Spring 2010       45

The Elements of Consecration

Parts One & two
 by Shawn Eyer, p.m.
 Academia Lodge N o- 847

Part One
Detailing the history of the ritual of Lodge consecration as
originally performed in England and the United States, and
considering the role that the ancient symbols of Corn, Wine
and Oil play in that ceremony.

Reprinted from Philalethes Vol. 63 (2010), No. 2, pp. 75–79, 86.

Part two
Exploring the centuries-old traditional symbolism of Corn,
Wine and Oil as emblems of the search for deeper meanings
and the refinement of wisdom, applied thematically to the
journey of the Masonic initiate.

Reprinted from Philalethes Vol. 64 (2011), No. 2, pp. 74–78.

For information about The Philalethes Society, see the last

page of this PDF reprint.

This reprint is copyright © 2011 Shawn Eyer.

shawn.eyer@gmail.com

The Elements
of Consecration
Part One
Shawn Eyer takes a closer look at the traditional
wages of a Fellow Craft and why they are considered
essential to the consecration of every Masonic lodge
C
orn, Wine and Oil are well known to Freema-
sons everywhere as symbolic wages. Contain-
ers of them are on display in many Lodges,
and sometimes small vials of them are given as
gifts to newly passed Fellow Crafts. But as common
and familiar as these items are, why are they so im-
portant in our Craft?
It is not uncommon for many of us to assume
that these three substances are meant to repre-
sent primitive “money,” paid to the builders of
the Temple. However, we need to remember that
everything in Masonry is symbolic. And in fact,
even in the public cornerstone-laying ceremony
they are called “the Corn of nourishment, the Wine
of refreshment, and the Oil of joy.” 1 These clearly
indicate that the Wages are of a symbolic nature,
although many are still tempted to interpret them
materialistically, as if they refer to the financial and
emotional well-being of an individual brother.
There is, of course, a traditional basis for un-
derstanding the Wages as literal payment. After
all, according to the ancient account in the book of
Shawn Eyer MPS is the Worshipful Master
of Academia Lodge No– 847 in Oakland,
California, and the Editor of Philalethes.
Spring 2010       75
Chronicles, Solomon offered corn, wine and
oil to Hiram of Tyre as payment for the cedars
of Lebanon, and for sending Hiram Abif.2 But
with symbols, the presence of the literal is a giv-
en: the perceptible half of every symbol is physi-
cal, the other half is an idea.
Throughout the Great Light in Masonry, the
phrase “corn, wine and oil” is used so many times
that scholars consider it a formulaic expression. 3
It is used both literally and figuratively; in the lat-
ter case it represents “the essentially concrete form
in which ‘blessing’ was conceptualised in Hebrew
thought.” 4 It signifies “divine pleasure” and, in
some cases, might be understood “as actual mani-
festations of divine activity.”5 Thus, the Corn, Wine
and Oil of Masonry comprise another example
of Masonic iconography drawn from the ancient
symbolism of the Biblical tradition, much like the
Plumb, the Level, the All-Seeing Eye, the Stone of
Foundation, and many other examples.6
Are these ancient connotations of divine bless-
ing present in our Masonic symbolism? This ques-
