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A Fifteenth Degree Mason is a Knight of the East. This Degree commemorates the trials of those mystic Masons who made the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem with their swords by their sides and trowels in their hands. Its three prominent officers are King Cyrus of Persia, Nehemiah and Ezra, the last two being the biblical writers whose Books are commemorated by this Degree. These Books are among the most deeply esoteric in the Old Testament.
King Solomon's Temple is a profound and wonderful symbol of initiatory life. It was erected above Enoch's excavations through the nine layers of Earth, and was located upon the summit of Mt. Moriah where Abraham made. the supreme sacrifice which opened for him the doors of a heavenly vision. At a certain point every candidate upon the Path comes to where he must be willing to sacrifice whatever is his dearest earthly treasure as indicating his dedication to spirit. Albert Pike states that a candidate should accept as his two motivating principles renunciation and self-control. Lack of these qualities offers the greatest impediment to spiritual progress. Hence, the Bible says: "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way... and few there be that find it."
The Israelites lost the glorious vision of initiatory life. This led to the destruction of their Temple. Had they remained true to the vision no harm could have come to them; but when they lost it Nebuchadnezzar carried them captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. In other words, they passed from the light of spirit into the darkness of materiality. However, a few still glimpsed the vision, and the Christ said: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." The few who remained faithful cleared the way for their return to Jerusalem and for the construction of the Second Temple under the guidance of that Persian Initiate, King Cyrus.
Despite great sorrow and travail, the Temple was completed in the reign of Darius, successor to Cyrus. Darius anointed Zarubbabel as Prince of Jerusalem, wherefrom the Sixteenth Degree derived its name. Masonic settings for this Degree portray the splendor of Darius' palace and the magnificent audience chamber in which the coronation was consummated.
Initiates of the Seventeenth Degree are known as Knights of East and West. All Degrees preceding this one are centered in the Old Testament. The Seventeenth begins the mystic Masonry of St. John, which points the way to becoming a mystic citizen of the Eternal Kingdom. Its Jewel is in the design of a lamb on a book of seven seals. John the Baptist is the patron saint of this Degree, and all candidates are his disciples.
Both John the Baptist and St. John the Divine occupy important places in Masonry. Every Masonic Lodge has a seal or emblem representative of the power and work of the two Johns of the New Testament. It is a circle flanked by parallel lines. One line symbolizes the life and works of John the Baptist; this is the Path of Preparation. The other line typifies the wisdom, understanding and peace of St. John the Divine; this is the Path of Attainment.
The following is according to the tradition of Irenaeus, a church father who lived during the second century in Asia Minor and Southern France. Irenaeus relates that John became leader of the community of Ephesus and died after a long, active and successful life during the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan (98-117 A.D.). Proof of the reliability of Masonic lore appears in one of the oldest English lectures, for it contains confirmation of this tradition:
"After the destruction of the Second Temple in the days of Emperor Vespasian, Free masonry was sinking into rapid decline. At a general assembly of the Craft, held in the city of Benjamin, it was observed that the unhappy condition resulted mainly from lack of leadership. The post of Grand Master had not been filled for many years. After this question had been discussed for some time, seven outstanding members of the Craft were designated to travel to Ephesus and to offer the office of Grand Master to the Bishop of Ephesus, John the Evangelist. Although John was ninety years old when this call reached him, he accepted the high office.
The Order of St. John was a profound esoteric School founded during the days of early Christianity by the Beloved Disciple himself. It was located in Jerusalem, and a Temple was to have been built in the Holy City where instruction would have been along occult lines — just as mystic teachings were given by Peter to Church-Craft. These two Schools were to work in unison for establishing esoteric Christianity. Many Crusaders were attracted to the Order of St. John, and from this originated the Knights Templar. The Crusaders returned to Europe, carrying with them some of this inner work. Their rapid rise to power is familiar history. The Temple houses of every large European city were so magnificent that they became the abodes of kings and princes. This soon attracted the envy of church officials and the nobility, and plots for bringing about the downfall of the Templars ensued. These plots culminated in the burning at the stake of Jaques de Molay, their leader, in the courtyard of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Shameful as was this incident, the Templars were not wholly free from blame. Their power and luxury were a far cry from the simple spiritual Brotherhood in which they had their origin. We have reiterated a number of times in this series that any occult grouping that is high enough spiritually can surround itself with an aura of protection impenetrable by any sinister force. The Christ's declaration remains true to this day: "Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
Albert Pike's lecture to Seventeenth Degree candidates sounds the universality of Truth. To the over-shadowing Hierarchies all Truth is one and indivisible. Under the guidance of the Lord Christ a special messenger, known as a World Saviour, has been sent to all peoples, bearing the same message but in form suitable to their respective development. They have been milestones of Light along the great evolutionary road of mankind; and all have pointed to a greater teacher who was to come, meaning the Christ, the supreme unifier. Each such messenger has sounded a note in the ever-ascending scale of life, the Christ being the completion of the perfect chord.
