Freemasonry comes out of the closet

GironaIn the middle of Girona's Mercadal neighborhood lies the entrance to the city's largest Masonic lodge: the Canigó workshop. Anyone expecting an opulent space, reminiscent of an American movie, will be disappointed. What might appear to be the entrance to a dark warehouse overlooking a block courtyard has, for almost three decades, been the place where some twenty fellow Masons have gathered every two weeks to hold their meetings. These are the rituals they share in the temple, an enclosed space—without windows—full of symbolism that may be surprising at first glance.

He remembers well the first time Mauricio Jiménez, mayor of Castell d'Aro, Platja d'Aro, and s'Agaró for the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), visited it. He admits he had the same "perception" as me, but that he very quickly understood the importance of the value of "humility" within Freemasonry and that to "achieve certain knowledge or reflections, you don't need great metals." Jiménez joined Canigó out of pure personal interest, without anyone suggesting it. "I hadn't even entered politics; I came from youth associations, from the business world, and I had concerns and a desire to improve the environment," he explains. "Searching online, I found the lodge's website and contacted it digitally."

Now, since the end of the year, he has led the workshop as a venerable, a symbolic role that has prompted him to take the step of "coming out of the closet," as it is known in Freemasonry to publicly declare one's membership. Being a Freemason prohibits proselytizing, but Canigó seeks to ensure that the discretion they have always maintained is not interpreted as secrecy.

This Thursday, at 7:30 p.m., the Valvi Foundation in Girona will host the talk "Debunking False Myths about Freemasonry," a roundtable "to deconstruct reality through reason." It will be the first time that Jiménez, accompanied by Josep Manel Samper and Raül López, will explain his experience and break taboos about what some consider a cult or a lobby. "It's a good time to explain what we do: after all, we are a space for philosophical reflection where each of us seeks personal improvement, to improve as an individual to be a more useful tool for society," says the mayor of Platja d'Aro.

A Catalan lodge

Girona is a city with a significant presence of Freemasons since the restoration of democracy. Some claim it is the district with the highest number of brothers per capita in the entire state. There are up to five lodges in the city alone, and a dozen in the district, with a strong presence in Figueres, where the currents of liberty, equality, and fraternity took root most strongly after the War of Independence. They expanded hand in hand with republican ideas after the Glorious War in 1868, and had a final moment in the Republic in 1868.

The Canigó Lodge was founded in 1996 and is part of the Grand Orient of Catalonia, the only lodge in the Principality with a fully Catalan vocation. Both men and women are welcome to join, although currently there are only brothers in Girona. Another Girona native from Canigó has just arrived at the head of the Grand Orient as Most Serene Grand Master: the economist and businessman Antoni Bou. Like Jiménez, he defends the "normality" of being a Freemason.

We are inside the temple, next to the plumb line hanging from the ceiling and marking the center of the universe that symbolizes this space. A celestial vault drawn on the ceiling presides over the square space, surrounded by twelve columns attached to the wall with the symbols of the zodiac. In the east, an image of the Masonic eye, a symbol of conscience. Directly in front is the table presiding over the room where the venerable brother sits with his mallet, in charge of the ritual and moderating the conversation. To the west is the entrance door, and to the north are the chairs for the apprentices and companions. To the south is where the masters sit.

Bou fluently explains the role of each brother, taking into account where he or she sits during the ritual. At least nine are necessary for it to run smoothly. It will last about two hours, and afterward, anyone who wants to can stay for dinner to maintain the brotherhood. From inside a suitcase that would fit a laptop, he takes out the attire they wear to the sessions: a white apron—a kind of apron—for the apprentices and companions, and a more elaborate one for the masters. He wears one with the flag of the Most Serene Grand Master of the Grand Orient, as well as a medal.

The whole array of symbols inevitably leads us to the most common question: what's it all for? Bou avoids revealing the details of everything they do and how they do it, but he does make it clear that a very important part of the time they spend in the temple is spent discussing topics, often social ones. "Being a Freemason is an individual process of knowledge that you share with other people, and to that end, it seems you complicate your life with rituals that help you on this path," he explains. As for the benefits, he assures that they are primarily about "inner tranquility, tolerance, a critical spirit, and self-knowledge."

Generational Relief

Within Catalan Freemasonry, there are regular obediences, which are deist and do not admit women, and irregular ones, such as the Grand Orient—with around 200 brothers throughout Catalonia. In their case, they prefer to define themselves as liberal and explain that it is not necessary to believe in God to be a member. In fact, in the middle of the temple, there is an altar with the Bible, a set square, and a compass on it, Masonic symbols. But Bou explains that there could also be a Quran or, in the case of agnostic members, the Declaration of the Rights of Man.

Now, the path toward openness with talks and conferences, coming out of the closet, is also the result of a certain generational change after the great shock caused by persecution during the dictatorship. "This has caused those of us who are a little younger to see things differently," says Jiménez. "I think we are an inspirational source of certain values that people seek in many places and that historically were found in the Church. I think that for those who are searching, Freemasonry can be a good place, and not just cultural or neighborhood associations."

At 29, Oriol Portell is the youngest member of the Canigó Lodge. He joined at 25 and has now passed the rank of apprentice and is a fellow member. He approached the lodge because he had heard at home that his grandfather had been a Freemason during the Franco regime, and it caught his curiosity. "The initiation is shocking, but you end up finding your space," he explains. And Bou adds: "Although it seems difficult to enter, it is very easy to leave."

The temple: a humble space full of symbols

Set square and compass

Every Masonic temple has in the middle (near the plumb line, which marks the center of the Universe) an altar with a set square and compass, symbols that refer to the guild's origins. They are placed above a sacred book in which the brothers make promises or swear oaths.

Mallet

As if it were a trial, the venerable (the person presiding over the meeting) holds a mallet on the table in the east, which dominates the attire. The first warden also has one to monitor the singles or partners.

Nodes and columns

Although the temples lack windows, they are surrounded by symbolic columns depicting the signs of the zodiac. More important are the knots surrounding them, which symbolize love and brotherhood. They open at the entrance to welcome anyone who wishes to enter.

The conscience

To the east, there is a painting with a Masonic eye, an all-seeing eye, which can be interpreted in many ways: as a divine metaphor, as the eye of consciousness, or as the pineal gland in the brain, considered the ancestral third eye.

Spades

Each brother or sister of the lodge has a sword to perform certain rites. But there are also more specific ones, depending on the function within the lodge. The venerable one has a flaming sword. At the entrance, located in the west, is the temple guard, who carries a heavier sword and controls the door for anyone who wishes to enter or leave.

The white apron of the apprentices

As much as the symbols, the attire is important in the Masonic ritual. The brothers all wear black suits, white shirts, ties, gloves, and aprons. In the case of apprentices, those who have just entered, the point of the apron is turned up. When the apprentice becomes a fellow, it is lowered and replaced with another when the apprentice becomes a master.

The flag on the apron of the Most Serene

The flag is featured on the collar and apron of the Most Serene Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Catalonia. The Canigó Lodge, founded in 1996 in Girona, is part of this branch of Freemasonry, which is notable for working in Catalan. In its temple, there is a flag used for a ritual reading and intended as a tribute to all the peoples of the Earth.