what does the mosaic pavement symbolise

The black and white stones of the mosaic pavement are interpreted as symbols of the evil and good of human life 1. It ranks among the earliest lodge symbols, appearing in rituals from the eighteenth century as one of the ornaments alongside the blazing star and the tessellated border 1.

Albert Pike views the contrasting squares as representing the dual principles of good and evil found in ancient Persian and Egyptian creeds, framing the design as the warfare of Michael and Satan 1. W. L. Wilmshurst reads the chequered groundwork as a representation of man's lower, earthy nature and the dualistic world of conflicting emotions, pain, and pleasure 2. Pointing to the ritual phrase describing the pavement as a place for the High Priest to walk upon, Wilmshurst holds that every Mason is intended to be the High Priest of his own personal temple, and that walking upon the pavement signifies rising superior to material tendencies and dominating life's opposites to attain spiritual balance 2.

Beyond its moral and philosophical readings, the pavement serves a function in ceremonial movement, suggesting the correct position of the feet and reinforcing the right-angled turns made during circumambulation 1.

The tradition that the floor of the lodge should mirror a mosaic pavement stems from traditional representations of King Solomon's Temple and Gabbatha, the paved council chamber of the Sanhedrim 1. While Craft symbolism draws heavily on Mosaic tabernacle traditions 1, the word mosaic itself derives etymologically from Latin and Greek roots rather than from Moses 1.

William Hutchinson is cited as the first authority to explain the Mosaic Pavement as emblematic of the good and evil of human life. He set forth this explanation in his 1775 work, The Spirit of Masonry, describing the chequered floor as emblematic of human existence chequered with good and evil, as an article on the Grand Lodge of India's website notes.

W. Finch interprets the indented or tessellated border as representing the planets in their revolutions, forming a skirt work around the sun just as the border surrounds the lodge floor 3. W. L. Wilmshurst offers a spiritual reading, viewing the border as emblematic of the Divine Presence and Providence surrounding and embracing man's temporal organism and the dualities of earthly life 2.

The supplied sources do not record who first originated or published an explanation for the tessellated border.