Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I: What Is Freemasonry? 9

Chapter 1: Lodges, Aprons, and Funny Handshakes: Freemasonry 101 11

Chapter 2: From Cathedrals to Lodge Rooms: A History of the Freemasons 21

Chapter 3: The Philosophy of Freemasonry 55

Chapter 4: Politics, Religion, and Freemasons: They Don’t Mix 63

Part II: The Inner Workings of Freemasonry 89

Chapter 5: How the Freemasons Are Organized: Who Does What and Why 91

Chapter 6: The Ceremonies of Freemasons 115

Chapter 7: The Symbols of Freemasonry 129

Chapter 8: Myths and Misconceptions about Masons 151

Part III: When One Lodge Isn’t Enough: The Appendant Bodies 163

Chapter 9: Introducing the Appendant Bodies: Who’s Who, and Who Isn’t 165

Chapter 10: The York Rite 181

Chapter 11: The Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite 203

Chapter 12: Shriners International 221

Chapter 13: The Extended Masonic Family 231

Part IV: Freemasonry Today and Tomorrow 249

Chapter 14: So Is It Still Relevant? 251

Chapter 15: Freemasons and the Future 259

Chapter 16: So You Want to Become a Freemason 267

Part V: The Part of Tens 279

Chapter 17: Ten Groups of Famous Masons 281

Chapter 18: Ten Amazing Conspiracies, Anti-Masons, and Hoaxes 289

Chapter 19: Ten Cool Masonic Places 301

Part VI: Appendixes 305

Appendix A: The Regius Manuscript 307

Appendix B: Anderson’s Constitutions 329

Appendix C: Finding a Lodge 335

Index 347

About the Author

Christopher Hodapp has been an active Freemason and board member in his home state of Indiana for many years and holds memberships in several national Masonic organizations. He has written numerous articles and has contributed to several documentaries about Masonry. He is editor of the Journal of the Masonic Society and has authored and co-authored several books on the topic including The Templar Code For Dummies and Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies.