The Level in Freemasonry: The Fellowcraft in Progress

The Level is not an initiation tool. It comes later. It does not concern the one who is learning to stand, but the one who is beginning to walk. While the Plumb, entrusted to the Junior Warden, guides the Entered Apprentice in the search for verticality — that of the inner axis, silence, and depth — the Level belongs to the Fellowcraft. It marks the passage from within to without, from introspection to opening up to the world.

The Level only makes sense if the vertical has been found. Without it, the horizontal remains abstract. The Fellowcraft does not turn his back on the axis he has discovered: he learns to inhabit it in motion, keeping it within himself while moving outwards.

From the Plumb to the Level: a change of axis

While the Plumb, associated with the Junior Warden, concerns the Entered Apprentice in search of verticality, the Level belongs to the Fellowcraft, who opens up to the horizontality of the world. Symbol of the Senior Warden, it marks a new stage: that of a renewed relationship with reality, time, and others. 

The Level

It is often said of the Fellowcraft that he has passed from the Plumb to the Level. This passage is not a mere shift. It does not replace one posture with another. It extends an axis through an opening. The Freemason cannot remain shut inside the chamber of reflection: one must now walk. Not in all directions, but in a clear, constructed, focused direction. Not dissolved in the world, but traversed by it.

The Level therefore opens a space of action. It commits the Fellowcraft to taking his place among humans, not looking down, but on the same line. The task is no longer solely internal, nor purely symbolic: it becomes relational. It is a matter of being there, of making oneself present, with others and for others, while keeping the requirement of a just work.

The Level: A tool that only holds through the vertical

The Level does not replace the Plumb, it relies upon it. It extends the same principle: that of searching for the axis, but transposing it into another plane. The Plumb descends, the Level opens. One establishes, the other gives direction.

In most Continental rites, the Level takes the form of a square whose two arms are joined by a horizontal crossbar, forming a capital A. A plumb line suspended from the apex indicates the vertical. In Anglo-Saxon traditions, the tool rather takes the form of an inverted T, finely worked. But in both cases, the horizontal is stable and the vertical is mobile: it is what indicates whether one is true.

It is no coincidence that the Level is associated with the Fellowcraft. The horizontal it designates can only be reliable if the vertical is maintained. It is not a tool for immediate opening: it assumes an axis has already been found. The Fellowcraft does not leave the Plumb behind, he extends it differently. He does not change logic, but direction.

What the Level reminds us is that every horizontal line is adjusted from an inner axis. The plumb line descends into the deepest part of oneself, where a gravity more intimate than physical is felt. It does not impose a layout: it invites us to find this point of truth again, that which allows us to direct the work without getting lost.

Figure of man, figure of the cross

The Fellowcraft's path does not erase that of the Entered Apprentice, but extends it. What the Entered Apprentice found within himself cannot remain locked away: he must now open his arms, act, enter into relationship. The vertical does not disappear, but is inscribed in a new gesture: that of maintaining the horizontal.

The Vitruvian Man, by Leonardo da Vinci

The intersection of these two axes forms a figure — that of a man standing tall, arms open, advancing without breaking the axis. Leonardo da Vinci gave a famous image of this with the Vitruvian Man: a silhouette inscribed within a circle, balanced in its dimensions, yet always oriented. This intersection also draws a cross. It predates Christianity, transcends religions, and refers to that point of intersection where one's walk remains faithful to the axis.

But this opening is not an forgetting of the vertical. It assumes a centred heart, which allows itself neither to be scattered nor carried away, and a measured word, adjusted to its proper place, faithful to what is essential. Without this, the arms wave in vain and the journey is lost. The Fellowcraft learns to inhabit this intersection: not between two opposing forces, but as the quiet harmony of a man capable of acting without denying what establishes him.

The Level in Freemasonry: equality in rituals and in the world

The Level is not merely a symbol of axis and direction. From the 18th century onwards, certain rituals attributed another significance to it: that of Equality. The interpretation is less symbolic than moral or social. The tool, in its horizontality, became the sign that all Masons meet on the level — whatever their origin or condition.

But this Equality remained limited to the space of the lodge. Within it, the aristocrat and the commoner were no longer distinguished. In France, this idea found a concrete expression: all Master Masons there wore the sword, a privilege elsewhere reserved solely for nobles. The intention was strong, yet contained. Outside the lodge, power relations remained unchanged. It was not until the 19th century that certain Freemasons, especially in France, sought to translate this principle from the ritual into the world, engaging in political or social struggles.

