The Concept of the Sacred in the Aegean

The Freemasons of the symbolic lodges are well accustomed to observe, examine, study, meditate and experience all kinds of sacred as well as natural symbols. But here on the Aegean, the mind finally succeeds in finding the quietness and the stillness it so fervently sought for. And out of this stillness that frees him from all things foreign to his true nature and essence, out of the silence that brings him so unexpectedly into contact with all great souls that have abandoned their personality at the feet of the Presence of Truth, Justice and Unlimited Light, out of this silence that completely fills his heart with Wisdom and Un¬der¬standing, come out various radiant forms, majestic and glorious Messengers of the Real World, even if undetected by the common human senses.

We will present here just a few of them, since they all carry the same message: You, true lover of the eternal, tireless worker upon the path of actualization, go ahead and break the chains that keep you tied to a life and a reality not worthy of your true origin and heritage, and without any second thought assume your rightful position in the Great Work of the erection of the Temple of Virtue, Love and Truth, for yourself and for all Humanity.

So, here is the Sacred Procession:

• The Aegean Sea, the original Archipelago (older proper name for the Aegean Sea). A place where the sacred has been part of the people’s everyday life, not something to practice on specific dates, on specific places, and following specific rituals. A network of islands, a true constellation of small worlds, which reminds us also of the Chain of Union. Scattered pieces of land, which through the art of shipbuilding and sailing, have managed to constitute a unified whole, which thus brings to our minds the symbol of the Universal Brotherhood of Freemasons, and of our Confederation (C.G.L.M.E.S.). The art and science of building ships and of sailing in the seas, is a very close relative to the art and science of building temples on earth or in the Heart, by which and through which people can navigate to higher spiritual realms.
• The Island, archetypal image of a cell of the Universal Man. If an Island can be com¬pa¬red to an individual world, the Sea can be seen as a universe, full of countless se¬pa¬rate worlds. So, by examining how people live on an island, we can deduce valuable lessons about our everyday life. Communities on an island must work together for their self-sufficiency, and also for their communication with other islands or with the mainland. This reminds us of the process of individuation, which is at the very heart of every effort for spiritual evolution, which aims first at creating a proper personality, and then at abandoning it in the bosom of the Higher Spiritual Collectivity to which the person belongs.
  Another characteristic of life on a small island is the inevitable sense of loneliness, which those living on it must deal with, and which has many common elements with the Solitude that the Initiate experiences along the path of its spiritual ascent.
• The Universe of the Sea, a most eloquent analogy to man’s situation on the terrestrial sphere, situated within the domain of the broader Cosmic Field. The events that cha¬ra¬cte¬rize life on the sea portray with clarity corresponding elements of man’s spi¬ri¬tu¬al progress.
  The Sea, archetypal image of the Subconscious, great repository of all events, and great fountain out of which all things arise.
  The Fish, symbols of sacrifice and life, minute granules of the Philosophical foundation-stone of spiritual evolution. The various strata of the sea are inhabited by various crea¬tures, which are like the beings that man will come face to face with, at one time or another in his life. The Fisherman, symbol of the Initiate. The Net, with which fisher¬men catch fish, symbol of the cosmic laws which the true seeker after Truth and real Life must follow.
  The Ship, the main vessel of transportation and communication, for thousands of years a wooden construction, reflects the initial meaning of the word Mason which in ancient Greek was ΤΕΚΤΩΝ, a carpenter. The qualities of a wood construction are necessary for a trip in the sea of the subconscious. The Ship is also a temple, since the word ship (ΝΑΥΣ in ancient Greek) resembles very much the word temple (ΝΑΟΣ in ancient Greek), in both cases a “vessel” to transport us to other realities. From the word ΝΑΥΣ (ship) comes also the name of the central aisle of Christian Cathedrals, Nave. The Sailor, the active worker, master of the elements of the visible and the invisible worlds. The Maneuvers that a ship makes in order to enter or leave a port, glimpses of the corresponding walk of the Freemasons, as they enter or leave their Temple.
• The Celebration of Nature, as all natural elements under a most clear sky and a glo¬riously radiant sun exhibit their timeless essence, which is experienced my men as un¬adulterated purity, clear vision, lucidity of conception, power of discernment, mental alertness. The whole environment in all its aspects, contributes to this sanctification of the elements, as we can also see in the multitude of myths and cultural monuments.
• The Sky, image of the power that enlivens all forms with spiritual life. The Sun, primal factor of all creative processes. The Sea, the all-permeating power. The Clouds, ever-changing forms of Divine Imagination.
  And having been filled with this experience, the Memory wakes up, and out of the depths of our Heart arises the Nostos, the yearning for the return trip, along the path of Reintegration, Beauty and Justice, to our original Home.
