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Rite of Freemasonry

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a Rite within the broader context of Freemasonry. It is the most widely practiced Rite in the world. In some parts of the world, and in the Droit Humain, it is a concordant body and oversees all degrees from the 1st to 33rd degrees, while in other areas, a Supreme Council oversees the 4th to 33rd degrees. It is most commonly referred to as the Scottish Rite. Sometimes, as in England and Australia, it is called the Rose Croix, though this is just one of its degrees, and is not to be confused with other Masonic related Rosicrucian societies such as the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia. Its name may vary slightly in various jurisdictions and constitutions. For example, the English and Irish Constitutions omit the word Scottish. The Scottish Rite stands as a full Rite of Freemasonry and not an appendant body. Master Masons from other rites may, in some countries, join the Scottish Rite's upper degrees starting from the 4th degree due to its popularity. This Rite builds upon the ethical teachings and philosophy offered in the Craft (or Blue) Lodge through dramatic presentations of its individual degrees. It is crucial to note that the term "Blue Lodge" refers to the first three degrees of Masonry, regardless of the Rite being practiced. In the Scottish Rite system, the first three degrees are considered Blue Lodge degrees rather than "Red Lodge".

There are records of lodges conferring the degree of "Scots Master" or "Scotch Master" as early as 1733. A lodge at Temple Bar in London is the earliest such lodge on record. Other lodges include a lodge at Bath in 1735, and the French lodge, St. George de l'Observance No. 49 at Covent Garden in 1736. The references to these few occasions indicate that these were special meetings held for the purpose of performing unusual ceremonies, probably by visiting Freemasons. The Copiale cipher, dating from the 1740s says, "The rank of a Scottish master is an entirely new invention "

French writers Jean Marie Ragon (1781–1862) and Emmanuel Rebold, in their Masonic histories, first claimed that the high degrees were created and practiced in Lodge Canongate Kilwinning at Edinburgh, which is entirely false.

A French trader, by the name of Estienne Morin, had been involved in high degree Masonry in Bordeaux since 1744 and, in 1747, founded an "Écossais" lodge (Scottish Lodge) in the city of Le Cap Français, on the north coast of the French colony of Saint Domingue, now Haiti. Over the next decade, high degree Freemasonry was carried by French men to other cities in the Western hemisphere. The high degree lodge at Bordeaux warranted or recognized seven Écossais lodges there. In Paris in the year 1761, a patent was issued to Estienne Morin, dated 27 August, creating him "Grand Inspector for all parts of the New World". This Patent was signed by officials of the Grand Lodge at Paris and appears to have originally granted him power over the craft lodges only, and not over the high, or "Écossais", degree lodges. Later copies of this Patent appear to have been embellished, probably by Morin, to improve his position over the high degree lodges in the West Indies.

Early writers long believed that a "Rite of Perfection" consisting of 25 degrees, itself the predecessor of the Scottish Rite, had been formed in Paris by a high degree council calling itself "The Council of Emperors of the East and West". The title "Rite of Perfection" first appeared in the Preface to the "Grand Constitutions of 1786", the authority for which is now known to be faulty. or "Manifesto", issued on December 4, 1802.

Henry Andrew Francken, a naturalized French subject born as Hendrick Andriese Franken of Dutch origin, was most important in assisting Morin in spreading the degrees in the New World. Morin appointed him Deputy Grand Inspector General (DGIG) as one of his first acts after returning to the West Indies. Francken worked closely with Morin and, in 1771, produced a manuscript book giving the rituals for the 15th through the 25th degrees. Francken produced at least four such manuscripts. In addition to the 1771 manuscript, there is a second which can be dated to 1783; a third manuscript, of uncertain date, written in Francken's handwriting, with the rituals 4–25°, which was found in the archives of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Lancashire in Liverpool in approximately 1984; and a fourth, again of uncertain date, with rituals 4–24°, which was known to have been given by H. J. Whymper to the District Grand Lodge of the Punjab and rediscovered about 2010. Additionally, there is a French manuscript dating from 1790 to 1800 which contains the 25 degrees of the Order of the Royal Secret with additional detail, as well as three other Hauts Grades rituals; its literary structure suggests it is derived from a common source as the Francken Manuscripts.

