Are Traditional Observance Lodges a “Steampunk” response to modern Freemasonry?
The title, on fist glance, may seem like a slight, but it certainly is not intended as one. What occurred to me is that, perhaps tangentially, the resurrection of the Victorian ideal of Masonic Traditional Observance Lodges seems to mirror the Neo-Victorian idea of the Steampunk movement. For those unfamiliar with what Steampunk is, the best definition comes from Wikipedia which defines it as:
Steampunk is a sub genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles or analog computers; these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or a presumption of functionality.
How this cultural phenomenon is explored today is often a manifested in dressing the past by stylizing ephemera such as watches, computers, phones, cloths, and other gadgets as well as role playing and fan gathering. At its essence is a true hearkening back o a bygone era similar to what we see in Civil War Reenactments or Renaissance Pleasure Faire acting, both of which are popular within their circles.
The use of the term genre is difficult as it’s less a commercial genre as it is a fan genre coming primarily out of fiction literature gradually expanding into the cinema. What makes this interesting is its take of the “path not taken” as the modus of its activity. It is from this fictionalized idea of the past that is celebrated and explored in the present.
As Masons you may be familiar with this genre as it was very much the setting for the film “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
” from 2003, which wove into its story a quasi-Masonic flavor of the Victorian secret societies that has been a common theme of the steampunk narratives. Other films with a steampunk flavor include the remake of “Wild Wild West
” with Will Smith and the later Anime film "Steamboy
".
All of this made me consider it against the Masonic idea of the Traditional Observance Lodge movement in North America with their intent in reconnecting to the pseudo-Utopian idea of Victorian Freemasonry. This sense of pseudo shouldn’t be taken as a negative, but rather a hybridization of the Victorian motifs with a modern sensibility, which is the idea behind the steampunk movement. The modern society is hearkening back to a previous era when the occult, proto psychology, and industrialization were just beginning to be widely explored and a deep curiosity of these and other topics existed in men of letters. It was, to me, the era in which men could still speculate and explore the ideas of their late Renaissance fore bearers with an open mind and with out the baggage of the 20th century on their shoulders. Now, within the genre and within groups and clubs (societies even?) there can exist this romantic era inquisitiveness with a postmodern spirit.
It will be interesting to see how this genre unfolds and becomes a wider trend of merging a fictional past of wild inventiveness with mechanization and ritual to produce a new take on an old idea. Taken further, imagine a lodge dedicated to this Steampunk approach as alchemical solutions giving way to mechanical ones. Why not approach the fraternity in the period when Pike was in his glory and the A.E. Waites and Levi’s of the world were starting to take shape? I’d imagine it would be a lot of fun to see a Steampunk lodge turning its gears on steampower.
More on steampunk at the workshop.
14 comments:
For me, personally, I think that's the perfect comparison, although I never would have come up with it on my own.
I just love that steampunk 'feel.' To me it's a feeling of outward simplicity and beauty hiding inner complexity. Much like the rituals.
Well done.
Oh, and Steamboy is an awesome movie.
This has got to be one of the more interesting recent ideas relating to our Craft. Definitely gives some food for thought!
Thank you, Brother, for the fascinating and accurate comparisons between Freemasonry and Steampunk. (It always seemed like a natural fit in my work.)
You also have a magnificent blog!
Fraternal Regards,
Wor Bro. Art Donovan
Wamponamon Lodge #437, Sag Harbor, NY
www.artdonovan.vox.com
Awesome comparison piece, Greg. Of course, I am partial to the original "Wild, Wild West". Artemus, how do you think of such great inventions?!
Nick
Well, you've certainly sent your train of thought down a unique track.
You may be dead on.
This is a very good post. I love Steampunk, one could say that I have been taken from it ever since meeting the "man" himself, Mike Pondsmith.
If you are into motorcycles, type in "steampunk motorcycles" into Google. You will get some awesome links. It is a growing movement amongst gearheads.
I don't really know how Steampunk relates to the "Hodge Podge" that is T.O. Freemasonry, but it is an interesting topic to explore.
