This smallish book with its 200 pages by British Author Craig Weightman, and published by Lewis Masonic, is another book that wants to help the reader in his or her path of personal development by using many of the symbols that Masonry suggests, but it is aimed more for the Mason already initiated. On the other hand I would imagine the book is equally interesting for the reader for who Masonry could be an option for the future; it tells you a lot about the Craft but does not give away things to the uninitiated, it just creates interest.
Craig starts his voyage on symbolism with the famous Rough Ashlar, and he maintains this symbol of the stone like a red line throughout the whole book, which I find a very interesting and convincing approach. The voyage then follows up with explanations on the working tools of the three Craft degrees, to find its intermediate aim in the Perfect Ashlar. But, Weightman does not stop there, where many authors would have stopped. He takes the Perfect Ashlar, the symbol of the man who was able to develop into a better being, further: the stone becomes part of King Solomon’s Temple, the individual becomes the necessary part of something bigger that we can only build if each of us will be part of the whole, of the improvement of society.
Then we are also led through a highly interesting chapter about the “illusion of the Self”, which I found fascinating, and the book concludes with some pages about the symbolism of the Royal Arch.
In my view Craig Weightman builds an excellent bridge between esoteric approaches (he very often uses the word initiation and initiate, which I find very positive and in Masonry unfortunately rather too rare nowadays!) and the utility of Freemasonry today, in our daily life. I found that approach very inspiring.
A little criticism goes to the publisher that they use a rather glossy paper, where it is extremely hard to put your personal notes in the book. Now you might be part of those who do not like to write notes in your books and find people like me, who do, weird, but there are so many interesting things that Craig Weightman has to say and which I would like to underline or annotate… – well, OK, I stop complaining.
Overall this is a great book, absolutely worth the buy. You find the link where you can get it right under the cover image!
