor, symbol of the
vicissitudes of life, above which hangs the white light of the Divine guidance and
blessing, so much needed in our mortal journey.
In the Degrees its use is more
impressive. In the First and Second Degrees the symbol is visible in the roof, or sky, of
the Lodge, like a benediction. In the Third Degree it is hidden, but its
presence is still manifest, as every Mason knows, since the light of God is
inextinguishable even in the darkest hours. Thus, in the course of the
Degrees, the great Letter has descended from heaven to earth, as if to show us the deep
meaning of Masonry. In other words, the purpose of initiation is to
bring the Supreme Being and man together, and make them one. God
becomes man that man may become God, a truth which lies at the heart of all religion, and
most clearly revealed in our own. Every form of faith is trying to lay hold of
this truth, for which words were never made.
In all the old houses of Initiation, as
far back as we can go. A letter of the alphabet stands out as a kind of Divine
Initial. In the Egyptian Mysteries it was the solar
"Ra", symbol of the spiritual Sun shining upon the mortal path.
In the Greek Mysteries at Delphi it was the letter "E"
Eta the fifth letter of the Greek Alphabet, five being the symbol of man, as
evidenced by the five senses., also the pentagram, or five pointed star. In
olden time Fellowcraft Masons worked in groups of five, and five Brethren now compose the
Lodge of a Fellowcraft. Plutarch told that in the Greek Mysteries the
Letter "Eta" was made of wood in the First Degree, of bronze in the
second Degree, and of gold in the third, showing the advance and refinement of the
moral and spiritual nature, as well as the higher value to the truth.
Many meanings and much history are thus
gathered into the Great Letter, some of it dim and lost to us now. In our
Lodges, and in the thought of the Craft today, the Letter "G" stands
for Geometry but also as the initial of our Word God. Now for one, now
for the other, but nearly always for both, since all Masonry rests upon
Geometry. In the oldest Charges of the Craft, as in its latest
interpretations, it is agreed that Masonry is moral geometry. In all its
lore Geometry is the way to God.
For Masonry, The Supreme
Being is the first truth and the final reality. Yet, as a fact, Masonry rarely
uses the name of God. It uses, instead, the phrase, the Great Architect of the
Universe. Of course such a phrase fits into the symbolism of the Craft, but
that is not the only, or perhaps chief reason why it is used. A deep, fine feeling
keeps us from using the name of the Deity too often, lest it lose some of its awe
in our minds. It is because Masons believe in the existence of a Supreme
Being, that they do not repeat the name "GOD" so frequently, and some
prefer the Masonic way in the matter. Also, we love the Masonic way of
teaching by indirection, so to speak; by influence and atmosphere.
Masonry, in its symbols and in its spirit, seeks to bring us into the presence
of that Supreme Being, and detain us there.
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