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The whole system is transmitted to initiates through the medium of Masonic ritual, which consists of lectures and allegorical plays. [2] Common to all of Freemasonry is the three grade system of Craft or Blue Lodge freemasonry, whose allegory is centred on the building of the Temple of Solomon, and the story of the chief architect, Hiram Abiff. [3]
Similarly to Craft Freemasonry, Mark Masonry conveys moral and ethical lessons using a ritualised allegory based around the building of King Solomon's Temple.The ceremonies of Mark Masonry require the candidate to undertake the role of a Fellowcraft, thus the degree is seen as an extension of the Fellowcraft Degree, and the philosophical lessons conveyed are appropriate to that stage in a ...
The meaning of the symbolism is taught and explored through ritual, [24] and in lectures and articles by individual Masons who offer their personal insights and opinions. According to the scholar of Western esotericism Jan A. M. Snoek: "the best way to characterize Freemasonry is in terms of what it is not, rather than what it is". [ 61 ]
The first Masonic description of the Chain of Union appears in the Edinburgh Manuscript of 1696, one of the oldest known ritual documents. The manuscript describes a specific ceremony for making master masons and fellow crafts: "But to be a master mason or fellow craft there is more to be done...
Masonic myths occupy a central place in Freemasonry.Derived from founding texts or various biblical legends, they are present in all Masonic rites and ranks. Using conceptual parables, they can serve Freemasons as sources of knowledge and reflection, where history often vies with fiction.
The first major attempt to define the landmarks of Freemasonry was in 1858, when Albert Mackey (1807–1881) defined 25 landmarks in total: [6] The fraternal modes of recognition; The division of Masonry into 3 symbolic degrees; The symbolic legend of Hiram Abiff; The government of the fraternity by a Grand Master
In some cases, a Master Mason can be invited to join a different rite after having reached Mastery to further his knowledge. For a system of Masonic degrees to be named rite, it must encompass the first three blue lodge craft degrees, either as degrees within the rite or as a prerequisite for joining the rite. In essence, a Masonic rite ...
Freemasonry, a fraternal order that uses an analogy to stonemasonry for much of its structure, also makes use of marks.A Freemason who takes the degree of Mark Master Mason will be asked to create his own Mark, as a type of unique signature or identifying badge.