Hauts Grades Academy

The Influence of the Western Esoteric Tradition

on the
Development of the Scottish Rite Degrees

Billy K. Parks, Jr., 32°

Valley of Cincinnati, Ohio

Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, NMJ

Level 3 Research Paper

March 13, 2022

 “There was in existence from the time of the Reformation in the 16th Century, many mystical
societies, and as these passed along the ages, they influenced the Masonic lodges, and in some
instances were drawn upon to establish high-degrees.”
- John Yarker, “Arcane Schools,” (1910).

To this day, the origins of the speculative craft of Freemasonry remain heavily veiled. The

corrosive sands of time have slowly eaten away pages of its history, while the dust of the past

gradually covered other pages, waiting to be brushed off. For centuries, masonic scholarship was

an idea of little consideration until, in 1886, when the world’s premier lodge of research was

formed under the name of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076. This lodge of research, along with

its publication, Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, started a ferment among the brethren which would

give birth to other bodies of research and scholarship. An example of such an organization is the

Grand College of Rites founded in 1932 in Washington, D.C. whose publication, Collectanea,

publishes the material from extant and defunct rites. Another is the Scottish Rite Research

Society, founded in 1991, whose publication is known as Heredom, which contributes to a wide

range of masonic research.

Despite decades of research by notable figures such as Albert G. Mackey, Robert F. Gould,

Arthur E. Waite, Arturo de Hoyos, and many others, we still only have a limited reach into the

past with which we can assemble the early history of Freemasonry. Thanks to individuals like

them and their work, we have enough information available to us that we can identify the various

ideas that Freemasonry and its degrees were built upon. While using operative stone masonry as

a blueprint, Freemasonry as we know it today gradually evolved into a speculative craft,

integrating ideas such as Pythagoreanism, Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism and various chivalric

orders.1

Many of Freemasonry’s high degrees2 have their roots in the eighteenth century when there

was a fervent trend of creating new degrees. This is especially true of France and Germany

where at the time we can see over 1,200 new degrees being worked and created. Some of them

being frivolous yet some being highly influential to both the current Scottish Rite and York Rite

degrees. The purpose of this paper will be to touch on the development of Scottish degrees and

how, along their journey into a coherent system, they absorbed ideas from the western esoteric

tradition.

The Western Esoteric Tradition

An esoteric tradition can be defined as any system or set of hidden teachings, whether they

are hidden by their nature of complexity, or whether hidden by a group, reserved only for the

initiated. Both of these definitions can, without a doubt, be applied to Freemasonry. While

Freemasonry is its own unique system, those who wrote and aided in the development of its

degrees usually ended up tincturing them with their own esoteric proclivities. This is especially

true of early high degree Freemasonry in France and Germany, and these influences can still be

seen in various high degrees today.

1
Much is unknown about the evolution of Freemasonry from the medieval stone mason guilds to the
modern philosophical, fraternal and charitable organization it is today. There is some evidence in the texts known as
the Old Charges that trace elements of the Masonic tradition back to the late medieval period, but the details of this
transition are still high contested. Today we use the terms ‘operative’ and ‘speculative’ to differentiate between
practical stone masonry and Freemasonry as a fraternal organization, respectively.

2
A high degree is any beyond that of the 3rd degree of Master Mason, which is considered the highest
degree of Freemasonry. All degrees beyond that of the 3rd are considered appendant, interior or an expansion on the
first three.
 The different esoteric streams in the west are usually built upon different mixes of

philosophy, religion3 and even regional folk practices. Esoteric traditions in the west are usually

hidden behind a veil of secrecy, which there are multiple reasons for.4 Being veiled, they are

usually separated from the mainstream exoteric practices and teachings and usually involve a

deep inner or mystical aspect. This usually involves learning about and utilizing the mysteries of

the Divine and immaterial forces, which often times can be termed as magic and has been a

behind-the-scenes phenomenon since the beginning of organized religion and myth.

In the late antique period, especially in and around Hellenistic Alexandria, there was no

shortage of cross-pollination occurring amongst the various spiritual and religious traditions. It’s

not uncommon to find papyri and codices from that time period on mentioning Christ, and in the

same breath invoking an Egyptian deity while using a Neoplatonic framework.

This sort of assimilation eventually evolved into a living tradition which we can see

manifesting within what is now called Hermeticism (or Hermetism).5 Hermeticism throughout

time absorbed new ideas as it had several revivals. For instance, during the renaissance after

Marsilio Ficino translated the Corpus Hermeticum into Latin, ideas such as Kabbalah,6 alchemy

3
Or theology.
4
The reasons for secrecy in esoteric traditions in the west is a very complicated subject. The main reason
usually given is that it is an element which survived from various times of persecution. While that is only part of the
puzzle, some others rely on the fact that typical or “profane” people would simply muddy the otherwise clear waters,
twist and misinterpret teachings and practices which otherwise would be handed from teacher to student properly in
a closed group. This sort of thinking is related to the verse in Matthew 7:6 where Jesus is quoted saying, “Do not
give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and
tear you in pieces.” The idea of secrecy and closed groups most likely comes to us from the influence of ancient
Greek groups such as the Mithraic cults and Pythagorean communities who often held to strict rules of secrecy
regarding their teachings.
5
Hermeticism can be defined as a philosophy or system which is based on the teachings of the mythical
Egyptian sage, Hermes Trismegistus. The core texts of the Hermetic tradition are referred to as the Hermetica and
most have been compiled into what is called the Corpus Hermeticum, a compilation of writings extending as far
back as the second century CE. They are heavily influenced by Greek and Egyptian philosophy and incorporate
some elements of Abrahamic theology and Neoplatonism.
and Rosicrucianism7 began to be included under the Hermetic umbrella. Then another revival

occurred in western Europe, particularly in England during the Victorian era, where Hermeticism

picked up ideas such as tarot and more modern forms of magic. We can see this manifesting

amongst several secret societies of the time such as in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

and the reorganized Martinist Order, both of which borrowed heavily from the Masonic lodge

format.

Alchemy itself has several parallels with Freemasonry. For starters they are both often

referred to as the Royal Art and as such employ the aid of the Divine in the spiritual and moral

betterment of the individual. This is represented through the allegory of starting with some crude

material, and through application of the provided tools, one ends up with a perfected stone.8 The

alchemists call this the Lapis Philosophorum (or Philosopher’s Stone),9 and the Freemasons call

this the Perfect Ashlar. Another parallel between both Freemasonry and Alchemy is that while

Freemasonry has both its operative (practical stone masonry) and speculative (philosophical and

ritualized Freemasonry) sides, alchemy has its outer (practical laboratory work) and inner

6
Kabbalah is a Hebrew word meaning ‘tradition’, or ‘to receive.’ It emerged in the medieval period and
evolved out of earlier forms of Jewish mysticism such as the Hekhalot or Merkabah traditions but included certain
Platonic themes. To try to define Kabbalah within the confines of this paper could only be reductionist, but to keep it
simple some themes involve in depth analysis of the mysteries of God, the Torah, and the relationship of these to the
cosmos and man.
7
Rosicrucianism began in the early 17th century at the publication of three mysterious manifestos which
stated the history and existence of some inaccessible group of protestant Christian mystics. This caused a stir in
Europe of people seeking them out and creating their own groups based on the manifestos. This created a great
expansion on the Rosicrucian ideas, which often are mentioned in parallel with alchemy and Hermeticism.
8
This idea of a perfected stone in both alchemy and Freemasonry refers to the individual beginning in a
state of crudeness and profanity, and through the work, eventually reaching illumination.
9
Franz Hartmann, Arthur Edward Waite, s.v. “Stone of the Philosophers,” in A Paracelsian Lexicon, 2nd
ed. revised, Alchemical Studies Series 10 (Sequim, WA: The Alchemical Press, Holmes Publishing Group LLC,
2005), 30-31.
(spiritual work) sides. The common theme here being that the inner path of self-betterment can

be revealed by contemplating or practicing the outer or practical path.

These parallels and Hermetic ideas were practiced and greatly acknowledged by many who

had an indelible influence on the development of the Scottish Rite degrees, which will be made

clear in the following pages.

Origins of Scottish Degrees

The origins of Scottish Freemasonry are easier to trace than that of the craft degrees and

thanks to research by brethren such as Alain Bernheim and Arturo de Hoyos we can look back

with a mild sense of certainty to its early beginnings. While there is still plenty of research to be

done in this field, enough scholarship has accumulated to elucidate the origins of what has been

called Scotch, Scotts, Scottish, or even Écossais Freemasonry.10 While some sources on the

history of the Scottish Rite Degrees tend to start at Estienne Morin and tread along the surface,

this paper will attempt to go a little further back in time and a little deeper into the influences.

Most sources state that the Scottish degrees originated in France, but this is only partially

true. This theory is due to some bits of misinformation that were perpetuated from book to book

and author to author. This is mainly because that was the extent of the history that had been

uncovered by scholarship of the time those opinions were published.

Out of all the systems and degrees of high degree Freemasonry that have existed throughout

time, the degrees styled as Scottish have the earliest pedigree. These early degrees can be traced

back to several lodges in England who were conferring them as early as 1733. Where the earliest

known reference we have to Scottish style degrees in France is from a set of general regulations

10
‘Écossais’ meaning ‘Scottish’ in French is the term used to describe Scottish style Freemasonry as it
developed in France.
adopted by the Grande Loge de France in 1743, the same day Louis de Bourbon, the Comte de

Clermont (1709-1771)11 was elected Grand Master. The 20th article of these regulations

proposes, in short, that anyone with the degree of Scots Master (maîtres Écossais)12 should not

be more highly considered than any apprentices and fellows.13

While Scottish style Freemasonry did develop with great fervency in France, it is in fact the

Masonic Templar tradition that originated there. And while, geographically, Scotland had its

own Masonic goings on, we cannot say definitively whether or not any of these Scottish styled

degrees which were popping up were actually tied to Scotland in any way.14 Although we know

that some Scottish and Irish expatriates immigrated to France in the late 17th and early 18th

centuries, many of whom were Jacobites,15 it is not possible to say with absolute certainty if they

took any flavors of Scottish masonry with them.16

The first mention we have of Scottish style Freemasonry in England comes to us from Dr.

Richard Rawlinson’s 1733 manuscript list of lodges which has listed a “Scotch Mason’s Lodge.”

This lodge also shows up again in Pine’s engraved list of lodges in 1734 as “Scotts Masons

11
Louie de Bourbon was the Blood Prince of The Most Serene House of Bourbon-Condé.

12
In Harry Carr’s translation of Le Parfait Maçon, it is said about this degree that, “Instead of weeping over
the ruin of the temple of Solomon, as their brethren do, the Escossais are concerned with rebuilding it.”
13
Alain Bernheim, “Did Early ‘High’ or Écossais Degrees Originate in France?” Heredom, vol. 5
(Washington, DC: Scottish Rite Research Society, 1996), 87.
14
It is thought that the Scottish degrees popping up in England weren’t so much tied directly to Scottish
Freemasonry so much as they were to the idea of Scottish Freemasonry as it had a much higher reputation than
English Freemasonry did at the time. James Fairbairn Smith gives several in depth reasons for the Scottish label of
English high degrees in his The Rise of the Ecossais Degrees (Dayton, OH: The Otterbein Press, 1965).
15
The Jacobites were supporters of the exiled king James II of England (whose name is Latin is Jacobus).
They supported the restoration of the Stuart line to the throne of England and had many supporters in France at the
time.
16
Rex R. Hutchens, Pillars of Wisdom: The Writings of Albert Pike, revised ed. (Washington, DC: Scottish
Rite Research Society, 2016), 11.
Lodge,” which is numbered 115 and met at the Devil Tavern, Temple Bar in London, England.

This lodge shows up one last time in a 1735 Pocket Companion which states it continued to meet

at the Devil Tavern until 1736 when it moved to Daniel’s Coffee House and was erased in the

same year.17 Around this same time (1735-1750), we can see several Scottish degrees beyond

that of Master Mason being conferred in at least four different lodges in Southern England:

• A Lodge held at the Bear and Harrow in Butcher Row, Bath (1735)
• The Lodge of Antiquity held in Morning Bush tavern on Aldersgate St., London (1740)
• The old Lodge No. 1, held at the Goose and Gridiron, London (1740)
• A Lodge held at the Rummer, Bristol (1740)
• The Scotch H-d-m, or Ancient and Honourable Order of K-n-g (~1743)18
• A lodge held in Salisbury (1746)

There are also several foreign references to Scottish style degrees being worked outside of

England around the same time in the following examples:19

• The grade of Ecossois was being conferred at a lodge in Belgium (1733)

• Baron Scheffer received two ‘Ecossois Degrees’ in Paris from Lord Radcliffe, 5th Earl of
Derwentwater (1737)
• A ‘Scots Lodge’ was being held in Berlin, Germany (1741)

The degrees conferred from the above-mentioned lists had titles such as Scotch Master

Mason, Excellent Mason, and Grand Mason; all of which were styled as Scottish degrees and as

17
James Fairbairn Smith, The Rise of the Ecossais Degrees, The Proceedings of the Chapter of Research of
The Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the State of Ohio, volume X (Dayton, Ohio: The Otterbein Press,
1965), 14.
18
An order that later gave birth to the Royal Order of Scotland. The earliest mention of this order we have
is from a newspaper clipping dated November 26, 1743, although it’s probable that it was in operation before that.
Alain Bernheim, “The Order of Kilwinning or Scotch Heredom, the Present Royal Order of Scotland.” Heredom,
vol. 8 (2000), 93.
19
Dr. James Edward Shum Tuckett, “The Origin of Additional Degrees.” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol.
XXXII (London: Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 20176, 1919), 30.
far as we know, were the first to do so. The influence of these degrees would possibly be the

seed for not only the Scottish Rite, but all subsequent high degrees and high degree systems.

For a long time, all of these degrees starting to pop up (beyond that of Master Mason)

were not yet codified or unified and were essentially disparate and varied often times from city to

city. The first organization of a high degree Scottish system into something coherent and

organized we can see came at the hand of the Parfaite Harmonie Loge d’Ecosse (1746) in

Bordeaux, of which Éstienne (Stephen) Morin was a founding member.20 Bordeaux was the city

in which Freemasonry got its start in Southern France with the establishment of Loge L’Anglise

(1732) whose founders were mostly made up of English, Scottish and Irish immigrants.21

Rite of Ramsay

Besides this handful of varying Scottish degrees, there is one dubious account of an even

earlier Scottish degree. This account is from the degree system supposedly propagated by

Chevalier Andrew Michael Ramsay (1686-1743). These degrees are stated to extend back as far

as 1728 in his rite22 of six (or sometimes stated as seven) degrees.23 This Rite of Ramsay, or Rit

de Bouillon, it seems merely existed within the story line of the traditional history of the Rite of

Strict Observance and is thought to have never actually materialized.

20
Smith, 24, 25.
21
Alain Bernheim, “Notes on Early Freemasonry in Bordeaux (1732-1769).” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum,
vol. 101 (London: Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, 1988), 33.
22
The terms, “rite,” “order” and “system” can be used interchangeably to describe an organized set of
degrees or grades which incorporate their own unique themes and teachings.
23
Milko Bogard, Of Memphis and of Misraim: The Oriental Silence of the Winged Sun, 5th ed. (Milko
Bogard, 2017), 8.
 In Chevalier Ramsay’s famous oration supposedly given in 1737 before the Grand Loge

de France, he proposed a dubious origin story of Freemasonry rooted in the crusader knights.

This theory of his, even though not historically supported in any way, would be the push from

which the Scottish and Templar degrees would materialize in France.

This masonic origin story proposed by Chevalier Ramsay in his oration stated that a

handful of crusader knights fleeing from persecution landed in Scotland and disguised

themselves as operative Freemasons. Thus, tincturing the Craft with their spiritual ideas and

practices. While there is seemingly no historical credibility in this story, similar to that of the

Larmenius Charter,24 it is part of what lead to the revival of the Templar tradition and other

parallel streams that influenced the development high degree Freemasonry.

Rite of Strict Observance

The Rite of Strict Observance, which was the primary embryo for both Scottish and

Templar degrees, was founded in 1754 in Germany by Baron Karl Gotthelf von Hund (1722-

1776).