tion is easier to answer when we remember that,
throughout the Craft, Corn, Wine and Oil are
r­eferred to as the Elements of Consecration. 7
76        philalethes
The Consecration Ritual
Consecration is a ritual used in Freemasonry when
a new Lodge is established. Nobody knows when it
began. There is no evidence that operative stone-
masons observed the custom. But speculative Free-
masons, as early as 1736, have often seen fit to “con-
secrate” their Lodges.8 Consecration is similar to,
but distinct from, the rituals of constitution and
dedication _ although historically they have often
been performed as part of a single occasion. Terence
O. Haunch, in his seminal article on the subject, of-
fers this definition:
Consecration is the Masonic rite, religious in
form, by which a new lodge is blessed for,
and dedicated to the purpose for which it
is regularly constituted, i.e. the practice of
Freemasonry.9
Early descriptions of Lodge consecra-
tion are vague. The 1736 example, from
Lodge Canongate Kilwinning No- 2
in Edinburgh, describes it only
as “being done in most due and
solemn form.” 10 Another Scottish
Lodge, Canongate and Leith, was
consecrated in 1755.11 From 1756,
the Antients’ Ahiman Rezon refers
to certain “other Ceremonies and
Expressions that cannot be writ-
ten,” taking place in the context
of a Lodge constitution.12 In 1772,
when William Preston produced
the first edition of his Illustrations
of Masonry, an outline of the con-
secration ceremony was included.
Preston lamented that this ritual
was “too frequently omitted.” 13
His early descriptions of the cer-
emony are only summaries, and exclude many of
the prayers and blessings, as well as the actual act
of consecration itself. Luckily, we have two other
versions from P­reston: first, his slightly expanded
account as given in the 1781 and later editions of
the Illustrations, and finally in some records of his
third degree lecture, wherein esoteric details of
the ritual are d­escribed.14 Ano­ther early version is
found in Thomas Smith Webb’s American adapta-
tion of Preston’s work.15
The consecrations performed today in the Unit-
ed States and England are ultimately derived from
the versions that Preston and Webb promoted.
There is no one perfect form of the ceremony, but
in all its forms it is both impressive and beautiful.
Space here permits only the most essential outline,
based only upon sources dated 1808 and earlier.
The ceremony was traditionally preceded by a
Grand Procession [see John Wade’s article on p. 56]
in which certain key objects were paraded before
the witnesses. These i­ncluded the Holy Bible,
two silver pitchers containing Wine and Oil,
a golden Cornucopia containing the Corn
[these vessels are illustrated on p. 57 & 79],
and a special object called “the Lodge,” car-
ried concealed beneath white satin. But
how is a Lodge carried?
        This “Lodge” is of course neither a
physical lodge hall, nor the brethren who
compose the Lodge. By “the Lodge,” the
ceremony refers to a portable object that is
symbolically identified with the new Lodge
about to be created. It was often a version of
the lodge board or trac-
ing board. Dyer says that
in England it was
“usually a first
degree tracing
board.” 16

