Does Freemasonry Have Any Worthwhile Secrets?

[Open Mind]

Or is it just an old boys network for getting ahead in life? Surely they could have created a private club without the occult mysticism, what is the value of all ancient symbolism? Do they believe their rituals and symbols have paranormal effects?

Just imagine you work your way through 33 levels of initiation to find out the ultimate big secret ............and there isn't any?

Grandmaster: 'It is the eye of Horus'
Initiate: Yes... yes ....but what does it mean?
Grandmaster: We don't know, something is watching us?
Initiate: And The Pyramid??? What can I use it for? What does it mean?
Grandmaster: For mystifying outsiders, so they think we have special knowledge.
Initiate: I should have joined my boss's golf club instead

What is the point of a secret organization, unless they are hiding something of real importance?

Some seemed concerned ...

"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings. "

John F. Kennedy

Why use occult symbolism, use rituals ... unless the masonic members believe in some paranormal effect?

[Open Mind]

The Christian Conspiracy Theory
All over the internet (Christians) claim that Freemasons secretly worship Lucifer. Perhaps someone should point out to Christians, the only reference to 'Lucifer' has been removed from several modern versions of their bible, apprently it just means day star or morning star.. .... Jesus is the 'day star' or morning star at the end of the book of revelation.

How do the conspiracy theorists get from Lucifer (the light bearer) = Satan (darkness?) .....anyone know? Was it Christians who invented the connection to portray rival light worshipping beliefs as evil? Or is there some other connection ... it doesn't make much sense, does it?

The Illuminati Conspiracy Theory
The idea here is that a highly secret 'illumined ones' aren't seeking the light of knowledge but are a sinister organization running the world and giving away clues in company logos? It doesn't make sense, does it?

So what is the higher levels of freemasonry hiding .... anything worthwhile?

[Open Mind]

The history of organized skepticism of paranormal claims has very strong connections with magicians .. and possibly most magician organizations had masonic origins, here are just some ...

1896 "Grand Lodge of The Magic Mystic Fraternity" ... from which emerged ....

1902 'The Scoiety of American Magicians' which applied to be part of freemasonry (turned down) but followed masonic like oath. Organized skepticism of paranormal claims emerged from their occult investigation group.

1905 Magic Circle in UK (conjuring group using occult symbolism, mostly paranormal skeptics)

1905 "Prospectus of the Brotherhood of Magicians"

1908 Knights of Magic in New York

1922 The International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.)

1923 The Society of Osiris Magicians

1932 The Mystic Thirteen

1953 The Invisible Lodge

These were leading conjuring organizations ... yet clear sound masonic to me.....

So we have conjurors who tend to be skeptics of paranormal performing rituals? Why?

[Open Mind]

Harry Houdini – the most famous debunker ever – the skeptics hero - was a freemason during his later debunking years. He couldn't bear mystical fortune tellers ... but Houdini must have gone through freemasonry rituals.



Poor Houdini, 3 weeks before he died he learned of millions of dollars lawsuits against him from psychics taking him to court ...... died on Halloween 1926 ... was given masonic rites ... buried in his stage escape coffin, funeral by members of Society of American Magicians



Ha ha .. that will worry Christian conspriacy theorists ... 2 snakes

[Open Mind]

So here is the main symbolism ....



Measuring tools ...... er .. science .... er .... the solution to the measurement problem in Quantum Mechanics? That would be useful secret



The all seeing eye ... er ...... the observer collapses the waveform?

There is usually light around the eye ..... hmm ... the speed of light ... the observer needs light to make a measurement? Good grief, Freemasons are hiding ancient physics

Probably not. Let me try again .....

Creepy pyramids? No windows, no light .... Phenomena that more readily occurs in the absence of light? Seances?

I give up, it is your turn ...... If they are any 34th degree masons, please join us and tell us the big secret..... if there is one

[Sandy B]

hahaha...
I remember my Grandfather going to the "secret meetings". I asked my Grandmother what it was all about and she maintained it was just a "boys night out" thing. She thought it was quite silly, but Grandpa was very big on the whole thing and was very serious about it. So were most of the men on that side of the family. Dad never got involved, neither did any of my brothers. I'm probably the only one of my generation that has even been in one of those buildings and I suspect that they fumigated for "girl cooties" the moment I left.

I was there with a band playing for a Robbie Burns dinner. Initially I was barred from entering the lodge, but the rest of the band said if I had to leave that they would all go with me. (It was a military band, and back then women were quite a rarity.) So in the end we all did the gig. We tuned up in this very interesting room that had fancy intricately carved wooden chairs and even secret doors behind various curtains in the room. Cool stuff!

It all seemed like goofy pretend stuff to me. Unfortunately I'll never know for sure because, unlike many of the men in my band, I was never asked to join the lodge.

[Arouet]

I knew a guy once who was in the masons. I made a light joke about it. He was not amused.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

My father-in-law is a mason. I know nothing.

~~ Paul

[Sandy B]

Originally Posted by Paul C. Anagnostopoulos

My father-in-law is a mason. I know nothing.

~~ Paul

That goes without saying.

[Open Mind]

Originally Posted by Sandy B

I remember my Grandfather going to the "secret meetings". I asked my Grandmother what it was all about and she maintained it was just a "boys night out" thing. She thought it was quite silly, but Grandpa was very big on the whole thing and was very serious about it. So were most of the men on that side of the family.

Yes they are probably somewhere in everyones family history...

I'm probably the only one of my generation that has even been in one of those buildings ...... I was there with a band playing for a Robbie Burns dinner. Initially I was barred from entering the lodge, but the rest of the band said if I had to leave that they would all go with me. (It was a military band, and back then women were quite a rarity.) So in the end we all did the gig.

LOL

Yes, no current freemasons in my family that I know of .... but my father joined the masons for a few months (then never went back) .. ... he was told it would help his career but he found out later his bosses were catholics and against the organization LOL

The funny thing is that my mother and me would ask him what went on and if he knew any secrets .... he wouldn't answer so although probably knew almost nothing about it at the lowest level ... whatever oath/ritual they go through, it seems to work.

We tuned up in this very interesting room that had fancy intricately carved wooden chairs and even secret doors behind various curtains in the room. Cool stuff!

Snap .... I played in a band too in my youth .... we played in several masonic halls too ....the 'all seeing eye' was always there and other strange symbolism .... I've never liked black and white squares floors ... big orb lights, high arched, ornate chair in centre like a throne ... I never spotted any secret doors though, there were curtains around room.

According to th conspiracy theorists, the lower levels don't know much at all ...they claim it is some sort of selection process.