The 'Hidden Hand' Behind Georgia's Guidestones

Atop the largest hill in Elbert County, Georgia, there is a cow pasture guarded by an army of granite sentinels. Each faded block weighs approximately 28 tons and stretches over 16 feet into the air, cutting an imposing garrison of silent stone soldiers against the Southern sky. It’s an inauspicious location to construct a monument to what its “Sponsors” hoped would act as “Guidestones To An Age of Reason.” Etched into the monoliths are a set of ten “Guiding Thoughts,” written in 8 different languages. These “guides” are meant to provide instructions for humanity’s future generations in the hope that they might one day build and “maintain a reasonable society.” Some of the tenets contain alarming themes, suggesting a dramatic reduction in the current population or allusions to a one-world government and society; others are less startling and call for  achieving a balance and harmony with the natural world. 

Known as the Georgia Guidestones, these huge standing behemoths have been an enduring enigma ever since they were revealed to the public in 1980. The construction’s history has been intentionally cloaked in secrecy, and many theories have been put forth to explain how and why this immense stone structure came into existence. The story involves a local cast of characters, an outsider with an intriguing pseudonym, and tons upon tons of sturdy granite. However, buried just below the surface of the official tale, there is a layer of evidence waiting to be unearthed. Clues suggest a deep correlation between the shrine and the rituals and symbols of Freemasonry and a wealth of coincidences align the Stones with the ancient fraternal brotherhood. Some of these connections are well-known and well-documented. A “trowelful” of them are far more esoteric and obscure.

When attempting to uncover the shrouded symbolism that links the Guidestones with Freemasonry, it's important to start at the beginning. The small county that lays claim to the enormous structure is situated on Georgia’s northeastern border, less than 30 minutes from South Carolina. Elbert County was named after Samuel Elbert, former Governor of Georgia, and an extremely influential Freemason from the late 1700s. He had the distinction of being the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Georgia(the oldest surviving lodge still in operation in the United States) for an impressive 20 year span from 1776-1796. Residents of Elberton and the surrounding area have a long and robust history of mining granite, going back to the opening of the first quarry in 1889. The town was built on top of an immense vein of some of the hardest, most durable rock on the planet. It didn’t take long for an industry to spring up around the demand for the area’s best natural resource. As a result, the town of Elberton is brimming with actual masons of the stone-working variety. There are close to 50 quarries registered as members of the local Elberton Granite Association (EGA). The self-proclaimed “Granite Capital of the World,” has a population just shy of 5,000 people, and the industry employs close to 1,800 of them. Despite its tiny size, the town still hosts a local Masonic order - Philomathea Lodge # 25  is located just around the corner from the Granite Association’s office.

In 1979, decades after the Elberton quarries first raised their chisels, the village received its most notorious visitor. The legend of the Georgia Guidestones describes a perplexing character who introduced himself as “Robert C. (R.C.) Christian,” (who coincidentally said he had spent time around masonry as a  concrete-worker).  Wishing to keep a very low profile, the “neatly dressed man,” first approached Joe Fendley, Sr., the president of Elberton Granite Finishing Company, Inc. (Fendley, the town’s future mayor, was “raised a Master Mason,” and was active in the local lodge, attaining the 32°.) Explaining that his name was just a pseudonym, R.C. claimed to represent a small group of like-minded individuals, known as the Sponsors. He had arrived in Elberton to conduct preliminary discussions for the construction of a massive granite monument, dedicated to a unique set of ten precepts. At first, Fendley was skeptical of the request. After a while, he became convinced enough by the odd customer and his proposal to agree to take on the job. The design would require that his company quarry the largest sized stones ever attempted in the region. This would be an expensive request, but according to R.C. Christian, funding for the whole affair would be handled by the Sponsors, as they had “planned this project for more than 20 years.” 

The only other person in town who knowingly met R.C. Christian was the head of the local Granite City Bank, Wayne Martin (he was also a practicing Mason at Philomathea Lodge # 25). Needing the assistance of a bank to fulfill the role of escrow agent, Martin agreed to facilitate the transaction upon the satisfactory completion of the commissioned project. R.C. insisted on maintaining strict confidentiality throughout this process, only providing his true name to Martin at the bank when it was absolutely required. In turn, Wayne Martin promised he would take R.C.’s real identity to his grave.

With these arrangements made, the Guidestones project began in earnest, and within a year was assembled per the Sponsors’ specifications. A suitable location off Highway 77 was chosen, and there the stones waited, wrapped tightly in black plastic and bound three times with heavy rope, standing by for their public unveiling ceremony.

