The North Carolina Mason

Page 8 The North Carolina Mason May/June 2020 ð ESOTERICA 101 SPECIAL SERIES In the previ ous issue a plan of work was outlined to start at the beginning and work through the degrees of the ritual searching for esoteric relevance. Esoteric interpretation means different things to different people. Fortunately, esoterica paints with a wide brush and in many colors and interpreta- tions. An immediate question presents itself: where do we start? As a point of departure we will start at the physical beginning. e metaphysical beginning will be on hold until we consider "masonic spiritualism." All Masons are familiar with three raps: to alarm the lodge, inform the administrator, and denote preparation. e number three in spoken, physical, and observed ritual continues to repeat itself throughout Masonic ritual. Why? e esoteric notion of a specialized pattern of learning for Masonry assumes the repetition of the three is standard, being used from time immemorial. Yet the pattern of three, as well as the number three, has a long relationship with mathematics, oratory, litera- ture, numerology and Providence. For ages mathematicians have considered the number three as a natural number. Natural in number placement, as the natural number to follow two, and precede four, and is the smallest prime number. To emphasize a point, orators often use a series of three nouns or noun phrases. us we commonly hear from their mouths phrases as "the sun, moon and stars," describing magnitudes, "truth, justice, and the American way" in describing the pursuits of Superman. My favorite is "there is nothing more important than the flag, mom and apple pie." is type of oratory also denotes finality of argument. Literature, especially theological literature, is filled with similar phrasing. For emphasis, Psalm 150 states "Praise ye the Lord, Praise God in his sanctuary, praise Him in the firmament of his power." Or Micah 6:8 reads "but do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." Numerologists respect the number three as positive and negative. Positive in that it is the strongest number being a triad, and negative in that bad things seem to happen in patterns of three. We, as Masons, are taught that the course of human and personal events, as the mosaic pavement indicates, are checkered with good and evil. e number three is the strongest of all numbers. e number one is a monad or an individual number, two is a dyad or the relationship of two monads, and three is a triad or three monads in harmony. Geometrically, this forms a delta or triangle, the strongest design. In relation to Divine Providence the strongest design is found repeatedly. Biblically, the number three represents divine wholeness, completeness, and perfection; the Holy Trinity; the three days and nights before resurrection; body, spirit and soul; three archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and many other examples. e number three is universal in Masonry: three raps, three knocks, three steps, three degrees, the prin- cipal officers, and more. Historically, "everywhere among the ancients the number three was deemed the most sacred of numbers. In the philos- ophy of Plato, it is the image of the Supreme Being because it includes in itself the properties of first two numbers, and as Aristotle says, it contains within itself a beginning, and middle, and an end. e Pythagoreans called it perfect harmony. In the mysteries from Egypt to Scandinavia we find a sacred regard for the number three. It was … a general character of the mysteries to have three principal officers and three grades of initia- tion." (Mackey, 784). As mentioned above, the image of the number three is of powerful significance, "but in nothing is the Masonic signification of the ternary (three parts) made more interesting than in its connection with the sacred delta the symbol of Deity." (Mackey, 785). e delta, or triangle, mentioned above is present in the lodge. Prin- cipal officers' stations are a triangle, the three lights form a triangle, and the S and C placement creates a triangle which shifts into the Seal of Solomon. e Seal of Solomon is possessed of six triangles and one hexagon. Linear connection of the angles of the hexagon produce an additional six triangles. Using Pythagorean numbers the six external triangles (deltas) of the Seal of Solomon and the six internal triangles (deltas) of the hexagon produce 6² x 6² = 72. Seventy-two! According to Rosicrucian esoterica the steps of Jacob's ladder are seventy-two in number and engraved on each step is the name of an emanation of God, seventy-two, total. us we find there is "no symbol more important in its signification, more various in its application, or more generally diffused throughout the whole system of Freemasonry than the triangle. "e equilateral triangle is to be found scattered throughout the Masonic system. "It is in the ineffable degrees the sacred delta, everywhere presenting itself as the Grand Architect of the Universe." (Mackey, 800). e mystical three is everywhere. A painter's ladder leaning against a wall evokes a plethora of meta- physical applications for, in Masonic parlance, the well-travelled. By Donald Street Hiram #40, Morning Star #85, Nine Sisters #773 THE OF THE MYSTERY PERFECT NUMBER

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