Whats is the Masonic "Secret"?

[goldenratio]

was reading an art book last week and saw a picture by a guy called Albrecht Durer called melancholia, it was painted nearly 500 years ago and its riddled with Masonic symbolism. It got me pondering, what is it with Freemasons? for hundreds of years theyve hinted in art, architecture, poetry, books at their knowledge of a big "secret" theres even a degree called "the keeper of the royal secret". what is the secret? From what I know it goes back to a discovery by the Templars at the temple of Solomon?



the pictures interesting anyway

[grandsecretary]

This is a quite brilliant interpretation of this masterpiece, by John Read.

http://www.alchemylab.com/melancholia.htm

[oddblock]

That's a beautiful piece!!

Do any of the masons here know what the calendar looking thingy in the top-right is?

[grandsecretary]

Originally Posted by oddblock

That's a beautiful piece!!

Do any of the masons here know what the calendar looking thingy in the top-right is?

According to Read it is a "magic square" based upon the number 4. Read's interpretation is well worth taking a look at.

[oddblock]

Originally Posted by grandsecretary

According to Read it is a "magic square" based upon the number 4. Read's interpretation is well worth taking a look at.

Nice one I'll have a look into that!

I've also just noticed that 2 of the squares have symbols on them rather than a common digit.

[quysant]

Originally Posted by oddblock

That's a beautiful piece!!

Do any of the masons here know what the calendar looking thingy in the top-right is?

It is a Magic Square.

"The order-4 magic square in Albrecht Dürer's engraving Melencolia I is believed to be the first seen in European art. It is very similar to Yang Hui's square, which was created in China about 250 years before Dürer's time. The sum 34 can be found in the rows, columns, diagonals, each of the quadrants, the center four squares, the corner squares, the four outer numbers clockwise from the corners (3+8+14+9) and likewise the four counter-clockwise (the locations of four queens in the two solutions of the 4 queens puzzle [1]), the two sets of four symmetrical numbers (2+8+9+15 and 3+5+12+14) and the sum of the middle two entries of the two outer columns and rows (e.g. 5+9+8+12), as well as several kite-shaped quartets, e.g. 3+5+11+15; the two numbers in the middle of the bottom row give the date of the engraving: 1514."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_s...s_magic_square

[oddblock]

Originally Posted by quysant

It is a Magic Square.

"The order-4 magic square in Albrecht Dürer's engraving Melencolia I is believed to be the first seen in European art. It is very similar to Yang Hui's square, which was created in China about 250 years before Dürer's time. The sum 34 can be found in the rows, columns, diagonals, each of the quadrants, the center four squares, the corner squares, the four outer numbers clockwise from the corners (3+8+14+9) and likewise the four counter-clockwise (the locations of four queens in the two solutions of the 4 queens puzzle [1]), the two sets of four symmetrical numbers (2+8+9+15 and 3+5+12+14) and the sum of the middle two entries of the two outer columns and rows (e.g. 5+9+8+12), as well as several kite-shaped quartets, e.g. 3+5+11+15; the two numbers in the middle of the bottom row give the date of the engraving: 1514."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_s...s_magic_square

Awesome! Cheers for the info.

[quysant]

Originally Posted by goldenratio

what is the secret? From what I know it goes back to a discovery by the Templars at the temple of Solomon?

When The Templars spoke of the "Temple" they were not thinking of the temple of Solomon but of the Dome of the Rock.

The Jewish King Solomon and his Temple are just a fable, they never existed.

[goldenratio]

Hi
Thanks for the info
most interesting

[grandsecretary]

Originally Posted by quysant

When The Templars spoke of the "Temple" they were not thinking of the temple of Solomon but of the Dome of the Rock.

The Jewish King Solomon and his Temple are just a fable, they never existed.

Quite right.

[quysant]

Originally Posted by goldenratio

what is the secret?

Sorry, I forgot that question.

The "Masonic" secret is so simple a concept that to our complex minds it is the most difficult knowledge of all; and hence training is necessary.  

It is the same secret as that of the Greek Mystery Schools but it came to Europe via Arabs mystics who were in Spain.

[goldenratio]

thanks for your reply,


Id still like to know what it is,

Im not a Mason (and have no desire to be one) but knowlege is a wonderful thing

[lottie]

Somewhere i read it was to do with superconductivity whatever the hell that is?!! But i suspect its something far more simple for the lower levels and for those more corrupt higher ups- i think it delves into majik and stuff they know full well they should not be involved in!

I'd like to know generally coz im intruiged and jealous that they know and i dont.

