C.DeForrest Trexler - Degree Rituals of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction [1 eBook - PDF] (Freemasonry)

Published by the Supreme Council, 33°, AASR, NMJ.
2008

This book describes the 29 rituals of the 4th to the 33rd degree lightly, not going into the details one might hope. However, it also describes the changes that have made since the time the rituals have been thought of, various new techniques applied and whatnot more.

In essence, this book gives a short history of the rituals of each degree, as well as describing the symbolism behind them.

The introduction to the book

Quote:

More than 30 years have passed since publication of The Rituals of the Supreme Council, 33°, for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A. This unique work traced the obscure and complex origins and  development of the 29 Scottish Rite degree rituals through the course of 200 years from the earliest surviving source, Henry Francken’s 1783 manuscript of 300 pages, believed to be based on earlier french rituals entrusted to Francken by Stephen Morin. The author of The Rituals, Ill. Irving E. Partridge, 33°, Active Member for Connecticut, was eminently qualified for the task. A member of the Supreme Council Committee on Rituals since 1951, he had served as chairman for 15 years, 1957-72, and would be called upon to resume that post in 1977-78. Despite the credentials he brought to the project, Partridge readily conceded credit for the content of The Rituals to his predecessor, Ill. McIlyar H. Lichliter, 33°, Active Member at-Large and committee chairman in 1945-57. Brought to the Supreme Council by Sovereign Grand Commander Melvin Maynard Johnson in 1942, Lichliter emerged as the preeminent scholar and authority on the degree rituals of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction during the 20th century. Lichliter devoted more than a dozen years to research and analysis of the rituals of the jurisdiction, compiling voluminous notes which described their content and traced their development. Lichliter continued his studies until 1958. Lichliter was more than an antiquarian. He believed that Scottish Rite Masonry was not simply the working of ritual for its own sake. Ritual was the means of presenting Masonic philosophy that men might understand the reason and purpose of life, and thereby gain the knowledge and inspiration to better themselves and society. The logical extension of this belief is that as life and society are continually changing, so the ritual must be adapted from time to time to remain relevant. Lichliter’s copious notes included recommendations as to how the degree rituals might be revised and improved. In this conviction, he probably was influenced, and certainly was encouraged, by Grand Commander Johnson. In contrast to the opinion that prevailed in many other Scottish Rite jurisdictions, Johnson believed that ritual existed to serve the Rite, not the other way around. Although Johnson and Lichliter were prominent advocates of ritual revision, the practice, as we shall see, did not begin with, nor has it been confined to, their efforts. As Ill. Arturo De Hoyos, 33°, recently has noted, “The Supreme Council, 33°, NMJ, has a longstanding practice of ritual revision. Rather than using only the traditional legends and themes of the Scottish Rite, many of its degrees employ modern themes to teach its lessons.” Consistent with this philosophy, the degree rituals of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction have continued to evolve. Since publication of Partridge’s work in 1976, all 29 rituals have been revised at least once, many of them extensively, and some have gone through as many as four revisions. Six entirely new degree rituals have been written and introduced, and one previously withdrawn has been reintroduced. Five rituals extant in 1976 have since been withdrawn and replaced. It is of passing interest that in 1960 the Supreme Councils of the Northern and Southern Jurisdictions of the United States agreed to joint meetings of their respective Committees on Rituals for the purpose of promoting greater uniformity in degree work. Before any meetings were held, however, the Southern Jurisdiction withdrew from the venture on the grounds that its ritual, written by Albert Pike, already “was as perfect as humanly possible.” Hence,there was no reason to discuss change, notwithstanding that Pike himself had been the greatest innovator of Masonic ritual and, over a period of 30 years to 1884, had revised the initial versions of his own rituals. Perfect or not, the reality was that Valleys across the Southern Jurisdiction routinely were abridging and adapting the Pike ritual to suit their individual situations. Perhaps it was inevitable that, starting in 1985, the Southern Jurisdiction began to soften its stance by undertaking to modify and simplify, i.e., abridge, the Pike ritual. This process culminated in 2000 with issuance of The Revised Standard Pike Ritual.

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