Symbolic Degrees: Meaning in Astrology & Masonry

Symbolic degrees sound like one idea, but the phrase points in three different directions. In astrology, it is a counting rule for reading zodiac degrees. In Freemasonry, it is the name for the first three degrees of the Craft. In education, it describes the symbols that mark a degree — the gown, the hood, the diploma, and the tassel. This guide explains each meaning in plain language.

What Are Symbolic Degrees?

The short answer is that symbolic degrees are degrees that carry meaning through a symbol rather than through a plain statement. In each case, a number, a garment, or a short image stands for something larger: a stage of learning, a quality of character, or a story about a planet’s position in the sky.

Most searchers want one of the first two meanings: astrology readers want the counting rule, and Freemasonry readers want to know which degrees are called symbolic and why. A smaller group wants the education meaning — what diploma and gown symbols stand for. This article covers astrology first, then Freemasonry, then education.

Keep one distinction in mind. A degree is not always a university qualification. In astrology, a degree is one of 360 equal parts of a circle. In Freemasonry, a degree is a stage of initiation. Only in education does a degree mean a qualification such as a bachelor’s or a master’s.

The Astrology Meaning: The Sabian Round-Up Rule

In astrology, a symbolic degree is a zodiac degree as counted for a symbol system, most famously the Sabian symbols. The zodiac is a circle of 360 degrees, twelve signs of 30 each, and each degree has its own short Sabian image — a scene that adds meaning to a planet sitting there.

The counting rule is simple once you see it. A planet at 12 degrees and 10 minutes of Taurus has passed twelve full degrees and is ten minutes into the next one, so it is read as the thirteenth degree. Any partial degree is rounded up to the next whole degree. A planet at 0 degrees and 20 minutes is in the first degree of its sign, and one at 29 degrees and 50 minutes is in the thirtieth degree.

The Sabian symbols were recorded in 1925 by astrologer Marc Edmund Jones with clairvoyant Elsie Wheeler. The best-known example is the first degree of Aries, often given as “A woman has risen out of the ocean; a seal is embracing her.” Dane Rudhyar later reworked many wordings in An Astrological Mandala, so the same degree can appear in slightly different words by source. Other sets exist too, including Charubel, Carelli, and Kozminsky, each with its own images. The round-up rule is standard in Sabian practice; check the convention of any other set before using it.

State plainly what this system is: a traditional interpretive system, not a scientific claim. A symbol is usually read as a picture to hold beside a placement — a way of describing how a planet might express itself — rather than as a prediction of what will happen.

How the 360 Degrees Are Organised

The 360 degrees run through the twelve signs in order, thirty per sign, starting with Aries and ending with Pisces. The count restarts at one for every sign, so the thirtieth degree of Pisces is the 360th and last degree of the zodiac.

The 29th degree of any sign is often called the anaretic degree — the final degree before the sign changes — and is commonly described as a degree of crisis, urgency, or completion. Other degrees, sometimes called critical degrees, are also treated as points of extra emphasis, but authors list them differently.

How to Find Your Degree in 5 Steps

Finding the right symbol is short, but each step matters: one counting error sends you to the wrong image.

1. Find the exact position. Take the planet from a chart you trust, with sign, degrees, and minutes — for example, the Sun at 14°20′ Leo. Do not use a rounded newspaper-horoscope position, because the minutes decide the count.
2. Note the whole degrees passed. Here, fourteen full degrees of Leo have passed, and the Sun is twenty minutes into the next degree. This is the measurement, not yet the symbolic count.
3. Round up. Add one whenever there are any minutes at all: 14°20′ Leo becomes the 15th degree. An exact zero-minute position stays on its number in most Sabian practice — note your source’s convention.
4. Look up the symbol. Use your chosen set, and note whether you are reading the original Jones wording or Rudhyar’s reworking, because the two can differ.
5. Read it beside the placement. Treat the image as extra description for the planet, sign, and house, and check it against the rest of the chart first.

• 0°20′ of any sign → 1st degree of that sign.
• 12°10′ Taurus → 13th degree of Taurus.
• 14°20′ Leo → 15th degree of Leo.
• 25°30′ Scorpio → 26th degree of Scorpio.
• 29°50′ Pisces → 30th degree of Pisces, the last degree of the zodiac.

The most common mistake is reading the whole-degree number as the count — taking 12°10′ Taurus as the twelfth degree instead of the thirteenth. The second is forgetting that the count restarts in each sign: 5° Gemini is the fifth degree of Gemini, not the sixty-fifth degree of anything.

The Freemasonry Meaning: The Three Craft Degrees

In Freemasonry, symbolic degrees are the first three degrees of the Craft: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. They are conferred in a lodge — often called a symbolic lodge or Blue Lodge — and they form the whole of Craft Freemasonry. Everything beyond them belongs to appendant bodies, such as the Scottish Rite or the York Rite, which a Mason may join only after becoming a Master Mason.

