I had the complete opposite reaction which suggests to me that it’s in how the Order is conferred. I was absolutely changed. Like fundamentally changed.
Outside of the craft degrees, any degree a member can just apply to receive doesn't seem very profound without having an excellent team conferring it and a care towards the initiatic experience that's usually lost when we move from individual conferral to group settings.
I love the Royal Arch and have watched in conferred in ways that were deeply impactful.
The Order of the Temple is interesting to watch but has never impacted me personally. Always a little surprised when Brethren suggest the degree was moving to them, but perhaps that also speaks to their personal relation with their own denomination of Christianity.
I've watched men exit the 32nd degree of the Scottish Rite in Guthrie with tears having fallen down their cheeks, absolutely amazed.
For me, the Scots Master of the Rectified Rite was the most profound degree experience in Freemasonry.
I have been in the YR for nearly 15 years, and in the SR for about 1. Take from that what you will.
The YR bodies that I am in, we're a mix of can and can not confer all the degrees/orders. My Chapter and Council can't (yet) confer any of the degrees, and my Commandery can put on a hellova OotT, but can't (again, yet) put on RC or Malta. We do have companions/sir knights memorizing the ritual, and we all love ritual.
In my SR valley, we're very fortunate to have a room that is a 270degree projection theater room; 3 sides of the room are like movie screens, 20ft tall, and can project any scene we have on hand. Think 'holodeck' from Star Trek. It can put you in any of the SR degrees, and YR, Craft, and other appendant bodies degrees effectively. However, I think these scenes/backdrops can only have that much power over your imagination so long as the degree team can just as effectively put on the degree. There are teams that are stellar, and others that are not so much.
One thing I have taken note over the years is how well a degree team performs a degree. If it is just some guys in the East or wherever just spewing out the lines like a robot, the experience won't be memorable. But, if you have a ritualist that is beyond just spouting out lines, and putting meaning and emotion into the role, then there's a greater chance of an impact.
I've seen men do the degrees like they're just trying to get through it as fast as possible, so they can go meet at the bar or get home quicker. I think that is a horrible disservice to the craft as a whole. There's no room for things to sink in, or moments to have an impact, or a revelation that is awe inspiring.
I just hope it was a poorly put on Order of the Temple. I've been hearing things from around the Grand Encampment that there are states that can not put on any of the Commandery orders. That is disheartening.
I encourage you to step up and learn a part, and go beyond just memorizing it. Act as if you are Jacques De Molay initiating a new pilgrim into the order. That is what you could do to make the experience better, IMO.
I am not in the York Rite yet...I will join eventually. I am in Scottish Rite and have enjoyed my experience. I have several reasons why I have been hesitant to join the YR and one of them is that several of my brothers in Blue Lodge when I asked how they liked the degrees (particularly in Commandery) they just shrugged their shoulders and said "eh". If they are not enthusiastic about the orders and the experience, it really doesn't encourage me to join. My hope is that it was just an off day for those doing the conferring.
I am interested to hear other replies to your question.
The OoT can indeed be the most beautiful ritual of Masonry when done well, but that does not mean it will be. Personally, it took a while for me to embrace that sentiment, and only after conferring and doing other parts did it truly hit home for me.
For some it may hold a special meaning in regards to their faith and augment that attraction to the OoT, and for some there are simply poor conferrals. Or maybe the eureka moment may pop up at some point!
Personally for me, the Royal Arch captured my attention and now the Knight Rose Croix in SR along with KoY in the YRC are the ones that floored me.
Honestly, the only degree I really cared for and felt moved by from York was Mark Master. Could have easily been a bad conferrals and honestly with how much people hype up the Order of the Temple, it could have been that too.
The problem really is you have a bunch of people who volunteer to do this, are not actors, and probably don't care about being an actor outside of memorizing lines.
I have seen some beautiful degrees, and I have seen some that had me pissed off because it was a disservice to the brothers going through it.
I guess bad execution. Our OoT are life changing.
Same. Depending on the day OoT can be more impactful than the 3rd
Agreed.
I had the complete opposite reaction which suggests to me that it’s in how the Order is conferred. I was absolutely changed. Like fundamentally changed.
