The apron of a Super Excellent Master.
So what's Royal and Select Masters about then?
arena’s Chris Starnes looks into Cryptic masonry... T
he Grand Council of the Order of Royal and Select Masters of
England and Wales and its Districts and Councils Overseas, is the governing body of what is more briefly described as “Cryptic Masonry”. In order to allay the fears of any potential candidates, we should point out that the term cryptic refers to the underground chambers or crypts beneath King Solomon’s temple and does not indicate that the ritual is as perplexing or difficult as the crossword allusion might indicate. The Order dates back to the 1870’s
at which time isolated degrees were worked in the North of England and a sovereign body existed only in the USA. Conversations and discussions ranged on setting up a similar body in England. The selection of New York State as the parent of English Cryptic masonry has been attributed to the influence of Jackson H. Chase who was a Grand Officer of the Royal Arch and Cryptic sovereign bodies in New York State. The first Book of Constitutions and Regulations was published in 1874. In it, regalia for
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Grand Officers and Companions was laid down but it was not until 1930 that the Executive Committee found itself called upon to urge the wearing of the proper regalia. Candidates for the Order must be
members of Craft, Royal Arch and Mark. Many members are also members of the Order of Allied Masonic Degrees and between Allied and Cryptic there are nine additional degrees which provide additional insight and information on the Hiramic Degrees. For those brethren that enjoy prequels and the “back story” a treat is in store within Cryptic masonry. The apron of the Order of Royal
and Select Masters is unique from other degrees in Freemasonry because it is triangular as opposed to oblong. The triangle being an emblem of the Deity holds particular significance for Freemasons. On completion of the first Degree of Select Master, a Companion is invested with the jewel of the Order, which consists of a skeleton equilateral triangle of white enamel, surmounted by a gold Imperial
Crown suspended from a crimson ribbon. When he has passed through the remaining three Degrees, he is entitled to wear the triangular apron, which is white with a border of crimson silk edged with gold braid (See inset photographs). As indicated at the beginning of
this article, Cryptic refers to the Crypt or Secret Vault as we find in the Royal Arch, in other words a room specially constructed beneath the Sanctum Sanctorum or Holy of Holies of the Temple at Jerusalem. The Cryptic Order is one of the essential links in the history of the Temple and the four degrees cover the time between the building of the Secret Vault and the building of the second temple (c.586 BC). These degrees are entitled:- • Select Master • Royal Master • Most Excellent Master and • Super Excellent Master The degree of Select Master takes
for its scenario the point where we are into the fifth year of the building of the Temple (i.e. 969 BC) and the Secret Vault is being constructed to house the sacred treasures and other important artefacts of the Jewish people in order to keep them safe
ISSUE 13
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