Esoteric Masonry

http://www.studiesincomparativereligion.com/public/articles/The_Mystery_of_the_Great_Labyrinth-Chartres_Cathedral-by_John_James.aspx

"The Mystery of the Great Labyrinth, Chartres Cathedral" by John James This is the complete text of "The Mystery of the Great Labyrinth, Chartres Cathedral", an essay by John James, which appeared in the the journal "Studies in Comparative Religion", 1977 Spring edition (Vol. 11, No. 2).

The roots of Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry…

Centuries before Columbus, Viking explorers [and the Knights Templar after] had already reached America. Groundbreaking scientific dating proves they occupied North America exactly in the year 1021 AD.

Long before Christopher Columbus made his historic landfall, Norse explorers led by figures like Leif Erikson had already established a foothold in North America.

Settling at L’Anse aux Meadows in modern-day Newfoundland, Canada, the Vikings constructed a temporary overwintering camp and ship-repair station 1,000 years before researchers finally unlocked its timeline.

While ancient Norse sagas had detailed these daring voyages for centuries, physical proof was only unearthed in 1960, leaving historians to debate the precise timing of their transatlantic crossing.

In 2021, scientists solved the mystery using advanced radiocarbon dating on wooden artifacts discarded at the site. By identifying a global radiocarbon spike in tree rings caused by a massive cosmic-ray storm in 992 AD, researchers counted the remaining rings to the bark edge of trees felled with metal tools. The results pinpointed the exact year of Norse presence to 1021 AD—the earliest known crossing of the Atlantic and a defining moment in global human connection.

[Later, but at least 100 years before Columbus, a percentage of the Templar Ordre settled in North America, and intermarried with the indigenous tribes.]

source: Kuitems, M., Wallace, B. L., Lindsay, C., Scifo, A., Doeve, P., Jenkins, K., Lindauer, S., Erdil, P., Ledger, P. M., Forbes, V., Vermeeren, C., Friedrich, R., & Dee, M. W. (2021). Evidence for European presence in the Americas in AD 1021. Nature.

The Egyptian Goddess Nut and the Blue Lodge “Canopy of Heaven”

Researched and Written by PM Greg Sudmeier, 32° SR KCCH

Introduction

Too many Freemasons are never adequately enlightened to the fullest meaning of the ubiquitous Masonic term “Blue Lodge.” Since the Blue Lodge is the place where the 3 Degrees are performed and experienced, and since there is no “higher” degree in Freemasonry than the 3rd (the appendant bodies have “further” degrees, not higher), the purpose of this article is to help make the term “Blue Lodge” understood more deeply.

Egyptian Symbology

The classic Egyptian image above evokes a theme that is familiar to both ancient Egyptian cosmology and Masonic symbolism; the idea that the visible heavens are not merely an external reality but also a reflection of an inner spiritual dimension.

In ancient Egyptian spirituality, Nut (pronounced “noot”) was the great “Sky Goddess” whose body arched over the earth. She was depicted as a vast, star-covered woman stretching from horizon to horizon, with the sun, moon, stars, and celestial realms contained within her. Nut was not simply “the sky” in a physical sense; she represented the cosmic womb from which creation continually emerged and into which the sun entered each evening before being reborn at dawn.

To stand beneath Nut was to stand beneath the living “canopy of the universe” itself. The image resembles traditional depictions of Nut, with the stars embedded within her body, suggesting that the cosmos is both around humanity and mysteriously enfolded within consciousness.

In Freemasonry, particularly within the “Blue Lodge,” the “clouded canopy” or “star-decked heaven” is one of the most important symbolic features of the lodge. Masonic lectures often describe the lodge as extending from earth to heaven and being covered by a celestial “canopy” adorned with stars.

On the literal level, this symbolizes the universe and the omnipresence of the Grand Architect. On a deeper initiatic level, the “canopy” represents the higher realm of spiritual truth toward which every Mason is journeying. The “Blue Lodge” itself becomes a symbolic microcosm of the cosmos, just as the candidate becomes a microcosm of the lodge.

The symbolic parallels are striking. Nut embodies the living vault of heaven, while the Masonic lodge is symbolically roofed by the celestial vault, hence the term “Blue Lodge.”

This is why some more aware lodges use starry projections or have celestial themed paintings on the ceiling of the lodge. These wise lodges understand that the lodge room is no ordinary place. It is a sacred space. Therefore the images on the ceiling express the ancient Hermetic principle that humanity exists within a sacred cosmos and that the cosmos is reflected within humanity. The stars above become a mirror of the stars within.

In this reading, Nut and the Masonic “canopy of heaven” point toward the same esoteric intuition; that initiation involves recognizing that the universe is not merely something external to be observed, but it is a living internal reality in which the soul actively participates. As a Mason’s character more closely resembles a “perfect Ashlar,” the Mason’s life, or inner (blue) lodge, is guided by higher motivations of divine principles and…divine love.

