What is an initiation ritual in Freemasonry like?

ILLUSTRATIONS Andre Toma

This report is part of the article SECRETS OF FREEMASONRY. Check out the other parts:

– How did Freemasonry come about?

– What are the main conspiracy theories involving Freemasonry?

The ceremony that bestows the title of Apprentice involves disorientation, oaths, and mild physical pain.

1. Ceremonies vary by Lodge and Rite, but there are a few key elements to most of them. First, the members of the Lodge must vote whether the candidate will be accepted. Those who approve the entry must secretly deposit a white sphere in the urn. Opposites place a black sphere. Only with a “clean” urn (only with white balls) the ritual goes on – and immediately

two. In an adjacent room, someone in the office of Deacon or First Warden prepares the candidate. He is blindfolded and has to have his left foot bare and his left knee, left chest and left arm uncovered. Tied around the neck (and sometimes the left arm), a strength, made of thick rope, symbolizes the bond it will create with the sisterhood

3. In the ceremony room, the Venerable Master (who presides over the Lodge), the First and Second Wardens enact a memorized dialogue. Then, the person in charge of preparation knocks three times on the door and brings in the beginner. The Second Watchman put the tip of a compass to your chest him and says that the physical pain will become mental if he reveals the secrets of the order

4. After a long exchange of speeches with the Worshipful Master and the Wardens, the beginner is led by the First Warden to walk around the room, or from the altar, if any. The direction of the turns (if seen from above) is always clockwise, symbolizing the movement of the Sun around the Earth (an inheritance of the belief in geocentrism). The number of turns and the words spoken by the GM vary

5. In front of the altar, the novice kneels with his left knee, forming a right angle with his right. With his left hand he supports the sacred book from the store (and, in some cases, a square and compass). Repeating the Master’s words, he swears not to reveal the order’s secrets, under penalty of having his throat cut, his tongue torn out by the roots and his body buried at low tide (jeez!)

6. Colleagues form a circle around the candidate, still kneeling. The Master utters slogans and, at a certain point in the speech, the assembled members clap their hands or stamp their right foot noisily on the ground. just in that moment the sale is withdrawn candidate’s eyes. The disorienting effect is a kind of “birth” in the light of Freemasonry

7. He is now an Apprentice and receives the tools of that grade from the Master (usually a mallet and ruler or set square) and a white apron. He also hears some advice on what he should look for and how he should act while serving in the Lodge, which includes a vow of silence. Finally, he learns the gestures and handshakes typical of this stage (see page 22)

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