The rituals of freemasonry developed during the 18th and 19th centuries and have remained unchanged in their general design. Masonic rituals take place inside (and partly outside) the lodge according to a more-or-less predefined script as a dramatizing performance in ritual and real time. Rituals fulfil three major functions: initiation, the transmission of further knowledge at higher or deeper levels in the insider’s community of knowledge, and investiture in a particular office or status.

‘From darkness to light’ outlines the performative structure and purpose of masonic initiation rituals, describing different versions of the Hiramic legend, and explaining the key craft degrees of freemasonry—Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason.