We are the "warrior monks" of Freemasonry, the "Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon", also known as the "Knights Templar" who in 1307 the church tried to erase from the face of the earth.
The survivors of the purge were eventually integrated into the Teutonic Order while some entered into an alliance with King Robert the Bruce of Scotland who received them into the Scottish Order of St. Andrew who considered the king as its first Grand Master, with the line of succession ending with Prince Charles Edward Stuart, the last Grand Master in Scotland, who established a Chapter of the Rose Croix of Heredom in 1745.
Then there was Jacques DeMolay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, whose death spawned the birth of the Knight Kadosh of the White and Black Eagle, the 24th degree of the Order of the Royal Secret that is the immediate predecessor of the Scottish Rite.
There are 32 degrees in today's Scottish Rite --- the 4th-14th degrees of the Lodge of Perfection whose main purpose is the "investigation and contemplation of the ineffable name of Deity; the 15-18th degrees of the Chapter of the Rose Croix whose work is to attain "a deeper understanding of Religion, Philosophy, Ethics and History"; the 19th-30th degrees of the "chivalric and philosophical" Council of Kadosh; and the 31st and 32nd degrees of the Consistory that "illustrate the ideal balance between the spiritual and the temporal".
Finally, there is the Court of Honor where only a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor ("Red Cappers" who are selected from members of the Consistory for their special service to Masonry and mankind) and a 33rd Degree Inspector General Honorary ("White Cappers" that are elected by the Supreme Council for their outstanding contribution to the Scottish Rite and public good) are allowed.
These are the Scottish Rite's cream of the crop and among them, those who have achieved extraordinary and exceptional services are elected to receive the rare privilege of wearing the Grand Cross of the Court of Honor.
I am a Scottish Rite, I am a Knight Templar in service of the Craft, and I ride my Iron Horse everyday (if possible) to conquer the lurking demons in my mind.
And from the villas of Fontana and the cavernous hall of Leonard Wood Masonic Lodge No. 105 where the modern day Knights of Freemasonry converged, I woke up at 4 am to start on my trek to Bangkok, my first foreign trip in almost two months.
Indeed, the good things in life last only for a fleeting moment...
The survivors of the purge were eventually integrated into the Teutonic Order while some entered into an alliance with King Robert the Bruce of Scotland who received them into the Scottish Order of St. Andrew who considered the king as its first Grand Master, with the line of succession ending with Prince Charles Edward Stuart, the last Grand Master in Scotland, who established a Chapter of the Rose Croix of Heredom in 1745.
Then there was Jacques DeMolay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, whose death spawned the birth of the Knight Kadosh of the White and Black Eagle, the 24th degree of the Order of the Royal Secret that is the immediate predecessor of the Scottish Rite.
There are 32 degrees in today's Scottish Rite --- the 4th-14th degrees of the Lodge of Perfection whose main purpose is the "investigation and contemplation of the ineffable name of Deity; the 15-18th degrees of the Chapter of the Rose Croix whose work is to attain "a deeper understanding of Religion, Philosophy, Ethics and History"; the 19th-30th degrees of the "chivalric and philosophical" Council of Kadosh; and the 31st and 32nd degrees of the Consistory that "illustrate the ideal balance between the spiritual and the temporal".
Finally, there is the Court of Honor where only a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor ("Red Cappers" who are selected from members of the Consistory for their special service to Masonry and mankind) and a 33rd Degree Inspector General Honorary ("White Cappers" that are elected by the Supreme Council for their outstanding contribution to the Scottish Rite and public good) are allowed.
These are the Scottish Rite's cream of the crop and among them, those who have achieved extraordinary and exceptional services are elected to receive the rare privilege of wearing the Grand Cross of the Court of Honor.
I am a Scottish Rite, I am a Knight Templar in service of the Craft, and I ride my Iron Horse everyday (if possible) to conquer the lurking demons in my mind.
And from the villas of Fontana and the cavernous hall of Leonard Wood Masonic Lodge No. 105 where the modern day Knights of Freemasonry converged, I woke up at 4 am to start on my trek to Bangkok, my first foreign trip in almost two months.
Indeed, the good things in life last only for a fleeting moment...
