PHAAROS — Prince Hall Affiliated Ancient Rites & Order Studies University is a scholarly institution dedicated to the study, preservation, and advancement of the Ancient Craft, Scottish Rite, and York Rite traditions. Rooted in the legacy of Prince Hall Masonry, PHAAROS serves as a lighthouse of disciplined learning, unifying the teachings, symbols, and philosophies of the Rites under one academic structure. Through its colleges, the university provides structured instruction, historical insight, and practical mastery, guiding students toward more profound understanding, leadership, and illumination. In Lumine Veritas — In Light, Truth.
The Pharos Lighthouse
Alexandria started as a port city in Egypt, founded by Alexander the Great around 331 BCE. Because of its location, it became a crossroads where Greek, Egyptian, Jewish, Persian, and later Roman cultures mingled. That melting created something rare: a place where knowledge wasn’t just stored, it was worked on.
Its crown jewel was the Library of Alexandria and the Mouseion (basically the world’s first research university). Scholars lived, studied, debated, wrote, copied texts, taught, and experimented. Mathematics, astronomy, medicine, engineering, philosophy — all of it was brewing there.
A few highlights:
- Euclid codified geometry there.
• Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth there, and he was shockingly close.
• Hero of Alexandria built early machines, including one of the first known steam devices.
• The Septuagint (Greek translation of Hebrew scriptures) was produced there.
So Alexandria wasn’t just a city. It was a symbol of illumination — a lighthouse of the ancient world, literally and intellectually. The Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders, stood there as a beacon for travelers.
In the allegorical sense, Alexandria represents unified learning, diverse wisdom traditions, and the meeting point of ancient mysteries. That’s why so many Masonic writers hold it up as a model for a “city of knowledge.”
Ancient Craft
Each course within the Ancient Craft Lodge of Instruction is designed to help members interpret and apply the allegories woven throughout the ancient craft degrees. These allegories—expressed through symbols, stories, and ritual drama—serve as moral and spiritual lessons that guide the Mason’s personal growth.
Scottish Rite
The Samuel T. Daniels Council of Deliberation College of Instruction places strong emphasis on understanding and preserving the Governmental, philosophical and ritualistic teachings of the Scottish Rite. Each course guides members beyond simple performance, helping them grasp the deeper meaning, purpose, and structure of the rituals that define our tradition.
York Rite
The York Rite School of Instruction integrates the historical teachings of the Royal Arch, Cryptic Council and Knights Templar to help members understand the origins, evolution, and enduring influence of Masonic philosophy. Each course places the degrees within their proper historical and cultural context, allowing students to see how the lessons of the past continue to guide Masons today.
LIGHT FROM DARKNESS
"Darkness has, in all the systems of Freemason initiation, been deemed a symbol of ignorance, and so opposed to light, which is the symbol of knowledge.
Hence the rule, that the eye should not see until the heart has conceived the true nature of those beauties which constitute the mysteries of the Masonic Order. In the Ancient Mysteries, the aspirant was always shrouded in darkness as a preparatory step to the reception of the full light of knowledge. The time of this confinement in darkness and solitude varied in the different mysteries.
Among the Druids of Britain the period was nine days and nights; in the Grecian Mysteries it was three times nine days, while among the Persians, according to Porphyry, it was extended to the almost incredible period of fifth, days of darkness, solitude, and fasting. Because, according to all the cosmogonies, accounts of the universe, darkness existed before light was created, darkness was originally worshiped as the firstborn, as the progenitor of day and the state of existence before creation.
Freemasonry has restored darkness to its proper place as a state of preparation; the symbol of that ante-mundane chaos from whence light issued at the Divine command; of the state of nonentity before birth, and of ignorance before the reception of knowledge.
Hence, in the Ancient Mysteries, the release of the aspirant from solitude and darkness was called the act of regeneration, and he was said to be born again, or to be raised from the dead. And in Freemasonry, the darkness which envelops the mind of the uninitiated being removed by the bright effulgence of Masonic light, Freemasons are appropriately called the sons of light.
Darkness symbolizes death, and practice of The Craft provides the subsequent renewal of light; the Occult lesson of eternal life."
- Albert Mackey, The Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences
Courses Overview
The Samuel T. Daniels COD College of Instruction offers a comprehensive curriculum covering the 4° through 32° of the Prince Hall Scottish Rite, designed to deepen each student’s understanding of the Rite’s moral teachings, symbols, and practical applications in daily life. Each degree course builds upon the previous one, guiding participants from foundational lessons in duty and integrity to advanced insights on leadership, philosophy, and spiritual enlightenment.
The York Rite Schools of Instruction are established to provide a uniform, progressive, and comprehensive system of education for Companions and Sir Knights advancing through the degrees and offices of the York Rite. Under the authority of the Most Excellent Hiram Holy Grand Chapter, Holy Royal Arch Masons, Prince Hall Affiliation, this Royal Arch School of Instruction operates in harmony with York Rite–wide educational standards while honoring the unique traditions and historical legacy of Prince Hall Masonry.
