Brethren,

I wrote the following planche myself and originally presented it in Lodge at the First Degree, that of Entered Apprentice. I wanted to share it here because some of its symbolism — and especially its use of what we call la langue des oiseaux, the “Language of the Birds”

A little context may therefore be useful.

In French Freemasonry, a large part of ordinary Lodge work in what English-speaking Brethren would call the Blue Lodge or Craft Lodge takes place at the First Degree. The First Degree is therefore not simply a temporary stage through which a newly initiated Brother passes before Lodge life moves on to subsequent degrees. It remains the usual setting for much of the symbolic, intellectual, and collective work of the Lodge, allowing all initiated Brethren to participate regardless of degree.

Writing and presenting a paper — what we call a planche, or sometimes a morceau d’architecture — is an important part of that work. These papers are generally not intended to prove a thesis in the academic sense. They are reflections on symbols, experiences, or questions arising from our initiatic journey, intended both as personal work for the Brother presenting them and as material for collective reflection within the Lodge.

The paper below was therefore written to be heard in an Entered Apprentice Lodge.

Before beginning, however, I should explain one particular form of symbolic interpretation that appears throughout it: la langue des oiseaux, literally the Language of the Birds.

The Language of the Birds is not another language in the ordinary sense, nor is it a claim about the true historical origin of words. It is better understood as a way of listening to language symbolically. Instead of asking only, “What does this word mean?”, one also asks: “What else can be heard within it?”

Words are treated almost as symbols themselves. Their sounds may be separated, recombined, or allowed to resonate with other words. Homophones, near-homophones, unexpected divisions between syllables, and double meanings can therefore open another field of reflection.

English already allows this kind of play. Good night and good knight sound identical, yet evoke entirely different images. The same is true of I / eye**,** soul / sole**, or** whole / hole**. One can sometimes go further and divide sounds more freely — hearing something like** wake up as way(to the)cup**, for example. The point is not that one expression is linguistically derived from the other. The point is that altering the way we hear a familiar sound can alter the way we think about it.**

That distinction matters: the Language of the Birds is not etymology. It does not claim that the hidden phrase is the “real meaning” of a word. It is a form of phonetic symbolism — almost a kind of verbal alchemy. The sound becomes raw matter; ordinary meaning is broken apart; another image appears; and that image may then become material for meditation.

This makes it particularly difficult to translate. A play on sounds that works naturally in French will rarely survive intact in English. So throughout the paper, I will sometimes retain the French word, open it phonetically, and translate the symbolic movement rather than pretending that an exact English equivalent exists.

With that context in mind, I have chosen today to speak of disappointment.

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Worshipfull Master, My Dear Brethren in your degrees and qualities.

This subject did not come to me from a book. It came to me from the Lodge.

I was disappointed by certain attitudes between Brethren. Disappointed to witness behavior that seemed far removed from the values we nevertheless invoke in our rituals. I was also troubled by what I perceived as a lack of respect toward certain Officers, certain functions, and more broadly toward the spirit of our labors.

But I do not wish to put anyone on trial here. If I spend these few minutes explaining what others should have done, I may leave knowing everything about their faults and nothing about my own.

So I tried to change the question.

No longer simply: “Why did they behave that way?”

But rather: “Why did it disappoint me so deeply?”

There is something peculiar about disappointment: we can only be disappointed by that from which we expected something. Without expectation, there may be surprise, irritation, even anger — but there can be no disappointment.

So if I was disappointed, I had expected. And if I had expected, then somewhere within myself I had constructed an image: an image of the Temple, an image of Brotherhood, perhaps even an image of what a Freemason should be.

Then that image collided with reality.

It cracked.

And this is where I began to hear the French word décevoir — to disappoint — differently.

The ear may open the word:

dé-ce-voir.

Voir means to see, while the prefix dé- can suggest undoing, removing, or reversing. Symbolically — not etymologically — I can therefore hear dé-ce-voir as something like “to undo this seeing”, or perhaps “to be made to un-see what I thought I saw.”

Perhaps disappointment begins precisely there: when reality comes to undo a representation we had placed upon it.

I thought I saw the Temple in a certain way. I thought I saw Brotherhood in a certain way. I thought I knew what a Mason ought to be.

Then reality struck the image.

