Copyright 2002-2003, The Augustine Literary Trust

Mark Masonry

Jeffrey Augustine's copyrighted monogram is a distinctive abstract rendering of the name "Augustine." Mr. Augustine has used this monogram to sign his art work for over twenty years. As a Mark Master Mason, Augustine's monogram has been officially recorded in Freemasonry's  venerable Book of Marks, a record kept and maintained by the York Rite.  In its pages are found the individual marks of Mark Masons going back several hundred years.  

What is Mark Masonry?

In olden days, master masons used a distinguishing mark to identify their craftsmanship in stone.  This practice and was used in the construction of cathedrals, churches, castles and other stately edifices of the Renaissance in Europe as well as in the construction of the Great Pyramid and the other marvelous stone constructions of ancient Egypt. A master mason's mark served two useful purposes. First, the finished stone bearing a master's mark proved that the master had finished his work and was entitled to his pay. Second,  in the event of faulty work the mark enabled the foreman to identify the individual mason responsible and dock his wages. The practice of using a unique mark to signify one's work was an ingeniously simple quality control system that held master masons to a very high degree of personal accountability for their work.  

The ceremony of initiation into the Degree of Mark Mason symbolically serves to remind the candidate that he must place his mark upon each stone in the temple that is his life.  The demand for quality workmanship requires that each stone be square and true so that it fits rightly within the larger temple.  The initiation teaches that truth must be hewn into each and every piece of one's work. The Mark Mason degree is focused upon the inculcation of order, regularity, diligence and discipline. The Mark Mason degree is not concerned with the past and future; it is rather concerned with the here and now of our present life. The work of the degree emphasizes that we are not to  judge people or situations based upon outward appearances. It also teaches that we should seek hidden truths,  perhaps especially in and amongst those things in our own lives that we consider to be lowly or unwanted. The Mark Mason degree is an extraordinary Masonic initiation of  great beauty whose elaborate attention to detail befits its stated purpose.  To become a Mark mason one must pass through the first three degrees of Masonry and be made a Master Mason. Only then can one be nominated for the  of Mark Mason. 

The Augustine Monogram 

Beyond its monographic purposes, the Augustine monogram contains meaning as an esoteric symbol. In esoteric terms, the monogram is called the "Sacred Sevens " and is seen to be a symbol composed of three sevens floating in the sky of Infinity.  Alternately, the monogram can also be seen to contain Three Squares.  

For our purposes here, we will focus on the meaning of the Sacred Sevens in which we see two sevens  joined together while a third seven is seen to be upside-down and backwards. The two joined sevens are called the Paired Sevens. Reading the Paired Sevens from right to left,  we see that they unite at top into a single line.  This refers to many pairings in which two become one. It refers to the union of man and woman whereby a child is conceived.  A child is a one who came from two. A child embodies the mystery of that which is disunified coming together in an act of union. The union of the Paired Sevens is also a picture of marriage in which two people come together to become one.  The Paired Sevens also refer to atomic unions in which different atoms become a molecule. Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom pair to become water. Water is an example of an essential one made from the union of two. 

Read from left to right, the Paired Sevens begin as One and then branch into two. This refers to the fact that our dualistic Universe (dA and dE) branched off from One source.  The branching of the Paired Sevens also alludes to the branching fractal structure of our Universe. Our arms and legs are branches off our trunk. We ourselves are branched structures. Our symmetrical bodies --  left and right sides -- terminate in a union within the brain. Yet the brain has two hemispheres and therefore refers back to the Paired Sevens, for the two hemispheres form a union and that neurological union through which our essential being is expressed.  

The Paired Sevens form a "Y" or a critical junction which diverges on either side to Infinity. The Y in the Paired Sevens refers to fate and destiny and alludes to which road you will choose in life when presented with but two choices.  The Paired Sevens also signify a plow by which the earth is tilled for planting.  Also hidden in the Paired Sevens are the curved fangs of a serpent. 

