Freemasonry is a fraternal organization whose membership is held together by shared moral and metaphysical ideals and—in most of its branches—by a constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being.[1]
The fraternity uses the metaphor of operative stonemasonry, and the tools and implements of that craft, to convey its ideals.
Freemasonry is described in its ritual as: A peculiar (some say particular or beautiful) system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols, articulated in the 1991 English Emulation Ritual.[2][3]
It is an esoteric society, in that certain aspects are private;[4] Freemasons have stated that Freemasonry has, in the 21st century, become less a secret society and more of a "society with secrets."[5][6][7] Most modern Freemasons regard the traditional concern over secrecy as a demonstration of their ability to keep a promise[8] and a concern over the privacy of their own affairs.[9] "Lodge meetings, like meetings of many other social and professional associations, are private occasions open only to members."[10][11] The private aspects of modern Freemasonry deal with the modes of recognition amongst members and elements within the ritual.[2][7]
While there have been many disclosures and exposés dating as far back as the eighteenth century, Freemasons caution that they often lack the proper context for true understanding, may be outdated for various reasons,[12] or could be outright hoaxes on the part of the author.[10] In reality, Freemasons are proud of their true heritage and happy to share it, offering spokesmen, briefings for the media, and providing talks to interested groups upon request
Freemasonry has many branches and international jurisdictions. It has no single general governing body, but is governed on a geographic basis by independent, Sovereign Grand Lodges and Grand Orients, which may or may not be in a state of mutual recognition.[4] The jurisdictions are usually defined according to a national or geographic boundary, and as such, there is no global Masonic organizational structure or authority. Moreover, many Masonic practices are determined by the custom of an individual Lodge, so any general description will not and cannot be universally true.
The supreme Masonic authority in any jurisdiction is vested in a Grand Lodge, or sometimes a Grand Orient. The geographic area or Lodges of a Grand Lodge may be sub-divided into Provinces or Districts, each governed by a Provincial, District or Metropolitan Grand Lodge. Between meetings of the Grand Lodge, its authority is administered by its Grand Officers, who are regularly appointed or elected to active or honorific ranks and Grand Offices.
The first Grand Lodge in Freemasonry, The Grand Lodge of England (GLE), was founded in 1717, when four existing London Lodges met and arranged to elect Grand Officers for a periodic joint "communication" and dinner. This rapidly expanded into a regulatory body, to which existing lodges adhered and which formed many new English Lodges. Almost all English Lodges joined one of the two competing English "Moderns" (GLE) and "Ancients" (Athol) Grand Lodges from the 1750s onwards, until they finally united in 1813 to form the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).
The formation of GLE was soon followed by the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland in the 1720s. Freemasonry had been exported to the British Colonies in North America by the 1730s. Both the "Ancients" and the "Moderns" Grand Lodges (as well as the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland) chartered lodges and set up rival Provincial Grand Lodges. After the American Revolution, these lodges formed themselves into independent Grand Lodges based on state boundaries. Some thought was briefly given to organizing an over-arching "Grand Lodge of the United States", with George Washington as the first Grand Master, but the idea was short-lived. The various Grand Lodges did not wish to diminish their own authority by agreeing to such a body.[13]
The oldest jurisdiction on the continent of Europe, the Grand Orient de France (GOdF), was founded in 1728. As will be detailed below, most English-speaking jurisdictions cut formal relations with the GOdF around 1877.[14] The Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF)[15] is currently the only French Grand Lodge that is in regular amity with the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) and its many concordant jurisdictions worldwide.
In most Latin countries, the GOdF style of European Continental Freemasonry predominates, although in most of these Latin countries there are also Grand Lodges that are in "regular amity" with the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) and the worldwide community of Grand Lodges that share "fraternal relations" with the UGLE. The rest of the world, accounting for the bulk of Freemasonry, tends to follow more closely to the UGLE style, although many minor variations exist.
Due to the above history, Freemasonry is often said to consist of two different branches:
the UGLE and concordant tradition of jurisdictions (termed Grand Lodges) in amity, and
the GOdF, European Continental, tradition of jurisdictions (often termed Grand Orients) in amity.
Regularity
Main article: Regular Masonic jurisdictions
Regularity is a constitutional mechanism by which Grand Lodges give one another mutual recognition. This recognition allows formal interaction at the Grand Lodge level, and gives individual Freemasons the opportunity to attend meetings at Lodges in other recognized jurisdictions. Conversely, regularity proscribes interaction with Lodges that are irregular.
