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the tracing boardS
CHAPTER XXXII
part II - Symbolism and the Teachings of Freemasonry
THE SQUARE AND COMPASSES
W.
M. Don Falconer PM, PDGDC
The tracing boards enable a
freemason to represent his deepest thoughts in visible form.
Operative origins
The tracing board is an emblem in speculative freemasonry that is
derived from the tracing boards used in design and the laying out
tables used in the stone yard or on the construction site by
operative freemasons. In operative times the tracing boards and
laying out tables were often called trestle boards, because they
were large flat boards set up on trestle legs so that they could
easily be moved when required. The master mason used the drafting or
tracing board, equivalent to the modern drawing board, to prepare a
general layout and the overall design for the required building. The
laying out tables also were important items of equipment, because
the details of the structural components and the joints required for
fabrication and erection were worked out on them. These details were
then transferred to working plans drawn up on the drafting or
tracing board. In its original context "to trace" did not mean "to
copy" as it does in modern architectural offices. It signified to
trace out or to draw, in the sense implied by the Latin word
tractus, from which it was derived and come down to us through the
Italian, Spanish and French languages. In the process of evolution,
the word acquired many diverse meanings, including to sketch, to
scheme and to devise, as well as to plan. The Fabric Rolls of the
York Minster provide one of the earliest known records of the use of
tracing boards in England. From the inventory of stores for 1399 we
know that "ij tracyng bordes" were then in use.
In operative freemasonry the kind of laying out table or tracing
board that was used varied to suit the specific purpose for which
the drawings were required. For example, full-scale details of
joints and special fixtures were often set out on the site of the
building, using the floor as a laying out table. Details found
necessary during erection of the building and therefore required for
immediate use, were often sketched on a portable slate.
Archaeological excavations at several sites have unearthed slates
used for that purpose and have also revealed design details that had
been prepared on stone floors and on dressed stones later
incorporated into the building. The final layout and detailed plans
were usually drawn to scale on parchment that had been soaked and
stretched wet over a drawing board, or on skins specially prepared
for that purpose. In the Exeter Cathedral there are old documents
recording the purchase of parchment in 1377, for preparation of the
drawings required to continue the work that was begun in 1270 to
transform the Norman church that had been built from 1112 to 1206.
Those documents also record that a skin was purchased in 1389 for
the working drawings required to complete the east window.
Speculative development
As the early speculative craft lodges were usually held in rented
rooms, it was customary to sketch appropriate emblems on the floor
in chalk or charcoal, so that they could easily be erased at the end
of the meeting. A temple and other symbols were usually drawn, often
encircled by a wavy cord having open looped knots and tassels at the
ends. This was the indented tassel or indented tarsel referred to in
the old catechisms, but it is not, as is sometimes suggested, the
indented or tessellated border that is referred to in modern
rituals. The knotted and tasselled cord symbolises the universal
bond of friendship that should unite every freemason with his
brethren. The four tassels often seen in the corners of the mosaic
pavement have the same significance as the indented tassel, but
those depicted at the corners of a modern tracing board in the first
degree represent the tassels suspended in the corners of a lodge to
represent the four cardinal virtues. Tassels are ancient symbols,
which are derived from the Hebrew word tsitsith, or Sadhe Yod Sadhe
He, which means both tassels and fringes. Numbers 15:37-40 in the
New English Bible tells us that the tassel should be used as a
reminder:
"The Lord spoke to Moses and said speak to the Israelites in
these words: You must make tassels like flowers on the corners of
your garments . . . Into this tassel you shall work a violet thread
. . . to ensure that you remember all my commandments and obey them
. . ."
As lodges became larger, the floor sketches gave way to durable
floor cloths that could be rolled up after the meeting. Later these
cloths were stretched over a trestle table or trasel, sometimes
incorrectly called a tarsel. Still later the cloths were hung on the
walls to save wear and tear, but nowadays they are usually replaced
by less expensive printed tracing boards. The tracing board is
called a jewel of the lodge, in which sense it is an important
emblem in its own right, because it represents the spiritual tracing
board that comprises the sacred scriptures in which are laid down
the moral plans and divine laws that should govern our lives and
actions. Each degree in speculative craft freemasonry has a tracing
board comprising a multiplicity of emblems that have their
individual symbolisms, but also are used collectively to illustrate
the important truths communicated in that degree. The meanings of
the symbols on a tracing board are explained in an associated
lecture. In modern freemasonry tracing boards are mainly used in
speculative craft lodges, although in earlier times they were widely
used in most orders of freemasonry, some of which will be discussed.
