The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

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Chapter 7 - Rituals
sequence they tell the candidate what to do in the present state to which he has
advanced. The First Degree is about self-knowledge and self-improvement, the
Second Degree deals with advancement in knowledge and social intercourse, and
the Third with divine presentiment and immortality.
Opening Ceremony (in the Third Degree)
According to the ritual, a just and duly constituted Lodge must always be
opened in the Third Degree (p. 5). When the brethren are addressed, they have to
rise and give the sign of due guard of the degree in which the lodge is working.
At the beginning of the Opening Ceremony, the Worshipful Master orders the
officers to take their stations, asks the brethren "to be clothed" (which means to
put on their aprons and regalia), and raps once with his gavel. Then, he asks the
Junior Deacon to define the "first great care of Masons," that consists in
verifying that they are "duly tyled." As we have seen in the chapter on technical
terminology, this denotes to prove that no profanes and unqualified persons are
present. The Junior Deacon speaks through the open door with the Tyler to
inform him that the lodge is about to open in the third degree, and asks him to
govern himself accordingly. Then, the Junior Deacon reports to the Worshipful
Master that they are duly tyled, and to the question of how they are tyled, he
answers: "By a Master Mason without, armed with the proper implement of his
office" (p. 5). This refers to the "drawn sword" of the Tyler. The Junior Deacon
is asked to define the duty of the Tyler, which is to guarantee that no "cowans
and eavesdroppers" enter the lodge.
Then, the Worshipful Master asks the Senior Warden to verify whether all
present are Master Masons, which is necessary for opening a lodge in the third
degree. The Senior Warden orders his proper officer, the Junior Deacon, to
verify this, and the latter takes the staff and passes around the lodge. In case he
finds a stranger, the brethren are asked to vouch for him, and if they do, the
vouch is accepted. If not, an examination committee is appointed to prove the
visitor, who has to retire. When the Junior Deacon reports to the Senior Warden
that all assembled are Master Masons, the Senior and Junior Deacons have to
receive the password from the brethren as further evidence. This ceremony is
also called "purging the lodge," and is executed in all fraternal orders in a more
or less similar way.
Next follows a short dialogue between the Worshipful Master and the Senior
Warden, the latter having to answer some test questions as in the ancient
catechisms. At first, he has to state whether he is a Master Mason, and upon his
knowledge. Moreover, the candidate in the German ritual is purged by three travels around the
carpet through the elements, e.g. fire, water, and earth. This ceremony is not existent in the
American First Degree ritual. For additional information on the German ceremonies, cf. Kessinger
Publishing Company (ed.) The Secret Rituals of the Masonic Grand Lodge of the Sun (Bayreuth,
Germany). See also Kischke, p. 94.