Product Description

The Truth Revealed

Freemasons have been connected to the all-seeing eye on the dollar bill, the French Revolution, the Knights Templar, and the pyramids of Egypt. They have been rumored to be everything from a cabal of elite power brokers ruling the world to a covert network of occultists and pagans intent on creating a new world order, to a millennia-old brotherhood perpetuating ancient wisdom through esoteric teachings. Their secret symbols, rituals, and organization have remained shrouded for centuries and spawned theory after theory. The Masonic Myth sets the record straight about the Freemasons and reveals a truth that is far more compelling than the myths.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41653 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-01
• Released on: 2009-09-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780060822569
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
Kinney's book, "Masonic Myth," delves into the mysterioushistory of the Freemasons and carefully dispels rumors and misconceptions about the brotherhood. (beliefnet )

"The Masonic Myth finally sets the record straight about the Freemasons,revealing that the truth is far more compelling than the stories." (bookgasm )

"Kinney does a great job of sharing a whole lot of never-before-seen inside stuff in an easilyunderstood way." (January Magazine )

"This should be the first book anyone reads about Freemasonry. Even those who know a lot about it will benefit from the broad and generous perspective that the founder of "Gnosis Magazine" brings to it." (Joscelyn Godwin, Colgate University. Author of The Theosophical Enlightenment and The Golden Thread )

"... a book which has the excitement of a thriller with the benefit of being factual. This is real-life (as opposed to "reality") Freemasonry. And it's a great story!" (Jim Tresner 33 Grand Cross, Book Review Editor, The Scottish Rite Journal )

"...highly-readable and down-to-earth. Backed up by much scholarly research, Kinney methodically examines, and then busts common myths about Masons." (Boing Boing )

About the Author

Jay Kinney is coauthor of Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions. For fifteen years, he was publisher and editor-in-chief of Gnosis, the premier journal covering esoteric traditions and spiritual paths. In addition, Kinney is a member of Mill Valley Lodge #356 and Mission Lodge #169, F&AM, in California; a member of the York Rite; and a 32° KCCH in the Scottish Rite. He has twice been a speaker at the California Masonic Symposium, and is a recipient of the Albert G. Mackey Award for Excellence in Masonic Research. He has extensive contacts within Freemasonry and, as librarian and director of research for the San Francisco Scottish Rite, has access to many resources and Masonic records that have eluded most popular writers on this topic.

Customer Reviews

Clear, objective, and fun to read
Kinney did a really good job with this book. He clearly stated his goals in the Introduction, setting expectations for the reader. Then he competently met those expectations and, in some cases, exceeded them.

Like most people, I had very little idea of what the Masonry was about (before reading this). The relatively few things published about the Masons have generally been of such dubious integrity that a discerning reader must dismiss them as agenda-driven propaganda rather than serious non-fiction on the subject.

Some of the information in the public sphere is very positive. For example, we've all seen the Shriners at the parades and are aware of their good works with Children's Hospitals. Granted, the connection to Masons is weak enough that some of us don't make it but it's still there for the observant to see.

As there's no sensationalized agenda for this work, there's no sinister plot or alarmist message to hook the reader. That's one of the "problems" with true nonfiction in general. Of course, there are exceptions--for example, when the work is about a bizarre event, a tragedy, or a famous criminal.

Writing a factual book about the Masons is a challenge in itself, for several reasons. Making it interesting is a further challenge, also for several reasons. Kinney handled these challenges well, with a combination of dry wit, logic, and good writing. From his 30 or so pages of notes, we can conclude that his work is also heavily researched. That research is especially valuable, because it wasn't from the outside looking in. He is a practicing Mason, but not just an "ordinary" one. He's the librarian and director of research for the San Francisco Scottish Rite, plus he's heavily connected in other ways. If he has a question, he is positioned extremely well to get the right answer.

