365 Level Steps Volume 2: Masonic Meditations for Every Day of Another Year

January1

You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

Marcus Aurelius

One of the first things we do as Freemasons is to acknowledge our reliance on God in ‘all cases of danger and difficulty.’ That, however, is not the end of the story, for reliance on the Divine is not an easy, passive surrender to whatever life throws our way.

On the contrary, it commits us to a lifetime of mental and emotional endeavour as we search always to find the good and the positive in everything that material life, with all its joys and sorrows, can test us with. While we learn to trust in the ultimate beneficence of our Creator, we acknowledge that we alone are responsible for our attitudes to life, and we alone are the arbiters of our success and happiness.

This is why, as Masons, we strive to cultivate an intellectual understanding of our place in the universe as well as an emotional and heartfelt sense of Brotherhood and connection with all life. The discipline inherent in such a daily practice is what allows us to develop strength of mind, and find the source and wellspring of our inner strength.

January 2

Having been kept for a considerable time in a state of darkness, what, in your present situation, is the predominant wish of your heart? Light.

1st Degree Ceremony

The first thing we ask for as Freemasons is ‘light.’ There is a practical reason for this, of course: up until that point in the ceremony, we have been in darkness. But there are other factors at

play. From a Masonic point of view, light is restored to us in such a way that the first thing we see will be the ‘Great Lights,’ the Volume of the Sacred Law, the Square and the Compasses.

The meaning is clear: physical light allows us to see with our eyes, but, even at this early point in our Masonic journey, we are being told that a more important illumination awaits us.

Through study of the VSL, through contemplation of the meanings of the Square and Compasses, through the acting out of the truth of our Brotherhood with all of our fellow creatures, we will come to understand the significance of that ‘grand luminary’ which is the centre of so many of our Lodge rooms and which is reached at the summit of Jacob’s ladder.

We may not realise it at first, but the request for light must eventually come from our hearts as much as from our lips.

January 3

No one loses any other life than the one he now lives, nor does one live any other life than that which he will lose.

Marcus Aurelius

This human life is so precious. It gives us the opportunity to partake in the creation of a beautiful world; it gives us the chance to understand our place and our true identity and to know our Creator. It holds out the hope that soon we will be home.

To live well, to live a good life and to leave a legacy of positivity and gratitude is a great thing. Time moves fast and it will not be long before our worldly achievements are forgotten or superseded; but if we can leave happy memories or the fruit of the knowledge we have gained in the hearts and minds of those whose lives we have touched, then we leave something of true worth that will survive and grow through the generations.

The Temple at Jerusalem was seven years and more in the building. Those who laid the first bricks may not have been there to see the completed structure, and yet they built in faith, trusting the architect’s design. This is how we aim to build our lives: brick by brick; in faith.

January 4

It requires no special talent to be a shadow; but to be a light, you need to be burning inwardly!

Mehmet Murat ildan

Imagine sitting at a piano and playing a Beethoven sonata perfectly, from memory. Imagine the sense of rightness, the certainty that your fingers will hit the right keys at the right time. Feel the flow as your conscious mind takes a back seat and allows your muscles to take over. How lucky to be born with such a gift!

But that is not the truth of it. There is no luck here, but a lifetime of hard work and daily practice; endless repetitions; scales, arpeggios; frustration and set-backs. And eventually, after so much effort, comes the ability to make it look effortless; the muscles are programmed, the mind is clear; every note is burned into the memory, clear and sharp.

Anyone can do it. But not everyone has the strength of character, the will or the inclination to do it. Most of us are content to sit in an auditorium and watch it being done by someone else.

So it is with us and our search for illumination. If we wish to shine, we must dedicate ourselves, heart and soul, to the quest. Every moment of every day is an opportunity for us to live in the light. But it is a choice that we must make and remake every day. We will not burn until we catch the fire.

January 5

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.

Marcus Aurelius

One of the three great pillars of Freemasonry is presented to us as Beauty, and from this we can understand that in the unbounded beauty of the natural world lie the secrets that will lead us to happiness and, in the end, to the throne of Heaven.

To see ourselves running with the stars is to meditate deeply on our connection with the whole universe. To connect our lives with the lives of the stars is to begin to acknowledge and understand our source and infinite natures and to feel - in a way that is beyond mere knowing - our connection with all.

