THE CIRCLE OF PERFECTION IN ANCIENT CRAFT MASONRY A presentation on the Cryptic Rite to Chapters of Royal Arch Masons by three members of a Council of Royal and Select Masters including a handout of the Cryptic Rite pamphlet and the application form
This is the reading script for a presentation to Chapters of Royal Arch Masons by three members of a Council of Royal & Select Masters who read clearly, loudly and happily. When invited to come forward, the three speakers, uniformed as Royal & Select Masters, should form an inverted triangle west of the altar, the first speaker standing farthest west, the second on the north and the third on the south, facing inwards, and speaking enthusiastically to the farthest corner of the room. The presentation is less than 8 minutes long. It will be effective only if well presented to audiences that have been prepared well in advance. Most Councils draw members from three or more Chapters. The presentation should be made separately to each Chapter. To maximize the audience, the visit should be advertised in the Chapter Summons more than once (the Summons for the month before the presentation day as well as the Summons for the actual presentation day), using an attractive description such as: At our convocation of (insert date) three Cryptic Rite Masons will make a special short presentation to our Chapter to provide information some may never have heard, and from which all Royal Arch Masons can benefit an occasion not to be missed! Encourage others to attend. Offer them a drive!" The High Priest should be asked in advance to encourage a Question & Answer period after the presentation, and for his permission to you to hand out literature.
First speaker: Most Excellent High Priest and Companions, we three are members of a Council of Royal and Select Masters. Second speaker: We also are Royal Arch Masons, the basic requirement for advancement into a Council. Third speaker: And first, last and always, we are Master Masons. But by taking those two steps beyond the Lodge, into a Chapter and a Council, we have travelled the Circle of Perfection in Ancient Craft Masonry, and are here to speak to those who have not. We want you to join us, to take the same extra step, and gain the same rich rewards. First speaker: Councils of Royal and Select Masters present two degrees which, it might amaze you to learn, are called the Royal Master degree and the Select Master degree. Second speaker: Council membership also provides access to a Royal Ark Mariner Lodge and the degree of Super Excellent Master. Third speaker: But it is the Council degrees that fill in those gaps in the Temple and Hiram Abif stories which still puzzle some Royal Arch Masons, and so complete the Circle of Perfection in Ancient Craft Masonry. First speaker: In Lodge we received the third degree and a Substitute Word, and learned we must quest further for the True Word. We asked, where should we begin, and heard many answers: Perhaps the wisest said, take time in the Craft Lodge. Study the depth and history in the rituals. Experience the offices. Visit other Lodges. It was excellent advice, enough to satisfy many. But others said the Master Mason degree presents only part of the story of the Temple and Hiram Abif, and is meant to imply we should search further.
Second speaker: Like you, we searched further by joining a Chapter, and in the Royal Arch degree received what has been described as the second half of the Master Mason degree, in which the true word of a Master Mason is rediscovered and restored to the Craft. Third speaker: But still, for us, the Royal Arch degree raised yet more questions, and seemed to urge us on, to search further, quest onwards. First speaker: The Royal Master and Select Master degrees are Cryptic in nature and content. They explain how the Lost Word of the Master Mason degree, rediscovered in the Royal Arch degree, was preserved in the first place, in the crypt or secret vault under Solomon s Temple. Second speaker: They focus on the core material of Ancient Craft Masonry, without Christian or military emphasis, and complete the explanation of our Fraternity s most powerful legend. Third speaker: The enthusiasm of the Royal Arch Mason who seeks more light in Masonry further enlightenment towards Truth is welcomed and matched by Companions who wish to share with him something very special. First speaker: Symbolic Freemasonry, in the Lodge, begins the powerful story of how the Word was lost, and another substituted. Capitular Masonry, in the Chapter, rediscovers the Word, through secrets found in a Crypt under an Arch. Second speaker: The Cryptic Rite, in the Council, tells how and why those secrets were preserved there. Masonry s great allegory becomes clear, complete, more powerful and effective. Those who experience that sense of completion want to share it, to help others complete the Circle of Perfection in Ancient Craft Masonry.