In many American jurisdictions, a simpler
board depicting the “internal ornaments” of the
Lodge (the Mosaic Pavement, Blazing Star, and
Tesselated Border) is used. In other jurisdictions, a
special wooden box or ark _ understood as a model
of the Lodge _ is used; according to Coil’s Masonic
Encyclopedia, it is “treated with the deference due a
holy vessel or other sacred object.” 17 Haunch refers
to it as a cista mystica and theorizes that this type of
“Lodge” may have originated at the Union of 1813.18
The procession would enter “the church or
house where the services are to be performed.” 19
Only Freemasons could proceed past this point, as
the Lodge would now be tiled in all three degrees.
The representation of the Lodge was placed in the
center, generally upon a cushion, still covered
with white satin, and the pitchers of Corn, Wine
and Oil were arranged around it. 20
After some preliminaries, often includ-
ing an oration on the purpose of Freema-
sonry, the actual consecration began. The
Grand Master and his officers, with “some
dignified Clergyman” (usually the Grand
Chaplain) gathered themselves around the
symbol of the Lodge. “All devoutly kneel-
ing,” the Chaplain proceeded to consecrate.
Solemn music played as the satin sheet
was removed, revealing the Lodge. Taking
up a card upon which the Hebrew name
of God (‫ )יהוה‬was inscribed in blazing let-
ters,21 the Chaplain began the first clause
of the consecration prayer:
The heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, O
Lord, far less the house which we build. Here
have we stampt thy sacred name (placing the
name upon the lodge) and
as thou dost promise
where thy name is
Spring 2010       77
there will thou be, hear our supplication . . . .  May the
characters here impressed inspire us with awe and
veneration towards thee; and enable us to direct our
progress to that state which is the essence of truth, of
glory, and of goodness. 22
The brethren responded, “Glory be to God on
High.” A pot of incense was then swung above the
Lodge model as the grand honors were given (ap-
parently from the kneeling position). It is unclear
from Preston’s work exactly when the Corn, Wine
and Oil were poured onto the Lodge. In Webb’s
version, the Chaplain intones, “Glory be to God on
High,” and the Brethren respond, “As it was in the
beginning, is now, and ever shall be!” As
the response was being spoken, the three
elements were poured. 23 An invocation
and the second clause of the consecra-
tion prayer were then rehearsed.
Preston’s version says:
Most holy, glorious Lord God
. . . in thy name we are here assem-
bled most humbly beseeching thee
to bless our present designs, and to
give us thy holy spirit to enlighten
our minds in the knowledge and love
of truth; that serving thee aright in
all our doings we may further pro-
mote thy honour and glory. . . . 24
    Preston concludes with all join-
ing in the chorus: “Honour unto
the king eternal, immortal, invis-
ible, the only God from whom no
secrets are hid, be  wisdom, might,
power, and dominion
for ever, Amen.”25
Webb repeats his
 78        philalethes
Wages From Heaven
And the Lord said where my Name is I am
While Descartes said I think therefore I am.
There is a high road and a road of reason.
Come with me for a while in to a plane,
Un-reasonable and Blessed!
Where a Mason’s wages fill their coffers
Faster than they’re spent, and lead
Spins to gold, lifting the soul
From a hallowed space, a sacred place
Upon which this building is found
Rising from soil into hearts that delight
with a purpose assured as Amen!
Secure within, they consecrate
With corn, wine and oil a building
Imbued with the Most Holy Name.
A Masonic Mansion, a Temple
Requesting a blessing
A sacrament of burning incense,
Raising prayers through portals
As high as the sky by the mercurial nature
Of wine that’s sublime, stabilized salt,
and an old jumpstart quickening of time.
Each offering a welcome sacrifice
Each element when given coming
Back in infinite fold, each consecration
Reaching beyond what we temporally think
To an eternity of a holy reality, a covenant
Between Creator and Creation, an intimate bond
To begin the Great Work where heaven on earth
Will commence and each brother is empowered
To love one another and to celebrate a work
Constant as a star, noble as a King, celebrating
Nature’s divine industry and the glory
Of our Great Architect’s blessed
and fruitful beautiful work.
Mounir Hanafi mps
response: “As it was in the beginning, is now, and
ever shall be!” The grand honors were given, the
Lodge covered once more, and with solemn music
playing, the ceremony was complete.
The Three “Grand Offerings”
As noted earlier, today’s ceremonies are different,
but all derived from Preston’s model. One of the
most interesting features of Preston’s version is the
placement of the Name of God upon the Lodge, call-
ing the presence of the divine into the tiled space.
This invocation is meant to have a lasting effect, as
we can see by looking at Preston’s first degree lec-
ture, where he points out that “the ground we are
about to tread is holy.”
Q: What rendered it holy?
A : The name of God impressed on it; who has
declared ‘Where my name is there I am’ and
therefore must be holy. 26
We learn more about this later in the lecture,
where it is explained that the “masonic mansion”
must be raised on “holy ground” for two reasons.
First, “Because the name of God must be thereon
impressed.” And second, “Because the ground on
which the first regular Lodge [Solomon’s Tem-
ple _ed], on Royal sanction, was formed, was pe-
culiarly sacred.” It is explained that what rendered
the Temple site holy were three Grand Offerings
which “were on that spot presented, which met
with Divine approbation.”27 These Grand Offerings
were acts of Abraham, David and Solomon that took
place at the Temple site. Abraham’s offering was
his son, Isaac (thankfully substituted by the ram).
David’s offering was to humbly prostrate himself
on the threshing floor of Araunah. And Solomon’s
offering was the building of the Temple. “On this
basis then,” says Preston’s ritual, “we found the

