4th Degree – Master Traveler

Here begins the Scottish Rite adventure that leads to the thirty-second degree, which is more a beginning than an end, only a milepost on a man’s path of personal growth.  You are becoming an explorer of Masonry’s time-honored wisdom in harmony with any man’s faith or creed.

5th Degree – Perfect Master

The lesson of this degree is of the corrupting and destroying nature of selfish thoughts and unworthy ambitions.  If allowed to dwell in a man’s mind, they poison his whole being until he forgets his duty to his family, his country, and his God.  Then moral and spiritual destruction overtake him. 

6th Degree - Master of the Brazen Serpent

The sixth degree is a drama of the human spirit, caught between its own discouragement and fear, and the will and purpose of Almighty God. It teaches that a willing and courageous acceptance of life’s disciplines and loyal obedience to lawful authority make us strong and secure.    

7th Degree - Provost and Judge

The lessons of the Seventh degree are of the utmost importance for the right conduct of our daily lives. We are told that King Solomon, upon the death of Hiram Abif, found it necessary to appoint seven judges in order that justice might be administered among the workmen on the Temple, giving them an opportunity to have their complaints heard and their disputes settled.  We should not be severe, passing judgment hastily. It is an imperative duty to be just, fair, and merciful.

8^th Degree - Intendant of the Building

In the lessons of the Eighth Degree we learn by Solomon’s example that each new honor is a step toward moral perfection and that each honor earned demands attention to a particular duty. 

9^th Degree - Master of the Temple

Universal brotherhood is the message of the Ninth Degree. All through the ages men have been seeking God, each in his own way, and have worshiped Him, each in his own tongue. A Master of the Temple is taught that God is best served by those who best serve their fellowmen and who reveal in their own lives the compassion of the Eternal.

10^th Degree - Master Elect

The lesson of this degree is taken from the testament of Solomon, written by him during his latter years when he was undergoing the terrible torment of the sentence of the Lord for his transgressions. The ancient lesson of this degree insures that the violator of his obligations will not go unpunished.

11^th Degree - Sublime Master Elected

The lesson of the Eleventh Degree is that the true and faithful brother sooner or later will receive his just reward. The Drama depicts an incident during the reign of King Solomon which condemns, in the strongest and most uncompromising manner, improprieties by those holding public office. It reminds us that public office is a public trust, and that public officials owe a special obligation to those whom they are chosen to serve.

12^th Degree - Master of Mercy

The purpose of the Twelfth Degree is to teach the quality of forgiveness. Forgiveness means a spirit of compassion and a tenderness of heart which dispose a person not just to overlook the opportunity for revenge, but to cease to feel enmity or resentment toward an offender.

13^th Degree - Master of the Ninth Arch

The lesson taught in the Thirteenth Degree is that the true and faithful Brother should not be deterred by difficulties and dangers, however great, from pressing onward toward Perfection.

14^th Degree - Grand Elect Mason

The Fourteenth Degree, the final and climactic lesson of the Lodge of Perfection is revealed, a belief in the one living and true God and a deep reverence for His Holy Name. It is a profoundly religious degree, not promoting a particular doctrine, but encouraging each of us to worship God at an altar of our individual choice. It is expressive of the deep spiritual roots of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite and of our constant endeavor to attain that perfection of character embodied in the concept of a loving Heavenly Father.