Masonic Light

King James Bible

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light

In solemn commemoration of that sublime (from the Latin sublimis [looking up from] especially refers to a greatness with which nothing else can be compared) event, I now Masonically declare "Let there be light!

Much is made of the search for Light in Masonry. The Bible on the Altar is one of the three "Great Lights" designated as the "furniture of the Lodge." Furniture is defined as: The movable articles in a room or an establishment that make it fit for living or working. I also found this about furniture " Archaic: The necessary equipment..."

So this would suggest that the Bible, or "Great Light in Masonry is what makes the Lodge fit for living." The necessary equipment so that there can be a lodge.

From a Short Talk Bulletin:

Upon the Altar of every Masonic Lodge, supporting the Square and Compasses, lies the Holy Bible. The old, familiar Book, so beloved by so many generations, is our Volume of Sacred Law and the Great Light in Masonry. The Bible opens when the Lodge opens; it closes when the Lodge closes. No Lodge can transact its own business, mush less initiate candidates into its mysteries, unless the Book of Holy Law lies open upon its Altar. Thus the Book of the Will of God Rules the Lodge in its labors, as the Sun Rules the Day, making its work a worship.

The idea of light in Masonry is further carried out by the statement that the candidate is "brought to light." He is then allowed to see and the first thing he sees in the Lodge is the "Great Lights" by the light of three burning tapirs placed in a triangular position in the Lodge. They are defined as the representatives of three lesser lights which are the Sun, Moon and Master of the Lodge.

The candidate has been asked what he desires and his answers are Light, More Light and Further Light. The continual search for Light permeates the entire Masonic world.

In actuality, dark is just the absence of light which is always present but in small amounts. A dark area has few, if any, light sources present, making everything hard to see, like at night.
The scientific definition of light includes the entire electromagnetic spectrum, not just visible light, so it is physically impossible to create perfect darkness.

The Sun rises in the East and the Worshipful Master (representing the Sun) sits in the East. At its meridian height (the south) it is the glory and beauty of the day and the Junior Warden sits in the south. The Senior Warden (the Moon) states that he is in the west to assist the Worshipful Master in opening and closing his lodge.

The Senior Deacon (seated near the Master) has a representation of the sun on his staff and the Junior Deacon as the messenger of the Senior Warden has a representation of the moon on his. The symbolism of light permeates the entire ritual of Freemasonry. I don't think this was an accident.

The youngest Entered Apprentice is placed in the North East corner of the lodge. I have heard this symbolically described so that he will be able to choose either the light (East) or the dark (North). The checkered pavement in Lodges is black and white. Representing dark and light?

The duty of the Master of the Lodge is to dispense "light." He is the Master, he is supposed to have the light and knowledge to disseminate to those who do not posses it. If he cannot do this then he needs to designate someone who can.

The Sun is the source of all our light. The light from the moon is merely reflected light. The VSL (Bible) is our source of light. Our source if you will of all the rules and guides we need. It is our Light. The Master and others need to reflect the light that shines from that Volume. He does not need to practice any specific religion but he does need to understand the great truths found there.

A Mason is a man in search of Light. When he finds it he becomes a Man of Light. "There is light within a Man of Light and he Lights up the whole world." To me that is our duty.

You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in. — Arlo Guthrie
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. — John 1:5
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. — Plato

As you contemplate the concept of Light remember its place in our fraternity and ponder upon what the search for Light means.