Secret Society of Masons and their goals. Freemasonry: organization, main goals and principles
Freemasonry appears to have its roots in medieval craft guilds, when representatives of each craft had their own guild to protect the interests of its members.
In exchange for this protective protection, the artisan had to obey strict rules. He had to serve as an unpaid apprentice from two to ten years (depending on the craft), live and obey the master who taught him.
With the development of economic relations, merchants needed to borrow money to finance long-term or short-term enterprises, and he was willing to pay interest for the use of money.
The Church condemned usurers, and usury was permitted only to Jews, who were prohibited from being members of guilds.
Masons, due to the nature of their craft, were itinerant and moved from one large city to another in search of work. The seals and symbols of their guild depicted the tools of their trade, and served as a guarantee of skill where ignorance of the language was a barrier.
On this basis: secret symbols, limited membership, oath of secrecy, mutual aid, etc., a society arose whose members were not masons as such.
freemasons
The Royal Society was founded either in Oxford in 1645, as stated in M. Purver's book, or in London in 1660, with the intention of patronizing reasoning rather than blind acceptance of Aristotelian wisdom, and its founding members included many distinguished thinkers.
Many of the Society's principles were consonant with the basic ideas of Freemasonry, and many of its founding members were, in fact, Freemasons.
While it may be going too far to say that the Royal Society was an outgrowth of Freemasonry, or that its members saw it as anything other than an opportunity to "liberalize" scientific thinking, it is an example of how a supposedly innocent infiltration can serve as a foot in the door that can lead to control over the direction in which this new teaching and thinking will go.
Dr Wilkins, later elected head of the society, was Oliver Cromwell's son-in-law, having married his sister, Robin, already a widow, when she was 62 and he was twenty years younger. Cromwell and his maternal uncle, Thomas Cromwell, had already played their part in the destruction of the religious and social order. Thomas in the separation of the English Church from Rome, and Oliver in throwing the ball into the game of neglecting royal authority.
In 1717, Freemasonry - a new form of worship, sharply different from the various creeds existing in Europe - declared its existence, apparently in London, and quickly spread to Paris, Florence, Rome, Berlin, its deliberately syncretic setting (Solomon's Temple, signs and symbols) made it completely cosmopolitan and religiously neutral. Nothing could better capture the early spirit of the "Enlightenment"..
Andrew Ramsay, a Scottish Jacobite exiled in France who was Chancellor of the French Grand Lodge in the 1730s, argued that the first Freemasons were masons in countries that took part in the Crusades who learned secret rituals and absorbed the unique wisdom of the ancient world.
According to German Freemasons, the grandmasters of the order learned the secrets and acquired the treasure of the Jewish Essenes.
One way or another, “Freemasonry” broke out of the cocoon of the masons’ guild, and in its new guise it became attractive to the intelligentsia. Early members of Masonic lodges included merchants and financiers, notaries and lawyers, doctors, diplomats and nobility: people of means or strong reputations. By mid-century, members included members of the French royal family, Frederick the Great, Maria Theresa's husband, Francis of Lorraine, and her son, Joseph. Voltaire was invited with great pomp to a celebrity-hungry Masonic lodge in Paris.
One of the interesting results of these sudden "conversions"; in many places (the Austrian Empire is one example, Portugal is another) Jewish emancipation occurred.
Freemasonry played an important role in the American Revolution, especially the lodges that were part of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Scottish Freemasonry flourished on North American soil. Freemasons fought on both sides in the emerging war between the colonists and the crown, and although there is no clear evidence of collusion among freemasons of opposing camps, the fact that the British made some strange military mistakes raises suspicions.
Sir William Howe's failure to pursue Washington after his retreat from New York, and the deliberate failure in 1777 of Sir Henry Clinton's attempt to join Burgoyne's army from Montreal, are two of the most notable examples. .
The Grand Master of North America was Joseph Warren, and the Green Dragon Coffeehouse on Union Street in Boston, purchased by the Provincial Grand Lodge, is believed to be the site where one of its chapters, the Sons of Liberty, plotted the Boston Tea Party.
