A reasonable summary of the concept of the "Egregore" can be found at the following link: http://salemos.tripod.com/index-50.html My question is this: Does anyone share my feeling that Freemasonry has an egregore that is fed by performing its ritual, regardless of the intent of the ritualists? In other words, for those of us that are inclined to find a truly deeper spiritual aspect of our Craft, is there truly a "house not made with hands" that is sustained by the many who regularly perform the ritual, but which - at least on a certain level - is only accessible to those "with eyes to see"? Many people are attracted to Masonry looking for a deeper level of spirituality than they can find in daily life, or in a merely personal, individual search. For many, contemporary Freemasonry is a disappointment in this regard. Yet the power of its symbols & rituals are undeniable. I, however, feel that Freemasonry has an inherent "built in" spiritual as
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A gentleman that I had corresponded with a few years ago spoke about a preacher that was talking Johannine / Johannite Christianity and was a member of a breakaway mormon sect.
He inquired if this man was with us but he wasn't.
I'd have to dig through years of old correspondence to fish out the name of the minister specifically though.
+ Mar Iohannes IV
The Apostolic Johannite Church
The Widow's Son
The Burning Taper
Unfortunately, I don't know the fellow you're talking about, but Wisconsin is big. I'll keep an eye out for him.
Mar is Syriac for Master and is a prefix given to many Bishops in Eastern traditions.
Our usage of the prefix extends from two primary reasons-
To emphasize the Johannite tradition/mythos as being eastern in origin and to distinguish it from the many other Gnostic Churches which make use of Doinel's 'Tau' prefix from the French Gnostic Revival.
A third and oft unmentioned reason is that we view our clergy, especially our Bishops, as teachers, guides and facilitators, rather than ecclesiastical 'princes' etc and the Mar, I would like to think, helps reflect this role.
Thanks for your questions, I'll check out your blog in the days to come.
+ Mar Iohannes
Yes, I serve as Patriarch of the AJC