Brother seeker of enlightenment,

We have just completed study of the Twenty-sixth degree and will move on to the Twenty-seventh Degree in the Council of Kadosh at our next session which will be held on Wednesday May 17th at 7:00 p.m. There will be dinner before this session at 6:30 p.m. with the class to follow. Even if you have not attended before each session is a separate degree so there is no need to feel that you have to had prior experience to enjoy the class. We are at a point in the Council of Kadosh where we are experiencing degrees of great philosophical and religious import and as such are very difficult to grasp at times. We will see nothing less with the 27th degree, so be prepared. This is one of the most significant of the whole of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. As before the resource material for this and all subsequent degrees is as listed below. It is suggested you bring your copy of “A Bridge to Light” to class and study the 27th degree beforehand at home. At the completion of the 32nd degree we will have a graduation ceremony for those brothers who have attended 50% or 15 sessions. With seven sessions remaining this gives you a good chance to catch up and qualify for this honor.

Important Symbols:

  • Seal of Solomon (Macrocosm)
  • The Pentagram (Microcosm)
  • Right Triangle
  • Pythagorean Tetractys
  • Equilateral Triangle of Red, Green and White sides
  • The Rebus

Lessons:

  • Nature reveals a power and wisdom and continually points to God
  • The visible is a manifestation of the invisible. (So above, so below)
  • In the universe two opposing forces provide balance. There is no death, only change.
  • God is at once both remote and intimate.
  • The moral code of Masonry is more extensive than that of philosophy.

Topics for Discussion:

  • Symbolism being the key to Masonry, why has a discussion of it been so long delayed until this point?
  • What is the difference between philosophy and religion? When are they in opposition and when in harmony?
  • What does the Kabbalah propose regarding the phenomenon of Creation? I will be lecturing on this one!
  • What is the ultimate objective of science?
  • Unity evolving out of duality is a central theme of this degree. Trace this from the 3 lesser lights of the Blue Lodge to this degree.
  • What is the meaning of the Ouroboros (snake with its tail in its mouth) in various cultures and this degree?
  • What is the symbolism regarding salt and its consumption in this degree?
  • This degree is styled Knight of the Sun. Father Adam and Brother Truth have symbolic associations with the sun. What does the sun represent in the philosophical lodge, the moral lodge, they physical lodge?
  • If a spark of God exists in all men, what does that tell us about the way we should treat others?
  • Discuss the symbolism of the pentagram.
  • Discuss what is meant by the visible is a manifestation of the invisible.
  • What is the mystic tie?

Looking forward to an interesting and rewarding session,

Harry Eisenberg, 32° KCCH