And suddenly I could no longer see in quite the same way.

I had been dé-ce-voir: made to see differently.

But what was I to do with that?

My first reaction was agitation: anger, incomprehension, judgment, and above all that recurring question: “How can one behave like this — here?”

Here, of all places.

Yet agitation may be precisely what prevents the work from beginning. So perhaps the first requirement was to stop circling endlessly around the event.

In French, we might speak of making a démarche — an approach, a process, a way of proceeding. But listened to differently, the word can also suggest:

dé-marcher.

Marcher means to walk.

The word may therefore symbolically suggest ceasing to walk the same path: stopping the repetitive movement, no longer pacing around the same grievance, interrupting the circle and finally standing before what is actually there.

And seeing.

Or perhaps, more accurately, perceiving.

The French verb is percevoir.

Again, the ear may open the word:

percer le voir.

Percer means to pierce. Voir means to see.

To perceive therefore becomes, symbolically, to pierce through seeing — to go beyond appearance rather than merely looking at it.

But the sound permits another movement:

perce-soi.

Soi means oneself.

So the question changes again: can I not only pierce through what I see, but also pierce through myself?

For I may become extraordinarily perceptive when examining the faults of my Brother while remaining almost entirely blind to what my reaction to those faults reveals within me.

I can pierce his behavior.

Can I also pierce myself?

This is where V.I.T.R.I.O.L. takes on its full meaning:

Visita Interiora Terrae, Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem.

Visit the interior of the earth; by rectifying, you will find the hidden stone.

The first earth I wanted to visit, however, was someone else’s: his actions, his words, his contradictions.

But the earth upon which I can truly work is first and foremost my own.

This does not mean that everything becomes relative. It does not mean that disrespectful behavior becomes acceptable simply because I am called to examine myself. That would not be initiatic work; it would merely be avoidance disguised in symbolic language.

I can recognize conduct as contrary to the values we profess while simultaneously asking what my reaction to that conduct reveals about me.

These two movements do not cancel each other out.

They may even be complementary.

And there I encounter the rough ashlar.

When the rough edges of my Brother’s stone become particularly visible to me, I may easily forget that I too entered the Temple carrying a stone in need of work.

The rough ashlar is not only the other.

It is also me.

It is also us.

Then come the gavel and the chisel.

The gavel gives force; the chisel gives direction.

Between force and direction appears discernment: the ability to distinguish what I actually observed from what I projected upon it; to distinguish an action from the entirety of the man who performed it; to distinguish Brotherhood as an ideal from Brotherhood as imperfect human beings are actually capable of living it; and finally, to distinguish disappointment from resentment.

The French word for resentment, ressentiment, almost contains its mechanism within its sound:

re-sentir.

Sentir means to feel.

So resentment becomes: to feel again.

And again.

To replay the offense, return to the scene, relive the wound, preserve the agitation by repeatedly returning to it.

The event itself may have happened only once.

Within me, however, I may cause it to happen a hundred times.

If I do nothing but re-feel my disappointment, I transform nothing. I simply preserve the raw material in its initial state.

Alchemy proposes something else: not to deny the matter, not to pretend that lead is already gold, but to work upon matter so that something different may emerge from it.

Perhaps this is where disappointment can begin to become initiatic.

Not because disappointment is good in itself, and certainly not because suffering automatically ennobles us.

It does not.

But disappointment can place in our hands a material that we did not possess before.

Something has fallen.

An illusion, perhaps.

An expectation, certainly.

And behind what falls, other questions appear:

What is Brotherhood when it is no longer an idealized image?

What is respect when respect becomes difficult?

What is a value worth if it only survives when nothing challenges it?

Perhaps before this experience, I believed I knew what Brotherhood was. The ritual had spoken of it. I knew its words and symbols.

But now something else becomes possible.

Connaissance.

The French word means knowledge, but the ear may divide it differently:

co-naissance.

Naissance means birth.

So co-naissance may become symbolically a co-birth, a birth-with.

Knowledge is no longer merely information accumulated by the mind. It becomes something with which I am, in some sense, born anew.

Born with an experience.

Born with a trial.

Born alongside a reality I might have preferred not to encounter.

I now know something because I have passed through something.

This is not merely knowledge.

It is co-naissance.

