As I occasionally do on this list, I am going to offer some rarely (if ever) heard takes on an esoteric point of free-masonry, in this case the importance of Tubal-Cain. in Free-masonry, we say he was "the first known artificer in Brass and precious metals" just as is noted in the biblical reference below.

More importantly however, is what has to be put-together. Tubal Cain becomes the pass-word to the 3rd degree, a fact psychologically over-shadowed by the later heavy blow of a ritual surprise that happens shortly after the receipt of this never-again used word (there are no more degrees to obtain in the blue lodge, hence no call to ever use the generic pass-word). Instead the mind is totally focussed on the receipt of a much more important word after the ritual surprise, the substitute for the Lost Word of a Master Mason.

So you have to put together why Tubal-Cain is there later when you go back and study the ritual esoterically or symbolically -- a major but hidden factor is that he is there as a sign and clue to the nature of Hiram Abiff -- He is the only other character besides Hiram Abiff that gets top billing in the 3rd degree, and *they are BOTH artificers of Brass and precious metals.*

Yes, it is a strange fact that the primal Grand Master of supposed Stone-Masons is NOT a stone-worker primarily but a BRASS-worker! Turn up what Hiram Abiff actually did in the biblical descriptions of the Building of King Solomon's temple and you will see that he

Cast the gigantic Pillars Jachin and B'Az out of Brass
Made the Altars, side-tables, chafing dishes, tongs, etc. of Brass, candlesticks, the Brazen Altar, etc.
and in only one place is he even listed as having stone-work as a skill and it is not said what he did with it (this description of events is also 700 years older than the others)

SO, the Grand Master level of free-masonry concerns the mystery school of Brass-work, or Alchemy. If you go through the bible, you see that copper and brass-working, the inner alchemy of these feminine metals used for mirrors, jewelry and temple-craft as opposed to the outer bronze and iron-work of the state war-machines, may be interpreted as the working of the secret tradition.

Other examples include -- Moses raising the Brass Serpents (connected by gematria to the Meshiach) to heal those afflicted by the invisible flying fiery Serpents sent to punish the people for transgressions -- shoot, cant remember, but wasnt that related to their atavistic worship of the golden Calf (the astronomical beast of the prior Aeon, They being the seed of the Aeon of Aries the lamb/ramb and not allowed to fall back), which they were forced to grind up and eat as an Eucharist in order to transmute their transgression into holiness....

in LVX,

Michael S. Downs

That Hermes Tris really gets around, eh?.
He is said to be: Metatron, Enoch, Idris, Kadhir, Tahuti.
Who else am I missing? Anyone?

A Plain Life: Walking my Belief, by Scott Savage