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What is a Mason, and What Do Masons Do?

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Masonry is one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the world. The actual date of incorporation of the first masonic lodge is not clear since the actual origins have been lost in time. Masonry more than likely arose from from the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages. The rise of masonry was almost certainly influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy Land. Local organizations ofMasons are called lodges.

The first recorded formal Grand Lodge was founded in 1717 in England.In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization in England when the first Grand Lodge was formed. A Grand Lodge is the administrative body in charge of Masonry in some geographical area. In the United States, there is a Grand Lodge in each state. In Canada, there is a Grand Lodge in each province. There are lodges in most towns, and large cities usually have several. There are about 13,200 lodges in the United States.

Many of the founding fathers of the United States were Freemasons, including Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere, Joseph Warren, and John Hancock. Freemasons played an important part in the Revolutionary War and some of the most important resulting American documents, such as the Bill of Rights and the actual U.S. Constitution. The tenets of the infantdemocracy were often debated in Masonic lodges.

Masonry is more than simply a group of men joining an service organization, although that certainly is one prong of the Masonry. Freemasons believe in certain tenets, such as:

Since God is the Creator, all men and women are the children of God.
Because of that, all men and women are brothers and sisters, entitled to dignity, respect for their opinions, and consideration of their feelings.

Each person must take responsibility for his/her own life and actions.
Neither wealth nor poverty, education nor ignorance, health nor sickness excuses any person from doing the best he or she can do or being the best person possible under the circumstances.

No one has the right to tell another person what he or she must think or believe.
Each man and woman has an absolute right to intellectual, spiritual, economic, and political freedom. This is a right given by God, not by man. All tyranny, in every form, is illegitimate.

Each person must learn and practice self-control.
Each person must make sure his spiritual nature triumphs over his animal nature. Another
way to say the same thing is that even when we are tempted to anger, we must not be violent. Even when we are tempted to selfishness, we must be charitable. Even when we want to "write
someone off," we must remember that he or she is a human and entitled to our respect. Even when we want to give up, we must go on. Even when we are hated, we must return love, or, at a minimum, we must not hate back. It isn't easy!

Faith must be in the center of our lives.
We find that faith in our houses of worship, not in Freemasonry, but Masonry constantly teaches that a person's faith, whatever it may be, is central to a good life.

Each person has a responsibly to be a good citizen, obeying the law.
That doesn't mean we can't try to change things, but change must take place in legal ways. It is important to work to make this world better for all who live in it. Masonry teaches the importance of doing good, not because it assures a person's entrance into heaven -- that's a question for a religion, not a fraternity -- but because we have a duty to all other men and women to make their lives as fulfilling as they can be.

Honor and integrity are essential to life.
Life, without honor and integrity, is without meaning. Today's modern Masons continue to practice what their forefathers laid down as basic principles of society and Masonry.

What Do the Claddagh, Celtic Knots & Other Celtic Jewelry Symbols Mean?

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Celtic jewelry has changed little from it's ancient beginnings. At one time, it was the predominant jewelry style in mid and western Europe. Celtic jewelry incorporates many symbols that give aninsight into the Celtic attitude towards life.

A true Celtic knot is a never-ending spiral, symbolizing the the interconnectedness of all life, or as Disney para-phrased it, "The Circle of Life".

Celtic jewelry employs various types of spiral designs that have various meanings: the Celtic Triple Spiral symoblizes the the Triple Goddess of ancient pagan times (maiden, mother, crone); the Celtic Double Connected Spiral symbolizes the Celtic version of yin and yang - balance and harmony; and Celtic Single Spirals represent both winter and summer, depending on which way the spirals run.

Celtic jewelry also has many other widely recognized designs that have symbolic meaning. The heart-shaped Celtic Chevron was universally recognized as a symbol of power by Celts since it closely resembled a warrior's arrowhead. The Ulster cross is an absolute work of art, a never ending single line, cross threaded and plaited, representing eternity. Celtic ropework and plaited jewelry also represent eternity and continuity of life ever-after. And, of course, the Claddagh symbol, currently riding on a wave of modern high popularity and found in every style of modern Celtic jewelry, represents the Celtic tenets of love,trust, friendship, and loyalty.

The History of the Engagement Ring

Click the CZ Engagement Ring Below to See Our High Quality Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings in Sterling Silver, Rhodium, Rose Gold, and 18K Gold!

