YOUR PREPARATION IN THE ANTE-CHAMBER OF THE LODGE Part 2: The Secret Meaning of the White Garments by: Bro:. Majesty Montanez

As you know, you were prepared for initiation in the ante-chamber of the lodge by being divested of all metallic substances; by being neither naked nor clothed and  neither barefoot nor shod, with your left foot, shin, knee, arm, and breast bare; and by being  hoodwinked, with a cable-tow tied once around your neck. All of this has a very deep, spiritual and symbolic meaning.

The white garments that you were partially dressed in were completely white because white is a spiritual symbol of inner purity and innocence, since any garment that's completely white can't hide being stained and is obviously clean. Remember that Man/Woman is Mind, which means that the all-white garments, blindfold, slipper, and cable-tow were all placed upon you to symbolize the fact that the only way in which you can enter King Solomon's Temple and feel the Spirit of God within you is by bringing your mind to a state of spiritual "whiteness" (even if it's only for a moment) ; and the masonic secret to accomplishing  this "white" state of mind is the secret of learning how to bring your mind to a state of undifferentiated consciousness and universal oneness through meditation.

Now that you know the secret meaning of the all-white garments that were placed upon your body, you will now be able to understand the reason why you were called a "candidate" during your initiation into the mystic-tie. You see, the word candidate comes from the ancient Latin word candidatus, which means to be dressed in white. The root of this ancient Latin word is candidus, which simply means white, and this is the word that the English word candid comes from, which means to be straightforward and honest: truthful. This is one of the excellent spiritual qualities that your brother and sister Masons believed that you possessed at the time of your initiation, and it's one of the excellent virtues that made you worthy of being accepted as a candidate for spiritual rebirth through Free-Masonry.

To be continued...