The degrees of the Rite of Strict Observance consisted of:

1°-3°. Craft Degrees25

4°. Scottish Master
5°. Novice

24
A document of disputed authenticity detailing the transmission of the lineage of Grand Masters of the
Knights Templar from Jacques de Molay to Johannes Marcus Larmenius, who latter supposedly penned the
manuscript in February of 1324. Then it lists the supposed 22 Grand Masters starting with Larmenius to Bernard-
Raymond Fabré-Palaprat in 1804. Fabré-Palaprat is who is often credited with reviving the Gnostic and Templar
traditions through his l’Ordre du Temple.
25
The craft degrees are numbered separate from the high degrees and are considered to comprise the whole
of Freemasonry, being; 1° Entered Apprentice, 2° Fellow Craft, and 3° Master Mason. They are the common thread
that is the primary landmark of all of Freemasonry and are usually practiced and conferred in a Symbolic or Blue
Lodge. Some high degree systems had their own versions of the craft degrees, but the themes are essentially the
same.
 6°. Knight Templar26
7°. Professed Knight (a later addition)27

These degrees, it is noted, were nearly identical to those in Chevalier Ramsay’s fabled

rite. This Rite of Strict Observance, in its time, established over forty lodges and was met with

great success but was short lived. Von Hund and the order itself obtained their authority from a

group of ‘unknown superiors,’ who held the mysteries of the order. Not bringing enough people

into these mysteries is what essentially led to the order’s demise. The Strict Observance, being

influenced by Ramsay, was possibly the most important and integral puzzle piece which led to

the formation of, not only the Scottish Rite, but also any subsequent chivalric rites and degrees.

From its legacy sprang and splintered many other rites such as:

Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of the Universe (l'Ordre des Chevaliers Maçons

Élus Coëns de l'Univers) (1767), often referred to in short as the Élus Coëns, was an order

founded by Martinez de Pasqually (1727-1774) in France, and included magical,28 theurgical,29

and kabbalistic elements built upon Masonic themes.

26
Arthur Edward Waite, The Secret Tradition in Freemasonry, vol. I, book I, § IV, 2nd ed (New Orleans:
Cornerstone Book Publishers, 2014), 120. States a possible variation on the 6°, which was a four-part subdivision.
The four parts being; Eques, Armiger, Socius, and Eques Professus or Grand Profès.
27
Arturo de Hoyos, Alain Bernheim, “The Rite of Strict Observance and Two High Degree Rituals of the
Eighteenth Century,” Collectanea, vol. 21, pt. 1, (Washinton, D.C.: Grand College of Rites, 2010). A variation on
the name of the 7° stated from a translation by de Hoyos and Bernheim is “Lay Brother.” It is likely that the degrees
changed and evolved over time, or that some of these variations are due to errors.
28
The word “magic” used in this context, and how it’s usually used within the context of the western
esoteric tradition, usually refers to a method of practice aimed at causing influence through the aid of supernatural
forces, spirits, or deity. This is usually performed in a ritualized or ceremonial fashion and is more often than not
deeply connected to religious or regional folk practices. Magic can be used as a blanket term for such a wide variety
of practices throughout regions and history that it would be impossible to confine its definition to a footnote.
29
While theurgy (divine-working) is often seen as being somewhere in the middle of magic (effecting the
outer world) and mysticism (effecting the inner self), it is really more so a tradition based in Neoplatonism,
especially laid out in the works of Iamblichus. It aims at an ascent of the soul or a perfecting of oneself with the aim
of eventual union with the Divine.
 The degrees of the Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of the Universe consisted of:

Regular Masonry of St. John

1°. Symbolic Apprentice
2°. Symbolic Companion
3°. Symbolic Master
Porch Class
4°. Particular Master
5°. Apprentice Coën
6°. Companion Coën
7°. Master Elu Coën
Temple Class
8°. Grand Master Coën (Grand Architect)
9°. Grand Elu of Zorobabel – Knight of the Orient & Commander of the Orient
Sanctuary
10°. Réaux Croix

The Clerks of Relaxed Observance30 (1767), which was, in a way, a schism of the Rite

of Strict Observance which was meant to fix the flaws which its founder, Johann August von

Starck (1741-1816), saw in the order and also to revive its spiritual or clerical side as a system of

the Knights Templar. It has been suggested that this order included teachings on alchemy and

magic but not much research has been done on it, nor its degrees published, so little is known

about it.

The degrees of The Clerks of Relaxed Observance consisted of:

1°-3°. Craft Degrees

4°. Junior Scottish Master
5°. Senior Scottish Master; or Knight of Saint Andrew
6°. Provincial Capitular of the Red Cross
7°. Magus, or Knight of Purity and Light
This final degree being separated into five classes:
1. Knight: Novice of the Third Year
2. Knight: Novice of the Fifth Year
3. Knight: Novice of the Seventh Year
4. Levite

30
Arthur Edward Waite, A New Encyclopædia of Freemasonry, vol. 2, combined ed. (New York:
Weathervane Books, 1970), 144. Suggests this name was used in error by Ragon, where the more correct name was
“Clerks of the Strict Observance,” with an alternative name being, “Clerical Knights Templar” or “Clerici Ordinis
Templarii.”
 5. Priest

The Rectified Scottish Rite (Rite Écossais Rectifie) (1778), which included within itself

a secret inner order known as the Order of Knights Beneficent of the Holy City (Chevalier

bienfaisant de la Cité sainte). This order was formed primarily by Jean-Baptiste Willermoz using

elements from both the Rite of Strict Observance and Pasqually’s Élus Coëns.31 It also did the

opposite of what The Clerks of Relaxed Observance did, and completely did away with any

Templar elements.

