31/05/2026
Pinched shamelessly from Alexandra Lodge 1188 EC's page, as it's a very fine bit of lore for all of us:
"Whilst out visiting recently, I was speaking with an elderly Tyler who told me a fascinating piece of Masonic lore connected to the beehive symbol we often see upon Masonic collars.
He told me that Queen of Sheba travelled to visit King Solomon after hearing of his wisdom and the greatness of the Temple.
To test him, she presented him with two identical beehives:
One alive and thriving,
The other dead and dormant.
She challenged Solomon:
“If you are truly wise, tell me which hive contains life.”
Rather than inspecting them closely, Solomon simply opened a window and allowed light and fresh air into the room. After a few moments, bees emerged from the living hive and moved toward the light, whilst the dead hive remained silent.
Whether historical or symbolic, the lesson is a beautiful one.
From the outside, both hives looked identical…but only one contained harmony, labour, structure and life within it.
The more I thought about it, the more it reminded me of a working temple.
A healthy beehive functions through:
Order,
Discipline,
Cooperation,
Geometry,
Purpose,
AND…..Collective labour.
Every bee has a role. No single bee builds the hive alone. The hive only thrives when they all work together in harmony toward something greater than themselves.
Even more interestingly, bees also place a guard bee at the entrance to protect the hive from intruders and disturbance, which immediately made me think of the Tyler guarding the entrance of the lodge, ensuring peace, security and harmony within whilst the work takes place…
Surely that is exactly what a good lodge should be…
So, the round beehive symbol upon our collars now makes far more sense to me. It is not simply a symbol of “hard work”, but of united labour, harmony within the lodge, and the ongoing work of building both the Temple and ourselves.
A living hive and a living lodge share the same principle:
Quiet purpose,
Shared effort,
AND constant work.
