Hi everyone and welcome back to Britain Under the Microscope. 欢迎回来【闲话英伦】. Hi, 安澜.

Hi, Lulu. Hi, everyone.

So, What kind of topic are we gonna talk about today?

Well, Today I thought we talk about something a bit mysterious.

Woo, Is it about folklore?

No.

OK.

I thought today we'll talk about what is commonly known as a secret society.

神秘的组织，I think I talked about this topic with Brad before about secret societies in the world and conspiracy theories. If you're talking about the UK let me guess you're gonna talk about Freemasons.

That's right. We're gonna talk a little bit about freemasonry.

Freemasonry, Freemasons叫共济会. It's probably one of the most well known secret society. I know it sounds really contradictory.

Oh, yeah. Exactly is one of the most famous secret societies in the world.

Again, because it can be potentially sensitive. We're not siding with any opinions, we’re simply being informative.

Exactly.

Because it is something that every British person knows no matter how they feel about it.

Always something that everyone feels they knows, but actually there's a lot of misunderstanding about Freemasonry.

Em. Okay. So let's start with the very basic, I think our audience probably don't know anything about this society.

Well, first of all, I should start by saying I do know a bit about Freemasonry because my dad is a free mason.

OK, All right. Are you allowed to tell me?

Well, I have to kill you afterwards, but no, I'm absolutely fine to tell you.

Em, OK.

So, Freemasonry is based on the traditions of medieval stonemasons.

Yeah, actually I was gonna say although Freemasons is translated into 共济会, but mason is a stone cutter, a stone craftsman就是石匠, 对吧? Stonemasons是石匠的意思.

Yep, exactly. So stonemasons were the ones who built cathedrals and castles and to do this, they traveled around the country. Now being a stonemason was a very highly skilled job.

Em, I would imagine so.

And obviously, back then people couldn't read and write, they had no ID cards.

So, to show that they were a qualified and professional stonemason, they used signs and words to show who they were.

I think we definitely have similar things in China or we had similar things in China, the stonemasons, also carpenters. They have their signs, their own systems.

Yeah. And they will use these signs with each other.

So, for example, through handshakes or through certain words, the only stonemasons would know.

Oh, This is the beginning of the society, the inner circle, only people who are in that trade would know.

Exactly. Modern Freemasonry started in 1717 in England, and it became popular around the world.

When you say modern masonry, it means the one that we're seeing right now.

Yes. So, it's the rituals, it's the ceremonies and the society that we know today.

That's one thing I heard about. Masonry is, it's highly ritualistic,

Well, yeah, exactly. But then again, this is the same with lots of societies. They have their own traditions, their own rituals. Personally, I just think that Freemasonry just being around a lot longer. So they've had more of a chance to develop their own traditions and rituals.

And it's also highly hierarchical.

Yes. It is to become a free mason, you have to be selected, voted in, and you have to have a good reputation.

Is it like by referral是要介绍人的是吗?

Yes. And we have the expression to be blackballed. So many societies like freemasonry when they choose somebody, you would vote by putting in a white ball into a bag. And if there was a black ball, that means you're out. That means someone doesn't want you.

I think I've read it somewhere. This dates back to Ancient Greece.

Yeah, So we still say nowadays you've been blackballed.

Being blackballed means?

You've not been selected.

You’ve been voted out.

You’ve been voted out, you been rejected.

Dial back a little bit. You said you have to be selected by whom, by another mason?

You have to be seconded. For example, if you want to be a mason, you would have a friend or family member who is a mason. They would propose you to a lodge.

A lodge? What is a lodge?

A lodge is a smaller group of members. So there's Freemasons all around the country. There's, I think over 240,000 members in the UK.

Really? 240,000.

Yeah.

OK.

So what they do is they meet, hold ceremonies, and do charitable work in their own individual lodges.

Oh, I see I see. So, you probably have like some sort of main organization and then you have the lodges. Lodges这个词，就分会或者一个会所这样子的感觉, 让我想到了中国武侠的原来什么什么分舵，舵主的这个感觉。

Some lodges they actually have their own dedicated building.

So there are large buildings. A lot of other lodges they just meet in pubs and clubs.

To drink, basically becomes a drinking thing.

Oh, yeah. Freemasonry is essentially for men and there are some female Freemasons. And they just meet, they get to know each other. And in many cases, they have a few drinks together.

OK, hang on a minute. You don't have to be like modern day, modern times. You don't have to be an actual stonemason to join Freemasons, right?

No no. My dad was not a stonemason.

You can be anybody, you can be from any...

You can be anybody. So you can be kind of any race, any religion. It doesn't matter.

So. it's not a religious thing.

Not so much. Freemasons, they traditionally they say that you have to believe in a god, it doesn't mention which one.

So you have to have some sort of religious belief.

Yeah, but nowadays that's not as important.

So as long as you have two people vouching for you.

Yeah, as long as you are a good person as well, that's the whole point of Freemasonry. It's about trying to develop yourself.

But you said some women masons, but it's still mainly a boy’s club.

It's still mainly men.

Yeah, it's like a fraternity thing, 像兄弟会一样的.

Exactly. And that's essentially what freemasonry is like.

So they meet, they drink. And then you said they do charitable work, so they have their own charity or they donate to other charities?

They have their own charities. They also have their own sort of benevolence fund for other Freemasons. So if a mason is in trouble, then they might get money. And also like the widows of masons will get money.

感觉说天下只要是这个会里面的人都是皆兄弟的那种感觉.

But also charity work in terms of hospitals, healthcare, pretty much anything really. It’s almost as you can give them a good case why they need the money then you can approach the masons.

Okay.