The Lost Key: An Explanation of Masonic Symbols

Chapter III. 33technical instruction in the art of building and so it is perfectlynatural that he come to a School of Instruction for teachung.THE THREE RAPS90. A rap upon a door is, symbolically, equivalent to a request forthe knowledge which is held by those behind the door. A knockon the door of a school is a symbolic request for the instruction ofthat school. We are accustomed to this use of the term. It is quiteunderstandable to say of such and such a man that he “knockedupon the doors of Plato’s School and was taught in the wisdom ofthat sage philosopher.” Or, we might say, “He left the forests ofthe North and journeyed south to knock upon the gates ofHarvard University in search of knowledge.” In either case wewould be using the very same symbology nor would even the mostunenlightened reader need to ask for an explanation.91. But why the THREE raps? Why not one or two or four? Simplybecause he is asking, symbolically, for instruction in the three greatdepartments of his lower nature, the physical, emotional andmental. Hence the three raps which correspond to the three stepsof the Master’s platform.92. We must never lose sight of the fact that a symbol may havemany meanings. Almost always it has more than one meaning andwe must also realize that the use of any person or thing as a symboldoes not in the slightest degree imply any denial whatever of thehistoricity or actuality of that person or thing. The use of theSaints John as symbols does not imply a denial of their actualexistence. The candidate himself is the principal symbol of eachDegree and surely no one could possibly think that the existence ofthe candidate is denied.