Reasons that writing a factual book about the Masons is a challenge include:

There is no monolithic Mason Order, Society, or other form of organization. Thus, there is no central information source. Not even close.
Most of the previous works are grossly inaccurate, poorly researched, hyperbolic, and agenda-driven.
Masonry is practiced in autonomous "Lodges" that are divided geographically. They have their own bylaws and officers. They don't follow the bylaws of any "home office" and there are no "higher" officers coordinating things. So the facts vary depending on which group you're looking at.
The largest body of facts would be the "degrees," which are intricate initiation rituals. While the symbols used in these rituals are widely on display, the actual rituals vary by "Lodge" and members are supposed to keep those details secret.
Reasons that making a factual book about the Masons interesting is a challenge include:

There really isn't anything sensational to write about. The details of the rituals are not all that interesting. That is not to say the rituals are boring, as they apparently are not. There's a reason why people play basketball rather than sit around reading books describing how basketball is played--it's the experience that they find interesting.
While lack of something sinister or sensational prevents the author from writing an expose, the need for editorial integrity also prevents him from writing a hyped up "rosier than real" marketing piece.
The basic elements are history and secrets. The history hasn't influenced world events, and the "secrets" are the details of the initiation rites.
The main purpose of Masonry is to provide a brotherhood network and moral standards for men. These things, while of great benefit to the participants, are not "exciting" in the modern era.
Here's a fact that surprised me: About 95% of today's masons are over the age of 70. Now, that's interesting....

This book consists of 11 Chapters. The first four tell us the history of Masonry (which he refers to as The Craft). The thumbnail here is that many centuries ago, some construction tradesmen called masons (bricklayers, essentially) formed an association of fellow masons. These associations morphed over time (the particulars are in the book) from being "worker" oriented to being "philosopher" oriented (my words). Despite the name, few modern Masons spend their days picking up a trowel with one hand and a brick with the other (in fact, I have a cousin who is a mason but not a Mason). Understanding that history helps the reader understand today's Masonic orders.

Chapter 5 explains the structure, such that it is, of Masonry. This is far simpler than is widely assumed.

Chapters 6 and 7 explain the rites, rituals, and degrees of Masonry. This is the area in which Masons pledge their secrecy, but the author gives us enough information for us to get the general idea. Not much "there" there, unless you are actively involved yourself.

Many conspiracy theorists provide cloud cover for the real conspiracies all around us, by engaging in ridiculous speculation that defies the known facts. Several books exist on this problem, and the author gives a nice summation of the conspiracy theory self-delusion process. Yes, there are conspiracies. But the ones that get the most press usually exist only in the imaginations of those who expound on them. They get a notion, then cherry pick (and usually distort) facts or alleged facts to support that notion.

Masonry has been a victim of this kind of "analysis," and most of that centers on the "Satanic" symbols of Masonry. As you read the alleged "evidence," you find that it typically is based on "secret" Masonic symbols. I have always found that hilarious, because Masons wear various emblems with those same symbols right on their suit coat jackets. That's a strange way to keep a secret. In Chapter 8, Kinney explains what various symbols mean. None of them, of course, have anything to do with world domination. The symbols largely represent personal virtues, and the purpose of the symbols is to help the individual Mason keep those virtues in mind.

Chapters 9 and 10 explore some of the more grandiose claims about Masonry. I've never read a cogent argument in the positive on such claims, so was never convinced. In these chapters, Kinney's analysis shows why those arguments fail.

The final chapter examines the future of Masonry. It's bleak. Masonry is anachronistic in many ways. For example, the dress code and formality fit the 1950s very well but do not enjoy the same level of appeal today. Kinney provides the actual numbers, but suffice it to say that it's the rare Mason who doesn't qualify for membership in the AARP and Masonry rolls have been on a steady decline for decades.

I'm not going to say whether I think Masonry has outlived its usefulness. In my own case, I simply do not have time to participate in something like this no matter how beneficial it might be. The author, of course, is not happy with the current trend.