Rosicrucianism entered Masonry through the Degree of the Rose Croix. In The New Age Messenger, official organ of United States Masonry, appeared the statement that the Rose Croix work was founded by Elias Ashmole, famed Hermetic scholar and cabalist of sixteenth century England. He founded both the Masonic Lodge and the Rosicrucian Order in London, and worked them together.
A Mason avers: "By the Rose upon the Cross I conquer. A churchman says: "By the cross of Christ I conquer." Christ is the Rose of Sharon. There was found in the catacombs of Rome a golden cross. On its right arm was engraven a rose of Sharon and the world Alpha (beginning); on its left arm, a rose of Sharon and the word Omega (end).
It is in the Degree of the Rose Croix that esoteric Christianity, Rosicrucianism and Masonry meet and merge. Two of the most important symbols of this Degree are an eagle, representative of both the Christ and the Sun, and a pelican feeding her young upon,her own heart's blood-a most beautiful emblem of self-sacrificing service for others. In common with Rosicrucianism, both a cross and a red-and-white rose are prominently used in Masonry. Then there is the Holy Communion Rite on Maundy Thursday, with its accompanying betrayal, death, and the slow extinguishing, one by one, of thirty-three candle lights. Also, there is the Resurrection Rite at sunrise on Easter morning, wherein all the paraphernalia of sorrow and death are removed, to be replaced with the gaity and joy of flowers and the rare beauty of Elysian fields. Their loveliness is enhanced by the blazing glorf that comes with the relighting of the thirty-three candles that beckon toward higher goals.
The pelican typifies sacrifice. The eagle signifies transmutation. The Rose Cross means illumination. All three symbols belong to the Eighteenth, the Rose Croix, Degree. The Jewel of this Degree is a rose cross surmounted by a crown. Its key is: "Love one another; as I have loved you."
The Twentieth and Thirtieth Degrees of the Scottish Rite are concerned with the most exalted phases of INitiation as these were taught in the Ancient Mysteries. The Twenty-third Degree is that of the Chief of the Tabernacle; the Twenty-fourth that of the Prince of the Tabernacle. As stated before, the importance of Tabernacle teachings in relation to the Mysteries derives from the fact that each article of furniture in the former represents some phase of spiritual development to be accomplished by the candidate himself.
A study of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness is an inquiry into the structure of the cosmos, the anatomy of man, the operation of stellar forces, the method of evolution, and the Way of Initiation. It may be reasonably concluded that not even a forty-day period in the Glory Light would be sufficient to reveal the full mystical implications and the sublime inclusiveness of a sanctuary where God dwells with man.
The Tabernacle was divided into three principal arenas. In the outer court was located the Altar of Sacrifice, where each day a burnt offering was consumed. In man this represents a daily sacrifice of his animal nature. Here also was the Laver of Purification where a candidate was purified, dedicated to and consecrated for higher work. This outer court represents the probationary period; in Masonry, the apprentice Degree.
In the east room of the inner court stood the seven-branched candlestick, representative of latent centers within man's body; the twelve loaves of shewbread, typifying the twelve zodiacal Hierarchies under whose guidance the candidate progresses during his many earthly pilgrimages; and the pot of incense that is burned upon the shew-bread, indicative of soul powers engendered under the guidance of these Hierarchies. The east room stood for the Path of Discipleship, wherein an aspirant first contacts inner-plane conditions. Masonically, it correlates with the Fellow-Craft Degree.
In the west room, the Holy of Holies, is located the golden pot of manna, the conservated sacred life force within man; Aaron's rod that budded — the lifting of this force up through the spinal canal (rod), thus awakening the latent flower centers in his body. In the Mysteries the "budding rod' has always been a symbol of this high attainment. To one who understands the Mystery language, the statement that the budding rod of Joseph led to his being chosen as bridegroom for the Blessed Virgin is indicative of the high degree of INitiateship that made him a fit companion for the Holy Mary. The Table of the Law bespeaks the twin laws of reincarnation and karma which affect the lives of all individuals and nations.
