What do you KNOW and the Masons?When did they start?What does their insignia mean?
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Dude ... here's a link.  Go for it!
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the Masons are not a  religious organization or a religious cult. No matter what the uneducated 'bible thumpers' will say. the ceremonies and rituals are religious in nature but the Masons accept all religions with the exception of an atheist. you must believe in a supreme being. This is why the Christians don't like the Masons.\noriginally the Masons were like a gentleman's club with the most powerful and influential men in the town, or city belonging. \nif you want more information talk to a Mason.
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We teach with symbols to make universal our message but for a deeper reason, we look deeply into those who pass through our pillars. \n\nWhen you ask what does a symbol mean, the question inevitably is turned back to you as "what does the symbol mean to you?" This is not meant in sport or jest or even to test you but as a way to quicken and deepen the understanding of both the questioner and those who would hear the reply. \n\nI will direct your attention to the objects and then let you reflect upon them. No, I will not answer directly but you may find your own answers just as valid as any Freemason here may give you.\n\nFirst, the compasses. Note, not compass. A compass is a magnetic device to find North. This tool rather is one of two legs and a central point in the middle. It is useful in scribing circles and measuring distances. It may be thought of as a tool of trigonometry, especially spherical trig. Three being a very good number for it: two legs and a center point. Reflect on threes for a bit.\n\nThe square is a puzzle. It is a tool for measuring blocks to see if they are even. Some suggest that the tool was originally four sided: a  uniform square. What an amazingly helpful thing it was to make bricks all the same shape and size! You could build cathedrals that way without having to chuck out stones that were the wrong size. All the blocks even. The buildings would stand tall and not sway over. Square suggests four.  Think of fours for a bit. \n\nSome find the shape the Compasses and Square placed together in interesting. \n\nSome Freemasons have a G in the center of that combination. Those are mostly the English and the American Lodges. The French Lodges have a D.\n\nMy Order has a Pentalpha (five pointed star) with a Yod (Hebrew letter) in the center of the star all inside the Square and the Compasses. Wonder what that would suggest to you? You know what? When we ask, we are told the same thing: "What does it mean to you?"\n\nYou may find all sorts of folks giving you textbook answers. There is a saying, "Those that know, do not say; those that say, do not know." \n\nI am a Master Mason in American Co-Masonry (Freemasonry for women and men)
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You can go to their website (http://www.freemasonry.org/) and check out the local chapters in your area.  Many have their own websites with information on becomng a member of the society.
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There are alot of people out there who believe that the masonic orders are cults, this is not the case. In order to become a mason, you must first go to open events, and get to know the members. Ask for a petition and then it will take anywhere from 3-6 months for you to become a member. A mason has to recommend you and you have to prove you are of good moral charicter and above all, you must have a belief in a supreme being. There is no being a stanist or athieist in this organiztaion, it is not tolerated.
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You wished to talk with an esoteric Freemason? You got it. I will give you only my take on the questions you asked. Freemasons are that, FREE. We speak for ourselves.\n\nFirst, there are branches of Freemasonry that are more esoteric than others. \n\nSome are truly simple fraternal service organizations. Shriners do enormous good for children - orthopedics and burn hospitals that do not take a penny from families unable to pay. Go ahead and dis that and then tell me what YOU are doing to help the world. *sorry, I do get tired of the anti-Masonic stuff occasionally*\n\nI am a member of the American Co-Masons. We are Freemasons who admit women and men of all races and religions, who are of legal age, good repute, and believe in a Supreme Being. Most of all that person must ASK to join. We do not recruit. \n\nWe are a system of morality. We use the symbols of ancient operative stone masons as reminders of how to conduct our daily lives. Symbols have only the meaning we choose to invest in them. Sounds like a cop out. Strangely enough though, when a new member