Lounge
The high temple of the Freemasons
Summary
Step inside the home of the storied social and philanthropic organisation's appendant body
It feels odd, as a woman, to visit an all-male bastion in a thriving capital city that may soon have a female President. Yet, the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry or the House of the Temple, in Washington DC, is out to prove that not everything old is boring. And, change is possible.
The Freemasons are a fraternal organisation, considered one of the oldest in the world, with “The Scottish Rite" an appendant body of Freemasons. The social and philanthropic organisation were once the talk of the literary world, offering enough occult fodder for conspiracy theorists and mystery writers (hello Dan Brown!) with their arcane and esoteric symbols, rituals, initiation ceremonies, and for wielding considerable political power behind the scenes.
The House of the Temple is where I go to seek fodder for my own story.
An imposing, century-old structure, the Temple has towering columns, and sphinxes guarding the entrance. Inside, it’s awash in marble, and limestone sourced from quarries in Indiana. Visitors enter into an atrium with chandeliers depicting the four virtues of temperance, prudence, justice and fortitude; replicas of chairs found in the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens; and a grand marble staircase.
It is where we meet our first highlight of the temple, our tour guide Clair Ryan. Dressed demurely, she mindfully walks us around the building, pointing out the interesting highlights and offering up facts, figures and dates.
It was architect John Russell Pope who designed the temple, and it is one of his greatest creations. Though not a member himself, Pope did manage to use a lot of iconographies important to the Freemasons in the building. Take the entrance, for example. It was inspired by the tomb of King Mausolus in Bodrum, Turkey, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The granite stairs leading to the temple are grouped in clusters of three, five, seven, and nine— Pythagorean numbers. The two sphinxes flanking the stairs are Wisdom and Power. 
Within, the Temple Room is the heart of the building, an impressive sight with a central dome and skylight, eight granite columns, and leather-covered doors. The glass windows throw out deep yellow colour that lightens as it goes higher. “The change in the colour symbolises that as you rise through the levels of Scottish Rite, you gain knowledge out of chaos," says Ryan. “The doors (set into the windows) on all sides are Pope’s attempt at a climate control system for the room. You can open them all to let in air." A marble altar in the centre has holy books from the major world religions, including a Bhagavad Gita. An organ in one corner of the room has pipes concealed above the main door “so the sound rains down over the room".
Nearby is the executive chamber or boardroom where the council of 33 men meets to discuss “the boring parts of running the Scottish Rite". Above each of the 33 chairs, near the grand commander’s chair, are small speakers, another unique Pope creation. “If you speak in one, the sound can be heard in the other," says Ryan. “It also meant that any gossip happening in the sides of the room would reach the grand commander."
Also read: Real brotherly love
It soon appears that every room and corridor inside this grand building has some significance, and Ryan does a stellar job pointing it out. It does seem surprising that a Masonic Temple, which prides itself on its fraternal brotherhood, would have a woman taking the tour. Much like Pope, she has no link to Freemasonry. She offers up information with a deadpan wit.
“We had a sort of White House situation going on here," she quips, pointing to one of the two busts outside The Pillars of Charity (an alcove highlighting major donors). It’s the bust of John Henry Cowles, one of the last grand commanders to live on the site. “He was grand commander for 31 years and it is said that he enjoyed working here so much that he wanted to stay forever." Nearby is the bust and crypt of Albert Pike, American author, lawyer, and a popular Freemason.
We walk past the Hall of Scottish Rite Regalia, which has oil paintings showcasing the various elements associated with the different degrees—they teach the moral codes and philosophies of being a Mason; a room dedicated to past sovereign grand commanders; another dedicated to the current sovereign commander; and a tiny Cornerstone Hall of Freedom, which commemorates the bicentennial Masonic reenactment of the laying of the US Capitol cornerstone. The Capitol’s first cornerstone was laid by George Washington in a Masonic ceremony in 1793. Ryan calls the cornerstone “notorious", because it cannot be found. The hall, thus, has a “fancy rock", a fragment of stone taken from an area thought to be near the cornerstone. “Some think the British stole it, but based on their record, it would’ve landed up at a museum," she says, urging us to go on a treasure hunt for the “time capsule of Masonic goodies".
Being in Washington DC, it feels justified that the House of the Temple has a heavy political presence. There’s a George Washington Memorial Banquet Hall, designed with motifs and colours found in the ruins of Pompeii, and containing two paintings of the first President—laying of the Masonic cornerstone in the Capitol, and of his inauguration.
The Americanism Museum is perhaps the most fascinating room, holding many curiosities from American history. There’s a silk Masonic flag that Buzz Aldrin carried to the moon (where he opened a “Tranquillity Lodge"), a foundation stone from the White House with Freemasonic markings, pens used by former Presidents to sign bills, a collar worn by Harry S. Truman, and a replica life mask of Abraham Lincoln (one of only two such in the US).
The tour ends at the public library, the first in the city. It initially started out as a collection of donated books by Albert Pike. “The library is free for everyone, but the books here are limited to freemasonry and related subjects," says Ryan. The highlight here are two tomes written by the Vatican about the Knights Templar, and the Bible used at George Washington’s funeral.
This Masonic temple, despite its origins, doesn’t feel as stuck in the past. Ryan and some of the interns are women, the temple is open to visitors daily, and it doesn’t feel like a stuffy relic.
It is a good example of the sign of the changing times.
Joanna Lobo is a Goa-based journalist.
Also read: 7 destinations to enjoy slow travel in India