A Loge de Parfaits d' Écosse was formed on 12 April 1764 at New Orleans, becoming the first high degree lodge on the North American continent. Its life, however, was short, as the Treaty of Paris (1763) ceded New Orleans to Spain, and the Catholic Spanish crown had been historically hostile to Freemasonry. Documented Masonic activity ceased for a time. It did not return to New Orleans until the late 1790s, when French refugees from the revolution in Saint Domingue settled in the city. the Scottish Rite did not come into being until the formation of the Mother Supreme Council at Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1801 at Shepheard's Tavern at the corner of Broad and Church Streets (the tavern had been the location of the founding of Freemasonry in South Carolina in 1754). The Founding Fathers of the Scottish Rite who attended became known as "The Eleven Gentlemen of Charleston" and included, John Mitchell, first Grand Commander of the Supreme Council, Frederick Dalcho, Alexandre Francois Auguste de Grasse, Jean Baptiste Marie de La Hogue, Thomas Bartholemew Bowen, Abraham Alexander, Emanuel de la Motta, Isaac Auld, Israel de Lieben, Moses Clava Levy, James Moultrie and Isaac Da Costa. Da Costa in particular had been commissioned to establish Morin's Rite of the Royal Secret in other countries; he formed the constituent bodies of the Rite in South Carolina in 1783, which in 1801, became the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction. All regular Scottish Rite bodies today derive their heritage from this body. Subsequently, other Supreme Councils were formed in Saint Domingue (now Haiti) in 1802, in France in 1804, in Italy in 1805, and in Spain in 1811. On May 1, 1813, an officer from the Supreme Council at Charleston initiated several New York Masons into the Thirty third Degree and organized a Supreme Council for the "Northern Masonic District and Jurisdiction". On May 21, 1814, this Supreme Council reopened and proceeded to "nominate, elect, appoint, install and proclaim in due, legal and ample form" the elected officers "as forming the second Grand and Supreme Council ". Finally, the charter of this organization (written January 7, 1815) added, “We think the Ratification ought to be dated 21st day May 5815." Officially, the Supreme Council, 33°, N. M. J. dates itself from May 15, 1867. This was the date of the "Union of 1867", when it merged with the competing Cerneau "Supreme Council" in New York. The current Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States, was thus formed.

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is a rite comprising 33 degrees. The first three degrees are administered by "blue lodges" or "symbolic lodges." They are called "Blue degree" and not "Red degrees". The Scottish rite is by far the most practiced rite worldwide. The next thirty degrees (from the 4th to the 33rd), the high or side degrees a further development and complement to the first three are administered by the "Supreme Councils of the 33rd and final degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite." However, the name can slightly vary depending on the jurisdictions. There is no international governing body aside from Le Droit Humain, which is an international order; all other Supreme Councils in each country is sovereign unto itself in its own jurisdiction. The thirty three degrees of the Scottish Rite are conferred by several controlling bodies. The first of these is the Craft Blue Lodge, which confers the Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason degrees. Craft Blue lodges operate under the authority of national (or in the US, state) Grand Lodges, not the Supreme Council. It is important to note that there is no higher degree in Freemasonry than the third degree, that of Master Mason. That is why the degrees with a number higher than the third must be considered as “side” degrees, (even when called High degrees), they are seen as degrees of instruction or improvement, and not as “higher” degrees, that is, implying a particular power that a Master Mason could claim to be above the others. The hierarchical structure of Freemasonry can be likened to a three tiered edifice, with the third tier, the Master Mason, being the highest. Attaining this level grants a Freemason access to the corridors of the third tier, where he can delve deeper into his Masonic education and broaden his understanding of the craft. They represent a lateral movement in Masonic education rather than an upward movement and are degrees of instruction rather than rank.

Inspired by the Solomonic Tradition and centered on the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem, the Scottish Rite closely combines the criterion of duration, as characteristic of the initiatory process, with the criterion of construction, which commits the adept to the path laid out by the Rite. Building oneself in the AASR system is seen as a long process which is accomplished on the path of truth, justice and wisdom. This long and lengthy process to obtain the degrees can be found within the foundational documents of the AASR, the Constitution and Regulation of 1762, that is present on the altar of every Lodge in the Southern Jurisdiction. The foundational document proscribes the following minimum time allowed to receive the degrees: "All these degrees, into which one can only be initiated in a mysterious number of months, to arrive at each degree in due succession, make the number, in all, of 81 months. Thus, almost seven years was the minimum allowed time to obtain the 25 degrees, in the foundational document of the AASR. The process cannot be a solitary, silent quest for self fulfillment; the collective project must always prevail over individual pretensions in the AASR system.

This motto is probably found for the first time in the patent of February 1, 1802 issued by the brother, Alexandre, Auguste comte De Grasse, marquis de Tilly. There are 11 lodges in New Orleans (Historically all located in the district 16 they recently approved a new one district 20), 16 in New York City as well as Washington DC, Hawaii and California, that work in the Scottish Rite Craft degrees. Nonetheless, it is worth highlighting that they may not necessarily be using the Rituals of either the Southern or Northern jurisdictions, as they might have their own distinctive Scottish Rite Rituals. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite blue degrees are more common in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin American jurisdictions. All lodges in the International Order of Freemasonry for Men & Women, Le Droit Humain, work "seamlessly from the first to the thirty third degree and practice only the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. These two characteristics define it as an Order and not as an Obedience". Most lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grande Loge de France use these degrees, as do a few of the lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grande Loge Nationale Française. It is also a dominant ritual, out of the other rituals in use, in the Grand Lodge of Spain. There are two Lodges in Australia that practice the AASR Craft degrees, The Zetland Lodge of Australia No. 9 and Lodge France 1021, both of which are under the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. An hypothesis from Masonic historian Alain Bernheim, Belgian Masonic scholar Pierre Noël hypothesized in a 2002 paper that the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Craft degrees might be derived from a French translation of the Masonic exposé Three Distinct Knocks, issued in London in 1760. But this theory is heavily debated among Masonic Scholars.

In many jurisdictions, there are also specificities, generally minor but sometimes more significant. These mainly concern which degrees are actually practiced, with other degrees being transmitted through "communication," following the common 18th century practice, meaning that the ritual for the degree is not actually performed. Today, in some jurisdictions, it is common to have only the 4th, 9th, 12th, 13th and 14th performed by the Lodge of perfection (Green degrees),17th and 18th performed by the Chapters (Red degrees), 22nd, 26th, 28th and 30th on the Areopagus or (Black degrees) and the 31st, 32nd, 33rd degrees on a Consistory (White degree) level. Although some valleys or jurisdictions confers many more, while some other jurisdictions confer all of the degrees insisting on communicating none. Moreover, the U. S. and Canadian system progresses much more rapidly than in other countries, allowing one to reach the 32nd degree in a relatively short span, whereas in Europe and South America, such progression requires diligent practice over more than two decades. For this reason, several European and South American jurisdictions do not automatically recognize the high degrees received by their members during their stay in the United States and will sometime bar U. S. 32nd degree members from attending their meetings.

In most parts of the world the Scottish Rite is practiced as a full Rite, starting with the Blue Lodge degrees, under the jurisdiction of a Grand Lodge, then becomes an invitation only body for "upper" degrees divided in groups, the candidate must then wait a period of time after being made a Master Mason of three to five years depending on the jurisdiction (sometimes must be past master), then may be honored with an invitation to the Green Loges (4th 14th), if the brother shows diligence and hard work he may then become invited to the Red Lodges (15th–18th) and receive the degree, again after hard work and dedication he may be invited to the Black Lodges (19th 30th) and received the degrees, then be invited to the white Lodges (31st 33rd). This process takes an average of 25 years to accomplish if the brother is invited to every group and only a very small fraction can make it all the way to 33rd degree. It is worth noting that in the United States of America, the Scottish Rite process is a lot different than the rest of the world and tend to be a lot faster (only a few days or weeks), and the Master Mason can petition to receive the upper degrees, although a new observant movement is developing and the idea of forming an "observant Valley" that would take more time and be more selective is being explored to curb falling membership numbers. The Droit Humain does not make a jurisdictional distinction between Blue degrees to upper degrees and holds an international jurisdiction over its Scottish Rite system.

The Scottish Rite Masonic calendar celebrates the creation of the world (Anno Mundi), 3760/3761 years before the beginning of the Common Era (C. E.) and is based upon the older, Hebraic (Hebrew) calendar, which begins the civil year in September rather than the Gregorian calendar which begins the new year in January (current date +3760), thus after September of the current year, add 1 year more (date +3760 +1), as by example displayed in 'The book of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry' (revised and enlarged edition, 1899, chapter: Hebrew Calendar, page 612), written by Charles T. Mcclenachan, 33°, Grand Master General of Ceremonies of the Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U. S A.

In the aftermath of the ratification of Scottish Rite bodies, the Rite experienced steady growth in Austria during the late 1700s and early 1800s. However, anti Masonic sentiments arose in the mid 19th century, as occurred in other European countries, constraining Masonic activity. The Catholic Church exerted political pressure on Masonic organizations, associating the Scottish Rite with anti religious conspiracy theories. In 1894, these pressures resulted in the Emperor Franz Joseph officially suspending all Masonic lodges in Austria, forcing the Scottish Rite underground until 1918.

