Freemasonry Speaks in Symbols— And It Also Speaks in Stone

Read more in the latest feature of California Freemason

From the earliest days, Masons have looked to the built world not just for shelter, but for meaning.

Sacred geometry shows us that every well-proportioned structure isn’t an accident but an intention of harmony. As Masons, we are called to apply those same principles within ourselves—act upon the square, level our relationships, and erect a moral edifice that reflects integrity and purpose.

Our lodges and halls echo that same truth. Once you start looking, they’re everywhere: a square and compass above a doorway, a mural glowing with symbolism, a lodge rising quietly on a city street. As our strategic plan advances, preserving and activating these spaces becomes a powerful way to live our values in the communities we serve.

In an age that often feels fragmented, sacred geometry reminds us that design and meaning still matter. Like the finest architecture, may we stand as reflections of order, strength, and harmony.

Download the Simple Guide to Freemasonry

How did you first learn about about Freemasonry? Was it by stepping into a lodge hall and meeting with members? At a community event? From a movie or TV show?

PROBABLY NOT!

Research shows that by far, the most common introduction that current members had to the organization came from a personal connection such as a relative or colleague. In other words, not from the Internet. That’s why it’s so important that current members feel comfortable talking about Freemasonry with the people around them—and that those searching for more information are provided with simple and accurate answers.

To that end, this short booklet is designed to help current members answer some of the most common—but often confusing—questions about Freemasonry.

Download and read through this guide to brush up on the basics. And share it with those around you who’d like to learn more. Don’t worry about memorizing answers. The most powerful thing you can do is share your personal experience. Consider this a tool to help you get started.

DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE

As members, you’re encouraged to discuss your Masonic experience with people around you. It’s how the tradition stays alive, from one person to the next.

Learn About Freemasonry Symbols

Learn more about Freemasonry at: freemason.org/freemasonry-symbols

 

An introduction to the symbols, signs, and emblems of Masons and Masonic lodges.

Maybe you’ve heard rumors about the “Freemason pyramid” on the dollar bill, seen the square and compass logo on buildings around town, or wondered about the meaning of emblems like the Masonic trowel. What’s the history behind Masonic symbols, and how do they factor into what happens in a lodge?

Why Does Masonry Use Symbols?

From soaring architecture to dime-sized lapel pins, symbols adorn every part of the Masonic experience. Why? Symbols allow people to communicate quickly, and to transcend language barriers. When you see a green light or a circle with a line through it, you know what it means. Likewise, Masons use metaphors from geometry and the architecture of stonemasonry to inform their continuing pursuit of knowledge, ethics, and leadership skills.

From the Square and Compass to the Letter G: The Meaning of Masonic Emblems

When speculative Masonry began in the 17th century, it adopted the stonemason’s tools as symbols to illustrate life lessons. Freemasonry’s symbols today remain remarkably true to the first stonemasons’ working tools.

Here are some of the best-known Masonic symbols:

  • Apron: Known as the “unique badge of a Mason,” the apron is the most recognizable item of a Mason’s attire. Masons wear aprons while at lodge, and at certain public events. The tradition dates back to the fraternity’s operative days, when stonemasons wore protective work aprons.
  • Square and Compass: The Masonic square and compass is probably the most common symbol in Masonry, used to represent Freemasons and Masonic lodges around the world. Ancient stonemasons used the tools to create 90-degree angles and test the accuracy of their stones. In “speculative” Masonry, the square is an emblem of morality. The compass represents the relationship between the individual and society.
  • The Letter G: The letter G is often seen in the center of the square and compass symbol. It stands for geometry, the basis for stonemasonry—and, symbolically, for modern Freemasonry.
  • Plumb and Level: In stonemasonry, the plumb and level ensure surfaces are vertically and horizontally flush. For today’s Freemasons, the plumb is a symbol of justice, rectitude, and the importance of living in an upright manner, while the level is a reminder that all men are equal. You may have heard the phrase, “To meet on the level and part on the square.” That’s where it comes from!
  • Trowel: One of a stonemason’s most important working tools is the trowel, used to spread mortar that binds stones together. In Freemasonry, the trowel is used to spread the “cement” of brotherly love to unite a sacred band or society of friends.
  • Rough and Perfect Ashlars: The ashlars are two stone cubes placed near the master’s platform in the lodge; one is rough-edged, delivered straight from the quarry; the other is smooth and ready for building. The rough ashlar represents man in his crude form, while the perfect ashlar represents the man, who, through the teachings of Masonry, has become more polished. We never become a perfect ashlar, but we work toward it.
  • Columns: Every Masonic lodge has representations of two pillars, replicas of the two columns that flanked the entrance to King Solomon’s temple. The pillars are said to represent strength and establishment.
  • Winding Staircase: The winding staircase is another symbol inspired by King Solomon’s temple, referring to the steps leading from the entryway to the middle chamber of the temple. It’s an allegory for a member’s progress from Entered Apprentice to Fellow Craft.
  • Other Masonic symbols include: The beehive, the acacia tree, the 47th Problem of Euclid, the Ark of the Covenant, the anchor, cable tow, sheaf of corn, gavel, and blazing star. Here’s a resource explaining some less-well-known Freemasonry symbols.

What’s the “Freemason Pyramid?”

Hollywood blockbusters like National Treasure and bestsellers like Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol have done much to sensationalize Freemasonry’s symbols. A lot of the time, they contain more fiction than fact.

Take, for example, the image of the eye and the pyramid on the dollar bill. The pyramid does not appear in regular Masonic ritual or symbolism. The all-seeing eye, sometimes called the eye of providence, is used by Masons to represent the omniscient eye of God. But in the 18th century, when the U.S. was designing its Great Seal, the symbol was common among non-Masonic groups, too.

So what should we make of the rumors that Masons designed the dollar bill, or that the Great Seal of the United States is a Masonic emblem? They’re false, and false. According to Masonic historian S. Brent Morris, the only known Mason on the design committee was Benjamin Franklin, and his ideas didn’t make it into the final design. Artist Pierre Du Simitiere, a non-Mason, contributed the design for the eye. Another non-Mason, Francis Hopkinson, contributed the pyramid.

Further Reading

Check out California Freemason Magazine’s special issue devoted to The Lost Symbol.

California Freemason Magazine: Fun With Lodge Numbers

Read more in the latest feature of California Freemason

“Favorable” lodge numbers are no guarantee of anything, of course. Lucky lodge № 7 in 1851 folded after just three years, making it California’s first to relinquish its charter.
Meanwhile, Nevada № 13 has remained active and thriving for 175 years despite—or maybe because of—its infamous number. Though it was the 13th lodge chartered in California, it’s now the eighth oldest, as several earlier single‑digit lodges have since closed.
Past master Lee Wilbourne says the lodge nearly ended up with an even lower number. “The story, or the urban legend, is that the water was too high on the river in Marysville, so they couldn’t get the charter to San Francisco in time, and a few other lodges got in before us,” he explains. “That’s how we ended up with 13.”
Explore more California lodges with especially memorable numbers: californiafreemason.org/lodge-numbers

Spring Issue of California Freemason: Masonic Style

Personal style speaks volumes about the person you are, and Masons across California have style in spades. In the new issue of California Freemason, feast your eyes on the many ways lodges express their Masonic pride. Some draw from local history, the spirit of their hometown, or even pop culture references. Others reflect shared heritage or the unique backgrounds of the brothers who gather there.

Whether it’s Highland tartan, Gold Rush-era attire, blue-collar workwear, leather jackets patched with miles of road, style is a connecting thread that ties individuals to something bigger—our communities, our histories, and the enduring legacy of the Craft itself. This inspired collection of lodge looks prove the square and compasses over our hearts unite us in ways that will always be in style.

