Ritual of the master's degree

according to Friedrich Ludwig Schröder

December version dates from 1960.   

Establishment of the Master Lodge

The furnishing of the master lodge differs from that of the apprentice lodge in the following: Temple, altar and
overseer tables are clad in black. The three pillars are entwined with black gauze .
The masters wear a white leather apron with a blue border about 3 cm wide and blue ribbons. The back of the
apron is lined in blue. The flap is knocked down .
A low black coffin stands in the center of the carpet. A black mattress with a pillow and a large white opaque
cloth are provided .
A skull is mounted on the wall to the north, east and south of the temple. On the altar lie the Bible, square and
compasses, the points on the square .
At the introduction of the one to be exalted, only the candles burn .

 
Dark Chamber

The guarantor leads the person to be raised, who is dressed as a journeyman, to the door of the dark chamber
and lets him enter. On the table are a skull and an hourglass. A skeleton can stand in a corner. A plaque shows
the following aphorisms :
Belief in God and immortality builds a bridge over the abyss of death .
If you only seek your reward here in the world and if you fear death, you will easily be unfaithful to your most
sacred duties .
Look at all of nature! Everywhere you see change and transformation, nowhere destruction .
A Brother Master is sitting at the table. When the person to be raised enters, he approaches him seriously,
shakes his hand with the journeyman's hand and says:Welcome, my brother, here in the dark of night, among the
symbols of death! In solemn stillness, examine yourself to see if you find yourself strong enough to face death
fearlessly. I am going away so as not to disturb you in this self-examination.
He leaves it and announces the presence of the one to be raised to the one preparing .
 
 
Opening of the Master Lodge

After the introduction, when all the brothers are in their places, the master hits the hammer once. The blow is
repeated by the Second Warden and then by the First Warden .
Master: Brother Second Conductor! Fulfill the first duty of a Freemason!
The second conductor makes sure by walking around that all the brothers are dressed as masters. He then
knocks on the box door with the master's blow. As soon as the doorkeeper has responded with the same blow
from outside, the second conductor goes to his place and speaks without signing: Venerable Master! The master
box is covered.
The master hands the small candle from the altar to the first conductor. Then the large candles are lit as in the
apprentices' lodge .
Master: Wisdom guide our construction! 
1st Warden: Strength execute it!
2nd Warden: Beauty adorn him!
As soon as the master stands behind the altar again, he hits the hammer once. The Second and then the First
Warden repeat the strike .
Master: All right, my brothers!
All brothers step into the master's mark .
Master:Since there are only masters here and everyone knows their duties, I open a master lodge in reverence
for the Great Builder of all worlds and according to the old customs of the master freemasons.
He does the master stroke, which is repeated by the second and then the first warden, and there he says s
 
 
prayer

You, who add the hope of a better world to life's beautiful gift ,
give
us strength at the master's grave ,
who, a victim of his faithfulness, falls.
Let his example of death exhort us
to be faithful in every masonry duty, to
be worthy of the life that we suspect ,
even if our eyes break for it.
Let us walk in truth, let us walk in love,
work tirelessly for virtue,
so that death, free from its terrors,
may be a teacher of peace for us.
After the prayer, the Master completes the Master's mark with all the brothers .
Master: The Master Lodge is open. Blessed be these hours!
All brothers sit down .
 
