The Symbolism
Introduction
The Knights and Dames of the Order gather in the Temple, to proceed along a path called “the perfectioning”. This path shall lead them to the knowledge of themselves, of society, of nature and God.
The Temple and the act of perfectioning indicate that the Order is an esoteric society.
The term “esoteric” literally means “internal” and refers to a set of doctrines characterized by secrecy, to indicate the teaching devoted exclu-sively to those who belong to the select circle. The opposite term is “exo-teric”, which means “external” and refers to the teachings suitable for all.
In addition to the secret, esoteric societies are based on the initiation, a ritual ceremony through which one is allowed inside. The key feature of the initiation is a complex ritual called “death/resurrection”. Here the candidate passes from an earlier stage (called “Stage of the Profane”) to a new one (called “Stage of the Initiate”): he dies to be reborn to a new life. Rites of initiation are present in all human conceptions, from antiquity to the present day.
The secret and the initiation require, in turn, their own perfectioning. This is the manner by which we improve ourselves through ritual degrees and higher levels of knowledge. The secret, the initiation and the perfection-ing are thus the pillars that support an esoteric society. The rites of initiation, of passage and the revealed truths are known as “Mysteries” to initiates. In antiquity, the Orphic mysteries gained in a particular importance.
The esoteric tradition can be found in every great religion of humanity. It has developed within the religions of the Far East, such as Buddhism and Brahmanism, here assuming the form of Tantrism and of the Zen Buddhism. It can be found also within the Islamic tradition, here assuming the forms of Sufism and is present in the whole history of Christianity: from early Gnosticism to the Kabbalah of the Renaissance and to the French and Bavarian esoteric Catholicism of the nineteenth century. We can find this tradition also in non-religious societies, for instance, in the neo-pagan eso-tericism of the Renaissance, in the Martinism, in the Anthroposophy of R. Steiner and in Freemasonry.
The Temple
The Temple is a holy place, which is separated from the profane world: here, solemnly the act of perfectioning takes place. In Masonic tradition the architectural form of the Temple symbolizes the order of the cosmos. From antiquity to the present day, were considered Temples a garden, a terrace, a cave, a hut, a mountain, a tower and a pole. Famous is the Temple of Solomon: it was built on what was considered at the time as a navel of the world. It profoundly inspired the esoteric societies such as modern Freemasonry. The Temple is a microcosm where the esoteric doctrine of Dignity Order realizes itself.
The Temple of Dignity Order has the following characteristics.
The plan of the Temple is a rectangle divided into two parts: the vestibule and the Temple itself, whose plant is a perfect square.
The entrance of the Temple is a gate, which proceeds from the vestibule. It is bounded by two columns that support an architrave upon which the Socratic motto "Know thyself" is written.
Upon the rectangular plan of the Temple an equilateral triangle is drawn, with the tip pointing to the East and the two corners of the base turned to the West.
A column corresponds to each point of the triangle.
In pointing to the East, there is the golden Corinthian column (A).
In pointing to the Northwest, there is the black Doric column (B).
In pointing to the Southwest, there is the white Ionic column (C).
Column A represents Reason and expresses Wisdom. Its discipline is Philosophy.
Column B represents the Passions and expresses Desire. Its discipline is Science.
Column C represents the Feelings and expresses Love. Its discipline is Religion.
The Doric column symbolizes an equilateral Triangle. This is the primordial geometric figure used by the Platonic Demiurge to create the world. It lies at the origin of everything.
The Ionic column symbolizes the Square representing the four elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire) of the sensible world.
The Corinthian column symbolizes the Circle, the perfection at which all things must aim. It lies at the end of everything.
The seats of the Grand Master, of the Grand Prior, of the Prior and of the Commander are placed under the golden Corinthian column turned to the East.
Under the black Doric column turned to the Northwest sits the First Grand Guardian. He controls the Knights and Dames sitting in the South.
