Why Freemason?
Operative Masons had a similar system as today but, during the great cathedral era, there were many limitations on where they could work. Often, a good stonemason was bound to a building site, or an employer (master), his entire life.
An operative Mason who had mastered his trade could, at the will of his employer, be freed from a contract and allowed to travel, to work on other building projects elsewhere as a Free Mason.
🪨 Der raue Stein
In der Freimaurerei steht der „raue Stein“ für uns selbst: unvollkommen, lernend, wachsend. Nicht andere stehen im Fokus, sondern die eigene Haltung. Der Spitzhammer ist Sinnbild für Selbstreflexion – für das ehrliche Arbeiten an den eigenen Ecken und Kanten. Persönliche Entwicklung ist ein Prozess, kein Wettkampf. Schritt für Schritt.
👉 Neugierig? 🔗 https://linktr.ee/freimaurer.hb
#Freimaurer #RauerStein #Selbstreflexion #Brüderlichkeit #Bremen #AFuAMvD #2b1ask1
Many organisations termed themselves Freemasons, especially during the eighteenth century. Only those recognised by the Grand Lodge of England - as it became in 1813 - have truly managed to hold together and stand the test of time.
Trust is one of the most important aspects of the personal relationships between Freemasons, and others. Not just the trust needed when first entering a Lodge to be initiated, but throughout life.
"... as to betray that trust might be doing him the greatest injury he could sustain in this mortal life; nay, it would be like the villainy of an assassin who lurks in darkness to stab his adversary when unarmed and least prepared..."
#Freemasonry #Freimaurerei #Masonry #2B1ASK1 #Trust #History
"In ancient Times no Master or Fellow could be absent from it [the Lodge] especially when warn'd to appear at it, without incurring a severe censure, until it appear'd to the Master and Wardens that pure Necessity hinder'd him."
The Old Charges, 1722.
Attendance was an obligation, and absent members could be fined for not appearing, but also for drunkenness and swearing. Times have changed.
The history of Freemasonry in Germany is a complicated subject, not just because of the break during the Thirties and Forties, or the ban through to 1989 in East Germany. There were a large number of Grand Lodges spread across the country prior to the Thirties, many of which became part of the AFuAMvD in the early Fifties, all of which had their own rituals and Landmarks.
Fortunately much of the historical documentation has been archived.
Fruit also finds its way into Masonic symbolism, especially the pomegranate. Taken as a sign of plenty, with its delicious juice, the pomegranate is featured on pillars carved by operative Masons in Roswell Chapel, along with various flowers such as the lily.
#Freemasonry #Freimauerei #Masonry #2B1ASK1 #History #Fruit #Symbolism #Pomegranate
Where do Masonic Lodges get their names?
The first Lodges generally took the name of the guesthouse, tavern, or coffeeshop where they met. Later, names more attuned to philosophy, history, and Freemasonry were chosen, some of which can appear very strange at first glance. Each name has an inner meaning, and each has undoubtedly caused a good deal of discussion among the founding brethren.
#Freemasonry #Freimauerei #Masonry #2B1ASK1 #History #Freimaurer
Freimaurerisches Reisen bedeutet, dass Brüder Logen außerhalb ihrer eigenen besuchen – in anderen Städten, Ländern oder Lehrarten. Ein Besuch heißt nicht Zuschauen, sondern Mitwirken: Der reisende Bruder nimmt an der Arbeit teil und wird für den Abend Teil der Gemeinschaft.
Durch diese Begegnungen lernen Brüder unterschiedliche Traditionen kennen, erweitern ihren Blick und erleben die Weltbruderkette ganz konkret. So wird Freimaurerei lebendig erfahrbar.
Whilst appreciating that the Super Bowl in the USA has come to an end, the Superb Owl for Freemasons is a well accepted symbol of calm wisdom that continues throughout the year.
It was also one of the symbols adopted by Adam Weißhaupt in Bavaria for his student fraternity, which later became the Illuminati.
