Compliments of Orlando Lodge 69
Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, Master catechism
& 14 Degree of Scottish Rite
Entered Apprentice catechism
Q: Brother (surname) whence come you as a Mason?
A: From a Lodge dedicated to the Holy Saint's John.
Q: Whence come you here to do?
A: To learn to subdue my passions and improve myself in Masonry.
Q: Then you are a Mason I Presume?
A: I am so taken and accepted among brothers and fellows.
Q: How do you know you to be a Mason?
A: By having been tried, never denied, and willing to be tried again.
Q: How may I know you to be a Mason?
A: By certain signs, a token, a word, and the perfect points of entrance.
Q: What are signs?
A: Right angles, horizontal, and perpendiculars.
Q: What is a token?
A: A certain friendly or brotherly grip whereby one Mason may know another in the dark as well as in the light.
Q: Give me a token. I hele.
A: I Conceal.
Q: What do you conceal?
A: All the secrets of Masons in Masonry to which this token alludes.
Q: What is this?
A: The Grip of an Entered Apprentice Mason.
Q: Has it a name?
A: It has.
Q: Give it me.
A: I did not so receive it, neither will I so impart it.
Q: How will you dispose of it?
A: I will letter it with a brother.
Q: Letter and begin.
A: You begin.
Q: Nay, begin you.
A: O
Q: B
A: A
Q: Z
A: BO
Q: AZ
A: BOAZ
Q: What does it denote?
A: Strength
Q: How represented?
A: By the left hand pillar in the porch of King Solomon's Temple.
Q: What are the perfect points of entrance?
A: There are four in number: petrol, manual, Guttural and peddle, alluding to the breast, the hands, the throat, and the feet.
Q: What makes you a Mason?
A: My obligation.
Q: Where were you first prepared to be made a Mason?
A: In my heart.
Q: Where next?
A: In a room adjoining a regular lodge of free and accepted Masons.
Q: How were you prepared?
A: By being divested of all minerals and metals; neither naked nor clothed; barefoot nor shod; hoodwinked; a cable-toe about my neck; left foot, knee and beast bear; in which condition I was conducted to a door.
Q: Being hoodwinked, how did you know it to be a door?
A: By first meeting resistance, afterwards gaining admission.
Q: How did you gain admission?
A: By giving three distinct knocks.
Q: To what do these knocks allude?
A: To a certain portion of Scripture: " Ask, and it shall be giving you; Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. "
Q: What were asked from within?
A: Who comes here.
Q: Your answer?
A: Mr. (full name) who is desirous of having and receiving a part of the rights, light, and Benefits of this Worshipful Lodge, erected to God and dedicated to the Holy Saint's John.
Q: What additional questions were asked you?
A: If this was an act of my own free will and accord, if I was worthy and well qualified, duly and truly prepared and properly avouched for, all of which being answered in the affirmative, I was then asked by what further rights or benefit I expected to obtain this important privilege.
Q: Your answer?
A: By being a man, free-born, of lawful age and well recommended.
Q: What were you then told?
A: To wait until the Worshipful Master was informed of my request and his answer returned.
Q: What answer did he return?
A: Let him enter and be received in due form.
Q: How were you Received?
A: Upon the point of a sharp instrument, piercing my naked left breast, which was to teach me as that was an instrument of torture to the flesh, so should the recollection of it be to my mind and conscious, should I ever presume to reveal any of the secrets of Freemasonry unlawfully.
Q: What were you then told?
A: That as Masons we are taught never to enter upon any great or important undertaking without first invoking the blessing of Deity, I was therefore then conducted to a place near the center of the lodge-room and caused to kneel for the benefit of prayer.
Q: After prayer, what were you asked?
A: "In all the great trials, troubles and difficulties thru life", In whom I place my trust: my answer being " in God", I was told since in God was my trust, my faith was well founded; was taken by the right hand, ordered to arise, follow my conductor, and fear no danger.
Q: Where were you then conducted?
Once regularly about the lodge, then pausing at the stations of the Junior Warden in the South, the Senior Warden in the West, and the Worshipful Master in the East, where the same questions were asked and liked answers returned as at the door, with the addition question from the Worshipful Master, "whence come you, weather traveler"
Q: Your Answer?
A: From the West, Traveling East.
Q: Why did you leave the West and travel East?
A: In search of light in Masonry.
Q: Light in Masonry being your object, what was then ordered?
A: That I be reconducted to the Senior Warden in the West, who instructed me how to approach the East in a proper manner.
Q: What is the proper manner?
A: By advancing one step with my left foot, bring the heal of the right to the hollow of the left, feet forming the angle of a square, body erect, facing East.
Q: What did the Worshipful Master then say to you?
A: That I was now standing before the consecrated Alter of Freemasonry, where it would be necessary for me to taken upon myself a solemn and binding obligation belonging to this decree, but he gave me the assurance that there was nothing therein contained which would conflict with any of my civil, moral, or religious duties or privileges, be they what they may; with that assurance from him, I was still willing to proceed.
Q: What did the Worshipful Master then make you?
A: He made me an Entered Apprentice Mason.
Q: How?
A: In due Form.
Q: What is due form?
A: By kneeling at the Alter on my naked left knee, right extended, forming the angle on a square; left hand supporting the Holy Bible, Square and Compass's; right resting thereon; body erect; facing the Worshipful Master; in which due form I took upon myself the solemn and binding obligation of an Entered Apprentice Mason.
Q: Read the obligation.
A: I, (full name) of my own free will and accord, in the presence of Almighty God and this Worshipful Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, erected to Him and dedicated to the Holy Saints John, do hereby and hereon, solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, that I will always hele, forever keep and conceal, and never reveal any of the secrets of Freemasonry, which have been heretofore, shall at this time or may at any future period be communicated to me, to any person or persons whatsoever, except it be to a true and lawful Brother Mason or within a regular Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, and not unto him or them, until after due trial, strict examination of lawful information, I shall have found him or them justly entitled to receive the same. I furthermore promise and swear that I will not write, indite, print, paint, cut, carve, stamp, stain, mark, dot, or engrave them upon anything movable or immovable under the canopy of Heaven, whereby or whereon a single word, syllable, letter, or character may become legible or intelligible to myself or another, and the secrets of Freemasonry be thereby unlawfully obtained. To all of which I do most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, with a firm and steadfast resolution to keep and perform the same, without any equalcation, mental reservation, or secret evasion of mind in me whatever; binding myself under no less penalty than that of having my throat cut from ear to ear, my tongue torn out by the roots and buried in the sands of the sea a cable length from shore where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours, should I ever knowingly, willfully or unlawfully violate or transgress this, my solemn Entered Apprentice Obligation. So Help me God and keep me steadfast.
Q: After the Obligation, what were you told?
A: A: In token of my sincerity and that I have voluntarily taken upon myself this solemn and binding obligation, to kiss the Holy Bible, open before me.
Q: What then ordered?
A: That I be released from the cable-toe as I was now bound by the strong cord of a moral obligation.
Q: What were you then asked?
A: I my present contention, what I most desired.
Q: Your Answer?
A: Light.
Q: Did you receive it?
A: I did, by the order of the Worshipful Master, assisted by the Brethren.
Q: Upon being brought from darkness to light, to what was your attention first directed?
A: To the three Great Lights in Masonry, assisted by representatives of the three Lesser Lights. The three Great Lights in Masonry are the Holy Bible, Square and Compass’s. The Holy Bible is dedicated to the service of God, because it is the insatiable gift of God to Man, and the rule and guide to his faith and practice; the Square to the Worshipful Master, because it is the proper Masonic emblem of his office; and the Compass’s to the Craft, because, by a due attention to their use, we are taught to circumscribe our desires and keep our passions within due bounds towards all mankind especially a Brother Mason. The three Lesser Lights are the Sun, Moon, And Worshipful Master represented by three burning tapers placed in a triangular pattern about the Alter, and are thus explained : as the Sun rules the day and the Moon governs the night, so should the Worshipful Master with equal regularity endeavor to rule and govern the Lodge.
