Memento Mori by Sir Knight Ricky Haskell, PM; Pikes Peak Commandery No. 6, Colorado Springs Colorado
The image of the skull and crossed bones evokes deep emotional distress in many due to the “modern”
uses of this most deeply spiritual symbol that has been used by many societies, religions and Freemasonry from time immemorial.
The usual contempt of this symbol has developed as a result of the use by some of the most brutal military units ever to take the field of battle including most notably the Nazi Schutzstaffel or SS, whose insignia was the skull and crossed bones or “Death’s Head” or through its association with pirates, biker gangs and as a symbol of warning on toxic and poisonous substances or places. Ultimately the distress or contempt has arisen as a result of the very basic overt meaning inculcated in this symbol, specifically death and the associated life leading to death. Death a matter which many seek to avoid contemplating, understanding or discussing is the very simplest purpose for its use in Freemasonry and in Christianity specifically. “Memento Mori” –remember that you will die! Although this symbol has been used in cultures and religions the world over and is the central part of many festivals and religious days, I will strictly limit this thesis to Freemasonry and its origins and meanings therein.
We as Masons are taught that, “we are traveling upon the Level of time to that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns,” specifically death. We are also taught that, ““And when our trembling soul shall stand, naked and alone, before the Great White Throne, there to receive judgment for the deeds done while here in the body, may it be our portion to hear from him who sitteth as the Judge Supreme, the welcome words: “Well done good and faithful servant! Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!”” We are taught these to remind us that death is the great equalizer from which none will escape. Further, that upon our death we will be judged for our deeds or lack thereof done here in this world and that judgment will determine the glory or suffering of our afterlife, the spiritual resurrection thereof we as Masons earnestly seek. The symbol of the skull and crossed bones in this context is not only a warning but a symbol that ought to lead every Mason to live a life zealously circumscribing his desires, keeping his passions within due bounds and acting upon the square with all men more especially his Brethren in Masonry. Therefore, when we combine the Skull and Crossed Bones with the Square and Compasses, this message becomes crystal clear to every Mason. I am at this point reminded of Illustrious Brother Albert Pike’s quote from “Morals and Dogma”, “The Blue Degrees are but the outer court or portico of the Temple. Part of the
symbols are displayed there to the Initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them; but it is intended that he shall imagine he understands them. Their true explication is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry.” (Morals and Dogma, p.819) Is there more to this symbol than appears on the surface?
In Christianity, dating back to roughly 200 AD, the representations of the crucifixion of Christ contained the Skull and Crossed Bones at the base of the cross upon which Christ hung. Why? According to the Catholic Bulletin, “Pious legend held that Adam was buried at Mount Calvary and so the skull-and- crossbones symbolizes Adam. The skull-and-crossbones also symbolize death and so putting one at the
base of a crucifix symbolizes Christ’s triumph over death through death.” (1 Cor. 15:53-57) Other Christian and Judaic legend holds that Adam was created and that his skull was buried by Noah’s son on Mount Calvary which after the interment of Adam’s skull, become known by the ancient Jews as Golgotha or Golgatha (The Place of the Skull) long before the time of Christ. This tradition of Adam’s skull became known as the Place of the Skull. (First recorded by Alexandrian theologian Origen (c AD 185 -245)) The symbolism of the Skull and Crossed Bones in this context is Christ overcoming the sin of Adam, redeeming us all. The blood of Christ, the blood of salvation, the blood that gives life ran down the cross onto the buried skull of Adam. According to CORINTHIANS 15:45, “The first man, Adam, became a living being, the last Adam a life-giving spirit.” Eventually, the symbolism of the Skull and Crossbones under the feet of the crucified Christ became known as “Victory over Death,” or “Salvation over Sin.” This legend sheds some light on the use of the Skull and Crossed Bones particularly in Christianity but its use was largely confined to Crucifixes and artistic interpretations of Christ particularly Christ’s Crucifixion until the Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Jerusalem or the Knights Templar who used the skull and crossed bones extensively in their flags, on the sails of their ships, as insignia on their battle
gear and in the architecture and engravings of their churches and castles.
Why did the Templars begin using this symbol in such a public and widespread manner? Many argue that it is the strictly monastic interpretation of the Templars to the Christian meaning and symbolism which through its use allowed the Templars to be such fierce warriors as they had well contemplated and accepted death as a salvation resulting from their pious lives. Some would argue that it originated as a means of striking fear into the hearts of their enemies, particularly the Muslims during the Templars extensive Crusades in and around Jerusalem. Both of these on the surface are undeniable and well documented. But as is the case in Freemasonry, the masses of the Templar Knights were not true initiates or learned in the secrets of the Templars most of which remain secrets today.