Masonry itself hasn't been at the center of world events, so there isn't the practical "need" to read this book as there would be for, say, a book on managing personal finances. However, this book offers a value that Kinney probably didn't intend and that isn't mentioned on the jacket. I feel this value more than justifies the price of the book.

What value might that be? Let me precede the answer with a short explanation. I see half-baked, irrational "arguments" all the time. They dominate our culture, political sphere, and what passes for "news" in the "mudstream" media. When I was on the Debate Team in High School (so long ago, it seems it was just before Moses crossed the Red Sea), we had to construct an argument a certain way for it to be valid. Debates weren't won on the basis of who was loudest or most shocking, who could make up the most absurdities about the other side.

One core aspect of debating back then was you had to prepare a case both for and against the proposition, and argue each side at various times. This forced you to see an issue objectively, and discourse on it the same way. This ability to think rationally and objectively is fairly gone, today. Maybe it's one of the anachronisms the Masons cling to as their membership declines.

Kinney's book is an example of how to present an objective discourse on something, using valid arguments. He does it time and again, drawing from verifiable fact gleaned from reputable sources. He puts the facts together with logic (a basic tool of reasoning that is normally abused or absent altogether in today's culture). A person reading this book can experience what proper analysis is. That can be a lesson for those not aware of it, or it can be a source of encouragement for those, like me, who mourn its near absence today.

Common Ground
If asked what to read about Freemasonry, I would now answer "Gnosis (Summer 1997)" and "the Masonic Myth" both by Jay Kinney.

I read that old issue of Gnosis magazine when I first wondered about the secrets of Freemasonry. Then, a decade + later, I discovered his current book "Masonic Myth," in which Jay briefly writes about the alternative histories and mythologies that he explored in 1997. Except the current book "Masonic Myth" is based on a look at Masonic Folklore from someone (Jay) who has now spent years inside the Brotherhood. Some of it is honestly funny - it is always good to have an alchemist at a funeral or the tiler's sword would be hard pressed (literally) to cut cheese cubes. It all really comes across as the reflections of one of the better reflective thinkers in Western Traditions. Jay has certainly methodically researched the archives for his writing. And he shares a lot of that research in this book..
If you are curious, this book can be a fun - and informative - read.
If you are a conspiracy theorist, best go eat a plate of cheese cubes far from here.
Jay cuts to the chase after laying a foundation about the nebulosity of Masonic Origins. It seems to me that what Jay is saying is: "To truly know the Masonic experience is to BE a Mason."

Delivers on everything the title promises!
This is an absolutely wonderful book which both reveals and dispels the myriad of myths surrounding the topic of Freemasonry. We Freemasons can certainly use as much ammunition as we can get to deal with the misinformation spread on the Internet as well as works of fiction like Dan Brown's latest novel 'The Lost Symbol'. Even though RWB Chris Hodapp has already noted that the 'Lost Symbol' paints Freemasonry in a generally positive light, nevertheless, it still dredges up plenty of mythology along the way.

Even though 'The Masonic Myth' covers a great deal of material I am already intimately familiar with, nevertheless, it is expressed in such a strong voice and written with such eloquence that I devoured every single page. I also gained new insight and learned new details about certain aspects of Masonic mythology I hadn't heard before.

The author, Brother Kinney, does hold the view, as have other Masonic authors recently, that the only secrets in your obligation are signs, tokens, and passwords. For this reason I would not recommend this book if you intend to become a Freemason!

In the interest of disabusing people of the mythic baggage surrounding the topic of Freemasonry, Brother Kinney goes into quite a bit of detail covering the content of the Masonic degrees; and not just those of the Blue Lodge but the York and Scottish Rite as well.

If you are considering joining Freemasonry then I would caution you against reading this book until *after* you were raised a Master Mason.

If, instead, you are interested in learning more regarding the history and purpose of Freemasonry I believe you will find this book to be very illuminating indeed.

I simply can't recommend this book enough if your goal is to better understand the truth behind Freemasonry and to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff surrounding this topic.