Q: What did you then behold?
A: The Worshipful Master approaching me from the East with the step, due-guard and sign of an Entered Apprentice Mason; who having confidents in my integrity, presented me his right hand in token of friendship and brotherly love, and proceeded to invest me with the grip and word of an Entered Apprentice Mason. I was ordered to arise and, under direction of the Senior Deacon, go and salute the Junior and Senior Wardens as an Entered Apprentice Mason.
Q: What did you next behold?
The Worshipful Master approached me from the East a second time for the purpose of presenting me with a lambskin or white leather apron, which he informed me was an emblem of innocence and the badge of a Mason; more ancient than the Golden Flee or Roman Eagle; more honorable than the Stars and Garter, or any other order that could be conferred upon me at this or any future period by king, prince, potentate or any other persons except he be a Mason. It was hope that I would wear it with pleasure to myself and honor to the Fatuity. I was order to take it to the Senior Warden in the West, who instructed me how to wear it as an Entered Apprentice Mason.
Q: How does an Entered Apprentice Mason ware his apron?
A: With the flap turned up.
Q: Being clothed as an Entered Apprentice, what were you presented?
A: The Working Tools of an Entered Apprentice Mason, which are the twenty-four inch gauge and the common gavel. Twenty-four Inch Gauge is an instrument made use of by operative masons to measure and lay out there work; but we, as Free and Accepted Mason, are taught to use it for the more noble and glorious purpose of dividing our time. It being divided into twenty-four equal parts, Is emblematical of the twenty-four hours of the day. Which we are taught to divide into twelve equal parts, whereby are found eight hours for the service of God and a distressed Brother, eight for our usual vocations, and eight for refreshment and sleep. The common gavel is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to break off the corners of rough stones, the better to fit them for the builder’s use; but we as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to use it for the more noble and glorious purpose of divesting our hearts and conscious’s of the vices and superfluities of life, thereby fitting our minds as living stones, for that spiritual building that house not made with hands – eternal in the Heavens.
Q: Where were you then placed?
A: In the northeast corner of the Lodge. The Worshipful Master was pleased to say to me that I there stood, as the youngest Entered Apprentice and to all outward appearances, a just and upright man and Mason, and he gave it me strictly in charge, ever to walk and act as such before God and man.
Q: What was then ordered?
A: That I be returned to the place whence I came, and there reinvested with that of which I had been divested, and returned to the Lodge for further instructions.
Q: Advance on the step of an Entered Apprentice Mason, salute with the due-guard and sign. Worshipful Master this concludes the examination.
Fellow Craft Degree
Q: Br _____ are you a fellow craft mason?
A: I am, try me.
Q: How would you be tried?
A: By the Square.
Q: Why by Square?
A: Because it is an emblem a virtue and one of the working tools of this degree
Q: What is the square?
A: An angle of 90° or the fourth part of a circle
Q: What makes you a Fellowcraft Mason?
A: My obligation
Q: Where were you prepared to be passed to the degree of Fellowcraft?
A: In a room adjoining a regular lodge of Fellow craft masons
Q: How are you prepared?
A:By being divested of all minerals and metals; neither naked nor clothed; barefoot nor shod; hoodwinked, a cable-toe twice around my right arm; right foot, knee and breast bare; clothed as an Entered Apprentice; in which condition I was conducted to a door and caused to give three distinct knocks.
Q: What were you asked from within?
A: Who comes here
Q: Your answer?
A: Br _______ who has been regularly initiated an Entered Apprentice, served a proper time as such and now seeks more light in masonry by being passed to the degree of fellow craft
Q: What additional questions were asked you?
A: If it was still an act of my own free will and accord; if I was still worthy and well qualified; duly and truly prepared and properly avouched for; and if I had made suitable proficiency in the preceding Degree to entitle me to this; all of which being answered in the affirmative, I was then asked, by what further rights or benefits I expected to obtain this important privilege
Q: Your answer?
A: By benefit of the pass
Q: Have you the pass?
A: I had it not, my conductor had it for me
Q: What were you then told to do?
A: To wait until the Worshipful Master was informed of my request and his answer returned
Q: What answer did he return?
A: Let him enter and be received in due form
Q: How were you received?
A: Upon the angle of a square applied to my naked right breast, which was to teach me that the square of virtue should be a rule and guide in all my future transactions with mankind, especially a brother mason.
Q: Where were you then conducted?
A: Twice regularly about the lodge, then pausing at several stations, where the same questions were asked and like answers returned as at the door, with the additional question from the Worshipful Master, wench come you, wether traveling?
Q: Your answer?
A: From the west, traveling east
Q: Why did you leave the west and travel east?
A: In search of more light in masonry
Q: More light in masonry being your objective, what were you then ordered
A: That i be reconducted to the senior warden in the west, who instructed me how to approach the east for the second time in a proper manner
Q: What is the proper manner?
A: By advancing on the step of an Entered Apprentice, saluting the Worshipful Master with the due guard and sign; advancing an additional step with my right foot, bringing the heel of the left to the hollow of the right. Feet forming the angle of a square, body erect, facing east.
Q: What did the Worshipful Master then say to you?
A: That is was now standing before the consecrated alter of Freemasonry for the second time, whereIt would be necessary for me to take upon myself a solemn and binding obligation belonging to this degree; but as in the preceding degree, he gave me the assurance that there was nothing therein contained which would conflict with any of my civil moral or religious duties or privileges, be they what they may. With that assurance from him. I was still willing to proceed.
Q: What the Worshipful Master then make you?
A: He made me a fellow craft mason.
Q: How?
A: In due form
Q: What is due form?
A: By kneeling at the alter on my naked right knee, left extended, forming the angle of a square; right hand resting upon the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses; left elevated, arm forming the angle of a square; body erect, facing the Worshipful Master; in which due form I took upon myself the solemn and binding obligation of a fellow craft mason.
Q: Read the obligation
A: I _________ of my own free will and accord; in the presence of almighty God and this Worshipful lodge of fellow craft masons, erected to Him and dedicated to the Holy Saints John, do hereby and hereon solemnly and sincerely promise and swear that I will forever keep and conceal all the secrets belonging to this degree; that I will not communicate them to any person or persons whosoever, except it be to a true and lawful brother fellow craft or within a regular lodge of fellow craft masons, and not unto him or them until after due trail, strict examination or lawful information, I shall have found him or them justly entitled to receive the same. I furthermore promise and swear that I will answer and obey all due signs and regular summons sent me from a regular lodge of fellow craft masons or handed me by a brother of this degree, if within the length of my cable-toe. I furthermore promise and swear that I will stand to and abide by all the laws, rules and regulations of any lodge of fellow craft masons of which I may be a member, so far as they shall come to my knowledges. I furthermore promise and swear the I will help aid and assist all poor or distressed brother fellow crafts, they applying to me as such and I finding them worthy, so far as I may be able without material injury to myself. I further promise and swear that I will not wrong, cheat or defraud a lodge of fellow craft masons or a brother of this degree out of the value of anything, knowingly myself, nor allow it to be done by another, if within my power to prevent. To all of which I do most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear with a firm and steadfast resolution to keep and perform the same without any equivocation, mental reservation or secret evasion of mind in me whatever; binding myself under no less penalty that that of having my left breast torn open; my heart taken out and given to the beasts of the field and the fouls of the air as a prey, should I ever knowingly, willfully or unlawfully violate or transgress this my solemn fellow craft obligation, so help me God and keep me steadfast.
Q: After the obligation, what were you told?
A: In token of my sincerity, and that I have voluntarily taken upon myself this solemn and binding obligation, to kiss the Holy Bible open before me.
Q: What was then ordered?
A: That I be released from the cable-toe as I was now bound by the strong cord of a moral obligation.
Q: What were you then asked?
A: In my present condition, what I most desired?
Q: Your answer?
A: More light
Q: Did you receive it?
