To open.—­Grand Master:  “I desire to open the Lodge.”  He then descends to the lowest step of the throne, and when he is assured that the Lodge is tyled, he knocks one and two with his mallet.  Each Warden repeats the same, which makes nine.  G. M.—­“Where is your Master placed?” Warden:  “In the East.”  G. M.—­“Why in the East?” W.  “Because the glorious sun rises in the East to illumine the world.”  G. M.  “As I sit in the East, I open this Lodge,” which is repeated by the Wardens.  Then all the brethren clap their hands one and two.

Reception.—­The candidate represents Zerubbabel, who enters the Lodge by himself, without being introduced, decorated with the jewels and badges of the highest degrees he has taken.  The Wardens take him by the hand, and place him in a blue elbow chair, opposite to the Grand Master, who demands from him all the words, from an Entered Apprentice upwards; and after he has satisfied the Grand Master, and is found worthy to hold a sceptre, they make him travel nine times ’round the Lodge, beginning in the South, and then by nine square steps he advances to the throne, and walks over two drawn swords, laid across.  There must be a pot with burning charcoal close by the throne, that the candidate may feel the heat of the fire while taking the obligation; in doing which, he lays his right hand on the Bible, which is covered by the Grand Master’s right hand, and then takes the following obligation: 

Obligation.—­I, A. B., do solemnly and sincerely swear and promise, under the penalties of all my former obligations, to protect the craft and my brethren with all my might, and not to acknowledge any one for a true Mason who was not made in a regularly constituted and lawful Lodge.  I furthermore do swear, that I will strictly observe and obey all the statutes and regulations of the Lodge; and that I never will disclose or discover the secrets of this degree, either directly or indirectly, except by virtue of a full power in writing, given me for that purpose by the Grand Inspector or his deputy, and then to such only as have been Masters of a regular Lodge.  All this I swear under the penalties of being forever despised and dishonored by the Craft in general.  He then kisses the Bible.

Here follow the signs, token, and word, viz.:—­First sign.—­Form four squares, thus:  with the fingers joined, and the thumb elevated, place your right hand on your heart (this forms two squares).  Place the left hand on the lips, the thumb elevated so as to form a third square; place the heels so as to form a square with the feet.  Second sign.—­Place yourself on your knees, elbows on the ground, the head inclined towards the left.  Third sign.—­Cross the hands on the breast, the right over the left, fingers extended, thumbs elevated, and the feet forming a square.  Token.—­Take reciprocally the right elbow with the right hand, the thumb on the outside, the fingers joined, and on the inside; press the elbow thus four times, slip the hands down to the wrists, raising the three last fingers, and press the index on the wrist.  Sacred word.—­“Razabassi,” or “Razahaz Betzi-Yah.”  Pass-words.—­“Jechson,” “Jubellum,” “Zanabosan.”  Some, however, give Jehovah as the sacred word, and “Belshazzar” as the pass-word.