Recently, more and more often everyone has heard the words: “freemason”, “freemasonry”, “world government”. These concepts are very firmly eaten into the consciousness of modern man. Newspapers and magazines are full of headlines about Masons, television broadcasts programs about the domination of the world by a certain handful of "chosen" people. Unfortunately, the vast amount of information available is often based on a shaky information base. The quality of the materials used leaves much to be desired, the actual material is minimal. Consequently, not everyone can boast of a complete understanding of the essence of the issue.

This article does not claim to be unconditional scientific reliability, however, it uses only the most reliable facts, it expresses the most common assumptions. Naturally, the purpose of the article is not a complete and comprehensive coverage of the issue of Freemasonry. Such a presentation would require the publication of many dozens of volumes. The task of the article is to consider aspects of Freemasonry in brief, to draw conclusions.

Information about Masons has always been classified as secret or top secret. To a greater extent, it consisted of government correspondence, operational materials of special services, and archival documents.

Freemasons are "free" masons. This name has its roots in the Middle Ages. England is considered the birthplace of Freemasonry. In the XII century, the first workshops appeared on the territory of Foggy Albion. By the 15th century, the guild movement was gaining momentum, playing an important role in the life of the country and its population. Shops are opened in accordance with the handicraft orientation of production. The masons' guilds were not the oldest or most influential among the others. By 1481, this guild of masons received the basic rights and privileges of the most significant guild organizations in the country: it was included in the list of official institutions of the country, received its own coat of arms, members of the guild wore special uniforms. These masons were called “free” because, according to the nature of their professional activity, they had to travel from one locality to another and erect buildings throughout the country (while all taxable strata of society were forced to strictly observe the laws on settling down).

The Gothic style of architectural construction, which was very popular at that time, gave masons a lot of labor-intensive and long-term work, therefore, such a long joint activity very strongly rallied the workers, weeding out the superfluous. It should be noted that in addition to craft unions, there were also closer associations - the so-called. brotherhood of mutual aid of masons. Initially, Masonic brotherhoods were ecclesiastical and religious in nature. Associations of brothers are becoming more and more closed forms. Joining the ranks of Masons, the worker took an oath, received a set of passwords and secret signs by which he could recognize Masonic brethren. The order of work and discipline in the brotherhood was monitored by the senior master and his assistant guards. The masons lower in the hierarchy could not be initiated into the secrets of the higher ones. The Freemasons of one lodge never knew the members of the other. Written office work and minutes of meetings and meetings were not kept. When leaving or being expelled from the brotherhood, the former Mason had to strictly keep the secrets of the brotherhood until his death.

However, time and the course of history make their own adjustments. From the second half of the XVI century. craft unions are going through hard times. Builders from France, Germany, Holland are striving for England. The Gothic style is leaving the forefront of the country's architectural construction. The Reformation has begun. Since 1547, organizations of a church, religious nature were subjected to severe persecution. However, the Masonic brotherhoods resisted. Removing religious ceremonies, they retained the ceremonies of receiving new brothers, annual feasts and banquets, and many other traditions of theirs. They adopted the brotherhoods from the workshops and building symbols (compass and square), and the degree of brothers' initiation into the secrets of the lodge. Guilds and brotherhoods are now completely organizationally independent of each other. It became possible to be a member of the brotherhood and have nothing to do with workshops - purely professional associations of masons. The ranks of Masonic lodges are more and more filled with people far from construction professions. The lists of brotherhoods include pastors, businessmen, scientists, writers and other rather intelligent citizens of the country. Increasingly, representatives of the nobility, the highest circles of society, become members of Masonic organizations. The reasons that pushed all these people into these lodges are not exactly known. Perhaps people were drawn there because of the Reformation, because many people now could not freely express their views. Perhaps the new brethren were attracted by the well-established organization of these associations and the closeness from outsiders. There are a lot of assumptions, but only one thing is clear - the high patrons of the unions did not allow them to decline and disappear, unlike the shop organizations.

The number of lodges grew quite rapidly. There was a need to coordinate their activities. In 1717, in London, 4 lodges at once united into one - the Grand Lodge. Judge for yourself the scope of growth and power of the unions, bearing in mind that from 1737 to 1907, 16 princes of the royal family were in the English brotherhoods, who later became the kings of the country.

At a rapid pace, the Masonic brotherhood is taking root throughout Europe. At the end of the first third of the 18th century, lodges appeared in such countries as: Italy, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, and also in Russia. If, for example, in Paris in 1735 there were only 5 lodges, then in 1742 (literally 7 years later) their number increased to 22 organizations.

However, it is worth noting that the existence and development of Freemasonry was not a cloudless and calm process. Freemasons were persecuted by the Catholic Church, accused of endangering the power of the church. Members of the fraternities were sharply criticized by secular society, claiming that the Freemasons are in alliance with the Antichrist, and their closed meetings are nothing but sinful orgies. Suspicions grew that political intrigues were being plotted at secret meetings. Bans on meetings followed (Holland - 1735, Sweden - 1738, Switzerland - 1745) and fines for involvement in the activities of the lodges. However, the strong ideological spirit of the Masons and powerful patronage did not allow the lodges to disappear. Freemasonry was gradually transformed into a synthetic ethical-philosophical doctrine, a universal and cosmopolitan movement. Freemasons on absolutely equal rights can be an Indo-European, an African American, and a representative of the Mongoloid race. It also doesn't matter to the organization if you are a Christian, Buddhist or Muslim.

It is very interesting that many world-famous people belonged to the Freemasons. Composers - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Niccolo Paganini, Joseph Haydn, Franz Liszt; writers - Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Walter Scott, Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde; poets - Robert Burns, Rudyard Kipling. Both Theodore Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were among the Freemasons. As well as businessman Henry Ford and the Rothschild family of oligarchs.

Freemasonry in Russia is a separate issue. Let's just say that the involvement of the great Russian commanders of the Napoleonic era - Suvorov and Kutuzov - with the Freemasons is not confirmed by factual material. A.S. Pushkin and A.S. Griboyedov were members of the Masonic lodge only on paper, and then for a very short time. On the other hand, the Russian Freemasons include: Gumilyov, Voloshin, Osorgin, Zhukovsky, Sumarokov, Bazhenov and many other figures. According to legend, Peter the Great brought Freemasonry to Russia. It was this tsar, who opened a window to Europe, who allegedly became a member of one of the Amsterdam lodges in 1697. All these statements are groundless and remain only on the rights of individual opinions. However, it is certain that the first Masonic lodge in Russia arises in 1731. It is organized by the same Grand Lodge of England and, in fact, implies a means of Western European monarchs for the implementation of their secret policy, as well as intrigues on the territory of the then Russian State. Such a network of agents aroused the suspicions of the Russian Empress Catherine II. After the Pugachev uprising and revolution in France, it became clear that the ideas of individual freedom and enlightenment of the masses are very dangerous for the government. With pamphlets, decrees and a tough policy of suppressing Freemasonry in the country, the Empress stops the functioning of the brotherhoods. A certain thaw for Masons followed already from the time of Paul I, and under Alexander I, the activities of the brotherhoods regained their legal position and resumed. Freemasonry was banned again in 1822. Many representatives of the lodges went into exile. Only the October Manifesto of 1905 again allowed Masons to unite and create their own organizations. But it was no longer free functioning. Strongly wary of the events in the country, the tsarist secret police vigilantly looked after the freethinkers, especially those who were in some kind of secret associations. With the advent of the October Revolution of 1917 and the establishment of a new Soviet power, Freemasonry died out. Mass terror, ideological censorship, tight control of the Cheka - all this deprived the Masons of any chance of functioning in the newly created USSR. The 75-year lull awoke again in 1991, when the union collapsed and new liberal currents appeared, greater than before, freedom of the press and speech.

