This month’s issue of Masonic Education is about “The Directions – North, East, South, West” with information provided in a booklet from our Grand Lodge’s Seminars and Workshop Committee.
From the booklet – A Walk Around the Lodge
“The Directions – North, East, South, West”
Directions in a Masonic Lodge are very important. In the Junior Warden’s lecture, it explains why lodges are situated due east and west. There are, however, other ideas and thoughts to consider when looking at directions in the lodge.
The direction EAST traditionally represents spiritual knowledge and consciousness – connected with emotions.
WEST is synonymous with rational thinking – employed in everyday affairs.
SOUTH is halfway between east and west and is the symbol of intelligence -a combination of emotion and reason. The sun is at its meridian in this direction – the brightest time of the day. In our hemisphere, most of our light comes from the southern sky.
NORTH represents ignorance and darkness – our animal instincts only.
Found in the directions in the lodge are the whole range of reactions – emotion, reason, intelligence and ignorance. We often employ the NORTH and the WEST and sometimes the SOUTH in our search for the meaning of life, but very rarely the EAST.
It is also interesting to note that in the First Degree, the Northeast Angle Charge is given half way between the NORTH and EAST. This intimates to us that there are two paths in life we can follow, either light or dark. New members of the lodge sit in the NORTH because they are not advanced in their knowledge. Also, in the old days, thieves, murderers and other evil persons were buried in the north side of the cemetery. The Rough Ashler also sits in the NORTH to represent the undeveloped, unfinished character of the newly-made Mason.
R.W. Bro. Robert South