The FC Handbook
The Mandorla and Tau: The Secrets and Mysteries of Freemasonry Revealed
The secrets of Freemasonry - everyone is always talking about them. Novelists weave tales about them. Mystics and occultists dream them up. Conspiracy theorists endlessly stir paranoid fantasies. The Freemasons think of them as degrees, signs and passwords. They are all mistaken. The true Masonic secrets are hidden in plain view, as allegories, but to reveal them we need a trip back in time and a need to ask.
The Pillars of Progress
A Handbook for the Fellow Craft Freemason. This handbook is designed to be a useful guide and reflective tool to help you deepen your understanding of the Fellow Craft Degree, the symbols and teachings are so essential to your masonic journey. It aims to complement the oral instruction you receive, providing further explanation, prompts for reflection and resources for ongoing learning.
The Secret Science of Masonic Initiation
In Turning the Hiram Key, Lomas the Scientist wrote about the Psychology, Biology and Dramatology of the Craft. He investigated brain states, the chemicals of emotion and the dramatic urges of ritual. It was a book of modern science applied to a ancient tradition. The Secret Science of Masonic Initiation is different and revelatory. In it Lomas the Freemason speaks directly to the souls of his brethren. Jonathan Black sums up the change when he says. “The opening of this new book announces a deep and solemn change in Robert Lomas as a writer and as a man. Something has happened to him.” Lomas admits this book is intentionally mystical. "I ask my readers temporarily to set aside science and to listen, as a child, to the ancient teaching of the Craft as it shows you how you might know yourself. This book will take you on an imaginative journey deep into that inner part of your consciousness that Freemasonry calls your soul." Not since the glory days of Wilmshurst, Ward and Waite has any serious Masonic writer attempted to look at the Meaning of Masonry in such knowledgeable depth Freemasonry has a deep purpose which can be overlooked in the rush of the modern world. Its ritual says it is a high and serious subject. But how can an individual discover the truths it outlines? How do you become an Initiate and a Master? A new, spiritually-aware generation is asking this question and demanding answers. This book responds in an unexpectedly visual way. Using words and images it leads you through the spiritual stages of Masonic knowledge. The Craft teaches that each new Apprentice shall find a teacher to gain instruction. The open Lodge is not the place for instruction but a place for living out truths which should be taught privately by contemplation of symbols. Robert Lomas has spent thirty years as a University teacher, and twenty years studying Freemasonry and its ritual. In this book he shares his personal insight into the Craft, explains his understanding of its ritual and outlines the steps a Mason must take to find self-knowledge. His words are illuminated by the unique symbolic drawings of two masters of Masonic Tracing board design. The purpose of Freemasonry is to help its members become Initiates in the science of Life. If you want to know yourself, then Freemasonry offers a path to that knowledge. It is a spiritual adventure, fit for the athletic and adventurous mind. The Secret Science of Masonic Initiation reveals that path. Binding Paperback Format 182 x 119 Extent 96 pages
The Secret Work Of An Age
A fascinating, paradigm-shifting, non-fiction book for those who wish to pierce the veil of allegory, codes and symbols. Recommended by Freemasons for other Masons, and anyone interested in the wisdom teachings, this was previously published as an ebook and reviews include: "I just wanted to express my gratitude for such an illuminating piece of work. I've read The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P Hall and was under the assumption that your book would review similar materials but I was wrong -- it's much more comprehensive." If you decide to purchase you will gain access to a wealth of information about concealed wisdom, myth, archetypes, philosophy, religion, spirituality and consciousness; information that is sure to change the way you see the world. This comprehensive volume contains 466 pages with hundreds of images and endnotes.
