‘The Baba Sheykh says that what became known as Freemasonry came from the Yezidis.’
‘From the Yezidis! That’s some claim, isn’t it? I mean, how could he say that? I’m guessing it’s not written anywhere, is it?’
‘Most Yezidi philosophy is learned as an oral tradition. There are very few writings.’
‘I remember from my granddad that Masons had to learn all their rituals from memory. That’s a sort of oral tradition, isn’t it?’
‘Good point. Anyway, the bulk of Yezidi thought is found in their hymn tradition. The qewwals – their holy musicians – learn it and pass it on. You know, Karla, in the hymns of the Yezidis, Creation begins with a pearl. And from out of the pearl come the cornerstones.’
‘Cornerstones?’
‘Cornerstones.’
‘Sounds a bit Masonic, I suppose, Toby. What other philosophy have you found in these hymns? And how come you’ve been party to it, anyway?’
‘Professor Philip Kreyenbroek of Göttingen University in Germany has teamed up with some Yezidis and written down many of their traditional hymns.’
‘Pity.’
‘Pity or not, Karla, there’s philosophy in them there hymns. Spiritual philosophy. We can learn about the Yezidi tradition from them.’
‘Go on.’
‘Well, I think the first aspect of the Yezidi tradition is contemplation. Contemplation and meditation on the act of Creation. In this tradition, there are three architects. There is God, who made the pearl from which all things came. Then there is the eternal word, which is God’s mind in his Creation. This “word” you can call the “inner architect”.’
‘Because it’s in all things?’
‘Right. And the third architect is man.’
‘I’m a bit sick of man. But I like the sound of this “inner architect”.’
‘The inner word is the spirit of things, present but invisible. The word is the secret or hidden principle in Creation, in the smallest atom, in the largest planet, in the sun, and in the eye. It is like the genes on the DNA helix. This “word” or logos is the inner architect, the inner driver, the inner—’
‘Programme?’
‘Yes! Like a computer program. The hidden word. The code that makes the thing work. Not on its own, but in tune with everything else. The smallest part encapsulates the whole. The whole is the union of the parts. But there is “one word ” in all things—’
‘“All things are one” – that’s the basis of all mystic perception, isn’t it, Toby?’
‘Yes. This inner architect that men do not see.’
‘Unless they look for it.’
‘Right, Karla. So that’s the second architect. The third architect is man. Sorry. It means the idea of man, not a male.’
‘Maybe, but “man” sounds to me more like a man’s idea of “man”!’
‘Can’t help that. Anyway, he stands between the Great Architect and the word, or the inner architect – at least, in potential. And man contains the inner architect within his being, because God is in him. This is how man becomes an architect as we know the term. His mind extends through the application of geometry and he becomes a geometrical microcosm.’
‘Microcosm. Little cosmos. A little universe, reflecting the greater universe.’
‘The kingdom of the heavens is within him? Interesting, Toby.’
‘But man needs to be woken up to it. Opened up to his hidden identity. He needs to look hard inside himself. When he is in tune with this dynamic word—’
‘He is the word made flesh!’
‘Yes! Gospel of John, Chapter 1! That’s partly why Saint John is the patron saint of Masonry. But in us, this “word made flesh” concept is only a possibility. We can’t make the whole journey because we’ve still got one foot stuck in the sleeping, or confused state – the way we ordinarily are: half asleep. Or drunk. Freemasonry teaches that life is a journey towards perfection. There is the rough stone—’
‘And the perfect stone! I think I’m a Mason without knowing it.’
‘Saves on fees! So, darling Karla, the perfect stone is the inner architect. It is the reflection of the Great Architect. This stone can be realised within every person. The Yezidis talk about it as a luminous cornerstone. This may be the true Philosopher’s Stone.’
‘I love it!’
‘Then – as the old Masons did – you can start turning the tools that shape the stone into symbols. The square, the dividers, the plumb line, chisel, maul, rule. The tools are ethical principles: truth, righteousness, goodness, strength, personal integrity, purity, charity, love, and the willingness to be tested.’
