FREEMASONRY: THE
HIGHER DEGREE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
By Fahim A. Knight-El
The Masonic universal lessons, if properly mastered by the
black Masonic Craft, it will create a new level of energy inside the lodge that
will truly cause the sun that rises in the East (symbolic of the Worshipful Master) and crosses the prime meridian
moving from East to West and setting in preparation for a new day to create new
Masonic life. The Senior Warden in the West and Junior Warden in the South
should reflect the light coming from the Worshipful Master stationed in the
East and in the physical world, the earth is always in rotation (orbit) and in motion
(causing the regeneration of planetary life). All of these designated lodge
stations are not just arranged in a coincidental format or as some meaningless
floor plan. The lodge layout including its furnishing from the alter (emanating
from the sacred text to the working tools) are meant to be symbolic, emblematic
and allegorical given to us in Speculative Masonic lessons. Best described in
the spiritual sciences of the columns of Boaz and Jachin in which the mystical
and metaphysical lessons of correlating the terrain and celestial universal
bodies that are rooted in the philosophical lessons interpreted and defined in the First
and Second Degree work explained in Morals and Dogmas by Albert Pike.
The Worshipful Master is symbolic and emblematic of the sun just
as the physical sun rises in the East (the lodge opens up from the East), which
the physical sun sits 93 million miles away from the earth and is responsible
for energizing the earth with a radiant light (creating motion and life), which
gives and sustains all life on earth. Thus, as the earth rotates on its axis
around the sun (which takes a complete revolution of 365 days to complete the
journey) and tilts on its axis allowing for us in the Western Hemisphere to
experience four seasons (summer, winter, spring and fall).
The Worshipful Master is the leader of the Blue lodge and
has the responsibility of creating the spirit of Brotherly Love and harmony
within the lodge. A morally good Worshipful Master who is well learned and well
studied his wisdom will radiate throughout the lodge (shining upon seeds that
are expected to germinate in due intellectual and spiritual season). He has the
awesome responsibility of nurturing and feeding the Craft by conveying
Speculative Masonic knowledge and staying aligned with the twenty-five landmarks
of Masonry; performing sound ritual work and creating meaningful community
relationships and inspiring the brotherhood to be good stewards of morality,
friendship and brotherly love. I know that it is a lot of work and responsibility
serving in leadership as the Worshipful Master, but if all of us do our little
part it makes the work less heavy and less burdensome. We often asked the
question, which is greater, sun light or moon light? Both of them possess a
universal purpose of light equity in our solar system (neither is greater). But
each is dependent upon the other to create sustainable life on Earth (that equates to a physical balance). That is
how we as brothers should operate by having a willingness and spirit of
assisting for the benefit of the whole. I do think it starts from good
leadership at the top by having the ability and inspiration to regenerating a new levels of interest based on study
(this is the only true path and solution, which will sustain long term interest
and support the future foundation of Masonry).
It is the sun's energy that balances day and night—our total
existence is dependent upon the sun rising and replenishing our food sources
and allowing human biology to continue to evolve (the sun represents life and
death to all life forms on earth). This universal principle of cause and affect
has been in existence for over five billion years or at least, as old as the earth
itself. Many ancient cultures and people have always revered the sun and often
was Deified throughout world civilizations, because of its power, majesty and
mystery (when I was a young primary and secondary student, they taught us that
only nine planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune and Pluto) existed in our solar system; they now have an inclination to
believe that there are possibly six more unknown planets and many more
undiscovered planets (reference: Robert Hewitt Brown; Stellar Theology and Mansonic Astronomy).