A: I did, by order of the Worshipful Master.
Q: Upon being brought from darkness to light in the Degree, to where was your attention first directed.
A: To the three great lights in masonry, as in the preceding Degree, with this difference; now one point of the compasses was elevated above the square, which was to teach me that while I had advance an additional point in masonry there were other and important secrets still hidden from my view
Q: What did you then behold?
A: The Worshipful Master approaching me from the east with the step, due guard and sign of a fellowcraft mason, who having confidence in my integrity presented me his right hand in token of continued friendship and brotherly love and preceded to invest me with the pass-grip, password real grip and word of a fellow craft mason. I was then ordered to arise and under the direction of the senior deacon go and salute the junior and senior wardens as a fellow craft Mason
Q: How does a Fellowcraft Mason where his apron?
A: With the flap turned down and the left hand corner tucked up
Q: Being clothed as a fellow craft mason, what were you then presented?
A: The working tools of a fellow craft Mason, which are the plum, square, and level. The plum is an instrument made use of by operative masons to try perpendiculars, the square to square their work, and the level to prove horizontals but we as free and accepted Masons are taught to use them for more noble and glorious purposes. The plum admonishes us to walk uprightly in our several stations before God and man, square our actions by the square a virtue, ever remembering that we are traveling upon that level of time to that undiscovered country from whose born no traveler returns
Q: What are the three precious jewels of a Fellowcraft?
A: The attentive ear, the instructive tongue, and the faithful breast. The attentive ear receives the sound from the instructive tongue and the mysteries of masonry are safely lodged in the repository of the faithful breasts
Q: What was then ordered?
A: That I be reconducted to the place whence I came, and there be reinvested with that which I had been divested and returned to a place representing the middle chamber of King Solomon's temple; the approach to which was through a porch, between two beautiful brazen pillars; up a flight of winding stairs consisting of three, five and seven steps; through an outer and inner door strongly guarded
Q: Advance on the step of a fellowcraft mason step with the dueguard and sign. Give me the Entered Apprentice grip. Will you be of or from
A: From
Q: From what unto what?
A: From the grip of an entered apprentice Mason to the pass grip of a Fellowcraft
Q: Pass, what is this
A: The past grip of a Fellowcraft mason
Q: Has it a name?
A: It has
Q: Give it me
A: I did not so receive it, neither will I so impart it
Q: How will you dispose of it
A: I will syllable it with a brother
Q: Syllable and begin
A: You begin
Q: Nay, begin you
A: Bo
Q: Shi
A: Leth
Q: Shi
A: Bo
Q: Leth
A: Shiboleth
Q: What does it denote
A: Plenty
Q: How represented
A: By a sheaf of wheat suspended near a waterfall
Q: Will you be of or from
A: From
Q: From what to what
A: From the pass grip of a fellowcraft mason to the real grip of the same
Q: Pass, what is this
A: The grip of a fellowcraft mason
Q: Has it at name
A: It has
Q: Give it me
A: I did not so receive it neither will I so inpart it.
Q: How will you dispose of it
A: I will letter it with a brother
Q: Letter and begin
A: You begin
Q: May begin you
A: A
Q: J
A: C
Q: H
A: I
Q: N
A: Ja
Q: Chin
A: Jachin
Q: What does it denote
A: Establishment
Q: How represented
A: By the right hand pillar in the porch of King Solomon's temple
Worshipful master, this concludes the examination
Master Mason Catechism
Q: Bro__________ are you a Master Mason?
I am
Q: What makes you a Master Mason?
My Obligation
Q: What induced you to become a Master Mason?
A: That I might travel, work, and receive Master wages, the better to enable me to support myself and family, and contribute to the relief of worthy distressed Brother Master Masons, their widows and orphans.
Q: Where were you prepared to be raised to the sublime Degree of Master Mason?
A: In a room adjoining a regular Lodge of Master Masons.
Q: How where you prepared?
A: By being divested of all metals and minerals, neither naked nor clothed; barefoot nor shod; hoodwinked; a cable-toe three times around my body; left foot; both knees and both breast bare; clothed as a Fellow Craft; in which condition I was conducted to a door and caused to give three distinct knocks.
Q: What were you asked from within?
A: Who comes here?
Q: Your answer?
A: Bro ________, who has been regularly initiated an Entered Apprentice; passed to the Degree of Fellow Craft; and now seeks further light in Masonry by being raised to the sublime Degree of Master Mason.
Q: What questions were asked you?
A: If this was still an act of my on free will and accord; if I was still worthy and well qualified; duly and truly prepared and properly avouched for; and if I have made suitable proficiency in the preceding degrees to entitle me to this; all of which being answered in the affirmative, I was then asked, by what further right or benefit I expected to obtain this important privilege?
Q: Your answer?
A: By benefit of the pass.
Q: Had you the pass?
A: I had it not, my conductor had it for me.
Q: What were you then told?
A: To wait until the Worshipful Master was informed of my request and his answer returned.
Q: What answer did he return?
A: Let him enter and be received in due form.
Q: How were you received?
A: Upon both points of the Compasses, extended from my naked left to right breast, which was to teach me that as the vital parts of man are within the breast, so also the most vital tenants of Freemasonry contained between the extended points of the Compasses, which are Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love.
Q: Where were you then conducted?
A: Three times regularly around the Lodge, then pausing at the several stations, where the same questions were asked and like answers returned as at the door, with the additional question from the Worshipful Master "whence come ye, whether traveling?"
Q: Your answer?
A: From the West, traveling East.
Q: Why did you leave the West and travel East?
A: In search of further Light in Masonry.
Q: Further light in Masonry being your objective, what was then ordered?
A: That I be reconducted to the Senior Warden in the West, Who instructed me how to approach the east for the third time in a proper manner.
Q: What is the proper manner?
A: By advancing on the step of an Entered Apprentice; saluting the Worshipful Master with the due-gard and sign; advancing on the step of a Fellow Craft, saluting the Worshipful Master with the due-gard and sign; advancing an additional step with my left foot, bringing the heel of the right to the heel of the left; feet forming the angle of the Square; body erect, facing East.
Q: What did the Worshipful Master then say to you
A: That I was now standing before the consecrated alter of Freemasonry, for the third time, where is would be necessary for me to take upon myself a solemn and binding obligation belonging to this degree but as in the preceding degrees, he gave me the assurance that there was nothing contained therein which would conflict with any of my civil, moral or religious duties or privileges, be they what they may. With that assurance from him I was still willing to proceed.
Q: What did the Worshipful Master then make you?
A: He made me a Master Mason.
Q: How?
A: In due form.
Q: What is due form?
A: By kneeling at the alter on both naked knees; both hands resting upon the Holy Bible, Square and Compasses; body erect; facing the Worshipful Master; in which due form, I took upon myself the solemn and binding obligation of a Master Mason.
Q: Read the obligation?
