S A A G

ORDO AB CHAG

~—----—~ W RE)R,~ GZAAMmSIO

ELNJiFrn ~c7z-~—--
—--—----~----~y-iVOGRSPOED

REPORT OF THE XXXVIIIth CONFERENCE

OF
EUROPEAN SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDERS
OF
THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE

12—15 MAY 1993

AMSTERDAM
 XXXVIIIth CONFERENCE OF
EUROPEAN SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDERS
OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE

12—15 MAY 1993

AMSTERDAM

REPORT

Presented by
The Supreme Council for th~ Kingdom of The Netherlands
 CONTENTS
Page

List of participants 5

Preamble 11

Report of the Secretary of the Conference 12

Record ol the Conference 14

Announcement Enclosure 1 19

nvitatio n Enclosure 2 21

Information Enclosure 3 25

Conference programme Enclosure 4 27

Programme for ladies and guests Enclosure 5 30

Opening Invocation Enclosure 6 31

Opening address Enclosure 7 32

Report Committee of Three Enclosure 8 34

Report Committee on Proposals Enclosure 9 37

Tne Sharp documents Enclosure 10 38

Closing address Enclosure 11 41

Closing Invocation Enclosure 12 42

- presentations of the S G C for theaU S A. (SJ), France, Spain, the U S A (NJ),

Belgium, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Canada, The Netherlands, Austria, I~aly,

Israel, Iran in exile

4Ub\ / I Participants
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Accompanied by

United States of America, Southern Jurisdiction

Mr C Fred Kleinknecht Head of Delegation Mrs Gene Kleinknecht

Sovereign Grand Commander Observer

Mr H Douglas Lemons Observer Mrs Maxine Lemons

Sovereign Grand Inspector
General in California

Mr Sam F Hilburn Observer Mrs Millie Hilburn

Sovereign Grand Inspector
General in Texas

Mr Paul T Million jr Observer Mrs JaNell Million

Sovereign Grand Inspector
General in Oklahoma

Mr Earl K Dille Observer Mrs Mariha Dille

Sovereign Grand Inspector
General in Missouri

France

Mr Henri L Baranger Head of Delegation Mrs Lydie Baranger

Sovereign Grand Commander Delegate

Mr Jean—Paul Krieger Delegate

Grand Secretary General
and Grand Chancellor

Mr Serge Raimbaull Observer Mrs Th&~se Raimbault

Grand Expert

My. Jean—Bernard Levy Observer

Active member

Mr Diego de Lora Observer Mrs Sylvette de Lora

Active member

5
 Mr Faruk Erengul Delegate Mrs Erengul Erengul
Spain Lieutenant Grand Commander

Mr Francisco E Lafuente Head of Delegation Mr Suha Umur Observer

Grand Minister of State
Sovereign Grand Commander Delegate
and Grand Secretary General
United States of America, Northern Jurisdiction
Mr MehmetFuatAkev Observer
Mr Stanley F. Maxwell Head of Delegation Mrs. Dorothy Maxwell Grand Chancellor
Soy Grand Commander Observer
Emeritus Mr Leon Marcel Kuriyel Observer Mrs Ester Kuriyel
Assistant Grand Chancellor
Mr Alfred E Rice Observer
Grand Lieutenant Commander Greece

Mr Sidney R. Baxter Observer Mrs Mona Baxtei Mr Anton ios Loizos Head of Delegation Mrs Victoria Loizos
Assistant to the Sovereign Grand Commander Delegate
Soy Grand Commander
Mr Nikolaos Melissaropoulos Delegate Mrs Eileen Melissaropoulos
Belgium Grand Deacon and
Grand Standard Bearer
Mr George Kint Head of Delegation
Sovereign Grand Commander Delegate Switzerland

Mr Jacques van de Calseyde Delegate Mr Jean—Paul Grenier Head of Delegation

Grand Master of Ceremonies Sovereign Grand Commander Delegate

Arg en tin a Mr Heinz Guldenfels Delegate

Lieutenant Grand Commander
Mr. Isaac Moussatche Head of Delegation Mrs Lilian Moussatche
Grand Master of Ceremonies Observer Canada

Mexico Mr John V Lawer Head of Delegation Mrs Audrey Lawer

Sovereign Grand Commander Observer
Mr Horst Rebing Head of Delegation Mrs Aurora Rebing
Active member Observer
The Netherlands
Turkey
Mr Kees J P van Boven Head of Delegation Mrs Anneke van Boven
Mr Sahir Erman Head of Delegation Mrs GuI Erman Sovereign Grand Commander Delegate
Sovereign Grand Commander Delegate

6 7
Mr Bert W. van Ommeren
Grand Secretary General
Mr. B~ J D Alberts
Honorary Sovereign
Grand Commander
Mr Lex P. van Wijk
Grand Treasurer
Delegate Mrs Coby van Ommeren Mr Franco Benutti Observer
Active member
Mrs Franca Brambilla
Observer Mrs Mimi Alberts Mr Luigi Brambilla Observer
Honorary member Mrs Agnese Brisio
Mr Giovan Francesco Ferrari Observer Mrs Talia D Ferrari
Observer Mrs Ans van Wijk Sovereign Grand
Inspector General

Mr Bartel Smit Conterence statt Mrs Els Smit Mr. Rinaldo Franco Observer Mrs LinaFranco
Active member Observer Sovereign Grand
Inspector General
Austria
Mr Angelo Tramontano Observer
Mr Fritz L Frohlich Head ot Delegation Sovereign Grand
Grand Secretary General Delegate Inspector General

Germany Israel

Mr Gunter Munzberg Head ot Delegation Mr Haim Almog Head of Delegation Mrs. Esther Almog
Sovereign Grand Commander Delegate Active member Delegate

Mr. Heinz Cyss Delegate Iran in exile

Grand Secretary General
Mr. Parviz Yeganegi Head of Delegation Mrs Pan Yeganegi
Italy Sovereign Grand Commander Delegate

Mr. Augusto de Megni Head ot Delegation Mrs Adriana de Megni Mr Luttallah Hay Delegate Mrs Maliheh Hay
Sovereign Grand Commander Delegate Grand Secretary General

Mr. Silvestro Tambelli Delegate

Grand Secretary General
and Grand Chancellor

Elvro Sciubba Observer

Past Sovereign Grand
Commander

Mr Luigi Motti Observer Mrs Italia Motti

Active member

8 9
 PREAMBLE

It is with great pleasure we present you with a brief account ot the 38th
Conference of European Sovereign Grand Commanders

It was a great honour tor our Supreme Council to be host to so many illustrious
participants and their ladies, representing 16 countries within and without
Europe

The Conterence, once again, confirmed the importance ot regular contact

between Supreme Councils, especially in our present day’s dynamic and
ever—changing society

The continuing participation ot the non—European Supreme Councils is also

gratitying

During these Conferences masonic and personal relations are cemented, thus
stimulating fruittul exchanges of ideas and of information

In conclusion, I wish to express my thanks to the organising committee, and all

the supporting volunteers, who did their utmost to make this event into a
succes

C J P van Boven 330

Sovereign Grand Commander

11
 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE CONFERENCE A third letter 3), providing last information to the invited Supreme Councils, was
mailed on April 15th, 1993

During the 37ih Conference of S.G.C ‘5 in Istanbul in May, 1992 if was decided
that the 38th Conference would be organised by the Supreme Council for the
Kingdom of The Netherlands The S G C accepted this honour on behalf of
his Supreme Council and announced the 38th Conference to be held in
Amsterdam during May 12—15th 1993
The Supreme Council appointed a Committee, presided over by the Grand
Treasurer, to advise on Conference policy and financial planning The
Committee was supported by a “working party” to implement the plans, as well
as a number of brethren and ladies who where available on call.
On September 3d, 1992 the Supreme Council gave its formal approval of the
Conference theme as proposed by the Sovereign Grand Commander It also
approved the Committee’s preliminary proposals as to Conference city, hotel
facilities required, provisional programme, outlines for a programme for the
ladies, working procedures during the Conference, and a provisional budget
Special attention was given to personal care for our guests; their safety and
security, medical attention and assistance, if required
In the invitation sent October 19th, detailed information was given concerning
participation payment of Conference tees, the programmes and the
Conference rules and regulations.
Invitations were sent to 23 Supreme Councils, 15 of which were European
(including England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Finland), and 8 of which
were overseas and others
Acceptances were received from 16 Supreme Councils, sending 50
participants 21 delegates and 29 observers 31 participants were
accompanied by their ladies
The Conference met at the Marriott hotel in the centre of Amsterdam The
ambiance of the hotel, and its complete conference facilities were positive
contributions to the eff~cienf running of the Conference

A first announcement 1) was mailed on September 10th, 1992, informing the

Sovereign Grand Commanders of the exact date and place, and the general
theme of the Conference

The formal invitations 2) mailed on October f 9th, 1992 presented the theme
“Scottish Rite, and how if operates in your country” Special emphasis was
given to.
— origin and content of the Ritual system,
— criteria for admission, membership and advancement,
— what degrees are formally conferred

A second theme — to be developed in a separate meeting of the Sovereign

Grand Commanders was planned “An exchange of views and information of
—

mutual interest to all Supreme Councils”

t) End 1 pag 19 3) End 3 pag 25

2) End 2 pag 21

13
12
 RECORD OF THE CONFERENCE The President then gave his opening address 7), welcoming the participants,
and giving a few words of reflection on the theme of the Conference
Wednesday, May 12th After having approved the agenda for the Conference, the delegates
unanimously elected, as members of the Committee on date and place of the
Most of the participants and their ladies arrived, and were registered, at the next Conference the M: Ill. Brethren
Marriott hotel on this first day of the Conference All guests were welcomed on
their arrival, at the airport or railway station, by one of our brethren or ladies, and G Munzberg Germany
were guided to the hotel H Baranger France
At the reception desk of the Conference-office, programmes of the F Espinar Lafuente Spain
Conference for participants 4) and for ladies and guests 5) and information A Loizos Greece
about the City of Amsterdam, were presented to the guests In their rooms
they found a welcome attention, and some first invitations As members of the Committee on proposals the following M Ill Brethren were
unanimously elected
At the end of the afternoon the Sovereign Grand Commanders—in—function
had their first closed meeting. G Kint Belgium
All the participants and their ladies weie piesent at the welcoming cocktail party S Erman Turkey
offered by our Sovereign Grand Commander Bro C J P van Boven and
. J—P Grenier Switzerland
enjoyed a wonderful buffet. A. de Megni Italy

Thursday, May 13th The President of the Conference congratulated the new members of the
Committees with their unanimous election
The Conference and its first plenary session were opened by the president of
the previous Conference, M Ill ~.Bro S Erman, Sovereign Grand Comman- After a coffee break, the Chairman opened the second plenary session, and
der for Turkey. raised the contributions of the delegations on the general theme of the
NeKf M Ill ~ Erman proposed the election of M ~.lll Bro.. Kees J.P van Conference. Most delegations had sent a summary of their speech ahead, to
Boven, Sovereign Grand Commander for The Netherlands as President of the shorten the time required for the many presentations
38th Conference His election was unanimous
After the change of Chairmanship, and his words ot gratitude, the new The Chairman called on M .111. Bro: C. Fred Kleinknecht to be the first
President proposed the election of his Grand Secretary General V. Ill Bro speaker His eKposition and all the following presentations were followed with
A W. van Ommeren as Secretary of the Conference His election was close attention, and often gave rise to remarks or questions
unanimous The facilities available for simultaneous translation of English/French or
At the request of the Chairman, an impressive invocation 6) was read by French/English proved to be of real value to a broader and more lively
V~ Ill ~.Bro..D C J van Peype member of the Supreme Council for The
330, exchange of views
Netherlands The meeting was adjourned at 1130, as the time until 1230 had been reserved
M Ill. Bro van Boven spoke some sober commemorative words to honour
. for meetings of the Committees
the members of the participating Supreme Councils who had passed away
since the 37th Conference in Istanbul The third plenary session, starting after lunch, was opened by the President of
the Conference, who requested the report of the Committee on date and
4) End 4 pag 27 place of the 39th Conference in 1994
5) End 5 pag 30
6) End 6 pag 31
7) End 7 pag 32

14 15
 Its chairman M ~.llIBro H L Baranger reported the unanimous proposal of the
.
Committee to have the next Conference of European Sovereign Grand
Commanders in Germany from 25 to 28 May, 1994 The proposal was
unanimously carried by the meeting
The Supreme Council for Spain is prepared to host the 40th European
Conference in f 996, with the Supreme Council for Greece as possible back
up. In 1995 there will be no European Conference, as the World Confeience
of Sovereign Grand Commanders will then be held in Lausanne, Switzerland
The President then proposed the election of M Ill. Bro G Munzberg as
Vice—President of the Conference The election was unanimously approved
by the Delegates
The Chairman next called upon the meeting to discuss the report of the
“Committee of Three” dated May lSih, 1993, concerning recent develop-
ments in several European countiies 8) There were no questions from the
Delegates
After these reports the plenary meeting continued with the presentation of the
Conference papers The session was adjourned at 1600, as a closed meeting
of Sovereign Grand Commanders, and Heads of Delegations, was planned for
630
In the evening two simultaneous dinners were waiting for the guests One for
the Delegates and Observers and their ladies, in the Amsterdam Freemasons
Hall For the other one the Sovereign Grand Commanders and their ladies
were invited to the Marriott hotel
Friday, May l4ih
Nearly all brethren and ladies of the Conference participated in the excursion
to the Zuiderzee Museum, situated some 50 kilometers from Amsterdam On
their bus trip to the old town of Enkhuizen, our guests enjoyed classic Dutch
scenery, with typical farms and windmills, situated below sealevel
8) End 8 pag 34
16
In the open air museum, reconstructed houses and workshops of seamen,
fishermen and farmers, gave a lively impiession of daily life in the towns and
villages around the former Zuiderzee from earlier centuries until about f 932,
when the Zuiderzee Dam was built
Saturday, May 15th
On this last Conference day, the Sovereign Grand Commanders and the
Heads of Delegations were the first to start with a closed meeting at 0830
The fourth plenary session was opened at 0930 sharp The first point on the
agenda was the report of the Committee on proposals 9), presented by
M Ill: Bro J—P Grenier The proposals were all unanimously accepted by the
Delegates
As the time on the agenda, before coffee break, reserved for general
discussion proved not to be necessary, it was used for two special items
The first one was the presentation of the official gift of the Supreme Council for
The Netherlands Each delegation received a copy of the first volume of the
famous Sharp documents 10) This publication was made possible by courtesy
of the Supreme Council for the U S A (NJ) supplying the microfilm of the
original Sharp documents. They comprise some 700 hand—written pages cove-
ring the period of 1745 to 1770
These documents are a “must” for every Scottish Rite member interested in its
early history
Second was a video—tape presentation by V. .111~ Bro P. Richardus 330
member of the Supreme Council for The Netherlands and President of the
“Foundation of Friends of the Collections of the Grand Lodge of The
Netherlands”
He showed the Conference participants the famous Library of the Grand
Lodge It is based on the so—called Kloss Library in Germany which in 1856
was acquired by Prince Frederik of Orange, then National Grand Master, who
donated this valuable collection to the Grand Lodge of The Netherlands
The fifth and last plenary session started at 1100 Each Delegation was given
the floor, in turn, to speak its words of thanks and farewell
9) End 9 pag 37
10) End lOpag 38
17
Beautiful gifts and special souvenirs were offered to the President of the Enclosure 1
Conference by M. Ill: Brethren Jean-Paul Grenier (Switzerland), Sahir Erman ~oSAA
0
(Turkey), Antonios Loizos (Greece) as well as by V~ Ill. Brethren Horst Rebing
(Mexico), Fritz L Frohlich (Austria), Haim Almog (Israel) and M Ill Bro. Parviz
Yeganegi (Iran in exile)

With well—chosen words of appreciation for their merils, lhe President

presented Honorary Membership of the Supreme Council for The Netherlands
to M ~.lll.Brethren Sahir Erman and John V. Lawer

M. Ill Bro van Boven received the Diploma’s of his appointment as Honorary
Member of the Supreme Councils for Mexico, Austria and Greece
ORDO AB cHAD

After all these speeches, the President formally closed the 38th Conference of EE~nrru ~ERDR,0~t~AMflEIU~‘0ORSPOEO

European Sovereign Grand Commanders wilh a short closing address 11) and
requested V Ill: Bro~ D C J. van Peype, 330 to read the Closing Invocation
12) THE SUPREME COUNCIL FOR THE NETHERLANDS
OF THE 33rd AND LAST DEGREE
Finally, the President invited all the participants to lunch to be followed by the OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE
conferral of the 28th Degree on a candidate, by the English speaking Consis-
tory “Thistle & Rose” This ceremony turned out to be an inspired, and The Hague, 10th of September 1992.
inspiring, ritual happening, and one of the high points of the Conference Groot Secretaris Generaal
Postbus 11525
All Conference participants and their ladies had accepted the invitation of the 2502 AM ‘s-GRAVENHAGE
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of The Netherlands to be his guests for Nederland
cocktails, preceding the gala dinner in the Marriott hotel phone (31 70) 346 16 41
In his welcome speech M. W Bro. R. Schultink thanked the Brethren and fax (provisional) (31 70) 391 11 98
their ladies for coming to Amsterdam He conveyed the greetings of the Grand
Lodge of The Netherlands, and presented some thoughts aboul the relations,
the coherence, and the co—operation between Scottish Rite Freemasonry and
the Craft in our society
M P. Sovereign Grand Commander,
It was about midnight, after the farewell dinner, when the President M~ Ill Bro
van Boven, took the floor to thank all his guests for coming to the Conference Our Sovereign Grand Commander will have the pleasure of inviting you, and
to meet one another, and to work together in the friendly and fraternal your delegation, to Amsterdam where the 38th Conference of European
ambiance that we all know and love He wished everybody good night, and a Sovereign Grand Commanders will be held in the Marriott hotel from 12th of
good and safe journey back home Until we meet again in Germany May till 15th of May 1993

This short letter is only meant as a brotheily reminder to mark these dates in
your diary, and to give you a brief indication of the planned programme More
11) End 11 pag 41 detailed information concerning the programme, and including information
12) End l2pag 42 about hotel—reservations, registration—fees and forms, as well as the official
invitation, will be sent to you within six weeks

18 19
The general theme of the conference is Enclosure 2
A AC
“Scottish Rite and how it operates in your country”.

