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Article THE LODGE AS A SYMBOL OP THE WOELD ← Page 4 of 11 →
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The Lodge As A Symbol Op The Woeld
It will , no doubt , be interesting to extend our investigations on this subject , with a particular view to the method in which this symbolism of the world or the universe was developed in some of its most prominent details ; and for this purpose I shall select the mystical explanation of the officers of a Lodge , its covering , and a portion of its ornaments .
The three principal officers of the Lodge are , it is needless to say , situated in the east , the west , and the south . Now , bearing in mind that the Lodge is a symbol of the world or the universe , the reference of these three officers to the sun at its rising , its setting , and its meridian height , must at once suggest itself . This is the first development of the symbol , and a very brief inquiry will furnish ample evidence of its antiquity and its universality . In the Brahminical initiations of Hindostan—which are among the
earliest that have been transmitted to us , and may almost be considered as the cradle of all the others , of subsequent ages and various countries—the ceremonies w ere performed in vast caverns , the remains of some of which at Salsette , Elephanta , and a few other places , will give the spectator but a very inadequate idea of the extent and splendour of these ancient Indian Lodges . * More imperfect remains than these are still to be found in great numbers throughout Hindostan and Cashmere . Their form was sometimes that of a cross ,
emblematic of the four elements of which the earth is composed- — fire , water , air , and earth—but more generally an oval , as a representation of the mundane egg , which , in the ancient systems , was a symbol of the world . f The interior of the cavern of initiation was lighted by innumerable
* " These rocky shrines , the formation of which Mr . Grose supposes to have been a labour equal to that of erecting the pyramids of Egypt , are of various height , extent , and depth . They are partitioned out , by labour of the hammer and the chisel , into many separate chambers , and the roof , which in the pagoda of
Elephanta is flat , but in that of Salsette is arched , is supported by rows of pillars of great thickness , and arranged with much regularity . The walls are crowded with gigantic figures of men and women , engaged in various actions , and
portrayed in various whimsical attitudes ; and they are adorned with several evident symbols of the religion now prevailing in India . Above , as in a sky , once probably adorned with gold and azure in the same manner as Mr . Savary lately observed in the ruinous remains of some ancient Egyptian temples , are seen floating the children of imagination , genii and dewtahs in multitudes , and along the cornice , in high relief , are the figures of elephants ., horses , and lions , executed
with great accuracy . 1 wo of the principal figures at Salsette are twenty-seven leet in height , and of proportionate magnitude ; the very bust only of the tripleheaded deity in the grand pagoda of Elephanta measures fifteen feet from the base to the top of the cap , while the face of another , if Mr . Grose , who measured it , may be credited , is above five feet in length , and of corresponding breadth . "—
Maurice , Jnd . Ant . vol . ii . p . 135 . f According to Eaber , the egg was a symbol of the world or megacosm , and also of the ark or microcosm ; as the lunette or crescent was a symbol of the Great Father , the egg and lunette , which was the hieroglyphic of the god Lunus , at Heliopolis , was a symbol of the world proceeding from the Great Father . — Pagan Idolatry , vol . i . b . i . cli . iv .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Lodge As A Symbol Op The Woeld
It will , no doubt , be interesting to extend our investigations on this subject , with a particular view to the method in which this symbolism of the world or the universe was developed in some of its most prominent details ; and for this purpose I shall select the mystical explanation of the officers of a Lodge , its covering , and a portion of its ornaments .
The three principal officers of the Lodge are , it is needless to say , situated in the east , the west , and the south . Now , bearing in mind that the Lodge is a symbol of the world or the universe , the reference of these three officers to the sun at its rising , its setting , and its meridian height , must at once suggest itself . This is the first development of the symbol , and a very brief inquiry will furnish ample evidence of its antiquity and its universality . In the Brahminical initiations of Hindostan—which are among the
earliest that have been transmitted to us , and may almost be considered as the cradle of all the others , of subsequent ages and various countries—the ceremonies w ere performed in vast caverns , the remains of some of which at Salsette , Elephanta , and a few other places , will give the spectator but a very inadequate idea of the extent and splendour of these ancient Indian Lodges . * More imperfect remains than these are still to be found in great numbers throughout Hindostan and Cashmere . Their form was sometimes that of a cross ,
emblematic of the four elements of which the earth is composed- — fire , water , air , and earth—but more generally an oval , as a representation of the mundane egg , which , in the ancient systems , was a symbol of the world . f The interior of the cavern of initiation was lighted by innumerable
* " These rocky shrines , the formation of which Mr . Grose supposes to have been a labour equal to that of erecting the pyramids of Egypt , are of various height , extent , and depth . They are partitioned out , by labour of the hammer and the chisel , into many separate chambers , and the roof , which in the pagoda of
Elephanta is flat , but in that of Salsette is arched , is supported by rows of pillars of great thickness , and arranged with much regularity . The walls are crowded with gigantic figures of men and women , engaged in various actions , and
portrayed in various whimsical attitudes ; and they are adorned with several evident symbols of the religion now prevailing in India . Above , as in a sky , once probably adorned with gold and azure in the same manner as Mr . Savary lately observed in the ruinous remains of some ancient Egyptian temples , are seen floating the children of imagination , genii and dewtahs in multitudes , and along the cornice , in high relief , are the figures of elephants ., horses , and lions , executed
with great accuracy . 1 wo of the principal figures at Salsette are twenty-seven leet in height , and of proportionate magnitude ; the very bust only of the tripleheaded deity in the grand pagoda of Elephanta measures fifteen feet from the base to the top of the cap , while the face of another , if Mr . Grose , who measured it , may be credited , is above five feet in length , and of corresponding breadth . "—
Maurice , Jnd . Ant . vol . ii . p . 135 . f According to Eaber , the egg was a symbol of the world or megacosm , and also of the ark or microcosm ; as the lunette or crescent was a symbol of the Great Father , the egg and lunette , which was the hieroglyphic of the god Lunus , at Heliopolis , was a symbol of the world proceeding from the Great Father . — Pagan Idolatry , vol . i . b . i . cli . iv .