SYMBOLISM
(TRADITIONAL WAY OF INITIATION)
GENERAL SYMBOLISM – BOARD OF STUDY
Now, we will know general symbols, to acquire knowledge, to awaken conscience and
to progress in the initiation.
THE POINT. It’s the whole origin, so it’s the origin where other symbols and signs
start. It’s the unite representation. Because of this, ancient Masonic lodges expressed
their secrets using the point.
THE LINE. The line symbolizes the Earth, the non interrupted life. The vertical line
symbolizes the rest of divine Light and the humanity longing to the divinity.
THE CROSS. It symbolizes the union of high and low. It’s anterior to Christianity and
you can find it everywhere. There is a Latin cross (of Christianity), a inverted cross (it
symbolizes inversion and illumination), a cross with X form (Saint Andrew cross, or
Scottish masonry), a Tau cross (T) that symbolizes the Life, a Temple cross, a Malt
cross, an Egyptian cross… We believe in an esoteric and multiple cross, we don’t
believe in a exoteric and Christian cross, related with death and destruction.
THE CIRCLE. The circle, that don’t have beginning and ending, is the symbol of Great
Architect of Universe too. It symbolizes the infinite, the Universe, the sleeping eye of
Great Architect.
THE TRIANGLE. The triangle is an ancient symbol of divinity. It appears like this in
Egypt and Greece. Also it symbolizes the feminine, the Earth, the Humanity. The three
points of the triangle used in Masonic documents (v.·. e.·.) mean the three aspects of
Being or the three essential principles: Freedom, Balance and Fraternity. The .·. in A.·.A.·.
represents the initiate that has reached Tiphereth sphere in the tree of life.
THE INVERTED TRIANGLE. It symbolizes the masculine, celestial, divine…
THE STAR OF DAVID. When triangles, making ascendant and descendent movement,
interlace themselves, they form the Star of David or Solomon Seal, the Judaism symbol.
It’s the perfect union of high and low, masculine and feminine… To sum up, it’s the
expression of unite of Heaven and Earth and divine Knowledge captured by inferior
world.
THE SQUARE. The square is the symbol of world and nature. In the square, there are
symbolized the sacred Tetragrammaton which contains the Jewish name of god
(YHVH), the four elements (Earth, Water, Air and Fire), the four angles, the order…
THE PENTAGRAM. The pentagram or star of five points has been used since
beginning of Humanity. Pythagorics named it Pentalpha; Celtics priests named it foot of
witch. Other person associated it with Sirius, the first god who Humanity knew for
some persons. It symbolizes the triumph of spirit over matter when it’s in right state and
the triumph of matter over spirit when it’s in inverse state.
THE STAR. It symbolizes the spiritual Light in front of darkness. Because of this, it
often appears in temples and vaults.
THE SUN. It symbolizes the light and heat of vivifying radiation, the masculine
principle. It’s represented in the figure of Ra (Helipolis god), Aton (sun divinity),
Apollo, (sun god who has the ray as an arrow), Vishnu (solstice sun) and Janus (sun of
solstice doors), and others.
The more versed Hermetists named Black Sun to symbolic Sun that lights adept in his
union with Creator. The midday Sun is the alchemic gold, and black Sun (midnight
Sun) is the Light that is hided in darkness and lights from the other side. Sun and Moon
are related. They symbolize the duality and they appear in Masonic lodge like sun and
moon Light, on right and left of the Venerable.
THE MOON. The Moon influences in tides and man vibrates with her. The Moon is the
reflection of Sun and the light that guides in the middle of the night. It symbolizes the
feminine principle, the Sun dependence which gives her the light, the periodicity, the
intuitive knowledge, the subconscious, the imagination, the unstable, depending of
influences. A lot of moon goodness existed in antiquity.
THE FOUR ELEMENTS. The four elements are the Earth, the Air, the Water and the
Fire. Fire symbolizes the spirit, the initiation, the Light, the ardor and the enthusiasm.
Air symbolizes the intellectuality, the mind, the philosophy. Water symbolizes the soul,
the spiritual life, the sensibility, the emotivity… And Earth symbolizes the body, the
profane, the matter… Air and Fire are active and masculine, whereas Water and Earth
are passive and feminine. The four elements are presents in Masonic, Rosicrucian and
Illuminati initiations, when the initiated passes the purification.
THE FIRE. In Occidental Tradition and in cabala, fire is very important and it results
the first of the four elements and the divine attribute. Shiva appears involved on flames.
Buddha is ‘the god of hundred lights’. Yahveh meets himself to Moses like a flame on a
bramble. In Liber Zión, Baphomet claims: ‘Light and Fire’. Lucifer is ‘the bearer of the
Light’, the same as Prometheus, and this Light comes of torch of fire.
The fire operates the initiation transmutation and we can see it in degree Sovereign
Prince of the Rose Croix with word INRI, and in tantrism where semen, the Sacrament,
results the fire.
THE LIGHT. The Light is traditionally related with the spirit, because it lights the
matter. The Light is in complementary relation with Dark. The symbolism of the exit of
darkness to the Light is in the whole of initiation rituals. In Masonry, to receive the
Light is to be initiated. Mason arrives to Illuminated Darkness. The Light awakes the
conscience and interior god and it helps to complete the initiation. Liber Zion is the
Light with capital letters. Masons says to have three Masonic lights: the Bible, the
drawing triangle, a square and a compass, the same of Venerable and the two lodge
Guards.
THE HEART. We have talk of interior god. He is located, for initiated, in the heart. The
heart is the symbolic temple where everyone takes god to everywhere.