Copyright 2021 Geoff Hadaway. All rights reserved.
SOUTH SHIELDS FREEMASONS'
FREEMASONS' HALL
Ingham Street, South Shields, NE33 2DQ
Reproduced by kind permission from the
Province of Nottinghamshire website
7. What are Masonic ceremonies and rituals?
Masonic ceremonies and rituals provide a spoken and enacted framework for the journey of learning and discovery. Through them, Masons learn about the great human qualities and virtues that Freemasonry advocates, and their relevance to them as individuals and their importance in society.
In effect, the ceremonies and rituals are "plays" enacted by Masons, having learned by heart, the scripts appropriate to their position or office in Freemasonry. Sometimes, ceremonies can be quite dramatic if not theatrical - but always for a purpose - to emphasise a fact or a message. For example and by repute, no Mason ever forgets the sheer drama, excitement and emotion of the Third Degree ceremony, in which he finally becomes a Master Mason.
As a Mason progresses in his Masonic journey, over a number of years, rising through a series of positions or offices, so he takes different parts in the ceremonies, learning them by heart, and gaining a deeper understanding of the relevance of each rôle.
You can read more about this subject from the Masonic book of Emulation Ritual - ISBN 0 85318 209 4
