There should be a very soft subdued light in the Temple

When getting an old mixed gender ritual, I usually quickly page to the “preliminary ceremonies”. There are differences between the different editions of “Dharma” which may seem insignificant, but they do show that there was some struggle with certain details.

In 1913, the third edition, the incense ceremony and the lighting of the candles were added.

The lodge should be in darkness except for the star in the E… If a portrait of the M.. of all Freemasons is used, it should be unveiled at the commencement, the Brn. standing, facing E… When all are again seated, the following incensing ceremony takes place:-

The text is much different in the next edition of 1916. There the paragraph title became “Preliminary ceremonies”, which would remain the head for editions to come. The text ran thus:

There should be a very soft subdued light in the Temple. The portrait of the H.. of all true F.. is placed above the R.W.M.’s pedestal and if possible it should be illuminated by a special light so arranged as to shine only upon the picture, above which should be the Star in the East.

The place of the portret of the “Head of all true Freemasons” (the man known by different names, Count of St. Germain, Marquess of Montferrat, Count Bellamarre, Chevalier Schoening, Count Weldon, Count Soltikoff, Manuel Doria, Graf Tzarogy, Prince Ragoczy; you may recognise some of the names), is placed above the pedestal of the Right Worshipful Master in the East.

I don’t have the 1921 edition, but in 1925 (“1916 Working revised”) the text was as follows:

There should be a very soft subdued light in the Temple. The portrait of the H.. of all true F… (if used) is placed in the North, and if possible it should be illuminated by a special light so arranged as to shine only upon the picture. The Star should be in the East.

The portrait moved to the North!

In 1928 (“1916 Working revised”, not 1925 or 1921), an alternative is offered:

There should be a very soft subdued light in the Temple. The portrait o the H.. of all true F.. is placed above the R.W.M.’s pedestal (some Lodges have placed it in the North above the empty chair), and if possible it should be illuminated by a special light so arranged as to shine only upon the picture.

Some lodges have started hanging the portrait above an empty chair in the North. That is not strange, because this was in the text of the 1925 edition. Since 1928 is a 1916 edition revised, were 1921 and 1925 perhaps unofficial or mistaken editions?

In 1951 (“1928 Working revised”) the text is:

There should be a very soft subdued light in the Temple. The portrait of the H… of all true F… (if used) is placed in the North, and if possible it should be illuminated by a special light so arranged as to shine only upon the picture.

So now the North became the place to hang the portrait officially.

The placing in the North is still a fairly common usage of Theosophically inclined lodges. Amusingly, because “in the North” is not specified, there are lodges who have the portrait in the middle of the Northern wall (“above the empty chair”), while others have it in the North-West of the lodge.

Lastly, in 1960 (“1951 Working revised”) the text was:

There should be a very soft subdued light in the Temple. The portrait o the H… of all true F… (if used) is placed in the North, and if possible,it should be illuminated by a special light so arranged as to shine only upon the picture.

In the “Verulam” of 1922, these details lack. In “Lauderdale“, which I think is the 1951 edition, but given a name, the text is much different, so perhaps I have to revise that hypothesis:

There should be a very soft subdued light in the Temple. The Star should be in the east. This will usually be found quite sufficient to give the faint diffused light required, if the six-pointed star in the middle of the roof of the Temple be a transparency, it may also be used, if it does not make the light too strong.

In summery:

East: 1916 and 1928
North: 1925, 1951, 1960, Lauderdale

So when you get a foreign ritual and you see:

(Norway 1995) “over H.Ae.M.’s stol”. Or:

(Mexico 1922) “colcado por encima del trono del V.M.”.

(Argentinia 1925) “Enciima del Sitial del V.M.”

(Dutch Indies 1926) “Het portret van de H. van alle ware V.M. dat in deze Jurisdictie gebruikt wordt, hangt in het O.”
None of the rituals of the Netherlands themselves have this text by the way.

The text is probably based on 1916 or 1928.

I have only one text which specifies the North: Brazil 1987:

“Deve haver uma luz muito suave e amortecida no Templo. O retrato do C.D.T.O.V.F.M. (quando usado) é colocado no Norte”

Thus the placement in the East, was very common in the early days of Le Droit Humain. I wonder if there are still loges which have the portrait above the Worshipful Master’s chair.
Norway, by the way, in spite of the fairly recent text, has the portrait in the North-West.