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Temple arquiteture

Bruno Faria

Registered User
Hi Brothers,

Can any brother here help me, we are building a new temple and I'm participating in measurement. I'm EA and I want to know if there is any rule in the size of the squares of the mosaic pavement and in the triangles of the border. If someone there's some temple project would help me a lot.

Fraternal Greetings,

Bruno Faria

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SimonM

Registered User
When the Wardens are in the West and South the tiles should be rectangular and lined up with the Wardens.

If both Wardens are in the West the tiles should be diamond shape ..
Agree, the placement of the Wardens is an important factor.

Some pavements have a Blazing Star in the center. Consider whether 1 or 2 points should be to the East. I would argue that the position of the candidate in the dark demonstrates that 2 points should be to the East but, as far I know, there is no discussion of that in the literature. Arguably the BS should not appear on the pavement until the 3rd degree - that being the earliest time that a brother might have advanced to the top of the ladder.
I would say that only 1 point of the BS should point to the East (regardless of when it is shown to the candidate).
If it is a star with 6 points then with only 1 point in East and West you get a reminder of the dynamic between these two directions.
If it is a star with 5 points then it should have 1 point towards East because the upper point is more closely related to the East than any other direction.
 

pointwithinacircle2

Rapscallion
Premium Member
Is there any particular point that interests you?
Well, actually yes.
Tassels on the corners are analogous to static electricity charges accumulating at the sharpest points and refer to what is veiled by the four rivers of Eden.
and
Some continental lodges have the tassels in the ceiling at the corners. Since Ciel is sky, this is a significant unveiling.
I am interested in discovering what is veiled by the four rivers of Eden. And I am interested in the origin of the reference to Ciel and why it is important.

Thanks
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
While there is no specific rule about the size of the squares of the pavement, they do represent humans so they should be sized based on a rough approximation of a human figure. They are black and white to represent the good and evil present in all societies, in all of us and that we work to exclude from out activities at lodge. Good sizes would be a meter, twenty four inches or one cubit because all are good symbolic lengths from various eras of Masonic history. Since there's no rule my suggested lengths are either for the edge or the diagonal of the squares. Building a new temple I tend to prefer a meter on the edge of the squares especially if there is a carpet supply place that sells modular carpets squares in that size. In the US carpet supply places tend to has 25 inch squares available as a standard size so I suspect a meter is available in most of the world.

As to the triangles they are the tessellated border. They represent the Brothers. Because of this it's best to arrange the black and white squares of the floor so the half squares at the edge are all light. Both for our goal of good action at lodge and to represent the light that has been given to each Brother.
 

Bruno Faria

Registered User
1477677129264.jpg
1477677140148.jpg


Sharing 2 pictures of the temple, I took them early this week.

Fraternal Greetings!!

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Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
in the Lodges ive been in that have a checkered floor the tiles are standard floor tiles. IDK maybe im just jaded from my time in the military but im a very literal person. I know that our rituals are veiled in allegory and are not to be taken lieraly and I don't. I understand the value of a good story lesson, but all this stuff about the importance of the way they are situated has no bearing on me. as long as the edges line up so that my OCD for attention to detail doesn't cause me to freak out in lodge then who cares how big they are or what direction they point. Now I do think that placing the square tiles on their point to look like a diamond (<>) looks better but if you think them laying flat ([]) looks better then who am I to argue.

As for the improtace of where the Wardens are....what would you say if your GL decided that they wanted the Wardens in the North? what would you do with the Tiles then? Where some one sits in a Room has no bering. Look at the Pres of the US in some meeting rooms his seat is at the head of the table and in others the middle. Zero bering on who he is cause hes still the president of the US!
 

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
Rip, just because it isn't on your bookshelf doesn't mean there aren't interested Brethren or Petitioners. The two Brethren responsible for the floor you walk every month were well-versed in such theories as James puts forth. Similar presentations are what gave Cerrillos its "esoteric" reputation many years ago.
Fact or fiction, myth or legend, it still has bearing on the form and function of the Lodge from a research standpoint.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
I understand that. Just some of the stuff is so far out there that someone coming here for info might be scared or people looking to prove we are what the conspiracies say we are would be have evidence

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Rip, there are lots of theories out there about what Freemasonry is and is not, members make of it what they wish within the constraints of landmarks and logic (and sometimes faith). ... (Sometimes with little constraint and a need to make Freemasonry fit their own value or spiritual and even cosmogical system ).... There are lots of Brothers who buy into the sorts of ideas James talks of and Brother JC makes a good point. You might have brothers close to you who don't talk to you about this stuff because you're not into it, just like there might be a small group of bros in your lodge who talk golf or ballet- if you bag their hobby, they will not bring it up around you....

I think some of Bro James ideas are way out there - but I also think some of his weird ideas were in the minds of some of our brethren when they designed our lodges. It's evident. Why do we even bother to use the four cardinal points of the compass to designate sides of the room ? It's weird. But no more weird as an atheist would think me praying is: its all relative. Just as Coach might say it's all theatre and play acting. At the end of the day, it's ALL theory and applying a scientific method to them is good... ie look at the evidence and be critical but open minded, but recognize (and distinguish) fact from theory, distinguishing between the two often leads to "debate" or flame wars :) Even if the world is round, understanding the historical significance of the once widely held belief it was flat helps us understand some of the decisions and other beliefs of those that held that view....

My worry with putting ideas like James's out there is not that it will be taken as fact rather than theory, but that an inquiring mind who joins will not find his like in the lodge he joins.... but if he looks around, he'll find others examining the same ideas....

Me, now our pavements are generally custom made carpets. Most pavements have squares as does our ritual, but my lodge and several others have triangles.. I must do some research on the logic or if it's something amusing like they were cheaper to buy :)

I hold hope for my Bro James; he said recently he's learning the Final in the Third... Ours has the line. " the connection of our whole system and the relative dependants of its several parts"... i'm hoping James moves on from his second degree fixation :p
 

Bloke

Premium Member
I think the brethren that struggle with my interest in the FC degree would prefer that I do not write about what I see in the MM ritual.
*smiles*

Thanks Bro James. I did refer the guy I was speaking of recently via PM to the other esoteric board you spoke of... he gave us a 60 minutes talk on where i think you would go with that statement. You need to get on his newsletter list..
 

Bloke

Premium Member
When I was asked to rejoin Masonry I phoned the secretaries of local lodges until I found one that was reading the same sorts of books as myself. So I joined that lodge and am still there.

Wise. I find groups with your approach tend to congregate which is a good thing. There is a small study circle here in Melbourne whose object is Kabbala interpretation of Freemasonry and the world... it's not for me, but does not mean its any less valid than other paradigms.
 
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