Why the Secrets & Symbols?
"Freemasonry is a system of morality,
veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols."
On a Basic Level...
Freemasons keep secrets because the knowledge they share is special and needs to be understood in the right way. It's like a guide to becoming a better person and growing closer to God. Just like how some things in life are too precious to be shared too easily, the secrets help Freemasons learn and grow in the right way, so they can be good people and help others.
To a master: The secrets are a way of preserving the sacred teachings of the Craft, which are intended to guide us in our spiritual journey toward greater understanding of ourselves and God. They help maintain the sanctity and integrity of the wisdom we seek, ensuring that it is passed on only to those who are ready to fully comprehend and apply it in their lives. The secrets remind us of the discipline required to truly walk the path of enlightenment and service to God.
A Deeper Level of Understanding...
The secrecy within Freemasonry is deeply spiritual and symbolic, rooted in the idea that divine truth and wisdom are often too complex and profound to be fully grasped without proper preparation. Freemasons believe that God (referred to in many forms, including the Great Architect of the Universe) is the ultimate source of truth, and that accessing deeper spiritual knowledge requires a disciplined journey of personal growth, purification, and enlightenment.
The secrets, rituals, and symbols within Freemasonry are considered sacred tools that help guide members along this path of enlightenment. The secrecy preserves the sanctity of these teachings, ensuring that only those who have demonstrated their readiness—through a commitment to moral integrity, intellectual humility, and a desire to grow closer to God—are able to understand and apply the deeper meanings behind the symbols.
The act of keeping secrets is also a form of spiritual discipline. Freemasons believe that true wisdom and divine insight must be earned through both intellectual study and moral development. By maintaining secrecy, Freemasons uphold the sanctity of their sacred knowledge and prevent it from being trivialized, distorted, or misused. Ultimately, the secrecy protects the higher purposes of Freemasonry—to seek truth, serve God, and help improve society—by ensuring that only those who are truly prepared can engage with its most profound teachings.
At a high level, the secrecy in Freemasonry can be understood as a reflection of God’s own mysteries and divine nature. In many spiritual traditions, including within Freemasonry, God (the Great Architect of the Universe) is viewed as the source of ultimate wisdom and knowledge—yet, much of that wisdom is beyond human understanding or is revealed only to those who are spiritually prepared. The secrecy within Freemasonry mirrors this aspect of divine knowledge and how it is not always meant to be shared openly with everyone but rather given to those who seek and earn the right to understand it.
God’s Secrets: In theological terms, God is often said to have secrets that are hidden from humanity, not because He wants to keep them from us, but because our minds and hearts are not always ready to grasp them. In the Bible, for instance, the Apostle Paul speaks of “the mystery of God” that is hidden from the world but revealed to those who earnestly seek Him. The concept of divine secrets is also present in many esoteric and mystical traditions, which emphasize that God’s higher truths are gradually revealed through personal growth, humility, and spiritual discipline.
God’s secrets are those truths and mysteries that can only be understood through a deep relationship with Him—through prayer, meditation, and a moral life. Freemasons, in their practices and symbolism, seek to approach these divine secrets by striving to better themselves morally and spiritually, in the hope of drawing closer to God’s wisdom and understanding.
Secrecy as a Reflection of Divine Order: The secrecy in Freemasonry is a form of respect for the sacred and divine. Just as God holds some of His wisdom in secret, Freemasons understand that certain aspects of their teachings and rituals are too profound and transformative to be freely shared without proper context. They believe that the mysteries they uphold are a direct reflection of the divine mysteries, and that revealing these truths prematurely, or to those unprepared, could diminish their significance or lead to misunderstanding.
In a sense, by keeping their most sacred rituals secret, Freemasons are participating in the divine order of things—respecting the idea that knowledge, especially spiritual knowledge, should be revealed only when a person is spiritually mature enough to receive it. This is why initiation, education, and personal development are such important aspects of Freemasonry—just as God’s secrets are revealed to those who are prepared to receive them, Freemasons believe that they must also undergo a process of purification and growth to be worthy of understanding the deeper mysteries of the Craft.
Secrecy as a Pathway to Divine Truth: In this sense, the secrecy is not about exclusion but about preparation. Just as Jesus spoke in parables to convey divine truths to those with ears to hear, Freemasonry’s secrets are meant to guide the initiate on a personal journey of discovery and spiritual transformation. The secrets are not intended to keep the divine knowledge away from others but are an integral part of the spiritual discipline that helps refine the initiate’s soul and mind.
Through this process, Freemasons believe that they can eventually come closer to the divine and understand more of God’s plan for humanity. The act of keeping secrets is not seen as a barrier but as a key element of a journey—much like the mysteries of God, which are revealed in stages, as a person’s capacity for understanding grows.
In conclusion, high-level secrecy in Freemasonry reflects the way God’s divine secrets are revealed to those who earnestly seek them. The secrecy helps maintain the sanctity of the knowledge, ensuring that it is only revealed at the right time and to those spiritually prepared. Freemasonry’s respect for these secrets mirrors humanity’s reverence for the divine mysteries and reflects a shared belief in the importance of spiritual growth and readiness to access higher wisdom.