Hello! This is a quick guide to the Masonic Ritual Books that I offer.

The Craft Ritual books all describe the first three Degrees of Craft Masonry- namely Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. They present different systems, such as the Logic Ritual or M.M Taylor's or Emulation Lodge, and are different takes on the same three.

After the first three Degrees, things get a little more complicated. The Mark Master degree is the "fourth degree", and it consists of two different Ritual Books, Ritual No 1 describing the general Ritual, and the Ritual No. 2 descibing Installation.

Next come the Cryptic Degrees of Select Master, Royal Master, Most Excellant Master, and Super-Excellant Master. The Cryptic Degrees are also known as the shortened form of Royal and Select Masters, or RSM. The Rituals are contained in Ritual No. 1, and Ritual No. 2 contains Installation.

The Royal Arch comes next, although some would say that the Royal Arch should be taken before the Mark, but generally the Royal Arch follows the Cryptic Degrees. The Royal Arch has different Ritual forms, much as the Craft degrees.

The Allied Masonic degrees follow after the Royal Arch and the five Degrees (St. Lawrence the Martyr, Knight of Constantinople, Grand Tilers of Solomon, Red Cross of Babylon, Holy Order of Grand High Priest) are contained in one volume.

The Red Cross of Babylon is one of the Allied Masonic and is the first of the Christian Degrees, and is followed by the Knights of Malta and the Knights Templar, the last two being the "highest" degrees in York Rite.

The Red Cross of Constantine comprises three Rituals- Knight of the Red Cross of Constantine, Knight of St John, and Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. They are contained in two Ritual Books.

The Royal Ark Mariners and the Order of the Secret Monitor are side Orders to which Master Masons can join. They consist of fascinating Rituals and symbolism, and are well worth exploring.

The different Orders are complicated and perhaps I have oversimplified them in order to give a more logical progression. The other Degrees are not really "higher" than Master Mason, even though the progression may imply so.