We’re now nearing the end of our first run through of learning the First Degree ceremony. Yesterday we started the Charge in the North East, where we broke two long paragraphs into six shorter sections which are easier to learn. We then hand the proceedings over the Junior Deacon to test the Candidate, who then hands back to the Master for the explanation of…
Learning Masonic Ritual, Day 29 of 100: First Degree Charity
This explanation of why charity is important to Freemasons (in my book of Emulation Ritual this is on pages 99-100) is technically still part of the Charge in the North East, but because of the natural break it makes sense to split it into two roughly equal parts to ease learning.
Also, like yesterday we can break down paragraphs into more discrete portions. Whereas yesterday was two paragraphs we divided it down to six sections, the description of Charity is only one paragraph, though quite long. We can therefore break it down into:
- Congratulate the candidate,
- The first and second reasons,
- The third reason.
Because the first reason is short and flows into the second I’ve grouped them together. The third is longer and runs to the end of the piece so kept it as it’s own section for learning. If you actually look at this the entire piece is composed of just three sentences. In fact, one sentence covers all three reasons, and due to the use of grammar and punctuation that single sentence is over 15 lines long and a whopping 106 words! That’s a long sentence.
When breaking Ritual up into smaller sections to aid learning find the natural breaks that are dictated by the flow of the Ritual, not necessarily the grammar of the written word. I’ll mention is again today, although done by the Master in Lodge of Emulation,
I am assuming that the Working Tools and the Charge After Initiation will be outsourced to other Lodge members, as is customary in most Lodges. Check with the DC of your Lodge, and if it is expected for you to do the Working Tools or Charge after Initiation then ensure you incorporate some additional time into the study schedule.