Posts

Divining the Five Platonic Solids

(Ed. Note: Instruction of the Platonic solids is not found in the Royal Arch Degree conferred in American Chapters. It can be found in the conferral of that degree in Chapters under the English Constitution. In those Chapters, these symbols are used to teach lessons about the…

175th Anniversary Commemoration

It was announced at the January Stated Convocation of Washington Chapter No. 2, Royal Arch Masons, that the Chapter will be commemorating the 175th anniversary of the granting of its Charter by the Grand Chapter of Texas at the Stated Convocation in May. All Royal Arch Masons…

The High Priest's Garments

Phil Elam

By Phil Elam (1946 – 2012) PHP, Keystone Chapter No. 146, S. Louis, Missouri The garments of the High Priest (Kohen) were made from the finest materials received in offerings from the people of Israel. This included the usual offerings of colored yarn (blue, purple, and…

The Past Master Degree - More Meaning Than Form

Robert G. Davis

By Robert G. Davis, K. Y. C. H. The Past Master Degree – the fifth in the system of degrees known as the American Rite – is too often seen as a mere prerequisite to the Royal Arch, conferred for the sole purpose of fulfilling some ancient landmark which allegedly prohibited all…

The Royal Arch: Its Origin, Development and Ritual

ALEX HORNE

By ALEX HORNE, F. P. S. 1897 - 1988 The first printed reference to a Royal Arch Degree comes in connection with a little work by Dr. Fifield Dassigny (Dublin, 1744) as part of a general discussion of Masonic conditions in Ireland and elsewhere. Here Dassigny makes mention of a…

Links between Lodge and Chapter

by N. W. J. HAYDON (Toronto) 1871 - 1950 The connection between "Ancient Craft Masonry", as modern American Freemasons understand it, and the Capitular Degrees has always been more than ordinarily interesting to the inquiring member of the Craft. In this review of the origin of…

The Triple Tau

by ERIC A. PEISLEY (N.S.W., Australia) The Triple Tau is one of the most ancient of emblems. It is translated from the Hebrew and is highly esteemed as “the emblem of all emblems.” As the Grand Emblem of Royal Arch Masonry, it denotes that the wearer has been the recipient of a…

An Excellent Story about an Excellent Degree

EDWARD R. CUSICK

By EDWARD R. CUSICK In the famous Geneva Bible published in 1560 there is an editorial comment which is of peculiar significance to all Past Masters and Royal Arch Masons. It is a footnote in reference to the word "stonesquarers" used in Chapter five, verse eighteen of the First…

A Study in Triads

FRANKLIN J. ANDERSON

By FRANKLIN J. ANDERSON Assistant Editor, Royal Arch Mason Magazine A study of the Masonic ritual, participating in the conferral of the degrees, or merely witnessing the ceremonies during the opening and closing of a lodge brings to our consciousness the frequency with which…

Cryptic Masonry

Hugh McCurdy (1829 - 1908) Grand Master of Masons of Michigan – 1873 Grand High Priest of Royal Arch Masons of Michigan – 1871 Grand Master of Royal and Select Masters of Michigan - 1879 To Royal and Select Masters are given the keystone in Masonry, more precious than is known…

Zerubbabel: Who was He?

"Zerubbabel Displays a Plan of Jerusalem to Cyrus the Great." Jacob van Loo. Musee de Beaux-Arts, Orleans. Philip G. "Phil" Elam Past High Priest, Keystone Chapter No. 146, Mehlville, MO All Royal Arch Masons recognize the important role Zerubbabel plays in our ritual, but most…

The Ark and the Aprons in the M.E.M.

by Wallace McLeod (1931 - 2020) The central events commemorated in the Degree of Most Excellent Master are the completion and the dedication of the Temple that King Solomon erected in Jerusalem in G-d’s holy service. In order to re-enact its completion, the Brethren, who of…

Former Home of E. B. Nichols Destroyed by Fire

Photo: Bay Area Entertainer On Tuesday, May 16, 2023, Nicholstone House, the former home of E. B. Nichols, the first High Priest of Washington Chapter No. 2, Royal Arch Masons, was destroyed by fire. It is believed that the house was struck by lightning during the storms that…