Thus, even then the penetration of the “hidden hand” began, since a secret society is an ideal means for carrying out secret plans and control. An infiltration that many of his (the order's) members were unaware of.
Since the adoption of the Christian religion as the official faith of the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church has been the target of anti-Goy activity.
The reason is not difficult to guess. Christ, himself a Jew, condemned the control of the Sanhedrin (the Elders of Zion, the rabbinical caste).
Once Constantine declared Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire, the Christian Church ceased to be a faith with few adherents, but became a force with political power, and thus became a barrier to the Jewish forces gaining that power. Therefore, every effort was made to destroy it.
There have been many cases of infiltration of the church hierarchy. The Jesuits, or the Jesuit order, founded by Ignatius de Loyola as a militant branch of the church, was no doubt an example of this. Secretary Ignatius Polanco (Polanco) was the only person present at his death who was of Jewish origin. So did Lainez, one of his first and most famous converts. Very soon the young Jesuit organization began to attract Jews, since it became a force for Catholic reform and propaganda, and Jews are always attracted to centers of influence.
The Templars (Knights of the Temple) became another target for infiltration.
Judaism, based on the Babylonian Talmud and the Jewish Kabala, became the foundation of the ritual ceremonies of the 33 degrees of Scottish Rite Freemasonry.
"Freemasonry is based on Judaism. Remove the teachings of Judaism from Masonic ritual, and what remains?"
The famous Rabbi Isaac Wis was categorical in his conclusion:
"Freemasonry is a Jewish organization whose history, degrees, official appointments, passwords and interpretations are Jewish from beginning to end."
Already undoubtedly under Jewish influence, the Judeo-Masonic movement in Europe took off with the rise to power of the House of Rothschild. Adam Weishaupt, who founded the "Order of the Illuminati" in 1776, became the founder of the Theodor Lodge in Munich, he was on friendly terms and received financial support from Meyer Rothschild, whose clerk Sigmund Geisenheimer , who worked in his office in Frankfurt, had extensive connections among the Freemasons and was a member of the Grand Orient of France lodge, also called Le Aurore Naissante lodge. With the support of Daniel Itzig, (a Jew at the court of Frederick William II ), and the merchant Isaac Hildesheim (who changed his name to Justus Hiller), he founded the Jewish Lodge (Judenloge).
In 1802, old, established Jewish families, including the Adlers, Speyers, Reisses, Sichels, Ellisons, Hanaus, and Goldsmids, became members of the Jewish Lodge.
In 1802, Nathan Rothschild joined the Lodge of Emulation in England, while his brother James Rothschild became a 33rd degree Mason in France.
In 1816, Johann Christian Ehrmann, a former Freemason from Frankfurt, warned the Germans in his pamphlet "Jews in Freemasonry" (Judenthum in der Maurerey) that the Jewish Freemasons of Frankfurt wanted to create a world republic based on humanism.
A book on Freemasons, Morals and Dogma, written by the late Sovereign Grand Master of the Scottish Rite, Albert Pike, stated:
"Freemasonry keeps secrets from all but the learned and the sages, and uses false explanations and mythical interpretations of its symbols to mislead."
<Приход масонов к политической власти в Израиле относится к 1948 г. Давид Бен Гурион (David Ben Gurion), первый премьер-министр Израиля, был масоном. Каждый премьер-министр был масоном высокого уровня, включая Голду Мейер (Golda Meier) , которая была членом женской организации Ко-масонов (Co-Masons).
Most Israeli judges and religious leaders are Freemasons. The Rothschild-backed Hebrew University in Israel installed an Egyptian obelisk, a symbol of Freemasonry, in its courtyard.
The B'nai B'rith lodge in New York is affiliated with lodges in Israel, as are the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), not to mention almost every major investment magnate on Wall Street.
