04/13/2026
Why is Freemasonry divided into degrees ?
Many people observe Freemasonry from the outside and wonder why there are degrees, symbols, and ceremonies presented in a progressive manner. The answer is simple in essence, but profound in meaning: **Freemasonry is an initiatory school**. It is not an institution that “bestows ranks,” but a path of inner formation.
The degrees represent **phases of human development**, stages of self-knowledge and transformation. Each degree is a door that opens only when the initiate has understood and lived what they learned in the previous one. One does not advance to a higher degree to “be more” or to have a hierarchy; one progresses because one has worked on oneself.
In the **First Degree, the Apprentice**, the individual confronts their rough stone: their passions, vices, fears, and shadows. It is about knowing oneself and beginning the inner work.
In the **Second Degree, the Fellow Craft**, the initiate studies the laws of the world, art, science, harmony, and the order of the universe. The microcosm (humankind) is related to the macrocosm (creation).
In the **Third Degree, the Master Mason**, the human being symbolizes their own death and rebirth. It is the understanding that true light lies beyond appearances, and that the spirit is stronger than matter.
In philosophical rites, such as the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, subsequent degrees are not ranks of power, but rather **deeper studies** of symbolism, philosophy, history, and metaphysics. They are tools for those who wish to continue their self-improvement.
Freemasonry teaches that **the temple to be built is oneself**.
Each degree is not a title: **it is a stage of consciousness**.
The true work is not within the walls of the temple, nor in the apron or the jewel, but in **the silent transformation of the self**.
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It is not a path to dominate others, but to learn to **master oneself**.
The teachings lie behind the symbols, and to understand one, you must understand the previous one. Freemasonry is an eternal initiation into inner knowledge to connect with the Great Architect of the Universe.
— So be it.
Fraternally, Oscar Israel Rubio Medrano