A: I, __________, of my own free will and accord, in the presence of Almighty God and this worshipful lodge of Master Masons, erected to Him and dedicated to the Holy Saints John, do hereby and Hereon, solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, that I will forever keep and conceal all the secrets belonging to this Degree; that I will not communicate them to any person or persons whosever; except it be to a true and lawful Brother Master Mason or within a regular Lodge of Master Masons, and not unto him or them until after due trial, strict examination or lawful information, I shall have found him or them justly entitled to receive the same.I furthermore promise and swear that I will answer and obey all due signs and regular summons, sent me by a regular Lodge of Master Masons or handed me by a brother of this degree, if within the length of my cable-toe.I furthermore promise and swear that I will stand-to and abide by all the laws, rules and regulations of any Lodge of Master Masons of which I may be a member, together with the general laws and edicts of the Grand Lodge, under whose authority the same shall work, so far as they shall come to my knowledge.I furthermore promise and swear that I will help, aid and assist any poor or distressed Brother Master Masons, their widows and orphans, they applying to me as such and I finding them worthy, so far as I may be able without material injury to myself or family.I furthermore promise and swear that I will keep the secrets of a worthy Brother Master Mason when communicated to and received by me as such, as secure and inviolate in my breast as they were in his before being thus communicated.I furthermore promise and swear that I will not wrong, cheat or defraud a Lodge of Master Masons or a Brother of this degree, out of the value of anything, knowingly myself, or allow it to be done by another, if within my power to prevent.I furthermore promise and swear that I will not be present at the making of woman a Mason, an old man in his dotage, a young man in his non-age, an atheist, a mad man, a libertine, or a fool, knowing them to be so.I furthermore promise and swear that I will not violate the chastity of, nor have Illicit carnal intercourse with a Master Mason wife, mother, sister or daughter, nor allow it to be done by another, if within my power to prevent.I furthermore promise and swear that I will not give the substitute for the secret word of a Master Mason in any other manner or form save that in which I so received it, which will be under the five points of fellowship, and at low breath; and that I will not give the Grand Hailing Sign of Distress unless I am in real distress or my life in intimate danger, in some public place for the instruction of a brother, or within a regular Lodge while at labor, and should I ever see that sign given or hear the words accompanying it spoken, I will hasten to the relief of the Brother so giving or speaking them should there be a greater probability of saving his life than of losing my own.I further promise and swear that I will not sit in a lodge of clandestine masons, nor have Masonic communication with a clandestine made Mason, a suspended or expelled Brother while under such time of sentence, knowing them to be so.To all of which I do most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear to keep and perform the same, without any equivocation, mental reservation or secret evasion of mind in me whatsoever, binding myself under no less penalty the that of having my body severed in twain, my bowels taken out, may remains burned to ashes and spread to the four winds of heaven, that there might neither remain any more remembrance or memory among man or Masons forever; should I ever knowing, willfully, or unlawfully violate or transgress this, my solemn, Master Mason Obligation. So help me God and keep me steadfast.
Q: After the obligation, what were you told?
A: In token of my sincerity, and that I have taken upon myself this solemn and binding obligation, to kiss the Holy Bible open before me.
Q: What was then ordered?
A: That I be released from the cable-toe, as I was now bound by the strong cord of a moral obligation.
Q: What were you then asked?
A: In my present condition, what I most desired.
Q: Your answer?
A: Further light.
Q: Did you receive it?
A: I did, by order of the worshipful master.
Q: Upon being brought from darkness to light in this degree, to where was your attention first direct?
A: To the three great lights in Masonary, as in the preceding degrees, with this difference: now, both points of the compasses were elevated above the Square, which was to teach me that I was entitled to receive all the secrets that could be communicated to me in a master mason lodge.
Q: What did you then behold?
A: The worshipful master approaching me from the east with the step, Dugard, and son of a Master Mason, who, having confidence in my integrity, presented me his right hand in token of a continuance of fellowship and brotherly love, and proceeded to invest me with the past grip and password of a Master Mason. I was ordered to arise and under direction of the senior deacon, go and salute the junior and senior warden's as a Master Mason
Q: How does a Master Mason where is apron?
A: At ease
Q: Being Made a Master Mason, what were you presented?
A: The working tools of a Master Mason, which are all the implements of masonry indiscriminate, more especially the trowel. The trowel is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to spread the cement which unites the building into one common mass; But we, as free and accepted Masons, or talk to use it for the more noble and glorious purpose of spreading the cement of brotherly love and affection, the cement which unites us into one sacred bond or society of friends and brothers, around which no contention should ever exist, but that Noble contention, Or rather emulation, of who better can work and better agree.
Q: What was then ordered?
A: That I'll be returned to the place whence I came, and there reinvested with that of which I had been divested and returned to the lodge for further instruction.
Q: Will you be of or from?
A: From
Q: From what unto what?
A: From the grip of a fellow craft Mason to the pass grip of a Master Mason
Q: What is this?
A: The pass grip of a Master Mason
Q: Has it a name?
A: It has
Q: Give it me
A: I did not so receive it, neither will I so impart it
Q: How will you dispose of it
A: I will syllable it with a brother
Q: Syllable and begin
A: You begin
Q: Nay, begin you
A: Bul
Q: Tu
A: Cain
Q: Tu
A: Bul
Q: Cain
A: Tubulcain
Q: Who was Tulbulcain?
A: The first well known artisfur in brass and other metals
Q: Will you be of or from?
A: From
Q: From what unto what?
A: From the pass grip of a Master Mason to the real grip of the same
Q: Pass, what is this?
A: The grip of a Master Mason or the strong grip of the lion paw of the tribe of Judah.
Q: Has it a name
A: It has
Q: Give it me
A: Place yourself in the proper position to receive it and I will
Q: What is the proper position to receive it
A: Under the five points of fellowship
Q: What are the five points of fellowship?
A: Foot to foot, knee to knee, breast to breast, hand to back, mouth to ear
Fourteeth Degfree - Perfect Elu
Officers and Titles
The PRESIDING OFFICER is styled Venerable Master, the other officers simply "Brother"
The Venerable Master is in the east; facing the West; the Wardens in the West, facing the
East; the Senior Warden on the North of the Junior Warden.
The ORATOR is in the South, West of the Captain of the Host, facing the North
The PRELATE is South, west of the CAPTAIN OF THE HOST, facing the North
The MASTER OF CEREMONIES is North of the VENERABLE MASTER, northeast
of the Altar, facing the south
The EXPERT is north of the VENERABLE MASTER, West of the MASTER OF CEREMONIES,
facing the South
The CAPTAIN OF THE HOST is South of the VENERABLE MASTER, East of the ORATOR,
facing the north.
SYNOPSIS OF THE FOURTEENTH DEGREE
"The glory of God is to conceal the Word"
SENIOR WARDEN:
In the fourteenth Degree, the most profound philosophical Truths are presented as axioms, without being
discussed, inciting you to pursue studies into their meaning on your own. You will be put in possession of the
Lost Word and pointed in the direction towards the application of this newly found knowledge.
You are consecrated to Truth and more deeply bound to your Brethren, and Fraternity, and the ideals it
hopes to promulgate.
The Degree of perfaction is both a celebration of the revelation received in the Thirteenth Degree as well as an
examination of your worthiness to possess it. Knowledge without its application is of little or no value.
Without knowledge comes responsibility, and one must prove oneself worthy to possess it.
The mere possession of knownledge is not a virtue. Yet knownledge, properly applied, results in wisdom, which
the book of proverbs says was coexistent with creation.
The ancient initiate could not have arrived at the hidden vault of Enoch had he not also mastered all the requisite
lessons and their application in his personal life. The reward of the practice of virtue and upright living
is what was discovered. What remains for you, as an inheritor of this ancient system, is to lean how to apply
what you have discovered.
You will be symbolically purified and consecated to living virtuously, acting worthily, and deciding justly. You will obligate yourself to strive hereafter to speak truthfully.
The Temple, the adobe of living Presence of God (repersented by the Ark of the
Covenent placed in the SANCTUM SANCTORUM), has been built. Its most obscure recesses have been discovered, and that which was discovered has been secured.
The Word, that which has been discovered, represents the limited utterance of the Grand Architect of the Universe. Here we arrive at the Perfection of the Master's Degree of the Symbolic Lodge with the discovery that knownledge of God is of His invisible nature, revealed visibly to us in the world He created. Hence we say, "The Glory of God is to conceal the Word."
Now Brethren, hear what you shall hear, and attend the Fourteenth Degree, Perfect Dlu.
JUNIOR WARDEN:
My Brethren, the Degree that will now be exemplified is the Fourteenth. It follows the Royal Arch of Solomon in which the Lost Word is found. It is therefore necessary that a short synopsis of that Degree be given.
We are informed by Masonioc tradition that, in time the of Solomon, three Masters were sent to explore the ruins of a Temple said to be built by Enoch. They discovered and fearlessly explored a deep shaft sunk perpendicularly in the earth. Desending through nine arches, they reached a chamber hewn in solid rock in which a treasure had been hidden before the flood.
This treasure was a cubical stone resting upon a triangular pedestal. On one side of the stone was a trianglar platw of solid gold. Written upon this plate was the Lost Word. Though no Master Mason now living has received this Word in a Blue Lodge, we know by the old tracing-boards that it was the Anglicixed form of the Hebrew Ineffable Word. It consists of three letters, one of which is repeated. Though the Word is revealed in its outward form, it is not pronounced in the Thirteenth Degree, or the Royal Arch of Solomon. In fact, its ture pronoucation is not even known. The four Hebrew letters represent the name of God given to Moses on Mount Sinai, One of many mispronunciations given is JEHOVAH.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Brother CAPTAIN OF THE HOST, post the sentinels and tile the Lodge.
CAPTAIN OF THE HOST:
VENERABLE MASTER, the Lodge is tiled.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Brother Senior Warden, are the Perfect Elus bond and free?
SENIOR WARDEN:
Both, if they be ture Masons; bound by their obligations, the sacred ties of brotherhood, the laws of God, and their allegiance to honor and virtue. They are free from prejudice, intolerance, envy, and all that makes men slaves.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Brother Junior Warden, what, then, are you?
JUNIOR WARDEN:
A Perfect Elu, who has endured the trial and earned the reward.
VENERABLE MASTER:
What is the reward?
JUNIOR WARDEN:
Light and the Lost Word.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Brother Senior Warden, What is the Lost Word?
SENIOR WARDEN:
The Ineffable name of God given to Moses on Mount Sinai.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Where is it to be found?
SENIOR WARDEN:
Each must discover it for himself. God is manifested in nature and in man.
VENERABLE MASTER:
As the Sun is about to rise, let us resume our labors, for the benefit of our fellowmen. Brothers Senior and Junior Wardens, Let us open this Lodge of Perfection by the sacred numbers.
My Brethren, let us offer thanks to the Grand Architect of the Universe.
PRAYER
PRELATE:
Sovereign Author of the Universe! We pay to you the sincere homage of our fervent gratitude for all the blessings which Your infinite goodness has bestowed upon us. Aid us in advancing the purposes and attaining the ture objects of genuine Masonry. Thus enable us to serve our fellows and assist in carrying forward Your great designs! Amen! So mote it be!
VENERABLE MASTER:
I declare this Lodge of Perfection to be duly opened and its labors resumed. With me, my Brethren!
ALL OFFICERS:
"The Glory of God is to Conceal the Word"
(A Candidate gives the alarm 3 X 3) on the door)
EXPERT:
Who seeks to enter?
MASTER OF CEREMONIES:
A Mason of the Royal Arch of Solomon, obedient Honor and Duly, and desirous of admission into thr Secret Vault, in the hope there to receive, at the hands of the VENERABLE MASTER and the Brethren, the Degree of Perfection.
EXPERT:
I will make known his request. Let him with patience await the answer.
EXPERT:
VENERABLE MASTER, it is a Mason of the Royal Arch of Solomon, obedient to Honor and Duly, and desirous of admission into the Secret Vault, in the hope here to receive, at the hands of the VENERABLE MASTER and the Brethren, the Degree of Perection.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Let him enter and be received in like manner as all who entered here before him.
EXPERT:
Let him enter and be received in like manner as all who have entered here before him.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Mason of the Royal Arch of Solomon, what do you desire?
MASTER OF CEREMONIES:
To receive the Degree of Perfection.
VENERABLE MASTER:
If these Brethren deem you worthy and qualified, you can obtain what you wish. Are you ready to be examined?
CANDIDATE:
I am.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Answer me then, can you pronounce the sacred Word?
MASTER OF CEREMONIES:
I cannot. I hope to obtain that secret here.
VENERABLE MASTER:
You can obtain it only by the consent of the Brethren. They must be satisfied that you are worthy. Kneel at the Alter.
EXPERT:
Class will please rise and form parallel lines west of the Altar.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES:
Place your right hand on the right shoulder of the Brother in front of you and kneel; drop your right hand.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Lay your right hand on the Book of Constitutions, the Symbol of Deity, the Square and Compasses, and the Crossed Swords, and answer me on your Honor. The ENTIRE CLASS WILL also answer every question, on your Honor.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Have you since you were made a Mason endeavored to deal honestly and fairly with all Men?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER:
Have you endeavored to serve and refrained from injuring your Brethren?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER:
Have you been generous to the widows and orphans of your Brethren?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER:
Have you endeavored, by zeal, in the cause of Free Masonry, to deserve well of the Order, and shown by attention to your duties that you value the Degree?if you have not, answer frankly, and admit your shortcomings.
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER:
Have you done wrong to anyone, have you regretted it and endeavored to make amends?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER:
If you have been wronged by a Brother, are you willing to forgive him, and give and receive from him the Ture Word, if he is williing to make amends and be reconciledto you?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER:
Is there any Brother here present with whom you have any cause of quarrel, or toward whom you do not feel, as a Brother should?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER:
Do you now, or have you ever been guilty of taking God's na,e in vain?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER:
If your answer is yes, rise your feet; any Brother still kneeling pleasw rise.
VENERABLE MASTER: (with emphasis)
Profanity has never done any man the lease good. No man is the richer, or wiser, or the happier for it. It commends no one to any society.
You will now, Brother MASTER OF CEREMONIES, conduct these Masons of the Royal Arch of Solomon to the Chamber of Reflection, there let them review their past life and time, meditate in silence in darkness, the Brethren will consult.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES:
There will be no talking and absolute silence.
VENERABLE MASTER:
(The Venerable Master, seated at his place, turns the microphone on, that is set up to be heard in the Chamber of Reflection, and says:) You have heard, my Brethren, the replies of the aspirants. If any Brother desires to be heard in respect to them, and as to their wish to receive the Degree of Perfection, the floor is now offered to him. (The Venerable Master turns the microphone off.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
(The Venerable Master agian turns on the microphone on, and says:) We Will proceed to ballot. If anyone objects to their reception, let him say "NAY". (The Venerable Master turns the microphone off again)
VENERABLE MASTER:
Brother Master of Ceremonies, bring hither from the Chamber of Reflection those Brethren who do not profane the name of DEITY.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES:
My Brothers, those of you who do now and have never taken God's name in vain, follow me.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Brother Master of Ceremonies, bring hither from the Chamber of Reflection the (Other) Brethren who await here.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES:
My Brothers, follow me.
CLASS AND CANDIDATE:
(Respond appropriately)
VENERABLE MASTER: (The Venerable Master rises and moves freely on the east side of
the Altar.) My Brethren, the very first word ever uttered by you in a Mason’s Lodge declared
your faith in God; for without that declaration, your eyes would never have beheld even the form
of a Lodge, and so, without a real faith in God, your heart shall never know the hidden beauties
of Masonry, _and faith is a gift of God. The very utmost height and glory of a Man’s nature is that
he, by faith, can look into the face of God and say, “My Father”. HOW THEN, CAN A GOOD
AND TRUE MASON TAKE HIS HOLY NAME IN VAIN, PROFANE THE NAME OF DEITY,
DESPISE HIS DEVINE COMMAND, “THOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF GOD IN
VAIN, FOR THE LORD WILL NOT HOLD HIM GUILTLESS WHO TAKETH HIS NAME IN
VAIN.” For the Lord our God is omnipotent and omnipresent; in His hands are all the corners of
the earth, power and honor are before Him; glory and worship are in His sanctuary; then
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness and ascribe unto Him the honor due his Holy Name.
Do you promise, my Brethren, never again to utter His Holy Name, save with reverence
and humility?
CLASS AND CANDIDATE: (Respond appropriately.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
My Brethren, the Perfect Elus of this Lodge consent that you shall
receive the Degree of Perfection. You have now had time and opportunity to reflect.
Here also, the Grand Architect of the Universe is immediately present, and all our past,
and all our thoughts are known to Him. Hearken unto his Commandments.
