The Left Mural etc

The Right Panel

On the right capital, a horseshoe can be seen hanging round the rod. Attached to the horseshoe is a first prize label from a farriers competition. Put these together and we get the 'First Blacksmith.'

The Hebrew inscription at the top of the Capital is pronounced ‘Yehee Orr’.

Translated, this means, ‘Let There Be Light’.

Whilst the Left Panel deals with Freemasonry in general, the Right Panel relates more directly to Lodge Camperdown No. 317, the name of which derives from the Battle of Camperdown in the Year of Our Lord, 1797, when Admiral Duncan achieved his famous victory over the Dutch Fleet off the Island of Texel near the Coastal township of Kamperduin (Camperdown) in Holland.
	At the Left of the panel we see Admiral Duncan’s Flagship, the Venerable, the spars and rigging showing the ravages of war. At the dockside is the figurehead from the Vryheid, the flagship of the vanquished Dutch Admiral De Winter. For many years, the figurehead of the Vryheid stood outside Castle Lundie then latterly at Camperdown House in Dundee where sadly, it was destroyed by vandals. In this section Admiral Duncan can be seen ready to step ashore. His boat’s crew having shipped their oars, 5 of which are displayed next to the lion’s paw, reminding us of the 5 points of fellowship of a Master Mason. Directly above is the Angel of Victory bearing its Laurel Wreath which is intended to symbolise homage to those who have made the supreme sacrifice.
Precisely in the centre of the panel (right) on the plinth of the column can be seen can be seen the lion’s paw representing the strong grip. Around the top corners of the plinth can be seen the carved heads of the lion, the ox and the eagle. The carving on the hidden side of the plinth would be the head of man and would therefore represent the four elements of our world. Beneath the plinth, in the centre foreground, is the Grieving Widow (below) holding the regalia of Lodge Camperdown 317. Dressed in black, she mourns the brethren who died in times of war.
To the right of the widow lies the pitcher broken at the fountain which we find in the 12^th Chapter of Ecclesiastes verses 6 and 7: “Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it”. On the broken pitcher is depicted the Butterfly, the symbol of reincarnation.
	In the Left foreground, a seaman with an axe in his way, is ready to cut away the cordage or rigging which can impede others carrying out their duties. This reminds us of the office bearer who is always ready to carry out his special duties in our ceremonies.
At the right corner of the panel, we see 3 skulking ruffians bearing the working tools they used with such violence. Behind the ruffians we see the winding staircase of 3.5 and 7 steps. On the first three steps can be seen masons each wearing the apron of the degree he has attained. The E.A. is holding scrolls with his hands in a manner appropriate to that degree. The unopened scrolls indicate that the Masonic art has yet to be unfolded and revealed to him. The F.C. with his hands approximately at the sign of his rank, is being instructed by the Master Mason who is pointing half-way down the roll and portraying that the F.C. is at the mid point in free-masonry. Above the Master Mason, are depicted five characters in colourful robes representing the five noble orders of architecture, well known to our order, they may also refer to the five senses by which we learn to experience and appreciate the great lessons of masonry, reminding us to adorn ourselves with the beautiful garments of Charity and Brotherly Love. Ascending ever upwards we arrive at the seven steps and see a group denoting the seven liberal arts and sciences, the study of which will assist us in the art of living, the art of self-knowledge and a harmonic way of life.
Thus the winding stairs remind us that we must pass from the material by means of the mental, in order to approach the MYSTICAL CONSCIOUSNESS of TRUTH. At the top of the stairway we arrive at the porch or entrance to the Holy of Holies and there we see the two great pillars that were cast in bronze on the plains of Zeradatha. The cherubs supporting the triangle with the All Seeing Eye refer to the Omnipresence of the Most High. As I started the first panel with the Rough Ashlar. I finish the second panel with my interpretation of the Polished Ashlar, in the shape of the statue or monument erected to the memory of Hiram. It consists of a broken column of white marble, supporting an open book with a virgin weeping over them, an urn in her left hand, and a sprig of acacia in her right. The figure of Time is behind her. with his fingers unfurling the ringlets of her hair. The meaning of the statue is a very fitting epitaph to the Masonic degrees. It is an allegorical group, with a subtle, yet definite answer for those that take the right path through life. The clue to the whole statue, is the name of the virgin - her name was Truth. Truth alone, was the daughter of Time. In other words, through Time you will discover the Truth. The whole mythological family of every nation East and West will be found to be true to nature, and the collective meaning by the great teachers and masters arrive at the same conclusion, although the names of the actors in the mystery plays or stories, differ from age to age, the initial plot remains the same and is the foundation of the story and the deeper meaning of Masonry as we know it.