In Summary:
In the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite, the 14th degree is known as the Grand Elect, Perfect, and Sublime Mason or “Perfect Elu”, which focuses on the study of the inner workings of the soul and the pursuit of moral perfection. It is a continuation of the lessons taught in the 13th degree, Royal Arch of Solomon, which centers on the recovery of that which was lost and the discovery of the true word. The 14th degree continues to build on these themes, emphasizing the importance of personal growth, self-improvement, and the pursuit of moral perfection in the pursuit of becoming a true Master Mason.

Initial Note:
And such a Mason may reckon his life to be the life of a man, and compute his months, not by the course of the sun, but by the zodiac and circle of his virtues…
Perfect truth is not attainable anywhere. We style this Degree that of Perfection, and yet what it teaches is imperfect and defective. Yet we are not to relax in the pursuit of truth, nor contentedly acquiesce in error, it is our duty always to press forward in the search; for though absolute truth is unattainable, yet the amount of error in our views is capable of progressive and perpetual diminution, and thus Masonry is a continual struggle toward the light.

[The Mason] endeavors rightly to adjust the respective claims of Heaven and earth upon his time and thought…
Believe as you may, my brother; if the universe is not, to you, without a God, and if a man is not like the beast that perishes, but hath an immortal soul, we welcome you among us, to wear, as we wear, with humility, and conscious of your demerits and shortcomings, the title of Grand Elect, Perfect, and Sublime Mason…

Regalia Notes:
The apron is of white lambskin, lined with crimson and edged with blue. Around it, on the inside of the blue edging is a delicate embroidery in crimson representing a wreath of flowers.

In the middle of the apron is painted or embroidered the jewel, and on the flap is a representation of a flat square stone to which is attached a ring, representing the entrance to the secret vault of the preceding degree. Of its three colors, white, like the snowy purity of the ermine, represents justice; blue, the color of the perfectly symmetrical and changeless arch of the sky, represents right; and crimson, the color of fire which tries and purifies all things, represents truth.

The cordon is a collar of crimson velvet, worn over the neck and coming to a point on the breast. On the left side is embroidered, in green, a branch of acacia, symbolizing immortality. On the right is embroidered, in silver, a five-pointed star, with a Phoenician word meaning ‘perfection’ in the center. The five-pointed star, as a type of all stars, is representative of Masonic light. The five points also stand for the five points of fellowship and remind us of the other interpretations of this number given in the lecture of the 2nd Degree of the Symbolic Lodge.

The jewel is a pair of compasses, opened upon a quarter of a circle, and surmounted by a pointed crown. Within the compasses is a medal, representing on one side the sun, and on the other a five-pointed star, in the center of which is a delta, and on that the name of Deity in Phoenician characters. This jewel is gold and worn suspended from the collar. On the segment of the circle are enameled, at proper distances from each other, the numerals III … V … VII …
IX. The compasses remind us that science, united to honor and virtue, made the architect of the Temple the companion of kings; and that the men of intellect and learning, the great kings of thought, are in this age the rulers of the world.

The sun as the source of light in our system was once worshipped as a god. The star as a type of the myriad suns that light other countless systems of worlds are an emblem of that Masonic Light in search of which every Mason travels – the correct knowledge of the Deity and of His laws that control the universe. The brethren of this degree also wear white gloves, symbolic of purity.

Duties are:
• Assist, encourage, and defend the brethren.
Protect the oppressed and relieve want and distress.
Enlighten the people. Serve the common good and be fruitful of all good works.

For Reflection:
• If perfection is not attainable, for what does the Mason strive?

Lessons:
• Perfect Elus are both bound and free; bound by their obligation and free from prejudice, intolerance, and envy.
Masons meet on the level because in their lives authority and liberty are in equilibrium.

Important Symbols:
• Baptism, horizontal passageway to the vault, the cube, Seal of Solomon, columns, triangular pedestal, Great candelabrum with 7 lights.

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Additional Notes:
This degree is styled the Degree of Perfection because it represents the perfection or completion of the degrees of the Scottish Rite Symbolic Lodge. Mackey identifies it as having a history of France, tying it to certain groups who desired the restoration of the Stuart dynasty to the throne of England. The degree has been rewritten to remove the blatant political motives, replacing those lessons with ones of a frankly more religious and philosophical character.

The degree and the 13th are very closely related. The legend associated with the cubical stone bearing the Ineffable Name of Deity discovered and taken to King Solomon in the 13th Degree is continued here. Solomon decides to place the cubical stone in a special underground vault used by himself, King Hiram of Tyre, and Master Hiram for private conferences. The contrast between the crypt of Enoch and that of Solomon forms an important part of the allegory of this and the 13th Degree.

These crypts, one built by Enoch and the other by Solomon, have two important symbolic interpretations. The first is that the crypts are ‘inward’ symbols’; that is being hidden under the earth they direct us to focus our reflections upon the inward qualities of man, a reminder of the Symbolic Lodge instruction that it is the internal, and not the external, qualifications that recommend a man to be made a Mason. The second is that these crypts were built in a very different fashion and must be seen as distinct, yet united, symbols: distinct because each has its own meaning and united because together they form an entirely different symbol with its own interpretation.

The crypt of Enoch was built vertically. The vertical direction is symbolic of the spiritual dimension of the universe. Enoch receives a prophetic vision directing him to build his crypt and deposit the sacred treasure therein. Following the completion of this spiritual task Enoch does not suffer death but is taken directly to heaven (Genesis 5:24). The crypt of Enoch is discovered and the treasure is removed and taken to Solomon who now deposits it in the innermost chamber of his crypt, constructed horizontally between his most retired apartment and the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Temple. The horizontal direction signifies earthly things. Solomon was not a spiritual leader; his wisdom was the wisdom of the earth – he was a wise and just ruler of men, but less so of himself. He began to worship strange gods and led a majority of his people into idolatry with him. Thus were the Hebrew people punished by their conquest and captivity in Babylonia – a story that will occupy our attention during the next two degrees.

Uniting the vertical with the horizontal creates the symbol of the cross. All the world’s messiahs have sought to unify the spiritual and earthly qualities of man, providing a model of perfection. This is the perfection taught in Masonry: living this life to the fullest while preparing for the next. In the 18th degree, this lesson will itself be brought to completion.

Sources:
Purchase ‘A Bridge To Light‘ by Rex R. Hutchens
Purchase ‘Morals & Dogma‘ by Albert Pike.