It is often said that Freemasonry is a "peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols". This description is accurate but does not even begin to describe the intricacy of the symbolsim that is found within Freemasonry. Since time immemorial, the symbols of Freemasonry have been passed down from the memory of those who came before us, each new generation adding or forgetting some crucial detail. However distorted by the passage of time, each of the symbols below are essential to understanding the hidden mysteries of Freemasonry. Much knowledge has been lost to the Craft over the eons but with diligence and time its full stature will be restored.

There have been many authors over the years who have attempted to contribute to or restore our dim understanding of Masonic symmbolism. This is, in fact, the unending quest of every Mason, to restore the lost knowledge of the Craft so that its full splendor can be revealed. Masonry, for the most part, has lost the true meaning of the symbols that it preserves but the following pages are the collective efforts of several Masonic authors, such as Manly p. Hall, Albert Mackey and Albert Pike, to restore our understanding of these mysterious images.