“He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the North Polar Star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it.”
Confucius
Likely the most difficult activity for an individual is determining which path to take in our life—which way is our own personal “True North”. Which way will lead us to an exceptional and rewarding life on this planet?
Deep down, we as humans recognize our mortality and that our time in this body and with these senses is limited—that soon, what we are physically will deteriorate, turn to dust and be scattered in the wind. With this ever present burden of truth we naturally seek the shortest path to the quickest result, and even more so will devise or create instruments and tools that allow us to reach our preconceived destination as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The universe has no preconceived notion of time, no mortality to weigh or balance in its internal struggle of right or wrong, success or failure. We however, must chart a course if we are to reach our destination. In doing so, we must have a point of reference, a point with which to not only starts us on our path but also a reference to determine how far we have traveled and even more importantly how far we may have wandered off our course.
Our minds are constantly at battle with what we believe to be the truth and what actually is the truth. One day we may think we fully understand the meaning of a thing and then the next we find that we were mistaken. Pursuit of Masonic light (knowledge) is a journey, an adventure that will lead us to many fascinating discoveries which aid us in the creation of a map of our future. However, like any traveler it is very important that we do not become so focused on the traveling that we lose sight of the knowledge (destination) that we seek.
The North Star represents the individual as the “point within the circle”. It is an example of the boundary line of our duty to God and to man, beyond which a man should not allow his passions, prejudices or interests to betray him.
The North Star, the brightest star in the Ursa Minor constellation, is that ever-present symbol in the night sky reminding us that there is “universal truth” and it is this truth that we must align ourselves with as we circumscribe our actions to better understand our creator, our role within the universe and our relationship to the divine architect.
I wish you well brothers on your masonic travels and may you always find your true north.
Larry Roberts 32° KCCH, Portland Valley Personal Representative. Member of Modesto Lodge 206, Esoterika Lodge 227 and Research Lodge 198.