By the phrase "light from above" we are to understand the light that comes from the noontide sun. All the exoteric statements of the Ritual support this view, as we shall see here.
When on a certain occasion we question the E.A. about his first introduction into Masonry, he tells us that it took place " when the sun was [183] at its meridian." The statement is not literally true, for we usually meet after dark, in the evening. And yet we not only admit it, but we justify it on the ground that as the Fraternity is spread over the whole globe, the sun can never set in the Masonic world. Of course it is possible that when the veil drops and the material blessing is restored, the Temple may be so brightly illumined that the dazzled Initiate may imagine it is noontide. But, Masonically speaking, the initiation is a sort of dawn, and whatever his emotions, he still apprehends things dimly, as must be the case with everyone of us in the physical sense in the twilight hours.
Much indeed has been made clear, but as most of what is said and done is allegorical, there is still need of explanations. Nay, for all those present, the world remains, as it is called, a "sublunary abode," the moon still ruling our sky, the sun not yet in power; and therefore our cherished symbols are mere adumbrations which will be valueless if not rightly interpreted. Don't forget that the first sign with which we are entrusted is one by which we can recognize a Mason "by night as well as day." On the other hand, observe [184] what the W.'s do with their columns in opening and closing the Lodge: when the S.W. puts up his, the J.W. puts his down; the sun having risen above the horizon, the moon sets; later on it will be the sun that will set, and then the moon will rise again, which will be shown by the W.'s reversing their action. From this we are to learn that, day or night, the Mason is never left altogether without light.
The paradox about the sun at its meridian may be well suited to one who as yet can only see the surface of things, but it is a half-truth, and, as we know, it is intended to suggest something else. It is only in a mystic sense that our light comes from the sun in its zenith, and this can easily be shown to be the true sense of the paradox.
Remember to this end the highly significant fact mentioned in the Ceremonies that it was the custom of our M., H.A., when occupied with K.S.T., to go into that place every day "to pay his adoration to the Most High at the hour of High Twelve," which means, of course, when the sun was at its meridian. According to this, then, if the J.W. is to watch for that moment when the sun will attain to [185] that point it must be because the Speculative Mason begins his activities at High Twelve, when the Operative Mason, having ceased labor, goes to "refreshment." It is remarkable, too, that the Greek word for "mid-day," Endios, is from the same root whence the name for God is derived in the principal classic languages, the Latin Deus, the Greek Theos, and the Sanskrit Devas, all of which forms have, therefore, the same import, viz., " the Shining One."
The idea we find underlying the paradox of the E.A. persists in the Second Degree; for the S., the distinctive sign of the Craftsman, is also an emblem of the sun at its meridian, seeing that any upright set up at an angle of 90° must point at mid-heaven. Historically, the sign of the F.C. was derived from a well-known episode, mentioned in the V. of the S.L., "when it was in this position" that a certain leader prayed fervently to the Almighty "to continue the light of day, that he might complete," etc. Standing to order as Craftsmen, therefore, we are in effect praying for the continuance of meridian light and the success that must come from it. Such is, indeed, the nature of the "aid" which we [186] solicit from the G.G.O.T.U. every time we meet for our "improvement" as Masons.
Owing to the perfect regularity of its apparent movement, the physical sun has always been used for measuring and counting time. But in the Ritual the sun is an emblem, and, therefore, it is conceived as fixed in mid-heaven, always in its meridian glory, and accordingly we are fully justified in describing, not only the initiation ceremony, but everything else done in "open Lodge," as done when the sun is at its meridian, that is, while our mystic luminary is shining upon us from above.
No R.A. Brother will have any difficulty over this interpretation if he remembers how at the time of his exaltation, one of the sojourners explains the way the M.M. from Babylon succeeded in "distinguishing those objects which before he had so imperfectly discovered.
The explanation is briefly that the Sun,
having by that time attained its meridian, its beams fell perpendicularly
into the deep recess, and therefore everything was now plainly
revealed to the beholder, who saw clearly and distinctly what
before was dark and enigmatic.
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