Worshipful Master, Most Respected Brethren from the East, Respected Officers, dear Brethren in the columns, the theme of my Third-degree craft is THE TABLECLOTH.
If we, as Freemasons, rely on the oath: TO BE BETTER THAN WE ARE TODAY, we would reach an outburst of senses.
We would see and hear better. Our skin would get additional smoothness. Our nose and tongue would record the previously unknown. We would be plain to ourselves. And much closer to others. We would achieve Unity: LIGHT would teach us to see, and DARKNESS would teach us to cognize.
After all, we would remain free and avoid wrong choices. Day and night. All his life. And after death, especially then.
Therefore, dear Brethren, we need a white tablecloth. Like the one we have during the festive board.
Even though some stains are visible, it will not disrupt the importance of the tablecloth. The brothers should gather around the tablecloth and act directly, having pure thoughts.
The intention, if there is any, is to be bona fide. Not to threaten anyone, not to resent anyone, not to hurt anyone. If the intentions are vague or pale, we should be mirroring them with the whiteness of the tablecloth.
Furthermore, the tablecloth should be without any creases, as proof that the flatiron was moved in all directions, from the North to the South, from the East to the West.
So, all sides of the world are on the tablecloth. Because stories from the North are one thing, and those from the South are quite another. Snow and the sea have different tales. It is not easy to permeate them, to explain differentia specifica to each other.
Naturally, with some effort, we might see that the snow is a parcel of the sea and that the sea is visible deep in the snow. It is quite the same with the other two sides of the world.
Although the East and the West are fundamentally different because the East is a state of mind and the West is a way we do things, crossing is possible, achievable, and enticing.
Moreover, only the inseparability of those geographical quarters gives the Wholeness and gets mental importance. So, it is binding for the Brethren.
IMAGE CREDIT: author
The North story tells us a simple yet important thing: every chase after the ermine will stop where the snow is melting, and the surface turns into mud. The precious animal will not step into the mud. A bullet will follow, along with the roar of Stepa.
The South story deals with water and tells us about the counter wave and the eight-meter oar that dives into it only to collect the waterways, curves and holes, paths, and boulevards. To untangle life and to achieve fullness. Even to get close to the future.
The East story is the most profound: it goes deep into the mythological times of the Antinumber in sun temples in Zed and Avaris. The drought was merciless. The crops were none. So, a new seed is needed.
It took seven long years for mistics and hierophants to build a seed resistant to drought, a seed strong enough to be rebellious even to the Sun. Thus, the single grain ear of wheat burst out of the soil, and slices of ancient bread fell on the table.
Misfit became a verb. Ancient Egypt, the Fertile Crescent, and Anatolia banished hunger.
The West story is about Materia. It consists of knowledge and is a form of spirit. Hence, it requires an enviable mind skill. It is a conjunction of shape and substance. After all, it is almost a measure. However, if misused, it turns into atrocity.
Of course, any story told aloud or barely audible requires strength in the eyes. Thus, the ability of the tablecloth to absorb spilled liquids or spoken words will be transmitted to all gathered equally.
Furthermore, say those familiar with these secrets, the New will arise in man. A Freemason will be receptive to the presence of others. A harmony will inspire each brother, and the Brethren will grow stronger.
Since Cartesian voices demand that I engage myself in touching and describing whiteness, then I have no choice but to add unattainability and to make the tablecloth far heavier than it is.
That fact arouses feverish fear, almost intolerable, and even warns us that we are not supposed to be around the tablecloth. But we shouldn’t back down. After all, we have been around the tablecloth long enough.
It has the prints of our hesitations and decisions, and our restlessness and calmness are all over it. The moment when we sat down around the tablecloth was long behind us. Ever since the first Levantine feasts. Or those in the Valley of the Kings. Those from the Far East. Everything is already there. And much more yet to come.
Of course, the place around the tablecloth is of minor importance. The ones in front of a stain, made by someone’s mental sluggishness or manual clumsiness, will one day be sitting in front of the unsullied. It is carefully measured by the order of things and given by nature.
Finally, the tablecloth has been lifted, washed, and ironed. Whiteness was much more explicit: even though someone sat down without clarity, he would get up much more intimate with other brothers.
Thus, the tablecloth assumes possibilities and is a fulfillment of the will. It prevents a venomous snake from coming. Moreover, the tablecloth generates closeness between the Brethren. The tablecloth becomes the taste of existence. Yet, where existence is – there are some blemishes.
I have said!
Worshipful Master, even though I am far from the goal, even though I missed quite a bit, my Third-degree work is over. May the Great Architect of All Worlds allow our construction to succeed.
Article by: Draško Miletić
Draško Miletić was born in Kotor, Montenegro, on the 6th of February 1963. He graduated from Belgrade University with a BA in tourism but changed his vocation and worked as a journalist for fifteen years.
He was an editor and author in digital media, newspapers, and ART TV. Since 2001 he has been a writer and an editor-in-chief for the literary magazine URB, issued monthly from 2003 to 2007 by Independent editions Slobodan Mašić.
From 2005-2007, he used to run a literary workshop at the Center for Youth Creativity and has published three books. More than fifty literary and web magazines in Serbia and the region have published his works.
He is a member of the Serbian Literary Society as an independent artist. He wrote six novels and two books of poetry. The first and second novels are listed in the Washington Library of Congress. The second novel was nominated for the prestigious NIN Award (2007).
He was initiated in 2021 to the Lodge “Michael Pupin” under RGLS. Since 2022 he has been writing for thesquaremagazine and the ARS REGIA, an annual magazine published by Lodge Quatuor Coronati.
He was a panelist at the Second International Masonic convention: “Freemasonry in the 21st Century: Service, Sustainability, Dignity. All about people”, held in Belgrade on June 21, 2024.
He named his work: Nobility is Needed. He is multilingual, speaking English and French. He lives and works in Belgrade.
Books by Draško Miletić
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