The Master Mason’s ritual, central to modern Freemasonry, might not be the original version, but rather a substitute. This idea may seem surprising at first glance, but when examined in the historical context of the early 18th century, it opens up fascinating possibilities. The events of 1717, which saw the founding of the first Grand Lodge of England, did not occur in isolation. Instead, they were part of a broader tapestry of religious and political turmoil that had gripped England for centuries.
The Historical Context: England in the 17th Century
To fully appreciate the significance of the events of 1717, one must first understand the preceding century and a half of English history. The Protestant Reformation, initiated by King Henry VIII’s break from the Catholic Church in the 16th century, set off a series of religious and political upheavals. England swung between Protestantism and Catholicism, with each new monarch imposing their religious beliefs on the nation. These swings culminated in the English Civil War of 1641-1645, which ended with the Puritan dictatorship of Oliver Cromwell.
The Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 under Charles II, a Protestant, brought temporary stability. However, this was shattered in 1688 when Charles’s Catholic brother, James II, was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution. James’s Protestant daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, ascended the throne. The Jacobites, supporters of the exiled James II and his descendants, posed a constant threat to the Protestant establishment. This threat reached a climax with the Jacobite uprising of 1715, which was quickly quashed. By 1717, the Protestant monarchy of the House of Hanover, established under George I, seemed secure, and England entered a period of religious liberty and relative peace.
The Founding of the Grand Lodge and the Loss of Tradition
In this context of newfound stability, the founding of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 can be seen as an attempt to preserve and reassemble the fragments of ancient traditions that had survived the religious wars and persecutions of the preceding centuries. The suggestion that the original Master Mason’s ritual was lost and replaced with a substitute is particularly compelling when we consider the flight of many Jacobites, including influential students of occultism, to Catholic countries after the failed uprising of 1715. It is plausible that the original ritual was among the traditions that left England with these exiles.
The Grand Lodge, then, was likely a salvage operation. Faced with the loss of the original ritual, the London Masons may have pieced together a new one, possibly drawing on Scottish traditions or other sources. The ritual that emerged, while effective, bore a sense of loss, as it was widely accepted among Masons that the “True Word” of a Master Mason had been lost and that the substitute word was merely a placeholder until the original could be rediscovered.
The Emergence of Scottish Masonry and the Haunts Grades
Following the Jacobite defeat, new Masonic rituals began to surface, particularly in France and Germany, where Jacobite exiles had fled. These rituals, known as hauts grades or “high degrees,” were initially secretive and were used by Jacobite rebels for networking and gathering resources for future uprisings. The Scots Master degree, first recorded in 1733, was one such ritual, with its origins linked to Rosslyn Chapel and the legends surrounding it.
Another significant degree that emerged during this period was the Royal Arch degree, first recorded in 1743. This degree, with its echoes of Knights Templar secrets and its focus on the discovery of hidden knowledge beneath the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, has become one of the most widely conferred Masonic degrees and is considered by many as the completion of the Master Mason’s degree.
The Knight Rose Croix of Heredom and the Grail Ceremony
Among the hauts grades that emerged in the 18th century, the Knight Rose Croix of Heredom is particularly intriguing. This degree, first associated with the Rite of Perfection founded in Paris in 1754, is notable for its similarities to the Grail ceremony described in medieval texts such as the Elucidation. Both rituals follow a similar structure, beginning in darkness and mourning, proceeding through a transformative experience, and culminating in a final stage of enlightenment or triumph.
The Rose Croix degree, however, deviates from traditional Masonic rituals in several key ways. It lacks the typical Masonic obligation of secrecy, and its symbolism seems to be more aligned with conventional Christian themes rather than Masonic or Rosicrucian ones. This has led to speculation that the degree may have been created by the Catholic Church as a means of diverting Masons away from their traditional practices.
Despite these deviations, the parallels between the Rose Croix degree and the Grail ceremony suggest that the former may have been inspired by or even created in imitation of the latter. This connection is particularly compelling given the degree’s association with a mysterious mountain called Heredom, reminiscent of the Grail legends’ Munsalväsche, and its structure, which mirrors the stages of the Grail ceremony.
A Fragment of a Lost Tradition?
The story of the Master Mason’s ritual and the emergence of the hauts grades in the 18th century reveals a fascinating interplay between history, tradition, and myth. The founding of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 can be seen as a response to the loss of ancient traditions during a time of religious and political upheaval. The rituals that emerged in the wake of this event, particularly those associated with the Jacobite exiles, offer tantalizing glimpses of the lost traditions that may have once existed.
The Knight Rose Croix of Heredom, in particular, stands out as a ritual that may have been inspired by the Grail ceremony, suggesting a deeper connection between modern Freemasonry and the ancient mysteries. Whether this degree represents a fragment of a lost tradition or a creative reinterpretation of older symbols, it serves as a reminder of the enduring power of myth and ritual in shaping human history and culture.
src. The Ceremony of the Grail: Ancient Mysteries, Gnostic Heresies, and the Lost Rituals of Freemasonry by John Michael Greer.
