Books by author: A-G | Books by Author: H-M | Books by Author: N-Z
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The Craft Unmasked – The Uncommon Origin of Freemasonry and its Practice
Dr. John S. Nagy
The Society of Free & Accepted Masons, which is better known to the world as The Freemasons, has been in existence for nearly three centuries. Since their official public beginning, they have spread their Craft to every country on the face of the earth, except for within those territories whose suspicious totalitarian governments outlaw them. Society members include some of the most powerful men of their time. Yet, most do not know what the origin of the organization truly is or how to accurately describe what members do. By applying Masonic Forensics to existing Craft evidence, Brother John S. Nagy carefully fossicked through and found long ignored Craft Light. His findings lift away the many Masterfully placed Masks that have concealed Masonry s true origin since it first became known to the public.
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Lodge Leadership: A Five Step Guide to Masonic Reform
Matt R. Nelson and James T. Tresner
As it is with many things in life, when we have achieved the end goal, the diploma, the last degree, there arises the question, “Now what?” For the young Master Mason who is looking to make his mark in the Fraternity, this book is intended to answer the question, “Now what?” Lodge Leadership starts Masons, young and old, on the quest of becoming a better leader. Detailed in the book is a five step program to help members prepare and execute the skills of an excellent leader.
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The Builders: A Story and Study of Freemasonry
Joseph Fort Newton
The Builders: A Story and Study of Freemasonry provides a general survey of Masonic origins, history and philosophy. It was at one time given to every new Mason in Iowa, probably a better choice than Morals and Dogma, which is almost three times as long and much more difficult reading. Written by Joseph Fort Newton, “The Builders” offers a scholarly but approachable treatment of Masonry sure to enlighten not only a general audience, but practicing Freemasons. As a rationalist, Joseph Fort Newton deflates claims of an ancient origin for Masonry per se; rather he illuminates the historical precedents of the group. He starts with ancient Egypt, not because he believes that the Egyptians had functioning Masonic lodges, but because that is where monumental architecture began.
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The Secret Architecture of Our Nation’s Capital: The Masons and the Building of Washington, D.C.
David Ovason
Today, there are more than twenty complete zodiacs in Washington, D.C., each one pointing to an extraordinary mystery. David Ovason, who has studied these astrological devices for ten years, now reveals why they have been placed in such abundance in the center of our nation’s capital and explains their interconnections. His richly illustrated text tells the story of how Washington, from its foundation in 1791, was linked with the zodiac, with the meaning of certain stars, and with a hidden cosmological symbolism that he uncovers here for the first time.
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The Knights Templar and Their Myth
Peter Partner
“Bound by religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the Knights Templar were a Military Crusading Order engaged in religious war in the Holy Land. At the end of the thirteenth century, after their withdrawal from Syria, they became the apparently innocent victims of a campaign of slander and persecution mounted against them by the French government.”
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The Occult World (Routledge Worlds)
Christopher Partridge
This volume presents students and scholars with a comprehensive overview of the fascinating world of the occult. It explores the history of Western occultism, from ancient and medieval sources via the Renaissance, right up to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and contemporary occultism. Written by a distinguished team of contributors, the essays consider key figures, beliefs and practices as well as popular culture.
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Freemasonry: A Study of the Phenomenon
Alexander Piatigorsky
This study considers the institution of Freemasonry from the point of view of both masons and their critics, as well as from the author’s own. In the first section, it gives an outline of masonic history, from the foundation of the Grand Lodge in Covent Garden in 1717 through its major role in Enlightenment Europe and the American War of Independence, its many tribulations and schisms in the 19th century to the present day. The book looks at one of the main sources of masonic history, Anderson’s “Constitutions”, which documents masonic practice and the masons’ mythical history back to Hiram Abiff, the first Master Mason in the reign of King Solomon.
