what does the rainbow symbolise in the mark degree and do writers agree on it
The rainbow symbol does not properly belong to the Mark degree, but rather to the Royal Ark Mariner degree, which is attached to the Mark Grand Lodge. Arthur Edward Waite notes that the distinguishing colors of the Mark degree for both ordinary members and Grand Officers are identical with those of the Craft, consisting of red and blue, which symbolically represent union 1.
The rainbow coloring is assigned specifically to the Royal Ark Mariner degree 1. Waite explains that this choice of symbolism is made for the obvious reason that the degree is connected with the biblical legend of the Flood and Noah's Ark, where the rainbow serves as a traditional sign of promise and covenant following the deluge 1.
Because the rainbow belongs to the Royal Ark Mariner degree rather than the Mark degree itself, Masonic writers do not treat it as an emblem of the Mark degree 1. Where colors are examined within the Mark degree proper, writers focus on the blending of Craft colors rather than rainbow spectrums 1.
where did that read come from
Arthur Edward Waite writes about the colors of the Mark degree on page 140 of the first volume of his 1921 work, *A New Encyclopædia of Freemasonry (Ars Magna Latomorum) and of Cognate Instituted Mysteries: Their Rites, Literature and History* 1. The discussion appears in an entry dedicated specifically to colors in Freemasonry 1.
same in the mariner degree?
The rainbow colouring represents the degree because of its connection with the biblical legend of the Flood 1. Beyond noting that connection as the obvious reason for the emblem, Arthur Edward Waite does not elaborate further on a deeper symbolic reading of the rainbow in that passage, nor do the supplied sources provide differing accounts from other writers 1.
who first tied it to the mark
The supplied sources do not state who first introduced the rainbow symbol into the degree, nor do they record the identity of the person who devised the rite or its emblems.
The earliest documented account of the rainbow sash in the Royal Ark Mariner degree appears in a letter published in the December 1798 issue of the *London Monthly Magazine* 2. The correspondent reported that members assembled in the "Royal Ark Vessel" under Thomas Boothby Parkyns, Lord Rancliffe, who served as Grand Noah, and wore a broad sash ribbon representing a rainbow along with an apron depicted with an ark and a dove 2.
Written by AI. It can make mistakes — check anything that matters against the sources listed.
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