History of the Third Masonic District Grand Lodge of the State of New York

VOL. VIII. AUGUST, A. L. 5877. NO. VIII pages 337-350

BRO. HOMER L. BARTLETT, M. D.

When, in the infancy of the human race, man gazed into the heavens and beheld the great luminary of the sky serenely sinking into the tomb of night, again to reappear with Aurora's dawn; when he watched the blight of autumn and the decay of winter, and joyfully saw this seeming death revived by vernal showers and summer heats, he witnessed the prototypes of his own dissolution, and felt the divinely implanted impulse, like them, to live again. Such was the origin of that belief, universal to mankind, in the immortality of the soul, and resurrection of the body.

When our first parents beheld the elements seemingly at perpetual war with each other; disease and death following in funeral procession hard after life and health ; saw pestilence and famine stalking over the earth, in the very footprints of peace and plenty, they could but feel that they were diversified Genii, good and ill, who controlled successively the destinies of the human race; and here was the secret of that sentiment, also universal, that the wrath of the offended gods must be appeased by propitiatory sacrifices.

Such are the sources and elements of natural religion. Nor is it to be supposed that any other source of knowledge would ever have been opened up to man concerning the Great Creator than can be read on every page of Nature's outspread book, had not the human race apostatized from its primal state.

Adam, when first created, saw God face to face, and held immediate converse with the August Presence. From his Maker he received the names of plants and animals, and, without doubt, also, was made acquainted with the attributes of His character and the nature of His government. But after his seduction by the common enemy of man, his Maker, as it were, hid His face from him, since which He has only been seen as mirrored by His works. But so difficult is it for the human mind to grasp the nature of God, as disconnected from all his visible works, that mankind, from Adam down, has represented the attributes of Deity by familiar objects seen in the heavens or mosaicked on the earth, and this has been the source of emblems and symbols. This Oral Revelation, made by God to Adam, in the Garden of Paradise, was, undoubtedly, transmitted from generation to generation, together with the symbols used in the first ages of the world, to illustrate and enforce it. On no other supposition can we account for the uniformity seen in the religious beliefs and modes of worship of the ancients. Besides, the Hebrews themselves taught that their traditions were older, and equally to be venerated, with the Holy Scriptures. Pagan philosophy, reaching out its Briarean arms in search of truth, correctly concluded that there could be but one intelligent First Cause, and that that cause must have wisdom to contrive, strength to execute, and beauty to adorn the universe. But paganism had the benefit of this tradition, and to us what is curious and significant, is that the esoteric or secret doctrines of all the Ancient Mysteries taught the existence of Three Persons in one God, i. e., the Trinity; the fall of man from his first state of innocency; and the need of lustrations and sacrifices to purify and fit the soul for its final enjoyment in the realms of Elysium. These doctrines and symbol. derived from the primal periods of the world, and perpetuated through the ages by the Ancient Rites, are still preserved to us through sacred art and architecture, and more particularly by the symbolism of the Christian church and modern Freemasonry.

Perhaps we shall better understand the processes of initiation if we bear in mind what they were intended to symbolize, and the doctrines they inculcated. And, first, let it be remembered that they were of a religious character; that within the Mysteries were contained all, or nearly all, the knowledge of the ancient world; that this knowledge could only be communicated orally, printing being unknown, and writing only practiced by the few ; that, as darkness had existed on the face of the earth long before the creation of light, M> man was naturally in a state of ignorance until he had been enlightened by the processes of initiation; hence they all began by placing the candidate in a pastos, or place of darkness, and initiation consisted in impressing upon the novice, by startling scenic effect, such truths as were communicated to him in the various stages of his advancement. These truths were: the existence of one Supreme God; the progressive development of the human soul; the doctrine of rewards and punishments, and the necessity of a virtuous life ; the belief in the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body; and the need of propitiatory sacrifice, which sacrifice, it was taught, was symbolized by the death of the god whom the candidate was made to personate.

