THE ARCANE SCHOOLS - Fort Myers Beach Masonic Lodge No. 362

attend, by some Past Master appointed by him as his special proxy or
representative for that purpose. On the appointed evening, the Grand
Master, accompanied by his Grand Officers, repairs to the place where
the
new lodge is to hold its meetings, the lodge[29] having been placed in
the
centre of the room and decently covered with a piece of white linen or
satin. Having taken the chair, he examines the records of the lodge and
the warrant of constitution; the officers who have been chosen are
presented before him, when he inquires of the Brethren if they continue
satisfied with the choice they have made. The ceremony of consecration
is
then performed. The Lodge is uncovered; and corn, wine, and oil--the
masonic elements of consecration--are poured upon it, accompanied by
appropriate prayers and invocations, and the lodge is finally declared
to
be consecrated to the honor and glory of God.
This ceremony of consecration has been handed down from the remotest
antiquity. A consecrating--a separating from profane things, and making
holy or devoting to sacred purposes--was practiced by both the Jews and
the Pagans in relation to their temples, their altars, and all their
sacred utensils. The tabernacle, as soon as it was completed, was
consecrated to God by the unction of oil. Among the Pagan nations, the
consecration of their temples was often performed with the most
sumptuous
offerings and ceremonies; but oil was, on all occasions, made use of as
an
element of the consecration. The lodge is, therefore, consecrated to
denote that henceforth it is to be set apart as an asylum sacred to the
cultivation of the great masonic principles of Friendship, Morality,
and
Brotherly Love. Thenceforth it becomes to the conscientious Mason a
place
worthy of his reverence; and he is tempted, as he passes over its
threshold, to repeat the command given to Moses: "Put off thy shoes
from
off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."
The corn, wine, and oil are appropriately adopted as the Masonic
elements
of consecration, because of the symbolic signification which they
present
to the mind of the Mason. They are enumerated by David as among the
greatest blessings which we receive from the bounty of Divine
Providence.
They were annually offered by the ancients as the first fruits, in a
thank-offering for the gifts of the earth; and as representatives of
"the
corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy," they
symbolically instruct the Mason that to the Grand Master of the
Universe
he is indebted for the "health, peace, and plenty" that he enjoys.
After the consecration of the lodge, follows its dedication. This is a
simple ceremony, and principally consists in the pronunciation of a
formula of words by which the lodge is declared to be dedicated to the