Masonry proper, is all work… solemn, serious and sublime work… there is not and never should be a line of light and frivolous from the first step as we enter the outer courts, to the last in the Holy of Holies of its mystic temple. Truth, everlasting and unchanging, is the foundation on which it is erected and on this basis its votaries by bonds of brotherhood which are mutually helpful and beneficent.
While it is as Prophets we open the portals of the Enchanted Realm to Master Masons, we are none the less loyal to Masonry. We carry with us the solemn lessons we have learned within the Lodge and we are guided by the precepts of Masonry while we revel in the good cheer of the Prophets.
The Order of Veiled Prophets, while proclaiming the loyalty of its members to Masonry, makes no pretense of being a Masonic Order, nor does it claim to confer a Masonic degree. Its membership is exclusively Masonic and its purpose is to supply the element of play in such a way that work and play will be blended without marring the solid beauty of Masonry. The Grotto is said to be essentially Masonic in character.
The requirements for membership in the Order of Veiled Prophets is that a man must first be a Master Mason in good standing, and that he must continue to maintain his good standing in the Blue Lodge in order to retain his standing in the Order. In no way does the Grotto infringe upon the rights and ceremonies of Masonry or of any other Order.
The Grotto leads it votaries through an Enchanted Realm where the spirit of mirth touches the hearts and evolves cheerful companionship, in joy of which they are brought near together in helpful sympathy, which is none the less true because the eye beams with delight and laughter goes with a Prophet’s greeting when hand clasps hand in its mystic fellowship.
