There is much debate in Masonic Circles today upon the origin of the Craft. It seems roughly three Theories have formed to answer this question.

Firstly, there are those who assert the beginings of Masonry to have been in the Ancient Mystery Schools of the past. Suprisingly, this theory is considered laughable by many so called Masons who disagree primarily due to the fact that these Ancient Mysteries were not called "Freemasonic". However, many of the most ingenious Masons of the past have held this theory as inescapable. These men included among them but were not limited to Aleister Crowley, Albert Pike, and John Yarker.

The second theory rests upon a document dated from 10th Century Britain during the reign of King Athelstan.(See Yarker's "Arcane Schools") This document records a number of masonic craftsmen arriving in England from Egypt and if authentic proves Masonic involvement of an Operative nature in England as far back as the 10th Century.

Lastly, the most proud, conservative and generally accepted opinion is that Masonry began in England in 1717 at the founding of the first European Grand Lodge.( Or at least the first Grand Lodge admitted to publicly)

In short, no one can be absolutely sure when exactly the word freemason came into use for the first time. However, it is the intent of this essay to prove that Order's of the same purpose and intent have been in existence on both Operative and Speculative planes since the dawn of civilization.

For example, in Ancient Egypt, Operative Order's of Builders were supervised by Speculative Priestly Orders to erect the greatest monuments of all time. In these days the Order was necessarily close to the Priesthood as the building of Sacred Structures and sights of worship was Paramount.

These Operative Orders of Builders were Supervised by the Overseers of Khem under the Kings Authority. These Masons were Free in the sense that they were of good birth and were PAID FOR THEIR WORK. All the legends of slaves erecting the Pyramids have recently been proven fabrications of Judeo-Christist origin as We have found the Workers Inscriptions at these Sacred Sights.

In fact, in just about all the Great Mystery Cultures we see Society Organized along these lines. These Massive Temples were Highly Sophisticated Energy Resonator's built to Collectively and Individually raise the Conciousness Level of Society as a whole.

In fact this method of Building was employed everywhere as the Hierophants of the time could not help but to think of a Structures Relation to Energy Resonation. As a Musician I have often been fascinated by this fact as we know certain pitches can produce heart attack in the listener or even shatter a glass.

These structures took Divine Geometry and Wave Manipulation to the Highest Levels. Now We can begin to see the scope of the Great Work. Much like a common prism these Pyramids took the Waves of the Human Aura and combined them into a Synphonic Energy of a Higher Coherence and Order.

It was in these Sanctuaries that the Ancient Initiations took place. This insured a constant growth of the Great Work and a consistent stream of New Initiates.

Of course, at the time women were not included in these Orders for probably no other reason than their physical limitations in regards work. However, thankfully, they Organized along their own lines and developed many exclusively feminine Initiatic Colleges. Due to space I will not delve into these here.( See my essay "The Return of the Priestess to the Temple")

These Rites were always Dramatic Rituals admitting the Candidate to the Mysteries of Sacred Geometry as they applied to life as a whole. For they knew the great Hermetic Axiom "As above, so below" Their Work was much more than just the Erection of Divine Energy Resonators but encompassed the very Construction of each Star's own Temple Supreme. ( This is the meaning of the Pyramid Emblem showing the Temple incomplete.)

These Operative Guilds, though not considered by many to be Masons in the Moderen sense, were no doubt its predecesors. Their Work was on BOTH OPERATIVE AND SPECULATIVE PLANES AND THEY WERE SUPERVISED BY OVERSEER'S WHOSE ORGANIZATION AND SKILL EASILY SURPASED THE WORK OF MANY MASON'S(SO CALLED) TODAY.)

Thus, in conclusion to Part One of this essay, I feel it not presumpuos to assume King Athelstan was indeed telling the truth when he had it recorded that his Builders traced their Lineage back to Egypt.

Furthermore, to any Wise Individual today it should be obvious that their are those continuing this Ancient and Venerable Science in Our Present Times. Perhaps this knowledge is really the cornerstone that was thrown away? Not to worry, we have found the Iron Ring leading through the Arches whose number is Nine and the Light shall Shine Forever!