The majority of masculine Freemasons hold that the Craft comprises only the three Degrees of E.A., F.C., and M.M., though in English Masonry they allow the Mark Degree and the Holy Royal Arch as nominally extensions of the Second and Third Degrees respectively, and they have also a ceremony of Installation for the Master of a Lodge which is practically an additional Degree though it is never called so.

Among the masculine Masons only those who belong to the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite work the higher Degrees, though various other small bodies of Masons use some of them. The Rites of Memphis and Mizraim used to have a list of 97 degrees, but have now reduced them to 33. Nevertheless though many Masons do not admit them, these higher Degrees are definitely part of the great scheme of Freemasonry, standing out as landmarks upon the upward Path which leads to conscious union with God, enshrining in their ritual and symbolism a series of pictures of the successive stages of spiritual attainment, and conferring sacramental power calculated to quicken the growth of man's inner faculties at various levels and in various ways.

Therefore in the Co-Masonic Rite we recognize both sets of Degrees, and regard them as constituting a coherent whole, leading those who work them properly to a very high stage of development. But they are clearly intended to provide for two distinct types of people - for the many and the few. For the ordinary man of the world the three Degrees of Craft Masonry are all-sufficient; when he has learnt the lessons which they have to teach, he is no longer the ordinary man; he stands high above the average. If he can supplement them by the knowledge conveyed by the Mark Degree and the Holy Royal Arch, he has a rule of life and a philosophy which will carry him creditably through the rest of this incarnation, and ensure for him a good opportunity of progress in the next. In the Royal Arch he passes beyond the substituted secrets and learns the genuine Word which has so long and so unhappily been lost. For the true Word is the Name of God, and those who entertain an unworthy conception of the nature and attributes of God are in ignorance of that true Nature.

THE MASONIC PLAN

The Masonic plan is obviously meant to develop the principles of man in regular order. The work of the Blue Lodge is concerned primarily with the transitory personality, the temporary instrument of the soul. If the tongue of good report is heard in a man's favor, we may assume that he has his physical vehicle fairly under control; but in the Degree of E.A. he is instructed to bring it completely into subjection, to smooth and polish the rough ashlar, and at the same time to keep his emotional nature within due bounds, repressing its lower aspects and developing its higher side. As F.C. he learns absolutely to control those emotions, while he is working at the gradual unfoldment of the powers of his mental body, the awakening and training of his intellectual faculties.

As M.M. he is taught to live up to that sublime title by gaining complete mastery over the personality, the mind as well as the emotions, to develop a magnificent attitude of brotherhood and altruism which compels him ever to take the standpoints of the ego, so that never again may the square be allowed to obscure the compasses, and leads him through the Valley of the Shadow of Death to the threshold of that heavenly world where the immortal Self for ever dwells. For the mystic death and raising again relate not only to the contained existence of man's personality in the astral world after the death of the physical body, but in a higher sense typify a death to all that is transitory and impermanent, and the attainment of an eternal Reality beyond the veils of space and time.

THE CEREMONY OF INSTALLATION

It has always seemed to me a matter of great regret that in the workings of Continental Masonry the beautiful ceremony of the installation of the Master of a Lodge should be so greatly truncated or even entirely omitted. The position of R.W.M. is one of great difficulty and responsibility, and to hold it successfully requires a combination of qualities not often exemplified. Firmness and perfect justice must be conjoined with tact, adaptability and persuasiveness. The R.W.M. should have an enthusiastic interest in Masonic work, a strong determination to maintain its immemorial traditions and the sanctity of its landmarks, and an earnest resolve ever to uphold the dignity of the Craft, yet never for a moment to forget that gentleness and brotherly love are the very essence and foundation of all its labors.

The Bro. whose duty it is to develop these characteristics within himself manifestly needs all the help that can be given to him, and he unquestionably receives more power from on high from the use of a stately and impressive ceremony than from the mere fact of being elected by the Brethren and taking his seat in the Master's chair. Apparently the H.O.A.T.F. accepts and endorses the custom of the maimed rite in those countries where it prevails, for the succession is passed on, even though there is quite a different feeling about the effect produced. (See p. 175.)

The actual conferment of the authority occurs at the moment when the R.W.M. is solemnly placed in his Chair with a certain s … and w … of power, but there is also a charming and appropriate symbolism hidden behind the other s … s. The b … s … is that of a mighty and dignified monarch singling out one upon whom he is about to bestow a favor; the p … l … and the s … of s … give most valuable hints as to what should be the behavior of the Master in the Chair, and the s … of a m … of a … and sc … well expresses the courtesy and dignity which should characterize his every action.

THE MARK DEGREE

In the Mark Degree the aspirant is encouraged to add to that general growth which is expected of all Masons the disclosure of whatsoever special talent or power he may happen to possess, in order that his abilities may thus be at the disposal of his brethren and be used for the benefit of his Lodge, so that such work as passes through his hands may bear upon it the mark of his private characteristics, and thus be recognized from all others. Thus to develop his talent, not for self-glorification but for the good of his Brethren, is the special duty of the Mark Mason; while the work of the Mark Master is to find in those under his charge talents as yet unsuspected even by their possessors, and to draw them out under his kindly and fostering care.
At the same time the neophyte is taught by the ritual the necessity of humility and patience. He makes a k … s …, a beautiful and excellent piece of work, but one for which the builders are not yet ready, and consequently it has for the present to be thrown aside. The candidate in his disappointment feels at first that his life-work has been wasted; but he is exhorted to exhibit patience and fortitude, and in due course the time comes when his work can be accepted and utilized. Such experience is inevitable in the life of one who is striving to serve humanity; the student must be prepared to find that ideas, unquestionably good in themselves, have yet to be rejected when put forward prematurely; he must learn to subordinate his will to that of T.G.O.O.T.U., to work at the task prescribed for him, and to play the part assigned to him in the great plan of which he is but an infinitesimal though necessary fraction.

