Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely fantastic!
Review: This is a very short book but it is correspondingly deep. Out of ninety-five pages there are only thirty-two pages of text, the rest of the book is composed of pictures of various Masonic artifacts, paintings and prints. This section of pictures is used to illustrate the first thirty-two-page section. The theories about the teachings of Freemasonry that MacNulty expresses in this book are of a very deep, psychological and metaphysical nature. He ties Masonry to "the mysteries", a set of practices that sought to penetrate the mystery of human nature and give the practitioners a greater insight into themselves, all with an orientation toward the Deity. This system can be traced throughout the history of western civilization and seems to have developed in some way or another into modern Freemasonry. As the author explains himself and the meaning of various Masonic rituals and symbols in connection with these "mysteries" it all begins to make sense. I have been an active Freemason for almost twenty years and I learned a great deal from this book. Things I never really thought about were explained to me for the first time and after reading this book I feel like a much more knowledgeable member of the Craft. I really don't know if any of this book will make sense to the non-Mason, unless one has a tremendous background in psychology. Most Masons will have some problems following everything MacNulty is saying but they will pick up enough to say, "I never thought about it that way." I know it worked that way with me and even though I'm sure I missed some things, I learned a lot. Definitely a book for what the author refers to as Masons of a philosophical bent.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fantastic!
Review: This is a very short book but it is correspondingly deep. Out of ninety-five pages there are only thirty-two pages of text, the rest of the book is composed of pictures of various Masonic artifacts, paintings and prints. This section of pictures is used to illustrate the first thirty-two-page section. The theories about the teachings of Freemasonry that MacNulty expresses in this book are of a very deep, psychological and metaphysical nature. He ties Masonry to "the mysteries", a set of practices that sought to penetrate the mystery of human nature and give the practitioners a greater insight into themselves, all with an orientation toward the Deity. This system can be traced throughout the history of western civilization and seems to have developed in some way or another into modern Freemasonry. As the author explains himself and the meaning of various Masonic rituals and symbols in connection with these "mysteries" it all begins to make sense. I have been an active Freemason for almost twenty years and I learned a great deal from this book. Things I never really thought about were explained to me for the first time and after reading this book I feel like a much more knowledgeable member of the Craft. I really don't know if any of this book will make sense to the non-Mason, unless one has a tremendous background in psychology. Most Masons will have some problems following everything MacNulty is saying but they will pick up enough to say, "I never thought about it that way." I know it worked that way with me and even though I'm sure I missed some things, I learned a lot. Definitely a book for what the author refers to as Masons of a philosophical bent.
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