By innocence is meant clean thinking and clean living, a loyal obedience to the laws of the Craft and sincere good will one's Brethren. He will meet men who would otherwise have remained strangers. Phil., p. 309. At this time, the twelve Fellow Crafts, who had recanted from their murderous designs, appeared before King Solomon, clothed in white gloves and aprons, in token of their innocence, acknowledging their premeditated guilt, and humbly imploring his pardon. Ruffian--Give me the secrets of a Master Mason, or I will take your life! At this time Brother Barney wrote a portion of them in cipher. Each Grand Lodge has a "work" of its own, which is taught the subordinate Lodges annually by its Grand Lecturer. None but he who has visited the Holy of Holies, and travelled the road of peril, can have any conception of the mysteries unfolded in this degree. MOVEMENT ABOUT THE LODGE At no time, while the Lodge is at labor, should anyone pass between the Worshipful "Solemn strikes the funeral chime, Notes of our departing time; As we journey here below, Through a pilgrimage of woe!" A. They travelled as before, and after fifteen days of weary travel and hardships, one of the brethren, being more weary than the rest, sat down on the brow of a hill, west of Mount Moriah, to rest and refresh himself, and, on attempting to rise, caught hold. The York Rite is a system of Masonic degrees that is spread out between four organizations: the Symbolic Lodge, the Royal Arch Chapter, the Cryptic Council, and the Commandery of Knights Templar. In the Sanctum Sanctorum, or Holy of Holies, of King Solomon's Temple. Accordingly our traditions furnish in stances, both among the Apprentices and Craftsmen, of treachery--violation of sacred pledges--and the commission of actual crime. In the character of a Master Mason, you are authorized to correct the errors and irregularities of your uninformed brethren, and to guard them against a breach of fidelity. If this Certification is to be respected and sought after as a mark of accomplishment, we must insist that those who . The significance of this Degree is. Then one of the best posted relates the responded following, in a clear and distinct voice: "Most Worshipful King Solomon, we come to inform you that fifteen of us Fellow Crafts, seeing the Temple about to be completed, and being desirous of obtaining the secrets of a Master Mason, by which we might travel in foreign countries, and receive Master's wages, entered into a horrid conspiracy to extort them from our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, or take his life; but, reflecting with horror on the atrocity of the crime, twelve of us recanted; but the other three persisted in their murderous design, and we fear that they have taken the Grand Master's life. PDF Official Cipher 2010-draft 8 - Masonic Grand Lodge of Maine (Deacon opens the door, and delivers his message.). The Apron is at once an emblem of innocence and the badge of a Mason. The drawers are rolled up just above the candidate's knees, and both arms are taken out of his shirt-sleeves, leaving his legs and breast bare. A. I was conducted to the Worshipful Master in the east, who presented me with the working-tools of a Master Mason, which are all the implements of Masonry indiscriminately, but more especially the trowel. Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons State of Texas [1922] This is the 'Monitor' of the Texas Masons. (pdf), Masonry of Adoption: (Masonic Rituals for Women) S. W.--I did not, but found a substitute. At each exclamation he gives the grand hailing sign of distress (see Fig. J. W.--Brother Gabe, is it of your own free-will and accord? In Scotland the arrangement is east, south, and west. Also learned a lot about some Masonic symbology. "Further, that I will acknowledge and obey all due signs and summonses sent to me from a Master Masons' Lodge, or given me by a brother of that Degree, if within the length of my cable-tow. S. W.--Brother Junior Warden, it is the orders of the Worshipful Master, &c., &c. J. W.--Brethren, you have heard the orders of the Worshipful Master, as communicated to me through the Senior Warden in the west--you will take notice, and govern yourselves accordingly. Quoting from "When is a Man a Mason?" by James S. Peterson, Master-elect, in the June 1991 Occasional Bulletin of the Texas Lodge of Research, which has a bit more on the holding of Stated Meetings or doing business in the E.A. K. S.