Rectified Scottish Rite
It was founded in 1778 at the Convent of Lyon in France under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, who served as the primary architect and driving force behind its formation.
[1][2] It emerged as a reform and restructuring of the earlier Templar Strict Observance system that had spread in Germany and France in the mid-18th century.
[6] In 1767, Willermoz met the mysterious occultist Martinez de Pasqually, who initiated him into his Order of Knight Mason Elect Priests of the Universe.
Willermoz became devoted to Pasqually's teachings and Cohen ritual magic system, which sought to achieve communication with angels and restore man's lost divine status.
[7] For the next several years, Willermoz operated Rosicrucian study groups and Masonic bodies in Lyon that incorporated Pasqually's rites.
At a Masonic convention in 1778, he put forth his "Réforme de Lyon" plan to reshape the system into the Rectified Scottish Rite.
[14] In the 1910s, there was a renewed interested in resurrecting the Rectified Rite among some French Masons seeking an alternative to the secularism of the Grand Orient de France.
The Interior Order comprises the Novice Knight and Chevalier Bienfaisant de la Cité Sainte (C.B.C.S) degrees, which relate to joining a metaphorical knighthood in service of spiritual enlightenment.
Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, in collaboration with the Brothers from Strasbourg, adapted the rituals of the Strict Observance, eliminating the notion of a temporal Templar power and establishing continuity between Masonry and the Order of the Temple.
[21] The 4th degree of the RER was constructed based on the green Scottish ritual of the Strict Observance, modified by Willermoz and the Brothers from Strasbourg.
René Désaguliers also mentioned having in his possession the General Ritual of the Lodge of Master Masons of Saint Andrew, revised on November 29, 1899, by the Scottish Directorate of Helvetia.
The rituals and mythology of the Rectified Scottish Rite revolve around rebuilding the Temple of Solomon as an allegory for restoring mankind's original perfection.
[23] The Rectified Scottish Rite's philosophy focuses on man's fall from an original exalted state and the potential for restoration.
[22] According to the rite's doctrine, the human race originally existed in a "Primitive State of Glory" of complete innocence, immortal and blessed.
The Masonic quest is framed as seeking to "rediscover the route which can bring man back to his Primitive State and reestablish him in the rights he lost."
Several of its early leaders, including Willermoz and Joseph de Maistre, were prominent Masonic thinkers whose writings shaped esoteric and Christian interpretations of Freemasonry.
[22] The Rectified Scottish Rite's lasting impact has been to provide an example of how Masonic ritual can be used to achieve spiritual enlightenment based on a mystical understanding of Christianity.
