The Rudolf Steiner Archive

8. The Nature and Purpose of Freemasonry from the Perspective of Spiritual Science II

[ 1 ] Last time I spoke about Freemasonry, and I would like to say a few words about it again today. I ask you to bear in mind that my situation here is somewhat different from that with the other topics we have discussed and will discuss, because I generally only speak about matters regarding which I possess some kind of personal knowledge; whereas here I must emphasize from the outset that, as a non-Freemason, I can speak about Freemasonry solely from a theosophical standpoint, and that, in truth, a Freemason would have to speak about what Freemasonry really is. He would not do so, of course; but for other reasons, it is not really possible to discuss this. At the same time, I ask that you take what I say with a grain of salt.

[ 2 ] When I said that only a Freemason could speak about Freemasonry in its very essence, I ask you to bear in mind that, despite all this, there is probably no such Freemason on the European continent at all. That may seem a bit strange to you, but it is true. Freemasonry has been in a very peculiar state since the 18th century, and I ask that you interpret everything I said last time to mean that things would likely be that way if Freemasonry were still as it was in the 16th and 17th centuries. But since this is not the case, Freemasonry is, so to speak, merely a kind of shell lacking its true substance. It can be compared to a fossilized plant, which is no longer actually what constitutes a plant, but merely a kind of shell or crust formed by something else.

[ 3 ] Ordinary, so-called St. John’s Freemasonry is not at all relevant to what we are discussing, for this form of St. John’s Freemasonry, with its three degrees—Apprentice, Fellow, and Master—traces its origins to the charter issued in Cologne in 1535. Today, it is essentially nothing more than an association for mutual encouragement regarding higher education and training—an association in which members support and inspire one another. However, these first three degrees are, so to speak, merely remnants of the original three Masonic degrees. And if things were still done today as they were in the past—which they are not—then the apprentice, fellow craft, and master would be initiated as I described last time. It is indeed a rule that they be initiated in this manner. But only a small number know that these rules exist, and an even smaller number understand the significance of these rules. Everything I have said about the effect of the ceremonies on the astral plane is something that is completely unclear to Johannine Freemasonry.

[ 4 ] Now, both the British and the German St. John’s Lodges have these three degrees that I have mentioned. And they are, in fact, all in the state I have just described. But there is still a possibility, even within these three degrees—simply by virtue of the symbols being present—to glimpse, so to speak, the foundation of deeper wisdom. Proof of this may be found in the fact that a Mason, whose name you know very well, spoke to his lodge brothers in a way that essentially reveals the seed of his theosophical consciousness—that he spoke, in a certain sense, theosophical words, which he was nevertheless able to use in a Masonic lodge at that time. This Mason is Goezhe.

[ 5 ] As Theosophists, you will immediately find something incredibly familiar when I read you two stanzas from the Masonic poem that was intended for his lodge brothers:

But from over there
The voices of the spirits call
The voices of the masters:
Do not neglect to practice
The powers of goodness.

Here crowns twist and turn
In eternal silence,
They shall, in abundance,
Reward those who act!
We invite you to hope.

[ 6 ] Here Goethe speaks of the Masters, and he does so within the lodge because—even though he knows that those seated around him in the lodge have no idea of the depth of his words—he also knows that the atmosphere of a Masonic lodge, the surrounding symbols, vibrations are generated that affect the astral body, and that they thus do have a certain effect. This is something that even today is relied upon by those who know that very little of this is present in the consciousness of the Masons.

[ 7 ] Those who are led beyond the first three degrees to the higher degrees possess a somewhat greater level of awareness. The first of these degrees is the degree of the Royal Art, the Royal Arch degree. This degree is characterized by the fact that the respective “chapter” or “association” already has a very specific organization and is already imbued with a deeper meaning. In this degree, in fact, no more than twelve so-called fellow members may ever be present at the meetings—particularly those in which a new member is to be initiated into the mysteries; so that they truly—in the manner typical of occult brotherhoods—represent something that is not themselves, but rather something that lives mysteriously among them. They are not to be persons, but rather to represent qualities.

[ 8 ] The first, who represents what is to be the most important among the Twelve, is called Zerubbabel. He is a leader like the sun. From him radiates the light that is to pass on to the others. He must be the wisest and should also be somewhat versed in the nature and significance of the secret sciences. In today’s initiations into the Royal Arch degree, this is rarely the case. So I am actually describing the ideal scenario, which can occur in extremely rare cases—when suitable people are available.

