The Philalethes Society and the Philalethes Journal of Masonic Research and Letters.

 

Education

 

General Freemasonry
What is at the core of Freemasonry?  Beyond the answer of it being a Fraternity of men who meet together monthly, Freemasonry is a system of allegory and symbol arranged in peculiar fashion to convey a unique message.  Some condemn Freemasonry by saying is a religion, when it does act to bring a tradition forward like a religion, but in fact practices no particular faith. The uniting idea is a faith in the divine founded in the certitude in something greater than the self.  This section delves into these aspects of the fraternity and more as it explores the symbols, tools, organization, and ideas of the Ancient Fraternity of Freemasonry.

Esoteric Masonry
Defined as knowledge intended for, or understood by, only a few, Masonic Esoterica is even perceived as meant for even fewer. It is an often-debatable vein of Freemasonry that man traditionalists argue as fuel to the already mythic origins of the fraternity. Even worse, that in many cases Masonic Esoterica is a later addition added to flavor its origin. All said, Masonic Esoterica exists, whether mystical or not, some masons as some time felt that these things were connected and were relevant to one another. This section strives to explore these aspects of Esoterica and illuminate some of its function to the mystery schools.

Masonic History
Present day Freemasonry has an astute and very linear beginning from 1717 England. And from that point, nearly every meeting has been well documents in one-way shape or another. The question quickly turns to where did Freemasonry come from, from what did it begin? The answers to these mysteries lie in the sands of time. We do, however, have a few fragments that we can look to on shaping some hypotheses and coming to some conclusions. Some, in fact, take the origins of Freemasonry back to the 12th century in the Halliwell poem, which you can read within. Others suggest that the origins of Freemasonry stretch even further back to the ancient mystery schools themselves, bringing forward the knowledge of the ancient past to us today. This section strives to look at that history and find some degree of clarity.

Famous Freemasons
Perhaps a misnomer, men are not famous for being Freemasons, as the fraternity is not a thing to create notoriety.  It does, however, attract men of greatness and aspiration, which in time leads them to fame.  One thing is sure, the fraternity of Freemasonry is an inspirational subject whose philosophy lends itself to progress, democracy, responsibility, motivation, and education, and these are each hallmarks of great men.  Some past famous masons include George Washington, John Wayne, Buzz Aldrin and Winston Churchill, and many others.  In this section, we present a few of our Masonic brethren.

Cinema Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a part of the material culture, as its membership is drawn in from those of us who live in it. With that in mind, it is no wonder that it would not seep into the most evident modern art form, the cinema. But with the new media, the craft has also made its way into the digital age. As the knowledge and ideas of the fraternity permeate deeper still, I’m sure we can come to expect an ever increasing role on the screen. In this section, we will explore the presence of Freemasonry in both the digital age, and in the cinema.

Anti-Masonry
Masonicphobia, is a journey through the arguments made against the Fraternity of Freemasonry.  Seldom do the arguments come from the secular sector, but from the religious ones.

As such, it is difficult to not present it in a way that does not take on a religious inflection, that it is not a religious argument.  But, those who have taken the mantle of moral and religious “right”, have taken the argument to Freemasonry in declaring that it is improper for their way of thinking.  Either way, it comes down to each organizations definition of what is, or is not, proper within their faith.

Masonic Books
Freemasonry is its strongest in writing to communicate its knowledge.  Some of the greatest works of Freemasonic knowledge were crafted under pen in the last 200 years, and it is these works that we look to still to contemplate and explore the deeper mysteries of Freemasonry.  These works are critical to all Freemasons to knowing and understanding the fraternity to which they belong, and here, collected together, they can be read, and contemplated anew.  This section will be the start of a collection of Masonic knowledge from the past, including books from Wilmshurst, Pike, Mackey, and others.

 

© ya-masonic

Создать бесплатный сайт с uCoz