Secrets and Practices of the Freemasons: Sacred Mysteries, Rituals and Symbols Revealed - Jean-Louis de Biasi 2011

The Structure of Freemasonry
The Masonic Structure & The Rose-Cross

In The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown emphasizes the mysterious and highest 33rd Degree of Scottish Rite Masonry. As the villain Mala’akh said many times, there are circles within circles, brotherhoods within brotherhoods. It takes only a few seconds on the Internet to learn how Dan Brown is correct in his writing. The Masonic “plot” seems to be everywhere. The main accusations deal with political, religious, racist, or even diabolic associations. They are as old as the existence of Freemasonry and are similar for other initiatic groups. In the nineteenth century, an Anti-Masonic Party attempted to destroy Freemasonry in the United States. But since the beginning of the nation, the Craft has been well represented everywhere, its philanthropic actions are well known, and these accusations didn’t succeed. It isn’t necessary to debate the falseness of these accusations of conspiracy, but it is interesting to explain how Freemasonry is organized and how it works.

First of all, it is worth noting that information about Freemasonry is available in books, on the Internet, and directly through the Freemasons themselves. Even more, it is always possible to visit Masonic temples in the United States and around the world. It’s a wonderful way to receive explanations of the structure, goals, and symbolism of this famous brotherhood.

Dan Brown’s novel presents the different degrees of Freemasonry as a pyramid-like hierarchy, controlled by the Supreme Council, the governing body of the Scottish Rite in America. The accompanying artistic illustration shows you the complete structure of Freemasonry.

The foundation of the whole system is based on the first three degrees: 1st Entered Apprentice, 2nd Fellowcraft, and 3rd Master Mason. This is the original structure and for many years nothing more existed. Consequently, the 3rd Degree completes the Masonic structure. All you need to know in Freemasonry can be found in these three degrees. It is important to know that, because the huge chart could suggest a different idea.

Figure 27: Square and Compass

in the 1st Degree

Figure 28: Square and Compass

in the 2nd Degree

Figure 29: Square and Compass

in the 3rd Degree

What I called a Masonic lodge or a Blue Lodge is composed of members of these three degrees. You may become aware of a local lodge from a road sign showing the square and the compass, and the meeting days, or simply a Masonic flag on the building itself letting you know that a traditional organization of the Craft is meeting there. Then, a common question arises: how to join them?

From time to time, you can see a sticker on cars stating “2B1 ask 1” or “To be one, ask one.” This advice means that the best approch is to ask someone already a Freemason. If you don’t know someone, you can simply go to the website of your state (or country) and send an e-mail or make a phone call. The Western Tradition says, “Knock, and the gate will be opened for you.” So really, this first step in Freemasonry is simple.

After a few interviews, you may become initiated in a lodge and begin your Masonic journey. You will participate in ritual meetings, banquets, and instructional meetings. Some months later you may be initiated to the second step, Fellowcraft, and later to the third one, Master. The work and your apprenticeship are not finished after your 3rd Degree initiation. But Freemasonry considered that, as Master, you have most of the tools necessary to learn, practice, and improve your knowledge of the Craft. This is the main and the most traditional progression in Freemasonry, practiced in the same way everywhere on the planet. It is never required to go further, and many Freemasons continue to practice in the lodge just as Masters.

All the lodges of a state or a country are administratively governed by a Grand Lodge with a common statement and bylaws. They are working under the protection of the Grand Lodge, keeping alive the high standard of the brotherhood. It is important to remember that a Grand Master (as a Master of the Lodge) is elected for one year and then is a Master Mason.

Considering this structure and its functioning, it is easy to see that a Masonic “conspiracy” would be visible to everyone. The villain of The Lost Symbol, Mala’akh, began with these three degrees and, as expected, found nothing more.