real sanctity of the Masonic pile.”28 The holiness
of the Lodge is thus based upon the holiness of the
Temple, even the very site of the Temple on Mount
Moriah.
corn, Wine and Oil in the Temple
The uses of Corn, Wine and Oil to sanctify Masonic
temples obviously parallel the three Grand Offer-
ings that according to Craft tradition consecrated
Solomon’s Temple. And our offerings of Corn,
Wine, and Oil are themselves rooted in the actual
ceremonies that took place at that Temple. Corn
was used for the grain offerings, wine was used for
sacred libations, and oil was used for many things,
including the preparation of the meal offering and
as fuel for the seven lights of the large hammered
gold m­enorah that stood in the Holy Place. Incense
was mixed in with the grain offerings upon the
main altar, and was also offered in pure form at the
special incense altar that stood before the Holy of
Holies.29 Haunch emphasizes the appeal that these
ancient ritual elements had for the early Masons:
The sacrificial use in this ceremony of corn, wine and
oil (transferred from the rite of foundation stone lay-
ing) with the addition of the symbolic purifying and
hallowing power of incense _ usages firmly founded
in Old Testament lore _ these would all make their
appeal to the religious and masonic fervour of mem-
Spring 2010       79
bers of the Craft. We may remember, too, that incense
found its way not only into the Consecration ceremo-
ny but also into certain usages in the Royal Arch. 30
That the wider significance of these thorough-
ly e­stablished Masonic symbols seems strange to
us is a situation that is actually easy to understand.
A dramatic decrease in the formation of new lodges
in recent decades has meant that very few living
Masons have seen a Lodge being consecrated. This
can lead to a perception of the Lodge’s mission
that excludes or diminishes the philosophical and
mythical themes that are so central to the conse-
cration rite, and decontextualizes the symbolism of
the Corn, Wine and Oil.
But by remembering the consecration ritual,
and studying its symbolism, we can help repair the
disconnect. One way to do that is to bear in mind
that the Elements of Consecration are recurring
symbols. Poured out upon the Lodge at consecra-
tion, they are later symbolically transmitted to
every Freemason during the course of his degrees.
One can interpret this to mean that all M­asons
have a share in the consecration of the Lodge. Even
if the ceremony itself took place generations ago, as
long as there are eager candidates, the Corn, Wine
and Oil are still pouring forth for our benefit. As it
was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be!
continued on page 86
86        philalethes
the greater & lesser Lights
continued from page 74
N.B. Cryer (Lewis Masonic, 1989); W. Kirk MacNulty,
Freemasonry: Symbols, Secrets, Significance (New York:
Thames & Hudson, 2006); Julian Rees, Tracing Boards of
Three Degrees in Craft Freemasonry Explained (Hersham,
uk: Lewis Masonic, 2009).
13. See Harry Carr, “The Full Moon and Freemasonry,” Ars
Quatuor Coronatorum 80 (1967) : 318–23; Silas H. Shep-
herd, “The Moon in Ritual and Symbolism,” Square and
Compass 48 (1939): 28–30.
The Elements of Consecration
continued from page 79
Notes
1. Thomas Smith Webb, The Freemason’s Monitor, or Illus-
trations of Masonry in Two Parts (New York: Southwick
& Crooker, 1802), 116.
2. 2 Chronicles 2:2–15.
3. See the entries by N. Wyatt, “Oil” (640), and J. F. Healey,
“Dagon” (216–19) and “Tirash” (871–72) in the Diction-
ary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, 2nd ed., edited by
Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, & Pieter W. van der
Horst (Leiden: Brill, 1999).
4. Wyatt, “Oil,” 640.
5. Ibid.
6. Cf. Alex Horne, Sources of Masonic Symbolism (Richmond,
Va.: Macoy, 1981), 48–53.
7. William Preston, Illustrations of Masonry, 8th ed., (London:
G & T Wilkie, 1792), 94.
8. T. O. Haunch, “The Constitution and Consecration of
Lodges under the Grand Lodges of England,” Ars Quatu-
or Coronatorum 83 (1970): 10.
9. Haunch, “Constitution and Conscration,” 1.
10. Haunch, “Constitution and Conscration,” 10.
11. At the Dec. 1, 1755 meeting of the Grand Lodge of Scot-
land, it was requested that the GL “appoint a proper
person” to “consecrate” is new temple room for the
Lodge at Canongate and Leith. The Grand Chaplain
was so selected, and performed the ceremony in the
presence of the Grand Master and other GL officers. See
Alexander Lawrie, The History of Freemasonry, Drawn from
Authentic Sources of Information (Edinburgh: A. Lawrie,
1804), 186–87. The same book features several times the
Corn, Wine and Oil, carried in the Cornupia and two
silver vessels; the earliest instance given being 1753.
11. Laurence Dermott, Ahiman Rezon: or, A Help to the Brother
(London: James Bedford, 1756), 40.