So what do those huge rocks in Georgia have to do with the ancient Brotherhood of Freemasons? When scrutinizing the events that unfolded around the Guidestones and their uncovering in 1980, compelling parallels can be drawn to Masonic imagery and customs. While little is known with certainty about the true source and ultimate message behind the granite formation, its purposeful construction and the circumstances surrounding its installation point strongly to Freemasonry’s influence. Specifically, the Stones might have served as part of a public display or reenactment of a Masonic ceremony related to the 18° of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, known as the Knight of the Rose-Croix. The symbols associated with the structure and its ritualistic commemoration served two distinct purposes: propagate Masonic symbolism and perform an ancient, mystic ceremony in full view of the public. 

Delving into the Freemason’s world of hidden meanings and duality can be daunting, especially when dissecting them with the goal of reaching an ultimate understanding of the ideas they are attempting to express. The main themes that we explore in relation to Freemasonry and its trademarks on the Georgia Guidestones are as follows:

• Symbols: Masonic symbolism is wide ranging and varied in form. Albert Mackey puts this in proper context when he writes in The Symbolism of Freemasonry (1869) that, “there is another method of masonic instruction, and that is by symbols. No science is more ancient than that of symbolism. At one time, nearly all the learning of the world was conveyed in symbols … Freemasonry still cleaves to the ancient method, and has preserved it in its primitive importance as a means of communicating knowledge.” We identify Masonic images and numerology related to the Guidestones.

• Rituals: The Freemasons had a script for everything and most Masonic ceremonies involve a detailed blueprint for the participants to follow. We review some of the ceremonial behaviors and imagery that associate the Freemasons with the Georgia Guidestones. 

Masonic symbolism contains layered references and images that are deliberately combined to both create unconscious effects on a group, and to subliminally indicate Freemasonry’s hidden involvement. The belief is that these overlapping and nuanced signals are utilized to call upon ancient archetypes ingrained within the subconscious so that they might instill a desired feeling or mental impression in an audience. Symbols are then mixed with ceremony and ritualistic practices to create a synergistic effect within the percipient’s psyche, making them more susceptible to specific, manipulated outcomes. This alchemical combination is observed in tandem with the events surrounding the Guidestones, and remains a large part of the Sponsors’ motivation. 

Consider the origins of the granite slabs used to create the installation. In the beginning, the Elberton Granite Association’s account of the Guidestones’ creation specifically notes that, “Pyramid Blue granite, from Fendley’s Pyramid Quarry, was chosen for the project.” The significance of pyramid imagery in Freemasonry is hard to overstate. Masons trace their origins back to the ancient Egyptian mystery schools, and they hold the stoneworkers and architects who constructed the Great Pyramids in high regard. Mason John Bennett wrote of this connection in his book, The Origin of Freemasonry and Knights Templar (1907), reminding his readers that, “Egypt has always been considered the birthplace of the Mysteries. It was there that the ceremonies of initiation were first established.” Coincidentally, Egyptian Hieroglyphs were inscribed prominently on the top of the Georgia Guidestones. Perhaps the Masonic Sponsors chose to engrave this sacred language into their modern monument’s capstone as a form of recognition of their archaic roots. A succinct quote from the prolific 33° Freemason Albert Mackey’s tome, History of Freemasonry,  nicely ties these elements together even more closely with the specific degree of the brotherhood that is in focus : “... a priest in Egypt is attributed the origin of the Order of Rose Croix.” 

The color of the granite used (blue) also maintains an important place in Masonic tradition. Mackey generated an amazing amount of material concerning Freemasonry, and in his Encyclopedia,  he describes the lofty status attributed to the hue, writing that, “blue is emphatically the color of Masonry.” 

By carving Egyptian symbols into Pyramid Blue granite, which had been extracted from Pyramid Quarry, and installed in the vicinity of a town named after an important Egyptian region (more on that later), maybe a group of Masonic Sponsors were signaling their foundational kinship with Egypt. The synchronicities surrounding their specific choices ultimately highlight the symbolic association between the Stones and their Masonic/Egyptian legacy.

Another tie-in between the Guidestones and Freemasonry comes from our old friend and progenitor of the mystery, Robert C. Christian. Some researchers posit that clues are to be found in the initials of the elusive emissary to Elberton. “R. C.” is suspected by many to have stood for “Rosy Cross,” as a sly nod to the fabled esoteric order of the Rosicrucians. This theory highlights the fact that the “guides” written on the stones contain a pervasive dogma seeking to balance man in accordance with nature - a decidedly Rosicrucian message. This explanation is valid, but there appears to be more convincing evidence for the letters “R.C.” to be an abbreviation for the 18th Degree of Freemasonry, known as the Knight of the Rose-Croix. This degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry is also commonly referred to as the “Christian Degree” for its inclusion of aspects and themes that appeal to believers in Christianity. Adding these elements together, it's easy to arrive at a satisfying explanation for “R.C. Christian’s” pseudonym that firmly implicates its Masonic underpinnings. 

