Peter H. Jantz, 33°

The only secrets are insights from study and experience.

Much is said among non-Masons about us being a “secret” society. Here is my personal approach to this old controversy which, to my mind at least, eliminates the controversy and puts the subject to rest.

Open refers to all the Masonic books and periodicals available in Valley and public libraries. These publications describe Masonic history and philosophy in great detail, based on the understanding of the author, and are available to all interested readers. Your family members, relatives, friends, and anyone else can read about Freemasonry in all its facets. There is nothing secret or hidden. It’s all in the open for any earnest searcher to find.

I use the word hidden to refer to our passwords, grips, and modes of recognition. By definition they would lose their function if everyone knew them. After all, what good is a password (like your PIN number or computer-access code) or a special grip if everyone knows it? That said, I’d like to bring up two important points. First, there are enough renegade authors who have told all, so that if anyone really wants to know, they can find out. Second, these passwords were very meaningful in the past, even as recently as the Nazi era, when you might be jailed or even put to death if the authorities found you were a Freemason. As such, they are a meaningful tradition, reminding us of the value of liberty and all of the other core values embraced by the Craft. Today, I doubt very seriously if many Scottish Rite Masons know the passwords, grips, and signs of our Scottish Rite Degrees—with the exception of the ritualists who actually perform the Degrees and have to memorize them. I’m not making light of these traditional and historic customs. It’s just that we don’t need to use them in our society today, so we forget them. We can all pray and hope that it stays that way.

As to secret, the only secrets are your personal understandings or insights as you study Masonic teachings and participate in the Craft. You may experience these insights at any moment of your life, including, of course, when you witness Freemasonry’s Degrees. These insights are “secret” because they are your special understanding and yours alone. The best part is that these “secrets” are open and available to everyone. It’s true that you have to dig for the gold. It’s not lying on the surface in plain sight. But it’s worth digging for, and we can all dig. Books are available, and everyone may study them to increase his or her personal understanding. I challenge you to do so. Come learn Masonry’s “secrets.” Nowadays, they are even online! Hundreds of Web sites focus on Masonry, and there are Internet chat rooms where you can exchange ideas with both non-Masons and Brothers. But it is up to you to find the truth, your truth, in this plethora of diverse information. Discuss, study, experience, and enjoy those deeply felt Masonic insights which you would love to share, but you can’t, really, because they are your own special, personal and, therefore, “secret” insights.

Peter H. Jantz Past Personal Representative, Valley of Santa Ana, California, is a former Deputy Director of Membership for the Orient of California. A Life Member of the Scottish Rite Research Society, his lifelong avocation is pursuing and sharing various branches of philosophical study, especially Masonry. Contacts: Santa Ana Scottish Rite, P.O. Box 416, Santa Ana, CA 92702-0416; phj@dslextreme.com