Freemasons

Freemasons
Author: H. Paul Jeffers
Publisher: Citadel Press
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780806526621

Jeffers delves into Masonic history to reveal the surprising and controversial truths behind this ancient and secretive order, from its mystery-shrouded origins in medieval Europe through its rise in America, where Benjamin Franklin founded the first lodge.

American Freemasons

American Freemasons
Author: Mark A. Tabbert
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2006-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0814783023

An overview of the mysterious history of the Freemasons and their presence in American society With over four million members worldwide, and two million in the U.S., Freemasonry is the largest fraternal organization in the world. Published in conjunction with the National Heritage Museum, this extravagantly illustrated volume offers an overview of Freemasonry’s origins in seventeenth-century Scotland and England before exploring its evolving role in American history, from the Revolution through the labor and civil rights movements, and into the twenty-first century. American Freemasons explores some of the causes for the rise and fall of membership in the fraternity and why it has attracted men in such large numbers for centuries. American Freemasons is the perfect introduction to understanding a society that, while shrouded in mystery, has played an integral role in the lives and communities of millions of Americans. Copublished with the National Heritage Museum.

The Brotherhood of Freemason Sisters

The Brotherhood of Freemason Sisters
Author: Lilith Mahmud
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2014-03-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 022609605X

This “stupendous ethnography of female Freemasonry in Italy” reveals the fascinating paradox of elitism and exclusion experienced by “female brothers” (Michael Herzfeld, author of Evicted from Eternity). From its cryptic images on the dollar bill to Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, the Freemasons have long been one of the most romanticized secret societies in the world. But a simple fact escapes most depictions of this elite brotherhood: there are also female members. In this groundbreaking ethnography, Lilith Mahmud takes readers inside Masonic lodges of contemporary Italy, where she observes the ritualistic and fraternal bonds forged among Freemason women. Offering a tantalizing look behind lodge doors, The Brotherhood of Freemason Sisters unveils a complex culture of discretion in which Freemasons reveal some truths and hide others. Female initiates—one of Freemasonry’s best-kept secrets—are often upper class and highly educated, yet avowedly antifeminist. Their self-cultivation through the Masonic path is an effort to embrace the deeply gendered ideals of fraternity. In this lively investigation, Mahmud unravels the contradictions at the heart of Freemasonry: an organization responsible for many of the egalitarian concepts of the Enlightenment and yet one that has always been, and in Italy still remains, extremely exclusive. The result is not only a thrilling look at a surprisingly influential world, but a reevaluation of the modern values we now take for granted

The Craft

The Craft
Author: John Dickie
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2020-08-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1541724674

Insiders call it the Craft. Discover the fascinating true story of one of the most influential and misunderstood secret brotherhoods in modern society. Founded in London in 1717 as a way of binding men in fellowship, Freemasonry proved so addictive that within two decades it had spread across the globe. Masonic influence became pervasive. Under George Washington, the Craft became a creed for the new American nation. Masonic networks held the British empire together. Under Napoleon, the Craft became a tool of authoritarianism and then a cover for revolutionary conspiracy. Both the Mormon Church and the Sicilian mafia owe their origins to Freemasonry. Yet the Masons were as feared as they were influential. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, Freemasonry has always been a den of devil-worshippers. For Hitler, Mussolini and Franco, the Lodges spread the diseases of pacifism, socialism and Jewish influence, so had to be crushed. Freemasonry's story yokes together Winston Churchill and Walt Disney; Wolfgang Mozart and Shaquille O'Neal; Benjamin Franklin and Buzz Aldrin; Rudyard Kipling and 'Buffalo Bill' Cody; Duke Ellington and the Duke of Wellington. John Dickie's The Craft is an enthralling exploration of a the world's most famous and misunderstood secret brotherhood, a movement that not only helped to forge modern society, but has substantial contemporary influence, with 400,000 members in Britain, over a million in the USA, and around six million across the world.

The Mysteries of Freemasonry

The Mysteries of Freemasonry
Author: William Morgan
Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag
Total Pages: 262
Release: 1889
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3849688240

Containing all the degrees of the Order conferred in a Master’s Lodge, as written by Captain William Morgan. All the degrees conferred in the Royal Arch, Chapter, and Grand Encampment of Knights Tcmplars, Knights of the Red Cross, of the Christian Mark, and of the Holy Sepulchre. Also, the eleven ineffable degrees conferred in the Lodge of Perfection; and the still higher degrees of Prince of Jerusalem, Knights of the East and West, Venerable Grand Masters of Symbolic Lodges, Knights and Adepts of the Eagle or Sun, Princes of the Royal Secret, Sovereign Inspector-General, etc. Revised and corrected to correspond with the most approved forms and ceremonies in the various Lodges of Freemasons throughout the United States.

Mozart the Freemason

Mozart the Freemason
Author: Jacques Henry
Publisher: Inner Traditions
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2006-08-28
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9781594771286

An exploration of Mozart’s strong ties to Freemasonry and how its principles profoundly shaped his musical work • Reveals how Mozart structured his music on Masonic ritual and ceremony to provide a musical lexicon of Masonic symbols • Shows that Freemasonry plays the same role in Mozart’s work as Lutheran Christianity plays in that of Bach Thanks to recently discovered documents, we now have a fuller picture of the esoteric influences on the life and work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Musicologist Jacques Henry shows that the Masonic influence on Mozart goes beyond those pieces, such as The Magic Flute, that fulfilled a ritual purpose for the composer. His works actually provide a complete musical lexicon of Masonic symbols inspired by the principles of the craft and the spirit of the Masonic quest. Mozart constructed his Masonic compositions by creating auditory correspondences to the symbols present in the rituals, choosing keys and tempos that transpose their content into harmony. His understanding of the use of symbol allowed him to create music that would lead the listener into a harmony that transcended earthly existence. A number of musicologists believe that the place of the Masonic spiritual vision in Mozart’s work is comparable to that held by Lutheran Christianity in the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. Mozart wed his deep understanding of music to the esoteric wisdom he gained as a Freemason. He shows that when we lose ourselves in the expression of pure harmony, it is the same as the symbol being lost in what it symbolizes. Jacques Henry provides a rigorous and original analysis of Mozart’s works that reveals their inner meaning as shaped by the composer’s profound embrace of the spiritual principles of Freemasonry.

The Freemasons

The Freemasons
Author: Jasper Godwin Ridley
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2001
Genre: History
ISBN:

A British historian who is not a Freemason debunks myths about Freemasonry being a threat to civilization as he traces this secret brotherhood's origins in Medieval building guilds, role in the French and American Revolutions, scandals, anti-Mason sentiment, spread worldwide, and modern presence in Britain and the US. This is a reprint of a 1999 book. c. Book News Inc.

So You Want to Be a Freemason?

So You Want to Be a Freemason?
Author: Julian Rees
Publisher: Lewis Masonic Pub
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2009
Genre: Freemasonry
ISBN: 9780853183259

In this book Julian Rees explains what a candidate for Masonic Initiation should know before he joins Freemasonry, but may be too afraid to ask! This essential guide explains in straightforward terms all the practicalities of becoming a Mason. Subjects covered include a detailed account of what you need to know before becoming a Freemason, what happens on the night of the initiation, and information on the world of Freemasonry. The book also contains a handy glossary of Masonic terms. This book is an essential read for anyone considering becoming a Freemason, anyone who has just joined Freemasonry and is unsure of all of the strict routines and procedures within the Craft, and also perhaps for established Freemasons who need a reminder about what it means to be a Freemason. Written by a leading high-profile freemason, this is a must have purchase for all prospective Freemasons throughout the country.