Treasured Pieces of Ritual

[Tamrin]

The Trowel:

All the symbolic working tools of the Craft teach substantially the same lessons, and doubtless have been fully explained to you. The trowel, however, belongs peculiarly to this Degree. Being used by operative masons to spread the cement which binds together the stones of the building, it symbolises the spirit of devotion and self-sacrifice which unites us in brotherly love and affection. Thus the working tools of a Select Master are the spiritual powers of mind and body bestowed upon him as a sacred trust by the Supreme Architect of the Universe. These are to enable us to sacrifice self for the good of all, to raise the fallen, to strengthen the weak, to encourage the fainthearted, in which we are always supported by the Divine assurance that in the end, if we faint not, we shall overcome, and that he who overcomes shall eat of the Tree of Life in the Paradise of God.

[Tamrin]

The Level:

The Level, which is an emblem of Equality, teaches us that, in the sight of God, all men are equal—that He makes His glorious Sun to shine as brightly upon the humble dwelling of the poor as upon the rich man's mansion or the monarch's palace; and that, with Him, there is no respect of persons, save in regard to those who forget their duty and neglect or disobey His precepts. It also demonstrates that we are all sprung from the same stock, are partakers of the same Nature and sharers of the same hope, and, although distinctions in rank are necessary among men to preserve due order and authority, and as a reward of merit and ability, yet no eminence of station should lead us to forget that we all are Brethren, and that he who has but placed his foot on the lowest step of Fortune’s ladder is as fully entitled to our regard as he who has attained the summit; for a time will most assuredly come, and the best and wisest of us know not how soon, when all distinctions, save those of goodness and virtue, shall cease, and Death, that great leveller of human greatness, shall reduce us all to the same state.

Death, that great leveller of human greatness

Mosaic from the ruins of Pompeii

[Tamrin]

Masonic Light:

Having been restored to the blessing of material light, let me beg you to observe that light was ever an object of attainment in all ancient mysteries.

It was then, as it is now, the symbol of Truth and Knowledge, a fact of which we must never lose sight, when we consider the nature and significance of Masonic Light.

When a Candidate expresses a desire for Light, he seeks not only that material light which shall remove his physical darkness, but also that intellectual illumination, which shall dispel the darkness of his mental and moral ignorance, and bring to his view the sublime truths of morality and virtue which it is ever the object of Freemasonry to teach; and now let me direct your attention to the three great Emblematic Lights in Freemasonry—namely, the V. of the S.L., the S., and the Cs. The V. of the S.L. teaches us our duty to God, the S. to regulate our conduct to all mankind, and the Cs to keep our passions and prejudices within due bounds...

You are now in a position to discover the three lesser Lights in Freemasonry. These are situated in the Southern, Western and Eastern portions of the Lodge, and are intended to represent the Sun, the Moon, and Master of the Lodge, and teach us that as the Sun rules the day, and the Moon governs the night, so ought the W.M. to rule and govern the Lodge.