Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry

Name: Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry
Author: R. Swinburne Clymer

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Ancient Mystic Oriental MasonryRules and Regulations · Part 3

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English Edition · Branch 76 of 88

Rules and Regulations · Part 3

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Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry

p. 76

12.The "G" in the Masonic Institution is the oldest Landmark the institution has and to take this away is to break Masonic Rule. It is un-Masonic and any Grand Lodge doing this is not only un-Masonic but becomes, by that very act, Spurious or Clandestine Masonry. This is Masonic Law. It cannot be broken.*

^[185] 13. It is an absolute rule that the Ritual must be used in all Initiation work. This is nothing new even -among Craft Masonry. Says a member of the Belgium Lodge: ''Our Lodge, called 'La Charite,' at Orient Charlevoi, is under obedience of the great Orient at Brussels, and has the Scottish Rite. No Mason is supposed to know anything of the ritual by heart. Questions and answers are read out, especially at initiation. The work of the Mason is supposed to be interior work in himself, before it can become exterior labor. So in order to obtain his degrees he has to do some work of his own, and no one is supposed to learn anything by heart, except words, signs and passwords. Now I have to tell you that every Mason is ^[186] supposed to do some literary work on general subjects concerning the welfare of man, human institutions, sociology, history, philosophy, philanthrophy, etc., and it is such work that a young Mason is supposed to do. Then, after reading these papers, they are discussed by all the members of the Lodge present, perhaps for three or four meetings, until the subject seems to be exhausted. This develops, in the young Mason, his intelligence and his moral feeling. " According to this it is not forbidden in Craft Masonry to use the Rituals during labor and the Supreme Lodge of Ancient and Oriental Mystic Masonry now makes it an absolute rule that All Lodges must use the Ritual during labor. There can be no exception to this rule. To ^[187] disobey means the revocation of the Charter of such Lodge.

14.Whosoever wishes to be admitted to the secrets, and afterwards to be initiated, must be a man of honor and of true spiritual power; he must already be of some learning in the Mysteries concerning initiation; for only those will be accepted who will be of service to the great work. It will be necessary that he shall be a member of the M…… C…… E…… have taken the Obligation as a Brother and have his name enrolled among that Order. After this is done he can make application for Initiation into the Lodge.

15.The Supreme Grand Master, or his Deputy, has Authority and Right, not only to be present in any ^[188] true Lodge, but also to preside wherever he is, with the Master of the Lodge on his left hand, and to order the other Officers to do such duty as he may wish.

279.Original noteOriginal notes on 1907 pp. 184–188. *“G” This letter is deservedly regarded as one of the MOST sacred of the Masonic emblems. Where it is used, however, as a symbol of Deity, it must be remembered that it is the Saxon representative of the Hebrew Yod and the Greek Tau — the initial letters of the name of the Eternal in those Languages. This symbol proves that Freemasonry always prosecuted its labors with reference to the grand ideas of Infinity and Eternity. By the letter "G" — which conveys to the minds of the brethren, at the same time, the idea of God and that of Geometry — it bound heaven to earth, the Divine to the human, and the infinite to the finite. Masons are taught to regard the Universe as the grandest of all symbols, revealing to men, in all ages, the ideas which are eternally revolving in the mind of the Divinity, and which it is their duty to reproduce in their own lives and in the world of art and industry. Thus God and Geometry, the material worlds and the Spiritual spheres, were constantly united in the speculations of the ancient Masons. They, consequently, labored earnestly and unweariedly, not only to construct cities, and embellish them with magnificent edificies, but also to built up a temple of great and Divine thoughts and of ever-growing virtues for the Soul to dwell in.* The symbolical letter "G" — — “That hieroglyphic bright, Which none but craftsmen ever saw," and before which every true Mason reverently uncovers, and bows his head — is a perpetual condemnation of profanity, impiety and vice. No brother who has bowed before that emblem can be profane. He will never speak the name of the Grand Master of the Universe but with reverence, respect and — Love. He will learn, by studing the Mystic meaning of the letter "G", to model his life after the Divine plan; and, thus instructed, he will strive to be like God in the activity and earnestness of his benevolence, and the broadness and efficiency of his charity. "The letter "G" occupies a prominent position in several of the degrees in the American system; is found in many of the degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish rite; in Adonhiramite Masonry; and, in fact, in every one of the many systems in which the people of the sixteenth and seventeenth century were so prolific in manufacturing. Wherever we find this recondite symbol in any of the Masonic rites, it has the same significance — a substitute for the Hebraic jod, the initial letter of the Divine name, and a monogram that expressed the Uncreated Being, Principal of ALL things; and in-closed in a Triangle, the unity of God. We recognize the same letter "G" in the Syriac Gad, the Swedish Gud, the German Gutt, and the English God—all names of the Deity and all derived from the Persian Goda, itself derived from the absolute pronoun signifying himself.” *Macoy and Oliver "History and Cyclopedia of Freemasonry." [Original subsidiary note on p. 186: The true meaning of the Temple of Sol-om-on, called Solomon's Temple.]

280.The long original note interprets G through God and Geometry, while §180 rejects Geometry in favor of Gnosis. Both readings are retained. The contradiction reveals that the compilation does not present one consistent historical explanation of the letter.

281.The Belgian lodge's practice is reported by an unnamed member. Clymer uses the example to authorize reading the ritual during work in his own lodges. One reported lodge's procedure cannot establish a rule binding all Masonic jurisdictions.

282.The source prints concealed initials, “M…… C…… E……,” rather than a full institutional name. They are retained without speculative expansion. The stated prerequisite supplements the earlier requirement of Craft membership and indicates that admission is not simply open enrollment.

About This Reading Edition

Clymer’s complete 1907 account of inward initiation, Masonic symbolism, spiritual brotherhood, and the Mystic Oriental Rite, with 211 explanatory annotations, 80 original notes, an introduction, key words, an outline, and a glossary.

Historical Text

R. Swinburne Clymer, Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry (Allentown, Pennsylvania: Philosophical Publishing Company, 1907), from the Internet Archive scan ancientmysticori00clym. The supplied reading edition preserves the historical wording, quotations, qualifications, and irregular paragraph numbering.

About This Edition

Complete historical English text and original notes with the supplied introduction, 211 annotations, 20 key-word essays, outline, 113-term glossary, editorial notes and sources; Diotimos Editions, 2026.

Rights

The 1907 American text and historical title-page emblem are in the public domain in the United States. The supplied 2026 editorial material is published with the site owner’s authorization. The edition supplies no institutional endorsement or assertion that the historical regulations govern an organization today.