Sean D. Graystone, 33°
PO Box 8033, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504–8033

The success of The Revised Standard Pike Ritual depends on how we approach it.

I recently received a package from our fellow Santa Fe Valley member, Illustrious Brother Arturo de Hoyos, 33°, Grand Archivist and Grand Historian of the Supreme Council. The package included a "final draft" preview copy of The Inner Sanctuary: The Revised Standard Pike Ritual for the Obligatory Degrees. Preliminary to the ritual, Brother de Hoyos wrote a brief overview of the history of the Scottish Rite ritual from 1732 to the current day. At the conclusion of this short synopsis, the current revision is addressed. Recognizing the utility of this section, I called Brother Art, who kindly granted permission to reproduce a section of his brief history here. He writes:

"Albert Pike's revisions of the Scottish Rite Degrees were produced in an era much different from today. Pike's Victorian writing style now seems overly elaborate to many modern readers. Those unable to follow Pike's train of thought have lamented that the lessons—originally meant to spread Masonic Light—instead have obscured it. In Pike's day, the educational curriculum also made it more likely that Candidates would understand the Latin, Hebrew, and Greek references in his writings, as well as appreciate the philosophical dilemmas he posed. The vast majority of today's Candidates can neither enjoy nor comprehend these complexities. Because of these difficulties, some Valleys indiscriminately edited out large parts of the rituals. The resulting Degrees were often ill structured and confusing.

"For these and other reasons, the Supreme Council determined in 1995 to produce a standard revision of the Pike rituals. The initial criteria for the revision included the following:

a. Preservation of the content of the Albert Pike ritual
b. Retention of historical and ritualistic validity
c. Deletion of repetitive passages
d. Clarity of meaning and purpose
e. Enhancement of dramatic impact
f. Ease of staging
g. Eloquent simplicity of sentence structure and diction
h. Preservation of Degree continuity and chronology
i. Logical transition from one Degree to another
j. Preservation of the ritual's formal integrity.

"To assist the Committee on Ritual in this project, the Supreme Council enlisted the aid of Ill. Rex R. Hutchens, 33°, G.C., a noted Scottish Rite scholar and the author of several authoritative books on the Scottish Rite such as A Bridge to Light, A Glossary of Morals and Dogma, and The Bible in Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma. A resource team of well-qualified Brethren, acting under the guidance of the Supreme Council, assisted in the revision.

"Soon after commencing this work, it became apparent that, to remain chronologically and thematically consistent, minor modifications would have to be made. In some cases, this mandated a shifting of content from one Degree to another. Further, in order to ensure a logical progression in the Chivalric Degrees, two Degrees (the 27° and 28°) were reversed. By far the most drastically revised of the rituals are the 25°, Knight of the Brazen Serpent, and [what is now] the 27°, Knight of the Sun. Pike's version of the Knight of the Brazen Serpent Degree assumed that the Druse represented the mystical tradition in Islam when, in fact, the Sufi tradition (which shares commonalties with Freemasonry) would have been more appropriate. This required virtually a complete revision. The revised Knight of the Sun Degree presents a lesson on the nature of symbolism and teaches Candidates how symbols work and how to use them.

"A benefit of the current revision is that the majority of the Degrees can be conferred within an hour. This will allow more Valleys to confer most, if not all, of the Degrees over a weekend Reunion. This also means that more Candidates will benefit from personal participation while acting as the class exemplar.

"This new revision also introduces, for the first time, standardized slides and transparencies, as well as music, staging, and acting notes. Numbered lines, color illustrations, and summaries of the lessons also aid comprehension. The goal of The Revised Standard Pike Ritual is to provide a serviceable text, consistent with the Southern Jurisdiction's rich ritual tradition, to carry the Scottish Rite well forward into the Twenty-first Century."

We extend a "thank you" to our Brother Art. Brethren, the revision of this ritual was an arduous and monumental task. Echoing the words of Albert Pike, Ill. Dr. Hutchens stated early at the inception of this project that it was a task beyond the capacities of any single person. Throughout the six-year revision period, he solicited the advice of experts in numerous fields. Difficult and disputed passages in the revised ritual were resolved by consensus according to the criteria listed above.

The primary concern was the preservation of Albert Pike's material as he redacted the Scottish Rite rituals. It is important to note that Pike himself went through numerous published revisions of the rituals and that, soon after Pike's death, the Supreme Council ordered ongoing revisions and amendments. In brief, we learn that there were many revisions of the Scottish Rite rituals before, during, and after Pike's time.

When the first drafts of the revised Degrees were completed, the Supreme Council's Ritual Committee provided copies to several Valleys throughout the United States for trial and commentary. Scores of suggestions were received, and the rituals were modified and reissued, several times. The Ritual Committee actively solicited comments from its experts, from Directors of the Work, and from Directors of the Degrees from the Valleys involved in the trial runs. As I was fortunate to witness this process, I can assure you that every opinion was considered and given thoughtful review.

