| "The labor of the righteous tendeth to life:the fruit of | | | | question of whether or not a fallen tree in an isolated |
| the wicked to sin." | | | | forest makes a sound - the idealist is not so certain. |
| Prov. 10:16 | | | | When all is said and the quarreling about which is |
| Certain writers about the history of Freemasons | | | | correct has subsided, the Masons is left with the |
| emphatically declare that Masons were originally | | | | unshakeable knowledge that both have a common |
| builders, or men who were skilled at fashioning stone | | | | source in the Great Architect. Actions built upon both |
| for the builder's use. For them, the phrase operative | | | | considerations are, therefore, regarded as valid by |
| masonry refers to men from a certain period in history | | | | God. However, the failure to act on either notion gives |
| who, presumably knowing nothing about the spiritual | | | | nothing to the world. |
| significance of our Masonic symbols, worked with | | | | Realism relates to the school of occidental thought |
| squares, compasses, mallets and levels to erect | | | | which attributes objective reality to general notions that |
| buildings. In contrast, speculative masons are described | | | | are usually designated as "abstract." Mediaeval |
| by those same writers as present-day Masons - men | | | | philosophy designated it as "universalia" - all things |
| who have suddenly discovered the spiritual significance | | | | pertain to the universal. Nominalism, on the other hand, |
| of the tools our blue-collar ancestors evidently knew | | | | admits that only "particulars" are real. The problem |
| nothing about. Some support for that contention is | | | | was explicitly analyzed by Plato, who first observed on |
| believed to derive from Masonic ritual itself, which | | | | behalf of realists: "I see a horse, but I don't see |
| purportedly offers the candidate a distinction to | | | | horseness." According to Plato, "horseness" merely |
| consider between operative and speculative Masonry. | | | | exists as an idea and is not real other than as a form |
| We are informed that our ancient brethren wrought at | | | | of thought. Horses aside, the philosophical struggle |
| the building of King Solomon's Temple and other | | | | becomes important when we ask ourselves, "What |
| stately edifices, but that we today are only speculative | | | | came first, genesis, or creation?" The differing |
| Masons. | | | | concepts also draw grave significance from the |
| The history of the English guilds also provides an | | | | discussion about which is more important, the individual, |
| additional basis for concluding that operative | | | | or society. To Freemasons, the problem is again |
| Freemasons were originally skilled builders who saw | | | | resolved by reference back to the Supreme Architect |
| no spiritual significance in the tools with which they | | | | of the Universe - Masons confess His superiority in all |
| worked. For them, the secrets of masonry exclusively | | | | matters and trust that thought coupled with action will |
| pertained to the various skills associated with | | | | make real to all mankind God's enormous love. |
| stonemasonry. However, without regard to whether | | | | It is written in the Gospels that if one has faith as a |
| Freemasonry sprung from those guilds, or is actually | | | | grain of mustard seed, he may move mountains. |
| the heir to the ancient mysteries found in the initiatory | | | | Empirical science takes a grain of hydrogen and |
| rites, if today's Mason is simply told that his Masonic | | | | releases its energy thereby reducing a mountain to |
| ancestors were simply originally builders, he is deprived | | | | dust. The first is speculative, the second is operative. |
| of the more significant lessons in esoteric symbolism | | | | Mankind has not yet learned to use the immense |
| offered by comparing and contrasting operative | | | | powers of the mind to generally move mountains. |
| Masonry and speculative Masonry on a spiritual level. | | | | However, science has unleashed the power of the |
| On one level, all Masons, past and present, are both | | | | atom for man to build or destroy. Yet, that science did |
| operative and speculative. The speculative side of man | | | | not act alone as if by magic. Learned men applied their |
| learns the philosophical, theological and spiritual lessons | | | | knowledge to the task and discovered a secret of |
| that Freemasonry teaches, while the operative side of | | | | Nature that is potentially good and evil. Nothing of the |
| man puts those lessons into action. In that | | | | atom, of hydrogen, or even of the spherical shape of |
| Freemasonry has adopted the Hermetic habit of | | | | the world would be known to this age had not men of |
| synthesizing contrary or competing concepts, it is | | | | a previous age thought and acted. Thinking without |
| essential that the Mason understand how he is to bring | | | | doing would have produced nothing. And so it is also |
| the lessons he has learned into the world where he | | | | when one acts without first thinking. In History |
| lives. | | | | Freemasons speculative side of man serves the |
| Albert Pike wrote that the message found in the | | | | operative side, and vice versa. |
| Emerald Table attributed to the Great Egyptian | | | | Freemasonry teaches that nothing is impossible. If a |
| Hierophant, Hermes Trismegistus - equilibrium is | | | | man dreams a condition for his future, he will attain it |
| achieved after the assimilation of different concepts - | | | | when God and that man's soul work together. But, to |
| is the great lesson Masonry imparts to humanity. For | | | | sit idly by and wish for something to happen without |
| example, Pike observed that wisdom, as described in | | | | acting together with God leads nowhere. The surest |
| the Kabbalistic Books, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes is | | | | way to make true the prayer for world peace is for |
| nothing less than the Creative Agent of God. As the | | | | each man to avoid war and embrace peace. The best |
| Creative Agent, wisdom is active, not passive - it is in | | | | way to insure an answer to a prayer for alleviating |
| the present, not of the past. Creation is an ongoing | | | | hunger is to give of what you have so that the hungry |
| phenomenon in which all mankind participates to a | | | | may eat. While praying that poverty may vanish is |
| greater, or lesser degree depending upon each man's | | | | laudable, the most efficient way to eliminate its |
| state of enlightenment. Thus, Freemasonry is as | | | | ravishing is to donate to causes that support the poor. |
| operative today as it was when our ancient brethren | | | | In the book of James, man is informed that faith |
| wrought at the building of stately edifices. | | | | without works is dead. But, it is not the faith itself that is |
| Pike, as well as other Masonic writers, encouraged | | | | dead. If one fails to put his faith to work, the beneficial |
| Masons to develop both their operative sense, as well | | | | effects of that faith will never be known to anyone. It |
| as their speculative curiosity. For Masonry to impart | | | | will amount to nothing more than wishful thinking. |
| anything of lasting value to humanity, Masons must | | | | Masons do not embrace such fantasies. If they did, the |
| think then act. One cannot exist without the other, if | | | | world would have no hospitals operated and funded |
| man hopes to contribute anything to his brethren. In so | | | | by Shriners. The aged, widowed and orphaned would |
| doing, those writers have variously invited us to each | | | | have no place to call home. And, the speech impaired |
| synthesize three antitheses or antimonies: (1) idealism - | | | | would have no clinics to go to and cure their ailment. |
| realism; (2) realism - nominalism; and (3) faith - empirical | | | | When the thoughtful, speculative Mason places his |
| science. | | | | thinking into operative action the world becomes a |
| The idealist considers everything as so many forms of | | | | better place. When he fails, darkness prevails to the |
| thought, while the realist affirms that objects of | | | | detriment of all humanity. Consider your actions and |
| knowledge have an existence that is independent of | | | | resolve never to hide your lamp beneath a bushel. You |
| thought. For example, the realist answers "yes" to the | | | | are a Mason and should act like one. |