— Origin and content of the Ritual—system,

— Cnteria for admission, membership and advancement,
—What degrees are formally conferred.

That part of the Conference, reserved to the Sovereign Grand Commanders

only, will be dedicated to an exchange of views and information of mutual
interest for our Supreme Councils This will include such items as develop-
ments and problems within your own country, as well as on the international
scene
‘~E~ORM~GZ.~MflE]D voowoo~o

Theie will be an initiation into the 28th degree: Knight of lhe Sun, Prince
Adept, as worked in The Netherlands and performed in the English language
THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE 33rd AND LAST DEGREE
Theie will be a complete programme of special interest to the ladies, and OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE
sufficiant recreation—time will be provided for the Delegates FOR THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS
The registration—fees are DGlds 1 800,— for Delegate and DGlds 2 000,— for
Grand Secretary General’~ Office
Observer Postbox 11525
2502AM THEHAGUE
With kindest regards, I remain, yours sincerely and fraternally, The Netherlands
phone (31 70)3461641
fax (provisional) (31 70) 391 11 98
The Hague, 19th of October 1992

A .W van Ommeren
Grand Secretary General
M P Sovereign Grand Commander,

We have lhe pleasure of inviting you, and your delegation, to Amsterdam,

where the 38th Conference of European Sovereign Grand Commanders will be
held from the 12th to the 15th of May 1993, as decided in Istanbul during the
37th Conference

‘Place of the Conference

The Conference will take place in the MARRIOTT HOTEL, Stadhouderskade
21, 1054 ES AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, phone 31 20 6075555, fax.31
206075511

20 21
Themes
The general theme of the Conference will be
“Scottish Rite and how it operates in your country”.
Origin and content of the Ritual—system,
Cnteria for admission, membership and advancement,
What Degrees are formally conferred
That part of the Conference, reserved to the Sovereign Grand Commanders
only, will be dedicated to an exchange of views and information of mutual
interest to the Supreme Councils This will include such items as develop~
ments and problems within your own country, and on the international scene
Participation
You will find detailed infoimat ion regarding the Conference in the annexes
Please send the completed participation—form, and all other correspondence
concerning the Conference to the: Grand Secretary General’s Office, Postbus
11525, 2502 AM DEN HAAG, The Netherlands
Payments
Payment for participation (delegates DGlds 1 800,— and observers DGlds
2 000,—) should be made to the ABN—AMRO Bank, Kneuterdijk 8, 2514 EN
DEN HAAG, The Netherlands, Account number 48 85 01 741 indicating “Euro
Conference”
With kindest personal regards, we remain,
Yours sincerely and fralernally,
Drs A W van Ommeren Ir CJP van Boven
Grand Secretary General
Sovereign Grand Commander
22
ANNEX
RULES AND REGULATiONS
FOR THE CONFERENCE*
The Conference is a meeting of lhe Sovereign Grand Commanders of
European Supreme Councils who have accepted the invitation and attend it
Each Delegation consists of maximally two duly accredited Delegates having
the rank of Sovereign Grand Inspector General 330 It forms one unit and is
entitled to one vote, which is cast by the Head of the Delegation
There is no limit to the number of Observers, who must also be active, emeritus
or honorary Sovereign Grand Inspectors General 330Observers may not
participate in the debates
Sitting arrangements of the Delegations will be in order of seniority of the
Supreme Councils
No regalia will be worn during working meetings Regalia will be worn during lhe
ritual working of the 28th Degree on Saturday the 15th of May 1993
Two Committees will be elected,
a a Committee to decide on date and place of the next Conference,
b a Committee on proposals
The official Conference languages will be the English and French languages
Simullaneous translation will be available for the meeting of the Sovereign
Grand Commanders
Two themes will be developed during the Conference
The first theme, to be developed at the meeting reserved for Sovereign Grand
Commanders in function only, will be
An exchange of tviews and information of
mutual interest for all Supreme Councils
* As agreed at the 37th Conference in Istanbul (1992)
23
The meeting of the Sovereign Grand Commanders can only be attended by Enclosure 3
Sovereign Grand Commanders in function or their formally registered ~OS~AC
deputised Head of Delegation

The second theme will be developed during the plenary meeting which all
Delegates and Observers will attend This theme will be

Scottish Rite and how it operates in your country

Origin and content of the Ritual—system, ORDO ,‘.D CH,~O

Criteria for membership, admission and advancement,

What degrees are formally conferred

A brief summary of the discussion to be submitted to the Conference must be THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE 33rd AND LAST DEGREE
sent to the Grand Secretary General’s Office of the Supreme Council for The OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE
Netherlands FOR THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

The summary must be in the English or French languages, not exceeding one Grand Secretary General’s Office
page in length, preferably with a precis in the second language attached A Postbox 11525
period of 10 minutes, maximally, will be available for the development of this 2502 AM THE HAGUE
paper during the conference. The Netherlands
phone (31 70) 346 16 41
The summaries must reach the Grand Secretary General’s Office before the ax (optional) (31 70) 391 11 98
15th of January 1993
Ref 38th Conference of European Sovereign Grand Commanders
Delegates who wish to express their views on the subject must request permis-
sion from the President of the Assembly in the usual manner. No Delegate The Hague, 15th of April 1993
should speak more than twice on the same theme. The first time for maximally
five minutes, and the second time for maximally two minutes M P Sovereign Grand Commander,
.

The president of the Conference may change the agenda at his discretion On behalt of my Sovereign Grand Commander, M P.. Bro C.J P van Boven,
.

I have the pleasure to inform you that until today we received from 15 Supreme
Councils the announcements of 54 participants and 36 ladies

Your rooms will be ready and everything has been arranged now for the arrival
ot you and your delegation.
For regularity’s sake we ask your attention for the following points of
organization

— If you did not yet inform us about your way of travel with date and time of
your arrival (flight number etc ) I would be very pleased to receive this
information now

24 25
— The meeting of European Sovereign Grand Commanders only on the 12th Enclosure 4
of May is now scheduled to slart at 16.30 hrs to minimize the possibility of
non—attendance because of late arrival of Sovereign Grand Commanders CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
— As you know already, speaking-time for each delegate to introduce his
delegation’s paper has been reduced to ten minutes at most, due to the
compactness of the Conference and available time Wednesday, May 12, 1993
— A complete list of participants of the Conterence and an actual time-
schedule is annexed 1300-2000 hrs Arrival of Delegates — Registration and handing
— Please bring your regalia with you for the conferring of the 28th degree over of documents

We are looking forward to meet you in Amsterdam and send you our kindest 1630- 1800 hrs Meeting strictly reserved for European Sovereign
personal regards Grand Commanders in function (Dress dark suit)
Yours sincerely and fraternally,
1900- 2200 hrs Welcome cocktail and buffet in Marriott hotel
(Dress casual)
Drs A W van Ommeren
Grand Secretary General
Thursday, May 13, 1993:
P.S 08.00 09 00 hrs
- Registration of late arrivals — Registration and
We have received your payment for participation in the Conference to a total handing over of documents
amount of DGlds for
. delegates and observers
09:00 1000 hrs
- Plenary Session I for all Delegates and Observers
(Dress dark suit)
— Opening by the President of the 37th
Conference (S Erman)
— Invocation
— In Memoriam
— Election of a President of the 38th Confe-
rence and a Conference Secretary
— Opening by the newly elected President
— Approval of the Agenda
— Nomination of committees
— Committee on date and place of
the next conference
— Committee on proposals

1000- 1030 hrs Coffee break

1030-11 3ohrs Plenary Session II for all Delegates and Obser-

vers (Dress dark suit)
— Conference theme

27
26
 11.30-1230 hrs Committee meetings — Report from the Committee on date and
place of the next Conference
12:30 - 1400 hrs Lunch for all Delegates and Observers — Election of a Vice President
— Report of the Committeeon proposals
14.00- 1530 hrs Plenary Session Ill for all Delegates and Obser- — General discussion and interventions of
vers (Dress dark suit) Delegates and Observers
— Conference theme
1030-11 O0hrs Coffee break
15.30 16 00 hrs
- Tea break
1100-1230 hrs Plenary Session V for all Delegates and
16:00 1730 hrs
- Meeting for all Sovereign Grand Commanders Observers (Dress dark suit)
(Dress. dark suit) — General discussion and interventions 01
Delegates and Observers
1900-2200 hrs Ap6ritif and Dinner for Delegates, Observers and — Closing ceremony
their ladies in Freemasons’ Hall, Vondelstraat in
Amsterdam (Dress dark suit—cocktail dress) 1230- 1330 hrs Lunch for Delegates and Observers

20:00 23 00 hrs
- Dinner for Sovereign Grand Commanders, Heads
of Delegations and their ladies (Dress evening
dress black tie)
— straat in Amsterdam (approx 5 mm walking dis-
Friday, May 14, 1993
Excursion to the Zuiderzee Museum, lunch will
be served during the excursion.
1530- 1715 hrs Conferring the 28th degree to a candidate (in the
English language) In Freemasons’ Hall, Vondel-
tance, transport by bus) (Dress dark suit with
regalia)
1930- 20:15 hrs Cocktail in Marriott hotel offered by the Grand
Master of the Grand East of The Netherlands for
all ladies and participants of the Conference
(Dress: evening dress black tie)
—

09 25 hrs — Departure — Marriott hotel

20 30 23 00 hrs
- Gala—dinner in Marriott hotel (Dress evening
17:00 hrs (approx) — Return — Marriott hotel dress black lie)
—

— Free Evening
Sunday May 16, 1993: Departures
Saturday May 15, 1993:

0830 - 0930 Meeting reserved for European Sovereign Grand

Commanders only

0930- 1030 hrs Plenary Session IV for all Delegates and

Observers (Dress. dark suit)

28 29
 Enclosure 5 Enclosure 6

PROGRAMME FOR LADIES AND GUESTS OPENING INVOCATION

UN IVERSI TERRARUM ORBIS SUMMI ARCHITECTONIS

Wednesday May 12, 1993:
AD GLORIAM INGE NTIS
1900-22 O0hrs Welcome cocktail and buffet in the Marriott hotel (Dress
casual)
We, Grand Commanders and Inspectors General in the Ancient and Accepted
Thursday, May 13, 1993: Scottish Rite, are grateful that we may assemble here, in the sanctity and safety
of our Order, a haven of peace in a world still tormented by poverty, corruption,
1000-17.00 hrs Bustrip to the Muiden-castle and the famous flower-bulb injustice and raging wars
exposition “Keukenhof” in Lisse, lunch during the trip
(Dress casual) May the cardinal virtues, to which we have committed ourselves in the
1830 23.00 hrs
- Ap6ritif and Dinner for Delegates and Observers with their obligations we have entered into, always be our beacons
ladies at Freemasons’ Hall, Amsterdam (Dress cocktail —

dark suit) — that we may rule with impartiality and Justice,

20 00 2300 hrs
- Dinner for Sovereign Grand Commanders and their ladies
in the Marriott hotel (Dress cocktail black tie)
—
Friday May 14, 1993:
0925-1645 hrs Trip and visit to the Zuiderzee Museum and site-seeing
through the northern part of the country for all participants
Lunch during the irip (Dress. casual)
Saturday May 15, 1993:
1000-1500 hrs Roundtrip by glass-boat through the canals of Amsterdam - continued and concluded in the true spirit of mutual trust and of fraternal
Visit to the replica of an old wooden ship of the East
— that we may pursue the interests of our Order with Prudence,
— that we may guard and defend our masonic principles with Fortitude,
— and let Temperance guide us in all our relations to our fellow men
Thus may we be enabled to serve the inlerests of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite and those of our respective Orders in the right spirit and so be an
example of rectitude to the Brethren committed to our charge, being aware that
a generous and benevolent mind it is more gratifying to rule sovereign in the
hearts and affections of men than to rule over their lives and fortunes
So may this our Conference bear the fruits of wisdom and be commenced,
affection ever bearing in mind that lhe purpose of our Rite is 10 work to the
—

Indian Company lunch in the museum trip back to the

— — glory of the Great Architect and Supreme Governor of the Universe, to the
Marriott hotel by glass-boat (Dress casual) service of our country and our Order and to the welfare of our fellow creatures
1500-1700 hrs Free time (shopping, etc)
1930—2015 hrs Cocktail-party offered to all participants by the Grand So mote it be
Master of the Grand East of The Netherlands
20 00 23 00 hrs
- Gala Dinner in the Marriott hotel (Dress evening dress)

Sunday May 16, 1993:

Departures

30 31
 Enclosure 7
OPEN ING ADDRESS
M. Ill.. Brethren,
First of all I wish you welcome in our country on the occasion of the 38th
Conference of the European Sovereign Grand Commanders On behalf of my
Supreme Council and myself I express the hope that you will have a pleasant
stay in Amsterdam
It is the fourth meeting of this kind to be held in The Netherlands, the first Ihree
in 1963, 1972 and 1983: all in The Hague It is good to have these meetings,
living in a world where many changes follow each olher in rapid succession
Nowadays one of the sources of these changes is the transition of the
communist societies in Europe towards free and more democratic ones After
the first period of joy and optimism it became apparent that such a transition is a
painful process, requiring many years In several countries people appear to be
able to cope with these enormous problems involved, but in others it creates
very negative side—effects
Examples of this are Jugoslavia and parts of Russia where whal politically is’
— esoteric aspects of the philosophical and cultural backgrounds are such an
called “Civil wars” broke out
— important aspect of its rituals and ritual—systems Having originated in a
The cruelties that are committed in these wars are beyond imagination. This is
probably partly the result of historical, ethnic and religious differences of its
populations. Following these occurrences, enormous and growing migration
waves were set in motion, creating further political shockwaves and awakening
of old ethnic and racial prejudices And in this world of shifting demographics
Western Europe has become the migrant preferred destination All this comes
in addition to the large number of immigrants in Western Europe of the sixties
and seventies, when its economies were booming As a result Western
Europe has now around 20 million immigrants plus an estimated 2 million illegal
aliens During 1991 alone approximately 2,4 million people migrated to
Western Europe, of which approximately 800.000 asylum seekers, and these
numbers keep growing
If this trend continues, the number of immigrants will be doubled before the
year 2000. With unemployment rising because of the economic recession as
well as housing shortages a call is heard all through Western Europe to stem
this tide
Europeans increasingly feel that their very detitity is at stake Unlike the U S A
32
most European countries do not think of themselves as multicultural,
multiethnic and/or multireligious societies As a result Europeans feel
overwhelmed by this growing tide In France for instance, which is historically
Roman Catholic, Islam has replaced Protestantism as the second largest
religion Thus, probably intensified by the present economic recession,
antiforeign sentiments have risen all over Europe Let us not be mistaken, this
is not limited to one country, but is manifest in various degrees in all Europe
But ultimately Europeans will have to accept the unescapable fact that their
societies will become more differentiated
In this respect the US society might serve as a good example It is composed of
a great variety of population—groups which migrated to the U S A. from all parts
of the world, from Europe, South America, the Far East and Africa The U S A
in of her words is a nation of immigrants and it shows it can function very well
But my Ill Brethren, you may ask what all this has to do with Freemasonry and
the Scottish Rite more specifically Simply this that Freemasonry in Europe
must face up to these changes in our society and really live up to its ideals of ifs
multicultural character and be accessible to all men regardless of their race
and/or their religion.
In other words, to be really “universal”; and of course we cannot separate these
ideals from our rituals, which is especially important in Europe, where the
Western European culture, they may not so easily be understood and/or
accepted by men of different cultural backgrounds Also in the education of
the younger generations today rapidly a diminishing attention is given to the
study of the heritage and history of our Western cultural civilisation
Many quesf ions but one conclusion will be obvious from 1he foregoing, being
That we must ensure that our ritual—system remains attractive to future
generations and specifically that it conveys its moral message, which is ifs
ultimate essence, in a clear and understandable manner It requires an ever
active and resourceful effort from all of us gathered here to ensure that our
Scottish Rite remains alive in future society
So mote it be
Ir CJP vanBoven,330
Sovereign Grand Commander
Supreme Council of The Netherlands
33
 Enclosure 8
RAPPORT COMMISSION DES TROIS
lnstituee par Ia 37i~me Conf~rence
des Souverains Grands Commandeurs europ~ens
~ Istanbul, le 185 1992
Aux Supr~mes Conseils europ6ens du
Rite Ecossais Ancien et Accept6
Amsterdam, le 15 mat 1993
Tr~s Puissant Souverain Grand Commandeur,
Comme les participants ~ Ia 37I~me Conf6rence des Souverains Grands
Commandeurs europ6ens, qui s’6tait tenue a Istanbul en 1992, l’avaient
d6cid6, Ia Commission des Trois a requ notamment pour mission d’examiner Ia
situation dans les pays d6sireux d’~tablir des relations amicales et de faire des
propositions ~ ce sujet
Cette Commission est compos~e des Souverains Grands Commandeurs de
France, Turquie et Suisse et elle a Ia facult6, le cas ~ch6ant,de faire appel ~
des experts
Sa dur6e n’est pas limi1~e et, comme I a ~te admis lors de Ia conf&ence
interne des Souverains Grands Commandeurs europ6ens d’Amsterdam, sa
composition demeure inchang6e, sous r6serve de renouvellemenf en cas de
d6part d’un membre, et cela sur proposition des deux autres, de mani~re ~
assurer une continuit~ de Ia politique europ~enne en Ia mati~re
Ceci dit, Ia Commission des Trots se permet de vous faire part des
consid~rations suivantes
Afrioue du Sud
Ce Supr~me Conseil a ~t6 reconnu jusquici par les Supr~mes Conseils
dAllemagne, Autriche, Belgique, Br~sil, Chili, Colombie, France, Grace, Israel,
34
Italie, Panama, Pays-Bas, Suisse, Turquie, ainsi que, dans le cadre de Ia
Conference d’Amsterdam, par Ia Juridiction Sud des Etats-Unis et par le
Mexique
R~publique Tch~oue
Ce Supreme Conseil a ~ reconnu par les Supr~mes Conseils dAllemagne,
Autriche, Belgique, Bolivie, Br6sil, Chili, Juridiction Nord des Etats-Unis,
Juridiction Sud des Etats-Unis, France, Israel, Italie, Pays-Bas, Philippines,
Suisse, Turquie
Italie
La Commission des Trots a ~t6charg~e de suivre attentivement le d6veloppe-
ment de Ia situation et dinformer les Supr~mes Conseils des 6l~ments qui
parviendraient ~ sa connaissance
Russi e
La cr6ation d’une Loge de perfection et d’un Chapitre doit intervenir
prochainement, en prevision de Ia constitution ull6rteure d’un Supreme
Conseil
Portugal
La situation est assez delicate dans ce pays en raison des diverses tendances
qut s’y dessinent et dune certatne ind6cision quant ~ Ia politique ~ suivre sur le
plan international
Roumanie
La Commission constate qu’un Supr~me Conseil de Roumanie existe depuis
1969 Tous ses membres sont r6guli~rement affili6s ~ Ia Grande Loge
n~tionale franqaise En Roumanie r’n~me, ce Supr~me Conseil compte un
certain nombre de membres, dont une dizaine de 33I~me~ qut conform6ment
—
aux Grandes Constitutions de 1786 sont seuls habilit6s ~ recr6er tin
—
Supr~me Conseil sur place
35
II convient de souhaiter qu’un rapprochement intervienne entre diverses Enclosure 9
tendances ob6dientielles, de mani~re ~ aboutir ~ une concentration des
efforts qui permette aux grades philosophiques de travailler dans un esprit de REPORT COMMITTEE ON PROPOSALS
fraternit6 et defficience

Dans cet esprit, Ia Commission des Trots recommande de reconnaitre le The agenda of the next conferences will be submitted at least three
Supr~me Conseil de Roumanie, ~ Ia condition que ce dernier presente aux months before the date foreseen for the conference, to the former
Supr~mes Conseils europ~ens une dernande de reconnaissance, en presidents who will still act as Sovereign Grand Commanders, for eventual
produisant tous les renseignemenis concernant sa fondation, ainsi que sa suggestions
conformit6 aux Grandes Constitutions et aux normes europ~ennes
2 As Israel and Iran, although they have their headquartersoutside Europe,
Avec nos salutations les plus fraternelles, are considered within the conference of European Sovereign Grand
—

Commanders as full-right members, with voting rights, the commission

—

proposes to grant the same status to the Supreme Councils of Australia,

La Commission des trots
Henri Baranger,330
SGC
S C pour Ia France
South Africa and the Philippines if Ihey wish to participate
3 The European Sovereign Grand Commanders may accept differences of
Sahir Erman, 330 Jean-Paul Grenier, 330 ritual, but fhey insist on the necessity to maintain them as much as
S G C. SGC possible as they are and ~tobring the least modifications possible, in
SC pourlaTurqute S C de Suisse retaining especially the essence of the legends of each grade

4 Having taking notice of the situation of Italy, the commission fully supports
the efforts of the Supreme Council for Italy It requests the “Commission of
the Three” to follow with the greatest attention the preoccupying
evolution in this country and to grant all the assistance and support which
might be wishable.

5 The commission advocates the reinforcement, as strong as possible, of

European cohesion and cooperation, in the respect of the sovereignly of
each Supreme Council

6 The visiting right, as well on the national as on the international level, is a

natural right of Freemasonry and it cannot be limifed by a European
Supreme Council

The Commission on Proposals

5> Erman J—P Gienier G Kint A de Megni

SGC SGC SGC S G.C
Amsterdam, May 13,1993

36 37
 Enclosure 10
The SHARP documents
now made accessible to all interested Freemasons
THE SHARP DOCUMENTS
We are proud 10 announce the complete and unabridged edition of the so-
VOLUME 1 called SHARP collection

THE STORY OF
LES ELUS PARFAITS,
THE MOTHER ECOISSAIS LODGE OF BORDEAUX
Museum of our National Heritage, Lexington MA, U.S.A.
Van Gorden—Williams Library, SC 025
For many years this collection of some 700 hand-written pages, covering for
the most part the period of approx 1745 to 1770, rested in the library of the
Supreme Council of the 33rd and last degree of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite of the Northern Jurisdiction, Lexington, MA, U S A As a result of
the permission granted by the Sovereign Grand Commander, and the active
help and cooperation of Ms Nola Skousen, the Librarian, we are now able to
publish these manuscripts in full
Over the years only fragments of this collection had become known These
fragments already indicated the extreme importance of the SHARP collection
to the student of masonic history The documents also throw a clear light on
the ideas of that period, on regularity, organisation and the relationship
between the various Lodges. They are considered the precursor of the Rite of
Perfection, which in 1801 resulted in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite
as we know it today
It was possible to divide the various documents into a number of subjects,
which in turn are to be published as separate volumes This facilitates
enormously the access to this great mass of manuscripts As the position of the
Ecossais Lodge of Bordeaux undoubtedly played the most intriguing part, the
editors decided to start the publication of the volumes with this story So the list
will be

Volume I The Story of Bordeaux

Volume II The Story of La Martinique
Volume Ill The Story of San Domingo
Volume IV The Story of New-Orleans
Volume V The Story of Toulouse
Volume VI Miscellaneous

Each volume will contain an extract of the documents shown The manuscripts
LATOMIA are reproduced at their original size This requires a size of the volumes of 29,7
1993 x 21 cm (A4) However, some manuscripts are of a larger size making necessary

38 39
a slight reduction of the text area and a small sacrifice of the margins Enclosure 11
All volumes will contain on the left page a copy of the original manuscript, and
on the right page a transcription into slightly modernised French and a litteral CLOSING ADDRESS
English translation, in order to maintain the flavour of the document.

In this way both the authenticity of the manuscripts and easy access will be
guaranteed A problem, that had to be overcome, was the fact that, over the
centuries, the ink passed through the paper. This made a faithful reproduction
of the original documents rather difficult, making a very labour intensive
cleaning operation necessary
After careful study it was decided that the reproduction of the documents will
be carried out by means of the photostate technique This ensures a quality
which is nearly as good as the original manuscript
It also enabled the price of this limited edition to be kept low enough to give
any interested mason access to this fascinating material
M Ill Brethren,
At the close of this conference I wish to thank all 01 you for the positive spirit
and fraternal feelings shown during this occasion
Of course there are difterences ot opinion, as is to be expected among
sovereign and autonomous institutions and certainly when they involve
freemasons
It is good to meet each other at regular intervals to exchange thoughts and to
get to know each other better, which in turn we hope results in a better
understanding of each other’s specific problems.

Let us be, in this divided and disturbed world, a bastion of strength, striving for
spiritual freedom and lustice

With this thought I declare this 38th Conference of European Sovereign Grand
Commanders closed

