One of the most attractive attributes of Freemasonry is its secrecy; however, it's not a secret to anyone that many of the origins of the esoterics of Freemasonry can be traced back to the Mystery Schools of Ancient Egypt. Manly P. Hall, as well as many other Masonic writers, have publicly stated this and elaborated on it further. There are similar truths of wisdom communicated through the Masonic degrees that have allusions to such schools, such as Hermeticism and Alchemy, which are directly connected to the ancient Egyptian mystery schools. If our rituals have such allusions to Masonry, what else in the observation of Ancient Egypt can be seen as Masonic?
One of the most fascinating writings we have from the ancient Egyptian traditions is known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Alternatively translated as The Book of Emerging Forth Into the Light, or The Book of Becoming Light. This book contains many funeral rituals and "spells" that is said to have been written by Ancient Egyptian High Priests over a period of around 1,000 years. The book itself acts as an initiation ritual for the dead. The book was to be read aloud as a guide for the dead to find their way to the Afterlife. This book of “spells” is thought to have been written by many priests over a period of perhaps 1,000 years, and nearly 200 complete spells have been discovered, but many scholars agree that there were most likely many more.
The Initiation into the Afterlife
The book itself in the context of guiding someone through death to the Afterlife is amazing in it of itself, but what else can we observer in this work if we look at it as a Mason? The answer lies in knowing a bit of context in terms of how the Egyptians viewed the conception of life, the universe, and magic. As far as the Egyptians were concerned, the Universe was inherently magical, and many things in the world around them, including words, could ignite that magical power. Consequently, to the Egyptians, there was little difference between written/spoken words and magic. All writings were essentially magical. As is in many world religions and in many exorcism techniques, knowing the name of something in Egyptian gave one dominion over it in their eyes.
To them, there was no line between the seen and the unseen in this world. Everything flowed as one big living organism. All the layers of existence were thought to overlap, and interweave. In reading the book of the dead at face value, it tells the story of a body dying and being initiated into death. In order to complete this journey, the initiate must pass through the Duat, or the Underworld, and must defeat supernatural beings with magical charming by incantation. At the end of the trial, if the soul (or candidate) hadn't been destroyed by either the creatures or by Osiris’ soldiers of death, then he would be weighed by Osiris against the Goddess of Truth and Justice, Maat. To elaborate plainly, after completing the trials, the candidate was then tried to ensure they were duly and truly prepared (see what I did there?).
The Initiatory Model, the Circle of Life, and the Afterlife
This type of initiatic experience should sound familiar to any Mason, and many parts of the book of the dead capture Masonic teachings in its purest forms. In the book of the dead, we see a story of initiation and clear allusions to death and immortality, but how does this same text allude to the journey through life that we as Masons are on?
Life is a series of initiations. By travelling through life, we are presented with obstacles and we are shown ways to get out of them, or given light. We are confronted constantly with situations in which our Cardinal Virtues are challenged. The difference being of course virtue isn't something that is given by divine privilege, but something that is sought after, worked through, and grow strength in over time. After all, isn't that what the Fellowcraft degree teaches? Becoming a better man takes hard work, determination, and resilience.
When we face challenges, the real monsters we're trying to charm are the ones inside us. We're trying to convince ourselves that we have what it takes to get through any situation, and we do so by sticking to the fundamentals and the teachings we were given as initiates in Masonry. By sticking to the four Cardinal Virtues and working by the square, we can take on the world. Symbolically, we can even take the allusion of being given the wisdom as the initiate to persevere, we can attribute the magical words themselves to the creative minds that reside within us. By thinking outside the box, we can find the most efficient and effective solutions to whatever we face.
Initiation In Terms of Evolution
If initiation makes sense in the lodge room, in the Egyptian Funerary Arts, and in the Circle of Life, does it make sense in terms of literal death? Today, there is a lot of research that has been done on Near Death Experiences (NDE)s. In many iterations of the near death experience, those who go through them report seeing a deep darkness before being brought to light. Once you have reached the light, the research tells us that you will most likely see life flashing before your eyes. Essentially, this is a weighing of the scales, a measurement of our life’s actions against justice, or what was right. Through this, we can see the truthfulness in what the Egyptians were attempting to remedy in terms of their funerary practices through the Book of the Dead or the Egyptian Book of Coming Forth Into the Light.
The second truth of this is not as obvious, but makes sense upon further investigation. Does this same theme apply when we are born again? When we receive a spiritual awakening? When we grow as human beings? When we make decisions to change in our life, we weigh the scales of justice and what we believe to be right against this new information and simultaneously against the decisions we've made leading up to this point. Once we make the decision to change or be born again, we initiate ourselves into a new version of ourselves, better than before. Which to me, is exactly what Freemasonry stands for. Through this, we can understand that our lives are truly just one big cycle of initiations, and one big path to further truth.
By subjecting ourselves to constant initiation, we allow ourselves to grow at a much faster rate. By knocking to enter, by passing, and by being raised, we too allow ourselves to evolve our understanding of the world around us. Freemasonry is the catalyst that allows for this evolution, and through it, we can hope to become a better person.
Bro. Matthew R. Ross
Battle Creek Lodge No. 12
Grand Lodge of Michigan F.&A.M.
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