Freemasonry has loads of Degrees. Our Craft Degrees, York Rite Degrees, Scottish Rite Degrees, The Royal Order of Scotland & other smaller Degree Orders, plus of course countless Side Degrees.
My favorite degree is the Fellowcraft Degree, more especially the 2nd section or "Staircase Lecture". When done impressively, I believe it can leave a lasting impression on the Brother. It also gives us alot of information about the different denominations of Freemasonry, a little about King Solomon's Temple and how a Fellowcraft would be paid his wages. The story of Jeptha and his defense of the Israel brings about alot of intriguing questions and can lead to plenty of Lodge educational discussion
I seem to remember something quite vividly from each of my Degrees, and the Staircase Lecture is what really sticks in my mind from the Fellowcraft Degree.
The story you mention isn't directly picked up in the OES Degrees, but a later & related incident is, but I find the OES part a bit disturbing. I've been told however that in the Jewish faith that story is recounted differently, and much less darkly.
It's a toss-up between Entered Apprentice, and the AASR 18th degree.
EA, because if it's done well the candidate knows very little and it is a "first time" experience, arguably with a more profound experience than the others because it's the first exposure for a candidate.
AASR 18th because of the key lessons are a great distillation (to me) of what the craft is overall: "Practice virtue that it may produce fruit. Labor to eliminate vice, purify humanity. Be tolerant of the faith and creed of others".
I think that my most vivid Degree memory is of my EA Degree, for the reason you mention. It wasn't a perfectly done Degree, but even so, it has stuck with me.
Another favorite is the 31st of the Scottish Rite. It is I think the Degree that I learned the most from, or certainly the most interesting concepts from when I did the Master Craftsman program.
Haha the EA never needs to be done perfectly, the candidate has no basis for comparison.
Let's just say that's a direct benefit to rusty lodges coming out of COVID times, initiating candidates this season for the first time in a long time.
Ritual proficiency is important, but (and I hope you take this with the spirit of the context of this conversation) proficiency in conferring the EA is the least important, in a sense.
Your point is well taken. As long as the Degree just rolls on, the candidate will never know of any mistakes that were made.
The only way I don't think this holds true is if folks on the sidelines try to correct perceived mistakes. When that happens, and I have seen it happen unfortunately, then the candidate will of course notice, and his experience will be lessened.
Agreed - prompting & corrections are for practice not conferral. If a candidate notices a prompt or correction during the degree, it's a peanut gallery problem rather than a conferral problem.
I agree. Out of all of our Lectures, the G Lecture is to me the very finest.
I find it a little interesting though, in that I don't remember it at all from when I went through my Degrees, and I wasn't fond of it during my early years as a Mason. I think what happened is that after I moved, I started hearing it delivered by someone who is truly superb at it, and his delivery really made it speak to me.
2nd degree: The Second Section (Staircase) is impressive, but even more so with costumes and in the right environment. The Torchlight 2nd degree and the San Juan Island 2nd degree are excellent examples.
3rd degree: Again, in costume. It’s a drama, and the workers in KS’s temple didn’t wear suits and ties.
Royal Arch degree: If the props are used, it’s a really cool degree. If the slide show is used instead of the props, it can be a snoozer, squandering the cool, interactive nature of this degree. Actually, I can toss in the Most Excellent Master degree (its predecessor in the Capitular degrees) with the same qualifications.
18th and 30th degrees of the Scottish Rite: I’ve seen them only once, and from what I remember, they were pretty neat. One of these days I’ll find the time to watch them again.
Of the degrees I have not received, I’ve heard that the Orders of the Knights Templar are the most memorable of all Blue Lodge/York Rite/Scottish Rite degrees. I’ve told these Brothers of what I thought on the above degrees, and they say the Orders blow these out of the water. And to be fair, not all of them know that I’m a member of the Chapter and the Council but NOT the Commandry, so it’s not like they’re playing it up to talk me into finishing the York Rite.
If your Lodge has a York Rite that meets in the same building, you might ask them to borrow their costumes. Almost all the York Rites and Scottish Rites have costumes for their parts, and at least the case of the York Rite, there’s an analogy of parts that can cover many of the MM degree drama parts, such as the two Kings and the Deacons. Unfortunately, not all the parts are covered, such as the Craftsman and their sinister counterparts. You’d have to get inventive to cover for that.
