The symbolism of the circle in Freemasonry

The symbolism of the circle in Freemasonry is not immediately obvious, but it is certainly present, often suggested rather than explicitly stated. It is true that in Freemasonry, we are more accustomed to dealing with the symbolism of angles, induced by tools such as the Square, the Level, the Perpendicular, and by the omnipresence of the Triangle symbol. And circles are rarely seen in Lodges. This would be overlooking the fact that the symbolism of the Compass is just as important in Freemasonry. And where there's a Compass, there's a circle. So what could be the significance of the circle symbolism in Freemasonry ? Where does it hide if it is not obvious ?

The symbolism of the circle in the Craft Lodge 

Although the Compass is present from the first degree onwards, it is rarely used in the Entered Apprentice and Fellowcraft degrees in continental Masonic rites. The Apprentice must first learn to handle the Mallet and Chisel. The symbolism of the Compass and the circle is obviously not his primary concern !

In the Fellowcraft degree, the Compass appears among the tools worn by the candidate during his second symbolic journey, at least in the French Rite and the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. This is natural enough, given that the Fellowcraft starts to discover Geometry and that the reception ceremony for this degree culminates in these Rites with the discovery of the Blazing Star, which is traced with the Compass and the Ruler. However, from this point of view, the Compass remains more of a tool for taking measurements, and although it can draw circles, this characteristic is not particularly emphasised.

The circle begins to appear more clearly at the Master Mason degree. Don't we say that the Master has passed from the Square to the Compass ? The Square, which is used to check the right angle, immediately suggests the square, symbol of the material world, marked by the Four Elements, the Four Cardinal Points ; and the Compass naturally evokes the circle, which classically symbolises sky, unity and infinity. The Master thus moved from the square to the circle, from earth to heaven, from matter to spirit, from multiplicity to unity.

The Middle Chamber, which is the name of the third degree Lodge, can also be understood as a symbolic expression of the circle. This Lodge is sometimes described as a circle in which the Master is invited to join the centre. This is why certain third degree rituals of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite no longer speak of the North and South Pillars, naming them North and South Sides; and when one moves around the Lodge, one no longer marks the angles in such a way as to manifest the Square, but turns in a circular fashion.

In the Anglo-Saxon rites, on the other hand, the circle is offered to Freemasons for reflection as early as the degree of Entered Apprentice. In the first degree lecture of the English Workings (Emulation Working etc), we read that "in all regular and duly constituted Lodges, there is a point within a circle round which the Brethren cannot err. This circle is bounded between north and south by two grand parallel lines, the one representing Moses, the other King Solomon. On the upper part of this circle rests the Volume of Sacred Law, unfolded, supporting Jacob's Ladder, and were we as conversant with the doctrines contained in that Holy Book and adherent thereto as those two grand parallels were, it would bring us to Him who will not deceive us, neither will He suffer deception. In passing this circle, we must of necessity touch of both those parallel lines, likewise the Volume of Sacred Law, and while a Freemason keeps himself thus circumscribed it is impossible for him to err." The same symbol also appears in the American York Rite, but in this case the two lines represent Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist.

Behind this biblical symbolism, which may surprise many European Freemasons, we understand that Freemasonry is organised geometrically around a centre, which is the Great Architect of the Universe. The circle then represents the area of Masonic labour, bounded by the protective figures of Moses and Solomon or the two Saint Johns, as well as by the Volume of Sacred Law. From this perspective, the symbolism of the circle is not only reserved for the Master Masons, but concerns Freemasonry as a whole, from the first degree onwards.

We can see here the considerable difference between the conception of Masonic labour proposed by regular Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry and that of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite which, although referring to the Great Architect of the Universe and traditionally exposing the Volume of Sacred Law, nonetheless affirms that Freemasonry "imposes no limits on the search for Truth and in order to guarantee this freedom it requires tolerance from all" (Declaration of Principles of the Convent of Lausanne, 1875).

The symbolism of the circle in the higher degrees

Although the relationship between the Square and the Compass (i.e. between the square and the circle) is mentioned in the Symbolic Lodge, it is not explored in depth. This relationship is developed in the higher degrees, particularly the 5th degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, in the form of a geometric enigma : squaring the circle. Can the area of a square coincide with that of a circle ?

There are, of course, empirical approximations that can be drawn with a ruler and compass. But mathematically, this coincidence is impossible, because the area of the circle is calculated with the number π, which is a transcendent irrational number, with an infinite and non-periodic number of decimal places (3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510582...). Here again, only an approximation can be found by calculation.

We won't dwell on the purely mathematical aspect of squaring the circle and the transcendent nature of the number π. Let's just remember that this mathematical problem has occupied philosophers and mathematicians for more than 3,000 years, only to be concluded in 1882 (Ferdinand von Lindemann) with a definitive statement... of insolubility !

It is rather the philosophical and symbolic dimension of this insolubility that should hold our attention from a Masonic point of view. If we consider that the square represents the material world, the finite, the immanence, and the circle the unity, the infinite, the transcendence, it follows that these two levels of reality can never completely coincide. The relationship between these two realities cannot be expressed in terms of  real -  unreal, because both the square and the circle are real. They are simply realities on different planes that cannot overlap perfectly. In other words, it's as if the circle always had a kind of 'surplus of being' in relation to the square, and that this difference, however small, was in fact abysmal and insurmountable, qualitative rather than quantitative.

So can we symbolically square the circle ? Does Freemasonry open up this prospect ? This question might seem rather mystical and repel some rationalist Freemasons, but it could be put more prosaically : can matter and spirit be reconciled ? Initiation is undoubtedly a means of uniting matter and spirit within ourselves, of (re)finding the primordial unity of our being, but can we achieve anything other than an approximation, comparable to the geometric or mathematical approximations of squaring the circle ? In order to achieve a perfect match between the square and the circle, we must undoubtedly" pass from the Square to the Compass over the Tomb of Master Hiram". What does this mean in practical terms ? The answer is for everyone to find out...