Through the Key Hole - RoseCroix.org.au

63
THE SUN AT ITS MERIDIAN
By Wor. Bro. Don Falconer
112
When asked to describe his functions the Junior Warden will,
amongst other things, declare that he “marks the sun at its meridian”.
This would be quite difficult to do as the sun would be behind the Junior
Warden in the northern hemisphere. ( The birthplace of speculative
lodges).
This is an incorrect carry-over from the practice in operative lodges,
as a result of the fact that the early speculative ritualists did not take
into account the fact that the orientation of speculative lodges is the
reverse of that in operative lodges.
Some time around the end of the first century , Christian churches
reversed the orientation of their churches, which prior to then had
their entrance in the east, as did King Solomon’s Temple and the tabernacle
which was its prototype and in fact nearly all ancient temples.
Operative lodges always have, and still do, adopt the orientation of
King Solomon’s Temple so that the Master sits in the west and the JW
sits in the north from whence he can mark the sun at its meridian to
the south.
A part of the operative lodge’s opening ceremony was taken almost
verbatim without any correction for orientation! This reversal of orientation
in speculative lodges also accounts for the incorrect designation
of the location of the two great pillars with which we are all familiar.
His Eminence Ven. Pope Pius IX
Remembering that sacred buildings are set out “from the centre”
( N.B. Refer various references to the centre in our ritual), the
correct locations of the pillars are determined by standing in the centre
and looking towards the east ( the only door in King Solomon’s
Temple) so that the right hand pillar is in the south east and the left
hand pillar is in the north east. These locations are in accordance with
the scriptural description. (1)
1) Further information can be found in Wor. Bro. Don Falconer’s book “The Square and Compasses”,
especially Chapters16, 17 and 25.