Ashlar

The Rough Ashlar represents the human mind or character in its natural, uncultivated state upon entering the Craft 13. Through education, self-discipline, and moral instruction, this rough stone is brought into form, rendering the individual a fitting member of society 12.

The Perfect Ashlar signifies the mind or character after a life spent in virtue, piety, and intellectual growth, smoothed and squared so as to fit its intended place in the building 12. Wilmshurst takes the entry into the lodge as symbolically representing a rough ashlar whose lifelong task is to refine character and understanding until reaching the state of a finished cube 3. He also uses the concept to describe an initial, literal stage of Masonic comprehension prior to achieving deeper insight into the Craft's teachings 3.

Within the lodge, these stones belong to the Immovable Jewels, placed open for every member to reflect upon 1. Their exact history in ritual instruction, however, reflects changing terminology over time. Early eighteenth-century lectures did not explicitly feature the Perfect Ashlar, listing the Immovable Jewels instead as the Tracing Board, the Rough Ashlar, and the Broached Thurnel 24. Mackey notes that the Broached Thurnel filled the place of the Perfect Ashlar in older lectures 2, whereas Waite points out that Masonic antiquarians have long debated whether the term referred to an unhewn stone, a chisel, or a structural feature 4.