Grand Lodges that afford mutual recognition and allow intervisitation are said to be in amity. Regularity is based around a number of Landmarks, set down in the UGLE Constitution and the constitutions of the Grand Lodges with which it is in amity. Within this definition there is some variance within the quantity and content of the Landmarks from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
However, even without formal recognition of regularity, some Grand Lodges continue informal relations.
Principles and activities
Freemasonry is described in the ritual as: A peculiar (some say particular or beautiful) system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols., articulated in the 1991 English Emulation Ritual,[2][20] and as such the activities centre around this.
Ritual, symbolism, and morality
Freemasonic Ritual makes use of the architectural symbolism of the medieval operative Masons, who actually worked in stone. Freemasons, as Speculative Masons, use this symbolism to teach moral and ethical lessons of the principles of "Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth"—or as related, in France: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity".[14]
Two of the principal symbols always found in a lodge are the square and compasses. Some lodges explain these symbols as lesson in conduct: that one should "square their actions by the square of virtue" for example. However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general interpretation for these symbols (or any Masonic symbol) that is used by Freemasonry as a whole.[21]
These moral lessons are communicated in performance of allegorical ritual, based on solid foundations of Biblical sources. A candidate progresses through degrees[18] gaining knowledge and understanding of himself, his relationship with others and his relationship with the Supreme Being, (as he interprets this for himself). After taking each degree, he will attend the same ritual many times, taking part in it from different points of view, of each office, until he knows it by heart—and so is in the best possible position to moralize about it—up to, and within the bounds, his own competence.
The balance between ritual, philosophical and spiritual, charitable service and social interchange varies between Grand Lodges governing Freemasonry worldwide. Philosophy and esoteric knowledge are of deep interest to many individuals. The philosophical aspects of the Craft tend to be discussed in Lodges of Instruction or Research, and sometimes informal groups. Freemasons, and others, frequently publish—to a variable degree of competence—studies that are available to the public. It is well noted, however, that no one person "speaks" for the whole of Freemasonry.
The square and compasses are symbols always displayed in an open Lodge with the open Volume of the Sacred Law. In English-speaking countries, this is frequently the King James Version of the Bible or another standard translation (there is no such thing as an exclusive "Masonic Bible").[22] It is otherwise whatever book a particular jurisdiction authorizes. In many French Lodges, the Masonic Constitutions are used.
A degree candidate will normally be given his choice of religious text for his Obligation, according to his beliefs. UGLE alludes to similarities to legal practice in the UK, and to a common source with other oath taking.[23][24][25][26] Christian candidates will typically use the Lodge's Bible while those of other religions may choose another book that is holy to them, to be displayed alongside the Lodges' usual VSL. In lodges with a mixed religious membership it is common to find more than one sacred text displayed representing the beliefs of the individuals present.
In keeping with the geometrical and architectural theme of Freemasonry, the Supreme Being is referred to in Masonic ritual by the titles of the Great Architect of the Universe, Grand Geometer or similar forms of words to make clear that their reference is generic, not about any one religion's particular God or God-like concept.
Degrees
The degrees of Craft or Blue Lodge Freemasonry are those of:
Entered Apprentice (EA)
Fellow Craft (FC)
Master Mason (MM)
As a Freemason works through the degrees, and studies the lessons they contain, he interprets them for himself. No Freemason is told that there is only one meaning to the lessons; his personal interpretation being bounded only by the Constitution within which he works.[22] A common symbolic structure and universal archetypes provide a means for each Freemason to come to his own answers to life's important philosophical questions. Especially in Europe, Freemasons working through the degrees are asked to prepare papers on related philosophical topics, and present these papers in an open Lodge.
There is no degree of Freemasonry higher than that of Master Mason.[18] Although some Masonic bodies and orders have degrees named with higher numbers, these degrees are considered to be supplements to the Master Mason degree rather than promotions from it.[19] An illustrative example is the Scottish Rite, conferring degrees numbered from 4° up to 33°.[27] It is, however, essential for a member to be a Master Mason in order to qualify for these further degrees. They are administered on a parallel system to Craft or Blue Lodge Freemasonry; within each organization there is a system of offices, which confer rank within that degree or order alone.
