The Fourth Regular Step
The Mark Degree and to is considered by those who are members of it to be “the fourth regular step in Freemasonry". In Somerset there are approximately 1000 Mark Masons in 22 Lodges, and also 10 Royal Ark Mariner Lodges with about 350 members.
The Mark Degree is the third largest order in Freemasonry. To be a Mark Master Mason it is a requirement that you are a subscribing Master Mason in a Craft Lodge and undertake a single ceremony of Advancement. To become a Royal Ark Mariner you need to be a Mark Master Mason and then undertake a single ceremony of Elevation.
Looking at the degree from a modern viewpoint, its popularity undoubtably derives from the fact that the ceremony, although obviously old, contains messages which are still very relevant in the modern world. The candidate in the advancement ceremony plays the part of a Craftsman with a vision, he has realised that a stone of unusual shape will be required to complete the main arch of the temple. When he makes such a stone and presents it his superiors insist that his assumptions are incorrect. They do not have any plans that show such a stone, they know what they are doing so would he please go away. It is an attitude that we have all suffered in todays world! He however perseveres and in the end his work does take pride of place in the building.
Traditionally the Mark Degree is one of hope and encouragement and the ritual is built on a single verse from Psalm 118 “The stone which the builders rejected has become the headstone of the corner". It deals with the building of King Solomon's Temple and the various Craftsmen employed; but its real message is one of contemplation of human strength and weakness. The Degree contains many messages for the discerning man and illustrates that the weakest often displays perseverance far better than the strongest; that the insignificant has potential for distinction, and that we all have a part to play in the Building of Life. It is for each of us to put his own interpretation on the message which the degree proclaims; but there is clear encouragement that no man is beyond redemption, and the possibility of distinction is always within our power.
Whatever one's religion there is a clear message of hope, the degree represents the everyday life of each one of us, for the stone hewn from virgin rock depicts us all on our journey through life and its final recognition as perfection - this should be the guide to our conduct through life.