I contacted my Dad who has told me before that someone once showed him a Masonic lodge to see if he was interested. He was keen, and my 15 year old daughter Megan also came along.
The front of the building is quite spectacular. There is a hanging sculpture of their compass and square symbol above the door.
We arrived about ten minutes before it was due to open, and there was only one couple in front of us waiting. By the time they opened, there was a short line behind us.
At 10 on the dot we were welcomed in and given a Visitors Booklet which outlined the rooms that we would be seeing. The members of the lodge were easy to identify and were very friendly in welcoming us to their temple. We were directed to the elevator, where another member took us up to Level 3. I asked if we were allowed to take photos in side and he said that we were welcome to do that.
The Grand Hall
Level 3 is the Grand Hall. It most definitely is grand! At the far end (East end) is another level where a herald stood in ceremonial dress, playing a trumpet. After he finished with the trumpet, he started playing the pipe organ. We recognised the music as the hymn "Glory to God on High". The pipes are hidden behind the lattice work that you can see in the top of the photo.
We were given a handout that told us that the organ was built by Whitehouse Bros of Brisbane at a cost of £1717 and was completed in December 1930 when the building was dedicated.
The organ contains 1,043 pipes ranging in over 3 metres in length down to under 120mm, and are made from either wood or metal. It was electrified in 1985 and further renovated in 2000.
There were a few men in this room that were explaining what the room is used for and answering questions. This room is used for larger gatherings such as their quarterly meetings. It is not used for regular lodge meetings.
There are designated chairs for office holders like the Grand Master. I cannot remember which one is the most important but the chair at the east end of the hall is for the highest ranking officer. They have a lower officer called a Deacon for which there is also a designated chair.
The stone and woodwork is intricately detailed and full of symbolism. The star figures prominently as does the Bible, the compass and the square, and you can see the all seeing eye in the stand around the chair below.
This sword was also intricately carved.
We were looking some pointy wooden things under the chairs, and then a little bit further along there were more wooden items that looked like knee-high chess pieces. Looking at the black and white grid in the middle of the floor, we were asking ourselves if this is some sort of recreational game?
We would make terrible archaeologists! The small spikes are trumpet holders, and they are placed under the chairs where the heralds sit. Each "chess piece" is a stand for a ceremonial staff. And the "chess board" has many symbolic meanings, including the divide between good and evil (black and white, yin and yang etc). The man also said that there are different symbols on top of each staff - some have a cornucopia, some have a dove. Everything has at least one meaning, and some things have multiple meanings.
At the back, or west end of the hall is another chair for a designated office holder. The Visitors Booklet informed us that the clock above the entrance is uniquely crafted.
As we were looking at the clock, my dad pointed out a piece of trivia that I had never heard before. When a clock has Roman Numerals, the "4" is NOT usually shown as IV, but as IIII.
Hanging from the ceiling was a large letter "G". I asked one of the lodge members what that meant. He said it stands for God, or the Grand Architect.
I thought it was fantastic that they were so open and so willing to share information and answer all of our questions. By the same token I was glad to see that the visitors were being respectful when hearing about ceremonies that are probably a bit unusual these days.
Level 2 - Supper Rooms
The supper rooms are multi-function rooms where members meet after their lodge meetings to eat, relax, and catch up socially.
A number of Masonic groups had displays in 2 of these rooms.
I was intrigued to see that even the carpet incorporated the Masonic symbols.
In one of these rooms there were a few groups that catered to the women of Masonic families. One is called the Order of the Eastern Star.
There is also a group called Job's Daughters International which is a "club for girls aged 10-20 years who enjoy fun, friendship and helping others, while developing self-confidence and leadership skills". There were some teenage girls there representing this group who told us about what they do there.
