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

Chapter 7 - Rituals 521
man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard" (p. 89). The officer
Wisdom encourages the candidate not to give in, even if her efforts are met by
indifference and ingratitude.
The last virtue to raise her voice is Charity, who is distinguished from the
others that she underlines by a Masonic quote: "Charity stands as the pearl of
great price among the virtues - 'for the greatest of these is Charity.' " (p. 90). She
also relates a legend, according to which the wives of the fishermen, at the
shores of the Adriatic Sea, had the habit of going down to the sea-shore at eventide,
to sing the first verse of a favorite hymn. Borne by the wind across the
desert sea, they heard the second verse, sung by their husbands as they were
tossed by the gale upon the waves. The directions suggest that a choir of ladies,
stationed in the eastern part of the Court room, sing the first verse, and a choir of
gentlemen in an adjoining room sing the second verse, after which they all join
in the chorus (cf. p. 91/92). This interplay is to symbolize death and a gentle
answer from beyond, to assure the living that heaven awaits them:
Perhaps, if we listen, we, too, may hear, in this desert world, some
whisper borne from afar, to remind us that there is a heavenly home;
and when we sing a hymn upon earth, it may be we shall hear its echo
breaking in sweet melody uon the sands of time, cheering the hearts of
those who, perchance, are pilgrims and strangers, looking for a city that
hath sure foundations. (p. 92)
The "city with sure foundations" is an image for the "New Jerusalem," or
"Zion," or paradise, however the life afterwards may be called. When Wisdom
has spoken, the Royal Matron has to confer the honors of the degree upon the
candidate, who is therefore led via the North to the west side of the altar, facing
East. In correspondence with Freemasonry, the importance of the four points of
the compass is expressed:
Honored Conductress, the West is the place of the setting sun, the verge
of the twilight gloom, and darkness of the night. In its uncertain light,
amid the shadows of the declining day, the beauties of our work cannot
be revealed. It is the rising, not the setting, sun that we adore. I pray you
do not tarry there. (p. 93)
Accordingly, the candidate is conducted via the South to the East, in front of
the throne. The Royal Matron relates the advantages of this direction:
The East is that quarter from which the bright morning star heralds the
approach of day, and the proper place for honorable advancement.
Before the rising sun, darkness disappears, and light covers the surface
of the earth. Here, the light, arising from the blessings of our Order as
the radiance from the morning sun, awaits the neophyte. (p. 94)