THE ARCANE SCHOOLS - Fort Myers Beach Masonic Lodge No. 362

that
he who pronounces it shakes heaven and earth, and inspires the very
angels
with terror and astonishment.
The Rabbins called it "shem hamphorash," that is to say, "the name that
is
declaratory," and they say that David found it engraved on a stone
while
digging into the earth.
/ \
/ \
/[Yod]\
/ \
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the triangle itself being a symbol of Deity.
This symbol of the name of God is peculiarly worthy of our attention,
since not only is the triangle to be found in many of the ancient
religions occupying the same position, but the whole symbol itself is
undoubtedly the origin of that hieroglyphic exhibited in the second
degree
of Masonry, where, the explanation of the symbolism being the same, the
form of it, as far as it respects the letter, has only been anglicized
by
modern innovators. In my own opinion, the letter _G_, which is used in
the
Fellow Craft's degree, should never have been permitted to intrude into
Masonry; it presents an instance of absurd anachronism, which would
never
have occurred if the original Hebrew symbol had been retained. But
being
there now, without the possibility of removal, we have only to remember
that it is in fact but the symbol of a symbol.[128]
Widely spread, as I have already said, was this reverence for the name
of
God; and, consequently, its symbolism, in some peculiar form, is to be
found in all the ancient rites.
Thus the Ineffable Name itself, of which we have been discoursing, is
said
to have been preserved in its true pronunciation by the Essenes, who,
in
their secret rites, communicated it to each other only in a whisper,
and
in such form, that while its component parts were known, they were so
separated as to make the whole word a mystery.
Among the Egyptians, whose connection with the Hebrews was more
immediate
than that of any other people, and where, consequently, there was a
greater similarity of rites, the same sacred name is said to have been
used as a password, for the purpose of gaining admission to their
Mysteries.