Freemasonry
Origins of Freemasonry
The first grand lodge, established to govern Freemasonry in England and Wales, was formed in 1717, during a meeting at a pub in the City of London called the Goose and Gridiron. At that time there were four lodges in the city. But in Scotland, a masonic lodge in Edinburgh has records to show that it has been in existence since at least 1599. During the early 18th century, Freemasonry spread quickly to Europe and the colonies.
But what is it?
The easiest way to explain Freemasonry is to see it as a series of small plays where the audience are the cast, those plays are moral lessons and are a way of teaching us how to look after ourselves and others. For some members they take to heart the teachings of those ceremonies and for others they act as a small bit of escapism and use Masonry as a means to catch up with old friends over a dinner and drink, for some they enjoy the history of it, by participating in ritual and ceremonies that have largely unchanged over the past 300 years, to answer what Freemasonry will actually be to you, well there’s only one way to find out…
Why are they so secretive?
Freemasonry’s guiding metaphor is the craft of stonemasonry: it models itself upon the fraternities of medieval stonemasons who would use secret words and symbols to recognise each others’ legitimacy, and so protect their work from outsiders. During some periods of history, Freemasons have been persecuted – by the Nazis, for example – and have needed to go underground to survive. The only secrets in Masonry are the signs, token and words of each degree, these would have been used in periods gone by as ‘proof’ of their qualification, much like a CV or exam certificates today.
Is Freemasonry a religion?
No, it is a secular movement, although new members are expected to acknowledge a belief in a God-like superior being, often called the Grand or Great Architect of the Universe. Anyone believing in a single deity may be admitted. Rudyard Kipling, who was a member of a masonic lodge in Lahore, wrote a number of poems about his fellow masons who were Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews. In theory, all discussion of religion and politics is prohibited within lodges
Interested?
If you are interested in becoming a Freemason the first and easiest thing to do is to contact us.
We wait for interested people to seek us out and ask us. Never be worried about asking.
If you are interested we will likely invite you and your family along to meet our Lodge members and their families for dinner at the Masonic Hall.
To join you must be aware that there are three essential qualifications:-
1. You must believe in a Supreme Being (It does not matter what your religion is)
2. You are a man aged over 21 years (18 in some circumstances) – If you are woman interested in Masonry please visit…https://www.owf.org.uk/
3. You are of good moral character