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THE  MANSORY – HISTORY

 

The Masonry is a society that uses symbols derived of the bricklayers and architects, beyond of the traditions of the Old Mysteries, and of the Bible, in its doctrinal and ritualistic system, with the finality of to practice the morality and the philanthropy.

The bricklayers and architects that built cathedrals, monasteries, castles and palaces were much respected in the past.

The pyramids Egyptian and Mayan, cathedral of Chartres (XII-XIII), Colony cathedral (XIII), Parthenon, etc. built without the technology of the actual science, demonstrate well the value of those old builders. 

Others beautiful constructions: the castles of Newschwanstein and Hohenzollern, the cathedrals of Reims and Ulm.

The works site of the great constructions, as the one of the European cathedrals, where the bricklayers worked, fed and rested were called of lodges.

These lodges only admitted the workers and they demanded secret of their knowledge.

Today also each occupation has its association or syndicate for defend their interests, in some cases, demanding a diploma for be  registered  as members.

Here is a picture of the epoch of the constructions of the cathedrals: in 1275 the mason master Erwin Steinbach, architect of the cathedral of Strasbourg, of 1275 until 1318 built an huten (lodge in German) of wood beside of the cathedral, that had been initiate in 1015, summoning the best architects, and adopted signals and words of recognition, ceremonies for reception of the Apprentices and Companions.

This organization of builders gave origin to several Lodges in Germany and in France that followed the Great Lodge (Haupt Huten).

The daughter of Steinbach, Sibile, executed the sculptures of the south portal of the cathedral.

Sibile, was a woman among the builders, therefore had no the prejudice against women that passed to exist after 1717.

Some consider the Great Lodge of Strasbourg the beginning of the current Masonry and Steinbach the first Great Master of France and Germany.

Afterward the people of the nobility began to be admitted in these secret associations.

The nobles and politician acquired more prestigious for belong to these Lodges, and these increased its power and safety with the support of theses members of the nobility.

They were the masons accepted, strange members to occupation.

Like this the Masonry was passing gradually of the operative phase, at which it was formed only for bricklayers that really knew how to build temples and castles, for the speculative phase.

The speculative Masonry also was developing, and substituted the work of those builders, that always united the material work with the religion, from the Egypt (Mysteries, Egyptian religion) and Middle Age (Christianity), for a beautiful symbolism, driven to the moral and to the higher ideals.

It considers the date of 24 of June of 1717, day of Saint Johan, the beginning of the modern Masonry.

In that date the four Lodges of London: "The Goose and the Grill", the "Crown", the "Apple tree" and "The Mug and the Grapes" gathered, and created a central Lodge to coordinate all the other lodges.

The strange name of the four Lodges founders londoners comes of the taverns, places where sold drinks and cheap meals, where the Stores used to gather.

Thus appeared the Great Lodge of London, being the first Great Masters: Anthony Sayer, Georges (1717), Payne (1718) and Jean Théophile Désaguliers (1719).

The Scottish religious shepherd James Anderson wrote the Book of the Constitutions, that still today governs the world Masonry. 

Some believe that the author of the "Constitutions of Anderson" was Désaguliers, others that was a group of masons.

The Masonry soon dispersed for the world: France (first Lodge in 1725), United states (1730, in Boston), Italy (1733), Portugal (1735), Holland (1735), Germany (1740, in Hamburg), Sweden (1745), Denmark (1765), Belgium (1771), Russia (1771), Switzerland (1773).

A German magazine published, in 1787, the number of Masonic Lodges existent in epoch, although we cannot to guarantee its accuracy: France (703 Lodges), England (525), Germany (319), Prussia (304), Scotland (284), Ireland (227), Denmark (192), Russia (145), North America (85), etc. – maybe were little groups of masons.

The Masonry incorporated ideas, symbols and rituals that didn’t exist at the beginning of the modern Masonry of after 1717, more linked to construction and the Christianity.

Masonic Lodges that were founded strange personages:

- Rite Martinist - Claude of Saint Martin

- Egyptian Rite – Cagliostro

- Rite of the New Jerusalem – Swedenborg

- Rite of Misraim – Brothers Bédaride

- Rite of Memphis – Marconi of Nègre

And others rites less well-known.

As was passing the epoch of the constructions of the cathedrals and castles, were decreasing the masons operative and increasing the speculative, as it already happened in 1717, when the masons didn’t know not even to build a wall.   .

At present the Masonry is completely speculative, and the masons are dedicated to activities more philosophical, but it conserves the symbols of the construction as: square, compass, beetle, chisel, etc.

 

The expression free masons or frank masons, it began to be used in 1375. 

At that time the people the people could not to transit freely among the feuds of the many kingdoms, being prisoners of the earth where was born, belonging to the mister of that region.  

But the free masons won the privilege of moving freely by the several feuds.

Feud was an extension of earth conceded by the sovereign to a noble in exchange for tax and help in the wars.

 

When speech to lay about the Masonry the first thought that comes to your mind is that treats itself of a secret society full of secrets.

In the Middle Age, when it was prohibited to think different of the majority or of the dominant religion, the Masonry, the Rosecross and other similar societies were secrets.

On those times many people were tortured or died because of their thoughts.

But little by little the freedom of expression, of to think, was growing.

Still today some countries, inclusive some developed, don’t appreciate those that speak certain true or think contrary to majority.

But now, the bookstores are full of books about the Masonry, its rituals, symbols and others secrets of old.

 

At the Mysteries Egyptian Temples, Greece, Rome and others, the women participated of the rituals equally with the men.

The laws that governed the Lodges that there were before of the regulation of the Masonry in 1717, don’t mention the exclusion of the women of the Masonry, that only began with the "Book of the Constitutions", of the shepherd James Anderson, in 1723, that it said: "are not admitted slaves, women, immoral people and dishonored, but exclusively the ones that enjoy good reputation".

But years after the Constitution of Anderson, appeared some Stores than didn’t follow this discriminatory law, being the main ones the Masonry Egyptian, created by the Count of Cagliostro in 1786 and the Human Right or Comasonry, founded in 1893 for Marie Deraismes that admits both the sexes and possesses Lodges world over.

In the United States exist several feminine Masonry: "The Order of the Eastern Star", created in 1850 (2.000.000 members), White Shrine Star, created in 1895 (1.300.000 members), Order of Amaranth (1891) and Order of Rainbow for Girls.

The ideal would be a mixed masonry, without separation of sexes, a Christian and Islamic custom.

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Until today, we never saw evil some left of that institution (the Masonry).  Can one say the same of the Church?

                                                                 Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

Never walk for the traced way, because it only conducts until the others were.

                                                                  Alexandre Graham Bell

Always that the people agree with me, I have the sensation of to be wrong.

                                                                   Oscar Wilde

The primitive Masonry was purely catholic. The predecessors of the masons were the monk builders.

                                                                    Jorge Adoum

The only source of knowledge is the experience.

                                                                    Albert Einstein

The masons form a “secret society” of religious nature whose basic principle is the fraternity among the men.  Originally, it was an association of bricklayers that possessed a system of secret signals to identify amongst themselves, and that traveled by Europe to work wherever was erecting great constructions.  Little by little, this association started to gather occultists, alchemists, astrologers and others.

                                                                    Colin Wilson

 

 

 

 

 

 

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