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A Traditional Observance Lodge: One Mason’s Journey to Fulfillment
Cliff Porter
The author’s home lodge is different. They suffer from higher than 100% attendance, men wait periods of longer than a year to get initiated, they have never lost a single Entered Apprentice, they have nobody on the roles who is NPD or has been dropped for NPD. Men arrive on lodge days at 8:00 a.m. and are often reluctantly leaving for home near midnight or 2:00 a.m. Their dues are high by American standards, the background check is rigorous, and the initiations are solemn and serious. Every lodge meeting is treated as an event and celebrated as such. Dinner is treated as a feast with all its positive connotations. Freemasonry is celebrated in every aspect of the lodge. From the artwork, the furnishings, the set up and the atmosphere; all aspects of the lodge meeting are intentional and meant to create an experience.
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The Secret Psychology of Freemasonry: Alchemy, Gnosis, and the Science of the Craft
Cliff Porter
Masonic ritual contains a veiled secret which points toward a hidden psychological current, inherent in the Western Mystical Tradition. This scarcely perceivable sentient science has manifested throughout the ages within the ancient Gnostic schools, the writings of the great Hermetic philosophers, and the noble art of Freemasonry. These institutions have operated as a means of perpetuating a method of personal typology and perception, which is essential to human interaction. The intrinsic numerological correspondences of Craft ritual contain the keys to perfecting this powerful system of communication and the Self. This seminal work provides a practical framework, through which the student can master his own typology, understand the elements of perception, and utilize vital communication techniques which can unlock the very mysteries of human existence. By employing techniques as diverse as Jungian psychoanalysis, Masonic geometry, and alchemical parable, Porter has formulated a unique and timely tome that is certain to revolutionize the perceptions of contemporary Masonic culture and the means by which we articulate ideas.
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Masonic Baptism
Cliff Porter
This is a Masonic Baptism ceremony and ritual designed for use in Masonic lodges wishing to baptize children of Masonic families. The ceremony is not religious in nature and does not compete with the baptisms of the different religions of the world. It is a solemn act of fidelity and pledge to our children that they will never be alone and that we hold dear the philosophies of Masonry.
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The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ
Lynn and Clive Prince Picknett
In a remarkable achievement of historical detective work that is destined to become a classic, authors Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince delve into the mysterious world of the Freemasons, the Cathars, the Knights Templar, and the occult to discover the truth behind an underground religion with roots in the first century that survives even today. Chronicling their fascinating quest for truth through time and space, the authors reveal an astonishing new view of the real motives and character of the founder of Christianity, as well as the actual historical — and revelatory — roles of John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene. Painstakingly researched and thoroughly documented, The Templar Revelation presents a secret history, preserved through the centuries but encoded in works of art and even in the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe, whose final chapter could shatter the foundation of the Christian Church.
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Masonic Enlightenment – The Philosophy, History and Wisdom of Freemasonry
Michael R. Poll
A Masonic education from the first page to last. Includes: “The Meaning of Initiation” by Frank C. Higgins; “Operative Masonry: Early Days in the Masonic Era” by Robert I. Clegg; “Masonic Jurisprudence” by Roscoe Pound; “Freemasons in the American Revolution” by Charles S. Lobingier; “A Bird’s-Eye View of Masonic History” by H.L. Haywood; “Women and Freemasonry” by Dudley Wright; “In the Interests of the Brethren” by Rudyard Kipling; “The Egyptian Influence on Our Masonic Ceremonial and Ritual” by Thomas Ross; “Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723” by Lionel Vibert; “The Rise and Development of Anti-Masonry in America, 1737-1826” by J. Hugo Tatsch; “The Spiritual Significance of Freemasonry” by Silas H. Shepherd; “Rosicrucianism in Freemasonry” by H.V.B. Voorhis; “The New Atlantis and Freemasonry” by A.J.B. Milborne; “Masonry and World Peace” by Joseph Fort Newton and more.
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Seeking Light: The Esoteric Heart of Freemasonry
Michael R. Poll
“Seeking Light” is an approachable, easy to read collection of common Masonic philosophy and practices. The pages provide clear thoughts and advice on many of today’s Masonic questions and the situations that plague our lodges and members. It is the esoteric heart of Freemasonry.
