Tag Archives: geometry

Three Squares, Circles and Triangles

This arrangement of “three squares, on top of which are three circles, on top of which are three triangles” can be seen on the tracing boards for the degrees ‘Knight of the East or Sovereign Prince of the Rose Cross’ and ‘Knight of the Eagle or Sovereign Prince of the Rose Cross’, both displayed in volume III of Maçonnerie des Hommes.

In the Mirecourt collection of degrees, the arrangement is described in the 21th degree ‘Knight of the Rose Cross’ as representing calvary hill, Golgotha.

Maçonnerie des Hommes (1766) Kl.MS:XXXIV Vol. III

Delta

The equilateral triangle, sometimes named “delta” after the Greek capital D is a somewhat widely used symbol within Freemasonry. MacKenzie (Royal Masonic Cyclopedia, 1877) says of it:

The Delta is the Emblem of the Chapter in Royal Arch Masonry; Overseer’s mark of approval in Mark Master’s Degree; Emblem of the Trinity.

general image

Sun on Double Square and Triangle

For his “45th Degree: Chevalier du Soleil – Knight of the Sun”, Ravignat presents the same image as above. He says it is a “Jewel of the Knights of the Sun from the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite”. I found the same image on the website of Brick Masons and they say that it is a 28th degree Memphis-Misraim jewel. “Chevalier du Soleil” is indeed the 28th degree of Memphis-Misraim (Ravignat uses a different counting in his reconstructed Traditional Egyptian Freemasonry).

In Ravignat’s translation of the ritual we find the following passage:

Newly made Knight and Sage, it is my pleasure to invest you with the collar of this degree. It shows a Sun, the Glory of God, within a triangle and forming a double square.

Here is not not as much an officier jewel, but a badge of the degree.

Brick Masons

Double Square with Circle, Dot and Moon

As you can see, Ravignat calls this “The Jewel of a Sovereign Prince of the 90th Degree” of Memphis Misraim. Unfortunately he gives no source for the image. In the ritual the image is described as:

a gold four pointed star or double square in the middle of which is a point with a circle. This star is flanked by a crescent Moon.

Also see Moon and Square, Double Square and Dot, Double Square, Circle and Dot.

Ravignat, p. 363

Double Square with Circle and Dot

As you can see, Ravignat calls this “The Jewel of a Sovereign Prince of the 89th” degree of Memphis Misraim. Unfortunately he gives no source for the image. In the ritual the image is described as:

a gold four pointed star or square on which is superimposed another square in the midle of which is a point within a circle

Also see Double Square with Dot and Double Square with Circle, Dot and Moon.

Ravignat, p. 344

Double Square with Dot

As you can see, Ravignat calls this “The Jewel of a Sovereign Prince of the 88th Degree” of Memphis Misraim. Unfortunately he gives no source for the image. In the ritual the image is described as:

a gold four pointed star or square on which is superimposed another square in the middle of which is a point

Also see Double Square with Circle and Dot and Double Square with Circle, Dot and Moon.

Ravignat p. 327

Moon and Square

As you can see, Ravignat calls this “The Jewel of a Sovereign Prince of the 87th” of Memphis Misraim. The counting of his reconstructed Traditional Egyptian Freemasonry differs from the counting in manuscripts he used. He gives no source for the image, but it appears to be from MS.-370 of the Fonds Gaborria, “Rite de Misraïm. Sup… Grand Cons… Gén… des Grands Ins… Intend… Rég… Généraux. 77e degré, 14e classe”, but there it is a signature of the 77th degree” .

In Ravignat’s ritual the image is described as: “a silver Half-Moon with three points surrounding a gold square with a point in the center”.

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Circle, Triangle, Square, Circle, Yod

The image above comes from the Fonds Gaborria, 53th degree “Chevalier. Sublime Philosophe”. Ravignat has the image with his translation of the 64th degree “Chevalier Sublime Philosophe”.

There is a text below the image which, in spite of fine handwriting, I can’t read. It is something about an instrument of instruments, God, astronomy and numbers. It reminds me of the famous image in Michael Maier’s Atalanta Fugiens, where Hermes is ‘squaring the circle’ according to some explanations.

Top and below left: Bibliothèque Numérique Patrimoniale, Fonds Gaborria Ms.-359
Below right: Wikimedia commons

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Cross on Circle

The tracing board below comes from the “Fonds Gaborria” which can be found online on the website of the Bibliotheque Numirique Patrimoniale, Ms.-353, a Memphis Misraim ritual for the 51th degree “Chevalier du Alch. Myst.” It contains a cross on a circle and a cross on a circle on a crescent moon, along with some Alchemical symbols.

Also see earth, cross, Adonai

Bibliothèque Numérique Patrimoniale, Fonds Gaborria Ms.-353

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Vesica Piscis

A complex geometrical patron, sometimes known as “Vesica Piscis”. In its simplest form, the Vesica Piscis is the overlap of two circles. Here many more circles have been drawn and words have been placed in the sections. The text is not easy to read, but they appear to be vices, both good and bad. The image comes from the “Grand Architecte” degree, the 24th in the French 1780’ies collection of degrees that were compressed to the French Rite.

Bibliotheque Nationale de France – Fonds Maçonnique – FM4 1045 S

Triangles in Triangle

Tracing board of the 26th degree in a Dutch book about the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. The 10 triangles in the middle remind of the Tetraktys. I also have a contemporary French tracing board for the 26th degree of the AASR which is almost identical. The human figure (fourth row, right) is obviously Hermes in that image.

In 2012 antiquarian Hondtong republished the collection of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite as they were presented to Prince Frederik in 1817.

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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