 
Preparation for survey

Accompanied by a brother, both dressed as masters, the preparer enters the Dark Chamber .
Preparer: My brother! Your brothers are waiting for you today in an even more excited mood than when you
were admitted and promoted . Death is the serious thought that should occupy us in these solemn moments, but
not oppress us.
Our skull too will sooner or later be similar to this skull, our clock of life will also run out down to the last grain
of sand like this one. But just as you have learned to “live joyfully” and “live wisely” through the previous
regulations, the way is to be shown to you today so that one day you can also look forward to dying with
confidence.
The Master Lodge knows your desire to be elevated and is ready to grant it. Here, too, on the third level of our
covenant, you should be a warmly welcome brother to us. Only today will you fully understand that you have
dedicated your life and death to us. Even more certainly than with your journeyman promotion, we must assume
in your elevation that you are imbued with the striving for greater perfection. Is that how it is ?
answer .
Preparatory: The paths that you have walked up to now on the Masonic path should prepare you for the last
stage of Freemasonry. Happy you, if this preparation was true and dignified. Do you remember the importance
of the apprenticeship degree?
Answer.
Should the answer be inadequate, the preparer says: The degree of apprenticeship is a picture of man's birth to a
new moral life.
And the journeyman degree?
answer .
Preparator: It is a picture of progression on this path. In keeping with ancient usage, I will now ask you a few
questions from the Journeyman Catechism.
How should I know that you are a brother journeyman?
Answer: In signs, words and gestures and the repetition of the special circumstances of my promotion.
Preparator: Give me the sign, the word and the handle. happens . How were you shown around the box?
Answer:
Eyes wide open, chained with brothers and chanting cheering.
Preparer: How should the journeyman differ from the apprentices?
Answer: By a greater skill in the practice of all the Masonic virtues and by a continued striving for perfection.
Preparer: Have you tried to fulfill these tasks as far as possible?
answer .
Have you observed the sworn secrecy?
answer .
Have you paid homage to the truth and worked diligently at your refinement?
answer .
Have you been a sincere friend of your brothers?
answer .
Have you practiced charity towards all people to the best of your ability?
answer .
Preparer: My brother! Hold yourself accountable for this and continue to act according to these principles. For
you would be mistaken if you believed that with your elevation to the last degree all Masonic striving was over.
In the exhortation to self-knowledge given to you in your journeyman degree, it was clearly stated that the main
work of the Freemason must always be continued and never reached completion.
Follow me now, my brother! I want to take you to where masters work. The master's hammer blow resounds dull
down to the depths of the grave. Blessed is he who happily completes his masterpiece on earth!
He leads him to the door of the temple and makes him give three slow, strong blows with his clenched hand. He
then turns it with his back against the door. The attendant of the preparer takes the hat of the one to be exalted
and places it at the altar.
 
