by: Michael Kovacs 

Brethren,

It is regarded that all three of the degrees of freemasonry are beautiful, historical and grand in their design and impact on the candidate. While I completely agree with this, I argue that the first degree might be the most memorable.

Let’s take a few moments to think of what the experience must have been like for us, and all the candidates that have come before, and will come after. Imagine, you are a candidate and have never seen a lodge room, or at least not during its regular operation. Therefore, you have never been exposed to the plethora of symbols found within prior to your initiation. Further, for the first part of the degree, you are blindfolded. This only strengthens your unsettling anticipation towards finally being able to see for yourself what lies on the other side of the piece of cloth over your eyes. When you finally have the fortune to “see the light”, the lodge room greets you at the same time with a thunderous “CLAP”, adding to the drama.

The first thing you do, as you are receiving instructions from your guide, is to take a quick look around. Not a long look, mind you, as you are still unsure what is appropriate behaviour. Nonetheless, you can’t stop from peaking; your curiousity just won’t allow it. And when you do you are welcomed with a seemingly unending amount of odd objects, shapes, figures, and more. Not to mention, you have been encountering a vocabulary from many strange speakers that seems to have come from some medieval textbook. Ahah! You are finally starting to realize the breadth of history found in the craft, which you may or may not have read on the Internet. You now understand you are a student.

Brethren, we’ve all gone through this. Yet I must ask, how many of us have actually taken the time to learn about those objects, shapes, figures and vocabulary? I proudly call myself a student of history, yet I must confess to not knowing all the history behind the symbols in the first degree. It is this that I wish to present to you this evening: “A Brief Review of the History and Significance of the Symbols in the First Degree”.

Brethren, let us begin with a brief account provided by Alberg G. Mackey in 1873 of the purpose of symbolism in freemasonry. He said, “In Freemasonry, all the instruction in its mysteries are communicated in the form of symbols. Founded as a speculative science, on an operative art, it has taken the working tools of the profession which it spiritualizes, the terms of architecture, the Temple of Solomon, and everything that is connected with its traditional history, and adopting them as symbols, it teaches its great moral philosophical lessons by this system.”

For our purposes, a symbol is any visible, audible or tangible object used to typify any idea, truth or quality. With this in mind, let us first discuss our first symbol, the square.

The discovery of the square was a great event to the primitive mystics of the Nile River area of Egypt. It very early became an emblem of truth, justness and righteousness, which it remains to this day. In Freemasonry, it is a symbol of morality. Though there is much evidence of the square being used by operative masons, it was first found in 1725 in a document asking, “How many make a lodge?” With the response being, “God and the Square with five or seven right or perfect masons.”

While operative masons make use of compasses for architectural purposes, we as speculative masons apply it to our principles. For us, the compass is the ultimate emblem of virtue, the true and only measure of a mason’s life and conduct. It gives us the ability to circumscribe our passions, and keep our desires within boundaries.

When one conjoins the two symbols, the square and compass, it creates the most recognizable of all Masonic symbols. For us, however, it is used for a more noble purpose, as it brings to our mind the lesson that we are to “square” our actions, and to keep them within due bounds.

Though the square and compass have been widely used since the formation of the Grand Lodges of England and Scotland, there is one peculiar note found in a religious work by a man named John Davies. He writes, “Yet I this forme of formelesse Deity, Drewe by the Squire and Compasse of our creed.” Interesting! Note, that was written in 1606.

The square and compass for masons refer to a man’s duty to the craft and to him; hence it is properly a symbol of brotherhood, and they’re significantly adopted as the badge or token of the fraternity.

We will now turn our attention to the rough ashlar. The rough ashlar, as described by one Masonic historian named Bailey in the 19th century, is simply “freestone as it comes out of the quarry, but having a much more noble purpose.” In speculative masonry, we adopt the ashlar in two different states, rough, and perfect. The rough ashlar, which we will focus on now, appears to be nothing more than a large, and rather heavy, rock, which must have seemed out of place when we first took off that blindfold X years ago. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

The rough ashlar, in its rude and unpolished condition, is emblematic of man in his natural state – ignorant, uncultivated and vicious. But when education has exerted its wholesome influence in expanding his intellect, restraining his passions and purifying his life, he has then learned the significance of the rock.

We will conclude with a brief analysis of that one, all-important letter that seems to represent so much in masonry – “G”. The letter is much more than just the seventh in our alphabet. In Masonic lodges, the letter can be found in several places. Almost always the letter is represented above the altar that holds the Volume of the Sacred Law, or Bible. Further, quite often it can be seen above the chair of the master of the lodge. The question then is two-fold. When was the letter first used, and what is its meaning?

What we know for certain is that in the book “Masonry Dissected”, there is a ritual called “The Repeating of the Letter G”. It goes…. read from Mackey

As to the signification of the symbol, it is in no way, nor has ever been, esoteric. The secret instruction in reference to the symbol relates not to the knowledge of the symbol itself, but rather the mode in which, and the object for which, that knowledge has been obtained.

To apply its signification to the name of God only is to deprive it of part of its Masonic import. One must also apply it to Geometry, which is the science in which we base many of our moral lessons. And of course, as the EA has learned, the G is the first letter in the Great Architect of the Universe, which itself denotes the great and glorious being designated by the letter.

Brethren, I hope that if I have not answered any questions for you, I’ve perhaps opened your eyes so that you may appreciate all the beautiful symbols found in the first degree.

Thank you for your time.