The Cable-tow as a Working Tool
I have written many times about how we build our inner temple using symbolic tools on a larger scale, but this month I’ll focus a bit on one of the working tools and its symbolic meaning. The reason for this comes from my learning the First Degree Lecture as a part of my qualifications to enter the Junior Warden’s station. Memorizing that talk led me to refocus on those lessons first explained following the initiation.
The Cable-tow
Some folks may not consider the cable-tow one of the working tools, but I submit that it certainly should be. The CA Lodge EA Candidate Booklet defines the cable-tow as “a rope such as would be used to tow or restrain a heavy load. It is also generally regarded as a symbol of the voluntary and complete acceptance of, and pledged compliance with, whatever Masonry may have in store for the candidate. The cable-tow is also symbolic of the candidate’s attachment to the outside world.”
The “length of the cable-tow” is frequently referred to in the language of Freemasonry. There are many opinions of exactly how long a cable-tow really was and this mystery has yet to be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. One opinion suggests that a cable-tow was deemed to be the distance one could travel on foot in one hour, which was assumed to be about three miles. In another, the cable-tow was symbolic of the height a mason would climb to perform his work, and was used to haul materials to that height.
In Masonry today, the “length of one’s cable-tow” now represents any reasonable distance from which a Masonic summons must be answered—health, family, and business permitting. Each Mason is bound to all other Masons by a tie symbolized by the cable-tow as long and as strong as he himself determines his ability will permit.
Another consideration of the cable-tow is the self-imposed restriction on a Mason’s commitments. A man draws on his skills to create, to work, and to gain. In doing so, he withdraws from his strength, his reserves, and his stamina. That same man has only so much time to obligate, to dedicate, and to commit. Every Mason should know what his capacity is and realize his must balance his time, efforts, and inner strength to continue to realize gains and not find himself in a position where he cannot provide his best efforts.
When a Mason extends himself too far, his ability to create Beauty diminishes, his over-obligations cause him to break his word; taking on too much weakens the efforts in other areas. So the cable-to reminds us that we must restrain ourselves from over-extending ourselves and stay within that circle “within which we cannot err”.
To sum it up, Dirty Harry had it right when he said in the movie Magnum Force, “A man’s got to know his limitations.”
A Niche Within Your Cable-Tow
Within every Lodge I have visited, been a part of, or even read about there has been one a common thread or similar concern; getting more of its members involved, to step up and play a part in the doings of the Lodge. It seems that this has been true regardless of the locale, era, or the condition of the Lodge. Most Masons can recall seeing (or hearing about) a time when it seemed “there was more of us” involved in the Lodge activities. Look at old Lodge photos and see all the faces in attendance… yet even then there was always a core group of members that made things happen.
Lodge Members often tend to fall into one of two categories, Joiners and Doers. The “Joiners” become members of the Lodge, but remain on the sidelines, and don’t step forward to take on a more active role, often because it’s already being done by someone else or because of other commitments to family, job, schooling, and so forth. There will always be a place for them, and they are, of course, always welcome. They, in fact, make up the majority in any group, and it will always be so. Some are “Doers” who take on every task offered or that they can find, and often will eventually take on more than they should because of commitment, a Type “A” personality, personal desire, and so forth. That, also, will always be so. The challenge then, is to blend the two in such a way that there is formed the “interested middle”. But how do we bridge that gap? How do we form the interested middle?
Perhaps that bridge can be built in the simplest way: finding a niche that is within their cable-tow. How much we do for the Lodge is an individual decision made by each of us by weighing our responsibilities and knowing our limitations. There is a place for every man in the Lodge, which he must determine for himself.
My niche, as it were, has been doing research and sharing what I learned with others. Communication. I have found great joy in my life and enjoyed great satisfaction in getting to the “ah-hah” moment in others, finding that moment of discovery and understanding, which lead me to Masonic Education and to doing this publication. But somewhere along the journey, I stepped forward (out of my comfort zone) and entered the Line to become (eventually) the Master of the Lodge. Now is the time that I examine my own cable-tow’s length. It is time for me, after nearly three years, to turn loose of one of my joys… that of being the Editor of this Trestleboard.
