Category archive
for Symbology

The Order of Quetzalcoatl, a Brotherhood of Fire and Feathers

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Shrouded in mystery and symbolism, the Order of Quetzalcoatl serves a decidedly philanthropic end.

Unforgettable: The Masonic Connection to the Forget-Me-Not

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The forget-me-not is a Masonic symbol of brotherhood, sacrifice, and remembrance.

Symbolic Gesture: The First Depictions of Masonry

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A new exhibition explains the groundbreaking illustrations in a 300-year-old manuscript.

Masonic Rebirth Is an Infinite Loop

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The story of Freemasonry is one of death and rebirth. As recent events show, when it comes to California Masonry, what’s old is new again.

In Masonic Ritual, Performance as Progress

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Author and “manliness” expert Brett McKay explains how ritual helps us make sense of life’s progressions.

Emile Norman’s Endomosaic: A Window of Wonder

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Artist Emile Norman never became a household name. But his massive artwork remains a treasure of California Freemasonry in San Francisco.

The Lewis Degree: A Masonic Ceremony Generations in the Making

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For the select group of Masonic father-and-son combos, the Lewis Degree is a special ceremony binding generations of Masons.

For Masons at Burning Man, a Lodge on the Playa

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For the small band of Masons who make the annual trek to Black Rock Desert, the echoes between Burning Man and Freemasonry are unmistakable.

With ‘The Pentaverate,’ Secret Societies Are Suddenly Everywhere on TV

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Led by ‘The Pentaverate’ and ‘The Lost Symbol,’ allusions to secret fraternal organizations based on Freemasonry are suddenly everywhere.

For Freemasons, Death Is Not the End

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Freemasonry offers a framework to living a better life. That’s why it holds so many lessons for confronting death—and whatever comes next.

For Masonic Artifact Collectors, They’re Another Man’s Treasure

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To some, collecting Masonic artifacts, rings, aprons, and jewelry isn’t just a hobby. It’s a craze.

Worthy of Being Worn

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More than a symbol of fraternal devotion, the Masonic apron embodies the wearer’s presentation of himself – to his lodge and to the world.

In Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, a Masonic Whodunnit

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This fall, in ‘Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol’ on Peacock, a new Masonic mystery thriller hits the streaming airwaves.

The Masonic Pursuit of Justice

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In celebration of Independence Day, Grand Lodge of California head archivist Joe Evans shares a blue transferware cup plate dated between 1818 and 1836 that suggests Lady Justice a Freemason.

Eye of the Beholder

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Could a hiding-in-plain-sight Masonic icon change the way we understand a Diego Rivera masterpiece?

Pyramid Scheme

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A North Bay Mason’s curious claim on a mysterious icon

The Companies We Keep

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As Gmail retires its Masonic apron-like logo, we look behind some of the world’s most iconic brand designs and find Masonic inspiration.

The Code Breakers

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For more than 150 years, the Folger cipher had Masonic experts stumped—until Dr. Brent Morris and his team at the NSA took their turn.

A Homeric Tale: When the Simpsons Parodied Freemasonry

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On the 25th anniversary of the “Stonecutters” episode of The Simpsons, a look back at one of the greatest comic send-ups of Freemasonry ever.

Alchemy and the Transmutation of a Freemason

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The hunt for gold is—metaphorically, anyway—central to Freemasonry.

The Pin Code

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How do you tell a life story, set new goals, and define your legacy—all on a single lapel pin?

Playing a Vintage Masonic Board Game

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Reviewing the 40-year-old Masonic-inspired board game “BUILD.” Can Freemasonry stand up to the Monopoly treatment?

Secrets of the Cloth

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Masonic wall charts and floor cloths were once banned as too revealing. Now, they’re central parts of modern lodges.

The Etsy Crew

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How today’s makers are keeping the Masonic artistic tradition alive—with some twists.