Masonic Initiation Goggles?

Had just finished my workout routine last night and was flipping channels. Came across the show "Mythbusters" doing a special on "Shopping for myths" or something like that.

Anyway, one of the hosts of the show, Adam is his name; he was showing off his own personal collection of "The Weird" which included a strange looking pair of goggles that had black covers over each of the lenses, that could be raised to allow viewing.

He then stated something to the effect of "I found these at an estate sale, the man told me that he'd sell them to me if I knew what they were and I happed to know so..." "They're Masonic Initiation Goggles, apparently they allow the initiate to be kept in the dark and have the mysteries revealed to him by opening the lense covers."


And the show went on in various directions from there.


Anyway I was just wondering how many Masons are familiar with those goggles as opposed to the "black blindfold" that I have personally read and dealt with?

Just an interesting tidbit of Masonic lore making it to an expanded cable show about challenging myths, but I was impressed.


X

Haha that's bizarre! I don't know if I buy that, I don't really see why anyone would need a contraption like that, when a hoodwink will do.

On a side note, I've seen that show quite a few times and, in my opinion, those guys aren't the know-it-alls they pretend to be.



[edit on 7-4-2005 by pantha]

What you have described implies a hinged device, and the easiest way to make a hinge is out of metal, and since we all know that a Candidate for The Degrees must be divested of all metallic substances, it wouldn't make sense to use something with metal fixtures. Seb is correct in his KISS assessment, a cloth hoodwink works just fine.

Degree Team Monkeys, not just for "Third Base" anymore...

Oddest thing in the world though. And I mean he just knew it was Masonic Initiation Goggles.

Mirthful makes a good point(although Iwasn't aware of the metals being prohibited), however they could have been plastic for all I know, as it was only a short clip.

I'm so glad to hear they are not in fact used during ceremony. Now that I can be fairly certain I won't offend, I'll just say that they were horribly goofy looking and I can't see anyone being taken seriously in that kind of head gear. Phew.

Seb,

Dunno about them being hotshots or not. Although from what I saw yesterday(it was a kind of clip-reel show), I'm surprised they are alive.


Thanks for your time, fellas.

X

I've seen them advertised in some of the old fraternal society supply catalogs. The one that comes to mind is the Odd Fellows catalog which makes sense, because in the Initiatory Degree (in the U.S....foreign Lodges use a different ritual) the Candidate is shown the "scene" (basically a casket with a paper mache' skeleton in it representing human mortality) then he's reblindfolded and conducted through the rest of the ceremony.

Goggles like that would be useful.

Masonically in the Symbolic Degrees I don't see that they'd be of any use at all, because once "un-hoodwinked" (if that's even a word) he's never re-hoodwinked.

They might be utilized in some versions of the U.S. Royal Arch Degree where the Candidate is shown the burning bush then re-blindfolded and conducted through more of the ceremony.

Interesting bit of history there . . .

As an aside, one of the items in the old supply catalogs I saw was for the Woodmen of the World (which is now little more than an insurance company) It was a goat (basically the front 1/2 of a stuffed (fake) goat with two large wheels and a handle in the rear for members to help the Candidate "ride the goat" I can't imagine !

Originally posted by senrak
As an aside, one of the items in the old supply catalogs I saw was for the Woodmen of the World (which is now little more than an insurance company) It was a goat (basically the front 1/2 of a stuffed (fake) goat with two large wheels and a handle in the rear for members to help the Candidate "ride the goat" I can't imagine !

That's....interesting .

I think I'll go ahead and file that in my "Some things are best left uninvestigated" folder for now.

I'm sure I'd rather not know

X

Is it not also plausible to think that perhaps the guy who had them had simply made them for his local lodge or somesuch?

Sure it is Nygdan. Well I mean I assume it is in theory.

But then again like senrak points out, there is only one unveiling point in most ceremonies which makes the need for hinges etc moot I guess.

The Odd Fellows thing was strange though since I live near a town with a HUGE IOOF and Masonic presence. I may look further into it, for curiosity's sake, although the goat lovin' has scared me away a bit .


Again; yeah I could see a WM who was a leatherworking(or whatever) hobbyist giving something like that a try.

X