Are You One?©
Author: Jeff Winters
I have always wondered
the manner in which Freemasons identify themselves when meeting for the first
time. As I contemplated becoming a Mason I wondered how one would go about
recognizing who in a room may be a Mason as I would soon be. After being Raised
I though of the various questions that the first question a true Freemason would
ask, I came up with a few ideas was:
"Can you tie a bow?" The response, if the person was a Freemason, would be: "As
good as you can!"
Being a cook I though a Freemason may refer to his cutlery as "working tools"
during a conversation and await any appropriate response?
Maybe another Freemason
could gently caress your knuckle with his thumb before slowly releasing his
grip?
As early as
1725,
the general public was given an insight into this subject. Two articles were
published, readers were advised that this information was - "found in the
custody of a Freemason who died suddenly." and published "that the public may
have something genuine concerning the grand mysteries of the Freemasons,"
Published by A. Moore, near St Paul's and entitled, The Grand Mystery of the
Free Masons Discovered, they were priced at one shilling and contained the
following:
The Freemasons Signs, Examination upon entrance into the Lodge. The Freemasons
Oath, A Freemasons Health.
Just for a few moments, let us journey to a distant past and partake of
instruction into the finer points of how to pass on a discreet signal or
identify another Freemason. You might, for example, indicate your membership by
taking off your hat with two fingers and a thumb. Or, you may choose to strike,
with the right hand, the inside of your little finger, three times as if hewing.
Imagine yourself in non-Masonic company and you suspect the man opposite was a
Freemason and you wanted to meet him outside. Firstly, you would need to cough
three times and leave the room. Now assuming he followed you out and once alone,
here is the procedure to follow:
1)
You must place you right heel to his right instep.
2)
Put your right arm over his left and your left under his right.
3)
In that position, you then take your middle finger and starting from his left
shoulder you draw a square from his shoulder to the middle of his back and down
to his breeches.
If this gains no response, you could try this:
1)
You must take the first step with your right foot and the second with your left
and the third bringing your right heel into your brothers right instep.
2)
You then lay your right hand to his left wrist.
3)
You then draw the other hand from your right ear to left under your chin.
4)
He will then put his right hand to his left side under his heart.
Finally, Imagine you had gone through all of these trials you were still unsure
and of course, hoping you had not been arrested for disturbing or accosting
strangers, you felt someone was a Freemason.
I decided on a
reasonable final testing question? What lodge were you made a Freemason at?
Past For
Reflection
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