Masonic Tattoos: Are Freemasons Allowed to Get Inked?

I have a tattoo on my left forearm that predates my petition by about eight years. It is not Masonic, but when I first sat across from the investigating committee, I wondered if they would ask about it. They did not. One of them, a retired electrician in his seventies, rolled up his own sleeve halfway through the evening to show me an anchor from his Navy days. That was the moment I stopped worrying about ink.

So let me answer the two questions people actually ask. First, can a man with tattoos become a Freemason? Second, can a Freemason get a Masonic tattoo? The answers are yes and, generally, yes, with some etiquette attached.

§Tattoos will not stop you joining

No Grand Lodge I am aware of bars a man for having tattoos. Lodges look at character, not skin. They want to know that you are of good reputation, that you believe in a Supreme Being, and that you are joining for the right reasons. Who Can Join the Freemasons? lays out the actual requirements, and you will not find body art anywhere on that list.

The one sensible caveat: tattoos that express hatred, extremist politics or contempt for other people will raise questions, not because of the ink but because of what it says about the man. A lodge brings together men of every faith, background and political view. If your tattoo would make a brother of a different background uncomfortable sitting next to you, the committee will want to talk about it. Honesty here is far better than long sleeves.

§Can a Mason get a Masonic tattoo?

Masonic tattoos are more common than you would guess. The square and compasses, the all seeing eye, the letter G, the trowel, the beehive and the acacia sprig all show up on forearms and shoulders in lodges across the country. Many brethren see the tattoo as a permanent reminder of their obligations, the same reasoning some use for wearing a Masonic ring.

There is no official Grand Lodge position in most jurisdictions forbidding them. But there is a strong informal etiquette, and if you ignore it you will hear about it, gently, from an older brother at the dinner after the meeting.

• Wait until you are a Master Mason. Getting the square and compasses before you are raised is like wearing the ring early. It claims something you have not yet earned.
• Avoid anything depicting signs, grips, passwords or ritual details. These are things you promised to keep private. Putting them on your arm breaks that promise in the most public way possible.
• Do not mix in symbols you do not understand. Plenty of online designs pile together emblems from the Scottish Rite, Shrine and Templars on a man who belongs to none of them.
• Think about your job. Some men work in places where an obvious fraternal tattoo will draw questions they would rather not answer.
• Talk to your lodge first. You will be surprised how many brethren have ink and will happily recommend an artist who gets the symbols right.

§Why waiting matters more than you think

When I was going through my degrees I met a young candidate who had the square and compasses tattooed on his chest before his first degree. He was not a bad guy. He was just enthusiastic. But at every meeting someone would see it during the summer barbecue and ask when he was raised, and he would have to explain that he had not been yet. It became a running joke he did not enjoy.

More importantly, the meaning of the symbols changes once you have been through the degrees. The square and compasses look different to a man who has stood in the lodge and heard their meaning explained. Wait, and your tattoo will mean what it is supposed to mean. Rush, and it is just a logo. If you want to understand the journey, The Three Degrees of Freemasonry is a good primer.

Before you plan any ink, plan your petition. Take the free Readiness Quiz and find out how close you are to that first knock.

§Popular Masonic tattoo designs and their meanings

• Square and compasses: the best known emblem, standing for morality and self restraint.
• The all seeing eye: a reminder that a man's actions are always observed by the Great Architect. It is not a conspiracy symbol, despite what the internet says. Freemason Myths covers that one.
• The letter G: commonly read as God and Geometry. Your lodge will explain it fully in the second degree.
• The trowel: used to spread brotherly love, a Master Mason's working tool.
• The acacia sprig: a symbol of immortality, often used in memorial tattoos for a departed brother.
• The beehive: industry and cooperation.
• The 2B1ASK1 phrase: To Be One, Ask One, a nod to the tradition of men approaching the lodge themselves. Do You Need an Invitation to Become a Freemason? explains why.

§Memorial tattoos for a Masonic father or grandfather

A lot of men who are not Masons ask whether they can get a Masonic symbol to honour a father or grandfather who was. This is a tender and very human thing to want. Brethren I have spoken to mostly feel the same way: they would rather you join and earn it, but they understand the impulse. If you go this route, many people pair the symbol with the person's name and dates so it is clearly a memorial, not a claim of membership. Better still, many of those men find their way into the lodge their grandfather sat in. That is the best memorial of all.

§Other ways brethren show their membership

If ink is not for you, there are plenty of less permanent options. Rings, lapel pins, cufflinks, car emblems and Masonic challenge coins all let you carry the fraternity with you. Most men I know start with a ring and decide about a tattoo later, if ever. Nobody in the lodge will think any less of you either way.

§My honest advice

If you are thinking about a Masonic tattoo right now, and you have not petitioned yet, I would put the design in a notebook and leave it there. Go through your degrees. Spend a year in the lodge. Learn what the symbols mean to the men around you. If you still want it after that, you will choose a better design, a better artist and a better spot on your body. Mine is still on the list. I will get it after my second year.

And if you are nervous about the bigger steps, like the home interview, read The Investigating Committee. Spoiler: they were more interested in my family than my forearm.