Organization: Penn State University
Date: Friday, 10 Apr 1992 14:54:14 EDT
From: John A. Johnson <J5J@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.magick
Subject: Re: masonic morals & dogma
 <92101.084109J5J@psuvm.psu.edu> <1992Apr10.152613.22337@acsu.buffalo.edu>

In article <1992Apr10.152613.22337@acsu.buffalo.edu>,
oispeggy@ubvmsc.cc.buffalo.edu (Peggy Brown) says:
>
>In article <92101.084109J5J@psuvm.psu.edu>, J5J@psuvm.psu.edu (John A.
>Johnson)
>writes...
>>It would seem to me that the "naturalistic" explanation for Masons excluding
>>women can be found in Lionel Tiger's _Men In Groups_.  This anthropologist
>>points to the universality of men's groups across time and in different
>>cultures, and sees this as related to the need for male solidarity in
>>the hunt.
>>
>>An esoteric explanation of the practice of excluding women was given to
>>me by a fellow Mason who is also a priest of the Liberal Catholic Church.
>>His explanation is that the different psychological/spiritual makeup of
>>men and women would require that women perform some of the rituals in
>>reverse (left-handed) from the male version.  Thus, it would be difficult
>>to integrate male and female ritualistic practices together.  This
>>explanation also applies to ritualistic practices in his church.
>
>Disclaimer: This is not directed toward the poster.  It is a response to his
>            friend's explanation.

Thank goodness.  I happen to think the naturalistic explanation makes much
more sense.

>What a pile of doo-doo!  Please ask your friend to explain:
>  o What is the difference in psychological/spiritual makeup between men
>    and women?
>  o If there is a difference (I don't believe there is a significant one)
>    how does that relate to which hand is dominant?
>  o How do left-handed men fit in?
>  o Is this offical church bullshit, I mean dogma, or did your priest-friend
>    invent it himself?

Concerning your question about the left handedness, I quote from my
response to Brenda's similar inquiry.

>I would like to clarify, however, that I should have put "left-handed"
>in quotation marks; it was meant as a metaphor in the sense of
>yin=negative=left-handed vs. yang=positive=right-handed.  It does not
>refer literally to the use of hands, but to the direction of spiralling
>energies created by the church rituals (hmm, I guess "spiral" is a
>metaphor, too).

As to your other questions, I cannot ask my old friend, because he left
here after being denied tenure, and we don't keep in touch.  But I can
guess what he would say, so here goes:

[Disclaimer:  I do not endorse the following opinions]

One thing I remember Fr. W. asserting is that energies spiral up and
down the spinal column through the chakras clockwise in one sex and
counter-clockwise in the other (don't remember which).  Also, I think
he would endorse some of the views of practitioners of tantric yoga,
Taoism, sex magick on complementary energies in the sexes.

These views are dogma of the Liberal Catholic Church, and owe a lot to
Leadbeater.  Not surprisingly, this dogma is being challenged constantly
by female parishioners.

>This left-handed/right-handed stuff is a new one for me.  In my (considerable)
>experience with the Catholic Church it seems to me that "who does what" is
                 ^^^
>based entirely on genitalia.  Hands have never entered into it.  (Unless of
>course, hands touch genitals, which should only happen under certain
>conditions too complicated to explain.)
>
>- Peggy -

By "the" Catholic Church you surely mean the Roman Catholic Church.
The LCC regards the RC church as pretty degenerate because the changes
in ritual have resulted in a loss of magickal efficacy.