 
elevation

After the journeyman knocks, the first overseer, then the second and finally the master hit hard once .
All brothers rise and step around the carpet. Perfect Silence .
Master: Brother Second Conductor! who knocked
The second conductor goes to the door, which is opened and closed again by the person on duty at each of the
following questions, and asks: Who knocked?
Preparator: A brother who has worked the proper lawful time as a journeyman and is now asking for the
championship.
2. Conductor: Venerable Master! A brother who has served the proper lawful time as a journeyman and is now
asking for the championship.
Master: Are his masters pleased with him, and is he determined to consistently do his duty?
2. Conductor: Are his masters pleased with him, and is he determined to consistently do his duty?
Preparer: Yes.
2. Conductor: Yes.
Master: Who vouches for him?
2. Conductor: Who vouches for him?
Preparer: The brother ...
2. Conductor: The brother .. .
Master to the Burgen: Brother ... do you confirm your bond?
Guarantor, stepping into the master's mark: Yes.
Master:Let him enter the usual way!
2. Conductor: He may enter in the usual manner.
The preparer takes him by both arms and leads him backwards to the west. The Head Warden approaches him .
Preparer: Brother First Warden! I present to you this faithful fellow begging for the championship.
1st Warden: Venerable Master! A faithful fellow asks for the championship.
Master: If he considers himself worthy of mastery, if his conscience does not reproach him with anything to
prevent him from proceeding with firm courage, then in that confidence wander with a new guide and with
thoughts befitting that trek.
The preparer lets go of him and goes to his place .
The master hits once, after which all the brothers step into the master's mark .
The second conductor grasps the right hand of the person to be lifted with his left hand and puts his right hand
around his shoulder. He gently reminds him to always look towards the wall, and once, slowly, with his back to
the Brotherhood, walking sideways, leads him back through north, east, and south to west. With the skulls of the
north, east, and south, he stands still until the memorandum is said .
If he is in the north, the master strikes up once and says: Think of death!
Death is the final sure goal of man's journey through earth life. Therefore, it is wise to be armed for him at every
step through life.
When he stands in the east, the master strikes once and says: Think of death!
The thought of death is comfort to the suffering, and a reminder to the happy to use wise moderation.
If he stands in the south, the master strikes once and says: Think of death!
The journey to death is the journey to the goal of our perfection.
After the circumambulation is complete, the second conductor has the one to be raised, always with his back to
the Brotherhood. brought back to the side of the First Warden, then after a short pause the 1st Warden
speaks:Venerable Master! The brother journeyman has finished his hike.
Master: Our brother perhaps surmised, by remembering his journeyman admission, to find encouragement and
joy; but that cheerfulness has gone.
The First Warden quickly turns it to the east. All brothers complete the Master's mark .
Master, after a pause: They find us shrouded in sorrow. You see yourself surrounded by images of death. They
stand on the edge of the grave. As an apprentice, you were led into life with your eyes closed by an experienced
guide. The journey, which you continued happily and contentedly through life as a journeyman at the hand of a
friend, you should now complete as a master. The goal of this hike is death.
Blessed is he who can look back on his life with a clear conscience and look fearlessly into the open grave. He is
a master of the art of living and dying who constantly has before his eyes the purpose of life, the strict exercise
of his duty, who is also ready, if need be, to sacrifice his life.
My brother, by presenting an old allegory that is venerable to us, strengthen your conviction that the Master
Freemason should subordinate everything to duty, even disregarding life if it cannot be preserved without
breaching duty. Acting immutably on this belief is the strength of the Master.
Master: Only the firm resolution to keep this belief holy and faithful makes you worthy of exaltation. IIs that
also your conviction, also your intention ?
Answer: Yes.
Master: Brother overseers Let our brother approach the East through the three master steps.
1. Overseer: I will show you the three steps.
The First Warden shows him the three steps across the coffin, northwest to south, south to north, north to
southeast. The attendants help him by holding his hand and then lead him to the altar. Meanwhile the coffin is
quietly taken away and a long black mattress with a headrest is placed in its place .
Master: Bare your hands! Place the tip of this compass on your heart with your left hand!
Put your right hand on the Bible and square!
He strikes with the hammer .
Master: All right, my brothers!
All step into the master's mark .
Master: Are you willing to renew the pledge which you signed as an apprentice and reaffirmed as a journeyman,
and still vow to keep all that is entrusted to you as a master as steadfastly secret from the journeymen as from
the apprentices and non-masons?
Answer: Yes.
Master: I accept your handshake, the word of the honest man.
He accepts the handshake and takes the compass from him. All brothers complete the Master's mark .
Master: Fix your attention on the following allegorical narrative. You will discover in it the cause of our grief,
and you will find exemplified the lesson previously communicated to you, to prefer the fulfillment of duty itself
to life.
The guards lead him backwards. He has to put the heels of his feet together. The master takes the hammer and
stands in front of it .
The speaker solemnly proclaims the following:You know from the explanations given to you when you were
promoted to journeymanship that the rectangular oblong is also called the outline of Solomon's Temple. Hiram