A very early set of tracing boards in the modern format was prepared
for the Chichester Lodge by one of its members in 1811, Brother
Josiah Bowring. He was a well-known portrait painter of London, who
was initiated in the lodge in 1795. Most tracing boards now used in
speculative lodges are derived directly or indirectly from a set
prepared by Brother John Harris and published in about 1821. Brother
Harris was a miniature painter and architectural draughtsman whose
designs generally followed those of Brother Bowring.
Tracing boards in speculative craft freemasonry are usually
rectangular with sides that are in the proportion of the phi ratio,
which is called the Golden Section. It is mathematically and
aesthetically elegant and results in the rectangular shape that is
most pleasing to the human eye. The phi ratio equals half the sum of
unity and the square root of five, which is 1.618 approximately. It
also is the ratio that the sum of the length and width of a
rectangle bears to its length. The phi ratio has some remarkable
mathematical properties, including the fact that the square of phi
equals phi plus one and the reciprocal of phi equals phi minus one.
It is linked to the Fibonacci Series, in which each term after the
second is the sum of the two preceding terms, beginning with 0, 1,
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 and continuing to infinity. The ratio of each
number to its predecessor progressively converges on the phi ratio
as infinity is approached. The Fibonacci Series is frequently found
in nature, like the ratios between the planetary orbits and the
Mendelian laws of heredity. The phi ratio was the proportion used in
the design of the Parthenon in Athens and in many other ancient
classical buildings. In architectural and decorative work that is
designed to utilise standardised components like tiles, rectangles
in the proportions of 8:5 or a ratio of 1.6 are often used for
convenience as an approximation of the phi ratio. Interpreted
symbolically, the phi ratio represents the human soul, while the
repeated application of the ratio reflects the human soul's dynamic
development in an upward spiral. This suggests that, in the
speculative degrees of craft freemasonry, the designers of the
tracing boards were not only concerned with physical form and
external symbolism, but also with aesthetics and inner spiritual
symbolism.
Physical form, mental development and moral progress are
represented by several different rectangles. The perfect square
symbolically represents the physical plane, the external and lowest
plane in the material nature of the universe, as well as the lower
mental plane and basic knowledge. The oblong square has a ratio of
two to one and symbolises the upward mental and moral progress of
mankind in its search for the divine. In early speculative lodges
this was represented by the perpend ashlar, which is a perfect
square in cross-section and an oblong square in elevation. The Holy
Place in the tabernacle and also in the temple at Jerusalem was an
oblong square. It is represented in speculative lodges by the mosaic
pavement, which therefore should be and usually is an oblong with
sides in the ratio of two to one. The temple square has the
proportions of three to one and represents the pi ratio, which is
approximately 3.142, from which the circumference of a circle can be
calculated being equal to 2 pi times the radius. The pi ratio
reminds us of that important ancient symbol, the point within a
circle, which typifies the creative power and infinite wisdom of
God. Interpreted symbolically, the pi ratio represents the human
search for the divine, for spirituality and for eternity. The
tabernacle and its successor, the temple at Jerusalem, each had a
ground plan in the proportions of three to one, which is called a
temple square. The dimensions of the temple at Jerusalem were 60
cubits long from east to west and 20 cubits wide, twice those of the
tabernacle. This proportion has always been adopted for the floor
plan in lodges of operative freemasons. The tabernacle and also the
temple at Jerusalem had a Holy Place and a Holy of Holies. The Holy
Place was in the proportion of two to one, called an oblong square
or a double square. The Holy Place has an important counterpart in
the double cube of the altar of incense that stood in front of the
entrance to the Holy of Holies. The altar of incense was two cubits
high and square in section with sides of one cubit, made of acacia
wood and overlaid with pure gold. The Holy of Holies was a square in
plan and cubical in shape, with sides of 10 cubits in the tabernacle
and 20 cubits in the temple.
Speculative craft freemasonry
The tracing boards used in the three degrees of speculative craft
freemasonry differ significantly both in presentation and purpose.
