Officers of the Lodge – Senior Warden

Who is the Senior Warden – Your very essence ?

This is a 5 of 6 part tutorial series on the Officers of the Lodge

Each part published monthly in The Square

Lodge Officers:  The Tyler, Inner Guard, Deacons, Junior Warden, Senior Warden, Worshipful Master

Senior Warden – Your very essence

What is it that drives you? What is it within you that makes you feel alive? Your essence is that indispensable quality that determines your character, who you are, your very SOUL.

In Listingdock.com dated November, 13th, 2017, the question was asked “What is the true essence of life?”

They argued that “happiness is the true essence of life”.

They went on to say that it was “the small things in life that brought happiness” and “that happiness is far more important than anything else in the world”

if you plant abundance thinking you get abundance in life

The Cambridge dictionary defines your soul as “that part of you that experiences deep feelings and emotions”.

In Hugh Curley’s Blog he says that “if you imagine yourself fit and wealthy, it will happen, if imagine yourself fat and broke, it will happen – if you plant abundance thinking you get abundance in life …..  You can control what you think”.

If your very essence, your character, your soul is the pursuit of happiness then happiness should be the focus of your inner thoughts.

When I teach Tai Chi I tell my students, when they meditate, that the inward breath is the calming breath and the outward breath the smiling breath.

That is why you always see holy men smiling. Calmness and good thoughts should be your very essence.

In W. L. Wilmhurst’s book The Meaning of Masonry he states that the Senior Warden represents your Soul. Let us look more deeply into the duties of the Senior Warden and apply them to your very essence – your Soul.

Duty 1

Placed in the West to mark the setting sun to close the lodge by my command (Your Spirit) after having seen that every brother has had his due.

As the Junior Warden (Your Mind) tells you when it is the right time to rest, the Senior Warden (Your Soul) tells you when to stop your labours for the day.

To reflect upon and reward your achievements, as the moon reflects the goodness and light of the sun.

You need to reflect in order to develop and grow a deeper understanding of yourself.

There are many ways in which you can reflect on your life. They include meditation, writing a diary, taking a walk in the country, breathing exercises, reading and goal setting are but a few.

Whichever method you try or use remember that it is just a tool to focus the mind. Be positive in your thinking as it is beneficial to your mental well-being as well as your personal development.

Mark Twain said, “Good judgement is the result of experience and experience the result of bad judgement”.

The only way to know the quality of your judgement is to reflect upon it. It is OK to get things wrong as long as it is recognized, taken ownership, learnt from and not repeated. In the educational field it is known as “Kolb’s experiential learning cycle”.

Duty 2

The Level an emblem of equality points out the equal measures you are bound to pursue in conjunction with me (your Spirit) in the well ruling and governing of the Lodge (your whole self).

It is your spirit and your soul, in equal measures, that drives and controls your mind in the pursuit of your goal.

Your goal, to be the best person you can be; mentally, physically, morally, spiritually and have that deep feeling of peace and happiness within.

Duty 3

The column of your office represents the moon which reflects the light of the sun (the mind) and is to be erect when the Lodge is engaged in Masonic business.

Your spiritual consciousness, your capacity to engage in virtuous thoughts and behaviour, is reflected onto your soul, your very essence, your character, that spiritual part of you that drives you to be the person you want to be.

Duty 4

In your hand I (your Spirit) place this gavel, as an emblem of power, to enable you (your Soul) to assist me (your Spirit) in preserving order in the Lodge, especially in the West.

The gavel represents the force of conscious that should keep down all unbecoming thoughts. Thoughts that take you away from that inward focus on happiness.

Action,

As you take a moment to reflect, list three things that have made you smile today

Conclusion

Your SOUL is your very essence, your inward nature and true substance.

It is that spiritual part of you that identifies who you are and drives you to be who you want to be.

There are no limitations to the mind
except those we acknowledge..

– Napoleon Hill.