Under the white Ionic column turned to the Southwest sits the Second Grand Guardian. He controls the Knights and Dames sitting in the North.
The First and Second Grand Guardians stand under the two columns which define the gate of the Temple until all the participants in the ceremony are entered. Then they shall close the gate and sit under the respective columns.
In the middle of the Triangle, from the center of the Temple to the seat of the Grand Master in the East, there is a black and white carpet. It represents the struggle between good and evil.
The Knights and Dames shall seat, according to their rank, on the two opposite sides of the carpet.
In the rows of chairs to the South sit the Knights and Ladies of the First Degree, occupying the first row of chairs (Knights and Ladies of the Earth), and of the Second Degree occupying the second row of chairs (Knights and Ladies of the Sea).
In the rows of chairs to the North sit the Knights and Ladies of the Third Degree (Knights and Ladies of Heaven).
To the right of the Commander sit the Grand Priors, the members of the Council of Dignity international.
To the left of the Grand Master shall seat the Priors, the Commanders, the members of the Council of the Order.
The Grand Master, if present, sits next to the Commander.
The walls of the Temple are blue in color. The ceiling is a starry black, to represent the vault of the night sky.
The Light
All initiatory Orders are in different ways inspired by the light. Since antiquity man has used the term “light” to define the divine. Consider the light of creation as it is exposed in the Bible, which lies conceptually at the base of Judaism, of Christianity and of Islam. Light has also inspired manifestations of the divine in archaic societies.
The concept of “light” indicates the absolute principle of being, and represents a common principle to the whole ancient philosophical thought. According to Parmenides, light indicates the principle that, along with darkness, gives rise to all things. Plato himself uses the concept to represent the idea of Good, while Aristotle uses it as a means to describe the Active Intellect. In the neoplatonism of Philo and Plotinus, light expresses the divinity. Following Plato, Saint Augustine argues that knowledge is reachable when man is illuminated by God. In the Middle Ages this view is inherited by the Platonic-Augustinian tradition and in particular by Pseudo-Dionysius the Aeropagite, who considers God as the supreme light that illuminates the human intellect. In the XII and XIII centuries Saint Bonaventure and the Franciscan School draw upon this legacy, a legacy that is inherited also by Malebranche and Rosmini in the XVII and XIX centuries respectively.
The image of light, however, is not used to represent the divine exclusively but also human reason. A typical example is the Enlightenment, which defends any form of thought that aims to enlighten the mind of man and to free them from the darkness of ignorance and superstition through knowledge and science. A sort of Enlightenment is already inherent in the Greek world: a clear example is the antitraditional attitude of the Sophists, who denied absolute values and truth, but also the Skeptics, the Stoics and the Epicureans can be considered forerunners of this tradition. The Enlightenment properly called takes its origin in XVIII century in England, to spread to France and from there to Germany and to Italy. It profoundly influenced the western philosophical and scientific thought.
From antiquity to the present day, the concept of “light” has taken on different meanings, which can be divided into the following categories: original, divine, intellectual and moral.
In the Temple of Dignity Order, light plays a fundamental role, as it shall be highlighted in the passages of the Ritual.
The Initiation
In the death/resurrection ritual the initiation transforms the profane into a Knight or Dame of the Order. The profane dies to be reborn as a Knight or Dame. Initiation rites can be found in all religions. In Christianity it is given in Baptism: man becomes a Christian with Baptism as he is not born already in this condition. Similarly, the initiation creates the adepts of the Order and states the right to belong to it. To this right corresponds the duty to improve along the path of initiation, i.e. to reach higher degrees of knowledge, to better understand man in his relations with others, with nature and with God.
After initiation, the Knights and Ladies are ready to pursue the path. The initiation has made them equal and they are all on the same starting point. Since the initiatory path is acquisition of knowledge, the adept shall follow his own way through the assumption of his own subjectivity, which is unique and exclusive. The initiatory path is therefore different from subject to subject, with the result that some will learn better than others. Subjectivity marks the difference between the adepts, despite their common starting point.
