Tag Archives: letter

Interlaced A’s

This appears to be an old emblem of the Order of the Amaranth. It can be found in MacKenzie’s Royal Masonic Cyclopedia (1877) with as description:

AMARANTH, ORDER OF THE, OR IMMORTALS.-An Equestrian Order, instituted by Queen Christina of Sweden, in 1653. Badge, two AA interlaced – in a laurel crown, surrounded by a label bearing the motto, Dolce nella memoria. Ribbons, white and crimson, shot or shaded blue. Jewel set with gold and diamonds. Knights 15-in number; ladies 15 in number; grandmistress, the Queen-altogether 31. The Knights, if on investiture, still bachelors, could not marry, and married Knights took an oath not to marry a second time. Sir Bulstrode Whitelock, Cromwell’s ambassador, was one of the first of this Order. The annual festival was held at the Epiphany.

Royal Masonic Cyclopedia (1877) Kenneth MacKenzie

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

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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Tetractys

The Tetractys of Pythagoras is not a usual, but also not an unknown element of Masonic symbolism. It is sometimes written with numbers (1 – 12 – 123 – 1234), sometimes with the Tetragrammaton, like here.

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”.

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J.J.J.

Even though they are somewhat hidden on this old, French tracing board, the triple J are mentioned in the name of the degree: “Ecossais Parisien où Ecossais Trinaire, dit les trois J.J.J. où Maitre Ecossais”, or ‘Parisian Scot or Scots Trinary, known as the three J.J.J. or Scots Master’.

According to Mackey the triple J. are not only mentioned in the 32rd degree of the French collection of 81 degrees that were compressed to the Rite Moderne, but also in the 19th degree of Memphis Misraim. The characters refer to “the mutials of Jourdain, Jaho, Jachin”.

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Om

Aum or Om sign on a 58th degree (“Prince Brahmin”) Memphis Misraim tracing board.

Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraim in Freemasonry Aprons and Tracing Boards – Murat Ozgen Ayfer (2019)

Square, Compasses, UC

Square, Compasses and the letters UC, which stand for Union Compagnonnique. An emblem of the Compagnonnage. This is a French (and German) ‘operative Masonry’ type organisation.

The Artisans and Guilds of France (2000) by François Icher (edited)

Compasses and Crown?

The letters C.M.D.D. stand for Compagnons Menuisiers du Devoir which means something like ‘members of the guild’. The Compagnonnage is a French (and German) ‘operative Masonic’ like organisation.

The Artisans and Guilds of France (2000) by François Icher (edited)

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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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.

Mutus Liber Latomorum (1765)

Y

An emblem of the German Grand Lodge Zur Sonne (‘to the sun’) from 1829. Possart (Die St. Andreasgrade 1877/7) explains the Y as the lewis. Elsewhere in the same book, he uses the Y as a symbol of a threefold union.

The reference to Possart makes another possible connection. His book is about the Große Landesloge degrees and it is within that ‘Grand National Lodge’ that the interesting tracing boards with strange symbols and grasshoppers appear in their Andreas degrees. On these tracing boards you also see the image below.

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Entangled S’s

Jewels of the Eklektischen Bund (a German Grand Lodge). On top in the middle, two entangled letters S.

frequently reproduced image (can even be sold as poster). I have not been able from what book this is a page.