The Stairway to Sirius.

originally posted by: Kantzveldt

There isn't any evidence they saw it in terms of a ladder or stairway but always as the Tree of Life, though in some examples there appears some sort of diminishing perspective reminiscent of the pathway to Sirius tradition.

Of the three pictures you posted in your OP, the picture on the left has only three steps, whereas the one on the right is a ladder with many steps. In the picture on the left, the three steps would represent Faith, Hope and Charity, whereas the one on the right has a ladder with many steps, each representing a different moral virtue.

However, what is important here is that they both represent a hierarchy:

The first step is Faith (step 1) in God.

Faith in God is required to give us Hope (step 2) of partaking in some wonderful afterlife.

Because of this Hope, we want to find a way to reach this afterlife, and we therefore become naturally charitable in all aspects of life (Step 3).

These three steps encompass Masonry as a whole, and summarize the whole purpose of Freemasonry. If this lesson is understood, it also becomes glaringly obvious why Masonry cannot exist without a belief in God.

a reply to: Saurus

But you mention Royal Arch Masonry which sometimesinvolves a certain triangulation of Jah-Bul-On, so there is a question of which God in particular no...?

I don't have an issue with it really because in the Celestial axis i have outlined here as i explained Taurus is central and that seemed to involve a place of gathering in the afterlife, an upward progression that goes even beyond such, and that axis could be seen as arched across the skies with the eye of Taurus, Aldebaran, central.



If the Pleiades are thrown into that mix and as is often the case the five pointed star as Venus, then in Sumeria you would also have been expected to have faith in a certain Goddess, and her seven aspects.

But with regards to the triangulation, in Sumeria Ninshubur as Orion in relationship to Taurus had that sorted and represented Anu-Enki-Enlil as the great Triad.







Which is Orion then as an intermediary between Taurus and the triple aspect of Godhead and Canis Major the weaving of fates and destinies.

originally posted by: Kantzveldt

The Blazing Star, which can be taken as Sirius, appears in these Degree's;

It can't be taken as Sirius. The ritual is explicit:

"The blazing star, or glory in the center, refers us to the Sun, which enlightens the earth, and by its benign influence dispenses its blessings to mankind in general."

~Emulation Ritual, First Degree Tracing Board.

originally posted by: Kantzveldt

But you mention Royal Arch Masonry which sometimes involves a certain triangulation of Jah-Bul-On, so there is a question of which God in particular no...?

Jah-Bul-On (or any variant thereof) is not used in English Royal Arch Freemasonry. I give you my word on this.

(Although, in my opinion, it should be, as it has a profound esoteric meaning in the ancient texts.)

a reply to: Saurus

But isn't it the case that if three pillars of light can be seen as inter-related then the Sun-Sirius-Moon can all be reconciled into the qualities of the Blazing star, which is to say the Sun is an aspect of the Blazing star progression through Light.

But this difference of opinion has been almost entirely confined to its use in the First Degree. In the higher Degrees, where there has been less opportunity of innovation, the uniformity of meaning attached to the Star has been carefully preserved.

But i think with Freemasonry generally there is much confusion and contradiction.

originally posted by: Kantzveldt
a reply to: Saurus

But isn't it the case that if three pillars of light can be seen as inter-related then the Sun-Sirius-Moon can all be reconciled into the qualities of the Blazing star, which is to say the Sun is an aspect of the Blazing star progression through Light.

But why Sirius? One could just as easily say the Sun-Venus-Moon interrelation or the Sun-[insert star here]-moon interrelation. Any of these would be a personal interpretation, as Freemasonry does not refer to Sirius.

But i think with Freemasonry generally there is much confusion and contradiction.

No confusion - there are no absolutes in Freemasonry. Even within a Degree, one may find many differing explanations of a single symbol. It always depends on the context; which is why initiation is so important, because without the context of the ritual, many things may seem confusing and easily misinterpreted.

With regards to your picture, I speak only for English Freemasonry. You would have to ask a Manitoba Mason about that picture.

(Not that it would matter, because substituting any word in the context of that drawing would still teach the same lesson. The diagram (the real one is slightly different) refers to the discovery of a Word, which, symbolically, is the search for something else, so you could insert "Mickey Mouse" there and still have the same lesson (The word has changed several times already in English Masonry)).

a reply to: Saurus


It is Sirius by the fact of the traditions plagiarized in Freemasonry and Kabbalistic Judaism, in the same way that the square and compass are derivative of Pegasus and Pisces respectively as the founding principle toward the terminal point of Sirius.



Of course this is within the context of a system that has extrapolated, abstracted, and obfuscated whatever suits it's purpose towards it's own ends, that preserves inner teachings as a means of control and will never explicitly identify what they are concerned with.

a reply to: Saurus

Being personally familiar with the 4th Degree Secret Master of the Scottish Rite I can say with certainty that Judaic mysticism, particularly the Kabbalah, is very prominent in the SR degrees and also very prominent in Pike's work. In the reworked degrees that are currently used by the Southern Jurisdiction the Kabbalah is specifically pointed to as, "a system of mystical thought".

Some study and familiarity of these degrees is worthy of the time and effort.

a reply to: sharkman

In the last week, after discussions with some of the SR Brethren on this site, I have come to realize that the English Rose Croix (which is supposed to be our equivalent of the Scottish Rite) is completely different to the American Ritual; to such an extent that the two rituals are not even recognizable from each other; which is weird, because amity exists between the English and American Rose Croix/Scottish Rite Degrees.

I have sadly never been to the USA, and have therefore not been able to experience the Scottish Rite done your way, but I can assure you that the English Ancient and Accepted Rite is very Christian in nature, to the exclusion of everything else. On the other hand, Judaic mysticism features prominently in our equivalent of the York Rite Degrees.

a reply to: Saurus

I have done very little study into the English Rite that you are familiar with, but I am very active here in my Valley of the Scottish Rite and also our version of the York Rite. While our "Scottish Rite" is not exclusive to Christianity it is much more inclusive of many other schools of religious and philosophical doctrine.

Because we primarily use Pike's work as the foundation for our degrees in the Scottish Rite here in the Southern Jurisdiction the degrees we currently use are, in some case, virtually unrecognizable when compared to his original work. There was quite a bit of a row a few years ago when the Supreme Council decided to "rewrite" some of the degrees. My opinion is that they may have been mistaken in their zeal and much has been obscured. I make a point of directing brothers to the original works and encourage them to study more deeply because masonry has borrowed so many different symbols and interpretations that the meanings are very veiled and wide open to interpretation.

I am trying to find some references to the OP's earlier suggestion and question about Sirius being referenced in the respect to Jacob's Ladder. I'll try to see what I can find. The Scottish Rite degrees here in the US have many astrological references, so I'll probably find something. It's all like a treasure hunt and I'm never bored by it.

originally posted by: Saurus

originally posted by: Kantzveldt

The Blazing Star, which can be taken as Sirius, appears in these Degree's;

It can't be taken as Sirius. The ritual is explicit:

"The blazing star, or glory in the center, refers us to the Sun, which enlightens the earth, and by its benign influence dispenses its blessings to mankind in general."

~Emulation Ritual, First Degree Tracing Board.

Without being rude or impolite,
wasn't Sirius worshiped by the ancients? Greece, Egypt...etc
They derived their power from there.

originally posted by: sharkman
a reply to: Saurus

I have done very little study into the English Rite that you are familiar with, but I am very active here in my Valley of the Scottish Rite and also our version of the York Rite. While our "Scottish Rite" is not exclusive to Christianity it is much more inclusive of many other schools of religious and philosophical doctrine.

Because we primarily use Pike's work as the foundation for our degrees in the Scottish Rite here in the Southern Jurisdiction the degrees we currently use are, in some case, virtually unrecognizable when compared to his original work. There was quite a bit of a row a few years ago when the Supreme Council decided to "rewrite" some of the degrees. My opinion is that they may have been mistaken in their zeal and much has been obscured. I make a point of directing brothers to the original works and encourage them to study more deeply because masonry has borrowed so many different symbols and interpretations that the meanings are very veiled and wide open to interpretation.

I am trying to find some references to the OP's earlier suggestion and question about Sirius being referenced in the respect to Jacob's Ladder. I'll try to see what I can find. The Scottish Rite degrees here in the US have many astrological references, so I'll probably find something. It's all like a treasure hunt and I'm never bored by it.

www.masonicdictionary.com...