‘It’s beautiful, really, but very idealistic.’
‘It doesn’t appeal to everyone. Anyhow, the Baba Sheykh makes all this pristinely clear in his speech. And he demonstrates that these essential principles lie within the traditions of the Yezidis.
‘He makes a number of powerful quotes from Yezidi hymns. For example, one hymn refers to Sheykh Adi, who is an historical figure from the 1200s, a teacher or master of a spiritual path, but also a kind of angel or reflection of the divine for the Yezidis. In the “Angelic Sheykh” he is called “the master builder”. “You are the master builder; I am the building.” I mean, just in this little quote you have the tradition of the temple being within us. The church of the spirit is constructed within the soul, while at the same time, every Mason is also to be a stone in the greater temple. There is a hymn that talks of the four cornerstones that are one. One cornerstone for the holy men. These cornerstones are also angels. Streams of light. And the “Hymn of the Faith” asks: “What is the colour of the faith? It is the pre-eternal word, it is the name of Sheykh Adi.”’
‘But why is Sheykh Adi this pre-eternal word?’
‘Because Sheykh Adi realised in himself his identity with the inner architect. With God. This was the aim of the Sufis – or Gnostics – of Islam: to become a mirror of God. When they do, they start identifying with the holy men and women of all religions. They break the bounds. That’s perhaps why Freemasonry has this tolerance of different spiritual and religious traditions. Freemasonry is rooted in Gnostic traditions but often won’t admit it. That’s why it’s so threatening to people whose concept of God is particular to their own brand, so to speak.
‘Sheykh Adi was called a heretic. It’s the old story. But Sheykh Adi says in the hymn. “For your column, I am a good cornerstone.” This is the language of spiritual Freemasonry. This is the tradition the Yezidis kept alive. They even say Lalish, their holy valley, is a pure cornerstone, “the cornerstone for mankind”. Somehow, human destiny depends upon it.’
‘And you’ve been there?’
‘Bodily and spiritually.’
‘Coffee?’
Ashe nodded, suddenly recalling the magic of his night at Lalish, the night he met Laila and the guardian of the sanctuary: the night he experienced true timelessness.
Ashe’s thoughts drifted back to the archdeacon’s funeral at Peover in Cheshire, the day he’d met Melissa. He remembered how Colquitt and Bagot had showed up, and nearly spoiled everything. Then he remembered the call from Colonel Aslan. The call from Aslan… The call from Aslan… Where had he called from? ‘KARLA!’
‘No need to scream!’ Karla hurried back into Ashe’s office. ‘Not another history lesson, darling. I’m still trying to get through to your friend in Istanbul.’
‘Peover, Cheshire. The archdeacon’s funeral. He called me.’
‘Who did?’
‘Aslan. He called me. He said he was visiting relatives in St Pauli.’
‘So?’
‘St Pauli, Hamburg. It’s where the Kurdish Centre is. That’s when he must have arranged the lease of the apartment for our Yezidi friends!’
Ashe stared at the copy of the Baba Sheykh’s speech. ‘But why?’
‘Obvious, Toby. Aslan must have known al-Qasr wanted to kill or kidnap the Baba Sheykh.’
‘WHAT?’ The idea that Aslan could have known al-Qasr had never occurred to Ashe. He was startled.
‘Karla, do you know what you’ve just said?’
‘Sorry, did I say something wrong? I take it all back.’
‘I mean, did you think about it? Was this Karla lateral thinking?’
‘No, maestro. Just a guess. I’m trying to keep up with you.’
‘And vice versa, darling. Shit! You know, if you’re right, it could’ve been Aslan who gave the tip-off to Sinàn to get out of Istanbul quick. Or… maybe he gave the word to Yildiz and Yazar. That might explain why…’
‘Why?’
‘What if…?’ Ashe seized Karla’s arm. ‘What if it wasn’t al-Qasr who kidnapped the Baba Sheykh? What if…?’