From the book
Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry
R. Swinburne Clymer · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe closing metaphysical discussion describes graded forms of intelligence across an ordered nature.
- In Ancient Mystic Oriental MasonryThe account first reasons from a divine totality toward the participation of its parts.
- In this editionIntelligence is retained as the author's broad metaphysical term.
- A place to readF.165: … “Him is endowed with a portion of His intelligence, in virtue of its destiny, whence it” …
Meaning
The closing metaphysical discussion describes graded forms of intelligence across an ordered nature. It distinguishes molecular attraction and rejection from human self-consciousness and moral choice.
Use in the book
The account first reasons from a divine totality toward the participation of its parts. It then raises the possibility that all matter thinks, before qualifying the conclusion. Modes of intelligence differ with organization and place in the hierarchy. Humanity is assigned a distinctive capacity to know an I and distinguish good from evil.
Places to read
- Foundations of Mystic Masonry · Block 165… “Him is endowed with a portion of His intelligence, in virtue of its destiny, whence it follows that there is an infinite gradation of intelligence resulting from an infinity of different” …
- Foundations of Mystic Masonry · Block 170… “is no longer anything of what is called inorganic matter; if, however, any must be admitted, where is the limit, for instance, among minerals, vegetable, and animal substances?”
- Foundations of Mystic Masonry · Block 171… “their system. They certainly admit a series of intelligences from the elementary substance, the most simple molecule, or the monad, up to the reunion of all these monads or of their” …
In this edition
Intelligence is retained as the author's broad metaphysical term. It is not silently converted into a modern test score or a biological definition.
Reading the argument
The qualification matters. The author does not finally give a simple molecule the same consciousness as a human being. Intelligence broadens across the scale and cannot be treated as one measured capacity present identically in every case.
intelligence
“intelligence” — 11 occurrences in 6 text blocks: M.20; F.151, 165, 169, 171; R.15.
intelligences
“intelligences” — 3 occurrences in 2 text blocks: F.165, 171.
molecule
“molecule” — 2 occurrences in 1 text block: F.171.
molecules
“molecules” — 2 occurrences in 1 text block: F.171.
monads
“monads” — 1 occurrence in 1 text block: F.171.
inorganic matter
“inorganic matter” — 1 occurrence in 1 text block: F.170.