#Freemasonry #Freimauerei #Masonry #2B1ASK1 #History #illuminati #superb_owl
Dieses Zitat von Jesse Jackson Sr. bringt einen zentralen freimaurerischen Gedanken auf den Punkt: Würde zeigt sich nicht im Urteil über andere, sondern im Handeln füreinander. Respekt, Menschlichkeit und Verantwortung gehören zusammen. Freimaurerei bedeutet weltweit, Haltung zu zeigen, einander auf Augenhöhe zu begegnen und zu helfen.
👉 Neugierig? 🔗 https://linktr.ee/freimaurer.hb
Visitors to Masonic Lodges are often surprised by how small they are in Germany; only a few members, compared to the USA. There are two main reasons:
The special history of Germany in the Thirties, with the banning and disenfranchisement of Lodges,
The desire of Lodges to seek quality rather than quantity of members.
The former cannot be changed, but we have direct influence over the latter, and take it seriously.
The next planned Third Monday - the guest evening for men interested in Freemasonry and the North Sea Armed Forces Lodge - will be held on Monday, 16 February 2026, beginning at 18.00 in Bremen.
Further details and an invitation can be found on the Lodge website.
👥 Gästeabende im Februar 2026
📅 Termine & Logen - immer um 20 Uhr
Mi, 4.2.
🏛️ Friedrich Wilhelm z Eintracht
📧 mvst@fwze.de
Di, 10.2.
🏛️ Anschar z Brüderlichkeit
📧 kontakt@azb-bremen.de
Mi 18.2.
🏛️ Roland zd Alten Pflichten
📧 sekretaer@rolandbremen.de
Mo 23.2.
🏛️ Zur Hansa
📧 sekretaer@zur-hansa.de
‼️ Teilnahme nur nach vorheriger Anmeldung per E-Mail ‼️
The Oracle at Delphi, dedicated to the ancient Greek god Apollo, also has a place in Freemasonry thanks to wise sayings connected with the temple.
The first is: Know Thyself, without which no Mason can learn how to improve himself.
The second is: Nothing in Excess, as gluttony tends to ruin the senses and the spirit.
All Freemasons should take these two sayings to heart, and they have found their way into various Masonic rituals.
There are many different ritual texts in Freemasonry, depending on the era they were written, the circumstances, the country, and its people. They all, however, have one thing in common: as the foundation work to help men (and women) make themselves better people.
The ritual is not an instruction manual, merely a carefully constructed guide and influence for each individual to look inside themselves, and find the tools of improvement that they need.
The idea and symbolism of Freemasonry bases itself on the work of Stonemasons. The work on the individual is termed today as working on your own rough stone to improve it and prepare it for use in the symbolic building of Solomon's Temple.
Until the middle of the seventeenth century, Freemasons were operative masons, working on stone and buildings. From about 1645 onward, Freemasonry became more speculative and philosophical, as it is today.
For many, modern Freemasonry began in London in June 1717, with the first Grand Lodge. To create this Grand Lodge, however, there had to be working Lodges in London prior to 1717.
The earliest known protocol of a Masonic meeting came from Scotland, and is dated 1599. Elias Ashmole (1617-1692) - who later founded the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford (1683) - was initiated in Warrington in 1646, as only the second recorded speculative Mason.
#Freemasonry #Freimauerei #Masonry #2B1ASK1 #History #Oxford
Aside from the Degree works, where candidates are initiated and then advanced, there are two major festivals in the German Lodges: Johannes and the Stiftungsfest.
The former is celebrated around 24 June each year, with symbolic roses, as the end and beginning of the Masonic year. Some Lodges also perform the ritual changeover of Lodge Officers at this ceremony.
The latter is a celebration of the Lodge itself, its birthday.
There are many Masonic symbols, but only one which can easily be interpreted in almost every walk of life: the Beehive. This is a sign of plenty, of good will and of nourishment.
Possibly the first to mention the bee - and the beehive as a Lodge - as a Masonic symbol in writing was Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), in his satirical work "Letter from the Grand Mistress of the Female Free-Masons" (1724).
#Freemasonry #Freimaurerei #Masonry #2B1ASK1 #Literature #Swift #Beehive #Symbolism