If you wished to purchase a set to do a MM drama, that can get pretty expensive. Olympia Lodge No. 1 has a MM degree set, and Harmony Lodge No. 18 asked the Centralia York Rite if they’re willing to sell them one of their surplus sets. (Mergers, etc.) When they offered a thousand dollars for the set, I thought our Chapter won the lottery, but it took a few minutes to realize that when you’re looking at full King robes, they cost plenty of money all by themselves, and that doesn’t even account for the Chaplain, Marshal, Deacons and Stewards, and the S/FM. That would run you well over $1,000 alone, and you still need other robes!
One cool thing about the Craftsman/Ruffian outfits that Oly #1 has is the Aprons. Not only are they leather, they’re rough cut, just like fresh, tanned hide from a sheep. All who’ve played these parts are Really impressed by the aprons.
Given the large number of York Rite closures and consolidations, even if a Lodge doesn't have a corresponding York Rite within its building, it should be fairly easy to find a Lodge that does have these costumes hanging in a closet somewhere.
Exactly. Centralia's York Rite inherited a few costume sets from the Mergers of the Chapters in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties. We sold one set, but unfortunately, the other sets are either worn out or no longer have matching parts. As such, we cobbled together what was best, kept those, and sold the next best set to Harmony Lodge. We still have a lot of robes in the closet that can be restored, though, if a Lodge has a member who knows how to do that, or has the financial means to "Farm it out."
My favorite degree is not for my pleasure, but for the candidate, I believe it should be the 1st Degree in Masonry. It opens and initates them into the fraternity and it should be a special night and should be performed with only one canidate. It's his night and should not be deminished in any form. It is his first step in Masonry.
Ok, now my personal favorite Degree , to perform and direct is the Scottish Rite 25th. It's not particularly long, but provides the moral lesson with some good wholesome fun.
You are exactly right, the First Degree should only be performed on a single candidate. It needs to be special for that one man only. Anything less is robbing him of a part of the experience.
Perhaps in the past, like immediately following the World Wars there was a reason to confer it on more than one candidate at a time, but today, we do not have so many candidates that we can't easily ensure that every candidate have his own personal experience.
My personal favorite is the Fellowcraft Degree and in particular the Middle Chamber Lecture. I was fortunate to have VWB Cary Cope presenting it. He made it seem like an educational walk with a friend explaining everything you were seeing for the first time.
That Degree was also the first time I had been in a different Lodge than my own due to maintenance. I was able to meet many Brothers at Monroe Lodge 160 and had the opportunity to see a different location. That alone makes me want to travel and see more.
The very finest delivery of any Lecture that I have ever seen was the Fellowcraft Degree Lecture, delivered to me, by VW Cope! Also in SM 160.
I've mentioned to people before, he was so good at it that I didn't even realize for a while that he was delivering a lecture. I just thought we were wandering around the Lodge room and he was showing me interesting things.
VW Cary does excellent degree work. I’ve seen him confer, and when he was selected to perform the MCL for the 2nd TorchLight degree, with me doing the ‘G’ lecture, it was an honor to watch Cary do his magic. VW Cary was also an inspiration for me to attain a Certificate of proficiency for all three degrees. It took me a few years, but I think it was worth it.
VW Jeremy Yielding is kind of the equivalent of Cary in the Tacoma area, demonstrating great degree work as well. WB Kris Graap in Olympia. I’m sure there’s others in our Jurisdiction as well. We need more of them, and I know of ways to inspire others to learn the work.
My favorite is the Royal Arch degree in the York Rite. This is a very historical degree, discovering the lost word and speaking it. This degree is extremely elaborate and very fun to rehearse to boot.
My next is the Fellowcraft and the lecture, there is something to learn every time I help perform and I wonder why the things I learned were fugitive from me for so long!
I have several "favorites." The EA Degree is my favorite because that's where we get to make a lasting impression on the new candidate. The FC is my favorite because of the wonderful imagery and story of the Winding Stairs lecture. The MM is my favorite because of the allegory of "rebirth," and the drama involved (when done well).
