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What Ordo ab Chao Means
Ordo ab chao means order out of chaos, a motto used in several Masonic and esoteric traditions to describe building order from disorder.
Ordo ab chao is Latin for order out of chaos. It is a motto used in several Masonic and esoteric traditions, and it describes the work of building order from disorder, within the self and within the community.
The phrase should not be read as an invitation to disorder or to contempt for institutions. It describes a process: confusion is faced, examined and reordered through study, discipline and mutual correction. Its meaning depends on the practice that follows it.
Example: a lodge facing a disputed accounts question may see its debate turn into argument. Applying ordo ab chao means setting out the facts first, then the rules, then the decision, so that the disorder of the discussion produces a clear record.