This month’s issue of Masonic Education is about “The All-Seeing Eye” with information provided in a booklet from our Grand Lodge’s Seminars and Workshop Committee.
From the booklet – A Walk Around the Lodge
“The Mosaic Pavement”
The Mosaic Pavement is an old and familiar symbol in Masonic Lodges. It appears in Masonic ritual as far back as the early 1800s. Our fraternity’s traditions inform us that the floor of the Temple of Solomon was decorated with black and white stones. There is no direct evidence to support this statement, but in the early artists’ drawings of the temple, the floors of the building as well as the outer courts are shown as being covered with just such a pavement. Indeed, mosaic pavement was very popular and commonly found among ancient cultures. In later centuries, the black and white checkered pavement was used in many churches and cathedrals.
The symbolic meaning connected to our Mosaic Pavement has been interpreted in many different ways. The striking pattern forcibly reminds us of the checkered nature of human life. The good times and happy days sometimes suddenly give way to sadness and despair, the ups and downs of being human. Our daily existence can be pleasant and satisfying surrounded by family and friends, but the heat can also be intense and the way hard owing to the many burdens to be carried.
The wise man recognizes the uncertainty of human life, praises his Creator for the many blessings of the good days and relies on His support to get him through the bad times. The Star in the centre of the Mosaic Pavement is a sure reminder that God, the Great Architect of the Universe is the centre of all things here below and should be the centre of our lives as well. The Tasselated Border in our Masonic ritual is the symbol of His blessings which constantly surround us.
Our Mosaic Pavement, too, should remind us of the rhythms and patterns of the world. Night and day, winter and summer, cloud and sun, patterns that seem endless. And yet, to the pavement, there is a limit, a border. We would do well to remember that just as the tiles are numbered, so too are our days numbered and we must live our lives accordingly – to use wisely our 24 inch gauge – to apportion the day with prayer, labour refreshment and sleep.
Each time we look at this pavement or walk upon its surface, let us think on these things and be humbly thankful for the days that have been given to us.
R.W. Bro. Robert South