Freemasonry is the world’s oldest and largest fraternal order. It developed primarily from the Scottish and English stonemason’s guilds and societies of the Middle Ages and gradually developed into a fraternity. Early stonemasons created a lodge system that ceremonially inducted members. As a part of these ceremonies their working tools were symbolically explained (this is the origin of acting “on the level” or “on the square”). The first “Grand Lodge” (governing body) was formed in London, in 1717. Today, most countries around the world have their own Grand Lodge, as do all American states, which govern within their jurisdictions.
Stonemasons originally indicated their expertise by three ranks: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. The fraternity retains these titles as a historical link to our past. Today, these titles indicate the basic three levels of membership (just as the Boy Scouts have names for theirs: Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle). Today, members receive Masonic degrees in a ceremonial drama, which teaches life lessons in philosophy and morality. Because degrees are performed like a stage play, they may be set in different time periods.
The early stonemasons, like other trades and crafts, had certain “trade secrets” to protect their livelihood. These were protected by symbolic signs and tokens, by which the members could identify themselves. As Freemasonry developed into a fraternity the confidential modes of recognition became symbolic of the bonds of trust between the members, who call each other “brother.” Keeping confidences is a mark of respect and cements the bonds of brotherhood, just as it strengthens family ties.
This is the name of the governing body of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, a branch of Freemasonry founded in 1801 in Charleston, South Carolina. The Scottish Rite has thirty-three degrees, or membership levels, the last of which is only given as an honor. Hence, most members will only hold the 32°. Even though the Scottish Rite has more degrees than basic Masonry, it is subordinate to the Grand Lodges. This means that 32° and 33° members have no more authority in their local lodges than 3° Master Masons. Between 1813 and 1815 the Charleston Supreme Council created another Supreme Council, 33° for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, which is headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts. Around 1870 the Charleston Supreme Council moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C., and the organization is known today as “The Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction.” Our headquarters are in The House of the Temple.
The 33° was originally given only to nine executive officers of the Scottish Rite who formed the Supreme Council. Today, however, the 33° is given as an honor to indicate outstanding service to the fraternity or to the world at large. As noted, however, 33° Masons, like all Masons, are subject to their local lodges and Grand Lodges. The 33° is simply the highest degree (level of membership) in the Scottish Rite. Nobody really knows why the creators of the Scottish Rite selected Thirty-three degrees, but many possibilities exist. For example, both Charleston, S.C., birthplace of the Scottish Rite, and Jerusalem, Israel, location of Solomon’s temple, lie between 32° and 33° North Latitude.
During the 1800s a pseudo-Masonic organization known as “Cerneauism” competed with Freemasonry. The Cerneauists created their own “Scottish Rite” and copied many aspects of the real Scottish Rite. However, there were differences in organization and ritual. The rituals of the Cerneau Scottish Rite were exposed in Jonathan Blanchard’s book Scotch Rite Masonry Illustrated, 2 vols. (Chicago: Ezra A. Cook, 1887). This is the ultimate source of the “33° ceremony” described in The Lost Symbol. In recent years Blanchard’s book was also used by the Rev. Jim Shaw in The Deadly Deception (1988), who falsely claimed to be a Past Master of a Masonic Lodge, and the 33° Scottish Rite Mason. In brief, the 33° ceremony described in The Lost Symbol is not used by the true Scottish Rite.
The Lost Symbol describes a special 33° ring worn by Peter Solomon: “Its face bore the image of a double-headed phoenix holding a banner proclaiming ORDO AB CHAO, and its chest was emblazoned with the number 33. ‘The double-headed phoenix with the number thirty-three is the emblem of the highest Masonic degree.’” Within the band were inscribed the words: “All is revealed at the thirty-third degree.” In reality, the 33° ring is a triple band of gold which may or may not bear a triangle, within which is the number “33.” The motto, inscribed within, is DEUS MEUMQUE JUS.
Conspiracy theorists assert that Freemasonry is somehow involved in a shadow government which seeks to enslave mankind or bring everyone into a “one world government.” The truth of the matter is that discussions of religion and politics are forbidden in Masonic lodges. There are no hidden agendas in Freemasonry, which exists solely as a fraternal and social organization, seeking to educate its members in wise philosophy, and encouraging them to be responsible and productive citizens.
Today, the word occult carries a negative connotation, and is usually associated with magic and the supernatural. It originally meant “hidden things.” Freemasonry does not teach or advocate superstitious practices. In fact, Albert Pike, a former head of the Scottish Rite, denounced “mysterious or occult knowledge” by saying, “such pretences are unauthorized anywhere in Masonry.”
The House of the Temple is a building located in Washington, D.C., about one mile north of the White House. It serves as the headquarters of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite Freemasonry. It was designed by America’s foremost Classical Architect, John Russell Pope, and built between 1911 and 1915. Originally, the building’s main meeting room —the so-called “Temple Room”— was used once every two years for the Supreme Council’s public meeting. Today, this meeting has grown in size so much that it has been moved to the ballroom of a local D.C. hotel. Public tours are offered of this architectural gem, Mondays through Thursdays 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. except holidays.