However full the world
There is room for an earnest man;
God hath need of me, or I should not be;
I am here to aid the plan.

We may see in the Degrees of Craft Masonry a prophecy or adumbration of the True Initiations that lie far ahead on the Path of the neophyte, taking the E.A. Degree as imaging the entry upon the Probationary Path, the F.C. as representing that entering upon the Stream which is the First of the Great Initiations, and the M.M. as typifying the Fourth Step, the Initiation of the Arhat.

The characteristic of the F.C. Degree is Service; all its five stages are forms of service, and they lead up to that condition in which the candidate's hands are perpetually free to take up whatever tools may be needed at the moment in the work of helping others. As the Mark Degree is recognized as having originally been part of the F.C., Ex. and Perf. Bro. Wood takes the Mark Man and the Mark Master as respectively symbolizing the Second and Third of the Great Initiations, thus leading up very satisfactorily to the M.M. Degree, which is obviously a foreshadowing of the Arhat Stage.

He also finds in the Hindu system an interesting analogy to the teaching of the Mark Degree. The man who has entered upon the First Stage of the Path proper is called parivrajaka, the Wanderer, and this is taken to signify that the Initiate has no real home, no foundation or anchorage in this physical world. As it is expressed in a hymn: "I'm but a stranger here; heaven is my home." He has realized the first part of that quotation, but not quite yet the second; he feels as though he were merely a visitor to these mundane regions where most people settle themselves and make themselves at home, yet he is not definitely established in spiritual work. When he has cast off the three fetters of self-centeredness, doubt and superstition, he is called kutichaka, the Hut-Builder; he is now no longer a wanderer, unsettled in both worlds, for he has found for himself a definite place and work on the buddhic plane. When this is achieved a Mark is given to him, typified in Masonic and biblical phraseology as a white stone, upon which a new name is written - the true name of the ego.

The Hindu term for the man who takes the Third great step is hamsa, the Swan; and this name is supposed to be founded upon an ancient fable which endowed that bird with the apocryphal faculty of separating milk from water after they had been mixed. He is therefore taken as a symbol of the man whose discrimination is perfect, who can distinguish what is worth doing and do it, and therefore "marks well".

The Officers in a Mark Lodge represent the seven principles in man, as they do in the ordinary Lodge, but we have in addition three Overseers, who guard the South, West and East Gates. These also are in their right place in the series of principles if we take them to typify the antahkarana, which in the Initiate has becomes an active channel between the ego and the personality. As the Lords of Karma select the portion of accumulated karma to be worked out in one lifetime, and this is expressed in the man's bodies and his environment, so does the ego, says Bro. Wood, select a portion of himself to be the internal agent (antahkarana) between himself and the personality. (This is explained in his book The Seven Rays.) This antahkarana, which is triple, thus contains the plan of work of the incarnation, and the Overseers, as agents of the Lords of Karma, guard that plan.

When the man has passed the Second Initiation, having cast off three fetters aforesaid, he begins to see and to act upon the greater plan of the ego, which is superior to the portion incarnated. But the Overseers will not permit him to follow his vision to the neglect of the lower work in the inferior part of the plan which he has still to do. He must not lose sight of his vision, but yet must humbly submit himself to the duties which remain to be done on ordinary lines.

THE HOLY ROYAL ARCH

As the Mark Degree is an extension of the F.C., so is the Holy Royal Arch of Jerusalem a logical continuation of the M.M. Degree. I am intentionally putting aside all consideration of the elaborate confusion of its history, though I have introduced a few notes about it into my second volume, Glimpses of Masonic History. Suffice it to say here that all the higher Degrees, to which I am referring in this book, have their roots in the Ancient Mysteries of the remotest past. They have not been, as is often supposed, created anew by ceremonialists of the Middle Ages, but have been revived and re-introduced at the direct or indirect suggestion of the H.O.A.T.F. when He thought their re-emergence desirable. Let it never be forgotten that all through the ages He (or His predecessor in Office) has been "The Hidden Life in Freemasonry", and that that Life has manifested itself in many ways and through many unexpected channels when and where it seemed best for the carrying on of the Great Work.

To explain, to such an extent as is permissible, the wonderfully illuminative teaching of this truly sublime Degree of the Holy Royal Arch I shall borrow freely from the exposition given in the Mystical Lecture of the Co-Masonic Ritual of the Degree, reserving only such points as are necessary to guard the secrets.

Having symbolically reached in the 3° the threshold of immortality, the aspirant finds a quest opening before him, a quest for the G … S … of a M.M., which were lost by the untimely death of our Master H … A … It may be noted that through the teaching given in this Degree of the H.R.A. we see for the first time why and how the Sacred Word was lost because of that death. It was not that it was forgotten, but that the Three Principals had sworn to pronounce it only when they met together. For these lost secrets all M.M.s are pledged to seek until they are found. These are the secrets of man's eternal being, the secrets of that Divinity which he has forgotten because of his shrouding in the veil of matter; and it is said that they may be found by following the guidance of a Star, as did the Wise Men of old. That Star is the Star of Initiation, the Star of God's presence in our hearts.

