The Degree Rituals The Supreme Council, 33 ... - Scottish Rite, NMJ

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48 The Degree Rituals Major changes, however, were made in the climactic scene four. The dance of the “imps,” or spirits of darkness, was eliminated because of the perception that in many presentations it fostered a Halloween-like atmosphere that detracted from the serious message of the ritual. The voices of gloom and of prophecy also were deleted, their dialogue being spoken, respectively, by the Spirit of Evil and the Spirit of Masonry. Much consideration was given to substituting a Spirit of Good for the Spirit of Masonry because of possibly unintended religious connotations arising from this character’s confrontation with and triumph over the Spirit of Evil (i.e., Satan). Ultimately, it was decided that such a change would detract from the Masonic character of the ritual. Hence, the character was styled the “Spirit of Freemasonry” and the “Defender of Good.” Notwithstanding the many changes embodied in the 1993 and 2002 rituals, the action sequence and dramatic theme of the degree have remained the same — the perennial conflict between good and evil.
The Degree Rituals Master for Life — The Twentieth Degree It is no exaggeration to observe that the allegory of the 20° for many years has been regarded as the most popular and inspiring of the Consistorial degree rituals, due in no small measure to its patriotic American theme. Of course, the early form of the ritual as it appeared in the Francken Manuscript was quite different. It was comprised principally of nine symbolic lights and a lengthy lecture reviewing the symbols of Freemasonry. Perhaps the most unique feature of the degree was its threefold title — “Venerable Master,” “Sovereign Prince,” or “Master ad Vitam.” The first major revision came with Pike’s ritual in the mid-19th century, “Venerable Master,” which in turn was revised shortly thereafter by the ritual of 1866, under the modern title, “Master ad Vitam,” or Master for Life. The core elements of the 1866 ritual were the presentation of a gavel and Francken’s nine symbolic lights, representing the principles of Masonic leadership. This remained the ceremonial, or “candle” section of the 20° through the 19th and most of the 20th centuries. A radical departure was introduced with the ritual of 1896, when a dramatic allegory was added to what until then had been a ceremonial ritual. The protagonist of the allegory was King Frederick of Prussia, the legendary patron of Scottish Rite Masonry, who supposedly convened the first Supreme Council of the Rite. As became the pattern for other Consistorial degree allegories, the cast was made up of prominent historical characters, who allegedly were Freemasons, although the action of the allegory was not based on an historical event. In the setting of a lodge meeting in 18th century Europe, a story of treachery unfolded in which a Freemason was exposed as having misused his fraternal associations to commit espionage. At the conclusion, Frederick issued the Regulations of 1762 as the basic law and presented the double-headed eagle as the emblem of Scottish Rite Masonry. The ritual was reissued without change in 1915. In the aftermath of World War I, however, there was much sentiment for removing the allegory to a setting that would have more relevance, interest, and inspiration for American Masons. The result, which appeared in the ritual of 1922, transferred the dramatic plot, much of the dialogue, and the Masonic lesson of the “Prussian” 49
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Page 3 and 4: 1. The Degree Rituals Contents Fore
Page 5 and 6: Foreword to The Degree Rituals The
Page 7 and 8: The Degree Rituals Commander Johnso
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Page 11 and 12: The Degree Rituals What’s in a Na
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Page 15 and 16: The Degree Rituals Time and Schedul
Page 17 and 18: The Degree Rituals A Long Journey
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Page 31 and 32: The Degree Rituals The Bad Steward
Page 33 and 34: The Degree Rituals Quality of Mercy
Page 35 and 36: The Degree Rituals Royal Arch — T
Page 37 and 38: The Degree Rituals Perfection — T
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Page 45 and 46: The Degree Rituals pelican, the cub
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Page 51 and 52: The Degree Rituals it went unsaid,
Page 53 and 54: The Degree Rituals dieval Germany.
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