Lion cub Judah: from the prey, my son, you went up; he bent down, he lay down like a lion, and like an old lion; who will wake him up?
overall 49:9
In the tribal blessing pronounced over Judah and the tribe of which he was the founder, the term lion cub symbolized strength. Therefore, the banner emblem of the Tribe of Judah was a lion. The same symbolism is found in Masonic ritual and has enjoyed various philosophical and theological interpretations.
For our fellow Christians, the phrase “Lion of the tribe of Judah” refers to the Messiah, who is said to have brought light and immortality to the world. For our Jewish brothers, Judah was the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob and represents the fourth point discussed in ancient Freemasonry. Kings David and Solomon are also said to have descended from the tribe of Judah. However, there is an older use of the lion’s paw that may have application in Masonic mysteries.
Candidates who successfully passed the Mithraic initiations were called Lions and were marked on their foreheads with the Egyptian cross or ankh. Throughout the Mithraic ritual, references were made to Mithras as the Sun God, who came to earth to offer himself as a sacrifice for man and, with his death, give men eternal life. After initiation, the candidate was hailed as one who had risen from the grave and was allowed to learn the secret Persian mysteries that originated with Zarathustra.
Although popularized by the Romans and the belief that at least one Roman emperor was initiated into the order, the Rites of Mithras were Persian in origin and later migrated to southern Europe. “Mithra” is the Zend-Avesta title for the sun and he/she dwelt within that orb. Mithra was both male and female and, as a deity, represented the “feminine principle”. That phrase has been popularized more recently in Dan Brown’s work of fiction titled The Da Vinci Code. However, unlike representing the Holy Grail, as Mary Magdalene did in Brown’s work, Mithra’s feminine side represented Nature while the masculine side represented the sun bathing Nature for flora and fauna to grow. fauna. With this understanding it is easier to understand also the connection between Freemasonry and the Rites of Mithra.
In a book on Masonic symbolism, Masons are taught that Pythagorean sacred geometry connects man with nature by teaching him about its most hidden recesses; how things are connected in nature; and that innumerable worlds surround humanity that the Great Architect of the Universe has connected through the laws of nature. It is rightly stated that an examination of nature first caused man to study symmetry and order, leading to the discovery of all useful arts. Freemasonry also teaches that the Supreme Intelligence pervades all of nature and is later described in the book of Revelation as the Sea of Crystal.
The Rites of Mithra Book of Masonic Symbolism also gave Freemasonry the symbolism of the lesser lights, i.e. the sun, moon and Mercury (later replaced by the Master of the lodge). That symbolism is intended to explain the natural order of hierarchical authority: just as the sun rules the day and the moon rules the night, the Worshipful Master, with equal regularity, must rule and rule the lodge. However, even with such widespread evidence of Mithraic influences on Freemasonry, what is the significance of the lion’s claw grip?
Those initiated into the Mithraic mysteries passed through three important grades. In the first degree, the candidate was taught about his own spiritual nature, which must be manifested through disciplined conduct. In the second degree, the candidate was instructed to represent the mediator between good and evil, light and darkness, and was sent to a dark pit to fight against the beasts of lust. Finally, in third grade, he was given a cape with designs from the zodiac, including the sign of Leo, which represented a lion. The candidate is said to have risen from the grave by the power generated by the sun’s influence on Leo, or the strong grip of the lion’s claw. In the fact that other Mithraic symbolism is found in Masonic symbolism, the possibility that this symbolism also originated from those rites cannot be ignored. However, even so, what is the symbolic importance for Masons?
Mithra was derived from the teachings of Zarathrustra which taught that good and evil existed in the world side by side. Masons are taught by one of their “ornaments” that human existence is marked by good and evil. Real-life experiences prove this to be the case: the battle between good and evil was vividly displayed during the Second World War, as well as during the course of other well-known conflicts. The Rites of Mithra also teach that ultimately good will prevail over evil, as symbolized by the energy of the sun rising in the east each day. It is said that this great orb can rise due to the strength of the Leo that resides in its orbit: the grip of the lion’s claw!
As Freemasons pass through the three degrees necessary to finally achieve Master Mason status, they become acutely aware that the Craft requires them to engage in exercises designed to make them morally upright: good soldiers for the cause of good in the conflict between the good and the good. and evil, light and dark. Symbolically rising from the grave of transgression, the candidate is finally recognized as sufficiently prepared to exemplify kindness to the rest of the world. Whether or not he makes good use of those tools as Master Masons have done in ages past is strictly up to each candidate. He can choose good or evil, light or darkness; and in doing so he creates the temple in which the Supreme Architect of the Universe will reside, or the tomb into which evil will ultimately be cast.
The Mason who knows why he was resurrected will never, ever, ever die. He was not raised by falsehood and guile, he was raised by the grasp of the lion’s claw.
