What kind of secrets can the Freemasons possibly have?

You are missing nothing. The secrets of freemasonry are not important or relevant to today’s world.

^ but maybe that’s exactly what they want you to think!

@Simone_De_Beauvoir
I know very little on the matter but perhaps because there is significant evidence to say that there were secret societies, people start to wonder if they are still there. If there are (or were) secret societies, there must be reason for their secrecy and I think that notion alone leads people to fathom up very interesting things.

But the real truth is probably something that isn’t quite as interesting.

Actually, it isn’t just upper class white guys. The Prince Hall Freemasons are predominantly African-American (they are recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England) and there are several lodges in several African, South American and Asian countries as well as other countries all over the world.

Also, most of the men I know of who are members are most certainly considered middle class and many of them are not yet retired.

@Supacase I know I was making a generalization – anyway do you think they have secrets?

I find the Freemasons extremely interesting. I saw a show about their “secrets” on the History Channel and while it was interesting, I didn’t find it very convincing.

@J0E how are they interesting?

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I don’t know, maybe because of all the supposed secrets. I did some research on them after I saw National Treasure and it just interests me.

@J0E then you might also have an interest in the Bohemian Club

Maybe they know how to make people read Dan Brown novels. That would explain a lot.

I think they probably do have some secrets. Whether they are anything special or important… I don’t know. It could something that is common knowledge and the secret is simply that that is their secret.

I will say that, when I think about it, it drives me nuts to not know. You would be hard pressed to find a group of 5 friends without having one who give away a secret with a little prodding. How the heck do the masons keep so many people completely silent?

They definitely exist, @Simone_De_Beauvoir. The past 4 generations of men in my paternal family have all been Masons, and have been Grand Masters, Master Masons, etc. and stayed up all hours of the night teaching up and coming men their catechisms.

The secret aspect serves to bond them together, more than having any practical uses in today’s modern settings. Each tool (the square, compass, etc.) has a parallel to the word of God, and to the Bible, itself. In viewing the Masonic symbol, The “G” does stand for God. The United States was founded almost exclusively by the Freemasons.

Even the Biblical King Solomon and King David were Freemasons. Many of the Masonic “secrets” also run parallel to King Solomon’s castle, which was made with Freemason tools to exacting specifications, purportedly given by God, Himself.

@Supacase people like to be exclusive. makes them feel special when they aren’t.

@phillis I know to get ‘in’ one has to be a man of god – ‘cause that doesn’t add to the fact that it’s all just ‘truth’ that isn’t.

I was in a sorority in college. We had “secrets.” I’m pretty sure none of the “secrets” would rock the world. The rituals are more about sharing a bond, having respect for traditions, and renewing those bonds and traditions. I don’t see why any other organization would be different.

I just made myself read the latest Dan Brown novel because it was a Christmas gift. I really don’t like his writing very much, and by the end of the book I was kind of sick of all the babbling about secrets even though some of the things brought up were interesting.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I can’t pretend to know all Masons, who are world-wide. Of the many I’ve known, they do believe that God exists, which is essential. Beyond that, ethics and morality tend to be a little more obscure. It appears to be a classic case of the spirit being willing, but the flesh being weak. And ultimately, isn’t that always the way with humans? I don’t fault the mistakes. I fault the hiding and the covering of them. Perhaps we’ve hit on what some of those secrets are, afterall.

Yoda was a freemason, that should explain a lot about the secrets.
(wow that’s two Yoda references in one day here! I am not even a Star Wars fan.)

So mote it be…

I won’t claim it as truth, but from everything I’ve read, the limits of possibility run along the lines of power in defining reality and sort of controlling or profiting from the flow of life and death (or order and chaos)... “magick,” if you will. If you glean the dynamics from films such as Star Wars and The Golden Compass, that’s mostly what I’m getting at.

This isn’t shared among all freemasons, mind you. There are widespread claims that masons are divided among 33 levels (you’ll always hear about a president being a 32nd or 33rd mason) and that there are additional levels that are “unpublished” so to speak. From what I understand, most masons are 3rd degree or below, and all of the testimonials from this group talk about teaching character, etc. Conspiracists regard this as kind of a front and believe that the nice guys who are lower level masons don’t see the manipulation above them.

I could be wrong, but my understanding is that masons pledge their loyalty to the order first and foremost. If that’s true and you think about that with respect to everyday politics and business then it’s not a stretch to assume that masons have a leg up on just about everyone else and a seasoned dog in every significant fight.