The Ancient Mysteries all seem to have been founded upon one common legend, though the ceremonies were varied in different countries to correspond with the genius of the people among whom they were practiced. In Egypt the name of the god of whom this legend is related was Osiris; in Greece it was Bacchus; in India, Mahadeva; and in Britain, Hu. Egypt may, undoubtedly, be called the mother of the mysteries. In the valley of the Nile man first emerged into civilization ; for here, where soil was productive and the climate mild and genial, mankind first became so numerous as to be obliged to observe natural laws, and civil and social customs. Here the Sacerdotal Order originated, whose business it was to watch the movement of the heavenly bodies, from the observatories in the Labyrinth, and indicate what they saw by signs and symbols—the meaning of which was well understood—displayed in the highways and public streets, where they could be seen by the common people, so that they might know when to expect the inundation of the Nile, and prepare for seedtime and harvest. This was the reason why the Egyptians became the first astronomers. Geometry and the mathematics, also, had their birth here, and for like reasons; for after the inundation of the Nile all the boundaries of their lands were washed away, and by mensuration alone could they be discovered. The place where the mysterious rites were held was also derived from Egypt. All the Ancient Mysteries, without exception, were performed in natural caves of the earth, or in subterranean caverns, artificially constructed; and we are informed that all along the valley of the lower Nile there are still numberless natural caves in the rocks which were used for these purposes.

And there is another universal practice, which I have already referred to, viz: that before the candidate was allowed to be initiated, he was obliged to fast, perform certain ablutions, and was the subject of a lustration, all of which, it was taught, would purify him and prepare him tor the regeneration, or new birth, which the processes of initiation would impart to him.

I have said all the Ancient Mysteries seem to have been founded upon one legend, and that one the story of Osiris. This fiction has been differently rendered, but I . shall adopt the one best suited to our purpose, which will nearly agree with the account given by Plutarch, and is as follows :

Osiris was the first Egyptian king, and to confer the benefits of Egyptian civilization upon the adjoining nations, he left his capital and government in the care of his wife, and Oris, or Horis, his son, and for three years traveled among his neighbors, imparting to them the advantages of knowledge. On his return, Typhon, his brother and rival, formed a plan to sacrifice his life. For this purpose he honored Osiris with a grand entertainment, to which the conspirators were also invited. During the progress of the feast a valuable chest was displayed, richly inlaid with gold, which was promised to the person whose body it should best contain. Osiris was prevailed upon to try the experiment, but no sooner was he in the box than the lid was securely fastened, and both the box and its contents thrown into the Nile. Isis was at once informed of the death of her husband by Pan and the Satyrs. Uncertain as to the course she ought to pursue, agitated and lacerated with grief, she interrogated every one she met, and was told by some children that the box, or coffin, containing her husband had been seen floating out to sea.

Isis, actuated by a divine impulse, followed it until she arrived at Biblus. Here she found the body had reposed upon a plant, which had immediately put forth a superb stalk, and so enveloped the coffin as to seem to be a part of it. The king of the country, astonished at the singular beauty of this tree, had it cut and made into a column for his palace. Here she landed, and. bathed in tears, and overwhelmed with grief, seated herself near a fountain of water, and waited the approach of the queen's women. These she saluted, and commenced dressing their hair in such a manner as to spread in it, as well as over their bodies, an exquisite perfume. The queen, learning from her maids what had happened, and perceiving the exquisite odor of the ambrosia on their persons, desired to see the stranger. She accordingly invited her to the palace, attached her to her household, and gave her the care and education of her son.

The goddess finally made herself known, and demanded the pillar containing her husband, which request being granted, she re-embarked with it for Egypt, where, in company with her son, she deposited it in a secluded grove. Typhon having gone that night to a chase, found the grave, and recognizing the corpse, cut it in fourteen pieces, which he scattered hither and thither. The goddess being informed of this desecration, returned to gather the fragments, which she did, with one exception, and decently interred them where she found them, erecting over each grave an altar. She then caused it to be publicly proclaimed that Osiris had risen from the dead, and his resurrection was celebrated by the most extravagant demonstrations of joy! For the part she could not find she caused the Phallus to be constructed, as a substitute, which emblem was always borne in the front of the Egyptian processions, by young men appointed for that purpose, and placed in all the ancient temples, as an object of divine worship.

I need hardly tell you that this fiction was a simple description of a natural astronomical phenomenon, substituting the sun in the place of Osiris. The sun is the source of all enlightenment. That luminary may be said to die when he takes his journey into the shades of night, and rises again when he gilds the earth with his morning beams; and while in this temporary state of death he is also bereft of all light and heat, whereby to fructify the earth. Isis was the moon, who constantly follows after the sun. The fourteen pieces into which Osiris was said to have been cut, are the fourteen days which elapse between one full moon and the next new one, and Typhon was the Genius of Evil, or Darkness. You will at once see the meaning and application of this, for in the Mysteries the candidate was made to personate Osiris.

