Study
The Double Headed Eagle
The double-headed eagle is a heraldic emblem with a long history; in Scottish Rite practice it is studied as a symbol rather than a fixed doctrine.
The double-headed eagle is a heraldic emblem with a long history in European heraldry. In Scottish Rite practice it appears as a symbol, and its meaning is presented as a subject of study rather than a single fixed doctrine.
Heraldic emblems often carry several meanings at once: an authority looking in two directions, a power turned to east and west, or a claim to continuity with earlier powers. Masonic teaching may draw on several of these readings. A careful student distinguishes the historical use of the emblem from the interpretation given by a particular body.
Example: a member who sees the eagle on a certificate can first trace its heraldic use before asking what the rite intends by it. Two questions, one historical and one institutional, give a clearer answer than either alone.