Which to join first mark masonry or holy royal arch?

A Master Mason is actively encouraged to join a Royal Arch Chapter as the next step along the Masonic journey before taking the Mark degree, as Mark Masons' Hall notes. A Master Mason may enter a Chapter four weeks after being raised, this being considered the natural and traditional next step to complete Craft Masonry, as the Grand Lodge of India explains.

This sequence reflects the historical development and administrative separation of the degrees. The Mark degree was at one time placed under the direct control of the Supreme Grand Chapter and conferred by agreement alongside Craft Masonry 1. However, because the 1813 Articles of Union in England recognized only the three Craft degrees—including the Holy Royal Arch—the Mark degree remained outside the official Craft series, leading to the establishment of an independent Mark Grand Lodge to govern its lodges 1.

Works cited

From the library. Each claim above is numbered to the work and page it came from.

Albert C. Mackey Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences p. 1149 Mackey traces the administrative history of the Mark degree, including its early governance under the Supreme Grand Chapter and its exclusion under the 1813 Articles of Union

Web pages read

Retrieved while the answer was written. Follow these to see what they say.

grandlodgeofindia.in the rule permitting entry into the Royal Arch four weeks after being raised

markmasonshall.org the guidance recommending joining the Royal Arch before taking the Mark degree

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