A temple maconnic is a place where the Franc-Maçons meet to celebrate their ritual within the framework of what they name of the held . It symbolically reproduces the Temple of Solomon. Its design, its fitting and its decoration obey rules precise symbolic systems.
Maconnic design and fitting of the temple
The decoration and the fitting of the temple will exert an influence marked on the spirit of the brothers who will meet there to work, to meditate.It is not a luxurious room and nor a simple meeting room: it is a crowned place. The temple consists of a part of only one holding and without windows, because the first masons met in a cave. Of rectangular form (long square: adjoncton of two squares whose centers represent the two equinoxes), it is ideally directed of occident in the East (of west in is) over its length, of north (northern) at midday over its width, of nadir with the zenith on its height, which means that freemasonry is universal and that the temple is the image of cosmos. It is dimensioned according to the golden section or gilded proportion, i.e. there exists a set of reports/ratios such as more small portion of a line is in the same report/ratio with largest than largest with the whole: this ideal report/ratio is equal to 1,618033 and its reverse with 0,618 what is equivalent to report/ratio 3/5. If it is not it physically, it is it in any event symbolically.
Before entering the temple, the brothers, after having signed the book of the presences, will meet in the hall where the Worthy Master will ask for to the Master Ceremonies of make penetrate in the temple (by striking three times) the brothers present by order of rank: Apprentice, then Companion, then Main, then Officers and in the last, the Worthy Master. The door of the temple is located on the west coast (occident); the opposite part is named the East, where the plate of the Worthy Master as well as the Luminous Delta is located, which means that the brothers while entering by the occident will move symbolically towards the Light. The parts left and right-hand side when one looks towards the East are respectively named north (northern) and midday (southern). The ascending part of the vertical of the place is the zenith and the downward part is to nadir it. The door of the temple is ornamented of two hollow columns to chapitaux decorated lilies and crowned half-opened grenades: these fruits with the symmetrically arranged grains symbolize the maconnic family whose members are harmoniously connected by the spirit of order and fraternity. The left-hand column bears the name of Boaz (which means “in the force”) and that of right-hand side bears the name of Jakin (which means “it will establish”): both joined together mean that God establishes in the force, firmly, the temple and the religion of which it is center. For a new initiate, this door constitutes the most important first and of a voyage or route without end, in order to discover the Light. While passing between these two columns, one leaves the profane world, manner of thought egoistic, and one enters a place of freedom, tolerance, fraternity, justice and equity. The temple should not comprise any window open on outside. The ceiling is ideally curvature and decorated like a vault of heaven (blue or black dark color, stars). A plumbline is suspended above the center of the temple. The ground is made of a mosaic sett paving, either on its totality, or at least on a central rectangle ideally dimensioned by the Golden section.
In the occident, on both sides of the door, two named columns are Jakin and Boaz - initial JB at the entry of a building generally indicates the presence of a temple maconnic. According to the rites, they are placed differently: with the Scottish Rite, Boaz is in north and Jakin at midday; it is the reverse with the rites French and Egyptian.
With the East, one finds a estrade elevated, which one reaches by at least three steps. Balustrades on both sides of the staircase separate the East from the remainder of the temple.
With the rites Scot and Egyptian - but not with the French rite - are three pillars in the center of the temple, forming a right-angled triangle which, if one adds a third point (generally named invisible pillar ), form a rectangle ideally dimensioned by the golden section. The pillars are laid out towards the south-eastern, south-western and north-western corners; the invisible pillar is thus symbolically laid out with the north-eastern corner.
With north as at midday, one finds, along the walls, of the seats or benches on which the masons take seat. Two offices, named plates , are laid out against the balustrades of the East, in north and the south, facing. Another office/plate is laid out close to the column to north, facing the East. With the French and Egyptian rites, a fourth plate is laid out close to the southern column, also making vis-a-vis the East. At the Scottish rite, this fourth plate is located in the middle of the seats and benches of midday, facing north. These four plates are occupied by officers of the cabin. Lastly, a seat is laid out between the columns, just beside the door, where assied the Couvreur , guard of the temple.
With the East, one finds other seats and three plates: largest, in the medium and vis-a-vis the occident, is that of the Vénérable Master , president of the cabin. In the south and north, against the balustrade and facing, two other plates occupied by other officers are.
Decoration of the temple
The decoration of the temple is also codified. A part is fixed, but certain elements change according to the behavior which proceeds there, of its ritual and sound Degré maconnic.A climbing climbing rope surrounds the temple below the ceiling, along the walls of the East, north and midday. On the Eastern wall, behind the plate of Worthy, an isosceles triangle named luminous delta , a sun and the moon are represented, are named luminaries .
With the second degree maconnic, one finds on the Western wall, on the northern side of the door, a luminous star with five branches named blazing star . With higher degrees, hangings of black or red color can be tended on the walls.
See too
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