It is said that Freemasonry can be described as a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols...conveyed through ritual.

Masonic Rituals are ceremonies usually derived from biblical and esoteric sources; they tell a particular story and impart certain moral lessons. Personally I find that of the 3 craft degrees, the Entered Apprentice degree is the most important. This is where the journey towards knowing yourself begins.

The EA degree introduced you into our order, it gave you a glimpse into the philosophical and moral lessons that can be learned should you choose to advance within the Fraternity. Unlike our sister constitutions where only the officers of the lodge recite ritual, in the Irish Constitution of freemasonry even the Entered Apprentice can take part in our degree work. Take advantage of this...

When you first open your ritual book you will undoubtedly find, as did I, that the language used in our rituals and ceremonies seem archaic and the structure difficult to follow and understand. Also, you will at times question the necessity of keeping such old phrasing to recite ritual, when using modern English would simplify matters immensely.

Alas, this is becoming a common misconception of what our ritual represents. Masonic Rituals are not mere fanciful ceremonies to humiliate the candidate or to entertain the brethren at our meetings. Our rituals are ancient and as such, represent tradition.

In the past, rituals were duly passed down orally through the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Instruction, and with the advent of Lodges being installed so far away from our Mother Lodge it was deemed necessary to write down our rituals and have The Grand Lodge of Instruction revise and update them as and if required.

Ours is a tradition that cannot be watered down just to maintain the enthusiasm of our initiates or to make it easier for them to understand. In time, as the world revolves at an unceasing and unforgivable pace you will appreciate these old fashioned words as an anchor to our rich and honourable past.

Unfortunately, some of our brethren, having attained the EA degree somehow immediately become knife and fork masons (Masons who attend meetings but enjoy and rather prefer the Refreshment Board) and forget about the ritual and the lessons within it.

Although it is not obligatory to learn ritual it is to your advantage that you do. Most, if not all freemasons forget most of what happened during their EA degree and watching from the sidelines will just spark a flash memory of the night's proceedings.

Note that initiations or any other degree work are not done at every meeting. So reading ritual (and eventually studying it) teaches you to better understand and remember the moral lessons that you were explained at your initiation.

You may have a family and you due responsibility towards it is paramount but when you have a brief moment of 'me' time get your ritual book out and just read through it. That little book is not only a ritual book, it also explains a fair bit of lodge etiquette, what the lodge officers are and what is done when we open and close the lodge. It goes without saying that if you have any questions about anything ASK!

So, you have decided to study and thus impart our rituals. Do not despair if you can't recite it perfectly the first time.

Read the ritual by sections and you will find that each sentence logically leads to the next. If you have to read it a few (many) times so be it, if you have to ask questions, ask, and remember that all your brothers in the lodge will be more than happy to help you.

Start slowly, learning a paragraph or even just a sentence at a time, remember it is not a competition as to who can recite the best or can recite the longest chunk of ritual. You study so you can properly teach the candidate and at the same time learn.

It is recommended you first learn the Working Tools. This section is a few paragraphs long and in my humble opinion the most important section in the EA degree. This is where the moral lessons are taught. So it is imperative that the Candidate is properly instructed.

Once you have 'given' the Working Tools a few times, you may feel confident enough to learn larger chunks of ritual. Again, take your time, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. If you are not sure on what study method you should adopt please refer to Learning & Memorizing Masonic Ritual by W. Bro. Mark Waks. This leaflet is a must for any aspiring ritualist.

If you are interested there are many books on the subject of Freemasonry and its rituals that you can read. To start of with, I suggest you begin with these books. Hopefully they will open your mind to the possibilities available to you should you study our rituals.

Turning The Hiram Key by Robert Lomas (2005)

The Meaning of Masonry by W.L. Wilmhurst (1922).