Illuminati
In the eighteenth century, another secret society, the Illuminati, emerged, founded in l776 by Adam Weishaupt in Bavaria, whose goal was to destroy the existing social order and replace it with a new world order.
"...he declared that the goal of the Illuminati was the abolition of property, social power, nationality and the return of the human race to a happy state state in which it would form one family without artificial needs and useless sciences, when every father is a priest and a judge.. "Henry Martin, "History of France" (Henry Martin-Histoire de France).
Bilderberg group
Another example of a "secret" society is the Bilderberg Group or Bilderberg Club - the power elite. In 1954, Dr. Joseph Rettinger, charge d'affaires of communist Poland, together with Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Colin Gubbins (former head of the British Special Operations Executive) and General Walter Bedel Smith (former American ambassador in Moscow and director of the CIA) organized This group. Its governing board consisted of Robert Ellsworth (Lazard Freres), John Loudon (N. M. Rothschild), Paul Nitze (Schröder Bank). Shroeder Bank), C. L. Sulzberger (New York Times), Stansfield Turner (who later became director of the CIA), Peter Calvocoressi (Penguin Books ), Andrew Schoenberg, Daniel Ellsberg and Henry Kissinger.
The first meeting took place at the Hotel de Bilderberg - hence the name of the group. Lord Rothschild and Laurence Rockefeller gathered 100 of the world's money magnates. Since then, the group meets annually in different parts of the world. Its avowed goal is world government.
Any society that operates under cover of secrecy can be considered conspiratorial. It may be hidden behind a figurehead who may or may not know the true aims of the organization he represents, but there is no doubt that the Bilderberg Group is a group of financiers and industrialists under the command of international Jewry. And those non-Jews who belong to it are either deceived or members who are guided by the principle: “if you cannot defeat them, it is better to join them.”
There are a large number of large organizations in the world, about the type of activities of which most people know practically nothing. And, as we know, everything unknown or known, but not completely, always causes a lot of rumors and speculation. Therefore, secret societies that prefer to remain in the shadows are credited with organizing universal conspiracies and communicating with otherworldly forces.
In fact, most of these “interest circles” are much more harmless than they are trying to make us believe, although among them there are also those that really influenced world history, reports Day.Az with reference to Don't Panic. We decided to study history 10 of the most famous and powerful secret organizations to figure out when they finally appeared and why and whether they still exist.
Illuminati
The Illuminati most often refers to the "Order of the Illuminati" of Professor Adam Weishaupt, which existed in the 1700s. His task was the comprehensive improvement of the church and the achievement of general prosperity. The ruler of Bavaria, Karl Theodor, called the Illuminati one of the branches of the illegal community of Freemasons and announced criminal prosecution of members of the society, putting an end to history in 1787. Officially, the order ceased to exist, but it is believed that its remaining members did not abandon their cause and simply went underground. The Illuminati is credited with organizing the French Revolution, the assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy, and influencing world politics in the modern world.
Opus Dei 
The organization was founded in 1928 by Catholic priest Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer. From Latin, the name of the society is translated as “The Work of God,” and they are engaged in helping to find the path to holiness without renouncing everyday life. Most of its members are ordinary people: businessmen, workers, teachers, housewives, who in appearance are no different from their colleagues. And although the organization does not hide the location of its headquarters, it receives a wide variety of criticism. Due to the closed nature of the community, some Catholic priests consider it dangerous; in addition, Opus Dei is often associated with the use of practices that are characteristic of sects. All this creates a certain aura of mystery around the society, due to which it is often attributed to some kind of secret Catholic society. Adding fuel to the fire of speculation and rumors was Dan Brown, who portrayed Opus Dei in The Da Vinci Code as a secret sect hiding important information.
Templars
The official name of the order is "The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and St. John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta." This is a modern offshoot of Freemasonry and is not related to the Poor Knights of Christ, founded by a group of knights in 1119. But the order was made after his example in order to preserve the spirit of this organization. The Order is part of the York Rite and for membership it is necessary to be exclusively a Christian who has completed all the degrees of the Royal Arch, and in some jurisdictions also the degrees of the Crypt.
