Mason Knight tattoo??

I'm brand new to the forum, and came here because I saw something yesterday that I wanted to find out more about.

I was at a reggae festival and an African-American guy had the words "Mason Knight" and a large cross symbol tattoed on the back of his clean shaven head. He also had on a t-shirt with various "secret society"-esque designs on.

The thing that made me wonder is that I thought the Masons were pretty much a secret society, so it seemed curious that someone would have that tattoo so prominently displayed.

Then again, if someone weren't a mason, why would they tattoo that on themselves?

My question may seem grossly uninformed. As I said, I'm brand new here. However, if anyone can enlighten me, that would be appreciated.

That could have been his name, Mason Knight.

Did it look like any of these?
images.google.com...


THe specifics of the symbol should be helpful in indentifying more about what masonic group he was in.

I would say that most masons like to let peopel know that they are masons, that they are proud of being in the organization.

Its not a 'secret society' insofar as its existence is secret. They have secret (also known as 'private') meetings. But they aren't a secret society like the Illuminati, say.

Thanks for the information about the degree of secrecy with which the masons are concerned and not concerned. It was news to me.

The cross looked like the cross inside this design:
homepage.eircom.net...


[edit on 30-5-2006 by cultivatah]

That may be a symbol of Le Droit Humaine, an irregular organization (irregular meaning that they are not recognized by orthodox, or legitimate, Masons). Le Droit Humaine is "Co-Masonic", i.e., it pretends to be a Masoic organization that admits both genders.

www.droit-humain.org...

That cross looks very much to me like a maltese cross, which is not specifically a masonic symbol. You can read more about it here.

The image you posted is that of New Cross Lodge No. 1559, under the jurisdiction of UGLE. I can tell you that it meets at Clerkenwell Masonic Centre and it was founded in 1875. If you need to know any more about it I suggest you contact Grand Lodge.

www.droit-humain.org...

"Right Human" , and its placement on the square seems to reference the angle in a sense.


It doesn't look like that organization makes special emphasis on being "Knights". I didn't see the maltese cross on it either, why do you think its associated with them? The maltese cross is a common symbol through masonry no?

edit to add:
Actually, come to think of it, its a maltese cross and the words 'mason knight'. Seems to be saying that he is a Knight Malta. So he's possibly a York Rite Mason, and part of its Knights Templar 'grade', which is the culmination of it.

Mackey on Malta:

users.1st.net...
A small island in the Mediterranean Sea, which, although occupying only about 91 square miles, possessed for several centuries a greater degree of celebrity than was attached to any other territory of so little extent. [...]

On Knights of Malta

the English branch of the Order was re established -it and in this action English members were permitted to be members of the Anglican Church. The English Knights based their rights on a Charter which had been granted by Queen Mary, but on grounds that were legally insecure. To remove this uncertainty Queen Victoria granted a new Charter in 1888. After this reincorporation, "the method of government of the Order was framed, as far as possible, on the precedents of the old Order.... The Sovereign of the Realm is the Sovereign Head and Patron, and no admission can be made to the Order except with his Majesty's sanction." From 1910 until his death the Duke of Connaught (Grand Master, the United Grand Lodge of England at the time) was Grand Prior.

But that seems to be mostly a non-masonic order, and Mackey presents the Knights as being used to attempt to destroy masonry.

Here is a bit on the Masonic Knights of Malta
www.phoenixmasonry.org...

And here is another source:

www.geocities.com... Sovereign Military Order of Malta, also known as the original Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem, is a closed fraternity of the Roman Catholic Church. Its initiated members must be Catholic and have served in the military. They participate in secret ceremonies and feudal ritual dress, and embrace a strong class/caste mentality as part of their initiation into Rosicrucian dogma.
[...]
in December of 1969 an exclusive meeting was held in the Rome office of Count Umberto Ortolani, the ambassador of the Knights of Malta to Uruguay, who has been called 'the brains' behind the "P2" Masonic lodge. In addition to Ortolani, the meeting included only Licio Gelli, Roberto Calvi, and Michele Sindona"; all of whom have been implicated in the death of Pope John Paul I and massive bank fraud.

[edit on 31-5-2006 by Nygdan]

Here is a description of a Malta jewel in an american Templar Commandery in the York Rite
www2.prestel.co.uk...