Category:Question & Answer


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The impotence of virtual initiations

by Athos A. Altomonte

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Q: …but the first stage, I think, is not less important than the second; indeed it gives us a spiritual power that gives us the chance to work with the instruments that these organizations (Freemasonry or others) own...
Initiatory associations, with their instruments, aim at highlighting and reminding us of all this, accelerating our evolutionary process. If it was not so, all initiatory organizations between East and West would not make any sense...


A: Dear Friend, I am not keen on delving into topics outside their designated place. Nevertheless, I will respond as I have already done, because I don’t think it is fair to leave a question unanswered.

I reply that I am sure that a symbolic initiation does not transmit anything, let alone anything spiritual. Therefore I strongly deny this possibility. And I also deny it in higher initiations, which I know very well indeed.

I agree when you say that every representation reminds us of something. But we still need to distinguish reality from its representation; they are not and never will be the same thing. Therefore I state that every sacred representation, including the religious one, is the psycho-dramatic tale of a reality that is not in the representation itself. I can add that I don’t believe that the actors of the representations have the qualities and powers of the protagonists they are representing. Unless these actors are the same as the protagonists they want to represent to the public: viz. true initiates.

Unfortunately as far as I know a Worshipful Master has never had any relation with the ceremonial reality of the 3rd degree initiation. I mean, nobody has ever been able to truly represent the meaning of a Master. Neither have I ever known of a Master Mason who reflected in himself the rebirth of Master Hiram.

Likewise, no member of the ecclesiastic Hierarchy has ever been enlightened by spiritual light. If there are any "saints" among them, this is thanks to their acceptance by "common agreement".

Therefore, I repeat, we are like children who believe they can see the "Mystery of Nativity" in a grotto.

What remains is the validity of the indications given during the representation.

On this topic, though, I don’t know of any Masons who have precise consciousness of what they experienced during their initiations. And there isn’t the habit of transmitting their sense a posteriori, except than through ever different hypothetical interpretations.

During all my "presences" in the 33 degrees I experienced countless attempts to interpret a sign, a symbol, a sentence, without anybody ever being able to directly convey their meaning.

Therefore the ordinary Masonic debate focuses mostly on the display of a superficial and profane culture, with more or less rhetorical knowledge on events that nobody knows. This gives life to interpretations, comments and dialectic debates. This is the origin of the hypotheses that break apart Masonic culture, and not only that.

Therefore I am convinced, unless proved otherwise, that present initiatory organizations are like closed treasure chests. They are inert because there is no use and practice of the initiatory content.

Common sense will tell us that if we have a treasure chest, either we open it and use its content, or it becomes a pointless object, which might be used for purposes other than its original function. Perhaps we can use it as a paperweight. But what about its content?

Fraternally


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