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DEGREES OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE
NORTHERN JURISDICTION IN THE
-[ LODGE OF PERFECTION ]-

The Lodge of Perfection confers the Ineffable Degrees, from the 4th to the 14th inclusive. They are called “Ineffable” because they are concerned with the ineffable or unutterable Name of God and with man’s eager quest for the true Name. In these eleven degrees there is a profound unveiling of the character and purposes of God, “that high and holy One who inhabits eternity but dwells with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.”

In formal ritual and in drama, ten of these degrees, based upon Old Testament Scripture and legends from the era of King Solomon, elaborate the teachings of Symbolic Masonry and apply them to practical situations which are faced in everyday life. The Fourteenth Degree summarizes what has been taught and is a moral and philosophical climax.

Important practical lessons are taught in the eleven Ineffable Degrees: secrecy and silence in all confidential relationships; reverence and obedience to God; faithfulness to family and country; justice tempered by mercy; universal brotherhood; honesty in business relations; forgiveness of past injustices; and perseverance in overcoming the difficulties encountered in our progress toward Perfection. The honor of Masonry is placed in the hands of those who seek Perfection in character and who reverence the Ineffable Name of God.


4°   Master Traveler
Duty, reflection and study are the gateway to opportunity.
As such, one honors those relationships to God, family, country and Masonry.
The apron of the 4th Degree is white and black, with a letter “Z” and all-seeing eye.
The jewel of this degree is an ivory key with the letter “Z” on the wards. The duties are secrecy, obedience and fidelity.

5°   Perfect Traveler
The degree teaches Masonic honor; that honesty and trustworthiness is the cornerstone of the foundation of such.
This virtue should be in all of our undertakings with mankind. The apron of the 5th Degree is white and green, with a cubic stone and a Hebrew YOD.
The jewel is represented by a compass open on a segment of a circle, to an angle of sixty degrees. The duties are honesty, sincerity, good faith and industry.

6°   Master of the Brazen Serpent
In this degree one should expand their knowledge of duty, charity and toleration.
We are instructed to reshape ourselves and our thinking into charity, self-control and success, i.e. to be a peacemaker.
The apron of the 6th Degree is white and red, with Hebrew letters YOD HEH in the center and a small triangle containing the Hebrew letters (clockwise from top) BETH, NUN and SHIN.
The gold triangle with the same three letters inscribed is the jewel that represents this degree. The duties are zeal, faithfulness, benevolence and to act the peacemaker.

7° Provost & Judge
We learn that impartial justice protects person, property, happiness and reputation.
We are instructed to judge with patience and impartially.
The apron of the 7th Degree is white edged with red, with a key and five rosettes. The jewel is a golden key. The duty is justice.

8°   Intendant of the Building
We should strive for perfection by using the great principles of God’s inherent love, charity, morality and kindness.
The apron of the 8th Degree is white with red and green, with a balance, a nine-pointed star, and a triangle with the Hebrew letters BETH for Ben-Khurim; YOU for Jakinah; and ALEPH for Achar.
The jewel of this Degree is a gold triangle with the same three letters. The duties are benevolence and charity.

9°   Master of the Temple
Truth, candor and generosity. The foundation of Scottish Rite Masonry is most reflected in this degree.
We should use these truths to shape our lives and conduct. The apron of the 9th Degree is white, lined with black and sprinkled with blood, with an arm holding a dagger and a severed head held by the hair.
The jewel of this degree is a dagger, hilt of gold and blade of silver. The duties are enlightenment of soul and mind, vigilance, tolerance and being on guard for fanaticism and persecution.

10°   Master Elect
This degree teaches us to be tolerant and respect the opinions of others.
Freedoms of political and spiritual ideologies should be shared by all. The apron of the 10th Degree is white, with a black flap with three arch-shaped gates, over each a head on a spike.
The jewel of this degree is a dagger as in the 9th Degree. The duties are enlightenment of soul and mind, vigilance, tolerance and being on guard for fanaticism and persecution.

11°   Sublime Master Elected
This degree teaches sympathy. We should be compassionate to our brother Masons and to all mankind as well.
The apron of the 11th Degree is white, lined with black, with a flaming heart in the center.
The jewel is a dagger suspended from a black cordon inscribed with the words “Vincere aut Mori” the pledge “that you will rather die than betray the cause of the people, or be overcome through your own fear or fault”.
The duties are to be earnest, true, reliable and a champion of the people.

12°   Master of Mercy
This degree teaches faith in morality, virtue and God. “Life is what each man makes of it; the optimist turns a trial into a blessing”.
The apron of the 12th Degree consists of a white outer shell lined with blue and gold, symbolizing the Craft Degrees, with a protractor, plain scale, sector and compasses.
The jewel is a heptagonal medal of gold. The duty is to seek wisdom through knowledge.

13°   Master of the Ninth Arch
Liberty in our mind and hearts and motivated by duty and honor are the lessons of this degree.
The apron of the 13th Degree is purple, bordered with white and with the “Enochian delta” (hexagram with inscribed Tetragrammation) in the center.
The jewel comprises a circular medal of gold. The duties are to seek knowledge and to be motivated by duty and honour.

14°   Grand Elect Mason
This degree teaches us to reflect and scrutinize ourselves. We should strive to be true to ourselves and our God.
The apron being of white silk, bordered in gold with the Ineffable Delta in the Center, is truly emblematical of the degree.
The jewel of the 14th Degree is split; one being a quadrant (compass open to ninety degrees) topped by a crown and with a nine-pointed star on the obverse; the other being a five-pointed blazing star with the Tetragrammaton on the reverse. The compass is opened on a segment of a circle inscribed with the numbers 3, 5, 7, 9.
The duties are to assist, encourage and defend the brethren; to protect the oppressed and relieve want and distress; to enlighten the people and serve the common good.

Continue your journey onto the
COUNCIL PRINCES OF JERUSALEM DEGREES

Special Note: Thanks goes out to the Valley of Dayton who created the original document.

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Valley of Columbus - Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite