The Council of Royal and Select Masters
The Council degrees are largely an elaboration and explanation of the Royal
Arch degree and, to a lesser extent, the Master Mason degree. The first Council
degree, the Royal Master, develops more fully the story of recovery of the
"lost" word and the Holy of Holies of the Temple of King Solomon. The next
degree, Select Master, concerns itself with the construction and adornment of
the subterranean vault introduced in the Royal Arch degree of the Chapter. The
last degree is that of Superexcellent Master, and tells the story of the
Babylonian Captivity, and of Zedekiah and his perfidy. Council Masonry is also
referred to as "Cryptic Masonry", in allusion to the continuance of the vault,
or crypt. We will now examine these degrees in more detail.
ROYAL MASTER:
This degree consists of three relatively brief
sections: (1) An optional prologue, in which the tie-in of the events of the
degree to the degrees which have preceded it are called to the candidate's
attention; (2) a scene in the unfinished Sanctum Sanctorum (SS), which consists
of a monologue by GMHA concerning death; (3) a third section in which the
candidate is obligated, given the words and signs, and made acquainted with the
furnishings of the SS, and especially the details of the Ark of the Covenant.
Let's consider (2) and (3) in somewhat more detail. In the second scene, as the
candidate (representing a Temple craftsman, Adoniram) enters the unfinished
inner Temple area, he observes GMHA deep in thought while working on some sacred
vessels, and presents a piece of work for inspection. GMHA expresses his
approbation of the work, and retires to the SS to render up his noontime prayer
and then draw his designs on the trestleboard. Accosted by the candidate upon
finishing these exercises, Adoniram demands to know when he can expect to
receive the Master's Word. After demurring to this inquiry, GMHA conducts the
candidate around the altar in the SS, commenting on each circuit on the nature
of death and in his firm belief in a resurrection. At the end of each circuit,
he stops, points to the altar, and informs the candidate that, should he die,
the Word will be found there. This soliloquy on death is one of the most
impressive and stark expositions of the Masonic philosophy on that subject. It
touches the reality of physical decay and death, but culminates in an unswerving
and firm conviction in the certainty of a resurrection to eternal bliss. GMHA
foreshadows his own demise, but tempers its horror and sadness by his expression
of immoveable faith in God. As Adoniram is evidently highly thought of by GMHA,
he is made privy not only to Hiram's most private feelings, but also given a
broad clue as to where the Master's Word will be located if Hiram should die
before the Temple is completed. In the Third Part, during the circumambulations
and the brief concluding lecture, the candidate receives an exposition of the
adornment of the SS and particularly the construction of the Ark of the
Covenant, which is the particular symbol of this degree. The grand sign and
words of this degree further allude to the death of GMHA and of the reluctance
of the two remaining Grand Masters to communicate the Word, even among
themselves. The degree is readily seen to be a memorial to GMHA and a suitable
lead-in to the one succeeding it.
SELECT MASTER:
This degree explains how the Subterranean
Vault introduced in the Royal Arch degree of the Chapter came to be. A
particular friend of King Solomon's, named Zabud, misunderstands a remark by the
king and unwittingly gains entrance into a special construction project one
night. Being detected as an intruder, he is almost killed by the guards but is
spared upon intervention by King Solomon, influenced by the mild counsel of
GMHA. Zabud is permitted to take the place of a guard found wanting in
trustworthiness, and, upon being duly obligated and instructed, Zabud gains
admission to that point beneath the Temple chosen by the Grand Masters to
conceal the treasures of the Craft and the Word. The candidate then witnesses
the reenactment of the deposition of those treasures, which will not be
recovered until the rebuilding of the second Temple as related in the Royal Arch
degree. This degree teaches attentiveness to duty, to setting a watch over one's
words and actions, and to illustrate that zealous attachment to duty and to the
principles of Masonry will result in advancement in its ranks as well as in
life. This degree is the culmination of what has been styled Ancient Craft
Masonry, or Masonry related to the building of the Solomonic Temple.
SUPER EXCELLENT MASTER:
This optional degree consists of four
sections. It is usually conferred at irregular intervals and/or on large
classes. In the first section, the candidate assumes the obligation and is
instructed in the signs, grips, and words, as well as in the symbolism of the
special symbols of this degree: square, circle, and equilateral triangle. In the
second section, the candidate witnesses the desolation and sorrow of some Jewish
captives in a grove in Babylon, who are subsequently given words of comfort by
the prophet Ezekiel. In the third section, the scene shifts to the court of the
dissolute and perfidious Jewish king Zedekiah who, influenced by two evil
councilors, refuses to hearken to the voice of the prophet Jeremiah urging him
to repent and return to God. Zedekiah, to his later grief, learns the answer to
a riddle he proposes to Jeremiah, and immediately afterwards the king and his
court are forced to flee before the besieging armies of King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon. In the final section, the captured Zedekiah is brought before
Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, and receives a severe judgement for his past
infidelities, misdeeds, and insensitivity. This degree is one of the most
dramatic in Freemasonry. It strikingly and forcefully teaches the great lesson
of loyalty to friends and fidelity to promises and vows. Dry oral instruction is
subjugated to teaching through observation of dynamic acting and dialogue. Few
who see this degree done correctly and in full costume ever forget it.
A Royal & Select Masters Council has 10 officers, in order of rank:
Illustrious Master, Deputy Master, Principal Conductor of the Work, Secretary,
Treasurer, Chaplain, Capt. of the Guard, Conductor of the Council, Steward, and
Sentinel. Some jurisdictions also have a Marshal. Members are styled
"Companions". At least 9 Companions must be present to open a Council. Councils
usually meet monthly. The state governing body is the Grand Council. The
national body, to which Grand Councils voluntarily belong, is the General Grand
Council of Cryptic Masons, International.
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