An Entered Apprenticed Mason steps on his left, his weakest side, and brings his right, the strongest side, into the harmony of opposites, and creates the first of three legs of a pyramid. The one half part of the pyramid that is shown, is called mortality, the lesson of the Entered Apprenticed , and is to become connected with the perpendicular of his self esteem or spiritual life.
In this state, the young Mason has only one position in the Lodge, one of childhood, where he is a part of the family, but has no responsibility in the family, but is responsible to it. He is a receptacle in which the knowledge of the fellows is put into him at no charge, except the charges the Apprentice receives after his initiation.
His body is a temple cornerstone, his mind a place of sacrifice, his soul his own Sanctum Sanctorum that for now, is unknown by his finite mind.
The Fellowcraft Mason, in his first entrance to the Temple is met by the decision, his own Shiboleth that stops him at the crossroads of his young life, when he is faced with the indecisions of young adulthood. The valley of adolescence faces him near the fords of trust and mistrust. The decisions are his, and he must speak to his own Shiboleth and if found worthy of the task, is allowed to pass over to the seemingly safe ground of manhood.
He is faced with a new problem, but finds it to his liking, Intellect attained by bringing his strong side to join further with his self esteem or spiritual life.
Now that his meager forces have been joined, he has a greater outlook on life, and enters the Temple for the second time. Now that he has to work, "by the sweat of his brow", man must be paid his wages. He is given the wages of eternal life by being allowed to view the wonders of God's creation and how the decorate the physical temple. He meets his three stages of man, learns of his five senses and how they are imbued in stone through architecture, some pure as the Greek, some false like the Roman. Refreshment, nourishment and joy are paid him.
Man has always reached upwards, to "be like God" as expressed by Nimrod. His visions of the unattainable have always been in an upward class, never downward, as towards the grave. The compasses are the tools of the architect, not the workman, yet the workman seeks to rise up from his appointed station. As a Master Mason, the man is caused to link the morality with his intellect, and when connected to his base world of simplicity, he attains Spirituality.
It is no wonder that Pythagoras was so elated when he found the "secret of the pyramids" which was no secret after all, for he only discovered it. Someone else had invented it. It was a greater mind that Pythagoras could imagine, for it was the mind of God, the theosophy of the Cabalistic minds multiplied untold times. Unconnected, the step of the Master Mason is the unfinished Temple of Huram, the untimely death of Osiris, the darkness of the world.
So then, man goes to the land of the underworld seeing only darkness, traveling through the three ruffians of social, religious and political stripes. Man is struck and is now dead from the inadequacies of the human frailties. The question goes out: Who can save fallen man? The Law is unable to raise man, except to get him a little above the base. Who then? The Prophecy is good for man's dreams and aspirations, but cannot raise him. Who then? From Genesis 49:9-10 comes the answer: Judah, the Lion's whelp, the Fire.
"So man lieth down and riseth not up, until the heavens be no more..."
The BASE is the Individual Man...the master of his fate. Judaism
The PERPENDICULAR is the attainments of man, what he will accomplish. Christianity
The HYPOTENUSE is the avenue by which he will reach them. Islam
In this state, the young Mason has only one position in the Lodge, one of childhood, where he is a part of the family, but has no responsibility in the family, but is responsible to it. He is a receptacle in which the knowledge of the fellows is put into him at no charge, except the charges the Apprentice receives after his initiation.
His body is a temple cornerstone, his mind a place of sacrifice, his soul his own Sanctum Sanctorum that for now, is unknown by his finite mind.
The Fellowcraft Mason, in his first entrance to the Temple is met by the decision, his own Shiboleth that stops him at the crossroads of his young life, when he is faced with the indecisions of young adulthood. The valley of adolescence faces him near the fords of trust and mistrust. The decisions are his, and he must speak to his own Shiboleth and if found worthy of the task, is allowed to pass over to the seemingly safe ground of manhood.
He is faced with a new problem, but finds it to his liking, Intellect attained by bringing his strong side to join further with his self esteem or spiritual life.
Now that his meager forces have been joined, he has a greater outlook on life, and enters the Temple for the second time. Now that he has to work, "by the sweat of his brow", man must be paid his wages. He is given the wages of eternal life by being allowed to view the wonders of God's creation and how the decorate the physical temple. He meets his three stages of man, learns of his five senses and how they are imbued in stone through architecture, some pure as the Greek, some false like the Roman. Refreshment, nourishment and joy are paid him.
Man has always reached upwards, to "be like God" as expressed by Nimrod. His visions of the unattainable have always been in an upward class, never downward, as towards the grave. The compasses are the tools of the architect, not the workman, yet the workman seeks to rise up from his appointed station. As a Master Mason, the man is caused to link the morality with his intellect, and when connected to his base world of simplicity, he attains Spirituality.
It is no wonder that Pythagoras was so elated when he found the "secret of the pyramids" which was no secret after all, for he only discovered it. Someone else had invented it. It was a greater mind that Pythagoras could imagine, for it was the mind of God, the theosophy of the Cabalistic minds multiplied untold times. Unconnected, the step of the Master Mason is the unfinished Temple of Huram, the untimely death of Osiris, the darkness of the world.
So then, man goes to the land of the underworld seeing only darkness, traveling through the three ruffians of social, religious and political stripes. Man is struck and is now dead from the inadequacies of the human frailties. The question goes out: Who can save fallen man? The Law is unable to raise man, except to get him a little above the base. Who then? The Prophecy is good for man's dreams and aspirations, but cannot raise him. Who then? From Genesis 49:9-10 comes the answer: Judah, the Lion's whelp, the Fire.
"So man lieth down and riseth not up, until the heavens be no more..."
The BASE is the Individual Man...the master of his fate. Judaism
The PERPENDICULAR is the attainments of man, what he will accomplish. Christianity
The HYPOTENUSE is the avenue by which he will reach them. Islam