Religion / Freemasonry / Witchcraft - Side by Side Comparison - Thieves and Saints

This thread is simple. I will outline several groups that seem unrelated on the surface, but are in deed one giant idea. From this single all encompassing Mystery Religion, symbols are then defined to reduce the many differing belief systems and ideologies to one central truth. From this, one single unifying truth emerges as light shining in the darkness.

To show this, I would first like to present a side by side comparison between Freemasonry and other Occult Organizations, including Witchcraft, Wicca and other craft-centric esoteric / exoteric systems. It is my hope that the list below can be refined. Feel free to share your personal knowledge of both. Include aspects missing from the list I provide. Also, feel free to challenge misconceptions that have the potential to deny the material presented. After this list, I will then show a side by side comparison of how Secret Societies differ from Religion. Afterword, I will show how they are again similar by source, but different by intent.

Freemasonry

1) Must be recommended for membership by other members.
2) Screening
3) Hoodwinked (Blindfolded) / Spear to Chest
4) Bound by Rope to Magic Circle
5) Kneeling to Worshipful Master
6) Threats for revealing hidden secrets
7) End ritual with, "So Mote it Be."
8) Hidden Knowledge at the Heart of Ritual
9) Secret Society with membership rolls are secret
10) Ceremonial initiations to pass from one degree to another, including sworn oaths
11) Ceremonial purging and purification of ritual space before commencing any ritual work
12) Secret Passwords and Hand Signs
13) Both work from correspondences between spiritual and physical world

Witchcraft and Other Esoteric Belief Systems such as Wicca

1) 1) Must be recommended for membership by other members.
2) Screening for Membership
3) Hoodwinked (Blindfolded) / Spear to Chest
4) Bound by Rope to Magic Circle
5) Keeling to High Priest
6) Blood Oath for revealing hidden secrets
7)End Ritual with, "So Mote it Be."
8) Hidden Knowledge at the Heart of Ritual
9) Secret Society with membership rolls are secret
10) Ceremonial initiations to pass from one degree to another, including sworn oaths
11) Ceremonial purging and purification of ritual space before commencing any ritual work
12) Secret Passwords and Hand Signs
13 Both work from correspondences between spiritual and physical world

Comparison between Secret Societies and Religion

By saying, "Church," I am referring to the broad range of organizations professing basic outer court Christian beliefs, including other related denominations. By saying Secret Societies, I am referring to Masonic organizations of many flavors and varieties, not excluding organizations such as OTO, Mormonism and the Priestly order of the Roman Catholic Church and Priestly Family Casts from many nations. Specifically, we are describing the inner and outer court of knowledge. Loosely, we are speaking of Church faithful and those with imagined higher illumination.

Church - Open to anyone
SS - Must be recommended, groomed and elevated in the ranks

Church - No Secrets / Continuously seeking for hidden truth to be revealed
SS - Secrets Guarded / Concealing Truth in Symbol / Doublespeak

Church - Inner and Outer Knowledge - Priests keep the inner knowledge secret
SS - Same

Church - Rituals symbolizing what they represent - Example: Baptism representing involution into life - Forgotten by Priests
SS - Same, only known and hidden

Church - Do unto others - Will to give and receive to others - Altruism
SS - Do what thou wilt - Will to take for self disguised as the will to give - Objectivism

Church - Open Associations for the benefit of the many
SS - Private Associations for the benefit of the few

Church - Conservative - With Service to Needy
SS - Liberal Leaning - Liber Al / Service to Brotherhood

My Own Personal Conclusion

It is my personal belief that Freemasonry, Witchcraft, Paganism and Religion all share many similar traits from the overall Mystery given to man in ancient times. Although the Mystery Religions figure into all religion, both pagan and non-pagan, I also believe that esoteric knowledge is not inherently an evil thing. Esoteric simply means hidden. Much of what we know today can be filtered through an updated view from science, yet enigma and mystery remain.

