Day 64 out of 100 to Learn Masonic Ritual and it’s our third day of the our first reading through of the Third Degree Raising Ceremony. So far we have Opened the Lodge up to the Second Degree, asked the Third Degree Questions, Pledges and Entrusted them with the pass grip and word. Now that the Candidate has left the temple to prepare for their Raising we start today with
Learning Masonic Ritual, Day 64 of 100: Opening in the Third Degree and Perambulation
Today involves some flicking back and forwards in the book, starting with Opening in the Third Degree (pages 50-54 in my edition of Emulation Ritual), before returning the Ceremony where the Candidate returns to the Lodge and is Perambulates around (pages 161-169).
Firstly, looking at Opening in the Third we see that it follows the similar format as opening in the Second Degree. One thing I find confusing here is the Master asks the Junior Warden what instruments he would like to be proved by, the Junior Warden replies and the Master suddenly jumps ahead – it seems like the proving part itself had been forgotten or edited out at some stage. The dialogue with both the Wardens is a little confusing too. I recommend reading it aloud, and trying to visualise yourself in the Chair and asking each Warden in turn their question. It’s easy to get out of sync – I’ve seen it happen!
Whereas you see a Lodge Opening in the First Degree at every meeting, Opening in the Third Degree only happens at Raising Ceremonies or Installations, so you probably aren’t as familiar with it as you’d like to be. Once the Tyler knocks to let the Inner Guard know the Candidate is ready we go back to the Raising Ceremony pages.
We are covering 8 pages of this today, but much of this work is done by the Senior Deacon interacting with the Wardens as the Candidate makes two perambulations. Do read through this as there are a few odd lines you need to learn buried in these pages which you need to be aware of:
- Responding to the JW following the Tyler’s knocks,
- Checking with the IG that the Candidate is properly prepared prior to admitting him. This is almost identical to the Second Degree ritual, but the word “propriety” is the replaced by “powerful”. (I’d never noticed it until now!)
- Getting the Candidate to kneel, exactly the same as the Second.