Spiritual and Esoteric Directory

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around 5 million, with around 480,000 in England, Scotland and Ireland alone, and just under two million in the United States.[1][2] The various forms all share moral and metaphysical ideals, which include, in most cases, a constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being.[3]

The following is a quote from Alice Bailey's book "The Externalization of the Hierarchy". Alice Bailey was an important leader in the New Age Movement and claimed to speak and write the words of her "Spirit Guide" Master D.K. "the Masonic Fraternity...is...the home of the Mysteries, and the seat of the initiation...It is a far more occult organization than can be realized and is intended to be the training school for the coming advanced occultists..."(p. 511). Master D.K. goes on to say "...Mysteries will be restored to outer expression through the medium of the Church and the Masonic Fraternity...When the Great One comes with His disciples and initiates, we shall have the restoration of the Mysteries..." The roots of Freemasonry extend at least as far back as the Middle Ages. The guildsmen and craftsmen of that time were called Masons. For protection and credibility, these persons formed primitive trade unions (lodges). The content and purpose of this form of Masonry, called operative Masonry, began to change when the lodges were opened up to whoever sought membership.