Religion, defined properly, is simply the will to assist others / the will to give. It is my belief that God's (original Architect's) will is give and receive only with no restrictions of use. The will to take (as in the idea of Daddy Warbucks / Bankers funding both sides of war), even from a platform of private associations, is the will of the thief. The thief can cause harm. The will to give can only love. Taking leaves debt, as evidenced by our current society based on objectivism. The will to give creates surplus and brings equity to human life. Based on this simple view of free will, it is clear why private associations and hidden knowledge is a highly dangerous enterprise when used for selfish ambition. Compared to this, knowledge used for good can only give and benefit the many equally and is never intentionally hidden. From this simple view, we see the difference emerge. Free will must abide for the good. Clearly, there is a difference.

In spite of the overall truth in this, profound knowledge must remain out of the hands of evil intent. Herein lies the paradox for those who are the guardians of knowledge. When thieves rule, knowledge is a kept by the few for selfish ambition. Clearly, the thieves rule our present order. What they fail to realize is what their guarded light reveals to the changed order emerging. Light has a specific purpose: it reveals what it hits and dispels darkness. When used by the thief, light is an impenetrable trap. Once it does its job, we will all know what is seen clearly from the experience.

Know the truth and allow it to set you free from the error.

As you view the world around you, realize the many and varied private associations within our political and religions world that fight for supremacy and power. Those who are organized for the few are the conspiracy against the many. Those who are organized for the many are the answer against the conspiracy.

Be warned: The world is waking up to this truth. The Spirit in mankind will rise. Not by power and not by might. Spirit will end the rule of the few. The Spirit will not be forgiving against those who conspire against it. Love requires one will--the will to give and receive.

We each have a part in this picture created by the Mystery of Life. There is a point to be learned. Love and Give. Thieves fall into the pit they dig. Saints rise to the occasion. Suffering for the reward you give produces lasting reward in eternity. Taking reward now, causing suffering for others, bankrupts you in the end.

Know the difference and deny ignorance. The Mystery in symbolism is the same for everyone. The answer from the symbols is also the same. It is an invariant truth that will repeat over and over again throughout history. Volution is circling around a center point of fixed reference. E in Latin means to come out of the volution. Evolution rises to new life from the waters of reality. Water puts out fire. Fire is reserved for the thieves.

I'm gonna take a guess, and say the resident Masons will be here momentarily to correct your list.



How do you know this, may I ask?

a reply to: CharlieSpeirs

And the Wiccans as well.

maybe a couple satanists too.

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

Of course, how could I forget the lovely Wicca among us.

originally posted by: CharlieSpeirs
I'm gonna take a guess, and say the resident Masons will be here momentarily to correct your list.

How do you know this, may I ask?

How? Here is the path I used to find many of the basic answers, but the truth of what I say is simply intuitive by comparison to the trail left by the Societies in history.

The Masons left the answers in riddle for us to find. From music, to literature, to children's cartoons to high art, the evidence screams out the answers. Daddy Warbucks creates orphans. He funds both sides of war, then builds the hospitals and orphanages to make more money. Alice in Wonderland outlines the problem they have while being lead around by the rabbit in the reversed image of a reality mirror. Israel influences the music with their symbolism. Taken together, we have a reflecting point.

In addition, countless testimony from craft-centric participants, both in written and video form. Testimony concerning any craft such as Masonry is centered on knowledge and the use of knowledge to build. It matters not if its a building or government. In Witchcraft, the ideals are the same. The purpose of a spell is to manifest something you need or desire. Witchcraft, obviously, seeks knowledge that is hidden from the mundane knowledge of everyday experience. For the Mason and Craftsman, the obvious marriage of hidden knowledge comes from mathematics and the selfsame correspondences found in nature by the magicians. Today, our Magen are Scientists, Engineers, Chemists and on the list goes. They each seek to put Humpty Dumpty back to his place of glory again. All the Kings tools (technology) and all the king's men (just mentioned) cannot restore the previous residence in heaven (glory). Flesh and blood will have trouble inheriting the stars. We are locked in our own personal darkness until we use the symbols to find the central point, about which, we revolve. We must overcome the beast of selfishness. Who is to be master?