Now the number of Masons is growing again. There are about 2 million representatives of Masonic lodges in the USA, about 500 thousand in Great Britain. There are many of them in other countries of the world. Clear statistics, of course, are impossible, because societies are secret and keep their secrets under seven locks. This is what gives rise to myths, conjectures and delusions of ordinary citizens. Let's hold on tighter to the scientific, historical point of view, and let's not let ourselves be deceived by empty rumors.

The word "mason" brings up many associations - the heroes of "War and Peace", secret brotherhoods and rituals, the interests of cynical world elites. However, this is not just a veil of the XIX century - Masonic lodges are as real today as they were then. Moreover, they still influence politics. About whether there are still Masons left and what goals they pursue, the writer, founder of the magazine "Russian House" Yuri Vorobyevsky spoke in the program "Radio Kuzichev".

Freemasonry - anti-religion?

Anatoly Kuzichev: Let's talk about this surprisingly popular and completely incomprehensible and underestimated concept. What is Freemasonry, who are Freemasons?

Yuri Vorobyevsky: You are absolutely right. This is really the antithesis of Orthodoxy. The fact is that we have such a strange system. You say this in the presence of some well-educated, sweet, normal priest or someone from the Orthodox audience about this - and immediately your interlocutor has a sore throat that tries to turn into a sarcastic smile, a nervous tic arises, people climb right under the table. And, for example, on Athos, where I often visit, and in Greece - a completely different attitude.
Quite recently, a book by Archimandrite Epiphanius was published in Greece, which we have already translated into Russian, called Freemasonry in the Light of Truth. She speaks of Freemasonry as an anti-religion. Cult, object of worship, a kind of supreme being.

A.K.:Anti-religion or an independent, new religion? Or another religion?

Yu.V.: We can say that yes, it is a different religion. This is precisely a religion with all the signs, as this learned archimandrite points out.

A.K.: So Freemasonry is a religion? New, with other creeds, with a different meaning, apparently. From a different perspective.

Yu.V.: Freemasonry is a religion with a huge number of stolen symbols, including Orthodox ones. For example, the 33rd degree in Freemasonry has a double-headed eagle as its symbol. The 30th degree is the rider who conquers the serpent.

A.K.: What's the degree?

Yu.V.: Hierarchy system.

A.K.: And, the hierarchical system - it is measured in degrees ...

Yu.V.: Moreover, you know, there are places where the entrance is a ruble, and the exit is ten. At the first stages, a person is told that you are entering the sweetest community of brothers. Male order. What's bad? Well, there are a lot of them. And then they start calling...

What masons lure people?

A.K.: Tell me, Yuri Yuryevich, this is very important. Let's say someone comes up to me. The famous freemason Bogdanov, who even ran for the presidency of the Russian Federation. And he will say: "Anatoly Alexandrovich, there is a proposal." I tell him: "Interesting." "Join our ranks." I say: "Whose one of ours?" He says: "Listen, the most ancient order, male."

And I ask: “Well, what’s the point? I understand what my faith, my religion, my Orthodoxy gives me. I understand what my job, full-time, on a TV channel gives me. I'll ask him. What will he answer me, I wonder?

Yu.V.: There is a certain material qualification. If you are rich enough, they will come to you. If they haven't come yet, they will. If you are influential, promising, of course, it can be.

When I became interested in this topic in the early 1990s, I also had a good broadcast, prime time on Channel One. I had copyright programs. And so, using my journalistic opportunities, I ended up in a Moscow apartment. A lovely couple, husband and wife, and in the future, in the near future, he will become the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Russia. She will receive initiation in Paris, in the women's box.

A.K.: Are names allowed or not? Or awkward?

Yu.V.: I think you can already say, because already the former. Georgy Borisovich Dergachev. And his wife, Olga Sergeevna Gornostaeva, who just recently reposed as an Orthodox person, you can pray for her. Thanks to the fact that she understood where she ended up, she handed me her documents, her diaries, which later turned into a book. There is also a movie on the subject. The book is called The Fifth Angel Sounded. Without false modesty, this is probably the only book about modern Freemasonry in Russia and in the world that is documentary.

A.K.: Yuri Yuryevich, but what does Freemasonry offer?

Yu.V.: Freemasonry offers international solidarity links. Every person is offered success.

A.K.: Ah. This is the religion of success. If you say that it is a religion, it is a religion of success.

Yu.V.: Pride is encouraged. If a businessman, they will tell you, and this is actually the case. You come to any major city, take a Masonic directory, dial the phone and say the right words there: "I am brother such and such." And you will be helped. If you, say, a retired lieutenant colonel, did not finish your service, did not become a general. You join a knightly order, a military, one might say, knightly order. And after a certain number of years, you are no longer just a general, you are a Kadosh Knight or someone else. These are such magnificent names in Freemasonry, in fact, they are sometimes funny. Here is the Knight Kadosh - in Hebrew "kadosh" means "holy." Imagine, a person says: "Very nice, I'm a saint." They shake hands with him and say: "And I am the prince of the East, it is very pleasant."

A.K.:Beautiful.

Yu.V.: Nice, but a little funny.

A.K.: Modernism is simple. Now, Yuri Yuryevich, about some famous Russian Freemasons.

About Freemasonry in Russia

Reference:

Alexander Pushkin. Joined the Freemasons in 1821. But it is unlikely that his attitude to the secret organization can be called serious - among the poet's papers, the account books of the Masonic lodge were found, which he filled with his poems.

Commander Alexander Suvorov was one of the very first Freemasons in St. Petersburg. In the capital's lodge "Three Stars" he reached the degree of Master. And Suvorov brought his passion for the organization of freemasons from Koenigsberg.

"Eternally green laurel" - such a Masonic name was M Ikhail Kutuzov. He had the highest degrees of initiation and participated in the meetings of lodges in St. Petersburg, Frankfurt and Berlin.
The historian and writer Nikolai Karamzin was a member of the Masonic lodge for only four years. However, he stood up for the former brothers during the arrest of members of the order in Moscow.

Philosopher and Decembrist Petr Chaadaev wore the eighth degree of initiation into the order out of nine possible. He was a member of the St. Petersburg lodge, but left it, disappointed in meaningless rituals and empty talk.

Alexander Griboyedov took participation in the order seriously. The goal of the lodge, the writer and diplomat saw the enlightenment of Russia.

Participant in the collapse of the Russian Empire Alexander Kerensky was a member of the leadership of the paramasonic organization "Great East of the peoples of Russia".

A.K.: Indeed, some amazing names. Okay, Kerensky, okay, even Karamzin - but Suvorov, Pushkin, Kutuzov, Griboyedov ...

Yu.V.: Yes, this is the same clip that is prepared, that shoots ... And people of spiritual, ideal motivations. Of course, not all of us are businessmen, and not all of us are pragmatists. There are humanities students, candidates of sciences and aspiring writers. Of course, when a person is told that you are in the same company with Pushkin, Zhukovsky, Karamzin ... Good company, right?

A.K.: Also with Suvorov, Kutuzov, Griboyedov.

Yu.V.: By the way, the Bogdanov you mentioned, as I remember, simply said in his election slogan: "I represent an organization whose members are..." - and their enumeration begins.
As for Suvorov, I had a special investigation - it's all wrong. He was in Koenigsberg when his dad was the governor-general of the new Russian region, let's say. He was simply sent by his father to the box, to probe. And in the Masonic books it remains that he was present at the meeting of the lodge. And off we go.

A.K.: Didn't he become a Master?