Abiff, the widow's son, was the wise man Solomon trusted to oversee this building.
As it was impossible for him to get to know the multitude of workers and to distinguish between apprentices,
journeymen and masters, he gave each class a special sign, word and handle to pay every worker the wages he
deserved. The apprentices and journeymen had to gather in the forecourt by the columns J and B, but the masters
in the middle room.
Fifteen journeymen united to force the master builder Hiram to give the master's word at the first opportunity, in
order to be considered masters in other countries and receive master's wages.
Twelve of these journeymen repented; three decided to carry it out. They knew the Master's habit of going to the
temple and praying at midday, when the workers were called to rest. They lined up at the three entrances of the
temple to the west, south, and east.
When the Master came to the southern gate, one of these villains barred his way and impetuously coveted the
Master's word. Gently, Hiram replied that he would not obtain it in such a way that only time and patience could
bring it to him. Enraged by this answer, the journeyman hit him across the throat with his measuring stick.
The Second Warden gently touches the throat of the one to be lifted up with the gavel .
Hiram fled to the west gate; but he was stopped in the same way by the second journeyman, to whom he gave
the same answer. Enraged, the villain struck him in the left breast with the square, sending him reeling.
The chief warden gently touches the left breast of the one to be ennobled with the hammer .
Though stunned, Hiram still retained enough spirit presence to want to save himself through the east gate when
the third villain barred his way and, like the first, demanded the master's word. Close to death, Hiram
nevertheless stood his ground. Then he received the third and fatal blow on the head with a pick hammer.
The master gently touches the forehead of the one to be raised with the hammer. In this moment, the two
supervisors use the tips of their toes to bring the journeyman down backwards, so that he comes to rest on the
edge of the mattress with the hollows of his knees. The second conductor covers his head with an opaque white
cloth. The chief warden places him so that his left arm is straight down his waist and his left leg is stretched out.
The Second Warden places the right hand of the person to be lifted up on his left breast and bends his right leg
so that the sole is on the floor .
Meanwhile, the temple is lit up as brightly as possible. The speaker continues:The journeymen dragged the slain
master out of the west gate, hid him under a heap of rubble until midnight, then buried him in a neat grave on the
side of a hill.
Hiram was soon missing, and Solomon made vain inquiries until the twelve repentant companions, dressed in
white aprons and gloves to show their innocence, came before the king and told him what they knew.
Solomon sent them to find the three murderers who had fled.
One of those sent out, resting wearily on the side of a rock, heard lamentations from a chasm: Oh, that my throat
were cut ere I took part in our master's slaying!
And again he heard another wailing: Oh, that my heart should have been torn from my breast Ere I laid my
wicked hand on our Master.
And for the third time he heard moaning: Oh, that my body should have been divided in two before I slew the
dear Master!
The journeyman fetched his companions; they went into the chasm, found the murderers, seized and dragged
them before Solomon.
The culprits confessed their deeds, demanded death, and received it through their chosen punishments.
Solomon then sent some masters to seek Hiram's body to be buried in a holy place. At the same time he said to
them: since the old master's word might be betrayed and regarded as lost, the first word that would be spoken
when the body was lifted up should be the future master's word.
Master: Let us follow Solomon's command and seek the body of the slain Master!
The Master and the overseers slowly walk around the uplifted one through south, west and north back east .
Master: Here is freshly dug earth; here lies the slain master!
The second conductor quickly takes the tudi from the person to be raised, then all the brothers make the
astonishment sign and then step into the master sign .
Master to 2nd Warden: My brother! Try your strength to lift the body.
The second supervisor takes the lying man by the index finger of his right hand, lets it slip through and says:
Yes, akin ! The skin leaves the flesh!
Master to 1st Warden: My brother! Then try your strength!
The first supervisor grasps the lying man by the middle finger of his right hand, lets it slip through and says: B
oas ! The meat leaves the leg.
Master:So I want to try to lift him through the five points of the championship.
He places his right foot against the right foot of the recumbent and places knees against knees. With his right
hand he grasps his right hand above the fist joint and pulls him up towards him so that chest is against chest.
The master puts his left hand around the shoulder of the exalted one and whispers softly into one ear:
Macbenach, and softer into the other ear: He lives in the son! The word Macbenach is repeated half aloud by all
the brothers .
Master: Through the new Master Word and through the five points of mastery, I declare you a
Masonic Master. He touches the Risen One's throat with the hammer .
In honor of the Great Builder of all worlds! He touches the Risen One's left breast . In the name of the United
Grand Lodges of Germany He touches his forehead. and by virtue of my office as Master from the chair of the
Lodge... A ll the brothers complete the mark of Master and sit down . Now the following song can be sung or
spoken : What is born of the dust must become dust again; The spirit is not lost, not robbed of decay. He is an
eternal breath from God and triumphs over time and death. Then let the leaves fall, The flowers only fade; Let
every joy die away

