Degree Meaning And Symbolism
'Thenie
the discussion may turn out to be, but late events in my
life has me musing, and it's my tendency to muse out loud in
here, maybe stirring some useful or interesting (at least to
me) information from others in the process. If I
disappoint, my apologies...
My daughter graduated from high school the other day, and
among other ancillary observances (the school orchestra in
their pre-ceremony program played, amongst such expected
fare as "The Circle of Life", a selection apropos to recent
discussions here: "Love Potion No.9"; my daughter wore, with
her cap and gown, cords awarded for the only honors society
she was in, and the cords' color was: Rainbow), I couldn't
help but perceive the components of the ceremony (at least
the accoutrements) in familiar ritual terms.
I watched the ceremony, seeing a Processional and
Recessional of the graduates; seeing the seniors in plain
robes in the school colors (white for the girls, purple for
the boys, gold mixed with white and purple in the
mortarboard tassels) and those with honors displaying their
achievement via the cords (tied and tasselled at their ends)
hanging loose and even from their necks; seeing the ceremony
officials in the gowns of their respective universities,
some with bands around the sleeves, which I assume denotes
the degrees they have acquired in their educational climb;
seeing college gowns have a hood, though most would view
them as characteristic peculiarities of the graduate gown,
not as something one could raise and set over the head.
There was, of course, addresses by those of merit: the
principal of the school, the valedictorian, the school board
president, and the class president. And the class
president, speaking at the very end, led the class in moving
their tassels from right to left, signifying the end of this
part of their educational journey. And interwoven between
were songs by accomplished students of the school (some
seniors graduating that day), pertinent, moving, and
beautiful; the most notable a triple-trio of young women
singing "We Are Being Woven".
I believe I have a better working knowledge than most
americans about the history of colleges and universities,
vis-a-vis its growth from the Church, though I admit my
memory on the details has gone fuzzy. This ill-equips me to
comment on it, but it is my hope others can, and in the
process raise my knowledge beyond what it was even at its
best.
The ritual elements of robe, cord, degree, and formality;
how do you view these elements in relation to education in
general and in terms of its historical past? Would you say
there is a common 'ancestry' or a direct relationship to
fraternities and High Magick orders? I wonder how many
mundanes grasp a connection between academic achievement and
a degree system?
Discuss, please.
-'Thenie
Baird Stafford
<snip>
> The ritual elements of robe, cord, degree, and formality;
> how do you view these elements in relation to education in
> general and in terms of its historical past? Would you say
> there is a common 'ancestry' or a direct relationship to
> fraternities and High Magick orders? I wonder how many
> mundanes grasp a connection between academic achievement and
> a degree system?
IIRC, the Rosicrucian movement of the Middle Ages had its start
primarily among universities in the Germanies. And, of course, many of
the magi of the time were associated with various universities - the
Admirable Doctor, Roger Bacon, with Oxfod, as a prominent f'rinstance.
I believe that the first Christian students of QBLH seem also to have
been associated with universities - again in the Germanies - though here
I can't provide any names to go with the observation since my
concentration, when studying QBLH, was on the Hebraic sources.
Blessed be,
Baird
--
Modkin of soc.religion.paganism
Modstaff of alt.religion.wicca.moderated
Newstaff, Inc. at newstaff.com
'Thenie
I would expect that, given that universities and those that
are admitted to them have an interest and thirst for new
knowledge.
My understanding of universities is that they were
established and controlled by the Church, as the Church
controlled not just the ability to read, but how to
interpret the information. Basically, the Church in the
western world controlled education, so it also controlled
how to think.
My understanding is that, as Medieval progressed to
Renaissance times and the Crusades brought back books and
rediscovered (and also improved-upon; thank you Arabs)
knowledge, the Church's ability to suppress independent
thought was undermined.
My understanding is also that, upon the 'thinning of the
western herd' was accomplished by the Plague, new freedoms
fell to the work force unheard of in purely feudal times,
including the establishment of the wealthier middle class,
the availability of literacy to those who could pay for it,
and the beginning of the end of the close 'orders' of the
guild system. (Or was this the establishment of the guild
system? I may have that part backwards.)
ISTM the establishments of 'secret societies' (and High
Magick), guilds, greek fraternities, and university degrees
all hit about the same time as the Crusades, the exposure to
Hebraic, Arabian, and Egyptian cultures, and the rise of the
Knights Templar.
The idea of a franchise on knowledge allowed the
establishment of a hierarchical order and the degree system
found in guilds, education, philosophical organizations, and
secret societies. The Church had done as much with
literacy, franchising to their convents and monasteries, but
literacy is too easy to confer for that to be successful
forever; it just requires people rich enough to pay enough
(payoff sources and civil authorities) and people without
fear of ex-communication to ignore the rules. The reclaimed
and often improved information arriving from the Holy Lands
was more technical and required expensive books or equipment
to really use and required the investment of a lot of study
and practice to really get much out of; this was information
and skills easier to control, so easier to maintain the
franchise.
