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

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Chapter 4 - Signs & Symbols
flights of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 steps or 36 in all. In the United States the
general arrangement is 3, 5, and 7 or 15 in all. 380
Sickels' General Ahiman Rezon alludes to ancient customs when stating that
according to Vitruvius, ancient temples were always ascended by an odd number
of steps, for the reason that commencing with the right foot at the bottom, the
worshipper would find the same foot foremost when entering the temple, which
was considered as a fortunate omen. 381 In Masonry exists a predominance of odd
numbers, such as 3, 5, 7, and 15, while there are seldom references to 2, 4, 6, etc.
According to Sickels, "[t]he odd number of the stairs was [...] intended to
symbolize the idea of perfection, to which it was the object of the aspirant to
attain." 382 As stated before, in many Masonic systems, the Winding Stairs consist
of 15 steps. Why this number? Sickels finds an explanation when concluding that
the number 15 is the equivalent of the name of God. Even if his idea seems to us
a little far-fetched, it shows that Masonic writers have tried to establish a
philosophy for every peculiarity they found in their language - whether it was
originally intended so or not.
It will be sufficient to advert to the fact that the total number of the
steps, amounting in all to fifteen, in the American system, is a
significant symbol. For fifteen was a sacred number among the
Orientals, because the letters of the holy name JAH [...] were, in their
numerical value, equivalent to fifteen; and hence a figure, in which the
nine digits were so disposed as to make fifteen either way [...] when
added together perpendicularly, horizontally, or diagonally, constituted
one of their most sacred talismans. The fifteen steps in the Winding
Stairs are therefore symbolic of the name of God. 383
The quotation above furnishes a typical American explanation with an
obvious Christian character. Besides, Sickels' book dates from 1885 and presents
not only the ideas of his country, but also of his times. Presumably, a Mason of
the French Grand Orient, an institution not enforcing the belief in a Supreme
Being, would object to the theory of 15 steps with reference to the name of God,
since it is not in accordance with the essence of this particular French Masonic
teaching. As is the case with many Masonic symbols, one is free to interpret the
symbolism of the Winding Stairs: "A great deal of speculation has been indulged
about the significance of these symbols, but everyone can form individual
opinions of them. The official lectures are the only recognized explanations." 384
CME 385 depicts an ancient illustration of the 15 steps, each one having a name
attributed to it. The first three allude to the three stages of life, youth, manhood,
380 CME, p. 421.
381 Sickels, p. 162.
382 Ibid, p. 163.
383 Sickels, p. 168.
384 CME, p. 421.
385 Ibid.