“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.” With the lodge of Secret Masters representing the gathering of the Princes of Israel after Hiram's death, the verse is quite literal. God has concealed the lost word with Hiram’s death, and this degree symbolizes us taking the first steps in our duty to search out the lost word. Source: Master Craftsman Group Study

Did you know in the Scottish Rite there are no "Worshipfuls" or "Right Worshipfuls"? Those are Blue Lodge Titles. In the Scottish Rite we have 3 titles: Brother - All members Honorable - All Knight Commanders of the Court of Honor (aka KCCH or Red Hats) Illustrious - All 33° Inspectors General (Honorary) and above (White Hats) For example: I am a Past Master of my Blue Lodge, but I am a KCCH in the Scottish Rite. At a Blue Lodge function I may be called Worshipful, but at a Scottish Rite function I should be called Honorable. Another example: Glenn Gomez is a Past District Deputy Grand Master in the Blue Lodge, but a 33° in the Scottish Rite. At a Blue Lodge function he should be called Right Worshipful, but at a Scottish Rite function he should be called Illustrious. Truth be told, we're all Brothers but its always good to address members the right way. Any questions?

This section is for new Brothers or new members of this site. Do you have questions? Ask away! -Nelson

The Scottish Rite has a Research Society that you can join? The benefits of membership in the Scottish Rite Research Society are many.  Some are intangibles, such as the potential for interaction and discussions with the brightest minds in contemporary Masonic philosophy and debate.  The most important benefit is the availability of what we all came here for, which is more light in Masonry.  This is manifest most particularly in SRRS publications and Masonic conferences. The tangible benefits of membership in the SRRS include: access to some of the most thought-provoking ideas in contemporary Masonic research a 10% discount on Society books and certain items bought at the House of the Temple or via the on-line Store the annual hardback volume of Heredom®, the preeminent publication of scholarly Masonic research the Society’s quarterly research journal, The Plumbline® early notice for upcoming conferences and meetings on issues of Masonic importance your SRRS membership card and lapel pin SRRS Members may also receive: special discounted offers on advanced sales throughout the year a bonus book or other item If you are interested then click here to join: http://scottishriteresearch.com/membership-join/ It is by far the best investment you can make if you are interested in the academic and scholar approach to our Rite.

This degree teaches that we are to "act the peacemaker" and it emphasizes the practice of disinterestedness. So naturally the initial reaction to a Brother on his theft to his employer would be to "keep it to myself". It only takes another second or 2 to realize that just keeping quiet may not necessarily be the right thing to do. One issue at hand would be if the employer is also a Brother. As Brothers we are obligated to ensure, that if it be within our power to prevent, that no Brother wrongs, cheats, or defrauds another Brother. That being said how can we play the peacemaker and still uphold this key part of our obligation? Does one obligation outweigh the other? Another issue to consider is the nature of the theft itself. Does the Brother work at a supermarket and is the theft bread and milk so that he can feed his kids? What if he is not destitute in any way and works for an investment firm and is funneling money into his own private account? To be clear, the magnitude and reason for the theft itself, in my opinion, is really more important than whether or not the Brother stole from another Brother. This is where the character of the Brother truly comes into play. So while peacemaking and disinterestedness are in fact virtues of this degree, so are zeal and fidelity. If a Brother is acting out of blatant dishonesty and no regard whatsoever to any damage being done to others by his actions, our obligation to that Brother is null and void. Vows of secrecy and obligations do not absolve a Brother from his responsibility to society as a whole and this is especially true when a Brother commits a serious crime. Now the more complex issue… If a Brother confides in me that he is behind on his bills because his wife lost her job and they can barely pay their bills and out of desperation he took some money from the cash register where he works or he stole some food or maybe he is in accounting and he cut himself a check to carry himself over. This is a different set of circumstances and as a Brother I should not be quick to condemn or judge him. While at first glance reporting the theft is the right thing to do, in cases of destitute and desperation it would be wrong not to picture myself in his situation and question whether the theft, although all theft is technically wrong, was done for a good reason. I believe it becomes my obligation to ensure the Brother finds a way to repay the theft without the possibility of repercussion and do everything within my power to help my Brother get through this difficult season of his life the best I can, without neglecting my own obligations. Part of helping the Brother will also be to remind him, in the most tender manner, of his failings and of who he is. I would remind him that as a Brother, no matter what the situation is, he should turn to his Masonic Family when he is in a time of need rather than sacrifice his moral character. To sum it up: "We should either be more severe to ourselves, or less so to others, and consider that whatsoever good any one can think or say of us, we can tell him of many unworthy and foolish and perhaps worse actions of ours, any of which, done by another, would be enough, with us, to destroy his reputation" - Albert Pike Hope you enjoyed the essay. Please share your thoughts. -Nelson