Pass the lust!

We are and will be forever;
Death is victory and not pain.
When the song is over, the Master leads the Exalted One in front of the altar; he himself takes his place behind
the altar .
The master then gives the lesson .
Master: My brother! The masters also have their special sign, handle and word. As the journeyman's mark refers
to the punishment in the journeyman's oath, so the master's mark has its reference to the punishment in the old
master's oath: to have one's body cut up rather than to become a traitor. He shows him the sign .
The second sign is the astonishment or great master sign, which is used only in surveys. He shows him . The
master grip is the one that lifted you with the five points of mastery, namely: foot to foot, knee to knee, hand to
hand, putting them like a claw under the wrist, chest to chest and left arm around brother's neck while at the
same time whispering the master word Macbenac, which is also pronounced Macbenac h , in one's ear. The
meaning of the five points is explained to you in the Master Catechism.

The password is Tubal Kain. Many lodges already use it in the first degree; they have therefore accepted in the
degree of Master partly Giblim and partly Cassia. The punch consists of three equal punches, the last of which is
slightly reinforced. They point to the death-blows of Hiram, whose allegorical story has been told to you today
according to ancient tradition.
Receive this apron! Its white color reminds you anew of keeping a pure heart, its blue of masterful loyalty and
steadfastness.
The white gloves may remind you of the twelve journeymen who wore them as a sign of innocence. Also, grab
your hat and cover yourself with this sign of freedom and equality!
Now make yourself known as Master to the brother overseers in the south and west, and after the lodge is
closed, thank your guarantor.
The first conductor, who helped with the clothing, leads the new master to the supervisors, who have the insignia
of the master's degree repeated .
Master: Head north now and fix your attention on what is being presented to you.
The first conductor leads him north .
 
