Transcripts, Chapter Markers and Show Notes for all episodes are available from our website - WayOfTheHermit.com.

This degree is associated with the Greater Mysteries, following the "Chief of the Tabernacle" degree, and its timing is linked to the Jewish festival of Sukkot, also known as the "Feast of Tabernacles."

David and Gene discuss the ritualistic aspects of the degree, and the symbolic items used such as the Lamp of Trismegistus, the Cloak of Apollonius, and the Staff of the Patriarchs. These items symbolize reason, liberty or self-control, and faith, respectively. The Sphinx and its elemental teachings are also examined, emphasizing the "Power of the Magi" and its components.

The episode further delves into the philosophical aspects of the degree, emphasizing the commonalities among the world's major religions and the universal search for Divine Truth. It touches on the soul's journey, the struggle between divine and natural will, and the concept of the soul as a battlefield. The narrative of detachment from the natural order and the soul's eventual return to the divine source is also discussed.

Gene and David conclude the episode by reflecting on the teachings of the degree, its emphasis on self-improvement, and the Masonic tradition's connection to ancient mysteries. They share their personal takeaways, discussing the importance of self-examination and the elimination of unnecessary elements in one's life to embody the force one wishes to bring into the world.

The series on the Scottish Rite uses the following primary sources (which you are encouraged to read as well):

• Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma: Annotated Edition
• Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor & Guide
• A Bridge to Light

Images and Diagrams:

• 24th Degree - Cordon, Jewel and Apron
• Harmonia Macrosmica of Andreas Cellarius - Plate 05
• Harmonia Macrosmica of Andreas Cellarius - Plate 19

Overview:

• 01:14 Introduction
• 02:10 Ritual of the Degree
• 10:17 Purpose of the Degree
• 11:51 Morals and Dogma
• 12:02 Mysteries of Eleusis
• 13:44 Initiation
• 15:28 Death
• 16:38 Lingam and Yoni
• 18:36 The Sacred Marriage
• 20:23 Sic Mundus Creatus Est
• 23:17 Death as Transmutation
• 24:44 Transmigration & Past Lives
• 25:21 Heavenly Drama
• 27:01 The Myth of Osiris
• 30:43 Gate of Souls
• 32:30 The Mystic Egg
• 33:44 Rites of Purification
• 35:22 Conclusions

Links:

• Sukkot (Wikipedia)
• History of Initiation (Amazon)
• Eleusinian Mysteries (Wikipedia)
• Dionysus, Demeter, Persephone (Wikipedia)
• Sacred Way (Wikipedia)
• Telesterion (Wikipedia)
• Hierophant (Wikipedia)
• The Spiritual Science of the Stars: A Guide to the Architecture of the Spirit (Amazon)
• Tikkun Olam (Wikipedia)