The Arcana of Freemasonry (1915) - The Masonic Trowel

296 THE ARCANA OF FREEMASONRY
The Operatives say that " Jabal " was their
founder, but do not know how long ago he lived.
This, I take it, is the Hebrew for Horus Behutet,
and they can certainly claim that they have existed
at least three hundred thousand years, because
their Signs and Symbols, and the words " El
Shaddai," prove that they were formed into the
Brotherhood of " Companions and Craftsmen " at
that time. Some of their present Ritual has been
altered from the original, and passwords in Hebrew
substituted for the original Egyptian, probably
from the same causes as the Speculative. They
salute the rising sun with the sevenfold salute
which was originally Stellar, but brought on
as an early Solar custom. The seven-time
salute, however, was taken from the Stellar
and carried on, but in their Red degree they
still have the old Stellar custom, i.e. their form
of an Arch lodge is a circle under the dome
of heaven. They have the circular altar in the
centre exactly under the plumb-line which comes
down from the God of the Pole Star North. There
are seven steps up to the altar, which they refer
to the seven spirits or seven sciences. Thus
they set out on the floor or ground six points ;
six men are placed on each arm between the steps
and point, and at the proper time these slowly
revolve around the altar seven times. The circle
here is a representation of the Celestial Paradise