[ 9 ] Next, the two following companions join them: the high priest Yeshua and the prophet Haggai, who, together with Zerubbabel, form the Grand Council. Then come the first and second principal guests, followed by the two scribes, Ezra and Nehemiah. Next is the roofer or lodge keeper, followed by the so-called lesser guests. There can be no more than twelve in total. These twelve represent the twelve signs of the zodiac. The whole arrangement is intended to depict the sun’s path through the twelve signs of the zodiac. This is reminiscent of what I have already described to you—that the masons drew upon the reproduction of astronomical laws of the universe in individual buildings, in cathedrals, and so on.

[ 10 ] The meeting place—though this is not always the case—is a square room topped by a blue vaulted ceiling covered with stars, truly resembling a starry sky. The participants must be arranged in a very specific formation during the ceremony. Those who have most recently joined—the neophytes—stand in the north, because they cannot yet tolerate the heat. Zerubbabel stands in the east. In the west stand the High Priest Yeshua and the Prophet Haggai. And in the south, they stand with a rope wrapped around them; each has wrapped the rope around himself three times. There is a distance of three to four decimeters between them, then the rope is wrapped around the next person, and so on.

[ 11 ] The one who is initiated into this fourth degree of Freemasonry—which is the first of the higher degrees and, in some regions, still conveys an understanding of what the Temple legend truly means—must pass through three veils. At each of the three veils, one of the secrets is revealed to him. The secret meaning of certain verses from the Books of Moses is also always revealed at this time. Then, once he has passed through the three veils, the secret of the Tau sign is revealed to him, and he is told the so-called sacred word, the Master Word, by which the members of the fourth degree recognize one another. Above all, it is made clear to him in the first lesson just how old Freemasonry is. The John Masons usually do not learn this, or if they hear it, they have not the slightest understanding of such a thing. For the history of Masonry is recounted in the following manner: The first true Mason was Adam, the first human, who, when he was expelled from Paradise, possessed extraordinary knowledge of geometry and was the first Mason because, as the first human, he descended directly from the Light. The true, deeper origin, however, lies entirely before the creation of humankind. The origin lies in the Light, and the Light precedes humanity.

[ 12 ] This is extraordinarily profound and, for those who can understand it, points to what Theosophical wisdom has rediscovered by describing the origin of the earthly realm through the first two root races up to the third. Whoever now takes this to heart in Freemasonry absorbs something of immense significance. But this is the case for very few, because Freemasonry today has, so to speak, degenerated. This stems from the fact that, as early as the 16th century, people understood little of the true meaning of Freemasonry—namely, that a temple should be built such that its dimensions are a replica of great celestial proportions, and that a cathedral should be built such that its acoustics reflect something of the harmony of the spheres, from which the acoustics actually originate.

[ 13 ] People gradually lost awareness of this original vision. Thus, in the first half of the 18th century, when Desaguliers reunited Freemasonry in England, people had no real awareness that the word was to be taken literally—that it truly referred to “master masonry,” and that a mason was truly someone who could build churches, temples, and taller structures according to the laws of the heavens, incorporating not earthly but heavenly proportions into them.

[ 14 ] This intuitive insight and expression in Masonry was lost; the awareness that speaking in a building that acoustically reflects speech in a very specific way—and thereby produces a different effect—is something distinct was lost. Those who built the great cathedrals in the Middle Ages were the great Freemasons. They were aware that it depended on the word spoken by the priest being reflected in the correct manner by the individual walls, so that the entire congregation lived in a sea of sound that surged with meaningful vibrations, which had even greater significance for the astral body than for the physical ear. All of this has been lost, and had to be lost in the modern era. This is the meaning of what I said when I remarked that today only a hollow shell remains of what Freemasonry once meant.

[ 15 ] In addition to these Johannine degrees, there are also the Higher Degrees. Specifically, the larger communities in Great Britain, America, Italy, Egypt, and the Orient—namely those known as Oriental Freemasonry or Memphis Freemasonry—possess these Higher Degrees with considerable completeness. In Germany as well, where the Memphis-Misraim Masonry has a branch that is connected to Freemasonry throughout the world, the High Degrees are practiced. However, within Johannine Freemasonry in Germany, there is so little awareness of the true significance of the High Degrees that the Johannine Freemasons in Germany regard the High Degrees as utter nonsense. The German Grand Orient is therefore compelled to recognize only Johannine Freemasonry as true Freemasonry.

