The Importance of Silence in the Initiation Path
In Freemasonry, silence is an essential part of the mysteries of the “work.” The word mystery comes from the Greek mysterion , meaning “secret rite or doctrine.”
In most initiatic societies, silence has been key to safeguarding secrets and mysteries, preventing them from being altered by the profane world. The coat of arms of the United Grand Lodge of England adopted the phrase “hear, see, and be silent.”
Silence is central to the oath taken during initiation and in each degree of Freemasonry.
In the Lodge, silence becomes a tool for attentive listening. By remaining silent, the apprentice — which we all are — observes, discovers, listens to himself, and seeks to understand others. This kind of listening fosters openness, mutual enrichment, prudence, and tolerance. Tolerance, among other things, means recognizing that perhaps part of something escapes us.
Silence is not emptiness, nor is it void. Metaphorically, silence is the vessel where inner alchemy takes place, transforming what disturbs us into serenity, and ignorance into a longing for knowledge.
Alchemical psychology distinguishes between external silence — which allows us to listen to others — and internal silence, an intimate path that invites introspection and self-reflection.
Inner silence helps identify prejudices and conditionings, making us aware of who we are at a given moment in life. It becomes a tool leading to self-knowledge and, consequently, transformation. It is then, when shaping his rough stone, that the Mason begins to remove its imperfections, interferences, and protrusions.
Silence leads us to knowledge, allowing us to transcend contingencies and give form to our spiritual quest.
ACP