The degrees of The Rectified Scottish Rite consisted of:

Rectified Scottish Rite

1°-3°. Craft Degrees
4°. Scottish Master of Saint Andrew32
Order of Knights Beneficent of the Holy City
5°. Squire Novice
6°. Knight Beneficent of the Holy City
Double Secret Class
7°. Professed Knight
8°. Grand Professed Knight

Really there are far too many to be listed here, and they come in all sorts of flavors

developed by their individual founders. And while perhaps you cannot draw a straight line of

direct lineage from the three above-mentioned bodies to that of Scottish Rite degrees, they

definitely had an influence on the periphery and in the minds of the individuals who helped

develop and write some of its degrees. It is without a doubt that high degree Freemasonry has

individuals such as Ramsay, Von Hund, Pasqually and Willermoz to thank for paving the way

for the development of its esoteric, Scottish, and chivalric ideas.

31
Paul Rana, “OMS – Introduction to Martinism 1/5,” presented by the Ordre Martinistes Souverains
(OMS), January 5, 2018, lecture, 33:40 – 47:40, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9md6qiLdBY.
32
This degree being referred to as Green Masonry.
 Chapter of Clermont

Around the same time that Von Hund’s Rite of Strict Observance developed in Germany,

there was another body which sprang up around Paris called the Chapter of Clermont (Chapitre

de Clermont). Not much is known about the founding of this order, but it is certain that it was

operational by the time of 1754, if not before, and was founded by a Chevalier de Bonneville

somewhere around Paris. It is also worth mentioning that John Yarker affirms an earlier date of

1742 in which the order was active in Hamburg. Arthur Edward Waite also shares a similar

hypothesis of an earlier founding date.

Some authors suggest that Von Hund was initiated into the Chapter of Clermont, thus

bringing over ideas from their degrees and adapting them into his own system, but there is not

enough evidence to prove this. Some Masonic historians, such as Alain Bernheim suggest the

Chapter altogether never even existed, citing a lack of evidence.33 Then we can see James

Fairbairn Smith in his book titled The Rise of the Ecossais Degrees providing ample evidence for

their existence. Nonetheless, there are multiple differing lists of degrees worked by the Chapter

of Clermont, which were also likely influenced by Chevalier Ramsay’s oration.

The most common degrees suggested for the Chapter of Clermont consisted of:

4°. Knight of the Eagle

5°. Chevalier Illustre; or Templar
6°. Sumblime Illustrious Chevalier

Another variation on the degrees consisted of:34

33
Alain Bernheim, Estienne Morin et l’Ordre du Royal Secret, a lecture presented by Bernheim before the
Ars Macionica Research Lodge No. 30 (Grand Lodge of Belgium) in Brussels on November 28, 1998. It was
published in Ars Macionica, vol. 9 (1999).
34
Arthur Edward Waite, The Secret Tradition in Freemasonry, vol. I, book IV, § III, 2nd ed, 312-313. Waite
goes into detail on the variation of degrees of the Chapter of Clermont.
 4°. Scottish Master Elect
5°. Knight of the Eagle
6°. Illustrious Templar
7°. Sublime Knight

It is worth addressing the common misconception that this body got its name from the

Jesuit College of Clermont, which it indeed did not. It is instead named after the French Grand

Master, Louis de Bourbon, the Comte de Clermont.35 This body was on the more exclusive and

less accessible side, filling their ranks with aristocrats, nobility, high ranking military officials

and other elite members of society. Because of this exclusivity, this body gave birth to another

Masonic system which instead believed in the equality of its membership regardless of their

social standing. This body was known as the Knights of the East, Princes and Sovereigns of

Masonry.

Council of the Emperors of the East and West

This latter body is what eventually became known as the Council of the Emperors of the

East and West.36 Like most rites and high degree systems mentioned, there is not much known

about the early days of this body. We can’t even say what degrees it began with or how it

evolved to include the 25 degrees it ended up with. What is certain is that it came into existence

around 1758 and that it carried over some degrees from another body called the Scottish Mother

Lodge of Marseilles, which was founded around 1748-1750.

It is thought that several of the degrees were either written or influenced by Baron Louis

Théodore-Henry Tschoudy and even possibly Dom Antoine Joseph de Pernéty, both prominent

35
Henry Wilson Coil, Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia, 1st ed. (New York: Macoy Publishing and Masonic
Supply Company, 1961), 135.
36
An alternative name of this body was the Ancient Rite and Rite of Heredom or of Perfection.
alchemical and Hermetic authors. It is possible that these degrees had other origins but were used

by Tschoudy, who later injected into them his alchemical ideas.37 Since the early history of the

Council of the Emperors of the East and West is mostly unknown, it is hard to say for certain.

If the influence of Tschoudy and Pernéty in these degrees can be contested, at least we

can see their definite influence later down the line in Albert Pike’s rewriting of the Scottish Rite

degrees – which is when the flower of esotericism really bloomed within Scottish Freemasonry.

