”The Italian Symbolic Rite” by Emiliano Bartolozzi and John Meek

Some time ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic was on the rise in Italy, I received a package in the mail. The package also came from Italy, and I didn't expect to receive it until the pandemic was over. Because I am also a collector of Masonic philately, the envelope received from Italy at that time will become a piece of resistance to my collection. Emiliano Bartolozzi sent me his recently published book with John Meek, for which I would like to thank him very much. This book is quite useful given the fact that I specialized in the history of masonry in Eastern Europe and the Italian masonry left a deep imprint in the establishment of lodges in those regions. The Italian symbolic rite has broad historical implications and to understand why it is a particular rite, how it was constituted and especially in what kind of circumstances, you need to know the history of Italy but also of Italian masonry. Reading the book, we find exciting things that should be of particular interest to people specialized in comparative Masonic ritualism. For example, if I had not read the book, I would not have known that the members of the lodges who practice the Italian Symbolic Rite are called "Master

Architects". The Italian Symbolic Rite was born on October 8, 1859, within the Ausonia Lodge in Turin. The history of the establishment of this national rite is intertwined with the history of the establishment of the national unity of Italy. Reading the book, you will meet the names of personalities such as the Count of Cavour, Giuseppe Mazzini, Arturo Reghini etc. The evolution of the rite is explained concerning the course of other Italian Masonic structures such as the Grand Orient of Italy.

An essential aspect is that in the book, we find explained the specific symbols of the Italian Symbolic Rite. Particular attention is paid to each particular symbol, this being not only described but also explained in the specific context of the rite. The symbolic foundation of the rite has its origin in the history of the territories that make up the Italian State, and the authors probe these aspects at a symbolic level, correlating them with the meaning of other similar symbols that can still be found in the distant past of certain Italian regions.

At the end of the reading of this book, you realize that the Italian Symbolic Rite was not just a whim of a small group. Still, it was an evolutionary Masonic process, which developed harmoniously resulting from the historical processes that shaped the Italian State in its current form.

The merit of the authors, Emiliano Bartolozzi and John Meek, is to have structured this information in a separate book that clarifies all questions regarding the Italian national masonic specificity. Another merit of the authors is to publish this text in English in order to be accessible to as many readers as possible.

The information presented in this book allows us to get a better understanding of the evolution of European Masonic rites in different countries. But perhaps the most important conclusion is that beyond the differences of rigour, we understand that masonry is a whole and the basic symbols are the backbone of the Fraternity. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the masonry in its integrity, with its differences and similarities.

The book can be ordered here:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/emiliano-bartolozzi-and-john-meek/the-italian-symbolic-rite/paperback/product-24443409.html?ppn=1