Most Puissant Sov. Grand Commander Joseph Thomas 33rd
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Past M.P. Sov. Grand Commander (Emeritus)
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The local Scottish Rite organization, called a "Valley," confers the 4th through 32nd degrees in degree-conferring meetings. The Scottish Rite is sometimes called the "College of Freemasonry," because it uses extensive allegory and drama to emphasize the message of its degrees. The degree work may, but not necessarily, be completed at one time. The Scottish Rite shares the belief of all Masonic organizations that there is no higher degree than that of Master Mason. The degrees are in addition to, and in no way "higher" than, those of Blue Lodge, or Craft Lodge, Masonry. Scottish Rite degrees simply amplify and elaborate on the lessons of the craft, providing further knowledge of Masonry, the building of the Temple, and ancient religions, with memorable lessons ranging from the days of chivalry to modern times. 1895 is when the Supreme Councils of the Southern Jurisdiction (PHA) and the Southern and Western Jurisdiction formally split and 1900 when the Imperial Grand Council Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (PHA) split from our Imperial Grand Council Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Scottish Rite Degrees
The Degrees of the Scottish Rite are one-act plays often staged with costume, scenery, special effects, and the full rigging of any production. Their purpose is to examine different philosophies, ancient religions, and systems of ethics. Through all of these, people have tried to answer certain universal questions. The Degrees of the Rite do not tell a person what he should think about these questions. Instead, they tell him about what great thinkers and civilizations of the past have thought, and they try to create a situation in which the candidate or Brother can gain insight. Agreeing with Socrates that the unexamined life is not worth living, the Rite helps with this self-examination by providing reference points.
Theatre is the oldest known means of teaching, especially of teaching abstract ideas. It was one of the principal means of instruction in the Middle Ages as well as in ancient Greece and Rome. Masonry borrows the techniques of theatre to make its lessons more impressive and to aid the candidate in forming the beginnings of what it is hoped will be a lifelong pattern of study and thought. Most of the Degrees are set in ancient Israel because it is from the legends surrounding King Solomon's Temple that Masonry takes many of its parables and lessons. Ancient Egypt and Medieval Europe also serve as Degree settings.
Almost every Master Mason who is afforded an opportunity to petition for the Scottish Rite Degrees naturally raises the question in his mind, "Why should I take the Scottish Rite Degrees?" It is a fair and quite appropriate question for him to ask as it is of utmost importance that the prospective initiate have a clear and definite understanding of what the Rite stands for and is endeavoring to accomplish. Here are a few reasons. The Scottish Rite Degrees give us a sense of historical values and standards. Today is the child of yesterday, and no one can understand the significance of the epochal events that are shaking the world unless he sees them from the vantage point of history. Out of the crises of the past, man has discovered principles that are as solid as the mountains, as enduring as the stars.
The moral truths that prevailed in Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome are just as valid, just as imperative in the digital 21st century. In his confidence in the reality of these principles, man has built his faith in the permanent value of moral truth. Here is to be found the basis of optimism, of faith in the free institutions, and of confidence in a civilization resting on ethical principles. No man can witness the Degrees of the Scottish Rite and be either a cynic or a pessimist. They renew his faith in God, in man, and in the process of history.
The Scottish Rite Degrees put into picturesque but explicit language the civic and social ideals implicit in the Blue Lodge Degrees. For centuries, Freemasonry has been a tremendous force for enlightenment, freedom, and social progress in Europe and in the Americas. It was neither caprice nor mere prejudice that caused the Nazis and Fascists to proscribe Freemasonry. Why did the Nazi oppressors hate Masonry? Why did they violate the sacred emblems of the Craft? Why did they hunt down with ruthless cruelty our Masonic leaders? Particularly, why did the totalitarians persecute "Masons of all Degrees"? They knew that tyranny is threatened wherever a Masonic Lodge or Temple exists.