The degrees of the Scottish Mother Lodge of Marseilles consisted of:

1°-3°. Craft Degrees

4°. Perfect Master (Possibly of St. Andrew, borrowing from the Strict Observance)
5°. Grand Écossais
6°. Knight of the Black Eagle (borrowing from the Chapter of Clermont)
7°. Commander of the Black Eagle
8°. Rose Croix
9°. True Mason
10°. Knight Argonautic
11°. Knight of the Golden Fleece
12°. Apprentice Philosopher
13°. Knight-Adept of the Eagle and the Sun
14°. Sublime Philosopher
15°. Knight of the Phoenix
16°. Adept of the Mother Lodge
17°. Knight of the Rainbow
18°. Knight of the Sun

The degrees of the Council of the Emperors of the East and West consisted of:

1°-3°. Craft Degrees

4°. Secret Master
5°. Perfect Master
6°. Intimate Secretary
7°. Intendant of Buildings
8°. Provost and Judge
9°. Elect Master of Nine, or Elect of the Nine
10°. Elect Master of Fifteen, or Elect of Fifteen

37
This is especially true of the degree of Knight of the Sun which shows up in Tschoudy’s own system in
1754 and is explicitly alchemical. From then on out, it appears in various bodies as an alchemical degree, even in the
modern Scottish Rite. Whether it originated as such is unknown, but given the titles of the other degrees from the
Scottish Mother Lodge of Marseilles where it first appears, it is a safe bet to assume it was originally written using
alchemical themes.
 11°. Illustrious Elect, or Chief of the Twelve Tribes
12°. Grand Master Architect
13°. Knight Royal Arch, or Royal Axe
14°. Grand Elect, Ancient Perfect Master, or Grand Elect Ancient
15°. Knight of the Sword, or of the East
16°. Prince of Jerusalem
17°. Knight of the East and West
18°. Rose Croix
19°. Grand Pontiff, or Master ad vitam
20°. Grand Patriarch Noachite, or Grand Patriarch
21°. Grand Master of the Key of Masonry, or Grand Master of the Key
22°. Prince of Libanus
23°. Knight of the Sun, Prince Adept, Chief of the Grand Consistory
24°. Illustrious Chief, Grand Commander of the White and Black Eagle, Grand Elect
Kadosh
25°. Most Illustrious Prince of Masonry, Grand and Sublime Knight Commander of the
Royal Secret, or Commander of the Royal Secret

Within the two above-mentioned systems, several things are clear: there is an explicit

exclusion of Templar degrees, and we can see the first Rosicrucian (Rose Croix) and alchemical

(Knight of the Sun) degrees included in a Masonic system. This is when the degrees we currently

know in the Scottish Rite really being to take shape from all previous influences.

Rosicrucian Influence

While the degree of Rose Croix may be the first Rosicrucian degree in a strictly Masonic

system, it is not the first meeting of Rosicrucian and Masonic ideas. The earliest mention of these

two ideas together is from Henry Adamson’s (1581-1637) poem titled, “Muses Threnodie: or

Mirthful Mournings on the Death of Mr. Gall,” published in two volumes in Edinburgh, Scotland

(1638). The quote is as follows:

“For what we do presage is not grosse

For we be brethren of the Rosie Crosse;
 We have the Mason word, and second sight,
Things for to come we can foretell aright.”

With this evidence, it is obvious that Masonic and Rosicrucian ideas were already

mingling in Scotland well before they were combined in a Masonic degree system. This

mingling happens again in a pamphlet from 1676 which states (in satire):

“To give notice, that the modern Green-Ribbon’d Caball,

together with the Ancient Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross;
the Hermetick Adepti and the company of Accepted Masons
intend all to dine together on the 31 of November…”

There is a clear suggestion of esotericism in these two quotes, which one would expect

from something tinged with Rosicrucian ideas. There is yet another mingling of these ideas

which must be mentioned because it combines not only Rosicrucian and Masonic ideas, but it

also ties into the mention of some Scottish and Écossais degrees and degree systems which were

mentioned previously. It is that of the Good Shepherd Lodge (Loge au Bon Pasteur) founded in

1750 by Jean Luc de Toux de Salverte in both Warsaw and Wilna, Poland.

This lodge and its grades were greatly influenced by not only the famous Rosicrucian

order from 1710 (and reformed in the late 1750’s), Gold- und Rosenkreutzer, but also possibly

even by Baron Louis Théodore-Henry Tschoudy and his L’Etoile Flamboyante (Order of the

Flaming Star) rite. Salverte, before establishing his order spent time in Metz, which is where

Tschoudy resided at that time. Salverte’s Good Shepherd Lodge and Tschoudy’s L’Etoile

Flamboyante rite also share a similar degree, that of Knight of the Sun (Chevalier du Soleil),
which we can see is included in both the degrees of the Scottish Mother Lodge of Marseilles and

the Council of the Emperors of the East and West.38

The Degrees of the Good Shepherd Lodge consisted of:

1°-3°. Blue Lodge Degrees

4°. Maître Écossais (Scottish Master)
5°. Chevalier du Soleil (Knight of the Sun)
6°. Chevalier de la Rose Croix (Knight of the Rose Cross)
7°. Prince Chevalier de la Croix d’Or (Prince Knight of the Golden Cross)
8°. Maître Interier du Temple (Master Interior of the Temple)
9°. Erhabener Philosoph (Sublime Philosopher)
10°. Ordre des Chevaliers Hospitaliers de Christ et du Temple de Salomon (Order of
Knights Hospitaller of Christ and the Temple of Solomon)
11°. Architect Souverain ou Philosoph du Premier Ordre (Sovereign Architect or
Philosopher of the First Order)
12°. Frater Operator (Brother Operator)

This proves even more evidence of Scottish Rite degrees being built on clearly esoteric

ideas. When Albert Pike eventually rewrote the Scottish Rite degrees, he had the idea that he

wanted to return the degrees to their original esoteric forms. Whether or not he was aware of

degree systems like that worked by the Good Shepherd Lodge or the Gold- und Rosenkreutzer,

one cannot say for sure, but he definitely had a whiff of their legacy.