The Degree of the H.R.A. leads the neophyte a step further in his quest, and is thus a fitting sequel to the Sublime Degree of M.M., being indeed an integral part of the same Hebrew tradition. The symbolical time of the R.A. is that of the commencement of the building of the Second Temple, the Temple of the man's soul, even as the Temple of King Solomon represents that of his transitory personality. But before the inquirer can find the lost W …, that Hidden Light which dwells in all created things, which is buried deep in the Temple of Solomon the King, his vision must be so purified that he can behold His presence with eyes unveiled. This attainment of true spiritual vision is symbolized by the Passing of the Four Veils on the road to the Heavenly City, the Sanctuary of Light and Peace; for the Veils represent those limitations of consciousness which blind his vision of the Truth. The P … W … s of the Veils explain the means by which he may lift the barriers that hold him back, and show him the qualities that must be developed if real spiritual progress is to be made. Such is the work of the Excellent Master's Degree, and it is undertaken in the power and the light of the Star.

In the Chapter of the H.R.A., the quest for the W … is carried to a temporary conclusion. By a seeming accident the Candidate is led to discover the Secret Vault of Solomon the King, buried deep below the surface of the earth; in that Vault he finds the s … and m … N … of T.M.H., and for the first time in his Masonic work gains direct vision of the Divine Presence. The sacramental power outpoured in this Degree is intended to quicken the growth of the Divine Spark within him, so that a conscious realization of the truth of God's immanence may be gained by those who live its teaching rightly, and the Candidate may be enabled thereby to recognize the presence of God in all things, however deeply that presence may be veiled from the eyes of the flesh.

The teaching of the H.R.A. is beautifully epitomised in the words of the Psalmist:

Whither shall I go then from Thy Spirit, or whither shall I go then from Thy Presence?

If I climb up into heaven Thou art there; If I go down to hell, Thou art there also.

If I take the wings of the morning, and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there also shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.

If I say: Peradventure the darkness shall cover me; then shall my night be turned to day.

Yea, the darkness is no darkness with Thee, but the night is as clear as the day; the darkness and the light to Thee are both alike.

(Psalm cxxxix, 7-12)

Certain emblems which are brought prominently before us in the ceremony of the H.R.A. are for us full of solemn signification and valuable suggestion. The meaning of the Divine N … which is discovered in the Secret Vault of Solomon the King is at once simple and profound. It teaches that God is one and the same God, by whatever Name men call Him, and that He is immanent in the lowest as well as in the highest. Proclaiming thus the universal Fatherhood, it maintains also the universal Brotherhood, and sets before our Companions the noblest of ideals. The entire symbol is surrounded by the Circle, the emblem of God Himself, the eternal Reality behind and within all things unchanging, yet containing all the elements of change. Of this circle it may be truly said that it has its center everywhere and its circumference nowhere; for it is Omnipresence made manifest in symbol. Furthermore, the circle enshrines a profound truth of creation. It is generated by radiation from a center; that is to say, its circumference is determined by the limits of the rays going out from the center in all directions. It is this radiation which in the deepest sense constitutes the circle itself; for center and circumference are but alternating moments in the process of radiation. By this we may understand that Creation, or the radiation from the Divine Center of all living things, is not an action performed at some particular moment by God, but is continuous; it is His very Being; creation is co-eternal and co-existent with God.

All creation truly goes forth from the Divine Center. The countless rays move each in its own direction towards the circumference; but whereas in the center they are all One, on the circumference they are manifold, each ray being distinct from all others. Thus in God both unity and multiplicity are simultaneously contained; at the Center all is One, on the circumference all is manifold. In the outer world we live on the circumference of the Everlasting Circle, and all is in separation and therefore in pain; the Royal Art of Masonry teaches us that we must travel along our own ray of manifestation towards that Center from which a M.M. cannot err, in order to re-discover the truth of the unity of Divine Life in all things. When we move on the circumference, we move in time; yet when we behold the circle as a whole, we see its circumference simultaneously in all its parts, and thus are led to realize that time is but our distorted vision of Eternity.

Again, the symbol of the circle teaches us the mighty Rhythm of Creation; all things go forth from the center of Unity to the circumference of Multiplicity, and then return once more to that Unity whence they sprang. This is the Eternal Breath of God, the Breath of Creation which is manifest throughout the entire universe, in the life of man with its cycle of existence from childhood through manhood to old age, and in Nature with its alternations of day and night and the rhythmic flow of seasons. In this connection it is of interest to note how many words denoting Spirit in different languages primarily mean Breath - spiritus in Latin, pneuma in Greek, ruach in Hebrew, atma in Sanskrit. It is this Divine Breath, the Holy Spirit, the Creative Fire of God, whom we especially invoke in the Degree of the H.R.A.