Digging Up the Past at a Masonic Cemetery

This year, the Grand Lodge of California is working to uncover more local history contained within the small Jamestown Masonic Cemetery. Built in 1854, it served the membership of St. James № 54 until 1875, when the lodge disbanded. Today it’s one of two GoldRush-era cemeteries owned by Grand Lodge, which has set out to clean up and make repairs to the site, and to catalogue all known and unknown remains there.
So far, the effort has included using a canine forensic team to locate unmarked burials, developing boundary and topographical reports, and engaging a team of researchers to dig up the stories behind the burials including the mausoleum of John Pereira, one of Jamestown’s leading figures.
An early miner in the area, he later distinguished himself as an orchard owner, winemaker, and a real estate magnate. He built the Jamestown Hotel, where President McKinley once stayed, and helped establish the Sierra Railway depot, transforming Jamestown from a humble mining camp into a proper little city.

Masons and Nonprofit Partners Celebrate Collaboration

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Last week, the California Masonic Foundation joined educators, youth‑serving nonprofits, and community leaders at the San Francisco Community Partners Reception at Oracle Park.

Together, we celebrated the power of collaboration and explored new ways to support students, strengthen local schools, and expand opportunities across our communities. Moments like these remind us why partnership matters. When organizations committed to education and community well‑being come together, we can create meaningful impact.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Read the 2025 Fraternity Report

Read more in the 2025 Fraternity Report

The past year marks a turning point for the Masons of California.

For the first time in 60 years, our statewide membership grew by 647 brothers. That growth didn’t happen by accident. It reflects intentional change, stronger lodges, and a renewed commitment to meaningful relationships and purposeful work. Through the Keystone Initiative, our multi-year roadmap, we’re reshaping how we lead, gather, and serve.

In the 2025 Fraternity Report, you’ll see:

🔹 Clearer officer roles, stronger mentorship, and tools like #LodgeCraft reducing routine business so lodges can focus on real #MasonicEducation and conversation

🔹 Eight new lodges constituted in 2025, part of the most active period of lodge creation in a century

🔹 Practical support for halls and finances, from building assessments to simplified accounting and improved dues collection

🔹 #MasonryInAction, from Masonic Outreach Services responding to the Los Angeles wildfires, to expanded eligibility at the Masonic Homes, to new statewide partnerships through the California Masonic Foundation Strong lodges.

Cared-for members. Vibrant communities. Each reinforces the other — and when we invest in all three, Freemasonry thrives. As we enter our 176th year, the 2025 Fraternity Report is both a record of progress and a preview of what’s ahead.

Read more in the 2025 Fraternity Report

 

Explore Masonic landmarks of San Francisco, Past and Present!

California № 1 has met in San Francisco since 1848—but that doesn’t mean it’s stayed put that whole time. In fact, the lodge had at least six different meeting places in just its first half-century.

In our latest online feature, explore historical Masonic landmarks of San Francisco, from the 1860 Grand Lodge Temple at Post and Montgomery to the Moorish Revival Islam Temple, described as an “elaborately eclectic fantasy.”
This is an interactive, time-traveling jaunt through the historic home of California Freemasonry.

Visit: maps.freemason.org/historic-san-francisco

Fall Issue of California Freemason: Masonic San Francisco

Read the Fall Issue of California Freemason

Masonry has played a crucial role in almost every stage of San Francisco’s development—from its earliest days as a remote Mexican settlement through the Gold Rush era, the 1906 earthquake, and its growth into a cultural, political, technological mecca.

Consider: Practically every one of the boldface names associated with the founding and growth of city was a Mason. So too were many of its great builders, along with its financial tycoons and political leaders. Before San Francisco had a proper City Hall, it had 14 Masonic lodges—including one working in French. By 1860, just a decade after the Gold Rush began, there were nearly 1,000 Masons working under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of California in the “instant city.” In that way, Masonry has had a massive influence on San Francisco, from its attitudes to its laws to its physical layout.

Fast-forward 170-something years, and the city is still the place where the echoes of Masonic history ring loudest.

Read more about the history of Masonry in San Francisco in the latest issue of California Freemason Magazine.