Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The whole system is transmitted to initiates through the medium of Masonic ritual, which consists of lectures and allegorical plays. [2] Common to all of Freemasonry is the three grade system of Craft or Blue Lodge freemasonry, whose allegory is centred on the building of the Temple of Solomon, and the story of the chief architect, Hiram Abiff. [3]
The right hand gives (palm downward) while the left hand receives (palm upward), symbolizing the transmission of Masonic light and knowledge. This form is typically used when the assembly is particularly numerous or during special ceremonies such as initiations.
The (∴) is used only for Masonic abbreviations, any non-masonic abbreviations must be written with a simple dot, as an example a date on a Masonic document could be written 6024 A∴L∴/2024 A.D. In modern computer typography, the Therefore, sign is encoded in Unicode at U+2234 ∴ and in HTML (HTML ∴ · ∴).
There are a number of masonic manuscripts that are important in the study of the emergence of Freemasonry.Most numerous are the Old Charges or Constitutions.These documents outlined a "history" of masonry, tracing its origins to a biblical or classical root, followed by the regulations of the organisation, and the responsibilities of its different grades.
The manuscript begins with a masonic catechism containing questions and answers, such as where the lodge stands and details about its officers. The catechism tests a mason's knowledge of grips, signs, and symbolic elements of the lodge. It then presents a rudimentary initiation ritual for an apprentice mason. The candidate takes an obligation ...
Freemasons are among the long-standing users of secret handshakes, known as "grips". [3] Mormonism also uses secret handshakes, modeled on the handshakes used in Freemasonry. [4] Secret handshakes are also used by college fraternities in the United States, and used by members as recognition symbols in later life. [5]
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
Vāmācāra is a Sanskrit term meaning "left-handed attainment". The converse term is dakshinachara. [10] The Western use of the terms left-hand path and right-hand path originated with Madame Blavatsky, a 19th-century occultist who founded the Theosophical Society.