In “The Holy Blood, Holy Grail”, Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln tell the tale relayed by Antonio Sicci of Vercelli, an imperial and apostolic notary, to the Papal Commission in 1310 and 1311. Sicci had allegedly served the Templars 40 years before in Syria and had also been employed by the Papacy in the case of the Templar Inquisition in Paris:
A great lady of Maraclea was loved by a Templar, A Lord of Sidon; but she died in her youth, and on the night of her burial, this wicked lover crept to the grave, dug up her body and violated it. Then a voice from the void bade him return in nine months time for he would find a son. He obeyed the injunction and at the appointed time he opened the grave again and found a head on the leg bones of the skeleton (skull and crossbones). The same voice bade him guard it Well, for it would be the giver of all good things, and so he carried it away with him. It became his protecting genius, and he was able to defeat his enemies by merely showing them the magic head. In due course, it passed to the possession of the order.
Sidon was a wealthy and booming metropolis in the 10th century with its own mintage of coin bearing the head of Athena. Sidon has been estimated to have existed as far back as Neolithic times. In 1111 AD, the soon to become King Baldwin of Jerusalem sacked the city and it later became one of the four Baronies
of Jerusalem. Sidon was very powerful with a fleet that rivaled that of the Templars own. Sidon was also known as a lawless nest of pirates which is interesting in and of itself given the anecdotal connection between the Templars and Piracy following the fall of the Order. There have been repeated mentions of a Templar Knight named Tibald Gaudin in my research. It has been repeatedly alleged that Gaudin arrived in the port of Sidon and was elected the Next Grand Master or Lord of Sidon. Gaudin has also been credited with secreting the Templar Treasures away in advance of the siege of the Templars by King Philip the Fair. As the Preceptory in Sidon allegedly had a vast store of wealth, the anecdotal evidence supports the fact that perhaps Gaudin had the famed Holy Grail, something not of a material nature as pointed out by Phillip Gardiner in “The Serpant Grail.”
The tale tells of the “Lady of Maraclea.” Maraclea was a sight which the Templars had held in the 13th century. When one looks into this name, which was historically and strategically insignificant and breaks the word into 2 separate words resulting in Mara Clea we begin to see several things developing.
First, Mara means many different things in many different areas. In Hebrew it means bitter and was an alternative for Mary. Perhaps Mary Magdalene who has frequently been associated with the Templars.
In Buddhism Mara equates to death or evil as it was Mara who tempted Buddha on the eve before his enlightenment just as Eve tempted Adam. Further, in Buddhism, Mara is closely related to Rama equating to Great Mother. Clea means simply to clean or to be clear, to be pure or to be bright. According to theologians, this Lady of Maraclea was believed to have come from Armenia. At that time, there was a sect known as Paulician Christianity which spawned the Cathars or “Perfect Ones” or “Shining Ones.” The legends and particularly the charges levied against the Templars included worship of a skull/head/demon called Baphomet. Perhaps this skull of Sidon has far deeper meaning, specifically that of the union of man with the Cathar Illumination resulting in Genius? Perhaps the Skull and Crossed
Bones is in itself a symbol for something much deeper and of which it is merely a manner to veil that deeper meaning? So what similar symbolism existed prior to the Templars and even Christianity?
Some Egyptian Pharaohs, as evidenced in the tomb and Sarcophagus of King Tutankhamen were interred with their arms crossed just below the head with a Scepter in one hand and the Flail in the other. The Scepter or crook, the universal symbol of power in ancient Egypt, was also a shepherd’s tool to pull stray animals back into the herd without injury. The flail was an implement used to beat animals or human subjects. When one contemplates the two opposing representations of these two implements, one discovers the duality spoken of in the Gnostic circles, and specifically that of the male push (positive) and the female pull (negative). Under the Gnostic philosophies, any person who was able to master these symbols would achieve mastery over self and thereby be enlightened or become one of the “Shining Ones.” Many Pharaohs, however, were interred with their arms and the scepter and flail outward and away from each other. This perhaps identified the Pharaohs who had become true adepts in the mastery of themselves? According to Egyptian beliefs, when dead, Pharaoh becomes Osiris, “… he who sitteth as Judge Supreme upon the Great White Throne.” Additionally, Osiris is the Brother of Isis and the posthumously begotten father of Horus. The mythology of Osiris’ death and subsequent resurrection by Isis’ will and mysticism that resulted in Horus, which I will not delve into the details of, is at its core the same story of death and resurrection of Christ and many other cultural deities 2500 years before Christ. Although there are many other overlaps and similarities between the resurrection of Osiris and Christ as well as the other deities, I will stay on the course of Osiris and specifically the resurrected Osiris in the living form of his son Horus. The symbol of Horus is the overlapping Chi Ro:
This symbol not only represented the Horus but has been discovered inscribed on rocks dating from 2500 BC in Samaria and has been interpreted as the combination of 2 sun symbols- the symbols of the “Ancient Shining Ones.” It is also the symbol of the Chaldean sun God having the definition of “Everlasting Father Son.” (As identified in the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols) Note the unique physical manifestation of the Chi Ro in the Skull and Crossed Bones.