Black hand
The South Slavic secret nationalist organization appeared in 1911. According to one version, it arose as an offshoot of the People's Defense group, which sought to unite all Slavic peoples. The organization's goal was to fight for the liberation of the Serbs who were under the rule of Austria-Hungary. It included Serbian army officers and some government officials. The Black Hand was associated with a group of terrorists who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose death sparked the outbreak of the First World War. In 1917, by order of the King of Serbia, Alexander I Karageorgievich, the organization was liquidated, and its head, Colonel Dragutin Dmitrievich, and his entourage were shot.
Assassins
The Neo-Ismaili Nizari organization was formed in the 11th century. The society was founded by Hassan ibn Shabbat. Their internal system was built on a strict hierarchy, where the transition to the next level was accompanied by mystical rituals. In the ideology of the sect, the main role was given to anti-feudal, communist and national liberation motives. The assassins have firmly established the reputation of hired killers without fear or reproach, always carrying out their orders. It is believed that the sect ceased to exist in 1256, after the fortresses of Alamut and Meymundiz were taken. According to other sources, some assassins managed to escape and founded a caste of hereditary killers in India. The traditions of assassins were most clearly preserved in the actions of terrorist Muslim sects such as Jihad and Hezbollah, and especially in the fidayeen units.
Thule Society
This occult political German society included all those who later became Hitler's closest advisers. The official name of the organization was the Group for the Study of German Antiquity. They were engaged in researching the origin of the Aryan race. Thule, a mythical northern country from ancient Greek legends, was considered by Nazi mystics to be the capital of ancient Hyperborea. All participants in society viewed the Aryans as a superior race that had lived since the prehistoric era and Atlantis, and the inhabitants of that same Thule were the descendants of the Aryans who managed to escape from Atlantis. Another part of society, which did not believe so much in all sorts of mystical tales, was more interested in the fight against Jews, communists and freemasons. In 1919, members of the Thule created the political organization "German Workers' Party", of which Adolf Hitler became a member. The Thule Society existed until 1933.
Knights of the Golden Ring
In the 1850s and 1860s, a paramilitary organization, the Knights of the Golden Ring, operated in the Midwestern United States. The society was created by Southern sympathizers who wanted to create states where slavery would be legal. The intended territory of action was to be Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean islands. The most famous members of the organization were Abraham Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth and the outlaw Jesse James. After the arrest of the leaders and the confiscation of weapons by the government in 1864, the organization ceased to exist.
Sons of Liberty
The organization was founded in 1765 by Samuel Adams. The goal of the society members was to fight for self-determination of the North American colonies. Their motto was “No taxes without representation.” The policy of public resistance included the distribution of thematic pamphlets, protests and open violent actions against the British authorities, for which their activities were equated with criminality and began to be persecuted. After the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766, the organization dissolved itself.
Skull and Bones
This is one of the oldest student secret societies in the United States. It arose in 1832 at the instigation of Yale University Secretary William Russell, who decided, together with 14 like-minded people, to create a secret fraternity. They accepted into their club only people from the American aristocracy, Anglo-Saxon origin and Protestant religion. Rumor has it that the only requirement for entry these days is that the candidate must be a leader in his or her own campus. The society included US presidents, senators, and Supreme Court judges, which is why it began to be considered a kind of underground group uniting the political elite. Society meetings are held twice a week, but what is discussed and done at them remains a closely guarded secret.
The official date of the emergence of Freemasonry is considered to be 1717, but there are documents dating back to 1300 years in which Freemasons are already mentioned. Masonic meetings are held in a ritual form, and candidates for regular Freemasonry must believe in a Supreme Being. The Masons themselves say that their goal is moral improvement, the development and preservation of fraternal friendship and charity. It is believed that the community strives to achieve political influence throughout the world. The most famous members of the society were Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, James Buchanan, Bob Dole, Henry Ford, Ben Franklin and many others. In total, about 5 million people around the world are members of the society.
