Did Benedictine monks influence Masonic ritual, symbolism, and lodge customs?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, we dig into the possible Benedictine connection to Freemasonry, including Jacob’s Ladder, monastic discipline, sacred symbols, and Alberto Moreno Moreno’s work on The Rule of Saint Benedict and Masonic Ritual.

This episode solves one Masonic problem: how can Masons study possible monastic influence without overstating the evidence?

Have an origin theory, monastic source, old manuscript, or Masonic research lead?
Write to me at [email protected].

Did the Rule of St. Benedict influence Masonic philosophy?

In EP 39 of Masonic Muscle, I read and discuss an article from Philalethes Magazine written by Millard Lane Fretland, M.P.S., titled:

“Parallels Between the Rule of St. Benedict and the Philosophy of Masonry.”

This article lays out several striking similarities between the Benedictine Rule of Order and Masonic philosophy. The question is whether these parallels are coincidence, shared moral tradition, cultural inheritance, or possible evidence of deeper influence on the development of Freemasonry.

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons examine possible monastic influences on Freemasonry without jumping too quickly into either blind belief or lazy dismissal?

We discuss:

• the Rule of St. Benedict
• Benedictine discipline and order
• Masonic philosophy
• Philalethes Magazine
• Millard Lane Fretland, M.P.S.
• possible parallels between monastic life and Masonry
• morality, discipline, obedience, humility, labor, and order
• whether these similarities matter to the origin question
• what this may mean for the mysterious origins of Freemasonry
• why Masons must judge the evidence for themselves

The point is not to force the conclusion.

The point is to look.

Could the similarities between Benedictine order and Masonic philosophy be coincidence?

Maybe.

Could they reflect a shared Christian moral inheritance?

Possible.

Could they be part of a deeper monastic influence on the development of Masonic usages, customs, and ritual?

That is the question worth investigating.

A Mason should not be afraid to compare sources.

He should be afraid of refusing to look because the question makes him uncomfortable.

This is another step in our journey toward more light in Masonry — while still strengthening the body, mind, and soul.

We give you more light — but no light weights.

This is the Way.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:

[email protected]

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@masonicmuscle

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Are the Knights Templar connected to Freemasonry?

In EP 38 of Masonic Muscle, Worshipful Jeriel Smith, Past Master, returns to talk about one of his passions: Knights Templar history.

We discuss the rise and fall of the Templars, the mysteries surrounding them, accusations made against them, their role in early international banking, and why the Templar question continues to attract Masons, historians, researchers, and conspiracy-minded people alike.

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons explore possible Templar connections to Freemasonry without confusing history, myth, symbolism, and speculation?

We discuss:

• Knights Templar history
• the rise and fall of the Templars
• accusations against the Order
• Templars and early international banking
• possible connections to Freemasonry
• why the Templar theory remains powerful
• guarding the West Gate
• candidate quality and lodge standards
• symbolism, mystery, and Masonic education
• how Masons should separate evidence from romance

The Templar story has everything.

Power.
Faith.

War.
Money.
Secrecy.
Accusation.
Destruction.
Survival rumors.
And possible echoes in later Masonic imagination.

But that does not mean we accept every claim.

A Mason should be curious, but not gullible.

He should be willing to investigate, but not desperate to believe.

And when we bring this back to guarding the West Gate, the lesson becomes practical:

A lodge must know who it lets in.

Because once a man crosses that threshold, he affects the culture, standards, reputation, and future of the lodge.

Masonic Muscle is dedicated to exploring the mysterious origins, history, traditions, and symbols of the Craft while encouraging Brethren to increase their level of fitness one degree at a time — becoming pillars of strength inside the lodge and outside in the world.

We give you more light — but no light weights.

This is the Way.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:

[email protected]

Follow Masonic Muscle on Instagram:

@masonicmuscle

Follow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.

Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Did some of Freemasonry’s spiritual teachings come from China?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, I talk with Brother Christopher Earnshaw, author of The Spiritual Freemasonry Series, about his research into the possible Chinese and Daoist influences behind Freemasonry’s spiritual teachings, symbolism, and ritual structure.

We ask some serious questions:

Where did the symbolic use of the Square, Level, and Plumb come from?
Were these working tools already being used symbolically in Freemasonry by 1717?
Where did the idea of the Third Degree come from?
Is the Lost Word connected to Egyptian, Chinese, or other ancient traditions?
And where is the spiritual teaching in Freemasonry today?

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons explore bold origin theories without turning speculation into fantasy or dismissing uncomfortable parallels too quickly?

