Welcome to the 2026 Q1 issue of The Square
Welcome, Brethren, to the January 2026 issue of The Square Magazine, your quarterly window into the vibrant and ever-evolving world of Freemasonry.
Each generation inherits the Craft at a moment of quiet crisis and luminous possibility.
We do not receive Freemasonry as a finished monument, but as a living temple, one whose stones bear the marks of countless hands, minds, and hearts across time.
This issue of The Square Magazine stands as both a mirror and a call: a mirror reflecting who we are becoming, and a call reminding us who we are meant to be.
Across these pages, a unifying current flows, an insistence that meaning is not found in retreat from the world, but in engagement with it. In an age of accelerated change, manufactured certainty, and fractured attention, the articles gathered here affirm that Freemasonry remains not an anachronism, but a living discipline of clarity, conscience, and courage.
We begin by looking to the future through the eyes of youth. The vitality of the Craft has never rested solely in its age, but in its ability to renew itself through those willing to carry its light forward.
The young Mason does not dilute tradition; he tests it, questions it, and by doing so ensures its survival. Without renewal, there is only repetition. Without inheritance, no legacy endures.
Yet renewal must be anchored in depth. Our explorations of the Royal Arch, of Emulation, of the Inner Sword and the ancient language of symbolism remind us that Freemasonry is not sustained by novelty, but by meaning.
These essays do not romanticise the past, they recover it. They show how symbolism, ritual, and silence still shape the inner architecture of the human soul when approached with sincerity and discipline.
Throughout this issue, a recurring theme emerges: the tension between appearance and essence. In a world saturated with manufactured realities, opinion masquerading as truth, and leadership reduced to performance, the Craft offers something radical, an inward path.
Whether examining the discipline of the Master’s chair, the humility of listening, or the quiet courage required to remain open-minded, these pages affirm that real authority is earned through self-mastery.
There is also, unmistakably, a moral urgency running through this edition. From the call to reclaim civic virtue, to the exploration of nihilism and meaning, to the sober reflections on leadership, justice, and responsibility, we are reminded that Freemasonry is not a refuge from the world’s troubles, but a training ground for facing them. The work of the Lodge does not end at the door; it begins there.
And yet, for all its gravity, this issue is ultimately one of hope. Hope grounded not in abstraction, but in practice. In the daily act of shaping the rough ashlar. In the patient labour of learning, listening, and leading. In the belief that character, quietly formed, still matters.
As you scroll through these pages, may you hear the echo of the mallet, feel the weight of the tools, and recognise yourself in the work described within. The Temple is not behind us, nor above us. It is built anew each day, by those willing to labour with intention.
May this issue challenge you, steady you, and inspire you to continue the work; faithfully, thoughtfully, and with courage.
This month we introduce five new contributors to the Square Magazine;
Sam Masteron
Dusanka Peric
Kevin Harold Woolgar
William Britton
Karl Lycett
Arbab Naseebullah Kasi
Michael John Francis
This Month’s Editor Picks:
The Vital Role of Youth in Freemasonry
An exploration of the vital role of youth in Freemasonry, highlighting how young members bring energy, vision, and renewal to an ancient tradition. Through personal experience, the article examines how the balance between youthful vitality and seasoned wisdom ensures the Craft’s continuity, relevance, and enduring spiritual strength.
The Royal Arch Jewel in Freemasonry:
History, Meaning, and Symbolism Explained
The Royal Arch Jewel: Explore the profound symbolism, history, and esoteric meaning of this key emblem in English Freemasonry. Learn how the Hexagram, Pentagram, and Triple Tau encode Kabbalistic, Hermetic, and moral teachings on the recovery of the Divine Name and the rebuilding of the Inner Temple. Perfect for companions and Masonic scholars.
The Age of Manufactured Reality
In an age where politics feels scripted, history curated, and daily life increasingly virtual, many whisper: “Everything is fake.” Drawing on philosophy and Masonic tradition, this essay explores how the initiate confronts illusion—not by rejecting the world, but by building an inner Temple where truth and Light endure.
Journey to the Heart of Virtue:
The Masonic Order of Athelstan
In the Masonic Order of Athelstan, time does not flow, it converges. The hourglass becomes a portal where past and present unite, and the Brother enters a living tradition. Here, virtue is not remembered but embodied, a radiant force shaping the soul through fidelity, ritual presence, and the quiet work of eternity.
The Certainty and Heroism of Open-Mindedness
Open-mindedness is not indecision but heroism: the courage to revisit, revise, and begin again. Knowledge does not climb a staircase toward final truth; it spirals like a helix, each turn renewing understanding. Certainty lies not in conquest but in enquiry itself—where every answer generates the rhythm of new possibilities.
The Sound of the Hammer in Silence
In the stillness where words fall away, the hammer’s strike reveals the timeless labour of shaping the inner self. This reflection on Masonic symbolism, silence, and transformation explores how each blow fractures pride, awakens light, and guides the rough stone toward refinement, courage, and the endless journey of becoming.
From Exit to Stay:
A Proactive Approach to Membership Retention
Exit interviews rarely save resigning members — most decisions are final. But stay interviews can transform retention by asking engaged members what keeps them connected, and what might drive them away, before it’s too late. By listening, acting, and closing the loop, lodges build stronger bonds and ensure every member feels valued.
