Introduction p. 1 About This Book p. 2 Conventions Used in This Book p. 2 What You're Not to Read p. 2 Foolish Assumptions p. 3 How This Book Is

Transcription

1 Introduction p. 1 About This Book p. 2 Conventions Used in This Book p. 2 What You're Not to Read p. 2 Foolish Assumptions p. 3 How This Book Is Organized p. 3 Icons Used in This Book p. 6 Where to Go From Here p. 7 What Is Freemasonry? p. 9 Lodges, Aprons, and Funny Handshakes: Freemasonry 101 p. 11 What Is Freemasonry? p. 13 What Masons Do p. 14 The three degrees p. 14 Lodges, blue lodges, craft lodges, and more p. 15 The public ceremonies of Freemasons p. 16 Real men wear aprons! p. 17 A "secret society" p. 17 So is it a charity? A church? A social club? p. 18 Are [Fill in the Blank] Freemasons, Too? p. 19 From Quarries to Lodge Rooms: A History of the Freemasons p. 21 The Great Builders: Freemasonry before 1700 p. 22 Operative Masons: The great builders p. 22 Speculative Masons and the big change p. 28 The 1700s: Builders of Men p. 30 The first Grand Lodge p. 31 Masonry in America p. 36 The French Revolution and beyond p. 40 The 1800s: Growth, Change, and Branching Out p. 42 Antients and Moderns reunited p. 43 Masonic America p. 43 The 1900s: The World Wars and Beyond p. 49 Social concerns in the early 1900s p. 50 World War II p. 50 Growth again p. 51 The decline of the '60s p. 51 Y2K and Beyond: More Changes on the Way p. 52 The Philosophy of Freemasonry p. 55 What Masons Believe In p. 56 Brotherly love, relief, and truth p. 56 Basic principles p. 58 A New World Order? p. 60

2 Mystic Masonry p. 61 The mystic tie p. 62 Masonic symbolism p. 62 Politics, Religion, and Freemasons: They Don't Mix p. 63 Religion and the Masons p. 64 Freemasonry and Catholicism p. 65 Freemasonry and Protestants p. 72 Freemasonry and the Jews p. 73 Freemasonry and Islam p. 76 Politics and the Masons p. 78 Political turmoil in 18th-century Europe p. 79 French anarchy p. 81 Revolution! p. 81 Dictators and Freemasonry p. 84 The distrust continues p. 86 Brethren at war p. 87 The Mechanics of Freemasonry: How It Works p. 91 How the Freemasons Are Organized: Who Does What and Why p. 93 What Is a Lodge? p. 94 What Do Masons Do at the Lodge? p. 96 Who's in Charge around Here? p. 96 Officers in the progressive line p. 97 Officers not in the progressive line p. 102 What Makes a Grand Lodge So, Well, Grand? p. 106 The Grand Master p. 107 The rules p. 108 What Is a Regular, Recognized Lodge? p. 108 Multiple Grand Lodges: So who's legit? p. 110 Irregular, unrecognized, and all over the place p. 112 The Ceremonies of Freemasons p. 117 Understanding Where Masonic Ritual Comes From p. 118 The historical medieval guild rituals p. 118 Put it in writing p. 121 The Work of the Modern Lodge p. 123 The Entered Apprentice: Initiation and youth p. 125 The Fellow Craft degree: Passing through manhood p. 127 Master Mason: Raising, age, and death p. 128 Movin' on up! p. 129 The Symbols of Freemasonry p. 131 The Role of Symbolism in Freemasonry p. 132 Masonic Symbols p. 132

