The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

The Blindfold
Chapter 4 - Signs & Symbols 159
The candidate of Freemasonry is blindfolded. There are three evident reasons
for this. First, it is a secretive order. Therefore, the candidate must not see what
awaits him and will be "given light" at the proper moment when he has advanced
far enough to be entitled to see. Second, he is an ignorant prevailing in darkness,
and only finds light after long and troublesome learning. Third, and this is
expressed in Sickels' The General Ahiman Rezon from 1885, he must let loose
the past and turn his eyes towards the future. This, according to Sickels, is in
accordance with ancient Egyptian initiation ceremonies in which the neophyte
had to drink the water of forgetfulness to lay off the past and begin a new life - a
ceremony retained in Freemasonry, in a different outer form. A similar ceremony
is executed in the Catholic procedure of accepting novices, which the author of
this dissertation had the opportunity to witness in 2000. The priest says to the
novice, dressed in white, while she obtains her black habit: "Ziehe den alten
Menschen aus, und den neuen Menschen an." (Take off the old existence, and
put on the new one.) The Masonic candidate is also specially clothed, and his
eyes are "covered on the past":
In ancient Egypt, the Neophyte was presented with a cup of water, and
addressed in these words: - 'Aspirant to the honor of a divine
companionship! Seeker after celestial truth! This is the water of
forgetfulness. Drink! - drink to the oblivion of all your vices - the
forgetfulness of all your imperfections; and thus be prepared for the
reception of the new revelations of Truth, with which you are soon to be
honored.' Although modern Freemasonry does not retain this particular
ceremony, it preserves the spirit of it, by other forms [...]. The
candidate is directed to close his eyes on the Past - to lay aside the
trappings and vestures of the outward world - the symbols of traffic
and war - all that reminds one of the selfishness and discords of life -
and turn his face towards the dread unknown - the mysterious Future. 460
The eyes can be covered by a cloth, or, as shown in the illustration on the
left, by blinders. What resembles old-fashioned aviator goggles is a fraternal
blindfold for use in secret societies' initiation ceremonies. The Masonic fraternity
is not the only secretive society that blindfolds its candidates (cf., for example,
the Odd Fellows and others in Chapter 7. on
rituals.) The inductee wears these blinders, which
have "flip-up" eye coverings, so as not to see what
is coming until the appropriate time. When the
candidate is given "light," the eye coverings are
flipped up with a lever.
460 Sickels, p. 54.