Category Archives: historical degrees

Magic

The book Maçonnerie des Hommes (1766) is a fairly common, handwritten, French collection of degrees. What caught my attention were the beautiful colour plates. Then suddenly there is a degree (?) with what looks like seals that we know from Solomonic magic.

Hand with Sword, Hand with Trowel

When Sanabal Hierusalem distrest,
With sharp assaultes, in Nehemias tyme,
To warre, and worke, the Jews them selves addrest
And did repaire theire walls, with stone, and lime:
One hand the swode, against the foe did shake,
The other hand, the trowel, up did take.

The image and text are from Choices of Emblemes (1586) of Geffrey Whitney (1548?-1601?). Belton and Dachez make quite something of this “Sanabal theme”. In his famous oration, Chevalier Ramsay referred to knights who rebuilt King Solomon’s Temple with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. That theme would later appear in early French ‘high degrees’, most notably the “Chevalier d’Orient”, or “Knight of the East” that is still part of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. The text also seems to be used in the Royal Arch.

Chair

This complex tracing board of the degree of “Chevalier Prince d’Orient ou Chevalier del’epée” in the Kloss collection has more elements that I could cut out, but what’s with all these chairs?

I have a 1780’ies ritual of the degree. I can’t find anything that explains the chairs. The degree appears to be a forerunner of the 15th degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite which is sometimes called “Knight of the East and the Sword” (or “Dagger”). In French the title of the degree is similar to that of the historical degree that I took the image from. The AASR degree also offers no explanation of the chair. Interestingly, in an old Dutch version of the degree, some elements are described that can be found on the old tracing board such as a rectangular Holy Temple, the Ark of the Covenant, an arm holding a trowel in the South and one holding a sword in the North (below the towel is in the North and the dagger or sword in the South) and the river.

The only indication for the chairs is that both in the old ritual and in the AASR ritual, the meeting is called a “council”.

Also compare the stools on the image in Les Plus Secret Mysteres (1820) which are -unfortunately- also not explained. See for example here.

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Tower

This image comes from the French book Liber Mutus Latomorum which seems to contain historical degrees. This tower has no ladder and neither appears to be the tower of Babel.

Les Plus Secret Mysteres (1820) speaks of: “The Tower where the murderers of Hiram are locked up”. Judging the three guys above, this might well be the explanation of the image above as well.

More about the book here.

Wolf head Dagger

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees. The image above comes from a page with what seem to be (officers) jewels, see below.

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G on many Triangles

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees. The image above comes from a page with what seem to be (officers) jewels, see below.

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Mountain

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees.

Here we have one section of a plate (see below). Do the first two rows show emblems of officers? The third row general Masonic symbols (perhaps referring to the first three degrees)? And the bottom row? If the image on the bottom right is the Master’s drawing board does the mountain refer to the second degree and the mountain to the first? Do all images refer to different degrees?

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Unknown

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees.

Here we have one section of a plate (see below). Do the first two rows show emblems of officers? The third row general Masonic symbols (perhaps referring to the first three degrees)? And the bottom row? If the image on the bottom right is the Master’s drawing board does the thing in the middle refer to the second degree and the mountain to the first? Do all images refer to different degrees?

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Bleeding Dagger

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees. The image above is early in the book, so it refers to a low/early degree? Simply the 3rd “craft” degree?

More about the book here.

A.I.I.

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees. The image above is early in the book, so it refers to a low/early degree?

More about the book here.

Man with Scythe?

Tracing board from Von Löwen in the Kloss collection (Collection de 84 tableaux, Kl.MS:XXV.1) for the degree of “Chevalier du Soleil” (‘knight of the sun’). Is this a man with a scythe?

Christina Voss in The ‘Universal Language’ of Freemasonry (2003) describes a man with a scythe as “time”, which is an interesting interpretation.

Also see Grim Reaper.

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Astronomy

Astronomical (astrological?) signs on a tracing board from the Kloss / von “Löwen collection. The description says: “Apprentif et Compagnon du Soleil” (‘apprentise and fellow of the sun’). It can hardly be a “craft” tracing board with the coffin, the broken columns, etc.

“The Celestial Bodies can also be found on a 28th degree (“Prince of the Sun”) Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite tracing board they: “represent the 7 principal passions of life, useful to man, if he uses them in moderation, dangerous when he abandons himself to them.”

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