Freemasonry points out to us the importance of contemplating the ancient liberal arts and sciences because they hold all the secrets that will enable us to fully sense the symmetry and order - and therefore the beauty - that lies in all of creation. And through a full appreciation of the wonders of creation, we will come, without fail, to know the Creator.

January 6

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.

Plato

We all carry demons within us. We can think of them as the power we give to our own hidden fears and shames. They are the memories that make us cringe; the thoughts we cannot share; the aspects of ourselves about which we feel we cannot speak. We keep them covered, in darkness, and we deny them, hoping that if we ignore them long enough, they will somehow disappear.

But they won’t. The only way to get rid of them is to face them and name them, if only to ourselves. Bring them into the light, call them out; acknowledge them. Own them. And then watch them lose their power over you; feel yourself to be free of them.

Freemasons are committed to self-improvement and inner growth. We aim to approach the Godhead by slow and level steps. If we are to succeed in this, our hearts must be open and, above all, we must be brave enough to face and slay the dragons of shame and doubt that beset us all. Remember: the mists and shadows of the night melt away in the light of dawn. Light always prevails. Nothing else is required.

January 7

I am what time, circumstance, history, have made of me, certainly, but I am also, much more than that. So are we all.

James Baldwin

None of us can rewrite our personal story. Who and what we are in this present moment is the culmination of all that has happened to us up to now. Everything we have heard and felt and seen; everything that has been done to us, and everything we have done: all of it, layer by layer, has gone into making us what we are.

But we are not victims of our past. First of all, as Masons, we understand that beyond these mortal frames, beyond the thoughts that shape us, there lies a centre that is eternal and true, forever linked to and defined by our unalterable relationship with our  Divine Creator.

This knowledge frees us. We are not merely passive inheritors of our past: knowing what we truly are, we have the power to take our past, to analyse it, take from it the gifts of experience and learning that it has given us; and then we can let it go. We can use all of it to create for ourselves a present and a future that is founded on the values that we promised, on our knees, to uphold.

Whatever we are now, Freemasonry offers us the opportunity to be more.

January 8

Patriarchy is the expression of the immature masculine.

Robert Moore

As men, it’s easy to feel culpable when ‘the patriarchy’ is blamed for, seemingly, all of the world’s problems. But it is very helpful - and something of a relief - to consider that patriarchy and masculinity are not interchangeable.

If we are able to understand that the mistakes and wrongs of the patriarchy are perpetrated and perpetuated by men who have yet to come into the fullness of themselves, we can begin to see that, as men and as Masons, there is a place and a reason for us to act with power and certainty in an uncertain world.

Our strength lies in our centredness, in our balance, our kindness and our compassion. In short, the mature masculine we seek to embody is not the brutish, insensitive masculinity of ‘the patriarchy’ but a more wholesome version, secure in itself, willing to listen, to learn and to act cooperatively in the world.

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January 9

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.

Marcus Aurelius

The symbolism of Freemasonry is the symbolism of geometry: the science of the order and beauty that underlies all of creation. Through the contemplation of geometrical forms we are enabled to see beyond the apparent disorder and seeming chaos of the material world to an underlying framework upon which all is predicated.

Through this contemplation of outer form, we are led, in time, to appreciate the importance of supporting our own lives - inner and outer - with similar structure. It is true that an untamed mind can know no peace, but a mind that is ordered and properly controlled can be the key to success, strength and happiness. Freemasonry asks us to contemplate the ordered constructs of geometrical form and begin to structure our lives and our thoughts in ways that are known and proven to bring us peace: the practice of gratitude; kindness and empathy: to think positive thoughts and to keep away ungrounded and baseless fears.

To develop the discipline needed to fully trust in God and see all as Brothers: these are the true paths to happiness.

January 10

There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.

Bram Stoker

Freemasons are taught very clearly that we are more than our physical bodies. We are told that there resides within us a divine spark that is immortal, timeless and perfect. As we study and metaphorically travel towards the light in the East, our task is to learn to clear our minds of its extraneous superfluities and to find within ourselves that perfect ashlar which is our true, eternal self.