Within the circle the triangle is placed, teaching us that God, though One in essence, manifests as a Trinity - Power, Wisdom and Love. The Divine Will is the Center of the circle resting in Itself in eternal and unchanging peace; the Divine Wisdom is the process of radiation, the Holy Spirit who is the Source of Divine Activity, creating the manifoldness of things as it goes forth from the Center; the Divine Love is shown forth in the circumference of the circle, uniting all separated creatures in the very bond of peace. This threefold nature of the Divine is present throughout all Creation, in every object and in every creature. In our own consciousness it is manifest in the Spiritual Will, the Intuitional Wisdom and the Creative Intelligence which are three aspects or modes of the Spirit of man, made in the image and likeness of his Creator. In the universe around us we see it as the three qualities of manifestation - inertia, mobility and rhythm, known in Hindu philosophy as the three gunas, and in Western philosophy as space or extension, time or change, and rhythm or qualities which give to each thing its distinct and essential nature.

Another symbol of creation is the cross inscribed within the circle, showing how the Divine in manifestation is crucified upon the cross of limitation, willingly suffered that the world might come into being. In that process of creation the Divine as life and the Divine as form seem a duality, even though they are but manifestations of the one eternal God. This interplay or apparent duality in the universe is also symbolized by the cross, which thus becomes the emblem of the Fourfold Name of God. Amongst the medieval Rosicrucians the four arms of this cross were taken to symbolize the four elements, water, fire, air and earth, called in Hebrew Iammim, Nour, Ruach and Iabescheh, corresponding yet again to the Four Beasts about the throne of God, symbolized for us by the Four Great Banners of the Order.

Since thus we learn that all life is the Divine life, it follows also that the brotherhood of that life is in truth universal, and is by no means confined to the human species. Not only is every man our brother, of whatsoever race, color or creed he may be, but the animals and the trees around us - yea, even the very rock under our feet - are all our younger brethren, all part of the same mighty evolution. When we realize all that this knowledge implies, when we see how great a difference it makes in our attitude towards the world around us, and how great a change the practice of the truth here taught should make in every Companion, we shall not wonder at the high regard in which Masonic writers hold this Degree of the H.R.A. of Jerusalem, which they consider as the crown and completion of Freemasonry, because of the knowledge of God which it gives to us.

A curious but most instructive symbol characteristic of this Degree is that called the Triple Tau, formed out of three levels, one standing upright and two lying horizontally and joined in the center. The Tau in ancient Egypt was the symbolic equivalent of the cross; it signified the crucifixion of the Divine Life in the world of manifestation. It was also emblematic of the androgynous nature of the Deity; it typified God as Father-Mother. On the Installed

Figure 15

Master's apron we find three Taus in separation; in the Holy Royal Arch we see them conjoined, for here the teaching given is the unity to be found in this entire threefold universe, conveying also the meaning that each Person in this Trinity has its male and female aspect - precisely the same idea which is expressed in the Hindu religion by the statement that each Person has his Shakti, commonly described as his consort. Thus the Three-in-One becomes Six-in-One, and, with the surrounding circle which indicates the unmanifested Totality, we have the Mystic Seven.

The Triple Tau is also called in Royal Arch Masonry the Key. It contains eight right angles, and is used as a measure or mnemonic whereby the Platonic Solids can be calculated. Taken alone, it is commensurate with the Tetrahedron, the sides of which, being four equilateral triangles, are together equal to eight right angles, because the interior angles of any triangle are together equal to two right angles. It is said that this solid was used by the Platonists as a symbol of the element Fire.

Two of these Keys are equivalent to the Octahedron, which contains sixteen right angles, and was considered to represent Air. Three Keys are commensurate with the Cube, the sides of which contain twenty-four right angles; this figure was supposed to typify Earth, because it is of all these figures the firmest and most immovable upon its basis.

Five of these Keys give us forty right angles, which are equal in amount to those contained in the twenty equilateral sides of the Icosahedron. This solid was taken to express the element Water.

The remaining Platonic Solid, called the Dodecahedron, has for its sides twelve regular pentagons. It is a rule in geometry that the interior angles of any rectilinear figure are equal to twice as many right angles as the figure has sides less 4 right angles; thus the interior angles of a pentagon are 10 - 4 = 6 right angles; therefore the dodecahedron is contained by seventy-two right angles, and consequently is represented by nine Keys. So it will be seen that this Key is the greatest common measure of all these Platonic Solids, and that is why on the scroll round it in the Jewel of the Holy Royal Arch Degree we find the Latin phrase: Nil nisi clavis deest, "Nothing is wanting but the key", teaching us on the one hand that without the inner knowledge all these symbols are but lifeless, and on the other that, great as is the teaching given, there is yet more to be found as we move along on the path of Masonic progress.

There is a method by which, by sub-dividing the triangles and the Seal of Solomon into smaller triangles and adding up the total number of degrees formed by all their angles, we can yet again work out the number of right angles equivalent to those of the Platonic solids. This process is complicated, and is of little practical value, so I do not give it here; although it is true that the Platonic Solids have a profound meaning in connection with that process of Divine Creation, upon which the Degree of the Holy Royal Arch contains such priceless teaching.

STILL HIGHER

In endeavoring to give such idea as may lawfully be given of the splendor and the immense practical value of the higher Degrees I must briefly recapitulate something of what I have already written in Glimpses of Masonic History. Though the H.R.A. so satisfactorily rounds off the system of Masonic teaching for most men, there are still deeper wells of wisdom for the student who is determined to win his way to the ultimate goal, whom nothing but the highest can satisfy. Gradually such a man comes to understand that, although he has indeed in the H.R.A. found the Divine Name, and contacted for himself at least one aspect of the Hidden Light of God, there is a further search still before him, in which he can penetrate even deeper into the consciousness and being of the Deity. Great and marvelous indeed is the revelation already given to him - a revelation which has changed for him the whole aspect of life, and made the selfish and miserably limited existence of the profane for ever impossible for him. Yet he now begins to see that he is as yet touching only one circumference of a vast circle - nay, more, that he is working only on the surface of an infinite sphere.

