# Why is it called a Blue Lodge?



## Blake Bowden (Apr 16, 2014)

Why have we adopted blue into the lodge name? Where does it come from? What does it represent and mean? I’m glad you asked!

The mother of all Freemasonry. The place where every man begins his journey into the Ancient Craft of Free and Accepted Masons. “The Blue Lodge” - It has been here in America that the term “Blue Lodge” has become popularized and so widely used. Originally, it was frowned upon, and Lodges were called, Craft Lodges or  Ancient Craft Lodges, some were even called a St. Johns Lodge.   

According to Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia, there may be a number of reasons why symbolic lodges are called Blue Lodges. Since ancient times, the color blue has been associated with immortality, eternity, and fidelity. References to the color blue in the Bible emphasize the special place blue has as a color symbolizing goodness and immortality. The Druids also honored the color while the ancient Egyptians used the color to represent Amun, one of their most important gods. The ancient Babylonians associated the color blue with the gods. In Medieval times, Christians saw blue as the symbol of perfection and hope, and well as of immortality and fidelity.  It is not known when blue first came to be associated with Freemasonry, although some historians think that initially the color was used in Craft Masonry to represent the sky. Today, blue for Masons symbolizes brotherhood and symbolizes the fact that Masons should seek out virtues as extensive as the blue dome of heaven.

Albert Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry under “Blue” has further light to share. He says “Blue is emphatically the color of Masonry. It is the appropriate tincture of the Ancient Craft degrees. 

The Hebrew word for blue when referring to spiritual matters is tekhelet התכלת derived from a root word meaning perfection.

It is well known that among the ancients, initiation into the mysteries and “perfection” are synonymous terms and this is why blue is the appropriate color for the greatest of all the systems of initiation the world has ever known, The Ancient Blue Lodge Craft.” 

Beyond the allegory and symbolism of the color blue, there is the reality of millions of men who have experienced things beyond themselves, transformed and evolved into their highest potentials, reached even further to give the same to other men, while standing in and being a member of a Blue Lodge.  

It is said over and over again, “There is no other degree “higher” than the third degree and being a Master Mason. There is no higher distinction in our entire institutional Fraternity! ” With that being said, we all should remember, support and love our Blue Lodges, where we began as good men and through the motherly love of our Ancient Craft Lodge, we were brought into the world anew….literally brought from the dark to the light, to rise as GREAT MEN!

Source: Sotoyome-Curtis Masonic Lodge


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## Montana_Mason3777 (Apr 17, 2014)

Blake Bowden said:


> Why have we adopted blue into the lodge name? Where does it come from? What does it represent and mean? Iâ€™m glad you asked!
> 
> The mother of all Freemasonry. The place where every man begins his journey into the Ancient Craft of Free and Accepted Masons. â€œThe Blue Lodgeâ€ - It has been here in America that the term â€œBlue Lodgeâ€ has become popularized and so widely used. Originally, it was frowned upon, and Lodges were called, Craft Lodges or  Ancient Craft Lodges, some were even called a St. Johns Lodge.
> 
> ...





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## bighap (Apr 20, 2014)

Very informative brother.


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## brother josh (Apr 20, 2014)

Like wise I to enjoyed reading this 


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## Joey (May 21, 2014)

Thanks for sharing. That was quite informative. 


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## thenslee (May 21, 2014)

Good information.   Thanks

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## jdcortlandt268 (Jun 1, 2014)

Ily it

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## ARizo1011 (Aug 16, 2014)

Very informative! Thanks brother! Definitely will share at lodge. I'm sure most brothers would love to here this thread read aloud.


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## Warrior1256 (Aug 17, 2014)

Thanks for the continuing Masonic education. As an new MM I need all the help that I can get.


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## amaya14 (Nov 21, 2014)

Thank you brother,

great educational for mr also being a new MM as well.. hope this will help to bring back the upsent brothers in the lodge that only want to get the title and not support their blue lodge where they were raised..


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## bezobrazan (Nov 21, 2014)

Thanks for posting that, the more I learn about the Craft, the more I love being a part of it.


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## Jacques Maritz (Dec 12, 2014)

Another piece of wisdom added to my collection........thank you. For more on FM in South Africa visit www.glsa23.co.za


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## Bro. Staton (Dec 12, 2014)

Very good read and thanks for sharing.....


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## Sammcd (Dec 25, 2014)

Thank you Brother, great information.


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## Ghost (Feb 21, 2015)

Good information. Thanks


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## dlee12882 (Feb 24, 2015)

Great article. It is imperative that we, as members of the Craft, continue to dedicate time and effort into the Blue Lodge. There are many distractions nowadays that can quickly shift the focus of the most dedicated Brethren therefore providing a strong, educated, ritual perfect, Blue Lodge is crucial to the future of our fraternity. Thanks for sharing.


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## Roy Vance (May 14, 2015)

Good article, Brother Blake. May I share with my lodge?


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## Willaim Perkins (May 18, 2015)

Blake Bowden said:


> Why have we adopted blue into the lodge name? Where does it come from? What does it represent and mean? I’m glad you asked!  I have wondered and thanks our the explination.
> 
> The mother of all Freemasonry. The place where every man begins his journey into the Ancient Craft of Free and Accepted Masons. “The Blue Lodge” - It has been here in America that the term “Blue Lodge” has become popularized and so widely used. Originally, it was frowned upon, and Lodges were called, Craft Lodges or  Ancient Craft Lodges, some were even called a St. Johns Lodge.
> 
> ...


