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.

Scottish Rite Regalia Photos And Prints

Illustrations of the Scottish Rite regalia paintings by Brother Robert H. White, 32°, (Twenty-eighth Degree, Knight of the Sun, or Prince Adept, painting pictured above) are available in two formats:

(1) individual 8" x 12" or 11" x 14" color photographs and
(2) grouped photos in a color 22" x 33" poster.

To order individual photos, please contact Bro. George J. Stoklas, 32°, K.C.C.H., 11004 Wickshire Way, North Bethesda, MD 20852. Credit cards and checks accepted. Tel. (301) 468-5787; Fax: (301) 468-3266; e-mail: embcamera@aol.com

To order color posters picturing all the regalia paintings, Fourth through Thirty-third Degrees, including the K.C.C.H. and Grand Cross, use VISA or MasterCard or send a check (domestic only) for $20.00 payable to The Supreme Council, 33°, S.J., USA to: Grand Executive Director's Office, 1733 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009-3103, or visit the online store: www.srmason-sj.org. These apron essays and illustrations are chapters from Vested in Glory, The Regalia of the Scottish Rite by Ill. Jim Tresner, 33°, G.C. This book is available (softbound $12.50; hardbound $25.00; checks payable to The Supreme Council) from: The Supreme Council, 1733 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 2002-3103. VISA & MasterCard accepted. Fax 202-387-1843. Telephone orders: 1-202-232-3579, Ext. 136.

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, Ill. Bro. 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 Albert Pike, The Man Beyond the Monument, and Vested in Glory. 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.