Masonic Cryptogram

[Socorro Henson]

The Freemasons have long used ciphers to encrypt their ceremonies and messages. Both the ciphers on this page use the classic Masonic Cipher, which is also known as the Pigpen Cipher, as the alphabet is written into a series of grids, with some passing resemblance to pigpens.

Despite appearances, these ciphers are all simple substitution cryptograms, so the frequency of each symbol will give you clues as to which letters are E, T and A. Other solving tricks for cryptograms will work equally well here.

Mark E. Koltko-Rivera, PhD, is a 32degree Freemason and expert on the major symbols and ceremonies of Freemasonry. Using this expertise, he analyzed prepublication clues to uncover and blog about key elements of The Lost Symbol. He co-hosts the weekly podcast Masonic Central.

Pigpen Cipher is used extensively in Freemason documentation. There are still surviving examples of letters written using the cipher from the 16th Century. It can also be found on Masonic medals, certificates, tokens and even gravestones.

In 1934, a well-respected historian by the name of Charles Bourrel de la Roncire published a book about a cryptogram he had deciphered. It was allegedly the work of the infamous pirate, Olivier Levassuer, also known as The Hawk (La Buse).

Bourrel had identified the cipher, which was a form of pigpen, and translated that into plaintext. However, that was where his problems began, as the message seemed to simply be a recipe for a folk remedy rather than the location of a hidden treasure.

English actress and blonde bombshell, Diana Dors, was once considered a rival to Marilyn Monroe. When she passed away at the age of 52, she left behind an encoded message which only her husband had the key to. The message, it was said, led to millions of pounds which the actress had hidden.

Take a 3x3 grid and write the alphabet in it, three letters to each square. Under each letter place a dot. Now, when you want to encode a message you draw the shape of the grid around the letter just like pigpen, but you place the dot in a different place for each letter. For example:

In standard pigpen, the letters are written over two grids and two crosses. By changing the order of grids, you can make a cipher that looks like simple pigpen but will take a little longer to decrypt. For example, rather than using the standard grid, grid, X, X, you could switch to grid, X, grid, X or X, grid, X grid. For example:

There is also a variant of Pigpen which includes the numbers 0-9. This version expands the X grid to be 3 x 3. The letters take their usual places on the outside, while the digits are spread through the internal squares.

Pigpen is often used as an introduction to cryptography because it is simple, visual, and effective. Of course, that also makes it one of the least secure ciphers. Even a person who had never heard of pigpen would stand a chance at cracking the code using frequency analysis.

See also: Code-Breaking overview Adfgvx cipher Adfgx cipher Affine cipher Atbash cipher Baconian cipher Beaufort cipher Bifid cipher Caesar cipher Columnar transposition Cryptogram Double transposition Enigma machine Four-square cipher Gronsfeld cipher Keyed caesar cipher One-time pad Playfair cipher Rail fence cipher Rot13 Route transposition Trifid cipher Variant beaufort cipher Vigenere cipher

A few weeks ago, an occasional email correspondent proposed in some depth that the Beale Ciphers were some kind of Masonic cipher, as Joe Nickell had famously claimed many years earlier.

It is about the Quest,,,and a plan for there unexpectedly received legacies. There is masonic influence on site, but they suggest something much more was housed in the vault, more valuable than gold, even more secret than masons knowledge,,,,Legacies received, Legacies hidden, Legacies needing to found, strange cycle. Legacies that if forever lost would be a Catastrophe ..lol, goodluck fellow hunters ,,to help recall names that are cherish though partially forgotten..think food.

Did you love Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol? Are you fascinated by secret codes and deciphering lost history? Cracking Codes and Cryptograms For Dummies shows you how to think like a symbologist to uncover mysteries and history by solving cryptograms and cracking codes that relate to Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, and other secret societies and conspiracy theories.

Kids love secret codes! Who wouldn't want to be able to write messages to friends that no one else (especially those pesky grown-ups) will be able to read? The pigpen cipher is a fun switch from the typical number and letter substitution codes. (like this one), rely on numbers as a substitution for letters, but the pigpen cipher substitutes symbols for letters of the alphabet.