--You twelve Fellow Crafts will go in search of the body, and, if found, observe whether the Master's word, or a key to it, or any thing that appertains to the Master's Degree, is on or about it. "A few years afterward, on his return to his brethren in Vermont, he stated to them, as I have been credibly informed and believe, that he found in the Western and Southwestern States different systems of lecturing prevailing, and that, upon presenting Gleason's Lectures to them, they were objected to by the different Grand Masters, who would not sanction his lecturing in their respective jurisdictions, unless he would adopt the lectures then in use among them; that, desiring to pursue his occupation there, he learned the different systems of lecturing existing among them, and made use of his newly acquired knowledge under the sanction of the respective Grand Masters." After the signs are gone through with by the whole Lodge, the Master gives one rap with his gavel, which is responded to by the Senior Warden, and then by the Junior Warden, and then again by the Master, one rap. In the mean time, it is hoped and expected that every brother will demean himself as becomes a man and a Mason. FIG 18. BRETHREN KNEELING AT PRAYER AROUND THE GRAVE OF HIRAM ABIFF, THE WIDOW'S SON. Three ruffian nations from the south, the west, and the east--the Syrians, the Chaldeans, and the Romans--gave in succession this temporary dispensation its death-blow; those who sought religion through the wisdom of the ancients were not able to raise her; she eluded their grasp, and the polluted hands were also stretched forth in vain for her restoration. I was conducted to the Master in the East, who then presented me with the working tools of a Master Mason, and taught me their uses. The subject was there referred for examination to a committee, which reported that these lectures were according to the most approved method of 'work' in the United States, and proposed to give Brother Barney letters of recommendation to all Lodges and brethren in all parts as a brother well qualified to give Masonic information to any desirous of his services. The conductor then turns about to the Senior Warden in the west, and says: Brother Senior Warden, it is the orders of the Worshipful. The ground has been newly broken; this has the appearance of a grave," pointing to the candidate on the floor. Freemasonry, the teachings and practices of the fraternal (men-only) order of Free and Accepted Masons, the largest worldwide secret societyan oath-bound society, often devoted to fellowship, moral discipline, and mutual assistance, that conceals at least some of its rituals, customs, or activities from the public (secret societies do not necessarily conceal their membership or existence). The masons learn that hard work and perseverance are keys to success and that violence is never an acceptable form of conduct 18 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF . The Freemasons Are the Oldest Fraternal Organization in the World. A. One can become a 32nd Degree Mason in a relatively short period of time depending on one's obedience. King Solomon, fearing some accident had befallen him, ordered the several rolls of the workmen to be called; and, after roll-call, it was found that three Craftsmen were missing, namely, Jubela, Jubelo, and Jubelum, who, from the similarity of their names, were supposed to be brothers, and men from Tyre. He was surrounded by his family who made beautiful music just for him and prayed that he would be at peace after eight and a half months of . Masonic Mastor Mason Degree Work - I, , of my own free will and accord, in the presence of almighty God and this worshipful master masons lodge erected to God and dedicated to the memory of the holy Saint's John do hereby and here-on sincerely promise and solemnly swear that I will not reveal the secrets of this degree to a brother of a preceding degree, nor to any person in the world . Knee to knee--that you will ever remember a brother's welfare, as well as your own, in all your adorations to Deity. ", "Oh! ii. The Junior Deacon advances, followed by the Stewards, with rods, when the Senior Deacon stops them, by placing his hand against the candidate, at the same time saying: S. D.--Brother Gabe, on entering this Lodge the first time, you were received on the point of the compasses, pressing your naked left breast, the moral of which was explained to you. Some say, that many days were expended in the search, and that the lost (body) was found near the seaside; others, that it was soon discovered near Jerusalem. Part 1. J. D.--He has it not, but I have it for him. The Rough Ashlar is the stone taken from the quarry in its rude and natural state The Perfect Ashlar is the stone prepared by the workmen, to be adjusted by the working tools . and after a few more names, that of the Third Ruffian, "Jubelum! Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 B. How many constitute an Entered Apprentices' Lodge? It is King Solomon's orders that the several rolls be called, and report made as soon as possible. Memory Work - Masonic Rituals and Ciphers - Freemasonry Watch Hiram is presented as the chief architect of King Solomon's Temple. despicable villains! --The Freemason's Treasury, p. 301. PDF THE OFFICIAL MONITOR - MasterMason.com Freemasonry: 9 things you didn't know - CBS News This interpretation is borne out in the higher Degrees of sublime Masonry. 204--5. 