Theos-Talk Archives (November 2006 Message tt00248)

Carlos,

I can see that you are not a Mason, and therefore you have a good 
reason to not know real Meaning of Freemasonry.

Second, please, stop talk about Leadbeater in these matters. He has 
nothing to do in a serious discussion. 

And further. You writ; "the Masonry was so heavily and
freely infiltrated by the Vatican Jesuits centuries ago, as you 
certainly know
HPB says." I know she said that Freemasonry infiltrated by the 
Jesuits, but this has nothing to do with the Vatican, hence the 
Vatican and Jesuits often don't like one another. To say "heavily 
and freely" is to over react. There is only one know "Jesuit" (he 
was not even a real Jesuit, but something similar to a tertiary 
member, even if SJ don't have that officially), that have made a 
carrier in Masonry, and that was Magister Johann August Starck, 
active mason ca. 1750-70. This connection Jesuits ? Freemason is 
untrue, as the Nazis Freemasons ? Jews is untrue. That is al based, 
and with its routs, in Anti-Masonry (from low-church protestants, in 
the US). 

Carlos, I think you are mixing things up. This could be hence you 
are from a Catholic country, but no I'm only guessing. Ritual and 
ritual is not always the same thing.

You wrote; "Jesus, Buddha and Lao Tzu -- 2,500 years ago -- were 
already critical of their time ritualisms and sacerdotal 
hierarchies. So this thing is not 'entirely new'." On this is my 
comment that one find, what one is looking for.

And: "Still, I did not see HPB writing about ritualism, or defending 
it as a practice
for theosophists. Did you?" And still she wrote several rituals here 
self, fore the use in the ES, and let Olcott write rituals for TS. 

And: "I am generally friendly toward Masons, but I do not think 
there should be any
confusion between the theosophical movement and any Rites and 
Ritualisms,
masonic or otherwise.

These are two quite different movements..." 

As said above about to know real Meaning of Freemasonry. They are 
not as different as you may think (in Spirit). And I don't share 
your opinion on nether rituals, or your opinion on what Theosophy is 
saying about it. The problem is that Masonry, as HBP said, soulless 
without the Philosophy of the East, but still it the last reaming 
part of the Western Mystery Schools. One most see masonry as it 
really is, and what is it origin. And very, very few Masons know 
this today. (And the second thing is that the church (and more the 
protestant, then the catholic) partly has done great harm on 
Freemasonry.) This got very clear for me, with the help of 
Theosophy. Freemasonry has no occult secrets any more, but still 
some secrets, those one find in every true Brothers heart. And the 
Freemasons are the Guardians of a Tradition, the Western Initiatoric 
Tradition of the ancient Mystery School.  

And, Carlos, don forget. That to study Western Freemasonry is 
obligatory for every student in a Mystery School in the East, and 
for every Chela.

Best regards,

Carl