THE ROSE-CROIX

It is then that he begins his second great quest, which leads up through a number of stages, during which different attributes of the All-Father are studied and to some extent realized, until it culminates in the magnificent illumination given in the Eighteenth Degree, that of the Sovereign Prince of the Rose-Croix of Heredom, through which he finds the divine Love reigning in his own heart and in those of his Brethren He also learns that God has descended and shared our lower nature with us expressly in order that we may ascend to share His true nature with Him.

The Name of T.G.A.O.T.U. which is revealed to the aspirant in this most wonderful 18° was the central and innermost secret of the ancient Egyptian mystery-teaching. The H.O.A.T.F. in His incarnation as Christian Rosenkreutz translated the Word into Latin, most ingeniously retaining its remarkable mnemonic character, all its complicated implications, and even a close approximation to its original sound. Naturally it cannot be given here, but the general character of the instruction which it conveys in so skilful a manner may be indicated by a sentence quoted from one of the patron saints of Freemasonry: "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." It further teaches us that God sits enthroned in every human heart, that the inmost Spirit of each man is part of God Himself, a spark of the Divine; and that therefore all men are one in Him, and there is no height to which man may not aspire.

From this great central fact a whole system of philosophy may be deduced, and also a rule of life; when men are really convinced of it, there is brotherhood, peace and progress, but when this Word is lost, chaos reigns and evil stalks abroad. Each Knight should meditate upon it and try to realize all that it involves, for the knowledge which it gives should permeate the whole fiber of his being, should literally become part of his very essence, if he is to do the duty which is expected of him. The deep reverence and thankfulness which that sublime thought inspires must be his constant attitude; he must live in the light of that glorious truth; it must never be forgotten even for a moment. For the man who really knows this, all life is one great glad song of triumph and of gratitude. All this he acknowledges, in all this he rejoices every time that he remembers that wondrous Word of power.

It is the clear duty of every Knight of the Rose-Croix to spread this light abroad - to preach by word when possible, and always by action, this true "gospel of the grace of God". In the Co-Masonic form of this Degree he is instructed to offer himself as a channel for the Divine force and to make efforts to cooperate with T.G.A.O.T.U. By this daily work his buddhi or intuitional principle, the hidden wisdom which in Egypt was called Horus, the Christ dwelling in man, should be aroused and greatly developed, so that he becomes, to the limit of his capability, a living manifestation of the Eternal Love, a veritable priest who is its instrument for the helping of the world.

In this Degree also we find certain symbols of deep significance. The flower of the Rose has the threefold connotation of Love, Secrecy and Fragrance, while the Cross bears also the threefold meaning of Self-sacrifice, Immortality and Holiness. So when these two emblems are taken in conjunction, as they always are in the name Rose-Croix, they betoken the Love of Self-sacrifice, the Secret of Immortality, and the sweet Fragrance of a Holy life.

The Serpent represents Eternity; the Double Triangle, Spirit and Matter; the Pelican is another ancient symbol of Self-sacrifice, as the Eagle is of Victory.

It is significant that up to this point the aspirant, having complied with certain requirements, may apply for advancement, may demand recognition of his progress. But now that he is coming in sight of higher Degrees he may no longer make demand - he must wait for invitation from those who have already attained. It is not for him, but for them, to decide when he is ready to make a further effort. At the levels which he must now approach, the brotherhood is so close, so perfect, that there must be no risk that its fullness may be marred by the introduction of a discordant element.

Not only do these higher Degrees carry on further the same process of development which was begun in the lower, they may be said in a certain sense to repeat it at a higher level. The E.A. controls and uplifts emotion in the astral body; the Rose-Croix of Heredom develops far higher love in the buddhi which corresponds to it. The F.C. tries to strengthen his intellect to comprehend the hidden mysteries of Masonry; the Knight K.H. unfolds within him that grander intellectual quality which gives him always perfect balance and a sense of absolute justice, so that he understands the working of karma. The M.M. combines within himself and carries farther qualities of the Degrees below him; the due-guard of his Degree shows that he is intended to be shedding blessing and help around him wherever he goes; and of course this is true to a far greater extent and at a far higher level of the Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the 33°, for he should have love, wisdom and power equally manifesting in him, so that in him the true essence of governance may be set forth.

In Blue Masonry and in the Degree of the H.R.A. we call in the assistance of certain Seventh-Ray Angels to assist the officials in conducting the work of the Lodge or Chapter; in this 18° and in other still higher Degrees we do that, also, but the type of Angels who respond is different, for each Degree has its own kind of Deva-attendant. In these cases, however, the support of the Angelic kingdom is much more fully extended; not only have we the aid of the Devas in the performance of our ceremonies, but to each Prince of Heredom at the time of his Perfection a special Angel is attached, to help him in his private and individual work for the cause. This will be more readily comprehensible if I mention first the characteristic of the other Degrees.