Masons of the USA.
The Freemasons are one of the most secretive and controversial religious groups in the world. It is believed that their organization has existed for several centuries, but no one knows exactly how long. Speculation around the Freemasons has not ceased throughout their history, and the most incredible stories are “fueled” from time to time by another scandal about “free masons”.
They will not testify truthfully against each other.
Masons have strict orders to never give truthful testimony against another Mason if he is accused in court. They admit that this may be perjury, but for Freemasons an even greater sin is “failing to protect one’s own.”
2. Handshake
They have a secret handshake.
Although some members of Freemasonry deny this fact to the public, the society has at least one secret Masonic handshake. Supposedly, there are even phrases that Freemasons say only in case of serious danger, which cause other members of the fraternity to rush to the rescue. Mormonism's founder, Joseph Smith, is said to have uttered this phrase in his final moments before his death.
3. “Tu-bal-kain”
They have several secret passwords.
This is one of the most famous facts about Freemasons, but people tend to think that they only have one password. In fact, Masons have several passwords for different occasions and situations. When the person who knew the last syllable of the secret word used for the ceremonies was killed, they replaced the word for the common members of the community with "mor-bon-zee", and very few people know the "real" secret word. "Tu-bal-kain" is the more common secret password that any Mason knows.
4. Loop
Rituals with a loop.
Although the Masons themselves describe the ritual of initiation into members of the fraternity as a beautiful ceremony, one of the attributes in it is a rope loop. It's hard to say whether it's a threat, a call to remain silent, or just a symbol of the umbilical cord (as they themselves claim), but either way, it's quite unusual.
5. Sun
They are obsessed with the sun.
Freemasons believe that the east symbolizes rebirth. They sing of the sun moving across the sky. Masonic lodges are generally oriented east to west in order to "control solar energy for their own purposes."
6. There are no women in the fraternity.
It is impossible for someone who is an atheist to become a Freemason. The first requirement for neophytes is that potential members must believe in a higher power, no matter which one. On the other hand, members of traditionally marginalized groups (such as gays) are accepted into Freemasonry if they adhere to moral principles. However, women are still not accepted into the fraternity.
7. US dollar
Their symbol appears on US dollars.
If you look closely at the American banknote, it’s easy to notice above the pyramid the “all-seeing eye,” which is a symbol of the Freemasons, and under the pyramid the Freemasons’ motto is written in Latin: “new world order.” Many say that the decision to include this Masonic symbol on the bill was not accidental - after all, Benjamin Franklin, who served on the dollar design committee, was a Freemason.
8. Anders Breivik
Anders Breivik is a Freemason.
Breivik, who was responsible for the 2011 massacre in Norway, was a member of St. Olaf Lodge in Oslo. Anders was immediately expelled, but his extent of involvement in the organization is still debated.
9. Apollo Program
Masons played an important role in space exploration.
Some say the Freemasons are about to take over the world - but some Freemasons seem to have their sights set on the moon. The astronauts in the Apollo program, including Buzz Aldrin, were Freemasons. Their ritual flags have been to the Moon and returned back to Earth.
10. Policy and financial control
One of their goals is to control politics and finances.
The official position of Freemasonry is quite well documented, but it is often simply presented in a veiled version. There are a disproportionate number of Freemasons - half a million - working in England's banking, political and government sectors. Even hospitals and universities are often controlled by Freemasons.
And in continuation of the topic about this secret society, interesting facts about the Freemasons in Russia. Yes, yes, they are somewhere nearby!
Many legends have developed around the Freemasons - from the theory of a “worldwide Jewish-Masonic conspiracy” to blood-chilling stories about ritual murders. The Masons themselves do not call themselves a secret society, but a society with secrets. Our review contains a selection of facts about this closed men's club of wealthy intellectuals.