Yu.V.: No, as far as I know.

Yu.V.: This, of course, is the desire of the Masons - to rake up everything that is possible for themselves. Although, in fact, there are already a lot of people. Indeed, the 18th-19th centuries are such a craze.

A.K.: What about the craze? Enlightenment, mystery and terrible conspiracies? This is terribly interesting...

Yu.V.: And all at the same time. Everything we are talking about now reminds me of a plot from the life of Macarius the Great. He is walking in the desert and he meets the devil. The devil is all hung with some kind of bubbles. The saint asks the devil: "Where are you going?" - "I'm going to the brethren." - "And what are you carrying?" - "For every taste".

For every taste. Indeed, the order has a very long experience, centuries-old. Therefore, for every taste. A retired officer, a promising businessman.

And it does influence. Once I came to Athos, to my good old friend, hieroschemamonk, who was our intelligence agent in Afghanistan, then he was a big businessman, he had factories abroad. Now he, in a shabby cassock, in sandals on his bare feet, says: "Listen, bring me your book about Masons." I answer him: "Father, why do you need this "Fifth Angel" here on Athos?" - “Yes, you know,” he says, “I still have businessmen friends in Bulgaria. When they became rich, they came to them and said: “Guys, do you understand what we are? We are international solidarity, business." "Well, yes, we'll think about it," they answered. They thought somehow sluggishly. Six months pass, they come again, they say: "Guys, you probably didn't understand our conversation. Bulgaria is a very small country. And cut off your oxygen, using international…” And the guys start to get nervous, they say: “How is it, we are still Orthodox people…” - “Ah, that. Yes you! We will introduce you to both priests and bishops.” Bluff? I won’t comment on this moment now.

A.K.: No, you comment, this is fundamentally important, in fact. Your version: bluff?

Yu.V.: You know, Comrade Brzezinski called Russian Orthodoxy the main enemy of America. Remember this quote?

A.K.: Yes, we remember.

Yu.V.: Speaking in terms of war, "the main enemy." Agents are sent into the camp of the enemy.

A.K.: Always.

Yu.V.: So I was at first shocked by his words. Bluff, no bluff? Then I thought: well ... It's unpleasant to go into this topic, to be honest. But I brought him this book. Because these guys are confused, all the cards are knocked out of their hands.

This archimandrite, he wrote: "Look what happens in these rituals. At a certain stage of the initiation there some master of ceremonies says when they knock on the box: "Who are you, what do you want?" - We are the children of Darkness, we want to enter and receive Light". Imagine if these are Orthodox baptized people!

Does the secret come out?

A.K.: In general, Masonic lodges are secret organizations?

Yu.V.: You know, as the Freemasons themselves say, this is not a secret organization, it is an organization that has secrets.

A.K.: Is there a reference book of Russian Freemasons? View by name...

Yu.V.: Yes, you know, there is Serkov's handbook.

A.K.: G where to find it?

Yu.V.: Well, I think the circulation has passed.

A.K.: And on the Internet, you think?

Yu.V.: Probably you can.

A.K.:Directory of Russian Freemasons. But modern ones are mostly not indicated.

Yu.V.: But we know many, they have already given interviews.

A.K.: For example? Except Bogdanov.

Yu.V.: Dergachev, for example. Earlier, when Dergachev was the Grand Master, he said: "Only, please, in no case should my name be mentioned anywhere, this is not accepted with us." Now, apparently, things are getting easier. They ask another question. Names of famous politicians. They say to me: "Listen, you are there with the 33rd sign ..."

A.K.: I’ve been carefully and for a very long time summing up to this ...

Yu.V.: When they begin to call names, I say: "My friends, if I cannot show the document, what can I say." But I do know one thing. That back in the early 1990s, in the system of the Scottish rite (a powerful world Masonic rite), the Aurora lodge was created in Moscow for English-speaking foreigners working here. Then, as far as I know, some Russian VIPs, recognizable people, began to enter this box.

A.K.: And from the Russian media elite, you hint...

Yu.V.: No, from the most diverse Russian elite, including the political one.
But there is another point. The fact is that in the Russian tradition it is still not customary for a serious famous person to talk about this, in contrast to the American tradition. Everyone knows that Washington, the founder of the United States, was a Freemason. Great doer.

A.K.: We even know what architectural design Washington was built on. Don't know this story? Fantastically interesting story.

Yu.V.: Yes Yes. Masonic architecture.

Here in Russia they hide information about the Aurora Lodge...

A.K.: Why?

Yu.V.: Yes, painfully unpleasant historical things. See. "The golden age" of Catherine, the "golden age" of freemasonry. Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov and his company were arrested at the very moment when Catherine realized that the craze was intensifying, and a huge number of nobles close to her, the military and not only, it turns out, swear allegiance not only to her, the Empress, but also to that Grand Master, which is located in Prussia. In Prussia, with which terrible relations, it almost came to war. In modern terms, it smacks of high treason. The first wave of anti-Masonic state acts.
The second peak moment is the gentlemen of the Decembrists. Everyone had connections with some Masonic, para-Masonic organizations, almost everyone.

A.K.: Pyotr Chaadaev was remembered, for example ...

Yu.V.: And most importantly, where all the threads led. The threads led, in particular, to Italy. Such was the initiatory name of Nubia, a very famous Mason. Everything went from there. From the Grand Lodge of England, of course.

Well, the February Revolution. The remarkable Orthodox publicist, Archbishop Nikon Rozhdestvensky, wrote a lot about the dangers of freemasonry before the revolution. And once he wrote: “One well-known bishop came up to me and said: “Vladyka, well, why are you writing all about these Masons? Who saw them at all, where are they? And do they exist at all?" These questions are often asked to me too.

And now several years have passed after this conversation - and suddenly the Provisional Government, where 99 percent are mythical, non-existent Freemasons, gets power in a vast country.

A.K.: D but, led by a very specific Freemason Alexander Kerensky.

Yu.A.: And Nikon Rozhdestvensky was not just killed - he was cut off his head. And this is a ritual Masonic moment.

Masonic symbols

Reference: Symbols around. Columns. A gate for the initiate and an exit to the light for the seeker.

Columns of the Jerusalem Temple. The symbolic columns are reminiscent of obelisks inscribed with hieroglyphs that towered in front of Egyptian temples.

Steps. Steps can be depicted between the columns of the temple, which symbolize trials and purification by the elements upon receiving Masonic initiation.

Mosaic floor. The columns are followed by a mosaic floor with alternating white and black cells in a checkerboard pattern. The symbolism of alternation suggests that in the realm of our feelings everything is balanced with strict precision.

Cutter and hammer. To implement his work, the student is given tools - a chisel representing the established thought, a decision made, and a hammer - the will that puts them into action.

A rock. A rough stone is placed next to one column, and a cubic stone on the other. Symbolically, the Masonic work is to improve the creations of nature by hewing a rough stone.

Hammer of the Venerable Master. The hammer is used by the venerable Master of the lodge, the first guardian of the lodge and the second guardian of the lodge when performing ritual work.

Plumb. Used by masons to check the verticality of walls. For the Mason, the plumb line is a symbol of truth. Truth not as an abstract logical concept, but truth as the rightness of words and deeds before God and society. The level is used by masons to check the horizontalness of surfaces. Used by freemasons as a symbol of equality between people.

Compass and square. In this emblem, the compass depicts the vault of heaven, and the square - the earth. The compass, combined with a square, is perhaps the most common of all Masonic emblems, symbols and signs.

Book of the Sacred Law. One of the three main lights of free masons. This is the main book of the religion professed by the brothers present in the meeting of the lodge. The radiant delta is the most important symbol of the Masonic temple.

