The Hour Glass and
The Scythe
From The Grand Lodge Of Texas
The third section of the Master Mason's degree includes an
explanation of the emblems of the degree, nearly all of which is monitorial.
Unfortunately, these emblems and their explanations often escape the Mason since
they are rarely presented at the time of the degree due to their monitorial
nature. Two of these emblems, the hour glass and the scythe, deal with human
life and time and are worthy of our consideration.
It is interesting to note that these two emblems are of relative
recent origin and primarily found in the rituals of the United States. Indeed,
there is no evidence that the hour glass and scythe were used as symbols by
operative masons. It appears these two symbols were introduced into the lecture
in the late 18th century.
The Monitor of the Lodge published by the Grand Lodge of
Texas provides the following explanation of these two symbols.
The Hour Glass is an emblem of human life. Behold! how swiftly
and rapidly our lives are drawing to a close. We cannot, without astonishment,
behold the little particles, which are contained within this machine, how they
pass away almost imperceptibly, and yet to our surprise, in the short space of
an hour, they are all exhausted. Thus wastes man! Today he puts forth the
tender leaves of hope; tomorrow, blossoms and bears his blushing honors thick
upon him; the next day comes a frost, which nips the shoot, and when he thinks
his greatness is still aspiring, he falls, like autumn leaves, to enrich our
mother earth.
The Scythe is an emblem of time, which cuts the brittle thread
of life and launches us into eternity. Behold! what havoc the scythe of time
makes among the human race; if, by chance, we should escape the numerous evils
incident to childhood and youth, and with health and vigor arrive to the years
of manhood; yet, withal, we must soon be cut down by the all-devouring scythe
of time, and be gathered into the land where our fathers have gone before us.
These two symbols, as explained, appear to be gloomy, alluding
to death. Yet when considered within the whole concept and philosophy of
Freemasonry, the symbols are not dreary. The two emblems when considered
together become symbols of time, profitably spent in the service to God.
The explanation of the hour glass indicates the brevity of life.
Time is the only resource men have in equal abundance. Everyday is made up of 24
hours, and each week of seven days. We can use this time for fruitful and
profitable purposes or we can squander our time in frivolity and waste. In the
Entered Apprentice Degree, we are taught that time is important through the
explanation of the twenty-four inch gauge. This emblem taught us to divide our
time into parts. The first part being for service to God and our fellow man, the
second engaged in our livelihoods, and the third for the refreshment and care of
our physical bodies. The sand grains slowly but steadily pass through the hour
glass and before we know it, time is complete. We should use our lives to serve
God and improve society by our deeds and actions. We must utilize our time
wisely, as time wasted is time lost.
The scythe alludes to the end of our earthly time. It is an
impressive symbol of the certainty of death, which no man will escape. While we
may not know the time of our passing, we must be prepared for our demise. We
prepare ourselves through our service to God and our fellowman. We must
diligently and profitably use the time God provides each of us to improve
ourselves before Him. In this manner we will be prepared to leave this world.
The scythe is also is a symbol of immortality and as such reminds us of the
temporal nature of our earthly bodies and the glorious nature of the soul.
While the explanations of the hour glass and the scythe refer to
death in rather foreboding terms, they do provide us with hope. If we use our
time wisely to acquire knowledge and understanding, and use that knowledge and
understanding to serve God and society, then our reward will be great. We will
"be gathered into the land where our fathers have gone before us."
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