There are many reasons why you should join this fascinating order.

You will of course experienced the issue of why you should join an additional order when you first considered joining the Holy Royal Arch and Mark Masonry. 

Often the reason will be to expand your knowledge of both freemasonry and yourself. The degrees in Royal and Select Masters build on the knowledge that you gained in the prerequisite degrees, a short explanation of the background of these is provided below which we are sure will attract the interest of any Brother with an enquiring mind.

A Council of Royal and Select Masters confers four Degrees, these are written to answer many of those questions.

Select Master
This pre-dates the Master Mason degree. The ceremony contains important lessons on the need for diligence in our work and the dangers of a careless word. It explains the background to the construction of a secret vault (or crypt) constructed under the Holy of Holies of the Temple.  This vault was built to contain copies of the most sacred artifacts as insurance in case the Temple should be destroyed…

Royal Master
This takes place within the Holy of Holies very shortly before, and just after, the death of Hiram Abif, who is once more the central character. The ceremony describes how the three Grand Masters planned to conceal the secrets of Masonry which would later be found in the Royal Arch. This ceremony includes what many believe is the finest and most moving piece of Masonic ritual ever written.

Most Excellent Master
This degree is concerned with the final stages in the construction of King Solomon’s Temple. It describes, in detail, the completion and dedication, including the construction and symbolism of the Ark of the Covenant. It also explains the gradual disappearance of the Secret Vault, over nearly 500 years, into the realms of legend.

Super-Excellent Master
This degree explains the destruction of the first Temple by Nebuchadnezzar which led to the Jews being taken to Babylon in captivity, together with the fate of Zedekiah, the “last king of Judah”. It was from this captivity that the Jews eventually returned to begin the construction of the second Temple as described in the ceremony of the Holy Royal Arch.

These are only setting the scene of the four degrees of Royal and Select Masters, when you join and become an integral part of these ceremonies, you will finally be in a position where it is possible to complete the jigsaw of your masonic journey.