Why is a candidate prepared as he is?

Preparation of the candidate for initiation is entirely symbolic, conventional, and full of signification, meaning that its details cannot be altered, abridged, or added to without impairing its esoteric design 1. Every candidate without exception is required to submit to this established preparation 1.

Historically, these ceremonial usages offer notable coincidences with ancient Temple worship customs 1. The Talmudic treatise Berakhot laid down rules requiring those visiting the Temple to enter without a staff, shoes, outer garments, or money bound in a purse 1.

In symbolic terms, leaving money and metals behind signifies that the gross, material things of the outer world are superfluous in the internal realm 2. This stripping away of redundant things represents initial self-discipline and purification, establishing the mental and moral qualifications needed for spiritual advancement 2. The symbolic white vesture worn by the postulant represents a corresponding internal purity of body, soul, and spirit, signifying that the candidate has divested himself of past preconceptions to receive truth with meekness and docility 2.

Candidate preparation dates back at least to the 18th Century, as demonstrated by historical records of initiation rites and ritual processes cited by Quatuor Coronati Lodge.

Beyond its physical and historical administration, the tradition emphasizes an inward readiness. The candidate is required to be properly prepared in heart so that entering the lodge atmosphere awakens dormant faculties and makes the mind receptive to spiritual instruction 2.