What is Freemasonry?

What is Freemasonry?

Archaically, it was “A Peculiar System of Morality, veiled in allegory, illustrated by Symbols.” “Peculiar” in the past meant “Specific”.

An “Allegory” is a metaphor or a parable that in some way reflects an underlying truth or lesson.

“Symbols” are objects on which to ponder lessons of morality – in freemasonry, we use the tools of the Operative mason (Plumb-rules, Squares, Levels, Mallets, Chisels, Pencils etc) – to each of these a brief ethical lesson is established on which freemasons might ponder – many of today’s Speculative masons memorise these lessons of the working tools.

We are not a secret society or you would not be reading this now. In ancient times, before passports, id-cards and the like, the itinerant operative freemasons who were building the great medieval structures across Europe, needed modes of identification that demonstrated their levels of qualification and experience, and hence the salaries and working conditions to which they were entitled.

Those closely-guarded Signs, Words and Grips are figuratively used by today’s Speculative freemasons – these are the only “Masonic secrets” and most of them are open knowledge in the world today. We impart those symbolic secrets as masons progress through the three “Craft” degrees which are stories or dramas through which the underlying lessons in each Degree are taught.

How does Freemasonry work?

We all operate under the general Masonic principles of “Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth”..…

Further information: https://sussexmasons.org.uk/about-freemasonry