I’m not a mason yet, but I am curios about appendeant bodies to Freemasonry.
I could only find a video about Scottish Rite and one about York Rite on the net(more specifically on youtube) .
Which path is best ?
How do you know which path is for you ?
I am just asking out of curiosity. If it does not violate protocol , please inform me to the best of your abilities.
Delighted to hear from you! Have you already decided to petition freemasonry? You should know there are about 100 appendant and concordant bodies of Masonry. There is no one “best” appendant body, different organizations appeal to different people. Think of it as a “cafeteria of organizations”, where each individual person can participate in which organization(s) that the person enjoys the most.
The Scottish Rite of Masonry is a non-sectarian organization for Master Masons. It teaches certain lessons, of morality and conduct. I have been a Scottish Rite Mason since 1988. The Scottish Rite is an instructional drama, where the candidates attend a “reunion” to receive the degrees. There are 29 (twenty-nine) operative degrees, beginning with the 4th (secret Master), and concluding with the 32d (Sublime Prince of the royal secret).
The York Rite of Masonry is divided into three sections:
The Chapter of Royal Arch Masons
The Council of Cryptic Masons
The Commandery of Knights Templar Masons
Again, you attend a “festival” where the degrees are performed.
I cannot answer which Rite is best for you, I encourage you to research the organizations, and talk with Scottish/York rite masons, and make a determination. There is no objection to a Master Mason taking BOTH rites, some men go through the entire process!
I belong to the Southern Jurisdiction, because my USA residence is in Virginia. Here is the link:
Dear Visitor, On your question on direction:
If you believe in continuity in the process, then the degrees of the York Rite may fulfill the role of completion of the lessons of the first three degrees. There is a normal process and the further enlightenment of the ancient masonic messages. The lessons are filled with color and beauty. The Chapters,
Councils, and Commandrys of the York Rite offer their own strong human bond to their active members. Just a thought! Ron Doucette - Moderator
I have heard that the first degree of the York Rite, The Holy Arch, is considered mandatory in the UK for example.
There is but one issue i could think of :
I am a Christan (orthodox) but over the years I have seen a dark side to Christianity while in high school . I know the York Rite requires you to be a Christian , and I am , but lately I have been more skeptical about it.
I will give it some thought.
Thank you for your advice.
I have heard that the first degree of the York Rite, The Holy Arch, is considered mandatory in the UK for example.
There is but one issue i could think of :
I am a Christan (orthodox) but over the years I have seen a dark side to Christianity while in high school . I know the York Rite requires you to be a Christian , and I am , but lately I have been more skeptical about it.
I will give it some thought.
Thank you for your advice.
I thought only the Knights Templar degree required one to be a Christian?
Well here is the issue. How is one expected to be a Christian ?
There are many interpretations, and as such, dozens of different kinds of Christians.
I am unsure what exactly is expected.
Although i am getting ahead of myself since I am expecting to be contacted so I may join the Craft.
I think you are right. You’re getting ahead of yourself.
I hope this doesn’t seem too flippant, but trying to understand the requirements of joining the York and Scottish Rites before you become a Master Mason is a bit like trying to understand how to kick a football before you know how to walk.
As Brother Martin and Brother Doucette mentioned in this thread, there are many, many, appendant bodies in Freemasonry, and each one let’s a Master Mason explore the vastness of Freemasonry’s historical connections – those both real and allegorical.
Some, like the York Rite’s Knights Templar, might explore the early Christian tenants that surrounded that order. Others, like the Shriners, take on the allegorical aspects of the Mystic Shrine.
I think it’s more important now to just understand that – more than anything else—these appendant bodies help to further Masonic tenants of charitable giving – the Scottish Rite learning centers and hospitals for children, the York Rite’s medical research foundations, and of course the world famous Shriner’s burn hospitals (where care is not only considered perhaps the best in the world—but is also completely free to all patients).
I mention this only to say that trying to determine what type of “Christian” one may need to be, or what kind of interests one should have, to later be able to join one particular appendant body of an worldwide organization that you are not yet a member of doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. At least for now. Suffice to know you will never be forced or asked to do anything to further your Masonic career that is outside your belief system. And remember, there is no degree, and no honor higher than becoming a Master Mason. Period.
As a side note, I have a good friend who told me candidly that one of the reasons he wanted to join the Masons was because, as he said, “Where else, Bob, can a guy like me hope to become a Knight?”
The fact is, there are many different opportunities (and degrees) for “Knighthood” in Freemasonry. My friend was surprised. I think you will be, too.
Yes i guess i have to wait a while , but while I wait for the interview to join freemasonry , to be as active as possible on forums and such. I do appologise if I am asking inappropriate questions.
Thank you for your information.
All of us here, are delighted to answer questions about Masonry (and the appendant/concordant bodies). None of your questions are inappropriate, in fact I am delighted to meet a person who has a genuine curiosity about the Craft. There are some excellent books out there. “Freemasonry for Dummies”, and “The Complete Idiot’s guide to Freemasonry” are excellent for a beginner, and an excellent review for us old coots.
I encourage you to go ahead and expand your understanding of Freemasonry, and the appendant/concordant bodies, while you are waiting for the process to move forward. Nothing at all wrong with expanding your knowledge base.