Above the Holy of Holies and guarded by two Cherubim shone the Glory Light of the Shekinah. Bathed in its effulgence was the triangular Stone bearing the mystic name of God. It was in this Light that the IHVH communed with Moses. It js in the Holy of Holies that a candidate, awakened by the gr'ory light within himself, communes in celestial realms with exalted Beings.
The Tabernacle in the Wilderness was an Atlantean Mystery School. It conserved the ageless Wisdom as humanity passed from the civilization of the Atlantean Fourth Root Race to that of the post-Atlantean, Fifth Root Race. While the truths it taught are eternal and changeless, man's comprehension of them increases, and their exposition is modified and amplified accordingly. The Path of Initiation outlined in the Tabernacle leads from the outer court of sacrifice and smoke to the inner court of service and light; and finally into that most holy place where Spirit itself is the light and where the soundless Voice is heard. It is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. External features along the Path may vary because they change with times, people, and man's evolutionary status; but its direction is always from compulsory sacrifice to willing service. The ultimate realization is, of necessity, the same. The principal stations along the way are also alike in nature; and consciousness moves from external light to the light wihtin. In every man dwells the Shekinah Glory. The purpose of the pilgrimage through the wilderness of earthly life is to bring that Glory from comparative latency into dynamic manifestation.
It is explicitly stated that the only men permitted to work on the Ark were those who had worked with acacia. Masonically, acacia is a symbol of eternal life. One who has learned to work with acacia has learned to function consciously in inner realms and to know that death is a delusion. Such an one has become a true son of immortality. This should be the attainment of every candidate for the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Degrees.
A discerning candidate will discover by a study of Albert Pike's lectures that in these two Degrees there is something of the importance which the great Master Mason attaches to the cosmic and spiritual significance of sacred stellar science in its relationship to the universe and to man.
The work of the Twenty-third Degree centers in the beautifully dedicatory keynote: "Consecrate yourself henceforth to the service of the Children of Light." The work of the Twenty-fourth Degree centers in the high inspiration of its keynote: "My Brother, the Initiate is he who possesses the lamp, the cloak, and the staff."
The Twenty-Fifth is the Degree of the Brazen Serpent, which deals with an extremely high phase of Initiation. It is exemplified in the life of Moses, a supreme Initiate of the Old Testament Dispensatio as recounted in the Book of Exodus.
As already stated, in mystic language a serpent has always typified the spinal fire force within man. In the unawakened masses this fire is coiled "serpent-like" at the base of the spine. Through clean living and aspirational thinking this force gradually ascends toward the head. As it rises it awakens centers that cause man to become more than man; in other words, he attains Mastership. In the Twenty-fifth Degree the serpent has a prominent use; even the Jewel of this Degree is a Tau cross entwined by a serpent.
Moses taught that purity and chastity are the foundation of all initiatory work. The "brazen serpent" of the Old Testament narrative symbolized the spinal fire force which, when dissipated (the serpent crawling on the ground), caused the people to suffer disease, poverty and death; but when it was conserved and lifted to the head (the serpent lifted up) they enjoyed peace, health and plenty. The "burning bush" also has an important place in the Twenty-fifth Degree. It is recorded that the bush burned but was never consumed. In Masonry this is a symbol of Initiation by Fire, wherein all its work is centered. Through transmutation, fire ceases to be a flame that burns (desire); instead, it becomes a light that illumines.
Such was Moses' Initiation by Fire, which occurred when the children of Israel were encamped upon Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, at the season when the New Moon fell in the Spring Equinox, a time of great spiritual significance. The aspirant who climbs Jacob's "ladder" is increasingly rewarded with firsthand knowledge of the inner secrets of nature. For him the veils of matter are rent and he sees that objective nature is but a reflection of the subjective world of reality. (The very word "Mysteries" is related to the Greek word "mistos" meaning veil.) The bush that Moses looked upon was not enveloped in flame but in light. Flame is a physical externalization of the fire principle. It bears much the same relation to that principle as man's body does to his indwelling spirit.
A complete mastery of one's lower nature is a prerequisite to Initiation by Fire. Passion must be sublimated into compassion. The love that once burned for self-gratification must be transmuted into an all-encompassing love for mankind. Following Initiation by Fire one's consciousness is awake to the universality of all existence. Sharp lines of separation between the outer and inner life are obliterated. Awareness continues without interruption through hours of waking and sleeping. For such an one death holds neither darkness nor terror, for it has been overcome by life.
