The Scottish Rite Master Craftsman Program

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB. Robert Johnson 32° 

A search for further light. It’s what we were all after when we joined additional rites within the craft. York, Scottish and various Knights abound. After joining the Scottish Rite NMJ back in the fall of 2012, I had the privilege of sitting at a table with Scottish Rite Brothers from New Orleans. 

At that time I didn’t know there were two jurisdictions. The Brothers told me that if I wanted further light in the Scottish Rite, that I should check out something called the Scottish Rite Master Craftsman Program. Many of you reading this now know already what it is, some have taken it and even fewer have finished it. 

In short, the Master Craftsman Program is a correspondence (by mail) education course designed to further your understanding the degrees in the Scottish Rite and the mysteries therein contained. How do you take the course? The answer to that is simple, you go to www.scottishrite.org and purchase the course for thirty-five bucks.

What do you get for thirty-five bucks? You get the five inch thick Scottish Rite Ritual and Monitor (yours to keep), a nice folder to keep your packets and information in and you get the first quiz. The idea is that you will do these quizzes in an open book fashion. When you finish the first quiz, you slide it into the addressed envelope and slap a stamp on it. When the folks at the Master Craftsman Program receive your quiz, it is graded and sent back to you along with an answer sheet which explains where you could have found the answers in that case you missed any. You also get your next quiz. 

The process continues in this fashion until you complete quiz number six. Upon completion you get a nice lapel pin (the true wage of a Master Mason) and a certificate. Correspondence courses in general have an extremely low rate of completion. We feel that since we have all the time in the world, we let other things take priority. This was the case for me. My first quiz was graded at the end of 2013 and I just finished the course in January 2015. My advice to you who might want to take this course is to not let it sit around. Get it done. 

I should mention here that the program is hosted and put on by the Southern Jurisdiction. What does that mean for us in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction? It means that you will, indeed, still be able to take the course. It also means, do not expect it to make any sense to you unless you've seen the SJ degrees. Having said that, I don’t want my NMJ brothers to be discouraged from taking the course. After all, you do get the ritual monitor so all the answers you will need are contained within. I also cannot stress this enough, in addition to having the Scottish Rite ritual and monitor (which you get for free when you take the course), spend some money and buy, A Bridge to Light. It is plainly written and highly recommended. It will aid in your search for answers in this course immensely. 

When you finish MC I (Master Craftsman #1) there are additional courses offered. Master Craftsman II, is focussed on the same as the first course but this one is much more in depth. After you complete part II, there is Master Craftsman III which is something I find completely interesting. You see, MC III is based on the Blue Lodge or the first three degrees in our primary lodges. Finally our good friend and Brother, Art DeHoyos is, I believe, is putting together MC IV which will focus on the book, Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike (the Godfather of Masonry). Currently I’m just starting MC II, and I do have every intention of completing all the Master Craftsman Programs although admittedly, I will not be looking forward to part IV. Morals and Dogma has done one thing over and over, which is put me to sleep. I’m joking of course, but MC IV is sure to be a difficult series of quizzes. 

So, given all this info I hope you all decide to jump in and start the Master Craftsman Program. I also urge you to power through and get it done. Lastly, when you purchase the program, they will ask you if you want to round your purchase up to the next dollar to help the House of the Temple restoration. I want you to say "yes". 

Have fun in your studies, and if you get stuck on part one anywhere, shoot me an email, I can help!

~RHJ

Bro. Robert Johnson, 32° is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the First North-East District of Illinois. He is the Master of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 and Education officer for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies Royal Arch, Cryptic Council, Knights Templar, AMD, The Illinois Lodge of Research and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago as well as a charter member of the Society of King Solomon, a charity organization run by the Grand Lodge of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatre which focus on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is also a cohost of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of three. He works full time in the safety industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is currently working on a book of Masonic essays.

LIGHT – MORE LIGHT – FURTHER LIGHT

A MASONIC JOURNEY

by Midnight Freemason Guest ContributorWB. IRA S. GILBERT, PM, PDDGM

With the success of Dan Brown’s new book The Lost Symbol there seems to be an increase in interest with more people inquiring about our Masonic fraternity. The book is about the symbols of Freemasonry. One would only hope that there would be a similar resurgence of interest by our brethren in making the journey of studying about our fraternity, its philosophy, its history, and the meaning of the symbols that make up our ritual. 

When a candidate first knocks upon the door separating the preparation room from the lodge hall he starts upon this journey of enlightenment about our brotherhood. The candidate is introduced as having been in darkness and now seeks light by being brought into the fraternity of Freemasonry. In the first section of the Entered Apprentice degree the candidate is asked what he most desires. The response elicited is “light”. In the first section of the Fellowcraft degree his response to a similar query is “more light. In the first section of the Master Mason degree ritual, the appropriate response is “further light”. This seems to imply that the authors of our Illinois ritual indicated that the achievement of the Master Mason degree is not an end to our Masonic education,  but there is much more. There is nowhere in the ritual of symbolic or blue lodge Freemasonry where a brother is given the “most light” or a completion of the quest to find light in masonry.

