Freemasonry: A Very Short Introduction - Andreas Önnerfors 2017

Organizational culture

The global success of freemasonry as a voluntary association lies in its well-organized internal structure. By 1723, the masonic foundational rules for organization had already been outlined and codified, and would last for centuries to come. Within a few decades, freemasonry had developed solid structures, from the local lodge to the regional/provincial level to the grand lodge at the national level, which in turn regulated relationships with grand lodges in other territories/countries.

From around 1720 onwards, the masonic movement spread quickly from London to the continent, representing a particularly British form of sociability at a time when Anglomania was in vogue. The English grand lodge, moreover, claimed the right to define and certify the ’regularity’ of masonic bodies throughout Europe and the world, an ambition that intensified considerably after 1760. Within this concept of regularity, both ethical and organizational standards were defined, to which most of the masonic bodies in Europe voluntarily subscribed, although diverged from them at their own discretion. And it is important to stress this divergence, as freemasonry was never an international organization with a single headquarters, an overruling governing body, and a truly consistent ideology. As such freemasonry was adapted to a large variety of local contexts—religious as much as cultural—in the process of cultural transfer, with key features being seen across the globe.

As discussed earlier, the smallest organizational unit, the lodge, was ruled by a master and officers (who were elected in most cases) and it staged meetings in which new members were admitted by a ritual of initiation. Knowledge of freemasonry was conferred through a number of degrees (originally three, but considerably more later on) and through instructions and orations. A lodge would charge a membership fee and raise money by various other means for the carrying out of charitable projects. These projects were originally intended to assist members or relatives of the group who were in distress, but this was expanded over the centuries to include the wider society. Each lodge kept records of its meetings, correspondence, finances, and members, to whom certificates of membership were issued in order to facilitate mobility between the global network of lodges. Formal lodge meetings were generally followed by or contained a time of conviviality: a ritualized meal with rules for toasts and songs as well as formal openings and closings. Many lodges engaged in cultural events that would be open to the general public, such as concerts, theatre performances, balls, and other diversions. They also arranged public processions and ceremonies on the occasion of important festivities, the laying of foundation stones, and masonic funerals.

A lodge would normally seek formal approval (’constitution’ through a warrant) from a higher masonic authority and then join that body as a corporate member, a (provincial) sub-branch. However, there are many examples of lodges and similar local units, both masonic and quasi-masonic, that have not followed this protocol of seeking approval. Regional formats of organization in lodges tend to be relatively transparent and consistent with each other, but on a more national or international level, the organizational principles become complex and at times contradictory, being affected by the political ambition and personal preferences of the lodge organizers.