As The Revised Standard Pike Ritual is distributed throughout the Southern Jurisdiction, it is bound to elicit as many emotions and opinions as there are readers of it. We expect this because this is the same way Pike's rituals were received. Although we think it strange today, some of the first letters Pike received concerning his revisions were nothing short of scathing criticism.

In spite of the fact that each Valley has had official copies of the Pike rituals, there is a great variance in the Degree work across the United States. Most members cannot ascertain how close any of their Valley's ritual is to the "true" Pike ritual. This is because well-meaning Directors have modified the rituals without permission of the Supreme Council. Amusingly, The Revised Standard Pike Rituals were criticized by some Directors for removing scenes which were not even part of the Pike rituals! In other words, some Valleys not only preferred their own revisions over Pike's ritual, but also didn't know the difference. This is in keeping with human nature. When we do the same thing over and over again, we get attached to it, whether it makes sense or not.

The ritual means many things to a great many people. Each one of us sees something different, yet it serves to inspire us all. To quote again from the preview draft, "Our Rite is a great tapestry of knowledge, where various threads of moral, ethical, philosophical, religious, political, and mythical thought and symbols are interwoven to create a great Body of teachings and lessons." We all have our own favorite parts of this tapestry. We each have different parts that move us.

Pike writes in the 32°: "In each [Degree], the Lectures, the Obligations, the incidental explanations, the opening and closing ceremonies, all are in unison, each word carefully weighed, and each meant to have effect. No man can understand them fully without close and long study, and profound thought. Often the sentence is truly the symbol that HIDES the meaning, or the hint that puts you on the track of discovery. The symbolism of Masonry is not only a Sphinx, but a Sphinx nearly buried in the sand, which the envious centuries have heaped around it" (emphasis added).

This most recent revision attempts to remove some of that heaped sand, not to remove the stones which constitute the masterpiece.

When the Sistine Chapel was restored in Rome, a great controversy ensued as to whether the great masterpiece had been defaced or restored. It isn't a winnable argument. It is very true that new things were discovered, and that what a newcomer sees today, upon entering the Sistine Chapel, is very different from what a newcomer viewed 25 years ago, or 50 years ago, or 150 years ago. Perhaps the real question to all, both the newcomer and the longtime visitor to the Chapel is, "Does it (still) move you?"

When each member of the Scottish Rite views one of The Revised Standard Pike Degrees for the first time, he might say to himself that the tapestry looks different from when he last saw it. It is earnestly hoped that, upon careful examination, it will be discovered that the tapestry has only been cleaned, and that the threads, the warp and the weave of it, and the great images upon it, are still the same.

The ritual is almost a living thing, which changes, adapts itself, grows, and is transformed according to the society and time in which it exists. No single man created this ritual. Great truths are great truths, and the essence and substance of what makes the Scottish Rite rituals great cannot be destroyed without destroying the Rite.

It is very easy to be critical of something new. Remaining open-minded, and relying on ten, fifty, or a hundred Brethren to be as devoted to their tasks as we each are to our own, is by far the more difficult deed. But it can't be that hard, because when we put on a Reunion, we are relying on 150 of our Brethren, or more, to be that devoted. And that works. As has been said, "Nothing easy is worth having."

I personally believe that the success of The Standard Revised Pike Ritual depends on how we approach it. If we maintain the same concerted effort we display when we put on our Reunions, it will be a success in every way. If we are devoted to the Scottish Rite, and not to our egos, the Fraternity will succeed. The ritual is something that has been experienced by hundreds of thousands of men. To be sure, everything in the revised ritual will not please everyone ("you cannot please everyone, all the time"). Yes, there are parts of it that are "missing" that were very dear to me. Yet new portions have been revealed and new discoveries have been made, of which you may not have been aware. Some parts of the "new" ritual were actually taken—word for word—from Pike's other writings, both published and unpublished. You may not recognize the words, but it is still Albert Pike who speaks to you. Will you recognize his voice?

Equilibrium is the message of the Thirty-second Degree. To achieve this elusive balance requires both constant consideration and adjustment. It is an ongoing process of discovery, and it is ultimately the road to the true knowledge of the self. The Scottish Rite ritual both presents and represents an awesome body of knowledge—ethical, moral, and practical—enough to occupy a soul throughout the whole of life. I invite you to join with me in promoting The Revised Standard Pike Ritual so that both Candidates and Degree workers will continue seeking—and finding—More Light in Masonry, Ex Oriente Lux.

Sean Graystone is a Past Master of Cerrillos Lodge No. 19 in Santa Fe, N.M., and a past one- term member of the N.M. Grand Lodge Jurisprudence Committee. He is the currently the Personal Representative, Valley of Santa Fe, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Scottish Rite Research Society. He has served as Venerable Master of the Santa Fe Lodge of Perfection and is a Past Wise Master, and Past Master of Kadosh. His other Masonic credits include Past M.E. High Priest, Santa Fe Chapter No. 1, R.A.M., Founding Secretary of the N.M. College, M.S.R.I.C.F., and member of the Red Cross of Constantine, the Royal Order of Scotland, the Grand College of Rites, the A.M.D., and the Phililathes Society.