Now, astrophysics have expanded this original hypothesis
relative to many more planetary possibilities (science is never stagnate); the
space travel, exploration and science will continue to reveal just how much we
do not know nor understand about the complexities and comprehensive factors and
variables that makes up and governs the universe. Some have tried to explain
the macrocosm and microcosm universe via Tarot cards and by way of the twelve
Zodiac signs as being related to air, water, earth and fire as representations
of the lower scales of human personality and the high scales of our personal
spiritual centeredness that evolved and revolved around our spiritual DNA,
which had metaphysical implications based on the astrological arrangements of
the stars when our Earth day was preordained and our return as solar beings
(some of this must be understood within the Kemetic principles of MAAT). Every
real student of Masonry must be a student of numerology and esoteric science;
philosophical Masonry was built and structured on ancient numerical codes of the
building of King Solomon’s Temple
Also, Freemasonry borrowed the astrological lessons of the
sun and built allegorical philosophical schools of thought (better known as
Speculative Masonry) that was incorporated in the various aspects and forms of the Freemasonic ritual, which brought into existence the symbolic legend of Grand
Master Hiram Abiff, the Master Builder in which the biblical Hiram from the
land of Tyree has no resemblance to the Masonic allegory of the greatest
grandmaster recorded in the Freemasonic legend (he like Jesus was slain and
resurrected). The sun every year dies in the winter (winter solstice) and is
reborn or resurrected during Easter (spring time nature comes back to life
during the summer solstice). Many of the ancient Kemetic folklores were also
rooted in the resurrection story of Ausr, Aset and Huru. Ausr was murdered by
his jealous brother Set who placed his body in a chess that was chained and
buried deep into the Nile river and when his sister Nephthys found
and discovered her brother’s body, it was cutup into fourteen pieces and the
only part that was missing was his penis (this is best understood in the phallic
worship practices in Kemet). These Kemetic folklore teachings can be found in R.T.
Rundle Clark book titled, Myth and Symbol in
Ancient Egypt. Man has had a long historical infatuation with sun
Gods and according to Manly P. Hall as a phenomenon was found in every culture and in his
exhaustive research titled, The Secret Teaches of All Ages, he traced
many so-called pagan origins and sun cults being historically practiced by people throughout the earth.
They culturally emulated the moving of the sun as the earth rotates on her axis
and in the western hemisphere (and constructed religious systems around this concept); we experience the winter and summer solstice
(the word 'sol' Latin word that translates to mean sun and 'stice' meaning to
stand still according Gerald Massey's book titled, The Book of the Beginnings.
Kersey Graves in the book titled, The World’s Sixteen
Crucified Saviors; he underscored at least 16 sun Gods and World Saviors who
were erected and shared similar pagan themes as Jesus Christ. For example, in
ancient Kemet (Egypt) the Sun's birth, death, resurrection and ascension were
charted and depicted long before the ancient Asiatic calendar known as the
lunar charting (the Muslim and Islamic world charts the moon and sun based on
the lunar calendar, which the western world has taking notice by observing the
Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan) and even long before the Greek and
Roman calendar known as the Gregorian calendar, the western charting of the
sun/moon and of time created the International Dateline established in
Greenwich, England. The Kemetic folklore of Ausar, Aset and Huru, which
was one of the original 'Christ' stories that predated the story of Yeshusa Ben
Yosef (Jesus, the son of Joseph) by many thousands of years according to John
G. Jackson's Book titled, Christianity Before Christ and J,S.M Ward's
book titled, Who was Hiram Abiff? Yeshusa Ben Yosef was not born on
December 25, but the pagan birth of the sun god was born in which Christianity
borrowed one of the natural creation stories and implied a theological
interpretation from much older secular pagan societies and reversed the Sun god with
Son of God Jesus (or Yeshusa) the human being became the center of this solar
concept (Christians in the United States worship on Sun-Day). Constantine at the Council of Nicea (Turkey) in 325 AD established the Nicean Creed, which fostered
in a perverted and corrupt version of Christianity—this is what governs the
Roman Catholic church and papal religious system to this very day (reference:
Reza Aslan: Zealots: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth).
There were pyramidal numerical codes that were based in a
system of geometry and physics and there were principles being practiced by the
Nubian people that were unknown to the conventional western scientists and after
thirty-one (31) Dynastic periods recorded in ancient Egyptian history and thousands
of years of unearthing by archeologist and Egyptologist they are still at
square one. Kemet has only revealed more questions than answers, which have
baffled western scientists for centuries and continues to baffle them in 2017.
The Kemetic understanding of engineering and architecture have not been
duplicated nor decoded by some of the most brilliant Caucasian
scientists—although the Nubians left behind plenty of evidence, that has
determined them to have been the most advanced civilizations ever record in the
annals of time and human history. They left behind artifacts and archeological
ruins that do not fully begin to tell the story of what the scribes had written
in the Ancient Coffin Text.
