00:01
There are some tools in free Masonry that lend themselves to specific uses and functions, not just the specific sort of context in which they're given, but more broadly in, in different ways that it makes sense. So I'll give you an example. The, the 24 inch gauge, which we've talked about last episode, is really good at helping you plan. It is a, it's a active tool for planning. Whereas some other tools, like say the, the plum, is really designed for reflective analysis. So that's not to say you can't use the 24 inch gauge for reflective analysis, and you can't use the plum to plan. However, when you look at the tools broadly, they do lend themselves to certain types of functions. So either a, an input function, so useful for, for example, in the middle chamber lecture, in other jurisdictions, they talk about the five senses.
01:11
There's more than that, but we can talk about the five senses as inputs or as sort of signals that you can use in your, in your analysis. Then there are tools that are designed for a transformative act. So it's a cognitive process where you think on a subject and move, use that tool to help move your thinking towards a more positive sort of direction or outcome. And then there are action tools, tools that really are, are designed for use in the moment, at the moment. Things like the gavel, for example, you know, in terms of behavior shaping, when you start looking at these tools and understanding that they have these functional purposes, you can really start to leverage them for maximum effect. So I'll give you a, a more discreet example. The five principle orders of architecture are, are common in pretty much every degree work on the planet. And in those, they talk about the vibrance borders, Tuscan Doric, ionic Corinthian composite. And when you look at them, if you don't know what they're about, if you haven't done any study, you don't really get to appreciate what they are, what they're trying to say. But the Tuscan is largely a utilitarian, it was the easiest column to make. It was the easiest column. It also had the shortest height, so it had the, didn't have the ability to lift a whole lot very high,
02:59
But it was really functional and utilitarian. Whereas if you go all the way down to the other end of the composite, you're really talking about something that is both functional, beautiful, and, and really quite strong. You, you get the benefits of all of those things. So each one of those columns, for example, as a perspective. So as you're evaluating your work, as you're going through that transformative cognitive process where you're looking at what you're doing and going, Hey, you know, does, am I trying to create something that is utilitarian or something slightly more functional, or something really super decorative or something that is encapsulating all of these things, you may have to iterate through those as concepts. For example, as you're planning out your work, whatever that work might be, if you're, you know, e easy stuff, if you're talking about, you know, a project to beautify your home more difficult, if you're talking about a project to rebuild your own physiology, for example, you know, do you go functional first?
04:07
Do you go strength first? Do you go weight loss first? Those are all great questions and all useful considerations through tools like the five principle orders of architecture as these sort of cognitive transformations or transformative sort of perspectives. And, and every one of the tools in the craft has that. So you look at things like the, the pavement, for example, which talks about duality. It talks about positive and negative. It talks about the unifying of positive and negative in, in sort of one common floor, as it were. The same thing applies, you know, you're looking through these concepts as potentially as transformative elements for your thinking process. And then the action tools, the, the, the vast majority of those you'll use after you've done the cognitive transformation, you'll use those as the tools by which you apply that transformation out in the world. So when you're sort of hammering out like how these tools work and how they fit together, it's important to sit down and think about, you know, as you reflect on a tool, does this tool lend itself to direct action? Does it lend itself to cognitive transformation or con concept reframing or things like that? Or does it lend itself to, you know, something else? Does it, does it really help me identify a sensory input that maybe I've neglected? So think about the tools, and as you do that, please be sure to go on social media and share your thoughts. Thanks.