Tuesday, August 11, 2015

The Sine of Masonry (Part 2)

By Sir Knight Thomas J. Driber, Ph.D.
Excerpted from an article in the Knight Templar Magazine, August, 2015  for educational purposes.

The Sine Wave

Here for the first time in Masonry we see the sine in the allegory of our descent into humanness and our return again to eternal spirit.  ... a "sine wave" ... must be a wave form of periodic oscillation...."  The first problem then is in defining the aspect of "periodic oscillation." That is given in another question and answer where the newly made Brother indicates that, "...has arrived of his own free will and accord" and says further that "...has been often tried, never denied, and willing to be tried again."

This makes no sense in the customary manner of usage since an apprentice has no idea of what trial is, nor has he any idea of how to be tried, never mind being repetitively tried.  ... Knowing that we have descended into this materiality from our spiritual eternity, the answer indicated free will and accord suggests that we have chosen to incarnate here.

Insomuch as this incarnation may represent a kind of trial, the response of the apprentice now makes more sense, and therefore the fuller translation that fulfills the need for "periodic oscillation" would more clearly be stated as; " I come from eternity, that place of truth, descended into the material world, and am ascending back to my eternal nature and doing so of my own free will as I have done many times before, am doing now, and will do many times in the future."

All things in Masonry are given repetitiously and in multiple forms. ... The apprentice is told that in more ancient times our Lodges were held atop the "highest hills and in the lowest valleys and most retired groves."  Considering the highs and lows of the "hills and valleys" it is again the appearance of the sine wave and is elaborated further by the caution of "most retired groves" which can only refer to that which is clearly visible but yet out of ordinary sight.

More to come...

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