Attendance has fallen drastically at lodge meetings. The number of new petitions has also diminished in recent years. Why is it that Freemasonry has fallen in popularity?  Why is it that even when new masons are brought into the lodge that they are no longer active after being raised to the degree of Master Mason? Many blame the current situation with our economy. People are having a hard enough time making ends meet and having to spend time with their occupations and their families. Freemasonry no longer occupies a prominent place in our culture. 

In the volume 14, 2005 edition the Transactions of the Illinois Lodge of Research, Brother Edward A. Rund authored an article entitled, We Are Failing Our Masonic Educators. Brother Rund stated that statistics indicate that over 95% of the new Master Masons felt no need to return to lodge and take an active interest in our fraternity. Of those that do return to lodge they only do so sporadically. Few of our new Master Masons take on the obligation of becoming officers in their lodge. Brother Rund places the reason for this fall off in Masonic feeling on the lack of a focus on Masonic education. 

In volume 16, 2007 of the Transactions of the Illinois Lodge of Research, Brother Neil Neddermeyer, Past Grand Master of Minnesota, postulated that there are three groups of Masons. There are those that feel that Freemasonry is a social club. A second category consists of those that feel that the main function of Freemasonry is to support charities and philanthropic institutions. Finally, there are those Masons that are in the fraternity to receive Masonic light and learn as much as possible of Masonic symbolism, history and philosophy. While all of these reasons for becoming Masons are important, it is this latter group of brethren that this article is trying to reach. 

Rollin C. Blackmer, in his book, The Lodge and the Craft, states that at the writing of the book in 1976, there were more than 100,000 brethren who held memberships in Masonic lodges in the state of Missouri. Of this number he postulated that perhaps 75 were sufficiently interested in the brotherhood to undertake further study of the fraternity to which they belonged. This is a most lamentable state of affairs, which, I submit, continues to this day. Perhaps if more of our brethren took on the task of learning about our fraternity we could greatly increase attendance at lodge and bring along a cadre of brethren who would take on the roles of leaders in their lodge. Ritual is important. It is the ritual that is the first exposure that a candidate has to the philosophy of masonry. The ritual consists of the lessons that freemasonry teaches so that a brother can lead a life that is rich and fulfilling. As Blackmer states, “The ritual is the vehicle which the principals of Freemasonry ride into the hearts and minds of men.” However, the words of the ritual are not enough. It is the meaning of the words that lead men to live up to our teaching. These words are capable of interpretation that is nuanced by the historical background of those who wrote them. A study of the history and symbolism of the ritual is essential to understanding the meaning behind the words. There is much research to indicate that it is easier to learn ritual when one understands the meaning of the words that are being memorized. 

There are many areas of Masonic research that can be undertaken depending on the inclinations of each individual brother. Some brethren may become interested in the history of the craft. Others will take an interest in the philosophy of Freemasonry. Those with a legal bent may become interested in Masonic jurisprudence. There is also the symbolism inherent in the words of our ritual. The bottom line is that there is something for everyone in our fraternity. The full meaning of Freemasonry becomes a life long study of the various aspects of our brotherhood. This study can be rewarding and give the Masonic brother a meaning for life and, as our ritual tells us, “There stands a just and upright Mason”.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Blackmer, Rollin C., The Lodge and the Craft, 1976,  Macoy Publishing Co., Inc., Richmond, Virginia

Haywood, H. L., The Newly Made Mason, 1973, Macoy Publishing Co., Inc., Richmond, Virginia

Haywood, H. L., More About Masonry,1980, Macoy Publishing Co,, Richmond, Virginia

Illinois Lodge of Research, Transactions, Vol. 14, 2005

Illinois Lodge of Research, Transactions, Vol. 16, 2007 

~ISG

Bro. Ira Gilbert was raised on January 8, 1968 in Isaac Cutter Lodge #1073 and was Master in 1972. Isaac Cutter Lodge merged with Chicago Lodge #437 and he is now now a member of Chicago Lodge. Bro Gilbert is a member of A. O. Fay Lodge #676 as well. He is also a member of the Valley of Chicago Scottish rite. Bro. Ira's dedication to Masonic Education has afforded him the ability to serve on the Grand Lodge Committee on Masonic Education and the Grand Lodge Committee on Jurisprudence. Bro. Ira comes from a Masonic family, his father being Master of Universal Lodge #985, now a part of Decalogue Lodge through a series of mergers. His father was also a Grand Lecturer. His main interest in our fraternity lies in the philosophy and history of our ritual and in Masonic Jurisprudence. Bro. Ira was a DDGM twice, once in the 1980's and once four years ago. He is also a fellow of the Illinois Lodge of Research and the ILOR awarded him the Andrew Torok Medal as well.