Tradition
Freemasonry
A fraternal initiatic system structured into lodges, dating in its modern form to early eighteenth-century Britain, with elaborate ritual, moral instruction, and a global organisational footprint.
Freemasonry is a fraternal order organised into local lodges that operate under regional or national governing bodies known as Grand Lodges. Members are initiated through a sequence of degree rituals and pledged to a system of moral instruction expressed through the symbolism of stonemasonry.
The fraternity does not present itself as a religion, although members are typically required to profess belief in a Supreme Being. It has no central international authority; instead, recognition between Grand Lodges is negotiated bilaterally.