It appears as though there is some division between UGLE and US as to the identity of the Blazing Star. That article suggests that it goes back to 1813 and the adoption of Dr Hemming's lectures which identified the Blazing Star as the Sun. Around the same time, Thomas Smith Webb's lectures, which were adopted in the US, said that the Blazing Star was in remembrance of the star which had guided the three magi. Pike agrees. However, in 1843, it was evidently decided that the symbol was 'too christian' and may have been toned down.

In common though, the Blazing Star definately wasn't the Sun at some point. Thomas Dunckerley wrote lectures in the mid to late 1700s adopted by UGLE, that also state that the Blazing Star is the one which guided the three wise men.

This is fascinating indeed. Given the timing I wonder whether the revision by UGLE was part of the post-Jacobite reactionism, expressed later in the US with the sifting out of overtly religious symbolism. Or it could be a deliberate attempt to obfuscate the true nature of the origin of our beliefs by expunging it from one of the last bastions of rational esoterism.

Either way, I am leaning in agreement with Kantzveldt, in this at least, that Sirius and the Blazing Star are the same.

originally posted by: Kantzveldt

The bottom image, as well as the captions, are somewhat misleading. Ungdad identified that the Mesopotamians referred to that constellation, that we know as as part of Pegasus, as L-iku which literally means 'The Field'. Pisces, they call 'The Tails', unlike the Egpytians who started the fish association with that constellation, it was the coming and goings of migratory birds that was imported. So in Ungdad's illustration at the bottom there, he has simply added in the water from his own imagination or assumptions. Or from another, less heavenly source, to a Mesopotamian a living paradise could have been a field surrounded by irrigating waters. Either way the celestial rivers are a figment of someone's imagination, a projection of an idealised life rather than a paradise in the Judeo-Christian sense, it seems for the Mesopotamians the idea was that heaven was place on earth.

a reply to: KilgoreTrout

I don't think the bottom illustration is a reconstruction, looks to be an actual Babylonian illustration, but i haven't come across the original so i can't be sure from where. The textual basis for the Abzu shrine being related to the Field Constellation and in the midst of the seas is from here;

The lord established a shrine, a holy shrine, whose interior is elaborately constructed. He established a shrine in the sea, a holy shrine, whose interior is elaborately constructed. The shrine, whose interior is a tangled thread, is beyond understanding. The shrine's emplacement is situated by the constellation the Field, the holy upper shrine's emplacement faces towards the Chariot constellation. Its terrifying awesomeness is a rising wave, its splendour is fearsome. The Anuna gods dare not approach it.

The shrine in the midst of the waters related to the basic measure of the field also provided the inspiration of course for the construction of Arks of salvation in order to survive a deluge, the place of sanctury were everything is measured out and constructed correctly. The basic measure could be seen as subdivided to create a very tangled interior or grid great in number, as i previously suggested the basis for the Egyptian Labyrinth.

Enki and the World Order

a reply to: KilgoreTrout
In New Jersey we use Hutchinson's and still employ the oldest, or one of the oldest, existent rituals in the United States. In our lecture it is specifically referred to as Divine Providence and prior to that (in the late 1770's) it was known to represent Prudence.

In Hutchinson’s system, the Masonic Blazing Star is considered a symbol of Prudence…for Prudence is the rule of all Virtues; Prudence is the path which leads to every degree of propriety; Prudence is the channel where self-approbation flows for ever; she leads us forth to worthy actions, and as a Blazing Star, enlighteneth us through the dreary and darksome paths of this life”…(Spirit of Masonry, edition of 1775, Lecture 5, Page 111).

a reply to: KilgoreTrout

Looking around they actually reference this quite well in Hamlets Mill and look at comparatives from world mythology, with regards to Pisces and the Pegasus square.

