Each of the degrees requires the candidate to participate in the ritual drama being presented. These rituals are all of a very serious nature, but also not in the least way demeaning to the candidate.
Masonry does NOT, in any way practice "hazing".
(You may hear jokes about "riding the goat", but be assured, these are simply jokes.)
In fact, special exceptions are made for men with physical disabilities to allow them to also join and participate.
It is comforting to remember that each and every person you meet at the lodge, have all gone through the same rituals, and you should not fear anything, but keep your mind open to the beauty of knowledge that you will find in the rituals.
Masonic degrees are an integral part of Blue Lodge Masonry. They are a series of memorized questions and answers pertaining to a specific degree, with nothing written down but all passed from one brother mason to another, from mouth to ear (In Alabama).
Usually, the candidate meets with a lodge member who knows these rituals and helps him to memorize the work so the candidate can gain more insight into masonry, and advance through the three levels. Once a candidate has become proficient in his degree study, he is examined and passed to the next degree level for more education.
The Three Degrees
Entered Apprentice
The Entered Apprentice Degree, first of the three Degrees of Blue Lodge Masonry, is a preliminary degree, intended to prepare the candidate for the higher and fuller instructions of the succeeding degrees. This is the degree you enter into when initiated at the lodge.
The candidate must be a voluntary applicant for membership in the Lodge, he must come without an invitation from the Lodge or from any member of the Order, even though he may have been told by a Masonic friend that he is the type of man the Order needs.
Although lacking in valuable historical information, the work of the Degree is replete instructions on the internal structure of the Order, especially in its lectures. The religious character of Masonry is impressed upon both his mind and heart. The entire Ritual is a preliminary revelation on the internal structure of the Institution, and the symbols employed in the Degree are profoundly significant and instructive. The candidate now learns that a Masonic Lodge is an assemblage of brothers, and through this initiation, he is now part of the Masonic family and a fellow brother.
In this degree, the brother is prepared for his onward and upward course in Freemasonry, and when he has proved his proficiency in the work of the Entered Apprentice Degree, he will be ready for the next Degree of Blue Lodge Masonry.
Fellow Craft
Fellow Craft is the designation of the Second Degree in Blue Lodge Masonry. The term is derived from the union of Operative Masons, representing those who were especially skilled in cutting and fitting stones for structural use, but less skilled and capable than Master Masons.
In Speculative Masonry, emphasis is laid on the significance of the term Fellow. In its basic meaning, the word signifies "bound in mutual trust." It also has in its deeper meaning the idea of "a follower, a companion, an associate." Though of less skill, of less ability, than a Master Mason, the Fellow in Freemasonry is not a servant, nor a subject, but an associate, a companion, a brother.
The work of this degree is, like that of the Entered Apprentice, preparatory for advancement into the higher degree of Master Mason, but it differs essentially in the importance of its symbolism.
The Entered Apprentice Degree is devoted to a beginner; the Fellow Craft Degree to a more advanced search for Light. In the First Degree the symbols and ceremonies are directed toward purification of the heart. In this Degree, this purification is no less important, but the symbols and ceremonies are directed more chiefly to lessons for the cultivation of the reasoning faculties and the improvement of the intellectual powers.
Master Mason
As practiced today, Master Mason is the third and last Degree in the Masonic Blue Lodge.
This Degree was originally called the "Summit of Ancient Craft Masonry." The whole system of Craft Masonry is intended to present the symbolic idea of man’s pilgrimage on earth. The First Degree is often referred to as a representation of youth, of the period of learning, or the time for the purification of affections, as the period of preparation for advancement into higher spheres of life here on earth. The Second Degree is often referred to as the representation of the period of adult life, of manhood, a time for increased and enlarged learning and of work. The Third Degree is referred to as symbolic of mature life, of ripened experiences, and a time of continued activities, but of decrease in toil and laborious endeavor. That there should be continued increase in knowledge and wisdom is a prime goal.
But it is also a period of heavier responsibilities in many respects, and because of the superlative beauty and significance of the Ritual, the Ceremonies, and the Symbols of the Degree, it is called "The Sublime Degree of Master Mason."
As an Entered Apprentice, the Mason is taught those elementary instructions which fit him for further advancement in his Masonic career, just as the youth is taught those elementary rudiments of education which prepare him for entering upon the active duties of Life.
As a Fellow Craft, the Mason is taught to continue his investigations into the science of the Ancient Fraternity, and to labor diligently in the tasks prescribed by the Order, just as a man is required to enlarge his mind by the acquisition of new ideas and to extend his labors for the welfare of his fellowmen.
As a Master Mason, he is taught the last, the most important, and the most necessary of all Truth. The Sublime Degree of Master Mason is the most important degree in all of Freemasonry. All other Masonic bodies ( Shriners, Scottish Rite, York Rite, Etc.) require that you be at least a Master Mason to participate in their activities and degrees.