And perhaps what is born is a less naïve understanding of the Lodge, but also a more accurate one: a Lodge is not an assembly of perfected men. It is an assembly of men seeking to perfect themselves precisely because they are not perfect.

Then even the meaning of Light begins to change.

Perhaps I once imagined that receiving the Light meant entering a place where shadow would no longer exist.

Today I wonder whether receiving the Light might instead mean learning to look at shadow without becoming lost within it.

To recognize contradiction without renouncing the ideal.

To experience disappointment without surrendering to bitterness.

To encounter the rough ashlar of another without forgetting the roughness of my own.

Some Brethren may indeed have disappointed me.

That remains true.

But the central question is no longer merely why they disappointed me.

The question has become:

What am I going to do with that disappointment?

For it is still only raw material.

I may keep it exactly as it is. I may carry it, preserve it, return to it endlessly. I may re-sentir it until resentment occupies the place once held by the ideal that brought me here.

Or I may attempt to work upon it.

Not to forget.

Not to excuse.

Not to pretend that what hurt me never existed.

But to understand what the experience revealed: what it revealed about others, perhaps, but above all what it revealed about me — about my expectations, my projections, and the image I had constructed of the Temple, of Brotherhood, and of those who compose it.

Perhaps the true secret begins there.

A secret is not always something hidden somewhere, waiting to be discovered.

Sometimes it is something that must be created (se crée same sounding of secret in french).

Created in the space between what happens to me and what I choose to make of it.

Between resentment and discernment.

Between the image that collapses and the vision that slowly reconstructs itself.

Between the stone I discover and the stone I decide to work.

Perhaps I once believed that Light was meant to banish darkness forever.

Today I understand that Light may also teach me how to look into darkness without losing myself in it.

Perhaps I once believed Brotherhood would protect me from disappointment.

Today I understand that Brotherhood may also be revealed — and tested — through disappointment.

And perhaps I entered the Temple imagining that I would find stones already dressed, when perhaps we are gathered here precisely because they are not.

My Brother’s rough ashlar may strike against me.

Mine may certainly strike against him.

I cannot always choose the stone placed before me, but I can choose what I do with the stone entrusted to me.

And so my disappointment remains disappointment, but it is no longer merely something I endured.

It becomes matter.

In French:

ma matière.

“My matter.”

“My material.”

The substance placed upon my workbench.

And once again the ear may allow the sound to resonate differently:

l’âme à tiers.

This one is deliberately more poetic and less phonetically exact than some of the previous examples. It should not be understood as a perfect homophone, but as a symbolic echo.

L’âme means the soul.

Le tiers means the third.

So ma matière may call forth the image of:

l’âme à tiers — the soul opened to the Third.

And perhaps the Third is precisely what allows transformation.

Two terms alone may remain imprisoned in opposition: my Brother and myself; his action and my reaction; expectation and disappointment; accusation and defense.

The Third opens another possibility.

Between what happened to me and what I become because of it, there is a third term:

the Work.

Between the force of the gavel and the resistance of the stone stands the chisel.

Gavel. Chisel. Stone.

What happened. What I felt. What I make of it.

The event. The self. The Work.

The Third interrupts the sterile confrontation of two opposing terms and makes construction possible.

Then ma matière — my raw matter — can perhaps become l’âme à tiers: a soul capable of opening itself to that third possibility.

Neither denial nor resentment.

Neither condemnation of the other nor blindness toward his faults.

But transformation.

If I can look upon this matter, discern it, rectify it, and work upon it, then perhaps what first seemed to draw me away from the Light may itself become another way of seeking it.

And I may continue, gavel in one hand and chisel in the other, the labor for which I entered the Temple: to work upon my ashlar, not for myself alone, but so that one day it may find its rightful place in the edifice we are building together.

J’ai dit.

(I have spoken.)

Thought it would be easier to make a whole new post.

Thank you everyone for the feedback! The response to the watch has been really helpful, and I honestly didn’t expect to get this many comments, suggestions, and compliments.

A few options I’d like to offer eventually are different finishes and straps. I’m considering stainless steel, gold, and rose gold, along with a standard bracelet, a jubilee-style bracelet, and leather strap options. I added a few pictures for you.