All-seeing eye. A triangle with an eye placed inside it, a sign of enlightenment or the principle of consciousness.

A.K.: From the enumeration of symbols, many more questions immediately arise than understanding.

Yu.V.: The topic is interesting.

A.K.: We immediately recall the coat of arms of the GDR.

Yu.V.: Yes, hammer.

A.K.: Hammer. With this one, what is it called...

A.K.: And then we remember the dollar with this shining eye in the triangle. And then ... Whatever we remember. And we think: "Oh my God."

Yu.V.: And you know, each of these symbols, offhand, has the most important meaning for our today's conversation. Look, these two pillars, Jachin and Boaz, are at the entrance to the temple.
In addition, it is an ancient Gnostic sign of the equivalence of good and evil. If good and evil are equal, then there is no Truth, Truth with a capital letter. If this is so, then there are no, in fact, criteria of morality, ethics. And there is a purely Masonic theme in this regard called "ethics in time." What was unethical yesterday is ethical today.
We now already know about euthanasia for a child in Belgium. The so-called Overton windows.

A.K.: What was unacceptable suddenly becomes acceptable at first, and then mainstream.

Yu.V.: Purely Masonic, by the way, the theme.

A.K.: Yes? How interesting, listen. But still: all these signs and symbols, either on the coat of arms of the GDR, or on the dollar sign - is it all an accident?

Yu.V.: Well, sorry, Freemasonry just created the United States of America.

A.K.: And then? Disappeared from the base?

Yu.V.: And now, of course, the most influential. Although sometimes they say: "Well, Freemasonry was popular in the 19th century, now it's already a museum ..."

How many Masons and where are they?

A.K.: So, Masons are among us, there are many of them. Another thing is that they mostly do not appear ...

Yu.V.: A little.

A.K.: A little? How do you rate their numbers?

Yu.V.: Well, I think that in Russia there are several hundred Freemasons of the regular rite, that is, correct Masons.

A.K.: But on the other hand, these are all people, if I understand their logic correctly, of the highest echelon.

Yu.V.: Not all, of course, not all. If we talk about America, then this is a Masonic state.

Why, indeed, wherever America appears, war, revolution, chaos begin everywhere.

There is a purely Masonic formula - it is, in fact, at the head of all documents, as we wrote earlier: "Proletarians of all countries, unite!" And it says: "Order out of chaos." That is, it is necessary first to create chaos so that the tormented peoples they said to the world: yes, how much is possible, wars, revolutions and everything else, immorality.

A.K.: And here I am - all in white ...

Yu.V.: Yes, and then someone comes out - all in white. In the language of Orthodox eschatology, we know who it is.

A.K.: Yes, listen, how interesting.

Yu.V.: And the project is Masonic. Devilish, of course.

A.K.: On the one hand, the conclusion is very simple, just shockingly simple. Yes, indeed, there is such a structure, like many others. Really powerful - many people join it, following the lead of their own pride, the religion of success. Moreover, they deliver what they promise. Like any deal with this power, it is successful at a certain stage. But for you and me, it's terrible. This is Satanism and devilry - that's all.

Yu.V.: Quite right. We talked about change. About betraying your state. About betraying God. About the betrayal of human nature itself. I appeal to our Orthodox patriotic audience. I would like to say: my friends, with God's help, we will remain faithful.

A.K.:It's better not to say. I will thank, of course, Yuri Yuryevich, the author of the book "The Fifth Angel Has Trumped"? And a postscript about the dollar...

Help:

let's look at the dollar.

Let's start with its front side: we immediately pay attention to the coat of arms of the US Department of the Treasury.

Then we move to the number 1 at the top right. From behind the inner upper left corner of the shield, an owl peeks out behind the number - a symbol of the satanic Bohemian club, registered in the Bohemian grove.

Next, we see a pyramid, on top of which is the all-seeing eye, at the base of the pyramid are the same Roman numerals. We add them up - and we get the number 666. Under the pyramid is the slogan: "Novus Ordo Seclorum". Literally means "New Order of the Ages". But it is more correct, especially today, - the "New World Order", about which the elites of the world so often speak.

Let's draw the pyramid to the Jewish star. The angles point to the letters, forming the word "mason". Above the pyramid we see "Annuit Coeptis" - "He contributed to our undertakings", or "Start Time". "He" is the architect (eye). According to other sources, it translates as "God blesses our deeds."

13 leaves on an olive branch in an eagle's paw. 13 olives per branch. 13 lines and stripes. 13 arrows in the paw of an eagle. 13 five-pointed stars above the eagle's head. 13 letters in "E Pluribrus Unum". 13 stones in a pyramid. 13 letters in "Annuit Coeptis". In the center of the bill is a large letter N - the 13th in a row in the ancient Greek alphabet. 13 is the mystical number of Satan.

Fold the dollar in half. Here is the great double-sided seal of the United States. Priests on one side, Freemasons on the other.

Here is such an interesting gang, and the goal of this gang is simple - to make us a worldwide cosmopolitan herd without clan and tribe. The goal of the Freemasons is written on a ribbon in the eagle's beak on the right. Of course, this Latin is translated in such a way that the people are not afraid: "Unity in diversity." But in fact - "One people out of many." And the width of the dollar, by the way, is 66.6 millimeters.

People often ask the question: who are the Freemasons? Why are they so often talked about, especially in connection with various negative socio-political processes, if such, for example, occur in the state. At the same time, “the Masons” are necessarily remembered.

With all the diversity of Freemasonry, it is possible to single out certain general, unchanging tendencies in it, which allow us to speak of it as a single direction.

"True", "correct", "ideal" Freemasonry is a utopian movement, striving, first of all, to achieve the brotherhood of all mankind, regardless of national, political, social, religious and other differences. Its adherents should be connected among themselves mainly by common moral principles and ideals of moral self-improvement. In this sense, Masons symbolically represent their activities (meaning their predecessors - "free masons") as the construction of a temple of virtues, a temple of wisdom, similar to the construction of the biblical temple of Solomon.

Freemasonry has always wanted to rise above the traditional religions. They represented God as the Great Architect of the Universe. At the same time, as a rule, the principle of absolute freedom of conscience was rejected, since. the organization was rigidly structured.

The need for love for one's neighbor, the movement towards Truth and light (in one's own understanding, of course) was constantly emphasized. Here is what the Russian writer M. Osorgin wrote about Masonic ideology: “The ideal masonry is the state of mind of a person who actively strives for the truth and knows that the truth is unattainable ... The Brotherhood of Freemasons is an organization of people who sincerely believe in the coming of a more perfect humanity. The path to the perfection of the human race lies through self-improvement through brotherly communication with the elect and bound by the promise of the same work on themselves.

Masons have always proudly declared that they managed to restore the meaning of the ancient mysteries, the initiatory rites of the priests of ancient Egypt, decipher the secrets of the Tarot cards, reread the traditions of the Aryan peoples of Central Asia in a new way, see the deep kinship between the ethics of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and other religious philosophical systems of the East and ethics of the Old Testament, etc.

Masons, in fact, created their own world, furnished it with an incredible number of meaningful attributes, ceremonies, secret signs, symbols. Freemasonry sometimes resembles a computer game for adults - with levels (degrees of initiation), secrets, high-quality graphics.

But all activities that involve active participation in the work of Masonic organizations require intelligence, resourcefulness, abilities and certain human qualities that not everyone possesses. However, people who are not outstanding in any way, and therefore not of interest to Freemasonry, are not left without attention and guardianship. For them (instead of being drawn into secret societies, where they will not be of any use), the "ideology of Walt Disney" is used very professionally - the introduction into consciousness of artificial carelessness and close attention to non-existent details of life. So to speak, the movement for the townsfolk.

