Re: Ritual and Purpose

"Tom Accuosti" <taccuost...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
sbrett...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

Masonic ritual is possibly the last instance of oral tradition in
Western Culture.  It is handed down from mouth to ear.  All of the
above considerations should be made to assure it is accurately
conveyed.

Anthropologists can address this point, actually. Have many
brothers taken any anthropology classes as part of their
university's general education requirements? At the time I took
those general ed classes I railed that so little of it applied to my
job skills but over the years bit after bit of it has helped me in
assorted ways. Those general ed classes ended up more
valuable in the long run than most of my in-major classes as
the technology of my field advanced and changed. I ended up
taking 3 anthropology courses so I didn't qualify for a minor in
it.

It turns out that anthropologists have recorded cultures that
have epic poetry traditions and how the skalds/poets manage
to recite extremely long tales. They learn the story line and the
meanings in the story. They learn a list of poetical expressions
that fit into the story line well. Most of the examples in the text
ended up about Homeric epics so they were like "Gray eyed
Athena, the wise goddess" or whatever but the principle applies
to Masonic ritual just as well.

The principle is that knowing the story line, knowing the meaning,
and knowing the principles of poetry make a practiced skald able
to recite a poem at length and an outside observer might not be
able to tell the difference between a memorized poem and an
extemporized poem. Having been through the Fellowcraft degree
I know that rhetoric is one of the seven liberal arts and sciences
and it fits in this principle just as well - Knowing the story line,
knowing the meaning and knowing the principles of rhetoric make
a practiced speaker able to recite a story at length and an outside
obsever might not be able to tell the difference between a memorized
lecture and an extemporized story. I must admit that some of the
lectures I've delivered have flowed smoothly in this extemporized
manner. The candidate is the outside observer. The brethren who
are interested in memorizing the ritual are the inside observers who
do know the difference. The purpose of the degrees is more than
just delivering value to the candidate - It's reenforcing the meaning
to the brethren.

Who is to decide what is important; what can be left out;
what can be changed?

This is where my concern comes in. I've met brothers who can
recite the ritual with every word in place but who can not discuss
its meaning to save their lives. I've met brothers who know the
story line but who can't duplicate exact lists of verbs but who can
discuss its meaning with ease.

Which type needs to be the Grand Lecturer charged with the
preservation of the ritual? The ones who know it word for word
if no one can be found who can do both. What can go wrong if
a brother who can recite in detail but who can't discuss the
meaning ends up able to recommend changes to the ritual at
annual communication? I ended up at the microphone saying
stuff like "Those who would change the ritual had best first
consult those of us concerned with its meaning. This proposed
change in detail has a large impact on the meaning contained
in that part of the ritual ..." Yes, I ended up doing that as the
first time I ever spoke before GL. Speaking out against a change
proposed by a respected Grand Lecturer for whom I felt great
fondness and respect. I was petrified as I spoke.

Every effort should be made, within the framework
of oral transmission, not written, to be totally accurate.  The
exercise has value in itself.  Possibly the ritual has value as well.

One way to retain the meaning is to preserve the ritual without
change word for word. The problem with that approach is soken
language evolves. At this point the California Ritual that I learned
has plenty of archaic words that no know appear in common
language. Increasing the vocabulary of the brethren is a good
thing but evenutally it reaches a point where the language is so
archaic it's gibberish. Preserving word for word must perforce by
a short term approach that works within a single lifetime not a
long term approach that works across the centuries. And the
Craft lives by centuries not by decades.

When the first people started passing  it down Mouth to ear and it changed
slightly, did the lessons become null and void? When Massachussets varied
from New York in the 1700s, did the lessons in one of those states become
less valid? Does Emulation have more inherent meaning than Bristol or the
other Preston-Webb works?
...
But if the ritual says "You shall not suffer..." and I say "You shall not
countenance..." is the message lost? Is it diluted? Less valid?

The meaning is the important part. The wording is but a short term
repository - Masonic short term is under a century.

The Southern Jurisdiction Scottish Rite has recently reworked its
ritual because of this. The Northern Jurisdiction Scottist Rite has
done so on a semi-regular basis across the decades. An example,
my brethren, worthy of all emulation.

Frateral regards,
Doug Freyburger
Tyler/PM Arlington Heights 1162 Illinois AF&AM
PM Pasadema 272 California F&AM

.

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