Reasons to Be a York Rite Mason: Expansion, Clarification, and Discovery of Blue Lodge Teaching

Many Blue Lodge Masons mistakenly believe that once they have completed the first three degrees that is all there is.  This is the equivalent of claiming to have completed elementary school so now one is qualified to be the architect of a great cathedral. 

Before one may become the architect of a great cathedral, however, there are many concepts to be learned to which an elementary school student is not privy.  Likewise, there are many concepts that MOST Masons are not aware of that truly qualify them to be MASTER craftsmen.  The York Rite degrees clarify and expand upon the teachings of Craft Masonry and help those who want to become a MASTER Mason to better learn that craft. 

The events commemorated in the York Rite Degrees, like those of the Symbolic Lodge, pertain to the building, completion, and dedication of King Solomon’s Temple. In the York Rite we see the prequels and the sequels that occurred before and after the Temple tragedy surrounding the Master Craftsman, Hiram. Within the York Rite the legacy of Hiram the master architect is taken to a very meaningful conclusion.

The York Degrees are conferred in a Blue Lodge.  Not just in a blue lodge room, the Blue Lodge protocols and setting are utilized and the York degrees are directly tied to the teachings of the Masonic Blue Lodge. The ceremonies of the York Rite are conveyed as ritual dramas just as they are in Blue Lodge to expand your understanding of the lessons that were introduced in that Lodge of Masons.

In the York Rite the True Word of a Master Mason is discovered and explained, and the Degrees of the Chapter revolve around one great central archetype — the True Word. In the Blue Lodge that Word was lost. It is re-discovered in the York Rite, and a powerful explanation is finally given as to its importance, meaning, and significance to Masonry.  The True Word is more than just a "secret password", the word true is derived from ancient words indicating "firm, solid, steadfast", and the word word is derived from ancient words indicating " to speak, say." 

Thus in the York Rite degrees we see the firm, solid, steadfast speaking of man is lost to greed, self-centeredness and criminal behavior. But we also see that the goodness of humanity may be rediscovered through digging deeply into the beneficial attributes and teachings of the Great Architect of the Universe, and through the exemplification of those attributes and teachings by master craftsmen of those teachings in all ages.

Truly, character building.