Craft Freemasonry
The basis of Freemasonry
Craft Freemasonry is the basis of all Freemasonry.
It is the starting point
for Freemasons, who may later decide to join the other degrees and orders
under the Masonic banner.
Freemasonry is the largest secular, fraternal and charitable organisation in the United Kingdom.
It teaches self-knowledge through participation in a progression of ceremonies.
Members are expected to be of high moral standing and are encouraged to speak openly about Freemasonry.
Structure
Freemasonry in England and Wales is controlled by the United Grand Lodge of England.
Under this are a number of Provinces, and overseas Districts.
The Lodges in Jersey are part of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Jersey.
Each Lodge is controlled by its members, subject of course to the over-riding controls laid down by the Province and Grand Lodge.
Craft Freemasonry, otherwise called Craft Masonry (or in America the blue Lodges), is the basis of all
Freemasonry. It comprises three degrees, the Entered Apprentice, the Fellowcraft, and the Master Mason.
It is the starting point for Freemasons, who may later decide to join various other degrees and
orders under the Masonic banner.
All forms of Freemasonry take as their basis, the teaching of the relationship one has to his God, his
neighbour, and his family, and an understanding of himself.
Freemasonry has existed for hundreds of years, and throughout the world there are millions of men who
find the fraternity of Freemasonry conducive to a development of their responsibilities to the society
in which they live.
Under the United Grand Lodge of England, Craft Freemasonry consists of three degrees (the Entered Apprentice,
the Fellowcraft and the Master Mason) plus the Holy Royal Arch. All other degrees and orders are separately regulated.
This differs from many other Grand Lodges, where some or most of those other orders are included under their
jurisdiction. In fact the Mark degree is a pre-requisite in some Grand Lodges, before the Royal Arch can be considered.
It is believed that the origins of Freemasonry can be found in the Master Mason's Lodges formed for
working stonemasons, at the sites of cathedrals and other stately buildings in the 15th to 17th
centuries. Such Lodges subsequently accepted as members, those who were not operative stonemasons, later
called freemasons.
The forms of recognitions, about which there is so much discussion, were no more
than "pin numbers" to allow the travelling mason to prove that he was fully qualified when arriving at
a new building site. Nowadays they have a symbolic meaning within the ceremonies, but are not used elsewhere.
There are many books available from libraries on the subject of Freemasonry, ranging from the
supportive, to the highly critical and covering the origins, history and present day operations.
How do I become a Freemason?