BLACK MASONRY

Few need anything further than the splendid revelation of the indwelling Love of God which they receive in the Eighteenth Degree. But there are those who feel that there is yet more to learn of the nature of God, who eagerly wish to understand the meaning of evil and suffering, and its relation to the Divine plan; for them Black Masonry exists - the teaching and progress comprised in the Degrees from the nineteenth to the thirtieth. This section of the Mysteries is especially concerned with the working out of karma in its different aspects, studied as a law of retribution, and so from one point of view it is dark and terrible. This is the inner kernel lying behind the vengeance-elements in the degree of Knight K.H. The darker aspects of karma are largely connected with man's ignorance of the nature of God, and with confusion with regard to many forms in which He reveals Himself, and thus the s … s of the 30° contain the heart of its philosophy. That Degree would not be fully and validly conferred unless these s … s were duly communicated, since they express its inner meaning and purpose.

In the ancient Egyptian instruction, corresponding to this group of Degrees, it was taught that whatsoever a man sowed that also must he reap, and that if he sowed evil the result would be suffering to himself. The karma of nations and races was also studied, and the inner working of the law upon the different planes was investigated by the inner sight, and shown to the student. The whole of what we now call Black Masonry led up to an explanation of karma, as Divine justice, this having been preserved for us in shadow in what is now the 31°, that of the Grand Inspector Inquisitor Commander, whose symbol is a pair of scales. In Egypt this pair of scales was taken as an emblem of the perfect balance of Divine justice; the aspirant learnt that all the horror sometimes associated with the working out of karma was indeed based on absolute justice, although it appeared as evil to the lesser vision of the profane.

Thus the first stage of the higher instruction, that of the Rose-Croix or Red Masonry, is devoted to the knowledge and assurance of good, while to the Second stage, that of the Knight K.H., is assigned the knowledge of apparent evil and its explanation. Next, in the first steps of White Masonry, the crown of the whole glorious structure, the aspirant learns to see the underlying justice of the great and eternal God, called in Egypt Amen-Ra, who stands behind all alike, whether it seems to us evil or good. We are told that in older days, before the Kaliyuga, in which the apparent evil predominates over the good, the Knight K.H. wore regalia of yellow instead of black.

The 30° links the Knight K.H. to the ruling rather than to the teaching branch of the Great Hierarchy. He should become a radiant center of perennial energy, which is intended to give him strength to overcome evil and to make him a real power on the side of good. Though the sash is black, the prevailing color of the influence is an electric blue (that of the First Ray, quite different from the blue of the symbolic or Blue Masonry of the early Degrees) edged with gold, including and yet not drowning the rose of the 18?º. A higher level of the same energy is transmitted to the Chair of the Sovereign Commander, who has the ability to pass on the sacramental grace of the Degree to others.

WHITE MASONRY

The highest and last of the sacramental powers of the Ancient Mysteries which have been transmitted to us is that of the Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the 33°. The Brethren of this high Order should have passed on from a conception of the Divine justice to the certainty of knowledge and the fullness of the Divine Glory in the Hidden Light. The 33° links the Sovereign Grand Inspector General with the Spiritual King of the World Himself - that Mightiest of Adepts who stands at the head of the Great White Lodge, in whose strong hands lie the destinies of the earth - and awakens the powers of the Triple Spirit as far as they can yet be awakened. This highest of all Degrees is given to but few, yet even among those few there can have been but a handful who had the least conception of what they had received, or of the powers given into their hands. Most of those to whom it comes probably regard it as chiefly an administrative Degree, and have no idea that it has a spiritual side at all. The actual conferring of the Degree is a very splendid experience when seen with the inner sight; for the Hierophant of the Mysteries (the H.O.A.T.F.) stands above or beside the physical initiator, in that extension of His consciousness which is called the Angel of the Presence. If the recipient of the Degree happens to be already an Initiate, the Star (called in Egypt the Star of Horus) which marks the approval of the One Initiator once more flames out above him in all its glory; while in any case the two great white Angels of the rite flash down in splendor from the heavenly places, showing themselves as low as the etheric level, that they may give their full blessing to the new Ruler in the Craft.

The H.O.A.T.F. makes the actual links both with Himself and with the reservoir of power set apart for the work of the Masonic Brotherhood, and also through Himself with that Mighty King whose representative He is for this work, while the great white Angels of the Order remain as the guardians of the Sovereign Grand Inspector General throughout life. This stage combines the wonderful love of Horus the Son with the ineffable life and strength of Osiris the divine Father and Isis the eternal Mother of the world; and this union of love with strength is its most prominent characteristic.

It confers upon those who open themselves to its influence power similar to and only a little way below that of the First great Initiation, and those who enter the 33° should assuredly qualify themselves for that Step before very long. Indeed, in the great days of the Mysteries this stage was accessible only to Initiates, and one feels that it ought to be given only to such now just as it would seem appropriate that the marvelous gift of the episcopate should be conferred only upon members of the Great White Brotherhood. The power of the Degree when in operation shows itself in an aura of dazzling white and gold, enfolding within it the rose and the blue of Rose-Croix and K.H.; and yet it is also strongly permeated with that peculiar shade of electric blue which is the especial sign of the presence of the King. The Sovereign Grand Inspector General is the "Bishop" of Masonry, and if the life of the Degree is really lived he should be an ever-radiating center of power, a veritable sun of light and life and glory wherever he goes.