 
Explanation of the survey

It is presented by the speaker or by the second warden. If another brother takes over the lecture, he stands to the
south by the side of the second warden near the carpet .
My brother! You are used to seeing our Brotherhood acting symbolically and allegorically, and you probably
expect to be introduced to new symbols and allegories. The temple we are building has steps. They lead to the
acquisition of the qualities befitting the Royal Art, without which one cannot be employed as a master in this
construction.
What you learned today should help you understand the importance of this step: it is Masonic Mastery to which
you have been elevated. It is the last and highest level of Freemasonry and presupposes the efforts of the
Freemason to achieve the greatest possible perfection in all the virtues that should be his own.
On your wanderings you confronted the somber picture of death. The Master's voice warned you three times to
be mindful of death. After the invigorating and joyful work in the circle of the journeymen, you as a master
should now be turned back on yourself and made acquainted with the thought that sets the ultimate goal of
human striving, the highest degree of purification: with the thought of death.
Do you remember: suddenly after the hike, your eye was turned to us. They saw us wrapped in sorrow and
beheld the dwelling place of death at their feet. So death enters the eventful life gloomily and devoid of joy and
calls out to us imperatively: Up to here! Our souls are filled with grief over his harshness and relentlessness.
Because death can surprise us suddenly and set a goal for our earthly striving, the Master must be acquainted
with it and prepared for it.
With three strides over the coffin you made your way east, my brother. Birth, life and death are the three steps to
eternal existence which we hope will bring us to the here unattainable goal of true perfection. It is our job to get
as close as possible to this goal. The fulfillment of your duties will not always be made easy for you.
Be prepared for painful experiences.
The master must be willing to accept death because of his duty as a master. In order to make this teaching your
own, you had to act and, as it were, endure the death of Hiram on yourself. You became Hiram's living son! For
son means successor, continuer of the work; this was solemnly declared by the spoken word when you were
lifted. You too should not respect your life if your duty and concern for your brothers demand it of you as a
necessary sacrifice.
But the allegorical plot also hinted at our hopes. A living one was lifted up instead of the slain. A new master is
taking Hiram's place, not yet able to replace him for us, but willing to do so with zeal.
Through his master builder Hiram, Solomon had the workers assigned their places and their wages in the
building of the temple. In the same way, every human being in this visible world is determined by his sphere of
activity and the external reward for his work. But proud self-confidence, conceit, selfishness and envy, unbridled
lust for pleasure disturb the order of nature and want to apply and work what they cannot and should not. The
journeymen demanded the master's word and wages without justification. Three rebels gave the people three
deathblows. Through them truth, justice and brotherly love were violated. Crime triumphed over the righteous.
Should we become discouraged because sometimes it triumphs?
A new master word takes the place of the perhaps betrayed, i.e. considered lost: a new connection of the noble
arises and becomes active.
Your cancellation, my brother, happened after two unsuccessful attempts. Because every purpose is missed if the
wrong means are used. But she made it through the five master points. No difficulty should deter us from
gaining supremacy over prejudice and vice. Our weakness, distrust in our own powers, fear of the outcome often
keep us from fighting evil. But we find friends who inspire us, who devote their support to us, who join us in the
work, and we rise with fair human dignity to work with our brethren.
This is how you were raised: foot to foot and knee to knee our resistance is but one. Hand in hand: We work
together; where one's strength is not sufficient, the brother's hand should support him. Breast to breast, arm
around brother's neck, no force separates those who are tightly bound. The covenant is indissoluble. The master
virtues are purity of heart, truth in words, prudence in action, fearlessness in the face of inevitable evil, and
untiring zeal to create and promote good everywhere. Show, my brother, like Hiram, masterful steadfastness and
greatness of soul in adversity and danger, and let nothing divert you from the path of duty, truth, and justice.
From now on, lead the journeymen and apprentices both in loyalty and zeal for the covenant and in the
fulfillment of all Masonic virtues! And the noblest reward awaits you: a clear conscience. Even as a Master,
don't stop examining yourself and realizing more and more. Be a champion among us in fact and in truth.
The great master builder bless your step today and let it be healing for you and our union!
 
 
Duties and rights of masters

They are presented by the First Warden

1. The Master Degree is the final and highest level of Freemasonry.
2. The Master must endeavor to achieve mastery, i.e. the greatest possible perfection, in all the virtues that are to
be inherent in the Freemason.
3. Therefore one may demand from him that he will always strive to be active for the brotherhood, to show the
non-Mason in the true light, to defend against foreign attacks and to spread it with wisdom.
4. Each newly raised Master should examine himself to what extent he has lived up to the teachings given to him
in the first degrees. According to the result of this test he promises himself: to improve what is imperfect; to
supplement what is lacking; to fasten what sways; to complete what ripens; so that the lodge may never regret
their trust, that he may never blush before her.
5. The master, when he is promoted to the master's degree, undertakes to keep secret everything that is entrusted
to him as master, namely from the apprentices and journeymen as well as from strangers.
6. The Lodge gives its full trust to the Master. She no longer has any secrets for him.
7. The degree of master means the ability to be elected to lodge offices.
8. It is the duty of every Master to become as fully acquainted as possible with the laws and rituals, with the
constitution of the Lodge and the course of the Lodge government, so that he may at any time be able to hold an
official position with honor.
9. He must therefore, as far as he is able, diligently visit the lodges of all grades, and in this set an example to the
apprentices and journeymen.
10. A master mason should not aspire to any office, but should also not refuse any office without good reason .
 