They are all in the proportion of the phi ratio and are presented in
an upright or portrait format. Their main features will now be
summarised. In the first degree an indented border of black and
white triangles surrounds the tracing board, the black triangles
outside and the white inside. Usually a tassel is depicted at each
corner. Symbolically the viewer is facing the east, the orientation
being identified with west at the bottom and east at the top. Within
the borders a perspective view of the interior of a symbolic lodge
is shown with a mosaic pavement of black and white tiles. The
symbolic lodge has no walls and is open to the heavens, which
suggests the universality of the science. Three pillars, one each of
the Ionic, Doric and Corinthian orders, are shown standing freely on
the pavement in the east, west and south respectively. Various
implements are depicted on the mosaic pavement, in the centre of
which there is a pedestal supporting an open volume of the
scriptures on which are placed the square and compasses. A ladder
rests on the scriptures and reaches to a blazing star in the
heavens, where the sun, moon and seven stars also are shown. The
rungs of the ladder support several symbols that represent the moral
virtues. There is an explanatory lecture, which gives details of the
symbolic teachings of the degree and sets out the precepts on which
speculative freemasonry is based, of which a belief in God is the
central tenet. The tracing board in the second degree is intended to
represent the interior of the first temple at Jerusalem, looking
towards the Holy of Holies in the west. This representation of the
temple is entirely hypothetical, because the arrangement differs
significantly from the description recorded in the scriptures. In
particular, an entrance to the Holy Place is shown on the left,
which would be in the southeast corner, with a pillar on each side.
Those pillars represent Jachin and Boaz, which flanked the only
entrance to the temple that was in reality at the eastern end of the
building. A winding stair is shown leading from the entrance
depicted in the southeast to the Holy of Holies in the west. In fact
there was no winding stair in the Holy Place, although there were
two in the chambers surrounding the southern, western and northern
walls of the temple, one in the southeast and the other in the
northwest. Although the River Jordan was east of the temple, on the
tracing board it is towards the southwest when looking through the
entrance shown in the southeast. A small waterfall can also be seen
and an ear of corn growing nearby, reminding us of the defeat of the
Ephraimites by Jeptha and his army. The lecture on the second
tracing board describes the two great pillars in detail and explains
how King Solomon's temple was constructed.
The tracing board of the third degree usually has a solid black
border as a symbol of mourning and also to represent an open grave.
As might be expected this tracing board is orientated facing west,
opposite to the tracing board in the first degree, thus emphasising
the differences between our entrance to and exit from this mortal
existence that are symbolically represented in the two degrees.
Within the grave is a coffin with its foot at the eastern end, the
traditional orientation of graves to face the rising sun. An acacia
bush, an ancient emblem of immortality, is placed at the western end
of the grave near the head of the coffin. The interior of the temple
is depicted in a vignette shown on and near the centre of the
coffin, looking towards the Holy of Holies in the west. The emblems
of mortality and the working tools of a master mason are displayed
at the head of the coffin, while the working tools of a craftsman
are near the foot. Also near the head of the coffin is a plaque,
which has inscriptions similar to those of an epitaph on the
headstone of a grave. Various other inscriptions also appear on the
coffin. The accompanying lecture recapitulates the circumstances
surrounding the untimely death of the principal architect and the
subsequent recovery of his body. The importance of fidelity is
emphasised and we are reminded of the faithful and diligent service
that is required of us, in accordance with God's laws and for the
benefit mankind, if we hope to receive our reward in a life
hereafter.
Mark and Royal Arch freemasonry
The instruction of a craftsman begins in the second degree and is
continued in the degree of mark master mason, in which the work is
closely related to the construction of King Solomon's temple at
Jerusalem, before the untimely death of the master craftsman. The
tracing board of the mark degree also is in portrait form, in the
proportions of the phi ratio. It shows an external view of the
temple and surrounding countryside, looking towards the west. A
sunbeam can be seen striking the roof of the temple, as a symbol of
the commencement of a new cycle of life. Although the River Jordan
is east of the temple, it is shown in the distance on the right,
which is to the north. The scene is framed within an arched gateway
of dressed stones decorated with various symbols.
In the centre of the keystone that completes the crown of the
arch, is a circle circumscribing an equilateral triangle. From
ancient times the equilateral triangle has been a symbol of the
deity, because it is regarded as one of the most perfect figures.
The circle, which is also regarded as a perfect figure, is a symbol
of the all-embracing aspects of divine manifestation and is an
emblem of eternity. Eight Hebrew characters, Heth Beth Aleph Aleph
Sadhe Shin Mem Sin, are engraved within the circle. They are the
initial letters of the words of two quite different Hebrew
sentences. One sentence relates to the principal artificer at the
time when preparations were being made for construction of the
temple. The other relates to Hiram King of Tyre, at the time when
construction of the temple had been completed and Solomon King of
Israel was arranging for its dedication. When the two Hebrew
sentences have been translated into English, the initial letters of
the words in each sentence are HTWSSTKS. In the corners of the
tracing board, immediately above the archway, there is an
inscription in Hebrew that is taken from Psalm 118:22 and reads "The
stone which the builders rejected has become the chief
corner-stone". This statement is repeated and amplified in I Peter
2:7-8, when the apostle Peter writes his first general letter to the
Christians in the five provinces of Rome.
An open volume of the sacred writings and an All-seeing Eye
respectively adorn the two stones uppermost in the arch, one on each
side of the keystone. The sacred writings are to govern our faith
and the All-seeing Eye reminds us that the eye of the Almighty is
always upon us to aid us in our laudable undertakings. Most of the
other symbols depicted on the arched gateway represent well-known
working tools of an operative freemason. In addition a rope and
anchor, a ladder and an hourglass are also depicted. The rope and
anchor represents our spiritual attachment to the deity and is a
symbol of that firmly grounded hope that arises from a life of true
and faithful service in the sight of the Lord. The ladder represents
Jacob's ladder and is a symbol of the faith we entertain of being
rewarded for a well-spent life in a life hereafter. The hourglass
reminds us, by the speedy passage of its sands, that human life is
only of a transitory nature and that as a consequence we must carry
out our allotted tasks while it is yet day, before the night comes
when no man can work. The hourglass is intended to emphasise the
important and fundamental lessons of life that were imparted to the
candidate when he received the degree of Master Mason.
The working tools depicted on the arched gateway are the mallet,
the chisel, the plumb rule, the trowel, the twenty-four inch gauge,
the square and compasses, the level, the cramp and the axe. The
mallet is the operative freemason's tool that is similar to, but not
identical with, the common gavel in symbolic speculative craft
freemasonry. The mallet is used to impart a driving force,
especially to the chisel. Morally it teaches us to correct
irregularities, to curb ambition, to restrain envy, and to moderate
anger. As the chisel is the operative freemason's tool used to cut
and dress the stones, so emblematically it represents the education
and discipline that is required to develop the latent virtues of the
mind and develop human knowledge. The plumb rule is used by
operative freemasons to try and when necessary to adjust the upright
elements of a structure when setting them on their proper bases. It
denotes that justness and uprightness of life and actions that ought
to be practised by every freemason. The trowel is a tool used by
operative freemasons to spread the mortar that binds the stones
where required to complete the structure. Symbolically the trowel
teaches us to spread the mortar of kindness and affection that
should unite all members of our fraternity and ensure that brotherly
love, relief and truth are practised in all of their aspects.
In speculative freemasonry the twenty-four inch gauge is a modern
implement that replaces the straight edge, the twelve-inch rule and
the three-foot rule that were used by operative freemasons in
medieval Britain. No doubt the twenty-four inch rule was chosen for
this purpose because its twenty-four parts could be used
symbolically to represent the twenty-four hours of the day. The
apprentices in operative freemasonry did not have a graduated rule,
but they used a straight edge as a guide for the chisel when cutting
a stone. The craftsmen used the graduated rules when marking out the
stones ready for cutting and together with the straight edge when
checking the dimensions and finish of the stones when being dressed
and polished. Symbolically the twenty-four inch gauge reminds us
that we must correctly apportion our time for labour, refreshment
and sleep, having due regard to the duties we owe to our creator and
to our fellow men, as well as for the benefits accruing to our
families and ourselves. The symbolism associated with the rungs of
the ladder is closely interrelated with that of the subdivisions of
time associated with the twenty-four inch gauge. As we have
received, so we should freely give. Our labours should not be
focussed on the gratification of individual ambition, but should be
directed for the benefit of all mankind, reflecting the virtues of
faith, hope and charity that are represented in the ascent of the
ladder.