Masonic Authors

This is why many esoteric Masonic writers, especially those influenced by Hermeticism and Neoplatonism, interpreted the “starry canopy” as more than an astronomical symbol. Several influential esoteric Masonic writers interpreted the canopy as something far deeper than a literal depiction of the night sky. Drawing from Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, Rosicrucianism, and Western mystical traditions, they saw it as a symbol of the invisible spiritual universe, the higher planes of consciousness, and the divine reality reflected within the human soul.

W.L. Wilmshurst

Among the most important Masonic writers was William Leslie Wilmshurst. In his classic work, “The Meaning of Masonry” (1922), Wilmshurst argued that every element of the lodge is a symbol of the inner constitution and spiritual evolution of a human being. Discussing the lodge’s covering, he noted that it is described as “a celestial canopy of divers colours, even the heavens,” but immediately interpreted the lodge itself as a symbol of the human being rather than merely a physical structure. For Wilmshurst, the “celestial canopy” represented the higher spiritual dimensions of consciousness toward which the initiate ascends.

Albert Pike

Another major Masonic writer was Albert Pike. Pike rarely treated Masonic symbols as merely historical or architectural. Throughout his “Morals and Dogma,” he repeatedly insisted that religious and initiatic symbols point to transcendent realities and that all authentic spirituality speaks through symbolism. He taught that the visible lodge mirrors an invisible (hidden, occult) internal spiritual order, and that the purpose of Masonic symbolism is to lead the initiate from material appearances to inner metaphysical truths. His thought was heavily influenced by Neoplatonism, Hermetic philosophy, Kabbalah, and the ancient mystery traditions.

Albert Mackey

The nineteenth-century Masonic scholar, Albert Gallatin Mackey, whose writings are preserved in Encyclopedia Masonica (see: https://www.universalfreemasonry.org/en/encyclopedia-masonica), interpreted the “Blue Lodge,” or “clouded canopy,” or “starry-decked heaven” as teaching aspiration toward a higher sphere of existence. He explained that the terrestrial (earthly) lodge is symbolically linked to a celestial (eternal) lodge, and that the starry covering reminds Masons of their connection to a transcendent realm beyond ordinary life.

Manley P. Hall

A more overtly esoteric interpretation appears in the writings of Manly P. Hall. Although Hall wrote much of his Masonic material before actually becoming a Mason later in life, his works profoundly influenced generations of esoteric Masons. In books such as “The Lost Keys of Freemasonry” and “The Secret Teachings of All Ages,” Hall treated Masonic symbolism as a map of initiation into universal Wisdom. Consistent with Hermetic and Neoplatonic ideas, he viewed the visible universe as a symbolic expression of spiritual realities, and he taught that the symbols of the lodge ultimately reveal the divine structure of the human soul and the cosmos.

Conclusion

If one follows the line of interpretation developed by Wilmshurst, Pike, Mackey, and Hall, the “starry canopy” becomes something remarkably similar to the Egyptian image of Nut. It is no longer merely an astronomical ceiling above the lodge. Instead, it becomes the symbolic vault of the spiritual cosmos, the realm of divine intelligence, archetypal forms, and inner higher consciousness.

This interpretation resonates strongly with the ancient Hermetic maxim, “As Above, So Below.” The heavens above the lodge are a reflection of the “heavens” within the initiate. In that sense, the Masonic Blue Lodge “canopy of heaven” and the body of the Goddess Nut function as parallel symbols; both represent the living cosmos that surrounds humanity and simultaneously exists within the depths of the awakened soul.

It became a representation of the inner heavens, the higher levels of consciousness, the “divine spark,” and the hidden dimensions of being. The image’s caption, “The Universe is all around you, but its greater dimensions are within you,” captures this interpretation almost perfectly.

An Egyptian priest contemplating Nut, a Hermetic philosopher meditating on the macrocosm and microcosm, and a Freemason standing beneath the star-decked “canopy” could all understand that statement in essentially the same way:

“The celestial vault above is a symbol of a deeper celestial reality within the human soul.”

So Mote It Be

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Freemasonry and the Bible - Part 27: The Ethiopian Bible

For standard orthodox/evangelical Protestant Christians there are only 66 books in the collective Bible “canon.” This is also the “Masonic Bible,” being the standard King James Version (containing many internal translation issues) that sits on most, or all Masonic alters.

However, for Catholics there are 73 biblical books (adding the Apocrypha), and, for the Ethiopian Christian church, there are up to 88 books (for Jewish Masons there is the Tanakh, with only 24 books). Obviously, there is a discrepancy.

The purpose of this post is not to advocate for any one choice of bible, but rather, to encourage every Mason to keep an open mind about the writings of humans concerning their encounters with the Divine.

Consider this piece about the Ethiopian Bible…

https://youtu.be/GSw3fU1mx2c?si=XG7PDQdPN4OZyRHbi

Grok AI Was Asked About Jesus'Resurrection in the Ethiopian Bible—Its Answer Is Haunting What happens when a powerful AI is asked about one of the most prof...