The "Free Seven" to the right of the "Paired Sevens" represents the pyramid, which is the transport mechanism  of the DX that formed our Universe.  The movement of the Free Seven towards the Y is an illustration that Infinity was split in two that we might appear as one race.  The Free Seven is also upside down and backwards to suggest the disorientation we would all experience as we passed from our Unity in Infinity to our duality in a sub-Infinite Universe.  1-2 and 2-1 are the numbers that resonate in the Seven Symbol. 1+ 2 = 3 and 3 carries many numerological significances.  There are three sides to a triangles. The Christian trinity has three persons. In Buddhism  there are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.  Numerology is mentioned only in passing for those who esteem this ancient art. 

The black background in the Seven Symbol represents the absolute darkness of Infinity. Whereas the background of Infinity has been represented as pure white light in an earlier schematic, it is now represented as pure blackness. The light and dark remind us that while all things exist in Unity within Infinity, they do not in our Universe. Hence, the DX parted light from darkness, good from evil, and life from death. The Disunification of Energy and Awareness is described by this book's title, Infinite Division. As we now approach the DX event in our narrative, the way in which  LELA divided Infinity will become strikingly clear.  When we progress beyond the DX event and into our Universe, we will see just how how thoroughly LELA divided Infinity. Indeed, the very cells of your body are evidence of how finely Infinity was divided. 

Masons will note that as the Square approaches from the East, the Compass parts so as to admit the Square. Once the Square enters, the Compass will close, and Square and Compass will be locked in a union. When so locked, the "G" can manifest itself in the sacred internal enclosure of the Square and Compass, which enclosure also speaks to the GAOTU manifesting in a Mason's heart after it has been first parted to admit the mysteries of the Craft and then locked by his sacred oath and trust. 

Finally, the Sacred Symbol spells my last name,  Augustine,  in an abstract shorthand. The Paired Sevens spells "Augus" and the Free Seven spells "tine."   The Sacred Symbol is a proof of my calling. That my last name is Augustine and that I have been called to produce a spiritual teaching resonates with the calling and mission of St. Augustine. The name Augustine itself has spiritual power and the Universe is once again using a human with this name as the agency by which new truths are made known. In this sense, I am but a servant and the details of my life are not important except insofar as they serve the teaching of LELA concerning the Disunification of Energy and Awareness. I was called to do this work from a young age. This teaching is my destiny and fate. It is my life. The Sacred Symbol is therefore my personal emblem as well as a transcendent symbol. The Sacred Symbol reveals that my divided human nature is the instrumentality by which the One who stands outside of Time has chosen to speak a new message in this era. I am an Augustine by birth and am one who has been called and given a name and a symbol as a signet of my calling. The Sacred Symbol contains many more secrets in it. For example, the Paired Sevens can also be viewed as two shapes that make the the number 7 and the letter A. In this case, 7 is the month of my birth and A is the initial of my last name. The Free Seven forms the square, or the Spirit Teacher who guides me and so assures that work is made correct.  These corrections can be difficult to make, but the Teacher demands it and will have the work right. Thus, the free Seven denotes my submission to that which is far greater than me. The free Seven is the Eminence, or Master, approaching me from the East.  

That the word "Free" occurs in the Sacred Symbol also alludes to the greatest spiritual teacher I ever had the honor to set under. When I sat under him,  he went  by the name of Da  Free John.  That I use the term dA (disunified Awareness) to describe the psychic content of our Universe is an acknowledgement of Master Da, for he himself is a manifest expression of or pure dA, or Life fully awakened to itself. This is my testimony of the Awakened Spiritual Adept who now uses the name Adi Da Samraj. 

The seven which appears in the 7A combination is significant, for seven is the most mystical number in the Universe. The Sacred Symbol represents many profound truths. I am the servant of the reality towards which the Sacred Symbol points. I was born to serve that reality and this book is proof of my service. As Master Da said, "Books do not fall out of the sky, they have to be written." And so I have labored to write this book in the course of an ordinary life filled with the everyday responsibilities of marriage, children, work, and a mortgage. My task has been conducted in the midst of great inner fire and conflict. This is the human condition and we all share in it. In this regard, I am not remarkable. However, my calling is remarkable.  To realize and fulfill my calling required that my limits be expanded far beyond what I thought could endure. My calling required me to throw away all of my dreams and serve it alone. This is how a calling works, and, unless you have one, it is impossible to understand just how hard the call drives you. Yet you can do nothing else than to serve your calling, for serving is the only time you're really happy.