In this case, the solution is to imagine another occult government, another secret circle inside the outer circle. If you look at the representation of Masonic structure, you can see several steps above the Blue Lodges. In this upper structure, you must consider three parts: (1) the Scottish Rite steps (on the left); (2) the York Rite steps (on the right); and (3) the Allied Organizations (in the center).

These names (Scottish and York) are missing in the Blue Lodges. In fact, there are several further rituals, sometimes different, in the Blue Lodge too. The two most important are called the Emulation Rite and the York Rite. There are other rites, less numerous (though interesting): Scottish Rite and others with local characteristics, Canadian Rite, French Rite, Memphis-Misraim, etc. In fact, this multiplicity can be considered an illusion. Most of the time the differences are minor and rarely involve the basics: symbols, myths, initiation, etc. Every Freemason practicing one of these rites can immediately understand the other ones. The diversity is just an illusion.

However, things are quite different in the superstructure.

Since the beginning of Freemasonry, the Masters were interested in the development and the deepening of some parts of their tradition. They gathered outside of the Blue Lodges and worked, learned, and developed other rituals to explain some secondary aspects. Some of these groups were more focused on esotericism, others on symbolism or mythology. From these original groups of researchers came new initiatic steps, complementary to the first degrees. After several centuries, the most significant of them were organized in complete and coherent systems. The two most important are the Scottish Rite[1] and the York Rite.[2] Some others, like Egyptian degrees, were developed here and there. Some have disappeared over time.

The Lost Symbol focuses on the most representative of this system, the Scottish Rite in 30 degrees. Don’t be confused by this number. Remember that the first three degrees in the Blue Lodge are for everyone, so the next step is the 4th (Secret Master, 1st on the left scale), the highest being the 33rd (Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 30th on the left scale). The complete name of what is called the Scottish Rite is in fact “the Supreme Council, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, USA” (commonly known as the “Mother Supreme Council of the World”). It was the first Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

The Scottish Rite charters Subordinate Bodies in cities (called Valleys) or states, territories, or countries (called Orients). A Valley can have up to four Scottish Rite bodies, and each body confers a set of degrees. In the Southern Jurisdiction (the one described by Dan Brown), these are the Lodge of Perfection (from 4° to 14°), Chapter of Rose Croix (from 15° to 18°), Council of Kadosh (from 19° to 30°), and the Consistory (from 31° to 32°). The Supreme Council confers the 33rd Degree of Sovereign Grand Inspector General. So instead of talking about just the structures of the Blue Lodges, I am now talking in this scale of the Scottish Rite of Lodges of Perfection, Chapters, Councils, and Consistories.

In the United States, these degrees are separated in two jurisdictions: Northern and Southern. So there is not, as The Lost Symbol implicitly states, a unique Supreme Council governing the whole planet, but instead several, and, in this case, two in the United States. The one with its headquarters in the House of the Temple in Washington DC is the Southern jurisdiction, overseeing the Scottish Rite in thirty-five states (the other states fall within the Northern Jurisdiction, which is an independent body).

Just as you did for the first steps in Freemasonry, you can ask to begin your progression in the high degrees of the Scottish Rite. However, you cannot ask to receive the 33rd Degree, but must be proposed for this final step in recognition of your engagement, dedication, and work for the ideals of the Scottish Rite.

Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol shows a challenging set of initiations, and an occult government manipulating people and initiates. This is a part of the “conspiracy theory” surrounding Freemasonry. There are accusations of diabolic purposes. Some fundamentalists believe that Scottish Rite Freemasons worship the devil in bloody rituals. But it is difficult to imagine that the funny hats of the Consistory can be a cover for some purpose more worrying or shameful.

