THE ARS QUATUOR CORONATI CIRCLE OF CORRESPONDENCE WORKS
The place of the Officers in the Lodge
with the Cosmos correspondances
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To the interrogation of the tyler begins generally as follows: " From where do you come? , The answer has to be: " From a lodge of Saint John "
This ritual detail joins the greatest date of Universal Masonry when, in Saint-John in summer of the year 1717, the four lodges of London (the Goose and the Gridiron, the Crown, the Apple tree, the Grape and Rummer) linked themselves to found the Grand Lodge of England, Anthony Sages becoming the first Grand Master. It is for the Saint-John, in 1723, as the Constitutions of Anderson were adopted; later, always in England, those which were described as " Antients " reproached to " Moderns " for having dechristianer the ritual one and to be unaware of the Saints days, referring to the ceremonies devoted to both Saint-Jean (1).
In 1800 theGrand Lodge of Scotland defined the ranks thus " Apprentices, Feellowships, Masters of Saint John " It was not differently in France, and the Grand Masters, like the Duke of Antin, were appointed in Saint-John of summer. The famous speech of Ramsay of 1738 also specifies: " Consequently our lodges wear the name of lodges of Of the same saint John ". So, we have to open the Bible to the Gospel of Saint John. But the summer solstice does not correspond only to the position of our planet with respect to the solar star. Entire Cosmos, in a visible aspect, arises in a single order for the year. And let us not forget, brethren, that the height of the lodge " is bent without a number " and that thus the starry sky takes care on our work.
Thus let us consider the sky chart such as it presents itself to Saint-John in summer; let us direct it, project it in the field of the temple and study the vertical relations which exist between the constellations and the principal officers. First of all, with the East, the constellation of the Eagle is. With its principal star Aquila, Altaïr-Altare, the furnace bridge of the Eagle. We know that the Eagle is the animal which accompanies Zeus, the king of the Gods and especially the symbol recognized by all the fathers of the Church of Saint-John.
Let us return now to the door of the temple placed under the protection of Sirius, the Dog, i.e. the inner guard. He facing, we observe Hare; it under this small constellation that the candidate, apprehensive will present itself like this animal and, still is attached to the Earth. After being authorized to penetrate in the temple, after having undergone the tests of the three travels, it will be brought in front of the worthy Master, there, where just above him the Quadrant of Orphée is. It is under this constellation that it must, the light being still prohibited him, to confirm for the third time its engagement. A. this moment, the eyes always bandaged, after having passed by the black of the cabinet of reflexion, it is like Orphée at the bottom of the hells. From him the workshop awaits its decision to die to reappear with the light. When it finally agrees to have the bored heart, it is under the constellation of the Arrow that the worthy-Master, leaned, will symbolically strike three times of his mallet. It is with the right-hand side of worthy that it will receive its apron under the constellation of the Dolphin as of this moment in fact it becomes the dolphin of the cabin and all our brothers will understand that it would be desirable that there was one candidate for each ceremony of initiation. Finally the new initiate will be led to his place in North; behind him, out of the temple, the Constellation of the Triangle will protect it. In front of him, Cassiopé, the goddess mother, Céres of the Sky, Dana, will take care on him and it will nurse it in knowing. For it is in the Milky Way which quite naturally connects the column of the apprentices to the seat of the worthy-Master for it is by him that the knowledge is exempted. On its left, the top of the column is placed under the authority of Céphie-Céphie, Grand Templar, the King who, according to the Tradition, comes from the Céphie South thus does not represent it the Master who leaves his column of the South to take care on those which are in their place in North.
The apprentices are connected to the column J by the constellation of the Lynx which symbolizes the second warden. This one, which nothing must escape, must indeed take in example the proverbial glance of this animal. Always in the occident, but more in the south, the Lion is which with its principal star, Régulus-régulus or the Gauge, corresponds to the First Warden perfectly. Moreover any tradition the Lion like complement of the Eagle conveys. Between the Lion of the western and midday extends, skirting the ecliptic, the constellation of the Virgin. And this is in the order of the things for Mary, Our Lady was always the owner of the Fellowships. On the same column, but a little nearer to the East, we find Ophicus, the carrier of the Snake - therefore of Wisdom - the other King, that which very has authority on the young people masters, i.e. the Orator. Returning to the East, with the left of the Eagle, is Ophicus the Snake, symbol of the Wisdom and the Knowledge of the possibility of knowing to distinguish the Good of the Evil. It is under this constellation that the immediat past-Master of the lodge places itself naturally. Always with the East, but on other side of the Eagle, we find Pégase, the horse of the Knowledge. Perhaps this is there a certain justification of some ritual, of which those of the Rectified Scottish Rite which will place the Orator under this constellation at the right-hand side of the worshipful-Master. But, with regard to our Rite, the practice to place at this place of the lodges the dignitaries, officers of our Kind, is in conformity with the tradition. Finally the center of the temple is under the Crown and both Ourses. In Alchemy, it is of the Small Dragon and the Large Vessel whose rich interpretations ad infinitum remain before very personal.
And thus the temples of our Lodges, which are of Saint-John, are faithful projections on our planet of the Universe. Let us not forget the law of Hermès the Trismégiste; in lodge, our action is creative and, however tiny is it, at least seemingly, our work escapes to us forever to be added to the Philosopher's stone of Cosmos. With us to respect of them the Form, the Rate/rythm, the Forces and especially of not to deteriorate the harmony " To make steal the Eagle, said the Alchemist, it is to make leave the Light from the tomb and carry she everywhere on the surface of the earth, which is the characteristic of all true sublimation ". Let us make steal the Eagle, brethren, and let us not forget, that to the Saint John in summer, it is with the East that it is.
Claude.
(1) Note of Christian Guigue: What is a roof and an extraordinary paradox for masonry known as " Modern " is a fundamentally Christian and exclusively new-testamentary masonry, on the contrary old hand " and old-testamentary forms known as " - to see our book The Masonic Formation -
In England, Antients, via their Large Secretary, Bro' Dermot, reproached to Moderns, rightly, to have violated the former practices, while having modified all the ritual one and Instructions. Moderns, under the impulse of Anderson and Desaguliers, make to pay the accounts to the traditionally catholic masonry, and what is still worse: French and the the traditional enemy of Albion.
With the Middle Ages, the companies of French masons build in all Europe,through the Citeaux Order and many other monastic currents, including in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England. Isabelle de France, girl-son of Philippe Le Bel one, become Queen of England, will have to make come a company from French masons, of Holy Land (Jerusalem) to England, because it does not find any on the spot. French masonry is present in all Europe. It is essential to know that the three principal lights were, under operative Masonry: the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. Then one found the Master of lodge, the sun and the moon.
Protestants both, victims of the war of the religions which reigned in France and opposed the catholics to the Protestants, Desaguliers, isolated itself with the Small rock, city who was besieged, Anderson and Desaguliers go expurger all ritual and the documents masonic of the Christian traces. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will disappear replaced by the Bible, the square and the compass whose universal value is still not established in the Modernes rites, of which the French rite and the Rectified Scottish Rite, which historically are differently older than the ritual one published by the London Lodge of Promulgation, has for Great Lights: the Worthy one or the Master of lodge, the Sun and the Moon, in respect of the old regulations. The Christian character will be preserved by attribution symbolic system of the Sun to Christ and the Moon with Mary the Virgin. Anderson will undergo the just reward of its operations for it will become publicly an object of gibe, its name will be even used like a current personal insult little gratifiante. Desaguliers will avoid little this fate thanks to the reputation which it had acquired as scientist.
Nota bene : please, thanks to correct the errors in translation.