THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY
PHILOSOPHY
Multiple Dimensions of Silence in Freemasonry by Shawn Eyer
Cease Clamour and Faction, oh cease, Fly hence all ye cynical train; Disturb not, disturb not the Lodge’s sweet peace, Where Silence and Secrecy reign. The Freemasons’ Ode, 1776
T
he profound silence of a tiled Lodge during ceremonies such as the initiation of a candidate can be deeply impressive, and naturally induces solemn reflections upon the essential meaning of the work. Pythagoras taught that a man should “either remain silent, or say something better than the silence he disturbs.”1 This is certainly consistent with Masonic practice, for within a tiled Lodge, brethren are expected not to converse in a casual way, as if the lodge were no different from the street outside. Many writers have misinterpreted the fact that English and early American Masons first met in the private rooms available for rent above certain taverns to imply that those early Lodges were boisterous scenes devoid of solemnity and contemplation. But even the 1723 first edition of Anderson’s Constitutions stressed the seriousness of the ritualistic work and the importance of remaining completely silent unless one is recognized from the Chair: You are not to hold private Committees, or separate Conversation, without Leave from the Master, nor to talk of any thing impertinent or unseemly, nor interrupt the Master or Wardens, or any Brother speaking to the Master: Nor behave yourself ludicrously or jestingly while the Lodge is engaged in what is serious and solemn; nor use any unbecoming Language upon any Pretence whatsoever; but to pay due Reverence to your Master, Wardens, and Fellows, and put them to worship.2 For centuries, a hallmark of the finest lodges has been the conscientious observance of this regulation, while lodges which disregard it have risked alienating some serious-minded Masonic seekers. Surely the purpose of the traditional silence is to maintain a decorum appropriate to every performance of the Masonic ceremonies. The overall effect of such a respectful approach to the work is beautifully described by the Masonic philosopher W. L. Wilmshurst, who taught that an ideal Lodge, when properly tiled and duly opened, would be a sanctuary of silence and contemplation, broken only by ceremonial utterances or such words of competent and luminous instruction as the Master or Past Masters are moved to extend. And the higher the degree in which it is opened, the deeper and more solemn would be the sense of excluding all temporal thoughts and interests and of approaching more nearly that veiled central Light whose opening into activity in our hearts we profess to be our predominant wish. In such circumstances each Lodge meeting would become an occasion of profound spiritual experience. No member would wish to disturb the harmony of such a Lodge by talk or alien thought.3
Allegorical statue of Silence (Angerona) on display at the Philadelphia Temple of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Photography by Thomas J. Monteforte. SUMMER 2009 • 23
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