Contributing to the mound of evidence that indicates a Masonic connection to the Guidestones, we find several significantly named cities nearby that suggest a purposeful placement of the granite shrine. The connotations contained within their names help affirm the theory that a relationship with Freemasonry exists:

✠ Goshen, GA: Conjuring up significant Egyptian/Masonic connections, this town is located 30 miles from the Guidestones on Elberton Highway. The village shares its name with the sacred and fertile area in Egypt known as “The Land of Goshen,” which was given to the Hebrews by the Pharaoh in the Old Testament. 

✠ Dewy Rose, GA: This tiny community is situated in Elbert County and is listed as the true residence of the Georgia Guidestones (per their official address). The image of a “dewy rose” draws distinct allusions to the “dew” or blood of Christ on the cross. There are also possible alchemical interpretations of the word, as ancient Alchemists desired an allegorical “dew” for use in their mystical distillations. (Alchemists share a bond with Freemasons in that they are both metaphorically seeking a state of purity through refinement.) Mackey is again appropriate here to remind us that the Masonic Order of Rose Croix was a “society which mingled in a fantastic manner the jargon of alchemy and other occult sciences.” In addition to these coincidences, factor in that the local official who originally named the area had the same last name as the Guidestones’ mysterious originator: R.C. Christian! When this evidence is combined with the familiar symbolism of the Rose, it leaves little question as to the town’s Masonic connotations. 

✠ Harmony, GA: Good luck finding this small dot on the map if you are searching for it today. Only notated on one historical diagram that we could find from 1874, Harmony remains one of the more curiously named areas near the Stones. Themes and ideas of Harmony are infused within Masonic teachings. Achieving a natural balance is a persistent goal within both Freemasonry and the Guidestones’ tenets. Albert Pike reflected on this ideology when he stated that  “[s]till Masonry marches steadily onward toward … that day when ... Life and Light be the one law of the Universe, and its eternal Harmony.” Coincidentally, Harmony was also the name of Joe Fendley’s youth camp, located 5 miles outside of Elberton. 

✠ Concordia, GA: “Concordia” is the Latin word for “Harmony” as well as the name the Romans gave to their god that embodied the spirit of “Harmony.” This rural area was rarely incorporated in official maps from the 1800s, and is not included today, but it appears to have been located within a 20 mile radius of Elberton. In The Symbolism of Freemasonry (1882), Albert Mackey illuminates the metaphorical link between “Concordia” and Masonry, explaining that “the trowel (represents) concord or harmony.” 

These place names existed long before the Georgia Guidestones were planted in the earth. Quite likely, the granite structure was placed adjacent to them to act as a beacon, signaling a latent Masonic influence on the monument’s construction and underlying purpose.  

It’s a Numbers Game

When analyzing the Guidestones, it's admittedly hard to put a lot of stock in the numerous appearances of specific, sacred numbers. However, certain digits do occur quite frequently in conjunction with the Stones and seem to constitute another subtle linkage to their Masonic ancestry. 

The number 3 holds great significance in Freemasonry and is featured prominently in many of it’s customs and practices. For instance, there are 3 points and 3 sides in a triangle (a sacred symbol embraced by Freemasonry), 3 “fundamental” Masonic degrees of initiation, 3 Supporting Pillars (Wisdom, Strength, Beauty), 3 lights surrounding a Masonic altar, and 3 Principal Officers involved in Masonic ceremonies. In the fundamental Masonic legend of Hiram Abiff, there were 3 Fellow Crafts and 3 Ruffians. In his famous book, Illustrations of Masonry, which became notorious for widely exposing their secret rituals to the public for the first time when it was published in 1826, author and ex-Mason William Morgan provides an example of the emphasis placed on this sacred numeral. As Morgan recorded, initiation into the 3° of Freemasonry (known as Master Mason) required the pledge to walk 3 laps, “traveling with the sun when he starts round the lodge,” as the candidate passes “three principal officers.”  (In an unfortunate bit of irony, Morgan himself disappeared and was presumed murdered the same year his book was published. Three Masons were later convicted of the crime.)

