“The skull sat atop a rickety wooden desk positioned against the rear wall of the chamber. In The Lost Symbol, a fictional thriller involving the Freemasons, Dan Brown introduces to the reader one of Freemasonry’s greatest initiatory tools – the chamber of reflection.
Lastly, the practice may be found in the degrees in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, the French Rite, the Brazilian Rite and other rites derived from those listed. Most of the brethren who received their initiations in Europe, Mexico, Central and South America, Middle East and Africa will be acquainted with the chamber of reflection. While traveling to several Grand jurisdictions in several different countries, I discovered that the chamber of reflection is very much alive where it has been continually practiced for years. It is the purpose of this author to explore the history, protocol, and traditions of the chamber of reflection. Somewhere in the transition towards a modern American society, the true intent of the chamber of reflection vanished into the mist of antiquity. Yet, even these degrees provide scant explanation in any of the rituals. Those Freemasons who are members of the York Rite, more especially the Commandery, are tacitly familiar with the chamber of reflection. However, thanks to author Dan Brown and his best-selling thriller The Lost Symbol, it has become a growing trend in many American Masonic lodges. The chamber of reflection was not a phrase common to pop culture, or even a part of American Freemasonry. Prior to 2009, the majority of Masons in the United States were unaware of the use of the chamber of reflection as an accepted preparation practice for the degrees.
Houston, TX the initiation rituals of Freemasonry are universal with slight variation according to various Grand Lodge jurisdiction, most American lodges fail to incorporate one of the oldest traditions utilized to prepare candidates through the use of the chamber of reflection. A Revitalized and Misunderstood Masonic Practiceįull Member, Junior Warden, Texas Lodge of Research