1. About five million Masons
Freemasonry exists in various forms throughout the world. It is believed that there are about five million Freemasons in the world (including about 480 thousand in Great Britain and more than two million in the United States).
2. Masons - secret or not secret?
Contrary to popular belief, the Freemasons are not a secret society. A Mason can freely tell people that he is a Mason. But they cannot divulge the secrets of their order.
3. June 24, 1717
4. Morality, friendship, brotherly love
Images of working tools in the symbolism of the Masons are an illustration of the morality, friendship and brotherly love of the members of the order.
5. Origin of symbolism
It is believed that Freemasons use symbols because of the secrecy of the fraternity. However, in fact, Freemasonry began to use symbols because at the time of the society's founding, most of its members could not read.
6. Square and compass
The oldest Masonic symbol is the square and compass. It is also the most common symbol of Freemasonry, although its exact meaning varies from country to country.
7. Masonic lodge - a community of people
A Masonic lodge is a community of people, not just the name of a building. Each lodge must receive a charter from the "Grand Lodge", but after this they are largely self-governing. There are also no generally accepted rituals for conducting meetings; they are different in each lodge.
8. Atheist? So he's not a Mason
An atheist cannot become a Freemason. The first requirement is that potential members must believe in at least some higher power.
9. Two branches of Freemasonry
There are two branches of Freemasonry: Regular, which is subordinate to the United Grand Lodge of England, and Liberal, which is subordinate to the Grand Orient of France.
10. Secret signs
Masons traditionally greet each other with various "secret" signs, including wearing a ring with the Masonic emblem, various breastplates, and sometimes exchanging the so-called "Masonic handshake".
11. Anders Breivik
Anders Breivik, known for his serial murders in Norway in 2011, was also a Freemason.
12. Ordered to commit perjury
— We don’t rent out our own.
Masons cannot give truthful testimony in court if the defendant is their brother in the order and he is guilty. They admit that this may be perjury, but in the fraternity it is considered a much greater sin not to protect “one of our own.”
13. Freemasonry does not have a single leader
Freemasons are many people in numerous organizations that are subordinate to the local Grand Lodge. None of these members of the fraternity and no one organization can speak on behalf of all Freemasonry - only the Grand Lodge is allowed to do so.
14. Statue of Liberty
Frederick Bartholdi, the man who created the famous Statue of Liberty, was a Freemason.
15. Handshakes and passwords
The secret handshakes and passwords that are currently associated with Freemasonry were previously used by Freemasons to recognize each other. This was important for maintaining the secrecy of the brotherhood.
16. Lunar module pilot
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin was a member of Clear Lake Lodge No. 1417 in Texas. He was also the lunar module pilot on the Apollo 11 mission.
17. Catherine Babington
Catherine Babington was so eager to learn the secrets of Freemasonry that she hid inside the pulpit during lodge meetings in Kentucky for a year. When she was discovered, she was held captive for a month.
18. The most famous masons
Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, J. Edgar Hoover, Benjamin Franklin, and the first President and Founding Father of the United States, George Washington, were all Freemasons.
19. Illuminati and Freemasons
Everything about one of the most secret and powerful associations in the world
Freemasons are the most closed society in the world. There are rumors about the amazing wealth of the Freemasons, about their powerful influence on world politics, about their involvement in the overthrow of monarchs and revolutions... In short, there are more than enough myths around the “free masons”. Which ones are true?
Where did they come from?
The exact date of birth of the Masonic organization is known - June 24, 1717. On this day, the first lodge of “free masons” began its work in England. The four societies located in London at that time were named the same as the taverns in which their members used to gather: “Goose and Tray”, “Crown”, “Apple”, “Brush of Grapes”. On June 24, they solemnly united and became the Grand Lodge of London. This day is still celebrated as the main holiday of the Masons.
Later, representatives of the nobility, intellectuals, and businessmen began to join the Masonic Society. Belonging to a secret brotherhood has become fashionable. In addition, intellectuals liked the ideas of equality and brotherhood, the desire for spiritual improvement, preached by the Freemasons. The Masons developed their own rituals and secret symbols that are still in effect today.