It is, of course, quite impossible to disprove such hostile fantasies to someone already convinced of them. The character of Mala’akh in the novel shows such suspicious behavior. But facts are facts and you must not forget the novelistic features of The Lost Symbol. This advice is more important considering Dan Brown’s bold declaration in the front of the novel that the geography, organizations, architecture, and rituals used in his novel are real and nonfictional. Maybe it would be better not to place the words “real” and “rituals” side by side. Maybe it would be better to say that such rituals were published by detractors of Freemasonry. The reality is that for many centuries detractors have published false rituals in order to discredit Freemasonry. Leo Taxil in Europe is one very good example of this, and a few minutes on the Internet will show you different satanic-Masonic rituals. So, yes, there are rituals in which the candidate kills lambs and others in which the candidate is obliged to drink blood. But these rituals are imaginary! They are inventions intended to discredit the fraternity. Don’t be misled by fantasy presented as “fact.”

But, if this is the case, it is difficult to understand why it is useful or desirable to keep such an initiatic hierarchy. Of course, as Mala’akh declared many times, all would be revealed in the 33rd Degree—but in order to figure out what is really going on, I must provide more information about the goal and activities of this Supreme Initiatic Hierarchy.

There are two main actions: one visible, another invisible. The first one can be seen very easily. It is the main activity of the members. Philanthropy is the first manifestation of the Scottish Rite in society. Through different programs (such as RiteCare Childhood Language Programs, Youth Programs, Scholarships, Internship Program, Disaster Relief) the organization and its members secure donations and help people in all these areas. These actions are for the benefit of everyone, regardless of color, gender, religion, etc. This is a real, powerful, and visible social action resulting from the brotherhood’s individual and inner work on philanthropic values. This is a key to understanding the heart of the Scottish Rite and Freemasonry. The second aspect is educational. Freemasons are encouraged to increase their knowledge of the Craft, and many elements are available for that. Most of this work and learning is also available to non-Freemasons and they are welcomed to participate.

But I spoke about another dimension, one that is invisible to the outer world.

A stone building is more than a quantity of stones. Even when the word lodge is used to speak about the building, it is also used to speak about the group of initiates who gather there. The lodge is the basic cell of Freemasonry. This group of brethren, initiated in the same way and sharing the same ideals, will reveal a real psychological dimension as well as a spiritual one.

The lodge can become a community of spirits sharing the same goal. Every initiate is in the group to become better, to work on his own realization as human being, overcoming the unbalanced passions that so often lead him in wrong ways. In this temple, a space entirely devoted to this purpose, each member is able to focus on this essential goal: to keep away for a while what is selfish or much too personal. Far from any social judgment, the lodge is the perfect place where human brotherhood can be practiced in order to do the same in society. The work in the lodge is the expression of a utopia in progress. Every initiate can experience it, feel the difficulties, and make some improvements. All these common efforts have both an inward and an outward result. By using this method, the initiates can access this special experience and knowledge of a better humanity. They can understand the remaining efforts necessary to share these precious values with other people. This knowledge can help us work for the common good.

But as in a real family, such fraternity doesn’t deny individual character. It does not demand every follower to blindly abandon his own essence. Nevertheless, there is more to the lodge than the mere sum of its parts. Like the stone building, the lodge becomes a kind of independent psychological creature, progressively developing its own special character and becoming more and more effective. This identity is larger than each brother and sometimes gives the feeling of being in another space. The name and the history of the lodge are important factors in the constitution of this invisible counterpart. Its longevity is another factor that contributes to this invisible essence. The more an initiate is involved in the life of the lodge, the more he will feel this strange presence. It seems that the will, the desire activated by the founders, progressively gave birth to this. Even more, this presence, sometimes called the egregore of the lodge, somehow helps the new initiates. It is the same for a lodge in trouble. Some help can appear by “chance.” I spoke about a psychological entity rising from the group and producing a result larger than itself. Noetic science can lend some elements to theorize these manifestations. Even the theory of synchronicity can contribute to our understanding of how this results from the actions and thoughts of the brethren.

