Jesuitical Sash

A Jesuital Sash (variously called a Council Ribbon, Candlehar Stole, or Sage Sash) is a simple white linen sash four inches wide, and worn over the left shoulder, and affixed at the opposite waist. They are commonly adorned with titles, honors, and awards.

Title vs. Individual Sashes

Sashes are worn to allow those who see them to quickly identify the wearer's position and prestige. However, occasionally a sash is worn specifically as a badge of office, and in those situations, the wearer is representing their office and not as an individual. These title sashes are worn for specific ceremonies, and occasionally in situations where a title's presence at a ceremony is required, but the individual opposes the actions to be taken.

Title sashes only denote the power and authority of the Seat or other position, and will rarely display any other sort of honors or awards.

A special form of title sash exists in the black sash. This is a sash of black linen, unadorned except occasionally bearing a position. Those wearing a black sash stand in the place for another. A black sash will be used to transfer the authority to a new Chair when the previous Chairperson has died or is too ill to stand for the ceremony.  

Position in the Council

A member's position in the Council of Jesuits is denoted by how the lower end is affixed. Regular members of the Council have ends that end at the waist, and may be pinned or sewn. Those who have accepted a role in the Jesuitical Union have the ends extended in tails which reach to the knee. The sash is still affixed at the waist, but the tails are left free. Members of the Grand Council have the tails divided into several strips, and these strips are braided together. Finally, those members of the Ex Cathedra will have the sash pinned at the waist, with the tails divided into two or three strips, with the strips left loose.

Certain members who have been given special, specific, duties may wear an even longer sash which is pinned at the waist, and the tails are tied at the waist on the shoulder side. These sashes do not indicate a person's position, and are worn by members of an honor guard, special duties & ceremonies, and rarely as a special emissary. These sashes are considered "title" sashes, and never include individual insignia.

Piping & Bands

Many members choose to display their "school color" on their sash rather than as an insignia honor medal. This is normally added as a colored cord no more than an 1/8" in diameter sewn onto the top & bottom of the sash, a 1/4" in from the edge. Individuals who have served honorably as a professor at any school, college, or university may use a 1/4" band of color instead. In those rare instances where a professor taught at a different school than the one they graduated from, they may place their professor color at top (nearest the neck) and graduate color at the bottom. In the exceptionally rare cases where an individual has taught at more than one school, the upper band may be split, with the most recent school highest. Under no circumstance may the band by wider than 3/8".

Insignia

These are medals, badges, and other signifiers denoting authority and prestige conferred upon an individual. These insignia fall into three categories, and the position upon the sash depends upon these categories as well as the relative power of the individual recognition. Titles are placed near the shoulder, and other insignia work towards the waist, in order of decreasing prestige. No badge of Honor or Award shall ever be placed above any Title, and no Award will be placed above any Honor. Any current title will go above a previous one, even if the earlier one is more prestigious. Also, only one military rank insignia will be worn, if the later one naturally supersedes the earlier one. An exception does exist however; if an enlisted rank exists, it may be worn alongside an officer's rank.

Insignia may be pinned, sewn, or embroidered. In general, only those with frequent occasion to wear their sash will have it embroidered, and often will keep a dress sash for special occasions. As a general guideline, if one wears a mixed sash (an embroidered sash with some pinned insignia), the embroidery will be towards the tail, and only the most significant insignia pinned. It would be a busy member of the Ex Cathedra indeed who would wear a fully embroidered sash.

Titles

Titles are things that are conferred upon an individual, and allow them to act with authority.

Honors

Honors are positions that may grant authority (such as a military rank), but are not specific instances of authority.

Awards

Awards are special bestowments that may bestow a sense of honor or prestige, but do not generally grant any sort of authority or special status.

The Waist Brooch

There is no official requirement about the waist brooch beyond it not being excessively large or gaudy, and befitting the prestige of the organization.. It may be plain, fancy, bejeweled (although not bejeweled well beyond the wearers station), or even omitted. Often, a simple bronze blanket pin is given to an individual upon initially being bestowed a sash, but this is not considered any sort of endorsement for such a device. Use of the sash as a weapon support is often considered gauche, and can be taken as insulting. Exceptions do exist however. The Count of Candlehar has his sash incorporated into his longsword harness, and at least three Chairs of the Grand Council have brooches that incorporates a wand holder.

Use of a waist brooch is largely left up to the discretion of the individual. Some choose to have their ribbon sewn, while others use it as a chance to display a bit of individuality. Others choose to use the brooch that came with their sash, occasionally upgrading to costlier metals as they gain power or prestige.