After initiation, there is the First Degree, called “Degree of Earth”. The Knights and Dames with the black band dedicate themselves to self-knowledge, as Socrates taught, studying Philosophy, Psychology and Morals.
The Second Degree is called “Degree of the Sea”. The knights and Dames with the blue band shall devote themselves to the knowledge of others, studying Philosophy, Sociology, Politics and History.
The Third Degree is called “Degree of Heaven”. The Knights and Dames with the white band shall dedicate themselves to the knowledge of nature and God, studying Philosophy, Natural sciences and Theology. Having acquired all the necessary knowledge, the adept shall be able to lead the Order, assuming the ranks of Grand Master, Grand Prior, Prior and Commander.
The initiation and the passage from one degree to another shall be conducted according to a complex ceremony that marks the different stages of the Ritual. Also Ceremony and Ritual are closely related, they fulfil different functions: the Ritual is the content while the Ceremony is the form. Form and content are both essential for the path of initiation. There are, therefore, a Ritual and a Ceremony of initiation and various Rituals and Ceremonies for the shift from one degree to another.
The Symbols
Like all other esoteric societies, chivalry Orders are characterized by incommunicable individual paths. However, within each group, communication is made effectual through the use of symbols, which favour abstraction and synthesis. This is the case of exact sciences such as mathematics, geometry, logic, chemistry and theoretical physics. Here symbolism is the synthesis of many ideas that remain incommunicable to those who are not in possession of appropriate knowledge. The Order, therefore, is a body of knowledge characterized by secret and mysteries and expressed by means of a symbolic language known exclusively to initiates. In fact, only those who know the symbols can understand the ceremonies and participate to them.
The use of symbols is very old and belongs to the mysteries of religions. The Eleusian mysteries were religious rites in the early Greek culture. They were celebrated in the sanctuary of Demeter, in the ancient city of Eleusis, since the VII century BC and before the city became part of the Athenian State.
The Pythagoreans inherited the esoteric content of the Eleusinian mysteries. These mysteries were not destined to a large public: only the initiates should know them. Hippasus of Metapontus revealed the existence of the irrational, a Pythagoric secret, and was thus expelled from the school and cursed forever.
Man has used symbols, even outside the esoteric tradition, in an attempt to express his vision of the world and life from a magical and rational perspective. The symbol of the cross at the origin of Christianity is a clear example of this and so are the most abstract forms of expression of the human intellect.
Symbols project man in a sacred dimension: they make him acquire the ability to discover what is behind ordinary things and to explore the riddles of life with its light and shadows, depths and heights.
Symbols are a common foundation for all the adepts of the Order. Through its symbolism, the Order transcends the vicissitudes of history and speaks a language which is universal and immutable. In this way, its continuity within the bosom of the esoteric tradition is guaranteed. And without symbols there is no initiatic foundation at all.
All geometric figures speak a particular language, which would much tell us, if we only had the appropriate means. The same applies to signs, letters, words and speeches.
One of the most primordial symbols is the equilateral triangle or delta. It is considered second only to the point and is present in almost all religions and philosophical traditions. The equilateral triangle is a fundamental symbol for the esoteric societies, whether religious or secular. It represent, for instance, the “God’s eye that sees everything” or the “Pyramid of Degrees of Initiation”, which is the same “Esoteric Delta” in Freemasonry or “The Three Dots”, which, as it is known, the Pythagoreans placed in the sequence 1-3-6-10-15.
In Plato’s cosmology the “equilateral triangle” is adopted by the Demiurge for his model of the world. In particular, the Demiurge uses triangles and geometric solids in the formation of the four elements: earth, fire, air, water.
In this context, the equilateral triangle is divided into two parts, with a perpendicular and forms the golden rectangular triangle (with angles of 30°, 60° and 90°).
The key concepts that belong to the equilateral triangle are the following:
- The Golden Selection
- The Pentalpha (the regular pentagon with the blazing star)
- The Seal of Solomon (hexagram, sum of two deltas or Star of David).
The golden section is obtained as follows. If in a rectangular triangle we consider a cathetus as equal to unity and the other as equal to its half (b=1, a=1/2), then we find that the hypotenuse, increased by its short side (the segment to c + a)
is the golden section of the unit, namely
The construction can be done on the hypotenuse of the golden triangle by translating the short cathetus orthogonally and with the aid of a compass.
The Pentalpha, or regular pentagon, is a regular figure that follows the equilateral triangle and the square and is linked to the golden section. In fact, if the golden section is considered, any diagonal (i.e. the line joining two non-adjacent vertices) is related to the radius of the circumscribed circle. It is also the side of the regular decagon.
The diagonals, in turn, form a symbol called the “Blazing Star” (the “Pentalpha”, “Pentagram” or “Pentacle”). This is one of the most famous magical symbol of the West. It has been adopted already by the Pythagoreans as sign of recognition for the followers in the community. It indicated also the five ages of study that preceded their initiation.
According to some sources, the Pentalpha was adopted, along with the fish and the Sator Square, as a sign of recognition by early Christians. This symbol is represented also in the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci, that is to say, in the figure of a man inscribed in a star, with his arms and legs spread in order to gather and synthesize his physical and psychic energies. The tip of the star containing his head indicates the dominance of spirit over matter. The meaning of this figure is strictly related the number five, which indicates the centre and thus the mediation between the high and the low. Each point on the star expresses each of the five elements: earth, air, water, fire and ether.
The connection with the golden section is also considerable, since the pentagram always represented, for the ancient and modern man, the laws of harmony closely related to the golden number. The golden number is 1.618 (its mathematical symbol is “Ω“) and its converse 0,618. Both numbers have many applications in nature and in art as they express harmony and perfection.
As shown in the figure, the Pentalpha can be easily achieved by a simple strip of paper, and by making a knot known as the Pythagorean Knot. If the paper is thin enough and if seen against the light the resulting figure reveals the blazing star.
In the tips of a five-pointed star we can perceive the laws and the order of the universe, thus we can face the unknown that is inherent in it. This is the image of man’s fundamental limits. They lead to the Socratic humility expressed in the famous motto, “I know that I do not know”.
Human life is based on the impulse to explore and to discover and thus tends to go beyond the limits symbolized in the star: it endeavours to reach the knowledge of the six-pointed star, or Seal of Solomon. The Seal of Solomon symbolizes in turn, the desire to go “beyond” and to open our own being to the understanding of concepts that are hidden and higher.
The seal is a very ancient and universal symbol whose origins are lost in the mist of time. Known since the Middle Ages, when it assumed the character of a talisman, it also became the main symbol of the Jewish people (the Star of David) and consists of two interlaced equilateral triangles, sometimes inscribed in a circle. The symbol is also known as “hexagram” (the six-pointed star), “esalpha” or “hexagon”.
From the esoteric point of view, the exagram expresses the perfect union of heaven and earth, i.e. of the spiritual world and the material world. If the triangle has the tip pointed upwards it represents the spirit. With the tip pointing down, it symbolizes the matter. These are the two fundamental components of life and being. Established and perfectly balanced, they express the human need to enhance the spiritual and material aspect of life.
In the seal the following inscription in Hebrew appears:
יהוה
The sequence of the four letters, “Yod”, “He”, “Vau”, “He” contains the sacred name of God. The whole inscription is known as the “Tetragrammaton”, which means “four signs”.
The correct pronunciation of this name is now lost. However, it should never have been pronounced in full but only spelled. Only the Great Priest of the Temple in Jerusalem once a year could have pronounced it, secretly and in Sancta Sanctorum.
