Customer Reviews

Freemasonry: Symbols, Secrets, Significance

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a Master Mason and also a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason so feel qualified to give an opinion, recognizing that other may not share my viewpoint.

Masonry is not for everybody, but this book goes a long way to tell the story in a manner that many non-Mason's can understand. There is very little these days that is "secret" and our Lodge is very open, even having its installations open to the public.

I concur that Masonry is not a religion, but it does reinforce my Christian beliefs, as well as those other religions we have in our Lodge.

This is a good book, not perfect, but well worth having and reading. I am enjoying reliving much of what I learned along the way and seeing how Masons around the globe work.

I recommend this book to those wanting to know more about this great Fraternity, home to many generations of Americans, including a large number of our founding Fathers.

I would recommend this publication to particularily any new Mason or someone considering applying, as being the most complete overview of the brotherhood of Masonry I have found. It would also certainly be beneficial to some of those who have been in Masonry for awhile as a "rusty nail training" piece. The pictures and diagrams included in it are excellent quality accurately describing the rich heritage of the society. While it explains very well historical operative masonry to modern day speculative practice the author is careful to preserve the secrets within the degrees.

This is a great introduction to the WORLD (Caps added for emphasis) of Freemasonry written in plain language for the Mason and Non-Mason. The full color/black and white pictures are excellent. Brother MacNulty is a loyal Man of the Craft and shares some of his cherised thoughts about the Craft with you within the pages of this book but he is careful not to spoon feed deep esoteric knowledge about the Craft because the Craft is not designed for babies. THE CRAFT IS DESIGNED FOR MEN. We Masons will guide you and give you the tools you need to find the ultimate answers for yourself, AS A MAN! Brother MacNulty is one of the brightest Masonic stars to come out from the state of Virginia. And like me, he is a member of both American and British Freemasonry. The knowledge resulting in his dual membership is reflected in this excellent book. Read "Freemasonry; A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol, also by Brother MacNulty, for a deeper understanding of the Craft. And finally, read "The Way of The Craftsman", also by Brother MacNulty, if you are a Master Mason interested in the ESOTERIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE CRAFT. I could say more to address the funny anti-masons but will not because that would be spoon feeding.

As a Master Mason living in a country where Masonry doesn't publicly exist (China), I am always trying to find ties and ways to reenforce the Masonic learning I had when I was raised. This book is not the greatest for in-depth research, but is very comprehensive and, I feel, well organized. But that's not a reason to buy it. This is a cofee table book with lavish photography and illustrations that make it worth every penny of its purchase price. Illustrations included in this book are very comprehensive and is a great centerpiece for any masonic library.

I was originally on the fence as to whether I was going to purchase this book or not, but it was the negative reviews which finally sold it to me. During my short 34 years on the earth, I have seen over and over again that the less people understand something, the more they will try to degrade it, and based on the ignorant opinions stated, I assumed it must be a wonderful book. It is true that the book is mostly pictures. That is because the entirety of Freemasonry is based on symbolism. MacNulty doesn't give the "deep hidden meanings" behind the symbols because except for a general description given at the time of initiation, it is up to the individual to formulate his own meanings behind the symbols. This is an excellent book which gives a concise, accurate history of Freemasonry and an astounding library of paintings and photos.

I am just amazed at some of the very pointless reviews of things that get put up here. The "reviewers" criticizing this very elegant book for being a "picture book" are ignoring what a superb book with beautiful pictures it is. There has been a lot of interest in recent times in what is referred to as the "material culture" of Freemasonry. It is crucial to make this "material culture" apparent because it locates the Craft in historical ambits in which it played a significant and, by the looks of the same "material culture", a very exquisite part. I defy even the critics of Freemasonry to look at the pictures in this book and say these objects are not beautiful, and that therefore they do not refer to a philosophy of life that is correspondingly beautiful. Thus the raison d'etre for a book like this is very obvious and just, and some of the "reviewers" seem simply to have missed it. In addition, the author is a profound scholar of Freemasonry and has written a number of very significant articles and books which have advanced the scholarly investigation very meaningfully.

great coofetable book for grandpa to show the family what he is been doing every week when he meets his friends to do charitable work
but in realityland
beatiful pictures beatiful stories beatiful explanations that say basically nothing except superficial bla bla
one always wonders if the guy writing this
is leaving all the really interesting stuff, connections, persons and vital data out on purpose
to keep the profane dumbed down
or if they themselves are so dumbed down to believe the crap they are writing
hard to imagine really given that they spend a lifetime studying this stuff and still havent been able to see a bigger picture than there local lodge
so if you re looking for a historical account by even the most sloppy standards this book is rubbish
if youre looking for explanations of the esoteric meanings beyond the most obvious superficial layer of things this book is rubbish
if you re looking for anything more than a thinly veiled advertisment brochure by a devout disciple of the craft
dont buy !
if you re looking for a brief introduction with glossy pictures
and are prepared to be misled
buy !