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

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Chapter 4 - Signs & Symbols
square of virtue should be the rule and guide for his practice through life. 403 The
Fellow Craft in Duncan's ritual thus explains the use of his three working tools,
the plumb, the square, and the level: "the plumb admonishes us to walk upright,
in our several stations, before God and man; squaring our actions by the square
of virtue; and remembering that we are travelling, upon the level of time, to 'that
undiscovered country, from whose bourne [sic; technical term] no traveller [sic]
returns." 404 The compasses are also the Fellow Craft's emblem, because "by due
attention to their use, we are taught to circumscribe our desires, and keep our
passions within due bounds." 405
The square belongs to the Master as the proper Masonic emblem of his
office, which helps him to better solve animosities and rule the lodge:
The Square is given to the whole Masonic body, because we are all
obligated with it, and are consequently bound to act thereon. As it is by
the assistance of the Square that all rude matter is brought into due form,
so it is by the square conduct of the Master that all animosities are made
to subside, should any unfortunately arise in the Lodge, and the business
of Masonry is thereby better conducted. The ungovernable passions and
uncultivated nature of man stand as much in need of the Square and
Compasses to bring them into order [...], as those instruments of
Masonry are necessary to bring rude matter into form, or to make a
block of marble fit for the polished corners of the temple. 406
Further, there exists a marching ceremony called "squaring the lodge," which
means to take a special way in order to proceed from one part of the lodge to the
other, e.g. from the East to the West, or from the South to the North, whereby the
space between the altar and the East must generally not be invaded. As far as
processions and formations are concerned, in our ritualistic chapters we will see
that squares and right angles are often formed by candidates and officers during
the ceremonies, e.g. the candidate kneels in front of the altar and forms a right
angle with one raised knee, or the officers change direction in a right angle. If we
want to see a deeper meaning behind it and not just drill, it can be supposed that
thus, they symbolically square their actions. In Masonry there exist two
important kind of squares, the working tool consisting of two arms and the
geometrical square, which in ancient times, before the triangle was used
therefore, was a symbol of the lodge.
403 Cf. Simons, p. 58.
404 Sickels, p. 82.
405 Ibid, p. 80.
406 Ibid.