12. Preston, Illustrations, 1st ed. (London: J. Williams, 1772),
216. Preston’s first account of the consecration ritual
itself is found on pp. 219–221.
13. William Preston, Illustrations of Masonry, 3rd ed., (1781),
112–17.
14. See Haunch’s article for a complete comparison of the
Prestonian sources.
15. Thomas Smith Webb, The Freemason’s Monitor, or Illus-
trations of Masonry in Two Parts, 4th ed. (Boston: Joshua
Cushing, 1808), 98–108.
16. Colin F. W. Dyer, Symbolism in Craft Freemasonry, Rev. Ed.
(Hersham, u k: Lewis Masonic, 2003), 59.
17. Henry Wilson Coil, Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia, Revised
Edition (Richmond, Va.: Macoy, 1995), 389.
18. Haunch, “Constitution and Conscration,” 13–15.
19. Webb, Freemason’s Monitor, 102.
20. Webb, Freemason’s Monitor, 103.
21. Haunch cites a description of the card from an 1865
manuscript: “The Tetragrammaton is the Hebrew
word ‫ יהוה‬within an oval surrounded with Blue and
White rays in letters about 14 inches long in light blue
colour upon a Card about 9" · 5" but the sacred sym-
bol G within a circle of rays as our symbolical ‘Word’ or
name of God will also answer the purpose.” (15)
22. Haunch, “Constitution and Conscration,” 45.
23. Webb, Monitor (1808), 106.
24. Haunch, “Constitution and Conscration,” 47.
25. Haunch, “Constitution and Conscration,” 49.
26. Colin Dyer, William Preston and His Work (Shepperton,
u k: Lewis Masonic, 1988), 176.
27. Dyer, William Preston, 191.
28. Dyer, William Preston, 192.
29. See Menahem Haran, Temples and Temple-Service in An-
cient Israel (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1985) for a
detailed study of the Temple sacrifices.
30. Haunch, “Constitution and Conscration,” 20. One
might also include the symbol of the Pot of Incense, not
mentioned by Haunch most likely because it is no lon-
ger a symbol in the English Craft degrees _ however,
it once was, and remains so in most American jurisdic-
tions.
74        philalethes
The Elements
of Consecration
Part Two
Shawn Eyer explores the inner meaning of Corn, Wine and Oil
through the context of traditional writings
T
he first section of this article, published in the
Spring 2010 issue of Philalethes, considered the
trifold symbolism of Corn, Wine and Oil pri-
marily as it pertains to the consecration of a Lodge.
Consecration is the traditional ceremony that acti-
vates and vitalizes a Lodge, establishes its symbolic
floor as “holy ground,” and firmly links the labors of
the Lodge and its brethren to the glory of the Great
Architect. The consecration ritual is effected by Corn,
Wine and Oil being poured upon the Lodge floor or
upon a “model” of the Lodge_a threefold representa-
tion of the flow of divine blessings from the Supreme
Architect to the Freemasons who comprise the assem-
bly (both at that time and into the future). For this
reason, Corn, Wine and Oil are technically known in
Freemasonry as the Elements of Consecration.31
The further symbolism of these elements is the
subject of this discussion_in particular, their more
personal symbolism as wages that each of us as Fel-
low Craft Masons has received, or at least is entitled
to receive. Some have been content to consider these
three items simply as a monetary payment. Of course,
at the literalistic level that is how they are presented:
Shawn Eyer MPS is the Worshipful Master
of Academia Lodge No– 847 of Oakland,
California, and the Editor of Philalethes.
as wages, a paycheck. However, this explanation is
not exhaustive. For example, we cannot interpret
the Corn, Wine and Oil being poured upon the Lodge
during the ceremony of consecration as the literal sub-
stances themselves, and nothing more. Were that the
case, would it not preposterously suggest that if only
we pour these three items upon something, it would
become a Lodge? Rather, it is what the substances
represent that is important: an essential dispensation
from the Supreme Being to the Craft, comingled upon
the Lodge floor, mythically connecting the Lodge from
the moment of its birth to the Temple of Solomon in
a timeless and intangible way.
Corn, wine and oil by themselves are just food-
stuffs. But in ritual, they accomodate symbolic mean-
ings. They represent ideas. This is obvious not only
from the consecration ritual, but from the description
of “the Corn of nourishment, the Wine of refreshment
and the Oil of joy.”32 Just as we are speculative Masons
and not operative stoneworkers, so our wages are
symbolic and not a literal compensation for labor.
In fact, the most basic symbolism of Corn, Wine
and Oil is ancient. Like many other symbols in the
Craft, they are of biblical origin, both individually
and as a triad.33 The Bible presents “variations of the
forumula ‘corn, new wine and oil’ 22 times,” rep-
resenting “the essentially concrete form in which

