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

Chapter 4 - Signs & Symbols 189
use ritual ciphers, mostly consisting of initials, and some of characters and a
mixture of both. Remnants of elaborate and mystic sign language are found on
Masonic diplomas, documents, medals, and illustrations, especially concerning
the higher degrees. According to the very critical Dictionnaire de la Franc-
Maçonnerie, the employment of cipher is infantile and constitutes an
idiosyncrasy of American Masons:
La littérature maçonnique cite un certain nombre d'alphbets "secrets",
fort innocents et qu'un enfant décrypterait sans grande peine. On trouve
ces cryptographies dans les anciens "Tuileurs" ou manuels de tuilage
[...], notamment aux États-Unis, encore qu'A. Mackey les ait présentés
dans son Encyclopédie comme des jeux de société plutôt que comme
des mystères initiatiques. La Franc-Maçonnerie américaine en a fait
cependant grand usage, surtout dans les Hauts Grades, avec cette
candeur qui la caractérise souvent. (On cite des documents dont le secret
consiste à être lus à l'envers!) Les rituels où les termes maçonniques
sont désignés par la première lettre d'un mot sont à coup sûr des
déguisements plus efficaces. 523
Why are there ciphers at all? In their obligation, Masons have to promise and
swear that they will not write, print, stamp, stain, cut, carve, mark or engrave 524
the secrets of Freemasonry. However, "[n]othwithstanding this oath, the use of
printed 'guides,' 'rituals,' 'instructors,' etc., is well nigh universal." 525 In certain
States of the U.S., and notably in Michigan, as Cook wrote in 1921, Worshipful
Masters who were proficient in reading cipher rituals used to receive a certificate
of proficiency and were sent out by the Grand Master to visit local lodges in
order to train their officers on the work. Such officers were called "Grand
Lecturers," and in some states, "Deputy District Grand Masters." By this fashion,
a certain uniformity and universality of the ritual was achieved, but, as Cook
states, it was only a "state uniformity," 526 since the rituals of the various Grand
Lodges in the United States differ in minor details. The ciphers look even more
different, as can be seen in the following illustrations.
Of the 50 States of the USA, 38 states, respectively their Grand Lodges, use
cipher books or even plain text rituals. Twelve Grand Lodges do not employ
ciphers or strictly forbid them, i.e., the Grand Lodges of Alabama, Arkansas,
Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Of the 38 Grand lodges that use ciphers or
ritual books, two give limited access to their ciphers, namely the Grand Lodges
of Florida and Georgia. The Grand Lodges of Connecticut and Illinois use clear
text ritual books, that omit only the essential secrets. 527
523
DFM, p. 63.
524
Cf. Duncan, p. 34.
525
Ezra A. Cook (publ.), Standard Freemasonry Illustrated, p. 4.
526
Ibid, p. 5.
527
Cf. http://www.bessel.org/writrits.htm