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Mike Martin
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Posted 10/07/2010 11:32:57
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Apprentice
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Freemasonry its Hidden Meaning, by George H Steinmetz, Privately printed, published 1948, 215 pages inc. index & illustrations.
The author was a very spiritual and esoteric Freemason and that shines through in his interpretations of the symbols found within the 3 Degrees. I did some searching on the Internet to try and find some of his background but he clearly isn’t all that well known, despite appearing on several US Grand Lodges’ Reading Lists. Unfortunately, plenty of Anti-Masonic sites have used this book as a reference and twisted out-of-all recognition (and context) what he actually wrote.
Steinmetz wrote this book in order to get Freemasons to think more about the symbolism within the Lodge and there he succeeds admirably. He starts off by quoting JD Buck saying that The most profound secrets of Masonry are not revealed in the Lodge at all. They belong only to the few . Which translated means that you have to go away from the Lodge and study the symbols (tools) that the Lodge has given you. If you can put aside the author’s initial assertion that Freemasonry is indeed a “religion” (as I had to) the book itself is an excellent tool for starting you off.
However, I find it disconcerting that he gives himself “free-rein” to “evolve”, which actually means change, some symbols (for example the 24” Gauge and the Square) in order to make them fit into his own interpretation. This is not how you interpret a symbol, its form is fixed through time and to change it means you are considering another, different symbol.
Overall Rating: 6/10
Overall this is a very interesting book (although with an American slant) and taking the time to read it will definitely get you thinking about the symbolism that we are all familiar with. Some of his ideas I throw out without any hesitation but others are interesting and need some further thought. Definitely a worthwhile addition to any Masonic Library.
MikeMersey Lodge No. 5434 WebsiteThe Freemasons'''' Grand Charity WebsiteSee my BALLS here
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Mike Martin
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Posted 19/07/2010 12:14:35
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Apprentice
Group: Administrator
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