• The Sacred Island of Delos, birthplace of the sun-god Apollo and of his twin sister Artemis (others claim that Artemis was born on the island of Ortygia). Holy Sanctuary of pan-Hellenic significance, political and religious center. It was purified, to enhance and protect its religious sanctity, and no births or deaths were allowed on it. It was also ho¬me of the Delian Festival, as well as of the short-lived Delian League.
  On it people celebrated mainly the cult of Apollo, but of Dionysus too, while we can still see the remains of a temple dedicated to Isis. Its religious significance is further testified by the discovery in 1912 by the French Archeological School, of the Delos Synagogue, the oldest known today synagogue, dated between 150-128 BCE.
  Among its remains famous are the Terrace of Lions, the mosaics with dolphins, the omphalos stone with a snake coiled around it, as well as the depiction of Delos with the zodiac drawn around it.
  Today Delos is also known from being the birthplace of the Delos Initiative, launched in 2004 in the framework of the Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of the I.U.C.N. (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) World Com¬mis¬sion on Protected Areas, and with the purpose “to contribute to improve the con¬ser¬va¬tion of sacred natural sites in developed countries and thus to assist in maintaining both their natural and spiritual values” and to “identify the pertinence and meaning of sacred natural sites and to investigate how spiritual values can contribute to the conservation and wise use of natural areas in developed countries”.
• The Myth of the birth of Apollo and Artemis, which presents a very lucid analogy to the preparation of the Philosophical Stone, and the spiritual evolution of man.
  Zeus (symbol of the radiant sky but of the thunderbolt as well, of life and of the soul, symbol at the same time of the bridge between the two worlds) coupled with Leto (symbol of things that remain unseen and unknown, of the night, but of motherhood as well, fountain of hidden things), having being both transformed into quails (ortyges in Greek,  and hence the island of Ortygia). Hera (symbol of marriage and matriarchy) wife of Zeus, cursed Leto and send the dragon Python (symbol of dynamic currents of energy) after her, to prevent her from finding a stable land upon which she could deliver her children.  Then a floating island appeared, Delos (which in Greek means the one which has become manifest), which was finally anchored at the bottom of the sea by four diamond pillars, on the center of the Cyclades islands. Leto found a resting place there, and gave birth, first to Artemis, who then assisted her mother (because Hera had kidnapped Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth)  to give birth to Apollo (under a palm and an olive tree), after nine days, on the foot of mount Kynthos, close to the sacred lake.
  In the above very short description we see:
  – the higher concept of Love (Hera, who can also be seen as the concept of the esta¬blished order, which must be upset, for evolution to continue its course).
  – the three elements: namely, Zeus – sulphur/conscious, Leto – mercury/subconscious (the restless movements of Leto remind us of the liquid nature of mercury), and Python – salt/spirit, which was send by Hera (higher spiritual order) to initialize the whole process of transformation, but also to provide the energetic fire.
  –  the various stages of the alchemical transmutation, especially when out of the dark waters arises (becomes manifested) a New Land, Delos, which then is secured on the bottom of the sea by four diamond pillars, symbols of the crystal-like granules that form the basic structural units of the Stone. These granules resemble the cubic stones of the Freemasons that constitute the building blocks of the Temple of Virtue and Truth, which is the ultimate goal of Freemasonry.
  – the Stone itself, in its double aspect, as Red Stone (Apollo), and White Stone (Artemis). First we have Artemis, the White Stone, a symbol of the Moon (Selene), of eternal cha¬sti¬ty and virginity, as well as of the chase. She is also a protector of childbirth. Then we have Apollo, the Red Stone, a symbol of the Sun (Helios), and of the creative powers of prophecy, medicine, healing, but also of music. His name stands for both destruction (of the old order), and creation, and in general denotes movement. The image of the Chariot of the Sun that traverses the skies, and which only Apollo could drive (remember the story of the unfortunate Phaethon), is a clear symbol of the Rational (Logoic) Powers of the Heart. Also known under the form of the Solar Wheel (Rosa Mundi, Rota Mundi).
  – the water which surrounds from all sides the island of Delos, can be seen as the her¬me¬ti¬cally sealed Athanor, while the fish which inhabit the Aegean Sea symbolize the eche¬neis, the white granules, with the magnetic power needed for the coagula phase which will soon begin, and will culminate in the formation of the Stone.
  – Symbol of the Philosophical Stone, and of the Cubic Stone as well, is also the Omphalos of Delos, depicted with a snake coiled around it, between two palm trees, and the story of the birth of Apollo under two palm trees, symbolizes the new initiate between the two columns at the entrance of the Masonic Temple.
• We also see the Idols of the ancient Cycladic Civilization, nameless and faceless pilgrims of the Great Gods. The White-washed small Churches, eternal hymns to the Divine Mother of all life, who having passed from the stages of the Great Mother to that of the Great Goddess, is now venerated throughout the Aegean as Panaghia, the Holy Mother of God. The small, tightly-built Settlements, symbols of collective work and indu¬stri¬ous¬ness, radiating joy and harmony. The Threshing-Floors that guide our thoughts to the continuous struggle that man must freely undertake in order to get rid of all things foreign to his true nature.