Starting from the right, the first letter “Yod” appears as the male active principle (Fire). This is the seed, the initial spark, the potential but also the divine aspect of the Father. The second letter, the first “He”, is the female receptive principle (Water). This is the Great Cosmic Mother, the fecundity, the matrix in which the seed is manifested and the divine aspect of the Mother. The third letter “Vau” is the result of the first two letters (Air). This is the love between the masculine and feminine principle, in other words, the fruit that transforms the potential into creative action. It represents also the divine aspect of the Son. Finally, the forth letter, the second “He”, is the daughter, which symbolizes the nature to which we all belong (Earth). This is a replica of the Mother, although at a different level. The forth letter represents the final result of this activity and also the action of the Son, who starts a new cycle by bringing the seeds of new realizations. In the whole process of the Tetragrammaton we can perceive something of the work of the Great Cosmic Mother, the Veiled Isis, to which the wise men of all ages have tried to lift the veils.
The letters of the Tetragrammaton, if placed in a different way, form the following words:
which can be read as “past”, “present” and “future”.
In the hexagram we can find other hidden meanings. They are different from that transmitted by religions, which generally exalt the spirit alone and disregard the material world and the pleasures of life. The two triangles also represent, respectively, the masculine and the feminine principle. In this seal, the human being can discover both the polarities of his own nature: in fact, every man conceals a feminine part, just as every woman carries a masculine aspect of her being.
Nowadays culture seems to encourage us to suppress certain characteristics that are considered opposite: man rejects sensitivity, delicacy and emotionality, since these are supposed to be feminine characteristics. Woman, in turn, are educated to the submissiveness and to dependence, thus rejecting qualities such as courage, boldness and determination, these being considered as masculine peculiarities. Instead, the meaning of the hexagram lies in the law of opposites, upon which the universe itself is based.
The symbol of the six-pointed star is located in very different cultural areas and has archetypical meanings. It represents the divine perfection in its completeness and in its wholeness. In Solomon’s seal, each element is integrated harmoniously with its opposite, thus contributing to the balance of creation. This is clear in the sum of opposites (the two deltas) or also in their intersection (the dialectic of opposites).
It is hard to know for sure why the hexagram is called “Seal of Solo-mon”. According to a legend, King Solomon (whose name is Shelomoh in Hebrew, 961-931 BC), son of King David, used them to evoke the demons to build their Temple. Other sources tell us that he used this symbol ate the time of his passing, to evoke the angels and chase away the demons.
Let us now return to the main topic. In his dialogue “Timaeus” Plato introduces the five solids, i.e. the only regular polyhedra with equal faces existingi in three dimensional space. There are only five solids since the regularity implies a relationship between the number v of the vertices, s of the edges and f of the faces. Thus we have the following indeterminate equation:
If we solve it with integral numbers, we have only five possible cases that lead us to the Platonic solids.
Let us now analyze these structures, structures that originate from the primordial equilateral triangle (the sacred delta) and thus endowed with esoteric meanings.
If from a vertex of an equilateral triangle we conduct a line that is parallel to the opposite base and from the remaining vertices, we draw the lines that are perpendicular to its base, we obtain a coordination of four triangles of gold around the vertex. A square with the side equal to the height of the triangle is thus formed.
As a result, we have now a square instead of a triangle. By combining six squares in a row and according to the numbers 1,3,1,1, we obtain the so-called Latin cross. If we fold this cross orthogonally we obtain a cube (or hexahedron), which contains symbolically the atomic structure of the element earth.
Again from the first equilateral triangle we can obtain three more of equal basis, each on one side of the given one. From these four equilateral triangles
and in the manner indicated by Plato, we can obtain the tetrahedral (a regular pyramid with an equilateral triangle as basis), which mirrors symbolically the nature of fire.
Let us now increase the number of triangles and consider eight of them. This leads us to another regular solids, the octahedron (a solid with eight equilateral triangles as faces), which is traditionally associated to the element air.
If we further increase the number of triangles to twenty we get the icosahedron (a solid composed of twenty equilateral triangles as faces), which forms the structure of the element water.