Little, comparatively, is known in regard to the Egyptian rites, so impenetrably hid are they under the enigmas of the hieroglyphics; but it is to be hoped that Champollion and his illustrious compeers will bring them to light.

The rites of the Hindoos were, however, derived immediately from the Egyptian, and were the same in nearly every particular. I shall, therefore, with Oliver, from whom the following description is mostly derived, begin with the Indian rites.

The process of initiation was divided into periods, or degrees, according to the age or advancement of the novitiate.

In India there were four of these stages or degrees. The candidates could be received in the first when only eight years of age. The ceremonies in this degree were simple. The aspirant was invested with the Zenner, or Sacred Cord, of three threads, which referred to the three elements, and the three persons of the Hindoo god. Sacrifices were then performed to the sun and planets, and the household gods, and a lecture was given on the nature of the Trinity. The candidate was then invested with a linen garment, and an instructor was given him, who taught him in the sacred books, preparatory to his admittance to the next degree. In the meantime he was obliged to inure himself to hardships and privations of every kind. When he had arrived at a proper age, and had made sufficient progress in the first degree, he was admitted into the second. Here he had to practice still greater austerities. He was obliged to support himself as a mendicant. Saying prayers, performing sacrifices, and studying astronomy were his principal employments, and when at last his purification had been completed and he had gone through the intermediate degrees, he was led at dead of night into the gloomy cave prepared for his mysterious reception, where he took his final degree. Here he was conveyed to the central cavern, where the Hierophants were seated on elevated thrones, placed East, West, and South in a triangular manner. This apartment was brilliantly illuminated, and was generally filled with the Mystagogues, clad in sacred vestments and wearing pyramidal caps, representing a burning flame, which was an emblem of Deity, the whole forming a scene at once grand and impressive. When thus arrayed, a solemn stroke on the .silver bell brought the whole concourse to their feet, and with upraised hands and united voices they chanted a glorious anthem of praise to the god and pronounced a solemn apostrophe to the great luminary of the day.

The aspirant, already weakened by his vigils and long-continued asperities, as he beheld this scene, so awe-inspiring, and heard the solemn music as it swept along the reverberating caverns, was filled with rapt astonishment. But he was not long left to his own reflections, for now a loud voice called upon him to make a solemn declaration that he would ever perform his ablutions, have a tongue of good report, and keep the secrets about to be committed to him forever inviolate! He was then laved with water, an incantation was murmured into his ear, his shoes were taken from his feet, and he was made to circumambulate three times around the room in token of his belief in a Trinity. After this he was again placed in the center of the room and solemnly enjoined to practice the rules of the order as he valued his life in this world and the welfare of his soul in the next. This being accomplished, he was again placed in the care of his guide, who cautioned him not to betray any signs of dread or irresolution, and to preserve the most profound silence during the ceremony, on pain of immediate death. The aspirant was then hurried on through seven long, dark, and gloomy caverns, which were made to echo with shrieks and lamentations, bewailing the death of the god which he was supposed to personate, when suddenly he was stopped in his course, and stunned with horror at the sounds of terrific explosions down deep in the bowels of the earth ; then coruscations of brilliant light would flash through the darkness, and as quickly disappear; and, as if to overwhelm the poor novice with stupefaction and terror, shadows of phantoms would ever and anon flit across the gloom, some in the shape of human deformities, some like beasts and reptiles of ill omen, others in demoniacal form, with ghastly faces and frightful teeth, and tongues of liquid fire, holding in their blood-besmeared hands, the skulls of those who had been unfaithful! He was then plunged into water to purify him; then he was made to crawl on his hands and feet, in which position he was attacked the gigantic monsters, which, however, he was enabled to subdue by the assistance of his guide. This was to inspire him with confidence in his own strength, when assisted by divine power, and he was then taught to take three steps at right angles.

