Mark Master essay question: Companion Adept of the Temple

I'm currently working through the Sovereign York Rite College of North America's Companion Adept of the Temple course (see the post before this for more info). Here is an excerpt from my answer to question seven over the Mark Master degree:

The chisel and mallet are the working tools of the Mark Master degree. Compare and contrast these tools with the working tools from the three Craft degrees. What do they teach us about our journey in life?

All these tools (Mark Master’s chisel and mallet, the Entered Apprentice’s twenty-four inch gauge, the Fellowcraft’s plumb, square, and level, and the Master Mason’s trowel) share a common symbolic teaching as they relate to our journey in life. As creatures created by God, we are made in his image with the ability to reason and apply that reason to our daily lives. We use these stone mason tools figuratively to help us better understand God's purpose for our lives and to improve the lives of others. Our journey in life can be derailed by passion, lack of education, and disputes. The tools in the Mark Master and other degrees are meant to help us follow God's plan for our lives.

By the way, the Iowa York Rite web site has all of the on-line texts needed for the course posted in one convenient place. Click here to go to the list of links for the on-line texts.

Companion Adept of the Temple course

The York Rite Sovereign College of North America has developed a self-study course on the York Rite. The course is titled "Companion Adept of the Temple" and consists of a series of self-study open-book exams over the degrees of the York Rite. There are no additional textbooks to buy: all of the study information is available on-line through free google books or web pages.

I just finished the first exam which covered the Mark Master and Past Master degree. I found the questions to be challenging; this is not a simple test in which you look it up and repeat it back. Students need to interpret what they read and apply the information to Masonic concepts in order to successfully complete the exam. At least I think I was successful- we'll see once it's checked and returned!

More information on the course can be found at Chris Hodapp's Freemasons for Dummies blog. The enrollment form is in pdf and is available here at the York Rite Sovereign College of North America website.