« The Cemetery of Pleasures | Main | Manuelin in Tomar »

November 03, 2003

Symbols of Freemasonry

In the Cemetery of Pleasures there are several mausoleums where freemasonry symbols can be found.

One of their principal symbols is the square and compasses, tools of the trade, so arranged as to form a quadrilateral. The square is sometimes said to represent matter, and the compasses spirit or mind. The compass is an ancient symbol of spirituality and spiritual creativity. Some medieval paintings show God creating the Universe with compasses.



Another common freemasonry symbol is the Eye of God. It's an emblem reminding us that we are constantly in God's presence.




This is harder to find: a double headed eagle with the number 33 on its chest. The 33rd degree is the highest rank a freemason can reach which entitles him to have on his aperon an embroidering of a double headed eagle of Lagash (a sumerian city). These are symbols of the Scottish Rite.



Another not so common one is the beehive, symbolic of systematized industry and meaning that what one may not be able to accomplish alone may be easily performed when all work together at one task.


Posted by claudia

Comments

this cemetery theme really impressed me. exactly in which town, in Portugal, can this be found?

Posted by english patient at November 3, 2003 07:12 PM

ooops. I'm so self-centered. It's in Lisboa, the capital. At least I said it was in Portugal. Note to self: improve geographical references! :-)

Posted by Claudia at November 3, 2003 08:33 PM

interesting, in fact i am reading the lost language of symbolism right now: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/080651163X/103-1825162-5018216 and i took a sinister picture in manhattan the other week: http://greg.abstrakt.ch/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album105&id=PA186875 btw, thanks for your link about the chinese names. good stuff. how did you find my blog?

Posted by Gregor J. Rothfuss at November 3, 2003 08:54 PM

molto interessante, ma troppo poco..... massimo ITALY

Posted by misefari massimo at May 10, 2004 08:29 PM

ciao! i'm writing a book about human brain and symbols in freemasonry. This is very new and we can see freemasonry as natural stimulation of a side of brain. I try to demonstrate this by imaging(NMR). write me if you can suggest some thing. massimo misefari

Posted by massimo misefari at June 24, 2004 05:49 PM

para quem se interessa, aqui fica uma introdução: http://www.maconaria.net/index.shtml

Posted by Jorge at October 18, 2004 12:14 AM