DUTY:

Seek wisdom through knowledge.

FOR REFLECTION:

Are you in control of your life?

IMPORTANT SYMBOLS:

Architect's Tools.

The Twelfth Degree

"Master Architect"

This degree forces the Mason to consider the problems

of his social life; that the life we have and the world

we live in are what we make them by our own social

character, by our ability to adapt to our fellows, our

relationships, and our circumstances. It is important

that we gain wisdom so that we may add dignity to the

human race.

The apron is white, lined and bordered with blue, and fringed with gold. On the flap is embroidered a protractor; and in the middle of the body a plain scale, a sector and the compasses, arranged to form a triangle. The colors are to remind us of the degrees of the Symbolic Lodge, the foundation of Masonry.

The cordon is a broad, blue watered ribbon, worn from the left shoulder to the right hip.

The jewel is a heptagonal medal of gold. On one side, in each angle is a five pointed star, enclosed by a semicircle. In the center, on the same side, is an equilateral triangle, formed by arcs of circles. On the reverse side are five columns, representing the different orders of architecture, arranged from left to right, with the initial of the proper order below each, in old English letters - [T]uscan, [D]oric, [I]onic, [C]orinthian, [C]omposite. Above these columns are a sector and a slide-rule; below them, the three kinds of compasses, the plain scale and the parallel ruler. Between the second and third and the third and fourth columns are Phoenician letters equivalent to the English or Roman letters 'R' and 'B'. These letters have two meanings, one exoteric and the other esoteric. The exoteric meaning all may know; it is simply the initials of Rab Benaim, the Semitic name for the degree. You should pay particular attention to the symbolic meanings of the jewel and its designs in the ritual.

 "In all the Scottish Rite Degrees thus far, the candidate has made twenty-one prescribed circuits around the altar; this degree adds seven for a total of twenty-eight. This practice, called circumambulation, is derived from the ancients and existed among the Romans, Semites, Hindus and others. It is thought to have been a rite of purification. The sun was believed to travel around the earth; the initiates imitated the movement of the sun when they made circuits around the altar. In the Symbolic Lodge, the circuits of the craftsmen at the installation of the officers symbolize the possession of the lodge by the new Master. In Scottish Rite Masonry, this ancient symbol of purification is adopted to represent a renewal in virtue through the performance of duty.

  In addition to circumambulation, this degree is filled with numerous symbols which carry its teachings more than the actual ceremony. We are now advancing to the loftier philosophical lessons of Masonry and so encounter more complex symbolism".(p.80)