A Layer of meaning for the Square and Compasses

I'm walking through a geometry tutorial at the moment. It's interesting because it ties geometry and math to art in unexpected ways. My wife bought me a square and compass so I could play along with the various projects. These projects have brought some insight into Masonic symbolism.

One recurring theme, from the Great Pyramids to the cathedrals, is "Squaring the Circle". That's creating a square which has the circumference or area of the given circle. There are a variety of ways of doing this, but one of the simplest is using Square and Compasses.

The circle symbolizes the divine, perfection, immortality -- i.e., heaven. The square symbolizes the earth -- the imperfect world of Man. So "Squaring the Circle" is bringing the divine to earth.

And the working tools to bring the divine to earth, therefore, are the Square and Compasses.