But Freemasonry quickly became fashionable and prestigious. Entering a box was no less important than an invitation to a ball in the house of an influential dignitary. Among the Masons were the highest officials. Becoming their "brother", constantly meeting in an informal setting, keeping some secrets together - all this played into the hands of acquiring a higher status in society, career growth.

The practical actions of the Freemasons to carry out their tasks were episodic and irregular. Theory and form were more important. Freemasons published books, were engaged in charity (however, they did not reach such proportions as, for example, the Salvation Army of James Boots).

Masonic ideology partly influenced the mindset in high society. But if some were only fond of mysticism and symbolism, then others were more captured by the idea of ​​liberation from traditional prejudices, the ideas of enlightenment and the brotherhood of all people. It should not be forgotten that outstanding historical figures also “played” in Freemasonry, for example, the fathers of American independence, who signed in 1776. famous declaration. And until now, we can find Masonic symbols on dollars.

The lodges consisted of Marat and Robespierre, who shed rivers of blood - and, speaking of the Cult of Reason, which Maximilian tried to introduce instead of Catholicism in France, you involuntarily recall Masonic terminology, not to mention the complete coincidence of the revolutionary and one of the Masonic mottos: “Freedom, equality and brotherhood."

Freemasonry is attributed to W. A. ​​Mozart, A. S. Pushkin, N. Paganini, in a word, almost all the creative intelligentsia of Europe in the 18th-19th centuries. Also T. Roosevelt, G. Ford, Napoleon, R. Piri and many others.

Masonic lodges indeed often turned into political clubs. The closed room, the circle of close people disposed to communication not only theoretical and not only on traditional Masonic topics. But in the same way, the discussion of political actions could be conducted at quite secular receptions and evenings. And the symbols, mottos, terms, aprons, etc. it was quite natural to look for in the Masonic movement - there was always enough of this goodness and exoticism among freemasons.

The Russian philosopher N.A. Berdyaev, who was convinced that freemasonry does not exist that it was invented by the Black Hundred elements of society in order to justify anti-Semitism, pogroms and nationalism in general. In addition, Berdyaev argued that the belief in the existence of such secret societies is a sign of a low level of intellectual development.

Let's try to disagree with the philosopher, come to terms with our own "low level of intellectual development" and assume that Freemasonry is a real, but secret phenomenon, and the reason for talking about it is either a leak of information or the information about themselves that members of the organization consider it necessary to give. society.

In its form, Freemasonry is an international network of secret and legal front organizations that have a common origin and are distributed throughout the world. In fact, this is a secret society, which aims to unite states into one world, as well as to unite all existing religions into a single syncretic system of beliefs. That which Orthodoxy considers as unequivocal signs of the coming of the Antichrist (mondialism).

Researchers consider the Kabbalah and the Gnostic and Manichaean sects that appeared in the first centuries of our era to be the source of modern Freemasonry. After the expulsion of the Jews from Palestine at the end of the 1st century AD. esoteric knowledge spread from Europe to China and America.

Secret societies have sprung up around the world under various names. In Europe and the Middle East, these were the Knights of the Temple, the Zion community, Cathars, Ismailis, Kabbalists, Druzes, Rosicrucians, Freemasons; in China - "White Lotus", Taiping, Yihetuan; in America, the Leather Apron Club, the Green Dragon Club; in Russia - the Union of Salvation, the Northern and Southern Societies, "Orpheus", "Harmony", "Urania", "Astrea", "Three Stars", "Polar Star".

M. Ramsay, one of the prominent Scottish Freemasons, speaking in 1737 before a meeting of French Jacobins, spoke about the origin of the Freemasons in the following way: “The Masonic Order arose in Palestine in the era of the Crusades, when secret symbols of ancient sacred science were found under the arches of the Jerusalem temple. Then the knights of John of Jerusalem joined the Masonic lodges and gave them their name. Freemasons, like the Jews who built the Second Temple, must hold a trowel in one hand, and a sword and shield in the other.

The spread of this ancient movement in the countries of Western Europe in the Middle Ages was carried out thanks to the crusades, as a result of which the first secret societies of European-Jewish origin appeared. The most influential and famous of them was the order of the Templars (templars).

Freemasons, or "freemasons", trace their doctrinal origin from the builder of the temple of Solomon, the master Adoniram, who was considered the bearer of secret knowledge and was killed by envious people. The legend of Adoniram clearly has a Kabbalistic origin, since it is not mentioned at all in the books of the Old Testament. Over time, on the doctrinal basis of the legend, a huge building of modern Freemasonry has grown, erected by the hands of “free masons” in honor of the “great architect”.

The organization has always been the secret spring of palace coups and the destruction of the royal Stuart dynasty in England. In France, a mysterious death befell all the descendants of Louis XIV. In Sweden, Gustav III fell victim to the regicides, after whose death a long revolution began. A tragic death also befell the Russian Emperor Paul I, who imprudently allowed Masons into his country.

The Orthodox Church has always condemned Freemasonry, rightly considering it one of the manifestations of Satanism. In 1932, at the All-Diaspora Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, it was decided that participation in Masonic lodges "is incompatible with the title of Christian ... that they must either resolutely renounce Freemasonry and related teachings, or, with further impenitence, will be excommunicated from the Holy Church" .

Freemasonry penetrated into Russia in the 17th century along with the Kabbalistic treatises of Lull, the famous alchemist, whose translations fascinated wide circles of high society. And the German settlement in Moscow became the center for the spread of Kabbalah and Freemasonry. Since then, a fierce struggle began with the autocracy and Orthodoxy. Freemasons actively participated in all palace coups, and inspired the Decembrist uprising of 1825. And from the end of the 19th century, the doctrine began to spread among members of literary, artistic and political circles. This move of the Freemasons was perfectly calibrated, since the figures of Russian culture were followed by their admirers.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people of that time were carried away by the “secret knowledge”: A. Blok, A. Bely, D. Merezhkovsky, Z. Gippius, M. Chekhov, S. Eisenstein, symbolists, futurists, other avant-garde artists, philosophers.

At the same time, theosophy and anthroposophy and other varieties of esoteric knowledge began to spread in Russia. In large cities, Kabbalah was openly taught under the guise of ancient Eastern wisdom. The unrest caused by secret societies among the people reached its limit, pouring out first into a revolution, and then into a civil war.

Professor Viktor Mikhailovich Chernyshev

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Today we will make such a cursory excursion into history and deal with another interesting word, the true meaning of which for many of us will be a surprise.

Who are the Masons, in general and in general, we already know from the school curriculum, it remains only to clarify how and why this most closed organization in the world arose and why the Masonic lodges were so powerful.

Masons - what kind of people are they and what did they do

Unlike other secret societies, the exact date of the official unification of the first four societies into a single lodge is confirmed by historical sources - it happened in England in 1717.

The day is even known when the members of the society, who used to gather in the taverns "Apple", "Grape Bunch", "Crown" and "Goose and Tray", confirmed their intention by becoming members of the newly formed Grand Lodge of London and adopting their own constitution.

An interesting fact is that these habitues of the mentioned taverns had nothing to do with construction in the modern sense, and the statement that the Masons are freemasons who were engaged in the construction of temples would not be entirely correct.

The fact is that in the era of the early Middle Ages (approximately the 5th - 11th centuries), the "Gothic" style prevailed, which required special skill from artists, architects and builders and.

Those who corresponded to the proper level united in groups (a kind of brigades of masons) and settled in close proximity to construction sites.