Freemasonry is a compelling and conquering spiritual force, and the reasons are revealed in the Scottish Rite Degrees. Scottish Freemasonry is the foe of intolerance, fanaticism, and superstition. It battles every form of racial and sectarian prejudice and bigotry. It is a mighty exponent of freedom in thought, religion, and government. Thus, the Scottish Rite is a rite of instruction. It interprets the symbols and allegories of Masonry in the light of history and philosophy using the words of the supreme prophets of humanity, ceremonies of the great religions of the world, and significant episodes from history to point the moral and adorn the tale.
The Scottish Rite makes application of the doctrines of Freemasonry to every realm of human activity. The individual Mason is taught to put into practice in his personal life and thought the lessons learned in the Blue Lodge.
Socially, the Scottish Rite is Freemasonry Militant, not in the sense of propaganda and agitation, nor by endorsing specific causes or sponsoring political movements, but by showing through illustrations from history and human evolution how the Mason may make his influence felt for the principles of free thought, free government, free education, and free religion. The Scottish Rite Mason is the foe of intolerance, bigotry, and ignorance in all their forms. That is what the Scottish Rite Degrees are all about.
The degrees of the Scottish Rite are divided into six sections, originally there were seven, but the 15th and 16th Degrees (originally a section to itself called the Council of Princes of Jerusalem) were merged with the Chapter of Rose Croix.
There are four coordinate bodies within the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction:
Some Valleys may not have all four divisions. In such cases, their candidates receive Council, Chapter or Consistory work in neighboring Valleys.
In addition, we have added a new section which we call The Court of Honour.
The Degrees of the Scottish Rite are one-act plays often staged with costume, scenery, special effects, and the full rigging of any production. Their purpose is to examine different philosophies, ancient religions, and systems of ethics. Through all of these, people have tried to answer certain universal questions. The Degrees of the Rite do not tell a person what he should think about these questions. Instead, they tell him about what great thinkers and civilizations of the past have thought, and they try to create a situation in which the candidate or Brother can gain insight. Agreeing with Socrates that the unexamined life is not worth living, the Rite helps with this self-examination by providing reference points.
Theatre is the oldest known means of teaching, especially of teaching abstract ideas. It was one of the principal means of instruction in the Middle Ages as well as in ancient Greece and Rome. Masonry borrows the techniques of theatre to make its lessons more impressive and to aid the candidate in forming the beginnings of what it is hoped will be a lifelong pattern of study and thought. Most of the Degrees are set in ancient Israel because it is from the legends surrounding King Solomon's Temple that Masonry takes many of its parables and lessons. Ancient Egypt and Medieval Europe also serve as Degree settings.
Almost every Master Mason who is afforded an opportunity to petition for the Scottish Rite Degrees naturally raises the question in his mind, "Why should I take the Scottish Rite Degrees?" It is a fair and quite appropriate question for him to ask as it is of utmost importance that the prospective initiate have a clear and definite understanding of what the Rite stands for and is endeavoring to accomplish. Here are a few reasons. The Scottish Rite Degrees give us a sense of historical values and standards. Today is the child of yesterday, and no one can understand the significance of the epochal events that are shaking the world unless he sees them from the vantage point of history. Out of the crises of the past, man has discovered principles that are as solid as the mountains, as enduring as the stars.
The moral truths that prevailed in Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome are just as valid, just as imperative in the digital 21st century. In his confidence in the reality of these principles, man has built his faith in the permanent value of moral truth. Here is to be found the basis of optimism, of faith in the free institutions, and of confidence in a civilization resting on ethical principles. No man can witness the Degrees of the Scottish Rite and be either a cynic or a pessimist. They renew his faith in God, in man, and in the process of history.
The Scottish Rite Degrees put into picturesque but explicit language the civic and social ideals implicit in the Blue Lodge Degrees. For centuries, Freemasonry has been a tremendous force for enlightenment, freedom, and social progress in Europe and in the Americas. It was neither caprice nor mere prejudice that caused the Nazis and Fascists to proscribe Freemasonry. Why did the Nazi oppressors hate Masonry? Why did they violate the sacred emblems of the Craft? Why did they hunt down with ruthless cruelty our Masonic leaders? Particularly, why did the totalitarians persecute "Masons of all Degrees"? They knew that tyranny is threatened wherever a Masonic Lodge or Temple exists.