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Tied to Masonic Apron Strings
Stewart M.L. Pollard
A book loaded with rib ticklers–just the gift to speed recovery of an “ailing” Brother! Bro. Pollard has rounded up the cream of the crop of humorous incidents that occur in Masonic gatherings, sweetened them with a number of unusual Masonic poems and brief inspirational articles, and seasoned well with those “spicy and funny” cartoons from the pages of the Royal Arch Mason Magazine. An armchair delight and a ready “wit” to brighten Masonic talks. Tied to Masonic Apron Strings shows another side of Freemasonry. The Missouri Lodge of Research feels that sometimes we take ourselves too seriously as Masons. This book helps us laugh with ourselves.
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Illustrations of Masonry
William Preston
Illustrations of masonry by one of the fraternity who has devoted thirty years to the subject. Republished with the addition of engravings, showing the lodge-room signs, grips and masonic emblems.
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The Freemasons: A History of the World’s Most Powerful Secret Society
Jasper Ridley
What did Mozart and Bach, Oscar Wilde and Anthony Trollope, George Washington and Frederick the Great, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt have in common? They were all Freemasons, a subject of endless fascination. To the layman, they are a mysterious brotherhood of profound if uncertain influence, a secret society purported in some popular histories to have its roots in the fabled order of the Knights Templar, or in the mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids. They evoke fears of world domination by a select few who enjoy privileged access to wealth and the levers of power. The secrecy of their rites suggests the taint of sacrilege, and their hidden loyalties are sometimes accused of undermining the workings of justice and the integrity of nations.
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Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry
John J. Robinson
Its mysterious symbols and rituals had been used in secret for centuries before Freemasonry revealed itself in London in 1717. Once known, Freemasonry spread throughout the world and attracted kings, emperors, and statesmen to take its sacred oaths. It also attracted great revolutionaries such as George Washington and Sam Houston in America, Juarez in Mexico, Garibaldi in Italy, and Bolivar in South America. It was outlawed over the centuries by Hitler, Mussolini, and the Ayatollah Khomeini. But where had this powerful organization come from? What was it doing in those secret centuries before it rose from underground more than 270 years ago? And why was Freemasonry attacked with such intense hatred by the Roman Catholic church?
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Dungeon, Fire and Sword: The Knights Templar in the Crusades
John J. Robinson
Over the past thousand years, the bloodiest game of the king-of-the-hill has been for supremacy on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the site of the ancient Temple of Solomon. This book recounts the stirring saga of the Knights Templar, the Christian warrior-monks who occupied the sacred Mount in the aftermath of the butchery of the First Crusade. Recruited to a life of poverty, chastity and obedience intended to lead only to martyrdom on the battlefield, they were totally dedicated to the pious paradox that the wholesale slaughter of non-believers would earn the eternal gratitude of the Prince of Peace.
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A Pilgrim’s Path: Freemasonry and the Religious Right
John J. Robinson
Freemasonry has never lacked for detractors. Enemies of the organization have included the Roman Catholic Church, the Communist Party, and the Nazis. It has been denounced by popes and kings, by the ignorant and by those who felt threatened by the fraternity’s reputation for secrecy. Unfortunately, because it has a long history of never answering critics, Freemasonry makes a wonderful target for bigotry. Now, a group of religious fundamentalists has managed, after years of struggle, to take a controlling position in the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. It has launched what is potentially the most damaging assault on Masonry in the past century. In A Pilgrim’s Path John J. Robinson relates the history of the attacks against the organization and the motives behind the attacks. In doing so he discusses the origins of Freemasonry, its tenets, and its goals.
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A Masonic Journey
Nelson J. Rose
The principles of Freemasonry are universal and relevant for everyone, whether you are a Mason or not. In “A Masonic Journey” the author covers the application of Masonic philosophy in everyday life. The book weaves together storytelling and traditional instructive prose to lay out a Masonic Life Journey for Masons and non-Masons alike. This book’s primary focus is on the practical application of Freemasonry and its moral philosophy. A practical and pragmatic approach is used to discuss symbolism and the use of allegory so that those that are not interested in all the often whimsical mystical layers of the Craft, can still benefit from its teachings.