These communities had their own regulations and charters, each group had its own symbols and practiced its own rituals for initiation into the profession.

Class affiliation did not matter - it could be both merchants or artisans, as well as intellectuals or representatives of the aristocracy. The main thing is that they should accept the ideas of spiritual perfection, equality and brotherhood, striving for knowledge of the world.

Symbolism and sacrament of initiation into Masons

As already mentioned, there was never any dogma for Freemasonry, so the members of these secret associations could use their own rituals both for holding meetings and for initiation into membership.

From Masonic Candidates it didn't take much:

1. compliance with general Masonic principles;
2. mature age (usually at least 21 years old);
3. the presence of one's own will when deciding to become a Freemason;
4. law-abiding (no criminal record);
5. good public reputation;
6. recommendations from several full members (in different lodges there may be a different number of recommenders, but usually two or three Masons).

The ritual itself was highly symbolic. The Masonic candidate was placed for several hours in the "Reflection Room", in which everything was black. Only those objects were present in the atmosphere that could remind the future member of the lodge about the frailty of life.

After reflecting on this, a person writes his will, not mentioning anything material in it - only his moral and philosophical wishes regarding both himself, his family and other people, and his country, citizens of the world and all of humanity.

After that, the person is blindfolded, all valuables are taken away and taken to the room where the ceremony will take place. The initiation begins with the removal of a shoe from the candidate’s left foot, a trouser leg is tucked up on the right foot, and a rope loop is put on the neck as a symbol of the bonds of human imperfection.

Ritual elements may include:

1. moral, ethical and other moral and philosophical instructions;
2. dialogues and skits as a visual representation of these instructions;
3. musical accompaniment to enhance the experience of the subject;
4. solemn voicing by the candidate of his obligations over the sacred book of his religion.

Then the candidate's eyes are untied and another symbolic attribute is put on him - special Masonic zapon, which is a ritual apron of a bricklayer.

After this, the venerable master who presided over the ceremony makes an announcement that there is now a new brother present who needs help in his difficulties. He expresses confidence that in the harsh hour of trial this brother will help others in the same way as they helped him. All welcome the newly minted member of the lodge.

Modern Freemasonry and Freemasons in Russia

It would seem: what is the need for secret communities, if today it is possible to legalize any association that would not contradict specific legislation?

So it is: Freemasonry in Russia was banned as early as 1822 by the highest rescript of Emperor Alexander I and remained banned until 1905.

But the permit for the activities of Masonic societies was valid for only 12 years - in 1918, the movement was again prohibited. And only in 1991, with the opening of the first official lodge called the "Northern Star", Freemasonry began its revival.

The main aspirations of modern Freemasonry - enlightenment and humanistic activity including a wide range of philanthropic areas. The starting point for the movement of Russian Freemasonry was set by the famous Russian scientist and philosopher Georgy Dergachev, who became the first Freemason, and then the first Grand Master of the VLR.

VLR is an abbreviation used to shorten the name of the first national Masonic society - the Grand Lodge of Russia.

Created in 1995 on the basis of four territorial lodges (Gamayun, Harmony, New Astrea and Lotus) and then uniting no more than a hundred Masons, now the VLR consists of 33 lodges with a total of about one and a half thousand active members, apart from apprentices.

Goals and mission The Russian order of Freemasons remain in accordance with ancient traditions:

1. education - education, translations and publication of the most valuable works of eminent historians, scientists and thinkers of a world scale, increase;
2. charity - support for orphanages, orphanages, hospitals, assistance to the elderly and single mothers, and single-parent families;
3. humanitarian aid;
4. participation in current social projects.

The list of the most “declassified” Russian Freemasons is decorated with quite big names, and the first of them is Andrey Bogdanov, who ran for president in the 2008 elections. However, we will not list the rest of the names, since the name of Bogdanov, as the great master of VLR, is documented, and there are only rumors and assumptions about all the others.

There is an interesting video about Russian Freemasonry in which Mir 24 journalists reveal the undercover secrets of Russian Masonic lodges and their true purpose:

Good luck to you! See you soon on the blog pages site

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Philosophy of masons

Most of the historical sources that have survived to this day testify to the emergence of the Masonic Order as the successor to the famous Order of the Templars, tragically defeated by Philip IV the Handsome in 1312. They say that some of the surviving "poor knights" organized a new ideological corporation under the banner of the Freemasons, which in translated from French means "free masons". But if the task of the Templars was originally to protect Christian pilgrims from the attacks of Muslims, then the goal of the Freemasons can be described not as the planting of one religion by another, but peace throughout the world, the highest humanism through the knowledge of great wisdom and self-improvement. At the same time, the philosophy of the masons is similar to that of the Templars. Although the first, according to the same historical notes, were “in the service of the Jews, but professed not a Christian god, but a Jewish god” - in fact, the beginnings of both orders were permeated with light and majesty, the desire to live in peace, love and harmony. The path leading to the development of true humanity and world morality, freedom of conscience and the principle of solidarity is equally applicable to most religious and philosophical movements.

So why free and why masons? In the Middle Ages, meanwhile, Gothic flourished - the construction of majestic, at the same time gloomy and aspiring buildings began with it. Architects and builders propagated the idea of ​​a better future that awaits all of humanity, conveying their confident thoughts in this regard in their work. The Masonic Order began with its organization by builders who had a solid experience and were initiated into the secrets of the building art. Later, those who wanted to join the Order, but did not have any special skills and did not belong to the class of masons, became the continuers of God's work on earth, since they were the builders of the true forms of life. A high-initiation Mason, Dr. Papus, in a few words, almost completely revealed the meaning of early Freemasonry: “Regardless of the visible light, they (the brothers) learned about the existence of an invisible light, which is a source of unknown forces and energy, this secret light that illuminates every person who comes into this world is depicted in the form of a pentagonal star ”(V.F. Ivanov“ Secrets of Freemasonry ”). It was the pentagonal "flaming star" as a symbol of a person radiating a mysterious light from himself that became the emblem of world Freemasonry.

The Masonic organization, despite its strength and the number of adherents, remained a secret for almost the entire time of its existence, and only a select few could join it. “The Order of Freemasons,” says Tira Sokolovskaya, “is a worldwide secret society that has set itself the goal of leading humanity to the achievement of earthly Eden, the golden age, the kingdom of love and truth, the kingdom of Astrea.” (By definition of Freemasonry's own statutes (§1 of the constitution of the Grand Orient of France, 1884).

Being scattered all over the world, the Freemasons constituted one Freemason lodge without a definite difference between the Freemasons of different countries, because the ideas and goals of the organization are the same and could not be separated geographically.

From the memoirs of Sokolovskaya: “Dreaming of worldwide brotherhood, they wish to see the Order spread throughout the earth. Lodges are the world ”(V.F. Ivanov“ Secrets of Freemasonry ”). It is characteristic that the lodges - the premises in which the “brothers-masons” gathered, were designated by an oblong rectangle - the sign that the Universe was designated before Ptolemy. The lodges themselves served as temples to the Masons, and even more than that - they called the Lodge the Solomon Temple, which meant in their understanding the ideal temple, because Solomon intended it not only for the followers of the law of Moses, but also for people of all faiths - everyone who would like to visit temple to serve God. People came to Solomon's temple to "cleanse the soul", people who felt "spiritual smoothness" behind them, seeking truth and light.

Answering the question about the religion practiced, it can be noted that the symbols and Masonic rituals are of Jewish origin. Initially, the hammer, square, compasses and other tools of masons became symbols for them, each of which served as a reminder to the freemason of his duty, or symbolized some positive quality that must be achieved. Basically, they were deeply religious people who looked at their construction activity as an imitation of the Great Architect, the Builder of Worlds, from where God received from them the name of the Great Architect and Great Builder.

