5 points of fellowship

Illustrated in the Third Degree, the Five Points of Fellowship symbolically set out the practical duties a Master Mason owes to his brethren 2. Historically taught through physical symbols of the body—the foot, knee, breast, hand, and back—these points outline the virtues of active brotherly love and mutual assistance 12.

1. Foot: Willingness to go out of one's way, regardless of inconvenience, to serve and assist a brother in distress 12. 2. Knee: Remembering a brother's welfare alongside one's own during prayer and devotion 12. 3. Breast: Keeping a brother's confidences, hopes, and secrets safe and inviolate 121. 4. Hand: Stretching forth one's hand to lend strength and support whenever a brother stumbles 21. 5. Back: Defending a brother's character in his absence and offering candid, constructive counsel when he strays from his own moral standards 21.

A prominent ritualistic variation occurred following the Baltimore Masonic Convention of 1843, where some jurisdictions omitted the hand and substituted the mouth and ear as the fifth point 12. Albert Mackey noted that this alteration was an innovation on the older system originally taught in England by William Preston and introduced to America by Thomas Smith Webb 12. Despite minor differences in enumeration or symbol among jurisdictions, the overarching doctrine remains focused on personal sacrifice, intercession, confidentiality, physical aid, and vindication of character 12.

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