THE MASONIC GAVEL Judges in courts of law are renowned throughout the world for banging their hammers on their desks to ask for order during court proceedings. The official website of the Supreme Council, 33 Degree, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, reminds us of the fact that the famous hammer and block that is utilized by the Judges are Masonic symbols. The page about Masonic symbols explains that: the gavel is surely an interesting symbol itself. It came from Masonry. The¯ Gavel represents an instrument that was utilized by operative Masons to break off of the corners of rough stones, more suitable to match them for the builders use. And as such, a gavel depicts a stone-working mallet or maul. But shortly thereafter; we learn that a gavel symbolizes higher purposes.We utilize the gavel for a more noble and glorious benefit to divest from our minds, hearts, and conscience of most vice, trappings, and superfluities of life, thereby fitting us as living stones, for that spiritual building in the house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. In other words, the gavel is utilized to chip away at those things that plague and infest our minds, to divest ourselves of whatever we perceive are shameful or reprehensible. It hews away over the imperfections with respect to the rough ashlar in us to form the ideal ashlar that we strive to become. Find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/masonicringsbyfox |