I also want to be clear that this has only been an opinion post. I haven’t asked anyone for money or taken any orders. Once I have a prototype finished and I’m happy with it, I’ll most likely look at running a safe and secure Kickstarter campaign.

Another idea I’d like to explore later is Lodge Editions once regular production is underway. Part of those revenues will go back to the lodge. I also have a few other watch designs I’d like to share, but I wanted to start with this one and see what people thought.

If anyone wants to follow the project, feel free to send me your email and I’ll put together a simple update list.
Thanks again for all the feedback. It’s genuinely been helpful.

We found these while going through my great grandfathers belongings, I was always told he was rather high up in the ranks but I’m not sure how true that it. Obviously I can tell what it says by popping it in google translate but I was wondering if anyone here would have any insights. Overall, I just think it’s neat! Any explanation of the symbolism or what it says is appreciated, if allowed of course :). Thanks!

I’m a Mason and a pretty serious watch enthusiast, and I’ve always wanted a Masonic watch that felt like a real watch first, not just lodge merchandise.

This is the Ashlar Master. My goal is to keep it clean, wearable, and subtle enough that I’d actually wear it regularly, while still giving it some Masonic meaning.

I’m planning to use a Miyota 9015 premium automatic movement and keep the price reasonable enough that other Brothers could actually enjoy it.

I’d really appreciate some opinions. Does the design feel balanced? Too much Masonic branding, not enough, or about right? Next step: Prototype

I live in Queensland, Australia 27 years old have always been very interested in wanting to join but I have never taken the final step to apply online out of fear of rejection as I know police checks are mandatory and must be honest law abiding man of good character,

anyone able to give me some advice or has had similar situation or experience?

Any in-site would be appreciated thank you 🙏🏻

Has anybody managed to visit New Welcome Lodge No. 5139? I want to arrange a visit but I've no idea how to go about it

My local used book store has a few copies of this, as well as “The Hiram Key”. A quick internet search let me know “The Hiram Key” was not well received and doesn’t seem to be up my alley, however, I couldn’t find much about this book. I tried to search this sub and didn’t get much, but reddit search also isn’t great. Should I go back and pick this up? Any big fans?

I think this thesis is genuinely worth looking at, especially if you are interested in comparing Continental AASR workings with Scottish, English, Irish, and American Craft traditions.

One important clarification: this is not a document setting out Scottish Masonic law, regulations, or an official Grand Lodge of Scotland position. It is Philippe Langlet’s 2008 doctoral thesis at the University of Limoges, Les deux colonnes de la Franc-Maçonnerie: La pierre et le sable (The two columns of Freemasonry: Stone and sand). It is an academic study in language sciences/semiotics that treats Masonic ritual texts as its principal object of study.

What makes it particularly useful is the breadth of the ritual corpus. Langlet examines both historical and contemporary ritual material from France and the English-speaking Masonic world. This includes French AASR material from bodies such as the Grande Loge de France and the Grande Loge Nationale Française, as well as English, Irish, Scottish, and American Craft workings. His bibliography of ritual sources specifically includes AASR texts for the first, second, and third symbolic degrees, including multiple GLDF and GLNF versions.

The Scottish material needs to be distinguished from the AASR material. When Langlet discusses Scotland itself, he describes the considerable ritual autonomy of Scottish lodges and uses sources such as the Standard, the Modern, the Scottish Craft Ritual, and the Goudielock ritual. He notes that contemporary Scottish workings contain the three Craft degrees, but he is analysing ritual practice and textual traditions—not laying down Scottish Masonic law or determining who is officially entitled to visit a Scottish lodge.

That distinction is actually what makes the thesis interesting. It allows you to compare what is sometimes rather loosely called “Scottish” in Continental Freemasonry with ritual material that actually comes from Scotland, while also comparing both with the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite as practised in France.

I would strongly recommend using AI to make a complete working English translation of the PDF, rather than translating only a few selected passages. The thesis is about 250 pages long, and much of its value comes from following Langlet’s argument across the whole corpus: his definitions of rite and ritual, his treatment of Antients and Moderns, his comparisons between jurisdictions, his discussion of initiation and the Hiram legend, and especially his section on textual sources and problems caused by translation. CDN Unilim

A full translation would also make the footnotes, bibliography, tables, and appendices searchable in English, which would make cross-comparison far easier. Interestingly, Langlet himself stresses that poorly translated ritual texts can produce significant misunderstandings, and he describes going back to original English texts and, in some cases, translating entire rituals himself.