The Greeks: Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, etc., stole much of ancient Kemetic knowledge and called it Greek Mythology. Dr. George G.M. James in 1954, authored the book titled, Stolen Legacy, which he dismantled and deconstructed the notion that Greek Mythology was a superior culture to Kemet (Egypt) and historically proposed that the Greeks stole (Kemetic Philosophy) their knowledge came from ancient Kemet (Egypt)—these set of truths, also challenged the premise of schools of thought that were germane to Eurocentric Freemasonry having its origin in Greece and Roman and later in England (one of the greatest lies ever told). Let's not make any mistake most of these lessons of authorship by the Greeks were plagiarized from more ancient teachings and texts discovered and taught by African people of Kemet and
If anyone has ever read my body of work, it would be clear
where I stand politically, economically, socially and culturally; I am
unapologetic about being a Black Nationalist and Pan-Africanist in which my
Masonic views have always been Afrocentric and my historical evidence have
always led to me Africa (not Jerusalem, Mecca, London, Rome, Scotland, etc.)
but I am not oblivious to these nations ties to the development of Freemasonry
and its origins in Europe. Freemasonry began with black people, those Africans
who had relationships with Amen-Ra and Ptahhotep in ancient Kemet in which Dr.
Ashra Kwesi makes this point in his archeological and historical findings and
testimonies of the Kemetic origins of Freemasonry. Their history was older than the sun, moon and stars and studied
within the Egyptian Mystery Schools where mystical lessons were given in all the
esoteric, Occult and Gnostic schools of thought—Masonic scholars such as Albert
Mackey, Robert MaCoy, Manly P. Hall, etc. They really did not have the spirit or
the knowledge to accurately decipher and interpreted the Kemetic lessons taught in the
'Coffin Text' and many of the ancient Kemetic lessons became corrupted by the
Greeks and Romans. Speculative Masonry becomes a beautifully put together
puzzle when you look deeper into the esoteric, Gnostic and occult teachings and
schools of thought. It will carry us into both the secular and sacredness of
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It will lead us even further into the ancient
Kemetic Schools of thought, but the Square and Compass should also serve as a
moral guide. I know that African people had this knowledge long before
1711 or 1717 these dates are important to Caucasian Masonry. I have challenged them
every step of the way.
Thus, one of the most important lessons in
our development along the way relative to our personal Masonic
journey was the requirement and personal belief in Deity this was the utmost
condition and perquisite in which our Masonic foundation would rest upon.
Let me explain this in this way; Deity represents mere perfection and is not
subject to human error or imperfection. This most important requisite was
given to us as a reminder to always keep it out front, because man is
surely destined to fail us, but it we have strong convictions in
Deity in spite of what name we chose to call him by, it is him
alone that stand and functions independent of our human imperfections and
fragility—the guiding light, the Source of it All. The belief in Deity has the power to change our
reality; we can trust and seek refuge in him, as well as find comfort in something greater
than ourselves. When you entered into the lodge, it was a process of rituals
that were designed to bring the poor blind candidate from darkness into
light and you were brought in without the benefit of material substances; just
like an infant who enters this world naked and bare and dependent upon its
mother for life substances and the mother will be there to meet the needs of
this new life—providing it with the physical material it needs to develop and
progress (how long will we extend our personal cabletow to reach a distressed
brother or a member of the human family?).
Nevertheless, every brother came to Freemasonry of his own
freewill and accord and after the Deacons and Wardens escorted and took us on a
symbolic journey (circumambulation) to be examined and reexamined by the Senior
Warden (West) and the Worshipful Master (East). It was to bring the new
candidate to the understanding that you had to approach the celestial lodge in
proper ancient and due form (someone initially held our hands and guided us in
this manner). Thus, after being brought from darkness to light and being
physically released from the physical restraints (It was symbolic to let us
know that we are free to explore and are not bound by any restraints). The
Worshipful Master admonished the ritual by telling the candidate(s) that what
was enacted was mere allegory and simultaneously reminded the candidate that now
there would be something more greater and meaningful which shall hold the newly
made brothers together in an everlasting bond of brotherhood and friendship,
which was ritualized and pledged in ones potential commitment to Morality,
Friendship and Brotherly Love. The instructional part for the Masons was that
you did not come to the lodge because of the Worshipful Master, Senior
Warden or the Junior Warden; you came because God led you
to the lodge and gave you the intestinal fortitude to complete the
journey (essentially you came of your own freewill and accord).
All of us as human beings are flawed souls, but we
cannot fall victim to other people's character flaws unless we lose sight of
why we joined Masonry, our coming wasn't about anyone else but ourselves.
