What are ths symbols?

Symbols in Freemasonry include the builder's working tools, structural materials, and various emblems drawn from architecture and nature to communicate moral and philosophical instruction 12.

The tools of the operative mason serve as primary symbols for moral concepts 1, such as the trowel in the Master Mason degree, which represents a Masonic covenant 2. Construction elements and structural forms also carry symbolic meaning: individual stones, the square temple as an image of the earth, and the lodge or temple itself as an emblem of a spiritual house of doctrine 1.

In addition to building implements, specific visual devices appear within the lodge. The three steps depicted on the Master's carpet represent the three stages of human life—youth, manhood, and old age 2. Officers carry symbolic items as well, such as the cornucopia worn as a jewel by the Stewards to denote plenty 2. Other widely recognized symbols utilized in the lodge include the square, the circle, and the pillars 2.

A Masonic symbol is defined as an object or design used to direct the mind toward an underlying truth or idea rather than to call attention to itself 2. Freemasonry did not invent these symbols, many of which are ancient and universal; instead, it adopted them and applied them to its own moral and philosophical system 2. Through these symbols, along with allegories and rites, the Craft delivers its educational system 2.