Freemasonry or Masonry consists of fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons. The degrees of Freemasonry retain the three grades of medieval craft guilds, those of Apprentice, Journeyman or fellow, and Master Mason. Each Masonic jurisdiction is independent and sets its own procedures.
About Freemasonry in brief
Freemasonry or Masonry consists of fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons. The degrees of Freemasonry retain the three grades of medieval craft guilds, those of Apprentice, Journeyman or fellow, and Master Mason. There is much diversity and little consistency in Freemasonry, because each Masonic jurisdiction is independent and sets its own procedures. The bulk of Masonic ritual consists of degree ceremonies conferred in meetings guarded by a \”Tyler\” outside the door with a drawn sword to keep out unqualified intruders to Masonry. The rank of Master Mason also entitles a Freemason to explore Masonry further through other degrees, administered separately from the basic Craft or \”Blue Lodge\” degrees described here, but generally having a similar structure and meetings. Every Masonic Lodge has a Master, two Wardens, a treasurer and a secretary, who may be paid to secure its privacy, and a Tyler, or outer, guard of the door of a working Lodge. Candidates for Freemasonry will usually have met the most active members of the Lodge before they are accepted as joining Masons, which elude any universally accepted definition of Masonry, but are usually met before they have even been initiated into Freemasonry. The Lodge meets regularly and conducts the usual formal business of any small organisation. In addition to such business, the meeting may perform a ceremony to confer a Masonic degree or receive a lecture, which is usually on some aspect of Masonic history or ritual. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Lodge may hold a formal dinner, or festive board, sometimes involving toasting and song.
Most Lodges have some sort of social functions, allowing members, their partners and non—Masonic guests to meet openly. There are non-local Lodges where Masons meet for wider or more specific purposes, such or in association with some hobby, sport, Masonic research, business, profession, regiment or college. This occurs at many levels, including in annual dues, subscriptions, fundraising events, Lodges and Grand Lodges. Masons and their charities contribute for the relief of need in many fields, such as education, health and old age. In some jurisdictions an Installed Master elected, obligated and invested to preside over a Lodge, is valued as a separate rank with its own secrets and distinctive title and attributes. After each full year in the Chair the Master invests his elected successor and becomes a Past Master with privileges in the Lodge and Grand Lodge. In other jurisdictions, the grade is not recognised, and no inner ceremony conveys new secrets during the installation of a new Master of the lodge. Other offices vary between jurisdictions between Masonic jurisdictions, and they are usually known as the Landmarks of Freem Masonry and operate according to ancient principles of the Landmark system. The most active Freemasonry members are usually accepted before they join the Lodge, which will usually be met before the mostActive Masons are accepted by their most active joining Mason.
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This page is based on the article Freemasonry published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 10, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