Remember there is no power greater than the Grand Architect of
the Universe. Also it was at that point, that your own eyes were giving
back to you and you now had the unrestricted vision to see and understand what
was taking place with you and around you. The guides (Junior Steward and Senior
Steward) relinquished their duty of being your help-meet of moving you as a
poor-blind candidate. This was to further teach you that guidance and Masonic
understanding would be your responsibility to further your travels from this
day forward (the quest to obtain knowledge and wisdom becomes an eternal
journey). The Worshipful Master (who sits in the East) instructs the
candidate that as a human being he would have to depend on someone, somewhere
in life no different that him depending on someone who guided him through the
ritual of the lodge as a poor blind candidate. At some point in the ceremony
the Master of the lodge would state I am ordering the Chaplin to pray for you
all as candidates and yet he quickly said, but one day you are going to
have to pray for yourself.
During your third degree raising the Worshipful Master said
as I instructed you on the First Degree work about the benefit of prayer, it
would be a time for you to pray for yourself and he stated now is the
time to pray. So all of these instructional rituals have deep meanings other
than the Speculative Masonic intent, but it was telling and teaching
us that we have a moral and ethical responsibility as
enlightened men to move and create positive energy and standards that would
truly make the good man better—this was explained best on the Bible (based on
the obligations you swore to uphold) in which the square and compass served as
your guide and tool (this was to remind us that life will be full of
directions and spiritual guidance). This will lead us to the principles
and path of following in our conduct, which should be rooted in being
Plum , Level and Square. The working tools have
a duality in meaning and intent, they could appear to the mundane as perhaps the
mere workmen's tools of an Operative Masonic craftsman, but in Masonry you are
taught to view and accept the working tools in a more noble and glorious purpose beyond
the physical intent and purpose offered under Operative Masonry (reference:
Allen Roberts, The Craft and its Symbols). We should always transition
our thoughts to the spiritual realm and learn to use the working tools to find
the God within.
Knowledge (let me clarify right knowledge) is powerful and a
persuasive tool, in particular when, we understand that the entire world is
indebted to the contributions African civilizations have made to humanity. The
Blue Lodge, Consistory, Shrine Temple and all our Masonic Houses should be
classrooms where the knowledge of self is taught; European Freemasonry is a
system based on robbery and is shrouded in lies and deceptions—the origin of
mystical enlightenment was well developed before they exited the hills and
cave-sides of Europe 6,000 years ago and before they were created on the island
of Patmos. I am going to let you into a little secret; white Freemasons are
Moslem Sons and all the Shrine rituals are an enactment of his history after
exiting the hillside and cave-sides of Europe (we ran him 2,200 miles across the hot Arabian Desert) .
Prophet Musa or Moses was an half original man who was sent to civilize him in
which this allowed and required him to study for 35-50 years before he could
come amongst us and do trade, etc., this civilization study process made him
into a Muslim by faith and a righteous believer in Islam (Moslem Son and
Freemasonry would be the vehicle for him to practice Islam in secrecy) but he
is not our brother by nature.
This is best understood in the teachings of the Mystic
Shrine—we taught him about Allah, taught him how to pray and prostrate, gave him the Qur’an and taught him about the
importance of the ritual of circumambulation of the Kaaba, which was built by
Abraham and his son Ishmael in the Holy City of Mecca (we gave him the true meaning of the black stone). We also led him to Prophet
Muhammad Ibn Abdullah of 1,400 years ago
(but initially we only allowed him to obtain 32 degrees of knowledge
this kept him at a frozen state as stated above, it did not make him our
brother by nature). Those Caucasian Moslem Sons who remained diligent in their
submission and surrendering to Allah, we conferred one more degree of knowledge
by giving him 33 1/3 degree but we made him a true Sovereign Grand Inspector General (taught him that the black man was God and he had an obligation to bow down). Some we invited
into the mystic teachings of Sufism and this knowledge was so deep in esoteric
religiosity and spiritualism (shrouded in symbolism) in which some Sunni and
Shia Muslims consider the teachings and practices of Sufism as heretic and
anti-Islam. It has always stood outside
of traditional Islam (Sunni and Shia), because of the spiritual and heighten
internal spiritual awareness of linking God directly to a higher elevation of
mind, body and spirit (far beyond the traditional teachings of Islam rooted in
the spiritual complexities of the cosmos and universe and all that it
encompasses is embodied in the mystic teachings of Sufism).