Freemasonry is a HUGE topic, with all of the history are background. The large number of affiliated organizations, also present a challenge. I have been a Mason for 25 years, and I am certainly no expert on all of them.
To give an illustration of the variety of organizations: When I lived in Columbus Ohio, I joined a “Hillbilly” club. My wife and I dressed up in bib overalls, and went out in the boondocks, and ate barbecue, and drank white lightning, and danced and partied all night. Where else can a guy like me, become a real hillbilly?
I certainly wasn’t trying to dampen your enthusiasm. As Brother Martin said, your question is not inappropriate. As a Forum moderator, I do try to keep this Forum moving specifically down a path of helping people learn how to become Freemasons.
So to that end, I simply don’t want you—or other readers of the Forum looking for guidance—to get hung up too much about any considerations, religious or otherwise, surrounding organizations appendant to Masonry that a Mason might want to join later on. You certainly don’t need to know anything about any appendant body – or about Masonic ritual—to become a Mason.
We get a lot of mail here that surrounds Freemasonry and Religion (much of it from extremists) so we try hard to make sure we separate the two in people’s minds. I don’t want anyone to be confused. So when we start moving down the “what kind of Christian you might have to be” path on any Masonic topic it gets a little slippery.
Mainly, I don’t want anyone to stay away from Freemasonry because of their religious beliefs. From a religious standpoint, to become a Mason, one just has to believe in a Supreme Being of his choosing. Even in England, where the York Rite is more prominent, one still does not need to be a “Christian” to join Freemasonry.
Finally—and all Masons may not agree on this—but there are times that I think knowing too much about Freemasonry before you join can actually diminish the experience somewhat – a bit like how knowing how a movie ends before you see it.
If you become an active Freemason, you’re going to see the movie many, many times.
Thanks.
I’ll try to keep a cool head and not push things too far.
On the topic of books recommended earlier, what do you think of :
“A new encyclopedia of freemasonry” by Arthur Edward Waite ?
It’s available for sale at a masonic shop in Romania , and I am not sure whether to buy it or not.
Excellent book. Well recommended. But I would wait until after you have taken your degrees to read it. It doesn’t give away any Masonic “secrets,” but it will be more meaningful after you have the proper context.
-Robert
Seriously, though; get into the Symbolic Lodge first, and enjoy the rights, lights, and benefits of your local lodge before worrying about appendant bodies.
Having said that, I will go on to add that BOTH the York & Scottish Rites are worth pursuing—there is no reason to choose one over the other. I’m active in both, and being Jewish, I never concerned myself with the Commandery—just Royal Arch and Cryptic Council.
The “Christian” issue is one that only applies to the Commandery of (Masonic) Knights Templar; and even in states that have a petition for all three York Rite bodies, you can just leave that one out if you’re not comfortable with it and petition for Chapter and Council by not checking the box for Commandery. That’s what I did when I affiliated with the local York Rite bodies in Illinois; in NY, I petitioned them separately (and membership in the Royal Arch Chapter is required to apply for membership in Council or Commandery).
As far as I know, there are little or no denominational requirements for Commandery; but the details may vary from state to state. I’ve seen petitions that merely have a check mark to state that one believes in the Christian religion, and others that affirm a belief in the Trinity. But - as I said - I’m Jewish, and never had to deal with the particulars of that question! If & when the time comes for you, this is something to discuss with the Companions of the York Rite in your area.
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I’m also very active in Scottish Rite, and am a member of BOTH the Northern & Southern Jurisdictions (having received the degrees in NY, and advanced to become a presiding officer there, I’ve maintained my membership in that jurisdiction, but have since moved to St. Louis & then to Iowa, which are Southern Jurisdiction.... so I’m an officer in both [I’m in the Quad Cities, so there are TWO Scottish Rite Valleys near me—one from each jurisdiction on either side of the Mississippi River]).
The York Rite of Masonry is divided into three sections:
The Chapter of Royal Arch Masons
The Council of Cryptic Masons
The Commandery of Knights Templar Masons
Again, you attend a “festival” where the degrees are performed.
This may vary from state to state.
When I joined the York Rite in NY, I petitioned the Royal Arch Chapter by itself, and didn’t petition Cryptic Council until 2 years later. The requirements for petitioning Council & Commandery in NY state that one must already be a Royal Arch Mason, and you have to list your Chapter on the petition.
However, when I affiliated in Illinois, I did so with a single petition that listed all three bodies (I just left the entries for Commandery blank). But even so, we confer the degrees separately—e.g., we meet once a month, and the last two meetings - for April & May - had the 4 Chapter degrees divided between them. They’re still trying to organize & schedule the R&SM Degrees of the Council.
Of course, we’re a small community, and we don’t have the membership to put together a festival of degrees. They may well do that in Chicago or Cedar Rapids.
In Western Mass, we brought the candidates from the chapters and did the four degrees with candidates from area chapters using officers from all the chapters. Each degree would hosted by a different chapter. It was like going on a Masonic tour and adventure. York Rite is a lot of fun and some of the best degree work I have seen and experienced is in York Rite.
I have yet to join the Scottish Rite but, I have heard great things about it and that its ritual is equally fulfilling. All the appendent bodies expand on Freemasonry and that is what makes them special.
