It is a popular notion within certain elements of American culture to suppose that anything done in secret, anyone claiming to possess secrets, and any group that is perceived to be secret, is not to be trusted. This is certainly understandable in many societal contexts; e.g., when we are dealing with public institutions that are given the power to enact laws and policies which govern and/or limit some aspect of our lives; when we become aware there are hate groups among us who are driven to covertly plan and carry out acts of tyranny and terrorism against our human kind; or even the awareness of our own instincts which tell us it is within the secret leanings of other people that the most harm, maim, and injury can come our way. It is easy for us to see secrecy as not being in our best interests, or to feel that organizations who operate in secret must have sinister goals.

Yet, we all live secret lives. We all know we are a mystery to ourselves. We wrestle with who we are, what has meaning, how we define our worth as an individual. We fret over how to maintain our integrity when we are subjected with so many rules and so much restraint that our very existence as persons seems threatened. We wonder if what we are told by science and religion is always true. We are oft times dreadfully curious about what will become of us--what will come of our own end.

Amidst all this, we have to live. Indeed, one of the toughest questions we ever face is how to decide offhand which is absolutely better: to live life, or to understand life; knowing full well that we cannot limit ourselves to only one choice.

The bottom line is that knowledge, faith, reason and truth do not come into the world naked. The Gospel of St. Phillip tells us that "truth comes in archetypes and images. One will not receive the truth in any other way--the bridegroom must enter through the image into the truth."

Understanding our life so that we may live it well is secret work because it is inner work.

And it is the work of Freemasonry. The first thing a man is told when he approaches the door of a Masonic lodge as a candidate searching for the keys which might uncover the mystery of being (and therefore, the universe) is that Freemasonry is a course of hieroglyphic and moral instruction , taught agreeably to ancient usages, by types, emblems, and allegorical figures. If one cannot embrace the awesome power of this introductory statement, he is likely not yet prepared to become a Mason.

Masonry is largely the the study of symbols, their interpretation and associations, because symbols have, in all ages, served as profound expressions of human nature, of the human condition, and of humanity's highest aspiration of improvement. And, yet we know that symbols often conceal more than they reveal. By their very nature, symbols have many secret meanings.  

Freemasonry embraces the secrecy of its symbols as it does its fellow man. It is indeed a secret society because its goal is to aid each individual in unraveling the great mystery that lies within himself. It is no less a process than discovering the secrets hidden within us and unveiling them so we can know who we are and what we are here to do.

It is only through this process of self discovery and evaluation that we are able to improve ourselves and the world around us.

There is nothing sinister about such a secret and noble ambition. The psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of our being come into balance and harmony only when they are secretly unveiled to us. This is the most healthy and important work we will ever undertake. It is very private work.

Freemasonry offers the tools which engages us in such work.         

Griffin--thanks for providing some clear examples of how secrecy prevails in our daily lives in dealing with people in a practical business sense and in the realm of personal relationships.

There is another word that is normally used when we are discussing ritual language, and is often heard by non-Masons who are curious about us. That word is esoteric. We usually refer to our ritual as being both exoteric and esoteric.  

In Masonry, the word "esoteric" has two meanings. When we use it in reference to our ritual words, it simply means those words of our rituals which are "not written down." In every Masonic organization, the language of its ritual is handed down "mouth to ear," which is historically known as the oral tradition. This method of instruction and communication dates far back in antiquity. We say the words which are not printed in our Masonic ritual books (monitors) are "esoteric," while those which are printed for anyone to read, are "exoteric" or "monitorial."

In Masonry, there is another meaning of the word esoteric, and it relates not to the ritual language itself, but to the meanings that the words convey. In this sense, a thing is not esoteric because it is secret or kept hidden. It is esoteric because its existence is in some sense private, and by its very nature, not available for examination from the outside. It is only available through the individual's participation. In other words, it is private to the realm of each individual's experience. More precisely, it is the relationship of his consciousness to an event or experience. From the point of view of Masonry and other related Rites, it is this invisible world of consciousness, or one's relationship to the world, that is its very theme and center of attention.

The puzzles or enigmas of our Masonic rituals are ingenuously designed to force a quest or a journey upon the aspirant. Their proper esoteric function is not to give us an answer, but to wake us up to the nature of the anser we seek. The meaning of life is not found in the solution to some code or cryptic mathematical notation, but the meaning which comes as a result of the work done in solving it.      

BOB,
         I have read non-stop about Freemasonry since I started inquiring about joining.   I am truly excited to become a member of this great brotherhood.  You, Dennis  and several others in the Guthrie lodges have inspired me to become a great person through my life    ,  I strive to be a great  husband and father  my wife and kids are proud to be with!   A son my My father the late George Woodard  (also a former MASON) would be proud of.  I grew up in the Guthrie Trinity chapter of DeMolay and learned a lot about being a spiritually strong young man   now I want to further my education.  My son and oldest daughter have recently petitioned for Demolay and Rainbows  and hopefully they will gain as much as I have  

Thank you BOB for all you do !!!