175th Anniversary Moment - First Exaltation

From the first book of minutes of Washington Chapter No. 2, R. A. M.: At a called meeting of Washington Chapter No. 2 of Royal Arch Masons, held in the Chapter Room on Tuesday Night June 13th A. D. 1848, A. L. 5848, a chapter of Royal Arch Masons was opened in due and ancient…

175th Anniversary Moment - First Meeting

From the first book of minutes of Washington Chapter No. 2, R. A. M.: At a meeting of the membership of Washington Chapter No. 2 of Royal Arch Masons, held in the Ruthven Encampment Room in the city of Houston, May 28, 1848, A. L. 5848. Meeting organized with __________ M. E. N.…

175th Anniversary Moment - Dispensation

From the first book of minutes of Washington Chapter No. 2, R. A. M.: To all whom it may concern, Greeting Whereas a petition of sundry Royal Arch Masons in the State of Texas, praying that a dispensation may be granted them to open and hold a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and…

175th Anniversary Moment

Preamble to the first book of minutes of Washington Chapter No. 2, R. A. M.: From the action of the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons for the United States of America at the triennial meeting of that body in September A. D. 1847, upon the subject of a body styled the…

What is this? A pot of Manna!

by Stanley Clarke Wyllie (1909 - 1985) We might also ask, “What is this pot of manna and what is its significance in York Rite Masonry, especially in the degree of Royal Arch?” The first account of manna is in the book of manna is in the book of Exodus. The followers of Moses…

Scriptures and the Royal Arch Ritual

by Rabbi David P. Alpert One of our subscribers, Rabbi Alpert, of Boston, very kindly supplies us with a copy of a recent address which he delivered before the Grand Chapter of Massachusetts. Coming, as it does, from a Hebrew scholar, it bears the air of authenticity. “ The…

Degree of Past Master

Little has been published concerning the degree of Past Master; there are two classes of Past Masters – actual and virtual. Actual Past Masters are those who have served as Masters of lodges. Virtual Past Masters are those who have never actually served as lodge as Master, but…

Masons' Marks

by Wallace McLeod (1931 - 2020) One of the main symbols of the degree of Mark Master is the mason’s mark. It is a type of identifying device that goes back long before the invention of writing. In many societies a craftsman would set his mark on his handiwork to identify it as…

York Masonry and the York Rite

by Edward M. Selby (PGHP Ohio) 1905 - 1976 Albert Pike was a great leader in American Masonry and perhaps its greatest intellect. He was not, however, noted for charity to an opponent. The Scottish Rite in both Southern and Northern Jurisdictions got off to a slow start in the…

The Four Principal Banners

b y Harry Mendoza The four Principal Standards bear devices of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. When were these emblems first used in the Royal Arch? Whence did they come? What or whom do they represent? When were they first used in the Royal Arch? It is not possible to be…

Aaron's Rod

by William K. Bissey In the Royal Arch degree, the candidates undertake a symbolic journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. After they prove themselves to be Most Excellent Masters, the candidates are handed the working tools of the degree. They are then informed that the rubbish of…

The Circle as a Symbol

by ROY A. WELLS The Regius Manuscript , which dates from circa 1390, and many of the later Rolls of Ancient Charges, not only provided Regulations which governed the conduct of the stonemasons’ craft, but were so constructed as to be a useful guide for social and domestic…

Symbolism of the Ark of the Covenant

by Rabbi Hirsch Geffen (1879 - 1977) The Ark of the Covenant contained the most sacred monument of the Jewish, or of any other, religion. At the east end of every synagogue, the Jews have a chest which they call Aron , or Ark, in which they lock the Pentateuch, written on…

The Selection of a Mark

So far as we know, no American Grand Chapter has any restriction as to the selection of a mark. The only restrictions imposed are those requiring his mark to be entered before he receives the Royal Arch degree, or within six months after receiving the degree. At least 38 of the…

