ANTIENT & ACCEPTED 3rd° DEGREE – master mason
By now you’ve been a Freemason for nearly a year or more and its time for the final and most prestigious degree. All degrees have been leading to this Master Mason degree, the 3rd and final degree. The ceremony and story culminate in this degree, ceremonious initiation (a highly enjoyable experience) after which you are now a Master Mason. You’ll now be a mentor to other junior Freemasons, as they’ll look up to you.
Kabbalistic and Esoteric Interpretation of the 3rd Degree
• Symbolises a new beginning, a new birth of your new self.
• Finally, in 3rd Degree, you were taught to approach your inevitable destiny – death – without fear
• You were brought in with internal light but external darkness around you
• You were informed that the “light of a Master Mason is but…”
• This phase is old age, after discharging various responsibilities, you are setting your life in order to be ready to meet your Maker!
• Fall of Hiram Abif, alludes to the death of our physical body
• In this Degree, a combination of the 1st & 2nd knocks and the separation of the 3rd symbolize the release of the Soul from the Body through the gates of Death and its combination with the Divine Spirit leaving the base body aside.
Master Mason Degree
There is no higher degree in all of Freemasonry than the Masonic third degree, which is also known as the Master Mason degree.
The Masonic Third Degree…Lifelong Study
Your Masonic degree will not enrichen you, monetarily.
The enrichment you will find is in the spiritual practice of the tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, each day of your life, as you attempt to help others do so, as well.
After receiving your Masonic third degree, …unlike an accredited degree, which may take only 4 to 12 years of your time, it is most probable that you will continue your Masonic studies for the rest of your lifetime.
Masonic Third Degree…The Journey
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization based on a belief in a Supreme Creator. Universally, God has various names around the world. Freemasonry centers around what our Creator, no matter what each of us calls him, wishes for us.
The foundation of a universal brotherhood of man begins in the Holy Scriptures.
‘Master Mason’
Freemasonry is spiritual and does not tell its members the specifics of what to believe or how to believe. An individual member’s personal religion is an important part of who he is. A Master Mason degree does not change this…, but builds upon each man’s faith in our Creator.
Masonic Third Degree…The Masonic Virtues
The Masonic Virtues of tolerance, prudence, faith, hope, and charity are not simply spoken words, but these, too, are put into practice in the lives of Freemasons.
Masonic Third Degree…The Masonic Ring of a Master Mason
Masonic Ring: Like most colleges and universities’ online schooling, you may purchase your Masonic ring after you have completed your Masonic third degree.
Once you have been raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason, this ring is a daily reminder of your faith in the Creator, your continuing education, and your belief in the Masonic tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth as well as your moral duties and boundaries.
These are aptly exemplified in the Masonic artwork, above, which is entitled “Ancient of Days”.
Source/Credit:
https://www.masonic-lodge-of-education.com/