When analyzing the Georgia Guidestones, the number ‘3’ makes appearances in the subtlest of ways. In an anecdote shared about the project's first few days, both the monument maker (Fendley) and the banker (Martin) began to doubt the authenticity of R.C. Christian until he returned 3 days later with details and commitments. Fendley’s granite company employed 3 special stoneworkers on the project, reminiscent of the ‘3 Fellow Crafts’ of Masonic lore. Additionally, the lettering sandblasted into the first Guidestone required 3 weeks to complete. (In another mystical aside, the man who etched the words and characters into the granite blocks (also a brother Mason) claimed to hear “strange music and disjointed voices” while he worked).

Continuing with the numerological symbolism on display, there were 3 officers conducting the ribbon cutting ceremony when the Guidestones were first presented. Standing in front of the “stone altar” that had been ceremonially draped in black tarp (seen in pictures with a rope wrapped around it 3 times, another distinctly Masonic image), the congressman, mayor, and city commissioner could be interpreted symbolically as the ‘3 Principal Officers’ detailed in Masonic legends and featured in ceremony.

The number 7 also appears often alongside the Guidestones, and it also has meaning in the sacred numerology of Freemasonry: there are 7 steps in Freemasonry, 7 brothers are required to open a Lodge, and the Masons thought that 7 represented a “perfect number” as it was the sum of the sides of two perfect shapes: the three-sided triangle and the four-sided square.  Drawing on this symbolism, the Georgia Guidestones were placed 7 miles north of Elberton. They were erected on the Double 7 Farm, right off Highway 77.

Without question, the number 33 is also of extreme importance to Freemasons, as it represents the highest attainable degree within its ranks. We see this number manifest itself in a slight, albeit significant way in conjunction with the Georgia Guidestones and its physical location. They happen to be located perilously close to the 33rd parallel. While Elberton is located just north of that infamous latitude, the original site picked out by the Sponsors, Hancock, GA, lies in its path. Despite the change in plans, the Guidestones do run along the Arcadian Ley Line (an invisible line believed to channel the Earth’s energy) that connects it with both Washington D.C. and the world’s most popular megalithic ancient monument - Stonehenge. 

From Darkness, Light

Some of the most obvious Freemason symbolism associated with the Guidestones can be found in the Solar veneration embedded within its construction. While many other intriguing explanations have been put forth, there is no debate that the creators encoded a strong reverence for the Sun’s procession and the light which accompanies it. In the teachings of Freemasonry, the Sun is an extremely meaningful image, acting as an expression of the Light, or knowledge, that all Masons pursue. According to Albert Mackey, “Light … must be considered as one of the most important symbols in the whole science of masonic symbolism.” 

Infamous 33° Freemason Albert Pike agrees, expounding upon this symbolic connection his seminal work on Masonic history and practice, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (1871). In the opening paragraphs of Chapter XVIII: Knight Rose Croix, Pike reminds us that the ancient mystery school practitioners, to which Masons trace their lineage, “adored the God of Light; of that Light that was to them the type of Good, as darkness was the type of Evil.” Thus, the return of the Light (Sun) from the Darkness is an important theme that represents the triumph of knowledge and good over evil; and is often incorporated into many Masonic allegories and symbols, including the Georgia Guidestones.  

As the fingerprints of Freemasonry’s hidden hand begin to reveal themselves more clearly, we see this adoration of the Sun reach a crescendo during the events surrounding the public unveiling of the granite installation. Albert Mackey captured the situation best when he noted a century earlier: “here again we have in Masonry that old and often-repeated allusion to sun-worship.” Indeed, the Guidestones’ christening was brimming with ritualistic Sun imagery. Pictures taken that Saturday morning, March 22nd, 1980 hint at a hidden meaning lurking just below the surface. The date was explicitly chosen for its proximity to the vernal (Spring) equinox, which had occurred only two days prior. This day is special for the harmony achieved between light and dark: the day and night are both of equal length on the equinox. This symbolic return of the Sun (Light) that Masons so cherish was being observed by way of a tradition that honors a ceremony known as, “Lux E Tenebris” or “Light over Darkness.” This celebration acknowledges the “alternation of fear and gladness, of the sun's apparent death, and his apparent return to life, arose that ancient Egyptian Light Religion, so many echoes of which remain with us in our Masonic symbolism.” In his work, Forms and Traditions of the Scottish Rite, 33° Freemason Arturo De Hoyos writes of an obligatory “Ceremony of Remembrance and Renewal,” a celebration that pays honor to the Sun, heralding its return from the darkness of winter and praising the rebirth it brings. He goes on to explain that it should be observed by all qualified Rose-Croix Masons. This event shares distinct similarities with the Guidestones dedication ceremony and its reverence for Sun symbolism. The connection helps to shed light on the motivation for the scene that took place in Elberton on that Spring morning. 