Such was the highest and holiest of the sacramental powers conferred in the Mysteries of ancient Egypt, such the highest Degree known to us in Freemasonry today, bestowed in its fullness upon very few. The opportunity to draw down its sublime glory is offered to all who receive the Degree; how far it is taken and what use is made of the power is in the hands of the Bros. alone, for to use it, as it should be used, needs high spiritual development and a life of constant humility, watchfulness and service. If he calls upon it for the service of others, it will flow through him mightily and sweetly for the helping of the world. If he neglects the power, it will remain dormant and the links unused - and those behind will turn their glance away from him to others more responsive. The influence of the 33° is a veritable ocean of bliss and splendor, strength and sweetness, for it is the power of the King Himself, the Lord who reigns on earth as Viceregent of the Logos from eternity unto eternity.

HOW TO USE THE POWERS

It must of course be understood in all cases that, though the conferring of the Higher Degrees puts certain definite powers in the hands of the recipient, it does not instantly endow him with the knowledge of how he is to employ them; he must grow into that by long and careful practice, and full comprehension of them is the first step.

To gain such full understanding is no easy matter. Those of us to whom these powers are entrusted have to wield the forces of a new and higher world; we have to learn to do in a small way what our Masters are doing all the while on a far larger scale; and that means that we must consciously lift our lives much nearer to Them. A definite piece of their work is being turned over to us, to set Them free for other and higher activities; we must not fail Them, we must not disappoint Them by showing ourselves unable to do it.

Clearly our task is of the same nature as one with which we are all of us already theoretically familiar. All who have worked in the Liberal Catholic Church or in the earlier Degrees of Co-Masonry know that the chief object of those great organizations is to draw down spiritual influence from on high, and to radiate it out upon the surrounding world in a form in which that world can readily assimilate it. But in each of those bodies the actual work of radiation, of distribution, is done by non-human entities - by the great Angels or Devas whom we invoke - our part in the work being rather the provision of the material which they employ. Ours is the intensity of the devotion and of life and good will which calls down the response from the Logos; theirs is the labor of sorting out, of classifying and directing the manifold varieties of that Divine response, and applying it where it is most needed.

But now in this work of the higher Degrees we are called not only to collect but to direct - not only to provide material but to distribute and apply it. We are to exercise the functions of the Angels on some of the lower planes, thus leaving them free to concentrate their energies on higher levels where as yet we are less effective. The great Angels of our respective Degrees will assuredly work with us; it is for that purpose that they have come to us; but we on our part must do our share of the work so that the machine as a whole may act at its highest efficiency.

This is indeed a prodigious privilege which has been conferred upon us, and it involves a correspondingly weighty responsibility. None of us; I am sure, would intentionally use our power wrongly; there is no danger of that; but there is the possibility that through ignorance we may fail to make sufficient use of these new talents of ours. We were told long ago that "inaction in a deed of mercy may become action in a deadly sin". Since the Great Ones have entrusted us with powers so portentous it behoves us to try to understand them fully, to study their working, so that we may learn how to use them to the best advantage, how to do with them what our Masters intend us to do.

A second point is that, having received a great accession of strength from our connection with the Angel, we must keep a doubly careful watch over our words and thoughts, and guard ourselves most strictly from even a momentary flash of irritability. With us, after our years of self-training, such a feeling passes so quickly that, though of course it is always undesirable, it may not previously have mattered very much; but now it becomes far more serious, for even its rapid passage may do considerable harm to the object of our wrath.

OUR RELATION WITH THE ANGELS

We must consider heedfully the relation with the Angelic kingdom into which these higher Degrees bring us, for it is a matter of the utmost importance. At the moment of his Perfecting, there is attached to the Sovereign Prince of the Rose-Croix a splendid crimson Angel - a Being of beauty, dignity and power beyond the utmost stretch of our imagination.

What is the nature of this attachment, and what will be the practical effect of this beautiful partnership? The Angel links himself with the higher principles of the man, most of all with the buddhi or intuitional wisdom, and the result should presently show itself in two ways. The indescribable vitality and versatility of the Angel's mind will constantly impress themselves upon the mental body of the novice, stimulating it into far greater activity, suggesting new lines of thought and action for the benefit of humanity, strengthening the quality of love within him and offering it ever new channels through which to flow.

Conversely, whatever ideas may arise in the neophyte's own mind will at once be seized and intensified by the Angel, and all sorts of hints will be offered as to methods of putting them into practice. But it cannot be too often reiterated or too strongly impressed upon the aspirant that all this will happen only if he makes a definite effort to lay himself open to the Angelic influence, only if he fills himself with the fiery love which is the common factor and line of communication between the two evolutions which otherwise differ so widely.

If we are at all to understand these wondrous denizens of a higher world, which is yet a part of our world (and it is clearly our duty to try to understand them), we shall need to widen out our entire conception of life. Our studies in earlier Degrees should have given us a loftier point of view, and endowed us with a wider outlook than that of the uninstructed man; but we are still confined within our human rut, and we must learn to transcend it. As compared to the unimaginable reality, our ideas are at the best personal and limited - even mean and sordid. They are good of their kind, but they are restricted to that kind; effective in some directions, but utterly unaware that there are other directions of greater importance.

The kingdoms of nature are curiously related to each other, and mutual comprehension is extraordinarily difficult. Think how far it is possible for even the most intelligent of our domestic animals to understand our own life. He sees us sitting reading or writing for hours together; how can he have any real idea of what we are doing? The very large section of our existence which depends upon our possession of those powers is altogether beyond his grasp, and we can never explain it to him. Just so are there many activities of the Angelic kingdom which are incomprehensible to us.