The number 33, by the way, is significant to the masonic way. The only masonic lodge in Albuquerque is #33. Kennedy Space Center and Edwards Air Force Base both utilize a “Runway 33” for shuttle landings. Here’s another random observation from the web:

33 is also 32 around 1. If you look at the roof of the United Nations General Assembly you will see a large light circular light surrounded by 32 smaller lights. If you look at the United Nations’ own symbol you will see a circle divided up into 32 sections with the center being the 33rd. On the United Nations symbol you will notice 13 leaves on the olive branch. The symbol for the Soviet Union has this feature as well as 32 rays emanating from the sun with the sun being the 33rd.

Lots of similar stuff can be found via Google.

So, lastly, I think the mainstream representation of masonry and masonic secrets a la Dan Brown or “Secrets of the Freemasons” on the history channel are kind of a push to control the (mis)direction in the public’s mind of the nature of the masonic order (similarly with Jesse Ventura’s conspiracy show). In other words, there’s information out there, some truth and some fiction and some common and some secret and by putting it on TV it deflects most curiosity to look beyond the scope of the program. Additionally, it functions as sort of a pressure valve, much like one might argue Colbert and the Daily Show play a role in preventing the American public from hanging every contemporary politician from their reserved (and deserved) lamppost.

Generally the secrets are really just advanced methods of experiencing and explaining man’s relationship to God, and if you haven’t been couched in the (secret) jargon that is specific to the group, you will not truly understand the concepts being discussed.

It’s pretty much the same as the secrets of being a successful computer engineer or programmer. You have to progress through the earlier levels of training, learn the (secret) language and perform all the (secret) rituals.

The main difference is that Freemason’s couch the lessons in a formalized set of symbols which they explain only to people who agree to keep it secret, and seal the agreements with a rigmarole of hand shakes, special clothing and what I call psychodrama.

Learning computer programming also involves a formalized set of symbols such as <, >, {, } and the symbols we see below the answer box *, *;—and such, but the explanation is given to anyone who can reach the level of education it takes to understand it.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I understand the wanting to be part of an exclusive group, but why are inactive or former (lapsed?~) Masons still so unwilling to share the information?

Like the sorority example above, you can bet that at least one girl from each year will tell the secrets to someone at sometime. This doesn’t seem to be the case with the Masons. I just find it odd.

Maybe the secret is that there is no secret – I suppose that would be a relatively easy secret to keep.

@Supacase The internet is full of sites that do exactly that. There are also many books that expose the secrets.

@YARNLADY I realize that I can believe everything I read on the internet~ but… Are the answers consistent? I have doubts about anyone who could profit from revealing the secrets – how do we know if they are lying if they are our only source for the “truth.”

I forgot to mention a story a college buddy of mine told me. He and his dad were stuck on a NYC freeway when their car broke down. He said his dad started doing some funny dance, and some guy on the other side of the freeway stopped his car and went Frogger across multiple lanes of traffic to come to his aid.

@kevbo yes, that’s inspiring – that some people will help those who are also ‘in’ something they’re in but not in general…that’s too bad…

@Supacase Just as with any information, it helps to review as many sources as you can with some idea of how trustworthy they are, and go from there. There are many consistent examples, but in the long run, the reader will come to his/her own conclusions.

Any time there is a hierarchical, secretive group, that group has goals, otherwise there would be no secretive, hierarchical group. There would be no need for one; they would get bored, and they would disband. The only reason to be secretive and to allow only the wealthiest of members to move to the highest ranks of the organization is that there is power to be had near the top degrees of the group. What power? I surely don’t know. I’m not a Masonic type of person and wouldn’t join if invited. But the group does exist. Its structure is well known. For that structure to make any kind of sense in this world of ours, there is increasing power as members are promoted higher in the organization. Anyone arguing that the simple things I’m pointing out here are wrong just isn’t thinking clearly.

they know the Colonel’s secret recipe of herbs and spices, what makes coke Coke, and where the g-spot is.

@eponymoushipster maybe they should let the British scientists in on the secret
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/G-spot-a-myth-claim-scientists/articleshow/5408186.cms

@Simone_De_Beauvoir all a ruse. that’s what they want you to believe.

@eponymoushipster indeed. that’s what I thought too.

My dad was like a 32nd degree Mason. It was just like Boy Scouts for adults.
Dan Brown is an idiot.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir, here’s a gentler version (albeit a bit oblique) of what I was getting at. The author categorizes this as a mastery of “alchemy,” using alchemy in a sense of directing the flow or evolution of humanity and human consciousness.

Another good site that deconstructs masonic symbolism in pop culture.