Freemasonry: Expert Guides and Resources

In order to become a Freemason, you need some basic qualifications (specific qualifications vary from one lodge to the next, but some general rules apply). But if you meet the Freemason criteria, you still have to go through a process, from petitioning to becoming a full member. Basic qualifications The qualifications to join a lodge vary from one jurisdiction to another, but some basic qualifications are common to all regular Masonic lodges: You must believe in a supreme being.

Freemasons are part of an ancient tradition with rituals and symbols all their own. As a Mason, you can earn degrees, join esoteric and social organizations, and become privy to the language and abbreviations specific to Freemasonry.Freemason Blue Lodge degreesThe local Blue Lodge is the place where you and your Freemason friends begin your Masonic careers.

The word lodge really has two meanings to a Freemason. It is both a place where Masonic meetings are held, and a collective term for the members who meet there. So, as weird as it sounds, you could say that a lodge meets in a lodge. In fact, many different lodges can meet at different times in the same lodge building.

There is no international administrative or controlling authority over Freemasonry. There's no office anyone can call to get the official, worldwide policy position of Freemasons, because there is no such policy. In the United States, each state has its own Grand Lodge. But there are basic beliefs common to all regular, mainstream Masonic organizations.

An overwhelming number of the world’s best and brightest have been or are Freemasons. These groups give you far from a comprehensive list — they're just a sampling: Founding fathers: America’s most famous Freemason, George Washington was initiated in 1752, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Other founding fathers who were also Masons include Benjamin Franklin, Marquis de Lafayette, Robert R.

The Freemasons use all kinds of symbols to represent the practices and beliefs of their order. Many of these Masonic symbols originate from the masonry trade and the Christian Bible. Scythe and hourglass: The scythe is to remind Masons of the ever-present danger of death that awaits us all. Like the scythe, the hourglass is an emblem of mortality.

One of the unshakable tenets of regular, recognized Freemasonry is that it's an organization for men only. Beginning in the mid-1800s, several groups for women related to Freemasons were created, with varying degrees of success. The Order of the Eastern Star The Order of the Eastern Star (OES) was created to be a Masonic-style organization open to women, without simply being a copy, parody, or rip-off of the Masonic degrees.

Freemasons are generally a social bunch who want more and more people to join in their love for their rituals. The mid-1800s saw the addition of more groups joining the Masonic family, including groups for female relatives of Masons, as well as their children.Called appendant bodies, some of these groups developed to confer more-involved, Masonic-style degrees.