At length, benumbed with fear and pain, and his mind profoundly impressed with the dangers he had escaped, while passing through these Stygian shades, he arrived at the further end of the last mysterious cavern, when, as if by magic, his ears are delighted and his senses ravished with heavenly peals of sacred bells, reverberating in sweetest cadence along the dark passages, dispelling at once, as he believed, the demoniacal phantoms that had been dogging his steps all through the midnight hours, and to make the transition more complete, folding doors, before unseen, noiselessly opened, revealing to his enraptured vision the splendid Sacrilum, or Sanctum Sanctorum, illuminated by a thousand blazing tapers, ornamented by innumerable emblematical figures, and fountains of sparkling waters, scented by tie rich perfumes of oriental spices and exotic flowers; and over all, presiding in solemn state, the all-powerful Hierophant, crowned with a mitred tiara of burnished gold, -and glittering with gems and precious stones. On the instant, at the sound of the conch. the vast assembly of priests, as if moved by a common impulse, suddenly prostrated themselves toward the East, and the bewildered aspirant was taught by the presiding Hierophant, that he had been regenerated, had had a second birth, and that now the spirit of the august Bramah, seated on the flower of the lotus, was about to descend upon and take possession of him; that thereafter his person would be sacred, and, ultimately, his soul would enjoy repose in the realms of supernal light. The candidate was then presented to the Hierophant, who marked his forehead with the form of the cross, to indicate that he had dominion over the four quarters of the globe; and on his breast placed an inverted level, to teach him that he was now on an equality with all the initiated. He was then given a new name, and invested with a tiara and white robe, and put in possession of all the secret arts of incantation, and finally, as the crowning act of initiation, the object of all his solicitude, he had imparted to him that Sublime Name—only known to the initiated—which could never be mentioned except in the softest whisper, and at. the sound of which spirits benignant or malign, were hushed into silent awe.

Such were the rites of initiation, as they were practiced by the Egyptians, Hindoos, Chinese, and Japanese, more than 3,000 years ago!

If now we turn our attention from the great Indian race to the Persian, we shall find almost the same rites and practices, and most of the Egyptian symbols and ceremonies. The ancient Persians were a rude and barbarous people, and their rites were of the simplest kinds. They believed, in common with the Scandinavians and other northern nations, that God was a Spirit, boundless in His extent, and consequently could not be confined to temples made by man. Therefore, they worshiped in the open air, on bill-tops, and in sacred groves. They taught that this Supreme Being— Ormuzd by name—sprang from primeval light, and that the sun was his eye, through which he looked upon the earth. Consequently, fire was sacred with them, for it was at once the emblem and symbol of both the sun and the god to whom it was the symbol of vision.

About 600 years B. C., Zoroaster, a learned priest and according to some a disciple of the prophet Daniel, undertook to remodel the system of the Magian worship. He had already been initiated into the Hindoo mysteries, and was deep in Egyptian lore. He, therefore, retired to a grotto in the mountains of Bukhara, which he ornamented with all kinds of astronomical and hieroglyphical figures, and solemnly dedicated it to Mithras, which signifies Mediator, and caused it to be publicly proclaimed that be had seen a heavenly vision, and had received a divine revelation. Here, in this hallowed cave, he instituted that system of religious worship which has made his name so famous as the founder of a great system of religion His processes of initiation were almost the same as those of India, already described. There were points of difference, however, which we will mention. He divided initiation into seven degrees, instead of three. The candidate, when first admitted into the sacred presence, was received on the point of a sword, pointed to his naked left breast. He was crowned with olive, anointed with oil, and armed with an enchanted armor. He was then conducted through seven long, dark and gloomy caverns, emblematical of the infernal regions, amid spectral illusions the most appalling, and was finally brought forth from this place of darkness—if he had nerve and strength enough to stand the ordeal—into the illuminated cave, or Elysium, where the Archimagus put him in possession of the sacred words, the principal of which was the Ineffable Tetractys, or unutterable name of God. After initiation the aspirant was invested and instructed. Every emblem displayed was explained to him, and the "Sacred Cipher," or hieroglyphical characters in which the Mysterious Dogmata were all preserved, was taught to him. The lesson of the fall of man, and his temptation by the serpent, was inculcated; the existence of good and evil was taught, and the doctrine of a mediator, who, in the person of Mithras, acted as an ambassador between the August Presence and His offending creatures, was also a part of the Persian mysteries. Thus it will be seen that it was not alone the Egyptian legend of Osiris, his death, passage through Hades, and joyous deliverance hence by the power and influence of that Ineffable 'Word, that Divine Logos, which was at once the emblem and essence of light and life, but engrafted on it was man's restoration to a state of felicity, by and through the mediation of a savior. If Zoroaster was not a disciple of Daniel, at least he must have been acquainted with the Hebrew writings; in fact he was a Jew himself.

