The Path of Freemasonry: The Craft as a Spiritual Practice

A practical guide to the symbols and rituals of Freemasonry as a path of spiritual development and self-realization • Shares the history and meaning of Freemasonry and its symbols • Offers thoughtful explorations of different areas of Masonic experience, drawing on esoteric doctrines and paralleling them with experiences found in daily life • Provides simple exercises and practices to help internalize and personalize the lessons presented, including dreamwork, journaling, meditation, and prayer In this practical guide, Mark Stavish details the spiritual lessons and rituals of Freemasonry as a step-by-step path of spiritual development and self-improvement for both Masons and non-Masons, men and women, alike. He explores the history and meaning of Freemasonry and its symbols--from its origins in the Temple of Solomon to the Medieval craft guilds to the Renaissance--and explains how the Craft promotes personal growth through the symbolic building of self and an inner Temple of Wisdom in much the same way that Masonry’s rituals symbolize the building of Solomon’s Temple in accordance with the mystical architectural instructions of Hiram. Drawing on esoteric doctrines, including the Qabala, alchemy, sacred geometry, John Dee’s angelic magic, and the secrets of the Gothic cathedral builders, each chapter addresses an area of the Masonic experience, paralleling them with experiences each of us finds in our own lives. The author provides simple practices to help internalize and personalize the lessons presented, including dreamwork, journaling, meditation, prayer, and understanding sacred architecture. The author also examines the crafting and use of the spiritual and symbolic tools of Freemasonry, such as the trestle or tracing board and the Chamber of Reflection. Providing the tools to make the Craft an initiatic experience of self-improvement, the author shows that, ultimately, the Masonic experience is the human quest for self-realization and self-expression, so that we each may find our place in the Temple of Wisdom.

Table of Contents:
Deeper into the Wonderful Mystery Foreword to the 2021 Edition by Arturo de Hoyos, 33° Foreword to the First Edition by Lon Milo DuQuette, 32° How to Use This Book INTRODUCTION What Is the Secret of Freemasonry? CHAPTER 1 What Is Freemasonry? CHAPTER 2 The Temple of Solomon and the Legend of Hiram Abiff CHAPTER 3 Masonic Initiation and the Blue Lodge CHAPTER 4 The Worldview of the Renaissance The World Is Alive, and Magic Is Afoot CHAPTER 5 Sacred Geometry, Gothic Cathedrals, and the Hermetic Arts in Stone CHAPTER 6 The Lost Word and the Masonic Quest CHAPTER 7 Scottish Rite and the Rise of Esoteric Masonry CHAPTER 8 Occult Masonry in the Eighteenth Century CHAPTER 9 York Rite and the Survival of the Knights Templar CHAPTER 10 Freemasonry and the European Occult Revival CONCLUSION Modern Masonry Much Ado about Nothing, or the Revival of the Lost Word? Afterword by Charles S. Canning, 33° APPENDIX A Sacred Geometry and the Masonic Tradition by John Michael Greer APPENDIX B Symbols of the Tracing Boards and the Degrees APPENDIX C Excerpts from Morals and Dogma on the Three Degrees of Masonry Notes Bibliography Index