124:1 Can any living Mason be simple enough to believe that Dr. Anderson, in his "Defence of Masonry," intended to prove a real historical fact when he explained the exhumation of the body of H. A. shall be to a worthy Brother Master Mason, or. The Master (Third Ruffian) then exclaims: W. M. (as Third Ruffian.) ", "Oh! For example, this section is from Entered Apprentice degree memory work: Now, as in p. 138 the former case, this arrangement would be impossible before the pillars were erected or the Middle Chamber built: and if it he pretended that any such plan was adopted after they were finished, the tragic drama could not be true because it professes to have been enacted before the Temple was completed. Masonic Cipher Book Grand Lodge F.A.A.M District of Columbia Master Mason Degree (PDF - 150KB) - Hawthorne-Fortitude p. 166. W. M.--Brother Gabe, the second section of this degree exemplifies an instance of virtue, fortitude, and integrity seldom equalled, if ever excelled, in the history of man. We feel our own feet sliding from the precarious brink on which We stand, and a few more suns, and we will be whelmed neath death's awful wave, to rest in the stilly shades, and darkness Said silence will reign around our melancholy abode. A Complete List of Freemasonry Degrees | George H Lilley 12, p. It might have pleased the great Creator of heaven and earth to have made man independent of all other beings; but, as dependence is one of the strongest bonds of society, mankind were made dependent on each other for protection and security, as they thereby enjoy better opportunities of fulfilling the duties of reciprocal love and friendship. These are ideally delivered from memory, and we work very hard to. [paragraph continues] Problem of Euclid, the Hour-Glass, the Scythe, and the Three Steps on the Master's Carpet. 113:2 Brother Goodacre, of the Witham Lodge, Lincoln, suggests that the various penalties which have been introduced into Freemasonry appear to have reference to a particular kind of covenant which was common among the Hebrews. I hold in my hand an instrument of death; therefore, give me the Master's word, or I will take your life in a moment! Junior Warden, one. (Clinches candidate more fiercely.) From the foregoing remarks, it will be seen that the essential points of Masonry are identical the world over, and that the differences, which are of minor importance, may be gathered by comparing the present work with Richardson's Monitor or Allyn's Ritual. The Master Mason Degree Ritual | Secret Societies Exposed It should be remarked here, that there is a similar column on the Senior Warden's desk, which is always placed in a horizontal position (i.e., turned down on its side) when the Junior Warden's column is up, and vice vers. One of the brethren then replies: "We will go a southwesterly course, and will come up with our brothers." : Mah-Hah-Bone, which is given on the five points of fellowship, and in low breath. of such, and not unto him or them until by due. Conductor--From the real grip of a Fellow Craft to the pass grip of a Master Mason. I furthermore promise and swear that I will not cheat, wrong or defraud a Lodge of Fellow Craft, or a brother of this degree knowingly or wittingly. at the same time pulling up the evergreen--or acacia, as it is styled--at the head of the grave. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God, who gave it.". Here are seven things you may not know about Freemasons. The Senior Deacon then answers with one rap (), and opens the door. By this time they have got near the candidate (who is still lying on the floor, rolled up in the canvas), when one of the party sits down near his head, and at the same time says: "Well, brothers, I am very weary; I must sit down and rest before I can go any farther.". reflect with horror on the atrocity of your crime, and on the amiable character of your Worshipful Grand Master, whom you have so basely assassinated. They have now passed around the Lodge three times, and as. After the candidate has said Amen, and the Lodge-room has been darkened by turning down the gaslights or lamps, the conductor takes the candidate by the right arm, assists him to arise, and they proceed to travel three times around the room, travelling with the sun. The main thing we do in normal Lodge meetings is perform our rituals or ceremonies. Master now takes his seat in the east, and requests candidate to stand before him. Second Ruffian--Then let us flee into the interior parts of the country, and avoid being taken as long as possible. Masonic lectures cover various aspects of the moral and spiritual teachings of Freemasonry and explanations of the symbols. It is now past mid-night, and if we do not act with decision, daylight will be upon us, and we will be discovered and taken. When the candidate is prepared, the Deacon takes him by the left arm, leads him up to the door of the Lodge, and gives three loud, distinct knocks. After an animal had been selected, his throat was cut across with one single blow, so as to divide the windpipe, arteries, and veins, without touching any bone. (See Fig. There was nothing found on or about the body excepting the jewel of his office, by which his body was discovered. Get the best deals on Masonic & Freemason Books & Publications when you shop the largest online . 