In various Masonic degrees, the ceremony leading to the reception of a new degree includes symbolic travel, whether called as such in the ritual, as in the case of the Initiation ceremony in the Ancient and Accepted Rite, or restricted to one or several circumambulations around the altar which, in fact, represent journeys.
From ancient times, journeys have been intimately connected with discovery – either of the outside world; as in journeys of exploration or adventure, or inward – where the symbolic journey stands for a rite of evolution, maturation and transformation, all these linked to the archetypical cycle of death and rebirth.
Heroes of legend always perform a journey, whether in search of a treasure (cf. the lost word), as in the case of Jason and the Golden Fleece, or the search for the Holy Grail; or in order to return to one's starting point, as in the case of Ulysses in his arduous journey home. Jung asserts that travelling is an image of aspiration, of an unsatisfied longing that never finds its goal. [1]
Dante is in the middle of a journey when he enters the dark forest, meets Virgil and starts his descent into the inferno. Don Quixote sets out on a journey to right wrongs, while the Spanish Conquistadores went in search of gold. Alexander travels to conquer the world, while Abraham abandons Ur to reach the Promised Land.
The initiation ceremony in the Ancient and Accepted Rite
As has often been noted, the AASR is heavily infused with alchemical and esoteric symbolism, mostly absent in other workings current in the English-speaking world. The candidate's first stage of preparation for the ceremony is his introduction to the Chamber of Reflection, the small, somber room where he meets symbols of death, the three elements of alchemical work (sulfur, mercury, salt) and the legend VITRIOL, the acronym of a Latin legend: Visita Interiora Terra Rectificando Invenies Occultam Lapidem. That is: Visit the interior of the earth and by purification you will find the hidden stone. Some authors consider the stone to be the philosophical stone of the alchemist, the key to transmute base metal into gold, or to transform man's animal nature to reveal its divine form. Others think that the stone is the true soul of the initiate, the solid foundation on which to build his new personality, after seeing the light.
In the course of the ceremony, once inside the lodge room, the candidate is led out and made to follow an erratic course, before being reintroduced into the lodge, to signify the uncertainty of life in the profane world. This message is repeated in the first of the three symbolic journeys he will make, being led around the lodge while experiencing purification by air, water and fire.
The connection between travel and purification is made clearer in the case of pilgrimages. Whether to visit a holy site (Jerusalem, Rome, Mecca) or the tomb of a saint, the travel itself represents a process of evolution, reaching a higher stage of spiritual development.
The significance of walking as a necessary element of the pilgrimage is exemplified by the case of Compostela. Thousands of pilgrims follow every year "El Camino de Santiago" (the Way to St. James), walking hundreds of kilometers to reach Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
Labyrinths are also linked to travel, or more specifically to pilgrimages. In some churches, walking the path of the labyrinth to the center was considered equivalent to making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to the Holy land. [2]
The rite of circumambulation
Closely related with the symbolism of travel is the rite of circumambulation, walking around an object or a defined area as an expression of reverence or purification. The movement always follows the route of the sun, that is, like the hands of the clock, dextrorsum. In the lodge, circumambulation is made keeping the right hand towards the altar. [3]
Although this rite is connected with sun worship in ancient times, this is not so in the lodge, where moving to the right and keeping your hand towards the altar signify our reliance on the three great lights of Freemasonry which should always be on hand. The dextrorsum movement is traditionally the positive direction, while the opposite one, widdershins or sinistrorsum, as the name makes it clear, is negative. Likewise, within the Masonic context circumambulation is a form of purification, or lustration, which connects it with the symbolic purification travels of the candidate during the Initiation ceremony.
In rituals where the altar holding the VSL stands in the center of the checkerboard floor, "squaring the lodge" is performed by keeping the altar always to the right while walking.
Other symbolic travels in the AASR
In the ceremony of passing to the second degree, the apprentice makes again symbolic travels around the altar, holding different tools in each circuit. Here the symbolism is not of purification, but of discovery, learning to use the symbolic tools in order to perfect the work of polishing the rough stone.
More important, however, is the ritual of the 18th Degree, which is largely based on the search for the lost Word. During the ceremony, the candidate is led more than once on symbolic journeys, learning the way to find what was lost.
In general terms, we can consider the whole Masonic experience as a prolonged journey of purification and discovery, comprising many stages, leading to a more perfect personality, with less rough edges, and with an intellect better disposed to accept new ideas and face life's new challenges with the support of firm ethical principles.
[1] Symbols of Transformation, quoted by J.E. Cirlot, A Dictionary of Symbols, Dorset Press, New York 1991, p. 164.
[2] Cf. "The Labyrinth", The Philalethes, Vol. LIII, N° 6, December 2000.
[3] Albert G. Mackey, The Symbolism of Freemasonry, 1882, XXI-The Rite of Circumambulation. www.gutenberg/files/11937/11937-h/11937-h.htm. Consulted 12.3.2011.