Welcome to the Grand Cryptic Council in the District of Columbia

The Cryptic Masons represent a core aspect of the York Rite within Freemasonry. A Master Mason can first join a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons and receive the four degrees offered there. Subsequently, to gain deeper insights into Freemasonry, he may join a Council of Cryptic Masons.

Among the various rites in Freemasonry, the Cryptic Rite stands out prominently, known also as the Cryptic Masons. Its degrees are among the most profound and aesthetically rich in all of Freemasonry, offered within the Council of Cryptic Masons.

The rite’s appeal largely stems from its narrative completion of a Masonic allegory, which encompasses both moralistic and religious teachings, though Freemasonry itself is not a religion. It requires a belief in God and eternal life as a prerequisite for membership. Freemasonry respects individual beliefs without seeking to alter them, offering no theological doctrine or pathway to salvation but rather a moral framework for earthly life, allowing individuals to rely on their own faith for spiritual salvation.

Ancient Cryptic Masonry revolves around the narrative of the Word’s preservation, loss, and eventual recovery. Symbolic Freemasonry discusses the loss of the Word and the hope of finding it again. Royal Arch Masonry reveals its recovery, while Cryptic Masonry completes the allegory by elucidating on the Word’s initial preservation.