The symbol, and I am going to skip great amounts of detail in the interest of both presentation time and in affording the recipient the opportunity to conduct his own level of research to meet his desires, was used in the ancient Egyptian and Sumerian period as a symbol of spiritual enlightenment, that of the “Shining Ones,” as well as physical resurrection. Given this; is not spiritual enlightenment a form of spiritual resurrection-spiritual life from spiritual darkness (death)-in accordance with the Horus/Osiris/Isis mythology that in many ways mirrors the Christian trinity as well as many other world religions particularly of the pre Christ era? Further, do we not as Master Masons pass through a symbolic resurrection in being raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason? Does this ritual address a physical death and resurrection or is it not specifically centered on the “Lost Word” which is symbolic of the “Lost Knowledge” that died with our Master Hiram Abif in a symbolic and allegorical way? Do not the later degrees center upon the Lost Knowledge in the form of the name of God, the manifestation in the form of the Ark of the Covenant and many other instances too numerous to list? Is not the central theme recurring throughout the degrees of Freemasonry that of inner searching “Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invennies Occultum Lapidem,” seeking enlightenment and knowledge? As specifically stated in the 25th Degree of the Scottish Rite, Knight of the Brazen Serpant, “Finally hear and heed this admonition, “Be not content with what you have already learned, and thinking that you may not improve your store of wisdom. Do not fall into a state of indifference and inactivity, saying, ‘I have no further need to study or to fatigue myself with acquiring more’, for this would only prepare the way for losing what you already possess. The brightest and sharpest sword, left to remain long in the scabbard, rusts and loses its edge, and the intellect left to lie fallow becomes arid and barren.” Christ, of which the Skull and Crossed Bones has been a Christian symbol for centuries addressed enlightenment, the God within each of us and inner spiritual resurrection and introspection in the following Coptic verses of the Gospel of St. Thomas as translated from the Nag Hammadi Texts and provided by the Gnostic Society Library from the Gospel of Thomas Collection:
(77b) …Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.”
“The Pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of knowledge (gnosis) and hidden them. They themselves have not entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to. You, however, be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.”
“If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty.”
His disciples said to him, “Show us the place where you are, since it is necessary for us to seek it.”
He said to them, “Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he lights up the whole world. If he does not shine, he is darkness.”
Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty.”
These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down. And he said, “Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death.”
Therefore, it is my opinion that the Skull and Crossed Bones, although an accurate and proper symbol of our own mortality that each Mason should earnestly contemplate and make peace with by leading an upright and virtuous life acting upon the square, that the deeper meaning is that of true introspection and spiritual enlightenment leading one to become one of the “Shining Ones.” Although the true knowledge or enlightenment obtained by the mystics, Templars, Pharaohs Gnostics or other groups of the past is real or perceived or even quantifiable if real, the reality is that each of us through the constant search for that enlightenment undergoes a spiritual resurrection and greater brightness to the world through each milestone of personal mastery be it physical, mental, intellectual or spiritual with each progressive advancement we become brighter to the world around us through our actions, words and attitudes, thus ever increasingly becoming a “Shining One.” It is further my belief that the ancient symbol the Rho Chi, symbol of the “Shining Ones” from nearly the year of illumination, physically manifested in the Skull and Crossed Bones is the true and deepest spiritual meaning of symbolism of the Skull and Crossed Bones throughout the various Rites and Degrees of Freemasonry and that the personal spiritual enlightenment and Mastery is at the key of Freemasonry.
By: Sir Knight Ricky Haskell, PM; Pikes Peak Commandery No. 6, Colorado Springs Colorado Sources
Morals and Dogma; Albert Pike, p819
The Holy Blood, Holy Grail; Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln
Supremely Abominable Crimes, Edward Burman
The Serpent Grail: The Truth Behind the Holy Grail, the Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life; Phillip Gardiner & Gary Osborn
Nag Hammadi Texts
De Nugis Curialium: Courtiers’ Trifles (Oxford Medieval Texts) Revised Edition, 1983; Walter Map (Author), Christopher N. L. Brooke (Editor), Roger A. B. Mynors (Editor), M. R. James
(Translator)