In the Western Tradition, different initiates have considered this idea in another way. In saying that there is more to the group than the sum of its parts, I didn’t speak about the existence of an invisible and independent entity. But it’s possible to claim the existence of an archetype of a Masonic lodge. The ritual work performed over many years can give birth to something called a “thought-form,” to use a Theosophical expression created by Helena P. Blavatsky. As an archetype, the thought-form can be the result of a conjunction of wills, thoughts, and ritual acts. Over the years, this archetype can become somehow autonomous. If you want to imagine this phenomenon, think about the preparation of a pancake. Different elements are put together and mixed. But sometimes in the preparation lumps appear. They are representations of the archetypes, the thought-forms. Of course, they appear because of what you did and what you put in. Of course, in the case of a lodge, these archetypes are a good thing, contrary to the lumps in the pancake batter. Even more, an archetype can be consciously invoked by the inner work performed by the officers during the ritual. As I explained in another chapter, each initiate builds an inner temple. He works in his heart prior to working on the visible plan. So the ritual you can see is the result of spiritual and inner action. This is the origin of its power and efficiency. This is a real invisible action. The visible lodge becomes the manifestation of the spiritual lodge existing in the ideal world.

There is really something “magical,” which is better named “theurgic.” The beauty of such traditional theory is its intrinsic character. If this spiritual archetype exists, it can be a powerful help for every initiate as well as for the ideals of Freemasonry. If it is not the case, nothing changes regarding the inner work and the social philanthropic actions. Nothing is to lose, but something can be won and it will be fine to act as if it was the case.

For centuries the initiates preserved this important idea of a spiritual level. This is a good indication of the founding Masters’ understanding. Of course, what is right for a lodge is right for a Grand Lodge. I can say also that there is more to a Grand Lodge than the sum of each lodge. This Masonic organization, this meeting of all the lodges in its jurisdiction, gives a special character and may be a particular egregore. While a Grand Lodge is firstly an administrative institution, its purpose and goal is larger. Every Grand Master has an insight and gives the best he has to be the worthy heir of an old family. Every action, every proposition he will undertake becomes part of this familial story. The presence of respectable authorities as the founding fathers is still there and is a part of this egregore. It is impossible to act lightly this duty is felt. This is an occult part of Freemasonry, and may be underestimated. Freemasonry has the full weight of its tradition, this synergetic progression capable of keeping the ideals alive, no matter the period of time. And when leaders understand that, the result is powerful and beautiful. What you are doing today echoes in all of eternity! This is the exactly the meaning of this occult action of the Craft.

Figure 30: Mason marks found on old stones of the

White House, Washington DC

I am often amazed by the power of the invisible plane. Authentic traditions seem guided by some divine providence, which organizes the occult life of the orders according to definite spiritual laws. This was also the case with the formation and development of the United States. A very old tradition, which is still used in Hermetic orders today, is called the “magical chain.” One central sacred stone is consecrated and put in a symbolic place. Later, other stones are brought into contact with this central stone and then given to initiates of the order. After this transmission, they are able to work in spiritual and vibratory contact with the mystical center. In 1948, during the presidency of Freemason Harry Truman, the White House was restored. It was impossible to find the cornerstone, but several stones were discovered, complete with Masonic markings. President Truman decided to distribute each marked stone to one of America’s Grand Lodges. The spiritual chain was formed!

And so, you (the reader) may still be wondering about the secret 33rd Degree. Dan Brown suggested in his novel that this 33rd Degree would be the place where all is revealed to the initiate, the moment of the manifestation of the divine powers the initiate has been working to receive. This degree has been associated by its founders with a rich symbolism. As the novel accurately states, this number (33) can be connected to many symbols in the Western Tradition. From the symbolic age of Jesus Christ at his death, to the number of discs in the human spinal column, to the height of the capstone of the Washington Monument, this number seems omnipresent. The founding Freemasons noticed this far-reaching and symbolically important number and used it as the upper level of the scale of advancement within the order. From this perspective, I could say that the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite has in its grasp an enormous and invisible power: the ability to find ways to keep alive this high standard of morality and to continually develop it, in order to help with the construction of a more evolved humanity.