C.J.P van Boven 330

Sovereign Grand Commander

Supreme Council for The Netherlands

40 41
 Enclosure 1?
CLOSING INVOCATION
At the conclusion of our Conference, our labours having ended, we express
our gratitude that we have worked in harmony and in unity of spirit, serving the
best interests of our Rite and our Jurisdictions
New golden links of friendship have been forged between us and existing ties
have been strengthened
We now go from here to return to our countries, our homes and families, our
Jurisdictions and the Brethren therein, and until May 1994 we will be convened
to meet again in Berlin May the Great Architect of the Universe strengthen us
and preserve us and all those near and dear to us in body, mind and spirit
So mote it be
42
SUPREMECOUNCILOFTHEU SA (SJ)
SUMMARY OF ADDRESS
Despite attacks on Freemasonry by extremists in America today, attacks that
parallel similar recent occurrences in Europe where the Craft has come under
fire, the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, is leading an effective education
effort in two representative areas
(1) to preserve the traditional high public profile of the Scottish Rite and
(2) to impress on all the fact that Freemasonry is not only compatible with any
religion, but specifically an enhancement to the church life of a Christian
mason
ADDRESS
My dear fellow Sovereign Grand Commanders, it is a great pleasure to be here
and to participate in this excellently organized conference. By sharing
information and insights, we do more than increase our understanding of the
European and international status of Scottish Rite Freemasonry We also learn
how to gain from the successes of each Supreme Council and how to resolve
those problems that still confront us
For instance, one of the general themes of this conference is the origin and
content of each Jurisdiction’s Ritual system Ours in the Southern Jurisdiction,
U S A Mother Supreme Council of the World, came, of course, from
,
European roots
Various Rites of Perfection were carried by Freemasons to the Caribbean
islands and then to Charleston, South Carolina, in America These men were
merchants, soldiers, educators, and professionals of every occupation But
they had a vision beyond their personal careers
They had the concept of a universal Rite dedicated to the highest principles of
Freemasonry It was to be a philosophical brotherhood and more To thought
—
was added action American Scottish Rite Freemasons have a heritage of
principle put into practice
We owe much of this tradition to the nine founders of the Mother Supreme
Council On May31, 1801, they pror~rulgated a manifesto announcing the birth
of our Order In one bold stroke, these historic Brethren pulled together the
strands of our Rite’s British and Continental origins
They created a new institution dedicated to religious toleration, freedom of
43
conscience, and pursuit of wisdom To these ideals they added a dynamic
involvement in society in order to make these principles a reality
The institution of our Rite, as founded in Charleston, strengthened under the
benevolent guidance of a succession of Sovereign Grand Commanders Each
contributed to the Rite Each deepened the philosophical basis and practical
involvement of the Order.
Then, in 1859, the Supreme Council elected Albert Pike Sovereign Grand
Commander. Building on the foundation provided by Grand Commanders
before him, this giant of a man rewrote our Ritual and rededicated our Order to
its signature ideal, religious toleration Philosopher, writer, administrator,
militant defender of freedom for all humankind Pike was truly the Master
— success, the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, remains locked in this battle
Builder of Scottish Rite Freemasonry And so he remains today
Yet it is this very greatness that has caused Albert Pike to be the focus in
America of contemporary attacks on, specifically, the Scottish Rite, and, more
generally, Freemasonry. Thus, I wish to devote the rest of this presentation to
two issues that have given high profile to our Order in America today
The first is an attempt to remove Albert Pike’s statue from Washington, D.C
The second is an attack on Freemasonry by an ultra-right faction within an
American religious denomination.
In the center of the Federal City, only blocks from the United States Capitol, is a
beautiful life-size bronze statue of Albert Pike It was placed there in 1902,
funded by The Supreme Council, 330, but approved by the United States
Congress
During the past year, that statue has become a lightning rod for a radical
political faction led by a man called Lyndon LaRouche This group is so
extreme that its leader was convicted of fraud and is now in Federal prison Yet
from prison LaRouche has mounted an attack on the statue and is demanding
its removal He claims, with no foundation at all, that there is a Scottish Rite
conspiracy to control the American government and, indeed, the entire worldi
Ironically, he has managed an alliance with African-American leaders within the
radical right by alleging Pike was a member, even a leader, of a racist group
called the Ku Klux Klan
The Klan was created after the American Civil War, resurrected in the 1920s,
and is still managing small, but virulent, revivals today
Not unlike the neo-nazi groups in Germany today and the so-called “skin
heads” in other countries, the Klan in America, then and now, is racist. Its
members attack minorities, especially blacks, Jews, Orrentals, and other ethnic
and religious minorities
44
We categorically reject the allegation that Albert Pike was ever a member of the
Klan, much less a leader in its ranks We have researched this subject
thoroughly No reputable scholar or book, past or present, claims Pike was a
member of the Ku Klux Klan Simply stated, there is no proof at all, only
unfounded allegation
Yet a lie told often enough gains the semblance of fact Because members of
the LaRouche group picket the Pike statue regularly and are conducting a
nationwide drive to petition removal of the statue, the Scottish Rite is involved
in an ongoing counter offensive To date, we have blocked the statue’s
removal and exposed the false charges
Fanaticism and bras, however, do not die easily While we are hopeful of
to retain the Albert Pike statue and the Scottish Rite tradition it represents
Also, a second attack is being directed at the Scottish Rite by extreme religious
fundamentalists within the Southern Baptist Convention, an organization of
the Baptist Christian faith in America
The causes for this are the same as for all fanatic attacks a determination to
make one belief system dominant over all others In the example of the
Convention, the case has become so extreme that our enemies claim one
cannot be both a mason and a Christian
Our acceptance in Freemasonry of good men of all faiths is damned. Our ideal
of religious toleration is condemned as “the blackest of sins” Our study of the
philosophical and religious wisdom of past centuries is used to say Scottish
Rite is an un Christian and even anti-Christian institution
We are accused of being a religion, not a fraternity Most ridiculous of all, we are
charged with being worshippers of the devili
As ridiculous as these accusations are, their lurid quality has gained them
notice by the media Worse yet, the gullible and ignorant are too often
convinced by the charges In June, exactly one month from today, the
Southern Baptist Convention will vote on the question of whether or not
Freemasonry is compatible “with Christian and Southern Baptist doctrine” A
vote saying the two are incompatible will be seen as a condemnation of
Freemasonry by America’s largest Protestant denomination
Thus, my fellow Grand Commanders, you may understand, given the
importance of this matter, why two issues, February and May 1993, of our
Jurisdiction-wide publication The Scottish Rite Journal, and the first-quarter
1993 issue of the Northern Masontc Jurisdiction’s magazine, The Northern
Light have been devoted to articles defining and defending Freemasonry
You, too, I am sure, as in Norway, England, and other countries, have
45
experienced attacks on Freemasonry by the extreme religious right How
strange that we masons, the traditional champions of moral Irving, religious
freedom, and liberty of conscience should be so attackedi Yet such is the
banality of evil today Such is the challenge we all face to one extent or
another, whatever our country
To strengthen our Craft’s universal opposition to all forms of domination, but
most especially tyranny over man’s mind and soul, we in the Southern
Jurisdiction are working with the Eastern and Middle European Brothers newly
liberated from the yoke of Soviet oppression Our special March issue of The
Scottish Rite Journal is dedicated to ‘European Freemasonry
Therein we see outlined the future of our Craft in Russia, Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and other countries where, after decades
of suppression, Freemasonry and the Scottish Rite are now taking root
Here, as in the battles over the Albert Pike statue and the study of
Freemasonry by the Southern Baptist Convention, Scottish Rite is at the
center of humankind’s struggle to move from persecution to tolerance, from
tyranny to liberty, from ideological oppression to freedom of conscience
The Scottish Rite today, more than ever before, is defending and extending
human rights Each of you has witnessed this same struggle in your own
country. There, as in America, the Scottish Rite has come forward for freedom
And the battle is not over
Ultimately this Conference deals with just such matters the liberation of man’s
— nitratique, traditionnel, ma~onnrque et chevaleresque dont Ia hnalrt~ est Ia
mind and soul Today, as we of the Scottish Rite carry on this mission, I ask
your counsel and your support Close ranks, Brethren Work as one
Assure by cooperation and mutual assistance that the Scottish Rite,
— —
worldwide, will never yield to the powers of darkness, to those who would
shackle man and constrain his spirit
Let no monument of our Masonic tradition, like the Albert Pike statue, be torn
down Let no individual or institution accuse us unjustly and go unanswered
Let it never be said that the Scottish Rite has abandoned its mission to bring
freedom to the mind and soul of all humankind’
Ill. C Fred Klernknecht, 330
Sovereign Grand Commander
Southern Jurisdiction, U S A
46
SUPREME CONSEIL POUR LA FRANCE
Le Rite Ecossais Ancren et Accepte
tel quil est pratrqu~ au sein
du Supr~me Conseil pour Ia France
Le Rite Ecossais Ancien et Accept~ qur constitue notre raison d’~tre est
pratiqu6 au sern du Supr~me Conseil pour Ia France en fonction des crit~res
suivants
1 La conception m~me du Rite en son essence et sa finalit6
2 La sp~crfrcrt~ de Ia m6thode initratique du Rite
3 Les structures de Ia Juridiction
4 Letablissement dun contr6le souple et efficace du Supr~me Conseil sur
le fonctionnement du Rite.
5 Les possrbilrt~s de rayonnement et dactions tant au sein de Ia Macon-
nerie que dans le monde profane
I ESSENCE ET FINALIT~ DU RITE
En 1980, lors de Ia Conf~rence Mondrale du R E A A ~ Paris, le Supr~me
Conseil pour Ia France a donn6 du Rite Ia d6frnition survante “Un Ordre
r6alrsation du Saint-Empire spirituel”
Cette d6finrtron r~sume pleinement notre conception du Rite et lesprit dans
lequel nous Ia pratiquons au sein de notre Juridictron La notion d’Ordre
implique avant tout l’rndrssocrabrlrt~ du syst~me en 33 degr~s que constitue le
Rite m~me si Ia question administrative des ob~drences ma~onnrques
r6gulr~res
Le caract~re initiatique d6coule essentiellement de Ia m~thode sp~crfrque du
Rite dont nous parlerons plus loin L’aspect traditionnel se retrouve dans
‘inspiration 6sot~rrque de nos rituels lesquels repr~sentent une polyphonie
de courants spirituels traditionnels, les quatre principaux &ant le Johannique,
le Biblico-Cabalistique, l’Herm~trque et lAlchimique
Les aspects ma~onnrques et chevaleresques se passent de commentaires
Le ma~onnrque pr6domrne dans les 14 premiers degr~s Le chevaleresque
~‘rmpose~ partir du 15 et s’~panourV ensurte jusqu’au sommet du syst~me
Quant ~ notre formulation de Ia frnalrt~, celle du Saint—Empire spirituel, nous
pensons que cet objectif deal sest rmpos6 en quelque sorte au Rite depurs
‘abrogation au plan profane du Saint-Empire Romain Germanique
47
I LA SPECIFICITE DE LA METHODE INITIATIQUE DU RITE
La m6thode initiatique mise en oeuvre au sein du Rite constitue ~ notre sens Ia
caract6rrstrque essentrelle de l’Ordre A Ia fois orient~e et progressive cetfe
m~thode est ~galementglobalisante dans Ia mesure ori elle agit
simultan6ment aux trois niveaux, inconscient, conscient et surconscient, de Ia
personnalit~ de chaque adepte du Rite.
Elle est orient6e car Ia progression de ladepte le m~ne du monde profane ~ Ia
zone ineffable du Saint en passant par le monde du sacr6 Cette progression
seffectue de degr6 en degre en excluant tout laxisme dans ‘acquisition
successive de ces degr~s M~me lorsque des degres dits rnterm~diaires sont
conf~r~s au cours dune phase de progression au sein dune Loge de
Perfection, dun Chapitre ou dun A~ropage, leur acquisition vient se fondre
dans le choc initiatique du degr~ final de Ia ceremonre
Cest cet enrichessement prodigieux dO ~ ‘assimilation de plusreurs degres ~
Ia fois qui a incrt~ le Supr~me Conseil pour Ia France ~ imposer des d~lars
importants de passage entre les Loges de Perfection, les Chapitres et les
Ar6opages De plus ces d~lars ne concernent que Ia possrbrlrt~ de candidature
car Iladmission ~ l~telier sup~rreur est notamment conditionn~e par Ia pr~senta-
tion d’un travail ~crrtpr~sente devant cet atelier si6geant en Tenue Solen-
nelle. A partir du 310 Ia s~lection des candidats et l6valuation de leurs travaux
est de Ia competence exclusive du Supr~me Conseil
Ill LES STRUCTURES DE LA JURIDICTION
Ces structures comprennent cinq niveaux
— Commandement Direction Contr6le
- -
— Action
— R6alrsation
— Perfectronnement
— Pr~paratron
1 Le niveau “Commandement — Direction — Contr6le” comprend quatre
~chelons
— Le Supr~me Conseil pour Ia France qui d~tient Ia totalrt~ du triple pouvoir
“monarchique sacerdotal praph~trque”
— —
— Le Conseil Supreme qui groupe ‘ensemble de tous les Souverains
Grands Inspecteurs G~n&aux 330
48
— Le Grand Consistoire du 320 pr~srd~ par le Lieutenant Grand Comman~
deur du Supr~me Conseil
— Le Grand Tribunal du 310 pr~sid~ par le Ministre d’Etat du Saint—Empire
du Supr~me Conseil
II existe au sern de cet ensemble un Consistoire russophone dont Ia mission
est de servir de phare au R E A A en gestation en Russie, et plus tard en
Ukraine et d’autres pays de ‘Ancren Empire
2 Au niveau “Action” on trouve ‘ensemble des Ar6opages de Ia Juridiction
Les degr~s pratrqu~s y sont les 280, 290, 300 Les autres, du 190 au 270,
sont uniquement communrqu~s Un Areopage travaille selon le rituel
russe traduit en fran~ars mars d~trent ‘original
3 Le nrveau “R~alisatron” est celur des Souverarns Chapitres t 8~ Les 150,
160, 170 y sont parfors pratrqu~s En r~gle g6n~rale les degres sont
communrqu~s lors de ‘initiation au 180 Un Chapitre travaille selon le rituel
russe dans les m~mes conditions que l’Ar~opage mentronn~ ci-dessus
4 Le nrveau “Perfectronnement” englobe ‘ensemble des Loges de
Perfection Les degr~s obligatorrement pratrqu~s y sont le 40 le 120, le
130 et le 140 Un certain nombre dateliers pratiquent ~galementle 90 Les
V M (3) sont admis apres un examen pr~alable s~rreux Une Loge de
Perfection travaille selon le rituel russe dans les m~mes conditions que ci-
dessus
5 Le niveau “Pr6paratron” est celur des Loges Symboliques lesquelles sont
plac~es sous l’autorrt~ des ob~drences maconniques r~gulr~res, dans
notre cas essentrellement Ia Grande Loge Natronale Fran~arse II existe
dans cette dernr~re ob~drence un nombre important de loges du
R.E A A dans lesquelles, gr~ce aux Ma?tres Secrets gui y participent, Ia
Juridictron coopte des membres form~s dans les premiers degr~s du Rite
II existe ~ Ia G L N F, une Loge russophone et une Loge ukrarnophone
IV CONTROLE DU SUPR~ME CONSEIL SUR LENSEMBLE DE LA
JURIDICTION
Le Supr~me Conseil exerce en permanence un contr6le direct sur les ateliers
de Ia Juridiction et ndrrecf sur Ia purete du Rite pratrqu6 au sern des Loges
Symboliques se r~clamant du R E A A
49
Le contr6le direct seffectue par
Les Inspectorats territorraux, les installations, les visites des Ateliers, Ia lecture
syst~matrque des documents ~manantdes Ateliers. convocations, compte-
rendus d’6lections et dinstallatrons, travaux individuels.
Le contr6le indirect r~sulte de ‘observation des Maifres Secrets et des
examens des Fr~res propos~s au 4eme degr~
Ces deux formes de contrdle sont compl&6s par~
— des s~minarres de formation au niveau des Loges de Perfection,
— des reunions p6rrodiques de cadres des ateliers sup~rreurs Chapitres et
Ar6opages,
— les “Rencontres Ecossarses’ sous Ia I orme de s~mrnarres informels
anrm~s par une equipe rodee traitant de sujets traditronnels et donnant
lieu ~ des d6bats de fond
Grace ~ ce syst~me ~ Ia fois souple et efficace le Supreme Conseil pour Ia
France est en permanence pr6sent dans tous les ateliers de sa Juridiction
Cette action devient collective au niveau du Supr~me Conseil et se manifeste
tant au sein m~me de institution ma~onnrque gr~ce au syst~me de contr~le
d~crit plus haut qu’~ l’ext6rreur conf~rences internatronales, colloques,
publications Cest dans ce but en particulier, que le Supr~me Conseil pour Ia
France publie Ia Revue SALIX
CONCLUSION
Le nouveau sr~cle, qur a debut6 en r~alrt~ fin 1989, est essentrellement
caract~rrs~ par un d~sarror total dans les esprits dans ‘ensemble du monde
profane Sans avoir Ia moindre pr~tentron de se substituer aux courants
politiques existants ou aux confessions religreuses r6v&~es, nous pensons
que le Rite Ecossars Ancien et Accept~ tel que nous venons de lesquisser,
peut et doit avoir un r6le fondamental ~ l’~chelle mondiale

V LES POSSIBILITES DE RAYONNEMENT ET DACTION DE LA

JURIDICTION

Le rayonnement et ‘Action sont les deux manifestations successives de Ia

vitalrt6 d’une Juridiction du R E A A

La possibrlrt~ de ‘rayonnement murit lors de Ia phase de “perfectronnement

et s’exprime concretement au niveau “r~alisation’ que constitue le 180 Cest ~
dire au moment o~J les adeptes, chevaliers rosecroix sont ~ m~me de
concr~tiser les potentralrt~s qui leur sont offertes par Ia m~thode initiatique du
Rite”

Le ‘rayonnement’ ~ l’int6rreur de ‘institution ma~onnrque et dans le monde

profane sexprime dabord par lexemple et par une participation active ~ des
actions caritatives Dans ce dernier ordre d’id~e le Supr~me Conseil pour
Ia France parraine une organisation specialrs~e dite Association Philanthro~
pique Fraternelle” dont le but est darder des organisatrons profanes d’rnt~r~t
public

LActron commence elle au 3QO avec les Chevaliers Kadosch, ces ‘Moines-
Soldats’ du R E A A et vise avant tout ~ combattre les “faux dreux” ou selon Ia
formule dun rituel ~ ‘vaincre le serpent pour le contraindre ~ servir’. Cela veut
dire sattaquer partout ~ Ia racine du Mal Ia tentation de vanit~, pour en
inverser le sens

50 51
 SCOTTISH RITE AND HOW IT OPERATES IN SPAIN them In the Assembly, to be held on 28-29 May current, we are going to
approve the admission of Lodges of Perfection

Freemasonry in Spain had always worked in the Scottish Rite, just the first But in principle, we are looking forward to knowing the tendencies that prevail
three degrees within a Spanish Grand Orient, and from up to
40 within our
330
nowadays at the other participant Supreme Councils
Supreme Council (of 330)

This was founded in Madrid, on July 1811, with charters from the Supreme Madrid Amsterdam
-

Council for the U S A (South), then located in Charleston January May 1993
-

Francisco Espinar Lafuente, 330

Both Bodies, exiled during the dictator Francos regime (1939—1975), Sovereign Grand Commander of Spain
returned to Spain on 1977-1978 But in 1982 the Grand Lodge of Spain was
founded, which works in several Rites (Emulation, Scottish, York and others)
Since then, our Supreme Council gets out its members exclusively from this
Grand Lodge, and just from lodges of all its Rites

The Rituals of our Supreme Council, which include all the degrees from up 40

to330,were officially approved in 1906 (with a 2nd edition in 1929)

These Rituals are accompanied by commentaries that incline to a balance
between the esoteric and rationalist viewpoints

Our Supreme Council has not still started reviewing the rituals since its return
to Spain in 1978, but it has already introduced again the Bible in all our
ceremonies
Moreover, since 1921 our Constitution shows the motto. IN DEO FIDUCIA
NOSTRA

In Spain there were no Lodges of Perfection, but only Chapters of Rose Croix,
Councils of Kadosh, and Consistory, they are all dependent directly on our
Supreme Council (of 330)

In the Chapters there were three sections of degrees from to 40from 100 to
90,

130 ,and from 140 to 180 But under the Chapters there could be Chambers
working in the40 or 130
90

The Councils of Kadosh worked between 190 and 300 The Consistory, in 310
and 320

The degrees conferred by ceremony and worked in fact by the Bodies were
the 40..90..t30180 (Chapters), 240~300 (Kadosh), 320 (Consistory), and 330

(Supreme Council) So then in Spain’ was not the 140 (Sacred Vault), but the
130 (Royal Arch), the last degree of Perfection, previous to the Chapter

These rules are still in force, until our Assemblre~ decree any modification over

