From the booklet – “PENETRATING THE VEIL”
– by David C. Bradley–Grand Master–1989-1990
This month’s issue is titled –
“The Middle Ground – Ritual Presentation”
(As the presentations in this website are available to all readers, items involving the Second and Third Degrees will be excluded.)
Ritual Presentation
The ritual is neither literal nor historical, but a dramatic allegory to explain the tenets and principles of the Craft. The delivery of the Work is of crucial importance. The ritualist ought to remember that has placed himself in the position of a Master of the Craft to his apprentice. His responsibility, therefore, is to convey the stories of the ritual to the candidate clearly and interestingly. The general meaning of the ritual can be sensed in the feeling and flow of the words. They are not meaningless. The ritual must impress the candidate with awe and wonder and fill his mind with intelligent information. The work must be sincere and, although accuracy is pleasing, there must be communication. The right words can be pronounced, but is unavailing unless the message comes across. Ritual is the performance of a ceremony to illustrate a mystery. Society has many such rituals: shaking the hand of a friend, raising one’s hat to a lady, saluting an officer by one of lower rank. Although these are simple gestures they do possess deeper meanings. The intent of the masonic ritual is to bring a man into a brotherhood of men, who believe in right thinking and right action.
R.W. Bro. Robert South