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Masonic Education
Papers
By our local brethren.
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Feast of
Tishri[i]
Preliminary
Note
Reference (should
be made) to the origin of the Feast as described in the Book of
Leviticus
where it is said that the Lord spoke unto Moses saying that on
the fifteenth day of the
seventh month
(the first month of the Hebrew civil calendar)
when
"ye [shall] have
gathered in
the fruit
of the
land, ye shall keep a feast
unto the LORD seven days: ....
[and] Ye
shall dwell in
booths
seven days ....
That
your
generations may
know
that I
made
the
children
of Israel
to dwell
in booths,
when
I brought them out of the
land of Egypt."
Why
the Feast of Tishri?
The
origins and significances of
the Feast of Tishri make it the most
Scottish Rite of festivals. No other occasion epitomizes
the character and purposes
of the Rite more holly
than
this historic celebration of the dedication of King
Solomon's
Temple. To marshal the meanings of the feast is
to summarize
the principle ideals and traditions of our fraternity.
First
of
all,
we observe the Feast of Tishri because it is an age-old
custom
which now has the power of law. Under the Statutes
of The Supreme Council,
the feast is "obligatory," a sacramental
sharing of our fraternal spirit. Freemasons have always revered
order since we recognize that there is a Supreme Order that
structures all creation. Masonic Law reflects
this divine order, and we serve the purposes of
The
Great Architect of the
Universe when we observe this vow
of
obedience to the Rite.
Secondly, the
rich
legendry of the Temple's dedication
which
It·,
celebrated
in the Feast of Tishri is an essential part of the Fourteenth Degree.
The symbolic details of the Temple’s position,
design,
construction, furnishing and decoration
carry
intense
meaning as they apply to the spiritual temple
of Freemasonry
built in the soul of every Brother.
Through
the symbols
of the Temple we gain enlightenment
and we
recommit ourselves to
building Freemasonry "in
the
hearts
of men and among nations."
Significantly, a
king of peace and wisdom built the Temple. The Lord forbade
David, a warrior and a man of blood, to construct the Temple
and, instead, delivered this responsibility and glory to Solomon
whose very name means peace. Thus in observing the Feast of
Tishri, we reaffirm our dedication to human concord and the
brotherhood of all men in a world of peace. As individuals and
as Brothers in the Rite we resolve to build, as Solomon did,
through harmony and cooperation, ever seeking peace for all
mankind. The consecration of the Temple must also be observed at
the Feast of Tishri, because it teaches the equality and unity
of all members of the Rite. The people of Israel, unified under
Solomon, were
equal in their
devotion to the
Lord
and equal in their
sovereignty to all other nations. In the
Feast
of Tishri, all Perfect Elus and those of higher degrees
can join at the banquet
table and share the bond of fraternal unity.
Yet
another reason to keep the
Feast of Tishri is that such observance
fosters the warm spirit of fraternal fellowship so vital to our
Rite. We meet at a common
table,
express our mutual esteem
and so promote that essential
bond of cordiality and respect which lightens and shares the
weight of our Masonic endeavors. Such social amenities
open us to each other in an
atmosphere elevated beyond the
sphere of normal, day-to-day
communication. Within the context
of the Feast of Tishri we realize more deeply
than
ever
before the value of our fellow man, without
which the
individual is lost in a
self-imposed prison of human Isolation.
Lastly, the law,
legendry, peace, equality, unity and fellowship
of the
Feast of Tishri combine to make
this the Masonic
feast
of
feasts. At the Refection Table all men, Jew, Christian,
Muslim, Buddhist and others-join in a common voice
of thanksgiving to God. The
Feast of Tishri is a Masonic
feast
of thanksgiving where every man can
Share his
gratitude
and express his sincere
thanks to Him who
made
all things. The Deity has given us life, the strength to
live
it fully, and the joy of
sharing the beauty and goodness
of
His creation
with our fellow man. Most of all, He has given us freedom. The
Feast of Tishri celebrates this freedom the Israelites
won with the guidance of providence,
despite
the
shackles
of
Egypt
and the armies of the Philistines.
This ancient
victory celebrated in the dedication of Solomon's Temple is kept
forever fresh through our keeping of the Feast of Tishri. It
promises to all men that the burdens of tyranny are temporary,
that the darkness will yield to light, that knowledge will
conquer ignorance, and that the Creator intended men to be free.
The message of Tishri comes to us strongly and clearly from
across the ages because it has been so preserved in the
symbolism and allegory of the Scottish Rite. Through our
observance of this great feast of thanksgiving we, as heirs of
Solomon, perpetuate his magnificent Temple of freedom in our
lives, our communities, our Country and, most of all, in our
beloved Rite.
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Mosaic Pavement
Otavio
Vieira
Cypress Lodge 295, Orient of
Naples, Florida
KSA, Scottish Rite, Valley of
Ft. Myers, Orient of Florida
York Rite, Poinciana Chapter,
Ft. Myers, Florida
The mosaic
pavement (John 19:13) is a well-known ornament of the Lodge. Its
white and black squares show us that even though there is
diversity and antagonism in all things in nature, perfect
harmony resides in everything. It illustrates that Masonary is a
place where there is freedom of ideas and beliefs, and that
every form of human manifestation is respected.
