32° Masons

Are You One?

If Not ! Why Not !

Why a 32° Mason ? You took the necessary steps to become a Master Mason. You earned the right to become a part of the oldest and greatest fraternal organization in the world. Now you have an opportunity to expand upon your knowledge of Freemasonry, to widen your circle of acquaintenances, and to serve humanity in unique ways.

You may approach a 32° Scottish Rite Mason to take the next step into the Scottish Rite. Or he may approach you to suggest that you continue your Masonic journey, which should be a never-ending path. There is always room for improvement in our lives.

Although there is no higher degree than that of Master Mason, the 29 degrees of the Scottish Rite serve to enrich the philosophy of the Symbolic Lodge. A Mason who chooses to further his Masonic experience by becoming a 32° Scottish Rite Mason will be expanding upon the fundamental principles of Freemasonry. The moral and ethical lessons will allow him to be constantly reminded of his duty to God, family, country and fellow man.

How Long Will It Take?

A Master Mason may become a 32° Scottish Rite Mason in one day, or he may take each body of degrees separately over a period of time. Each degree requires elaborate preparation, so not every degree is presented in full form during a degree-conferring session. The lessons for degrees not performed are summarized for the candidates. Every 32° Scottish Rite Mason should strive to witness in future years as many degree presentations as possible.

Is Memorization Required?

A candidate is not required to commit the Scottish Rite degrees, signs, passwords, tokens or grips to memory. No examinations are given either during the degree work nor for admission to the meetings of other Valleys.

Following initiation, a member gains entrance to meetings of any Scottish Rite Valley by presenting a current dues card/ traveling card.

What is Scottish Rite Masonry?

        1. Starting from the original twenty-five degrees of perfection elaborated in France by certain Scotch royalist refugees, the Scottish Rite has been developed into a complete system of progressive Masonic organization from the first degree of Masonry to the thirty-third and last degree. The idea of thirty- three degrees is said to have been suggested to correspond with the thirty-three years of the life of the Savior. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, in the form that it exists today, was elaborated from the "Degrees of Perfection" or the "Ancient and Accepted Rite," as they were called. These Degrees of Perfection were originated by certain adherents of the House of Stuart, who in 1754 had taken asylum in the Jesuit College of Clermont in Paris. One of these degrees was known as the Degree of Scottish Master, which together with the facts that the originators were mostly Scotch, is supposed to have given rise to the name of the "Scottish Rite." These degrees in their earlier form soon found their way into Germany, where the Masonic fraternity was under the patronage and royal favor of Frederick the Great, who had put himself at the head of the Order in the country. Under the direction of that illustrious monarch, the first constitution and system of government of the Rite was promulgated. This constitution was greatly revised and enlarged in 1786 under the same auspices, and has ever since been considered the Charta of the Order. About this time, and certainly not much later, the remaining eight of the degrees which comprise the complete system of the Scottish Rite, were added. While the Order originated in France, it was shaped into a system of historical and philosophical degrees, and also given its form of government, in Germany. The influence of the latter country is seen in the adoption of the Prussion double-eagle and the Teutonic cross as the two most important symbols of the Order.

        2. The first three degrees of the Scottish Rite, like all legitimate Masonic fabrics, consist of the universal symbolic degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. Originally, and still in some countries, notably in France, the Scottish Rite maintains jurisdiction over the symbolic degrees. But this is not so in America. While theoretically the Scottish Rite has authority to confer the first three degrees, yet it has become the invariable and well founded custom to do no such thing. The very wise practice of foregoing its right in this respect and leaving the first three degrees entirely to the regular symbolic Grand Lodges, is to avoid confusion in Masonic government and conflict in authority; also to maintain harmonious and working relations with the symbolic lodges. Therefore, everywhere in America, the Rite began with the administration of the fourth degree, and receives into that degree only those who are in good standing in regular symbolic lodges of our affiliation.

        3. In the minds of those who do not understand the nature and history of the development of higher degrees in Masonry, there is a confusion as to the order in which such degrees should be taken. It is therefore wise to state clearly and positively that there is no reason, historically or otherwise, why a Master Mason should not take either series of the higher degrees in any order he pleases. The two Rites are distinct and separate, although in harmonious accord. Certain Scottish Rite jurisdictions have undertaken to require their members to take the Capitular and Templar degrees before taking any of the Scottish Rite degrees; but there is no warrant for this either historically or legally, and the requirement is unsound and indefensible.

Source A.B.C.'s of Scottish Rite Masonry
Prepared by George W. Crawford, 33°
Ill. Grand Minister of State