52 53

Ill.. A W Van Ommeren, 330
Grand Secretary General
Supreme Council for The Netherlands
Postbox 11525
2502 AM The Hague
The Netherlands
Ill and dear Brother Van Ommeren:
Following up our letter to you of December 10th, I now wish to transmit the text
of a paper prepared by our Sovereign Grand Commander Emeritus, Ill: Stanley
F. Maxwell, 330 and dealing with the topic and general theme of the coming
38rh European Conference, “Scottish Rite and how it operates in your
Country”, and with specific reference to the origin and content of our ritual
system here in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction
I believe that the length of this paper will fall within the suggested guideline of
tO minutes for the presentation during the Conference Session, and as you
will see, we have prepared a one—page summary of Bro Maxwell’s work
containing the highlights of the view of where our jurisdiction stands with
regard to its ritual structure.
We would have liked to follow the suggestion that we submit a French
translation of the “summary”, but we have to say that while we have particular
translation facilities for French into English, we do not have them for English
into French Thus, we are hopeful that if it was felt necessary, there may be
someone available to you in your office who could provide such a French
translation of the precis
In addition, we have one adjustment to make in the delegation from our
Supreme Council at Amsterdam. Regrettably, Mrs. Alfred E Rice will not be
able to accompany our Grand Lieutenant Commander to the May meefing
I also want to assure you that we will be sending our draft to cover the
necessary registration fees to the ABN—Amro Bank and to account #48 85 01
741 “Euro Conference” in the very near future
Trusting that plans are proceeding as you would like for the coming
Conference and that we have complied with the necessary submission of
details concerning our Norfhern Jurisdiction representatives and the needs of
the Conference Organization to date, I remain
Sincerely and fraternally,
Francis G Paul, 330
Sovereign Grand Commander
FGP DLZ
Enclosures
54
The Rituals of the Supreme Council, A A S R
Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U S A
Summary of the paper prepared by Ill Stanley F Maxwell, 330
As a consequence of studies led by the Chairmen and other members of our
Committee on Rituals extending back over a period of 50 years, a program was
formulated leading to a realignment of a number of degrees in the Northern
Jurisdiction system along with the revision of some and the origination of new
degrees as replacements Thus, during the past two decades, the following
goals were established to provide a continuity of lessons in our Lodge of
Perfection
The and are of the era of Moses Hebraic
40 50 —
The 60 is Pre—Solomonic
The70 — King Solomon is crowned
The 80, 100 and 110 are based on the unfinished and completed King
90,
Solomon’s Temple
The 120 is the dedication of the Temple
The 130 is the death of King Solomon
The 140 is the crowning degree of fhrs structure.
The aim of this realignment was to eliminate the Hiramic legend in the degrees
40140
The transfer of the former 230, 240, 250 and 260 from the Consistory (to conform
to this policy) to the Lodge of Perfection made it necessary to establish new
and more modern degrees but teaching the same lasting lessons
A new 230 is based on the experience of Four Chaplains who perished during
a troop ship crossing in World War II This preserves the degree lesson, ‘Watch
the Sacred Flame and Keep the Fire Burning”
A new 240 was prepared centering on the American Indian as a truly native
American seeking our Masonic degrees with its portrayal endeavoring to
corrode preludice and bigotry and bring about understanding and toleration
A new 250, still in preparation, relates the story of the great American Mason,
Benjamin Franklin, and carries the lesson that humility is an integral and
mandatory ingredient in developing true greatness in the accomplishments of
men
Finally, a new 260 presents a lesson based on an experience in the life of
Abraham Lincoln, who was not a Mason but who was reported as considering
membership in the Frafernity. The degree points to a spirit of compassion and
tenderness of heart which dispose aperson to overlook injuries or to treat the
offender better
All of the foregoing is done to carry out the belief of the Northern Jurisdiction
that the purpose of rituals is to teach, instruct and inspire
55
 The Rituals of the Supreme Council, AASR
Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U S A
In 1976, our Ill Irving E. Partridge, 330 having been a member of the
Commiftee on Rituals and Ritualistic Matters since 1951 and chairman of the
Committee from 1958—1972, made a detailed search of the records to
establish authentic development of the Rituals from the 40..320 then presently
in use in our Jurisdiction
Ill Bro Partridge found many discrepancies in the origin and use of the
. many candidates and resulted in the Master Mason Degree losing some of its
Rituals, but did determine that many of the degrees were based on the
Francken Rituals used in the early t 700’s This Francken Book of Rituals of the
Rite of Perfection bears the date of 1783 at Kingston, Jamaica After many
decades of studies, reports and decisions, in the early 1940’s our Supreme
Council engaged the services of Dr and Ill Bro Mcllyar H Lichlrter, 330 He
was widely recognized as a Masonic scholar and he once stated, “that in the
Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, the philosophic approach is an effort to
understand its basic teaching, as developed in its Ritual structure and to
integrate the teachings of the degrees from the 40...320 inclusive into a system
of MoralsIll. Lichliter made a very detailed sfudy of our entire Ritual structure
and wrote a comprehensive report on each of the degrees with recommenda-
tions to future Ritual Committee members to study when revising or rewriting
any particular degree
One of the many giants of the Ritual Committee of the Northern Jurisdiction
was the Ill, and Rt Rev Benjamin F P vms, 330 He stated, “I conceive
Masonry not to be simply the working of certain Rituals, but I conceive it to be
primarily a gathering together of the philosophies of the past and the
presentation to men of good will, men of deep thinking, and men of high
concept of their position in society, of the philosophies of the past, and of the
future, in order that men may understand life, the reason of life and the way of
life
“Morals, religions, and philosophies all are exemplificatrons of Truth Truth, of
course, is a fixed thing, and neither morals nor religions nor philosophies are
ever fixed things Morals change, religions change, and when they cease to
change, that society in which they cease to change is a dead, fixed, crystallized
thing
“You and I must interpret life in the terms of the moral and the philosophical
teachings of the past But we must, ou~ of them, develop the moral codes, the
religions, and the philosophical schools of our day, in order that men may ha~)e
a lantern, a guide, a torch, which they can understand, for their days and for the
days that are to come”
Ill Melvin Maynard Johnson, 330 a former Sovereign Grand Commander of
56
our Supreme Council, once said, “If the time ever comes when the Scottish
Rite determines to remain static, when its philosophy may not be adapted to
the needs of a changing world, then it is the time for its funeral Until then, its
leaders should study the philosophy of its ritualistic teachings so that, by recast
and revision, it may keep in the van of advancing civilization”
Thus, in 1971, a policy of the Norfhern Masonic Jurisdiction was established
We made a serious study of several of our Consistorral degrees as well as the
degrees of the Lodges of Perfection We determined that the re—introduction
of the Hiramic legend in our Lodges of Perfection caused confusion among
significance in the minds of candidates, and therefore, this re—introduction
should be eliminated
Goals were established to have a continuity of lessons in our Lodge of
Perfection
The and are of the era of Moses Hebraic
40 50 —
The 60 is Pre—Solomonic
The
70 — King Solomon is crowned
The 80, 90, 100 and 110 are based on the unfinished and completed King
Solomon’s Temple
The 120 is the dedication of the Temple
The 130 is the death of King Solomon
The 140 is the crowning degree of this structure
The transfer of the former 230, 240, 250 and 260 from the Consistory (to conform
to this policy) to the Lodge of Perfection made it necessary to establish new
and more modern degrees, teaching the same former lessons
This theory has not been uniformly accepted so far, but our Consistories are
adapting to the change, and we anticipate universal acceptance by the
membership
A new 230 is based on the experiences of the Four Chaplains two Protestant
—
Ministers, one Catholic Priest, and one Jewish Rabbi who lost their lives
—
during a trans—Atlantic troop ship crossing during World War II They truly lived
up to the lesson of this degrees ‘Watch the Sacred Flame and Keep the Fire
Burning
A new 240 is based on a story of the Red Man, a truly native American Indian
and his experience in petitioning for membership in a Masonic Lodge This
portrayal, it is hoped, will corrode the prejudice and bigotry in all men and bring
about a world of understanding and toleration
A new 250, not yet completed, will relate the story of a great Mason, Benjamin
Franklin, and wilt carry the lesson that humility is an integral and mandatory
ingredient in developing true greafness in the accomplishments of men That
Irving the tenets of Freemasonry provides an unmatched threshold for the
development of that greatness
57
And lastly, a new 260, a story based on an experience in the life of Abraham SUPREME COUNCIL FOR BELGIUM
Lincoln, then President of our United States Lincoln was not a Mason, but it
has been reported that he was considering membership in our Fraternity The Scottish Rite and how it operates in our country
lesson of the degree is fo teach a spirit of compassion and a tenderness of
heart which dispose a person to overlook injuries or to treat the offender Content of the Ritual—system
better Criteria for admission and advancement
This presentation is to demonstrate that we believe the purpose of our Rituals What degrees are formally conferred
is to teach, instruct and inspire
We give all credit to fhe presenf Chairman of our Commitfee on Rituals and A note concerning the conferring of degrees under our Supreme Council
Ritualistic Matters, Ill. Robert L Miller Sr.,
330 and the entire Committee for
their leadership in following the thoughts of Ill.. Brethren Lrchliter, vms, and Twelve degrees are conferred through formal ceremonies
Johnson in presenting these lessons of our degrees in an interesting and
— Lodge of Perfecf ron 130 and 140.
40

informative manner for the benefits of teaching the lessons of Freemasonry Chapter 150, 170 and 180
Areopagus 210, 220, 280 and 300.
Consistory 320
Stanley F Maxwell Supreme Council 330

Sovereign Grand Commander Emeritus

2 Eighteen degrees are conferred either through formal ceremonies or
under an abridged form, ~rth little or no ceremonial, in the latter case, only
the following are being communicated:
Opening, communication of arcanes, Instruction, Consecration,
sometimes the Legend of the degree, Closing
Lodge of Perfection 50 120
—

Chapter 160.
Areopagus 190 and 200

The seven degrees added to the Rite of Perfection, i e . 230 — 270, 290
and 310 are conferred wifh no ceremonial nor teaching.

(Art 135)

REMARKS

a For a good understanding of the rituals of the 30th and 32nd degrees, it
has been found indispensable to communicate to the candidates, as a
prelude to the ceremony, a detailed summary of the Masonic teachings of
the 29th and 31st degrees

~b My personal opinion is that winen conferring a degtee under an abridged

form, the most important points to be communicated are the Instruction
and ihe Legend of the Degree so that both a philosophical and a moral
lesson may be received.

58 59
3 No one may obtain of the above mentioned degrees if he fails to comply
with the following conditions:
a) he must have read the ritual of the last degree to which he has been
initiated
b) in each of the subordinate bodies (Lodge of Perfection, Chapter and
Areopagus) the delay between accessions to the first and the last
degrees may not be less than two years In other words two years
must pass between the initiations to the 4rh and the l4rh degrees,
between those to the lSih and l8rh degrees and between those fo
the 21St and fhe 3Orh degrees
4 One full year must elapse between the initiation to the last degree of a
subordinate body and that to the first degree of the next body
One full year must elapse between initiations to the l4ih and lSih
degrees The delay between initiations to the 3Orh and 32rd degree has
been put up to two years, because of the abandonment of the 31 Si
degree
There is no stipulated delay for the accession to the 33rd degree Only the
masonic qualifies of the brethren come into consideration and these are
decided upon by the Supreme Council through a vote which must be
unanimous (Art 24)
Any active member of the Supreme Council looses his right fo vote when
reaching the age of 80 (Art 33)
of Perfection and a Chapter, one holding the 28rh degree must belong fo
such bodies and an Areopagus)
Loosing his membership to one of those bodies entails loosing his quality
of member of the Rite (Art 12)
7 No member is allowed to attend, in any quality whatsoever, the masonic
activities
a) of a body of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite other than those
under the authority of our Supreme council or a foreign one
recognized by it,
b) of a body foreign to the Rite but using its rituals or similar ones
(Art 13)
8 No degree may be conferred to a mason under the jurisdiction of a foreign
Supreme Council, whithout that Supreme Council’s approval as well as
our own s, even if said mason resides in Belgium (Art 137)
George Kint
SGC

5 To be admitted to initiation to the 4th degree (first degree under the

Supreme Council, a Mason must (Art 11)
a) have been raised to the degree of a Master Mason at least a year
earlier in a regular Symbolic Lodge belonging to the Regular Grand
Lodge of Belgium or to another Grand Lodge recognized by it,
b) have declared in writing his adherence to articles 8 and 9 of our
General Statutes (the principles observed by every regular Supreme
Council),
c) have promised to observe the Constitutions of 1762, those of 1786
as well as our own General Statutes,
d) have declared not to belong to any masonic purporting to be masonic
and considered irregular by us,
e) have declared not to belong to any national or international
organisation whose tenets would be contrary fo the duties of a Mason
to his country
6 All members must belong to a Sytnbolrc Lodge and a Lodge of Perfectro~r
All members holding a higher degree must belong not only to the body
that regulates their degree, but also to the lower bodies (A member
holding the 14th degree must be member of a Symbolic Lodge, a Lodge

61
60
 SUMMARY OF THE REPORT
PRESENTED BY
THE M P. SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDER
OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL FOR TURKEY,
THE M. ILL BRO SAHIR ERMAN, 330,
I Origins and composriron of the ritualistic system applied by the Supreme
Council for Turkey
There are only faint recollections on the Supreme Council for Turkey, which
has been established in 1861, jusf after the Crimean war
We think thaf the continuous wars, which caused the dissolution of the
Ottoman Empire, restricted a lot the activities of this Supreme Council, and the
few documents that reached us from that time do not allow us to have a
concept of their ritualistic system, their admission criteria, the raising of their
members and of the degrees conferred solemnly
In 1909 the Supreme Council has been completely reorganized Br Joseph
Sakakini, 330, played a preponderant role in this reorganization This brother
had participated in the founding of the Supreme Council of Egypt and had
been delegated by this Supreme Council to attend the Conference of the
AASR. Sovereign Grand Commanders who met in Belgium that year
Bro Sakakini had been entrusted by Bro Comte Goblet dAlviella,
Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council for Belgium, with the
reorganization of the Supreme Council for Turkey The reorganization took
place fhat same year when, back in Istanbul, Bro Sakakini obtained the
approval of his Turkish Brethren
We see from this brief historical narrative that the origin and the content of the
Turkish ritual derives from the Belgian ritual Effectively, all our rituals have
been translated, or rather adapted from Belgian rituals
II. Critera for the admission and raising of our members
To be admitted as a member in a Lodge attached to the Supreme Council for
Turkey it is required to have reached fhe third degree for at leasf one year in a
Lodge attached to a regular Grand Lodge
62
A brother meeting these conditions can be presented as a candidate by three
Brethren of the Supreme Council An inquiry on his private and masonic life
giving positive results allows his candidature to join a Lodge of Perfection The
application is submitted to a vote Four black balls delay the acceptance by one
year If a similar ballot occurs then, the candidate is definitely rejected
A Brother coming from a foreign Supreme Council with which we are in amity is
subjected to the same conditions for being admitted to the degree he held in
his homeland Eventually he might be admitted to the 4rh degree in one of our
Lodges of Perfection
If he wants to be raised to higher degree, a member must wait at least one year
in the degrees that are confered solemnly This delay is of minimally two years
for raisings to degrees higher than the 3Orh
For the degrees lower than the l9rh the balloting is effected by the Lodge of
Perfection or the Sovereign Chapter which the candidate belongs to, whereas
for degrees higher than the l8rh, the vote is effected in a plenary meeting of
the Supreme Council, which meets four times a year In this vote one single
negative ballot postpones the candidature for one year
Ill The degrees conferred solemnly by the Supreme Council for Turkey
Since the 1909 reorganization, the following degrees are conferred by
ritualistic ceremonies : The 4ih, 9th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 22nd, 27rh, 29rh (since
1970), the 3Orh 31st, 32nd and 33rd degrees
The Supreme Council has the authority to add to or limit the number of
degrees actually conferred ritually
Sahir Erman, 330
Sovereign Grand Commander
63
 SCOTTISH RITE AND HOW IT OPERATES IN GREECE dormant and are conferred prior to the respective initiations without ceremony

Except for regular attendance the following minimally time periods have to
The Supreme Council of the AASR for Greece was founded in July 1872 by elapse before a Brother can advance from one degree fo another
Prince Dimitrios Rodokanakis, active member of the Supreme Council of
Scotland, which had aufhorized him to establish a Supreme Council in Greece From Master Mason to the 40 12 months
From to the
40 90 12 months
The Supreme Council of Greece was officially recognised by the Supreme From to the 130 and 140
90 12 months
Council of the Southern Jurisdiction on 7 March 1873 and during the same From 140 to the 180 24 months
year by the Supreme Council of Scotland, Ireland, France and Belgium From 180 to the 280 30 months
Recognition by the Supreme Council of the rest of the world followed From 280 to the 300 24 months
From 300 to the 310 36 months
The origin of the Ritual-system in use is uncertain, it is purported to be based From 310 to the 320 36 months
on old Belgian Ritual-systems The Rituals are generally revered by the
Brethren and carefully studied It is customary for lectures to be delivered, In exceptional cases the Supreme Council will approve shorter minimal time
during the workings of the respective degrees, based on the personal periods
understanding of the lecturer of the Rituals and ceremonies; discussions
follow It is generally felt that Freemasonry has an exalted mission, being the N Melissaropoulos, 330

distant herr of ancient mysteries and that Freemasons, particularly those

awarded the higher degrees, have a high responsibility towards God and Sovereign Grand Commander
conscience
January 1993
From the start the largest majority of Master Masons who were active in the
Symbolic Lodges joined the higher degrees of the AASR and, actually, the
internationally recognised Grand Lodge of Greece was also operating under
the AASR until January 1988, when they decided to withdraw from the S R
and now operate as “Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons”

Symbolic Lodges in Greece (and in Cyprus, which come under the jurisdiction
of the Grand Lodge of Greece and for the higher degrees under the
jurisdiction of the Supreme Council of Greece) meet once a week Lodges of
Perfection to 140) meet once a month, Rose-Croix chapters (180) meet
(40

once a month and Areopagus Councils (28o~300) again meet once a month
The 32nd degree Consistory meets three times per year

The Supreme Council of Greece has to meet, according to regulations, at least

four times a year, but in actual fact meets much more often The number of
brothers awarded the 33rd degree is 33 and it is their duty to lead the AASR
Freemasonry in order to serve

