What is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry grew out of the operative stonemasons' guilds of medieval Europe — men who built the cathedrals.

By the late 1500s those working guilds had begun admitting non-masons — gentlemen, philosophers, clergymen — who were drawn to the symbolism of the craft. Over the next hundred years the speculative Masons grew in number until, in 1717, four London lodges combined to form the first Grand Lodge. That is the organization from which every regular Grand Lodge in the world, including ours, descends.

The operative tools of the stonemason — the square, the level, the plumb — became the speculative Mason's moral metaphors. We still use them that way.

One thing, really: that you take yourself seriously as a work in progress.

Freemasonry is not a self-help program. It does not promise to make you successful, popular, or rich. What it offers is a framework — centuries old, refined by millions of men — for thinking about how to live well: with honesty, with temperance, with prudence, with care for the people around you.

The work happens in three ways: through the allegorical ritual of the three degrees, through the charitable practice each lodge commits to, and through the ordinary friendship of people who meet regularly and know each other well.

Entered Apprentice. The first degree. You are received into the lodge and introduced to the symbolic tools of the craft. It is the beginning of a new way of thinking about your life.

Fellowcraft. The second degree. You are brought deeper into the meaning of the ritual, with new symbolic tools and a lecture on the liberal arts. A middle chamber, both literally and in the metaphor.

Master Mason. The third degree, and the one most Freemasons remain for life. The central allegory of the degree is the first thing most Masons will tell you stayed with them. You are a full member of the craft.