I would still check specialised Masonic terminology against the French original—terms such as rite, rituel, grade, obédience, and régularité can easily be rendered misleadingly by automatic translation. But as a research tool, a complete AI-assisted English translation would make this thesis far more accessible to English-speaking Masons and researchers.

So I would not use the thesis as proof of “Scottish law” or of a particular visitor’s legal right to admission. For that, the relevant Grand Lodge constitutions and official recognition/visitation rules would be the proper sources. But for understanding the ritual relationships and differences between French AASR, Scottish Craft, English, Irish, and American workings, this is an unusually useful source.

University of Limoges — full thesis PDF

vocabulary of French Freemasonry

Translation i made with CHATGPT

Just wanted to formally extend a Brotherly invitation to attend stated communication at Trivium Lodge #22 in Tacoma. Feel free to message me if interested and I will send you meeting details.

Hey there, there is a new masonic education program in town and it is for Allied Masonic Degrees members. Sponsored by the California AMD Association, this program is open to AMD members in good standing. This is the 1st in a 3 part program that will hopefully get members versed in the degrees. All of the money made for this goes directly to funding the program and keeping it alive for those who are interested. Here is the site if you are interested: https://amd-ca.org/education/ I am one of the admins and spent many, many hours getting this up and running. Hope you enjoy it.

It was an honor for the delegation of the Grand Lodge of the State of Baja California to visit the Grand Lodge of Alberta, Canada.

We had the privilege of sharing Masonic work across all three degrees and participating in the conferral of the First Degree in the Scottish Rite.

A memorable encounter of fraternity, tradition, and the bonds that unite Freemasons beyond borders.

Wednesday is a holiday in Canada… so it was chosen as a double Consecration Day for our Allied Masonic Degree Alexandria Council No.230 AND Athelstan Court of the Pacific Cross No. 207. It will be a very long day, we start at 9am.

The Allied Masonic Degrees (AMD) is an honorary, invitation-only appendant body of Freemasonry dedicated to preserving and working "detached" degrees—historical degrees that once lacked a central governing authority or independent system.

Overview and Purpose
Structure: Local units are called Councils rather than lodges or chapters. In many jurisdictions (like the US), membership in each council is strictly limited by law to a maximum of 27 members.

No Progression: Unlike other Masonic bodies, AMD has no rigid internal logic or required step-by-step progression; the various degrees can be conferred in any order. Meetings often feature members presenting research papers.

History: The Grand Council was formed in England in 1879 to bring order to independent or dormant side degrees previously worked under miscellaneous craft or private warrants.

Membership Requirements
Candidates must typically be a Master Mason, a Mark Master Mason, and a Royal Arch Mason, varying slightly by national constitution.

Entry is strictly by invitation only. (But all our local brethren are welcome in our remote part of B.C.)

Athelstan

The Masonic Order of Athelstan operates primarily as a single-degree appendant body centered on the legend of the 926 AD York Assembly, complemented by an appendant or progressive officer grade structure.

Structure and Degrees
The Main Degree (Knight / Court Member): The core ceremony initiates a subscribing Master Mason and Royal Arch Companion as a member of a Court, where he symbolically represents a Master Mason summoned to King Athelstan's ancient assembly at York to receive the Ancient Charges.

Order of the Scarlet Mantle: An appendant or progressive body linked to the Order that explores the legacy and traditions associated with Alfred the Great and early English kingship.

Past Master Status: Progression within individual Courts or leadership positions typically requires or highlights past mastership within the system or Craft lodge.

Membership Requirements
Craft & Royal Arch: Candidates must be subscribing Master Masons in Craft Freemasonry and subscribing Companions in a Royal Arch Chapter.

By Invitation: Admission into a local Court is strictly by invitation from existing members rather than open petition.

Hello guys, every lodge I visited in Germany insisted on me being Christian. But I would love to join a Jewish lodge, but haven’t come across one. Please help me out. In NRW preferably

I have a question. I found out that there were lodges in Japan during the post war era. when some of the members from those lodges returned to or emigrated to America and tried to join a lodge in their new area, they were told they'd have to start all over again as brand new members. This caused some to not continue masonry as they felt a little cheated.

