You'd like to be a wise man, right?
Isn't' that why all of us became Freemasons in the first place?
Wisdom sometimes seems like one of those things that sounds great on paper, but is a little tricker to master than we realize.
How come I've read so many books but still can't find my car keys anyway?
All jokes aside, our Masonic ritual makes many clear references to our quest for Wisdom.
In fact there is one particular line in our ritual that offers us some serious thought.
It's actually one of my favorite lines of ritual in our entire craft.
Not only does it tell us where Wisdom is, but apparently, Wisdom is...a Woman?!
Close your eyes and think about the opening charge of a TN Masonic Lodge for a moment. See if you can remember the reference to Wisdom in that one.
Anyway, I ask myself two questions after I hear that line in the opening charge.
Where is Wisdom? (and how do I get there?)
That line of ritual answers the first of those questions, and we are left to figure out the second for ourselves.
It is clearly stated that contemplation is what we are looking for, but does that mean we just scratch our chins, look off into the distance, and start to know everything we ever wanted to know?
Probably not so simple, but here's what we do know.
- In Latin, contemplari means "to gaze, observe, behold"
- In Greek, theoria means "a type of seeing and knowing beyond words"
- In English, contemplation means "the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time", "deep reflective thought", and "the state of being thought about or planned"
We can clearly see that our ritual is hinting something at us, that the Wisdom we seek is buried somewhere in our minds...
...and isn't that what Freemasonry's all about?
Nowhere else in the world can I come together with such interesting men, engage in such thought provoking conversations, and experience the camaraderie and fellowship that our Masonic lodges were designed to host.
There is a lot more that can be said about Wisdom, where to find it, and how to get there but I'm running out of space, so maybe It's better I make a book recommendation?
In 1957 a German Philosopher named Josef Pieper wrote a book titled Happiness and Contemplation which addresses this topic head on.
It's a quick read (140 pages or so) and if you found this article interesting then you should grab a copy on Amazon and read it.
You can order your copy by clicking here
Anyways that's all I've got for you today
Travel Light, Brother...
Warren.