Master Catechism

Questions for the Second Warden Master: Brother Second Warden! Are you a Masonic Master? Answer: That's
what I'm kept under masters for. Master: How am I supposed to know it's you? Answer: By the sign, the handle,
the word, and the repetition of the particular circumstances of my elevation. Master: How many signs do the
masters have? Answer: Two things: the master's mark and the astonishment mark. The first relates to the
commitment and the second to the story. Master: How many points does the perfect Master Grip have? Answer:

Five: foot to foot, knee to knee, hand in hand, chest to chest, and left hand around brother's neck. Master: What
do they mean? Answer: Willingness to come to my brother's aid, goodwill to seek mercy for him, friendship and
unity, sincerity and compassion, concern to forestall my brother's fall. Master: What does the master word
mean? Answer: The dead master's son. Master: What is the master's password? Answer: Tubal Cain. It marks the
transition from the second to the third stage. Questions for the First Warden Master:
Brother First Warden! How do the masters tap? Answer: With three slow beats, the last of which is amplified.
Master: What are they pointing to? Answer: To Hiram's deathblows. Master: And the three master steps?
Answer: To birth, life and death. Master: What virtues must a true Master possess? Answer: Purity of heart, truth
in words, prudence in actions, boldness in the face of inevitable evils, and tireless diligence in doing good.
Master: What are the masters working on? Answer:

At the drawing board to make their designs with the standard of truth, the square of justice and the circle of duty.
Master: How should a master differ from journeymen and apprentices? Answer: By the meticulous performance
of his duties, earning not only the love of his brothers but also the respect of the world.

Closing of the Master Lodge

 

If the master wants to close the lodge after the work is finished, he hits it once with the hammer, which is
repeated by the second and then the first overseer.
Master: Brother Second Warden! Anyone else have anything to say for the good of this Master Lodge or
Freemasonry in general? 2nd Warden: My brothers, at the will of the Venerable Master, I ask you whether
anyone else has anything to say for the good of this Master Lodge or of Freemasonry in general.

Anyone who wants to speak stands up and makes themselves known by raising their right hand, whereupon the
second supervisor informs the master van der Nachrichten. When the Master gives a brother the floor, he steps
into the sign and completes it before he begins to speak.
If no one reported to the Wart:
2nd Warden: Venerable Master! Nobody reported. Master: Brother Second Conductor! We remember the poor.
The second conductor takes the poor box from the treasurer's table and collects it from brother to brother. After
the collection, the master can have the protocol read out. If nobody objects to the protocol, the master signs it.
Master:

Brother First Warden! The work is over. The First Warden hits the hammer once, followed by the Second
Warden, then the Master. 1st Warden: All right, my brothers! All brothers stand up and step into the master sign.
1st Warden: My brothers! By the will of the Venerable Master, I close this Master Lodge in reverence for the
Great Builder of all Worlds and according to the ancient customs of the Master Masons.

He strikes the Master Strike, which is repeated by the Second Warden and then by the Master. All brothers
complete the master's mark. The master approaches his pillar while the two overseers approach theirs. The
candles are extinguished one after the other with the following sayings:
1. Warden: The light goes out, but let the fire of strength continue to work in us! 2nd Warden: The light goes out,
but let the splendor of beauty remain around us! Master: The light goes out, but the light of wisdom shines on
above us! All brothers form the chain. Master: We are not afraid of death! Even when we are afraid of the grave,
our faithful brother gives us comfort and peace;

And if they all left us cold,

He closes our eyes in love.
And when the terror of death surrounds us,
the ear still softly hears what you trusted,
and brotherly love scatters the first earth
on our grave and wishes a happy “become”
We are not afraid of death! The last line is repeated twice by all the brothers. The chain is released. There is no
clapping. Master: Peace and harmony be with you, my brothers! The brotherhood leaves the temple with the
brothers in the east leading the way.

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