That Tracing Board is beautiful. It's an inspiring piece of artwork. I like the spheres atop Jachin and Boaz.

The symbols of world religions across the bottom... well, that would get you hung from a bridge here in the South. I can't imagine this artwork being allowed in any Blue Lodge I've ever been in. Besides it truly showing tolerance for all faiths and religions, there's the matter-of-fact problem of where to hang it. Velvet pictures of Jesus and gaudy photos of Grand Lodge officers already take up the prime wall space, you know.

(You Brothers from outside the South think I'm making this stuff up, don't you?)


Widow's Son
The Burning Taper

I like the older Trestleboards and think that they should be used more. Your "updated" version is great! Let's see some more...

Rick
Ars Masonica

Excellent Brother......
Art is a wonderful thing
Check out the new post at my blog if your not familair with max heindel's Casting of the Molten Sea by Hiram Abiff
i think you'll like it.

Greetings of Peace:
Wonderful artwork! As a spiritual person, may I commend to you my book, Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel, a mystical adventure tale on the Sufi path of Love. You can view the book and read reviews and an excerpt at http://www.masterofthejinn.com
The art also reminds me of the stations on the Sufi path :)

Many Blessings!

Brother Greg,

Your Tracing Board may be more up-to-date than you realize.

According to old Masonic documents, the Perfect Ashlar depicted in your tracing board was not one of the symbols of original English Freemasonry. There was no Perfect Ashlar, only the Rough Ashlar, representing Man in his God-created natural state.

The Perfect Ashlar originally was written "perpend" or "perpined" or even "purple" ashlar, and meant "perpindicular."

The perpindicular ashlar was the rough ashlar, placed outside a Lodge (symbolically), standing upright (perpindicular) as if a grave marker, standing over a plot of ground six feet by three feet, where "under a green divit" lies a key.

The mistaken introduction of the concept of a "perfect" (as in smooth) ashlar has led Masonry to adopt the Christian belief that we are born imperfect, and that something (Freemasonry or Christianity?) will make us smooth and square (either through the use of Masonic tools or accepting Jesus). This has confused the issue and the true nature of Masonic teachings.

In the chapter that gives us the traditional "ten commandments," it is written: "And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it."

Some have taken this passage, which is a commandment just as "official" as the official Ten, to show that the Rough Ashlar -- un-hewn, un-worked by tools -- is indeed perfect, the way the Creator has made us. Our Masonic tools may be needed to clean the debris of life that sticks to us, or to chisel away the residue buildup of the world from us, getting us back to our natural (rough, god-designed) state.

The Perfect Ashlar seems to have been introduced into Masonic symbolism sometime after the 1751 "takeover" of Masonry by the Antients of the older established Masons, whom the Antients called "Moderns." Antients took the "historical" King Solomon / Hiram of Tyre / Hiram Abiff allegory literally, and considered themselves the heirs of an age-old Masonic tradition handed down from Solomonic times. Moderns were the original English/French Masons of the 1600's and early 1700's, and were ursurped and displaced by the more literal-minded, less scientific-minded Antients.

When you come across old tracing boards, you can tell if it was an Antient or a Modern board by looking for a smooth (perfect) ashlar. If it appears, it's an Antient tracing board.

Widow's Son
The Burning Taper

I love the style of your 1st Deg Tracing Board. I hope you will continue the series.

I'm a Mason, but a very new one. That said, I do have some questions. These are not meant to be criticisms--I'm trying to understand the design.

Why does the Tracing Board not include the 24 inch gauge? Is that not a Working Tool of an EA?

Also, why is the Masonic symbol of square and compass included in the religious symbols at the bottom? It's already included next to the level. I thought that Freemasonry was not a religion, so its placement at the bottom seems, well, out of place. The Masonic symbol at the bottom is also larger than the other symbols. This could be taken as implying that it is superior to the other symbols.

Again, I'm fairly new to Freemasonry, but these seem to be inconsistent with what I have been taught so far.

Otherwise, this is a fine piece of artwork that I'm sure many would be proud to display.

Fantastic tracing board brother and a great site.

fraternal greetings from Paisley Scotland

Hi,
the image is pretty but so very wrong in so many ways. Each work constructs a specific narrative which illustrates the passage of the initiate. Very few aspects of the path are as pretty as your picture.

Good luck
martin
www.tracinboards.com

Hi, Congrats on the pics. but they are wrong in so many many ways.
The images are pretty but Craft illustrations depict a narrative which your pictures do not have. Are you a Freemason?

Thanks for the recent comments on my tracing boards.

To answer your question, I am a mason, and its from that background that I went about to create the modern boards. To try and help clarify them, they are not meant as a narrative board, in the sense that they shouldn't have much meaning to anyone beyond the initiate, as the images are symbolic and allegorical.

From a glance, you are right that they are not like the more ancient boards, which was how they were intended. Artistically, I think the boards have been to literal in their depiction, not giving the viewer the opportunity to try and soak in the meanings of the symbols.

Just my thoughts.

Freemasonry as far as I know is not a religion. Itis right to say that freemasonry is a brotherhood of men under the fatherhood of God.

Your "tracing board" would certainly not be welcome in my lodge. I'm not sure what you are attempting to do here. I'm so glad that Lodges in my state have the Holy Bible, the square and compasses as the "three great lights".

But, then I see you are in Hollywood. That figures.

Brother AP, I appreciate the note on the art. I'm sure they would be disagreeable in several places, especially as they strive to be ecumenical to represent the openness of Freemasonry to men of all faiths, rather than just one in particular.

But I am glad that the message of the board was communicated, even if taken in the direction opposite its purpose. Such is the beauty of art.

May I ask a question of AP, Greg? I was curious what AP sees is wrong or offensive with the Tracing Board. I really just want to know and understand.

Nick

love the art...Question to what do the three ladies allude?
JJ

Jerry,

The three ladies allude to Faith, Hope, and Charity.

Greg

What was the purpose of 9/11?

Freemasons are responsible for 9/11 and the 7/7 bombings. I hope your fucking proud of your devil worshipping ways! Because you can all go straight to hell!