Much later, Lune Blanc, describing the work of Freemasons during the revolution of 1789, mentioned the following: "All over the throne, where the chairman of each lodge, or the master of the chair, sat, a shining delta was depicted, in the middle of which the name of Jehovah was written in Hebrew letters" ( V.F. Ivanov "Secrets of Freemasonry"). The originality of the originally Jewish origin of the Order is also confirmed by the anti-Masonic writer AD Filosofov. “The first thing that strikes everyone who enters the Masonic lodge is the name of Jehovah, surrounded by rays and written in Hebrew over an altar or throne, to which one must not first approach, as having passed through two steps, meaning exoteric (external) and esoteric (internal ) Freemasonry” (V.F. Ivanov “Secrets of Freemasonry”).

Freemasons called work in the Order the performance of various rites, for example, admission to the Order of the profane and further initiation to higher degrees, as well as the relentless pursuit of their own enlightenment and self-improvement.

Structure of the Order

The highest administration of the Order was called the East, for "the East is the land of choice", a shrine and the ancestor of the highest human wisdom. The highest administration, or the East, as in our days, issued the Constitution, which was a special constituent charter. The constitution was issued to all the Lodges, headed by the managing Masters, Venerables (aka Prefects, Rectors, Chairmen). The Local Master was the accomplice (assistant, deputy) of the Manager. Other officers in the lodges are the 1st and 2nd Overseers, Secretary or Keeper of the Seal, Vitya or Rhetor, Cleric, Preparer, Enterer or Brother of Terror, Treasurer or Treasurer, Warden of the Poor, Alms-gatherer or Stuart and his assistants - deacons.

Considering that Freemasonry is divided into several degrees - apprentice, comradely and workshop - for the formation of a lodge it is necessary to have each degree in the number of three people, although in practice there were many more of them. The "correct lodge", according to the Constitution, should consist of three masters and two apprentices, or three masters, two apprentices and two students - respectively, the master of the lodge (or "master of the chair"), two overseers, master of ceremonies, internal and external watchmen. The Grand Master - the one who was lucky enough to become the manager of an entire union of lodges - was referred to as a grand master. The union of lodges, devoid of a grand master and located in a different locality from the Supreme Order of the Order, was considered a provincial or regional union.

For greater unity and order, many lodges located close to each other merged into a single Grand Lodge or Higher Management, which subsequently entered into concordats with each other (terms of relationship or agreement). One such concordat was even printed in 1817 under Alexander I by two Grand Lodges of Russia.

The secret element of Freemasonry

To create such an organization in the Middle Ages, promoting the ideas of inner freedom and faith in a better future, was considered, at least, a dangerous undertaking. Among the noble brothers themselves, such a punishment as the death penalty was distributed if the secrets of the Order were indulged in a pen, brush, chisel, or other understandable instrument. All secret knowledge was transmitted exclusively in oral speech, and then after an oath of silence. However, with the growth of the organization, it became impossible to hide the work of Masons from prying eyes, and modern Freemasonry, having the support of well-known influential people, considers itself so strong that it speaks openly and does not hide its work. In fairness, I would like to add that, for all the general appearance, there are distinctions between external and hidden Freemasonry, into the depths of which not every mortal can penetrate.

As for the teaching itself, all the degrees of Freemasonry are closely connected with each other by the outgoing orders of power from above, and those standing below unquestioningly obey the will invisible to them from above. The apprentice does not know what the comrade is doing, and the comrade does not know the purpose and work of the master. L. de Ponsin writes about it this way: “A student from the highest knows only a few comrades and masters of his lodge, the rest are in obscurity. A comrade can be everywhere among students, but for them he is only a student. The master can be everywhere among his comrades and disciples; but sometimes he is incognito: for comrades he is a comrade, for students he is a student. And such a system of conspiracy has been carried out at all subsequent stages - that is why an order issued from above, whatever its content, is automatically carried out below by irresponsible tools. Only within the limits of his lodge does the student know several Masons of the highest initiations of their “seven”, i.e., “according to the class of their position”, everything else is hidden from him by a thick veil of mystery” (V.F. Ivanov “Secrets of Freemasonry”).

Mason is consecrated to the highest degree once and for all, for life. He is chosen not by democratic voting, but by the Supreme Group - by the leadership, which secretly watches him for a long time in order to understand whether he is worthy of such an honor. And even here, the former comrades of the Mason do not know about the “promotion” of their colleague, because. he officially continues to attend the lodge on the old terms.

Upon admission to Freemasonry, the newcomer must have recommenders from the members of the lodge, as well as those who can vouch for him. After that came the no less complicated ceremony of initiation into the first Masonic degree of the student. On the appointed day and hour, the guarantor, blindfolding the layman, took him to the lodge, where specially invited masons were already waiting for them. The initiate stepped on the signs inscribed on the carpet, not yet understanding the Masonic meaning of these symbolic figures. The initiate sealed his decision to join the brotherhood not only with an oath on the Bible, but also on a naked sword, betraying his soul to eternal damnation in case of betrayal, and his body to death from the judgment of brothers. Further, the initiate read out the oath: “I swear, in the name of the Supreme Builder of all worlds, never to reveal to anyone, without an order from the Order, the secrets of the signs, touches, words of the doctrine and customs of Freemasonry and to keep eternal silence about them. I promise and swear not to betray him in any way, either by pen, or sign, or word, or gesture, and also not to tell anyone about him, either for a story, or for writing, or for printing or any other image, and never to divulge what what I now already know and what can be entrusted later. If I do not keep this oath, then I undertake to undergo the following punishment: let them burn and incinerate my mouth with a red-hot iron, cut off my hand, pull out my tongue from my mouth, cut my throat, let my corpse be hung in the middle of the box at the consecration of a new brother, as an object of cursing and horror, may they then burn him and scatter the ashes through the air so that no trace or memory of the traitor remains on earth.

The sign that the initiate was accepted into the Order was a leather zap (apron) and an unpolished silver spatula, for “it polishes its use when protecting hearts from attack from a splitting force”, as well as a pair of white male mittens as a symbol of pure thoughts and parting words to lead an immaculate life, which is the only chance to build the Temple of Wisdom. All rituals and symbols were of great importance to the Freemasons. The ruler and plumb line symbolized the equality of estates. Goniometer is a symbol of justice. The compass served as a symbol of the public, and the square, according to other explanations, meant conscience. A wild stone is a rough morality, chaos, a cubic stone is a “processed” morality. The hammer was used for processing wild stone. Also, the hammer served as a symbol of silence and obedience, faith, as well as a symbol of power, because. it belonged to the Master. Spatula - condescension to universal weakness and severity towards oneself. Acacia branch - immortality; coffin, skull and bones - contempt for death and sadness about the disappearance of truth. Freemason robes depicted virtue. The round hat symbolized, in a certain sense, liberty, and the naked sword symbolized the punishing law, the struggle for an idea, the execution of villains, the protection of innocence. The dagger is also a symbol of the preference for death over defeat, the struggle for life and death. The dagger was worn on a black ribbon, on which the motto was embroidered in silver: "Win or die!"

Superstate - the ultimate ideal of Freemasonry

No matter how fair and prudent the “brothers-masons” were, religion, nation and monarchical states stood on the way to the establishment of Masonic Eden on earth, which prevented the union of all nations into a single union. Cautiously and tactfully, resolutely and faithfully, Masons for centuries prepared medieval society for actions to destroy the church and authoritarian power.