of the Lodge asks what a particular symbol means, he is often asked right back, "Well, what does it mean to you?" We layer meanings, you see. We find new meanings for the symbols as they apply. \n\nLet me give you a made up example (yes, I do wish to keep within due bounds of my own oaths here not to reveal things I am sworn not to reveal - more on that in a second, promise): Suppose we had a society based upon Shepherding. I mean that would be as rich in symbols, right? The head of our Lodge might be called "The Faithful Shepherdess" and we would talk about using the Shepherd's Crook of our conscience to keep the sheep of our thoughts from straying away from our sworn tasks. Later on, some Brother might say he found that he used the Shepherd's Crook to remind his Brother not to go into that barroom with that dancer and instead to head home to his wife.  Silly madeup example but there you go.\n\nOK, you may read many interpretations about the Square and the Compasses. Notice, it is not compass (that is a magnetic thing that shows direction) but compasses (that is a drawing tool). Interpretations abound online. Each Freemason is encouraged to bring their own meanings to them. I will give you only a little to chew on.\n\nThe Square is unchanging. It measures a block to make sure it is uniform. What a wonderful thing that was in building! If you "square your work or area up" what does that mean? It means to make it as perfect as you can. Square is truly a 4 sided object (two sides are missing in most representations). \n\nThe Compasses is used in circles and in trigonometry. It has three parts. It opens and closes. Nice complement to something so rigid as a Square, right? \n\nThere are those who find their combination to be something sexual. Some say it looks like a guy and a gal together, some say it looks like a mandorla. There are those who laugh when the school cafeteria serves hotdogs on buns, too. *sigh*\n\n\nIn regards to the G, not all Lodges have a G. The French have a D. Ahem, does that give you a clue? Mon Dieu! Did I give you too much? Perhaps. In my Order we have a five pointed star, the pent-alpha with a Yod (Hebrew letter) in the center of that. Wonder what that means?\n\nOne can argue that there is a select cabal of very rich men who run this world. And of course you do not know their names because they are secret. You cannot disprove this because no proof is ever given. You can say it is the Roman Catholic Church, the Freemasons, the Jews, the Mafia, the Illuminati, or all of them. The Freemasons I know are upright and law-abiding folks. We work pretty hard at trying to improve the world and ourselves. Personally, I would be unwilling to take the reins of anything beyond myself right now. Too daunting. \n\nRegarding secrets. Mostly what we want for the candidate of each degree is that he or she not have expectations of the
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probably the knights of labor, but really the masons were the FIRST organized labor union in the world....
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According to Wikipedia - \n\nFreemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organisation. Its members are reportedly joined together by shared ideals of both a moral and metaphysical nature, and, in most of its branches, by a constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being. Freemasonry is a secret or esoteric society, but not occult, in that certain aspects of its internal work are not generally disclosed to the public. Freemasons give numerous reasons for this, one of which is that Freemasonry uses an initiatory system of degrees to explore ethical and philosophical issues, and that the system is less effective if the observer knows beforehand what will happen. It often calls itself "a beautiful system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.
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Freemasons are not a cult by any stretch of the imagination.\nThe Illuminati (as I recall) was an old German private organisation that tried to compete with Masonry but died out some time ago. Masonry is a fraternal organisation with several sub-groups. There are over 65 separate Masonic bodies in the US. The more common being the so called "Blue lodge", the Scottish and York rights and the Shrine.\n\nMost of our founding fathers were Masons. Thirteen of the signers of the declaration of Independence were Masons. Several (including Geo. Washington) were Masters of their lodges.
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All of our founding fathers were....Free Masons, Templars, etc etc.\n\nThat's actually why, when you look at the birdseye map of the White House and the surrounding streets, there's a definitive pentagram shape w/ the White House at the "mouth of the beast" if you will.\n\nI reccomend looking through Google Earth.
