|
Icons
Jul 11, 2008 17:06:43 GMT 10
Post by Tamrin on Jul 11, 2008 17:06:43 GMT 10
ICONS
Freemasonry is ‘veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols’ because these are the surest way by which moral and ethical truths may be taught. It is not only with the brain and with the mind that the initiate must take Freemasonry but also with the heart. C. H. Claudy According to the rubric memorised by every Mason, Freemasonry is, ' A peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.' Consequently, a study of some of the symbols and allegories with which some Brethren have veiled and illustrated their understanding of that morality may well be instructive. In doing so, we should note that feminine iconography, such as the example below, within Freemasonry are becoming increasingly scarce. For instance, the 'widowed virgin' represented with the broken pillar and associated with the burial place of a Master Mason, is increasingly being replaced by the broken pillar on its own. Similarly, references to the Queen of Sheba are becoming increasingly rare and abridged, despite her being the best known figure, apart from King Solomon, associated with the Temple, on the construction of which, Freemasonry's ceremonials are chiefly based.
|
|