‘blessing’ was conceptualised in Hebrew thought.”34
They were not only the wages of the Tyrian masons
(2 Chronicles 2:14), but they were an important part
of the Temple offerings (Numbers 18:11–12, 1 Esdras
7:30–31). These offerings were superintended by a
class of Levites known as the guardians of the thresh-
old (1 Chronicles 9:17–19, 22–31). They guarded the
north, east, west and south gates of the Temple, and
they received a portion of these offerings as food and
fuel. Interestingly, Masonic tradition blends the roles
of stoneworkers and the gatekeepers, and the Antients
reimagined the gatekeepers as Masonic brethren and
practitioners of kabbalah.35 While (like many parts of
Masonic tradition) this is not historically possible, it
helps us understand the mythic connection that the
early Masons felt to those who served in the Temple,
not just during its construction, but after. That corn,
wine and oil were “wages” to both groups is notable,
and that they had symbolic connotations, even in
ancient times, should not be ignored.
Freemasons have tended to primarily_and prop-
erly_interpret the Corn, Wine and Oil according to
the symbolism they hold in the Great Light.36 Many
have added to this basis by drawing insight from
cross-cultural sources; perhaps the most detailed
and edifying treatment of the three offerings may
be found in Masonic Symbolism by C.C. Hunt f p s.37
Here, we will explore some aspects of their
Spring 2011       75
s­ymbolism that are drawn from ancient and medi-
eval Jewish sources, including the mystical tradition.
Most of the observations that follow have not been
directly alluded to in previous Masonic literature.
Corn of Nourishment
Of the three Elements of Consecration, Corn is the
one that has the most extensive presence in Craft
mythos and ritual. There are two reasons for this.
First, the visual allusion within the Lodge to the
consecration ceremony in the form of the jewels and
white rods of the Stewards, both of which feature
the Cornucopia. In the consecration ritual, the Corn,
Wine and Oil were carried into the ritual space by
means of three metal pitchers_usually gold for the
Corn, and silver for the Wine and Oil.38 Preston and
other early writers specifically identify the pitcher
of Corn as a cornucopia, or “horn of plenty.”
When we remember the role of the Stewards in
the initiation of candidates, it is easy to understand
why this symbol is so fitting for them. It is they who
bring every new candidate across the threshold of
the Lodge_in effect, “harvesting” him from the
fields of the world. As grain is threshed to sepa-
rate it from the chaff, the neophyte is distinguished
from the cowan by initiation. This liminal “sorting”
theme is also vividly present in the teachings of the
F­ellow Craft degree concerning the crossing of the
76        philalethes
J­ordan. The Hebrew word found at that point in the
ritual has three meanings in the Bible: an ear of corn,
a stream of water, and (as a verb) to beat out or thresh.39
Thus, our degree’s hieroglyphical emblem of the ear
of corn near a fall of water (commonly pictured in
monitors and tracing boards) relates to the violent
sorting of the Gileadites from the Ephraimites in a
very sophisticated and multidimensional way_with
obvious initiatic symbolism.
Another aspect of Masonic mythos involving
Corn that is usually overlooked is the importance of
the threshing floor legend. According to the V­olume
of the Sacred Law, the location of the Temple of Solo-
mon (which every Lodge represents) was in fact dis-
covered as the result of a tragic incident in the life of
King David. According to the book of Samuel, David
issued a decree to have a census taken in his kingdom,
in order to determine how strong his military was.
This violated a sacred principle, and divine punish-
ment was the r­esult. This culminated in David’s
a­ngelophany on Mount Moriah, and the subsequent
p­urchase of the site for the location of the Temple
of Solomon (2 Samuel 24:1–25). The place where the
destroying angel stood was the threshing floor of
Araunah_a place where grain was beaten and tossed
in order to separate the wheat from the chaff.40 The
symbolism of this story is deeply
significant in context. As the
Ephraimites were sorted from
the Gileadites at the fords of
the river Jordan, and as the wheat was separated
from the chaff at the threshing floor of Araunah, so
the darkness is seperated from the light on the Floor
of the Lodge, and so the Stewards bear the candidate
across the threshold from darkness to light, where
he is “harvested” from the profane world. The newly
gleaned Mason is being continually refined and
sorted. Only with the proper pass may he continue
into the Middle Chamber and beyond.
That process of refinement is also reflected in
the striking realization that just as Corn must be
separated from the chaff in order to be put into use in
the Temple as a bread offering, the plants (grapes and
olives) that give us Wine and Oil must be processed
to yield those finer substances.
Wine of Refreshment
It was forbidden for a priest to consume wine within
the inner court (Ezekiel 44:21), but that is not to say
that it played no role at the Temple. Wine was part
of the daily offering, and we know that it was not
poured out upon an altar, but instead was consumed
by the priests in an unknown place within the Temple
precinct.41 Both Josephus and the Mishnah record
that in the Second Temple there was a massive votive
grapevine of gold in the porch of the Temple. Clusters
of gold grapes “as tall as a man” were suspended from
it.42 This golden vine can only have been a deeply
sacred symbol, and it is notable that grapevines and
wine cups are the most c­ommon symbols found in
Jewish artwork of this period.43
Ancient tradition taught that wine had
existed from “the beginning of cre-
ation.” Later kabbalists spoke
of a s­upernal vine from which
the universe was generated.44 In
the Zohar, both wine and oil
are presented as symbolic
wealth, received by the