The 40 130,140, 180, 280, 300 and 320 are formally conferred, according to
90,

the established rituals and ceremonies, whire the rest of the degrees are

64 65
 HISTORY AND ORGANISATION OF THE AASR IN
SWI TZERLAND
History
The High Degrees have existed in our country since the 18th century In
Lausanne there was already a higher Masonic authority in 1739, the Directoire
Supreme Helv6trque Romand, to which several Lodges were subject Until
1872, work was carried out in the Craft and Scottish Rite degrees In 1873, the
Supreme Council of the 330 was formed in Lausanne as the legal successor of
the Direcfoire
At that time, two Chapters were already working under this aufhorrty, in addition
to several Lodges Already on the 24th of November 1805, a sovereign
Rose—Croix Chapter was established in Berne
The Chapter patent was issued by the Grand Chapter of the Grand Orient of
France in Paris
But even before that, on the 9th of December 1801, the La Prudence”
Chapter in Geneva had been formed On the 29rh of Octoberi 876, an
agreement was concluded between the Swiss Grand Lodge Alpina and the
Supreme Council of Switzerland, under which the Supreme Council has
authority over the to the
40 330of the AASR for fhe whole of Switzerland
Since then, Alpina and the Supreme Council, i e. the Craft Lodges and the
High Degrees, have existed together in complete harmony Each of them
takes care not to interfere in the internal affairs of the other
On the 2nd of February 1896 the Supreme Council and the Rectified Scottish
Rite also entered into an agreement, which was renewed on the 9th of June
1910 This agreement guarantees both authorities their autonomy and
complete independence, and recognizes that the Consfitutrons of both Rites
contain nothing that could place at risk the harmony between them or make
collaboration impossible The members of each group are therefore authorised
to participate in all ceremonies of the other, provided the degrees are
recognized as being equivalent
Organ i sation
At present, the Supreme Council of Switzerland, whose headquarfers are in
Lausanne, has authority over
66
9 Chapters (180 degree),
8 Areopags (300 degree),
1 Consistory (320 degree),
1 Supreme Council degree)
(330
These bodies are distributed throughout Switzerland The AASR in
Switzerland at present has 1.011 members, of whom 49 8% are in French-
speaking Switzerland, 46 7% in German-speaking Switzerland and 3 5% in the
Tessin
In the AASR in Switzerland, work is carried out in the 180, 300 and 320 Some
Chapters also work the and
40 as a bridge between the
90 and 180
30
Intermediate degrees between the 180 and 300 are also occasionally worked
With the 330 and last degree, the Supreme Council of Switzerland holds the
rank of final instance and hrghesf authority within the Order The Supreme
Council is presided over by the M P Sovereign Grand Commander It
comprises 33 members of the 330
Membership and advancement
The Chapters are authorised to admit Master Masons to the 180 However, a
prior investigation must establish whether the candidate meets the Masonic
requirements, that his admission will not cause any disadvantage to the AASR,
and that he is able to draw intellectual benefit from the Rite’s teachings The
candidate is then required to submit a written application for membership, in
which he confirms that he belongs to a Lodge affiliated to the Swiss Grand
Lodge Alpina and that on the day of his admission as member of a Chapter he
will have held the rank of a Master Mason for at least two years. The candidature
is voted on by secret ballot; if a ninth or more of the votes cast are negative, the
candidate is rejected A reapplication after rejection can only be considered
after two years
The Areopags are responsible for elevation to the 300 Such elevation to
Knight Kadosh of the 300 cannot be sought after, it is granted upon summons
Elevation to the 300 is conditional upon presenfation in the Chapter of a
personal discourse The candidate can only be admitted to an Areopag if he is
a regular member of a Swiss Chapter and an Alpina Lodge and on the day of
his admission has held the 180 for at least two years Here, too, there is a secret
ballot The candidate can be rejected by a ninth or more of the votes cast
Every elevation to the 300 is subject t~ the consent of the Supreme Council
The Supreme Council may confer the 320 on Brethren who have attained all
previous Degrees The 320 cannot be applied for, it is acquired by summons
67
Proposals for summons must be submitted to the College of Officers of the
Supreme Council by way of the Grand Chancery, which presents them at the
next session of the Supreme Council Election takes place at the next
following session To be admitted to the 320, a candidafe must have held the
300 for at least three years His election must be by unanimous vote Negative
votes must be justified to the Grand Commander
The 330 too, cannot be supplied for and is also conferred by way of summons
In order to be proposed, the candidate must have held the 320 for at least four
years on f he day of his elevation and have proved his suitability for the 330
through active and intellectual involvement in the AASR and through a
particularly close relationship with it For admission to the
330 unanimity of the
Supreme Council is required Election is by open oral vote Negative votes
must be justified to the Grand Commander
This, in broad terms, is the history and organisatron of the AASR in
Switzerland In conclusion, it should be mentioned that a minimum of eleven
years elapses from the time of admission to the 180 until summons to the 330
We consider this length of time to be necessary to enable sufficient depth of
knowledge to be gained in all matters pertaining to the AASR
Berne, the 15th of February 1993
H Guldentels, 330
Lieutenant Grand Commander
68
SCOTTISH RITE AND HOW IT OPERATES IN CANADA
Although individual Canadian Masons had received the degrees of the
Scottish Rite in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction and Southern Jurisdiction of
the U S A as early as 1863, it was not until 1868 that, acting under dispensa-
trons granted by the Supreme Council of England, a Consistory and two
Chapters were opened in Canada
The Supreme Council of Canada was inaugurated at Ottawa on October 16,
1874, and the oath of office to our first Sovereign Grand Commander, Ill Bro
Thomas Douglas Harington, 330 was administered by Ill Bro Albert Pike,
330 Sovereign Grand Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction
The Supreme Council claims exclusive territorial jurisdiction throughout
Canada (and did so from 1881 over Newfoundland as well, although that
former British colony did not become polifically part of Canada until 1949) to
confer the 40330 both inclusive
Initially it was resolved that the method of conferring degrees should be in
accordance with the rules of the Supreme Council of England Very soon,
however, the Committee on Ritual commenced to revise the degrees The
revised rituals were based largely on the work of Albert Pike Further changes
have occurred over the years, and even now are continuing to be made
Most bodies of the Rite in Canada confer degrees at Reunions, a practice
which commenced with the Hamilton bodies as early as 1881
Today there are some 31 000 members of the Scottish Rite in Canada, a
decline of approximately 10% from the maximum membership which was
attained in 1984
The membership, which represents approximately 200/o of all Craft Masons in
Canada, is organized from the Aflantic to the Pacific, a distance of some 6 000
kilometres, in 48 Lodges of Perfection, 41 Chapters Rose—Croix and 16
Consistories
Each province or territory is entitled to one Honorary Inspector-General330 for
each 50 Lodge of Perfection members The Sovereign Grand Inspectors-
General 330 are elected from the members who hold the rank of Honorary
Inspector-General The Supreme Council consists of 33 Sovereign Grand
Inspectors-General, referred to as Active Members, plus the Past Sover~rgn
Grand Commanders, plus Past Active Members Active members must retire at
69
75. Subsequently they remain members of the Supreme Council but no
longer have the right to vote Past Sovereign Grand Commanders retain their
right to vote ad vitam
The Sovereign Grand Commander is elected for a term of three years and is
ineligible for re-election at the neKt ensuing triennial election
On November 10, 1964, on the initiative of the Supreme Council, Letters
Patent were obtained from the Government of Canada incorporating the
Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation of Canada, the members of which consist
of the members of the Supreme Council Interest from its capital fund, which is
now approaching Cdn $5 000 000, is distributed to support research into the
causes and cure of mental retardation, including Alzhermer’s Disease
John V Lawer, 330
Sovereign Grand Commander
Supreme Council of Canada
70
SCOTTISH RITE IN THE NETHERLANDS
History
The history of the Scottish Rite in The Netherlands is closely connected to that
in Belgium After the Low Countries had regained their independence from
the Napoleontic occupation a Supreme Council was founded in 1817 in
Brussels It was named “Supr~me Conseil pour les Pays Bas” translated
“Supreme Council for The Netherlands” (or Low Countries) It covered the
territory of the present States of Belgium and The Netherlands It was headed
by General Royer as its Lieutenant Grand Commander The office of Sovereign
Grand Commander was offered to H R H Prince Frederik, The Netherlands
Grandmaster of the Symbolic Degrees He declined being opposed to any
degrees beyond the craft After the separation of Belgium and The Nether-
lands into two sovereign States (1839) the seat of the Supreme Council
remained in Brussels, also because its activities were mainly restricted to
Belgium
The Netherlands therefore were left without its own Supreme Council A small
number of Netherlands Brethren remained member of the “Supr~me Conseil
pour Ia Belgique” as it was renamed around 1872—1875
Parallel to the above—described developments, activities in The Netherlands
beyond the Craft had been established, working in the Rite Moderne or Rife
Fran§ars These came under the authority of the “Grand Chapter of the High
Degrees” founded in The Hague in 1803
The top degree of that system of four degrees beyond the Craft was the
degree of Sovereign Prince Rose—Croix, conferred in Chapters of that degree
all through The Netherlands This Rose-Croix degree as practised under the
Grand Chapter is very similar to the 18th degree of the Scottish Rite, the
degree of Knight Rose-Croix, as practised elsewhere
It was at the end of the 19th century that the subject of establishing an
autonomous Supreme Council for The Netherlands was seriously brought
forward This initiative was probably encouraged by Count Goblet dAlviella,
Sovereign Grand Commander for Belgium at that time (from 1900 onwards)
It was however not until 191 2 that the Supreme Council for The Netherlands
was formally founded and installed in 1913 by the Belgian Sovereign Grand
Commander Comte Goblet dAlviella As a result of masonic relations in The
Netherlands at that time, the new Supreme Council was obliged to accept an
71
agreement which gave the Grand Chapter of the High Degrees full authority
over the ~180, inclusive of the Scottish Rite
40
Thus the authority of the newly founded Supreme Council was restricted to
the 19o~33o It was furthermore decreed that admittance to the Scottish Rite
would only be possible after having obtained the degree of Sovereign Prince
Rose—Croix under the Grand Chapter of the High Degrees For that purpose
this degree, the 7th degree of the Rite Fran9ais or Moderne, was declared
equivalent to the 180 of the Scottish Rite, Knight Rose—Croix A mason could
enter this degree three years after having been raised to the degree of Master
Mason Then 1—2 years later he could be invited to become a member of the
Scottish Rite proper by being initiated in the 220, Knight of the Royal Axe
For its ritual system the Supreme Council for The Netherlands was officially
given permission to adopt the rituals of the Belgian Supreme Council as
revised by its Sovereign Grand Commander, Count Goblet dAlviella. For the
history of our rituals we have fherefore to go back to their development in
Belgium
In 1875 its Sovereign Grand Commander Renard asked for permission to
adopt the rituals as used in the United States Southern Jurisdiction and as
revised by Albert Pike This request was granted It was eventually Goblet
dAlviella who completed their revision and introduction Goblet held a chair in
comparative religion at the Free University of Brussels He accepted Pike’s
revision as a point of departure, but as an expert in comparative religion he
noted many weaknesses and shortcomings in Pike’s work
The result was a completely new design of the whole structure of the system
with many important changes in a number of degrees, and completely new
rituals for the 260, 280 and 290
The new system was based on the origin and evolution of Freemasonry in the
light of great philosofical systems and world religions It was this formula which
found its way to the Supreme Council for The Netherlands in 1912 Except of
course during World War II, the 220, 260, 280, 290, 300 310, 320 and 330 of that
system were formally conferred in The Netherlands until about 1988
Developments 1977— present
In the course of time it became evident that there was a growing dissatisfaction
in The Netherlands with some of these rituals and also with the system as such
In 1977 a special Committee of the Supreme Council 330for The Netherlands
72
was installed bij the Sovereign Grand Commander at that time the M P Bro
Alberts
Its appointed assignment was
— to study the system of the Scottish Rite,
— to study the history of the rituals in use at that time,
— to make a comparative study of other ritual—systems abroad,
— to formulate a recommandatron if and how the rituals required revision
One of the first conclusions of the Committee was that a return to the original
heritage of the Scottish Rite rituals would be the best starting point
The availability of a unique collection of old manuscripts in the Library of The
Netherlands Order of Freemasons (a o the famous and unique “Kloss library”)
was of tremendous use in this connection
Already in 1 979 the Committee concluded that the 260 (Prince of Mercy) as
pracfrsed at that time, was out of place within the philosophical developement
of the system of the 220 to 300 Receptions in this degree were therefore
discontinued
The Committee further concluded that the original heritage contained a
stronger accent on Hermetic, Neo Platonic and Alchemistic features
A recommendation with respect to this was made to fhe Supreme Council,
which resulted in the revision of the rituals of the 220, 280, 290, 300 310 and
320 This work was completed in 1988 and these new rituals were adopted
from then onwards
We owe great gratitude to the M P Bro Alberts, the Sovereign Grand
Commander during that period, whose knowledge and stimulus were the
driving force behind this tremendous task
Parallel to the introduction of these new rituals, the missing link of fhe Lodge of
Perfection (401 40) became growingly manifest.
This because the Grand Chapter of the High Degrees, although having full
authority over these degrees, did not give any attention to them because they
did not form part of the Rite Fran§ars or Moderne, the system in which they
work
After long and sometimes painful negotiations it was finally agreed in 1991 that
the “Supreme Council 330 for The Netherlands, as a sovereign and aufonomus
Order, would be given full authority over all the Scottish Rite degrees from 40 to
the 330
The Grand Chapter of the High Degrees would continue to work as an
independent and sovereign masonic Order in its own Rite
As a consequence one can now directly join the Scottish Rite two years after
h~vrng been raised to the degree of “Master Mason” Entry in the Scottish Rite
is in the 40 that of Secret Master Six to nine months affer his entry he is raised
to the 140, granted to him by communication during a special informal session
Furthermore a new ritual for the 180, Knight Rose—Croix, was introduced in
73
1991 As part of the agreement with Grand Chapter of the High Degrees this
ritual co~dd fbI be the same as that used by them for the degree of Sovereign
Prince c~ the Rose—Croix
It was a~1uaIIy only partly because of this that preference was given to a ritual
based an the myth of the Christian Rosenkreuz, while maintaining the basic
theme farmed by the trias Faith, Hope and Charity This ritual also fitted better
in the philosophical structure of our whole ritual system
Finally i# was decided in that same year to limit initiations in the philosophical
and cor~sistory degrees to those originally forming part of the Rite de
Perfection, le 220, 280, 300 and 320, originally the 220, 230, 240, and 250 of that
system, supplemented by the 310 and of course 330
Conclu~ng: nowadays the following degrees are formally conferred in The
Netherlands: 180, 220, 280, 300 310, 320
40 330
All other degrees are granted by communication A study has started recently
to investigate the possibilities of a more formal conferral of the 140 in the future
Ir C J.R van Boven, 330
Soverer~i Grand Commander
74
THE SCOTTISH RITE IN AUSTRIA
The history of the Scottish Rite Body in our country dates back to the year
1923, when the first Scottish Rite Body, the Chapter Rose—Croix “Mozart”,
was installed by the Supreme Council of France, in Vienna
Two years later, in 1925, the Supreme Council of France, assisted by the
Supreme Council of The Netherlands, installed a Supreme Council for Austria
in Vienna
In the period between 1925 and 1938 the Scottish Rite expanded in Austria
by setting up a Lodge of Perfection, “Volfaire”, in 1928, and a Council Kadosh,
“Pax Aeterna”, in 1929
The installation of a Consistory “Albert Pike” during the said period cannot be
verified with certainty, since practically all documents were, respectively had to
be, destroyed before and during the invasion of Austria by Hitler’s troops in
1938
After the defeat of the Hitler—regime in 1945 efforts to revive the Scottish Rite
in Austria set in immediately, leading to the installation of a Supreme Council in
1947 out of the ranks of those Brethren who had survived the years of the Nazi
terror
In 1948 the Lodge of Perfection “Voltaire”, and in 1949 the Chapter “Mozart”
were reawakened
In t951 the Consistory “Alberf Pike” was solemnly installed In 1955 a second
Lodge of Perfection, “Josef von Sonnenfels”, was installed wrfh the sole task
of initiating Master Masons into the Scottish Rite and conferring the degrees of
Perfection, i e 40140 on them, while the first Lodge of Perfection, “Voltaire”,
dedicated itself to the study and development of Masonic philosophy and
esoterism, as well as the occupation with themes of current actuality that
cannot leave Masons indifferent
In the course of time more Scottish Rite Bodies were installed in the federal
provinces, leading to to-day’s total of,
four Lodges of Perfection,
five Chapters Rose—Croix,
one Council Kadosh, and
one Consistory
The rituals used are based on those by Albert Pike, with consideration of his
commentaries in “Morals and Dogma”
Translafions date back to the period 1925—1938 and adaptations to suit
75
specific local requirements were made in the course of fime by several Grand
Commanders, supported by their respective Grand Experts
A basic principle to which our Scottish Rite has clung throughout the years
prescribes that the ascent through the degrees has to be earned by each
Brother through intensive study of and occupafion with the contents of the
various degrees, which necessitates regular attendance at working sessions
Attendance lists as well as papers worked out and presented provide important
clues as fo the worthiness of each individual for his ascenf into the next
degree It follows from the above that a Scottish Rite career takes many years
to accomplish in our country
To proceed from the to the 180 it takes at least three years From the 180 to
40
the 300 we set a minimum of two years
From then onwards, r e from 300 through 320, it may take a great number of
years, since now we not only apply more or less formal criteria but also, and
particularly, we take into account paradigms of spiritual growth and maturity,
which involves the difficult and highly sensitive task of applying imponderable
factors of evaluation
Another basic principle stipulates that the initiation into the
40 of the Scottish
Rite must not be performed before at least three years have elapsed since the
raising of the candidate to the Master Mason degree
All the above guidelines and regulations are meant to ensure that the Scottish
Rite preserves its character as a stepladder of spiritual ascent and does not
degenerate to the level of a service club like so many others
Peter Osterrercher,330
Souveraner Grof3-Kommandeur
76
THE AASR AND ITS WAY OF OPERATING IN ITALY
— Origins and content of the rifual—system
— Criteria for admission. membership and promotion
— What degrees are ritually conferred
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF FREEMASONRY IN ITALY
The first Italian who received the Masonic Light was the violinist and composer
Francesco Saverro Geminiani (1687—1762) He was initiated in London on
February 1,1725
The first document of masonic activities on the Italian territory is that of an
English Lodge working in Florence in 1732 In that Lodge, led by the
Ambassador Sir Horace Mann, the first Italian was initiated on August 4,1732
the physician and man of letters Antonio Cocchi Some other men coming from
Tuscany were successively admitted, as the poet Tommaso Crudeli
(1703—1745), the first marlyr of Freemasonry in Italy
Another Lodge of British citizens who were “Stuardisti”, whereas the Brethren
of Florence were “Hannoveriani”, worked in Rome, the capital of the Pontifical
State, between 1735 and 1737 In this Lodge, which received many Italians,
since January 23, 1737, the Venerable Master was called “Great Master” This
Lodge adopted a Constitution in Latin language “Statuta ad Romanorum
Liberorum muratorum Lodgiam demissa”
The Roman Lodge disappeared since August 1737, that is to say eight
months before April 28, 1738, when Pope Clement XII issued the infamous
bull (Apostolic Constitution) “In Eminenti Apostolatus Specula”, which
execrated and forbade Freemasons’ activities excommunicating them
The Roman Brethren, in consideration of the cosmopolitan character of their
social relations, probably heard soon of the first edicts against Freemasonry
that various European authorities had issued The first edict was absolutely
that of the Magistrate of Amsterdam dated November 30, 1735, the same day
there was the resolution spread by the General States of Holland and Western
Frisia Later on, on March 1736, there were similar resolutions spread by the
Major Council of the Town of Geneva and by the Parisian Police In Paris it Was
even forbidden to receive masonic meetings in public exercises
77
The first signs of persecutions against Freemasonry in Italy date back to June
1, 1737, when the Holy Inquisition gave directions to the Father Inquisitor of
Florence, by writing that “the mere name ot conventicle is not sufficient for the
Secular Prince considering the fact that alt the conventicles were suspect tor
the government and forbidden by law” So the Roman Catholic and Apostolic
Church tried to transform a “danger of heresy” presumably in connection with
the diffusion of the Modern Freemasonry’s ideals, into a “social danger”. To do
this the Church laid the responsibility of the first episodes ot “Freemason
Hunt” upon the secular political Authorities of each State where its influence
was very strong This activity, after Iwo centuries and a half, is not over, and it is
periodically re-launched by all means available including defamation and
calumny
In Florence at that time the “Secular Prince” was Francesco the First of Lorena,
who, before becoming Grand Duke of Tuscany, had received the Masonic
Light in The Hague in 1731 and had later been raised to the Degree of Master
in 1735, in the Houghton Hall in Norfolk. Therefore the Holy Inquisition had to
act alone and in a round-up in Florence, arrested some “small fries” or, as
documents report, “a little Priest or a young Friar of little importance”. This was
a proof that Freemasonry had also had a hold over clergymen
Then there was an “escalation” and the Holy Inqursitron asked the Grand Duke
to expel the Freemason Baron Stosch, a Prussian subject who had already
been turned out of Rome and had taken refuge in Florence In a letter dated
April 16, 1738, Cardinal Corsini, nephew of Pope Clement XII, wrote in fact to
the Grand Duke of Tuscany reporting that there were “rumours” about the
presence of many “heretics” in Florence, in particular under the influence of
Baron Stosch, a “man without morals and without religion” The letter
continued “He gave one of his societies the name of ‘trammassons’ and in this
way he is in safety for those who know that this society has been created in
England in the form of a play or an honest amusement, but who don’t know
how much it has degenerated in Italy becoming a school of impiety”
That is why the bull “In Eminenti” was issued twelve days after And that is why
Tommaso Crudeli was arrested on May 9,1738, since Baron Stosch could not
be touced because he was under the protection of the English Ambassador
Inqursitors were very intransigent towards the poet Crudeli, in fact many
Florentines did not forgive him for some excesses of his satirical verses Durrhg
the long and exhausting interrogatorres, which went on until April 29, 1740, his
justifications about the reasons that had induced him to enter Freemasonry
were useless Useless was ,for example, his declaring that he had joined the
78
“Contraternity” only after knowing that the Augustinian Fathers Denri and Hud
were its members, or declaring that Baron Stosch was not well “accepted” in
his Lodge and that the Florentine Freemasons had stopped their meetings
after the news of the restraining order of the Pope On August 9, 1740
Tommaso Crudeli was interned in his house at Poppi, in Casentino, but his
health was by then undermined for ever owing to the very hard imprisonment
The poet died on January 27, 1745 at the age of 42 destroyed by asthma and
by a pulmonary disease that made him spit blood
Freemasonry almost disappeared from Florence to Rome, at least tor the
Italians, but soon after it reappeared particularly at Livorno, Turin, Milan, Venice
and Naples In Naples, the capital of the Borbonic Reign (1735—1799), which
included all the South of Italy up to Sicily, there is a documentary evidence
about the diffusion of Freemasons “who already formed the largest Lodge of
Italy, under San Severo Prince’s Leadership” He was Raimondo di Sangro
(1 710—1772), scientist, alchemist, inventor, philosopher and passionate
researcher in the world of mystery, Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge
of Naples and the involuntary diffusor of the second bull against Freemasonry
the “Providas Romanorum Pontificum” of Pope Benedetto the Fourteenth,
dated May 18,1751
The masonic repression did not have a large following in Naples, on the
contrary it changed into a kind of triumph for the protection that Maria Carolin of
Austria, consort of the King of Naples, gave to the Order at least until the
French Revolution of 1789, when she began to believe in the slanderous
stories about the international “masonic plot” aiming at undermining the
European kingdoms
In the revolutionary period, or rather since 1786, the Italian Lodges went
through a difficult time and disappeared until 1796, then they reappeared with
the arrival of the French installed the ephemeral Partenopean Republic tor
which so many illustrious Neapolitan Freemasons were immolated
In the Age ot Napoleon, the Italian Lodges received a new sap which,
however, was altered by Bonaparte’s plan to submit the masonic institution and
in particular the rites which had greatly developed, to his political aims The
proof is that the AASR on the basis of the Great Constitutions of 1786 and of
the birth of the Supreme Council Mother of the World in Charleston on May 31,
1~801, is installedin Italy, in Milan omMarch 16, 1805, three months before the
official date of birth of the Grand Lodge of Italy in the same city
In 1814, in the middle of the “Restaurazione”, the Italian Grand Master and
79
Sovereign Grand Commander had to take refuge in Bavaria and the activity of
the Order’s Lodges reduced very much, while the Scottish Masons carried on
almost regularly their activities, even though very often in a clandestine way, up
to December 20, 1859 In this year eight Brethren reconstituted in Turin, the
ideal land of all Freemasons who were politically persecuted in Italy, the Grand
Lodge of Italy under the name of Grand Lodge of Ausonia
The rest is recent history until our days, with the unification of Italy that many
Freemasons wanted and realized, such as Grand Master and Sovereign Grand
Commander of the AASR Giuseppe Garibaldi, until the “Porta Pia’s Breach” on
September 20, 1870, which marked the end of the temporal domination of the
Church, until the most loved Mayor of Rome, Grand Master Ernesto Nathan
(1845—1 921), until the First World War and the coming of fascism that outlawed
and persecuted Freemasonry after the Resistance movement and the
Liberation’s Fight against the Nazi fascists where many Freemasons immolated
their lives
Origins and content of the ritual system
After this introduction it wrIl be easier to understand the specific ferments that
animated the life of the Order (“Craft”) and of the AASR in Italy
— moral and philosophical ferments that affected the social and political
contexts, as it happened in many other countries, but that in Italy have
been marked by long struggles for the unification of numerous states and
for overcoming the political influence of the Church, against which
Freemasonry had to fight in defence of freedom of thought and of
association,
— spiritual ferments that originated from the ideals of Rosa—Croce and of the
Enlightenment, but which joined to almost fifty centuries of typically
Mediterranean history and culture where the various currents of the
Western Wisdom met from those of Babylone to those of Egypt, from the
mysteries and mythology of Greece to those of Etrurra and Rome, from
the Latin “Collegra Fabrorum” to the Medieval “Magistri Comacini”, which
are two fundamental stages in the history of the Craft,from the Revelation
of the great monotheistic religions Hebraic, Christian, Islamic to the
esoterism of the Oabalah, gnosis, Hermeticism and Sufism, from the
Science of the Holy Numbers of Pythagore whose name changed into
“Peter Gower” figures as that of one of the mythical founders of the Craft
in England, up to the passion for the knowledge of the Great Book’of
Nature which inspired some Italian Free-thinkers such as Pico della
Mirandola, Giordano Bruno, Galileo Galiler, all martyrs of science and of the
unending pursuit of truth
80
These grand moral-philosophical and spiritual ferments already in the first
middle of the eighteenth century, led to the first contacts of Italian personalities
with the European masonic spheres, initially in the Order of the first Three
Degrees and then with the Upper Degrees from which originated the AASR
And we must not forget the closer and closer ties between Italian and foreign
esoteric Freemasons starting from the “St Jean de Ia Myst~rreuse” Lodge
which was established in Turin in 1765, up to today
The Mother Grand Lodge of England recognized the italian Freemasonry,
Grand Lodge of Italy Giustiniani Palace —,in 1972 This date represents for
—
the Grand Lodge of Italy and for the AASR a milestone for these latest
wonderful 20 years which have been dedicated to the pursuit of the spiritual
Light both at moral and symbolical and esoteric level And no external or
internal event succeeded in undermining these 20 years
The Grand Lodge of Italy and the AASR consider these latest twenty years as
important as the years 1887—1 908, a period of the greatest solidity after the
unification of the three Supreme Councils that were alive in Rome, Naples and
Turin However there is a substantial difference in Italy at that time the
prevalent interest of each Freemason and of the Institution, Rites included,
was concentrated on social and political engagement which was considered to
be an integral part of the initiatory realization Today we prefer the moral
dimension and that of the inner improvement, an individual and collective level,
arming at “the Good and the Progress of Mankind and at the Glory of the Grand
Architect of the Universe”, as we read in the Works’ Opening Ritual in the
Apprentice Degree The AASR adds to the Order’s Trinomial “Freedom,
equality, brotherhood”, its own Trinomial “Tolerantram, Unronem,
Prosteritatem”
After this introduction about the origins of the AASR, the first two articles of the
Constitution are sufficient to describe the legal and organizing premises of the
AASR
These two articles are as follows
1 The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Sovereign Initiatory Order in
— —
conformity with ifs own Grand Constitutions of 1786, is organized in
national territorial Jurisdictions and works for the Glory of the Grand
Architect of the Universe
It assimilates the aims and the principles of the Universal Freemasonry and
accepts only Freemason Mastets
All Brethren belonging to the AASR must observe the principle of
rectitude, the cult of truth, justice and freedom and act with tolerance a’nd
wisdom for the progress and welfare of mankind and of all its members
81
 The AASR is articulated into 33 initiatory degrees that its followers can
progressively attain according to their capabilities and merits, it practises
proselytism among those Master Masons of the legal and regular
symbolical Freemasonry who really have an aptitude for the study of the
initiatory values of its degrees and for the observance of the Rite’s general
principles
2 The Rite’s supporters as free and moral men acknowledge their duty,
— —
without blemish”, the Lodge of Perfection’s President asks the Grand
Secretary the permission (“nulla osta”) for the investiture, and once it has
obtained it, the initiation ceremony can proceed Any contrary vote must be
lustified in a private way and in writing to the President, if not lustified it is
considered as favourable Four contrary votes which are validitly justified are
sufficient to reject the proposal that cannot be repeated for a period of one
year

