Ideology of Freemasonry

In the name of God

To introduce ideas of Freemasonry, I bring a part of speech of Doctor Mahmoud Hooman professor of philosophy at Tehran University and a member of the Rumi Lodge. The speech was delivered in 1965 in Lausanne Convention, Switzerland at the Global Forum Freemasonry.

My brothers

We are our own architect, everyone is the architect of his own existence, and human being can reach evolution by freedom and goes towards perfection. Our internal efforts and attention towards Freemasonry has created cooperation between us.
Early man lived isolated and looked for hunt alone. In the next period the Cro-Magnon men gathered and created society, but society which was separated and enemies of each other.
The next step is the gathering of people who had the same thought and belief in Ahura Mazda. Therefore, the outer root of Freemasonry is in search of those who thought like us and the inner root is the interdependence of heart with God, then the necessary condition for human development is harmonizing inner pole of human with outer pole.
Freemasonry means the system of human education, human means perfection of humanity, because early humans were cannibals and even today there are cannibals in Tasmania, Australia.
Man does not evolve on his own but he develops in collaboration with others and turns on the light of the heart. Human perfection is that manifest its inner treasure and find him in himself. Each of us is sample of a free human, and we will progress if we persevere on our way towards perfection... "
In another internal document of Freemasonry it states:
"human being has also some faults and blames which are not his twin but they are the result of bad education adopted in the social environment, however they can be corrected with true education.
Thus, ignorance, arrogance, and ambition are the enemies of human life and are barrier of his progress towards truth and happiness.
In the document 16-52-115 (a) it is stated:
Wise man is ready to accept any correct and accurate thought with his open mind and it is the clash of ideas and opinions of which glance of fact come out.
What prevents achieving happiness? The only obstacle is ignorance which we have sometimes about the true meaning or sometimes about the ways and means that bring us happiness.
Human dignity is dependent on his morality and wisdom. Anyone who is more discerning and pays more attention to ethical principles is more human, and therefore, fighting foolish men has to be the task of every Masonry.
Schools, universities and libraries, laboratories are all tools that can be used to fight ignorance.
Freemasonry is an ancient inheritance received from the past and we try to complete it and transmit to future people so that evolution chain is continued, and this is how our thought will be primary materials of the future workers. We can succeed in this when a gene speaks to us, it means when all the natural and spiritual forces of man are prepared and ready for work and thinking.
Concentration of powers permanently, trying to understand the spiritual issues, understanding human dignity and climb to the fact are permanent tasks of every Masonry, and there is focus and power in these moments that suddenly a light jumps into the human brain and like a spotlight enlightens dark spots of idea and mind ...
According to another document of Freemasonry, the principle of goodness and kindness is the basis of all human traits, and as long as human does not find the trait in him, he cannot achieve great human degrees. In building any place normally the architect expects any material or spiritual reward, while the goal of the virtual hardware or architecture is to reach to human dignity and enhancing spiritual values...
one of Freemasonry theorists is Siamak Farzad. He writes in Freemasonry pamphlet:
There are two ways for human identification: The first way is revelation which is a direct way, but it is closed on the majority of people and is independent of rational thought. Those who can walk this way will have happy and good fate.
The second way is exclusively scientific and rational way and guides us to a place that considers human being as a part of the universe and studies him as a function of the external world. Unfortunately, the image that comes of the cosmos in this form is the picture created by our brain, and is therefore function of its structure and obeys our senses device which relates us to the outside world and rational structure which is the foundation of sensory direct views changing direct sensory, so direct shallow checking and analyzing of the things will not always allow us to say that the reality is always the same with whatever we perceive, and our interpretation of the world depends on our senses and brain 's system; in short, this is a relative picture rather than absolute.

My brothers

Our symbols are compass and square, and I will talk to you about them. Compass has two branches interconnected by a joint that form an axis. People draw a circle with a compass, and they determine its center and radius and diameter size. Becoming near and far of compass branches show different ways of reasoning and logic that according to the positions it should be wide and loose and accurate and is clear-cut in any case, and this is the symbolic meaning of accuracy in performance. If the compass reaches to 180 degrees, it is as a straight line that has no practical power.
In the Masonic the size of the compass opening is limited to 90 degrees and that is the extent to which humans should not be exceeded. Angle of 90 ° creates square which is representative of material while compass represents the power of thought on the matter.
Compass that is basic tool of mathematical works, in the hands of the great masters, is a code rather than the logic of the philosopher and is used to draw circles that include center and environment.
Compass recalls man structure that has a head and two arms that will be opened and closed by his desire. The amount of opening represents the maximum environment which the human mind is capable of imagining it and a man is not able to identify it beyond it.
Circle is a graph of Solar System. There painting from the middle Ages which show the Great Architect of the Universe that the compass in his hand draws around the world and one of the most famous of them is "William Blake".
In the image painted by Basil Valantin (rabbi of late 14th century and early 15th century) the compass is in the right hand and square is in the left hand".
In Masonic compass is the third lighting source of that turns on the podium. Other sources include the Holy Scriptures and square. Compass is dedicated to Supreme Master and is the most basic tool that is used in design operations.
they put a branch of a compass on the breast of internship where is base of conscience, and the reason why is that the volunteer should substitute dry and lifeless thinking with Mason argument and understanding with all its excellence because direct and shallow study of things does not always enable us to say that the reality is the same with that we perceive. Center of the circle is the source that shines its brightness as beam to environment of circle, and this environment is the universe which is seeable and sensible by our senses. In order to be able to identify the outside world, first we must identify ourselves, which means we shall try to get to know us first. The purer and cleaner and more spiritual and stronger our inner center gets, radiating beam out of it will be stronger to identify the outside of the circle, and thus we will be more able to walk in development path and to get closer to the secrets of world.

Doctor Hooman writes in continue:

"Strength and beauty of a building is due to two factors: a) map and materials B) combination. The combination is done by the architect. A Mason student is as raw material and his entrance into the lodge is like a free person is born, a new man, thoughtful and above the ordinary people".
Spiritually, compass is a symbol of the human mind that constantly seek to identify, so it is the sign of freedom as square is a symbol of brotherhood and the equality, and it is sign of Libra.
Knowledge of material is two hundred years old, but human science has lasted more than five thousand years. Twenty-six centuries ago, philosophers have demonstrated identifying the man and they have not reached a higher point to this day, but this identification is provided. It can be reasonably assumed that ethical estimates are surer than scientific speculation although it might not be stated in a beautiful language.
in the degree of mastership, tips of compass are placed on the right and left chest, and this will teach him that as the most vital organs are located in the chest, most valuable Masonic principles are placed between the tips of compass as a code including virtue, morality, love and brotherhood.
Compass determines relations between a free building with other twins and especially his Masonic brothers and it also represents fairness and certainty of God's justice who has set the borders of good and evil for human guidance.
When the square and compass come to the intersection it indicates that the man is a combination of spirit and matter that Abrahamic religions (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) also say the same thing.
Because the compass is symbols of thought and square is symbol of the matter, the situation of their placement first depicts authority of that matter over thought and secondary balance and in the third degree it shows development of spirituality and thought.
Center of the circle represents the soul and spirit of man which is recognizing focus and set light on things and reflects ideas, and environment represents human identification fields which their field is limitless because the environment is whole the nature.