Freemasonry

The Symbolism of Freemasonry: XIV. The Officers of a Lodge

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This is an excerpt from a 19th-century Masonic esoteric treatise, likely Albert Mackey's *Symbolism of Freemasonry*, tracing the solar symbolism embedded in lodge architecture and ritual. The central argument is that the placement of a lodge's three principal officers in the east, west, and south directly mirrors the sun's positions at rising, meridian, and setting — and that this symbolic structure is not unique to Freemasonry but recurs across the ancient world's mystery traditions. The author surveys Hindu Brahminical initiations (where Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva explicitly map onto the sun's three daily positions), Persian Zoroastrian temples, Egyptian Osiris mysteries, Greek Eleusinian rites, and Celtic Druidic stone circles, arguing each shares the same solar orientation. A notably distinctive claim closes the passage: Freemasonry and the ancient Mysteries share a common origin, but Freemasonry allegedly preserves the purer, original form — treating the sun as a symbol of divine Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty — while the ancient religions "degenerated" into literal sun worship, corrupting a "true Noachic faith." This comparative-religion argument serves an apologetic purpose, positioning Masonry as the authentic heir to a universal primordial religion rather than a borrower from paganism.

The Symbolism of Freemasonry: XIV. The Officers of a Lodge

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