The Mosaic Pavement
The black-and-white checkered floor of the Lodge, emblematic of human life checkered with good and evil.
Also called: checkered floor · black and white floor · checkerboard floor
What it means
One of the three ornaments of the Lodge in the monitors, together with the indented tessel (the decorated border around it) and the blazing star at its center. The pavement represents the floor of King Solomon's Temple and the alternation of good and evil, joy and sorrow, in every life. The tessel stands for the blessings and comforts that surround us.
It is the most recognizable piece of Lodge-room design, and most Lodges have it on the floor or on a carpet laid for degree work. Owning a checkered rug implies nothing about anyone.
In context: The Working Tools of Freemasonry, Explained
Frequently asked questions
What does the Mosaic Pavement mean in Freemasonry?
The black-and-white checkered floor of the Lodge, emblematic of human life checkered with good and evil.
Who can wear the Mosaic Pavement?
This is a lesson rather than a badge. It turns up on Lodge charts, prints and gifts, and owning or displaying one says nothing about rank. On a lapel most people will read it as Masonic.
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)