Site terms

Working definitions for the terms this site uses to organize Masonic study. Kept short so authors, admins, and operators all use the same words for the same things. Not surfaced to members; if a definition belongs in member-facing copy, lift it into the About page or the relevant help entry.

Body of knowledge

A published Masonic source or a set of related sources. Mackey's Encyclopaedia is a body of knowledge. Webb's Monitor is another. Brian Ragain's Keys to Masonic Memorization (2020) is a third. Bodies of knowledge are the raw material that chapters draw on.

Theme

A subject area on the site. A theme groups chapters that draw on related bodies of knowledge. The site currently presents six themes (Memorization, The Work, History, Business, Community & Charity, and Leadership); more can be added as new material is brought in. Each theme has an accent color and an authored order for its chapters.

Chapter

A single study unit. One topic, one hero illustration, one set of citations, and a pack of exercises (vocabulary, multiple choice, matching, and sometimes a sequence puzzle). Each chapter lives inside exactly one theme. The first chapter of each theme is open to anonymous practice; later chapters require an account.

Skill (exercise)

One drillable practice inside a chapter. The site currently offers four kinds: vocabulary recall, multiple choice, term-to-definition matching, and step-sequencing. A chapter ships with several skills so the same material is practised from different angles.

Course

A study path. A course is a sequence of chapters, in a specific order, chosen to take a member toward one Masonic goal. A course can pull from any theme. Today, courses are authored by site admins as JSON files; later, signed-in members will be able to build their own.

Goal

What a member is trying to accomplish. For example, "be ready to deliver the Apron lecture at the next degree" or "pass the Fellowcraft proficiency." A goal is the thing a course is built around. Surfaced on the site under How can we help? in plain help language ("Get better at memorization," "Prepare for a Lodge office") so the member can find the path that fits what they're trying to do. The catalog of goals grows over time and is the structure courses plug into.

Pass (challenge)

The formal assessment moment for a chapter. The site treats 75% rolling average across the chapter's exercises, plus 80% on the Unit Final, as the proficiency threshold the Grand Lodge of New Mexico's Mentor Manual uses. Until a chapter is passed, the next chapter in the theme or in your course stays locked.

Degree (EA / FC / MM)

A member's recorded Masonic degree on the site: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, or Master Mason. Public chapters are open to everyone; the degree-gated mentor curricula at /private/ea/, /private/fc/, and /private/mm/ require the matching (or higher) recorded degree. Your degree is set by your Lodge mentor or by site administration once it is verified.

Streak

The number of consecutive days you have practised at least one chapter exercise. The streak is visible to signed-in members on every page.

Ladder

The visible progression within a theme or a course. Each chapter you pass moves you one rung up; the next chapter unlocks when the previous one is passed.

Spotted a term used somewhere on the site that isn't on this page, or one defined here that the site uses inconsistently? Flag it. The lexicon is meant to stay short and accurate, and only as authoritative as the team keeps it.

← Back to admin