enlightened mystic through the transcendence of
materialistic concerns: “Never will he crave this
world and its pleasures, for another manner of wealth
is reserved to him_he has a share in the World to
Come, the place of oil and wine. Whoever loves that
place neither seeks nor desires worldly riches.”45 This
symbolism is strongly reminiscent of Masonic prac-
tice, where the Apprentice’s destitution is followed
by the introduction of the Fellow Craft’s wages.
It turns out that wine itself can be a metaphor for
mystical or esoteric knowledge. The Talmud points
out that the Hebrew word for wine, ‫ יין‬or yayin, is
numerically identical to ‫ סוד‬or sod, “secret.” Thus
the ancient aphorism, “When wine goes in, secrets
come out.”46 While this can refer at the mundane
level to alcohol’s power to loosen the lips, it also has
a philosophical meaning. In kabbalistic interpreta-
tion, sod refers to the esoteric or symbolic meaning
of a subject.47 When our spiritual nourishment is
stored away in the dark and left to mature, it results
in a deeper understanding of life.
Oil of joy
The Talmud also connects oil to esoteric knowledge: it
records a strange warning that one of the things that
causes a man to forget his spiritual learning is the
eating of whole olives. It even says that e­ating olives
can cause one to forget his learning of seventy years.48
Yet it also teaches that drinking olive oil can make
one remember seventy years’ worth of learning!
At the literal level, this is easily disproven; but
as Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer points out:
This may be understood allegorically.
The ‘whole olive’ alludes to the
flesh and the outer husk of the
fruit, whereas the ‘olive oil’ is
its inner essence. In the pursuit of
knowledge a person should always
Spring 2011       77
strive to penetrate to the inner core of a subject in order
to comprehend of its essence. Never should the student
‘swallow it whole,’ i.e., study matters superficially,
because that breeds misconception, and ignorance.
Such confused knowledge is best forgotten, while
clear knowledge of essentials should be remembered
for a lifetime.49
Transcending Literalism
If wine and oil both refer to finding inner meanings
that go beyond the superficial, the reader may wonder
whether there is a similar kabbalistic teaching about
corn. There is indeed, and it is found in the Zohar:
Once there was a man who lived up in the mountains
and who was a stranger to civilization_he planted
wheat and ate the grains uncooked. Then he happened
to come down to the city. A good loaf of bread was served
to him. “What’s this?” he asked. “Bread, for eating!”
they said. He ate it and was pleased. He asked, “What is
this made of?” and they told him it was wheat. Then,
he was served a fine cake kneaded in olive oil. He had a
taste and asked, “And now this, what’s this made of?”
Once more they said, “Wheat.” Finally, they brought
him a delectable pastry in oil and honey, fit for a king.
He asked again, and got the same answer.
“Well,” he then boasted, “I am
above these things; I eat only the
wheat which is the basis of all of
them.” Because of his ignorant
attitude, he would
evermore remain
a stranger to these
delights, which were lost
78        philalethes
on him. That is how it is with anyone who learns basic
principles and then stops short_who fails to become
aware of the delights which derive from the deeper
consideration and application of those principles.50
Again we see that the unprocessed material, the
raw grain, is symbolic of superficiality and an unwill-
ingness to explore higher realms of meaning. Only
when the grain is transformed and harmoniously
combined with other ingredients can it represent
those deeper considerations which so concern the
contemplative and speculative mind.
