Freemasonry: The Naked Truth

Lodge can have two meanings. The first is the grouping of its constituent members. In this case, it can also be called a Workshop. When we say "the Brothers and Sisters of my Lodge", it refers to the community of Brothers and Sisters with whom you work every month. The members who have the degree of Master Mason will vote every year to elect those who will occupy certain positions. These elected officials are called "Officers of the Lodge".

The actual venue of meetings is also called a Lodge, but it is frequently also called a Temple. This latter term is generally a place where a religion is practised. However, in its Latin definition, the Temple is what separates the sacred from the profane. It could almost be a pleonasm, since profane comes from profanum, which means in front of the sacred place. So we have a duality between the sacred and the ordinary. Following the tradition of the operative workers of the Middle Ages, we use the term Lodge to refer to the Masonic workplace. The original Lodge was a small wooden hut that was built against the cathedral under construction. It was used as a place of meeting, resting, training and protection because it felt safe.

It is also important to know that the Masonic Lodge is managed by two levels of authority, the profane and the sacred.