We aim for the realisation that we are not physical beings; we are not simply man or woman; not simply black or white; not simply Christian or Jew: we are more. These temporary labels will die with our bodies but our true selves, the Divine spark that lies hidden deep within these physical frames: that is what will endure.

Our task, through study, contemplation and selfless service in this life, is to come to identify more and more completely with our true selves, and to see our bodies as temporary vehicles, provided for the journey from West to East – from the darkness of ignorance to the Light of knowledge of who we really are and what we’re really for.

January 11

The measure of a man is what he does with power.

Plato

To be in a position of power, whether it is reached through political or financial means, is to be in a position of great responsibility. We often confuse power with control, but the greatest power any of us can wield is the power to make another person's life better, happier and safer.

With political power, this can be accomplished on a national or even international scale; with enough money, our power can bestow benevolence far and wide. But even without these things, each one of us can find, in our daily lives, opportunities - power - to help others.

From material aid to a kind word or a smile, every one of us has it within ourselves what it takes to make an other's life that little bit easier. The sheer impact of human interaction, the simplicity of acknowledging our connection with others, and resting for a moment in that bubble of harmony, is a power that is available to all of us.

Freemasons are steeped in the lore of Universal Brotherhood and have the knowledge needed to understand the difference between power and control. We know that worldly power is transient; that financial power is fickle; and we know, too, that the greatest power on earth is the power of love.

January 12

Love your neighbour as yourself.

Leviticus 19:18

To love our neighbour as ourselves, we must first learn to love ourselves. But what does this mean?

We all have faults have all done things that we regret. We can all feel remorse, shame or guilt, but these things are personality-based. If we have faults, they are rooted in our character which, in turn, is determined by our background and upbringing.

True self-love is rooted in something else. It is based on the understanding that, metaphorically at least, we are created in the image of God, and that our true and deepest selves are spiritual and even divine in nature.

So self-love is not about the ego. Quite the opposite – to love ourselves is to recognise the spark of divinity that resides in every heart. It is to acknowledge that it resides equally in the heart of all living beings and it is what connects us all as brothers and sisters.

Life is God's greatest gift, and our task is to love and honour it, to uphold and support it, recognising it as the means whereby we may come back to our Creator. When we understand that the same life is present in all, barriers come down and we are able to blossom into the life of peace and love that is our birthright.

January 13

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.

Marcus Aurelius

It does us no harm to remember that the frameworks on which we construct our inner lives are all different paths to understanding the great truths that are beyond words. All our religions, all of our attempts at gnosis - even Freemasonry itself - are attempts to say that which unsayable.

We Freemasons understand one great truth and we use it as the unifying bedrock of all else that we build: we believe in a Supreme Being, in God. From that one belief we are able to state unreservedly that Brotherhood or unity is the natural relationship between all facets of the created universe.

Thus Freemasons rise above sectarian differences and can free themselves from the dogma and sense of exclusivity that has caused so much human suffering through the ages.

It may be that the institution of Freemasonry is just another human construct, but while it remains built on that simple and fundamental foundation, there can be no doubt that it has something valuable and vital to offer the world at large.

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January 14

May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.

J.R.R. Tolkien

When we became Freemasons we were given the greatest of gifts: the potential to understand ourselves and our relationship to the world at large. It is – if we use it well – a light in the darkness and a guide that will lead us from out of the shadows into eternal light.

We must not forget that we often think of ourselves as travellers: if we accept the light of Freemasonry but do nothing with it, its benefit to us will be limited. It may comfort us where we are, but it will not lead us anywhere. However, if we take that light and hold it high, letting it illuminate our footsteps, it will lead us to a place of greater light and to the greatest of all knowledge: the knowledge of ourselves.

And a lamp must have fuel: we must tend and nurture the light we are given. Through the study of Masonic precepts, the contemplation of our inner selves; through acts of service that manifest our belief in brotherhood, our light shines ever brighter, and, eventually, we emerge from the darkness that oppresses us into the sunlit uplands of pure knowledge: the bliss and warmth of union with the Divine.

January 15

Let us invoke the assistance of the Great Architect of the Universe in all our undertakings; may our labours, thus begun in order, be conducted in peace, and closed in harmony.

First Degree Ceremony

The first step in learning to wield our own power  correctly is to acknowledge its source and wellspring.

