Most certainly not! It has however, often been described as a society with secrets. These secrets consist of signs, tokens and words, which date their origin from the time the medieval masons built the Cathedrals and Castles. Trade secrets in the arts and crafts in those days were just as jealously guarded then, as they are today. Craft secrets therefore, were not passed on to anyone indiscriminately but were conferred on Mason’s apprentices according to merit and ability.
Modern freemasons therefore confer these secrets on to candidates in accordance with their progress in the various degrees of the Lodge. By the time a mason becomes Master of his Lodge therefore, he will have been informed of all of the secrets which apply to craft masonry.
Since the secrets of Freemasonry are symbolic and apply to the Masonic ritual, they have no external commercial advantage whatsoever and much to the contrary of non-Masonic belief, these secrets cannot be used by a mason to gain favour or advantage in his normal life in any way, shape or form whatsoever.
