The Degrees in Masonry

The Entered Apprentice Degree

The Entered Apprentice Degree, first of the three Degrees of Blue
Lodge Masonry, is a preliminary degree, intended to prepare the
candidate for the higher and  fuller instructions of the succeeding 
degrees.  The candidate is a voluntary applicant for membership
in the Lodge, he comes without an invitation from the Lodge or
from any member of the Order, even though he may have been
told by a Masonic friend that he is the type of man the Order needs.

Of his own free will and accord, the candidate knocks at the outer
door of the Lodge and seeks admission that he may begin his
search for Light, for the light of divine  Truth.    At the threshhold 
of the Lodge he is required to confess his "trust in God," thus
repudiating any tendencies to infidelity, polytheism or pantheism,
and acknowledging his faith in the One True and Living God. 
He is peculiarly clothed in keeping with the mysteries of the Order
into which he is about to be inducted, "neither naked nor clothed;
neither bare-footed nor shod," the symbolic meaning being fully
explained to him as he makes his journey through the requirements
of this degree.

Although lacking in valuable historical information, the work of the
Degree is replete instructions on the internal structure of the Order,
especially in its lectures.  The religious character of Masonry is
impressed upon his mind and heart, not only by his confession of 
"trust in God," but by the open Bible upon the altar, and by his 
own dedication in prayer and mediation before the altar.  The entire
Ritual is a preliminary revelation on the internal structure of the
Institution, and the symbols employed in the Degree are profoundly 
significant and instructive.  The candidate now learns that a 
Masonic Lodge is an assemblage of Freemasons, duly congregated,
having the Sacred Writings, Square, and Compass, and a Charter, 
or warrant of constitution, authorizing the Lodge to meet and work.
It is also explained to him that the room or place in which the 
meeting is held represents some part of King Solomon’s Temple.  
The Lodge is supported by three great columns, Wisdom, Strength 
and Beauty, which are explained to the candidate.  They are 
represented by the Master, Senior Warden and Junior Warden.

In properly comprehending "what is done unto him," the course of
his movements around the Lodge Room, the significance of the 
symbols employed, and the lectures given, including every phase of 
the Ritual, the Entered Apprentice Mason realizes that he has begun
a noble pursuit for Truth.  The aspiration of his soul toward Absolute
and Infinite Intelligence is encouraged and strengthened.  
The faculties of his mind have been directed toward the Great
Architect Of The Universe, his own Creator, Preserver, and 
Benefactor.  Through  the majestic irradiations of thought,
meditation, prayer and sublime comprehensions of instructions
given, his soul pierces through the
shadows of materialism and earthiness toward the Light for which
his search has begun.  He is prepared for his onward and upward
course in Freemasonry, and when he has proved his proficiency in
the work of the Entered Apprentice Degree, he will be ready for 
the next Degree of Blue Lodge Masonry.

The Entered Apprentice Mason is entrusted with certain secrets
of the Order, all of them moral, ethical and wholesome, and is
pledged to "keep counsel of all things spoken in the Lodge or 
chamber by any Masons, Fellows or Free Masons."  He is invested
with certain "Secret Words," which, of course, he must keep
inviolate and communicate them only in accordance with Masonic Law.

Author Unknown

 

THE FELLOWCRAFT DEGREE

In one sense the Fellowcraft Degree symbolizes the stage of adulthood and responsibility during a man's life on earth. In this stage, his task is to acquire knowledge and apply it to the building of his character and improving the society in which he lives. As the father of our Masonic lectures, William Preston saw Masonry as a means to educate men in the liberal arts and sciences. A Fellowcraft Mason is urged to advance his education in these fields during the ritual of this Degree.

Some view the three grade system of Blue Lodge Masonry as representing a progressive teaching directed toward perfecting human nature. It is a simple and straightforward view of human nature divided into three parts: body, mind and soul. Each Degree addresses and instructs one part. The First Degree encompasses the body and our faculties of action in the world. The four cardinal virtues are extolled as the proper guides to our action in the world that we may perfect our relation to it. The Second Degree addresses the mind and its faculties. We are instructed in the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences which were formulated hundreds of years ago in order to develop and perfect the mental nature. The intention was to prepare the mind for spiritual truths. The Third Degree confers the central Mystery of Freemasonry; that is, how the soul may be brought to its perfection.