After the fall of the Austro Hungarian Empire, the Scottish Rite swiftly reestablished itself under the new Republic of German Austria. Bick (2016) explains how the Scottish Rite provided a philosophical beacon during volatile social circumstances in the interwar period in Vienna and Austria in the early 20th century. Moreover, the Scottish Rite upheld ideals of religious unity, morality, and service as Austria rebuilt. While antisemitism and nationalism eventually permeated Austria in World War II, the Scottish Rite lodges centered humanism. After the war, the Supreme Council based in Vienna continued operating, despite Communist pressures in Eastern bloc countries. From the post war period until present day, the Scottish Rite persevered as a bastion of moral enlightenment in Austria even given wider sociocultural trends.

Presently, the Scottish Rite tradition remains intact in Austria with approximately 3,000 Freemasons participating in lodges across the country. The Supreme Council serves as an international representation of the Scottish Rite by upholding universal values articulated across 33 degrees of initiation. Through moral education and philanthropy, Austrian Scottish Rite bodies perpetuate esoteric knowledge to endorse peace, community improvement, and individual actualization.

Austria contends with persistent fragmentation within its Freemasonry landscape, hindering a revival of a tradition that once flourished. In Scandinavia, a distinct Masonic tradition prevails, setting it apart from the broader Scottish Rite family.

In France and Belgium, depending on the jurisdictions, the degrees typically practiced and initiated include the 4th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 22nd, 26th, 28th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, and 33rd degrees. In some Belgian jurisdictions, initiation into the 5th and 29th degrees are also conducted. Differences in the number of degrees practiced exist from one jurisdiction and country to another. Generally, French jurisdictions practice fewer Areopagus degrees than Belgian jurisdictions and prioritize capitular degrees. In present day the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite has been growing rapidly in France, which prompted some changes to make it more difficult to be invited, in 2023, the G. N. L. F. changed the requirement from three years as a Master Mason to being a Past Master to be invited into the Scottish Rite.

The Ancient and Accepted Rite for Ireland was established in Ireland in 1824 by the Southern Jurisdiction of the USA, following dramatic American expansion. and Gerald FitzGibbon.

Italy, boasting a lineage of Scottish Jurisdiction dating back to 1805, sustains the dynamism of the AASR, preserving its enduring legacy and growing at a rapid pace.

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite was established in Romania in 1881, a year after the National Grand Lodge of Romania was founded. On 27 December 1922, the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite of Romania, received the recognition of the Supreme Council of France in 1922, and recognition from the Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction of the United States in 1925. Between 1948 and 1989 all of Romanian Freemasonry, including the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Romania, was banned by the Communist regime. The Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Romania was reconsecrated in 1993.

In England and Wales, whose Supreme Council was warranted by that of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the USA (in 1845), the Rite is known colloquially as the "Rose Croix" although this is just one of the degrees. More formally, it is known as "The Ancient and Accepted Rite for England and Wales and its Districts and Chapters Overseas". In England, the adjective "Scottish" is generally left out, although in continental European jurisdictions, they retain the "Écossais". There are 25,000 members of the Supreme Council out of the 160,000 members of the United Grand Lodge of England. England and Wales are divided into Districts, which administer the Rose Croix Chapters within their District. There are also some eighteen Districts overseas, as well as some 'unattached' Chapters in a further nine countries. All candidates for membership must have been Master masons for at least six months. Many degrees are conferred in name only, and degrees beyond the 18° are conferred only by the Supreme Council itself. In England and Wales, the candidate is perfected in the 18th degree with the preceding degrees awarded in name only. Continuing to the 30th degree is restricted to those who have served in the chair of the Chapter. Degrees beyond the 30th are conferred only upon a very small number of individuals. In Scotland, the 18th and 30th degree are practised. A minimum of a two year interval is required before continuing to the 30th degree, again with the intervening degrees awarded by name only. Elevation beyond that is by invitation only, and numbers are severely restricted. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is also practiced from the 1st to the 33rd degree by the British Federation of Le Droit Humain, and from the 1st to the 3rd degree by the all male lodge The White Swan, No. 1348, of the Grande Loge de France in London, as well as by the mixed lodge Marco Polo of the Gran Loggia d'Italia.

In Canada, whose Supreme Council was warranted in 1874 by that of England and Wales, the Rite is known as Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. The council is called "Supreme Council 33° Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of Canada". Canada's Supreme Council office is located at 4 Queen Street South in Hamilton, Ontario. There are 45 local units or "Valleys" across Canada.

