Lodge of Perfection
Degree Descriptions
The Degree
description below is reprinted with the permission of the
Scottish Rite Journal.
Fourth Degree
Secret Master
Jim
Tresner, 33°, Grand Cross
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Photo: Oil
painting by Bro. Robert H. White, 32°
Black and white.
That’s the first thing to strike the eye in the apron and
cordon of the Fourth Degree. Its creation of harmony by the balance
of opposites is the first statement of the great
theme of the Scottish Rite the essential philosophical and moral lesson
of equilibrium.
White is the color of purity
and light; black is the color of mourning and death. And the Rite tells
us that we should never forget we are always in the midst of death,
that we should never postpone making amends, never leave disputes
unresolved, never fail to do a kindness. But neither should we be
morbid and focused on death. Death borders what we know of life, but
life is still good and filled with joy. The fact that life is
transitory makes it all the more precious to us.
Again, the secret is
equilibrium. Life is precious, but it must never be so precious that a
Scottish Rite Mason accepts dishonor, or loss of integrity, or the
sacrifice of others as an acceptable price of living. To shrink from
death is natural, but we must never let that natural impulse make us
fearful or cowardly.
The blue of the
apron’s flap represents the heavens, and the eye in the
sunburst represents not only the eye of Deity, Who sees and knows all
things, but also the sun, the source of visible light and the provider
of physical energy to the earth.
Heaven represents the goal and
hope of every Mason, and the eye of Deity reminds us that everything we
do, even in our most unguarded and frustrated moments, is done in the
immediate presence of God, even as its second meaning, that of the sun,
reminds us of the warmth and love of God, which so many ancient
cultures have typified by the physical light of our star.
The wreath is made of olive and of laurel,
symbols of peace and of victory. The victory, as always in the Scottish
Rite, is not victory over others, but victory over
ourselves—for that is the only victory which brings peace as
its reward.
The ivory key which hangs from
the yellow cordon is a symbol of secrecy, and the letter
“Z” which appears on both the wards of the key and
the center of the apron is the initial of the password of the Degree.
The C.a.M. embroidered on the cordon stands for the
Latin Clavis ad Mysterium, the Key to the Mystery.
The lessons of the 4° are secrecy, obedience, and fidelity.
But secrecy must be understood
in its Masonic sense. It is not the secrecy of conspiracy, the
concealment of motives and activities, or “deeds done in
darkness.” For a Mason, secrecy is the ability to keep a
confidence. Great systems of philosophy have taught through the ages
that such ability is the first step in developing self-discipline and
self-control.
And there is more. The
greatest need in the lives of most people is for a friend in whom they
can confide with no fear that what they say will be repeated. Each
Scottish Rite Mason should strive to be such a friend.
Certainly, duty is the
“great law” of Masonry and central to this Degree.
Nowadays, many people think of duty as doing the minimum required in a
situation. But duty, for a Scottish Rite Mason, is a positive virtue,
not a negative requirement. It is a joy to be fulfilled eagerly, not a
task to be performed grudgingly.
Duty and secrecy are the
foundations not only of the Scottish Rite but of creative living. A man
or woman who can be relied upon to do what is right and to respect the
confidentiality of a friend’s private hopes and fears and
doubts and dreams is well along the path of becoming an honored and
honorable human being.
The
Scottish Rite Journal - February 1995
Jim
Tresner
is Director of the Masonic Leadership Institute and Editor of The Oklahoma Mason. A frequent
contributor to the Scottish Rite Journal and its
book review editor, Illustrious Brother Tresner is also a
volunteer writer for The Oklahoma Scottish Rite Mason
and a video script consultant for the National Masonic Renewal
Committee. He is the Director of the Thirty-third Degree Conferral Team
and Director of Work at the Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie,
Oklahoma, as well as a life member of the Scottish Rite Research
Society, author of the popular anecdotal biography Albert
Pike, The Man Beyond the Monument, and a member of the
steering committee of the Masonic Information Center. Ill. Tresner was
awarded the Grand Cross, the Scottish Rite's highest honor, during the
Supreme Council's October 1997 Biennial Session.
