The Savage Club Chapter Ritual had been rediscovered in the archive of the Savage Club Chapter No 2190, who meet in London, in the mid-2000s, and had seemingly been approved for use many decades previously but had never been brought into use. After members of the chapter read it, the consensus was that they should move towards it.
It doesn’t change anything about the underlying Royal Arch story or the message it imparts, and so after updating it to make sure it incorporated the recent changes required by Supreme Grand Chapter, we confirmed with the Committee of General Purposes that it was still okay to use. It tells the story in a more logical, clearer way but without dumbing down. This allows you to appreciate the candidate’s involvement and his reaction because the story is so much easier to follow. It’s a shorter, more efficient and a more engaging experience and we are sure it is part of what has kept people coming back.
The most significant difference is that in other rituals the narrative and the performance aspect are split, which means the story essentially gets run twice, whereas this version has simultaneous acting and narration. This means there is less coming and going and it creates more roles for other participants.
It’s shorter and more fun to participate in, but without losing any of the gravitas of the ceremony and its underlying story, and we like to think it irons out some of the creases. We hope this keeps the character of the story and that it is still clearly recognisable to anyone in the Royal Arch but is a little more engaging.
Everything that takes place in Savage Ritual is the same as in the more mainstream rituals, but we like to think in a more logical order. It is about a significant discovery in a vault, and this is enacted in a dramatic form rather than just spoken about figuratively. In mainstream exaltation ceremonies, it can be very serious and involve, a rather daunting amount of ritual for relatively few participants to learn.
With Savage Ritual, this has been slightly slimmed down and the events have been moved around. It is much better at telling an interesting story and captures the imagination more forcefully.
We are very conscious that the ceremony contains a serious message, and there are more people involved in the storytelling, which can make it even more meaningful. There is also a piece of ritual at the end in the form of an exhortation that sums up what the chapter is about and what we hope to achieve by being members. It’s a lovely way to end the meeting because it sort of says: “This is what the Royal Arch (and indeed Freemasonry as a whole) is all about, let’s now go into the world and do the good things it tells us to do.” It’s a nice message to end the meeting on and very valuable, finishing things with a warm glow.
Provincial Grand Stewards’ Chapter of West Lancashire No 8516 demonstration team has risen to the occasion, delivering an outstanding demonstration of the ‘Savage Chapter Ritual’ at Lindsay Chapter No 1335, meeting in Garstang Masonic Hall. The event was attended by the Grand Superintendent, Mark Matthews, along with numerous grand and Provincial grand officers. Mark expressed his satisfaction with the performance and commended the team for their hard work.
Eric Kos, the secretary of the Provincial Grand Stewards’ Chapter of West Lancashire demonstration team, noted that they had just a month to prepare for this ritual, which was new to most of them. “From a standing start, we had to plan, organise, select members, practice and deliver,” he explained. The feedback from companions who observed the demonstration has been overwhelmingly positive.
The Savage Ritual has been endorsed by London as an efficient means of exalting multiple candidates, and the demonstration team was tasked with showcasing it for the Grand Superintendent to assess its effectiveness. His favourable evaluation was a testament to their success. The team comprised of; director Steven Holcroft, supported by Ian Lynch, Ian Brown, Kevin Byrne, Ian Stirling, Robb Fitzsimmons, Ibbs Husseyn, David Boyes, Paul Shirley, Terry Dickinson, Robin Andrews-Morris, Geoff Watters, Malcolm Sandywell and Tom Richardson.
Chapters interested in having the demonstration team visit, should contact Eric Kos via email at: ewk@plussafety.co.uk To get more information about the Savage Club Chapter Ritual, click here.