The Widows Sons, a Masonic Riders Association.

The concept of the Widows Sons Masonic Motorcycle Association was conceived by W.Bro. Carl Davenport in Chicago in 2000. He laid the foundation for what would become an international organization with over a thousand members in North America and Europe today. Well over 30 Master Masons in Alberta who ride a variety of bikes are proud to ride and do charity work together.

At the Edmonton motorcycle show in January 2006 a group of Masons came together for the first time to discuss the first chapter of the Widows Sons in Canada. On March 10, 2006 the Northern Jurisdiction issued a charter for Alberta and since then other Canadian Grand Chapters have been started in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba.

The charity the Widows Sons are involved in here in Alberta consists primarily of donating time to society. Over the last two years we have contributed time and labour to the iHuman Youth Society, the Salvation Army and the Blood Bank and this summer a young girl named Lydia will receive much needed medical equipment with the support of the Widows Sons.

We have accomplished a lot in our first two years and we continue to make great plans for the future, both in Lodge and on the road. For more information visit our website at www.widowssons.ca or contact us at secretary@widowssons.ca

Chamber of Reflection

Joseph Campbell writes in his book ‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces’ about the monomyth. He borrowed the term from James Joyce, but in essence the monomyth describes a hero’s journey as it can be found in many narratives and myths around the world. In his book Campbell writes about the formula of the monomyth, which can be broken down in three parts:

1. The retreat
2. The initiation
3. The return

The monomyth can be applied to the three degrees of Freemasonry, the initiation and return as a Mason can easily be recognized. However, the retreat from life as a profane is missing in our degrees, the retreat where the initiate dies as a profane and makes way for a rebirth, or return as a Master Mason after his initiation.

Introduction

The Chamber of Reflection is used in the EA degree in the French Rite, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, the Rectified Scottish Rite, The Rite of Memphis - Mizraïm and derivatives of those. It can be explained as a room in the Lodge building where the candidate will reflect upon himself as well as attributes and symbols found in the chamber, before being initiated in the EA degree. During his stay the candidate will be confronted with a series of thought provoking symbols, which we will examine further in this paper.

Alchemy

A basic understanding of Alchemy is helpful in order to put most of the chamber’s symbolism in context. Although most people think of Alchemy as creating gold out of base metals, this is only an aspect of this ancient tradition. Alchemy is a spiritual or sacred art in a similar way to Freemasonry. It provides tools that can lead to the realization of a higher state of consciousness and both arts depend on an initiation. Permission to study these sacred arts closer requires initiation for which permission should be obtained from a Master.

Solve et Coagula

The Alchemist’s motto is ‘solve et coagula’ which roughly translates to braking down and restructuring elements of matter. When applying this process to gold, the resulting alchemical gold will appear in a purified state, absent of all impure components. In regards to Freemasonry we need to see this in light of spiritual Alchemy. The terms operative and speculative can be applied to Freemasonry as well as Alchemy and it is the latter that is important when studying the chamber of reflection.

Just as alchemy restructures elements in order to achieve a pure form of gold it is the purpose of Freemasonry to restructure the elements of the candidate to achieve a purer, complete man. This becomes clear when one considers that the alchemical symbol for gold is a point within a circle. Later on we will learn what the three elements are of man.

The Rite of Memphis

Before the candidate is initiated into the Rite of Memphis he is lead into the Camber of Reflection by a Lodge officer who gives him the following instructions:

Sir, alone, left to yourself, before an image of termination of terrestrial Life, I invite you to write your Philosophical Testament. The Ceremony, which you are about to undergo, will, through its esoteric symbolism, bring to life the process, following death, of separation of the constitutive elements of Being. So that you will truly absorb the real purpose of Masonic Initiation, we ask you to meditate upon three metaphysical terms, which dominate the entire question of human existence. This is why I invite you, in this place and at this time, to set down your conception of the main elements of the duties of Man towards God, the World, and himself. When you are alone, with this door once more closed, then only are you permitted to remove your blindfold.

When the Candidate has removed his blindfold he finds a piece of paper with three questions upon the table, which he must answer in writing. The first question asks the candidate what his duty is to his creator, the second question deals with his duty towards the universe and lastly he has to answer what his duty is towards himself as well as humanity.

The candidate is left alone to contemplate the symbols in the chamber and to write his answers to the questions. Once he has indicated he is finished his philosophical testament is presented in Lodge and when found favourable the candidate is prepared in the usual manner and led to the door of the Lodge.