No, Sufi Sheik out of Mecca, Turkey, Iran or Senegal stands as the
experts in all of Sufism interpretations; moreover, I have learned that this
mystic path led me to the conclusion that the more I studied; I am still an
ill-equipped student of this knowledge—I am a blind neophyte and I am not to arrogant
to let you all know this. I am absolute no authority on this mystic and spiritual tradition, thus as great
as the Sufi scholar Idris Shah was in his explanations and commentaries on
Sufism, he was no authority—Sufism is beyond systematic Islamic theology; it is
the only true and authentic form of Islam. Sister Tynetta Muhammad of the
Nation of Islam in her teachings and body of work understood this better than
most of the Nation of Islam ministers in which she made attempts to infuse the
Nation of Islam’s theology in direct correlation to the philosophical mystical
teachings of Sufism. It is not coincidental that the Seventh letter of the
alphabet, which is the letter G. (I believe that Master Fard Muhammad and the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad were fully aware of these linkages) to truly
understand Allah and all his attributes (I am not talking about that mystery
God that does not exist), you must understand the higher codes of numerology
and the constellations of the stars and the mathematical and spiritual equations
that are presented in the universal order and schemes. There was a lot to the 24
Wise Scientist and how history renews itself every 25,000 years in advance and
then we live it, but this is truly another subject for another time. I take no
credit for none of this, but the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was a master teacher
and I am just one of his students.
We have allowed the Caucasian /Arab/Semites of Iran, Yemen,
Albania, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, etc., to convert to Islam and Moslem Sons
(high degree masons) and we allowed them to experience our mystic way of life
through Sufi Orders such as: Alians,
Bektashi Order, Mevlevi Order, Ba 'Alawiyya, Chishti Order, Jerrahi, Naqshbandi,
Mujaddidi, Ni'matullāhī, Qadiriyya, Qalandariyya, Sarwari Qadiriyya, Shadhiliyya,
Suhrawardiyya, Ashrafi Family, Saifiah (Naqshbandiah), and Uwaisi. Freemasonry
nor his conversion to Islam will ever make him our brother (this was the
mistake that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad's son Imam Warith Deen Mohammed made
in 1975).
Turkey was under the Islamic flag, the sun, moon and star
and before the Caucasian was allowed to be received as a Moslem Son (Shriner)
he had to voluntarily take a secret Shahada (confession of faith—“lā ʾilāha
ʾillā-llāh, muḥammadur-rasūlu-llāh” it translate to mean:“There
is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God”. The Arabs and the
Semite Muslims are closely akin to the Caucasian man. We initially used the
Muslims of Turkey (Turkey is the only nation that sits on two continents Asia
and Europe, they served as gatekeepers—at the Caucasus Mountain between the
Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and before he exited with this knowledge we
mandated that he put the sword above the sun, moon and star (so he could always
visualize and stand perpendicular on the square of freedom, justice and
equality) and to also remind him of his obligation to being a righteous Moslem
Son (Shriner).
Lastly, Jesus (Isa Bin Yusuf) the Christ, was teaching
the Hebrew Israelites or so-called Jewish Rabbis and Jewish high
priest at age twelve and most Biblical theologians and religious scholars
view Jesus (Isa Bin Yusuf) life as a mystery during this time span, but
at approximately 30 years of age Jesus (I am writing quickly to keep up with my thoughts and at a later date I will do the numerology associated with the Christ), the son of of Joseph
returned on the scene and his ministry lasted for about three years
and in this short time Jesus changed and reformed humanity with his
teachings of a social Gospel; thus, two thousand (2,000) years later, we are still
talking about that man known as Jesus (Isa Bin Yusuf) (he taught that the
temple of God is within). He said greater things we shall do. We have to
challenge our own fears, discipline ourselves and make
self-sacrifices; and seek knowledge and wisdom from the
cradle to the grave; the first paradigm shift has to take place
within (how transparent are we with ourselves?). I read a book called the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu; I have read this book about seven
times; it created a driven purpose in my life (it is not a book that you
read but a book that you should study). Our ultimate mission should be working towards being the best
human being that we can be and use our talents, intellect, treasures and will
power to make a difference; I chose to write and enlightened people
to the truth and hopefully after I have transitioned from this earth
someone will be able to say brother Fahim A. Knight-El made a small
difference in the world.
Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah of 1,400 ago in just twenty
three years also reformed humanity and there are now over two billion
Muslims who surrender their will to do the will of Allah (God) (Muhammad
taught that three generations after me, they will be no longer be of me).
Yet, all these spiritual and religious paths had their inceptions in
ancient Kemet (Egypt) where the Nubian people had developed a complex
religio-social systems that were rooted in the ancient practices that predated the 6,000 year customs, rites,
sacraments and rituals that have been imposed on humanity by the Europeans.
Fahim A. Knight-El Chief Researcher for KEEPING IT REAL
THINK TANK located in Durham NC
