Freemasonry
Secretive fraternal order
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization with origins in medieval stonemason guilds, now a worldwide network of lodges united by rituals, symbols, and moral teachings.
Members (Freemasons or Masons) advance through degrees, the basic three being Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason.
The organization emphasizes brotherhood, charity, and self-improvement, though its secretive rituals have inspired conspiracy theories about hidden influence.
Lowercase freemasonry can mean instinctive sympathy among people with shared interests: There's a freemasonry among jazz musicians.
Symbol of omniscient observation
- apronWaist-tied protective garment
- trowelFlat blade for spreading
- gavelSmall ceremonial hammer
- plumbExactly vertical or true
level · pillars · checkered floor · acacia · pentagram · Solomon's Temple · Hiram Abiff · lambskin
Temporary woodland dwelling
- chapterDivision of a book
- fraternitySpirit of brotherly connection
- brotherhoodKinship among men
- orderMethodical arrangement or request
craft · Shriners · grand master · initiate · member · brethren
Formal admission ceremony
- degreeUnit of measurement
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- oathFormal binding promise
- handshakeMutual palm-gripping gesture
password · obligation · catechism · lecture · consecration · installation · procession · regalia
Kinship among men
- charityVoluntary aid for others
- benevolenceDisposition toward doing good
- moralityRight and wrong principles
- truthAccordance with reality
tolerance · self-improvement · civic duty · philanthropy · secrecy · discretion · honor · integrity
Covert fraternal organization
- IlluminatiAlleged secret elite
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- cabalScheming political faction
- hidden handCovert controlling influence
shadow government · occult · esoteric · clandestine · dollar bill · founding fathers · Dan Brown
Workers who cut rock
- medieval guildsCraftsmen's professional associations
- EnlightenmentEra prioritizing reason over dogma
- founding fathersMale originators of institutions
- Benjamin FranklinColonial American polymath statesman
George Washington · Mozart · Voltaire · Knights Templar · Rosicrucians · ancient mysteries
all-seeing eye
Symbol of omniscient observation
plumb · level · pillars · checkered floor · acacia · pentagram · Solomon's Temple · Hiram Abiff · lambskin · altar
lodge
Temporary woodland dwelling
- chapterDivision of a book
- fraternitySpirit of brotherly connection
- brotherhoodKinship among men
order · craft · Shriners · grand master · initiate · member · brethren
initiation
Formal admission ceremony
handshake · password · obligation · catechism · lecture · consecration · installation · procession · regalia · Tyler
brotherhood
Kinship among men
- charityVoluntary aid for others
- benevolenceDisposition toward doing good
- moralityRight and wrong principles
truth · tolerance · self-improvement · civic duty · philanthropy · secrecy · discretion · honor · integrity · fellowship
secret society
Covert fraternal organization
- IlluminatiAlleged secret elite
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- cabalScheming political faction
hidden hand · shadow government · occult · esoteric · clandestine · dollar bill · founding fathers · Dan Brown
stonemasons
Workers who cut rock
- medieval guildsCraftsmen's professional associations
- EnlightenmentEra prioritizing reason over dogma
- founding fathersMale originators of institutions
George Washington · Benjamin Franklin · Mozart · Voltaire · Knights Templar · Rosicrucians · ancient mysteries
- 18th Century MovementsEnlightenment, Rococo, Neoclassicism, deism, rationalism
- secret societiesIlluminati, secret society, secret societies, Masons, Rosicrucians
- FreemasonryMasons, lodge, lodges, Grand Master, grand master
- Occult Traditionsoccultism, esotericism, Hermeticism, Kabbalah, Gnosticism
- bondsbond, corporate bond, corporate bonds, government bond, municipal bond
- metaphysicsessence, being, reality, existence, substance theory
Freemasonryopen society
Society permitting free inquiry
mass movement · transparency · Rotary Club · Lions Club · town hall
FreemasonryCatholic Church
Pope-led Christian denomination
Opus Dei · Inquisition · totalitarianism · fascism · Nazism
FreemasonryCatholicism
Papal Christian denomination
organized religion · fundamentalism · papal authority · religious dogma