What is first degree in masonry

The first degree of Freemasonry is that of the Entered Apprentice. Early eighteenth-century Freemasonry operated with a single form of initiation, and the division into three distinct degrees developed gradually between 1717 and 1730 1. As late as 1735, the Entered Apprentice degree contained the primary form of initiation, and an Apprentice was considered a Freemason for all practical purposes 1. The term initiation itself derives from the Latin initia, meaning first principles, though a candidate who has received this degree is properly termed "Entered" 1.

Symbolically, the degree represents youth, beginnings, and the learning of fundamental truths 4. Standing in the northeast corner of the lodge—midway between the darkness of the north and the symbolic light of the east—the candidate receives initial instructions as a just and upright Mason 2. Wilmshurst reads the ceremony as a depiction of physical and spiritual rebirth, comparing its cleansing and preparatory nature to the sacrament of baptism 3. In this degree, the Mason receives two working tools: the Twenty-four Inch Gauge, which teaches the measured division of time between the service of God and a distressed brother, vocation, and rest, and the Common Gavel, which symbolically removes rough edges to expose inner perfection 2.

Before progressing to the Fellowcraft degree, an Entered Apprentice must demonstrate suitable proficiency by committing key portions of the ritual to memory 2. This requirement descends from the medieval operative era, when apprentices labored for seven years before submitting a "Master's Piece" to prove their skill 23.