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## Ripcord22A (May 18, 2015)

In OR the CHs place is.on the north side if the lodge.  However he doesnt sit in the north even though the layout of the.lodge shows that he should


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## harveym (May 23, 2015)

I've been wondering the same thing . this was useful information


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## hanzosbm (Jun 5, 2015)

Another theory I came up with recently is tied into part of the Lodge Furniture, specifically the I. T.. 

http://www.masonic-lodge-of-education.com/mosaic-pavement.html

If we assume that the I.T. was/is a cord that went around the Lodge and that in the book of Numbers that tassels were to contain blue threads, this could have the effect of having the color blue wrapped around the Lodge.  Nothing definitive, but a theory.


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## Ripcord22A (Jun 5, 2015)

It?


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## dfreybur (Jun 6, 2015)

JamestheJust said:


> In my view the question is better framed:  which color blue?
> 
> And having identified the color reasonably accurately then it is easier to discover what it veils.



I'm a guy.  Put two patches before me and I can tell apart very fine gradations of color.  What I can't do is *care* about very fine gradations of color.  It's *blue*.

To me your question about "which color blue" may as well be in Sanskrit.  I don't know how many other guys feel that way.  Probably a lot.


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## coachn (Jun 6, 2015)

I: Why is it called a Blue Lodge?
R: It's only called that when it gets depressed.


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## Ripcord22A (Jun 6, 2015)

We Aren't talking about the word color we are talking about a color.  So once again you post makes no sense.....where do u hail from james the just?


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## coachn (Jun 6, 2015)

jdmadsenCraterlake211 said:


> We Aren't talking about the word color we are talking about a color.  So once again you post makes no sense.....where do u hail from james the just?


Are you asking what his Lodge and Grand Lodge is?


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## coachn (Jun 6, 2015)

JamestheJust said:


> From this we might consider that the use of color in Masonry is a form of veiling.


Or, it's merely another form of really effective mood lighting ;-)


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## Ripcord22A (Jun 6, 2015)

coachn said:


> Are you asking what his Lodge and Grand Lodge is?


Yes


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## STETSON (Jun 8, 2015)

Very interesting, will share with my lodge.


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## LAMason (Jun 8, 2015)

JamestheJust said:


> Is it worth pointing out that the word "color" also means to alter or contaminate, as in "it colored his view of the world"?
> 
> From this we might consider that the use of color in Masonry is a form of veiling.
> 
> Here again we are considering the genuine secrets.


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## LAMason (Jun 8, 2015)

jdmadsenCraterlake211 said:


> We Aren't talking about the word color we are talking about a color.  So once again you post makes no sense.....where do u hail from james the just?


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## William Herzig (Jun 17, 2015)

Blake Bowden said:


> Why have we adopted blue into the lodge name? Where does it come from? What does it represent and mean? I’m glad you asked!
> 
> The mother of all Freemasonry. The place where every man begins his journey into the Ancient Craft of Free and Accepted Masons. “The Blue Lodge” - It has been here in America that the term “Blue Lodge” has become popularized and so widely used. Originally, it was frowned upon, and Lodges were called, Craft Lodges or  Ancient Craft Lodges, some were even called a St. Johns Lodge.
> 
> ...


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## William Herzig (Jun 17, 2015)

Enjoyed the article.  A comment on the color blue in regard to "The Hebrew for Blue".  Tekhelet or T'cheleth referred to the blue thread in the Tallit or  fringed Prayer Shawl worn during prayers and its aim in arousing direct awareness of Divine Presence.  A single blue thread was to be sewn on each corner of the garment because this blue resembles the color of the sea, and the sea resembles the color of the heaven and the heaven resembles the "Color of G-d's Throne of Glory".  The sight of this colors will thus induce a mental vision of the Divine Presence.  The color is no longer used today in the Tallit because the dye for the blue referred to in the Torah was extracted from the chilozon which is presently unknown but thought to be a kind of sea life, but the significance of the color is still retained.  This information was obtained from lectures by Rabbi Immanuel Schochet (1935–2013). I wish I was this smart.


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## Bro. S.Brown (Jul 28, 2015)

Very informative...thanks, Brother!


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## hanzosbm (Jul 28, 2015)

Another possibility;

Going back to what was housed in the Sanctum Sanctorum, there are some traditions that say that the tablets were made of blue stone.

https://kbonikowsky.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/were-the-10-commandment-tablets-blue/


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## GKA (Aug 2, 2015)

It has been speculated that the reference to blue is related to the Scottish Blue Blanket, a banner which tradition claims was carried in the Crusades, this banner is the oldest known object with Masonic affiliation.
It is also called the Craftsman's Banner, or Blanket depending on sources, and is mentioned in 1543 in documents. It is described in detail by Alexander Pennecuik in his work An historical account of the craftsman's banner 1722


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## coachn (Aug 3, 2015)

Interesting words assigned to the color blue...

http://writeworld.org/post/31239117987/symbolism-for-the-symbolically-challenged


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