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

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Chapter 4 - Signs & Symbols
A: They travelled [sic] East for instruction, and went West to
propagate the knowledge they had obtained. 709
In Freemasonry, travels are symbolic of the flow of knowledge from the East
(the Orient and place of provenance of wisdom) to the West (the yet unlightened
region). Introductory to this section on particular Masonic movements, the space
or room where these are executed has to be defined. Hence, the symbolism of the
lodge plays a role again. As to the metaphorical denotation of the lodge room,
this enclosure has been explained in Section 4.2 as a symbol of King Solomon's
temple, of the earth, and of universality (microcosm and macrocosm). Forms
resembling the lodge are already found in the rituals of savages, folklore
survivals, and heathen religions. As a sacred ground for the performance of
ritualistic ceremonies, the lodge can be compared to the ancient enclosures of
primitive cultures, although few people are conscious of this resemblance today,
since "[t]he idea of an enclosure is so practical and commonplace that it is not
easy for us to see any ritual significance in it at all." 710 When the primitive
collectors and hunters transformed from nomads to agricultural people having
permanent dwellings, mythology began to develop, the earth was regarded as the
"mother earth" and was not taken for granted any more. Thus, "mother earth"
became involved into ritualistic practice. Favor was asked of her, thanks were
given to her, and attempts were made to still her anger through spring
ceremonies, rain ceremonies, etc. Evil forces had to be chased and prevented
from stealing the crop, killing the animals or the people, or from doing other
damage. Some tribes used circular representations of their sacred ground.
Examples include the natives in Australia and the North American Navajos. The
latter were dwellers in teepees. The Hopis had stone houses roofed with beams,
and therefore made their diagrams square or oblong. The outer form of the sacred
enclosure, whether circular, triangular, square, or curved, has a symbolic
meaning in any culture. Thus, in Craft Masonry, the form of the lodge is an
"oblong square." Royal Arch Masonry, which is considered by many the
crowning of the Craft and thus the "strongest" part of Masonry, uses a Catenarian
arch:
A rope being loosely suspended by its two ends forms a curve, which is
called a Catenarian Curve; and this inverted is said to be the strongest of
all arches, and is called the Catenarian Arch. As the form of a symbolic
Lodge is a parallelogram, that of a Royal Arch Chapter, according to the
English ritual, is, or should be, held in the form of an arch. 711
It is interesting to observe that the "holy ground" of the Hopi Indians
resembles a Masonic lodge in certain features: "The sacred diagrams or sand
709 Anonymous ("Compiled by a member of the Craft."), The Text Book of Freemasonry, p. 128.
710 Quoted from Bros. A. L. Kress and R. J. Meekren, "The Form of the Lodge," printed in The
Builder from 1926, vol. XII, p. 186.
711 TRMC, p. 110. Illustration: ibid.