The name comes from how they teach: through symbols — the stonemason’s tools, the rough and perfect ashlars, the square and compasses, and the building of Solomon’s Temple. The candidate learns moral lessons by reflecting on each tool, not by memorising history. Even the great legend of Hiram the Builder, told in the Master Mason degree, is treated as a symbol of a deeper meaning.

• Entered Apprentice (1°). The first step. The candidate learns the basic tenets — brotherly love, relief, and truth — and begins to learn the symbolic language of the Craft.
• Fellow Craft (2°). The second degree emphasises learning and intellectual development, especially the Craft’s alliance with the arts and sciences.
• Master Mason (3°). The third and final degree of the symbolic lodge. It tells the legend of Solomon’s Temple and teaches fidelity, integrity, and the immortality of the soul. In the usage of the United Grand Lodge of England, dating to 1717, it represents the full attainment of symbolic Freemasonry.

The degrees beyond the third are often misunderstood. The Scottish Rite adds degrees 4° to 32°, and confers the 33° as an honour for service. The York Rite adds the Chapter, Council, and Commandery series. None replaces the three symbolic degrees, and a higher number carries no authority over a lodge officer who never joined that body. Progression usually takes months, with time for study between degrees.

The Education Meaning: Regalia, Diplomas, and Honours

In education, the phrase is used more loosely, but the idea is the same: a degree is marked by symbols. The most visible are the pieces of academic regalia worn at graduation — the cap, the gown, and the hood — each carrying a meaning a trained eye can read at a glance.

Academic dress dates to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when Europe’s first universities were founded and scholars wore robes daily. In the United States, the 1895 Intercollegiate Code of Academic Costume set gown and hood styles showing degree level and field. Many universities still follow it.

• The gown. Sleeve shape marks the level: pointed for a bachelor’s, oblong for a master’s, bell-shaped with velvet panels for a doctorate.
• The cap. The square mortarboard is worn at all levels; doctoral graduates often wear a six- or eight-sided velvet tam instead.
• The hood. The most symbolic piece. Length, velvet border, and lining colours show the level, the field, and the institution. Velvet trim is coloured by discipline — green is widely used for medicine — while the lining usually carries the university’s colours.
• The tassel. Turning it, usually from right to left, visibly marks that the degree has been conferred. Direction varies by university, and its colour can also show a field or level.

The diploma is full of symbols too. A Bachelor of Arts usually points to the humanities or social sciences, a Bachelor of Science to scientific or technical fields. The crest, often with a Latin motto, book, torch, or shield, represents the institution’s history. Latin honours — cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude — mark exceptional achievement, though cut-offs vary by institution.

For more on degrees and education, start from the SumoSearch homepage and browse the site’s education coverage from there.

Three Meanings at a Glance

The table below compares the three settings at a glance.

The shared thread: one symbol does the work of a longer explanation. Treat it as a prompt, not a verdict.

Common Mistakes When Reading Them

• Not rounding up. 12°10′ is the thirteenth degree, not the twelfth. Only an exact zero-minute position stays on its own number.
• Confusing symbol and rule. The Sabian symbols are the pictures; the round-up rule finds the right picture. They are related, not identical.
• Mixing symbol sets. Jones, Rudhyar, Charubel, Carelli, and Kozminsky differ. Pick one set and name it.
• Treating the 33° as the top. It is a Scottish Rite honour for service, not a higher Craft degree than Master Mason.
• Reading hood colours as universal. Codes and honours cut-offs vary by institution.
• Equating commencement with graduation. The ceremony celebrates graduation; the degree is conferred only when all requirements are finalised.

Checklist: Before You Trust a Reading

• ☐ I know which meaning I am reading: astrology, Freemasonry, or education.
• ☐ I have the exact position with minutes, and rounded a partial degree up.
• ☐ I have named my symbol set.
• ☐ I checked the symbol against the rest of the chart.
• ☐ I am not treating an appendant-body degree as a higher Craft degree.
• ☐ I checked hood colours and honours against the institution’s own rules.

FAQs

What are symbolic degrees in simple terms?

Degrees that carry meaning through a symbol: a zodiac degree with an image, the first three Masonic degrees, or graduation symbols showing level and field.

How do you count a degree in astrology?

Round any partial degree up: 12°10′ Taurus is the 13th degree of Taurus, and 0°20′ is the 1st degree of its sign.

What are the three degrees of Freemasonry?

Entered Apprentice (1°), Fellow Craft (2°), and Master Mason (3°), conferred in the symbolic or Blue Lodge as the whole of Craft Freemasonry.

Is the 33rd degree higher than Master Mason?

No. The 33° is an honorary Scottish Rite degree for service; it does not outrank Master Mason within the Craft.

Do degree symbols predict the future?

No. Astrology symbols are descriptive images, Masonic symbols teach moral lessons, and education symbols record achievement — none is a forecast alone.

Conclusion

One phrase, three worlds — one idea: a symbol can say in a single image what would take a long explanation. In astrology, round a partial degree up and read its image beside the rest of the chart. In Freemasonry, the three Craft degrees teach through the builder’s tools. In education, gown, hood, cap, and diploma mark level, field, and institution. Check the context, count carefully, and name your source.