SCOTTISH RITE

The mission of the Scottish Rite is to awaken in you the desire for knowledge, an eagerness to know and to place your feet on the path that will lead you, unafraid, to the fountain of knowledge where each for himself may taste and know that it is good.  Each one for himself must interpret the Holy Doctrine and find the Royal Secret, and therein is infinite joy.

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.  It is the foe of intolerance, bigotry and ignorance.

It is the prayerful hope of the Masters and other members of these Bodies that your experiences in receiving these Degrees may be rich, significant and profitable, and that you will go forth from this Temple thoroughly imbued with the ideals and purposes of these Degrees - a fellow soldier in the cause of Truth, Justice, Equality and Fraternity.

"Every Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite from the Fourth through the Thirty-Second, teaches by its ceremonial's as well as by its instruction, that the noblest purpose of life and the highest duty of man are to strive incessantly and vigorously to win the mastery of everything of that which in him is spiritual and divine over that which is material and sensual; so that in him also, as in the Universe which God governs, harmony and beauty may be the result of just equilibrium."  ...Albert Pike

Information below is from the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction website.

Human progress is our cause, liberty of thought our supreme wish, freedom of conscience our mission,
and the guarantee of equal rights to all people everywhere our ultimate goal.   -- The Scottish Rite Creed

Origins

Our age-proven traditions and noble ideals enrich your life with new horizons of personal achievement. Our dynamic programs offer you opportunities for leadership. Most of all, our sincere Scottish Rite fellowship will bring you lifetime friendships and provide delightful occasions to be shared with your wife and family. Get to know your local Scottish Rite officers. Like you, they are good men working for a good cause. They are eager to share and glad to help. Ask. You are sure to find a way to participate in Scottish Rite endeavors that will suit your desire and schedule.

And should you be able to visit our nation’s capital, please include a tour of our national headquarters, the House of the Temple, located just 10 blocks from the White House. It is an inspiring architectural monument. Cordial Brothers are available every day, even on weekends if arranged beforehand, to show you the Temple’s magnificent ceremonial rooms. Or, perhaps, you would like to pause in The Supreme Council’s excellent library, the very first opened to the public in the District of Columbia, or visit the building’s several impressive ceremonial rooms and museums. Wherever you go, you will be welcome, for no matter where your Valley is, this great building is your Scottish Rite home.

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 Scotish (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 Statutes 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.