In the other supper room the walls were lined with chairs, upon which sat many framed photos and documents. We had a number of questions after looking at these photos. We wondered firstly whether the "apron" that they wear gets more "stuff" on it as they gain greater rank, and that does appear to be the case, but there are further variations in the apron depending on where the member is from. Some of the Scottish ones actually had a tartan background fabric.
We also wondered about the medals that we saw pinned to many of these men, and whether they were war medals or Masonic medals. They are Masonic medals, some given for rank and others given for things such as service. There does appear to be an emphasis on service, on being "good" men, and contributing to the community.
The first document below is a letter to Queen Victoria.
 |
| There were many photos like this of groups of members wearing their ceremonial clothing. |
 |
| I was gratified to see some women in some photos too. |
 |
| I couldn't quite tell whether these were tongue in cheek or for real. Riding the goat? |
Level 1 - Lodge Rooms
These are the rooms that are used for regular meetings.Note the sign asking Brethren to turn off their mobile phones.
Again there are symbols everywhere. One man demonstrated the small tripod below to me. He said that there are 3 degrees that they do work in, which I think were Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. As they do work for the higher degrees, there is a small winding handle that is turned to move the plaster block up and down.
We thought it was interesting to see a dagger sitting on a chair where anyone could pick it up. They are very trusting of their visitors.
I noticed the cornucopia on top of a staff, which was one of the symbols that we were told about in the Grand Hall.
The Bible is featured in many spots. We also saw their voting box. If a new member is going to be admitted, each person is given a white square and a black ball. They drop their white piece into the voting box if they vote to admit the new man, or a black ball if their vote is no. I think he said that if there are more than 2 black balls, the person has to wait a year before trying to join again. This is where the phrase "black balling" comes from.
The ceremonial clothing includes an apron, two sleeve cuffs, and a sash that goes around the neck. Each sash appeared to have a different symbol on it which I am pretty sure designates their rank or office (can't quite figure out the right term here - degree maybe?). I saw one with a dove which I believe was for a Deacon.
I noticed in the first lodge room that there was not a lot of natural light, and thought it would be nicer with more windows, but Dad told me that some of the ceremonies require the lights to be off, so that made more sense then.
 |
| A man told me that the outfit on the end is his for when he is acting as the head of the district, which includes Queensland and PNG. The first one on the right was for the Order of the Knight Templar. The black one was for the Order of Malta. |
 |
| A sampling of different aprons. Again they vary by office |
Again you can see the pattern on the floor, except this time it is red and black instead of white and black. Symbols abound. A man spent a long time telling us the background of many of them, saying they go back to the apocrypha which is not found in the King James Bible, but can be found in the International Bible. There are twelve banners, six on each side, which symbolize the 12 Tribes of Israel. On the altar at the front are initials The first two rows are covered. I think he said the first one was Solomon King of Israel. The last row is HAB for Hiraf Abiff.
He told us that the initiate is brought into this room blindfolded, and that when the blindfold is removed, this is a sight they will never forget. After the blindfold is removed, all of the symbols are explained to them.
The red robe in the middle is for the most important guy in the room but I cannot remember what he was called.
Ground Floor
On the ground floor we found the Urn of Remembrance, the Masonic Library and the Grand Master's office.
I took a photo of the third document below because I liked the sentiment. It says in part "Masonic Reading is an essential part of the Education of a Freemason and it is never too late to begin". They have a large library of books for their members to study. There was even a section on "Women in Freemasonry" that I would have liked to peruse.
 |
| The note under the apron says that the tassels were made by cutting metal strips out of a bully beef tin. I thought that was most resourceful. |
 |
| To go with the wavy eyebrow trend |
 |
| "These stones are from the first Brisbane Town Hall in Queen Street which was built in 1864.... The building was demolished in 1937 to make way for new shops. During the demolition, these two stones, carved with emblems of Freemasonry, were found and presented to Freemasons Queensland for safekeeping." |
This was really interesting, Cassie, and I would have like to go, too. Thanks for sharing your photos and details!
ReplyDelete