Yet when one of these bright Spirits is attached to us by a Masonic ceremony we must not think of him either as director or as an attendant, but simply as a co-worker and a brother. Our self-centeredness is so ingrained that when we hear of such wonderful association we at once think, however unconsciously, what zee can gain by the relationship. What can we learn from this resplendent being? Will he guide us, advise us, protect us? Or, on the other hand, is he a servant whom we can send to do our will? It is just because we are creatures of that sort, just because we think in that way, just because we are at that stage of evolution, that admission to the 18° has to be by invitation only. A person who is still in that condition of what might be called latent selfishness is not yet ready to be linked with a radiant entity who does not know what selfishness means.

Here is a great and powerful Being, of an order quite different from our own, but in certain ways complementary to it; if we two can work together in a union so perfect that there shall be but one will, one purpose, one thought - and that the Divine thought - between us, we can achieve very far more, we can be of enormously more use to the Logos, than we could ever be when laboring separately, no matter how strenuous might be our endeavors. Such a union is part of God's intention for us; if we can attain it, it will be an incredible advantage to us; yet if we desire it because of that personal gain, we are unworthy of it and shall fail to realize our hope. We must accept such magnificent comradeship only because of the benefit which will accrue to the world; as regards ourselves we must be absolutely impersonal, we must have forgotten ourselves utterly, yet we must be filled with the Divine fervency of love for humanity.

A man may feel: "These things are too high for me; who shall be sufficient for them?" If karma puts the opportunity in his way, the achievement is within his power, even though it may mean harder work than he has ever yet undertaken. And the fiery love which is the very essence of the life of his Seraph will awaken ever more and more of the latent quality in himself, until what now seems impossible has been realized, has become a part of his daily existence.

The 30° brings its Angel also, of appropriate character - a great blue Deva of the First Ray, who lends his strength to the Knight K.H., somewhat as the crimson Angel assists the Ex. and Perf. Bro. of the Rose-Croix. The 33 ° gives two such splendid fellow-workers - Spirits of gigantic size as compared to humanity, and radiantly white in color. Among the Angels there is no sex as we understand the word; yet these two Great Ones differ in a sense which is best expressed by saying that one of them is predominantly masculine and the other predominantly feminine. He who stands usually on the right hand of the Sovereign Grand Inspector General has an aura of brilliant white light shot with gold, and represents Osiris, the sun and the life, the positive aspect of the Deity; she who stands on the left has an aura of similar light veined with silver, and represents Isis, the moon and the truth, the negative or feminine aspect of the Divine Glory. They are splendid beyond all words, and radiant with living love, though most of all they convey a sense of irresistible, though benevolent, power; and they give strength to act with decision, accuracy, courage and perseverance on the physical plane.

They belong to the cosmic Order of Angels, who are common to other solar systems besides our own, and their permanent centers of consciousness are on the intuitional plane; though whenever they think fit they draw round themselves mental and astral matter (as, for example, at all the greater ceremonies in Lodge) and they are always ready to give their blessing whenever it is invoked. They are inseparably one with the Sovereign Grand Inspector General, linked to his higher Self, never to desert him unless by unworthiness he first deserts them and casts them off. The symbols of the sun and moon are usually represented on the gauntlets of the holder of this sublime position, and they are intended to refer to these great Angelic Powers, who bear a close resemblance to those magnificent members of their kingdom who attach themselves to a Bishop at the time of his consecration, and thereafter remain always in connection with him.

This last phrase requires a little further explanation, for the association is of an unusual character. This shining retinue of the heavenly host does not visibly accompany either the Bishop or the Sovereign Grand Inspector General at all times, yet the consciousness of these high Angelic comrades is never out of touch with his own, though the link is not easy to explain. The Angel keeps a line of communication always open, and the end of this line, which rests in the aura of his human partner, floats there like a star or tiny point of light. If the Bishop or the Prince-Mason calls upon his inner friend, the latter is instantly there; indeed, a call, is not necessary - the merest flash of thought is enough. The link must be of a very remarkable nature, for I myself have found that the intention to perform any Episcopal act - even to give the most ordinary blessing - at once attracts the attention of these noble collaborators, though I have not consciously thought of them at all.

I have wondered whether it would be irreverent to see in that tiny point of light in the aura which represents the Angel, some sort of analogy at an infinitely lower level to the Host in the Tabernacle which is the vehicle of the Lord Christ. How often have I seen, in some small village church on the Continent, the gentle glow which indicates the Holy Presence; and when some humble peasant-woman comes in on her way to market, puts down her basket in the porch, and kneels for a few moments of prayer, how often have I seen that glow flash out into a sun-like radiance in immediate response to her earnest thought of devotion! The Holy Presence is never absent, but It certainly exhibits Itself in greater activity in answer to an appeal. Is the Angel's force-center something like a faint reflection of that?

Perhaps another analogy may be found in the twelve stars which, following the beautiful description in the Apocalypse, are so often shown in medieval paintings round the head of the Blessed Virgin Mary. All these represent powers; perhaps they correspond in some way to the points of light which the Angels leave in our aura. The Star always floating over the head of an Initiate betokens the Power of the King, upon which he can draw at any moment, while the star upon his forehead is the symbol of his own acquired power.

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