Equality, by Jean-François Janinet, 1793

These attempts have sometimes divided the obediences. For while some saw them as the expression of a universal ideal, others feared overly strong commitments, which would tip the balance towards partisan causes. But they show that, for some, Equality could not remain mere ritual Masonic regalia: it called for a concrete translation, however imperfect, into society.

The Level in Freemasonry: A construction, not a principle

Of what Equality can the Level be the symbol? Certainly not a naive or proclaimed Equality, which would disregard real differences. Inequality is not an injustice in itself: it is an observation. Human beings are not identical, neither in nature, nor in background, nor in capabilities. But this observation is not enough. The idea of Equality, in the Masonic tradition, does not ignore these gaps: it offers a framework where everyone can be recognised, respected, heard at the same height. Not because everything is equal, but because every person has value.

For Freemasons, this Equality is a work. It is not self-evident. It constantly clashes with selfishness, withdrawal, and pride. It has nothing to do with an impersonal levelling that would erase singularities. On the contrary, it is driven by an assumed, intended, and practised feeling of Brotherhood — and Sisterhood. Symbolically, this true horizontal line drawn by the Level can only exist if the vertical line has been found. We can only meet on the level on condition that we have first been aligned.

We then understand that the Level does not mean an automatic equalisation of individuals, but the active search for a common plane. This horizontality is not given; it is constructed. It requires effort in language, listening, and posture. It implies constant attention to imbalances, not to deny them, but to prevent them from governing relationships. It is not about eliminating peaks and troughs, but about maintaining a possible line, together, in the shared awareness of a horizon.

That is why the Level does not merely denote a relationship between beings: it proposes a way of conducting oneself. It invites us to walk with others, neither looking down nor holding back, but side by side — in a simple and constant recognition: that of everyone's value.

Conclusion: Holding the axis, walking with others

The Level is not a mere tool: it is an imperative. It reminds the Fellowcraft that inner work is not enough. One must go out into the world, without ever losing sight of what grounds us. The vertical line was discerned and tested by the Entered Apprentice. It is from this line that the Fellowcraft can trace the horizontal, and open up to meeting others.

But this is neither a vague openness nor a haphazard step. The Fellowcraft moves forward in a clear direction, holding the axis he has discovered. He does not seek to blend into the crowd, nor to get lost in the turmoil: he acts at human scale, conscious of his place, and eager to work with others towards a common construction.

But this is neither a vague openness nor a haphazard step. The Fellowcraft moves forward in a clear direction, holding the axis he has discovered. He does not seek to blend into the crowd, nor to get lost in the turmoil: he acts at human scale, conscious of his place, and eager to work with others towards a common construction.

Faithful to the vertical, attentive to the horizontal, he advances with rigour — without losing his axis, and without forgetting that we never walk alone.

By Ion Rajolescu, editor-in-chief of Nos Colonnes — at the service of a true, rigorous, and living Masonic voice..

Continue the journey: The Plumb in Freemasonry: an invisible axis for the Entered Apprentice.

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Podcast - The Level in Freemasonry

In the lodge, the Level is not a mere instrument.

It is a requirement.

It does not replace the Plumb: it relies on it, it draws sustenance from it. The Fellowcraft does not deny the vertical discovered by the Entered Apprentice. On the contrary, he extends it. But he must now draw another line: the horizontal.

That changes everything.

It is no longer just a matter of descending into the innermost part of oneself. One must open one's arms, enter into relationship, move forward in the world. The human silhouette then becomes a symbol: standing, arms outstretched, man forms a living cross. An openness that remains true to its axis.

This openness is not dispersion. It requires a centred heart, aligned speech, an upright posture. The Fellowcraft learns to inhabit this intersection, not as a conflict of opposing forces, but as a subtle harmony: the agreement of a man who acts without betraying his foundations.

Over the centuries, the Level has acquired another meaning. In its horizontal line, equality appeared. In the lodge, no one was above, no one was below. All stood on the same plane, whether noblemen or commoners. This equality, however, does not happen automatically. It is built. It requires listening, language, attention. It does not erase differences; it welcomes them, and offers a common space where everyone finds their place.

That is the teaching of the Level. It does not only tell how to draw a line. It proposes a way of being. A way of walking alongside others. Neither above nor behind, but side by side, in simple and constant recognition: that of the value of each individual.

Thus the Fellowcraft advances, faithful to the vertical, attentive to the horizontal. He keeps his axis and discovers, step by step, that we never walk alone.