The Order of Free Gardeners

The Order of Free Gardeners is a fraternal organisation that emerged parallel to Freemasonry in Scotland in the 17th century. The Order has many similarities with Freemasonry, with which it developed historical, structural and symbolic parallels.

The Order of Free Gardeners was originally founded to unite professional gardeners and for the mutual aid of its members in the context of farming and cultivation, but over time evolved into a more symbolic and philosophical fraternity, similar to the Freemasons.

Official information regarding the existence of the Order dates back to 1676, which makes it one of the oldest fraternal societies in Europe. The connection with Freemasonry in this order was manifested both in the form of organisation (strict hierarchical structure, initiation rituals, secret signs) and in philosophical ideas. Both organisations developed the ideas of brotherhood, self-improvement and helping one's neighbour, using craft imagery as metaphors aimed at individual spiritual development. In this regard, the Free Gardeners paid special attention to agricultural symbols and natural processes.

By 1715 there were already several lodges of Free Gardeners in Scotland, comprising members who were not actual gardeners and were interested solely in the philosophy of the order.

In 1849 there were approximately 100 Free Gardener lodges throughout Scotland, northern England and the United States, prompting a general meeting of representatives of all branches of the fraternity. Internal negotiations led to the founding of the Grand Lodge of Free Gardeners in Edinburgh in 1859, with about 10 000 members.

Both World Wars and the economic upheavals of the 20th century took a heavy toll on the Order and by 1985 the Free Gardeners had virtually ceased their activities. However, at the beginning of the 21st century in Scotland, as well as in Australia, Canada and Germany, the Free Gardeners lodges began to gradually revive and this process is still going on today.

It should be pointed out that the philosophy of the Free Gardeners had much in common with Freemasonry. The significance of their symbolism reflected the members’ commitment to natural cycles, farming and even the pre-Christian heritage of Britain, especially Celtic mythology. All of this was reflected in the symbolism of the Order, where the garden was the basic element.

Being a central symbol, the garden served as a reminder that man could control his destiny through conscious participation in nature's processes of growth and development. It also represented hard work, patience and self-discipline to achieve spiritual growth and harmony with nature.

Gardening tools, such as the spade and hoe, reminded members of the order's need to restrain their inner passions and constantly fight against inner vices, which in the order were symbolised by weeds.

As in Freemasonry, biblical motifs played an important role in the Order of Free Gardeners. Therefore, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as well as the serpent that tempted mankind to sin, were often depicted on the aprons. Parallel to the obvious Christian influence, the tree signifies the connection between the material and spiritual world. In turn, the serpent reflects eternal renewal and change in the human path of life.

Frequent symbols in the Order of Free Gardeners were the Druids, the spiritual elite of the pre-Christian Celtic peoples. Their images indicated the connection of the Order with ancient knowledge, allegorically hidden in nature. In addition, on the regalia one can see bulls - symbols of fertility and sacrifice, and shepherds - reflecting the care of the material world, as well as leadership and the transmission of knowledge.

Also similar to Freemasonry was the hierarchical structure of the order, which was divided into three degrees. The first degree taught a man the basic symbolism of the order, emphasising the biblical importance of the story of Adam and Eve, and teaching the meaning of symbols such as the circular, square and the garden shears. The second degree ritual had references to the biblical prophet Noah and emphasised his journey to the garden of Eden. The third degree focused on King Solomon and the attainment of wisdom, which was personified by the olive tree.

It is noteworthy that unlike Freemasonry, which is dominated by the ancient heritage of the Neoplatonists and Renaissance humanism, the Order of Free Gardeners has trace of influence from the ancient Roman cult of Mithras.

Mithraism emerged around the first century AD and was a syncretic mystical cult that combined ancient Roman and Persian religious traditions. There are reasons to believe that the Mithraic mysteries were the prototype and archetype of modern closed societies such as Freemasonry and similar organisations. The Mithraic mysteries involved only men and the cult spread quite quickly from the Middle East to the British Isles, where archaeologists have found many rooms, called mithraeums, in which secret mysteries were practised.

The god Mithra, who personified truth, the source of light and the struggle against darkness, was central to the cult. It should be pointed out that the symbolism and philosophy of Mithraism has not yet been finally deciphered. It is known about the presence of complex esoteric rituals and the presence of various stages of initiation to discover occult knowledge and achieve self-improvement of the soul. Among the central rituals of Mithraism was the sacrifice of a bull to the god Mithra, which meant the renewal of nature and fertility.

Although this theory remains speculative, it may be that Mithraism was the root from which the Order of Free Gardeners borrowed a number of allegories and symbols, including the bull as a sign of sacred sacrifice.

At the same time in the Order of Free Gardeners, as well as in Freemasonry, the influence of hermetic philosophy can be clearly traced, which originated in the Hellenistic era of Egypt, about 3rd century B.C. Hermetic tradition combined the ancient Greek god of commerce Hermes and the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom Thoth. This resulted in ancient texts attributed to the prophet Hermes Trismegistus, who taught people the principles of alchemy, astrology and the esoteric practices of Neoplatonism.

The basic idea of hermetic philosophy is conveyed by the thesis "As above, so below" from the text of the Emerald Tablet - the most important philosophical monument of hermeticism, presumably compiled in the 2nd century BC. This principle indicates the inseparable connection between nature and the cosmos, as well as between man (microcosm) and the universe (macrocosm).

Moreover, Hermeticism had a great influence on the development of alchemy and the study of nature, which gave rise to scientific discoveries. Emphasising the special importance of nature as a reflection of divine laws, Hermeticism directly influenced the philosophical foundations of the Order of Free Gardeners and Freemasons, which brought the two fraternities, striving to achieve enlightenment and harmony with nature, as close as possible.

Illustration - an object from our museum collection: Apron of the Order of Free Gardeners, Great Britain, early 20th century.