And theFrom all of the above, we realize that the whole of the Aegean can be considered as sacred, both as natural environment, and as civilization throughout the ages. We also saw how this can help us understand the true significance of the concept of the Sacred.

Sacredness can be found in almost anything around us. For many people it is some­thing completely subjective. But above all, Sacredness is a quality, and to experience this quality, we have to tune into it. The whole of the material reality that surrounds us, despite the fact that it is also a veil that hides true Light from our eyes, vibrates with this quality, and if we pay close attention to Nature, this most eloquent teacher of ours, we will understand how we can raise the veil, feel the vibration and expe­ri­ence the essence of the Life that animates all.

From this point of view, sacredness has nothing to do with any specific religion, cult or faith, or mental disposition. It is much more than just a sacred object, a sacred place, a sa­cred word, a sacred path, a sacred idea. It is a feeling rooted much more deeply within all human beings, and all we have to do is clear the ground around it, and nourish it so that it can become manifest in the center of our Heart, gradually but steadily. The purpose of this feeling is to guide our steps in this world of phenomena, darkness and ignorance in which we live and work.

We can reach at the same conclusion by examining the root of the word Sacred in Greek, which is Hieron (ΙΕΡΟΝ). Etymologically (according to some) this word signifies to move, to rush, and refers also to the quality of being potent, active, full of (divine) power, and hence belonging or pertaining to the gods. Sacred denotes therefore a Being (ΟΝ) that flows (ΡΕΙ), or in general the State of continuous motion characteristic of the quality of true Being.

This is why to achieve this state we must act correspondingly, so that all our actions, feelings and thoughts free us of all obstacles to our spiritual evolution and widening of our consciousness.

In this way we develop the ability to recognize the essential quality, beauty and har­mony within all things, and we can finally reach at the state where there is no sacred or profane, good or bad for us, but only pure essence, unity and justice. Having reached at this state, even the slightest intrusion of our ego, will bring the immediate relapse to the world of duality and illusion, and this is why vigilance is a virtue that we should continuously apply in our life.

In this way we are building and decorating our Temple, where the Divine Presence will appear, and so we can understand why true Work is indeed Sacred, and why it is so impor­tant that we as Freemasons guard and look after this Temple and this Work, not only for our­selves, but above all for all human beings.

This is our Sacred Duty, to which Freemasonry obliges us. This is what Humanity needs so desperately these days. To keep, protect, guard the Temple of the Divine Presence. In the Great Chain of Being, this might seem as something very small. But if the Temple is not ready to receive the Presence, what matters if we have won all glory and goods of this earth. So many times we belittle this duty of ours, and these are the times that we sidetrack from our path. And then we turn to our Symbols, and we try to feel and comprehend their Message: Align with the Vertical, so that the Power can flow into you, spring forward along the Horizontal, so that your Love can rush out of your Heart, and move upon the Circle, so that Wisdom can radiate from our Workings with the Light of the Spiritual Sun, the Light of Pure Essence, Truth and Justice. And so we understand that the hidden meaning of Free­masonry is not to be found in the proper and exact performance of its wonderful rituals, but in the ability to transform its initiates into conscious servants of God’s will for the well-being of Humanity. procession seems as if it has no ending.

K. T. – Regular Grand Lodge of the Freemasons of Greece