Historians write that “the Brotherhood everywhere rebelled against the corruption of the clergy and in many cases diverged even from Catholic teaching. In the church of St. Sebald in Nuremberg, a monk and a nun were depicted in an indecent pose. In Strasbourg, in the upper gallery, against the pulpit, a pig and a goat were depicted, which carried a sleeping fox as a shrine: a female followed the pig, and in front of the procession a bear with a cross and a wolf with a burning candle, a donkey stood at the throne and served mass. In Brandenburg Church, a fox in priestly vestments preaches to a flock of geese. In another Gothic church, the descent of the Holy Spirit is ironically represented. In the Bern Cathedral in the image of the Last Judgment, the pope is placed, etc. ” (V.F. Ivanov "Secrets of Freemasonry"). All this almost pagan symbolism was based on the fact that the Freemasons themselves were free-thinking people and, accordingly, persecuted by church fanaticism, with which they had to fight all the time the Order existed.

Almost without exception, the philosophers of the last two centuries, among them Locke, Voltaire, Diderot, who emerged from the recesses of inner Freemasonry, wrote against the Christian religion with indescribable bitterness. “For two centuries,” Nis writes, “in all points of the globe, the members of the lodges were at the head of the fighters for the triumph of the ideas of political freedom, religious tolerance, and agreement between peoples; more than once the lodges themselves were drawn into the struggle; finally, and according to its basic principles, Freemasonry is an opponent of error, abuse, prejudice ”(V.F. Ivanov“ Secrets of Freemasonry ”).

Masons approached the issue of destroying the Christian religion as a dogma strategically - they created and supported various sects in the enemy clan itself. Under the guise of religious tolerance, they introduced heresies and schisms into the Christian church. By the way, the Reformation in the West and Protestantism are closely connected with Freemasonry and have their roots in Freemasonry. The Freemasons were convinced that the struggle against the church would end when it finally separated from the state, becoming a private and communal organization. The monarchical form of government, as well as the dominant church, in the eyes of the Masons was a necessary evil, and the form of government itself is tolerable only until a more perfect, republican system is established. The new church should work primarily for philosophical education, and not predominantly political. Religion, according to the deep conviction of the Masons, should preach humanity, freedom and equality, and not blind obedience to prejudices. Masons could no longer recognize God as the goal of life; they created an ideal, which is not God, but mankind.

Thus, it was the Freemasons who first developed the worldwide concept of democracy. This idea in 1789 found its expression in the teachings of the English Freemason Locke and was further developed by the French "enlighteners" - the ideologists of the revolution of 1789, who, as is known, belonged to the Freemasons. Freemasons Voltaire, Diderot, Montesquieu and, finally, J.J. Rousseau established the democratic concept by experience and created a democratic movement throughout the world through their work. Characteristically, the "Declaration of the Rights of Man" was drawn up by Freemason Thomas Jefferson with the participation of Freemason Franklin and announced at the congress of the colonies in Philadelphia in 1776.

Destroying all the old foundations, it was thanks to the Freemasons that the idea of ​​democracy and people's rule, as well as the theory of the separation of powers - all this was born in Masonic heads and from Masonic lodges spread widely throughout the world. Mankind is above the fatherland - this is the whole hidden meaning of Masonic wisdom.

In 1884, The Freemason's Almanac tells of that happy time when "a republic will be proclaimed in Europe under the name of the United States of Europe."

In June 1917 Freemasonry of the allied and neutral countries organized a congress in Paris, one of the main tasks of which, according to its chairman Carnot, was: “To prepare the United States of Europe, to create a supranational power, the task of which is to resolve conflicts between nations. Freemasonry will be the propagator of this concept of peace and general well-being.”

The idea of ​​the League of Nations, which also originated in the depths of the Masonic, is only a stage towards achieving the ultimate ideal of world Freemasonry - the creation of a superstate and the liberation of mankind from any moral, religious, political and economic enslavement.

Notable Freemasons on the list of Grand Masters and Grand Masters who led the Priory of Sion: Sandro Botticelli; Leonardo da Vinci; Isaac Newton; Victor Hugo; Claude Debussy; Jean Cocteau. The great writers Dante, Shakespeare and Goethe belonged to Masonic lodges. Composers - J. Haydn, F. Liszt, W. Mozart, Jan Sibelius and others. Encyclopedists - Diderot, D'Alembert, Voltaire; Simon Bolivar; leader of the Latin American struggle for independence; Giuseppe Garibaldi, leader of the Italian Carbonari; Atatürk, founder of the current Republic of Turkey; Henry Ford, "America's Automobile King"; Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain; Eduard Benes, former President of Czechoslovakia; Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton - former American presidents; Allen Dulles, founder of the CIA; American astronaut E. Aldrin and Soviet - A. Leonov, politicians - Francois Mitterrand, Helmut Kohl and Willy Brandt, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Al Gore, current Vice President of the United States, Joseph Retinger, Secretary General of the Bilderberg Club, David Rockefeller, head of the Trilateral Commission and many others.

The studies of conspiracy theorists also show that all the armed conflicts of the last centuries from the military campaigns of Napoleon, and all the revolutions, starting with the French, were financed by the banking houses of the Rockefellers, Rothschilds, Morgans, Wartburgs associated with the Masonic lodges.

From the Middle Ages to the present day

Although the beginning of the 8th century is considered to be the official date for the emergence of the legal, and not the secret, Masonic movement, many sources indicate that it was born much earlier. The philosophy that has been propagated all this time is so universal that it could not end in anything. By the beginning of the 20th century, the contradictions between French and Anglo-American Freemasons aggravated and this is due, first of all, to the evolution of Masonic teachings - along with the conservative, new, modern forms of Freemasonry began to appear. The French Freemasons at that time gave all their strength to the active struggle against clericalism and the church, which led to the entry into the organization of socialists, and with them new horizons of teaching appeared. By the 1930s, very little of Freemasonry in its purest form remained. Once a secret place of education, the moral Masonic school took on an increasingly political character. Lodges began to serve as a place where they meet, get acquainted and strengthen ties, build a political career. The main Masonic rituals were also abolished, strictness and secrecy disappeared, and entry into the lodge became an open and public event.

Perhaps only Germany has preserved the traditions of the old masters, strictly following the precepts of humanity and tolerance, devoting all efforts to moral improvement. German Freemasonry is more focused on smoothing out any social antagonisms - racial, class, class, economic, etc. The same position was also followed by the development of Freemasonry by English lodges, condemning the practice of French and American Freemasons, who translated the old ideology into a political channel. However, American Freemasonry has a religious and charitable character rather than a political one.

Russian Freemasonry has always developed as part of a single whole - the World Brotherhood of Freemasons, so to this day the ties of Russian Freemasons with the brothers of Great Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, and the USA are traditionally strong and fruitful. Russian Freemasons, being abroad, attend meetings of foreign lodges, as well as foreign - during their stay in Russia - meetings of Russian lodges. And on June 24, 1995, under the auspices of the Grand National Lodge of France, the Grand Lodge of Russia was consecrated, under whose jurisdiction 12 workshops (symbolic lodges) were founded and now operate, constantly accepting new members. The Grand Lodge of Russia is recognized as regular and has established fraternal ties with the United Grand Lodge of England, the Mother Grand Lodge of Scotland, the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the Grand National Grand Lodge of France, the United Grand Lodge of Germany, the Grand Lodge of Austria, the Grand Lodge of Turkey, the Grand Lodge of New York and many other Great Jurisdictions around the world.

Thus, the mentalities of different countries laid the foundation for the end of the old Freemasonry in the distortion of the true meaning and form of the world ideal of all Masons. Although throughout its history many attempts have been made to bring together various Masonic currents and form a single organization under the banner of the Order, this never happened.