Masonic Handshakes: Fact vs. Fiction

The "secret Masonic handshake" is a staple of movies, jokes, and conspiracy theories. Freemasons do use private modes of recognition, but the reality is far less sinister, and far more human, than popular culture suggests. This article explains where the custom came from, why Masons still keep it private, and which popular claims are simply untrue. Out of respect for the fraternity's traditions, it does not reveal the actual grips, words, or signs.

Yes, Masonic Handshakes Exist

Freemasons do use particular handshakes (traditionally called "grips" or "tokens"), along with words and signs, as modes of recognition. They allow one Mason to identify another and to show which degree he has reached. Each of the three degrees has its own, and they are taught inside the lodge as part of a man's Masonic education.

That is genuinely all they are: a way of saying "I am a member, and here is how far I have progressed."

Where the Custom Came From

The tradition goes back to the working stonemasons of the late Middle Ages and early modern period. Skilled masons traveled from building site to building site, often to towns where nobody knew them. In an age without diplomas, ID cards, or easy communication, a mason needed a way to prove he had been properly trained, so he could claim a craftsman's wages instead of a laborer's. Private words and signs did that job. Our article on the origins of Freemasonry tells that story in more detail.

In Scotland this body of knowledge was known as the "Mason Word." One of the earliest surviving records of it is the Edinburgh Register House Manuscript of 1696, which bears the title Some Questions that Masons use to put to those who profess to have the Mason Word before they will acknowledge them. In other words, more than three centuries ago, masons were already using questions and answers to check that a stranger really belonged.

Why They Are Still Kept Private

When Freemasonry shifted from a working trade to a moral and philosophical fraternity, the modes of recognition stayed, but their meaning changed. Today they are kept private mainly for symbolic reasons:

Notice what is not on that list: hiding wrongdoing. The privacy concerns a handful of ceremonial details, not the fraternity's purposes, its membership rolls, its charities, or its finances, which are largely public.

They Have Been "Exposed" for Centuries

Here is an irony that surprises many people: Masonic modes of recognition have been printed in public "exposures" for nearly 300 years. The most influential, Samuel Prichard's Masonry Dissected, was published in London in 1730 and sold widely. Many more exposures followed, and the 1826 Morgan affair in New York turned an exposure into a national scandal (see our article on the history of anti-Masonry).

Those publications never destroyed the fraternity, because the handshake was never the point. A Mason keeps the details private because he promised to, not because the secret is powerful. It is also worth knowing that published versions are often inaccurate, and customs vary between jurisdictions, so much of what circulates online is simply wrong.

Fact vs. Fiction: Common Myths

Myth: Masons use secret handshakes to get jobs, win court cases, or rig deals

This is the most common claim, and it has things backward. Masonic obligations and Grand Lodge codes of conduct forbid using membership for improper personal advantage, and a Mason's duties to the law, his family, and his employer come first. A handshake grants no favors, and a Mason who tried to use the fraternity that way would be breaking its rules.

Myth: Any unusual handshake is a Masonic signal

People's handshakes vary for all sorts of reasons: habit, culture, grip strength, arthritis. Viral videos that "decode" politicians' handshakes are guesswork. The overwhelming majority of handshakes you see in public, including those between Masons, are just ordinary greetings.

Myth: Masons swear violent oaths that are enforced

Old Masonic obligations, like the 1696 manuscript mentioned above, contained dramatic symbolic penalties. These were traditional figures of speech, borrowed from the language of the era, and were never carried out. Many Grand Lodges have since removed that language entirely; the United Grand Lodge of England took the physical penalties out of its obligations in 1986.

Myth: Knowing the handshake makes you a Mason

Freemasonry is not a password-protected club. Membership comes from being initiated in a regular lodge, and lodges verify visitors through dues cards, Grand Lodge records, and a careful conversation with experienced members. Someone who memorized a grip from the internet would not get far.

How Masons Actually Recognize Each Other Today

In everyday life, Masons are far more likely to recognize each other by things that are not secret at all: a Masonic ring, a square-and-compasses lapel pin, an emblem on a car, or simply by asking, "Are you a member of a lodge?" Most Masons are happy to talk about their membership.

The Bigger Picture

Focusing on the handshake misses what Freemasonry is about: moral improvement, charity, and brotherhood. The modes of recognition are a small, colorful part of the tradition, a nod to the medieval builders and a symbol of the trust that binds members together. If you are curious enough to want to learn them, the only legitimate way is to join a lodge.

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