My favorite degree is the Fellowcraft Degree, more especially the 2nd section or "Staircase Lecture". When done impressively, I believe it can leave a lasting impression on the Brother. It also gives us alot of information about the different denominations of Freemasonry, a little about King Solomon's Temple and how a Fellowcraft would be paid his wages. The story of Jeptha and his defense of the Israel brings about alot of intriguing questions and can lead to plenty of Lodge educational discussion
I seem to remember something quite vividly from each of my Degrees, and the Staircase Lecture is what really sticks in my mind from the Fellowcraft Degree.
The story you mention isn't directly picked up in the OES Degrees, but a later & related incident is, but I find the OES part a bit disturbing. I've been told however that in the Jewish faith that story is recounted differently, and much less darkly.
It's a toss-up between Entered Apprentice, and the AASR 18th degree.
EA, because if it's done well the candidate knows very little and it is a "first time" experience, arguably with a more profound experience than the others because it's the first exposure for a candidate.
AASR 18th because of the key lessons are a great distillation (to me) of what the craft is overall: "Practice virtue that it may produce fruit. Labor to eliminate vice, purify humanity. Be tolerant of the faith and creed of others".
I think that my most vivid Degree memory is of my EA Degree, for the reason you mention. It wasn't a perfectly done Degree, but even so, it has stuck with me.
Another favorite is the 31st of the Scottish Rite. It is I think the Degree that I learned the most from, or certainly the most interesting concepts from when I did the Master Craftsman program.
Haha the EA never needs to be done perfectly, the candidate has no basis for comparison.
Let's just say that's a direct benefit to rusty lodges coming out of COVID times, initiating candidates this season for the first time in a long time.
Ritual proficiency is important, but (and I hope you take this with the spirit of the context of this conversation) proficiency in conferring the EA is the least important, in a sense.
Your point is well taken. As long as the Degree just rolls on, the candidate will never know of any mistakes that were made.
The only way I don't think this holds true is if folks on the sidelines try to correct perceived mistakes. When that happens, and I have seen it happen unfortunately, then the candidate will of course notice, and his experience will be lessened.
Agreed - prompting & corrections are for practice not conferral. If a candidate notices a prompt or correction during the degree, it's a peanut gallery problem rather than a conferral problem.
I also think the 2nd degree is my favorite, and the G lecture the most beautiful lecture (although a real challenge to memorize).
I agree. Out of all of our Lectures, the G Lecture is to me the very finest.
I find it a little interesting though, in that I don't remember it at all from when I went through my Degrees, and I wasn't fond of it during my early years as a Mason. I think what happened is that after I moved, I started hearing it delivered by someone who is truly superb at it, and his delivery really made it speak to me.
Of the Degrees I’ve seen:
2nd degree: The Second Section (Staircase) is impressive, but even more so with costumes and in the right environment. The Torchlight 2nd degree and the San Juan Island 2nd degree are excellent examples.
3rd degree: Again, in costume. It’s a drama, and the workers in KS’s temple didn’t wear suits and ties.
Royal Arch degree: If the props are used, it’s a really cool degree. If the slide show is used instead of the props, it can be a snoozer, squandering the cool, interactive nature of this degree. Actually, I can toss in the Most Excellent Master degree (its predecessor in the Capitular degrees) with the same qualifications.
18th and 30th degrees of the Scottish Rite: I’ve seen them only once, and from what I remember, they were pretty neat. One of these days I’ll find the time to watch them again.
Of the degrees I have not received, I’ve heard that the Orders of the Knights Templar are the most memorable of all Blue Lodge/York Rite/Scottish Rite degrees. I’ve told these Brothers of what I thought on the above degrees, and they say the Orders blow these out of the water. And to be fair, not all of them know that I’m a member of the Chapter and the Council but NOT the Commandry, so it’s not like they’re playing it up to talk me into finishing the York Rite.
I too have heard that the Templar Degrees are amazing to experience. Like you though, I've not experienced them.
I'm in 100% agreement with you regarding props and costumes. They can make a tremendous impact.
Anyone have suggestions on where to find the proper costumes, mainly for the 3rd degree?
WB Glenn:
If your Lodge has a York Rite that meets in the same building, you might ask them to borrow their costumes. Almost all the York Rites and Scottish Rites have costumes for their parts, and at least the case of the York Rite, there’s an analogy of parts that can cover many of the MM degree drama parts, such as the two Kings and the Deacons. Unfortunately, not all the parts are covered, such as the Craftsman and their sinister counterparts. You’d have to get inventive to cover for that.