It should not escape notice that just as olive oil
is the inner essence of the olive, so is wine the inner
essence of the grape, pressed, stored in the darkness
and grown fine with age_and bread is the poten-
tial concealed in the head of grain, which must be
laboriously threshed, ground, mixed, kneaded and
properly baked in order to attain its perfect form. For
centuries these three have been symbols of transcend-
ing simplistic literalism, and emblems of the work
involved in doing so.
We cannot know whether these authentic tra-
ditional teachings about the symbolism of Corn,
Wine and Oil were known to any early speculative
Masons, but we can enjoy their wisdom today.51 These
insights are certainly not exhaustive or exclusive of
other interpretations found elsewhere in Masonic
literature, but their aptness and applicability to the
Craft is striking, and provides useful comparison.
Just as the Lodge is not consecrated until its
floor (or its symbolic exemplar) receives the correct
outpouring of Corn, Wine and Oil, so are our interior
temples unhallowed until we receive the wages of a
Mason and put them to use. To be told in a ritual that
we are entitled to receive those wages is not enough.
We are entitled, yes_but they will not be ours until
we understand their meaning. Thresh, grind, bake.
Gather, crush, ferment. Harvest, press, pour.
Notes
31. “Elements of Consecration: Part One,” Philalethes 63(2010):
75–79, 86. Endnotes here are numbered consecutively
with those in part one of this article.
32. These descriptions have been part of the public corner-
stone laying ceremony since at least 1802, and possibly
long before; see Webb, Freemason’s Monitor, 116.
33. See endnote 3; also C.C. Hunt, Masonic Concordance of
the Holy Bible (World Pub. Co., 1948), 75–76, 94, 184–86,
261–62.
34. Wyatt, “Oil,” 640.
35. Consider the stations taken by the ruffians in the third
degree; for gakekeepers as Masons, see Laurence Dermott,
Ahiman Rezon (London: J. Bedford, 1756), xi, xiv.
36. Albert G. Mackey, The Symbolism of Masonry: Revised Edition
(San Francisco: Plumbstone, 2011), 165–68.
37. C.C. Hunt, Masonic Symbolism (Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Lau-
rence Press Co., 1949), 73–116. Hunt includes an important
discussion of salt, which is mixed with the Corn, Wine
and Oil in some jurisdictions.
38. See illustrations in Philalethes 63(2010), p. 57 & 79.
39. L. Koehler & W. Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic
Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: Brill, 2001), 1394–95.
40. Later tradition (recorded in the Avodah Zarah, 24b) adds
that Araunah was a Noachite; for information on Free-
masonry’s (now largely forgotten) self-identification
with the Noachidae, see S. Eyer, “The Anchor and the
Ark,” Philalethes 64(2011): 35–38.
41. Menahem Haran, Temples and Temple Service in Ancient Israel
(Winona Lake, In.: Eisenbrauns, 1985), 217.
42. Mishnah Middot 3:8; Josephus, Wars 5.5.4.
43. E.R. Goodenough, Jewish Symbols in the Graeco-Roman Period,
Abridged Edition (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press,
1988), 34.
44. Ben Sira 31:27; Zohar 1.192a.
45. Zohar 3.40b.
46. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 38a.
47. Moshe Ideal, Absorbing Perfections: Kabbalah and Interpretation
(New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2002), 430.
48. Babylonian Talmud, Horayot 13b.
49. Avrohom Chaim Feuer, Tehillim (New York: Mesorah, 1985),
2:1258–59.
50. Zohar 2.176a–b.
51. The Craft’s strong interest in the Old Testament may have
resulted in direct or indirect Jewish influence. For a useful
discussion of kabbalistic influences on early Freemasonry,
see M.K. Schuchard, Restoring the Temple of Vision: Cabalistic
Freemasonry and Stuart Culture (Leiden: Brill, 2002).
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