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

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Chapter 4 - Signs & Symbols
Degree lecture refer to it as "the ever-green and ever-living sprig" by which the
Mason is strengthened "with confidence and composure, to look forward to a
blessed immortality." 662
As the evanescent nature of the flower, which 'cometh forth and is cut
down,' reminds us of the transitory nature of human life, so the
perpetual renovation of the evergreen plant, which uninterruptedly
presents the appearance of youth and vigor, is aptly compared to that
spiritual life in which the soul, freed from the corruptible
companionship of the body, shall enjoy an eternal spring and an
immortal youth. 663
The acacia as a symbol of regeneration and immortality is explained by
Oliver, who resolves the formula of a Master Mason "My name is Cassia," as
meaning "I have been in the grave, I have triumphed over it by rising from the
dead, and being regenerated in the process I have a claim to life everlasting."
According to a French Masonic dictionary, in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite exists the saying "the acacia is known to me," meaning "I am a Master
Mason": "Au Rite Ecossais Ancien et Accepté, les paroles "L'Acacia m'est
connu" signifient que celui qui les profère affirme par là connaître les secrets de
la Maîtrise." 664
In the androgynous order of the Amaranth, another evergreen, the amaranth,
replaces the acacia and has the same symbolic value.
General Symbols of Freemasonry
4.6.16 The Lion
The lion can be called the "patron animal of Freemasonry." 665 It figures also
in many other cultures, being a general symbol of strength and sovereignty.
Thus, the lion was represented in the Babylonian human-headed figures of the
Nimrod gateway, and worshiped in Egypt at a city called Leontopolis, where the
lion represented Dom, the Egyptian Hercules. Alexandria is represented as a
lion, as well as Venice which chose St. Mark as its patron saint, whose symbol is
the lion. In the cult of Mithras, candidates who successfully passed the initiations
were called "Lions," and Mithras himself was often depicted with the head of a
lion and two pairs of wings. 666 Hall even argues that the later use of Freemasonry
662 Simons, p. 147.
663 EOF, p. 7.
664 DFM, p. 58.
665 Cf. Newton (ed.), The Master Mason, March 1925, "Animals and Plants in Freemasonry," p. 198.
666 Cf. Hall, p. XXIV.