Freemasonry or Masonry consists of fraternal organizations
that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons that from the
end of the fourteenth century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and
their interaction with authorities and clients. The degrees of Freemasonry
retain the three grades of medieval craft guilds, those of Apprentice,
Journeyman or fellow (now called Fellowcraft), and Master Mason. The candidate
of these three degrees is progressively taught the meanings of the symbols of
Freemasonry, and entrusted with grips, signs and words to signify to other
members that he has been so initiated. The degrees are part allegorical
morality play and part lecture. Three degrees are offered by Craft (or Blue
Lodge) Freemasonry and members of any of these degrees are known as Freemasons
or Masons. There are additional degrees, which vary with locality and
jurisdiction, and are usually administered by their own bodies (separate from
those who administer the Craft degrees).
The basic, local organizational unit of Freemasonry is the
Lodge. These private Lodges are usually supervised at the regional level
(usually coterminous with either a state, province, or national border) by a
Grand Lodge or Grand Orient. There is no international, worldwide Grand Lodge
that supervises all of Freemasonry; each Grand Lodge is independent, and they
do not necessarily recognize each other as being legitimate.
Modern Freemasonry broadly consists of two main recognition
groups. Regular Freemasonry insists that a volume of scripture is open in a
working lodge, that every member profess belief in a Supreme Being, that no
women are admitted (although, in some jurisdictions, those who transition to
women after being initiated may stay), and that the discussion of religion and
politics is banned. Continental Freemasonry is now the general term for the
jurisdictions which have removed some, or all, of these restrictions.
Masonic Lodge
The Masonic lodge is the basic organizational unit of
Freemasonry. The Lodge meets regularly
to conduct the usual formal business of any small organisation (pay bills; organize
social and charitable events, elect new members, etc.). In addition to
business, the meeting may perform a ceremony to confer a Masonic degree or
receive a lecture, which is usually on some aspect of Masonic history or
ritual. At the conclusion of the
meeting, the Lodge might adjourn for a formal dinner, or festive board,
sometimes involving toasting and song.
The bulk of Masonic ritual consists of degree ceremonies.
Candidates for Freemasonry are progressively initiated into Freemasonry, first
in the degree of Entered Apprentice. Sometime later, in a separate ceremony,
they will be passed to the degree of Fellowcraft, and finally they will be
raised to the degree of Master Mason. In all of these ceremonies, the candidate
is first obligated, then entrusted with passwords, signs and grips (secret
handshakes) peculiar to his new rank. Another ceremony is the annual installation of
the Master and officers of the Lodge. In
some jurisdictions Installed Master is valued as a separate rank, with its own
secrets to distinguish its members. In
other jurisdictions, the grade is not recognised, and no inner ceremony conveys
new secrets during the installation of a new Master of the Lodge.
Most Lodges have some sort of social calendar, allowing
Masons and their partners to meet in a less ritualized environment. Often coupled with these events is the
obligation placed on every Mason to contribute to charity. This occurs at both
Lodge and Grand Lodge level. Masonic charities contribute to many fields, such
as education or disaster relief.
These private local Lodges form the backbone of Freemasonry,
and a Freemason will necessarily have been initiated into one of these. There
also exists specialist Lodges where Masons meet to celebrate events, such as
sport or Masonic research. The rank of Master Mason also entitles a Freemason
to explore Masonry further through other degrees, administered separately from
the Craft, or "Blue Lodge" degrees described here, but having a similar
format to their meetings.
There is very little consistency in Freemasonry. Because
each Masonic jurisdiction is independent, each sets its own procedures. The
wording of the ritual, the number of officers present, the layout of the
meeting room, etc. varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
The officers of the Lodge are elected or appointed annually.
Every Masonic Lodge has a Master, two Wardens, a secretary and a treasurer.
There is also a Tyler, or outer guard, who is always present outside the door
of a working Lodge, to secure its privacy. Other offices vary between
jurisdictions.
Each Masonic Lodge exists and operates according to a set of
ancient principles known as the Landmarks of Freemasonry. These principles have
thus far eluded any universally accepted definition.
