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The Hourglass By Bro. Kevin E. Gent Fairweather Lodge #82
Hourglass... In the 3rd degree lecture of FREEMASONRY, an hourglass is referred to, along with other symbolic objects upon which the candidate is to meditate. “The hourglass is an emblem of human life. Behold how swiftly the sands run, and how rapidly our lives draw to a close! We cannot without astonishment observe the little particles which are contained within this machine- how they pass away almost imperceptibly; and yet to our surprise, in the short space of an hour they are all exhausted! This is the state of man. Today he puts forth the tender leaves of hope; tomorrow blossoms, and bears his blushing honors thick upon him; the third day comes a frost, a killing frost, and- when he thinks, good easy man, full surely his greatness is a ripening – nips his root, and then he falls, like Autumn leaves, to enrich our mother earth.” A symbol not primarily of death but of the transitory nature of time and human experience, which, however implies a certain memento mori, a reminder of our mortality. The hourglass is one of the attributes of CHRONOS or Eon, the personification of time. Since it must be continually turned over if it is to function, it has also been associated with cyclical theories and notions of "eternal return" of the same cosmological situations. In another tradition, it urges mortals to live in moderation and virtue, lest their allotted time be arbitrarily curtailed as a result of intemperance. The hourglass is a symbol, not so much of time, but of a very limited span of time. It has often, in semi-recent memory, been associated with old movies and adventures, in which the hero/heroine has one span of the sand to make a decision, be rescued, or save the world. The dramatic turning over of the great hourglass down to the spiraling of that last grain of sand signaling the end of a moment is an excellent visual of an exciting instant in time. Digital timepieces, the rush of work and our modern lifestyle have pushed the hourglass away from everyday life, adding a patina of mystery to this symbol from ancient times. When was the last time you saw a real working hourglass? I believe the last known practical usage was as an egg timer and even that is fading away. There is a graceful elegance, mystery and a magic to this beautiful and simple functional form. American tradition usually pulls the hourglass out as a symbol during New Year celebrations. The hourglass, an old man with a scythe and a newborn baby are all symbols of the passing of the old year and ringing in of the new one- leftover imagery from long ago Chronos, the Father of time, and another example of the cyclical nature of life. Let the hourglass today remind us of our own brief experiences here, and our own mortality. It is meant to teach us the fleeting nature of time, and to use our time here in this celestial plane to its best effect. Let us not put away hopes and dreams for tomorrow. Shame on the brother who promises things for another day, only to let time slip away. For he knows not the hour of his departure to the celestial kingdom. Finally let us live by the example of our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff; who in the fullness of life and at the pinnacle of his career was himself cut short. The lesson, my brothers, is to make the most of today.
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