Scottish Rite
Sometimes, as in England and Australia, it is called the Rose Croix,[4][5] 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.
[17]: 5 The Copiale cipher, dating from the 1740s[18] says, "The rank of a Scottish master is an entirely new invention..."[19] 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[20] at Edinburgh, which is entirely false.
[24] 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.
[22]: 16–17 Physician Hyman Isaac Long from the island of Jamaica, who settled in New York City, went to Charleston in 1796 to appoint eight French men; he had received his authority through Spitzer.
They organized a Consistory of the 25th Degree, or "Princes of the Royal Secret," which Masonic historian Brigadier ACF Jackson says became the first Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite.
Pike received the 4th through the 32nd Degrees in March 1853[31][32] from Albert Mackey, in Charleston, South Carolina, and was appointed Deputy Inspector for Arkansas that same year.
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,[41] that is present on the altar of every Lodge in the Southern Jurisdiction.
[citation needed] 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.
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,[77] 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.
[81] In 1894, these pressures resulted in the Emperor Franz Joseph officially suspending all Masonic lodges in Austria, forcing the Scottish Rite underground until 1918.
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.
[84] 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.
Through moral education and philanthropy, Austrian Scottish Rite bodies perpetuate esoteric knowledge to endorse peace, community improvement, and individual actualization.
[89] The Suprême Conseil des Isles d'Amérique (founded in 1802 by Grasse-Tilly and revived around 1810 by his father-in-law Delahogue, who had also returned from the United States) breathed new life into the Supreme Council for the 33rd Degree in France.
Nowadays, some of the rituals for certain high degrees still make reference to "prerogatives" dating back to their origins, predating the establishment of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.
In 2004, a noteworthy milestone was achieved when the AASR officially commemorated its establishment in France, marked by the founding of the Supreme Council under the leadership of de Grasse-Tilly.
This momentous occasion marked the beginning of a developmental trajectory intricately linked with the activities of Masonic obediences in the country, resulting in a richly diverse and multifaceted network.
This event provided historians with a valuable opportunity to engage in a comprehensive and scholarly examination of the AASR's evolution in France, tracing its roots back to 1804. International symposiums, notably hosted by the Supreme Council and the Grand College of the REAA-GODF in cities such as Lyon and Paris, featured distinguished speakers who represented both the Southern Jurisdiction and the Supreme Council for France.
Beyond France, this distinctive pattern is observed in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, where the AASR demonstrates relative vitality, albeit in proportionate terms.
A number of prominent Irish freemasons have served as Sovereign and Commander of the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Rite for Ireland, including Sir Charles Cameron[94] and Gerald FitzGibbon.
[95] 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.
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.
[106][107][108] 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°.
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.)
[110] The Lexington, Massachusetts-based Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, formed in 1813, and inactive from 1832 to 1845,[111] 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.
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.
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.
It was during this period that the Supreme Council of Louisiana emerged, which claimed its authority via "Cerneauism"[116] – a type of Scottish Rite Masonry[117] without ties to the either the Northern or Southern Jurisdictions.
[126][127][123][128][129][130][131] Some international jurisdictions reportedly decline to recognize American Scottish Rite Masons in their upper bodies, citing concerns about adequate mastery of the degree material.