Signs, grips and words
Freemasons use signs (hand gestures), grips or tokens (handshakes) and words to gain admission to their meetings and identify that a visitor is legitimate. However, there is no evidence that these modes of recognition were in use prior to the mid-1600s after non-operative members had been admitted to lodges. The "Mason Word" is the first mode of recognition to appear in early lodge records of the mid-1600s. The Grips and signs followed, and were probably never used by the operative Freemasons, the easiest way to determine an operative Mason's qualifications being the quality of his work. The preponderance of evidence supports the development of these modes of recognition by non-operative 17th-century Freemasons.[28]
From the early 18th century onwards, many exposés have been written claiming to reveal these signs, grips and passwords to the uninitiated. However, as each Grand Lodge is free to create its own rituals,[29] the signs, grips and passwords can and do differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.[14] Furthermore, according to historian John J. Robinson, Grand Lodges can and do change their rituals frequently, updating the language used, adding or omitting sections.[12] The logical conclusion of Hodapp's and Robinson's assertions is that any exposé is only valid for a particular jurisdiction at a particular time, and therefore may or may not be accurate with respect to modern ritual.
Landmarks
The Landmarks are the ancient and unchangeable precepts of Masonry, the standards by which the regularity of a Freemasonic Lodge and Grand Lodges are judged. Each Grand Lodge is self-governing and no single authority exists over the whole of Freemasonry. The interpretation of these principles can and do vary, leading to controversies of recognition.
The concept of Masonic Landmarks appears in Masonic regulations as early as 1723, and seems to have been adopted from the regulations of operative masonic guilds. Nowadays the term Landmark is generally understood by the definition of Dr. Albert Gallatin Mackey, who laid down three requisite characteristics, namely: (1) immemorial antiquity (2) universality (3) absolute irrevocability.
In 1856, Mackey attempted to set down the actual Landmarks as he saw them. He determined there were 25 in all. Seven years later, in 1863, George Oliver published Freemason's Treasury in which he listed 40 Landmarks. In the last century, a number of American Grand Lodges attempted the daunting task of enumerating the Landmarks, ranging from West Virginia (7) and New Jersey (10) to Nevada (39) and Kentucky (54).[30]
Charitable effort
Outside the ritual context the fraternity is widely involved in charity and community service activities, as well as providing a social outlet for the members.
Money is collected only within the membership, to be devoted to charitable purposes. Freemasonry worldwide disburses substantial charitable amounts to non-Masonic charities, locally, nationally or internationally. However in earlier centuries the charitable funds were collected more on the basis of a Provident or Friendly Society, and there were elaborate regulations to determine a petititioner's eligibility for consideration for charity, according to strictly Masonic criteria.
Masonic charities include:
Homes[31][32] that provide sheltered housing or nursing care.
Education with both educational grants[33] or residential education[34] which are open to all and not limited to the families of Freemasons.
Medical assistance.[35]
Membership requirements
A candidate for Freemasonry must apply to a Private (or Constituent) Lodge in his community, obtaining an introduction by asking an existing member. After enquiries are made, he must be freely elected by secret ballot in open Lodge. Members approving his candidacy will vote with "white balls" in the voting box. Adverse votes by "black balls" will exclude a candidate. The number of adverse votes necessary to reject a candidate, which in some jurisdictions is as few as one, is set out in the governing Constitution. Lodges conduct these elections in a number of different ways; a wholly secret ballot where every member is given the means to vote either way, or semi public where members who choose to vote go to the ballot box and cast a secret vote.
General requirements
See also: Regular Masonic jurisdictions, Co-Freemasonry, and List of famous Freemasons
Generally to be a regular Freemason, one must:[18]
Be a man who comes of his own free will. Traditionally Freemasons do not actively recruit new members
Believe in a Supreme Being
Be at least the minimum age (18–25 years depending on the jurisdiction, but commonly 21)
Be of sound mind, body and of good morals, and of good repute
Be free (or "born free", i.e. not born a slave or bondsman)
Have one or two references from current Masons (depending on jurisdiction)
A candidate is asked 'Do you believe in a Supreme Being?'. Since an initiate is obligated on that sacred volume which is applicable to his faith, a sponsor will enquire as to an appropriate volume once a decision has been made on the applicants suitability for initiation.
A number of Grand Lodges allow a Lewis, the son of a Mason, to be initiated earlier than the normal minimum age for that jurisdiction.
Being of "sound body" is thought to be derived from the operative origins of Freemasonry, an apprentice would be able to meet the demands of their profession. In modern times Grand Lodges tend to encourage the use of the ritual in ways to mitigate for difficulty.
The "free born" requirement remains for purely historical reasons. Some jurisdictions have done away with it entirely.
Some Grand Lodges in the United States have a residence requirement, candidates being expected to have lived within the jurisdiction for certain period of time, typically six months.[36]
It is notable that the requirement for the candidate to have a belief in a Supreme Being is present in some, but not all, Co-Masonic bodies, leading to a significant divergence in organisational direction and philosophy.