Third speaker: The degrees were brought to America in 1761 as Scottish Rite side degrees. Jeremy Cross described them as the summit and perfection of Ancient Masonry, without which the history of the Royal Arch degree cannot be complete. First speaker: Conferral was assigned to Royal Arch Masonry chapters for many years until 1870 when the Scottish Rite, and the General Grand Royal Arch Chapter, both divested themselves of the degrees. In 1880 the first General Grand Council was formed. Second speaker: Today, some compare the York Rite Select Master degree to the Scottish Rite Secret Master degree. Both refer to guardians of secrets and signs of secrecy. The idea of a Mason entering the Sanctum Sanctorum by mistake appears in both the Select Master and Intimate Secretary degrees. Both the York Rite Council and Scottish Rite Lodge of Perfection are supposed to have only 27 working members, others being surplus spectators. The senior Officer in one is Thrice Illustrious Master, in the other Thrice Puissant Master. Third speaker: The focus of the Royal Master and Select Master degrees is a secret vault beneath the Temple of Solomon. Cryptic means hidden, from the Latin crypticus, meaning subterranean or concealed. Vaults beneath many churches are called crypts. Cryptic Masonry means, therefore, Masonry of the Secret Vault. First speaker: The Select Master degree is set before Hiram Abif s death, and alludes to preparations to hide the Secret Treasures. It provides a much deeper explanation for the meanings of the inscriptions found on the Masters jewels and the triangle on top of the Ark.
Second speaker: It also explains why King Solomon selected twenty-four true, tried and trusty Craftsmen, together with the three Grand Masters (making twenty-seven and no more ), to complete an important part of the Temple Third speaker: It is the symbolic link that binds the Master s degree to the Royal Arch. Without it, for many the mystery of The Recovery of That Which Was Lost remains in darkness. First speaker: It is said by some to be the most interesting degree in Masonry, perhaps because it rationally accounts for the concealment and preservation of those essential secrets which were buried in darkness for a period of four hundred and seventy years, and brought to light at the building of the second Temple. Second speaker: In 1817, Samuel Cole said, we may pronounce it the key to the Arch. The dramas illuminate the Master Mason and Royal Arch degrees. This is the only degree in Masonry where you can meet and converse face to face with Hiram Abif, our central character. Third speaker: The Royal Master degree has two parts. First, Hiram Abif talks to Adoniram about death. Then, a day after Hiram Abif s death, King Solomon and Hiram King of Tyre cannot communicate the Master s Word without him not as agreed. The dramas illuminate the Master Mason and Royal Arch degrees. This is the only degree in Masonry where you can meet and converse face to face with Hiram Abif, our central character. First speaker: Royal Arch Mason candidates for the Cryptic Rite degrees are received as Royal Masters, and greeted as Select Masters, usually on separate occasions. Then, after becoming a Companion of the Cryptic Rite, a Mason is deemed worthy of the appellation, The select of the Craft. Second speaker: If you have not already done so, for we recognize some here who have, we urge you to take one more step into a Council of Royal and Select Masters.
Third speaker: Most Excellent High Priest, having already received your permission, we will shortly distribute application forms, and copies of a pamphlet on the Cryptic Rite which provides even more details, but which like this presentation cannot replace the actual experience of our degrees, nor of the greater depth of companionship we offer. First speaker: To all we say, God speed you in your quest, whatever you decide. The three of us, who represent the three steps, into the Lodge, the Chapter and the Council, wish you well, and thank you for listening.
Hand out to every individual present a copy of the officially approved pamphlet, 'The Cryptic Rite of Freemasonry in Councils of Royal & Select Masters'. Give everyone a copy, even to those who already are Council members. They possibly haven't read it themselves, but anyway can pass it on to a Royal Arch Mason not present at this time. Also hand out application forms to every individual present, even if some already are Council members. They can speak personally to others not in attendance. Afterwards, try to speak personally to as many as possible, to encourage them to complete the application or give it serious consideration and contact you if they decide to take 'the second step'. Authorized by Roy Lively, MPGM, on behalf of the Grand Council Eastern Jurisdiction of Canada Royal & Select Masters June 2011