The Title “Christ”

Collected and written by PM Greg Sudmeier, 32° SR KCCH, Templar Collegia, Ordre Martiniste of the Temple, Sons of the Desert Lodge No. 226, CA

Most people don't notice or pay attention to the word order in the term, “Jesus Christ.” Every Christian is taught to say it this way in their youth, and it is inculcated weekly, year after year in church liturgy and hymns/songs - the man first, the principle second. This phrase has been so indoctrinated in society that even the non-churched use it in this same order when speaking profanely.

However, knowledgeable Freemasons say instead, “Christ, Jesus.” This is not just a casual stylistic preference, it is a crucial theological/spiritual statement about the sequence that has been understood and practiced correctly for centuries.

“Jesus” is the physical body, the vehicle, the temporary form, the material existence. “Christ” is “Christ Consciousness,” the anointed state, the condition produced when the sacred oil descends and rises back up through the spine and activates the pineal gland. In the Hindu faith this is called raising the powerful and divine inner “Kundalini” spiritual energy.

Freemasons put higher consciousness, or “Light” first. This is the meaning of the Compasses being placed over the Square on the altar in the MM degree. Consciousness precedes form because the inner anointing is the highest principle and the body (the material existence, or Square) is the instrument through which it moves.

The original mystical gnostic teaching of “the kingdom” within that Yeshua learned and shared was never about worshipping him, it was always about understanding the process that the man, Yeshua, perfected and represented to his followers of “The Way,” which emphasized the hidden divine essence, the “divine spark” in everyone. This is the divine “Light” in Freemasonry. The correct “Christ, Jesus” sequence is the entire teaching compressed into two words, preserved and hidden in plain sight for centuries.

There is a lot of pushback from standard less educated “Christian” Freemasons on this issue because of the relentless inculcation of orthodox dogma in standard churches (both Catholic and Protestant). Regardless, the term “Christ” is and has always been a title of inner anointing (oil from pineal-pituitary traveling down the spine in cerebral spinal fluid, raising the kundalini energy back up the spine to “Golgotha,” the “place of the skull where it is “crucified” between “two thieves,” the two brain hemispheres, which “breaks the veil” of consciousness and opens the Crown chakra to our divine source and essence, the eternal circle of the Compasses, or, “the kingdom of heaven within you” - NT John 17:21), not a name given only to one “Messiah.”

Further, Yeshua (not the Romanized “Jesus”) taught this “kingdom within” secretly to his closest disciples, but not the general public, to whom he spoke only in mystic parables. Yeshua encouraged his closest students to do as he had done; find the divine “kingdom” within themselves, i.e., being “born of the spirit.” If/when they had done so, they then could also use the title “Christ,” and with training would eventually “do greater things” than even Yeshua did (NT John 14:12-14).

Educated Freemasons in search of “more light,” who faithfully hone their “perfect Ashlar,” aren’t making up any new doctrine or promoting some “heretical” or “demonic” idea (as some modern day “Christians” believe). They are following the original teachings of Yeshua, which is contained in and applies to all faith traditions. This is why Freemasonry allows and celebrates all forms of spirituality in the lodge - inclusively.

Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism are creations of the inclusive Gnostic spirituality that the Templars were persecuted for by the church through the centuries. The Templars discovered Yeshua’s original teachings (which are naturally congruent with his own original esoteric Hebrew faith tradition of the balance of the sacred masculine and feminine - YHWH and “Asherah”, see: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=32445803596&dest=USA&ref_=ps_ms_370713412&cm_mmc=msn-_-comus_shopp_used_trade-_-naa-_-naa) and safeguarded them against extinction despite the patriarchal church’s attempt to destroy it. This is why standard dogmatic ”Christians” today ridicule and reject the teaching of the divine “kingdom within,” even though the person they profess to worship actually taught it.

Don’t worry. Christian Freemasons do not have to abandon their most essential faith to maintain their practice in the Craft at all. They do, however, need to learn and understand what is called “Mystic Christianity,” which has been practiced by and since Yeshua and the early movement called “The Way,” which was recognized and validated by church fathers like Origen, and St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who was the very person who established the “Ordre of the Poor Knights of…‘Christ’ “ (Christ Consciousness), aka, the Knights Templar in 1096 CE (notice that it was not called the “Ordre of the Poor Knights of…‘Jesus’). Bernard knew that “Christ” was a title of anointing, not a person, and he created a system of spiritual chivalry in the Templar tradition, which Freemasonry faithfully continues to this day.

Conclusion

Freemasons of all faith traditions can learn inclusive spiritual “Christ Consciousness.” Indeed, it is staring us all in the face every time we perform the Masonic ritual when we open and close the lodge, or perform the degrees for new initiates.

This is why the Square and Compasses became the public identifying symbol of the Craft. A Master Mason is one who’s higher divine essence directs their lower nature for good in themselves and in the world. The title of anointing precedes and leads every “enlightened” human being. The spiritual is materialized, and then the material is respiritualized. The Above guides the Below.

So Mote It Be

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