4th Degree: Secret Master. Duty, reflection and study are the gateway to opportunity, as such one honors those relationships to God, family, country and Masonry. The apron of the 4th degree is white and black, with a letter “Z” and all-seeing eye. The jewel of this degree is an ivory key with the letter “Z” on the wards. The teachings: secrecy, obedience and fidelity.
5th Degree: Perfect Master. The degree teaches Masonic honor; that honesty and trustworthiness is the cornerstone of the foundation of such. This virtue should be in all of our undertakings with mankind. The apron of the 5th Degree is white and green, with a cubic stone and a Hebrew YOD. The jewel is represented by a compass open on a segment of a circle, to an angle of sixty degrees. The duties are honesty, sincerity, good faith and industry.
6th Degree: Intimate Secretary. In this degree one should expand their knowledge of duty, charity and toleration. We are instructed to reshape ourselves and our thinking into charity, self-control, and success i.e. to be a peacemaker. The apron of the 6th degree is white and red, with Hebrew letters YOD HEH in the center and a small triangle containing the Hebrew letters (clockwise from top) BETH, NUN, and SHIN. The gold triangle with the same three letters inscribed is the jewel that represents this degree.
7th Degree: Provost & Judge.We learn that impartial justice protects person, property, happiness and reputation. We are instructed to judge with patience and impartially. The apron of the 7th degree is white, edged with red, with a key and five rosettes. The jewel is a golden key.
8th Degree: Intendant of the Building. We should strive for perfection by using the great principles of “God’s inherent love, charity, morality and kindness”. The apron of the 8th degree is white, with red and green, with a balance, a nine-pointed star, and a triangle with the Hebrew letters BETH (for Ben-Khurim), YOU (for Jakinah), and ALEPH (for Achar). The jewel of this Degree is a gold triangle with the same three letters.
9th Degree: Elu of the Nine. Truth, candor and generosity; the foundation of Scottish Rite Masonry is most reflected in this degree. We should use these truths to shape our lives and conduct. The apron of the 9th degree is white, lined with black, and sprinkled with blood, with an arm holding a dagger and a severed head held by the hair. The jewel of this degree is a dagger, hilt of gold and blade of silver.
10th Degree: Elu of the Fifteen. This degree teaches us to be tolerant and respect the opinions of others. Freedoms of political and spiritual ideologies should be shared by all. The apron of the 10th degree is white, with a black flap, and with three arch-shaped gates – over each a head on a spike. The jewel of this degree is a dagger as in the 9th degree.
11th Degree: Elu of the Twelve. This degree teaches sympathy. We should be compassionate to our brother Masons and to all mankind as well. The apron of the 11th degree is white, lined with black, with a flaming heart in the center. The jewel being a dagger suspended from a black cordon inscribed with the words “Vincere aut Mori” the pledge “that you will rather die than betray the cause of the people, or be overcome through your own fear or fault.”
12th Degree: Master Architect. This degree teaches faith in morality and virtue and in God. “Life is what each man makes of it; the optimist turns a trial into a blessing. The apron of the 12th degree consists of a white outer shell, lined with blue and gold (symbolizing the Craft degrees), with a protractor, plain scale, sector, and compasses. The jewel is a heptagonal medal of gold.
13th Degree: Royal Arch of Solomon. Liberty; in our mind and our hearts, motivated by duty and honor are the lessons of this degree. The apron worn is purple, bordered with white, and with the “Enochian delta” (hexagram with inscribed Tetragrammation) in the center. The jewel comprises a circular medal of gold.
14th Degree: Perfect Elu. This degree teaches us to reflect and scrutinize oneself. We should strive to be true to ourselves and our God. The apron being of white silk, bordered in gold, with the Ineffable Delta in the Center is truly emblematical of the degree. The jewel of the 14th Degree is split; one being a quadrant (compass open to ninety degrees) topped by a crown and with a nine-pointed star on the obverse, the other being a five-pointed blazing star (with the Tetragrammaton) on the reverse. The compass is opened on a segment of a circle, inscribed with the numbers 3, 5, 7, 9.
15th Degree: Knight of the East. Fidelity to obligations and perseverance of purpose under difficulties and discouragement are the lessons of this degree. The striking crimson velvet apron of this degree is edged with green, having a bleeding head above two crossed swords, and a triangle (top point to the left) with three interlaced triangles inside it. The jewel is three golden concentric triangles encompassing two crossed swords.
16th Degree: Prince of Jerusalem. We learn “heroism of patience, the nobility of self-sacrifice” and compassionate judgment, along with charity, fidelity and brotherhood. This crimson apron is edged in gold and aurora-color, and with a square, shield, Delta (with three YODs), balance and a hand of justice. The jewel worn is a mother-of-pearl lozenge with a hand holding a balance in equipoise; under it a sword with five stars surrounding the point. On the left is a Hebrew D, on the right is a Hebrew Z.
