The Wind, Earthquake, and Fire

The Wind, Earthquake, and Fire

In the building of one of the great cathedrals, an apprentice raced to his master about a powerful experience he had while in prayer.

“Master!” he exclaimed, “I believe the True Word has come to me in my prayers! My body shook and trembled as if the foundations of the world were quaking. Many words of wisdom are now racing through my mind, and my soul burns with passion to serve my fellow man.”

“Oh, is that all?” the master casually asked.

The apprentice was surprised by his response. “Is that all?! What do you mean?”

The master replied, “Do you recall the story of Elijah in the cave?”

“Yes, of course. Why do you ask?”

“Tell me the story.”

“It is written that Elijah was hiding in a cave on a mountain and Jehovah passed by, and a great wind rent the mountains, and the rocks were broken into pieces before Him. After the wind there came an earthquake and then a fire. But Jehovah was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire. Jehovah spoke to him as a still small voice, and then Elijah came out of his cave to be instructed by God.”

“Today you have felt the wind in your mind, the earthquake in your body, and the fire in your passion, but you came out of your cave and down from the mountain without having heard the still small voice that speaks the True Word.”

Waves, Spray, and Foam

Waves, Spray, and Foam

Having found passage on a boat delivering goods from Tyre, a craftsman sat pensively at the bow, the eyes under his furrowed brow looking out over the indigo waves and into the blue sky beyond the clouds. The captain approached him and asked, “Brother, what is that so occupies your mind?”

The craftsman looked at him and said, “Once when I was in the forests of Lebanon I met an old hermit who taught me that all things are illusions, that the only reality is oneness, and that two-ness is the foundation of all illusions. He said that we must strip away all these illusions by meditation and only then could we see this one truth as a great light shining within. It reminded me of the light of Masonry.”

The captain asked, “Is there something that troubles you about this?”

“Yes,” replied the craftsman. “How can I reject all I experience as nothing but illusions? Does seeking more light, as we are taught to do in Masonry, mean that I must reject the world, and even my own life? I have meditated as he taught, and there have been times when the world and my thoughts seemed to slip away. There was no thought of past or future, no thought of this or that, or even of myself, yet I know there was still a singular awareness of some kind. But it troubles me that even after accepting the truth of oneness, I cannot deny that here I still am in a world of too many things to count. Am I just too weak? Should I become a hermit like him?”

The captain pointed out over the surface of the water. “What do you see on the surface of the water?”

“Waves,” said the craftsman.

“And coming up from the bow of the boat?”

“The spray.”

“And when we get to the port, if you look where the water meets the rough sands of the shore, what will you see?”

“Foam.”

“Yes. Waves, spray, and foam. Each of them is here and then soon gone, and yet the sea remains.”

At these words the craftsman’s face relaxed, and he nodded, chuckling to himself, “Today this sea is the light of Masonry.”

The Way to Hiram Abif

The Way to Hiram Abif

A hopeful young apprentice went looking for Grand Master Hiram Abif, and unexpectedly found him working in a quarry. The apprentice asked him, “What is the way that leads to Hiram Abif?”

Hiram raised his gavel and said, “I bought this gavel at a very good price.”

The apprentice said, “I’m not asking about the gavel you bought. What is the way that leads to Hiram Abif?”

Hiram said, “It feels good when I use it.”

What is Your Light?

What is Your Light?

Peter Gower instructed his craftsmen, saying: “Everyone has their own light. If you want to see it you can’t. The darkness is dark. Now what is your light?”

Before anyone could speak, he answered himself: “The storeroom. The gate.”

Then he said, “It would be better to have nothing than to have something good.”

Why?

Why?

A new Entered Apprentice asked the lodge instructor, “Why did Grand Master Hiram Abif come from Tyre?”

The instructor replied, “Go ask that column over there.”

EA: “I don’t understand you.”

Instructor: “I don’t understand me either!”

Dissatisfied, the EA went to the Worshipful Master and reported what had transpired. Then he said, “Was he just being mean? What shall I do?”

The Worhsipful Master replied, “Go ask that column over there.”

Why Divided?

Why Divided?

A temple workman approached Hiram, King of Tyre, and asked, “If harmony is so important, why have we been divided?”

“How have you been divided?” responded the King.

“We have been separated into lodges of Apprentices, Fellowcrafts and Masters.” answered the workman.

“How does one progress from Apprentice to Fellowcraft to Master?” asked the King.

The workman thought for a moment and said, “He studies, practices and eventually proves proficiency at his current grade.”

“So who has divided you?” asked the King.

And the workman was brought to light.

Wearing Hiram’s Apron

Wearing Hiram’s Apron

Some time after the death of Grand Master Hiram Abif, King Solomon asked Adoniram: “What is the light of Masonry?”

Adoniram said: “This mind is the light of Masonry.”

King Solomon responded: “If anyone fully understands this, he is wearing Hiram’s apron, he is working with Hiram’s tools, he is speaking Hiram’s words, he is behaving as Hiram, he is Hiram.”

