Category Archives: General

Hebrew

There is a lot of crudely written Hebrew in Freemasonry. Not only words are garbled, but the copies from copies, often from handwritten copies, by people who don’t know Hebrew, makes that on many places you see letters that hardly resemble Hebrew. What also doesn’t help is that there are variations in ritual texts. The image above is from the “ineffable” degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Some Hebrew are recognisable, others less so. From some texts that use this image, you can know what Hebrew letters are meant. The same emblem in another AASR system has Latin characters that do not correspond to the Hebrew above.

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Lewis

When you drill a hole in a stone, you can insert a lewis to lift it. The lewis expand somewhat and clamp itself on the inside.

What this has to do with sons is unclear, but a lewis is also the son of a Freemason. In some lodges the son can be ‘adopted’ by the lodge and join before the minimum age. In the latter case, the word “loufton” (‘wolf’ in French) is sometimes used.

Also see Y.

Star of David

Just as with the pentagram the star of David (or Solomon’s seal) appears in Masonic symbolism in a variety of contexts and the meaning is dependent on that context. This particular example is a blazing star it appears on a German tracing board between the sun and the moon.

47th Problem of Euclid

The 47th Problem of Euclid is also called the 47th Proposition of Euclid or the Pythagorean Theorem. It appears to be a mainly English (origin) symbol in Freemasonry. It appears on the frontispiece of Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723 and can often be seen on tracing boards. The symbol constitutes basic geometry. Euclid is referred to in various Old Charges, Pythagoras less so, so that may be why “Euclid” is mentioned more often in Freemasonry. Even though nowadays this is mostly the symbol of a “Past Master” (somebody who has been Worshipful Master of a lodge), the usage in older times seems to indicate another meaning. Sometimes it can be seen on a Master’s board.

F H C

Faith, Hope and Charity are often depicted on symbol charts, sometimes as letters like here, sometimes with female figures.

Blazing star

Can be found in the lodge (often in the second and third degree), on tracing boards (often between the sun and the moon), but comes in a variety of forms and contexts / meanings. It does not have to be five pointed. The general meaning is ‘something higher’, whatever that is for the Freemason.

G

Found between the Square and Compasses, within a star, it is a common in Freemasonry. There are a lot of explanations what the letter stands for. Needless to say that this differs per lodge. In a very Christian lodge, the G may be explained as “God”, in a secular lodge “geometry” may be preferred. There are more (possible) explanations though.

Tracing board

Even though Freemasonry is not the only place where tracing boards are used, it is one of the best known elements of Freemasonry. The usage differs and that makes this a subject that is very large. When the first ‘modern’ lodges met in taverns, they drew “The Lodge” on the floor and wiped it out again when the work was done. Later these drawings were replaced by either carpets or boards. A “tableau” (‘board’) in many cases is actually a “tapis” (‘carpet’). Actual boards are used in England and English-type Freemasonry where the ‘tableau’ does not lay in the middle of the room, but stands against the pedestal of one of the officers.

The trestle boards contain the symbols of the degree that is worked in, so some lodges have a tracing board for every degree. Sometimes the first and second degrees are combined. Tracing boards form a part of many degree, “craft” or otherwise, so there is an enormous variety of them, both in size, but also in shape and of course, in the imaginary displayed.

Hourglass

According to Voss the hourglass was introduced in the late 18th century. It can sometimes found on tracing boards, symbol charts or grave slabs, either or not with wings. Just as in non-Masonic context, the symbol refers to fleeting time. It is doesn’t often seem to have a ritual meaning, but it can be found on some Ark Mariner tracing boards.

All seeing eye

Well known Masonic symbol, but by no means exclusive to Freemasonry. It can appear in a triangle, a star, a cloud, on its own. It usually refers to the notion of ‘something higher’ whatever that is for a specific lodge or Freemason.

All-Seeing Eye,
whom the Sun. Moon, and Stars obey, and under whose watchful care even Comets perform their stupendous revolutions, pervades the inmost recesses of the human heart, and will reward us according to our merits.

Ahiman Rezon. Rituals of Freemasonry by Daniel Sickels (1870)

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Moon and stars

Very general symbol. It appears on many tracing boards (“craft” or otherwise), on aprons, in lodge rooms. Usually there is a sun on the opposite side. The moon is usually (but not always) accompanied by seven stars.

Sun

Very general symbol. It appears on many tracing boards (“craft” or otherwise), on aprons, in lodge rooms. Usually on the opposite side there is a moon.

In A. & A. R. The intermediate Degrees 19º – 29º A.C.F. Jackson (1982), when talking about a 28th degree Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite tracing board, the sun is described as: “The Sun represents the unity of the Supreme Being”.

Also, it can be the emblem of the Senior Deacon.

Checkered Floor

Checkered floor (often black and white), also known as “tesselated pavement”. The pattern can be either horizontal or diagonal, either or not reaching the edges of the room or only covering a small part in the middle. The floor appears in many degrees, “craft” or otherwise.