17th Degree: Knight of the East & West. The wisdom of this degree is that loyalty to God is man’s primary allegiance and the temporal governments not founded upon God and His righteousness will inevitably fall. The apron worn is of yellow satin, with crimson and gold, and with a sword and Tetractys (of the Tetragrammaton) on it. The jewel is a heptagon of half silver and half gold, with crossed swords on a balance on the obverse and a lamb on the Book of Seven Seals on the reverse. The jewel is hung from a double order – one black (left-to-right) and one white (right-to-left), representing good versus evil. A gold coronet is also presented.
18th Degree: Knight Rose Croix. This degree emphasizes that life and its strength come from God. The rose signifies the dawn and the cross is a sacred symbol of antiquity in many cultures. One is also taught to be tolerant of others errors and their faults. The apron worn is of white leather or satin, bordered in red, with a skull and cross-bones, a red passion cross, and three red rosettes. The grand jewel is a gold compass open a quarter circle. A rose-cross is between the legs of the compass and under it is a pelican, tearing its breast to feed its seven young on the obverse and an eagle with wings extended on the reverse. On the circle are the letters
I.N.R.I.
19th Degree: Grand Pontiff. The lessons of the 19° teach us that good will triumph over evil, that the human intellect cannot measure the designs of God and that if lived properly, this life is a bridge to eternal life. In the context of this degree, the word pontiff does not refer to the leader of the Roman Catholic Church but derives from two latin words: ponti, meaning ‘bridge’ and facere, ‘to make’; hence, pontiff means ‘bridge builder.’
20th Degree: Master Of The Symbolic Lodge. The lessons of the 20° teach us that truth, justice and toleration are indispensable qualities for a Master of the Lodge and that example is the best teaching method known.
21st Degree: Noachite, Or Prussian Knight. We learn, in the 21°, that the downfall of evil is certain. A free and independent judiciary is necessary to human progress and that journalism should be fair, just and responsible.
22nd Degree: Knight Royal Axe, Prince Of Libanus.
The lesson of the 22° is simply that work is the mission of man.
23rd Degree: Chief Of The Tabernacle. The lessons of the 23° teach us that simple faith is wiser than vain philosophy and that a society’s concept of the Deity and the universe are consistent with its development.
24th Degree: Prince Of The Tabernacle. The lessons of the 24° teach us of the power of faith in the Deity and his promises. They teach us that the soul is immortal and that there is one, true God, who is pure, absolute intellect and existence.
25th Degree: Knight Of The Brazen Serpent. The 25° teaches us that man is composed of the flesh, the soul and the intellect. Man is a reflection of the Divine and that we should not weary God with petitions.
26th Degree: Prince Of Mercy. In the 26° we learn that the trinity of Deity belongs to no single religion. The truths of Masonry are contained within the religions of the world.
27th Degree: Knight Commander Of The Temple. We are taught in the 27° that Masonry is practical and requires its members to be actively involved in life. We also learn that virtue and duty have been the same in all times.
28th Degree: Knight Of The Sun. The lessons of the 28° teach us that nature reveals a power and wisdom and continually points to God, that the visible is the manifestation of the invisible. We also learn that, in the universe, two opposite forces provide balance, and that there is no death, only change. We also learn that Philosophy is a kind of journey, ever learning, but never arriving at the ideal truth and that the moral code of Masonry is more extensive that that of philosophy.
29th Degree: Scottish Knight Of Saint Andrew. The 29° teaches us that ideals and institutions wax and wane in the great cycle of time which is but change.
30th Degree: Knight Kadosh. The lessons of the 30° teach us that we should arm ourselves with faith in God, love toward our fellow men and knowledge. We also learn that great examples are the noblest legacies from the past; they enrich a nation more than wealth or power.
31st Degree: Inspector Inquisitor. In this degree the apprentice learns prayerful self-examination. The mistakes today should not be committed tomorrow. Simply, the daily look at ones self to learn to live with the future. No apron is worn in the Supreme Tribunal, but the traditional apron displayed is of pure white lambskin with a Teutonic Cross of black and silver embroidered upon the flap. The jewel is a silver Teutonic cross. The jewel is suspended from a white collar, with a gold triangle with a “31″ inside it.
32nd Degree: Master of the Royal Secret. The lessons taught in this degree are that genuine brotherhood requires mutual regard, opinion, esteem and charity. We always look for the good in all, make allowances for others’ shortcomings. We trust the Supreme Architect to lead us to friendship, morality and brotherly love. The apron worn in this degree is white, lined in black, with a double-headed eagle and a plan of the Camp of the Princes. The jewel worn is a golden Teutonic Cross. In the center are the letters XXXII, surrounded by a green wreath. The cap of a Master of the Royal Secret is black silk with a black band trimmed in gold. In the center front is a double-headed eagle emblem with a rayed equilateral triangle above in gold. The triangle is red, has 32° in its center, and is trimmed with gold.
In this degree the apprentice learns prayerful self-examination. The mistakes today should not be committed tomorrow. Simply, the daily look at ones self to learn to live with the future. No apron is worn in the Supreme Tribunal, but the traditional apron displayed is of pure white lambskin with a Teutonic Cross of black and silver embroidered upon the flap. The jewel is a silver Teutonic cross. The jewel is suspended from a white collar, with a gold triangle with a “31″ inside it.
