DUTIES:

Labor incessantly for the glory of God, the honor of

your country and the happiness of your brethren.

FOR REFLECTION:

Is the doctrine of the immortality of the soul consoling

to you or a source of menace and despair or merely

a superstition?

IMPORTANT SYMBOLS:

Grips of the apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason,

five pointed star, the character Caleb.

The Twenty-fourth Degree

"Prince of the Tabernacle"

~ Summary ~

"This is a continuation of the last degree and examines

 the nature of knowledge. We must be vigilant not to

accept corrupted and erroneous echoes of real

knowledge. We have to distinguish for ourselves what

is truth; for many do not realize that they are in error

when they think they have found the truth. As Masons,

we must fight continuously against superstitions,

wrong knowledge, false prophets, tyrants, and despots.

Our task is to free knowledge from the monopoly of

classes, casts, leaders, or priests; and to disseminate

it to everyone."

The order is a broad, watered scarlet ribbon

 worn from right to left. On the front is

embroidered in gold, a winged-globe and

under it a scarab, under which is a brilliant

 butterfly; all are symbols of immortality.

The girdle is of light-green Morocco leather, fringed

below with gold, and edged with gold lace. From

 this belt are suspended the jewel of the  preceding

 degree, a silver censer, and the jewel of this degree,

  the Phoenician  letter Aleph.

The apron is of white lambskin, lined with scarlet and

bordered with light-green. In the middle is painted a

representation of an Arabic tent, in gold. On the light

blue flap is a representation of a myrtle tree of violet

color, also an emblem of immortality.

The jewel is the Phoenician letter 'A' (Aleph), suspended from a short collar of narrow, watered violet-colored ribbon. It is another manifestation of the Pentagram, or Five-Pointed Star, because the star, viewed from any angle figures the letter 'A'. Since 'A' is the initial of one of the principle names of Deity, Adonai, or LORD, this star is a  sign of intellectual omnipotence and autocracy.

"Having received the instruction of the Chief of the Tabernacle in the 23rd Degree, an adaptation of the ancient initiation into the Lesser Mysteries, we now stand on the threshold of the Greater Mysteries. The previous degree presented the Lesser Mysteries almost exclusively as a Hebrew or Judaic tradition. The mysteries were not confined to the Hebrews and here we encounter deities from the most advanced cultures and countries of the past." (Hutchens, p. 202)

"The Lesser Mysteries were received by all, but only a few were initiated into the Greater Mysteries.

Albert Pike believed that the mysteries were originally few and simple, teaching the great truths of the primitive religion and morality. Over time, this purity was lost, the rites of initiation became more complicated and more degrees were invented to maintain only a few adepts who were initiated into the higher degrees. The method of instruction emphasized in the Mysteries utilized symbols and allegories, treating a mysterious subject mysteriously (p. 354) Masonry still follows this manner of teaching." (Hutchens, p. 198)