Freemasonry has had a bad press in modern times associated with an inner back-slapping police network and more extreme illuminati-type conspiracy theories. And has throughout the centuries raised suspicion because of its secrecy, weird rituals and hotch potch of semi-religious and occult beliefs. Two of America’s early presidents, George Washington and James Monroe, were Freemasons, as were Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock and Paul Revere. But many were not; of the 56 figures who signed the Declaration of Independence, only nine were confirmed Masons.
Part of its roots lie in the old craft societies like stonemasons, though there is some evidence of a connection with the persecuted Templars who went underground in the early 14th Century after their leader was burnt alive as a heretic. And the museum in their London HQ, which I’ve visited, is certainly stuffed full of old alchemical and Templar artefacts, the significance of which most members are totally unaware.
The first Masonic Lodge in the world convened in Edinburgh on July 31st 1599 (JC). That makes it a Sun Neptune in Leo trine Pluto in Aries, sextile Mars in Gemini – so a mix of idealistic and flamboyant, controlling and ruthlessly determined. With Uranus just into Taurus square Jupiter. The gory nature of some of the rituals reinforced by the Sun sitting on the cruel Mars/Saturn midpoint and Mars conjunct the ultra-determined Sun/Pluto.
The first Grand Lodge of England was held on 24 June 1717 (JC) in London with a chart surprisingly similar to the 1776 USA chart – Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury in Cancer square Saturn in Libra; with the Sun and other clannish Cancer planets on the midpoint of a stratospherically ambitious Neptune trine Pluto. And two Yods – Neptune sextile Sun, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury inconjunct Mars in Sagittarius and Mars sextile Saturn inconjunct Neptune – putting it out of step with its environment.
Both charts have Neptune Pluto strongly integrated which is associated with odd beliefs, as well as megalomaniac ambitions and scandals.
Amazed to see that even Sugar Ray Robinson was a Freemason!
How can you join Freemason?
It is striking that in these charts the planetary rulership sits in the double signs with mars in gemini and venus in cancer respectively.
As I understand it, Richard Nixon was the last US president to be a Freemason.
1599 is the date of the formal establishment of Scottish masonry. Irish freemasonry, is yet another branch with a different if parallel history. The Baal’s Bridge Masonic Square which was buried under the foundation stone of the bridge in the early sixteenth century is dated 1507 and bears the inscription “I will strive to live with love and care/on the level and by the square”. It is the oldest dated masonic artefact we know of.
The nineteenth century French development of co-masonry, where both men and women were initiated, influenced the development of androgynous magical orders such as that of the late nineteenth century Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where the Freemasonic Rosicrucian tradition out of which the Order developed also opened initiation to both sexes. Regarding this move toward understanding esoteric sexual polarity working within each individual, it is striking that in the charts above, the rulership lies both mars in Gemini and Venus in Cancer respectively, both in double signs and the planets representing the divine Male and divine Female.
There is a tiny area in a cabinet in the Freemasonic Hall museum which alludes to the Hampstead resident esoteric theosophist Annie Besant ( died 1933 ) who introduced co masonry into England.
Considering the increasingly fluid and often challenging social perceptions of human sexuality in the present day we might all benefit from a revisitation and serious recognition of her work in this area.
Hello Craig that’s interesting. I think places in Ireland with the prefix Temple indicate former preceptories on the Knights Templar, or so I’ve read. Is that your understanding? What was the extent of Templar presence in Ireland? Presumably the rise of Freemasonry there is also related to and issue from the presence of Knights Templars? I’m aware the Papal Writ didn’t run in Scotland at the time of the Templar dissolution, so they were safe in Scotland. Were they protected in other ways in Ireland do you know?
Cheers
Alex
Thanks Marjorie
Consecrated in 1446, Roslyn Chapel near Edinburgh is a beautiful and mysterious building. It has obvious facets of Freemasonry, before its official inception in 1599, implying that some at least of the beliefs, architecture, ceremonies, personalities and so on were already in play, so to speak, before Freemasonry went public. I think there is something to the notion that at least some of the Knights Templar were granted sanctuary in Scotland after their run in with the French King…Roslyn is also built on a major confluence of let lines
Mozart born 27 January 1756 was born under Sun/Mercury Aquarius opposition Neptune in Leo. He became a Mason in the last years of his life and the influence can be clearly seen in the Magic Flute.