3 The number three p. 133 Tracing boards: 18th-century PowerPoint p. 134 Solomon's Temple p. 136 Square and compass p. 138 More Masonic Symbols p. 139 Scythe and hourglass p. 139 The 47th Problem of Euclid or the Pythagorean theorem p. 140 Jacob's ladder p. 140 Anchor and ark p. 140 Sun, eye, Moon, and stars p. 141 Lamb and lambskin apron p. 141 Slipper p. 142 Point within a circle and parallel lines p. 142 Pot of incense p. 143 Beehive p. 143 Plumb p. 143 Level p. 144 The letter G p. 144 Five-pointed star p. 146 Naked heart and the sword p. 146 Tyler's sword and the Book of Constitutions p. 146 Trowel p. 147 Handshake p. 148 Rough and perfect (or smooth) ashlars p. 148 Pillars p. 148 The coffin, shovel, setting maul, and sprig of acacia p inch gauge and the common gavel p. 151 Myths and Misconceptions about Masons p. 153 Why Freemasonry Is Misunderstood p. 154 Common Myths about Freemasonry p. 154 The lodge goat p. 155 The All-Seeing Eye and the U.S. $1 bill p. 155 The Masonic bible p. 157 The Freemasons and Satan p. 158 Uncle Albert and Lucifer p. 161 The Freemasons and world takeover p. 163 The Freemasons and breaking the law p. 164 A Few Words about the Rosicrucians p. 164 The ballad of Christian Rosenkreutz p. 165 American Rosicrucians p. 168 Modern Rosicrucianism p. 169

4 So what about Masonic Rosicrucians? p. 170 Knights, Swords, Fezzes, and Dresses: The Appendant Bodies p. 173 Introducing the Appendant Bodies: Who's Who, and Who Isn't p. 175 What Are Appendant Bodies? p. 176 The-concordant bodies p. 177 The appendant bodies p. 180 So What about These Other Groups? p. 181 The animal lodges p. 182 The service clubs p. 183 Other unrelated fraternal groups p. 184 Masonic-sounding groups p. 187 The York Rite p. 191 The York Rite System p. 191 Why York? p. 192 How it's organized p. 193 Royal Arch Masonry p. 195 Mark Master p. 196 Past Master p. 196 Most Excellent Master p. 197 Royal Arch p. 198 The Cryptic Rite p. 198 Knights Templar p. 200 The chivalric orders p. 201 A crash course in Templar history p. 203 Other York Rite Bodies p. 209 York Rite College p. 209 Knight Masons p. 209 Allied Masonic Degrees p. 209 Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis p. 210 Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests p. 210 Knights of the York Cross of Honour p. 210 Red Cross of Constantine p. 211 York Rite Charities p. 211 The Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite p. 213 The Scottish Rite System p. 215 Presentation: Curtain up, light the lights p. 215 Organization: Crosses, knights, and princes p. 216 France: Freemasonry's Foundry Furnace p. 218 The Scottish Rite in the United States p. 219 Albert Pike: Sage of the Scottish Rite p. 220 Early life p. 220

5 Pike discovers Freemasonry p. 220 Rituals, morals, and dogma p. 221 Pike and the rest of the Masonic world p. 222 The Degrees of the Scottish Rite p. 223 The Southern Masonic Jurisdiction degrees p. 223 The Northern Masonic Jurisdiction degrees p. 225 The Scottish Rite and Charitable Work p. 227 The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine p. 229 All Shriners Are Freemasons p. 230 The History of the Shriners p. 230 The Knickerbocker boys p. 230 So why the goofy hats? p. 231 The first growth of the Shrine p. 232 Polio and the first Shrine hospital p. 232 Depression and growth p. 232 Greatest philanthropy in the world p. 233 Putting a Little of the Boy Back in the Man p. 233 Hot sands of the desert p. 234 Temples: Domes and minarets p. 234 Units: One to suit every Shriner p. 234 What's with the little cars? p. 235 But Is It Freemasonry? p. 236 The Extended Masonic Family p. 239 Women in the Lodge p. 240 The Order of the Eastern Star p. 240 The Order of the Amaranth p. 244 The White Shrine of Jerusalem p. 246 The Social Order of the Beauceant p. 247 The Youth Groups p. 247 DeMolay International for boys p. 248 The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls p. 250 Job's Daughters p. 250 Lesser-Known Masonic Groups p. 251 The Mystic Order of the Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm of North America p. 251 The Ancient Egyptian Order of SCIOTS p. 252 The Tall Cedars of Lebanon of North America p. 252 National Sojourners p. 253 High Twelve International p. 253 Masonic Research Societies p. 254 Quatuor Coronati Lodge No p. 254 Canonbury Masonic Research Centre p. 255

