Is the lost symbol movie to expose part of the 33rd degree ritual?

I've heard something about the book going into the thirty third degree and exposing drinking wine from a human skull, is this in the book? A lot of people may misinterpret it but It might be a real good public relations campaign might spark a lot of interest if it's framed in the correct manner in a fair manner

reply to post by lucysadvocate


it's a good book and a good read. I'd say the fact to fantasy ratio on all things masonic is about 50%. It does put us in a good light, and it doesn't tell any deep dark secrets. But as far as the skull thing goes, use the search function. It was discussed in detail here and it's uses were confirmed and explained by a mason. I am a 32nd degree Scottish Rite mason, and I have never drank anything from a skull. I did have juice at the last Maundy Thursday ceremony. But it was in a little cup.

feeemasons are just a bunch of wimps who could never cut it in a real mafia so they formed their little sausage organization to feel important. nothing they did or can do will ever be of any significance to anyone but themselves. nothing magical is going to happen because of said rituals.

Originally posted by DOADOA
feeemasons are just a bunch of wimps who could never cut it in a real mafia so they formed their little sausage organization to feel important. nothing they did or can do will ever be of any significance to anyone but themselves. nothing magical is going to happen because of said rituals.

Well they did create the seals on back of the dollar bill which led to a good movie where Nicolas Cage made alot of money so they did affect something.

Originally posted by DOADOA
feeemasons are just a bunch of wimps who could never cut it in a real mafia so they formed their little sausage organization to feel important. nothing they did or can do will ever be of any significance to anyone but themselves. nothing magical is going to happen because of said rituals.

I am happy to be a wimp and a little sausage. Do you got a problem with that ?

reply to post by DOADOA


so, you are in the real mafia?

what's that like?

Originally posted by lucysadvocate
I've heard something about the book going into the thirty third degree and exposing drinking wine from a human skull, is this in the book?

Yes, it's in the book. And no, it's not actually done in the 33°. It used to be part of the Cerneau ritual, which was deemed "irregular" in the 1880s. In Chris Hodapp's book Deciphering the Lost Symbol he writes

The specific ceremony described by Brown in the prologue of The Lost Symbol was adapted from a sensationalized exposé, Scotch Rite Masonry Illustrated, published in 1887 by the Reverend John Blanchard. Blanchard's description of the 33° has been repeated by many anti-Masonic authors over the years, even though it is not accurate. In his description, not only do 33°s drink from skulls, the lodge room is strewn with skeletons, and the candidate has skeletons thrust upon him in scenes more reminiscent of nineteenth-century Odd Fellows rituals.

Brown's use of Blanchard's imagery is surprising in light of the glowing comments he has made about Masonry since the publication of The Lost Symbol. In a recent interview with the Associate Press he said:

"I have enormous respect for the Masons. In the most fundamental terms, with different cultures killing each other over whose version of God is correct, here is a worldwide organization that essentially says, "We don't care what you call God, or what you think about God, only that you believe in a god and let's all stand together as brothers and look in the same direction.""

It could just be that Brown was taking poetic license and making Masonic ritual seem spookier than it is. Or he could be intentionally avoiding the exact wording out of respect, so as not to reveal the precise details of Masonic ceremonies. Or he simply got them wrong.

— Chris Hodapp, Deciphering the Lost Symbol, pp 33-34


A lot of people may misinterpret it but It might be a real good public relations campaign might spark a lot of interest if it's framed in the correct manner in a fair manner

That guy is an idiot, Mazzini was a mason.. You'd be surprised Papo he has no clue what the mafia is, remember everything is loosely connected

I won't comment on Scottish Rite ritual, because I am not a member of Scottish Rite. Nevertheless, I can't help noticing that people who aren't involved in Masonry at all get themselves more excited about ritual than actual Masons do. To some people who are convinced that Masons are evil, there is no such thing as allegory or drama. Masonic symbolism often gets twisted into surprisingly literal interpretations by non-masons who are intent on proving that something diabolical is taking place inside Masonic lodges.

It isn't implausible to suggest that a skull could play some role in the symbolism of Masonry; but what if it did? At Halloween, skulls can be found everywhere, rolling around at the discount store and being played with by children. You can even buy skull-cups and kool-aid "blood". People don't get themselves excited about that. They understand that the Halloween section isn't there to kill or harm anyone. Neither is Masonry.

Originally posted by lucysadvocate
That guy is an idiot, Mazzini was a mason.

Was he really though? Or did the author of 10,000 Famous Freemasons confuse Giuseppe Mazzini with Giuseppe Garibaldi? I mean, you've got two guys named "Joe", neither of whom are particularly important to your own life or livelihood, it's possible you could get them confused. I poured through Google translations of essays on the Grand Lodge of Italy website and never actually found one that claimed Mazzini as a member, even though he's mentioned in a number of articles about his political significance. And 10,000 Famous Freemasons claims he was a Grand Master of their lodge, so you'd think they'd include him in lists and biographies of past Grand Master... They don't.

Originally posted by DOADOA
feeemasons are just a bunch of wimps who could never cut it in a real mafia so they formed their little sausage organization to feel important. nothing they did or can do will ever be of any significance to anyone but themselves. nothing magical is going to happen because of said rituals.

Always nice to hear from people who have no clue, and seem to be unable to form any coherent argument other than to spew vitriolic crap like this.

reply to post by DOADOA

The recipients of our many charities would beg to differ that we don't make some difference and hold some significance.

cant wait for the movie loved the other two i believe there is some truth to them

Originally posted by DOADOA
feeemasons are just a bunch of wimps who could never cut it in a real mafia so they formed their little sausage organization to feel important. nothing they did or can do will ever be of any significance to anyone but themselves. nothing magical is going to happen because of said rituals.

Perhaps Brotherly Love is wimpy, but we will celebrate our 300th anniversary in a couple of years and we can trace our origins back thousands of years.

And yes, sausage does play a significant role in our organization. Every week in hamlets across the country it is served alongside pancakes.

Originally posted by JoshNorton

Originally posted by lucysadvocate
That guy is an idiot, Mazzini was a mason.

Was he really though? Or did the author of 10,000 Famous Freemasons confuse Giuseppe Mazzini with Giuseppe Garibaldi? I mean, you've got two guys named "Joe", neither of whom are particularly important to your own life or livelihood, it's possible you could get them confused. I poured through Google translations of essays on the Grand Lodge of Italy website and never actually found one that claimed Mazzini as a member, even though he's mentioned in a number of articles about his political significance. And 10,000 Famous Freemasons claims he was a Grand Master of their lodge, so you'd think they'd include him in lists and biographies of past Grand Master... They don't.

True, Mazzini does not appear to have been a Mason. And contrary to the ridiculous story on the "Freemasonry Watch" website, he wasn't a member of the mafia either.