When the ordeal by Fire has been successfully passed, the spirant's body sings to a new keynote. The motion of its every atom has been accelerated and it has been charged with added light. His thoughts are more highly creative and his every spoken word is endowed with increased power. Also, Initiation by Fire has given him control over the fiery elements in nature and the beings which operate in and through them.
Any Mason who reads Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike, that Prince of Masonry, cannot fail to recognize that his teaching on the conservation and transmutation of the spinal fire force is as applicable today as it was in ages past when Moses gave it to the children of Israel.
The Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Degrees go back to the days of early Christianity. The setting for the latter is the house of St. Mary in Jerusalem. This Mary was the mother of John Mark, author of the Gospel which bears his name. In her home the Christians held their first meetings; and here John the Beloved gave them the profound esoteric teachings on which the Order of St. John was founded. As has been suggested, there is little doubt but that the work of the Templars originated in these teachings.
The Twenty-sixth Degree is given in a replica of the catacombs of Rome during the persecutions by Emperor Domitian. The Lodge room is embellished with a Christian cross and a picture of the Blessed Virgin. Fish, one of the earliest symbols of Christian esotericism, are much in evidence.
The early Christian Mystery Schools, like all other Mystery Schools, were divided into three Degrees: the novitiate or preparatory; the Baptism or "bringing to sight"; the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.
The Twenty-eighth Degree bears the significant title Knight of the Sun. It has often been termed the key to Masonry, for herein a candidate recapitulates the truths vouchsafed to him along that steep and narrow path he has trod as he travelled toward the East in his questing for the One Light. The insignia of this exalted work is a triangle enclosing an all-seeing eye. The candidate's third eye (true spiritual vision) should now be awakened and, in the brilliance of its illumination, he should be able to declare with St. Paul: "The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
In this Degree the heavens literally declare the glory of God. Upon the ceiling of the Lodge room are constellations and stars: Taurus, Orion and others; also star-Angels: Michael, Raphael and Gabriel. With the awakening of the third eye an illumined candidate understands that the constellations are not mere lights adoring the sky, but the homes of those great spiritual Hierarchies who are guarding the evolution of this Earth and of all the planets belonging to this solar system.
On the east wall hangs a Caduceus surmounted by a winged globe. About its rod are entwined two serpents, one denoting the way of involution and the other the way of evolution. The staff itself is indicative of the straight and narrow way of Initiation. This symbol has been used in all Mystery work since the beginning of time. To the west is a Solomon's Seal: two interlaced triangles, one black and the other white. Black and white predominate in this Degree; they typify the law of duality: positive and negative, day and night, light and dark, male and female. In Mystery teachings black represents the hidden qualities of the female principle. It is natural for the human mind to associate evil with whatever it does not understand. Hence, the curse of the Fall has been attributed to Eve, and woman has been relegated to a position inferior to that of man. In the Aquarian Age the law of duality will be superseded by polarity. The significance of this is expressed in the words of Albert Pike: "the harmony of contraries."
The Thirtieth Degree is the House of Kadosh. This Degree is contemplative, retrospective, and recapitulatory of all that has gone before. In it the candidate once more comes to the Path which leads to the Holy Land. Here he is rededicated and reconsecrated to the consummation of the Great Work. The name means a consecrated or holy house. By the time he attains this Degree the candidate should have fashioned his own temple eternal, the house not built with hands but eternal in the heavens; in other words, the deathless spiritual body. Such a perfected spiritual body is the central theme of these interpretations.
In this wondrous new body-temple two spinal cords will proclaim the polarity manifest within. Three bridges of light will connect them. The one at the sacral plexus will cause gravitation to be superseded by levitation. The one at the larynx will give power to speak the creative (Lost) word. The one between the pineal and the pituitary glands will further development of Christed powers. The Path that began in Babylon (the senses) will end in Jerusalem (the soul). Here it is that the faithful Mason finally gathers the Rose.
The Degrees of the Scottish Rite, from One through Thirty-two, are for the mystic Mason divided into three definite steps. Those from One to Nine inclusive are concerned with the work of the Lesser Mysteries. From Ten through Eighteen, the Degrees of the Rose Croix, the work is primarily preparation for reception into the Greater Mysteries under the Lord Christ. The Rose Croix has been termed the Degree of the High Church. From the Nineteenth through the Twenty-eighth the work is most deeply occult, being concerned with some of the highest phases of Christianity. The House of Kadosh-Thirtieth, Thirty-first and Thirty-second Degrees-are a general summation, the crowning of the Great White Work.
— Corinne Heline
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