But, as a matter of fact, "l-Iku," darkly hinted at by Bohl, does come into play, namely, in EE 6.62, quoted above: "They raised high the head of Esagila equaling Apsu." And concerning this Esagila (or Esagil) we hear in the ritual text of the New Year festival in Babylon [n13 See Sachs translation, ANET, p. 232,1. 274f] that the Urigallu-priest "shall go out to the Exalted Courtyard, turn to the north and bless the temple Esagil three times with the blessing: 'Iku-star, Esagil, image of heaven and earth.'" "l-Iku," the Pegasus-square (= al­pha beta gamma Pegasi, alpha Andromedae) is, indeed, of the utmost importance, l-Iku representing the fundamental field measure [n14 About 3,600 square meters; see Heidel, GE, p. 82, n. 173.], and Ungnad (Das wiedergefundene Paradies [1923], p. 11) understood the constellation, enclosed by Pisces, for the "Paradise," the primordial field, so to speak. More important, Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh (GE 11.57) about his ark, which was, like the apsu, an exact cube: "One iku was its floor space." [n15 A. Schott translation: "Ein 'Feld' gross war seine Bodenflache." Compare for details, Schott, "Zu meiner ubersetzung des Gilgamesch-Epos," ZA 42 (1934), pp. 37f., 40] (Before, 11.31, Ea had ordered Utnapishtim: "Like the apsu thou shalt ceil her.") Remembering what we heard above: "Since the ark disappeared there was a stone in its place. . . which was called foundation stone," i.e., Eben Sretiyyah, that covered the abyss, this cubic ark, the floor space of which was one iku, cannot be without interest for us, the less so, when the gods "raised high the head of Esagila (= l-Iku) equaling Apsu."

The heliacal rising of "l-Iku"—precisely, beta Pegasi­ coincided with the winter solstice of 4000 B.C.; around 1000 B.C. it took place on January 25 [n17 See W. Hartner, “The Earliest History of the Constellations in the Near East," JNES 24 (1965), pp. 13, 15.]. "l-Iku," the Pegasus-square, is called "the habitation of the deity Ea

So i think we can identify those four stars of the Lodge ground plan no...?

originally posted by: KilgoreTrout

It appears as though there is some division between UGLE and US as to the identity of the Blazing Star.

Indeed... I even get the question "Are we sun-worshippers?" every now and then after delivering the first Degree lecture to Entered Apprentices.

In fact, going back in the history of English Masonry, the Blazing Star was once a representation of the Divine Shekinah which appeared over the Ark of the Jewish Covenant, but in making Masonry amenable to men of all religions, it was written into the lectures as representing the sun.

One should also take note, however, that in 18th century English Lodges, the letter G was always found on the floor of a Lodge within a Blazing Star.

Actually, perhaps I should add a little here to avoid confusion between the symbolism of the Sun and God...

Although English Masonry excluded some Jewish references at the time the ritual was changed (18th century), obvious Christian references such as the Bright Morning Star were retained.

The controversy of the use of the Sun as a symbol of God which was acceptable to all religions was explained to Christians by quoting certain Bible verses - in particular:

"For the Lord God is a Sun and a Shield."
~ Psalm 84:11

"Jesus was transfigured before them, and His face did shine like the Sun."
~ Matthew 17:2

"His countenance was as the Sun."
~ Revelations 1:16

"In the Heavens hath He set a tabernacle for the Sun."
~ Psalm 19:4

Neither Jews nor Christians confuse the symbol with the Deity. Neither do Freemasons.

a reply to: Kantzveldt

Here you go, from the Hamlet Mills site, a better quality image of the bottom drawing.



No such 'original' drawing exists, to the best of my knowledge, that he copies from, he certainly makes no reference to one nor do any of the derived works. It is simply his interpretative guess. Given that The Tails and The Swallow are usually depicted as terminals of two branches of the same river, as well as the methods of irrigation employed, it makes perfect sense that he might of surmised that. No problem with that, difficulties arise only when it is taken out of context and recaptioned to form a more absolute conclusion. Still, I have never understood why he placed the other two rivers there to complete the boxing in.

An 'iku' represents about 0.36 hectares, most family plots were about 18 hectares, so the meaning is symbolic of a field, rather than a literal field.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

That too is what the article that I linked to says, that the Blazing Star is simply used as a metaphor for prudence. I suspect that as a guide Sirius had long since lost it's significance and that it was harder to explain the relevancy, metaphorically or otherwise, hence why there was little drama in dropping it. That said, I fail to see what lessons of prudency the Sun can teach you...on a spirtual/path of perfection basis that is, it is always prudent to employ sunscreen of course.