En: So mote it be

So mote it be

About the origin of the term:

What does "So mote it be" mean?

Source: GL of Pennsylvania

"So mote it be". The word "mote" is derived from the Anglo- Saxon word "motan" meaning "to be allowed". Hence, the phrase "So mote it be". These are the last words in the Regius Poem.

So mote it be (Wiki)

Source: Wikipedia

"So mote it be" is a ritual phrase used by Freemasons, and in Rosicrucianism. It means "so may it be",or "so must it be", and may be said at the end of a prayer in a similar way to "amen". The phrase appears in the Halliwell or Regius Manuscript, the earliest known document relating to a society of Masons in England dating from the first half of the 15th Century. " Amen! amen! so mot hyt be! Say we so all per charyté".

Why do Freemasons end their pryers with the phrase: “So mote it be”?

Source: Scottish Rite

It is customary in contemporary English to end prayers with a hearty “Amen,” a word meaning “So be it.” It is a Latin word derived from the Hebrew word (…) meaning “certainly.” Thus a congregation saying “Amen” is literally saying “So be it.” The word mote is an archaic verb that means “may” or “might,” and traces back to Old English. The phrase “So mote it be” means “So may it be,” which is the same as “So be it.”

Now that we’ve established the equivalence of “Amen” and “So mote it be,” the question remains, “Why do Masons end their prayers with ‘So mote it be’?” The answer goes back to the Regius Poem of about 1390 AD, the oldest known Masonic document (now housed in the British Museum, London). It is one of the Old Charges or Gothic Constitution used by early Freemasons to regulate their trade. It has a legendary history, regulations to guide the Mason trade and rules of manners and moral conduct. The poem ends famously with this couplet:

Amen! Amen! So mote it be!

So say we all for charity.

Thus Freemasons today end their prayers the same way they did in 1390. The next time you’re in lodge and say “So mote it be” after the chaplain finishes a prayer, remember that you are continuing a 600-year-old Masonic tradition.

Links

• GL of Pennsylvania http://www.pagrandlodge.org/programs/masedu/qa/51-67.html
• Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_mote_it_be
• Scottsih Rite http://scottishrite.org/scottish-rite-myths-and-facts/qa-so-mote-it-be/