Those who know me well know that memory work is NOT my strong suit! It takes me a great deal of time and effort to commit our Work to memory. So I have asked for someone to step forward and take on the Trestleboard for the High desert Lodges. I needed (and found) a volunteer to help the Lodge(s) in this calling. We have many talented, intelligent, and interesting men in our two Lodges in the High Desert. To those on the sideline in your own Lodge, can this be your gift to your Lodge?
My time as a niche player in my Lodge is over, so I will do what I must. Sadly, December was my last issue as Editor of a fine newsletter. But the High Desert Trestleboard now has a new Editor. However, that doesn’t mean I’ll stop writing for this blog, or stop teaching Masonic Education in the Lodge!
This month’s column began with a discussion of getting involved with the work of the Lodge, and then discussed how I found a role… a niche… and joy. Again, what could be your niche? How can you do a little something to contribute to your brothers?
Character Matters
What is character? Character, in the English language, can have many meanings, including a moral or ethical quality; and, qualities of honesty, courage, and the like; or integrity. But actually, character is the sum total of who we really are; both inwardly and outwardly. It’s what we do. It’s the accumulation of our thoughts, values, words and actions.
Let’s consider a refinement of the above as “moral character”. A dictionary might describe moral character as the confluence of mental and ethical traits marking a person. The marking, or Mark, of a person is what we will focus on here.
Operative stonemasons constructed stone edifices, and as they did so, they placed their mark upon the stone. That mark indicated that the ashlar was squared, smoothed, and set by them. That mark then allowed the master builder to tally the work done by that mason for pay; it was also tantamount to a painter signing his canvas or a writer’s by-line. It proclaimed that stone to be their work. Placing their mark on the stone was the mason giving their word that the work was done right and by them.
As applied to Speculative Freemasonry, Character is the manifestation of your inner Temple, that Temple that you have constructed within yourself. You build the inner Temple through your words, actions, thoughts and values.
Outwardly, our character becomes our own Mark by which we are judged by others. People see what we do, say, and value. They will tally our work in the same way that the master builder tallied the work of the stonemason. We are known by our mark. Our character and our work become our Word. Therefore, we are judged as to whether our Word is good.
A Master Mason’s Word should be given only when three conditions exist. Those conditions are Wisdom, Strength and Beauty.
Wisdom exists when there is authority, accountability, and good judgment. Authority is derived from the Volume of Sacred Law, the guide all Mason’s should look to. Judgment comes from the knowledge and realization of the results of our actions. And Accountability is the consequence of judgment.
Strength entails having the resources required to make a Mason’s Word possible. These resources are time, knowledge, ability, capability and funding available. A Mason should not give their word unless they have the resources to support it.
Beauty is that ability to do well what must be done. A Master Mason should initiate work when he possesses the skill and mastery to perform the work admirably, or have access to those who can guide him in performing it well. In other words, commit yourself when you know that what you are going to do will be done in a manner that will bring credit for a job well done.
Taken together, Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty create the supports (or Pillars) needed to uphold a Mason’s Word. Each of these characteristics is interdependent upon the other two. Without one, the other two cannot stand on their own and the word is lost.
A Mason’s Word is like a stool, securely supported and balanced. The seat is like that circle within which we cannot materially err. The legs are wisdom, strength and beauty, equally supporting and balancing the seat
A Mason that gives and keeps his word, backs it with actions that support, stands by it when needed, uses sound judgment in giving it, and commits to performing it suitably, thereby demonstrates good moral character; the mark of a true Mason.
Choose Wisely
I was finishing a nice Chinese meal last week and received the customary fortune cookie at the end. Normally, I would have expected to receive the standard humdrum “fortune”, but this one caught my attention… it read, “You have strong spiritual powers, you should choose to develop them.” Wow. I have never received a “fortune” like that. I normally get some silly phrase that becomes slightly risqué when adding “between the sheets” at the end! What did it mean (other than being a random piece of paper in a manufactured quasi-dessert)? My thoughts are that it meant nothing unless I placed meaning to it. If I choose to discover my own spiritual powers, I may find them to be strong. Or, I could laugh at the paper and discard it with the rest of the remains of the meal.
