After the Third
Degree….Now What?
So you
just received the Third Degree in your lodge and now you’re a Master
Mason. Congratulations, you now belong
to the world’s oldest fraternity. Over
the past several months (or one day) you have been exposed to a tremendous
amount of information ranging from history, philosophy, legends, symbols and
maybe even some mumbo jumbo.
Expecting
you to digest and comprehend that vast amount of knowledge over such a short
period of time is unreasonable and is like taking a drink of water from a fire
hydrant.
It is
common and even expected for the new Mason to seek to understand all three
degrees and how they may apply in your journey for more Masonic light. Some of the stumbling blocks you will
encounter may be understanding the many cryptic passages or the symbolism. In
addition, you may want to know more information about the origins and
foundations of Craft Freemasonry.
Ultimately,
you likely will end up having more questions than answers. You may even
conclude that you are missing pieces of information or you may feel that you
have not gotten the whole story. Well,
you are right; you did not get the full complete narrative in the first three
degrees. As a matter of fact, most
students (theoreticians) of Freemasonry agree that the story of the craft
presented in the three degrees is incomplete and but that the degrees of the
Chapter of the Royal Arch will complete the story for you.
There
are many that would have you believe that you can receive the true secrets of
the craft in the degrees that are other than the Royal Arch degrees. This is
simply not true. Some say that these
other degrees have similarities but different emphasis but again this is not
true.
You
have already received the symbolic degrees of the Entered Apprentice,
Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. These
three Blue Lodge degrees are of the York Rite, so it would be natural that you
will want to continue expanding your knowledge in the same tradition?
As a
matter of fact, the Grand Lodge of England, thought that the teachings of the
Royal Arch were the very essence of pure Freemasonry and very important. When the Ancients and Moderns were merged in
the 1813, creating the United Grand Lodge of England, they included a reference
to it in the 1813 act of the Union:
“By
the Solemn Act of Union between the two Grand Lodges of England in December
1813 it was declared and pronounced that Pure Ancient Masonry consist of three
degrees and no more, via…, those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellowcraft,
and Master Mason. Including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch.”
In
England today, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England, by virtue of his
office, is also the top leader of the Grand Chapter of the Royal Arch.
The
Royal Arch is taken very seriously in England.
From my experience, I found the Royal Arch chapters meet in the local
lodges on a different night than the regular lodge meeting. Usually your companions are your lodge
Brothers. When the lodge raises a Master
Mason he is entitled to join the Royal Arch “in order to complete his Master
Mason degree.” Within a ten mile radius of London there are 3,000 Chapters with
approximately 105,000 members (Companions).
The
next logical step to complete your Masonic education is the Royal Arch. It will
present a complete system that is in complete mutual agreement with the
original plan. It will lead you to a fuller understanding of the purpose and
spirit of Freemasonry and for the first time you will be able to perceive the
completeness of the ancient craft. You
will also have better insight into all the ceremonies from the Entered
apprentice to the Master Mason degree. Once you have a clear picture or
understanding then you can apply those principles to your life making it all relevant.
As a
Royal Arch Mason, you will have completed your education of Craft Freemasonry
and your quest for more light continues.
A
man is not a Master Mason until he has received the Masters word and he can
only receive it in the Royal Arch.
