what is a square

The square is one of the oldest and most fundamental symbols in Craft Masonry, preserving a primitive signification across all rites as an emblem of morality, honor, and fair dealing 12. Operatively, stonemasons used the try-square to test and prove the truth of Perfect Ashlars; a stone that fitted the ninety-degree right angle was deemed true and ready for the builder's use 2.

Within the lodge, the square serves multiple distinct symbolic roles rather than a single unified one 1. It is an Immovable Jewel and specifically the jewel of the Worshipful Master, worn about his neck to signify that his teachings and governance must be square 2. Placed in the Symbolic East, it shares its immovable character with the Level and the Plumb 2. When combined with the Compasses, it forms the widely recognized badge of a Master Mason, signifying a Mason's duty to the Craft and to himself, as well as the spirit of brotherhood 1.

The symbol also appears in Masonic phraseology and posture. To "part upon the square" refers to a vertical application of the tool—where one leg rests horizontally on the level floor of the lodge and the other stands upright—reminding brethren to act uprightly and depart without hypocrisy or resentment 1. Furthermore, the lodge room itself is symbolically structured as an oblong square, or rectangle, around which candidates circumambulate along a circuit that combines the square and the circle 1.

In its intellectual and geometrical aspects, the square is closely tied to the 47th Proposition of Euclid, or the Pythagorean Theorem, which forms a cornerstone of Masonic geometry and speculative inquiry 13. Though classified among the Working Tools alongside the level and plumb, Mackey notes it is properly an instrument of the mind rather than merely a physical tool of the hand 1.