The Best Gift

Albert Pike once wrote "The best gift we can bestow on man is manhood." This is on page 24 of Morals and Dogma in the Fellowcraft section. I think honestly this sums up the Fellowcraft degree much more eloquently than any long diatribe. From gaining further light into Masonry in one of the most pack ceremonies, the Fellowcraft degree really sparked my attention to all of the nuances of the degree work.

While learning the three sections of the EA degree you are more worried about the order and proper phonetics of the words, let alone the words you are speaking. Once you receive the Fellowcraft degree things seem to come easier, and hence you spend more time (at least I have) looking at the symbols than trying to recite the question and answer section. To me Fellowcraft is “bestowing manhood” as a Mason.

Tonight after my lesson my mentor told me that he has never been so challenged as he was with me in regards to questions regarding the symbols and the meanings. I told him it wasn’t an attempt to “stump the chump” but just wanting to know as much as I could from his perspective. He then went on to talk about how important the ritual is, and that I should consider being a ritualist. I told him I would enjoy that, but I needed to make it through the exam tomorrow night and my Masters degree (right now it’s the 15th of May), before anything else could happen.

When I finish with my exam and I know for sure the date, I will post it on here. I am sure everyone is dying to know. :)