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

11. Rain and Snow
Chapter 5 - Technical Terminology 299
An interesting metaphor can be observed with regard to the secrecy of
Freemasonry. The lodge has to be "properly tiled" against intruders who are not
privileged to attend the ritualistic ceremony. Therefore, some kind of a warning
cry had to be invented to announce the approaching of such an undesired person.
Thus, it was - and according to a German Freemason whom we have interviewed
in 2000 - still is a custom to use the expression "it rains" for the appearance of a
profane 886 : "It was a custom among the English Masons of the middle of the last
century, when conversing together on Masonry, to announce the appearance of a
profane by the warning expression "it rains." The custom was adopted by the
German and French Masons, with the equivalent expression, es regnet and il
pluie." 887 The EOF in its 1921 edition places the use of this warning cry in the
19 th century. A climax which denotes the approaching of a woman is the
expression "it snows," invented by the German and French Masons, according to
the same source:
Baron Tschoudy, who condemns the usage, says that the latter refined
upon it by designating the approach of a female by il neige, it snows.
Dr. Oliver says [...] that the phrase "it rains," to indicate that a cowan is
present and the proceedings must be suspended, is derived from the
ancient punishment of an eavesdropper, which was to place him under
the eaves of a house in rainy weather, and to retain him there till the
droppings of water ran in at the collar of his coat and out at his shoes. 888
16. A Mason's Wind
The interpretation of "a Mason's wind" is based on the four points of the
compass. Thus, according to the IFL, in very few Masonic catechisms of the 18 th
century can be found the question "How blows a Mason's Wind?," to which the
answer is, "Due east and west." The direction of the wind is said to designate the
shift of knowledge from east to west, and as we already know, the master sits in
the East, embodying the wise King Solomon, thus distributing knowledge to the
"darker" parts where it has not yet penetrated: "Die Frage soll die Wanderung der
Erkenntnisse vom Osten nach Westen symbolisieren." 889 General knowledge is
also said to have come to us from the Orient. This transmission of wisdom from
the East explains, for example, why the North is considered the place of
886 Cf. also IFL, p. 1293: " 'Es regnet' bedeutet im freimaurerischen Sprachgebrauch die Anwesenheit
Profaner."
887 EOF, p. 607.
888 Ibid.
889 IFL, p. 1711.