What does the "Checkered Pavement" Symbolize?

[Roy_]

I just used Google translator because I didn't know the English equivalent. I have that more often

Google has "tessallated" as 'mosaiced', but that is not what I tried to translate. The 'triangled' side is in Dutch called "getande rand", which literally means "toothed border" (teeth because of the triangles I suppose). The outside of the checkered floor where the squares are cut in half. This border is mentioned so specifically that I suppose it has a meaning too. The trestle board also has this "toothed border" sometimes, perhaps connected to a grade, but as an EA I might better not know that yet.

 

[crono782]

Right, what I'm trying to say is that both of what we are saying is referencing the triangled tiled border. Perhaps an early misnomer, who knows. What I should've said was "roughly equivalent to *our* tessellated", but we are talking about the same thing.

 

[Roy_]

Our instructions would make a floor look like this:

But it is more like this:

(filling the entire floor and without the outer white and black borders, so the last triangles make the 'teeth'.)

Anybody any idea of arguments for either design?

 

[crono782]

I've seen both here as well. Since as you said the explanation does not distinguish the angle of the squares, I believe both work for the meaning. In the top image, it appears that they used both interpretations of "tessellated" AND "tassellated", hah. In the bottom image, purely from an artistic standpoint, you could not really do the triangle patterned border given the diagonal layout of the checkers so artistic license was used in giving it a solid border. Such is similar to how my lodge room is laid out. Although if you subscribe to the idea that the original wording was indeed "tassellated", then the patterned border doesn't make sense and a solid one is perhaps more representative than the other.

This far removed from the original founders of the Order, I can't say there is more or less merit to one or the other. They are artistically different, but convey the same meaning. Are they not symbols after all anyway, to be taken allegorically rather than literally? Again, I think a large part of it comes down to artistic license maybe.

 

[Roy_]

Of course they're symbols. At some point at designing a temple, somebody has got to think of how to make the floor though. In any case, my feeling (as a green EA) is that this is what was 'meant':

(see the floor in the temple and the border)

Especially when you think of 'walking square' it is more logical to follow a line. From an esthetic point of view, I prefer the diagonal variant though.

That will be all for today from me for today (Perhaps I have lead this thread too far off-topic already anyway.)

Thank you for your thoughts.

Roy

 

[dfreybur]

I take the tessellated border as the side liner brethen at a tiled meeting. We all face inward towards the altar. This is one of many symbols for isolating the events within a tiled meeting from the events outside in the profane world. In the image of the tessellated border we physically turn our backs to the profane outside world as a symbol for metaphorically functioning trying to emulate a place not made by hand.

Outside of our square is the mundane world. It's not checked because it's morality is foggy and gray. Inside out square in the mystical space of the tiled meeting. It's checked because we teach right from wrong. At the center is the altar, the great lights that set the perfected example of actual good that we try to learn and practice during our time here as flawed beings striving to divest ourselves of our flaws.

The same symbol appears in multiple places. The perambulation march spirals the candidate from outside in the profane world to inside as a part of the mystical bond. Jurisdictions that have officers walk inspecting each brother those officers serve as proxies drawing the members from the outside to the inside. The knocks on the door before and after the tiler opens a transaction with the outside are the crackling of a seal being broken and restored as well as the scripture reference about knocking.

So what do the triangles mean? We're the people trying to be squares. We're the ones who have been shown the direction, and that direction is inward both in the lodge and in our hearts.

 

[Warrior1256]

I take the tessellated border as the side liner brethen at a tiled meeting. We all face inward towards the altar. This is one of many symbols for isolating the events within a tiled meeting from the events outside in the profane world. In the image of the tessellated border we physically turn our backs to the profane outside world as a symbol for metaphorically functioning trying to emulate a place not made by hand.

Outside of our square is the mundane world. It's not checked because it's morality is foggy and gray. Inside out square in the mystical space of the tiled meeting. It's checked because we teach right from wrong. At the center is the altar, the great lights that set the perfected example of actual good that we try to learn and practice during our time here as flawed beings striving to divest ourselves of our flaws.

The same symbol appears in multiple places. The perambulation march spirals the candidate from outside in the profane world to inside as a part of the mystical bond. Jurisdictions that have officers walk inspecting each brother those officers serve as proxies drawing the members from the outside to the inside. The knocks on the door before and after the tiler opens a transaction with the outside are the crackling of a seal being broken and restored as well as the scripture reference about knocking.

So what do the triangles mean? We're the people trying to be squares. We're the ones who have been shown the direction, and that direction is inward both in the lodge and in our hearts.

Sounds good and makes sense.

 

[Roy_]

Thank you Doug for your thoughts. It makes a nice symbolism of it all.

As our instructions say nothing of a checkered 'portion' of the floor, our lodgeroom has the complete floor tiled. Of course your description goes well for a threstle board with a tessellated border (around which we form the chain of union).

 

[twhaley67]

I was told it symbolizes many things, opposites in nature. Day and night, light and dark, good and evil, etc.