3 and p. 17) which is responded to by the Master. The Senior Warden approaches the candidate, faces him toward the east (i.e. This Degree is very lengthy, and to give the lecture at an initiation would take up too much of the night; but if there is time, the Master and Senior Warden usually go through with the first section before closing the Lodge, so that the candidate and brethren may become conversant with it. W. M.--Any thing in the south, Brother Junior Warden? The Master should instruct the candidate (and he generally does) how to make the signs before he gets up from the altar, after taking the obligation. Let no motive, there-fore, make you swerve from your duty, violate your vows, or betray your trust; but be true and faithful, and imitate the example of that celebrated artist whom you this evening represent. How did the Worshipful Master dispose of you? A. Is there no hope for the widow's son? A. That Tubal Cain gave first occasion to the name and worship of Vulcan been very probably conceived, both from the very great affinity of the names, and that Tubal Cain is expressly mentioned to be an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron; and as near relation as Apollo had to Vulcan, Jubal had to Tubal Cain, who was the inventor of music, or the father of all such as handle the harp and organ, which the Greeks attribute to Apollo.--Historical Landmarks, vol. (i.e. It describes ceremonies, including the those used for the three major initiations and the burial rite. Complete Master Mason Study Guide - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. --O Lord my God, I fear the Master's word is forever lost! A. I arose, and on my passage around the Lodge was accosted by three Fellow Crafts, who thrice demanded of me the secrets of a Master Mason; and, on being refused, the first gave me a blow with the twenty-four-inch gauge, across my throat; the second with a square, across my breast; the third with a setting-maul, on my forehead, which felled me on the spot. 19 watching. This, my brother, may soon designate our last resting-place in that everlasting and silent abode, that haven of rest, that peaceful home, "where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest.". At the command of the Worshipful Master, the Senior Warden performs his duty, after seeing that the brethren have received their due proportion of Masonic instruction and improvement; and the whole concludes with an impressive address to the brethren on their respective duties as men and Masons, when pursuing their accustomed avocations in the world; and with a fervent petition to the Deity, supplicating his blessing on the fraternity wheresoever dispersed under the wide canopy of heaven."--Theo. It is a dangerous coast, and we shall be taken; for before this time our escape is discovered, and the sea-coast will be lined with our pursuers. 2. Craftsman--We will go in pursuit of them; they are the fellows we want. One of his companions exclaims: "I am tired, too!" Second Ruffian--We will go to some other port. Here Lodges differ in their mode of work; some only pass the candidate around the Lodge once, and as he passes the Junior and Senior Wardens he gives the Master's sign. King Solomon then ordered them to divide themselves into parties, and travel three east, three west, three north, and three south; and that they should, with others whom he should appoint, go in search of the ruffians. Memory in the lodge. A. A. A. I was ordered to be returned to the place from whence I came, and reinvested of what I had been divested of, and wait the Worshipful Master's will and pleasure. W. M.--Brother Senior Warden, do you know of any thing further before this Lodge of Masons previous to closing? J. D.--Brother Gabe, who has been regularly initiated Entered Apprentice, passed to the Degree of Fellow Craft, and now wishes to receive further light in Masonry, by being raised to the sublime Degree of a Master Mason. But what were our orders? You say they turned back into the country? Updated on March 23, 2022. I'd say memorizing the (entire) 1st degree was the most difficult for me. A candidate for the sublime Degree of a Master Mason is generally (as in the preceding Degrees) prepared by the Junior Deacon and the two Stewards, or some other brethren acting as such. Here are three of the poor fellows with us; we must not go and give them up, to be put to death; rather let us take a northwesterly or a southwesterly course. Welcome Brothers: GL of Ohio Raises 780 in Statewide One Day Class You must pray for yourself. They buried it in the rubbish of the Temple until low twelve, or twelve at night, when they met by agreement and carried it a westerly course from the Temple, to the brow of a hill west of Mount Moriah, where they buried it in a grave dug due east and west, six feet perpendicular, at the head of which they planted an acacia, in order to conceal it, and that the place might be known, should occasion ever require; and then made their escape. What is it that Freemasons memorize? - Quora (pdf), Order of Demolay Ritual - Masonic Youth Organization