If we accept the view of Masonry purpose given above, then it is obvious that the Fellowcraft Degree encompasses much more than just gaining a normal and broad-based education. The teachings of this Degree are extremely profound and surprisingly exact.

 

SYMBOLISM OF THE DEGREE

The symbolism of the Entered Apprentice Degree emphasized beginnings, the first steps and youth, orientation to the Light, which are all consistent with a rite of induction into the Fraternity. The Second Degree of Fellowcraft symbolizes the methods of developing and progressing in the Craft; and, in a sense, the emergence into spiritual manhood. Therefore we find symbols of advancement, passage, instruction and elevation throughout this Degree. We find symbolism of taking the next step and a new way of approaching the East. What was considered in the last Degree to be our weaker nature has now been squared and elevated. While keeping our fidelity to the Three Great Lights, we deepen our connection with the Fraternity and take on new commitments.

Our Working Tools are now testing instruments. With them we try, square and prove. With them we learn to develop the faculty of judgment: what is valuable, what is true, what is real.

The central motif of this Degree being one of advancement we are presented with the symbol of the Winding Staircase consisting of so many steps and leading to the Middle Chamber of the Temple. Staircases, ladders, extended vertical ropes, and mountains are all symbols of ascending to new heights.

Gaining entrance to a new place symbolizes a distinct advancement in our work as Freemasons. Attaining this level gives us access to certain benefits that we were not entitled to before. These benefits are symbolized by Corn, Wine, and Oil. There are other things granted here as well. We become invested with the ability to hear the teachings of our Fraternity and keep them close to our heart. Finally, we are reminded of our central focus in the symbolism of the letter and the humility it should inspire.

 

 

The Master Mason Degree

This Degree is the crown of the Blue Lodge. It is the culmination of all that has been taught to the candidate in the two preceding ceremonies. At this point the candidate has symbolically, if not actually, balanced his inner natures and has shaped them into the proper relationship with the higher, more spiritual parts of himself. His physical nature has been purified and developed to a high degree. He has developed stability and a sure footing. His mental faculties have sharpened and his horizons have been expanded. The candidate is now ready to approach the portal of the Sublime Degree of Master Mason.
The above would be the ideal scenario, but is rarely carried out so seriously. However, regardless of the candidate’s pace through the Degrees, he should always review his personal progress and take action to improve himself in Masonry. He should not be satisfied with taking the Degrees halfheartedly and then consider himself a Master Mason. Very few of us are truly Masters of our Craft, and we should maintain a healthy deference for this exalted status. For the designation Master Mason should always be before us in our journey toward the Light as the ideal of our Fraternity.
Being "Raised to the Sublime Degree" is the appropriate terminology. Sublime is defined as being exalted or elevated so as to inspire awe and wonder. And it also means to undergo sublimation that, like distillation, requires a volatilization of a substance that rises and reforms at a higher level. The significance of this Degree is the portrayal of the removal of everything that keeps us from rising to that state where the soul communes with the Supernal Light.

 

SYMBOLISM OF THE MASTER'S DEGREE

The candidate enters the Lodge of the Master Mason in darkness, for he has not witnessed the Light at this Degree before. But the difference of this entrance from that of the others is that he is now in a state of equilibrium and is prepared to walk on sacred ground. He becomes fully committed to the Fraternity and completely puts his faith on the Three Great Lights. The initiate is given full use of every working tool, but the one tool exalted above the others from this point on is the one that symbolizes the spreading of brotherly love.
After ceremonies in the first section, which seem quite familiar, the candidate partakes of the central Mystery Drama of our Fraternity. The very nature of participating in this rite and assuming the role of the Grand Master Hiram Abiff is to forge a link with the inner soul of our Fraternity. And as our legend is completely and absolutely consistent with some of the august Mystery Schools of antiquity, we are communing with the archetypal forces that are the foundation of our tradition. And at least in some small way, we may momentarily forget who we were when we entered the Holy of Holies and realize who we really are.
The symbolism that we encounter in this Degree can be traced back for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Some of it is almost identical with very ancient usage, but most of it has taken on the cultural flavor of its successive conveyors.