6 Philalethes Society p. 255 Phylaxis Society p. 255 Scottish Rite Research Society p. 256 Lodges of research p. 256 Freemasonry Today and Tomorrow p. 257 So Is It Still Relevant? p. 259 That Which Was Lost p. 260 Our solitary society p. 260 Disconnected from each other p. 261 Where Freemasonry Fits In p. 262 Making good men better ones p. 263 Good for you, and tastes good, too p. 263 Brotherly love p. 264 Relief p. 264 Truth p. 265 Timelessness p. 266 Freemasons and the Future p. 267 The Future of the Craft p. 268 One-day classes p. 269 Advertising p. 270 Dues p. 270 Back to the Future p. 271 Small is good p. 271 Everything old is new again p. 273 Ancient lessons, new technology p. 273 The Internet: Breaking Down Barriers p. 274 So You Want to Become a Freemason p. 275 Why Men Become Masons p. 276 What's in it for you p. 276 Hearing from Masons themselves p. 277 Why I joined p. 278 To Be One, Ask One p. 280 Finding a Freemason p. 280 Finding a lodge p. 281 Joining a Lodge p. 281 The qualifications for membership p. 282 Petitioning the lodge to join p. 283 Being investigated p. 283 Balloting p. 285 Scheduling your degree ceremonies p. 285 Welcome, Brother p. 286

7 The Part of Tens p. 287 Ten Groups of Famous Masons p. 289 Founding Fathers p. 289 Explorers and Adventurers p. 290 Science and Medicine p. 291 Actors and Entertainers p. 291 The World of Sports p. 292 Military Leaders p. 293 The World of Business p. 294 The World of Statecraft p. 294 U.S. Civil Rights Leaders p. 295 Arts and Letters p. 295 Ten Amazing Conspiracies, Anti-Masons, and Hoaxes p. 297 Leo Taxil and the Great Hoax! p. 297 The Illuminati! p. 299 Trilats, CFRs, and Bilderbergers, Oh My! p. 300 The Secret 33rd Degree! p. 301 Jack the Ripper: A Freemason?! p. 302 The Italian P2 Lodge Scandal! p. 303 Washington, D.C., Is Satan's Road Map! p. 304 Aleister Crowley, Satanist and Freemason! p. 305 The Nazis Were Founded by Freemasons! p. 307 Masonic Cops! Masonic Judges! p. 308 Ten Cool Masonic Places p. 309 Freemason Hall (London) p. 309 George Washington Masonic Memorial (Alexandria, Virginia) p. 310 House of the Temple (Washington, D.C.) p. 310 Freemason's Hall (Philadelphia) p. 310 Masonic Temple (Detroit) p. 311 Grand Lodge of the State of New York (New York City) p. 311 Templar Church (London) p. 311 Rosslyn Chapel (Roslin, Scotland) p. 312 Grande Loge Nationale Francaise and Other Masonic Buildings (Paris) p. 312 Scottish Rite Cathedral (Indianapolis) p. 312 Appendixes p. 313 The Regius Manuscript p. 315 A Poem of Moral Duties p. 315 Anderson's Constitutions p. 337 The Charges Of A Free Mason p. 337 Concerning God And Religion p. 338 Of The Civil Magistrate Supreme And Subordinate p. 338

8 Of Lodges p. 338 Of Masters, Wardens, Fellows, And Apprentices p. 339 Of The Management Of The Craft In Working p. 339 Of Behavior p. 340 Finding a Lodge p. 343 Mainstream U.S. Grand Lodges p. 343 Prince Hall Grand Lodges p. 348 Canadian Grand Lodges p. 353 Index p. 355 Table of Contents provided by Blackwell's Book Services and R.R. Bowker. Used with permission.