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KRING NIEUW HOLLAND
(Circle New Holland)
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KRING NIEUW HOLLAND
(Circle New Holland)
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PROSELYTISING AND QUARRELLING ARE TABOO FOR US
The Netherlands has thousands of religious therapists, teachers and gurus. Some call themselves New Age, most choose 'spiritual'. In word and picture a series of representatives of the important streams will be considered. Today: the head of the Order of Freemasons under the Grand East of the Netherlands. Grand Master Bernard Sarpathi (65) of The Hague: "Yes, we are spiritual".
by Koert van der Velde
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"As a Freemason I have learned to choose my words
in such a manner that I will not offend others. Not by concealment but by
their careful composition. Of this I also have had much profit in my profession,
as a director of Heineken.
I am the Grand Master, but this does not put me on a higher level than by fellow brethren. For my election, a year and a half ago, the two other candidates and I had to send a C.V. to all 146 lodges, altogether some six thousand brethren. I have been chosen only because of my managerial skills, certainly not for any presumed abilities as a spiritual leader. With us it concerns questions such as: Where do I come from? Wither do I go? We are all seeking for answers to the important questions of life. The intention is not to convince others. Proselytising and quarrelling are taboo for us. In the privacy and security of the lodge everyone can place himself in a vulnerable position, that is, to a certain extend: We do not practice psychotherapy. With us you don't have to pretend, you can be yourself. |
"As a Freemason I have learned to choose my words in such a manner that I will not offend others. Not by concealment but by their careful composition. Of this I also have had much profit in my profession – as a director of Heineken.
I am the Grand Master, but this does not put me on a higher level than by fellow brethren. For my election, a year and a half ago, the two other candidates and I had to send a C.V. to all 146 lodges, altogether some six thousand brethren. I have been chosen only because of my managerial skills, certainly not for any presumed abilities as a spiritual leader.
With us it concerns questions such as: Where do I come from? Wither do I go? We are all seeking for answers to the important questions of life. The intention is not to convince others. Proselytising and quarrelling are taboo for us. In the privacy and security of the lodge everyone can place himself in a vulnerable position, that is, to a certain extend: We do not practice psychotherapy. With us you don't have to pretend, you can be yourself.
Everyone of us to has his own conception of the 'Great Architect of the Universe': Jew, Christian, Moslem and agnostic. Atheists, who do not believe in the existence of the Great Architect, do not become members, nor do people who in a fundamental way believe they own the truth. I hold no personal religious beliefs. One of my fellow brethren is a physicist. He, perhaps better than anyone else, knows that we cannot come know the essence of being.
As a Freemason I compare myself to a rough stone. That stone must be fashioned with mallet and chisel. The mallet means strength, the chisel stands for carefulness and analytical ability. The purpose of life, symbolically speaking, is to make from that rough stone a perfect cube fit for the invisible temple. That temple will never be completed.
To listen to a talk from one of the brethren often is inspiring. Even an eighty years old brother can be surprised by the fresh point of view of a twenty five year old brother and think: Hey, I have never thought in that way about the square or the compasses. There are, after all, as many interpretations as there are people.
We are not a church: in a church everyone more or less believes the same. Neither are we a religion, because there is no system of religious beliefs. Nor do we have a philosophy of life. As starting points we have a few principles, such as an upwards propelling world order, equality and tolerance. But I rather speak of an ideal way of living. Yes, we are spiritual, in the sense that we are a method of acquiring knowledge of self and of spiritual insights. I do not have a firm belief that our life has a certain purpose.
I am religious but without a fixed belief. You see, I have no concrete ideas to believe in, only symbols and rituals which can offer me an insight. Ideas about building and light can help. If you want to call the use of such ideas 'sincere pretence', then I agree with you.
It is about insights. Almost automatically the rituals create emotions in those present which are difficult to put into words.
During his acceptance the candidate apprentice meditates in a dark room on the deeper meanings of sulphur, salt and mercury. Through such symbols we try to develop a small part of his subconsciousness. To discover emotions and motives. To become a more sensitive person. Among us we have fervent Jungians. Personally I do not see symbols from a Jungian perspective; that, for me, is too vague. It is said that we, and also allied but esoteric groupings such as Alchemy and Rosicrucianism, are precursors of the New Age. That I don't know. I know nothing about a New Age.
Until recently it was assumed that Freemasonry came directly from the mediaeval guilds of the cathedral builders. Nowadays it is generally accepted that this is a purposely created myth. But I still like that old story: it is more romantic."
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Updated: 15 May 2006
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