The Cornerstone Society was formed to encourage and help masons to learn of the meaning and deep inner spirituality of our masonic ritual. As Freemasons, we are heirs to a complex and rich heritage which both carries and communicates a wisdom which is ageless. Often we need to be guided towards the philosophy and spirituality which this heritage preserves and we soon find that we have made our first steps on a journey towards the discovery of knowledge of the Self: in the profoundest sense, knowledge of what it means to be a human being in this world where chaos and order seem arbitrarily present.
    The Cornerstone Society decided that this year its summer conference would address not only the heritage of Freemasonry which has been passed down to us but how that heritage might be carried into the future. For the future of Freemasonry is in our hands; historical momentum can take it so far but ultimately it is down to us, the present custodians of the Craft, to see it passed on to the generations ahead of us.

Beauty and Unity

The conference was begun by Clive Hicks who spoke on ‘Beauty and Unity’. He challenged us: ‘What is Beauty?’ He asked, ‘Is it a quality, or is it an experience?’ He mentioned the philosophical triads which embrace beauty, our masonic one symbolised by the three pillars which support a lodge: ‘Strength, Wisdom and Beauty’. He asked, ‘Do they all represent the same unity?’
    He then related a story: A man had died and found himself in Heaven at a reception for newcomers. After a while an attendant told him that God was ready to see him. The man was taken to the room where God waited and in the divine presence the man suddenly recalled all the events of his life: ‘he flung himself on the floor crying and explaining about his sins...’ God put up with this for a time and then spoke, ‘“Do be quiet! We know all about your sins, and they are all forgiven. There is something else. Do tell me: did you enjoy the beauty of my creation?”’
    Clive Hicks commented: ‘It may be that this is one of our real duties, or perhaps even a way of describing our only duty.’ It seems ‘that becoming aware of the world, at rest…is the experience of Beauty. Beauty as a quality of experience, not a quality of things. Beauty seen must awaken us to Beauty itself. Becoming conscious of this may really be our prime function…’
    Returning to the triad of Freemasonry, ‘Strength, Wisdom and Beauty’ Clive Hicks explained that, as with all the expressions of such philosophical triads depicting an ‘essential threeness’, ‘one strand is active and creative, one is supportive and sustaining, and the third is uniting and balancing.’ All of which contribute to the harmony of existence.

Whither Directing Our Course?

The key speech of the day was delivered by the Pro Grand Master, Lord Northampton, who chose this occasion to give his personal thoughts on Freemasonry and of its future. He revealed some startling facts: one Province showed that thirty percent of Master Masons stopped attending within three years of their raising; the number of Grand Lodge Certificates issued has fallen by the same percentage; in twenty-five years English Freemasonry could be half the size it is now. ‘It is clear,’ he pointed out, ‘that doing nothing now is not an option.’ He continued: ‘I believe that in order to plan for the future we must first look back at our roots and examine the reasons we were formed and have survived …We spend too much time worrying about “when” rather than “why” we were created. What was in the minds of those men who started Freemasonry and what was the purpose behind it?’ ‘We are,’ he explained, ‘the inheritors of an important initiatic system containing universal truths, some form of which has probably been in existence for thousands of years. During that time it has been a beneficial guiding influence on the evolution of humanity and our presentday Freemasonry is no exception. The three degrees of masonry are like symbolic rehearsals for those major initiations that we all must take on our journey of Self discovery. Thus Freemasonry is a system which guides man in his search for the sacred.’ He succinctly summarised the importance of the three degrees of Craft masonry: together, they ‘equate to body, mind and spirit’. The first degree’s emphasis is on the physical, symbolised by the rough ashlar and the working tools which work the unformed stone. Its aim is to move from ‘darkness to light’. Its pillar represents strength.
    The Second degree emphasises the ‘power of the mind’ and aims to move ‘from ignorance to knowledge’. The working tools associated with the degree are those which perfect the smooth ashlar - which symbolises the degree well. Its pillar is that of wisdom. The Third degree is focussed upon the spirit - symbolised by the blazing star - and its pillar is that of Beauty. ‘Beauty depends on balance and harmony.’
    ‘We keep hearing today,’ Lord Northampton said, ‘that men today are searching for “spirituality” in their lives, free from dogma and doctrine. Freemasonry undoubtedly has an answer to that search because it is one of the reasons it was founded…’

Initiation and the Heart of Freemasonry

Dennis Chornenky, the President of the Masonic Restoration Foundation, came from San Francisco to deliver an uncompromising paper: Freemasonry, he explained can be defined ‘as a traditional initiatic order, even if the particular grouping of these rites, symbols and lessons within a Masonic framework only dates back to the late Renaissance…Initiation, and its implied pursuit of truth, is the core, defining characteristic of Freemasonry, without which there would be nothing to differentiate the Craft from other social or philanthropic organisations.’ Speaking of the Second degree, he noted, ‘Once the candidate has symbolically mastered his intellectual faculties, represented by the seven liberal arts and sciences, and understood their relationship to his spiritual qualities, he arrives at the middle-chamber of the temple, finally prepared to move from the outer to the inner, from the circumference to his own inner spiritual centre.’
    He spoke of the value of symbolism which, ‘when properly perceived by the knowing initiate, reflect the hidden relationship between the material and spiritual world and thereby reveal the reality of a higher order. Therefore symbolism is the unique language of initiation, guiding us ever inward toward the centre, that virgin point, the source of light and the eye of the divine.
    The conference was concluded by a workshop on the Installation ritual devised by Andrew Hicks and hosted by Yorick Lodge, No. 2771. These workshops have proved a popular method of revealing the meaning which lies beneath the masonic ritual.

All the talks given at the Cornerstone Conference can be found on the website: www.cornerstonesociety.com.