Veils in Royal Arch Masonry

CABELL F. COBBS

By CABELL F. COBBS The ceremony of “passing the veils” or the use of the veils in Royal Arch Ceremonies is as old as the Degree itself, and its origins are, with the degree, lost in the oral traditions of the past. Some say it symbolizes the difficulties encountered by the Jews…

Installation of Officers

The Installation of Officers of Washinton Chapter No. 2, Royal Arch Masons, and Houston Council No. 1, Royal and Select Masters, will be held at the Masonic Hall at 4911 Montrose Boulevard at 7:00 PM on Monday, June 29, 2020. Members of the Chapter and the Council are encouraged…

The Degree of Royal Master

One of the most beautiful degrees in American Rite Freemasonry is that of the Royal Master, first of the degrees of the Cryptic Rite. In the review section of the proceedings of the Grand Council of Missouri is to be found this description of the degree and its symbolism. Far…

York Rite Festival

Gulf Coast York Rite College No. 106 is hosting a York Rite Festival at the Masonic Hall at 4911 Montrose Boulevard on Saturday, January 25, 2020, during which the Chapter and Council degrees will be conferred. Registration begins at 9:00 am. Members of the Chapter and Council…

The Stone of Foundation

R. R. Anderson

By R. R. Anderson, Sr.* Past Grand Secretary - Grand Chapter of Minnesota The Stone of Foundation constitutes one of the most important and abstruse symbols of Freemasonry. It is referred to in numerous legends and traditions, not only of Masonry, but also of the Talmudic…

Past Masters - Actual and Virtual

Ward K. St. Clair

By Ward K. St. Clair Past Master, Lodge of United Services No. 1118, New York, and a Past High Priest of his Chapter. Major, United States Signal Corps In the United States and parts of Canada there are two types of Past Masters. They are the actual and virtual Past Masters. An…

Rabboni

by N. TRACY WALKER The word “rabboni” occupies a unique position in our Masonic vocabulary, yet the literature relating to the word, and to the Most Excellent Master degree wherein it comes to our attention, is extremely thin. A great need exists for scholarly additions to that…

Ritual of the Mark Master Degree

Mark Masonry R. E. TREBILCOCK RITUAL OF THE MARK MASTER DEGREE The degree of Mark Master has continued with as few changes as any Masonic degree of which we have knowledge. It is impossible for anyone to specify accurately what the ritual consisted of previous to 1797, but in…

The Triangle in Freemasonry

The triangle is one of the most interesting of the symbols of Ancient Craft Masonry. Its symbolism is best portrayed in the degrees of the Chapter, yet in the Lodge we have it as a concealed symbol – in the arrangement of the lights, the seating of the three principal officers,…

The Grand Council

by Dean L. Bates, Past High Priest (IL) The first three officers of a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, namely, the High Priest, King, and Scribe, are often referred to as the Grand Council. These officers represent Jeshua, Zerubbabel, and Haggai, who formed the first grand council…

Passing the Veils: its Historical Development and Symbolism

PETER JOHN MILLHEISER 2005 Grand Historian Lecture, The Most Excellent Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Florida Some of the most fascinating changes that have occurred in the Royal Arch ritual have been those of the legends of the vault and the veils. Philostorgius, the…

The Cryptic Rite

Roscoe R. Walcutt

By Roscoe R. Walcutt ( 1888 - 1961) Past G rand Recorder of the Grand Council, R. & S. M. of Ohio; Past General Grand Secretary of the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. Our word “Rite” come directly from the Latin, and perhaps goes back to the Sanskrit “riti” (a stream…

Mark Masonry

Ward K. St. Clair

By Ward K. St. Clair Past Master, Lodge of United Services No. 1118, New York, and a Past High Priest of his Chapter. Major, United States Signal Corps The legend of the degree of Mark Master Mason is contained in a number of degrees, and the name forms a part of several others.…

(untitled)

Companions and Brethren! Welcome to the online home for Washington Chapter No. 2, Royal Arch Masons, and Houston Chapter No. 1, Royal and Select Masters. Here you will find the latest news and information for both the Chapter and the Council, as well as the occasional article…