Find your Symbol of Freemasonry
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.
Mutus Liber Latomorum (1765)
Emblem of the lodge Zum Goldenen Schwerdt (‘to the golden sword’) from Wesel.
jewel of the lodge Zum Goldenen Schwerdt is still in use and sold through several websites.
“The Royal & Select Masters’ Emblem. (Found with or without the sword)” (Wikipedia)
Royal & Select Master is a degree in the “Cryptic” part of the York Rite.
Wikimedia Commons
Symbol on a 33rd degree Memphis-Misraim apron.
detail of general Memphis-Misraim apron
A triangle and a square within a circle on a 12th Memphis-Misraim apron.
general Memphis-Misraim design
What a wonderfully complex tracing board from the Kloss / von Löwen collection! The description says: “Philosophes Inconnu, Tableau des Apprentifs”, or ‘Unknown Philosophers, tableau for the Apprentices’, thus suggesting that “Philosophes Inconnu” is a system with at least an EA degree. In an unconventional circular design we find mostly common symbols.
Collection (1844) of Georg Kloss (1787-1854) (Collection de 84 tableaux, Kl.MS:XXV.1)
In the Kloss / von Löwen collection there is a tracing board for the degree of “Philosophe Sublime, ou Cheval. de Occident” with some symbols that I cannot place, such as the square with tassels.
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A triangle made of arrows and depicted on the tracing board for the degree “Chevalier de l’Orient” in the Kloss/von Löwen collection.
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This is the emblem of the Grand College of Rites from the USA.
emblem of the Grand College of Rites
The “Missouri Masonic Family” tree below shows the bewildering number of rites and degrees in America. As a branch to the York Rite (left) there are three degrees that appear to have crossed swords in a triangle without a star as emblem: Super Excellent Master, Secret Master, Royal Master. To the right you see the same image, but within a star which says “Knight Masons” below.
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The “Missouri Masonic Family” tree below shows the bewildering number of rites and degrees in America. As a branch to the York Rite there is an order called “Holy Royal Arch Knights Templar Priests”.
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The “Missouri Masonic Family” tree below shows the bewildering number of rites and degrees in America. As a branch to the York Rite there is an order simply called “Allied Masonic Degrees”.
The square is also sometimes replaced by a triangle in French and German Freemasonry. It also happens that there is both a square and compasses and a triangle.
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The inverted pentagram is often food for conspiracy nuts, but what you see above is simply the logo of the Order of the Eastern Star (and the plan of their “chapter room”, see below), an appendent body for Freemasons and their female relatives. They have a different ritual and symbolism from Freemasonry. There exist a whole range of variations to this pentagram in the OES. In this basic form, the symbols refer to the positions and symbols of the officers. The jewels of the officers have their own specific emblem in the middle.
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Royal Order of Scotland jewel. Also an element in the 11th and 12th degrees of the Rectified Scottish Rite.
It can also be found on this “Parfait Macon” tracing board in the Kloss collection.
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Royal Order of Scotland jewel.
general officer jewel
Emblem of the Past Zerubbabel in the Royal Arch.
general officer jewel
Emblem of the Sojourner in the Royal Arch.
general officer jewel
Royal and Select Masters (a.k.a. “cryptic” degrees) breast jewel.
(“Cryptic Masonry is the second part of the York Rite system of Masonic degrees”.)
general officer jewel
Even though the pointed stone is more common in France, this one with a swastica on it, is from early 1700 Germany. Needless to say that this is (nowadays) an uncommon symbol in Freemasonry.
MacKenzie (Royal Masonic Cyclopedia, 1877) calls this a: “Hermetic Cross, used by members of the Governing body of the Order of Ishmael, Esau, Reconciliation, and Expiation.”
cut-out from unknown German tracing board from the early 1700’s.
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.
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