The Letter G
The 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.
Also called: G in the square and compass
What it means
Two readings are taught, usually in the same breath. Geometry, because it is the science on which the operative builder's whole art rests, and the old monitors treat it as the first and noblest of the sciences. And God, the Great Architect of the Universe, because Freemasonry requires a belief in a Supreme Being and the G keeps that at the center of the emblem.
The letter is an English-language convention. American Lodges almost always show it; many English and European Lodges show the square and compasses without it, and Lodges working in other languages have sometimes used other letters or none. A G is not more or less correct.
It belongs to the Fellowcraft degree, where geometry is given its fullest treatment, and is displayed in the East of many American Lodge rooms.
In context: The Working Tools of Freemasonry, Explained
Frequently asked questions
What does the Letter G mean in Freemasonry?
The 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.
Who can wear the Letter G?
Worn as jewelry or on a lapel, this is read as a claim to be a Freemason, so it is customarily worn by Master Masons. As a print, a book, or a gift for a Mason, it implies nothing about the giver.
Sources
Drawn from the published monitors and from what the bodies concerned publish about themselves. Nothing here comes from, or goes beyond, any obligated material.
- Thomas Smith Webb, The Freemason's Monitor; or, Illustrations of Masonry (1797)
- William Preston, Illustrations of Masonry (1772)
- Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopædia of Freemasonry (1873)