Was I not clear in the OP?

Humpty to Alice:

"I don't know what you mean by 'glory,' " Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't—till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!' "
"But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument'," Alice objected.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master—that's all."

Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. "They've a temper, some of them—particularly verbs, they're the proudest—adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs—however, I can manage the whole lot! Impenetrability! That's what I say!"

Ultimately, Lewis Carroll (JD) knew the answer: Who is to be Master?

God's will is the answer or he masters us. We cannot master what masters us until we get the point of why we fell off the wall.

DNA is a cracked egg as long as the Thorn (SIN) is on the Seed (NUN). Two front teeth (SHIN) come when we get the point. All he wants is his SHIN. He can get it when he gets the point. The image must be again joined, but not by the one that divided it. He must concede defeat as he destroys his own environment.



Sister Susie (NUN) Sits on a Thistle (SIN). Shin is the fire that does not consume the Coal (Carbon - 6 protons, 6 electrons, 6 neutrons).

SHIN MEANING - Also, all 22 letters.

a reply to: AlephBet

Was I not clear in the OP?

Honestly, not fully...
But that may be a comprehension problem I have to deal with.




I was just wondering where you got the two identical lists from?

If you found it in television/etc how do you know you haven't misread the symbols or missed something important that separates what you have attempted to connect?

originally posted by: CharlieSpeirs
a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

Of course, how could I forget the lovely Wicca among us.

Name any human, the mystery is the same. One answer to it all. Who is to be master? Otherwise, impenetrability.

Who is to be master is a question pointing to the true hidden identity of Aleph Bet and Aleph Mem.

a reply to: AlephBet

On your comparisons regarding witchcraft, you are basically only looking at trad covens with direct lineal tutelage. The vast majority of practitioners wouldn't relate to most of what you listed. The trad covens, like the Masons, are a closed group and just about any closed group will operate in a similar fashion but witchcraft (and I imagine Mason philosophy) is not defined by the closed-door rituals of the people who enjoy aspiring to a perceived elitism among themselves.

Plus, you might get some people bummed by contrasting Wicca with religion when it actually is a religion (some embrace the label, some don't). Witchcraft is simply a tool used by Wiccans but it is certainly not defined by them. Solitary witches and small covens operate within huge boundaries of eclecticism that can sometimes differ greatly with the Alexandrians and Gardenians (etc).

To me, it is my religion. So to contrast the two is like trying to contrast "fruit" and "oranges".

Also, "do what thou wilt" is not about explicit actions but finding your true purpose. The philosophy itself is far more robust than the simple one-line sentence that's often quoted. When a practitioner quotes it, it's to reference the wonderful teachings behind it; not to sum up the actual teaching.

a reply to: Cuervo

I think my point was to show that all the Mysteries, including religion, revolve around a center intent. That intent is mirrored. One gives and one takes by intent (design). We can name the craft as we like, but we are all seeking to do either of two wills on the material world. Free will requires a choice to take the right or left. Altruism vs. Objectivism sums up the ideals according to intent.

a reply to: Cuervo

Take me for an instance. I have the Aleph Bet in my eye and ear. Why would I use these two symbols with the aged and weathered man as my avatar? What message does this convey about me? Symbols tell a story. What story does my Avatar say? What do the Masonic symbols of orthogonal right angles say about their understanding of the matrix they scribe by craft?

a reply to: AlephBet
1) Freemasonry requires one to join on their own free will and accord.
2) What's wrong with screening?
3) There's much more to our rituals than that
4) Where do bind by a rope to a magic circle?
5) You don't kneel to the Worshipful Master
6) We promise to not reveal our secrets
7) Simply Old English for "So may it be"; it's a sign or phrase of accepting what was said
8) Betterment and self-improvement is at the heart of the ritual
9) So secret you know where we meet, when we meet, and can find tons of information & disinformation on the Internet
10) There's nothing wrong with ceremonies and we take obligations
11) Where do we purge or purify?
12) So what?
13) LOL What?

