Brother seeker of enlightenment,

We have just completed the study of the Twenty-eighth degree and will move on to the Twenty-ninth Degree in the Council of Kadosh at our next session which will be held on Wednesday, August 19th at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. The session on Zoom went very well, so we will continue to use Zoom for the rest of the year and complete all the degrees in this manner. If you are new and wish to join in please contact Ill. Keith and give him your e-mail address so you will get an invitation.

Even if you have not attended before each session is a separate degree so there is no need to feel that you must have 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 29th degree, so be prepared. 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 29th 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. This will be held at the February stated meeting. With four sessions remaining this gives you a good chance to catch up and qualify for this honor. We will then be starting a new class with the 4th degree in March 2021.

Important Symbols:

  • St. Andrew’s Cross
  • Castle in Ruins
  • Armorless Knight
  • The color green

Lessons:

  • Virtue is an armor stronger than the strongest metal.
  • The world still needs heroic souls.
  • Loving-kindness is the only thing God requires of us.
  • The possession of which fulfills all our duties.
  • Ideas and institutions wax and wane in the great cycle of time.
  • Protect virtue and innocence and defend the people against tyranny.
  • Revere Deity and serve the truth.

Topics for Discussion:

  • Explain one of the most profound ideas of this degree as stated in Morals and Dogma; “We ought to love life, we ought to desire to live here as long as God ordains it; but let us not so encase ourselves in time that we cannot break the crust and begin to throw out shoots for the other life.”
  • Explain the fine line between loving life and being attached to it in reference to death and immortality.
  • Nothing of Divine Truth which comes into this world is ever lost. How do we know this?
  • Considering contemporary American society is it still true that “the law hath no power to strike the virtuous?”
  • There are two natures in man, the noble and ignoble. Freemasonry is a continual effort to exalt the nobler nature over the ignoble. How in daily life can we identify with the noble nature and what does it mean to exalt the divine over the human?
  • Discuss the symbolism of the ruined castle and the fact that it is roofless. Take into consideration the symbolism of castles and fortified places.
  • Whom do we most honor? The man who has made great wealth or the man who has used that wealth to make the world a better place? Outline some virtues that Masonry has taught us to know how to achieve lofty goals.
  • Discuss the statement, “our spiritual life decays in the confinement and darkness of the world.”
  • One of the lessons of this Degree is that the inheritance a father leaves his children is a mind that fears neither rain nor tempest, nor force of man, nor human in justice. What can we use to really conquer fear?

Looking forward to an interesting and rewarding session,

Ill. Harry Eisenberg, 33°