Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The basic unit of Freemasonry is the Masonic Lodge, [3] which alone can "make" (initiate) a Freemason. Such lodges are controlled by a Grand Lodge with national or regional authority for all lodges within its territory. A masonic lodge confers the three masonic degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft (or Fellow Craft), and Master Mason. [4] [5]
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]
Freemasonry describes itself as a "beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols". [60] The symbolism is mainly, but not exclusively, drawn from the tools of stonemasons—the square and compasses, the level and plumb rule, the trowel, the rough and smooth ashlars, among others. Moral lessons are attributed to each ...
For a system of Masonic degrees to be named rite, it must encompass the first three blue lodge craft degrees, either as degrees within the rite or as a prerequisite for joining the rite. In essence, a Masonic rite occupies a central position in the trajectory of a Mason's journey, serving as the vehicle through which Masonic teachings and ...
Continental or Liberal Freemasonry in North America encompasses the rich tapestry of Masonic lodges and Grand Lodges (also called Grand Orients) across the United States, Canada and Mexico that embrace the principles of the liberal masonic tradition. In contrast to the conservative tradition, Liberal Freemasonry welcomes a broader spectrum of ...
Masonic lodge in the City of Brussels, Belgium. A Masonic lodge, also called a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry.. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings.
The first Masonic description of the Chain of Union appears in the Edinburgh Manuscript of 1696, one of the oldest known ritual documents. The manuscript describes a specific ceremony for making master masons and fellow crafts: "But to be a master mason or fellow craft there is more to be done...
Freemasonry in the United States is the history of Freemasonry as it was introduced from Britain and continues as a major secret society to the present day. It is a fraternal order that brings men together (and women through its auxiliaries) to gain friendship and opportunity for advancement and community progress.