As Freemasons, we understand our connection to that great unity of love and connection that we know as the Great Architect of the Universe. We are sustained and upheld by that mighty source and, by attuning ourselves to its ebbs and flows, by allowing ourselves to let go of striving and be carried by its currents, we become one with its great purpose.

We are committed to Brotherhood, to unity, to connection. We stand for the weak, we speak for the voiceless, we protect the vulnerable - in thought, word and action. We do not judge, but we will fight injustice, and any philosophy that pits us against each other.

For Freemasons there is no 'us and 'them' - there is only us: an us that is often mysterious and incomprehensible and strange - but still an us.

With our consciousness fixed on the Great Architect, our understanding is always moderated by peace and harmony.

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January 16

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

John 13:34

God's love is given to us unconditionally, not as a result of what we do but of what we are. When we come to fully appreciate and accept such boundless love, we are more able to share it with others.

In this fragmented world in which we live, it is vital for us to be able to accept differences in each other without feeling threatened by them.

Fear is the great separator of people, the greatest threat to all of our well-being, peace, and prosperity. It robs us of the ability to see the similarities that unite us. It prevents us from recognising the divine in each other and in ourselves. It is the root and source of the voice that tells us that we are under threat, the voice that tells us to attack first, to take revenge, to seek to obliterate and destroy.

Everything that God wants from us, everything that He asks of us; everything that He offers us - all is encapsulated in this injunction to love.

Love is the force that lets us lower our guard and see each other for what we truly are. It is peace, and freedom from fear. It is our foundation and our essence; the rock upon which justice is built, the primary building block for the world we all wish to see and believe is possible.

January 17

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

Marcus Aurelius

From the moment we first enter a Masonic Lodge and are asked to kneel to receive the benefit of Masonic prayer, we are given clear indications of the virtues we need to cultivate to be good men. There is also an assumption that we are already ‘good’ in that it is our inherent goodness that has led us to knock at this particular door. Humility, virtue, honesty, truth, honour, mercy, generosity, faith: these are all clear signals towards what we must aspire to be if we are to live up to the Masonic ideal of taking essentially good men and making them better still.

But to aspire to virtue is one thing; to have a clear path laid out before us is all very well; it is in the doing that these things are proved. We can talk about virtue all we want, but if we are not virtuous, it means nothing. We can see the path before us, but if we do not walk along it, then what good does it do us or the world? No temple was ever built through talk alone; a better world will not come about unless we start to make it

January 18

There is a crack in everything.

That's how the light gets in.

Leonard Cohen

We live in a world of opposites, and sometimes it is only through our faults and flaws that we are able to glimpse perfection. If human life is an arena wherein Spirit seeks to grow and play and fully come to know itself, then we can see the necessity for the troubles and tribulations that are part and parcel of our material life. In learning to overcome difficulty through honest self-reflection and the realisation of our connection with life as a whole, we lift ourselves closer to our Creator and back to our true place as integral, perfect parts in a perfect whole.

Welcome the difficulties in life; welcome its wounds and disappointments. Welcome, even, its tragedies, for within them lie the lessons and the tools that will eventually set you free. You will never be given a burden too heavy for you to bear, even if it may not always seem so. You will never be tested beyond your breaking point - but you will, very likely, be tested. The more you show yourself willing to learn, the harder the lessons might become. Be prepared; be open; be joyful. The shell must crack before the chick can emerge.

January 19

Kindness is unconquerable, so long as it is without flattery or hypocrisy. For what can the most insolent man do to you, if you contrive to be kind to him...

Marcus Aurelius

True kindness arises out of empathy, the ability to understand and feel with another person. It requires a sensitivity, a closeness and a disinterested loving care that creates a bond and breaks down barriers between people.

For Freemasons, kindness to others is a natural result of our belief that we are all brothers and sisters, connected on the deepest of levels.

In the face of anger, confusion, insolence, aggression: all and any negativity that can be directed at us, kindness is always an appropriate response as it acknowledges that all of those negative emotions come from a place of distress and disconnection.

The crowning glory of Freemasonry, the highest rung of Jacob’s ladder, is Charity and to be charitable in our words, thoughts and actions is the aim of every Freemason who