“The truth was that the brotherhood’s focus on death was in fact a bold celebration of life. Masonic ritual was designed to awaken the slumbering man inside, lifting him from his dark coffin of ignorance, raising him into the light, and giving him  eyes to see. Only through the death experience could man fully understand his life experience. Only through the realization that his days on earth were finite could he grasp the importance of living those days with honor, integrity, and service to his fellow man.

“Masonic initiations were startling because they were meant to be transformative.

Masonic vows were unforgiving because they were meant to be reminders that man’s

honor and his “word” were all he could take from this world. Masonic teachings were

arcane because they were meant to be universal … taught through a common language

of symbols and metaphors that transcended religions, cultures, and races … creating a unified “worldwide consciousness” of brotherly love.”

From Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol

Recommended Reading

Introductory Information About Freemasonry

1. ๏Bessel, Paul M. Masonic Questions and Answers. New Orleans, LA: Cornerstone Book Publishers, 2005
   

2. ๏Hodapp, Christopher. Freemasons for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005.
   

3. ๏Morris, S. Brent. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry. New York: Penguin, 2006.
   

4. ๏Ridley, Jasper. The Freemasons: A History of the World’s Most Powerful Secret Society. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2002
   

Freemasonry in American History

1. ๏Bullock, Steven C. Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730-1840. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1996.
   

2. ๏Carnes, Mark C. Secret Ritual and Manhood in Victorian America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989.
   

3. ๏Hodapp, Christopher. Solomon’s Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C. Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, 2006.
   

4. ๏Moore, William D. Masonic Temples: Freemasonry, Ritual Architecture, and Masculine Archetypes. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2006.
   

5. ๏Morris, S. Brent and John W. Boettjer. Cornerstones of Freedom: A Masonic Tradition. Washington D.C.: The Supreme Council, 1993. (Out of print)
   

6. ๏Poll, Michael R. (Editor) Of George Washington. New Orleans, LA: Cornerstone Book Publishers, 2009
   

7. ๏Roberts, Allen E. Freemasonry in American History. Richmond, VA: Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply, 1985.
   

8. ๏Tabbert, Mark A. American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities. New York: New York University Press, 2005
   

The Scottish Rite

1. ๏De Hoyos, Arturo. Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide, Second Edition--Revised and Enlarged. Washington, DC: The Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Southern Jurisdiction, 2009.
   

2. ๏Hutchens, Rex R.  A Bridge to Light: The Revised Standard Pike Ritual: A Study in Masonic Ritual and Philosophy. Washington, DC: The Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Southern Jurisdiction; 3rd ed., 2006.
   

3. ๏Fox, William L. Lodge of the Double-Headed Eagle: Two Centuries of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America's Southern Jurisdiction. University of Arkansas Press, 1997.
   

4. ๏Newbury, George A. and Louis L. Williams. A History of the Supreme Council, 33° of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the USA. Lexington, MA: Supreme Council AASR, NMJ, 1987. (Out of print.)
   

Masonic Symbolism

1. ๏Hamilton, John. Material Culture of the American Freemasons. Lexington, MA: Museum of Our National Heritage, 1994.
   

2. ๏MacNulty, W. Kirk. Freemasonry: Symbols, Secrets, Significance. London: Thames and Hudson, 2006.
   

3. ๏Poll, Michael R. (Editor) Masonic Enlightenment. New Orleans, LA: Cornerstone Book Publishers, 2006
   

4. ๏Poll, Michael R. (Editor) The Freemasons Key. Lafayette, LA: Cornerstone Book Publishers, 2008
   

5. ๏Roberts, Allen. The Craft and Its Symbols: Opening the Door to Masonic Symbols. Richmond, VA: Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company, Inc., 1974.
   

Debunking Anti-Masonry

1. ๏Cooper, Robert L. D. Cracking the Freemasons Code: The Truth About Solomon's Key and the Brotherhood. New York: Atria, 2007
   

2. ๏De Hoyos, Arturo and S. Brent Morris. Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry? The Methods of Anti-Masons (Revised). New York: M. Evans, 2010.
   

3. ๏Kinney, Jay. The Masonic Myth: Unlocking the Truth About the Symbols, the Secret Rites, and the History of Freemasonry. New York: HarperOne, 2008
   

4. ๏Robinson, John J. A Pilgrim’s Path: Freemasonry and the Religious Right. New York: M. Evans, 1993.
   

5. ๏Waite, A.E. Devil Worship in France - Exposing the Taxil Anti-Masonic Lie. Lafayette, LA: Cornerstone Book Publishers, 2007
   

Reference

1. ๏Anderson, James. The Constitutions of the Free-Masons: Containing the History, Charges, regulations, &c. of that Most Ancient and Right Worshipful Fraternity: for use in Lodges. London: William Hunter, 1723.  Facsimile edit. Abington, England: Burgess & Son, Ltd., 1976.
   

2. ๏Coil, Henry Wilson. Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia. Richmond, VA: Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply, 1996.
   

3. ๏Denslow, William R. and Harry S Truman. 10,000 Famous Freemasons. Trenton, MO: Missouri Lodge of Research, 1957. Revised edit. Lafayette, LA: Cornerstone Book Publishing, 2007.