The Secrets of Solomon’s Temple
NOTHING IS WANTING BUT THE KEY. IF THOU CANST UNDERSTAND THESE THINGS THOU KNOWEST ENOUGH…so states an element of Masonic ceremony. The key to what? To know enough about what? Unravelling the mystery of Solomon. Solomon is a key character in biblical history and Masonic ceremonies. Academics tell us that Solomon was not his real name but one he acquired sometime after his death. So, who was Solomon? Why was his name changed? How does this affect the temple named after him? What is/was Solomon’s Seal? Why do Solomon, the temple and the seal all feature in Freemasonry? Why is this long lost temple still held in high esteem? Was there some sacred knowledge the religious establishment wanted to suppress? Is there a prevailing undercurrent that affects us even today? The Knights Templar enjoyed the protection of the Vatican. They incorporated Solomon’s name in the full title of their Order two thousand years after he died. Is there some significance? As this book progresses, a series of mysteries develop, clues are found, uncomfortable information is revealed. And, it all started – a long, long time ago. Paperback : 336 pages
The Temple and The Vault
In a world where ancient mysteries and esoteric knowledge continue to intrigue, The Temple and the Vault stands as a unique exploration into the narratives and allegories that have shaped the Western Esoteric Tradition. Whether you are a Freemason, a Rosicrucian, or simply curious about the hidden aspects of these traditions, The Temple and the Vault provides an unparalleled journey through the mythic landscapes and moral lessons embedded in their rituals and teachings. Authored by an insider, this book is the only one of its kind, aimed at decoding the stories that sit at the heart of these fraternal societies. Engaging, insightful, and meticulously researched, The Temple and the Vault invites you to unlock the doors to a deeper understanding of the spiritual and philosophical heritage that continues to lead seekers around the world toward a life of virtue and self-discovery.
The Tracing Boards of the First Degree
With a Foreword by the Grand Master of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Malta The Tracing Board is a picture that encloses the quintessence of the ritual of the Degree and transmits it through symbols and images. Being an integral part of Masonic works, the Tracing Board is well known to every Freemason; yet very few of them dwell on its real meaning and on that of the symbols contained therein. The book is divided into two parts. In the first, the author analyses the Tracing Board of the First Degree of the Emulation ritual: in it a precise plan for the spiritual improvement of man is traced. Each symbol contained in the Tracing Board is described, analysed and explained under the historical, moral and esoteric profile. The second part provides an overview of the Tracing Boards and their associated symbolism through the analysis of images relating to jewels, drawings, Lodge cloths and First-Degree Tracing Boards, coming from different parts of the world. Hardback 224 Pages Highly Illustrated Includes Diverse and Beautiful Examples of Tracing Boards of the First Degree
The Winding Staircase
Theory of the Origins
This work is divided into three parts,proposing three distinct and original theories, aiming to show the clearly identifiable, ongoing evolutionary trends extending from the origins of Freemasonry. This book charts the transformational processes which combine in a peak between the end of the seventeenth and the start of the eighteenth century. A period stretching from the birth of the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster and the publication of the Anderson Constitutions (1717-1723), to conclude with an in-depth examination of the innovative ritual published through the work of the Lodge of Reconciliation (established1813-1816 on the occasion of the constitution of the United Grand Lodge of England with the aim of identifying a ritual homogeneity between all the traditions of the two antagonist Grand Lodges of the Moderns and the Ancients), and the subsequent rituality of the Royal Arch.The latter ritual forms will illustrate how, throughout its evolution, the process of Masonic consciential development has been transformed from a system of morals veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols into a complex and profound mystic pathway.The pathway illustrated in this work highlights how, on completion of its ritual evolution, to all intents and purposes Freemasonry should be considered as a form, or rather representative of that which authors such as Guénon, Evola,Schuon, Coomaraswamy and other authors of the perennialist school of thought define as Tradition. By Tradition, one refers to an entity inspired by a supratemporal truth that traverses all human time; the traditional forms therefore impart a wisdom of divine origin.By definition, each traditional doctrine possesses an immutable essence, although its methodology may be re-established within the framework of as specific conceptual style in line with the range of potential modes of intuition and according to human circumstances. Explored in this book. Old Charges and Early Ritual Fragments The Oldest Masonic Exposes Compared Earliest Writings by Freemasons on Freemasonry Connections to Guilds and their Traditions The Mystery and Morality plays, Elizabethan Theatre and the Art of Memory The Lodge or Reconciliation, the Stability and Emulation Ritual Associations Changes and Evolutions in Masonic Ritual over time The Origins and Inspirations of Masonic Teachings found in the Ritual And much, much more 233 Pages Hardback Beautifully Illustrated Dust Jacked Cloth Bound with Embossed Spine
Tracing Boards of the Three Degrees
The Tracing Boards are an essential part of the Craft Degrees, assisting the Freemason in his quest to decode and interpret those allegories. The first three chapters give a detailed method of understanding and revealing the import of the three Craft boards , based on those used in the three degrees by the Emulation of Improvement. This book is richly illustrated and features boards never before seen outside museums.