We discuss:

• Christopher Earnshaw’s Spiritual Freemasonry work
• Chinese Daoist origins theory
• the Square, Level, and Plumb
• symbolic working tools
• the Third Degree
• the Lost Word
• Egyptian and Chinese parallels
• Benedictine, Cistercian, and Chinese comparisons
• ritual, allegory, steganography, and hidden teaching
• the Trivium and Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences
• spiritual education inside Freemasonry
• what Freemasonry can be when Masons take the symbols seriously

This is not about blindly accepting every bold theory.

It is about having the only conversation worth having:

What is Freemasonry trying to teach a man beneath the surface?

If the Craft is only dinners, minutes, business, titles, and dues, then we have missed the point.

But if the symbols, tools, degrees, stories, and allegories are pointing toward inner development, spiritual formation, disciplined thought, and the building of a better man, then Masons need to stop sleeping through the work.

A Mason should not be afraid of difficult questions.

He should be afraid of shallow answers.

You can reach Brother Christopher Earnshaw at:

[email protected]

Website:

chris-earnshaw.com

Facebook:

facebook.com/spiritualfreemasonry

Twitter/X:

@AuthorEarnshaw

Mentioned:

Masonry in 7 Minutes Podcast

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

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[email protected]

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Why don’t Masons get directed to better books?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, I read from a 1946 article in Philalethes Magazine that promoted a little-known Masonic book with a limited printing of only 500 copies.

That raises a serious question:

When a man enters the Craft, why is he not guided toward books that help him understand how our ceremonies, rituals, symbols, and traditions evolved?

This episode solves one Masonic problem:

How can Masons grow in real Masonic knowledge if the best books are rare, forgotten, expensive, hidden, or sitting untouched in private libraries?

We discuss:

• Philalethes Magazine
• rare Masonic books
• limited-print Masonic works
• books with only 500 copies printed
• Masonic ritual history
• how ceremonies may have evolved
• why new Masons need better reading guidance
• personal libraries and hidden collections
• whether important Masonic material is being neglected
• why lodge libraries matter
• how Masons can build a stronger research culture

This is not about claiming there is some magical secret library controlling everything.

That is lazy.

The better question is more practical and more dangerous:

How much valuable Masonic knowledge is simply unavailable because nobody is preserving it, reading it, recommending it, or putting it into the hands of serious Brothers?

A book does not need to be “suppressed” to disappear.

It can disappear because nobody reprints it.
Nobody teaches it.
Nobody catalogs it.
Nobody talks about it.
Nobody tells the new Brother it even exists.

That is a problem.

If Freemasonry wants better Masons, then lodges need better reading lists, better libraries, better education, and better guidance.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, rare book, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:
[email protected]

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@masonicmuscle

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Share this episode with one Brother who still believes serious Masons should read serious books.

How did Masonic variants spread?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, we continue the thread of the Masonic Variant coming out of England and ask how Masons, Grand Masters, and lodges tried to protect the Craft from dangerous variations in ritual, practice, doctrine, and organization.

We ask:

Did these Masonic variants reach America?
Did they influence colonial Masonry?
How did Grand Masters try to “inoculate” their members against confusion?
And what happens when a fraternity develops different versions of the work?

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons understand variation in the Craft without confusing healthy development with dangerous distortion?

We discuss:

• Masonic variants coming out of England
• Grand Masters and ritual protection
• how Masons tried to preserve the Craft
• whether these variants reached America
• colonial Masonry and Masonic influence
• ritual variation and institutional response
• protecting members from confusion
• the difference between adaptation and infection
• weightlifting variants and old-school training
• Joseph Curtis Hise
• Peary Rader
• breathing squats
• high-effort routines and physical transformation
• discipline, experimentation, and results

Then we bring it back to the iron.

In the weightlifting world, men like Joseph Curtis Hise and Peary Rader experimented with brutal breathing squat routines that produced tremendous results. These men were pioneers because they were willing to test ideas, suffer under the bar, and apply discipline to the pursuit of physical development.

That is the lesson.

Variation is not automatically bad.

A new method can build strength — or it can create confusion.

A Mason must learn the difference.

The same is true in the gym, in lodge, and inside your own head.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:
[email protected]

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@masonicmuscle

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Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Share this episode with one Brother who needs to think harder and train harder.

What is a Mason’s duty as a citizen?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, I review the First Degree Charge and what it says about our duty as citizens, especially during times of public pressure, government restrictions, emergency powers, mandates, and rising public resistance around the world.

The hard question is this:

Does the First Degree Charge tell a Mason to obey blindly — or does it require him to become a better-informed, more responsible citizen?