In the United States of America there are three Supreme Councils: one in Washington, D. C. (which controls the Southern Jurisdiction), one in Lexington, Massachusetts (which controls the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction) as well as the Supreme Council of Louisiana. They each have particular characteristics that make them different. In the United States, members of the Scottish Rite can be elected to receive the 33° by the Supreme Council and is conferred on members who have made major contributions to society or to Masonry in general.

Based in Washington, D. C., the Southern Jurisdiction (often referred to as the "Mother Supreme Council of the World") was founded in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1801. It oversees the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in 35 states, which are referred to as Orients, which are divided into regions called Valleys, each containing individual bodies. In the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, the Supreme Council consists of no more than 33 members and is presided over by a Sovereign Grand Commander, and since 2019, Illustrious Brother James D. Cole, 33°. Other members of the Supreme Council are called "Sovereign Grand Inspectors General" (S. G. I. G.), and each is the head of the AASR bodies in his respective Orient (or state). Other heads of the various Orients who are not members of the Supreme Council are called "Deputies of the Supreme Council". The Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction meets every odd year during the month of August at the House of the Temple, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction Headquarters, in Washington, D. C. During this conference, closed meetings between the Grand Commander and the S. G. I. G. s are held, and many members of the fraternity from all over the world attend the open ceremony on the 5th of 6 council meeting days. In the Southern Jurisdiction, a member who has been a 32° Scottish Rite Mason for 46 months or more is eligible to be elected to receive the "rank and decoration" of Knight Commander of the Court of Honour (K. C. C. H.) in recognition of outstanding service. After 46 months as a K. C. C. H. he is then eligible to be elected to the 33rd degree, upon approval of the Supreme Council and Sovereign Grand Commander.

The Lexington, Massachusetts based Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, formed in 1813, and inactive from 1832 to 1845, oversees the bodies in fifteen states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Vermont. The Northern Jurisdiction is only divided into Valleys, not Orients. Each Valley has up to four Scottish Rite bodies, and each body confers a set of degrees. In the Northern Jurisdiction, the Supreme Council consists of no more than 66 members, led by the Sovereign Grand Commander, currently Ill. Walter F. Wheeler, 33°, who was elected to the position in 2023. Those who are elected to membership on the Supreme Council are then designated "Active." In the Northern Jurisdiction all recipients of the 33rd Degree are honorary members of the Supreme Council, and all members are referred to as a "Sovereign Grand Inspectors General." The head of the Rite in each State of the Northern Jurisdiction is called a "Deputy of the Supreme Council." Thus, the highest ranking Scottish Rite officer in Ohio, is titled, "Deputy for Ohio", and so forth for each state. Additionally, each Deputy has one or more "Actives" to assist him in the administration of the state. Active members of the Supreme Council who have served faithfully for ten years, or reach the age of 75, may be designated "Active, Emeritus". The Northern Jurisdiction Supreme Council meets yearly, in the even years by an executive session, and in the odd years, with the full membership invited. The 33rd Degree is conferred on the odd years at the Annual Meeting. In the Northern Jurisdiction, there is a 46 month requirement for eligibility to receive the 33rd degree, and while there is a Meritorious Service Award (as well as a Distinguished Service Award), they are not required intermediate steps towards the 33°.

The Supreme Council of Louisiana was founded in New Orleans in 1839 in the aftermath of the Morgan Affair. During this time, the Northern Jurisdiction consisted of John James Joseph Gourgas and Giles Fonda Yates who were "effectively a Supreme Council of two people." Likewise, the Grand Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction, Moses Holbrook longed to "relinquish his responsibilities as Sovereign Grand Commander" moving to the rural frontier of Florida to serve as a doctor. It was during this period that the Supreme Council of Louisiana emerged, which claimed its authority via "Cerneauism" – a type of Scottish Rite Masonry without ties to the either the Northern or Southern Jurisdictions. After the Civil War, the Grand Orient of France recognized the Supreme Council of Louisiana. New Orleans educator and Civil Rights activist George Longe was the head of this council for nearly five decades, from 1938 to 1985. Under his watch the Supreme Council of Louisiana tripled in size and expanded to other states. His papers are held at the Amistad Research Center of Tulane University.

The Scottish Rite in the US, renowned for its intricate degrees and rich symbolism, has in the past fifty years seen a strong decline in its membership in all jurisdictions. Historically, the organization boasted a robust and active membership, but in recent decades, it has witnessed a steady and amplifying erosion in its ranks.