The "Law of the House" (Ezekiel)

The "Religion of the Mountain" (Dante)

So did both Prophet and Poet term the Eternal Ascent, the symbolism
of which is incorporated in the Winding Stair.

The subject is one which, on the surface, is interesting only
because of its Masonic symbolism and significance. Yet underneath
the surface to the patient seeker for the Truth lies symbolism,
which was old when the world was young.

As Masons and as Christians we tend to imagine that before the
Israelites became worshippers of the One God - JHVH  Yes, and even
after - all religions were idolatrous; that the Egyptians, the
Sumerians (later the Babylonians), the Semitic races generally with
their multitudinous gods and goddesses, were heathens,
sunworshippers, moonworshippers, worshippers of the Elemental Forces
of Nature with no understanding of the One Great Power. Nevertheless
such was not entirely correct.

The world was young and mankind in his infancy. He thought and acted
as a child. His conception of religion was within the limited
capacity of his mind. His conception of the Supreme Power was
therefore limited. He dimly recognised that there existed the One-
Being - the Omniscient - the Omnipotent, who veiled Himself in the
vast complexity of the Universe. What was His Name? He was
everything and everywhere. They saw Him in the Sun as the Giver of
Life and as the Moon giving Light in the midst of darkness. They
heard His voice in the thunder; they felt His breath in the winds of
Heaven, sometimes caressing, sometimes destroying. The sweet
perfumes of the world were as His Breath in their nostrils and they
tasted His Goodness in the foods which he provided for them. Was He
not the Producer of All Things? Everywhere He was present and
everywhere different.

They saw Him in many and varied guises. They called Him by many and
varied names, describing the many aspects of the Supreme Power,
which presented themselves to the five senses of man - the many
facets of the God-head. And yet was He not the "One in All" - the
"All in One".

While He was everywhere, nevertheless His. Home - His Dwelling Place
- was in the Heavens. If only they could approach nearer to God,
their pleadings would have a better chance of success. On the
heights of this world - on the High Places - would they build their
altars. Far above the paltry things of this earthly existence would
they approach their God. Have we not heard of the building of the
Tower of Babel'? Hebrew tradition gives us the story of its building
and how God punished His people  because of their presumption in
attempting to build so vast and high a structure that - to quote the
ancients - 'they could hear the angels singing before the Throne of
God". Yet on reflection does not a deeper meaning lie behind the
surface'? "Bab-ilu" means "Gate of God". While the ancient builders
were undoubtedly seeking access to God's Dwelling Place, perhaps
only their motives were in doubt.

This story of the Tower of Babel is founded on fact, the legend
having been attached to the magnificent Step-Temple of Babylon. This
particular Zikkurat or Step-Temple was one of many built on the
plains of Shinar but was more elaborate, more grandiose in
conception, more vast than the others, although all were built
according to a plan or pattern in existence more than 2,000 years
previous to the building of the famous Tower of Babel.

This Tower was the site of the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon,
one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, the steps of the
Tower being covered with soil and therein were growing trees,
shrubs, etc., giving the Zikkurat truly the appearance of a mountain
and such it was called "The Mountain of God".

The theory of origin of such a type of building is that the
Sumerians who preceded the Akkadians and Babylonians in the
Tigris/Euphrates valley originally came from the hilly and
mountainous country to the North - somewhere around the sources of
the two rivers mentioned above, a part of the world which traditions
offers as the site of the Garden of Eden. The new lands which they
conquered - the plains of Shinar - were uniquely level, being
without hills of any description and were also subject to periodic
inundation from the waters of the two rivers. (The Babylonians, from
whom the Hebrews may have taken the story, have a legend of the
Deluge. It may be a racial memory of exceptional flooding.) Because
of this regular flooding the Sumerians had to build on platforms and
the Temple areas were a succession of platforms. They were also
conscious of the lack of High Places - their Hill Shrines  and, as
their worship demanded an elevated altar or shrine, they set about
constructing in the new land artificial High Places or Mountains,
the nearest being the Zikkurat or Step-Temple.

All Zikkurats were similar in construction, consisting of a series
of platforms, decreasing in size and placed one on top of the other
until on the topmost platform sufficient area existed whereon a
small temple or shrine was built. This shrine was the Holy of Holies
and contained the symbol of their god, be it ark or statue.

An ascent or series of stairways was constructed to give access to
the different platform levels. Along this winding way on solemn
feast days -days of celebration - would move the procession of
priests and servants bearing the Ark of their god in full view of
the thousands of worshippers and carrying the offerings of the
multitude to be dedicated to the service of the All-Mighty One who
dwelt in the darkness of the shrine on the peak of the artificial
mountain.

I shall return to the details of construction of a Zikkurat later,
only so far as these have a bearing on our subject.

