What are the ancient landmarks ?

Ancient landmarks are the immemorial usages, fundamental principles, and essential practices that define the fixed, inalterable identity of Craft Masonry 1. Under Masonic jurisprudence, these essentials cannot be repealed, modified, or altered without changing the fundamental character of the fraternity itself 1. The phrase "landmarks of our Order" first appeared in George Payne's General Regulations of 1721, which were incorporated into the 1723 Book of Constitutions 1.

No universal agreement exists across jurisdictions regarding an official list or exact number of landmarks 1. Jurists, scholars, and Grand Lodges have framed widely divergent compilations, ranging from three core spiritual tenets to elaborate lists of specific regulations 1.

Albert C. Mackey published a widely influential list of twenty-five landmarks that was officially endorsed or adopted by roughly half of the Grand Lodges in the United States, though it has drawn criticism for its length and scope 1. Across various jurisdictions and scholarly definitions, the principles most consistently recognized as landmarks in the Craft include:

1. Belief in God as the Supreme Being or Grand Architect of the Universe 1. 2. Belief in a future life or resurrection 1. 3. The Volume of the Sacred Law as an indispensable part of lodge furnishings 1. 4. The requirement that candidates be adult males 1. 5. The government of a lodge by a Master and two Wardens 1. 6. The necessity of duly tiling the lodge to protect its esoteric proceedings 1. 7. The right of a Mason in good standing to visit regular lodges and to appeal lodge decisions to the Grand Lodge 1. 8. The preservation of secrecy and the symbolic lessons derived from operative masonry 1.

Other authorities framed the doctrine more briefly. W. J. Chetwode Crawley reduced the underlying foundation to three principles: the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the life to come 1. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts adopted a concise list of seven landmarks in 1918 1. Whatever the list, the doctrine functions as a common standard to test whether proposed structural changes constitute an unacceptable innovation 1.