Founders’ Charter

The Light of Siam Lodge is founded on six great pillars of light: Usefulness, Tradition, Personal Enlightenment, Fellowship, Hospitality, and Collective Insight, and the Founders whose signatures are here appended recognize all of them. Our motto “Ad Lucem” (Towards Light) embraces our ideals: turning towards Masonic light; recognizes that in nature we move towards the light of that grand luminary, the sun; and recognises that in history we wish to move towards an understanding of Francis Light.

However, Light of Siam Lodge is consecrated for its members, and will remain focused on responding to our members’ requirements and providing avenues for the members to grow. We shall select candidates and accept joining members who are able to assume and support these aims.  

1.        The First Great Pillar is to be useful: to Phuket; to the members of Light of Siam Lodge; to Masonry; and to our homelands. We shall discharge this by respecting the spirit as well as the laws of Thailand, the Constitutions of our Order, and by the application of charitable donations to lighten the burden of: needy members of our Lodge; recipients of worthy Phuket causes, and of Masonic Charities. Members acknowledge that they will be called upon for charitable donations in support of these aims according to their financial situation. 

2.        The Second Great Pillar is maintaining the eternal flame of Tradition by a strict observance of the traditions and customs of Phuket, of Thailand, and of English Freemasonry. 

3.        The Third Great Pillar is enabling Personal Enlightenment by supporting research into: the secrets and history of Freemasonry; the history of Phuket, and in particular of Francis Light; and the future of Phuket.  

4.        Fellowship is the Fourth Great Pillar. We shall be a beacon of brotherhood: a lodge of gentlemen respecting each others’ views, meeting together in harmony, dining in a style appropriate to gentlemen, and acting with dignity and in friendship. 

5.        The Fifth Great Pillar is Hospitality. Visitors are at the heart of our lodge, and will be embraced at Light of Siam Lodge. Visitors light our lives, and we hope to light theirs with an exchange of Ideas. So we wish to be able to entertain visitors excellently. In order to do this, we do not plan for the number of visitors at any meeting to exceed the number of members present.  

6.        The Sixth Great Pillar is Collective Insight. We recognise the peculiar circumstances of Phuket, where the transient population makes it unlikely that any Lodge member will know any candidate singularly well. For this reason, and notwithstanding the duties of the Committee of Enquiry, we rely upon the collective wisdom of the entire Lodge membership in the matter of the acceptance of candidates or Joining members, and have approval mechanisms that reflect this. It may happen that an introducer fails to have his candidate accepted by the membership, and that such a rejection is never to reflect upon the prospective proposer either in his eyes or those of the brethren of the Lodge. It is also accepted that any brother who feels that an error has been made with regard to the acceptance of members will keep his peace on this, having had due opportunity to be part of the collective insight.