If, now, we look for the source of the Greek mysteries, we shall find they too come from the land of the Pharaohs, though somewhat eminently a practical people. Music or poetry did not form a part of their national character, or enter into their literature.

With the Greek this was quite the opposite. The Greek mind was so ideal and imaginative, that, at times, it became almost fantastic; and this exuberant idealism clad every object in nature with divinity, and gave every mountain, stream, and grove its presiding genii. Of all the nations of antiquity, the Greeks were not given to Polytheism. But when St. Paul made his memorable visit to the Athenian capitol, he not only found altars erected to Jupiter, Bacchus, and numberless other heathen deities, but one altar, also, dedicated to the "Unknown God." And could this holy apostle have been admitted into the Sacred Mysteries, he would have found, notwithstanding the degradation and polytheism of the great mass of the common people, that the esoteric doctrines of Pythagoras, Plato, and Socrates, pointed to but one Supreme God, and that they taught a morality as pure as the one he inculcated. And why should they not? They were derived, in a measure, at least, from the same source. The Greek sages had not, like the Hebrew apostle, seen the beatific vision of a God's crucifixion; but Pythagoras, at least, must have been acquainted with the Hebrew writings. Impelled by a quenchless thirst for knowledge, this great heathen philosopher left his island home, and traveled for long weary years in search of truth. He visited Crete, and was conducted by the Cybele priestess into the cave beneath Mount Ida, where the mighty shades of dreaded Jove reposed. He traveled into Sparta, and witnessed the Olympic mysteries. He went to Egypt, where he spent twenty-two years, and even submitted to circumcision, that he might gain admission into the Temple, and secret worship of Isis; and Masonic tradition has it, that he was a personal friend and disciple of the inspired Ezekiel, and was also initiated by Zoroaster himself. Whether this be true or not, his doctrines show conclusively that he must have been acquainted with the teachings of the older Scriptures.

Had we time, it would be interesting and instructive to follow Pythagoras in his wanderings, and give a detailed account of his eventful life and religious dogmas. Suffice it, however, to say, that the Greek Mysteries were conducted on the same general plan as those already described. The aspirant was confined in a place of darkness and left to meditation; he was then conducted through gloomy caverns and over Stygian lakes, emblematical of his death and descent into the place of departed spirits, from whence he was finally brought forth into a room representing Elysium, which was as brilliant and beautiful as the Greeks, with their imagination and artistic genius, could possibly make it. Pythagoras divided his system of initiation into three degrees, and before any one could be admitted to his secrets, they had to submit to a most thorough examination, not only in regard to their bodily health and soundness, but also as to their social position and moral character. They must believe in the existence of Deity, have a tractable temper, and an inquiring disposition. Those belonging to the First Degree, were called Acousmatici, or hearers, and were obliged to keep perfectly silent for from two to five years. This was borrowed from the Egyptians, for silence with them was an object of worship. Those of the Second Degree were called Mathematici, because the mathematics, or numbers, were considered as holding a middle place between corporeal and incorporeal bodies; one partaking the nature of both; and hence, were also objects of divine worship. Those of the Third Degree were called Pythagoreans, or companions, because they were in possession of all Pythagoras himself could impart, and were admitted into his immediate presence and society, the others being allowed only to hear his voice, but never to see his person.

As the Persian Magi taught that every star seen in the heavens was the abode of a spirit, who in a measure controlled the destinies of the human race, and that by the study of astrology they could interpret the destinies of those spirits, so Pythagoras seemed to think that numbers had great significance, and that by them future events could be foretold. One was called Monad, and was the emblem of God, because it could be neither increased nor diminished. Its geometrical equivalent was s point. Two was called a Duad, and was less revered, because it could be increased or diminished. It was the emblem of matter, and its geometrical equivalent a lice. Three was termed a Triad, and was a number very highly revered, because it partook of the nature of both the other two. It was emblematic of the Trinity. Its geometrical equivalent was a superficies, and also an equilateral triangle. Four, or the Tetractys, was the most perfect number of all, and comprised the rest. Its geometer cal equivalent was a cube, or solid. Hence, as the number four was considered the most perfect number, and the cube the most perfect figure, the