Emulation Ritual: a Staging
The Emulation Ritual distills Freemasonry’s deepest truths into an elegant performance of simplicity. More than memorization, it is transformation—an experiential journey that reshapes the heart and awakens meaning in every word and gesture. When Brethren embrace ritual as a living art, they discover not ceremony alone, but a shared path of wisdom, beauty, and inner renewal.
Echoes of the Temple
In every age, power finds new banners, but its oldest pattern endures: accusation before evidence, silence before justice. Standing within that cycle, a man feels time fold around him. Yet integrity—like the Templars’ final flame—reminds us that honour survives the verdicts meant to erase it.
From Manager to Leader:
Masonic Lessons in the Art of Citizenship
Freemasonry teaches that true leadership transcends management. Beyond rules and routine lies the inner work of shaping character, inspiring others, and serving society. By transforming the rough ashlar of self into a living temple, the Mason becomes not just a keeper of tradition, but a visionary builder of the common good.
Freemasonry as a Framework Against Nihilism
Freemasonry offers a steady antidote to a culture drifting toward meaninglessness. In an age where duty fades and cynicism prevails, the Craft restores purpose through discipline, symbolism, and brotherhood. It forms men who can stand, serve, and build—quietly defying nihilism by embodying a life ordered toward virtue and transcendence.
From Symbols to Practice: A Daily Masonic Learning Cycle
Freemasonry offers more than symbolism. It offers a daily practice of self transformation. By choosing one symbol each day and moving through a simple cycle of reading, reflecting, acting, and refining, the Mason turns knowledge into character and builds, stone by stone, the only temple that truly matters.
Opinion is dead… Long live Opinion
How to embracing change, challenging fixed beliefs, and shedding ego-driven certainty leads to deeper wisdom. This reflective Masonic essay examines the nature of opinion, the dangers of bias, and the lifelong pursuit of enlightenment. Why openness, prudence, and self-reflection are essential tools for personal growth, truth-seeking, and navigating today’s divided, information-saturated world.
The Living Language of Freemasonry:
A Journey Through Manner, Meaning, and Mystery
Explore the living language of Freemasonry through its manners, meanings, and sacred symbols. This reflective Masonic essay examines how the teachings of the Blue Lodge, Scottish Rite, and The Exemplar transform personal character, spiritual awareness, and moral discipline. Discover the deeper significance of Masonic ritual, symbolism, and vocabulary—and how Freemasonry guides Brothers on a journey of inner growth, self-improvement, and Light.
Socrates in the Digital Age:
Freemasonry, Virtue and the Future of Dialogue
A Masonic exploration of how Socrates would confront today’s digital, economic and moral challenges, and how his ancient philosophy aligns with the Craft’s pursuit of wisdom, virtue, dialogue and the preservation of civil society.
The Rights Of Worshipful Masters
The Freemason’s Chronicle – 24 March 1877
Discover the rights, powers, and privileges of Worshipful Masters in Freemasonry. This detailed analysis explains the legal authority of the Master, the role of Past Masters, Lodge governance, and key rulings from the Grand Registrar. Learn how proper interpretation of Masonic law preserves harmony, clarifies ceremonial duties, and guides the effective leadership of a Lodge. The Freemason’s Chronicle – 24 March 1877
Battersea Boys
Battersea’s Masonic past pulses beneath its railways, shopfronts, and vanished meeting rooms. From the bustling Arlington and Wessex Rooms to Arding and Hobbs’ lost temple, countless lodges shaped a proudly local fraternity. Paul Gardner traces a century of brotherhood rooted in community, ritual, and the changing face of South London.
Faith Hope and Love
Ideals as the Architecture of the Mason and of Civil Society
A reflective exploration of how Faith, Hope and Love shape the inner work of Freemasonry and the ethical life of civil society, using the sculptor’s metaphor and Masonic symbolism to illuminate the timeless pursuit of human perfection.
The Gavel and the Ache
The gavel is not a tool of command but a mirror of ache. In the master’s chair, leadership becomes a quiet dialogue with the self—a rhythm of breath, silence, and symbolic consequence. To lead is to ache, and in that ache lies the power to elevate, reveal, and transform.
The Inner Sword
A Templar Allegory for the Masonic Quest and the Renewal of Civic Virtue
A reflective exploration of the Templar allegory of the Inner Sword and its deep connections to Freemasonry. This article reveals how inner mastery, virtue, and disciplined self-knowledge can renew both the individual Mason and modern civic society.
As always, we also have the usual features of podcasts, blogs, old books, new books, reviews of books, and a whole host of Masonic knowledge to keep you busy with your ‘daily advancement’.
We hope you enjoy this month’s issue. If you do – or if you don’t – drop me a line at editor@thesquaremagazine.com
Until next time, stay safe and well.
Article by: Nicholas J Broadway
Nicholas was initiated into Freemasonry in 1989 in England (UGLE) and occupied the Master's chair. Â He is a member of ExLibris Lodge 3756 the research lodge and Exlibris Academy.
He also joined other UGLE craft Lodges and is a PZ in the Royal Arch Chapter.Â
He acquired the title of The Square Magazine in January 2020 and oversees the technical running of the digital publication.
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