(All spotlights are immediately, and dramatically directed on the Prelate, who reads the
following from a stone-like tablet or a scroll:)
PRELATE:
And God spoke all these words, saying,
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage.
Thou shall have no other gods before me.
Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, or anylikeness of any thing that is in
the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, orathat is in the water under the earth.
Thou shall not bow down thyself to them, no.r serve them; for I, the Lord thy God, am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and
keep my Commandments.» Q
Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it Holy. Six days shall thou labor, and do thy work:
but thelaseventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shall not do any work, thou,
nor thy”'son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and
all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day,
and hallowed it. Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord
thy God giveth thee.
Thou shall not kill.
Thou shall not commit adultery.
Thou shall not steal.
Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s house; thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor
his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
Remember that the Commandments are the natural law which God has placed in the
hearts and minds of men. It is through His love for us that He has brought these rules together
so that we may be better prepared to face life.
VENERABLE MASTER:
(With emphasis) lf you have not answered us truly, as to past acts
and resolutions for the future, it will be better for you to advance no further. Have you, without
mental resen/ation or equivocation, done so?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER: (With emphasis) lf you desire to explain any answer that you have
given, you are at liberty to do so. _
(With emphasis and not too fast) Doubt not our right to ask and reiterate these
questions. If we accept you in this Degree, we give you the right to require each of us, and
every one of this»: Degree in the World, to aid and assist you, even at imminent hazard of life.
We have the right to know towards whom ‘and what manner of man we are to assume such
obligations. They are not to be unreal and imaginary, like those of the Masonry of the multitude.
The possession of this eminent Degree will bind you to us more closely than before, and will
impose on you new duties and higher obligations. Do not come to us with false or feigned
professions on your lips and luke warmness and indifference in your soul. Take in your hand,
symbolically, and press to your heart, the Holy Book of your faith, and answer us:
VENERABLE MASTER: ls it your firm and fixed determination faithfully to perform hereafter all
the duties you have assumed, or may assume in Masonry?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER:
Will you endeavor so to act that no discredit may ever, through you,
fall upon Masonry; and that we may never have reason to repent conferring on you this Degree?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
VENERABLE MASTER:
Are you willing to form an intimate and indissoluble union of true
Brotherhood with us in the cause of religious and political liberty and of all that is Just, Right and
True?
CANDIDATE AND CLASS:
(If the Candidate and Class answer satisfactorily)
VENERABLE MASTER: Drop your right hand.
VENERABLE MASTER: (With feeling, emphasis, and not too fast) We shall require of you
a most solemn pledge, the oldest and most sacred known to man, of your determination
hereafter to be indeed a Mason without guile. Purification by water, also known as lustration or
baptism, is the natural symbol of initiation. As such it was a rite thousands of years before
John, the Essenian Preacher, baptized Jesus of Nazareth. ln the ancient Grecian mysteries,
the initiates washed their hands in water at their entrance and were admonished not to present
themselves unless their souls were pure and undefiled, of which washing was the symbol. ln
many of the ancient mysteries, initiates were washed as a symbol of regeneration, and of
expiation of their sins. Masonry retains the same most ancient and venerable symbol. lf there
be any form of pledge by which a Mason’s soul and honor can be bound in bonds so that to
break it shall be inexpressibly base, it is given by the voluntary acceptance of this sacred and
most ancient symbol. If you cannot be so bound, but only as Masons too often feel bound by
their obligations, you have no business here. Go then, to the Station of our Brother Senior
Warden, and receive the lustration by washing, which is Baptism, knowing of what the
ceremony is a symbol and a pledge.
EXPERT:
Class will about face.
(The Master of Ceremonies conducts the Candidate to the laver in the West and stands
facing it and the Senior Warden, and the Senior Warden says:)
SENIOR WARDEN:
Disciple of the Light, visible manifestation of the One Source of All That ls,
like the ancient disciples, be purified symbolically by water.
(The Candidate, followed by each member of the Class, and as directed by the Master of Ceremonies and the Expert, wash their hands and are handed a clean, white cloth or
paper towel to dry them. The Master of Ceremonies and the Expert must be sure to give direction to the Class and Candidate so that they know where they are going. The
Candidate, after going through the ceremony, is directed by the Master of Ceremonies to stand on the South side of the Senior Warden’s chair, facing East.)
SENIOR WARDEN:
Repeat now after me: I accept this rite of lustration / as a symbol of my
devotion to the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry / and of the purification of the heart and soul / and a pledge to live virtuously, / act worthily, / and decide justly.
SENIOR WARDEN:
Venerable Master, these Masons of the Royal Arch of Solomon have
performed the ancient ceremony and given the ancient pledge.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Let them be prepared to take their vows.
EXPERT:
Class return to your seats.
(Master of Ceremonies, Expert and Candidate will stand in the West, in the center of the Lodge Room, facing the East, with Master of Ceremonies on the right side of the
Candidate, and the Expert on the left side. The Altar and Pedestal, with the apron, collar and jewel on, are re-positioned so that they are now midway between the East and the
West. The Black Cord is tied around the waist of the Candidate.)
EXPERT: Venerable Master, the Candidate is prepared to take his vows.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Let the Candidate approach the Altar by the nine steps of a Perfect
Elu, if he would take the vows. .
(The Master of Ceremonies and the Expert cross their swords in front of the Candidate,
each takes hold of one end of the Black Cord and advance by eight (8) quick stepsand
one (1) slow step. The Candidate stands in front of the Altar, facing it and the East, they
cause him to give the Sign of Admiration of a Mason of the Royal Arch of Solomon. The Venerable Master raps two (2) times and rising says)
VENERABLE MASTER:
Come with me to the Altar, my Brethren, and witness the vows of this
Candidate.
(All Officers approach the Altar. The Venerable Master stands alone on the east side of
the Altar facing to the West. All the others form a semi-circle, which ends on the north
and on the south of the Altar, the convexity to the West, all facing toward the Altar, the
Senior Warden being at the northern extremity, and the Junior Warden at the southern.
The Master of Ceremonies is in the center west position with the Orator to his immediate
right and the Captain of the Host to the right of the Orator; the Prelate is the immediate
left of the Master of Ceremonies and the Expert to the left of the Prelate. All with swords,
stand with them drawn.
VENERABLE MASTER:
As you desire to advance, prepare to take the vows of a Perfect Elu.
They will bind you to piety, to patriotism, and to us by ties never to be dissolved. If you are ready, kneel at the Altar.
(The Candidate kneels on both knees, grasping the horns of the Altar. The Venerable
Master then addresses the class)
VENERABLE MASTER: Class will please rise and place your right hand over your heart. Class and Candidate will say, repeat your full name, and remain silent.
OBLIGATION
I, do by this sacred symbol, and upon my faith and honor, solemnly
vow, that I will never reveal any of the secrets of this Degree of Perfection, nor anything that may occur in a Lodge thereof, except when and as I lawfully may, and to those only who shall be lawfully entitled to know the same.
That I will be true to the principles of Scottish Rite Masonry and at all hazards defend
free government and liberal institutions in the Country in which I live, never consenting to its submission to despotism, or to civil or military usurpation, or to the substitution of anarchy in the stead of constitutional government and law.
That I will regard all good Masons of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite as my
Brothers, and remember THAT BROTHERHOOD in all the transactions of life, in business, in political controversy, and even in civil war. That l will assist every worthy Brother of that Rite in his poverty, distress or need, without
humiliating him, and without boasting thereof; will help him in danger, stand by him in ill report and slander, advise him when he errs or is about to be wronged, and comfort him in his sorrow and misfortune, as a Brother should.
That l will always endeavor to deserve the title of Perfect Elu; doing, sustaining and
approving in public and private affairs that only which is just, right, and true, without regard to expediency, party, danger, success or defeat, honor and reward.
CLASS AND CANDIDATE WILL REPEAT AFTER ME: '
All which l do most solemnly vow, / consenting if l willfully fail / to keep and perform the
same, / to be deemed and declared dishonored, / infamous and foresworn, / so help me God. /
AMEN.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Class may drop your right hand.