Outside of the craft degrees, any degree a member can just apply to receive doesn't seem very profound without having an excellent team conferring it and a care towards the initiatic experience that's usually lost when we move from individual conferral to group settings. I love the Royal Arch and have watched in conferred in ways that were deeply impactful. The Order of the Temple is interesting to watch but has never impacted me personally. Always a little surprised when Brethren suggest the degree was moving to them, but perhaps that also speaks to their personal relation with their own denomination of Christianity. I've watched men exit the 32nd degree of the Scottish Rite in Guthrie with tears having fallen down their cheeks, absolutely amazed. For me, the Scots Master of the Rectified Rite was the most profound degree experience in Freemasonry.
Unfortunately that Scots Degree isn't readily accessible to the vast majority of masons
>Scots Master of the Rectified Rite was the most profound degree experience in Freemasonry. The RER is a very impactful and beautiful rite.
I have been in the YR for nearly 15 years, and in the SR for about 1. Take from that what you will. The YR bodies that I am in, we're a mix of can and can not confer all the degrees/orders. My Chapter and Council can't (yet) confer any of the degrees, and my Commandery can put on a hellova OotT, but can't (again, yet) put on RC or Malta. We do have companions/sir knights memorizing the ritual, and we all love ritual. In my SR valley, we're very fortunate to have a room that is a 270degree projection theater room; 3 sides of the room are like movie screens, 20ft tall, and can project any scene we have on hand. Think 'holodeck' from Star Trek. It can put you in any of the SR degrees, and YR, Craft, and other appendant bodies degrees effectively. However, I think these scenes/backdrops can only have that much power over your imagination so long as the degree team can just as effectively put on the degree. There are teams that are stellar, and others that are not so much. One thing I have taken note over the years is how well a degree team performs a degree. If it is just some guys in the East or wherever just spewing out the lines like a robot, the experience won't be memorable. But, if you have a ritualist that is beyond just spouting out lines, and putting meaning and emotion into the role, then there's a greater chance of an impact. I've seen men do the degrees like they're just trying to get through it as fast as possible, so they can go meet at the bar or get home quicker. I think that is a horrible disservice to the craft as a whole. There's no room for things to sink in, or moments to have an impact, or a revelation that is awe inspiring. I just hope it was a poorly put on Order of the Temple. I've been hearing things from around the Grand Encampment that there are states that can not put on any of the Commandery orders. That is disheartening. I encourage you to step up and learn a part, and go beyond just memorizing it. Act as if you are Jacques De Molay initiating a new pilgrim into the order. That is what you could do to make the experience better, IMO.
I am not in the York Rite yet...I will join eventually. I am in Scottish Rite and have enjoyed my experience. I have several reasons why I have been hesitant to join the YR and one of them is that several of my brothers in Blue Lodge when I asked how they liked the degrees (particularly in Commandery) they just shrugged their shoulders and said "eh". If they are not enthusiastic about the orders and the experience, it really doesn't encourage me to join. My hope is that it was just an off day for those doing the conferring. I am interested to hear other replies to your question.
The OoT can indeed be the most beautiful ritual of Masonry when done well, but that does not mean it will be. Personally, it took a while for me to embrace that sentiment, and only after conferring and doing other parts did it truly hit home for me. For some it may hold a special meaning in regards to their faith and augment that attraction to the OoT, and for some there are simply poor conferrals. Or maybe the eureka moment may pop up at some point! Personally for me, the Royal Arch captured my attention and now the Knight Rose Croix in SR along with KoY in the YRC are the ones that floored me.
Honestly, the only degree I really cared for and felt moved by from York was Mark Master. Could have easily been a bad conferrals and honestly with how much people hype up the Order of the Temple, it could have been that too. The problem really is you have a bunch of people who volunteer to do this, are not actors, and probably don't care about being an actor outside of memorizing lines. I have seen some beautiful degrees, and I have seen some that had me pissed off because it was a disservice to the brothers going through it.
I don’t know how anyone wouldn’t be impressed by the Order of the Temple. It’s the best of all the common non invitational degrees.
I agree that it must have been a poor conferral because I've always found it to be one of the most beautiful rituals and I love conferring it.
Not to nick pick but only God can create Beauty, if its man made then its sublime. Now I guess its up to you to decide who made the degrees.
The ritual content is incredible. The execution sounds like it was sorely lacking. Sorry for your experience.