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The Freemason’s Monitor
Thomas Webb Smith
Thomas Smith Webb’s “The Freemason’s Monitor” is the grand-daddy of all U.S. Masonic monitors. This very important work includes the “Ancient Charges”; an examination of the craft degrees and lectures; funeral, installation of officers and other lodge ceremonies; a study of all York Rite bodies up to the Knights Templar, a general Masonic history section and much more. This is a fascinating and important work for all Masons. Photographic and restored reproduction of the rare 1818 edition of this work.
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Freemasonry in the Ottoman Empire: A History of the Fraternity and its Influence in Syria and the Levant (Library of Ottoman Studies)
Dorothe Sommer
The network of freemasons and Masonic lodges in the Middle East is an opaque and mysterious one, and is all too often seen – within the area – as a vanguard for Western purposes of regional domination. But here, Dorothe Sommer explains how freemasonry in Greater Syria at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century actually developed a life of its own, promoting local and regional identities. She stresses that during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, freemasonry was actually one of the first institutions in what is now Syria and Lebanon which overcame religious and sectarian divisions. Indeed, the lodges attracted more participants – such as the Trad Family, the Jurji Yanni Yaziji Family, Hassan Bayhum, Alexander Barroudi and Khaireddeen Abdulwahab – than any other society or fraternity.
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Freemasonry: Rituals, Symbols & History of the Secret Society
Mark Stavish and Lon Milo DuQuette
As one of the world’s most famous mysterious societies, Freemasons remain the largest fraternal organization in the world. Some of the most heroic and creative thinkers in history belonged to the order, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Goethe, and Mozart. What links the philosophy of these great minds with the estimated four million Freemasons who actively maintain this ancient brotherhood today? From sacred geometry to legendary Masonic rites, author and Freemason Mark Stavish divulges the philosophy of Masonry and the moral code that all Masons share. Learn how Masonry’s higher degrees, particularly Scottish Rite, were influenced by occult beliefs and practices, and how Masonry is linked to King Solomon, Gothic architecture, magic practice, alchemy, and Kabbalah.
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The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland’s Century, 1590 to 1710
David Stevenson
This book is a new edition of David Stevenson’s classic account of the origins of Freemasonry, a brotherhood of men bound together by secret initiatives, rituals and modes of identification with ideals of fraternity, equality, toleration and reason. Beginning in Britain, Freemasonry swept across Europe in the mid-eighteenth century in astonishing fashion–yet its origins are still hotly debated today. The prevailing assumption has been that it emerged in England around 1700, but David Stevenson demonstrates that the real origins of modern Freemasonry lie in Scotland around 1600, when the system of lodges was created by stonemasons with rituals and secrets blending medieval mythology with Renaissance and seventeenth-century history.
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Masonic Traveler
Gregory B. Stewart
Masonic Traveler is a work at a crossroads; the product of a nascent alchemy that is the personal expression of study of the highest form of the Western Mystery traditions known as Freemasonry. This work is more than a history book, or an evaluation of ancient symbols. Rather it is about the personal journey of becoming a Freemason, studying its nuance, finding and mapping its parallels, and assimilating it into daily life. Included in the work is a consideration of the bee hive, the symbolic attribution of the tenants of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and the symbolic meaning behind King Solomon’s Temple, and much more. This work is a journal of a Masonic Traveler.
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The Apprentice – A Treatise on the First Degree of Freemasonry
Gregory B. Stewart
More an explainer of the secrets, symbols and mythology of Freemasonry, The Apprentice – a Treatise on the First Degree of Freemasonry, is an introduction into the forgotten ideas behind the making of a mason. This work explores the symbolism of that ritual journey from the perspective of what it means to be initiated. In that telling it draws parallels with occult secrets of the tarot, traditions of the kabbalah and the esoteric connections it has with the Hermetic Tradition. The Apprentice is a book about the fundamentals of becoming a Freemason by illustrating and explaining the secrets behind its science and philosophy.