Alchemical Influence

While the terms ‘Rosicrucian’ and ‘alchemy’ were held as synonymous by certain

authors, they have mutually exclusive origins and meanings. It just so happens that Baron

Tschoudy cultivated both of these ideas into his rite. It’s not known for sure whether he wrote the

degrees for his order himself, whether his initiator and teacher Raimondo di Sangro wrote or

helped write them, or whether it was a group effort amongst several individuals. What current

38
Ian H. Gladwin, The Bon Pasteur Lodge – A Masonic Prototype for the Gold and Rose Cross? (2019),
http://www.pansophers.com/bon_pasteur/.
scholarship can say for certain is that they entered the scene riding on the wave of what is called

Egyptian Freemasonry. Raimondo di Sangro was Prince of San Severo and Grand Master of the

Naples based Grand Lodge. He was an alchemist, inventor, author, and artist living from 1710-

1771. He is also who is credited with starting what is known as Egyptian Freemasonry, or the

Traditional Egyptian Rite, around 1747 at his Naples lodge called La Perfetta Unione.

Unfortunately, none of his writings on these subjects exist, so our primary source material comes

to us from Tschoudy.

Egyptian Freemasonry will eventually culminate in what is now famously known as

Memphis-Misraïm39 Freemasonry and it combines sometimes up to 99 degrees, depending on the

obedience. These degrees are very eclectic and include direct ingredients from many esoteric

streams including alchemy40, Hermeticism, ritual magic, theurgy, chivalry, and many other

western and eastern religions and mystery traditions.

The real interest here lies is in the influence of Tschoudy’s rite, often called the Order of

the Flaming Star, after his book L’Etoile Flamboyante.41 Really the name of his rite in unknown

but fortunately for us, the degrees have been published in French in a book called ‘Rituel des

grades alchimiques du baron Tschoudy’ (Bonneuile-en-Valois: Éditions da La Hutte, 2019). It

isn’t known whether Tschoudy’s degrees had a direct influence on those of the Emperors of the

East and West or vice versa.42 Either way they are worth mentioning especially because their

39
The Rite of Memphis (1838) (95 degrees) was originally formed as a variation on Rite of Misraïm (1738)
(90 degrees). They later combined in 1881 under the banner of the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraïm,
which has several different manifestations today.
40
While there are many variations on the Memphis-Misraïm degrees, the core degrees stay very similar.
The alchemy taught in some of the degrees often includes both inner (spiritual) and outer (laboratory) elements.

41
First published in 1754.
42
Mathieu G. Ravignat, Quest for a Lost Rite: The Origins, High Degrees and Spiritual Practices of
Traditional Egyptian Freemasonry, 1st ed. (self-published, 2021), 17.
alchemical influence can still be seen not only in Pike’s work, but in the Scottish Rite degrees to

this day.

The degrees of the Order of the Flaming Star consisted of:

1°. Royal Arche (Royal Arch)

2°. Chevalier du Soleil (Knight of the Sun)
3°. Suprême Commandeur des Astres (Supreme Commander of the Stars)
4°. Chevalier du Phénix (Knight of the Pheonix)
5°. Chevalier de l’Iris (Knight of the Iris)
6°. Chevalier d’Occident (Knight of the West)
7°. Chevalier de l’Aigle noir (Knight of the Black Eagle)
8°. Le vrai maçon (The True Mason)
9°. Instructions pour le grand oeuvre (Instructions for the Great Work)
10°. Chevalier des argonautes & de la Toison d’Or (Knight of the Argonauts & the
Golden Fleece)

Éstienne Morin

To see how these ideas made their way to Pike, reference must be made back to the

Council of the Emperors of the East and West and the various other high degree systems being

worked in Bordeaux in the mid to late 18th century. A lot of ink has been spilled over the links

between these various systems and the patent issued to Éstienne (Stephen) Morin. Even though

some of the facts are contested, what history can tell us is that a body of Morin’s called the

Council of Knights of the East along with several others such as the Council of the Emperors of

the East and West and the Scottish Mother Lodge of Marseilles merged under the Grand Lodge

of France.43 This grand lodge then issued the patent to Morin as Grand Inspector, “authorizing

and empowering him to establish perfect and sublime Masonry in all parts of the world,” which

occurred on August 27, 1761.

Before Morin received his patent, there was an Écossais lodge which was formed by him

in Cap Francaise, San Domingo around 1748. Then a couple of years after receiving his patent,

43
Smith, 42
he created his own system of twenty-five degrees which he called the Order of the Royal Secret.

Under his new authority as Grand Inspector, he introduced his order first to Kingston, Jamaica in

1763, naming Henry Andrew Francken as Deputy Inspector. Francken being the one who

transcribed the famous Francken manuscripts which are the earliest documented writings of the

degrees. The first one was completed on August 30, 1771, less than three months before Morin’s

death.

The degrees of the Order of the Royal Secret consisted of:44

4°. Secret Master

5°. Perfect Master
6°. Perfect Master by Curiosity, or Intimate Secretary
7°. Provost & Judge, or Irish Master
8°. Intendant of the Buildings, or Master in Israel45
9°. Chapter of the Master Elected of Nine
10°. Illustrious Elected of 15
11°. A chapter called Sublime Knights Elected
12°. Grand Master Architect
13°. Royal Arch
14°. Perfection. The Ultimate of Symbolic Masonry
15°. Knights of the East or Sword
16°. Grand Council of the Illustrious & most valiant Princes of Jerusalem
17°. Knights of the East & West
18°. Knights of the White Eagle or Pelican, known by the name of perfect Mason, or
knight of the Rose Cross
19°. Sublime Scotch Masonry, Called by the name of grand Pontif
20°. Venerable grand Master of all symbolic lodges, Sovereign princes of masonry, or
Master ad vitam
21°. Prussian Knight or Noachite, In Two Degrees—otherwise Called, The Masonic Key
22°. Knights of the Royal Ax—or the Grand Patriarchs By the Name of Princes of
Libanon
23°. The Key of Masonry. Philosophical Lodge of the Knights of Eagle, or Sun
24°. Chapter of the grand Inspector of Lodges, grand Elected Knights of Kadoch, Now by
the Title of knights of the white & black Eagle