The symbolism of the square and compasses is so well known that
only a brief summary will suffice. The square teaches us to regulate
our lives and actions by the principles reflected in the use of the
line and rule by the operative freemason. The compasses teach us to
limit our desires suitably in every position of life, so that we may
rise in station by merit, live respected and die regretted. The
level is a perfect complement to the square and compasses, being an
implement used by the operative freemason to lay levels and prove
horizontals. Symbolically it is an emblem of equality, reminding us
that all are equal in the sight of God, so that rank and fortune
will not be criteria for our advancement to a life hereafter, only
goodness and service to God and man. The cramp is an implement used
by the operative freemason to lift stones and other objects of great
weight and put them in their proper places. Symbolically it
represents that close and strong union that ought to bind together
all members of our fraternity and help to overcome any difficulties
that may be encountered. The axe is used by the operative freemason
to cleave stones. Symbolically it has been an implement of
punishment from time immemorial, reminding us of the punishment that
awaits us if we fail to obey God's laws and commit offences towards
God or man.
In the foreground of the tracing board, immediately in front of
the left hand column supporting the arch, the craftsmen can be seen
receiving their wages. Immediately opposite, in front of the right
hand column, are the perfect cubic ashlar of the master, the
keystone of the senior warden and the perpend ashlar of the junior
warden. The cubic ashlar is distinguished by the master's square and
the perpend ashlar is distinguished by the junior warden's plumb.
The keystone is fitted with a lifting ring attached to the stone by
means of a lewis and has the same markings as the keystone that
completes the crown of the arch. These three stones occupy prominent
positions on the tracing board so as to impress upon our minds the
important lessons imparted to the craftsman during the ceremony of
his advancement as a Mark Master. Finally, in the lecture though not
illustrated on the tracing board itself, there is a dissertation on
the masonic cipher that in earlier times was of considerable
importance to the operative freemason. It is a symbolic reminder
that we must keep secret a brother's confidences with the same
strict caution as we maintain our own private affairs.
The royal arch degree relates to reconstruction of the temple at
Jerusalem after the Israelites had returned from their captivity in
Babylon. The tracing board in portrait form is in the proportion of
the phi ratio. It depicts the ruins of the temple on which is
superimposed a view of the interior of the temple, placed over an
underground vault shown in section and representing the secret
vaulted shrine in which the Sacred Word was deposited. The interior
view of the temple is entirely symbolic and it is surrounded
seventeen standards or banners. The royal arch banner, a Triple Tau
within a circle, is depicted in the middle of the four principal
banners under which the Israelites marched through the wilderness
and camped around the Tabernacle, all arranged as an arc near the
ceiling. The other twelve standards are the banners of the tribes of
Israel, arranged in two columns of six, one on each side. In the
centre of the pavement six candlesticks are placed to delineate a
greater and a lesser equilateral triangle. A circle circumscribes
the greater triangle. The circle represents the Sacred Word itself
and the greater triangle represents the creative, preservative and
destructive powers of the deity. Each light of the lesser triangle
bisects a side of the greater triangle. These lights represent the
Light of the Law as it was revealed in the Patriarchal, Mosaical and
Prophetical Dispensations. An open volume of the scriptures, a
scroll and various working tools rest on the mosaic pavement that
forms the floor of the temple. A pedestal of pure virgin marble
stands on the floor of the vaulted shrine, within a circle inscribed
with the twelve signs of the zodiac. Twelve is regarded as a
complete number, which represents all that can be seen or perceived.
The zodiac is an ancient symbol of the cycle of life through which
the soul accomplishes its development. On top of the pedestal there
is a plate of pure gold inscribed with a circle, an equilateral
triangle and various Hebrew characters. These inscriptions represent
the Sacred Word and several attributes of the deity. All are
brilliantly lit by sunlight shining through the cavity that was
prepared by the workmen when clearing away the rubbish of the old
temple, reminding us that the creator is the source of all life and
light and the spring and fountain of virtue.