The same is true with Masonic education. The ritual we learn and recite is symbolic, with layers and layers of meaning that must be applied to the words for it to have formative properties. What does the ritual teach us? Whatever we choose to find, of course. I bought a copy of Freemasons for Dummies when I first considered becoming a Mason, half expecting to find a Masonry-by-Numbers course that I could apply and come to be “a Mason”. Yeah, not so much…
I have discovered that every author out there has a different “take” on what Masonry means and how it applies, but just like the fortune cookie mentioned above, it is only what we discover within the teachings and then relate to ourselves that makes us a Mason. We choose to build, or develop our inner temple from the lessons we learn.
You can either choose to learn the lessons, research the meanings, and apply them, or, you can wad it up like an old fortune cookie insert and toss it with the remains. It’s your choice, and like the old Templar in the Indiana Jones movie said… “Choose wisely”.
Secrets and Freemasonry There is a common retort Masons give when people talk about Freemasonry as a “Secret Society”. We frequently say, “No, we are a society with secrets”. We widely advertise who we are, where we are, and when we meet. There are countless ways to find us. Yet we do have secrets. Secrets distinguish the Masons from the rest of society.
But aside from our ritual and certain signs and tokens, what secrets do we really have? Our obligations speak to this in all three degrees, requiring that we keep secret the hidden mysteries of Masonry, right? Most Masons believe that the “secrets” start and end right there. Years ago, I once asked my sponsor/coach that question. Unfortunately, he did not give me an answer and I grew frustrated. The truth was that he did not know how to answer me.
So, what IS a secret anyway? Secrets are anything that is hidden, unexplained, or a mystery. With that as a definition, Masonry is indeed loaded with secrets. What is the purpose then for all the secrecy? Why is it emphasized in our obligations? The answer is twofold.
One consideration is that secrecy applies to the inner revelations that are hidden. Deeper meanings require study and learning, as Masonry is a progressive science. The meanings behind the symbols and ritual wordings are indeed hidden, even though there are thousands of books widely available. How is that so? Because Masons must progress in their understanding of the teachings; the hidden mysteries of Freemasonry. They are not immediately revealed. They must be realized, internalized and then applied. One cannot understand the mysteries by “jumping to the end of the book”. A Mason must develop the skill to see, learn, and comprehend the lessons. The lessons are integrated and grow with each degree.
Another consideration is that the emphasis on secrecy is done to impress upon the Mason the necessity of TRUST as a virtue. Our brotherhood cannot exist without trust. We create bonds between those with whom we share a confidence and have mutual reliances. Secrets create a bond between brothers. “A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but hearts of fools blurt outwardly”. Secrets also regulate the inner being by developing the discipline to selectively share and keep confidences within the inner circle, which is necessary for harmonious interaction with others.
Secrets, then, are a Working Tool that supports Masons and enables them to forge bonds and fellowships; and is for discovery and further exploration, as there is much concealed from those who do not seek deeper meanings.
Betterment of the Lodge, Betterment of Ourselves The lore of our fraternity from the beginning of records speaks to the brotherhood we share. It is written about in verse, in song, and in prose. Kipling wrote about the beauty of the Masonic brotherhood in novels and short stories, especially when brothers meet up in distant lands and recognize each other in times of war. Even today, the love of brotherhood inspires men to compose songs of praise.
We are drawn together in our order through a sense of this brotherhood, but we don’t always live up to it. Pettiness and internal power struggles all too often create significant problems in a Lodge. In some cases, those power struggles cannot be overcome, to the detriment of the Lodge and Masonry as a whole.
We can all learn from the failures of others in this regard. There are documented cases of Lodges being dissolved because the brothers could not place the needs of the Lodge above the small-mindedness of individuals.
We should all work with a sure and steady purpose, but with two paths: the betterment of the Lodge and the betterment of ourselves. As we work on improving our own inner temples, we should apply the teachings to our public edifices. Take the time to learn about the Craft. Select a topic every month and read about it. Look on the web for Masonic podcasts delving into the teachings and listen to them. Stimulate your intellectual curiosity. Find out what it takes to improve yourself in Masonry, and by extension, improve your Lodge.
I believe that by following the principles, teaching, and tenets of Masonry, a Lodge evolves from a mere group of men gathered together for common purpose to a true brotherhood.
|
RSS Feed