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Originally Posted by tc33  Question: do the Masons/Templars exist today, and, if so, where, and what type of influence do they currently wield?
Thanks again!
Tom |
The Masons surely exist and they are everywhere. I'm sure there's a lodge within a few miles of you, and I'm sure they'd be glad to have you. There are three primary degrees called the "Blue Lodge", and you must complete all three before you really become a Mason, or else the first two don't even count. After this you can choose to join any number of other "rites" that provide higher degrees. The two major ones are "York Rite" (an extra 10 more degrees), and Scottish Rite (an extra 30). There are also several other, less orthodox rites, and some that are not even recognized by the US Grand Lodge (these are called "Clandestine lodges").
Acceptance into the lodge requires sponsorship by another Mason, which is usually not that hard to acquire. One of their mottos is "2 B 1, ASK 1." Progressing through the degrees merely requires a willingness to go through the rituals and memorize your lines. Most of the "wisdom" passed down in these rites can be obtained from books. However, there is a certain spiritual value in going through the rituals yourself, and I believe that the oaths a Masons takes have real spiritual power. In addition, one of Masonry's greatest benefits is its networking potential. You are actually obligated to help your brethren when possible with their business affairs - within reason, of course. This can include helping them get jobs, contracts, etc. And they are obligated to do the same for you. Unfortunately, because their membership is largely old and dying off, they don't wield the same kind of influence they once did, and thus their networking value has declined somewhat. But I still think it's worth it. I would join if I wasn't a female, but as you know, it's male-only. (I guess they're really not
that enlightened after all.)
As for the Templars, they purportedly live on through the Masons. There is a great deal of debate, even within the Masonic community, about whether or not Masonry is literally derived from Templarism. According to my research, there are enough connections to make this a valid claim. The first real Masonic lodge in Scotland was commissioned by a family descended from Templars, and there are a number of Masonic rituals that make reference to the Templars. There is even a degree in the York Rite called the "Knights Templar" degree. The greatest Masonic scholar in my opinion was Albert Pike, who makes no bones about the connection in his quintessential book
Morals and Dogma. (I would recommend this book highly, as it explains the meaning of each of the Scottish Rite degrees, in the process explaining esoteric connections between just about every religious and mythological concept you can think of.)
In addition to the Masons, there are a number of groups that claim to be continuing their tradition. Once such group is the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem. This is probably the most mainstream neo-Templar group. There are probably hundreds of other occult groups who in one way or another claim a connection to the Templars. Even Aleister Crowley's magical order was called "the Order of the Oriental Templars." Albert Pike went so far as to claim that every occult group is controlled by the Templars "secret chief", Baphomet (a spiritual entity whom I believe is represented in veiled symbols on the US one-dollar bill.)
The Priory of Sion, so in fashion today, at one time claimed to have been the secret order that originally chartered the Templars as their "military arm." Of course, many of the Priory's self-proclaimations have been debunked. However, several of the modern-day members of the Priory of Sion are also members of an unorthodox Masonic offshoot called the "Rectified Scottish Rite" (also known as the "Rite of Memphis-Mizraim"), and they really do have a pedigree that stems from the Templars.
There is much infighting between these groups, each one claiming to be the "real" heir to the Templars, and accusing the others of fakery. However, in my opinion there is no reason why there cannot be more than one heir. If they are continuing the same principles, owe their allegiance to the same secret chief (Baphomet), and have an "apostolic succession" (for lack of a better term) stemming from the original, then there's no reason that the parent can't have more than one child.
As for what their influence is in global politics and business, it's hard to gauge. It's certainly not what it used to be. However, in South America they still have a lot of influence, and in the 1980s the Italian govenrment was practically destrioyed because of a scandal involving a Mafia-linked clandestine lodge called "Propaganda Due."
One of the other commenters on this thread said the Masons are "on the conspiracy side of things." I'm not sure what that means, but I want to make it clear that I'm not a conspiracy theorist per se, nor am I anti-Masonic. I think their influence overall has been tremendously positive, and I don't have a problems with their secrecy. It's necessary in the face of all the ignorance and religious persecution that still exists in the world. Besides, they are practicing a form of occultism, and occultism is, by definition, practiced in secret.
The word "conspiracy" implies a criminal plot, and I only know of a few times that Masonic lodges have been used for criminal conspiracies. One such case was the notorious William Morgan incident in the 1800s, where a man was actually murdered for revealing Masonic secrets. (Masons take an oath pledging not to reveal these secrets, lest they be killed by their brethren in a ritual fashion as punishment.) There's also the Propaganda Due scandal I mentioned above, which also involved a Masonic ritual murder, right on the Thames River in London. Then I suppose you could count the numerous anti-Monarchist plots that they have been involved in throughout history to topple oppressive governments, which makes them guilty of sedition and treason. But I don't consider the Boston Tea Party to be a criminal conspiracy, do you?
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