Its significance goes far beyond the contents of a single cipher. Freemasons promoted religious toleration and had a liberal philosophy. Inside the front cover, it says to be returned to the lodge incase of loss or the death of the person it was loaned to. The version used here is that explained informally to blue lodge members, and is not an official part of any authentic masonic teachings in the grand lodge of california. Jan 08, 2016 new book out, knights gold, explains how 5,000 gold coins discovered in 1934 baltimore were actually the property of the knights of the golden circle. We believe that the result of our efforts is a draft code which is easier to read, addresses more. They cracked this 250yearold code, and found a secret society. Articles of union between the two grand lodges of freemasons of england november 25, 18 spanish translation. There are two related versions of the masonic cipher. Full text of the official monitor of the grand lodge of texas see other formats p.
Texas codebooks my freemasonry freemason information and. In reality it is a cipher that was used by forces in during the civil war in the united states. And the sensational books with little reality can be found there readily as well. We do use ritual in the meetings, and because there is always an altar or table with.
Maine masonic text book for use of lodges originally drummonds monitor sixteenth edition copyrighted 1923 maine printing exchange, inc. Evidence does not support the conclusion that the color blue is the. I found a book from a masonic lodge that is in code, page 1. I understood there were some updates that needed to be made before glot would approve its use throughout texas.
Florida has instituted a first letter cipher which is available to all master masons. Grand master michael wiggins has also provided two presentations from this years conferences. The 2003 edition of the washington masonic code to be presented to the delegates at the 145th annual communication of grand lodge june 2002 for their consideration and action by the. Since the masonic secret is of such a nature that words cannot express it, initiatic teaching can only use rites and symbols that suggest rather than express.
As some of you know, texas grand lodge, passed resolution no. Pigpen cipher also called masonic cipher or freemasons cipher uses a substitution alphabet made of grid parts and dots. Is there a conflict between freemasonry and established religion. Containing instructions in the entered apprentice degree, the fellow craft degree, and the master mason degree contributor grand lodge of free and accepted masons of florida. It is completely meaningless to anyone outside masonry and thus is a true code book. Hereon, drawn only with chalk, so that everything can be erased after the reception, various drawings are drawn, namely a circular staircase of seven steps, immediately above them a square with a mosaic mathematical table. The cipher can still hold practical use for someone today. Christian university and then west texas state university and has published four books.
Sep 21, 2007 the cipher itself has come to be called the pigpen cipher and works by setting up the alphabet into four separate grids. Friday nights tradition is a mass raising of fellow crafts from around the state. Texas code book my freemasonry freemason information and. Ive been able to translate some of the book, it is very interesting, but it was accompanied by another book that says almost the same things, but not in code.
Copiale cipher decrypted as a carpet put on the floor. Its a book that describes word for word the degrees and meetings opening on various degrees. The head of this chaptercastle in 1860s baltimore was also the grand master of the maryland freemasons. In or we have a code book that is like our code of ethics and actions sent from my lgh811 using my freemasonry mobile app. Later in the lost symbol, robert langdon comes across an unfinished black stone pyramid, with a masonic cipher on it. Depending on the brother that you are conversing with you will receive either positive or negative feedback relating to these code books.
Texas and other of its northern territories so that masonry, politicized and. The meaning of freemasonry the grand lodge of texas. Keep up by following some key folks and organizations in the industry. By knowing this cipher you will not be able to decode a real masonic cipher. Wilmshurst, in his book meaning of masonry, writes, the very essence of the masonic doctrine. If you are a mason in good standing, you may borrow up to three books at a time for 21 days. Still i think it should be required for every mason both new and old. Masonic education this presentation, provided by brother charles mckay, discusses the importance of understanding our fraternity. Digital masonic library greetings, at the library tab suggested reading of the website of the valley of schenectady, aasr, nmj, usa, is the below listing of interesting books for masonic readers and researchers. The entered apprentice degree the grand lodge of florida. Not to mention homes for the aged and even dormitory accomodations at the university of texas.
As with any such collections of this nature on the internet, there is no telling how long these works or links will remain. Full text of the official monitor of the grand lodge of texas. But the catholic church, a long time opponent of the masonic fraternity, slowed its expansion there. Digital masonic library onondaga and oswego masonic. Despite appearances, these ciphers are all simple substitution. Jan 12, 2011 the pigpen cipher sometimes referred to as the masonic cipher, freemasons cipher, or rosicrucian cipher is a geometric simple substitution cipher which exchanges letters for symbols which are fragments of a grid. This cipher became a frequent tool to be used by the masons in much of their hidden work.
At the peak of their power, these clandestine organizations, most notably the freemasons, had. The first question about freemasonry in texas is how it got here. Texas cipher only official ritual book approved by the grand lodge of texas a. There are some revisions in trial procedures, including the addition of a burden of proof. After the limited approval of useage, it was amazing how many of us all of a sudden had one when they previously did not. Please use the pulldown menu to view different character maps contained in this font.
Some states have a cipher that will teach you what these shorthand words are, other states still use word of mouth to teach other masons, mostly officers, how to read and understand this masonic shorthand. Discussion in freemasonry in texas started by plustax, nov. Spanishlanguage masonic books printed in the early. Illustrating the written and unwritten laws of freemasonry four years ago i wrote, and soon after published, a treatise on the principles of masonic law, which was received by the fraternity with a readiness that convinced me i had not miscalculated the necessity of such a work. Schulzs comic book peanuts reminds us that one of his characters is called pigpen. Both the ciphers on this page use the classic masonic cipher, which is also known as the pigpen cipher, as the alphabet is written into a series of grids, with some passing resemblance to pigpens. Prepared by the grand lodge of florida through the committee on masonic education. Texas masonicon is intended to be an annual masonic educational conference, and will bring together interested brothers looking for more light in masonry with knowledgeable authors and dignitaries from around the country. Texas code book my freemasonry freemason information. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. If you need an extended time, please call to let us know. Jul 19, 2009 what it sounds like to me is that you have found an old masonic ritual, and your looking to learn what is in it and how to read it. It is a constant transformation through the use of masonic symbols, rituals, and teachings on a journey of return to the center of our being.
Texas codebooks my freemasonry freemason information. They carry anti masonic books too, some of which might appear at first to be about freemasonry when they are but rants of little interest to the average mason. Drummond was originally published by the grand lodge of maine in 1877 for the purpose of assisting the lodges in. The most worshipful prince hall grand lodge of texas held its mid winter grand session friday night 11912 and all day saturday 111012. A mason or freemason is a member of a fraternity known as masonry or. For nearly 250 years, this book concealed the arcane rituals of an ancient order. The only restriction is that it cannot be used in open lodge.
By code book do you mean a cipher or the masonic code. For nearly 250 years, this book concealed the arcane rituals of an ancient. This book is indispensable to any texas mason who needs to catch up or keep fresh. Its nothing dark or dangerous and a non mason will just never get the big picture of how to read it anyway. This book appears to be a guide for the ceremonies of freemasonry. The example key shows one way the letters can be assigned to the grid. The freemasons have long used ciphers to encrypt their ceremonies and messages. All being based on standard business meetings and then having ritual added. Pigpen cipher masonic decoder, encoder, solver, translator.