[ 16 ] There are significant differences in this regard between German Freemasonry and English or British Freemasonry. In British Freemasonry, the Treaty of Tolerance of 1813 established a kind of compromise between Johannite Freemasonry, with its three degrees, and the High Degrees, so that one can enter Johannite Freemasonry as an apprentice and then advance to the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees—that is, the High Degrees. In England, the Johannite degrees are recognized; this is not the case in Germany. The German Grand Orient of the Order of Memphis and Misraim therefore administers the three lowest degrees itself. An Orient Freemason must therefore have attained the first three degrees from the outset, and must also commit to advancing at least to the 18th degree. He may not stop before then. A German Johannite Mason will therefore not be admitted to the High Degrees of the Orient Masons. This Orient Masonry is a step-by-step training in the occult. As I mentioned last time, it serves as a model for the training of the higher degrees—which are structured around the Royal Arch degree—in which one undergoes a kind of astral training that extends up to the 18th and 20th degrees. Then comes the stage where one undergoes a kind of mental training, a training that leads to a kind of life on the mental plane. These are the degrees up into the sixties and seventies, and then comes the highest training—or the most profound occult training—that can still be undertaken by the Grand Orient, up to the 96th degree.

[ 17 ] There are only a few in Germany who have risen to the 96th degree. But despite everything, there is something here that will prove to you in a moment just how little Freemasonry today still has in common with what it once was. The most interesting thing about this is that those who have been initiated up to the 96th degree have, without exception, not gone through the Masonic training; in fact, there is hardly anyone at all who has completed the entire training in any way. So there are some who hold higher degrees. They are conferred the 3rd, the 33rd, and the 96th degrees. But those who hold them did not attain them through Masonic training, but rather in other occult schools, and they have deigned to apply their training within Freemasonry for the benefit of Freemasonry. If someone holds the 96th degree, they did not attain it through Freemasonry. It is actually expected that the occult training from other schools will benefit Freemasonry.

[ 18 ] In this sense, the manifesto published by the Grand Orient of the Memphis and Misraim Rite should also be understood as a kind of ideal document. I would like to read it to you and offer some explanations. What is said there should not be taken to mean that it could be carried out today. Today, it is made clear from the outset that no Mason—not even one of the 96th degree—would want to take on the responsibility of enforcing the regulations on any other Mason, because he himself has not gone through them.

[ 19 ] “On the Secrets of the Occult High Degrees of Our Order. A Manifesto of the Grand Orient.” “One of the secrets possessed by our Order in its highest degree is that it provides the properly prepared Brother with the practical means to erect the true Temple of Solomon within man, to rediscover the ‘Lost Word,’ that is to say, that our Order provides the initiated and chosen brother with the practical means that enable him to obtain proof of pure immortality even in this earthly life.”

[ 20 ] This is one of the most important points. The next point is also one that exists in all occult schools: no necromancy or spiritualist practices. Spiritualist practices are strictly prohibited.

[ 21 ] “This secret is one of the true Masonic secrets and is known exclusively to the occult high degrees of our Order. It has been passed down to our Order through oral tradition from the fathers of all true Freemasonry, the ‘wise men of the East,’ and is, in turn, passed on by us only orally.”

[ 22 ] This is the practice of occult societies.

[ 23 ] “Of course, the success of this practical instruction in attaining this secret depends entirely on the candidate himself.”

[ 24 ] “For what good is it to give a student who wants to learn to swim the best, most tried-and-true, and most detailed instructions on swimming if, once placed in the water, he does not move his own hands and feet? Or what good is it to give a student of painting the most comprehensive instructions on painting and to paint the most vibrant shades of color for him to see; unless he takes the brush in his own hand and tries to achieve the color mixtures himself, he will never become an artist.”

[ 25 ] “Those brothers who had now discovered this secret treasured it as a precious, hard-won possession, and so as not to be misunderstood or even mocked by ordinary people, they concealed it behind symbols, just as we still do today.”

[ 26 ] These symbols are no longer legible to Masons today. These symbols are not arbitrarily chosen external symbols. They are not things through which someone represents a concept in the same way a professor might say, “I want to illustrate something for you.” - These symbols are drawn from the things themselves, from what nature itself writes. The one who recognizes them, who is truly capable of reading them, comes into contact with the inner essence of things; it leads him into the thing itself. The thing itself exists, and is not merely symbolized. In Freemasonry, there is no one who can provide the guidance to reach the things themselves.

[ 27 ] “These symbols are not arbitrarily chosen images, nor are they based on mere chance; rather, they are grounded in the characteristics of God and humankind, and we must regard them as archetypes. However, we must never take the form, the vessel, the ritual, or the symbols as the content itself, but rather seek the spiritual content within the form,” — these words show ... [gap], because the symbol itself represents the thing— “and after we have found it”—the spiritual content—“and absorbed it within ourselves, we recognize from the spiritual content the absolute necessity of the form, the ritual, and the symbolism.”

