The Degree
description below is reprinted with the permission of the
Scottish Rite Journal.
Twenty-eighth Degree
Knight Of The Sun, Or Prince
Adept
J
im
Tresner, 33°, Grand Cross
P.O. Box 70, Guthrie, Oklahoma 73044-0070
Original oil painting by Robert H. White,
32°
For many Brethren, this Degree is the most
difficult, the "hardest to wrap your mind around," of the entire Degree
system of the Scottish Rite. Yet, the regalia seems simple enough.
There is a pure white lambskin apron with no edging or ornamentation,
with the exception of an interlaced pentagram traced in vermilion in
the center of the apron. The collar of the Degree is of white watered
silk, without ornamentation except for an eye, painted in gold on the
right side. Not all of the jewels are shown in the painting on the
facing page to illustrate the Degree. The jewel of the presiding
officer is a gold sun, hung from a gold chain worn around the neck.
When the jewel is turned over, it shows the heavens with the signs of
the zodiac from Taurus to Libra. The other officers wear a
seven-pointed star of gold. The remaining Brethren wear a five-pointed
star of gold. This pentagram, of course, is the symbol for mankind.
Both white and gold represent purity-the white represents that which
has never been impure and which is, therefore, not only pure but
innocent. Gold represents that which has been made pure by refining.
The gold represents the person who has become pure by being tried and
refined over and over again. The eye represents the Deity, Who is aware
of everything and from Whom nothing is hidden.
There are
many other symbols in the 28°, which do not happen to appear in
the regalia. You can find them in color in Appendix III on symbols in Vested
in Glory: The Regalia of the Scottish Rite. Note especially
the Worm Ouroboros (the dragon holding his own tail in his teeth, which
is shown here), the Ancient of Days (a.k.a. the Macroprosopus), the
Seal of Solomon, the microcosm, and the triangle of red, white, and
green sides.
It simply is not possible to give an
explanation of the Degree in detail here. The section in Morals
and Dogma which Pike devotes to the Twenty-eighth Degree is
219 pages. But we can list some of the most important ideas presented
in the Degree and encourage you to think deeply upon their meanings.
-
The soul of man is immortal-this life is only
a point in the center of eternity.
-
The visual is a manifestation of the
invisible.
-
Love and wisdom are to be valued above all
else.
-
What is above is like what is below.
-
Nature continually points to God, reflecting
His power and wisdom.
-
There is no death, only change.
-
Our life is a quest, a seeking.
By seeking and questing, we find a life.
The
Scottish Rite Journal - January 2003
Jim Tresner
is Director of the Masonic Leadership Institute and Editor of The
Oklahoma Mason. A frequent contributor to the Scottish Rite Journal and
its book review editor, Illustrious Brother Tresner is also a volunteer
writer for The Oklahoma Scottish Rite Mason and a video script
consultant for the National Masonic Renewal Committee. He is the
Director of the Thirty-third Degree Conferral Team and Director of Work
at the Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie, Oklahoma, as well as a
life member of the Scottish Rite Research Society, author of the
popular anecdotal biography Albert Pike, The Man Beyond the Monument,
and a member of the steering committee of the Masonic Information
Center. Ill. Tresner was awarded the Grand Cross, the Scottish Rite's
highest honor, during the Supreme Council's October 1997 Biennial
Session.