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Fellow of the Craft – A Treatise on the Second Degree of Freemasonry
Gregory B. Stewart
Explored from the perspective of the little practiced Scottish Rite degrees, this work combines elaborate descriptions, interpretative exploration and links to parallel symbolic constructs to form an understanding of the meaning behind this second step of becoming a Freemason. Picking up from where its predecessor, the Apprentice, concluded the Fellow of the Craft takes the reader on a journey through the rich symbolism and allegory of what it means to become a Fellow.
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American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities
Mark Tabbert
“With over four million members worldwide, and two million in the U.S., Freemasonry is the largest fraternal organization in the world. Published in conjunction with the National Heritage Museum, this extravagantly illustrated volume offers an overview of Freemasonry’s origins in seventeenth-century Scotland and England before exploring its evolving role in American history, from the Revolution through the labor and civil rights movements, and into the twenty-first century. American Freemasons explores some of the causes for the rise and fall of membership in the fraternity and why it has attracted men in such large numbers for centuries.
American Freemasons is the perfect introduction to understanding a society that, while shrouded in mystery, has played an integral role in the lives and communities of millions of Americans.”
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Introduction to Freemasonry (Entered Apprentice) (Volume 1)
James Tyrell
Who are the Freemasons? A powerful and shadowy elite who have manipulated world history through the ages or a more mundane fraternal society devoted to charity, good works and the mutual support of members?
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A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry
Arthur Edward Waite
Provides a complete view of the history, literature and myths surrounding Freemasonry. Comprehensive explanations of their secret rituals and symbolism. Including alchemy, astrology, Kabbalism, ceremonial magic, animal magnetism and more.
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The Meaning of Masonry, Revised Edition (Agapa Masonic Classics)
W. L. Wilmshurst
Although the Freemasons number over six million members worldwide, they are a very secretive organization. the general public today thinks of them as a social fraternity like the Rotary Club, but that is hardly the whole truth. By mysterious coincidence, it seems, many Masons have been major figures in modern history. many of the Founding Fathers of the United States—including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Paul Revere—were Freemasons. Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian freedom fighter, was also one, as were the composers Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and writers François Marie Arouet de Voltaire and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The Meaning of Masonry explores the beliefs behind the order, its cryptic rites and symbols, and uncovers its ultimate purpose.
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The Masonic Initiation, Revised Edition
W. L. Wilmshurst
The Masonic Initiation is the powerful sequel to W. L. Wilmshurst’s other enduring classic, The Meaning of Masonry. Here, we find the author’s most advanced expression as he explores the profound depths of Masonic ritual as a contemplative art, and offers his vision of the future of the Order. Both Freemasons and those who study the Craft from a distance will enjoy these insightful essays. This new edition by Plumbstone has been fully revised and re-set in clear, modern type, and is enriched with extensive notes expanding on Wilmshurst’s points, elucidating his sources, and explaining the differences between American and British Freemasonry. Prominent Masonic author Robert G. Davis writes in his Foreword that this edition provides “a new look at a timeless classic which has induced many generations of Masons to feel that, when they are in the sacred space of lodge, they are in the presence of a mystery that goes to the root of their own being.”
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The Arcane Schools
John Yarker
This book provides a background necessary to understand elements of the Golden Dawn and O.T.O. initiations, particularly in matters like the inclusion of the Samothraian deities in the former and the details of the lower and middle degrees for the latter. The Western Occult Revival is documented in it’s origins. Yarker’s thesis is to demonstrate universal and indigenous initiation in symbol and legend throughout the history and places of the world; and, by relating the meanings and practices of ancient and modern Masonry (through the 19th century), to disclose the universal content of the rites and mysteries. The author is more skeptical than most, and there is a distinct flavor of Frazier in the style of presentation. Many Christian traditions are presented in great detail and multiple example to be ignorant glosses of the ancient mysteries.