[ 28 ] “Our higher degrees therefore give the brother the opportunity to obtain certain proof of human immortality.” — They would do so, too, if they were worked on. — “That is and has been the great longing ever since thinking human beings have existed. Human beings need this conviction of their continued existence after death in order to be truly happy in this life. The mysteries of all religions and schools of wisdom have therefore also dealt with this question as their highest and most noble task. The Church, naturally, also concerns itself with resolving this question of ‘the lost word’ and ‘lost eternal life,’ but it always directs the seeker toward the path of grace and consistently presents it as a gift rather than something to be attained through one’s own efforts or earned.” Our Order, however, offers every individual seeker the opportunity to unite with the world consciousness—the primal creative power—consciously and of their own volition, already in this life, through practical means.”

[ 29 ] This means, then, making it possible to gain insight into—and to unite with—that world which can otherwise only be accessed through the gateway of death.

[ 30 ] You can see from all this that what belongs to the very depths of the world was originally present in Freemasonry, but is no longer there in the empty shell that it has become today. You must ask yourselves: Why? Well: The meaning expressed in the Temple legend—the meaning of Operative Masonry—had to be lost, like all intuitive knowledge, because the fifth sub-race has become the true intellectual race. Intuition had to lie dormant in the world for a while, and the way Freemasonry works is intuitive. I refer you to Vitrav and to the true symbolic instructions for building. However, only those who possess the necessary intuition can follow these. Today, these symbolic instructions have been replaced by intellectual, rational ones. The intellect had to constitute the actual stage of humanity’s development for a while because everything that has come to us in the meantime in the form of nature’s great achievements had to be integrated into the entire organism of human creation.

[ 31 ] Just try to understand, for a moment, what this means: the entire mineral kingdom is being incorporated into the progress of our evolution during our present cycle. It is incorporated in such a way that human beings gradually reorganize the whole of nature once again through their own spirituality. This is the meaning of the Sea of Bronze: that everything in the mineral realm is truly reorganized.

[ 32 ] In industry, humanity works to infuse the organization [possibly: its own spirituality?] into the mineral realm. When you look at a machine ... [gap].

[ 33 ] Thus, through his own spirit, humankind truly transforms the entire mineral kingdom time and again. This transformation of nature, this transformation of the mineral realm, will be complete when our cycle has come to an end. Then the entire mineral realm will have been transformed. Humanity will have imprinted its mark upon it, just as one imprints a mark upon a piece of metal when, for example, crafting a watch. When a new cycle begins again, the mineral kingdom can be drawn in and absorbed.

[ 34 ] In order to fully complete development in this area, this entire way of thinking—which has now, since the 16th century, taken hold of humanity—must extend all the way down to the atom. Only when intellectual thinking has grasped the atom can Freemasonry be revived. In the first stage, the outer form is grasped. The next stage will be when human beings have learned to think down to the mineral atom, so that they are able to utilize what lives within the atom and place it in the service of the whole. However, it is only today—and perhaps only in the last five years—that human thought has taken the direction of pursuing the forces of nature all the way into the atom; specifically, anyone who wishes to understand this precisely must follow the final phase of the various stages of electrical development. Of interest in this regard—though only in very superficial hints—is the speech delivered by the British Prime Minister Balfour on our current worldview. What he said there [about the new electrical theory] is something of immense significance. It points to the immensely important turning point in the development of human thought. He is aware of this to a certain degree and even expresses it at one point. Thus we see how, in scientific consciousness, something of what will shape the future is beginning to dawn. The occultist has known this since 1879. I emphasize this, even though I cannot provide further justification. The occultist knows that this is coming: a new starting point emerging from the atom and entering the mineral-physical world. This will be what enters the world in the sixth sub-race, and through which Freemasonry can also be revived. The occultist finds something quite remarkable, something unprecedented, in Freemasonry, for it is founded on the ancient. It belongs to the oldest traditions, one that has been preserved with a precisely specialized structure comprising nearly one hundred degrees, even though it has lost almost all of its content, and even though none of the members of Freemasonry in Europe is capable of forming a proper understanding of it. Nevertheless: The essence is there, so that one need only fill the entire shell with new content. The essence is there, waiting to be brought to life.

Key points from the subsequent discussion

[ 35 ] The Masonry of Memphis, the Oriental Order, and the Grand Orient Order. At a congress of occultists, the question of whether or not the occult teachings could be made public was discussed. This revealed that two schools of thought exist: one on the left and one on the right, one liberal and one conservative.