Transcripts, Chapter Markers and Show Notes for all episodes are available from our website - WayOfTheHermit.com.In this episode, Gene and David first discuss the Degree Ritual, a ceremony with roots tracing back to the Crusaders' interactions with the Druze, a mystical Islamic sect from Lebanon. This ritual, set in the Middle Ages, involves a candidate assuming the role of a Prussian Knight, undergoing a transformative journey through two symbolic apartments. The first apartment, representing a carpenter's workshop on Mount Lebanon, hosts an induction ceremony emphasizing the dignity of labor and the rejection of idleness. The candidate is introduced to the College of Artificers, an ancient group of artisans with connections to Freemasonry and the Scottish Rite, suggesting a lineage of knowledge and craftsmanship dating back to Rome around 700 B.C.The second apartment in the Ritual of the Degree symbolizes the Council of the Round Table, where the candidate learns about the College's ties to the construction of Solomon's Temple, highlighting the Druze's central role in the shared mysteries of Solomon and Hiram, King of Tyre. The working tools of the Degree - the Saw, Plane, and Ax - serve as metaphors for patience, equality, and civilization, respectively.The purpose of the Degree is to instill an appreciation for work as a noble, humanizing force, essential for personal and societal advancement. The discussion also covers the Degree Lecture's emphasis on work as worship, the nobility of labor, and the lifelong duty to contribute meaningfully to the world, encapsulating the Masonic valorization of industriousness and moral integrity.This series on the Scottish Rite uses the following primary sources (which you are encouraged to read as well):Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma: Annotated EditionScottish Rite Ritual Monitor & GuideA Bridge to LightImages and Diagrams:Knight Royal AxeOverview:01:14 Introduction01:33 The Degree Ritual08:56 Purpose of the Degree09:40 Morals and Dogma10:37 Work is Noble14:51 Laborare est Orare, “Work is Worship”17:19 Duty is With Us Always19:45 Industry Lies at the Foundation of Human Improvement24:45 The Poor Have Made Many Great Achievements28:04 Masonry Ennobles Common Life29:15 The Cedars of Lebanon30:09 The Royal Ax32:55 The Workshop33:22 The Round Table33:51 ConclusionsLinks:Druze (Wikipedia)Sons of Noah (Wikipedia)Aholiab (Wikipedia)Bezalel (Wikipedia)Ezra (Wikipedia)Nehemiah (Wikipedia)The Matrix Reloaded - The Architect Scene Part 1 (YouTube)Oath of the Abyss (Hermetic.com)

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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