which consists in living in an honourable way in the observance of their Belonging to the or to the successive ones, that is to say to the 90, 180, 300
40

country’s law They avoid what can separate their fellow creatures and try
incessantly to find the way of leading everybody to the Original Principle,
which is source of harmony and brotherhood for the triumph of the Rite’s
emblem “Ordo ab Chao” and of the device “Deus Meumque Jus”
The real content of the AASR’s teachings originates from the specific
philosophy of the degrees, starting from the 4rh degree up to the 33rd Grand
Inspector General, each one with its myths, legends and allegories, its ritual
symbols and instruments whose meaning is the sublect of continuous study
and meditation from each initiate and from the Ritual Chambers in order to try to
understand without dogmatic aspects their real esoteric root for a moral,
— —
intellectual and spiritual improvement
Along this endless initiatory path we verify and try to put into practice the very
reason for existence of the “Upper Degrees” These Degrees, as specified in
the Introduction to the 4rh degree’s ritual, “were and are justified by the
310, 320 and 330,is justified by the fact that one attends works regularly, and
each Brother, in case of absence, must justify himself towards the President of
the ritual Chamber he belongs to and in any case he has to make an offering for
charitable works. Negligence and absenteism constitute masonic fault and
preclude the Light’s rise
All Brethren, except those who are more than 75 years old, must understand
that it is their moral duty to attend also the works of the ritual bodies belonging
to a lower degree
Promotion, that is to say the ulterior Scottish Light’s rise, is conferred by
procedures which are similar to those concerning the admittance to the 4th
Degree in order to verify the Candidate’s merits and aptitude
A minimum seniority is established in the lower Degree
— for the
90, 12 months in the 40,

necessity of assimilating the preceding initiatory schools which found in — for the 180,12 months in the 90,

Freemasonry their natural complement and the most suitable workshop for — for the 30~, 18 months in the 180,
their speculatrons~ the Alchemists, the Free-Judges, the Enlightened, the — for the 310, 24 months in the 300,
Neo-Templars, and so on — for the 320, 24 months in the 310,
— for the
330, 36 months in the 32~ and a minimum age of 40
Criteria for admission, membership and promotion
The Sovereign Grand Commander can grant “motu proprio” the abbreviation of
To be admitted to the 4th Degree, that is to say to receive that indelible the masonic seniority’s limits for the elevation up to the 300, but the investiture
initiatory quality peculiar to the Scottish Light’s Rise, one has to be Master will always require a ritual ceremony
Mason under the obedience of the Grand Lodge of Italy Giustinrani Palace
— —

and to be considered worthy of and fit for penetrating the degree’s content What degrees are ritually conferred
Three Brethren belonging to the 4rh Degree formulate and subscribe to the
proposal of Light’s Rise, the Lodge of Perfection takes the proposal in The following Degrees 40 Elect Knight of the Nine, 180 Rosa—Croce
90

consideration and after verifying the gualitres of the candidate, who must be in l~rrnce, Knight of the Eagle and ~f the Pelican, 300 Kadosh Knight, 31~
order in his Lodge concerning his regular attendance to the Works and the Inquiring Inspector, 320 Master of the Royal Secret and Grand Inspector
330

patent of fees and mustn’t be submitted to masonic trial, puts the proposal to General, are ritually conferred and the relative seniority depends on the dafes
the vote. If the proposal is unanimously approved, that is to say if it is “clear and of the various ceremonies

