DANVILLE LODGE OF PERFECTION
The Ineffable Degrees The Ineffable Degrees, from the Fourth to the Fourteenth inclusive, are conferred in a Lodge of Perfection. They are called "Ineffable" because they are concerned with the ineffable or unutterable Name of God and with man's eager quest for the True Name. In these eleven degrees there is a profound unveiling of the character and purposes of God - that high and holy One, who inhabits eternity, but dwells with him also that is of contrite and humble spirit. In formal ritual and in drama, ten of these degrees, based upon legends of the Solomonic era, elaborate upon the teachings of Symbolic Freemasonry and apply them to practical situations that are faced in everyday life. The Fourteenth degree summarizes what has been taught and is a moral and philosophical climax. Important practical lessons are taught in the eleven Ineffable Degrees - Secrecy and silence in all confidential relationships; Respect for a Brother's memory, The duty of healing dissentions; Justice and Mercy in judging others; Fair dealing in business by Management and Labor; The peril of excessive zeal even in a good cause; The honest collection of taxes based upon a just assessment; The mastery of difficulties and dangers in our progress toward Perfection; The honor of Freemasonry is in the keeping of those who seek Perfection in character and who reverence the Ineffable Name of God. |
WALTER A. STEVENS COUNCIL PRINCES OF JERUSALEM
The Fifteenth and Sixteenth Degrees of Scottish Rite Masonry are known as "Knight of the East or Sword" and "Prince of Jerusalem". These degrees sometimes referred to as the historical degrees, constitute an allegorical narrative presenting the story of a captive people who "wept beside the rivers of Babylon". When liberated they were consecrated to the task of building the second temple or rather of rebuilding the original temple of Solomon, which had been destroyed by marauding Assyrians. The entire pageantry and symbolism of Freemasonry devolves about the construction of the four temples of Jahweh, by a brotherhood dedicated to the erection of a perfect edifice at Jerusalem and later to building a temple in the hearts of men. In the characters of Daniel, Joshua, Zerubbabel and his companions the earlier virtues of patience, courage, and fortitude are contrasted with the disillusionment and loss of zeal that developed as the rebuilding of the temple proceeded. The motif of this spiritual struggle is portrayed against a tapestry, representing a scene of oriental and pagan splendor in the court of one of the most imposing empires of history. This was the Achaemenian dynasty at the height of its power. The ancient authority of Assyria and Babylon, of Syria and Sidonia and of all the fabulous empires of the East had been overthrown and the Persians ruled supreme. Contrasted with the hauteur of these imperious monarchs is the humility of the little group of those born in bondage pleading for the redress of an ancient wrong. The lessons of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Degrees are from these elements of the historical drama which transpired during the reigns of the Great Kings, Cyrus and Dariu |
GEORGE E. BUROW CHAPTER OF ROSE CROIX HRDM The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Degrees, known as the Philosophical and Doctrinal Degrees of the Scottish Rite, are conferred in a Chapter of Rose Croix. They open a new development of Masonic teaching and are a distinct departure and advance from the symbolism and teaching of the Symbolic Lodge and of the preceding Scottish Rite Degrees. These deal with the first Temple and its supporting columns, and the attempt to restore and maintain the old worship in a second temple reared upon the ruins of the first. Neither endured. The Seventeenth Degree is designated - Knight of the East and West and is presented as the first degree in a Chapter of Rose Croix. The degree centers around the wandering neophyte an earnest seeker for Truth and is an indispensable prelude to the Eighteenth Degree. It inspires the hope that the Day of Truth will dawn at last, that the knowledge and worship of the One living and true God shall spread from East to West, and that one Spiritual Brotherhood shall extend across the world. The Eighteenth Degree is designated - Knight of the Rose Croix and is presented as the second and last degree in a Chapter of Rose Croix. Man had to have a new Temple, a new Law, a new Word. The degree sets forth a law of the heart, a law of warm and intimate human virtues, a law which the simplest and humblest may practice. It symbolizes a perfect life that every man can understand and take for the guide, inspiration, and model of his own. The Rose Croix degrees are the spiritual center and among the most important in the whole body of Freemasonry. |
DANVILLE CONSISTORY The Consistory Degrees, the Nineteenth through Thirty-Second Degrees, known as the Traditional and Chivalric Degrees of Scottish Rite, are conferred by a Consistory. These degrees portray memorable lessons of brotherhood, compassion, discipline, dignity, duty, equality, excellence, faith, goodwill, justice, love, mercy, moral character, patriotism, purity, service, spirituality, toleration and unity that range in settings from the time of chivalry through the 20th century. |
