Essays & notes
Writing from Troy Spreeuw and guests on Masonic history, symbolism, and practice.
The Lion, the Ox, the Eagle, and the Man: The Zodiac Hidden in the Royal Arch Banners
Walk into a Royal Arch chapter and look up at the banners. Four of them carry a strange menagerie: a lion, an ox, an eagle, and a man. Most Companions can tell you these come from the tribes of Israel, or from the vision of Ezekiel, and leave it there. But the Royal Arch banners hold an older secret than most of us are taught. Those four creatures are a star map. They are the four fixed signs of the zodiac, and the trail they leave runs back through Ezekiel's exile in Babylon to the winged guardians that stood at the gates of Assyrian palaces. This idea took center stage in a talk by Bro. Jaime Paul Lamb at the Esotericism in Freemasonry Conference in 2022, recently uncovered and released as Episode 43 of The Mystic Tye.1 Lamb is a professional astrologer and Masonic author, and his argument reframes a piece of furniture most brethren walk past without a second glance. Here is how the pieces fit.
Navigating the Masonic Path: A Modern Journey Rooted in Ancient Tradition
This exploration into the heart of contemporary Freemasonry reflects the profound discussions and reflections shared by Masons today.
Welcome To The Mystic Tye
Part of what I have envisioned for The Mystic Tye is a single space for Freemasons and our allies to engage each other
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Does Group Work Matter?
After being involved with groups that practice some form of ceremonial magick for more than 25 years I am absolutely convinced of two things. Number one, group work is absolutely critical to maintain some perspective on whatever magical work you are doing in your personal practice and two, group work will never replace the (more important) study and practice on your own
Getting Started
Don’t have a goal? That’s easy! Keeping a journal is always a good first step and plenty hard enough. It’s been my experience that what is important to you will reveal itself as you reflect on what you put in your journal.
Arthur Conan Doyle: Reason vs. Occult?
The archetype of “The Sword” in the Tarot represents Intellect as the rational faculty can only create meaning by division and measurement, cutting the Whole of the manifest universe into smaller and smaller pieces in order to measure and quantify.
Mind your own business
As a general piece of advice to any Thelemite it serves as a very important reminder. We all have SO MUCH to do, not just to maintain our chosen professions and relationships, but to discover and then advance our True Will. In an effort to TAKE this advice to heart, I am going to give several instances from my own life.