Joining a lodge
Candidates for Freemasonry will have met most active members
of the Lodge they are joining before they are initiated. The process varies
between jurisdictions, but the candidate will typically have been introduced by
a friend at a Lodge social function, or at some form of open evening in the
Lodge. In modern times, interested people often track down a local Lodge
through the Internet. The onus is on candidates to ask to join; while
candidates may be encouraged to ask, they are never invited. Once the initial
inquiry is made, an interview usually follows to determine the candidate's
suitability. If the candidate decides to proceed from here, the Lodge ballots
on the application before he (or she, depending on the Masonic Jurisdiction)
can be accepted.
The absolute minimum requirement of any body of Freemasons
is that the candidate must be free, and considered to be of good character. There is usually an age requirement, varying
greatly between Grand Lodges, and (in some jurisdictions) capable of being
overridden by a dispensation from the Grand Lodge. The underlying assumption is
that the candidate should be a mature adult.
Additionally, most Grand Lodges require the candidate to
declare a belief in a Supreme Being. In a few cases, the candidate may be
required to be of a specific religion. The form of Freemasonry most common in
Scandinavia (known as the Swedish Rite), for example, accepts only Christians. At the other end of the spectrum,
"Liberal" or Continental Freemasonry, exemplified by the Grand Orient
de France, does not require a declaration of belief in any deity, and accepts
atheists (a cause of discord with the rest of Freemasonry).
During the ceremony of initiation, the candidate is expected
to undertake or swear (usually on a volume of sacred text appropriate to his
personal religious faith) to fulfil certain obligations as a Mason. In the
course of three degrees, new masons will promise to keep the secrets of their
degree from lower degrees and outsiders, and to support a fellow Mason in
distress (as far as practicality and the law permit). There is instruction as to the duties of a
Freemason, but on the whole, Freemasons are left to explore the craft in the
manner they find most satisfying. Some will simply enjoy the dramatics or the
management and administration of the lodge, others will further explore the
ritual and symbolism of the craft, others will focus their involvement on their
Lodge's social side, perhaps in association with other lodges, while still
others will concentrate on the charitable functions of the lodge.
Organisation
Grand Lodges
Grand Lodges and Grand Orients are independent and sovereign
bodies that govern Masonry in a given country, state, or geographical area
(termed a jurisdiction). There is no single overarching governing body that
presides over worldwide Freemasonry; connections between different
jurisdictions depend solely on mutual recognition.
Freemasonry, as it exists in various forms all over the
world, has a membership estimated by the United Grand Lodge of England at around
6 million worldwide. The fraternity is
administratively organized into independent Grand Lodges (or sometimes Grand
Orients), each of which governs its own Masonic jurisdiction, which consists of
subordinate (or constituent) Lodges. The largest single jurisdiction, in terms
of membership, is the United Grand Lodge of England (with a membership
estimated at around a quarter million). The Grand Lodge of Scotland and Grand
Lodge of Ireland (taken together) have approximately 150,000 members. In the United States, total membership is just
under 2 million.
Recognition, amity
and regularity
Relations between Grand Lodges are determined by the concept
of Recognition. Each Grand Lodge maintains a list of other Grand Lodges that it
recognizes. When two Grand Lodges recognize
and are in Masonic communication with each other, they are said to be in amity,
and the brethren of each may visit each other's Lodges and interact
Masonically. When two Grand Lodges are not in amity, inter-visitation is not
allowed. There are many reasons one Grand Lodge will withhold or withdraw
recognition from another, but the two most common are Exclusive Jurisdiction
and Regularity.
Exclusive
Jurisdiction
Exclusive Jurisdiction is a concept whereby normally only
one Grand Lodge will be recognised in any geographical area. If two Grand
Lodges claim jurisdiction over the same area, the other Grand Lodges will have
to choose between them, and they may not all decide to recognize the same one.
