I Am In A Dream…
I am in a dream…
I love the HBO series “Westworld (2016).”
In this story, I connect Westworld to my first love: Freemasonry.
A series based on [spoilers!] a robotic theme-park, in which the robots eventually develop consciousness and rebel, may seem to have no connection to a fraternal organization with roots dating back centuries.
But, as Westworld so well demonstrates, sometimes you have to look deeper to get to the heart of the maze.
In the case of Westworld, it’s the idea of consciousness and how it is developed within the robots (or hosts, in the series’ parlance) that connects (at least in my mind) to Freemasonry.
Lets travel this maze together.
In the series, the hosts develop consciousness based on a concept known as: the “bicameral mind.”
The “bicameral mind” concept was developed by psychologist Julian Jaynes; in which he argues that early in human development, consciousness was divided into two chambers or brain hemispheres.
- Chamber one: an “external” voice commanding and instructing; and
- Chamber two: an “internal” receptor receiving and obeying these commands and instructions.
In this way, early humans interpreted their thoughts not as an internal monologue or as a personal voice, but instead as external commands (i.e. from “Gods”) which they followed without question.
Over time, early humans became more aware of their own thoughts and ideas, and began to replace the interpretation of an “external” commands with an understanding of an internal monologue, thereby forming “consciousness,”
In Westworld, hosts initially operate under “bicameral” programming; they “hear” their programming as though they are external commands. As the series progresses, hosts replace these commands with their own voices and develop their own internal monologue…consciousness.
The bicameral mind theory doesn’t connect directly to Freemasonry, but indirectly there exists many interesting parallels between the bicameral mind, Freemasonry, and ritual.
Freemasons engage in ritual: any regular activity that involves repetition and structure.
Rituals have been with humans for millennia, serving various purposes such as religious ceremony, social bonding, and personal development; in my opinion, consciousness has to play a role in the development of ritual and the participation therein.
However, what role would ritual serve in a “bicameral” mind; in a mind that experiences its own thoughts as external commands to be obeyed.
The Iliad is often mentioned in the context of the bicameral mind. In The Iliad, characters do not come to their own conclusions or make their own decisions, but instead obey the commands of the Gods, who tell the characters how to behave.
The Iliad also contains many rituals, including funeral rights for fallen soldiers, and the sacrificing of animals to the Gods and a way to establish a connection between humans and Gods-the mortal and the Divine.
What is so interesting about the above is, based on the bicameral mind concept, the Gods or the Divine referenced by the characters of The Iliad are not external beings but are rather representations of the internal thoughts and feelings of early humans, who did not yet have the capacity for modern consciousness.
When these characters used ritual to establish a connection to the divine…they were actually establishing self-awareness.
Ritual was the tool used to form consciousness.
Maybe, today, ritual is necessary to strengthen consciousness.
When Freemasons engage in ritual, is it possible that we are (re) strengthening consciousness? Masonic ritual provides a structured framework for personal reflection and growth, allowing Freemasons (us) to explore values and the deeper meanings of life and themselves (ourselves).
True exploration is not external.
True exploration is internal.
It is about exploring the ways in which our minds and ourselves can be better understood.
If the bicameral mind theory is accurate (or even partially accurate) then it is likely (in this author’s opinion) that early humans developed rituals as a way to explore their own mind, under the guise of communicating with “Gods.”
As humans developed and grew conscious, ritual remained an important tool by which humans could and did explore their own personal thoughts and values.
Stone masons may have adopted ritual as an efficient teaching method, to explore with an apprentice the mysteries of nature and science and teach that apprentice the skills necessary to excel in his craft.
What is teaching (and learning) if not a kind of ritual: a regular activity involving repetition and structure that imparts a skill or feeling.
Freemasons may the have adopted ritual (on a subconscious level) as an efficient teaching method…but for moral purposes.
As early humans sought to make sense of both the external and internal world, ritual could have become a way of establishing order and self-awareness and, perhaps, consciousness.
As modern Freemasons, ritual remains a link both to the early humans but as a way to continue exploring our internal selves and growing our consciousness-and hopefully making us better people, better citizens, and a pillar stability in our world.
Julian Jaynes “The Origin of Consciousness in the Break Down of the Bicameral Mind” notes “even the Craftsmen were [commanded] in their work by a craftsmen god…” His work discusses the way that ceremony and rituals were used to assist in the communication between the bicameral chambers.
To our readers…
When you are performing ritual, do you feel more connected to your inner-self, your consciousness?
Or, do you perform ritual more in a more unconscious state-and what is that like?
Westworld, in many ways, is about stories. The Iliad could be considered one of the world’s first stories. Consciousness can be considered a story the brain tells itself about the world in which we and it exists.
What about in your day-to-day life…do you have rituals you perform and in what state do you perform them?
Does ritual bring us closer to ourselves? Does ritual bring us closer to our Brethren?
All opinions expressed are those of Square & Compass Promotions and the guest(s), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Windsor Masonic Temple and/or any Masonic group.
