Introduction to the Ineffable and Sublime Degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite

While the degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish rite commence with the Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft or Companion, and Master Mason, all authority over these degrees by the Supreme Councils is waived, and they are exclusively administered by the Blue or Symbolic Lodges, working under the jurisdiction of Grand Lodges and the representative system. In some countries, the first three degrees are given in Lodges of Perfection. It is advisable to confer the first three degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish rite on candidates before further advancement.

IT is once more my privilege to usher into the world, for the helping of the thoughtful, another volume of the series on the hidden side of things written by Bishop Charles W. Leadbeater. True Mason that he is, he is ever trying to spread the Light which he has received, so that it may chase away the darkness of Chaos. To look for the Light, to see the Light, to follow the Light, were duties familiar to all Egyptian Masons, though the darkness in that Ancient Land never approached the density which shrouds the West today. This book will be welcomed by all Freemasons who feel the beauty of their ancient Rite, and desire to add knowledge to their zeal. The inner History of Masonry is left aside for the present, and the apprentice is led by a trustworthy guide through the labyrinth which protects the central Shrine from careless and idle inquirers.

"The great aim of the present issue is intended to fill a VACUUM long existing in the Order - that of rendering, in a practical sense, the best method of assisting the learner in acquiring a knowledge of the rites and ceremonies of the various branches of the Order, principally through the aid of well-arranged emblems, illustrating the symbols of the Craft."

THE DEEPER SYMBOLISM OF FREEMASONRY

A candidate proposing to enter Freemasonry has seldom formed any definite idea of the nature of what he is engaging in. Even after his admission he usually remains quite at a loss to explain satisfactorily what Masonry is and for what purpose his Order exists. He finds, indeed, that it is "a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols," but that explanation, whilst true, is but partial and does not carry him very far.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by Jno. W. Leonard & Co., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. 

To, BROTHER J.J.J. GOURGAS,

Sovereign Grand Inspector General in the Supreme Council for the Northern Jurisdiction of the United States,

Through the shadow shines ever the Perfect Light. What is a Mason? He is a man who in his heart has been duly and truly prepared, has been found worthy and well qualified, has been admitted to the fraternity of builders, been invested with certain passwords and signs by which he may be enabled to work and receive wages as a Master Mason, and travel in foreign lands in search of that which was lost - The Word.

BY

JOSEPH FORT NEWTON, LITT. D.

GRAND LODGE OF IOWA

When I was a King and a Mason-- A master Proved and skilled, I cleared me ground for a palace Such as a King should build. I decreed and cut down to my levels, Presently, under the silt, I came on the wreck of a Palace Such as a King had built!

--KIPLING

by William Hutchinson, F. A. S.

William James Hutchinson (1732-1814) was a solicitor, antiquarian, novelist, Freemason, prominent member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries and, for some years, Master of the Masonic Lodge of Concord at Barnard Castle. The series of lectures Hutchinson composed and delivered to the Lodge attracted so much attention that he was requested to publish them in permanent form. In 1774, Hutchinson applied to the Grand Lodge of England for permission to publish and, having obtained it, Spirit of Masonry appeared in 1775. Although of a highly religious, Christian character, it soon became a classic in the literature of Freemasonry. Received with enthusiasm, it was widely accepted as the first work to deal with the religion, philosophy, spirituality, purpose, and deeper significance of Freemasonry. Its popularity among Masonic scholars has never decreased.

To: Most Worshipful Brother

Samuel J. Willis B.A., L.L.D. Past Grand Master of British Columbia

In affectionate remembrance of many happy years of Unbroken friendship

Brethren:

"The importance of the study of Symbolism in Masonry cannot be

overrated. The spoken word in our ceremonies cannot, of course, be

dispensed with, but unless it is illustrated by our wonderful symbols,...."

These notes are intended as a Manual of Instruction for the benefit of Masons who have recently taken their First Degree, and for that of other Brethren wishful to understand the purpose and the meaning of the Initiation Ceremony. The endeavour to indicate the reason for the existence of the Masonic system, to draw aside the veil of allegory and symbolism in which the Initiation Ceremony is clothed, and to reveal its spirit and subsurface significance.

We are now to examine a Ceremony which, because it is less dramatic and spectacular than that of the First Degree, is often regarded as a somewhat colourless interlude between the impressive surprises of the one which precedes and the awesome grandeur of the one which follows it....

"When I first had the honor to be elected Master of a lodge, I thought it proper to inform myself fully of the general rules of the Society, that I might be able to fulfill my own duty, and officially enforce a due obedience in others."