If you wished to purchase a set to do a MM drama, that can get pretty expensive. Olympia Lodge No. 1 has a MM degree set, and Harmony Lodge No. 18 asked the Centralia York Rite if they’re willing to sell them one of their surplus sets. (Mergers, etc.) When they offered a thousand dollars for the set, I thought our Chapter won the lottery, but it took a few minutes to realize that when you’re looking at full King robes, they cost plenty of money all by themselves, and that doesn’t even account for the Chaplain, Marshal, Deacons and Stewards, and the S/FM. That would run you well over $1,000 alone, and you still need other robes!
One cool thing about the Craftsman/Ruffian outfits that Oly #1 has is the Aprons. Not only are they leather, they’re rough cut, just like fresh, tanned hide from a sheep. All who’ve played these parts are Really impressed by the aprons.
Given the large number of York Rite closures and consolidations, even if a Lodge doesn't have a corresponding York Rite within its building, it should be fairly easy to find a Lodge that does have these costumes hanging in a closet somewhere.
Exactly. Centralia's York Rite inherited a few costume sets from the Mergers of the Chapters in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties. We sold one set, but unfortunately, the other sets are either worn out or no longer have matching parts. As such, we cobbled together what was best, kept those, and sold the next best set to Harmony Lodge. We still have a lot of robes in the closet that can be restored, though, if a Lodge has a member who knows how to do that, or has the financial means to "Farm it out."
My favorite degree is not for my pleasure, but for the candidate, I believe it should be the 1st Degree in Masonry. It opens and initates them into the fraternity and it should be a special night and should be performed with only one canidate. It's his night and should not be deminished in any form. It is his first step in Masonry.
Ok, now my personal favorite Degree , to perform and direct is the Scottish Rite 25th. It's not particularly long, but provides the moral lesson with some good wholesome fun.
You are exactly right, the First Degree should only be performed on a single candidate. It needs to be special for that one man only. Anything less is robbing him of a part of the experience.
Perhaps in the past, like immediately following the World Wars there was a reason to confer it on more than one candidate at a time, but today, we do not have so many candidates that we can't easily ensure that every candidate have his own personal experience.
My personal favorite is the Fellowcraft Degree and in particular the Middle Chamber Lecture. I was fortunate to have VWB Cary Cope presenting it. He made it seem like an educational walk with a friend explaining everything you were seeing for the first time.
That Degree was also the first time I had been in a different Lodge than my own due to maintenance. I was able to meet many Brothers at Monroe Lodge 160 and had the opportunity to see a different location. That alone makes me want to travel and see more.
Well golly, this is interesting Brother!
The very finest delivery of any Lecture that I have ever seen was the Fellowcraft Degree Lecture, delivered to me, by VW Cope! Also in SM 160.
I've mentioned to people before, he was so good at it that I didn't even realize for a while that he was delivering a lecture. I just thought we were wandering around the Lodge room and he was showing me interesting things.
VW Cary does excellent degree work. I’ve seen him confer, and when he was selected to perform the MCL for the 2nd TorchLight degree, with me doing the ‘G’ lecture, it was an honor to watch Cary do his magic. VW Cary was also an inspiration for me to attain a Certificate of proficiency for all three degrees. It took me a few years, but I think it was worth it.
VW Jeremy Yielding is kind of the equivalent of Cary in the Tacoma area, demonstrating great degree work as well. WB Kris Graap in Olympia. I’m sure there’s others in our Jurisdiction as well. We need more of them, and I know of ways to inspire others to learn the work.
My favorite is the Royal Arch degree in the York Rite. This is a very historical degree, discovering the lost word and speaking it. This degree is extremely elaborate and very fun to rehearse to boot.
My next is the Fellowcraft and the lecture, there is something to learn every time I help perform and I wonder why the things I learned were fugitive from me for so long!
I have several "favorites." The EA Degree is my favorite because that's where we get to make a lasting impression on the new candidate. The FC is my favorite because of the wonderful imagery and story of the Winding Stairs lecture. The MM is my favorite because of the allegory of "rebirth," and the drama involved (when done well).