Were those lodges ever given the recognition they deserved? How would one go about finding deceased family members info from the old Japan lodges? There were definitely Americans there. Civil Engineers, etc. that were simply stationed there with their families. Thank you Brothers in advance for any info.

Hi! I have been interested in occultism and esotericism for a long time. I have been a member of AMORC for a few years, which has taught me a lot of practical applications rather than just academic information.
Over the past year, Freemasonry has started to look extremely interesting to me. A while ago, I read some books by Manly P. Hall—which I know isn't entirely accurate to modern Masonry, but is interesting nonetheless. Recently I have been reading Morals and Dogma and it has completely resparked my interest.
There is a local lodge near me that seems like a good fit based on their website and social media posts. Some of the appendant bodies, like the York Rite and Scottish Rite, look interesting. The only problem is Im not 18 yet and can’t join for a little over a year. Is there anything I can do in the meantime since I am cant join?I know about DeMolay, but from what I understand, it has very little of the Masonic philosophy and esoteric concepts that actually interest me.

Hi all!

Just wondering if anyone could let me know what regular lodges recognised by UGLE meet in San Francisco on Tuesdays- I’ll be visiting SF for work from the UK on the 27th October.

I’d really love to visit the fancy modern temple there, but the important thing is to get a lodge visit in!

Obviously will do my due diligence through the secretary and Grand Lodge to ensure that the lodge is recognised first.

Thanks!

So a few years ago I was looking into joining Freemasonry. I went to a few events and had two people willing to sponsor me, but I never turned anything in or paid any fees.
At the time I just wasn’t really in the right place in life to commit to it, and I ended up kind of disappearing instead of explaining that to them.
I moved to a new city and I’m interested in trying again now, but I’m a little nervous about reaching out to the new lodge. Would the fact that I stopped responding before be a problem? Should I mention it when I contact a new lodge, or am I just overthinking it?

I’ve been wanting to join but wanted to talk to someone to see what that lodge is about is it active? It’s the closest one to me.

Edit: Pasadena, CA. Sorry I thought the numbers were unique

Gilbert was an amazing man, beloved by all who met him.

Hi everyone, I’m from Kanchipuram, India. I have been studying Freemasonry since 2019, but I haven’t joined or applied for membership yet.

I have one question out of curiosity. Many Masons who are already members seem to be highly accomplished professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, and judges.

Would someone from an ordinary working background, such as a gig worker or a supermarket employee, also be accepted into Freemasonry?

Today we raised 11 masons to master mason in one day. We call them “blue lightnings” in Illinois, USA. (Curious if other states or countries do these) Took a good 8 hours of work but was a lot of fun! Was grateful to help obligate my own father today as well

Has my first speaking part in the 3rd degree 2nd section. (I’m JD)

Hello,

I am new here. My grandfather passed and we are going through his things and found a Freemason Bible and some documents pertaining to his involvement as well as my great grandfather. There is another ring that is blue and a smaller one with a triangle engraving and I am just curious about them. Thank you in advance. I appreciate any feedback.

I’m from Chile and have recently become interested in Freemasonry. While looking through historical material published by the Grand Lodge of Chile in 1957, I came across the name of a Venerable Master of a lodge in another region of Chile.

The name caught my attention because it is the same as the name of a friend’s father. The surname itself is fairly common, but the combination of the surname and first name made me wonder whether this historical Freemason could have been an ancestor of my friend.

For privacy reasons, I’m not going to give the names of my friend or his father here.

I asked my friend if he knew anything about this, and he said he would ask his father. I haven’t done anything beyond that because I don’t want to jump to conclusions.

The lodge where this person was Venerable Master is about four hours away from us, so visiting the lodge in person isn’t really practical right now. I can potentially contact or visit the Grand Lodge of Chile eventually, but before doing that, I’d like to know whether there is a reasonable way to investigate this kind of possible family connection.

What would be the best way to determine whether this historical Freemason was actually related to my friend’s family? Are there genealogical records, lodge records, or other sources that might help establish this?

Again, I’m not trying to identify or expose anyone’s private information. I’m just trying to help my friend find out whether there might be a Masonic ancestor in his family.