From a work in progress, the poetic elocution of the Degrees of the Scottish Rite. (c) Dean Scarpinato. 8th Degree Intendent of Buildings Beth, Aleph, Shin At the apex of 3 angles Ben-Khurim, Achar, Shekinah. 5 members present Represent the 5 architects appointed Superintendents gathered here in this arena. Gareb the Hebrew, engraver in gold Chief worker in silver arraignment, Selec the Giblemite, the chief stone mason Strength of character makes our solid foundation. Stolkin chief carpenter, build structure thereupon Virtues like temperance and industry. Which make the laborer honorable, the equivalent of kings Practicing sober punctuality. Joabert the Phoenician, Chief artificer in brass Imitation of illustrious gold. Follow in the way of the great works of Hiram Make our charity a wonder to behold. Adonhiram, the Pres, to superintend And correct the workings of the Order. Encourage the timid, the impatient repress And be the diligent and worthy’s rewarder. Hiram was fond of teaching the youth And these 5 were his favorite students. He imbued to them all of his wisdom In magic, science and jurisprudence. While no one can replace our dear departed brother These 5 together seem up to the task At least until the day when perhaps we’ll find another More fitted in all respects. All the arts and sciences known to the Phoenicians Egyptians, Assyrians and Jews, The Magi, Babylonians and Etruscans And the Indian Yogi too. And while these 5 received his instruction Next to Hiram they’re but neophytes. But we trust their loyalty, good will and devotion For we know that their heart is right. They remember the lessons of Secret Master, Perfect Master, Confidential Secretary. They practice the virtues of Provost and Judge. Let them advance to this 8th Degree. And add unto these previous lessons A sense of charitable benevolence. For the Intendent of Buildings has workmen in his charge. Be ye certain not to breed malcontents. Be sure his wages feed his family And bring some comfort to his life. Which in all ways is hard, but the rainbows of God’s promise Is above the toils, the storms and the strife. We are but the Treasurer’s of God Whose wealth and blessings pass through us. Be certain the workman receives his reward We shall all reap the Justice that’s due us. And to those unable to work, Harden not your heart But give without grudging of the bounties of the Lord Faith love and charity are the noblest arts. And when you gather timber from the forest Do not log unto infinity. But leave a corner of your lot for the traveler The widow’s son on his sacred journey. And when the gleanings of your harvest Fall along the way Don’t bend down to grovel over every crumb Leave them for those who might happen this way. The Indians judge wealth not by how much you have But by how much you have given away. How many lives’ are better for your sacrifice? God help the White Man on Judgment Day. And when you find yourself a crew chief And you have people working for you, Don’t be a slave master with an iron fist Or you’ll be carved in a Mandrake Root. But rather see them as dependents Don’t let a loyal worker go Because this quarter’s profits didn’t meet your arrogance Don’t embezzle the retirement of his widow. All that you own is on loan from nature To which you one day shall return Your body to ashes and your raiment to the wind Your coveted treasures shall rust away and burn. All you shall take will be your righteous deeds Perhaps a few alms to the poor Which will hardly balance the weight of your greed. And every idle and slanderous word. But step by step we advance to perfection Marked by each initiatic degree. We are now concerned with virtues inception Which will soon turn to High Philosophy. The lessons herein are charity and benevolence And the Internal Alchemy Of one by one replacing your shortfalls with virtue. And place all your faith in the Deity. The 5 circuits made in this initiation To keep those 5 points most vividly Be there for your brother though it may cause you hardship. Pray for him, love him. Be his security Protect him from slander and guard from misfortune And with utmost humility Offer wise counsel before he stray from the path Of Truth and Simplicity. A Masonic Lodge should resemble a beehive Where all work for the common good This is not for cold souls or narrow minds. But for those whose deep calling is understood. The day will come when all of mankind Is of the global human family Where the common good is the highest law to apply. But for now we prove ourselves worthy By living up to our moral code. By which we hold our character honest, just and upright. We move beyond sectarian squabbles For there are many paths by which A man may come to God by being good and wise. Like the 5 blind men describing the elephant When all they had was a fragmented glimpse Are the world’s religions with their fables and narrow minds. But Masonry seeks the bigger picture; Of God that can’t be captured in words Nor in one great book can the infinite be defined. And the Earth is Malkuth, God’s footstool The Kingdom of the Spirit made flesh. We are meant to be in this world, and yet raised above the evil. And this lifetime, replete with trials, is truly blessed. Take the countenance of joy of the Wandering Fool Striding headlong with a spirit content. The most certain remedy for all the evils in the world In the fickle twists of fate a merry countenance. No man is poor except for he that lacks wisdom And you’ll never be rich with only money on your mind. A vow of poverty more holy than the torments of greed, Humility more rare and precious than arrogance and pride. Impatient, more, more, more a beggarly condition Starving in the abundance of bread with a new car in the drive. God dispenses His blessings as He pleases. Come to Him ye that labor; He will sing you a lullaby. For the Truth my friend shall make you free. He who would save his own life shall lose it. Be not a slave to the sensual world of Opposites Life or death; pain or pleasure: confusion. But as the night fades to day; Good and evil converge And only the unreasonable mind causes misery. We may learn more from our enemy than our fondest friend Who speaks the straight truth unvarnished by flattery. And when the storm of sad mischance Beats hard upon our spirits Resolve to make it all work for the good. Develop your patience. Maybe even forgiveness. As much as it hurts to be misunderstood. Count your blessings and bear your crosses. Don’t envy to keep pace with the Joneses. Is it better to be gluttonous on milk starved veal? Or to partake of the manna with Moses? And if you seek to live Godly, expect persecution If it is roses you seek expect thorns. If you’re a utopian artist of great elocution Expect misunderstanding and scorn. And if you would be the world’s greatest lover You’ll be no stranger to jealousy. If you would be a great patriot working undercover You’ll be embroiled in conspiracy. Let your peace of mind be payment enough And your attachment to sorrow divest. The beauty of the moment lost in fears of tomorrow Hey grasshopper, that’s the test! Sit around playing music all day in the sun And come winter things are bound to get rough. But it just may be better than working like an aunt Always stressing that there’s never enough. Perhaps the beauty of the butterfly Is that its life is short and free from care About saving for old age and God forbid I get sick If today was you last, savior faire! And what if you lived as a spiritual disciple Traveling without script or purse? And by Heaven the worthy in each town took you in And those who reject you were cursed? Matt 10; Luke 9-10 Perhaps God would work in mysterious ways To provide you your daily bread You might even find clean souls In a Stone Soup Kitchen And in City Hall a robbers den. And perhaps you’ll find in the poor and destitute A loving charitable spirit profound. Maybe even find the only security that’s absolute Is when we all stop hoarding and pass it around. God is Love who gives His all, all the time. And you’re a spark of His infinite flame. But we smother that Love with our fears and our dramas. It’s those passions that we must learn to tame
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 15:41:22 +0000
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