It's my understanding or conjecture that, given the secrecy
of transmission and subject matter, that's where hooded
robes (usually night-black for the upper level(s)) and
secret ceremonies came from; that adornment with symbolic
meaning of accomplishment (sleeve stripes, colored edging to
robes, cords and tassels) finds its origin in these
franchises.
Does this all sound far-fetched, or is my fuzzy memory
hitting something with substance?
If this is approximately correct, then graduation ceremonies
may have borrowed from secret societies their form and
format, and the ceremonial magicians (and eventually many
witches) borrowed from academia.
Comments?
-'Thenie
Nechesh
'Thenie wrote:
>
> My understanding of universities is that they were
> established and controlled by the Church, as the Church
> controlled not just the ability to read, but how to
> interpret the information. Basically, the Church in the
> western world controlled education, so it also controlled
> how to think.
The colleges established in medieval times in Oxford and Cambridge were
usually built and endowed by the king, or by the most powerful nobles
and courtiers of the time (eg John of Gaunt). These colleges were then,
I believe, the only competition to the church's otherwise total
monopoly of knowledge during the Middle Ages.
<snip>
> The idea of a franchise on knowledge allowed the
> establishment of a hierarchical order and the degree system
> found in guilds, education, philosophical organizations, and
> secret societies.
In the medieval period, most social and professional classes dressed in
some sort of 'uniform' by which their social status and/or profession
could be identified. The caps and gowns of the academics was a
necessary social accoutrement. The style of academics' dress (robes)
would presumably have been chosen to ape the priesthood, as they were
the established monopolists of knowledge. The distinctions in dress for
different members of the hierarchy (bachelors, masters, doctors etc)
would probably have been inspired by existing professional guilds.
> If this is approximately correct, then graduation ceremonies
> may have borrowed from secret societies their form and
> format, and the ceremonial magicians (and eventually many
> witches) borrowed from academia.
Though both the secret societies and academe may have similar origins,
those being the guilds. Certainly freemasonry is quite explicitly a
derivation from the medieval guild system.
>
> Comments?
>
That is all they are. Guesses more like :)
In Light, Life and Love
Nechesh
-A.
To add a modern bit to this, standard "cap and gown" dress denotes a
bachelorate degree, a ribbon around the neck denotes a master's, and a
hood denotes a doctorate. At least, this is the case in the US. YMMV.
Blessed Be,
-A.
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Jani
"-A." <andrew....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1286nm3...@news.supernews.com...
I have a vague memory, from my UCCA days, of at least one university where
undergrads wore robes as "everyday" dress, at least for lectures.
Jani
Romauld
: My understanding of universities is that they were
: established and controlled by the Church, as the Church
: controlled not just the ability to read, but how to
: interpret the information. Basically, the Church in the
: western world controlled education, so it also controlled
: how to think.
One must point out, though, that the majority of magicians in the
medieval and early modern times were perfectly good churchmen, and
a remarkable number were ordained. The main sources for modern
Ceremonial Magick lie mostly with either Christians or Jews in the
specific case of the QBLH.
: My understanding is that, as Medieval progressed to
: Renaissance times and the Crusades brought back books and
: rediscovered (and also improved-upon; thank you Arabs)
: knowledge, the Church's ability to suppress independent
: thought was undermined.
I would have to say this was an oversimplification. To give you
an example, it wasn't until the 19th Century that an institution
in the UK was established which permitted professors who were not
also priests. It was established precisely in order to do so, in
fact.
<snip>
: ISTM the establishments of 'secret societies' (and High
: Magick), guilds, greek fraternities, and university degrees
: all hit about the same time as the Crusades, the exposure to
: Hebraic, Arabian, and Egyptian cultures, and the rise of the
: Knights Templar.
Again, it's a good deal more complex than that. The first growth
of what we can call actual universities post-dates the beginning
of the crusades by a very long time. There is no doubt at all that
Eastern lore, both Jewish and Arabic, influenced the development of
medieval ceremonial magic and alchemy, and that these things provide
the source traditions for most of modern ceremonial magic, but it's
a good deal more complex than the analysis put forward here.
: If this is approximately correct, then graduation ceremonies
: may have borrowed from secret societies their form and
: format, and the ceremonial magicians (and eventually many
: witches) borrowed from academia.
I think it is more that both borrowed from the long and high tradition
of pageantry in public life. Robes, marks of office, robes, colours
and specific hats (mortar boards, crown, helmets, etc.) are all elements
in the art of political pageantry, as used by all of the state, the church
and the academics since the early middle ages.
If you examine, for example, Chinese tradition you will find a very
strong set of paralells. Pageantry works when it comes to running a
country (what do *you* think the Starr report was about?): they knew
it then and we know it now.
~R
--
Romauld - romauld at necrotheque dot dcu
"It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses
or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not
change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people."