(In 1849, for example, the Grand Lodge of New York split into two rival
factions, each claiming to be the legitimate Grand Lodge. Other Grand Lodges
had to choose between them until the schism was healed.) Exclusive Jurisdiction
can be waived when the two overlapping Grand Lodges are themselves in Amity and
agree
to share jurisdiction (for example, since the Grand Lodge of
Connecticut is in Amity with the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut, the
principle of Exclusive Jurisdiction does not apply, and other Grand Lodges may recognize
both, likewise the five distinct kinds of lodges in Germany have nominally
united under one Grand Lodge, in order to obtain international recognition.
Regularity
Regularity is a concept based on adherence to Masonic
Landmarks, the basic membership requirements, tenets and rituals of the craft.
Each Grand Lodge sets its own definition of what these landmarks are, and thus
what is Regular and what is Irregular (and the definitions do not necessarily
agree between Grand Lodges). Essentially, every Grand Lodge will hold that its
landmarks (its requirements, tenets and rituals) are regular, and judge other
Grand Lodges based on those. If the differences are significant, one Grand
Lodge may declare the other "Irregular" and withdraw or withhold recognition.
The most commonly shared rules for Recognition (based on
Regularity) are those given by the United Grand Lodge of England in 1929:
·
The Grand Lodge should be established by an
existing regular Grand Lodge, or by at least three regular Lodges.
·
A belief in a Supreme Being and scripture is a
condition of membership.
·
Initiates should take their vows on that
scripture.
·
Only men can be admitted, and no relationship
exists with mixed Lodges.
·
The Grand Lodge has complete control over the
first three degrees, and is not subject to another body.
·
All Lodges shall display a volume of scripture
with the square and compasses while in session.
·
There is no discussion of politics or religion.
·
"Antient landmarks, customs and
usages" observed.
Other degrees,
orders, and bodies
Blue Lodge (a term
not used in the United Kingdom, which simply refers to the Craft) basic
Freemasonry offers only three traditional degrees and, in most jurisdictions,
the rank of past or installed master. Master Masons are also able to extend
their Masonic experience by taking further degrees, in appendant or other
bodies whether or not approved by their own Grand Lodge.
The Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite is a system of 33 degrees (including the three Blue
Lodge degrees) administered by a local or national Supreme Council. This system
is popular in North America, South America and in Continental Europe. In
America, the York Rite, with a similar range, administers three orders of
Masonry, namely the Royal Arch, Cryptic Masonry, and Knights Templar.
In Britain, separate bodies administer each order.
Freemasons are encouraged to join the Holy Royal Arch, which is linked to Mark
Masonry in Scotland and Ireland, but completely separate in England. In
England, the Royal Arch is closely associated with the Craft, automatically
having many Grand Officers in common, including H.R.H the Duke of Kent as both
Grand Master of the Craft and First Grand Principal of the Royal Arch. The
English Knights Templar and Cryptic Masonry share the Mark Grand Lodge offices
and staff at Mark Masons Hall.
In the Nordic countries, the Swedish Rite is dominant; a
variation of it is also used in parts of Germany.
Ritual and symbolism
Freemasonry describes itself as a "'beautiful system of
morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols". 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 of these tools, although the assignment is by no
means consistent. The meaning of the symbolism is taught and explored through
ritual, and in lectures and articles by individual masons who offer their
personal insights and opinions.
All Freemasons begin their journey in the "craft"
by being progressively "initiated", "passed" and
"raised" into the three degrees of Craft, or Blue Lodge Masonry.
During these three rituals, the candidate is progressively taught the Masonic
symbols, and entrusted with grips or tokens, signs and words to signify to
other Masons which degrees he has taken. The dramatic allegorical ceremonies
include explanatory lectures, and revolve around the construction of the Temple
of Solomon, and the artistry and death of the chief architect, Hiram Abiff. The
degrees are those of "Entered apprentice", "Fellowcraft"
and "Master Mason". While many different versions of these rituals
exist, with various lodge layouts and versions of the Hiramic legend, each
version is recognizable to any Freemason from any jurisdiction.
