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Beauty. What is it?

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Forum Name: General Discussions
Forum Description: Non-Esoteric Masonic Discussions
URL: http://forum.mastermason.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12433
Printed Date: March/29/2024 at 10:59am
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Topic: Beauty. What is it?
Posted By: GrimoireA3
Subject: Beauty. What is it?
Date Posted: May/20/2015 at 10:33am
How does the experience Freemason define or perceive beauty?

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Please Note: I am not a Mason. And also, I am not an anti-Mason!



Replies:
Posted By: coach
Date Posted: May/20/2015 at 1:39pm
If I went by what Ritual claims, it is "Cunning Craftsmanship".

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Building Builders - Masonic Education!

http://www.coach.net/BuildingBuilders.htm" rel="nofollow - Books I Wrote | http://www.facebook.com/johns.nagy" rel="nofollow - My FB Wall


Posted By: Adept?
Date Posted: May/20/2015 at 2:18pm
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

But seriously, are you referring to beauty in Freemasonry, or in General?

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"It is humanity that creates god, and men think that god has made them in his image, because they make him in theirs."


Posted By: GrimoireA3
Date Posted: May/20/2015 at 6:00pm
Hi Adept,

Beauty specifically in Freemasonry.

I am familiar with the dictionary definition, and that beauty can be subjective (i.e. in the eye of the beholder) yet I am very curious as to
what 'beauty' signifies to the Freemasons. What is beauty to the Mason? Thanks!

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Please Note: I am not a Mason. And also, I am not an anti-Mason!


Posted By: droche
Date Posted: May/20/2015 at 6:05pm
Did you mean how does the "experienced" Freemason define beauty? If so, every Freemason will define it differently. There is no Masonic definition of beauty and no constraints upon Masons how they define or perceive beauty. Sometimes beauty is mentioned or alluded to when discussing architecture or the arts, but Masons aren't required to consider a certain thing as having beauty.


Posted By: Adept?
Date Posted: May/20/2015 at 6:57pm
First let me say that this is only my personal opinion.

What is beautiful in, or about Freemasonry to me, is the fact that it brings together men from all walks of life, all occupations, and all religions. It is a place where all good men are welcome, and learn to become better men with the assistance of their brothers. Freemasonry regards no man for his worldly wealth or possessions. It is the internal qualifications of a man that make him worthy to enter into our beloved order.

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"It is humanity that creates god, and men think that god has made them in his image, because they make him in theirs."


Posted By: BroScubaSteve
Date Posted: May/21/2015 at 9:52am
Beauty is what every Mason strives to adorn his temple with. It is the last thing you do once you have the other two columns in place.

That beauty is in the eye of the beholder and can vary from Mason to Mason.

It should never be confused with how non masons view beauty versus how a mason views beauty.


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Initiated 4-22-13
Passed 5-29-13
Raised 6-27-13

Junior Deacon
F&AM GLNJ
32°AASR NMJ, Southern Valley of NJ


Posted By: coach
Date Posted: May/21/2015 at 10:55am
Beauty is one of three elements that make up the Master's Word. Woe to he who strives to find the Master's Word without carefully and thoughtfully understanding how Beauty must be defined to compliment the other two while thoroughly complementing the triad at the same time.

When the three are not present and do not agree, you have rubbish.

-------------
Building Builders - Masonic Education!

http://www.coach.net/BuildingBuilders.htm" rel="nofollow - Books I Wrote | http://www.facebook.com/johns.nagy" rel="nofollow - My FB Wall


Posted By: GrimoireA3
Date Posted: May/22/2015 at 6:08am
Hi Coach,

The precepts of Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty or else there is no harmony of intent & action?

I have an intuitive grasp of strength & wisdom; and intent & action sounds like 'Praxis' (putting theory into practice) to me.

Yet at the risk of sounding dense beauty still eludes me.

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Please Note: I am not a Mason. And also, I am not an anti-Mason!


Posted By: Adept?
Date Posted: May/22/2015 at 6:32am
Freemasonry is often defined as a beautiful system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. If beauty still eludes you, after having read some "experienced Freemasons" (to use your words) personal definitions of it; then perhaps you are not ment to receive that particular enlightenment yet.

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"It is humanity that creates god, and men think that god has made them in his image, because they make him in theirs."


Posted By: coach
Date Posted: May/22/2015 at 6:38am
Originally posted by GrimoireA3 GrimoireA3 wrote:

Hi Coach,

The precepts of Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty or else there is no harmony of intent & action?

I have an intuitive grasp of strength & wisdom; and intent & action sounds like 'Praxis' (putting theory into practice) to me.

Yet at the risk of sounding dense beauty still eludes me.


A thought or two to perpend:

The Word is Built up upon the Three. All must be present and all must agree. To conform to this objective standard, Beauty must be "Cunning Craftsmanship"; this diminishes the commonly held belief that is it subjective and only within the eyes of a beholder*. Beauty is! Eyes need not see it for it to exist outside of any one person's Judgment.

* a phrase too often used to explain away discrepancies between those who can see and those who cannot.

-------------
Building Builders - Masonic Education!

http://www.coach.net/BuildingBuilders.htm" rel="nofollow - Books I Wrote | http://www.facebook.com/johns.nagy" rel="nofollow - My FB Wall


Posted By: Adept?
Date Posted: May/22/2015 at 6:53am
what he said

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"It is humanity that creates god, and men think that god has made them in his image, because they make him in theirs."


Posted By: BroScubaSteve
Date Posted: May/22/2015 at 8:09am
Grim, A lot of what can be said about beauty cannot be said here because it is tied too close to ritual which may inhibit us from taking an esoteric topic and trying to explain it to a non mason...

Even if I did explain it, I don't think you would get it never having experienced the degree.


-------------
Initiated 4-22-13
Passed 5-29-13
Raised 6-27-13

Junior Deacon
F&AM GLNJ
32°AASR NMJ, Southern Valley of NJ


Posted By: GrimoireA3
Date Posted: May/22/2015 at 10:31am
THANK YOU Coach, droche, Adept?, and BroScubaSteve for your answers and the time given to my question.

Your responses, as usual, are clear & rigorous surpassing the O.E.D. definitions. So cool.

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Please Note: I am not a Mason. And also, I am not an anti-Mason!



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