R:.L:.

Francisco Bilbao Nº 23
Iquique Valley, Wednesday, August 7, 2013, e.v.

A:.L:.G:.D:.G:.A:.D:.U:.

V:.M:., QQ:.HH:.

I will read the paper:

The Ara and its symbols

"Arduous task is to penetrate into the real qualities of each thing."

Democritus. VIII century BC.

Introduction

The origin of the word Ara comes from the words araus or ara, which can be
translated as altar or stone of sacrifices, astronomically it is a southern constellation
located between Scorpius and Triangulum Australe. Erastótenes was the first to point out
a myth for this constellation in his work Catasterismos:

"It is the altar upon which the gods covenanted their oath, when Zeus threw himself into combat
against Cronus. Once they had achieved their goal, the gods raised an altar to the firmament as a memorial.
And mortals consecrated him in their symposiums as guarantor of their alliances and oaths, and upon him
they raise their right hand and take him as a witness of good will".

The Ara.

Within the Masonic symbolic system, the altar or high altar, altus or height, is considered
the sacred place that is intended for the exercise of ceremonies, such as oaths, offerings,
libations, and for the arrangement of the Masonic symbols of the degree corresponding
to the ritual in execution, but this is not accidental.In ancient times, in many cultures the
concept of altar can be found, which always consisted of an elevated place, either on the
top of a hill or on top of a stepped pyramid, as in the case of pre-Hispanic and
Babylonian cultures.
The altars themselves constitute a geometric point where the energies of heaven and
earth converge and concentrate; they represent the heart of the temples, their most
sacred and internal space.

1
In the Hebrew tradition all the divine services were concentrated on the altar, the daily
and additional offerings, sacrifices and first fruits.
Its location in Solomon's temple was established from time immemorial and represents
the place where Adam, the first man was created, according to the Torah it is said:
" Man was created from the same place that atoned for him", it is also said that in that
same place, which geographically is called Mount Moriah, Abraham brought his son Isaac
and tied him on the altar he had built to sacrifice him. After these events, Abraham
declared that this would be the place for the temple of God, for all time.

The Altar of Solomon's temple was built as a perfect square and was composed of two
pieces, the altar itself and a ramp, in the Hebrew scriptures it is indicated that one could
not ascend to the altar through steps, since it was a conduct frowned upon and against
the scriptures that say: "You shall not ascend to my altar through hewn stones, lest your
nakedness be revealed upon it" (Ex,2023).

Three separate piles of wood burned on the Altar of the temple. The largest of these was
designated to receive all the sacrifices, the second provided the coals for the altar of
incense inside the sanctuary, and the third was the "everlasting fire" that burned
constantly on the altar, as indicated in the scripture verse: "And a fire shall burn there on
the altar and shall not be quenched" (Lev 6:5).

As already indicated with reference to Adam, in the Torah and the Kabbalah, the altar is
recognized as the root of life, therefore it becomes the tenth Sephiroth, Malkhut, i.e. the
tenth emanation of divinity according to the Kabbalah, where the power of divinity
manifests itself to the world. In a sense, this is a mystical allegory of the emanation of
God's power, from the heavenly temple, to the Holy of Holies of the earthly temple,
through the ten Sephiroth, manifesting itself to humans on the earthly plane through the
ministry of the high priest. The temple is fully interpreted as an allegory of the three
levels of the active celestial domains and their manifestation in the material world, the
body and the human soul, all simultaneously interrelated.
The altar was also important in this aspect for the Templars who sought cosmic harmony
by uniting the upper and lower worlds, balancing the Sephiroth of divine judgment and
mercy.

2
Continuing with the correspondence of the temple with the human body, according to
the analogy of Rabbi Abraham ben Meir ibn Ezra in the 12th century, which is still valid
for the kabbalistic teachings of today, the base of the altar is considered as the heart of
man and its four points represented the directions of the cardinal points to where the
spirit of God spreads, represented by the spilled blood.The base of the altar is considered
as the heart of man and its four points represented the directions of the cardinal points
to where the spirit of God is spread, represented by the spilled blood, also the altar itself
corresponded to the stomach, where the sacrifices were offered and consummated, this
may have a relationship with the scriptures of Leviticus 3:11 in which it is indicated
"Then the priest shall burn the offering on the altar as food. It is a burnt offering to the
Lord."

The three lights.

The Ara is illuminated by three lights, the first called wisdom, which represents
the venerable master, who with his genius radiates light to his brothers. The Strength,
which represents the first Watcher, which is the drive and enthusiasm of the
companions and the Beauty, which corresponds to the second Watcher, who
harmonizes the vibrations of the profane in order to convert them into Masons.
There is a clear correspondence with the three piles that burned in Solomon's
temple, especially in reference to the light that must not be extinguished, analogous
to the light of wisdom that governs the temple and that under the kabbalistic
symbolism has the same meaning and objective of radiating its light on the human
temple.

Under the center of the workshop, on the altar, is the sacred book opened
during the work, in the seventh chapter of Amos, verses 7 and 8.

Above the sacred book, we find the compass and the square symbolizing
heaven and earth and their union, manifesting the axial point where the polarities
present in our mosaic meet.

3
 The union between the superior and the inferior, the spirit and the matter, is
represented by the superimposition and intertwining of the compass and the square,
the first with the vertex upwards, with one arm above the square and the other
below, the square goes downwards, creating a figure similar to the six-pointed Star of
David.

The Sacred book, the compass and the square are the three great lights in
Freemasonry, which progressively illuminate the path that leads us to knowledge,
additionally it can be mentioned that in the case of our constitution, the Christian Bible is
used for rituals, but it can be any book that fits the culture of the country.The Christian
Bible is used for rituals, but it can be any book that suits the culture of the country, its
meaning is multiple, but it could highlight above all its representation as a question
mark, not as an absolute truth.

Conclusions

The altar is very important in our symbology, it is the center of the lodge, of our
temple, in which the cosmogony of the universe is represented, it also marks the axis
of our workshop, the vertical that unites heaven with earth, just like Jacob's ladder,
whose symbolism is analogous.
From there, the entire lodge and the work carried out in it is organized.
The Ara is seen as man before the universe, the main concern of Freemasonry.
It is also the place where we reinforce our promises and commitments,
therefore it symbolizes the invisible to the human being. This invisible point is the one
towards which our entire workshop looks, whether from the east or passing through
all the other cardinal points.
For the rest our lodge cannot be organized, if it is not under the help of the
compass and the square, letting see in this the reason that we must use to evaluate
the facts and learn from these, looking for higher values and the rendering of service
to our society to ennoble it.

4
 For this we have been called, not to serve a selfish thirst for knowledge, which
is sterile without an active principle of retribution, nor have we been called to seek
recognition, an activity worthy of ignorant profane people.

We are to be worthy servants of a common purpose, which is to serve our fellow

man and help build a better society, that is the purpose of being Masons, to put aside
profane concerns and desires, to transcend the illusions of the material planes and to
be the active principle of the link between the high and the low, between spirit and
matter.

It could not be otherwise after breaking the veil of Isis, and destroying the Maia
(illusion) that hides the transcendent from us.

However, it is a titanic task, in its deepest meaning, to overcome Chronos (the

temporal dimension) in order to fulfill our task may be the most terrible and difficult,
together with the task of becoming a humble and worthy Prometheus that illuminates
and irradiates the sleeping intelligences of our brothers.

S:. F:. U:.-

Christian Espinoza López

Grade 2

Bibliography
 http://www.betemunah.org/mikdash.html.
 Los 21 temas del Compañero Mason, Adelfo Terrones Benítez and Alfonso León
García, Editorial Herbasa.