In three short rites the candidate is purified when entering the Lodge by the elements water, air and fire. The Chamber of Reflection represents the fourth, namely earth. Water purifies the candidates’ body, the spirit is purified by air and the soul by fire. These three facets collectively represent the three-fold unity addressed in the 14th century by Jan van Ruysbroek in his book ‘On the Adornment of Spiritual Marriage’: ‘These three unities which are in man by nature constitute a single life and a single realm. In its lowest unity this life is sensory and animal; in the middle unity it is rational and spiritual; and in the highest unity it is contained in its own essence. This belongs to all men by nature…’

The notion that Man consists of the three key elements body, spirit and soul is supported by Alchemy: ‘…each metal consists of three components, namely, sulphur, quicksilver and salt. “Where ever there is metal’, says Basilius Valentinus, ‘there are Sulphur, Quicksilver and Salt … spirit, soul and body.’ Thus these three powers or principles together constitute the nature of metal – or of man.’

Only when the three components are present in man, may a higher state be reached and the gold formed, the point within a circle.

When raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason the third component of soul is added to the two components of body and spirit, attained in the EA and FC degree. The building of this three-fold unity was started in the chamber of reflection.

Contents of the Chamber of Reflection

Although different items may be found in the chamber in different rites, a certain set of items can be found in all. First I will describe the settings of the chamber and then we will examine them closer: Upon entering the sparsely lit chamber, the first things that stand out are a table and a stool without a backrest. On the table are a lit candle, a pitcher or cup of water next to a piece of bread, an hourglass and two wood or clay cups, one with sea salt and one with sulphur. Next to a piece of paper containing three questions lays a goose quill and jar of black china ink. A human skull and crossed thighbones complete the setting. On the wall hangs a covered mirror and in the corner of the chamber stands a human skeleton, or an image hereof hangs on the wall.

The skeleton represents rebirth in Alchemy and the skull refers to ‘Caput Mortuum’ which means ‘death’s head’ in Latin and alludes to the residue of an alchemical operation after all valuable elements have been removed. In combination with the cross bones the skull symbolizes mortality and death.

The scythe makes us aware of the universal justice that ‘as we sow, so shall we reap.’ meaning that we will not be judged by our past, we will be judged by the present. Often our biggest enemy can be found within ourselves, the mirror on the wall exemplifies this.

The hourglass of course symbolizes time and makes us aware of our mortality, but can be explained further to connect with the notion of the eternal life cycle that can be found all around us since it needs to be turned over continuously. The Dictionary of Symbolism adds: ‘In other traditions it urges mortals to live in moderation and virtue, lest their allotted time be arbitrarily curtailed as the result of intemperance.’

Water and bread are the quintessential symbols for sustaining human life. Additionally the creation of bread, human work in its basic form, demonstrates the use of God’s creations to better ourselves. Water on the other hand is the prime material from which all life comes and symbolizes fertility.

The rooster is associated with the God Mercury and represents this alchemical element, also known as quicksilver and it delineates the soul. The salt and the sulfur present on the table respectively denote the body and spirit, completing the three fold unity.

The Labyrinth

Introduction

The labyrinth has fascinated my father for over 40 years when a friend introduced him to the concept of the Theseus and Ariadne myth in which the labyrinth is introduced. Over the years he has read numerous books on the topic, visited several lectures and presented his own paper on the topic a number of times. In this article I will present an introduction on the labyrinth, which I summarized and translated from his research. This short article deals with the myth of Theseus and Ariadne in which the labyrinth is introduced. The original paper takes an in-depth look at the structure and numerology build into the labyrinth of the cathedral of Chartres in which the most well known labyrinth is situated. Over the years my father has been convinced that the labyrinth and its mythical references hold the key to a philosophical approach of our life experiences.

The myth of Theseus and Ariadne

The concept of the labyrinth stems from the myth of Theseus and Ariadne. It tells the story of the King Minos of Crete who was aided into power by Poseidon, the God of the sea. Poseidon presented Minos with a bull as a symbol of approval, which Minos was required by Poseidon to sacrifice to the Gods after his coronation. He was so captivated by the bull’s beauty however, that he decided to keep it and sacrifice a different bull. When Poseidon got wind of this he took revenge by letting Minos’ wife, Pasiphea, fall in love with the bull. In order to consummate the relationship, she asked the architect Daedalus to build a cow for her in which she could hide. She became pregnant of the bull and gave birth to Minotaur, half bull and half human. Minos’ son was encouraged by the King of Athens to kill Minotaur, but was killed by the bull-man in his attempt. Upon his son’s death Minos decided to lock up Minotaur in a labyrinth that he had especially designed by Daedalus. Minos held the people of Athens responsible for the death of his son and forced them to sacrifice seven boys and seven virgins every nine years. During the third year of these sacrifices the son of the King of Athens, Theseus, joined the fourteen children in an attempt to kill Minotaur in order to be released from the cruel sacrifices. The daughter of King Minos, Ariadne, fell in love with Theseus and offered her assistance to Theseus. Daedalus, the architect, stood by her side and advised Ariadne to hand Theseus a long line of tread in order to find his way out of the labyrinth. Their plan worked; Theseus killed Minotaur in the centre of the labyrinth and together with Ariadne he escaped the wrath of Minos by fleeing to Naxos.

