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Origins & History of the Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, as we know it today, had its originson the continent of Europe. Its immediate predecessor, known as The Order of the Royal Secret consisted of 25 degrees under the Constitutions of 1762. Masonic traditions maintains that Lodges of this Rite, transmitted from Bordeaux in France through the West Indies to the American mainland, were established in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1763; at Albany, New York, in 1767; at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1781 - 1782; and at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1783.The Grand Constitutions of 1786 provided for an extension of the Rite to thirty-three Degrees, governed in each country under a Supreme Council of the Thirty-third and Last Degree. Its provisions were cited in a Manifesto at Charleston that confirmed the first Supreme Council ever opened under these Grand Constitutions, on May 31, 1801, "by Brothers John Mitchell and Frederick Dalcho." All regular and recognized Supreme Councils and their Subordinate Bodies today are descended directly or collaterally from this Mother Supreme Council of the World.
The Name
In announcing its establishment to the Masonic world in that Manifesto, dated December 4, 1802, the name was given as The Supreme Council of the Thirty-third Degree for the United States of America. The word Scotch appeared in connection with one of the early Supreme Council Degrees, and Scottish (sic) was included in the name of one of the detached Degrees conferred by The Supreme Council.The name Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite first appeared in an 1804 agreement between the Supreme Council of France and the Grand Orient of France. Beginning with the administration of Grand Commander Albert Pike in 1859, it came into general use in the Southern Jurisdiction and elsewhere. Many Scottish Masons fled to France during political upheavals in the 17th and 18th centuries, at a time when the Degrees of the Rite were evolving in French Freemasonry. This has caused some to think mistakenly that the Rite originated in Scotland. Actually, however, a Supreme Council for Scotland was not established until 1846.
Southern Jurisdiction
The Grand Constitutions of 1786, in the earliest known text in the possession of John Mitchell and Frederick Dalcho, provided for two Supreme Councils in the United States. The Supreme Council at Charleston sent one of its Active Members to New York and authorized him to establish in 1813 a Supreme Council for the Northern Jurisdiction of the United States of America. With this accomplished, The Supreme Council at Charleston in 1827 ceded to the Northern Supreme Council the 15 states north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi Rivers. The Southern Supreme Council retained jurisdiction over all other states and territories (at home and abroad) of the United States.International Character of the Scottish Rite Today
The Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction recognizes in its fraternal relations 40 Supreme Councils and four National Grand Lodges practicing the Rites that include the Scottish Rite, in different countries throughout the world. Each regular Supreme Council has declared its general adherence to those Grand Constitutions of 1762 and 1786, but each, being a sovereign Masonic Body, has made variations in its Statues to meet its own particular needs. This is especially true as to the number of members composing a Supreme Council. Some have retained the original limitations of nine Active Members. In our Jurisdiction the number of Active Members is limited to 33. In other Jurisdictions larger or smaller limitations have been set. To maintain the spirit of international unity, the Mother Supreme Council participates in overseas conferences with other Supreme Councils.The Degrees of the Rite
Our Supreme Council has in its Archives copies of the Degrees of the Rite of Perfection and of additional Degrees, including the 33o, which were in use at Charleston in 1801. Some of these old Degree documents are fragmentary, and some Degree manuscripts have not survived the centuries.The Albert Pike Rituals
In the mid-19th century, Grand Commander Albert Pike revised these Degrees. He retained the original titles, substance and sequence. Out of his own great scholarship and knowledge of ancient philosophies, he added new substance and significance to the Degrees, which enhanced their importance. The Southern Jurisdiction has continued to use the basic Albert Pike Rituals. While the Rubrics permit variations in the manner of their rendition, the Degrees has remained otherwise relatively unchanged. The Pike versions are also widely, although not exclusively, used elsewhere.For the past several years, as authorized by The Supreme Council and its Committee on Ritual and Ceremonial Forms, Dr. Rex R. Hutchens, 33o, Grand Cross, author of several authoritative books about Pike's writings, has worked with a resource team of experienced Brethren to modernize the language, accent the significance, and enhance the dramatic performance of the Pike Degrees. The Revised Standard Ritual maintains the moral vision and philosophical integrity of the original Pike Degrees while making them more accessible to contemporary Brethren. The new Degrees are being honed through authorized trial performances in Valleys throughout the Southern Jurisdiction and have just been sanctioned by unanimous vote of The Supreme Council as the official Ritual of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A.
The Subordinate Bodies usually confer the Degrees in one of two ways: in a Class which meets once a week over a period of several months, in the spring and in the autumn; or at a Reunion at which the Degrees are conferred or communicated over a period of one or more days. The candidates are not required to memorize any portion of the Degrees. Every member is encouraged, however, to witness the Degrees thereafter as frequently as possible so that he will become more fully aware of the nature of each Degree and the lessons it teaches.
A comprehensive and concise book, A Bridge to Light by Dr. Hutchens, summarizes our Scottish Rite Degrees and assists in a ready understanding and appreciation of our Ritual. Also, it frequently returns to the great cornerstone of our Order, Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma, by presenting eloquent quotations that clearly fix the meanings of each of the Degrees and places them within the context of the modern era.
Having become a valuable aid, A Bridge to Light may be used by the Ritualist desiring to improve his work and as a cordial guide to the significance of the Scottish Rite Degrees. A copy of this book is provided to each new Fourteenth Degree initiate in the Southern Jurisdiction and is available from The Supreme Council to any interested party.
The Scottish Rite and the First Three Degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry
The Mother Supreme Council, from the beginning, has acknowledged the jurisdiction of Symbolic Grand Lodges in the United States over the first three Degrees. No regular Scottish Rite Body in the Southern Jurisdiction has ever conferred them. However, the Scottish Rite Ritual is used in some other national Grand Lodge jurisdictions and, in some few cases, in Grand Lodge jurisdictions in the United States.Our Supreme Council Statutes prescribe that every Scottish Rite member must maintain his good standing in his Symbolic Lodge or automatically forfeit his Scottish Rite membership.