Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated - The Masonic Trowel

IIIv~ 44 GRAND MASTER OF ALL SYMBOLIC LODGES,
ye to attain in masonry?
Grand Orator—Light, the light of liberty, free
thought, free speecul for all mankind, free conscience,
free action, within law, the same for all.
Venerable Master—Brethren in the West, what seek
ye to attain in niasonry?
Senior Warden—Light, the great light of God’s divine
truth, eternal as himself; and of virtue, immortal
as the soul.
Venerable Master—Aid me then my brethren to open
this lodge, that we may seek the true masonic light. Together
brethren.
AlL—(Give the sign.)
Venerable Master—My brethren, let the great lights
of the lodge shine.
Purs’uivant—(Advances, lights one of the great
lights and returns.) Let veneration for the deity buis
in this lodge as its first great light.
Senior Deacon—(Lighting another light.) Let the
light of generosity be lifted up in this lodge
Grand Orator—(Lighting another.) Let the light
of heroism blaze like the day among us.
Grand Treasurer—(Lighting another.) Let the
light of honor ever direct our footsteps.
Grand Secretary— (Lighting another.) Let the light
of patriotism shine in our souls as in the lodge.
Junior Warden—(Lighting another.) Let the great
light of justice burn steadily upon our alters.
Senior Warden—(Lighting another.) Let the great
light of toleration dim the fires of persecution.
Venerable Master—Let the great light of truth,
(lights it) illumine our souls and complete the great
triangles of perfection.
Venerable Master—Together brethren.
All—(Clap one and two; 000.) Fiat Lux.
Venerable Master—Brethren the nine great lights
are burning in our lodge and it is duly open; be
seated.
CHAPTER XXXVI
TWENTIETH DEGREE; GRAND MASTER OJ ALL SYMBOLIC
LODGES OR ASSOCIATE GRAND MASTER
AD vITAM.”
[PAST MasTul ALSO CALLED GRAND Miami op Vhs-
DOMain
INITI &TION.
[The nine great lights having been extinguished, the
Senior Deacon retires, invests the candidate with the
collar and jewel of a Grand Pontiff and the jewel of a
Rose Croix and leads him to the door.1
Senior Deacon—(Knocks one and two; 0 00.)
Junior Deacon.—(From within knocks three, 000;
and opens the door.) Who seeks admission?
Senior Deacon—A mason, who having attained the
Note I2O..—~ Ad vutam. isontob Xasenry.1—The principle of life.
office (ad vitamn, for life) has been adopted to a limited extent In
American Grand Lodges by giving to Past Grand Masters Past Siasters
of Lodges, life-membership with restricted suffrage But in Sroteh
Masonry ad yitann has its broadest scope, in some rountrie~ the hIghest
officer in the institution holding his office for life—Morris’s Masonic
Dictionary, Article Ad vktam.
Note 291.—”lCing Solomon has been adopted in Speculative Masonry
as the type or representative of wisdom, in accordance with the char.
acter whIch has been given to him in the First Hook of Kings (iv 3032 1
•Solomon’s wisdom exceeded the ~lsdom of all the children of the east
rountry. and all the wisdom of Egypt For he was wiser thsn all men.
than Ethan the Ezrahite. and Heman and Chalcol and Darda. the sons
ef Mahol. and his fame was in all the natIons round about.’
in all the Oriental pluilosophies a conspicuous place has been gIves
to wisdom. In the book called the Wisdom of Solomon. (vIl 7, 8) hot
supposed to be the production of a Ilelienistic Jew. it is said ‘I called
upon God. and ihe spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her before
sceptres and thrones. and esteemed riches nothing in comparison of her.’
And farther on in the same book. ivil 25-27.1 she is described as ‘the
breath of the power of God, and a pure influence (emanation] flowing
from Ihe glory of the Almighty . .. the brightness of the everlasting
light, the unspotted mirror of the power oE God, and the Image of his
goodnesS.“‘—Mankey’s Enqolopeedia of Fraemaaonx~’. Artiole Wisdom.