I would suggest that basically the service at King Solomon's Temple
did not differ greatly. At Jerusalem the various courts, which we
know to have been on different levels, served the same purpose and
had the same basic symbolical meaning as the various platforms of
the step-temple. The theme of the Temple ritual was always the same.
Only by ascent from the world below could an approach be made to the
Most High.

As an interesting point you will find some of the Hebrew Psalms
marked as "Songs of the Ascent". In all probability they were sung
and chanted as the procession of priests and pilgrims climbed the
route to the Temple.

But where, you may ask, does the Winding Stair come into the
picture? Where is the connection between the three, five and seven
steps and the step-temple or Hebrew Temple?

Let me make it quite clear to you at this point that the winding
stair mentioned in the Bible in connection with King Solomon's
Temple had no symbolical meaning whatever to the Israelites. It was
of no religious significance. Otherwise the historian who has given
to the world the details of the Temple construction would have
devoted more space to it in his works. You will find only one
mention of it, namely, that it served to connect the three levels of
side chambers or rooms which were built around and attached to the
Temple itself. These were probably storage rooms, etc., for Temple
property.

A simple statement for a simple fact. Nor is there any indication of
this stairway being divided into three sections of three, five and
seven steps. Masonry, however, has adopted this winding stairway and
grafted on to it the age-old symbolism of ascent and numbers and now
to attempt to shed some light on these particular points - the
Winding Stair of Three, Five and Seven Steps leading up to the
Sanctuary of Truth.

Firstly, let us consider the significance of "Winding", keeping in
mind the basic themes of ascent or climbing. The winding movement of
ascent should take the form of a clockwise spiral, thus simulating
the apparent movement of the sun from its winter solstice to the
summer solstice, when in its daily travel it appears higher and
higher in the heavens as each day passes and gives the impression of
climbing up into the heavens in an ascending spiral. This apparent
motion was termed by the ancient astronomers "The Great Spiral".

To turn or circle other than to the right would be contrary to the
direction of travel of the sun and was considered to be dangerous
and evil. (Withershins - contrary movement - consider various
superstitions attached thereto.)

Masonic Ritual with that age-old symbolism or superstition in mind
demands that the Masonic course of the candidate be clockwise and
ascending (ascend Stair - ascend to East).

The importance of clockwise travel and the contrary movement
"withershins" is vividly illustrated in the incident of Hiram
Abriff. Recollect his meeting with the first ruffian at the 5. Gate,
then the second at the E. Gate, followed by the Final and Fatal
Meeting at the N. Gate, the North at all times being the place of
Darkness. His movement S - E - N was definitely contrary and had the
inevitable evil result.

The second important matter in dealing with the Winding Stair is the
number symbolism therein.

The Stair is made up of three Divisions, these being respectively
made up of three, five and seven steps.

Taking a simple viewpoint, the importance to the ancient peoples of
three, five and seven can readily be understood, when you consider
that, excluding ONE, they are the first three odd numbers and are
indivisible except by ONE.

Odd numbers had to the ancient peoples more significance than even
numbers and three being the first of the odd numbers was especially
important. Odd numbers were considered male, and even female, so
that One, the single and indivisible except by itself, when the
result would be itself, united with the female number two, yielded
three, or the Trinity.

The implications of the number three were many and symbolised all
the aspects of the Trinity with many variations and so down the
countless ages the number THREE has meant many things to many men
and nations.

Even in this so-called civilised age traces of the old number
superstition regarding three are evident in all classes of society -
in business, in law, etc., e.g. the third light, third and final
notice, calling marriage banns three times, etc. With a little
thought innumerable instances are available of the continued
superstition regarding THREE all through the ages.

FIVE is composed of the first prime number three and the first even
number two, and while not apparently having the same magical
significance of the number three, nevertheless it had its symbolism.
Being the result of the union of the male No.3 and the female No.2,
it represented marriage according to the Pythagorean number
philosophy. We also have the five known planets of that age and no
doubt the existence of the five human senses gave it a greater
significance.

All through the ages in mystical writings do we come across the
number seven: seven golden candlesticks, seven deadly sins, seven
cardinal virtues, seven days of the week, seven this, seven that,
seventh Sabbatical Year, seven days of creation, and so on.

To return to the Three Division - Pythagoras in 500 B.C. saw in
numbers the principle of all things. His philosophy developed and in
speculating on the first three numbers - the Monad, the Duad and the
Triad - he considered these to be:

(1) Male - Creative Principle

(2) Female - Matter capable of form

(3)     Union of (I) and (2) signifying the world formed by creative
        principle out of matter.

You are familiar with this in these words of MacBride Ritual:

Mind   - the Power that works in and through all matter.

Matter - through which and by which mind expresses itself.

Form   - the expression of mind on matter.

The Pilgrim's ascent then finished in the Middle Chamber or Holy of
Holies where was the Presence of God and at His Mercy Seat he
received his wages or the reward for his labours.