Theseus defeats Minotaur in the labyrinth

The symbolic meaning of the myth

The philosopher Hein Stufkens offers an explanation of the myth and its symbols. The sacrifices the people from Athens have to make towards the King of Crete represents psychological oppression of the individual mind. The sacrifices had to be young, which represents purity of the individual. They had to be male and female to represent the dual aspects of the individual mind being given up and it had to be seven, as that number reinforces the purity and completeness of the individual. The sacrifices made in the myth represent the sacrifices we all make in order to maintain peace and harmony in our environment, thereby surrendering elements of our own personality that make us who we are. Theseus’ action represents the power within us that awakens and no longer accepts the sacrifices of the individual personality.

The symbolic meaning of the labyrinth

The labyrinth in which Theseus ventures, is representative of the subconscious, the unknown or dark elements of our mind. The support he receives from Ariadne can be recognized as the unsuspected support one receives when battling a situation. The thread handed to him by Ariadne to find his way out of the labyrinth represents the female support of love. The male powers of the mind need to be balanced by the female powers of the mind in order to achieve success. The thread connects the male power with the female intuitive power to create the balance needed to overcome the struggle, the killing of Minotaur. The bull has been a symbol of intimidating force in many ancient cultures and in this myth it represents our inner struggles that we hide in our subconscious. By killing it we not only overcome our obstacles, since death can also be interpreted as a transition. We take the strength of the ‘beast’ within us and transform it into a positive life force.

The labyrinth in different parts of the world

In 1996 there was an exhibition in museum Comenius in Naarden, The Netherlands about the labyrinth with as motto: “The labyrinth; a source of confusion.” From the catalogue of that exhibition comes to following information.

"The labyrinth is an ancient symbol. It is unknown when it was drawn for the first time, but in Memphis, Egypt, a 4700-year-old seal was found picturing a labyrinth. The myth of Theseus and Ariadne is the oldest known tale of the labyrinth, but the meaning of the symbol has most likely transformed over the ages. The fascinating aspect is that the symbol appears throughout different part of the world in different civilizations, from Europe to India, Indonesia, South America and Egypt. Images of it can be found in cathedrals and other places of worship but also on coins and gardens. The labyrinth in Crete is round, but elsewhere one can find square, triangular and octagonal versions. The most well known, round labyrinth can be found in the cathedral of Chartres. Throughout the centuries the labyrinth has been an inspiration for many painters."

Labyrinth in the cathedral of Chartres

Structural characteristics of the labyrinth in the cathedral of Chartres

Over time the labyrinth has been known under various names. Jean Vilette has published several of these names in a publication titled “L’enigme du Labyrinthe”.

“Le Dedale” – This stems from the name Deadalus who designed the labyrinth for King Minos of Crete.

“Domus Daedali” – The house of Daedalus.

“La lieue” – The mile, a distance which takes roughly an hour to walk. When pilgrims crawled through the labyrinth on hands and knees it would take them an hour to cover the distance, which is 261.5 meter.

“Chemin de Jerusalem” – The road to the heavenly Jerusalem.

At the centre of the labyrinth in Chartres used to be a copper plate depicting Theseus and Minotaur. The plate has been long gone, but the anchors for the plate are still present. This demonstrates how the church has transformed the myth to Christian traditions.

• The labyrinth is circular with at the centre another circle with 6 petals.
• The diameter is almost 13 metes, 12.89 to be exact.
• The length of the path through the labyrinth is 261.50 meters.
• The centre line is perpendicular to two columns on the North and South side of the Cathedral.
• The nave of the cathedral consists of 7 spans, the labyrinth lies on the edge between the third and fourth span.
• The tessellated border consists of 113 teeth.
• The entrance of the labyrinth lies in the west, across from the main entrance of the cathedral.
• It is subdivided in 4 quadrants.
• The entrance to the centre also starts in the west.
• The centre consists of 6 circular petals around a circular centre. 6 + 1 = 7
  

Conclusion

The labyrinth is the symbol for an initiation path. It has as goal, just as our life, to lead the initiate to the centre of the self, without getting lost, leading to the gates of a new life, as the labyrinth is located between 2 columns. The labyrinth symbolizes the path we follow during our lives, creating the opportunity to learn more about our hidden struggles and ourselves. This awareness process provides the ability to develop our self into a balanced human being. With every step towards spiritual wholeness, the centre located in the East a person can return reborn to the physical world in the west.

Henotheism

heno·the·ism: the worship of one god without denying the existence of other gods