In the course of our lives, many events, faces, emotions give us external answers which, from some point on, do not seem enough.

 The voice within us whispers Questions that cannot be adressed with easy explanations.

 It is then that the true Quest begins.

A moral-philosophical path, which leads us to Self-Knowledge, the improvement of our character and ultimately to the symbolic “perfection” of our Self.

It is not a quest for external knowledge or revelation, but rather a path of self-knowledge and improvement.

The key elements that make up this internal Research include:

• Individual Research:

 Seeking the Truth about ourselves, aiming at our own Self-Improvement.Self-awareness and Internal Cleansing. We must know ourselves: our motives, weaknesses, virtues and shortcomings.

• Ethical Research:
• Seeking Justice, Virtue and Harmony  with our fellow human beings.Ethical Cultivation. Steady pursuit of Moral Virtue: Honesty, Humility, Philanthropy, Fraternity. The Mason works not only for themself, but also for the good of society.
• Spiritual Research: Search for the Divine, the spiritual path to deification. Faith in a Higher Principle, “Great Architect of the Universe”. This Higher Religious Principle includes the “God” of all people by whatever name He has. Because all the people of our planet, regardless of religion, can be Brother-/Sister-Masons.

Although not a religious organization, Freemasonry requires its members to have faith in a Higher Power. This faith is the basis for the spiritual dimension of the inner Quest.

• Search for the “Light”

The “Light” in Freemasonry symbolizes Knowledge, Truth and Wisdom. The Mason seeks to obtain it not as a revelation, but as a result of effort, introspection, and cultivation.

Masonry treats this esoteric Search as the core of the Masonic Course.

 On the way towards the LIGHT.

A Course where the Mason is likened to a raw stone/ashlar, which through “internal” Labor and Ethical Cultivation is sculpted and refined so that it can be used for the “construction of the Temple”.

 This Temple is symbolic: it is the spiritual Temple of humanity and the inner Temple of our soul.

This “inner” Work , the spiritual improvement – elevation of our Self , is guided through rituals, myths and symbols. Each tool (e.g. square, compass, chisel) has psychological and spiritual significance.

An ancient path of Self-Knowledge and Moral Perfection.

Our admission to Freemasonry, our initiation, is an inner awakening.

An internal transition.

Our old self “dies” and is “reborn” as an inner worker of Truth, signaling a change of Consciousness.

And then begins our inner Search, a personal case of our own!

Our main tool? Silence!

Not just the Silence in terms of Speech.

But the Silence of an inner contemplation, a spiritual process to “hear” the “voice of our Consciousness”. It is a tool of inner Cultivation, Reflection and Self-Knowledge.

And as Plato says:

“Silence is the means to achieve peace of mind.”

Silence for Pike is the foundation of Masonic Discipline, an indication of inner balance and spiritual maturity. It is a basic prerequisite for the emergence of Logic and the inner Voice.

Wilmshurst  in his work The Meaning of Masonry, explains how silence allows the Mason to listen to the “voice of Consciousness” and Spirit.

The inner ritual presupposes Silence.

Confidentiality between us protects secrets, not in the sense of concealment, but in the meaning of respect for the unspeakable.

It is Respect for the experiential depth of our difficult inner Path.

A course of silent, personal and at the same time collective (with a different pace of development) and continuous search for Truth.

 The Truth is not static-it is a path, not a destination.

And it is at this moment that Inner Freedom begins to appear.

Freedom from passions, prejudices and fears. The free Mason is “free” within themselves first.

And as Albert Pike states in his book Morals and Dogma :

“The Mason works invisibly in the Temple of Self. No one sees him there, nor does he ask for recognition. His only goal is to elevate his soul through silence, work and truth.”

Only us and Ourselves! Silence, Spiritual Work, Truth!

This Inner Path of Spiritual Quest – Ascension is cultivated by Freemasonry!

It is this Freemasonry that we believe and profess!

Said