Sub Rosa

 

Tiled meetings and degrees are invitational only!

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Sub Rosa….”Under the Rose” has been used in England to denote secrecy or confidentiality.  In the Middle Ages a rose suspended from the ceiling of a council chamber similarly pledged all present, those under the rose, to secrecy.

 

The rose’s connotation of secrecy dates back to Greek mythology when Aphrodite gave a rose to her son Eros, the God of love; he in turn gave it to Haarpocrates, the God of Silence, to ensure that his mother’s indiscretions, and those of the other gods in general, were not disclosed.

 

In Christian symbolism, the phrase”sub rosa” has a special place in confessions.  Pictures of five-petalled roses were often carved on confessionals, indicating that the conversations would remain secret.  Paintings of roses on the ceilings of roman banquet rooms were also reminder that things said under the influence of wine, Sub Vino, should also remain sub rosa.

 

All of our tiled stated business meetings and degrees are “Sub Rosa.”  We believe that our body’s business is best contained within its lodge members.  We also believe that degrees should be an intimate and personal emotional experience between the candidate and the members of his lodge and not a performance for the entertainment of non-member sideliners.  We realize that this runs against the grain of many of the older established masons, however it is with our rights.  

 

The white rose is used because it is the emblem of the English House of York and according to “Masonic history” the HOUSE OF YORK is very important to early masonic development.

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