Is there an organization more steeped in myth and mystery than the Freemasons? Traces of the world’s oldest fraternity date back as early 1390. Originally begun as a trade organization for freestone carvers, by 1717 it had emerged as a gentlemen’s fraternity. References to its craftsman roots remain. This detail is from a mural inside the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts on Tremont St. The square and compass is most universal symbol of Freemasonry. It’s meant to remind members to “square” their actions by the square of virtue and to circumscribe their passions with a symbolic “compass.” The “G” in the center is meant to represent God and geometry.