What goals are being pursued?
Why are Masonic lodges needed at all, what do they discuss when they get together, what tasks do they set for themselves?
As the Masons themselves explain, their first goal is to improve themselves and the world around them. Each person who joins the lodge tirelessly works on himself, helping others to become better: more educated, tolerant, understanding.
The second important goal of the Masons is charity. In some countries, Masonic lodges include hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom are very wealthy, they open hospitals in third world countries, provide assistance to the sick, and finance the work of educational institutions.
What is behind their rituals?
The Masons are sometimes called almost a religious sect. These thoughts are suggested by intriguing rumors about the mysterious, beautiful, deeply meaningful rituals of the Masonic lodge. For example, the head of the Lodge is called “Reverend Master”, they call each other “brothers”, it is impossible for an uninitiated person to attend the meeting - the place and time are kept in such secrecy. And yet this is not a sect. Moreover, Freemasons avoid talking about religion. And the mechanisms developed over centuries do not allow the Order of Freemasons to turn into a religious sect. For example, the leaders of a lodge are constantly changing - the Worshipful Master cannot remain so for more than three years.
Their secrets
Neither Freemasonry as a whole, nor its individual lodges hide the very fact of their own existence. In addition, any member of the Lodge has the right to declare his affiliation with the Freemasons completely openly.
But he has no right to say the same about other Masons - disclosure is under the strictest prohibition.
It is necessary to keep secret words and signs by which Masons recognize each other, and special rituals, in deep secrecy.
They and politics
It is believed that Freemasons rule the world. Most likely, this is a strong exaggeration caused by long-standing rumors about a “Jewish-Masonic conspiracy.” Yes, in many countries very influential people are members of the fraternity. However, Freemasons are not involved in politics - they have other goals. By tradition, almost all US presidents were Freemasons: it is not for nothing that even dollar bills have a Masonic sign.
In Russia today, completely different connections are valued. Of course, domestic Masons would like prominent politicians, oligarchs, and large businessmen to belong to their order. But do politicians and oligarchs need ancient romantic rituals and philosophical conversations? Do they have time for this? And do they want their names to be mentioned in connection with some secret meetings and projects? Very doubtful.
How to get there
As already mentioned, Freemasons have the right to speak openly about their affiliation with the order. If someone who wants to join knows about this, he must take the initiative; no one will invite him, because campaigning is prohibited.
If a person really wants to join the order, but doesn’t have a single Freemason acquaintance, it doesn’t matter: today you can find information about lodges on the Internet and submit an application by e-mail. It will be reviewed. The candidate (“layman”) will need 2-3 guarantors, and he will also have to go through the ancient rite of passage, described in detail in the novel L. Tolstoy"War and Peace". Currently, the rituals have remained virtually unchanged. The members of the lodge vote, and three “no” votes are enough for a candidate to be barred from this path forever.
If it becomes clear that a person, striving to join the Lodge, is pursuing material gain or wants to achieve social benefits, the road there is barred to him. True Masons strive for one thing: to reveal their spiritual potential and help others.
Male privilege
Ladies are prohibited from joining Masonic lodges. This is how it happened historically. Although today in some countries they are beginning to practice “mixed lodges”, where women are allowed.
Which celebrity was a Freemason?
We can only talk about this with some degree of probability, given the strict secrecy of such data. In Russia, it is customary to classify Masons as: A.S. Pushkina, A.V. Suvorova, N.M. Karamzina, A.S. Griboyedova, A.F. Kerensky, N.S. Gumilyov.
By the way: One of the legends says that Mozart in his opera “The Magic Flute” he spoke about the secrets of the Masonic lodge, for which he was killed. To this day, Masons treat this work with special respect. When Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”, in particular the Master’s aria, is heard at the Vienna Opera once again, several dozen listeners in the hall, as if by agreement, stand up. These are the Masons.