Codes can be numbers like writing 55 every time you mean "bread," but you can also think of codes as substitutions of one group of words for another. For example, "The blue horse has left the zoo," may be code for "I took the blueberries out of the fridge."

A cipher on the other hand, is the system, or algorithm that is used for making substitutions. The cipher has no inherent meaning. The most common cipher kids start experimenting with is the Caesar cipher, in which one number stands in for one letter, like 1 for A, 2 for B, and so on.

The cipher is centuries old, and therefore there are several variations of the pigpen cipher. The exact origins are unknown, but starting in the 18th century, it was frequently used by the Freemasons, you might sometimes hear it referred to as the Freemasons cipher, or masonic cipher.

Each letter of the alphabet is substituted with a simple geometric picture symbol. Symbols are created using grids and crosses so that each letter is represented by fragments of a grid or cross with or without a dot. The name "pigpen" refers to this grid pattern.

Pigpen is easy to learn and fun to decipher so anyone can quickly flex their cryptography skills! Even kids who don't like writing will enjoy composing messages to friends and family, perhaps even sending grandma a coded postcard in the mail.

Kids who love to engage in pretend play will get a kick out of practicing their spy and detective work using secret codes. Writing secret messages in the pigpen cipher is also a great spy party game! Be sure to check out all our spy activities for kids.

Creating pigpen cipher variations is a great cryptography challenge for kids. They can experiment with the placement of different letters in grid spaces, the order of the grids and crosses or the location of the dot.

This cipher has been in use since the 18th and 19th centuries, and its simplicity ensures that, without knowledge of the key or pattern, the content remains indecipherable. Although the Masonic Cipher is not as complex as modern-day encryption systems, its historical significance and wide usage within Freemasonry make it an intriguing subject for those interested in the world of cryptography.

Over the years, the Masonic Cipher has also been referred to by different names, such as the Rosicrucian Cipher, Napoleon Cipher, or tic-tac-toe cipher, highlighting its adoption by various groups and associations. Today, it serves as a fascinating piece of history in the realm of secret codes and ciphers, offering insight into the ways early organizations protected their information.

Despite the intricate web of historical connections, the Masonic Cipher remains an intriguing enigma within Freemasonry. Its history provides an interesting insight into the secretive nature of the organization and the methods its members employed for confidential communication.

To decrypt a message encoded in the Masonic Cipher, examine each symbol in the encrypted text and match it to the corresponding letter in the Cipher Key. It may be helpful to write out the translated letters, allowing for easier reading of the deciphered message.

By carefully examining the symbols and translating them using the Cipher Key, one can successfully decipher messages encrypted with the Masonic Cipher. Practice is crucial in becoming proficient at decrypting messages quickly and accurately.

The Masonic Cipher, also known as the Pigpen Cipher, was widely used in the 18th and 19th centuries within Freemasonry to communicate in a secret code language. While it may not be as prevalent today, the cipher still holds significance in various aspects of modern society.

By understanding its role in modern-day use, we can see that the Masonic Cipher has transitioned from a widespread secret communication tool to a symbol of history and intrigue that continues to capture the imagination of people across the globe.

Masonic ciphers have had a noteworthy impact on the development of other cryptographic systems over time. Their primary influence lies in the way they helped shape the concept of secrecy as a central aspect of cryptography.

In summary, Masonic ciphers have significantly influenced the development of cryptography with their focus on secrecy, complexity, and symbolism. These elements have played a key role in shaping the way we perceive and utilize secret codes today.

Masonic ciphers have been a topic of interest and intrigue for centuries. However, there are several misconceptions surrounding this enigmatic system of communication. In this section, we will address some common misunderstandings.

Firstly, many people believe that Masonic ciphers are extremely complex and inaccessible to the average person. This is not entirely true. While there are indeed some intricate ciphers utilized by Freemasons, there are also simpler ones, such as the Pigpen cipher, which utilizes a grid to exchange letters for symbols. These simpler ciphers can be understood and utilized without significant difficulty.

Another misconception is that Masonic ciphers always hide secretive and mysterious messages. While it is true that these ciphers have been used to encode messages between members, many times, these messages were not of a secretive or mystical nature. For instance, ritual training manuals often used ciphers as a sort of shorthand or aide-memoire.

c80f0f1006