Just because wiccans or some "witch" organization copied us doesn't make us the same. A lot of what you discussed is generic and not exclusive to Freemasonry or any organization. Plus, it is very obvious you're lacking in knowledge in regards to what happens within a Lodge.

In your "Comparison between Secret Societies and Religion" I'd like to point out Freemasonry is not a religion nor does it seek to serve that purpose. Freemasonry is not a "secret society" for clear and obvious reasons.

SS - Must be recommended, groomed and elevated in the ranks

This isn't how it works in Masonry.

One moves through the ranks based upon his own endeavors and also being elected by the Brethren.

Church - No Secrets / Continuously seeking for hidden truth to be revealed
SS - Secrets Guarded / Concealing Truth in Symbol / Doublespeak

There's nothing wrong with secrecy, nor is wrong for us to have membership requirements. We are a private organization, not a church.

Church - Inner and Outer Knowledge - Priests keep the inner knowledge secret
SS - Same

This isn't how it works in Freemasonry.

Church - Rituals symbolizing what they represent - Example: Baptism representing involution into life - Forgotten by Priests
SS - Same, only known and hidden

False as well.

Church - Do unto others - Will to give and receive to others - Altruism
SS - Do what thou wilt - Will to take for self disguised as the will to give - Objectivism

This isn't what is taught in Freemasonry.

Church - Open Associations for the benefit of the many
SS - Private Associations for the benefit of the few

This isn't how Freemasonry works or what is taught.

Church - Conservative - With Service to Needy
SS - Liberal Leaning - Liber Al / Service to Brotherhood

Incorrect as well.

You can hold your own personal belief, but that doesn't mean it is right.

Religion, defined properly, is simply the will to assist others / the will to give.

This isn't how "religion" is defined.

Freemasonry isn't organized as a conspiracy against mankind or the many.

a reply to: KSigMason

Quia tu lucerna mea Domine et Domine inluminabis tenebras meas.

You quoted this at the end of your post.

2 Samuel 22:29 Names of God Bible (NOG)

29 O Yahweh, you are my lamp.
Yahweh turns my darkness into light.

Yahweh divided Adam through bloodshed. Adam's image was pure, created by the Aleph Bet and Aleph Mem in Genesis 1. Yahweh also made Satan, formed Adam and planted a garden. All of these activities required a created material. As the first Mason, Yahweh is the archetect (demiurge) using archetypes of the all for his material. Elohim and Ruach Elohim provided the material. As I pointed out in a previous response, the one that divided mankind is required to bow to the master eventually. Either he will willingly or he will when Adam is restored. Either way, Adam is the Son of God as we find in Luke 3. He paid the Genesis 9 blood debt for all men. Bearing fruit is the process to then use the water to put out the fire. Yahweh is the higher nature of man, while Satan is the lower. We must choose to overcome both. While Yahweh is the self-righteous form that takes to be seen as the only God, Satan is said to be the clever accuser of mankind when he does. Man was naked (no knowledge) as the dweller in the middle. Man is still naked unless he knows the truth. We were here before Adam. We fell as ancients using technology.

Who is to be master? Christ suffered as the example of altruism. It's the key to the mystery Moses locked in symbol. A mosaic is a Mos (bits) making a larger picture. Moses gathered most of the pieces. The rest arrive to us today from the wilderness path. The mystery is all one thing. The Mason is the light that reveals the truth to us by its opposite.

a reply to: AlephBet
Yes, that is a verse that I use as my personal motto. Plus, I don't use the "NOG" version of the Bible.

I'm not here to argue your theological beliefs nor how you think mine are incorrect.

a reply to: KSigMason

I was showing you the connection to the central truth. Yahweh is not Elohim or Ruach Elohim, although we have be led to believe that he is. What is Yahweh? A Mason. Clearly, reading Genesis 2, you see that he did not create, but made, formed and planted. All of the reality we currently occupy here on Earth is from the mind of Yahweh. He proclaimed himself to be God and lost his first estate. Adam is a perfected creation by the Father and Holy Spirit. We were divided by Yahweh, the first Mason. Adam was the Lamb slaughtered from the foundation. Satan was made by Yahweh as the accuser of mankind, or the one that reflects the error in the simulation back to Yahweh. By this, he then tries to bridge the gap.

The problem here is one of experience and humility drawn from the trials of pride. A flaming sword protects the tree of life that Yahweh used to divide Adam. Was this a plan of the Father all along? Are Yahweh and Satan merely doing a job in creation to raise God's child Adam? I think, to some extent, this is the case. I choose to see that the higher mind of Man is Yahweh and the lower mind as an image is Satan, or the snake in the seed. Sin is a letter of Hebrew that sits next to the seed (nun). The Masons have missed defining the symbols to the end. The OP takes them to their lost word written by the Aleph Bet.

Just trying to help.

I know a guy that built so much he forgot that he was a builder so he became a destroyer.

originally posted by: deadeyedick
I know a guy that built so much he forgot that he was a builder so he became a destroyer.

Did he first lay the foundation correctly? That corner stone is the most important part, even if a few bricks in the middle are out of line. Variation is the spice of life.

So, gonna just chime in on a few thoughts between witchcraft (and other "culty" beliefs) and religion.

Right, anyhow long ago, there were major systems of belief over in Europe and the like. the nords had celtic beliefs, the mediterranians had their marid of pretty awesome religions, etc...each religious area warred with other religious areas due to....reasons.
anyhow, so this new weird religion comes around, a offshoot of the Hebrews, Christians had to start this secret organization..had symbols (fish) to show where secret meetings of worship and ceremony would go on, etc.

Over time, the religion grew, and became less and less hidden (especially after they stopped murdering Christians on sight, tossing em to lions, etc). Emperor became part of this weird secret cult, it opens up

years happen, the what used to be secret society of strange symbols is now the big religion, lots of pomp and circumstance, and this new religion now goes on the attack, murdering all who think differently, have different old gods, or even murder people who have the same god but worship in a slightly different ways (dang heretics). Of course, all these once big religions are now in hiding, due to the same reason Christians started in hiding...fear of death and dismemberment.

There are only 3 mainstream monotheistic religions on earth. Judism, Christianity, and Islam..plenty of tiny religions, but those are the big boys.
islam is just Christianity 2.0 (or Judism 3.0) regardless of how much you lot want to complain...so all shares the same root,

When the world wants to kill you should you speak your belief out loud...you tend to go underground.

So
For a clearer comparison, rewrite your list from secret societies and the very beginnings of the Christian church. You might find a exact match.

oh, quick ninja addition:
I didn't mention the freemasons or others, as I see them about as relevant as the shriners or boy scouts..its not a religion, nor a cult..its just a club.
I could start a club tomorrow for gamers..come up with awesome handshakes, secret konami codes, etc, and deconsoling those whom would dare speak of the forbidden knowledge.

That is not a cult, religion, or anything other than just a secret club you aren't allowed to join.



...
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(up up down down left right left right select start )

a reply to: SaturnFX

So
For a clearer comparison, rewrite your list from secret societies and the very beginnings of the Christian church. You might find a exact match.

Reread the OP. It's what I noted as the premise of the piece. The first builder is Yahweh. He is not the creator. Elohim and Ruach Elohim are the Father and Holy Spirit (Mother / Aleph Mem).