Built on Fiction: What Freemasonry Makes Up and Why It Matters
Download MP3Every symbol in the Craft is made up—and that’s what makes them powerful. In this foundational episode, we explore the idea that all Masonic language, categories, and rituals are fabrications: symbolic constructs that help us relate to a world we can never fully describe.
But fiction doesn’t mean falsehood. Just as science uses models to approximate reality, Freemasonry gives us stories and structures that allow us to build meaning, refine awareness, and live with intention—even if they’re not absolute truth.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Masonic symbols are intentionally constructed, not inherently true
- All systems—scientific, spiritual, or symbolic—are approximations of reality
- The power of Freemasonry lies not in accuracy, but in useful fiction
💬 Featured Quotes
“All the things we talk about in Freemasonry… are fabrications. They are all made up.” [00:00:23]
“They're insufficient descriptors of the way the world actually is.” [00:00:34]
“Even science—strong as its vocabulary may be—doesn’t describe truth. Only phenomena.” [00:01:00]
“We’re not going to suggest that dividing the world into black and white squares is definitive.” [00:01:24]
🔗 Explore Related Episodes
- “The Checkerboard and the Danger of Certainty”
https://podcast.amasonswork.com/episodes/the-checkerboard-and-the-danger-of-certainty
→ Explores the symbolic Pavement and how certainty can distort perception. - “The Volume of Sacred Law: Reading Without Rigidity”
https://podcast.amasonswork.com/episodes/the-volume-of-sacred-law-reading-without-rigidity
→ Encourages flexibility in interpreting foundational texts—sacred or symbolic. - “The Temple and the Lens: Why All Understanding Is Framed”
https://podcast.amasonswork.com/episodes/the-temple-and-the-lens-why-all-understanding-is-framed
→ A meditation on epistemology and the constructed nature of all understanding.
Creators and Guests
Host
Brian Mattocks
Host and Founder of A Mason's Work - a podcast designed to help you use symbolism to grow. He's been working in the craft for over a decade and served as WM, trustee, and sat in every appointed chair in a lodge - at least once :D
