The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

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Chapter 4 - Signs & Symbols
The solution is the following: These all describe initiation ceremonies into
(1) the First Degree (Entered Apprentice), (2) the Second Degree (Fellow Craft),
(3) the Third Degree (Master Mason), (4) the Fourth Degree (Mark Master), and
(5) the Seventh Degree (Holy Royal Arch, the "crowning" of Masonry). The five
corresponding rituals are summarized and explained in Chapter 8. This textual
example has been chosen because it employs all the principal symbols of each of
these degrees, which are communicated to the candidate in lectures following his
initiation ceremony. The bold-printed symbols in the quotation above will be
categorized and analyzed in the following sections of Chapter 4. Thus, Section
4.1 deals with the symbolism of rooms and furniture in Freemasonry. Here, the
bold-printed key words "temple," "proportions," "pillars," "starry-decked
canopy or heaven," "mosaic pavement or checkered floor," and "furniture"
will be explained. Further, the mystery of the "Middle Chamber" will be
resolved as the room that the candidate of the Second Degree enters in order to
climb the "winding stairs." At the top of the winding stairs the letter G (the
sacred name of Deity) is displayed. The name of the lodge during the ritual of
the Third Degree is the unfinished Sanctum Sanctorum, the Holy of Holies. It
is unfinished because Grand Master Hiram Abiff, the illustrious Tyrian, was
killed. His death caused the disappearance of "the Mason's word." However, the
"lost Mason's word," i.e. the name of Deity, as well as God's laws (the "Blessed
Book") are rediscovered during excavations when King Solomon's temple is
rebuilt. These excavations symbolically take place in the Royal Arch Degree.
Section 4.2 comments on the working tools of the different Masonic degrees.
Among them also figure the working tools of Mark Masonry, the fourth degree,
whose candidates symbolically "work in the quarries" where they find a perfect
keystone bearing a mystical mark. If a workman has produced good and faithful
work, he earns his wages - the symbolic reward given to Masons and an allusion
to life after death.
Section 4.3 describes the symbolic clothing and equipment of Freemasons.
The other sections of Chapter 4 explain the symbolism of light and color, as well
as a number of common Masonic symbols that are taught in the three degrees of
Craft Masonry and appear on certificates, carpets, jewelry, etc. Further, other
forms of signs will be analyzed, such as acoustic signs, signs of touch, or signs
made by movements and steps.