Memory Palaces and Masonic Lodges

Memory Palaces and Masonic Lodges - Esoteric Secrets of the Art of Memory

This book explores how the Renaissance-era art of memory—a hermetic method of encoding knowledge into symbolic "memory palaces"—shaped the origins of speculative Freemasonry. Author Charles B. Jameux traces how operative Masons integrated these techniques, pioneered by figures like Giordano Bruno, into their rituals, transforming practical stonemason guilds into a symbolic, esoteric tradition.

Using 17th-century Scottish records and modern research, Jameux argues that Masonic symbolism (e.g., the Temple of Solomon) and rituals emerged a century earlier than traditionally believed, rooted in hieroglyphic-inspired systems where symbols were hidden within words. The book highlights Bruno’s influence in Britain and reveals how Masonic questions, the Temple of Jerusalem, and lodge imagery derive from these memory palaces, offering a bold revision of Freemasonry’s spiritual and historical foundations.

Published by: Inner Traditions

Publication Date:2019

Page Count: 112

Type: Paperback