Degrees in Freemasonry

(from the  “Everything Freemasons Book”  2006 )

(Ed Note:  I have slightly reorganized a few sentences to clear up possible confusion; and I have embellished a few ideas with language from other sources.)
 
There are three main degrees, or levels of Freemasonry to which a member can ascend.  The first degree is Entered Apprentice, the second is Fellowcraft, and the third is Master Mason.  In general, an individual who is referred to as a Mason has typically achieved all three degrees.

The degrees of Freemasonry are akin to a staircase—with each step an individual ascends to a higher level of growth and spiritual enlightenment.  Some view the three levels as representing stages of personal development, a progress toward perfecting human nature.  

Once accepted, the individual will have an initiation ceremony and begin his fraternal journey as an Entered Apprentice.  Each degree is designed to enlighten an initiate using allegory, ritual, and symbols, most of which have evolved from the Operative Masons and the tools of their trade.

No Freemason is told that there is only one meaning to the allegories; as a Freemason works through the degrees and understands their lessons, he interprets them for himself.  A common symbolic structure and universal archetypes provide a means for each Freemason to come to his own answers to life's important philosophical questions.

It is said that the three degrees are a rite of passage celebrating youth, manhood, and age.  During the first degree a member is born into the Brotherhood and begins the learning process.  During the second degree he becomes more enlightened as to the ways of the Craft, and by the third degree he increases his moral value and virtue.

Another common description of the degrees is mind, body and soul.  The first degree revolves around the body as it relates to an action-filled world and man's ability to hone his relationship with that world.  The second degree deals with perfecting the mind through the use of liberal arts and science.  The third degree involves perfection of the soul as a result of understanding the mysteries of the Craft.

{It is said that potential member of the fraternity is prepared in his heart, and then enters into the Brotherhood in order to discover “light” or knowledge.}

Entered Apprentice

The Entered Apprentice, being the first degree, in many ways symbolizes an individual's spiritual birth into the fraternity, and begins his quest for “light,” or knowledge.  It is a preliminary degree which serves to prepare the individual for the second and third degrees that will, in succession, elevate his level of fraternal growth, understanding, and enlightenment.

In order to obtain each degree, a member must participate in a symbolic ritual before he can continue on to the next degree.  This begins with the Entered Apprentice degree and the first of an initiate's catechisms, or questions and answers.  Typically, a new member will work with an existing member to aid in learning the questions and answers that relate to that degree  When a catechism is completed, an initiate can move on to the next degree.

Each degree has a certain symbolism associated with it's level.  These symbols, or working tools, are meant to represent the morals and forces necessary in building and rebuilding the nature of humankind.  Philosophically, the tools, by their very nature, are meant to show that well-meaning and gratifying work, with proper guidance, can be accomplished.

As an Apprentice, an individual is introduced to the lodge and the internal structure of the fraternity.  The lessons he learns begin with his initiation rite where he must be prepared to embark on a personal journey of growth and spiritual fulfillment.  Once an individual is duly ready to accept this journey, he can proceed to the second degree, or Fellowcraft.

Fellowcraft

Individuals who earn the second degree of Freemasonry, Fellowcraft (thought to be short for Fellow of the Craft – Ed.) are symbolically entering into the adult phase of the Craft.  It is about advancement, assuming new responsibilities.  At this stage, members seek to acquire the knowledge and spiritual tools necessary to build character and improve society.  The symbolism associated with the second degree differs from the first in that individuals are urged to seek greater appreciation of key arts and sciences.  Additional allegories and symbols serve to further enhance the initiate's intellectual prowess and reasoning capabilities.

The Fellowcraft degree symbolizes life and the emergence into spiritual adulthood.  In keeping with his progressive fraternal learning, the initiate is taught more history of the Craft and the legacy of Operative Masonry from biblical to Medieval times. (in allegorical terms -  Ed.)   During this symbolic period of manhood, Fellowcraft initiates use the lessons they learned as an Entered Apprentice to broaden and strengthen their horizons.  One of the primary symbols associated with a Fellowcraft Mason is a winding staircase, which is used to ascend to new spiritual heights.

Master Mason

Throughout the fraternity it is a commonly held belief that there is no higher degree conferred on a individual than Master Mason.  The Master Mason is symbolically linked to the soul and his own inner nature belief system.  His spiritual and physical growth is enhanced when achieving this degree, as he climbs the winding stairs of adulthood in an effort to learn more of the Divine Truth. 

It is said that by this stage of Brotherly evolution, an individual has learned to balance his inner nature, developed stability, purified his physicality, and broadened his mental faculties.

The degree is richly laden with allegory and symbolism that dates back to the building of the Temple of Solomon, and the rites associated with the degree are taken very seriously in regard to a brother's spiritual and educational teachings of the Craft.