Keystone
A keystone marked with the letters HTWSSTKS, the emblem of the Mark Master Mason degree.
Meaning
The symbolism of the Mark degree may be comprehended in one emblem, the keystone, according to a paper published by Lake Harriet Lodge in Minneapolis. The degree's jewel is a keystone, with the letters H.T.W.S.S.T.K.S. arranged around a circle in which the wearer's own mark is inscribed. The letters stand for 'Hiram, Tyrian, Widow's Son, Sent To King Solomon', and signify loyalty in Masonic teaching, the U.S. Army's Fort McCoy history office explains.
Origin and history
The degree's legend tells of a skilled craftsman whose keystone was rejected, and who later won honour and recognition through it. Its lesson, in the words the Lake Harriet paper quotes, is 'that nothing has been made in vain'. Lodges also struck mark pennies, custom-made for each lodge in copper, bronze or silver, some showing only a keystone with the letters and the lodge's details.
Write in the Freemasons’ cipher
stringmash.comPigpen cipherThe grid cipher once used for lodge records, drawn from any text you type.Read next
- Next in Masonic symbolsSquare and compassesThe best-known emblem of Freemasonry: a builder's square and a pair of compasses joined together, often with the letter G between them.
- The same shape in Angel numbers000 angel numberThree zeros, read by angel-number writers as a message about God and wholeness. Doreen Virtue’s 1999 list called 000 a reminder that “you are one with God” and a sign that a situation has come full circle.
See also
The letter G, All-seeing eye, Double-headed eagle, Boaz and Jachin, Checkered pavement, Rough and perfect ashlars.
Sources
- Masons' Marks and Mark Masonry, Lake Harriet Lodge No. 277, Minneapolis
- Fort McCoy ArtiFACT: Masonic coin, U.S. Army
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols formed from circles or letters and numbers.
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 25, 2026. How we research
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