In some jurisdictions, the main themes of each degree are
illustrated by tracing boards. These painted depictions of Masonic themes are
exhibited in the lodge according to which degree is being worked, and are
explained to the candidate to illustrate the legend and symbolism of each
degree.
The idea of Masonic brotherhood probably descends from a
16th-century legal definition of a "brother" as one who has taken an
oath of mutual support to another. Accordingly, Masons swear at each degree to
keep the contents of that degree secret, and to support and protect their
brethren unless they have broken the law. In most Lodges the oath or obligation is taken
on a Volume of Sacred Law, whichever book of divine revelation is appropriate
to the religious beliefs of the individual brother (usually the Bible in the
Anglo-American tradition). In Progressive continental Freemasonry, books other
than scripture are permissible, a cause of rupture between Grand Lodges.
History
Origins
Goose and Gridiron
Since the middle of the 19th century, Masonic historians
have sought the origins of the movement in a series of similar documents known
as the Old Charges, dating from the Regius Poem in about 1425 to the beginning
of the 18th century. Alluding to the membership of a lodge of operative masons,
they relate it to a mythologized history of the craft, the duties of its
grades, and the manner in which oaths of fidelity are to be taken on joining. The 15th century also sees the first evidence
of ceremonial regalia.
There is no clear mechanism by which these local trade organizations
became today's Masonic Lodges. The earliest rituals and passwords known, from
operative lodges around the turn of the 17th–18th centuries, show continuity
with the rituals developed in the later 18th century by accepted or speculative
Masons, as those members who did not practice the physical craft gradually came
to be known. The minutes of the Lodge of
Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No. 1 in Scotland show a continuity from an operative
lodge in 1598 to a modern speculative Lodge. It is reputed to be the oldest Masonic Lodge
in the world.
Royal Arch Chapter in
England, beginning of c20
Alternatively, Thomas De Quincey in his work titled;
Rosicrucians and Freemasonry put forward the theory which suggested that Freemasonry
was possibly an outgrowth of Rosicrucianism. The theory had also been
postulated in 1803 by German professor; J. G. Buhle.
The first Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge of London and
Westminster (later called the Grand Lodge of England (GLE)), was founded on St
John's Day, 24 June 1717, when four existing London Lodges met for a joint
dinner. Many English Lodges joined the new regulatory body, which itself
entered a period of self-publicity and expansion. However, many Lodges could
not endorse changes which some Lodges of the GLE made to the ritual (they came
to be known as the Moderns), and a few of these formed a rival Grand Lodge on
17 July 1751, which they called the "Antient Grand Lodge of England."
These two Grand Lodges vied for supremacy until the Moderns promised to return
to the ancient ritual. They united on 27 December 1813 to form the United Grand
Lodge of England (UGLE).
The Grand Lodge of Ireland and the Grand Lodge of Scotland
were formed in 1725 and 1736 respectively, although neither persuaded all of
the existing lodges in their countries to join for many years.
North America
The earliest known American lodges were in Pennsylvania. The
Collector for the port of Pennsylvania, John Moore, wrote of attending lodges
there in 1715, two years before the putative formation of the first Grand Lodge
in London. The Premier Grand Lodge of England appointed a Provincial Grand
Master for North America in 1731, based in Pennsylvania.
In present-day Canada, Erasmus James Philipps became a
Freemason while working on a commission to resolve boundaries in New England
and, in 1739, became provincial grand master for Nova Scotia; Philipps founded
the first Masonic lodge in Canada at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
Other lodges in the colony of Pennsylvania obtained authorizations
from the later Antient Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and
the Grand Lodge of Ireland, which was particularly well represented in the
travelling lodges of the British Army. Many lodges came into existence with no
warrant from any Grand Lodge, applying and paying for their authorization only
after they were confident of their own survival.
After the American Revolution, independent U.S. Grand Lodges
developed within each state. Some thought was briefly given to organizing an
overarching "Grand Lodge of the United States," with George
Washington (who was a member of a Virginian lodge) as the first Grand Master,
but the idea was short-lived. The various state Grand Lodges did not wish to
diminish their own authority by agreeing to such a body.
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