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Article ON THE STUDY OF MASONIC ANTIQUITIES. ← Page 13 of 16 →
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On The Study Of Masonic Antiquities.
eight years . This consisted of an investiture with the zennar or sacred cord of three threads , sacrifices to the solar fire , and various purifications , with an extended lecture relating to the unity and trinity of the Godhead , and the observance of daily religious rites . The candidate was then clothed in a while garment , without a seam , and intrusted to the care of a Brahmin , to be instructed in the necessary qualifications for the second degree . These were extremelrigidconsisting in penances
y , , prayers , and ablutions , a restriction from all indulgences of a corporeal or sensual nature , and the exercise of a most severe discipline , until the candidate , having attained a competent knowledge of the traditions and ceremonials of religion , was qualified for admission into another degree . The probations necessary for the second degree were more severe than those of the former—the austerities were doubled . The candidate ' s days were passed in prayers , his nights in the contemplation of the heavenly
bodies . " In the hot season , he sat exposed to five fires , four blazing around him , with the sun above ; in the rains , he stood uncovered , without even a mantle , when the clouds poured the heaviest showers ; in the cold season , he wore wet clothing , and went on increasing by degrees the austerity of his devotion . " * The probation being completed , the candidate was then admitted into the second degree , which was called Gerishth . Being prepared , he was sanctified by the sign of a cross , and subjected to the probation of pastos , which was denominated Batata , the Tartarus of the Grecian mysteries .
He was then led to the cavern-temple , or other place of initiation , the interior of which blazed with a lustre equal to the light of the meridian sun . The three hierophants , clad in costly robes , sat in the east , west , and south , representing the great Indian triad—Brahma , Vishnu , Siva . The attendant mystagogues , clad in white raiment and sacred vestments , their heads covered with pyrimidal caps , typical of the spiral flame or solar ray , were seated around . Thus disposed , the candidate was summoned to the centre by a well-known signal from the sacred bell . f
The rites commenced by a hymn to the great God of Nature , whether as the Creator , Preserver , or Destroyer . This was followed by an apostrophe to the sun . The candidate was then required to make a formal declaration that he would be obedient to his superiors , keep his body pure , have a tongue of good report , observe a passive obedience in receiving the doctrines of the order , and the firmest secrecy in maintaining inviolable its hidden and abstruse mysteries . The candidate was
then sprinkled with water , divested of his shoes—that the consecrated ground whereon he stood might not be polluted—and made to circumambulate the interior of the temple three times , in reference to the grand TRIMURTI , whose representatives were stationed triangularly in the east , south , and west points of the circumference of the mystical circle . % The candidate was then solemnly enjoined to the practice of religious austerities , and placed in the care of a spiritual guide , under whose direction he passed through seven ranges of caverns , amidst dismal shrieks and lamentations , referring to the bewailings for the loss of Cama ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Study Of Masonic Antiquities.
eight years . This consisted of an investiture with the zennar or sacred cord of three threads , sacrifices to the solar fire , and various purifications , with an extended lecture relating to the unity and trinity of the Godhead , and the observance of daily religious rites . The candidate was then clothed in a while garment , without a seam , and intrusted to the care of a Brahmin , to be instructed in the necessary qualifications for the second degree . These were extremelrigidconsisting in penances
y , , prayers , and ablutions , a restriction from all indulgences of a corporeal or sensual nature , and the exercise of a most severe discipline , until the candidate , having attained a competent knowledge of the traditions and ceremonials of religion , was qualified for admission into another degree . The probations necessary for the second degree were more severe than those of the former—the austerities were doubled . The candidate ' s days were passed in prayers , his nights in the contemplation of the heavenly
bodies . " In the hot season , he sat exposed to five fires , four blazing around him , with the sun above ; in the rains , he stood uncovered , without even a mantle , when the clouds poured the heaviest showers ; in the cold season , he wore wet clothing , and went on increasing by degrees the austerity of his devotion . " * The probation being completed , the candidate was then admitted into the second degree , which was called Gerishth . Being prepared , he was sanctified by the sign of a cross , and subjected to the probation of pastos , which was denominated Batata , the Tartarus of the Grecian mysteries .
He was then led to the cavern-temple , or other place of initiation , the interior of which blazed with a lustre equal to the light of the meridian sun . The three hierophants , clad in costly robes , sat in the east , west , and south , representing the great Indian triad—Brahma , Vishnu , Siva . The attendant mystagogues , clad in white raiment and sacred vestments , their heads covered with pyrimidal caps , typical of the spiral flame or solar ray , were seated around . Thus disposed , the candidate was summoned to the centre by a well-known signal from the sacred bell . f
The rites commenced by a hymn to the great God of Nature , whether as the Creator , Preserver , or Destroyer . This was followed by an apostrophe to the sun . The candidate was then required to make a formal declaration that he would be obedient to his superiors , keep his body pure , have a tongue of good report , observe a passive obedience in receiving the doctrines of the order , and the firmest secrecy in maintaining inviolable its hidden and abstruse mysteries . The candidate was
then sprinkled with water , divested of his shoes—that the consecrated ground whereon he stood might not be polluted—and made to circumambulate the interior of the temple three times , in reference to the grand TRIMURTI , whose representatives were stationed triangularly in the east , south , and west points of the circumference of the mystical circle . % The candidate was then solemnly enjoined to the practice of religious austerities , and placed in the care of a spiritual guide , under whose direction he passed through seven ranges of caverns , amidst dismal shrieks and lamentations , referring to the bewailings for the loss of Cama ,