(The Expert lights the incense pot, upon the Altar of Incense. He then removes the
covering over the Pedestal and the Cube of Agate. All Brethren fall on their right knees;
give the Sign of Admiration and rise. The Expert takes the Vessel of Oil and the trowel to
the Venerable Master. The Venerable Master, taking a little oil on the point of the trowel
anoints the Candidate’s lips, as he does so he says:) ,
VENERABLE MASTER:
As your eyes were anointed in the Fourth Degree that they might
clearly discern truth from error, so do I now, as Venerable Master, anoint and consecrate your
lips to the speaking of truth. Let no guile be found therein. Well has the Psalmist said, “Set a
watch O Lord before my mouth; keep the door of my lips." l do hereby devote and consecrate
you to the service of all that is just, right and true. Rise, Soldier and Servant of Justice, Right
and Truth, Perfect Elu, that we may complete your investiture.
(The Candidate rises and remains standing at the Altar. The Venerable Master goes to
the Table of the Presence, on which has been placed the bread and wine and the 14"‘
Degree Ring, stands on the east side of it, and says:)
VENERABLE MASTER:
Return, my Brethren, to your places. Class may be seated.
Master of Ceremonies
(All officers, except for the ‘ and the Expert, return to their places
and remain standing.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
Brothers Master of Ceremonies and Expert, conduct the Brother in
your charge to the Table of the Presence.
(The Master of Ceremonies and the Expert conduct the Candidate, first taking from his
body the black cord, to the Table of the Presence, placing the Candidate on the north
side of the table; the Expert stands to the left of the;Ca’ndidate on the north side of the
table; the Master of Ceremonies stands on the south side of the table opposite the
Expert.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
Purification, Initiation and Perfection were the Three Degrees of the
Eleusinian and ancient Christian mysteries; and to perfection, for the initiates of lndia, Persia, Delphi and Etruria, and among the ancient Hebrews, the sacrifice of bread and wine were indispensable.
(The Venerable Master raises both hands and arms towards Heaven, places the fore and middle fingers of his right hand upon his lips, drops his left hand and picks up a piece of the bread, places it in his mouth as he drops his right hand and brings his right hand across the body at the waist, palm downward, fingers together, thumb extended, from left to right, and drops his right hand.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
(With emphasis) Eat of this bread, my Brother, and drink from the
same cup with me as a pledge of Brotherhood; and let this ceremony ever remind you that Hospitality is a true Masonic virtue; and that every one of us owes to his Brother kind sen/ices, graceful courtesies, and prompt and cheerful relief and assistance.
(The Venerable Master presents the bread to the Candidate who follows the same
procedure as the Venerable Master and eats the bread.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
(With emphasis) Brothers Senior and Junior Wardens, I send to you
and all the Brethren the bread, to break which together was, among our Hebrew Brethren, a pledge of peculiar and Brotherly affection and among the Initiates of Mithra, of Secrecy. As such, partake ye all of it. My Brethren, the Candidate is symbolically taking the bread and wine for the entire class.
(The Expert takes the bread first to the Senior Warden, then to the Junior Warden and
then to the remaining officers on the floor beginning with the officers on the North side
of the Lodge Room, then the officers on the South side of the Lodge Room, ending with the Master of Ceremonies. The Master of Ceremonies then presents it to the Expert. All officers follow the same procedure as the Venerable Master, the Expert then hands the plate with the bread to the Venerable Master who places it on the table.)
(The Venerable Master follows the same procedure, but this time with the cup of wine.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
(With emphasis) Brothers Senior and Junior Wardens, I send to you
and all the Brethren the red wine, as Malaki-Tsadoc, the King of Salam, brought forth bread and wine to Abraham. lt is the symbol of wisdom and knowledge. As such partake ye all of it. (The Master of Ceremonies takes the wine, and carries it around as the Expert did with the bread, ending with the Expert. The Expert then presents it to the Master of Ceremonies. After the Master of Ceremonies hands the cup back to the Venerable Master he places it on the table and all other Officers who were standing sit down in their respective chairs. The Venerable Master then takes the cup, goes to the Altar of Incense, pours upon the flame what wine remains, and says)
VENERABLE MASTER:
l pour out this Iibation to the memory of our departed Brethren and as
an acknowledgement that it is our duty to pour comfort and consolation into the hearts of the distressed, the afflicted, and the destitute; and that the thanks and gratitude of the widow and orphan are a Masons most acceptable offering to God.
(The Venerable Master returns to the Table of the Presence, puts the 14"‘ Degree Ring on the finger next to the little finger of the right hand of the Candidate and says)
VENERABLE MASTER:
The ring of this Degree, a flat band of gold, having upon it the
equilateral triangle enclosing the Hebrew letter “YOD", the initial of the Hebrew name of Deity, is a visible mark of the compact you have now made. Its motto is ‘VIRTUS JUNXIT - MORS NON SEPARABlT"; “VIRTUE HAS UNITED, AND DEATH SHALL NOT SEPARATE". Promise me that you will wear it (or, if in a pyramid, keep it) during your lifetime, unless superseded by a 33'“ Degree ring, should you ever attain that honor, and that you will provide that, after your death, it shall go into the hands of no other person than your widow, your eldest son, or the friend whom
of all others you most love, but not to be worn by them. Do you so promise?
CANDIDATE: (Responds affirmatively.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
Brother Junior Warden, invest this Perfect Elu with the apron, collar
and jewel.
(The Expert returns to his place in the Lodge Room and sits down. The Master of
Ceremonies conducts the Candidate to the west side of the pedestal, which is situated
on the south side of the Altar, on which is placed the apron, collar and jewel. The Master of Ceremonies causes the Candidate to face to the West. The Junior Warden approaches the pedestal, and with the assistance of the Master of Ceremonies invests the Candidate with the apron, collar and jewel and states as follows)
JUNIOR WARDEN:
I now invest you with the apron of this degree. Of its three colors, White
represents Justice; Blue represents Right; and Crimson, the color of fire that tries and purifies all things, represents Truth.
l now invest you with the collar and jewel of this Degree. The compasses remind us that
science, united to honor and virtue, made the Architects of the Temple the companions of Kings; and that the men of intellect and learning, the Great Kings of Thought, are in this age the rulers of the world. The Sun and the star are emblems of that Masonic light in search of which every Mason travels.
(The Junior Warden returns to his place in the Lodge Room and sits down. The Master of Ceremonies conducts the Candidate to the center of the Altar, on the west side, facing to the East, the Master of Ceremonies remains on the right side of the Candidate .)
VENERABLE MASTER:
(With emphasis and not too fast) As in the other Scottish Rite
Degrees, there are a variety of signs, tokens, and words traditionally connected with this Degree. One of these signs is the Sign of Adoration: raise the two hands, open, toward Heaven, the head inclining backward, and the eyes raised. Then put the fore and middle fingers of the right hand uponsthe lips. I
One of the passwords of this Degree is GUIBULUM. According to the old French rituals, it was the name of the craftsman who discovered the lneffable Word in the vault of Enoch in the Thirteenth Degree. Other Masonic rites have changed it to JABULOM or JAH-BEL-ON. The Sacred Word, as revealed in this Degree, is covered and concealed. You will receive it before the Lodge closes. You will never give it except by the letters, and you will not make yourself known by it to gain admission in a Lodge or on any other occasion, unless it be necessary that you should do so in order to earn and receive a Master’s wages. Let us remember the Biblical injunction, as translated by St. Jerome, Gloria Dei est celare verbum,
“The qlory of God is to conceal the Word".
There are four letters in the lneffable Word which is the name of God as given to Moses
on Mount Sinai. Its Hebrew letters: YOD, HE, VA\/, HE, correspond to the Roman YHVH, but the true pronunciation is lost to time.