Apart from that im not gonna bust-a-gut trying to find out- im sure once im dead everything will become apparent anyway! I can wait!

[stewart edwards]

Originally Posted by goldenratio

thanks for your reply,


Id still like to know what it is,

Im not a Mason (and have no desire to be one) but knowlege is a wonderful thing

Unless I am vastly mistaken, and appologies if I am, but the answer you seek is knowledge of yourself.

You get there by smooting your rough edges through a lot of thinking about why you do things (over simplified I know). You may hear Masons talk about rough ashlars being smoothed and polished.

You also begin to Master yourself, for example, through not reacting by instantaeneously biting back when peoople hurl abuse at you. You achieve this through Practicing the Craft on yourself (smoothing your ashlar).

Only you can do this, and this is perhaps the biggest secret of Freemasonry. A good lodge can guide and support you, but only you can do the work. You can hobnob with royalty as much as you like, but there is only one way to get this knowledge. Though you can do it through the martial arts, even juggling (seriously), or in any multitude of other ways, but Freemasonry, if you are in a good lodge will support and guide you well speeding up the process a bit. Giving you a leg up so to speak. Equally a lodge that is more focused on good company dining, beer, business deals, massaging egos, currying favour, etc, etc may well hinder your progress as you can get diverted from the path.

Anyhow goldenratio, it is all about you.

Just my opionions. Any Freemason please feel free to (actually please do) correct any errors that I have made here.

[grandsecretary]

Originally Posted by lottie

Somewhere i read it was to do with superconductivity whatever the hell that is?!! But i suspect its something far more simple for the lower levels and for those more corrupt higher ups- i think it delves into majik and stuff they know full well they should not be involved in!

I'd like to know generally coz im intruiged and jealous that they know and i dont.

Apart from that im not gonna bust-a-gut trying to find out- im sure once im dead everything will become apparent anyway! I can wait!

guysant has answered your question. Stop over complicating the issue. Read his response and follow it up.

[quysant]

Originally Posted by goldenratio

thanks for your reply,


Id still like to know what it is,

Im not a Mason (and have no desire to be one) but knowlege is a wonderful thing

Most masons don't know it either, they are content at having "lost the word".

I am not a Mason either and yes knowledge is a wonderful thing, but seeking knowledge is better.
I know it sounds a little patronising, but it is true: questing is the thing.

Also there are things that cannot be explained, they must be learnt.

If you were to explain to a 7 year old kid the intricacies of love making he would probably think you mad.

The Vatican Council has explained the meaning to be attributed to the term mystery in theology. It lays down that a mystery is a truth which we are not merely incapable of discovering but which, even when revealed, remains "hidden by the veil of faith and enveloped, so to speak, by a kind of darkness" (Constitution, "De fide. cath.", iv).

[lottie]

Originally Posted by grandsecretary

guysant has answered your question. Stop over complicating the issue. Read his response and follow it up.

Apart from that im not gonna bust-a-gut trying to find out- im sure once im dead everything will become apparent anyway! I can wait!

[grandsecretary]

guysant, thank you so much for your contribution.

Most masons don't know it either, they are content at having "lost the word".

At last some common sense, and you are absolutely right about the sorry level of knowledge, or more accurately the lack of it, within modern Freemasonry.

[lightindarkness]

Originally Posted by quysant

Most masons don't know it either, they are content at having "lost the word".

I am not a Mason either and yes knowledge is a wonderful thing, but seeking knowledge is better.
I know it sounds a little patronising, but it is true: questing is the thing.

Also there are things that cannot be explained, they must be learnt.

If you were to explain to a 7 year old kid the intricacies of love making he would probably think you mad.

The Vatican Council has explained the meaning to be attributed to the term mystery in theology. It lays down that a mystery is a truth which we are not merely incapable of discovering but which, even when revealed, remains "hidden by the veil of faith and enveloped, so to speak, by a kind of darkness" (Constitution, "De fide. cath.", iv).

The "secret" is not a word or a piece of knowledge that anti-masons and others have tried to look for by exposing and stealing the ritual for the last few hundred years.

The only secret of freemasonry is the experience of the initiation. It is something that no amount of reading exposed ritual will grant you.

[darketernal]

Originally Posted by quysant

When The Templars spoke of the "Temple" they were not thinking of the temple of Solomon but of the Dome of the Rock.

The Jewish King Solomon and his Temple are just a fable, they never existed.

A good point, and one seemingly lost on many. The Freemasons and anyone with a background in the mysteries know and understand that the story of Solomon is a fable.