This episode solves one Masonic problem:

How can Masons understand duty, law, citizenship, obedience, and liberty without becoming passive, emotional, or intellectually lazy?

We discuss:

• the First Degree Charge
• Masonic duty as a citizen
• obedience, law, and conscience
• elected officials and public authority
• emergency powers and mandates
• critical thinking and the Trivium
• grammar, logic, and rhetoric
• Lysander Spooner’s Trial by Jury from 1852
• jury nullification
• judging both fact and law
• the responsibility of citizens
• the responsibility of Masons
• why mental exercise matters
• strengthening your mental muscles

The point is not to tell Masons to be reckless.

The point is to tell Masons to stop being mentally lazy.

A Mason should understand the words he repeats.
A Mason should understand the laws he lives under.
A Mason should understand his duties as a citizen.

A Mason should understand the difference between lawful authority, personal opinion, fear, pressure, and conscience.

If we are going to talk about duty, then we need to know what duty means.

If we are going to talk about law, then we need to understand law.

If we are going to call ourselves free men, then we need to exercise the mind hard enough to deserve that title.

Strengthen your mental muscles, Brethren.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

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[email protected]

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Share this episode with one Brother who needs to think harder about duty, law, and liberty.

Has Freemasonry dealt with variants before?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, we use the idea of a “new variant” as a starting point for speculation, critical thinking, Masonic history, lodge safety, degree development, and physical training.

The question is bigger than public health.

Freemasonry has had variants before — variant degrees, variant rituals, variant practices, and different ways of communicating Masonic lessons across time and jurisdiction.

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons think clearly about change, variation, safety, ritual, and discipline without becoming reactive or confused?

We discuss:

• whether Freemasonry has faced “variants” before
• lodge safety and distance concerns
• whether the lodge room is built for safe spacing
• variant Masonic degrees
• why different degrees developed
• what purpose variant degrees may have served
• how Freemasonry has handled change over time
• critical thinking and speculation
• variant exercise routines
• ancient Hindu wrestlers
• Hindu squats and Hindu pushups
• building strength in the body, mind, and soul

The Craft has never existed in a vacuum.

Men change.
Lodges change.
Degrees develop.
Rituals vary.
Training methods evolve.
Challenges appear.

The real question is whether a Mason can look at variation without panicking — and whether he can separate useful adaptation from useless confusion.

The same thing applies to training.

A man can build strength with barbells, dumbbells, bodyweight work, Hindu squats, Hindu pushups, or old-school wrestling drills. The method may vary, but the principle remains:

discipline, effort, repetition, and consistency.

Masonic Muscle is an exercise in critical thinking and speculation designed to help you strengthen your body, mind, and soul.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:
[email protected]

Follow Masonic Muscle on Instagram:
@masonicmuscle

Follow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.

Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Share this episode with one Brother who needs to think harder and train harder.

What is the Regius Manuscript, and why does it matter to Freemasonry?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, we dig deeper into the Regius Manuscript and its connections to the Old Charges, Crusades, Knights Templar theories, Benedictine and Cistercian monks, Anderson’s Constitutions, and early Masonic origin debates.

This episode solves one Masonic problem: how can Masons study the oldest Masonic documents instead of relying on shallow origin claims?

Have a Regius source, origin theory, old document, or Masonic question?
Write to me at [email protected].

Is weightlifting an art?

In this episode of Masonic Muscle, I read from Bill Hinbern’s Super Strength Training newsletter and then move into notes on the possible origins of Craft ritual.

Where did Masonic ritual come from?
Was it always the same?
Has it changed over time?
Has it evolved?

This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:

How can Masons understand ritual as living work instead of just memorized performance?

We discuss:

• Bill Hinbern’s Super Strength Training
• weightlifting as an art
• strength training as disciplined practice
• the possible origins of Craft ritual
• whether Masonic ritual was always the same
• how ritual may have evolved
• repetition, correction, and effort
• why Masons should study where their ritual came from
• why the gym and the lodge both require work

A good lifter does not just throw weight around.

A good Mason does not just repeat ritual words.

Both require discipline, repetition, focus, correction, and effort.

The real question is not only:

Where did Craft ritual come from?

The better question is:

Are we performing ritual — or are we being formed by it?

A man can go through the motions in the gym and get nowhere.

A Mason can go through the motions in lodge and get nowhere.

The work has to be intentional.

Get out there and get some, Brethren.

Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, book recommendation, lodge problem, fitness transformation story, or research lead?

Write to me at:

[email protected]

Follow Masonic Muscle on Instagram:

@masonicmuscle

Follow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.

Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.