The Mandorla and Tau: The Secrets and Mysteries of Freemasonry Revealed (Paperback)
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The secrets of Freemasonry - everyone is always talking about them.
Novelists weave tales about them. Mystics and occultists dream them up. Conspiracy theorists endlessly stir paranoid fantasies.
The Freemasons think of them as them as degrees, signs and passwords.
They are all mistaken.
The true Masonic secrets are hidden in plain view, as allegories, but to reveal them we need a trip back in time and need to ask:
Why did the Mediaeval Trade Guilds also talk of protecting their mysteries and secrets?
We are told that the Freemasonry is more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle. How can this be true?
In 1535 antiquarian John Leland made a copy of a document he claimed was written by King Henry the 6th outlining a Masonic initiation he had taken part in. Can we believe him?
Discover -
Why has Freemasonry replaced the genuine secrets behind our Masonic symbols prompting mystical speculation?
What are the privileges of Freemasonry?
How have events in history affected the teaching and practices of Freemasonry?
What are the true and secret architectural tricks and meanings behind common symbols like the the square and compasses, the Triple Tau?
This volume also includes:
A complete list of the prominent Liveries in order of precedence
A complete and detailed timeline of the building tradition in the British Isles including the major structures built, and the people and organisations involved, the philosophy and symbols in Freemasonry that enabled their stunning designs.
Real examples of early Masons being initiated into stone masons' Guilds reproduced word for word.
Real examples of men and masons who obtained their freedom, and the oath they swore, reproduced word for word.
Paperback, 256 printed pages
Review from The Australian Freemason Magazine
The Mandorla and Tau: The Secrets and Mysteries of Freemasonry Revealed
Author Kevin L Gest has been a member of a masonic lodge for over twenty-five years, travelling extensively and lecturing on a range of topics. In The Mandorla and Tau he delves into the origins of the movement with which he is so closely involved. An invaluable guide for both the novice and the veteran initiate, this book traces the historical and etymological roots of Freemasonry - from the formation of the first lodges to the original meaning of the word 'Freemasonry'. In a logical progression from the author's previous books, The Secrets of Solomon's Temple, and Chivalry, Gest casts a masonic historian's eye over the ceremonies and the regalia of Freemasonry. The rituals, the apparel, the meanings and the origins are all authoritatively explored in this definitive work - expanding the knowledge and awareness of both active and aspiring Freemasons. Qualified in engineering-related studies, Kevin Gest's professional career was in senior management in the electronics industry and he lectured on various management issues. Management studies later qualified him for admission to the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Chartered Management Institute and the Institute of Directors in the United Kingdom. Gest lived in Australia for ten years and has travelled extensively throughout the Far East and Indian sub-continent. He began writing seriously with the approach of retirement from corporate life, taking particular satisfaction in background research, problem solving and international travelling to visit ancient sites and cultures to gain firsthand experience. Your Grand Lodge Library has a copy of The Mandorla and Tau available for borrowing.
