The Freemasons - the hidden code in Bulgarian history
photography project for National Geographic magazine
Shrouded in the mists of time, the brotherhood of Freemasons keeps its secrets to this day. The church denounced him as a heretic, his opponents attributed to him conspiracies to establish a new world order.
What is Freemasonry really - a rich man's club, an organization of conspirators, an occult order... or the oldest democratic society? There is hardly an unequivocal answer to this question. One thing is certain - it has its followers all over the world.
Both in our country and around the world, Freemasonry is not a uniform mass governed by a single center. Today in our country, the Masonic United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria, Grand Lodge of Old, Free and Accepted Masons in Bulgaria and Grand Lodge of the Old Accepted Scottish Rite in Bulgaria are known.
There are also Bulgarian lodges that are not members of the listed grand lodges. Each of them has its grounds to claim legitimacy, regularity and recognition by Masonic structures around the world. Each of them also presents some evidence of its legitimacy, referring to its historical roots.
Although in principle only men can become Freemasons, some Bulgarians are members of mixed and even women's lodges. The Grand Lodge of England, dating back to 1717, is considered the mother Lodge of all regular lodges in the world.
"Regular Freemasonry is a secular society of free men of good name who believe in God the Creator. We call him the Great Architect of the Universe," explains Grand Master Ivan Sariev. This energetic man unites the Freemasons in the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria. The lodges themselves are where initiates are trained in the mysteries of the brotherhood.
"Political beliefs, nationality, religion or race do not matter here," says Sariev. The lodge teaches Masons to be citizens of high morals, to improve themselves as individuals, rising successively through the degrees of initiation: apprentice, journeyman and master.
In his book "Freemasonry: Myths and Facts", Vladimir Levchev writes that the Masonic moral system does not differ from the values of humanism. According to Levchev, the lodge, in which all are equal and led by a freely chosen Master, is a reduced version of a democratic society.
Is it really so?
Text: Daniela Arnaudova Photographer: Georgi Kozhuharov