As in the construction of the physical world described by Plato the equilateral triangle is the original geometric shape, so, in the construction of the Order, it is the original element and represents the origin of the Whole. This is the Principle from which everything is originated, a principle that the profane man must possess as he moves towards perfection in an eternal at-tempt to reach it.
The tetrahedon, hexahedron, octahedron and icosahedron are only four of the five Platonic solids. The fifth is the dodecahedron, a figure with twelve pentagonal faces. Its construction is as follows:
In Plato’s Timaeus each solid is associated with an element: after fire, earth, air and water, the dodecahedron is linked to the “ether” or “quintessence”, which is the exclusive matter that make up the heavenly bodies and the soul. Thus the shape of the universe and that of the dodecahedron are one and the same.
Similarly, in the Dignity Order the equilateral triangle lies at the origin of our thoughts. So, what is its purpose? As can be seen in the emblem of the Order, a circle inscribed in the equilateral triangle, a ring whose phi-losophical meaning is “perfection”. It contains eight golden tips that indicate the direction of the initiation, which never comes to the end.
The equilateral triangle, the origin of all things, is contained in a circle, which is inscribed in a reversed triangle that symbolizes a further degree of perfectioning. It also means that knowledge can be reversed, as in the platonic myth of the cave, a knowledge that sometimes is not communicable to others and thus remains a secret: the secret of the individual path to perfection.
In order to comprehend its perfection, we must now deepen the symbol of the circle and its contour, the circumference.
In solving their problems, Thales, Euclid, Archimedes, the great geometers of the ancient world, wanted the result to be achieved by the tools the available, namely the ruler and the compasses. Although it is well known that every geometric problem solvable by ruler and compasses can also be solved with set square and compasses, two centuries ago the Italian Mathematician Lorenzo Mascheroni demonstrated that any problem solvable by ruler and compasses can be solved just with compasses.
According to an esoteric interpretation, Mascheroni’s theorem indicates that the moral action of man comes from the compasses, i.e. the circumference treachable with them and that everything tends towards perfection.
Perfection is, therefore, the ultimate goal of the Order: the Knights and Dames tend towards it through rites of passage. However, these rites do not lead to perfection, since perfection remains beyond human possibilities.
What is the meaning of “white” and “black” in the emblem? In the Order these colours represent “good” and “evil”, the two essential symbols of the moral conflict inherent in human nature.
In his dialogue Fhaedrus, Plato explains the philosophical meanings of good and of evil and his view of the human soul: the soul is represented as a chariot pulled by two winged horses and guided by a charioteer. One of the horses is of noble breed, but the other quite the opposite in character. The driving is thus difficult and troublesome. One horse represents the moral impulse while the other represents the soul’s irrational passion. The Charioteer represents the reason, i.e. the part of the soul that guides the soul to truth, trying to stop the horses from going different ways and to proceed towards the Good.
The Initiatic Link
All the initiatic societies, in the history of humanity, have joined their adepts by a strong link. A first justification of this is in their esoteric nature. Esoteric, in the sense explained before, means “inside” and regards rites and ceremonies in the Temple, where only the initiates are accepted.
The strong link is given by the oath do not reveal the secrets that all the adepts must do when they receive the initiation. It is clear that the secrets have only a moral meaning and concern exclusively the perfection that every adept must realize passing from a Degree to a higher one.
In the religious communities, the strong link is given by the faith in God and his revelation. In the lay societies, on the contrary, it is given by the sharing of the ethic and rational principles. We are brothers because we are sons of the same vision of the world, of life and man.
Every Order, which aspirates to become secular, must give itself a strong link similar to that of.
The Emblem
All esoteric societies, whether they be religious or secular, have adopted symbols that have been encoded into an emblem: this is the case of the Christian cross and of the Masonic compass. Similarly, Dignity Order has its own emblem, consisting of symbols whose meaning is philosophical.