Why do we use light blue in lodge?

Light blue symbolizes universal friendship and benevolence 1. As the color of the vault of heaven, which covers the entire globe, it reminds Masons that these virtues ought to be equally extensive in the breast of every brother 1. Carl H. Claudy similarly characterizes this tincture as representing the "true blue of brotherhood" 2, giving the first three degrees their common designation of the Blue Lodge or Blue Masonry 1.

In ancient religious and philosophical traditions, blue frequently signified sacred or elevated concepts that parallel Masonic ideals. Albert C. Mackey notes that in Hebrew tradition, blue (tekelet) was used in high-priestly vestments and tabernacle veils, deriving from a root denoting perfection—a term anciently synonymous with initiation 1. Mackey also points to historical parallels where blue symbolized truth among the Druids, the heavenly nature of divinity among the Egyptians, divine wisdom in Hindu depictions of Vishnu, and fidelity, hope, and immortality in medieval Christian symbolism 1.

The adoption of blue in formal regalia also relates to early practical and symbolic developments. John Heron Lepper and Philip Crossle argued that the combination of blue and gold introduced in Irish Grand Lodge clothing around 1725 symbolically represented the compasses, where blue signified the steel points 1. Shortly thereafter, the Grand Lodge of England shifted its official ribbons from sky-blue to dark Garter blue 1. While lodge regalia around the world shows diverse colors and ornamentation 1, light blue and white remain the primary designated colors for decorating a lodge 1.