Masonic Book Club

Ahhhh! You are doing what I too plan to do in my lodge.....I was so impressed with Manly P Hall's Lost Keys...that I wanted to begin with that as well....I would continue with Manly books like Masonic Orders of Fraternity and Secret Teachings of all Ages. Honestly I can't find any better than his. Wilmshurst material is also great, Meaning of Masonry etc. It is online for free at http://www.brad.ac.uk/webofhiram/?
---Mick

For me the seeking is encouraged by the ritual. One could examine any sources of resurrection (life after death) judgement by God, ie Egyptian mystery, veiled seeking ...greek neo platonis. I myself prefer channeled material. There is no reason to limit yourself to masonic esotericism. Your intuition will guide you as to what is hogwash or not.

Is this an online group or are there meeting to discuss the books.

It's an online discussion of Masonic Books we've read. What have you read lately?

Not in a long while... I read Manly Hall's book, as well as a few other of his work. The last book I read on Freemasonry was Coil's A Comprehensive View of Freemasonry and Glick's "A Treasury of Masonic Thought." I am not very familiar with other "esoteric" writers on the Craft, except for Hall and Arthur E. Waite. I hope that someone suggests something. Not big fan of the Holy Grail train of thought, as it seems a bit more like parallel history. But am interested in any other Craft philosophy, which is somewhat intriguing.

I find esoteric information begins to blur the line between philosophy and religious/spiritual thought. I tend to not get too into it as I don't want to infuse the Craft with too much "religious" significance. For me, the underlining meaning of the symbols contains something "mystical" but in more, for myself anyway, psychological meaning. In the Jungian sense of symbols. What does it mean as the collective unconscious understands it?

Which is why I find Manly Hall very compelling and how Waite made a real attempt to redefine the significance of the Craft in the context in which he found himself.

Look forward to interacting with everyone as I have not been to my Lodge in a long time.

Yes Manly's material really does bring it down to reality....but then again I feel Masonry itself is just the same. Complete with all it's religious symbolisms, it really is a system which is designed to be applied to ones psyche and inner workings. I find that Masonry is the oldest male inner-self finishing school there is!