44
The titles to these degrees are taken directly from a facsimile copy of the original 1783 Francken
manuscript. The 1783 Francken Manuscript, first ed., (Lexington, MA: Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite, NMJ, 2017).
45
Arturo de Hoyos, Freemasonry’s Royal Secret: The Jamaican “Francken Manuscript” of the High
Degrees, 1st ed. (Washington, DC: Scottish Rite Research Society, 2014), xix. “Many French lodges called this
degree Scotch Master of the three J.J.J.” The capitalizations and spelling present in the listed degrees are as they
appear in the 1783 Francken Manuscript.
 25°. The Royal Secret, or the knights of St Andrews, and the Faithful guardians of the
Sacred Treasure

Shortly before Morin died, he created a grand chapter of his order in which he created six

Deputy Inspectors General who would further extend his Rite, Francken being one of these six.

Although French Écossais masonry first came to the United States in New Orleans, Louisiana in

1764 from a separate source, it didn’t last long and soon died out. Twelve years later, Francken

arrived in New York from the West Indies and propagated the degrees of the Order of the Royal

Secret starting in Albany, NY in 1776, where he issued a patent for a lodge called the Ineffable

Lodge of Perfection.46 While in New York, Francken appointed Moses Michael Hays as Deputy

Inspector General, who then in turn made eight other Deputy Inspector Generals in 1781.

These individuals were key in spreading the degrees of the Order of the Royal Secret

which would soon form into the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of thirty-three degrees. This

new formation happened by the hands of gentlemen now known as, “The Eleven Gentlemen of

Charleston.” As this name suggest, in May of 1801, eleven men met at Shepheards Tavern in

Charleston, South Carolina and formed the first Mother Supreme Council, which by the time of

1804 would be known as the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

Albert Pike

The degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite would really come into their full

esoteric glory at the rewriting of Albert Pike. This task took him roughly two years from the time

he was appointed as a member of a special committee to rewrite the degrees, to the time he

46
Smith, 79.
finished, completing his revisions of the 4° – 32° in 1857. Before he put his touch on the degrees,

many of them were in a very crude state and the progression was less than organized.

Pike systematized and expanded the degrees and made them one coherent system as

opposed to disparate themes and ideas taken from multiple sources.

The degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite rewritten by Pike in 1857

consisted of:

4°. Secret Master

5°. Perfect Master
6°. Intimate Secretary
7°. Provost and Judge
8°. Intendant of the Building
9°. Elu of the Nine
10°. Elu of the Fifteen
11°. Elu of the Twelve
12°. Master Architect
13°. Royal Arch of Solomon
14°. Perfect Elu
15°. Knight of the East
16°. Prince of Jerusalem
17°. Knight of the East and West
18°. Knight Rose Croix
19°. Pontiff
20°. Master of the Symbolic Lodge
21°. Noachite or Prussian Knight
22°. Knight of the Royal Axe or Prince of Libanus
23°. Chief of the Tabernacle
24°. Prince of the Tabernacle
25°. Knight of the Brazen Serpent
26°. Prince of Mercy
27°. Knight Commander of the Temple
28°. Knight of the Sun or Prince Adept
29°. Scottish Knight of St. Andrew
30°. Knight Kadosh
31°. Inspector Inquisitor
32°. Master of the Royal Secret
 Pike would then continue his work on the degrees, expanding them in the form of

reading, liturgies, legendas and additional lectures.47 The additional lectures alone on the 4°-32°

he completed in 1871 which are known as the famous Morals and Dogma. He inserted into these

degrees ideas he drew from various sources, not only heavily from the western esoteric tradition,

but from the western philosophical tradition and various world religions. We can see clear

influences from the ancient mystery cults and religions, coming from the Egyptians, Greeks,

Hebrews, and more, manifesting through streams which have been variously touched on in this

paper.48 He even borrowed heavily from the French occultist Éliphas Lévi (1810-1875), often

lifting straight from his works, especially from his Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (Dogma

and Ritual of High Magic) (1855).

Lévi himself was heavily influenced by prominent Rosicrucians and alchemists such as

Paracelsus, Robert Fludd, and Raymond Lull. With all of this in mind, it is clear that Pike

himself rekindled the flame of Masonic esotericism once developed by propagators of the French

and German high degrees of the 18th century. It is also certain that nearly everything mentioned

in this paper, can follow a common thread back to Chevalier Andrew Michael Ramsay and his

famous oration. Despite Ramsay’s oration being fraught with wishful facts, it would be one of

the most influential masonic events ever seen within its history.

47
All of these additional writings on the Scottish Rite degrees such as the readings, liturgies, legendas, and
additional lectures were published in separate volumes, but can now be found completely bound into one volume
with even more additional material: Arturo de Hoyos, The Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor & Guide, third ed. corrected
(Washington, DC: The Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction, 2010).
48
For further reading on the esoteric and philosophical ideas which influenced Albert Pike such as
kabbalah, alchemy, Rosicrucianism and gnosticism, I suggest further reading in Pillars of Wisdom: The Writings of
Albert Pike by Rex R. Hutchens. This subject was purposefully kept short because many, many pages could be
dedicated to it alone, as one will see once they open the pages of the above suggested book.
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