82 83
No one of these degrees can be considered ritually conferred if it has not been
received through the observance of the ceremonial modalities and without the
prescribed Solemn Promise
We consider the intermediate degrees, that is to say from the to the 80, from
50
the 100 to the 170, from the 190 to the 290, as conferred immediately before the
initiation ceremony, through communication of their essential elements
However, the Presidents of the ritual Chambers must illustrate to the Brethren
who have been promoted the doctrine and the symbolism of the intermediate
degrees The Chapters of Rosa—Croce Princes of the 180, pay a particular
attention to the study of the 140, the Perfect Elect Knight, which is practised in
some Jurisdictions of the AASR of other countries
Augusto de Megni
Sovrano Gran Commendatore
84
THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL
FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL
When our Supreme Council was consecrated in 1966, it was sponsored by the
Supreme Counils of Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland. Several of
our founding members were German—speakers and/or had been advanced to
the higher degrees in Germany It was only natural, therefore, that the rituals
we use in the Supreme Council for Israel are largely translations from the
German Rituals To a certain extent, the Netherlands Rituals have also been
used, in translation
The rituals for some degrees (particularly the 180 and 250) have been
70,
extensively revised by our Rituals Committee, though carefully preserving the
core of the degree legend, its secret words, etc
Our Lodges of Perfection work in full the40, 140 Intermediate degrees are
70,
given by communication, in an abbreviated form We have eight Lodges of
Perfection, working in Hebrew, Arabic, French and Spanish German and
English Lodges of Perfection are presently dormant, and efforts are being
made to revive them
To enter the 40, the candidate must be a Master Mason in good standing, in a
lodge belonging to the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel, with at least two
years seniority in the third degree
Advancement has always represented a problem It is difficult to ascertain the
candidate’s intellectual capacity and his interest in philosophical questions,
without causing embarrassment Consequently, we have set three objective
criteria for advancement
— Attendance and participation
— Papers read
— Seniority
Candidates for advancement must attend regularly their Lodge of Perfection
as well as the higher bodies (Rose—Croix Chapter, Areopag, Consistory),
according to their degree They must also take an active part in the debates
Preference is given to members who serve as Officers in the subordinate
body
Candidates are usually not advanced from one stage to another unl~ss
two—three years have elapsed since the previous advancement
85
The degrees working in full, which represent stages of advancement, are the
following
180, 250, 300, 31~, 320 and
330
Here, again, intermediate degrees are communicated in an abbreviated form
It is the wish of our Supreme Council to maintain membership of the 330 at a
total not exceeding 33 members This we believe to be important, particularly
for a small Supreme Council such as ours Suggestions have been made to
create Honorary Members, but it is feared that problems could arise regarding
the voting powers of the different classes of members
Some comments on this subrect will be appreciated
Joseph E A Salem, 330
Sovereign Grand Commander
86
SCOTTISH RITE AND HOW IT OPERATES IN YOUR COUNTRY
The general perspective of the operation of the Scottish Rite for Iran in its
concise form has already been submitted to the Conference This paper deals
in depth with each subtitle on the theme of the Conference
Context of this presentation is contingent on the Declaration of Principles of
A A S R ., for Iran and specifically two Foundation stones of our Rite,
330,
that
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is an Initiatic Order, organized in
accordance with the Grand Constitution of 1786 Its essential basis is Faith
in God, The Grand Architect of the Universe, and immortality of soul,
and also that
2 The Scottish Rite proclaims its whole adhesion to purpose and basic
principle of the Traditional and Regular Freemasonry whose vocation is to
unite in its bosom, without exception any man worthy of trust, and who
respects and loves his fellowmen, in order to develop his inclination
towards rightmrndedness and personal responsibility, his devotion to the
truth, justice and freedom, his will of thought and act, in a tolerant manner
so that happiness, serenity and well being of its members be in constant
unison
Origin and content of the rituals—system
Although there is no definite record at hand, it is evident from the paper that
Ill: Bro Dr Mahmoud Houman, 330, the Founder and the first Sovereign
Grand Commander of the Supreme Council for Iran, on June, 1975, presented
to the 11th International Conference of Supreme Councils in Indianapolis,
Indiana, U S A ,that he was greatly inspired by the magnificent work of great
Masonic thinkers, essence of which are
Brother Gotthald Ephraim Lessing “Freemasonry is something necessary,
founded in the essence of the Human Being”
Masonic Philosopher Johann Gottlieb Frchte “Freemasonry is a system of
training directed to developing well-rounded men “Freemasonry promotes
6rvrlrzatron through training welkrourlded men, by whom human powers may be
raised to their highest possible unfolding
Sovereign Grand Commander Albert Pike “Freemasonry tends to create a
87
new people which is composed of men of many nations and tongues, which
shall be bound together by the bonds of Science, Morality and Virtue”
Sovereign Grand Commander Charles Riandey “Scottish Rite is a vehicle, a
most precious vehicle, for a progressive approach to the transcendence, a
medium for the identification of Human Being with the work of humanity, with
the cause of humanity, if not the cause of all life”
As a consequence of essences of these persuasions, the Late Ill Bro Dr . of a just, perfect and regular Lodge in body or Grand Lodge of symbolic and
Mahmoud Houman, 330, reached the optimum conclusion that “If we take the
criteria held in common in these definitions of our predecessors, we shall see
all these definitions of Freemasonry include an appropriately directed
improvement of the Human Being, stripped of all that is adventitious, mortal
and immortal”
Thus he recognized that only by being a member of the Rite, one does not
conceive these attributes and these virtues can only be achieved through
Initiation, which can be considered the proper method of education.
Besides its existential characteristics, initiation is a general introduction into
symbolism in its deepest sense The path of which has been prescribed by the
25th Conference of European Grand Commanders in 1974, which stipulates
“Initiation conducts us through a cycle [Death and Rebirth], out of the Dark
Cave of Opinion and accompanies us to the Brightness of Eternal Ideas
Initiation is akin to life itself, and transforms all names, words and concepts into
symbols Thus we can easily say that Initiation is a general introduction into
symbolism in its deepest sense”
The late Ill Bro. Dr Mahmoud Houman postulated that the Scottish Rite for
Iran should posses its own rituals for initiation of its members He himself being
a sage, philosopher and scholar of Iranian mysticism, undertook this difficult
task and after having given due consideration to the rituals of Scottish Rites of
France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and both Jurisdictions of the
U S A, and in particular philosophy and Iranian mysticism, prepared in Persian
language (Farsi), the initiation rituals for specifically selected degrees which are
conferred in our Scottish Rite in the technique that has been phrased by the
Late Sovereign Grand Commander, Raoul Berteaux, 330, as “Participating
Initiation Mode”
Contents of these rituals have specific esoteric implications which will be dealt
with under sub-title “Which degrees are formally conferred”
Criteria for admission. membershiD and advancement
Petition is only accepted from Master Masons who are members of a traditional
symbolic Freemasonry of a subordinate Lodge of the Grand Lodge of Iran, who
88
resolutely have the essential basis of faith in God, The Grand Architect of the
Universe, and immortality of soul
Amongst petitioners only those are selected for admission, who are willing to
accede to higher degrees and who have been fit and qualified to attain these
degrees with dignity
Continuation of membership of each member of Scottish Rite, whatever
degree or position he may hold, is conditional upon that he must be a member
traditional Freemasonry. His work must be exemplary as would be that of a
zealous, devoted and fraternal Mason He should diffuse regular masonry and
its precept together with its specific esoteric implications, and at all times
defend them when in danger
Only those members of the Rite who their deeds demonstrate that as free
men of strict morals who have been regularly initiated, and attest that it is their
duty to live honorably, and submit to the constitutional law and all other laws of
the country of their residence And also know that they have to avoid whatever
may lead to discord amongst their fellowmen and always act in order that all
men might be brought together around the basic harmony and Brotherhood,
so that the motto of the Order “Ordo ab chao” reigns supreme, will be
advanced to a higher degree
The process of advancement entails that the aspirant must prepare an
architectural work on his understanding of the last degree which he holds, and
present and defend the work at a regular Lodge meeting, thereafter he would
participate in the initiation ceremony of a higher degree of which he himself is
an integral part
Deorees which are formally conferred
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for Iran is composed of thirty—three
degrees, to which members of its rite can progressively be raised according to
their ability, merit and criteria for advancement But it wilfully reduces these
initiatic degrees to thirty by beginning at the fourth These thirty degrees are as
follows
LODGES OF PERFECTION
4th to 14th Degree, in which 4th, 12th, 13th and t4th Degrees are conferred
by the technique of “Participating Initiation Mode” and the degrees in between
are communicated
4th Degree, Secret Master
The technique being that the candidate is guided in four symbolic journeys,
the consequence of this experience impresses upon him that
“A Mason is a lover of wisdom and as such, like the philosopher, in search of
89
the truth, thus he puts no limit to the search of truth and to secure this
freedom, he expects tolerance”
“The absolute truth, the Ineffable name is far from our knowledge We know
only the letters, but not the name itself Each naming, each determination of
the Ineffable One is but a profanation, a degradation of that Being ““No Mason
is justified to maintain that he is alone in the possession of the Truth “To be of
service and of help to ourselves and to our fellowmen, masons have to practice
tolerance”
12th Degree, Master Architect.
By the process of dialogue between the lhrrce Puissant Grand Master and two
Wardens, the candidate recognizes that
“Imperfection in human beings can be ascribed to two stimuli
In some human beings incapability to comprehend untruthful conscience is
inborn These people deserve our benevolence, but should not be permitted
to join our rite
Those human beings who are due to poor social education, adhere to
paralogism and sophism, should be given opportunity to be enlightened, as
philosophy is the light that human intellect throws over the things of nature”
13th Degree, The Royal Arch of Solomon and 14th Degree, Perfect EIu
These two degrees are conferred sequentially and in one session
In these degrees the technique being that, the candidate is guided to the
secret Vault He has to pass through nine Arches, the doors of which can only
be opened by communicating the sequence of Sephirothic Names in the
Kabbalah Upon arriving in the Luminous Vault, excessive acquisitiveness
incites him to explore with other names to find out whether there are doors to
be opened, as consequence of which the wind of condemnation blows and
the Vault submerges into darkness
Experiencing this adventure of three Magi, awakens in the candidate that
“Insolence does not embrace anything but destruction” “Virtue unites what
death cannot separate”
CHAPTER
lSih to l8ih degrees, in which l8rh degree is conferred by the technique of
“Participating Initiation Mode” and other degrees are communicated
18th Degree, Knight Rose—Croix
The Supreme Council for Iran con~rders the l8rh Degree as strpulatecf by
Sovereign Grand Commander Albert Pike in “Morals and Dogma”, which is
“Each of us makes such applications to his own faith and creed, of the symbols
and ceremonies of this degree, as seems to hrm proper”
90
In this degree, the candidate is guided into a journey in which he experiences,
that
“The world is under the tyranny of the principle of evil, virtue is persecuted and
vice rewarded” “The world is sunk in sin, reeking with baseness, clamorous
with sorrow and misery “By adversity the earth has been covered with
darkness, the light has been withdrawn, the tools of masonry are broken, the
flaming star vanished and the World has been lost”
By going through such an experience, the candidate recognizes, that
“The adversity could extinguish in one’s heart the light of Faith in God,
mankind and man’s self, and Charity, in relieving the wants and tolerant of the
error and faults of others, but the light of Hope, the victory over evil and the
advancement of humanity, would remain for ever illuminated “That is the duty
of every Knight Rose—Croix to use the stamina of Hope to rejuvenate Faith and
Charity, and diffuse these virtues across the world The entire nature is
renovated by tire, Igne Natura Renovatur Integra”
The initiation ceremony of the l8rh degree is concluded by a mysticism
supper, in which all participants drink from the same cup and eat from the same
bread, symbolizing “Covenant and solidarity amongst Knights Rose—Croix and
eminence of humanity”
SANCTUARY
l9rh to 28rh Degree, in which the 22~ and 28rh Degrees are conferred by the
technique of “Participating Initiation Mode” and other degrees are communi~
cated
22nd Degree, Prince of Libanus or Knight of the Royal Axe
The Thrice Puissant Chief substitutes his office with that of the Senior Warden
and labors in a carpentry workshop, at which the candidate joins and helps him
at his work The candidate by participating in the physical labor of craftmanship,
realizes, that “Labor is the truest emblem of God” “Working man is nobel”
“The Prince of Libanus should have sympathy with the great laboring classes,
respect for labor itself and the resolution to do some good work in our day and
generation”
28rh Degree, Knight of the Sun or Prince Adept
Initiation Ritual of this degree is based on a kind of syncretrsm of religions and
on the synthesis of ideas and tradition of Iran in antiquity The principal theme
of the 28rh degree, dates back to ~ very ancient period when the Hindus and
the Iranians lived together and shared the same ideas and philosophical and
religious concepts When the ancestors of the Persians were still united With
those of the Hindus, and were worshippers of Mithra
91
 The course of initiation in this degree presents a human being ascending from
his celestial abode to earth in staging his course through the dwellings of the
souls of the seven Divine Stations
The soul of the Sun (Khorshid) by its descent to earth gives the candidate
knowledge, the soul of the Moon (Mah) gives him love of life, the soul of Mars
(Bahram) gives him power, the soul of Mercury (Tir) gives him the zest for
wealth, the soul of Jupiter (Hormoz) gives him greatness, the soul of Venus
(Nahid) gives him love of woman, the soul of Saturn (Keyvan) gives him
comfort
The candidate of this degree receives in each station properties which could
be used in one or the other manner His guide, Brother Truth, brings to his
attention that it is he who must distinguish and choose between right and
wrong, true and false, good and evil In deciding the right way he can be able to
ascend to his celestial abode and remember by reminiscence, love of truth,
justice and nobility of the soul
The Knight of the Sun is told that, by receiving this degree, he has reached
the height of his initiation in the Scottish Rite He is now a man who is ready for
cooperation with his Brethren in the work designed by the rite
By journeying through the seven celestial stations, the candidate learns that
“Creation brings opposing forces of equilibrium and harmony, and that this
continuous struggle with adversity is expedient for the development of
character”
AEROPAGE.
29ih and 3Orh Degree, in which 29rh Degree is communicated and the 3Orh is
conferred by the technique of “Participating Initiation Mode”
3Oih Degree Knight Kadosh or Knight of the black and white Eagle
The theme of the initiation ritual of this degree is based on the chivalry of
Jacques de Molay and the tyranny of Philip IV and Pope Clement V
The candidate is guided to the mystic ladder, of which on one side the rungs
represent the seven liberal arts and sciences, and on the opposing rungs,
seven esoteric virtues The significance of each of the seven arts and sciences
and similarly the seven esoteric virtues are explained to the candidate
By going through this sublimed experience, the candidate recognizes that
“There are two natures in man the higher and the lower, the great and the
mean, the noble and the ignoble, and he can and must, by his own voluntary
act, identify himself with the one or with the other Freemasonry is the
continual effort to exalt the noble nature Over the ignoble, the spiritual over the
material, the divine in man over the human In this great effort and purpose the
chivalric degrees concur and cooperate with those that teach the magnificent
lessons of morality and philosophy, magnanimity, mOrcy, clemency, a forgiving
92
temper, which are virtues indispensable to the character of a perfect Knight
TRIBUNAL
31sr Degree, which is conferred
31sr Degree Inspector inquisitor
This degree is more of an administrative nature, rather than and initiatic degree
As a symbol of justice and righteousness in judgment, the candidate is given a
pair of scales and is told that “By laying aside his malevolence, prejudgment
and pride in egocentric opinions, he has the responsibility of serving justice for
masonic offences”
CONS STORY
32nd Degree, which is conferred by the technique of “Participating Initiation
Mode”
32nd Degree, Master of the Royal Secret
The initiation ritual of this degree has an Iranian historical theme about King
Darius I, and Guamata, the priest who had a pretend to the throne of the
Achaemenian dynasty The candidate is conducted through the camp, and the
significance of each degree encamped on the Nonagon and Pentagon, are
briefly reiterated to him The candidate, by appreciating that this degree unifies
into a single coherent doctrine all the duties of preceding degrees,
recognizes, that
“He should bind himself to learn, and to teach to others, to reach the realm of
intellectual independence” “He should encourage people to be self—reliant
and protect them from unfit and incompetent leaders “He should have a
“
deep respect for women” “He should have dominion over himself with
wisdom, and rationality in thought””He should combat with reason and truth,
all spiritual tyranny over the soul of men ““He should fight injustice by script or
by speech or by the exercise of intellect, thought””He should remain a faithful
subordinate of the rite
The Supreme Council for Iran considers the coronet ritual of the 33rd degree
as sacrament, and thus does not manifest its conte~t by script The Supreme
Council for Iran believes it suffices to state that, coronets the 33rd degree upon
Sovereign Grand Inspector General by comparable procedure as is conducted
byTheSupremeCouncilA A S W N M J USA
Parviz Yeganegi, 330
Sovereign Grand Commander
Supreme Council A A S .R for Iran in exile
93
References

S G C Mahmoud Houman, 330

“Ways in which Freemasonry can be made a more effective force for th
promotion of Peace, Goodwill, and the attitude of Brotherhood amonr- he peoplE
of the world “ Xlth International Conference of Supreme Councils, lndianapolr~
indiana, U S A June 2,1993

S G C Albert Pike, 330

“Morals and Dogma”

S G C Charles Riandey, 330

“Consecration ceremony of Supreme Council A A S R for Iran” ,Tehran, Iran,
April 30,1970

S G C Racul Berteaux, 330

“Treatise on a working method for the study of masonic rituals” XVIllih Conference
of European Grand Commanders, Tehran, Iran, November 4—12,1978

iil Bro Ahmad Houman, 330

“A study concerning the rituals of the 28th degree” XVlllih Conference of
European Grand Commanders, Tehran, Iran, November 4—12,1978

ill Bro Mahmoud Zrai, 330

“The coherence between the 29th and the 30th degree of Scottish Rite” XVllIih
Conference of European Grand Commanders, Tehran, Iran, November 4—12,1978

Initiation Rituals of
40 120, 130, 140, 180, 220, 280, 300, 3f0 and 320 of A A S R for Iran

94