Freemasonry's Philosophical Heritage

[Guest arcanamundi]

I was telling a friend of mine about Millennium the other day, and I showed him something I wrote about Owls and Roosters. He is a Freemason, and he made the comment that the Owls and Roosters correspond nicely to two competing intellectual currents in Freemasonry: on the one hand, there is the influence of 18th century Enlightenment Rationalism (exemplified by empiricism, scientific materialism, and deism; while on the other, that of secretive, esoteric traditions purporting to unlock hidden, primordial spiritual principles and forces, e.g. Rosicrucianism, Kabbalism, and Hermeticism.

While these are not contending rival factions within Masonry, they do seem to be two streams that flow together to inform modern Freemasonry's philosophical heritage.

And while it may have been so once upon a time, I don't think Freemasonry today is the ambitious, revolutionary force that the Millennium Group is depicted to be in the show. In fact, I think Masonry today is a pale shadow of its former self.

[ethsnafu]

I don't know a great deal about Masonry but I have bought a number of books over the years that have purported to have been a fairly comprehensive history of the masonry though as each book took a vastly different story I doubt any where an objective view of things. Most of what I read tends to be sensationalism. I worked with a lady who's husband was a freemason and you couldn't wish to meet a more grounded or rational soul if you tried. There's no possibility that he would entertain fantastical notions at all. From what I could glean, modern masonry (at least in the UK) seems to be akin to an exclusive gentlemen's club rather than anything remotely like The Millennium Group. It was certainly more common for his chapter to hold a dinner and dance than anything bordering on rites and rituals. I don't doubt that masonry was once a deeply interesting and deeply arcane subject but these days it seems like a good excuse for a booze up. Maybe that's just the British don't need much of an excuse whatever they are doing.

Eth

[Earthnut]

Great post, and I wish I had something half as intelligent to add as you two. Enjoyable reads and fascinating subjects.

[The Whisperer]

My recent post on noëtics referred to Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol". This novel is based almost entirely on the world of the Freemasons. Worth a read. Relevant to Millennium

[Guest Mikal C Johnson KtCym ECA]

This article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry is actually pretty balanced in stating pretty much what's known and staying away from what's believed about Masonry. It's origins are hard to trace, having started as a Secret Society, but evidence points to Templar refugees in Scotland during the time of Robert the Bruce.