What is the role of the Worshipful Master in relation to the three columns?
According to W. Kirk MacNulty in "Philosophical Background for Masonic Symbolism," the three columns in Freemasonry represent Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty, each associated with a different Order of Architecture: Ionic (Wisdom, middle), Doric (Strength, left), and Corinthian (Beauty, right). These columns symbolize a universe where expansive and constraining forces are balanced by a coordinating agency.
The Worshipful Master, who presides in the East, is symbolically linked to the central Ionic column of Wisdom, which acts as the equilibrium keeping the other two columns (Strength and Beauty) in balance. This central position and role reflect the Master's duty to govern the Lodge with wisdom, maintaining harmony and balance among the brethren and the Lodge's activities.
Further, from "THE MYSTERIES OF FREEMASONRY" by Captain William Morgan, the Worshipful Master is described as presiding in the East, "as the sun rises in the East to open and adorn the day, so presides the Worshipful Master in the East to open and adorn his Lodge; set his crafts to work with good and wholesome laws, or cause the same to be done." This metaphor aligns with the central column's role of balance and wisdom, emphasizing the Master's leadership and guiding role in the Lodge.
Thus, the Worshipful Master's role in relation to the three columns is to embody and exercise the Wisdom that balances Strength and Beauty, ensuring the proper functioning and harmony of the Lodge.
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