Day 83 out of 100 to Learn Masonic Ritual, hope it’s going well, and well done for making it this far through. It’s been a tough slog but hopefully you’ll agree that it’s been worth it, and that you are building up a good solid foundation ahead of your year in the Chair.
Continuing with the Third Degree, the day before yesterday (Day 81) we went from the Obligation and through the Exhortation. (Yesterday was another Installation revision). On our first run through the Raising Ceremony we covered the Fifteen Fellowcrafts and the Charge, but we discussed that it is unlikely you’ll be performing these if it’s your first time in the Chair, or at least your first time doing this ceremony. If you are having to perform either, or both, of those pieces then schedule additional time to learn, revise and rehearse them. So, today it’s
Learning Masonic Ritual, Day 83 of 100: Master Mason’s Badge and Closing the Lodge
We’ll start today with picking up from the end of the The Charge where the candidate leaves and returns to the Lodge, then Invested with the Badge (pages 192-195 in my book of Emulation Ritual). Following the Charge is the Working Tools, and like the 15 Fellowcrafts and Charge, we are assuming this will be done by another member of your Lodge. Once the Working Tools have been presented we move to Closing the Lodge (pages 54-65), although it’s likely you will Resume (page 68) in the lower degrees to save time.
As mentioned previously, much of this is similar to the other Degree ceremonies where the Candidate is told they can retire from the Lodge, though what they’ll be seeing on their return is obviously different. Once the Senior Warden has done the actual investing it again follows that the Master explains the duties of the degree. It’s only a shortish paragraph (actually it’s really one long sentence), but I find that it requires repetition to learn it, as to me it doesn’t have much in common with the similar paragraphs in the other Degree ceremonies. I would recommend breaking it up a little more to assist learning it in smaller chunks.
If you are Resuming in the lower Degrees and only Closing the Lodge in the First Degree then this will be same as what you’ve already learnt for the Installation Ceremony, though it’s worth ensuring you are up to speed with Closing the Third and Second Degrees in full to be sure.