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

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Chapter 4 - Signs & Symbols
photo of lodge in Schloß Rosenau, Austria (2000)
The lodge is also a symbol of universality, however, different Masonic
systems attribute this characteristic to different aspects of the lodge. Thus,
according to Mackey, the German brethren see the clouded canopy as a
representation of the universe, whereas the English and American systems
consider the extent of the lodge as such, which is described as reaching "in height
from the earth to the highest heavens; in depth, from the surface to the center; in
length, from east to west; and in breadth, from north to south." 338 This extent of
the lodge is symbolic of the bandwidth of beneficence that the brethren should
offer to the distressed: "A Lodge is said to be thus extensive to denote the
universality of Freemasonry, and teaches us that a Mason's charity should be
equally extensive." 339 In contrast to the American units of measurement stands
the German claim of universality, alluding to the heavens spanning above the
earth:
[...] Gädicke says, "Every Freemason knows that by the clouded canopy
we mean the heavens, and that it teaches how widely extended is our
sphere of usefulness. There is no portion of the inhabited world in
which our labor cannot be carried forward, as there is no portion of the
338 EOF, p. 259. A corresponding description of the extent of the lodge is found in Simons, p. 32.
339 Simons, p. 32.