The Ancient and Accepted Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Rite is of French origin. Although many
degrees of the Rite have tracing boards in the proportions of the
phi ratio, some of them are a square, or an oblong square, or a
temple square, as is appropriate to the symbolism of the degree. The
9º tracing board is in the upright portrait form and the 10º is in
the horizontal landscape form. The 9º and 10º are concerned with the
search for the three ruffians after the untimely death of the master
craftsman and with bringing them to justice. Both of these tracing
boards are in the proportions of the phi ratio, alluding to the
return of the principal architect's soul to God who gave it. Scenes
of the search for and recovery of the ruffians are shown on the
boards. These tracing boards are in contrast to that of the 11º,
which is a square, because it deals with the mundane matter of
selecting and appointing twelve princes to administer the districts
occupied by the twelve tribes of Israel. The tracing board of the
11º depicts the physical details of the temple, reminiscent of the
second tracing board of speculative craft freemasonry and also the
tracing board of a mark master mason. However, to stress the
importance of God in all matters, the board is surmounted by a
triangle in which one of the names of God is inscribed in Hebrew. A
square tracing board is also used in the 16º, which relates to other
temporal matters, in particular the troubles caused by the
Samaritans before the erection of the second temple at Jerusalem,
which necessitated Zerubbabel's journey to Babylon. That was when
Zerubbabel sought to have the Edict of Artaxerxes rescinded by
Darius and to obtain from Darius written confirmation that he would
honour the Decree of Cyrus, enabling the children of Israel to live
and work in Jerusalem unmolested and to commence the reconstruction
of the temple. Within the square is a heptagonal figure with an open
volume of the scriptures in the centre and an irradiated sword above
it. Various temporal emblems are at the seven corners
The 7º and 8º relate to the appointment of a group of specialists
immediately after the death of the principal architect, to ensure
that the preparation of the working plans continued in accordance
with the designs that had been approved by the three Grand Masters
and also that the work would continue to be carried out in
accordance with those designs. As these activities symbolise the
upward mental and moral progress of humanity in its search for the
divine, the tracing boards of these two degrees are oblong squares
in the proportion of two to one. In the centre of the board of the
7º is a pedestal in the form of a perpend ashlar, supporting an open
volume of the scriptures with the square and compasses on it. On the
8º board all of these are replaced by an emblem, which is an open
pentagon in which an equilateral triangle encloses a circle
circumscribing a nine pointed star, within which are three
concentric equilateral triangles with three Yods at their centre.
The lecture explains how this emblem represents the many attributes
of the Deity. Both boards also include temporal emblems and have at
their heads an irradiated triangle inscribed with different
characters.
The 4º, 5º and 6º tracing boards are in the proportion of three
to one, the shape of a temple square, representing the pi ratio and
symbolising man's search for the divine, for spirituality and for
eternity. In the tabernacle and later in the temple the Ark of the
Covenant in the Holy of Holies represented those aspirations. These
degrees relate to the time immediately after the death of the master
craftsman who had been personally responsible for the Holy of
Holies. The temple was nearing completion, but the Holy of Holies
required work of a special nature beyond the competence of an
individual mason. Accordingly the work was entrusted to a group of
seven skilled masons under the leadership of Adoniram and
substitutes were provided for the secrets that were lost on the
death of the master craftsman. King Solomon also made arrangements
for the transfer to Hiram, King of Tyre, of the twenty cities in
Galilee that had been promised to him in recognition of his
assistance during the building of the temple. The tracing board of
the 4º is subdivided into a double square to represent the Holy
Place at the eastern end and a square to represent the Holy of
Holies at the western end. In the centre of the Holy Place is a
volume of the scriptures with the square and compasses on the open
pages. Various items of the temple furnishings are arranged around
it. Symbols representing the Divine Spirit are depicted in the Holy
of Holies. In the 5º the orientation is reversed and the temple
furnishings are replaced by a hollow square of mosaic pavement and
other symbols. Both boards include representations of the two great
pillars correctly oriented at the eastern end of the tracing board.
The tracing board of the 6º is entirely symbolical. It has reminders
of this earthly existence at the foot of the board, whilst at the
head of the board a Yod placed in the centre of an upright oblong
square represents God in his celestial sphere. The Hebrew characters
Beth, Nun and Shin are arranged in the centre in the shape of an
equilateral triangle, signifying a covenant, a promise and peace, to
remind us of God's special relationship with mankind.
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