Culminating point at the end of the Masonic Workings at many Lodges, is the execution of the ritual Chain-of-Union around the Altar, with the hands crossed in front of the chest, the right one over the left, holding the left hand of the Brother on the left side, while the Venerable Master recites the words of the common prayer to the Great Architect of the Universe, for the Great Work of Universal Brotherhood.
At the same time as the Brothers unite their souls to¬ge¬ther with their hands, right above them, just below the ceiling, hangs a knotted rope circling the Lodge room, another major Masonic symbol which forms the prototype for the Chain-of-Union formed by the Brothers on the floor.
The knotted rope is usually made up from four distinct interwoven ropes, and in it at regular intervals are tied, by the very same rope, twelve knots with a lemniscate (from the Greek Word λημνίσκος) or figure eight shaped curve, which denotes morality, justice and the infinity of life.
The high ideal of the knotted rope, symbol of the Divine Family overlooking the Workings of the Brothers on earth, as well as of the collective conscious Powers through which this task is imple¬men-ted, leads us into taking a closer look at the symbol and the reality of the Chain-of-Union realized by the Brothers of a Masonic Lodge.
The Chain-of-Union cannot be considered as complete and formed in the right way, just because a group of Free¬ma¬sons unites their hands. This is only the Symbol. In reali¬ty, if we could see behind the exterior forms, we might be able to see the broader picture, the missing rings, the broken rings that hinder the flow of energy within the Circle, the ties with other Chains that prevent our own Chain from fulfilling its purpose, and many more.
A Chain-of-Union, in order to achieve its full potential, requires from its constituent mem¬bers-rings, individually and collectively, some very specific qualities:
- First of all, such a Chain should be complete, according to its initial design. This means that all who belong to it must be present, physically and spiritually, or at least spiritually, in those cases that a member, for whatever reason, cannot be physically present. An even greater problem arises, when someone, while physically present, is spiritually absent, his mind and heart trapped in his own individual chains.
- A Chain-of-Union should be functioning properly. This means that it should be able to recei¬ve the Divine Energy radiating from the Altar of the G.A.O.T.U. at the center of the Chain. It should also be able to distribute this Energy freely and evenly to all members of the Chain. Then, each individual member or ring, who corresponds to the lemniscate knot on the knot¬ted rope above, should be able to infuse this Energy to the many chains of his everyday life. When this basic state has been achieved, the Chain, as a Collective Entity, can offer itself in the Service of Humanity.
- To secure this proper functioning, all members should follow a corresponding way of life. Every time they enter the Chain, they should do that with true reverence for its sanctity, by participating in it with the intention to offer themselves consciously to the Great Work of Universal Brotherhood, surrendering their minds, their external personalities and their personal goals, to the Influence from Above. They should also open their hearts, becoming living receptacles of the Divine Messages that must be received and spread in the world at a specific time and place.
- A Chain must also be strong, able to withstand the splitting and decaying forces that threa¬ten every form manifested on earth. A Chain can be broken at any one point or ring, and this places a heavy load of responsibility on each and every member of it.
- A Chain should be able to move freely, so as to adjust to changes brought about by the emergence of new circumstances in our psycho-mental environment. The ability to move freely, while still being a part of a Chain, reminds one of the fact that everything is intercon¬nected, that all things are moved by something else, and this without end, uniting in this way the physical with the spiritual, one brother with another, one human being with another, and so on.
- A Chain, has no beginning and no end, and the importance of each ring is just as equal as the importance of every other ring, the only difference being the specific work that one has to perform.
- Finally, a Chain-of-Union, to function properly, has to obey some very specific cosmic laws that also govern our personal lives, such as: the Law of Attraction, the Law of Similarity, the Law of Worth, the Law of Justice and Balance, and the Law of Conscious Presence, among others.
Thus forged, a Chain-of-Union is a most powerful Reality, which is used, when required, by Divine Providence for the benefit of all Mankind.
The end purpose for the formation of the individual Chains-of-Union, is to create a big Network of interrelated collective entities: from the Brotherhood of the Lodge, to the Brother¬hood of the Grand Lodge and that of the Universal Freemasonry, reaching in this way the whole of Mankind, and securing an active connection of Mankind with the higher Hierarchies.
Our role within all these chains is to be living Rings with living hearts. And this is the Way we can help a world in crisis. Freemasonry is very strict about it: it is an obligation (Maconnerie oblige), as the old masters used to say, it obliges us to commit ourselves to the objective of the creation of a Universal Brotherhood. To accomplish this task, we have to use the Chain-of-Union as described above. Then, through our Chain we can send forth, the much needed Love, Forgiveness, Light, Beauty, Harmony, Justice, Hope, Trust, Faith, to all other chains to which we are connected in this great Network of Chains.
Then our chain will truly and actually protect all people who come into contact with it, it will bridge the gap between our confined world of action and the higher worlds, it will establish a viable and cohe-rent language of communication throughout the network, and it will bring the Divine Blessing to all.
K. T. – Regular Grand Lodge of the Freemasons of Greece
