Post by Tamrin on Nov 16, 2008 8:14:43 GMT 10
Millwright Project
I suspect many of the modern, general public’s misunderstandings about freemasonry have to do with our ceremonials being unusual in today’s society. For instance, people are used to a classroom of students being taught by one teacher, whereas we have a lodge of masters teaching one student, the initiate. Lodge open days and static displays in masonic museums ideas cannot convey the earnestness, ingenuity and good will with which our ceremonies are conducted, nor can they convey the powerful impression made upon candidates. One needs some demonstration, bringing some idea of such ritual to life.
Obviously one cannot communicate our secrets other than in a regular manner and it would also be wrong to appropriate the secrets of another fraternity. Consequently, I have had a project at the back of my mind for sometime, to devise a ceremony which is both novel and generic, for public demonstrations. I propose some ceremonies based on the multi-disciplined trade of the old millwrights (with a volunteer from the audience being chosen as grist to “put through the mill”).
As a general pattern I propose a two degree system: That of Dusty Apprentice and that of Millwright, with an additional “installation” ceremony for the presiding officer, the Miller. These might, for inspiration, be loosely based on themes from Egyptian rituals. The first on the “weighing of the heart” ceremony, the second on the “opening of the mouth” ceremony, and the installation on the "Heb Sed" or jubilee ritual. Each would involve a liminal stage of preparation and examination; an obligation or other token of commitment; followed by inclusion and instruction.
The fellowship of each mill would be termed a “circle” in reference to a millstone, the grand jurisdiction would be termed a “sphere” (a circle of circles). The emblems of the Order are the millstones and the moline cross or mill-cross. The lower (fixed) stone being peculiar to the dusty apprentice, the upper (runner) stone to the millwright and the mill-cross to the miller (the relation of each to the other being part of the instruction on each turn). The obligation and other commitments are to be made in contact with these emblems.
Adam and Eve would be said to have been the first millers as, in Genesis 3:19, they were condemned, with God declaring, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,” (as the eating of bread would have required the grinding of flour).
The allegorical site would be that of the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, a.k.a. Ornan, (said to have formerly been the site of Abraham's overly pious proposed sacrifice and later to have been the site of King Solomon’s Temple), with emphasis on the exegesis that Araunah had been the indigenous Canaanite king of Jerusalem (further, Millwright lore assures us Araunah was a Priest-King, descendant of Melchizedek and, moreover, that his sovereignty was matrilineal, with a maternal or matrimonial relationship to Bathsheba being required of his successor).
In Genesis 14:18, we read, “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God,” giving rise to a similar repast among all true Millwrights, with bread being declared to be the “staff of life.” The word of the Dusty Apprentice is “Ornan” (said to be the name of the nether-stone), the one password is “Bathsheba,” the word of the Millwright is “Uriah” (said to be the name of the runner-stone); and that of Miller, “Melchizedek” (said to be the secret name of the mill cross). The sign of the Dusty Apprentice consists of arms crossed over the breast, emblematic of clasping and carrying a millstone, that of Millwright, both arms raised, in imitation of depictions of Orion, and that of miller, hands pressed together in prayer, indicating Araunah’s submission to God. Grips being distinguished by the respective placement of the left hand clasping the right arm of the other, while shaking with the right hands.
Regardless the office holder’s gender, the miller, as presiding officer, would represent King Araunah; his “wife,” as Senior Millwright would represent Bathsheba; and the leading hand, as Junior Millwright, King David. A conductor or hierophant, representing Ahithophel, said by us and others, to have been Bathsheba’s grandfather, would accompany the candidate. On the turn to becoming a Millwright, the candidate would represent Uriah the Hittite, the cult hero, who according to Millwright lore, was to have been Araunah’s successor and whose faithfulness unto death would be commemorated on being made a Millwright; with our lore assuring us he was subsequently translated to the heavens as the constellation of Orion, there to preside over the zodiac (according to our Millwright lore, he was not a gullible victim). Subsequently Bathsheba died and we, as Millwrights, say (because we can), she was translated as Alcyone among the Pleiades. David's repentance was acceptable to God (and was part of God's plan, to legitimise the House of David), although S/He did not allow the king to go wholly unpunished.
Preparation would only be required on the first turn and would be along the lines of Isaiah 47:2—“Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers” (the rivers being the mill stream). Likewise, a penalty for violation of the obligations would only be prescribed on the first turn, along the lines of Luke 17:2—“It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” As a reminder of the obligation, the badge consists of a miniature millstone suspended from a collaret (neck to knee cloth aprons are to be worn, with officers also wearing caps). Intruders would be called “mice” and it is the duty of “Old Tom,” the miller’s cat to ensure that none disturb the proceedings.
Upon acceptance, supplicants would be received as grist for the mill. Upon crossing the threshold (entering) and being threshed (examined), with the grain being separated from the chaff, and being put through the mill (initiated), dusty apprentices would be assured that, “The lower millstone grinds as well as the upper” (meaning that, while they are not expected to take much initiative at first, their obedience is valuable). Millwrights would be cautioned that, “Though the mill of God grinds slowly, yet it grinds exceedingly fine” (the “mill of God” being generally meant to indicate the passage of time and, more particularly, the turning of the heavenly zodiac, as the runner-stone, over the earth, as the nether-stone, with us as its grist), to which we as Millwrights, would also equate Ezekial's vision of wheels turning within wheels (Chapter One). Millers would be counseled to be fair and honest (they were proverbially dishonest), being told, “No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh a man's life to pledge” (Deuteronomy 24:6); "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn" (Deuteronomy 25:4), adding: "And, The labourer is worthy of his reward" (I Timothy 5:18). Perambulations would be circular, as in the turning of the stones: We can wax lyrical about their proper relationship, their clockwise rotation and the stillness at the point of turning.
Any suggestions, questions or comments?