Freemasonry is a compelling and conquering spiritual force, and the reasons are revealed in the Scottish Rite Degrees. Scottish Freemasonry is the foe of intolerance, fanaticism, and superstition. It battles every form of racial and sectarian prejudice and bigotry. It is a mighty exponent of freedom in thought, religion, and government. Thus, the Scottish Rite is a rite of instruction. It interprets the symbols and allegories of Masonry in the light of history and philosophy using the words of the supreme prophets of humanity, ceremonies of the great religions of the world, and significant episodes from history to point the moral and adorn the tale.
The Scottish Rite makes application of the doctrines of Freemasonry to every realm of human activity. The individual Mason is taught to put into practice in his personal life and thought the lessons learned in the Blue Lodge.
Socially, the Scottish Rite is Freemasonry Militant, not in the sense of propaganda and agitation, nor by endorsing specific causes or sponsoring political movements, but by showing through illustrations from history and human evolution how the Mason may make his influence felt for the principles of free thought, free government, free education, and free religion. The Scottish Rite Mason is the foe of intolerance, bigotry, and ignorance in all their forms. That is what the Scottish Rite Degrees are all about.
The degrees of the Scottish Rite are divided into six sections, originally there were seven, but the 15th and 16th Degrees (originally a section to itself called the Council of Princes of Jerusalem) were merged with the Chapter of Rose Croix.
There are four coordinate bodies within the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction:
- Lodge of Perfection, 4°-14° (presiding officer - Venerable Master)
- Chapter of Rose Croix, 15°-18° (presiding officer - Wise Master)
- Council of Kadosh, 19°- 30° (presiding officer - Commander)
- Consistory, 31°- 32° (presiding officer - Master of Kadosh)
Some Valleys may not have all four divisions. In such cases, their candidates receive Council, Chapter or Consistory work in neighboring Valleys.
In addition, we have added a new section which we call The Court of Honour.
- Knight Commander of the Court of Honor, K:. C:. C:. H:.
The Scottish Rite confers several honors upon members who have contributed extraordinary service to the Rite, to Masonry in general, and to the world at large. The first of these is the Rank and Decoration of a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor (K. C. C. H.), which may be conferred after a minimum of 46 months of membership (usually much longer) and is strictly limited in numbers. A KCCH may, after 46 months at that rank (but usually longer), receive the 33rd degree, Inspector General Honorary. This award is even more limited in numbers than the KCCH. - Inspector General Honorary, 33o
All Scottish Rite jurisdictions nominate a select few members to receive the 33rd Degree, Inspector General Honorary, in recognition of outstanding service to the Rite, or in public life, to the principles taught in the degrees. In the Southern Jurisdiction, the Supreme Council chooses 33rd degree members from among those who have previously received the rank and decoration of Knight Commander Court of Honor. The KCCH is bestowed in a Ceremonial of Investiture in recognition of outstanding service to the Rite, or in public life, to the principles taught in the degrees. - Grand Cross of the Court of Honor
Finally, a very small number of 33rd Degree Inspectors General Honorary may be recognized with the Grand Cross of the Court of Honor; at the present time, there are an average of three or four G. C. 's per state. These honors are voted on biennially at the Session of the Supreme Council and conferred in various locations around the country in groups. The Supreme Council of the Southern Western Jurisdiction consists of no more than 33 Active 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Masons, known as Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, no more than one per state/Orient. As there are more than 33 Orients, a Deputy will govern some. A Sovereign Grand Commander governs the Supreme Council. Unlike the Grand Master in Symbolic Masonry, these appointments are for life, although there are some provisions for retirement at an advanced age. Replacements for these positions are made at the biennial Session of the Supreme Council.
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