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What I tell you about Freemasonry will only be MY truth, not some other people's quotations, not something you can google. I will link you to MY Order of Freemasonry and let you read more (but only if you wish to.) Points? If you wish to. The important truth here is that you asked. OK?\n\nFirst, no one knows how far back Freemasonry goes. Many of us believe it is a descendant from the Ancient Mystery Schools of the Middle East. Certainly numbers and geometry play great parts in our work. There are those who say we have roots in the Knights Templar. There are, after all, in many Orders of Freemasonry a degree or more designated to correspond with those men. Some say that all of that is just convenient legends made up to add mystery and to sucker folks in. \n\nSecond, there are many different Orders of Freemasonry. The Order I belong to, American Co-Masonry, is very esoteric and places a great deal of emphasis on the slower alchemy of personal transformation. We also are different from most other Orders in that we admit women and men into Lodge. I am not talking Eastern Star, but fully into the Brotherhood. We admit all races, all religions but you must believe in a Supreme Being in our particular Order. There are even Orders of Freemasonry where that is NOT a requirement. In ours it is a requirement. \n\nWe are more than just a social club, more than just a club that does good for charities; although, both are part of Freemasonry. We are a way of helping make the world better by helping humans make themselves better. We study morality and try to practice it in our own lives. Simply put, we try to live by the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you."\n\nWe use the working tools of real stone masons as allegorical symbols to remind ourselves of principles. Thus you see those tools as symbols everywhere after you become a Freemason and see their application too. Funny thing, when you join and ask what a certain symbol means, you are asked, "What does it mean to you?" The others are not mocking you; they want you to find answers within yourself and to help them find answers, too.\n\nWe work together because stones are smoothed (big analogy here) best by rubbing together. We work in Lodge and out of Lodge. Not the conspiracy business. I do not have a Ferrari. I did get to sit in one owned by a non-Mason the other day and it was too small. *sigh* We talk and email each other with encouragement and insight. \n\nWe are not for everyone. You have to be of legal age (21 in most places, sometimes 18 for children of Freemasons). You have to be free. You have to be of good moral character. \n\nI belong to two Lodges: one in Santa Cruz, CA and one in Los Angeles. I drive 360 miles round trip to each one each month. That is 720 miles. Lots of gas. We have very little time for socializing. We get our Lodge set up, do our ceremony, put away the Lodge furniture, have a quick potluck, and drive home. I am an officer of both Lodges. I do work outside the Lodge for both. \n\nWhat do I get from it? My daughter (23 years old and pretty cynical Libra, IQ at least 10 pts higher than mine) says that she sees a change in me. That I am more capable, less stressed, kinder to myself, more at peace, a lot more honest, even better to my ex-wife. \n\nOh, guess I should address the business of secrets. There are some. We have handshakes, certain words, etc that are traditional means of recognition. I suppose you could google around and find most of those. Cannot guarantee they would get you very far into a Lodge. There is a great deal of memorization work. I had to work pretty hard to learn all that took to get proficient in the first degree and second in order eventually to become a Master Mason (3rd degree). That is not so much a secret as it is a tough part of Masonry. \n\nOh, the real secret? Want to know that? I could put it in words all day but it really would not mean anything to you. Let us leave it wit
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I doubt it, but it does make a great story.\n\nThe true freemasons rose during the time of the cathedral building era (perhaps 1150 to 1300) in Europe.  They were professionals with the ability to not only erect, but to design and engineer very tall structures, many of which still exist today.  Most of their “secrets” were based upon how to work with stone.\n\nThe fraternal order “Freemasons” is a much newer organization (perhaps the early 1700’s) and attempted to gain status by promoting a “secret society” status.  Much of what the members do is more “mumbo jumbo” than any hidden knowledge.  Their rituals are often borrowed from organizations like the “Golden Dawn” and the “Rosicrucians.”\n\nThe Knights Templar were basically a group of Crusaders who gained great wealth and power in the Middle East and then retired back to Europe.  The official demise of this organization was on Friday, October 13, 1307 when the church hunted down the members and destroyed the organization for their wealth.
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This site is incredibly informative.\n\nhttp://freemasonry.bcy.ca/
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Rebeka Lodge etc. are NOT CHRISTIAN at all! They are part of the Masonic Faith.  YES! Masons are a definite religion!
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A free mason is a member of a "secret" society known as the free masons. A Mason is somebody who works with stone.
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The symbol is from the Freemasons, who don't, as a whole, worship the Devil. Most of the founding fathers were Freemasons, this isn't a conspiracy though. It stands to reason that if you were starting a rebellion you would turn to fellow members of a society that values their privacy.\n\nHow it ended up on the dollar I can't exactly remember.
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Not sure about the reason for priory of scion.  But the masons were started by the same family the gave land to the knights templar.  The masons adopted the knight templars symbols after the templar disapeared.  No one realy knows what realy happened to the knights.