Where Have They Gone?

Where Have They Gone?

A craftsman asked Peter Gower, “Where have all the Past Masters and the ancient three Grand Masters gone?”

Peter Gower responded, “What did you say?”

The craftsman said, “I commanded an exceedingly fine racehorse to spring forth, but only a lame tortoise appeared.”

Peter Gower said nothing. The next day when he emerged from his bath, the craftsman served him a plate of fruit. Peter Gower gave the craftsman a pat on the shoulder.

The craftsman said, “Oh, the old boss has noticed for the first time.”

Peter Gower again said nothing.

Where is Your Home?

Where is Your Home?

A Worshipful Master asked a new Master Mason, “Where is your home?”

The MM said, “The capital city of this state, Worshipful Master.”

The WM asked, “Do you think of that place?”

The MM said, “I think of it all the time, Worshipful.”

The WM said, “The ‘thinker’ is the mind, and the ‘thought of’ is the environment. Therein are mountains, valleys, rivers, buildings, lodges and temples, people, animals, and so on. Turn your thought to think of the mind that thinks. Are there so many things there?”

The MM said, “When I get here, I don’t see any existence at all.”

The WM said, “That’s appropriate for the stage of craftsmanship, but not yet right for the stage of mastery.”

The MM said, “Don’t you have some other particular way to teach?”

The WM said, “To say that I have anything particular is not accurate. Based on your insight, you only get one mystery. You can put on your apron and take a seat. After this, see on your own.”

Working On It

Working On It

A newly proficient Master Mason asked the Worshipful Master, “Worshipful, now that I have completed all the degrees, I’m wondering what to do next. Should I start working my way through the offices? Should I join one of the other rites? Serve on a committee? Or spend my time reading and studying more about Masonry? What is your advice?”

The WM, pointed to a white-haired old Master Mason chatting with some brothers in the dining hall. “You can start by getting to know that old brother over there.”

So the young MM introduced himself to the old brother and they began a conversation. In a short time he learned that, many years ago, after getting the third degree the old brother had joined the York Rite and had become a promising member of the Royal Arch degree team, but had dropped out after a couple of years; that for a while he had also been a highly published author in a Masonic research society, but that too eventually became a thing of the past. In the process of their conversation, the young MM concluded that the old brother really wasn’t much of a Mason at all; he didn’t stick with anything, had never held an office other than Tiler or Junior Steward, and didn’t even attend lodge regularly.

At the next lodge meeting, the young MM went to the WM and said, “I think I know why you sent me to talk to him. I heard all his stories about quitting this and that, and I realized that you wanted me to see how sad it is to have unfulfilled potential. That old brother is a very smart and gifted man, but he has wasted all of his talents”

The Worshipful Master shook his head, “No, brother, that’s not it at all. Did you ever ask him why he quit those things? You need to get to know him a little better.”

The young MM felt perplexed and a little ashamed. He went back to the old brother and continued the relationship. He asked, “Brother, why did you stop working in the York Rite.”

The old brother responded, “Oh, that was too much of a distraction.”

“What about the research society? Why did you drop out?” asked the young MM.

“Well, that was also a distraction.”

The young MM was feeling frustrated. “And why have you never served your lodge beyond the chair of Tiler or Junior Steward? Why don’t you even attend regularly? Wait. Let me guess. That too would be a distraction?”

“Yes, that’s true.” The old brother nodded matter-of-factly.

Now the young MM returned to the WM, sure that he understood the purpose of getting to know the old brother. “Every time I asked him why he quit or remained at some distance from his service to the fraternity, he just said it was ‘a distraction’. You wanted me to see that it was his selfishness that led him to waste his talents.”

“Not exactly,” replied the WM. “You didn’t ask him why or how those things were distractions, did you? You still need to get to know him better.”

The young MM was now feeling agitated, so he went back to the old brother and rather impatiently asked, “What did you mean by saying that all those things were distractions?”

The old brother answered: “When I joined the York Rite and then the Royal Arch degree team, I had in mind that it would make me the perfect Mason, respected and admired by my brothers. When I realized my motivation, I realized that it was distracting me from the essence of Masonry, and that I should really study Masonry in a different way. That’s when I joined the research society, convinced that this would lead me into becoming the perfect Mason, knowledgeable and able to impart that knowledge to my brothers. When I realized my motivation, I realized that it was distracting me from the essence of Masonry, which I then concluded must be found in humble service to my lodge and brothers. That’s when I returned to the lodge and started working my way through the chairs, certain that in doing so I would fulfill the virtues of a Master Mason, a worthy example to my brethren. When I realized my motivation, I realized that this too was a distraction from the essence of Masonry.”

The young MM sighed. “I apologize to you for my attitude. You’re a pretty wise fellow after all. Please tell me, what is the essence of Masonry.”

The old brother replied, “Well, I can’t really say, but I’m working on it.”