We have used reason as a force in helping our understanding of the universe, we have learned through its use, about geometry, architecture, astronomy and all the sciences. We have found and discovered which are the governing laws of nature, which are the known facts about life on Earth and what it’s our precarious place in the Universe.

Thus we have captured a glimpse of the fundamental principles of our existence. Not only as biological entities but as complex multidimensional creatures of this Universe, a universe as it is known to us and perceived by our senses and mind in this moment in space and time.

Multiple philosophers, and many great Speculative Freemasons of the past and present day, have held that Reason alone, being the product of thoughtful contemplation, could reveal the archetypical truths we so obstinately search, in much the same way our well known Geometricians and Philosophers such as Euclid and Pythagoras, used reason to deduce their geometry theorems, centuries before others could find them and figured out the implicit scheme.

Other thinkers have maintained and believed that reason involved an empirical faculty, as well as the practical application of it. Epistemologically speaking, Reason cannot be defined as a process in which reason is used, as this assertion will be per se a circular argument. This dilemma has been the source of endless arguments, papers and essays written by hundreds of Philosophers, ergo: I will find myself in much deeper water that I am capable to handle if publicly attempt to elucidate the issue. Therefore I am assuming the comfortable position of letting each person dwell into that parameter and assess the definition. More simply put, I reserve the right to let my private convoluted brain processes handle the topic of what this human faculty – Reason - is.

In either case, I find reason to be intermeshed, intertwined with nature, but I think that unlike nature, mans' way of reason has become nowadays tainted, vitiated, clouded – which in my mind, it is in the present day much less excusable than it was in the past for our ancestors; as we have nowadays easy access to the proper and necessary ways to improve our understanding of the surrounding Universe. We now have access to all sorts of information and the tools to use these pieces of information, in order to acquire knowledge.

As Freemasons we know this is as part of our daily reality, but we must sort them out and should grasp these speculative concepts as they are constantly presented and placed right in front of us; to understand them and to learn from them it is our intellectual challenge and duty.

Reasoning as a process, as I say earlier, it’s unfortunately nowadays tainted, clouded - similarly - as I have no doubt it was in the past - by those notorious and ever present enemies of the human intellect; these factors are thus hindering our Freemason’s path in the quest for freethinking and the search for truth. As we may see and witness this phenomena now a days in the cloud of ignorance that surround us, in the lack of religious tolerance displayed publicly, in all the superstitions promoted by blind minds, in the rule of fear instigated by shrewd manipulators, in any and all dogmas imposed on our society by many institutions, in our persistent socioeconomic and racial rankings, in our cultural prejudices and on every imposed agenda of any religion.

Reason, then, it is for me the faculty used in comprehending nature and ourselves, a tool to learn about nature, and will always be a fundamental part or key element of the speculative Freemasonic thinking process and therefore as an extension the enlightenment of our minds. Nature was and is, just that – Nature. It is the natural status of the real world that surrounds us. It is not in my mind the realm of something supernatural, as I see nature not divine or demonic, nor something godly, but the empirical or rational "entity” of which the Universe was, is, and will be.

Nature could be understood as I said earlier through reason; through logic, through scientific inquiry and discovery; using these elements a Freemason who seeks knowledge and with the use of an open mind of free inquiry, will find that nature shall yield it’ s secrets. We as Freemasons must seek this knowledge and through it seek the truth of our existence.

Finally then Brethren, there is progress in our minds as reason used as a process will yield a better understanding of the nature of our Universe, it shall enhance our quality of life, it will guide us in our pursue of happiness, thus, allowing us reaching harmony, tolerance and acquiring wisdom. For each and every one of the enlightened Freemasons, who wish to achieve equilibrium in the context of the Universe, Reason becomes its revelation. Understanding nature its real connection to us, and thus each one of us may find and connect to what each one of us believes is the Great Architect of the Universe. (GAOTU)

In my mind it is this enlightenment, which I can only find in Freemasonic Philosophy, which it does not abolish nor opposes the myths, fantasies and illusions created by religions concerning the nature of deity; at best it reduces our limited concept of GAOTU to a sort of unique deity. A God internally defined by each and every Freemason brother, a unique entity in his own conceptual spiritual universe, whom is nevertheless subject to the laws of nature.

Some brothers could consider my intellectual position or Freemasonic thinking rather extreme or maybe a philosophical position border line heretic from the religious point of view, they could not be more wrong or farther from the reality of my mind. As we study examples of a similar philosophical thinking in existence; that is for example the thinking of many of our nation founding fathers. Some people may called it Deism; a position that originated from the same fertile soil in the era of Enlightenment and the same time of the foundation of our Speculative Freemasonic Order, in France, in England, in Scotland and in Germany.

We as Freemasons in our early stages of existence were postulating our freethinking, and were structuring our underlying philosophy and finally setting our landmarks as the Craft has them nowadays. The establishment and the prevailing religions of that era, immediately accused Freemasons as being twisted, satanic or atheistic. Without a doubt it is possible many “Deists”, “Humanists” “Freethinkers”, became actually labeled, Atheists, but the malicious use of the term did not stop all those who created the foundations of Speculative Freemasonry in Europe, and brought it to our country.

These Philosophical thinking brought a label to our believe in a supreme being that was symbolized in the original and ancient Masonic lodges as the "Great Architect of the Universe", certainly it was not conceived as any of the pre established Gods. What I mean as an example: any of the Greek gods, or a Jewish Elohim god, or any of the Egyptian gods, or the Christians god or the Muslims god. It was thought not to be called Oauramazda, Allah, or Zeus, or Jesus or Isis, or any other name from any older or present religion or culture.

Therefore Brethren I must strongly state my believe that Freemasonry has given us a key to our intellectual freedom and stated that we must always defend the right of each Freemason brother and of any human being to be absolutely FREE to use reason to conceptualize GAOTU as he chooses it to be; as it is a Freemasonic principle that it was carefully thought out to be a foundation of our order and it always must remain like that. I postulate that: Never ever any Religion shall dictate the inner workings of the spirit and mind of a Speculative Freemason.

I am that I am. To the Glory of the GAOTU -

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