Australian Master Mason here. This is a book from a Royal Arch Lodge. The Royal Arch degrees are purely a supplemental branch of Freemasonry, you cannot go higher than 3rd Degree (AKA Master Mason, which is not hard). For starters, I will say that Freemasonry is NOT a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion. It is a fraternity that seeks self improvement, brotherhood, as well as doing work for charity, however unlike other groups such as Rotary, we don't seek prominence. The Shriners do have their Circus, but that's about as far as it goes.
The words spoken in this book is a script with no religious meaning. Sure, it does speak about the Temple of Solomon, but it is used as a metaphore, that can be interpreted by the individual as they please. For me, I see the Temple of Solomon as a masterpiece building, and it's story is something that can be transposed towards my own self improvement. That's to put it in a nutshell so to speak.
When we refer to 'rituals,' they are not the theories that people are throwing about. The language spoken in Lodge is English, in the prose and mannerisms of the 1700s, when Freemasonry was founded. Ritual merely refers to ceremony. You could call a regular wedding ceremony a ritual, or the presentation of a medal a ritual, so it purely just the wording. There's nothing nefarious going on here, sorry to disappoint you…
Now I am more than willing to answer some further questions, however, I will tell you now that really, all it is is a group of guys, who like to hang out, help some good causes, do a bit of theatre (that's all the ceremonies really are), and drink beer afterwards.