Let us give the Sign of Adoration by inclining the head backward, eyes to Heaven,
raise both hands, palms open, elbows bent.
(The Candidate and the Venerable Master do so.)
VENERABLE MASTER: My Brother, I salute you as a Perfect Elu, duly created and
constituted. It remains for you to discover what meanings are involved in the legend and symbolism of this Degree. Go, therefore, to the Senior Warden, and receive his instruction.
(The Master of Ceremonies conducts the Candidate to the West and to the rear of the
Senior Warden, so that the Senior Warden can look at and talk to both the Candidate and the Class, who says:)
SENIOR WARDEN:
My Brethren, the legend of this Degree is contained in the book A Bridge to Light which you have received or will receive at the end of this Reunion. You are accepted here upon the condition that you will study the legend carefully and learn, if you can, its symbolic and allegorical meanings.
This Degree is styled the Degree of Perfection because, as you were previously told, it is
the completion and perfection of the _Master’s Degree of Symbolic Masonry. From its
organization, early in the 19"‘ Century, the Scottish Rite has been the intelligent and zealous advocate of moral, political, and philosophical truths. Everywhere and always, it has taught the practice of the noble and heroic virtues. Our Order grows, and will continue to grow, in the Southern Jurisdiction. Those of us who now labor for its advancement will pass away, but you will take our places and carry on the work. The cardinal principles of Masonry have remained unchanged. Let us hope, my Brethren, that they may so continue until time shall be no more.
Go now, my Brother, to the station of the Orator, and hear the final instruction of this
Degree.
(The Master of Ceremonies conducts the Candidate in front of the Orator.)
ORATOR:
(With emphasis and talking to both the Candidate and the Class) Brethren,
Paul said, in his letter to the Christians at Rome, speaking to the Gentiles: “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world, His invisible nature, namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. ”
Understand that knowledge of God is of His invisible nature, revealed to us through the
created order of the natural world.
As you learned in the Fourth Degree, the Kabbalah, or ancient traditions of the Hebrews, teaches that the creation of the natural world was through ten emanations from God. We now, symbolically, present to you seven candles, emblematic of this creative process. The seven have been associated with the seven planets known to the ancient world. From these seven
planets came the mystic character of the number seven itself. We represent that mystic number by the heptagon of the Great Masonic Camp, that you saw in the Fourth Degree. This figure, a heptagon, is a seven (7) sided figure, in red, which is located within a nonagon, or nine (9) sided figure, in black. The symbolism of the seven planets is no trivial astrology. The ancients used the seven planets to orient temples. The word “temple” derives from the Latin word “templum” which signifies a place to get one’s bearings. The planets, therefore, remind us of our responsibility to reorient ourselves spiritually and morally, in conformity with the virtues inculcated in every Masonic Lodge. The path toward wisdom requires constant adjustment.
Much remains to be learned in the following Degrees and in our books. Be diligent and
you will attain that knowledge. Your instruction here has ended.
(The Master of Ceremonies then conducts the Candidate to the west side of the Altar,
facing East. The Venerable Master then rises, gives three (3) raps and calls for a_H of the Brethren present to rise, and advances to the east side of the Altar, facing West. The Venerable Master, raising his right arm to a square position, says:)
VENERABLE MASTER:
In the name of the Supreme Council of the Thirty-third Degree of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, l proclaim this Brother and every member of this class, to be a Perfect Elu, duly invested with the Fourteenth Degree of the same Rite and l do commend them to the kind offices of all Perfect Elus in the world (drops arm). My Brethren, join me in congratulating them.
(All give the battery as was previously instructed. The Venerable Master returns to the
East.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
Brother Master of Ceremonies, conduct our newly received Brother to
a seat of honor on my right.
(The Venerable Master then gives one (1) rap to seat all of the Brethren, the Master of
Ceremonies returns to his seat and sits down.)
VENERABLE MASTER: Brother, the Lodge will be pleased to hear any
remarks you may be pleased to offer.
CANDIDATE:
(Appropriate remarks are now given by the Candidate.)
VENERABLE MASTER: I now have the pleasure of presenting Brother,
(32°, or 32°, KCCH, or 33°) the Venerable Master of the Orlando Lodge of Perfection, for any comments he would care to make.
VENERABLE MASTER OF THE ORLANDO LODGE OF PERFECTION:
(Makes appropriate comments.)
TO CLOSE
VENERABLE MASTER:
Brothers Senior and Junior Wardens, if either of you desires to offer
anything for the benefit of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, or of this Lodge, the floor is yours. (If either desires to make any motion or offer any suggestion, he does so, the Senior Warden preceding. If neither does so, or when they have concluded, and what they have moved or suggested is accomplished, the Senior Warden says)
SENIOR WARDEN:
(Standing) Brethren of my column, the Venerable Master informs you
that if anyone desires to offer anything for the benefit of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, or of this Lodge, the floor is yours.
(Any Brethren under the control of the Senior Warden (in the North of the Lodge) may
speak, and then:)
JUNIOR WARDEN:
(Standing) Brethren of my column, the Venerable Master informs you that
if anyone desires to offer anything for the benefit of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, or of this Lodge, the floor is yours.
(When all have spoken who may desire to do so and what is moved or suggested is
disposed of, or if nothing is said, the Wardens report)
JUNIOR WARDEN:
(Standing) Brother Senior Warden, silence prevails at my column.
SENIOR WARDEN:
(Standing) Venerable Master, silence prevails at both columns.
(Both Senior Warden and Junior Warden then sit down.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
(Standing) Whence comest thou, Brother Senior Warden?
SENIOR WARDEN:
(Standing) From lndia.
VENERABLE MASTER:
What bringest thou to us thence?
SENIOR WARDER:
The Great Symbol of a Perfect Elu engraven on my heart, and which I
desire to communicate to thee.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Approach and do so, my Brother.
(The Senior Warden and the Venerable Master meet on the north side of the Altar, they
each advance their right foot until the inside of the right foot touches the inside of the
right foot of the other; they each clasp their hands together, touching the back of the
clutched hands with the other, both raising their hands overhead while rolling the hands
downward so that the clutched palms of each touch, the Senior Warden whispers the
Word, by its letters, in the ear of the Venerable Master.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
My Brethren, you will form in a circle, on my right and left, to receive
this Great Symbol. (They do so, the Senior Warden on the right of the Venerable Master and the Junior Warden on the left of the Venerable Master. The Candidate is to the right of the Senior Warden, and the entire class completes the circle. Each Brother, in the circle, receives and gives the Word to the next Brotheron his right, in the same manner that the Senior Warden gave it to the Venerable Master. All Officers assist in this process.)
VENERABLE MASTER:
My Brethren, the Great Source and Origin of all that is, having
allowed us to receive the Master’s Word, let us, that it may ever remain engraved upon our hearts and we be not again plunged into darkness, purify our souls of all impurities, and pray for His aid and support.
VENERABLE MASTER:
Please kneel — Let us pray.
PRAYER
Direct us, O Supreme Ruler of the Universe. Keep us from falling into the pits which our enemies dig for us. Animate us with Thy Divine Spirit. Extend over us Thy beneficent providence, and by means of thy gifts and favors enable us to assist the poor and relieve the needy. Bless and sanctify our works, that they may produce good fruit. Strengthen us with Thy Holy Power; and that we may add to Thy glory, help us to perform our Masonic Duties, and to practice all the Masonic Virtues. Amen. So mote it be!
VENERABLE MASTER: Everyone please rise. What motive brought you here?
SENIOR WARDEN: My desire to know the excellence of perfect Brotherhood.
IVENERABLE MASTER: It is enough. My Brethren, we are about to close, but before we do so
it is necessary that you vow not to reveal any of the secrets of this Degree of Perfection. This
you may do by placing your right hand over your heart and by saying: “I do so promise and vow".
ALL:
l do so promise and vow.
VENERABLE MASTER: (Placing his right hand over his heart says:) I also promise and vow.
The Lodge is closed my Brethren. Go in peace.
A Bit About Me