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God’s Holy Book is his guide toward seeking further light, knowledge universality of masonry’s charity which should be as expansive as all
and education. The square is symbolic of the upright life he must of heaven itself.
lead and the compasses indicative of the bounds with which he must The ornaments of the Lodge, the Mosaic floor, the Indented
now circumscribe himself in this new life. He is taught that the sun, Tessel and the Blazing Star are also symbols. The Mosaic floor,
moon and the Master are the three lesser lights indicating reminiscent of the floor of Solomon’s Temple, tells us that life is a
respectively the great active principle ruling the world by day, the checkered pavement of good and evil, the tessellated border
passive principle governing the world by night, and the mediator or reminds us of the comforts which surround us if we only look for
agent of the two, the Master, who both rules and governs his Lodge them and the Blazing Star guides us to the seed and source of all life
and sets the craft to labor to work on their symbolic studies. and eternal life, our heavenly Creator, the Great Architect of the
He is then presented with the working tools of an Entered Universe.
Apprentice, the twenty-four inch gauge, a tool of measurement, and The Entered Apprentice is introduced to the six jewels of the
the common gavel, a tool of force. Symbolically, the twenty-four inch Lodge, three movable and three immovable. They are symbolic as
gauge tells the Entered Apprentice to divide his time, the twenty-four follows: the three immovable jewels, the square, level and plumb are
hours of the day, into three equal parts, work, sleep and the service operative mason’s tools which remind us respectively of the morality,
of God and his fellowmen. The gavel is to be used by the Entered equality and rectitude of life which masons must observe.
Apprentice to symbolically hammer off all the vices and superfluities The three movable jewels, the rough ashler, the perfect ashler and
of his mind and conscience that he might fit himself to be a worthy the trestle board remind us respectively of our rude and imperfect
stone in his Creator’s hands to do good in the world.
beings, the state of perfection which we hope to attain through our
The interchange between the Senior Warden and the Master Masonic education and work and the notion that we masons work
reveals a few more symbols and symbolic gestures. through the use of rules and design laid down by both the Master of
The new Entered Apprentice was placed in the northeast corner of the Lodge and more especially by our Divine Master in the Book of
the Lodge because as the newest Entered Apprentice he is starting Life.
out on his Masonic journey just as a building starts out with the The Entered Apprentice also learns that the parallel lines
operative masons laying the cornerstone in the northeast as the first bordering the circle are symbolic of the pillars of Jachin and Boaz,
stone of a new building. He is the new cornerstone because the symbols of strength and endurance. The point in the center of the
Lodge changes and renews itself with each new Entered Apprentice. circle is explained as the individual’s relationship to his surroundings
but can also refer to God who is center of all things. The
The Lodge is supported by three great pillars: Wisdom, Strength circumference of the circle suggests not only the boundary of
and Beauty from which he learns that when intelligence or wisdom Entered Apprentice’s conduct but also the endless course of God’s
directs the work, and strength or power does the work, then beauty power and His existence without end.
and harmony usually result. Finally, the Entered Apprentice is told that the chalk, charcoal and
Furthermore, the Lodge is covered by the blue vault of heaven clay represent freedom, fervency and zeal. There is nothing freer
symbolic of the equality and concord of Freemasonry and the
than chalk which at the slightest touch leaves its mark. So should we
be free to touch others and leave our mark of love upon them. There

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