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The Delta
Otavio
Vieira
Cypress Lodge 295, Orient of
Naples, Florida
KSA, Scottish Rite, Valley of
Ft. Myers, Orient of Florida
York Rite, Poinciana Chapter,
Ft. Myers, Florida
The eye is a
symbol present in various cultures – Egyptian, and religions -
Buddhism. It is also called the Luminous Delta or the All-Seeing
Eye.
From the
initiation point of view, the sun is the symbol of the intellect
which conceives thought. In fact, it is through thought that one
achieves the light of wisdom. In the cult of Mithras, an old
Roman god, for example, the right eye represented the sun.
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_________________________________________
The Pomegranate
Otavio
Vieira
Cypress Lodge 295, Orient of
Naples, Florida
KSA, Scottish Rite, Valley of
Ft. Myers, Orient of Florida
York Rite, Poinciana Chapter,
Ft. Myers, Florida
Long
ago, wise men used to say that all trees must generate fruit and
if they didn’t, that would be a symptom of an imperfect world.
For them, producing fruit was the major accomplishment of a
tree. In the Torah, seven were the fruit and the grains that
crowned the human harvest as an example of the Holy Land
fertility: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, olives, dates, and
pomegranates. For Hebrews pomegranates had a mystical meaning.
That’s why it was so important for them.
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The Columns
(I King 7:15-22)
Otavio
Vieira
Cypress Lodge 295, Orient of
Naples, Florida
KSA, Scottish Rite, Valley of
Ft. Myers, Orient of Florida
York Rite, Poinciana Chapter,
Ft. Myers, Florida
When you
enter a Masonic Temple, one of the things that are mostly
noticeable is the columns. The first columns were raised to
express religious beliefs, isolated as a monolithic block, found
virtually in all cultures and times. The ancient architectonic
columns were - Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Composite, and Tuscan.
In the world there are various monuments composed by columns.
For example, Trajan’s column in Rome, the column of Don Pedro IV
in Lisbon, Nelson’s column in London, the Doric columns at the
Park Guell in Barcelona, and the many buildings with columns in
Washington, DC.
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the full paper -
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The Number 7
Otavio
Vieira
Cypress Lodge 295, Orient of
Naples, Florida
KSA, Scottish Rite, Valley of
Ft. Myers, Orient of Florida
York Rite, Poinciana Chapter,
Ft. Myers, Florida
Arturo de Hoyos, in the
preface of Albert Pike’s book “Esoteric, The Symbolism of Blue
Degrees of Freemasonry”, says that “Pike suspected that the true
“secrets” of Freemasonry lay within its symbolism. By careful,
prolonged, and analytical study he began to discern and
recognize a natural relationship between symbols and things they
symbolized.” (p. xxiii), later he cites Albert Pike’s statement
about the use of symbolism in Masonry extracted from his Lecture
on Masonic Symbolism, “The true meanings of a few of the symbols
are still known in the Lodges. Those of many others are disused;
and those of some, I fear, are lost beyond of recovery.” (p.
xxvi).
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The 18th Degree
of the Scottish Rite
Otavio
Vieira
Cypress Lodge 295, Orient of
Naples, Florida
KSA, Scottish Rite, Valley of
Ft. Myers, Orient of Florida
York Rite, Poinciana Chapter,
Ft. Myers, Florida
One of the Scottish Rite
degrees that bears the most symbolism and esoteric is the Rose
Croix. The duties of this degree teach us that we have to be
tolerant of the faith and creed of others.
I was born and grew up in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil where my family and I lived in a big
apartment building. My family was catholic. When I was about
eight a new family moved to the front door apartment. They were
Jewish. They had a son at my age named Elias who became my
friend.
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Reflections About the 31st Degree
Otavio
Vieira
Cypress Lodge 295, Orient of
Naples, Florida
KSA, Scottish Rite, Valley of
Ft. Myers, Orient of Florida
York Rite, Poinciana Chapter,
Ft. Myers, Florida
Through its
teachings, Freemasonary seeks to stimulate its Initiated to
improve intellectually and spiritually. It encourages dialog,
tolerance and respect to everything and to every being. It is
also, through its rituals and fraternal socializing, that it
molds proper conduct, points at love as the right direction and
evokes reflection - all that, aiming at improving the man for
the good of humanity. Jesus once said: "Who hath ears to hear,
let him hear". The brother, who is really open to the truths
that Freemasonary offers him, no doubt, undergoes a deep process
of transformation by questioning his own obsolete values, and he
experiences a gratifying encounter with himself.
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Reflections About the 32nd Degree
Otavio
Vieira
Cypress Lodge 295, Orient of
Naples, Florida
KSA, Scottish Rite, Valley of
Ft. Myers, Orient of Florida
York Rite, Poinciana Chapter,
Ft. Myers, Florida
We live in an
extremely distressed world. The media gives more importance to
negative aspects and stimulates violence. Scandals related to
the corruption of politicians and the non-religious attitude of
those responsible for the spiritual formation of many people
have become more and more notorious.
The man lives a great
existential crisis as he looks around and feels lonely. He lives
in a world poor of examples and deficient of compassion. His
faith is put to the test. In my point of view, all such threats
to his balance bring him to one of the major opportunities that
the Great Architect of the Universe can award, which is, they
give him the true meaning of life and make it possible for him
to encounter his own self, and therefore, his Creator.
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