- Giordano Bruno
Romauld
: To add a modern bit to this, standard "cap and gown" dress denotes a
: bachelorate degree, a ribbon around the neck denotes a master's, and a
: hood denotes a doctorate. At least, this is the case in the US. YMMV.
Really?
In the European tradition, all four degree levels have a hood. Gown
without hoods, usually also a different design from a post-graduate's
gown, are the mark of scholars without degrees.
Nechesh
Check out
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=524612
for a general history of the origins of academic dress.
The main points seem to be:
It was at Oxford from the 11th century that the traditions of academic
regalia first developed from the garments worn by monks and clerics,
when long robes were needed for warmth in unheated buildings.
Students and teachers organized themselves into guilds. Gradually the
academic costume became distinctive for Bachelors of Arts (the
apprentices), Masters of Arts (the teachers), and Doctors (teachers who
had completed postgraduate studies). These were broadly analogous to
the pages, squires and knights of the chivalric orders.
Most of the distinctive characteristics appeared in the hood, which was
originally a practical element of dress, but which evolved into a
separate and purely ornamental article.
The academic cap was a later development. It was first conferred as a
symbol of the M.A. degree. One example of required graduation occurred
at the Council of Oxford. In 1222 a closed, flowing gown called cappa
clausa was deemed necessary. The bishop of Canterbury ordered his
English clerics to wear it. Consequently this article of clothing came
to be the academic dress for university masters who, as clerics, wore
it.
As time went by and education became more readily available to the
laity the garment became standardized as an exclusively academic one.
In 1311 an ordinary headdress of medieval laymen termed the pileus, was
agreed to by the Church and became the customary headwear at the
universities. Eventually a rounded skull cap replaced the hood. It's
from this kind of hat that today's square cap called the pileus
quadralus or mortar board is customary. Today's tassel is also an
elaboration of the tuft that was a part of the Masters' caps.
The tassel's colour signifies the academic program area. The tufted cap
evolved into a stiff-cornered cap that would not drape across the
wearer's face. The term "mortarboard" was first used in an 1854 novel,
as a sarcastic reference to the cap's shape."
Cowls worn by monks of the Middles Ages as protection against the rainy
weather of Europe is the source of today's hood as an academic
vestment. They were "worn over a short cape, known as a tippet, and had
a tail, known as a liripipe." The original purposes of these items were
to aid in pulling the "hood over the head and wrapped around the throat
to keep the hood in place."
Nowadays even though the hood is never worn during graduation
ceremonies the tippet remains as a remnant of the hood with the
liripipe as the funnel-shaped part that drapes down the back of the
robe. This practice of wearing the hood hanging down the back stems
from the convention of medieval monks using the hood as a bag draped
over the shoulders as a 'contribution bowl' for clients and well
wishers while in attendance of the King's Court.
Trimmings and the European approach to academic dress were imported to
the US in colonial times. In 1895 an Intercollegiate Code standardized
the regalia. They met at Columbia University to establish the first
academic costume code regulating the cut, style and materials of robes.
Specifications of different colours for different disciplines were also
created. Records indicate that the first time caps and gowns were worn
at a U.S. graduation ceremony was in 1894 at the University of
Michigan.
So it would appear that the origins of the caps and gowns are both more
prosaic and more ecclesiastic than the OP hypothesised. :( Pity. The
hypothesis regarding secret knowledge is rather appealing.
-A.
> Recently, a script from -A. arrived, in which they said:
>
> : To add a modern bit to this, standard "cap and gown" dress denotes a
> : bachelorate degree, a ribbon around the neck denotes a master's, and a
> : hood denotes a doctorate. At least, this is the case in the US. YMMV.
>
> Really?
>
> In the European tradition, all four degree levels have a hood. Gown
> without hoods, usually also a different design from a post-graduate's
> gown, are the mark of scholars without degrees.
>
> ~R
Really. That's why some universities have a "doctoral hooding ceremony"
- they *give* you your hood during a ceremony to acknowlege those who
completed their doctoral work. I've been dying to get into Stony
Brook's ceremony for the last four years, but it is by strict invite
only; undergraduates have almost no chance of seeing one save being
family or if they were to continue in school through their PhD.
janet
> Recently, a script from -A. arrived, in which they said:
>
>> To add a modern bit to this, standard "cap and gown" dress
denotes a
>> bachelorate degree, a ribbon around the neck denotes a master's,
and
>> a hood denotes a doctorate. At least, this is the case in the
US.
>> YMMV.
>
> Really?
>
> In the European tradition, all four degree levels have a hood.
Gown
> without hoods, usually also a different design from a
post-graduate's
> gown, are the mark of scholars without degrees.
Entirely so. :)
(Yes, I know I have nothing to contribute to this thread but as I'm
about to purchase academic robes, I thought I'd find SOMETHING to
say... ) :)
>
(No. I am not purchasing the hat. If I ever REALLY need to wear a
thing like that on my head, I'll rent the puppy). ;)
--
janet
texestentialist