Masonic Symbols
What the symbol on the ring, the pin or the certificate in front of you actually means, which body it belongs to, and whether the person you are buying for has earned the right to wear it.
Every meaning here comes from the published monitors and from what the Grand Lodges and appendant bodies say about themselves. Where a meaning is explained only in a degree, the page says so and stops. Customs vary between jurisdictions; your Lodge Secretary is the authority.
The emblem of the Craft
The marks that say "Freemason" to anyone who knows to look.
- The Square and CompassesThe emblem of Freemasonry: the square for testing conduct against a standard, the compasses for keeping desires within due bounds.
- The Letter GThe G at the center of the American square and compasses is read as standing for Geometry and for God, the Great Architect of the Universe.
- The All-Seeing EyeAn eye, often in a triangle or a glory of rays, read in the monitors as the watchfulness of the Supreme Being over human thought and conduct.
Entered Apprentice
The first degree: the apron, the first tools, and the Lodge itself as a picture.
- The Lambskin ApronThe white lambskin apron is the badge of a Mason and an emblem of innocence, presented in the first degree.
- The Twenty-Four-Inch GaugeA measuring rule of twenty-four inches, for the twenty-four hours of the day, taught as the right division of time.
- The Common GavelThe stonemason's hammer for breaking off rough corners, taught as divesting the heart of the vices and superfluities of life.
- The Rough and Perfect AshlarsTwo stones, one as it came from the quarry and one squared for the builder, standing for the unimproved man and the man improved by instruction.
- The Trestle BoardThe board on which the master workman draws his designs, standing for the moral plan a Mason builds his life by.
- The Three Great LightsThe Volume of the Sacred Law, the square and the compasses: one to guide faith, one to square actions, one to keep desires within due bounds.
- The Point Within a CircleA point inside a circle, bordered by two parallel lines: the individual Mason, the boundary of his conduct, and the two Saints John.
- The Mosaic PavementThe black-and-white checkered floor of the Lodge, emblematic of human life checkered with good and evil.
- The Blazing StarThe star at the center of the mosaic pavement, read in the monitors as the sun that lights the earth and, by many writers, as Divine Providence.
- Jacob's LadderThe ladder of Genesis 28, by which Masons hope to reach the heavens; its three principal rounds are Faith, Hope and Charity.
Fellowcraft
The second degree: the tools of the Wardens, the pillars, the stairs.
- The SquareTwo arms at a true right angle, used to test work: the emblem of morality, and the jewel of the Worshipful Master.
- The LevelThe tool that proves horizontals, taught as equality: all Masons meet on the level. It is the Senior Warden's jewel.
- The PlumbA weighted line that finds true vertical, taught as uprightness of conduct. It is the Junior Warden's jewel.
- The Two PillarsThe two bronze pillars at the porch of King Solomon's Temple, Boaz and Jachin, which stand for strength and establishment.
- The Winding StairsA flight of stairs of three, five and seven steps leading to the middle chamber of the Temple, used in the Fellowcraft lecture to teach the value of learning.
- Corn, Wine and OilThe wages of a Fellowcraft and the elements poured out at Masonic cornerstone ceremonies: nourishment, refreshment and joy.
Master Mason
The third and highest degree, and the emblems its lecture explains.
- The TrowelThe working tool of the Master Mason, used to spread the cement that binds a building together: brotherly love and affection.
- The Pot of IncenseAn emblem of a pure heart, which is always an acceptable sacrifice to the Deity.
- The BeehiveAn emblem of industry, recommending that virtue to every created being from the highest seraph in heaven to the lowest reptile of the dust.
- The Book of Constitutions Guarded by the Tyler's SwordA reminder to be watchful and guarded in thought, word and action, and of the Masonic virtues of silence and circumspection.
- The Sword Pointing to a Naked HeartAn emblem that justice will sooner or later overtake us, and that thoughts hidden from men are not hidden from the All-Seeing Eye.
- The Anchor and ArkEmblems of a well-grounded hope and a well-spent life: the ark that carries us over a sea of troubles and the anchor that moors us in a peaceful harbor.
- The Forty-Seventh Problem of EuclidThe Pythagorean theorem, taught as an emblem that a Mason should be a general lover of the arts and sciences.
- The HourglassAn emblem of human life: the sand runs out almost imperceptibly, and so does a life.
- The ScytheAn emblem of time, which cuts the brittle thread of life and launches us into eternity.
- The Sprig of AcaciaAn evergreen emblem of the immortality of the soul, central to the Master Mason degree and to Masonic funeral services.
Lodge office
Jewels that mark an office held, not a degree received.
- The Past Master's JewelThe emblem of a man who has served as Worshipful Master of his Lodge: in most American jurisdictions, open compasses on a quarter-circle with a sun at the center.Earned emblem
- Lodge Officers' JewelsThe emblem hung from each officer's collar, identifying the office he holds: the square, the level, the plumb, crossed keys, crossed pens and the rest.Earned emblem
York Rite
Chapter and Commandery: the keystone, the triple tau, the cross and crown.
- The Mark Master KeystoneThe keystone of the Mark Master degree, carrying a circle of eight letters and, on a Mark Master's own keystone, his personal mark.Earned emblem
- The Triple TauThree T-shapes joined at the foot, the principal emblem of Royal Arch Masonry, usually shown inside a triangle within a circle.Earned emblem
- The Cross and CrownThe emblem of the Masonic Knights Templar: a cross passing through a crown, often with the motto In Hoc Signo Vinces, "in this sign you will conquer".Earned emblem
Scottish Rite
The double-headed eagle and the degree emblems that carry it.
- The Double-Headed EagleThe emblem of the Scottish Rite. With the motto Spes Mea in Deo Est, "my hope is in God", it is the mark of a 32° Mason.Earned emblem
- The 14° RingA plain gold band inscribed Virtus junxit, mors non separabit, "whom virtue unites, death shall not separate", worn by Scottish Rite Masons who have received the 14°.Earned emblem
- The 33° EmblemThe emblem of the honorary 33° of the Scottish Rite, conferred by a Supreme Council by invitation. It cannot be applied for, and it is not a higher rank than Master Mason.Earned emblem
Shrine and Eastern Star
Two bodies with their own emblems, their own members, and their own rules.
- The Shriners EmblemA scimitar from which hangs a crescent, with a sphinx head and a star: the emblem of Shriners International, with the motto Robur et Furor, "strength and fury".Earned emblem
- The Shriners FezThe red fez with a black tassel, embroidered with the Shrine emblem and the name of the wearer's Shrine, worn by Shriners.Earned emblem
- The Eastern Star EmblemA five-pointed star with one point down, each point colored for one of five heroines from scripture: Adah, Ruth, Esther, Martha and Electa.Earned emblem
The working tools are covered together in The Working Tools of Freemasonry, Explained, and the degrees themselves in the Blue Lodge guide. The appendant bodies: York Rite, Scottish Rite, Shrine.