S&F,
BC
Don't forget the punk. Many of us are rather militant on issues of gender, feminism, and deity (or lack there of). That may make us incompatible with Freemasonry.
Many of us also find secrecy to be anathema to progressive thought. Are there factions with in Freemasonry that favor throwing open the doors? They would be the Steampunks.
Wow, steampunk seems to have created a strong sense of fan loyalty. It seems similar to Star Wars or Star Trek where props are created to evoke this style and fans dress as their favorite characters. How I might view TO and Steampunk is that TO Lodges are using what could be considered the best aspects of the Victorian age without the obvious baggage of Victorian society, such as the strict societal strata that pervaded the popular public perception. Steampunk also necessarily ignores these problematic aspects of Victorian life. I am not sure if this is, in and of itself, a problem or an improvement on an old bag. My opinion is to look at history, warts and all, and to resist the urge to be revisionist. That being said, I still enjoy the feel of Steampunk movies and literature.
Nick
Jake,
Some of us are Punks, some even Pirates. No, they usually tend to be not very well liked :)
There is Freemasonry that is more geared twards what you mentioned
(gender equal and atheist) but it sure wouldn't be found in the "Traditional Observence."
As far as "throwing the doors open." Freemasonry can be a very powerful tool for throwing open the most hidden doors of the mind, but that is an arcane practice.
Awesome site BTW. Love the Steampunk Mac Mini. I would
love to do my upcoming home
all punked out. Let's see if
I can get the Mrs. to agree.
A Steampunk lodgeroom, how awesome would that be?
Cheers,
BC
This is a very thought provoking comparision.
astute...
http://www.thegaslightgrotto.com
I'm a bit late to the party... I remember seeing this post last November and thinking, "huh," and moving on. With the benefit of a few more months of perspective on the Craft, I was perusing the Masonic Restoration Foundation's description of a Traditional Observance Lodge (PDF link) this morning and upon reflection I think you've hit upon a very apt comparison.
The "Traditional Observance" concept is often touted as a return to "the good old days," but I think that it's really more of a wistful re-imagining of Freemasonry through the lens of the way we believe it to have once been, as interpreted from such written accounts, artifacts, and photographs as have survived over the years and in reaction to the way the Craft (and society) have evolved into the 21st century. It retains many of the trappings and highest aspirations of the more philosophical, more formal, less distracted fraternity that inspired it, but I think the result is something new.
I think it's a wonderful idea and would join a TO lodge in a heartbeat if there were any nearby, but I think that the movement should be careful not to attach too much importance to certain aspects of the concept. For example: candlelight is emphasized as a requisite for a Traditional Observance Lodge. From our 21st century perspective candlelight has a great deal more romantic/nostalgic meaning than it did to our Brethren in the 19th century, who were just using candles because that's what you used for light! (That being said, I'm all for anything that enhances the sense of gravitas and uniqueness of a lodge meeting, and plan to try to put together at least one TO-style meeting during my year in the East.)
I wonder where people get the notion of what 'punk' entails. We might look at the Ramones as an example.
Joey: a hippie liberal
Johnny: a drug-free Republican
Dee Dee: a drugged Republican
The punk movement was very diverse and leaned as often as not toward the right wing polical viewpoint, being at times a backlash against the earlier and more liberal hippie movement. Tough to leave the skinhead punks and the straightedgers out as well.
The genre of Steampunk literature is "punk" not because of the people and the fans of the genre, but because it is dark ficiton like "cyberpunk." Steampunk shows us the same darkness that syberpunk does, a fantasy world either futuristic or anachronistic, that disturbs us and provokes us to see the injustices in our very realworld surroundings. In a fantasy world that is cyberpunk or steampunk, the author and reader explore today's unpleasantness. Reality is tough. Both intelligent ficiton, and intelligent ritual direct us to do good deeds, and find the light. Sometimes, as in the dark fictions authored by brilliant authors, the brightest lights are burning deep within the citizens who populate the dark and tragic universe we see on pages of books, or on the streets in our cities.
Post a Comment