In fact, the arrangement and design of the Guidestones themselves were done strategically so as to commemorate the sacred relationship between Masonry and the Sun. Other solar veneration implanted within the Guidestones includes: 

• A viewing slot carved into the stones to observe sun rises during the solstices and equinox. 

• The slabs are oriented to the furthest points of the Sun’s yearly migration. 

• A hole drilled through the capstone uses the Sun’s noontime position to illuminate the current day on a built-in calendar.

Another symbolic link hidden in plain sight during the Guidestones’ “big reveal” involved a large black tarp that was placed over top of the monoliths. Intended to shield them until the time was right, this surreal image matched descriptions and requirements for the use of a tapestry and the color black associated with certain rites of the Rose-Croix Degree of Freemasonry. 

The authoritative text by the 33° Grand Master of Ceremonies, Charles T. McClenachan, titled, The Book of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (1884), illustrates the importance of the ceremonial use of the color. In a scene that sounds eerily similar to the ritual that unfolded in Georgia, a black covering like the one concealing the Guidestones is featured prominently: “The canopy in the East in black … both throne and crosses are to be concealed by two black curtains coming together before them, and which are opened at the appointed time.”

He goes on to explain how, “the throne, altar, and seat of the officers must be hung with black." In another description, which could be of the Stones' opening day ceremony, we hear the requirement that there be “a kind of representation of the Elysian Fields … concealed by a thick black curtain, which is drawn aside …”

Agreeing with the depiction, Albert Mackey concurred that “black, which is the symbolic color of darkness, is also the symbol of death. And hence, again, darkness, like death, is the symbol of initiation.” Thus, we continually see these Masonic themes of rebirth and enlightenment following death and darkness played out during the Guidestones’ public ceremonial revelation.

To the casual observer, all of this must seem like a great deal of money, trouble and coordination to go through just to act out an antiquated Masonic ceremony on a “semi-grand” scale (sources note a meager 100-400 onlookers were in attendance during the unveiling). Some portions of the day’s events were certainly designed to enact a ceremony during the vernal equinox in order to commemorate the ancient ideas that Freemasonry idolizes. Another motive is also inextricably linked with the sort of public display that took place - one that is meant to have an impact on the surrounding mental landscape (known as the “pshyco-sphere”). This civic scene was likely intended as a “monumental” initiation rite and visible dedication to the legacy and tradition that the Stones represent. It was also possibly intended to harness the “power” that is created during what prominent Masonic researcher Michael Hoffman dubbed, “open-air masonic ceremonies.” It is believed that enacting public rituals with plenty of witnesses generates a “force” or “magick” that can be received and interpreted by the unaware audience. 

There is inherent power in ritual and arcane potency in symbols. Even if their desired effect is not immediately obvious, the intentional gestures and deliberate imagery of a Masonic ceremony impress themselves upon the mind of the observer. These perceptions are intended to act on an individual’s psyche, instilling feelings that might be difficult for the receiving audience to interpret or articulate. Over time, these hidden messages and encoded images can subliminally influence a person’s thoughts, emotions, or reactions. 

This routine is further combined with a subtle “revelation of the method” - a consistent trope in such ritualized affairs. This theory suggests that by not concealing the links that indicate their presence and ulterior motives, the perpetrators can increase the effect of the ritual.  Witnesses to a constructed or manipulated scene become subconsciously aware of their willing participation in the presentation, further amplifying the output. By covertly revealing their involvement through the hidden reenactment of sacred rituals, the themes and ideas of Freemasonry are thus communicated in a grand way to the profane world. 

This pattern is precisely what we see repeated in conjunction with the Georgia Guidestones. The monument lingers as an example of  Freemasonry’s long standing tradition of using coded practices and complex imagery to represent important ideas. “In truth,” admits one contemporary Masonic scholar, “all Masonic rituals are based on allegory … which presents an object to the mind, so as to evoke the thought of another object.” These tactics are designed to communicate with an individual on a both a conscious and unconscious level. Meant to influence its participants, or elicit a specific outcome from an audience, these esoteric ceremonies impact more than just their orchestrators. The Georgia Guidestones fit this Masonic mold, and they still evoke a wide range of interpretations and subsequent reactions from those who observe them.

At one point during the project’s negotiation, R.C. Christian told banker Wayne Martin that, “(his) group feels by having (their) identity remain secret, it will not distract from the monument and its meaning.” As we have speculated, perhaps the Sponsor’s identity wasn’t so obscure after all, meant to be discovered on some level of consciousness. Meanwhile, those who seek to excavate the truth behind the Guidestones’ mystery are left digging in the same quarries for pebbles of truth.

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