Cover design and production by accipio, 2014

Dear Brethren,

THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME HERE tonight to speak on a subject near and dear to our hearts - that of the relationship between Jewish mysticism or Qabala and Freemasonry… Initially I was tempted to make a stirring and impassioned plea as to the vital importance of this topic, given that our rituals are symbolically based on the construction of the Temple of Solomon, and the symbolic pillars, though mention in the Old Testament is only out done by their description in the Sepher Yetzirah, or Book of Creation, or in our very own Masonic Bible who places their origin in Egypt, dedicated to the divine pair - Isis and Osiris.

However, this was not to be, and instead a more urgent, and practical message will be delivered here tonight.

Tonight, we will discuss the nature of The Word.

Each Mason is tasked with finding the Lost Word, lost when the Master Chiram [Hiram] was slain, and from which twelve Fellow-Craft Masons were tasked to search for his body; to return and tell of the first sound they heard; which would then act as a substitute for the Lost Word.The symbolism here is interesting, in that the Word is not heard without, only a substitute for it, just as the Word of man is only a substitute for that Inner Word, the Word of God, of the Cosmic, of The Grand Architect of the Universe that speaks to our heart.

The WordApril 2004

A Masonic Lecture

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Ptah, the eldest god of the Memphis Triad, was known to the Egyptians as the Grand Architect or Builder. It was he that spoke the word from which all of creation came into being.

The Egyptians had complete confidence in the Divine origin and creative power of speech. All living beings, of the material or spiritual worlds and objects had their origin in the utterance of sound. The entire universe was understood to be under the control of men and gods who knew the sacred speech. For the Egyptians, material creation was sound made substantial. Every sound, verb, noun, and descriptive word has substance and life - creative power - when uttered properly. In sacred speech, there is complete harmony between the spoken and the incarnate, between the ideal and the material form. Iamblichus regarded the Egyptian language as closest to the original primordial language of the gods, even more so than his native Greek.

Thoth, also known as Hermes from the Greco-Egyptian period, wrote down the words Ptah spoke. They comprised 42 books which were closely guarded. Thoth through the spoken word was the Lord of Wisdom, but also writing, and magic. It is from Thoth-Hermes that we derive the name Hermeticism for that body of ancient theosophy known as Hermeticism, of which Freemasonry is an expression.

It is important to note that the Egyptians had no word for religion, only heku, or poorly translated, ‘magical or creative power’. The more creative power one had, the closer they were to the gods, or divine principals. This creative power, as we have seen, was closely linked to speech and writing. Written words or hieroglyphs were seen as living things, not unlike an animal, plant, or human being. Defacing them was tantamount to defacing the message they contained. Given that few people could read and write in all primitive cultures, it is easy to see why the written word was held to be sacred, for it was memory, wisdom, and direction for its people.

However, Thoth’s real power comes from the spoken use of the words, not simply their static, engraved, fixed, or ritualistic use. Through the power of speech, and the vibrations it creates, words gave power of men, nature, and the invisible worlds. The names of the gods were

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held in secret, and even two names were had - one for public, the other for private ceremonies.

This idea regarding the power of Names is carried over into Judaism, with the Sacred Four-Lettered Name of God, often called the Tetragrammaton in Greek, as being whispered from mouth to ear of the initiate. If it were pronounced aloud, all of creation could be undone. The Masonic Encyclopaedia states that the Lost Word is none other than the search for the true pronunciation of this name - Yod Heh Vau Heh.

Of course, this doctrine of sacred or esoteric speech finds some of its most sophisticated development in the works of the alchemists and Qabalists respectively, often referring to it as the ’Green Language’ or the ’Language of the Birds’ of which Solomon was said to be able to understand. Given the symbolism of the colour green for life and the well known use of various birds in Egyptian and Oriental mystical schools, and even Christianity, for the consciousness - or soul - this term is easily understood as meaning that Solomon understood the inner voice of his Being.

Farther East in India and Tibet with their practices of mantra yoga, mantra being a Sanskrit word that literally means ‘mind protector’, we see the use of sacred speech reach its pinnacle of development and application.

So as you can see, by the time we get to the first line of the Gospel of John, in which we are told, ‘In principa erat Verbum…’ or ‘In the beginning was the Word…’ that idea of the creative power of the spoken word, to effect all of nature, seen and unseen, is highly developed across the Middle and Far East, and for reasons that are easily understood by the modern mind when we consider that:

» Words reflect our inner state. » Words set in motion emotions and ideas that can not be

taken back. » Words are our foremost means of creating after sex, and it is

not wonder that the thyroid is a secondary sexual organ, and

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considered among esotericisms to be critical to the effective communication with the Divine.

Consider this last point when we remember that with Chiram’s murder, the first blow is to his throat. It is often said that this was so he could not cry out for help. But help from whom? More likely it was so that he could not utter the sacred words that would protect him from his attackers, for as Jesus said, ‘If I wished it, a thousand legions of angels would come down to protect me.’

By this time, the deed is done, and the Slain Master could not have communicated the Word, even if he wanted to. Not only is he injured, but the Word is something we must each discover within ourselves.

In the New Testament we read that the sick approach Jesus and proclaim, ‘Say the Word, and I will be healed!’ We also read of Jesus telling his closest Disciples, to go out among the multitudes and to heal the sick, raise the dead, and perform what we in the modern world call miracles, all in the ‘In the Name of the Holy Spirit’.

These things are possible, and when we look at the theosophical record, have been can, can be done, and are being done, as we meet, because as Brother Jean Dubuis, a French alchemist and well known esotericism wrote:

‘According to mystics, a long time ago, on earth, there used to be a unique language called the original language which is sought today as the ‘Lost Word’.

The true Verb (Word), the Verb (Word) of the Bible’s ‘Fiat Lux!’ is the energy which is ceaselessly radiated by the formless being. The Fiat Lux is simply the vibrations of this energy as they are subjected to the law which is dictated by The Being, the Harmony where Beings, the Elohim came from, and all those who use this energy to create the worlds, the bodies of men and light of the sun which is but a pale reflection of this energy. Putting order into this energy results in Time, form, space; without these operations there can be only the Void, the Non-Manifest. Our body, our flesh, our blood are

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but vibrations which are subject to the ultimate law of vibrations: Harmony. Harmony exists in all realms, but we can get a clear idea of it the realm of music. We see that some notes, while different, seem to have analogies between them.

Let’s imagine a keyboard, extending to the infinite of space. Let us strike the note of ‘G’, and increasingly move upward in octaves. Each G is recognised as being similar to those that went before it, yet different, of a higher vibration. The number of vibrations per second for G is 384, and doubles with each increase in octave.

Given this increase in vibration, after the first six or seven G’s we go beyond the realm of human hearing - but the note G still exists and vibrates. If we could build a keyboard with these higher octaves we could strike a note that would disrupt radio, television, even radar. We could even produce heat, and after the forty-second G a red light would be generated. Then, neither sound nor light. A ‘C’ Note would produce hydrogen, an ‘A’ Note produce oxygen, and a cord would generate physical water.

We see in the Old Testament the idea that Adam named the animal, but can clearly understand now, that the First Being, or Adam, did more than name them. Through speaking he actually brought them into existence. Moses as well new the true name of water, and as such, brought it forth from the rock.

This original language is all but lost, and it is the initiate’s duty to restore it. Just as the 12 Fellowcraft went in search of the Word and found it not, but brought back a substitute Word, initiates also use a substitute language, or series of languages until this inner Word can be re-established. For us, Hebrew, as well as its Egyptian cousin, and in some instances Latin are used to supply us with the needed sounds and ideas present in the Original Tongue.

Given this meaning, the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel, and the idea of the Lost Word in Masonry are more easily understood. In many ways, the Tower of Babel is a fitting story for Masonic study, as it more closely fit’s the Masonic myth than does the Temple of

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Solomon, for the Temple was completed and destroyed twice. The Tower of Babel, on the Plains of Shinar however, was not completed. For Masons, like humanity after the collapse of the Tower, are confined to speak many languages and as such, encounter difficulty in the world of matter. The unity that we originally had is a feint memory, and the desire to re-establish it is seen in the desire for various forms of cultural, racial, and linguistic purity. Masonry even has an injunction against ‘babbling’ or meaningless speech both inside and outside of the Lodge.

However, the only way that it can be established is individually, in and through each of us. The working tool to rebuild this Tower is the same as the Temple - the Trowel, for it spreads the cement of brotherly love and affection.

Only love, the emotion of the heart, the true organ of human consciousness and spiritual perception, can allow us to unite the many bricks needed to rebuild the Tower that reaches to Heaven. Only love can open the door to the Inner Temple, the true Sanctum Sanctorum, that each Freemason must complete and build for himself.

The Original Language, or Word, is a vibratory image of reality, when we re-integrate our consciousness with the Inner Unity, symbolized by the Pillar of Wisdom, and the station of the Lodge Master in Freemasonry, this language becomes a reality for him.

As Masons we can begin, that is truly begin, our search for the Lost Word by examining our own use of language. Is it meant to be beautiful and harmonious, or is it sarcastic and divisive? Do we use clear, precise, and simple speech, or excessive, vague, and complex phrases to hide our true meaning? Are we vulgar and profane, or cultured and inspiring?

Our attitude is also a clue to where must work. A positive attitude is critical to successful work in the material, as well as spiritual realms. Only by having a firm, steadfast, and unwavering conviction can we accomplish anything, and in the realm of our self-Becoming, this is even more important.

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If we find ourselves complaining, talking about illnesses, troubles, or problems (while not seeking a genuine solution), given the power of our speech how can we expect anything else in our life?

If we focus on the beautiful, the strong, the wise, and invoke the spirit of harmony into our life, we learn that all things, no matter how difficult they may seem, are only passing, and that as Shakespeare said, ‘A thing is neither good nor bad, except as we make it so’.

It is said, our word is our bond, and how true it is. Through our speech we bind ourselves to happiness or sorrow, health or illness, success or failure, and as creator of that bond we are the only one that can change it - and build a life for ourselves reflective of the genius of Masonry.

Works Consulted

» Access to Western Esotericism by Antoine Faivre, SUNY, Albany, NY. 1994.

» Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry by Albert Mackey, Revised Edition. » Masonic Presentation Bible, Heirloom Bible Publishers, Witchita,

Kansas. DeVore and Sons, Inc. 1991. » Meaning of Masonry by W.L. Wilmshurst, Barns & Noble Books,

New York. 1999. Originally published 1922. » Spagyrics - A Course in Plant Alchemy by Jean Dubuis, Translated

by Brigitte Donevez. Published by Triad Publishing, Wheaton, Ill. 2000.

» Symbols of Freemasonry by Daniel Beresniak. Barnes & Noble Books, New York. 2003. Originally published 2000.

» Temple of the Cosmos: The Egyptian Experience of the Sacred by Jeremy Naydler. Inner Traditions, Rochester, Vt. 1996.