"The History of the Engagement Ring" Contrary to modern prevailing theory, the tradition of the diamond engagement rings is not very old, and throughout it's history, engagement rings have not had any stone associated with them, much less a diamond. In fact, it's only been in the last 65 years that the mystique that an engagement must havea diamond in it has prevailed! The engagement ring has become the ultimate symbole of love, devotion, and commitment. It's a circle with no end. It's the shape of the sun and the full moon, which are ancient symbols of the constanty of life, etc. Like the wedding ring, it symbolizes unity, perfection, andeternity. The first engagement symbol was not a ring and is completely unromantic! Cavemen originated the engagement symbol by using cord to tie the hands and feet of his mate so she could not escape. Once it seemed she would stay, he loosened her feet and tied only tied her hands. When he was completely certain she was "his", he then tied the cord only around her finger. There is a theory that during ancient times 2 people were symbolically joined by (consentual) exchanging of plaited rushes, cord, or other materials, but there simply is no evidence to support this theory. The ancient Greeks began the tradition of the betrothal ring or enagement ring as we know it today. It symbolized the affection felt by a man for a woman and represented a commitment on the part of the woman to the man. Marriage was not always the end object, and this followed through to the rise of the Anglo-Saxon culture ("troweth" translates to"truth"). The emergence of the Roman Republic (449-31 BC) brought about a widespread surge in the wearing of the engagement ring. This ring was viewed as a "slave" ring, denoting that a woman belonged to a man, and many of them featured carved "key" designs, denoting that the woman had both unlocked her husband's heart and his treasury, since a woman in Roman times was entitled to 50% of her husbands assets. These rings were generally made of iron or silver. There were many restrictions on who could and could not wear rings, both engagement and otherwise, and the Emperor Justinian finally lifted thoserestrictions. By 4 AD, the Romans society had incorporated some of the Egyptian terminology and thoughts about the engagement ring. It was around this time that the Romans originated the practice of wearing the engagement ring on the 3rd finger of the left hand. These rings were called "fede" or "vena amoris" ("vein of love"), and popular thought at that time held that this "vein"ran directly to the heart. The Middle Ages saw the rise in popularity of the fede or Gimmel (engagement) ring. Lower classes often exchanged the plaited hair, woven into engagement rings and wedding bands, of their loved ones to express their eternal commitment to each other. The landed gentry and royalty also began incorporating the engagement ring and wedding band tradition into the marriage ritual. The rise in popularity of the engagement ring was probably as a result of Pope Innocent III's order in the 12th century that a wedding ring be included in the wedding ceremony and that all weddings must be held in a church proper. Although the first instance of the giving of a diamond engagement ring was first recorded in 1477 (Archdule Maximillian of Hamburg presented Mary of Burgandy with a diamond engagement ring), diamond engagement rings were not considered "traditional" until hundreds of years later, and when this fad became popular, it had very little to do with romance or papal decree. Prior to 1870, diamonds were indeed scared and a rare commodity, and very few diamond mines operated at that time. However, in 1870, a several huge, seemingly bottomless diamond mines were discovered in South Africa in 1870, and it caused quite a panic among the diamond industry, especially the diamond mine investors. The new discovery caused a flood of the diamond market, and the price was driven down dramatically. Thus was the DeBeers Diamond Mines, Ltd., headed and founded by Mr. Oppenheimer, created solely to pursue regain monopolistic control of the world's diamond supplies, most notably, the new diamond mines in South Africa. Once DeBeers gained control of the diamond supply, they then needed to find a way to manipulate and control the demand fordiamonds. As late as 1919, the diamond market was still reeling from the diamond mine discovery, and diamond prices were down over 50%. Mr. Oppenheimer's son, Harry, met in NY with Gerald Lauck of the N.W. Ayer Co. (a leading NY advertising firm), and thus was born the "tradition" of "only a diamond engagement ring will do",which persists to this day. DeBeers still controls the entirety of the world's diamond supply, and it is well know in the jewelry and diamond trade that any jeweler or gemstone seller who dares to drop their prices below the DeBeers' set "standard" faces the very real threat of having the local market where said seller sells being simply flooded by DeBeers at prices the seller could never hope to compete with. It is a simple matter for DeBeers to soak up a small loss and write it off at the end of the year, very worth while to the company to keepthe diamond industry "in line". In actuality, the rarity of the diamond is a complete myth. Diamonds are actually as plentiful as the proverbial Carter's pills! Fortunately, today's consumer is wise enough to understand how to shop the "4 C's" and is not afraid to consider high quality diamond simulants in buying that special engagement ring. Please see our page on Moissanite and Cubic Zirconia (CZ) to learn more about diamond simulants - less expensive, absolutely conflict free, and just as amazingly beautiful as thehighest quality diamond!

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