Reading Guide to the Scottish Rite Works of Albert Pike

______________________________________

by Bro. Charles Christopher Verscheure, M.A.

OLJ, OStJ, KTJ (Scot.)

Mother Lodge: Capitol Lodge No.136, Winnipeg, Manitoba

February 10, 2005

Copyright 2005 C. Christopher Verscheure 319 South Court, Burlington, Ontario L7N 1S8 Ph.: (905) 634-1024 E-mail: chrisverscheure@sympatico.net
Opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author alone and not necessarily those of any particular Lodge

Table Of Contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Reading Guide Analytical Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Sources for Contemporary Blue Lodge and S.R. Degrees

Prcis
This paper provides a structured approach for new readers getting into Albert Pikes writings on Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

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Reading Guide
The following Reading Guide to Albert Pikes major Scottish Rite works is based on the accompanying Analytical Bibliography. The initial publication dates of several references remain to be determined. Pike lived from 1809 to 1891.

1o 3o Degrees (Blue Lodge Degrees) Ritual

Porch & Middle Chamber - 1872 (First writing) Esoteric Work of the 1st through 3rd Degree 1872 (First writing) Liturgy of the Blue Degrees - 1888 (Later revisions)

Lectures
Morals and Dogma (1o 3o) - 1871 Legenda

Additional Reading
Book of the Words (1o 3o) - 1878 (Constitutions:) Historical Inquiry - 1883

4o 32o Degrees Ritual

Magnum Opus - 1857 (First writing) Liturgies of the AASRF (4o 30o) - 1878 (Later revisions) [McClenachan, 1901]

Lectures
Morals and Dogma (4o 32o) - 1871 Legenda [McClenachan, 1901]

Additional Reading
Book of the Words (4o 30o) - 1878 (Constitutions:) The AASRF - 1872

33o Degree Ritual

Old Cahier of the 33d Degree

Lectures
[McClenachan, 1901]

Additional Reading
(Constitutions:) The AASRF, - 1872 - contains

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Secret Ritual of the 33d 1827 (not by Pike) [McClenachan, 1901]

Secret Constitutions of the 33d Degree (Constitutions:) Old Cahier

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Analytical Bibliography
Note on Dating of Scottish Rite Publications by Pike et al. Scottish Rite Dating is obtained by adding 3760 to the regular Gregorian calendar date that we normally use. Thus the normal year 1876 becomes 1876 + 3760 = Anno Mundi, AM5636 Alternately, AM5638 3760 = 1878
(Albert G. Mackey, Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry. Vol. 1, pp. 128-129)

Primary Sources

Content Rituals 4o 32o

Title Pike, Albert (1809-1891) Magnum Opus or the Great Work. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o of the Southern Jurisdiction, 1857; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1997) 1857. Pikes first writing of the complete rituals of the Scottish Rite. Only 100 copies were printed privately at his own expense at a cost of $1200 (Introduction, pp. 2-3). Less than thirty are said to survive. Pike's ritualistic revisions were so impressive he was made an active member of the Supreme Council and became the most revered Sovereign Grand Commander in the history of the Rite. The complete rituals served as the foundation of the Scottish Rite's philosophy. The Magnum Opus contains Albert Pike's complete, first writing of the rituals of the Scottish Rite degrees. Pike continued to further refine these rituals for the remainder of his life. The Magnum Opus allows researchers to trace the divergence to discover shifts in Masonic symbolism. Although similar to the current rituals used by the Scottish Rite, it is slightly different and more esoteric. Included are the grips and signs, and the key to the "Secret Work." This work is not to be confused with the rituals currently used by either American Scottish Rite. The editors of the Kessinger reprint feel obliged to declare in a special note to their readers: The rituals in the Magnum Opus are not those currently used by the Supreme Council 33o. Some of Pike's rituals were used by other Supreme Councils as a foundation for their own practices; while more recently the Supreme Council 33 Degree, Southern Masonic

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Jurisdiction, U.S.A. has appointed a committee to revise the current Pike rituals. Philosophy of Masonry Pike, Albert The Evil Consequences of Schisms and Disputes for Power in Masonry and of Jealousy and Dissensions Between Masonic Rites Lecture delivered before the Grand Lodge of Louisiana. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o of the Southern Jurisdiction, 1858; reprinted as Meaning of Masonry (Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., n.d. [1997])

Lectures 1o 32o

Pike, Albert Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1871; 2 Vols. (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1997) 1871. Pike (Preface, p. iii): It contains the Lectures of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in [the Southern] jurisdiction, and is specially intended to be read and studied by the Brethren of that obedience, in connection with the Rituals of the Degrees.

Rituals 1o 3o

Pike, Albert Porch and the Middle Chamber: BOOK OF THE LODGE. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1872; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1993) 1872. In Pike's words, p. 14, these Scottish Rite Blue Lodge rituals were "to be studied and understood before investiture with the fourth degree. For, without it, the system of that Rite is incomplete, and even like a fabric without foundation." Included are the openings, closings and rituals of the Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason degrees according to the Pike workings of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. More importantly it contains the complete secret work. These rituals are more esoteric and differ significantly from the Webb-form (York Rite) Blue Lodge rituals commonly used in the United States, and the book has several interesting illustrations (including Hiram's jewel - a talisman). Also included is the "Table Lodge" ceremony.

Rituals 1o 3o Previously Omitted Portions

Pike, Albert Esoteric Work of the 1st through 3rd Degree, According to the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1872; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1997)

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1872. The missing secret sections of Pike's 1872 Craft rituals, The Porch and the Middle Chamber: The Book of the Lodge. In this compilation, the editors of the Kessinger reprint make the Secret Work available for the Scottish Rite version of the Blue Lodge degrees. This book merges both missing books into one and deciphers them for the first time. An essential complement to Pikes The Porch and the Middle Chamber.

Rituals 1o 3o

Pike, Albert Liturgy of the Blue Degrees. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o of the Southern Jurisdiction, 1888; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1997) 1888. For the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction. This work includes all the monitorial instructions for the three Craft Degrees according to the Scottish Rite, and is intended to supplement Pike's The Porch and the Middle Chamber. This work contains ritual and symbolic diagrams which, with The Porch, assist the investigator to reconstruct the rituals.

Rituals 4o 30o

Pike, Albert Liturgies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1878; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1993) 1878. Parts 2-4 4th Degree - 30th Degree. This work includes all the Scottish Rite "Liturgies" (monitors) prepared for the rituals of the Supreme Council 33 Degree, SMJ. Illustrated with diagrams of the aprons, jewels, and symbols of the degrees. Some portions of these books (such as the "Lecture and History" of the thirteenth degree) are not even included in the current rituals. No rituals were prepared for the 31 and 32nd Degrees, and the reason is not known. Pike appears to have erred when he commented that the Degrees were completed up to the 32nd (Liturgies, Publishers Introduction and footnote 3).

Required Readings according to Pike

Pike, Albert Legenda and Readings of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o of the Southern Jurisdiction, Date; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1993)

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Date. There are other things that you should hear said now, and without which you will not be fully in possession of this degree... You will find them in the Legenda... (quote from the 26th degree, AASR, SMJ). This book contains all of the "Legenda" and "Readings" written for members of the Scottish Rite to supplement the ritualistic instruction. This anthology is similar, in some respects, to Pike's Lectures on Masonic Symbolism, but was considered required reading by Pike himself.

Constitutions and Regulations

Pike, Albert The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o of the Southern Jurisdiction, 1872; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 2003) 1872. This volume contains the Constitutions and Regulation of 1762; Statutes and Regulation of Perfection, and other degrees; Vera Instituta Secreta et Fundamenta Ordinis of 1786, the Secret Constitutions of the 33d Degree, with the Statutes of 1859, 1866, 1868, 1870 and 1872, of the Supreme Council for the Southern Jurisdiction. See also annotation under Old Cahier of the 33d Degree.

Symbolism Explained 1o 30o

Pike, Albert Book of the Words AM5638 = 1878; Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o of the Southern Jurisdiction, 1878; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., n.d. [1997]) See the informative essay Introduction to the Facsimilie Edition by Art deHoyos in the Scottish Rite Research Society reprint, Washington, DC, 1999. 1878. Masonry is permeated with powerful symbolism-both verbal and pictorial-that arouses the mental, spiritual, and intellectual life of those who use them. This study, once limited to 150 copies, gives the correct spelling of, and analyzes all the "significant words" (passwords, etc.) in, the Scottish Rite from the 1st through 30th degrees inclusive. In addition to being an etymological dictionary Pike explains why any given word was chosen for a given degree thereby revealing the hidden symbolism of each word.

Constitutions and Regulations

Pike, Albert Historical Inquiry in Regard to the Grand Constitutions of 1786. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1883; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co.,

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2003) 1883. Contains the author's reasons for believing the Masonic Grand Constitutions of 1786 to be genuine. He does not assert, as the Supreme Council does not assert, that they are, as a known, proven, established fact genuine; but he does say that they have long been reputed to be so; that there is sufficient evidence to make their authenticity probable; that there is nothing in the grounds on which they have been impeached; and that it is not shown that they are not authentic, nor that they ought to be suspected and doubted.

Ritual 33rd Degree

Pike, Albert Old Cahier of the 33d Degree. Charleston, S.C.:Supreme Council 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, Date; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1997) According to Albert G. Mackey (Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Vol. 1, p. 128b), a cahier consists of a number of sheets of parchment or paper fastened together at one end. The word is used by French Masons to designate a small book printed, or in manuscript, containing the ritual of a degree. Date. In Old Cahier, Pike tells how he discovered, in the archives of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana in 1860, in a little, old badlywritten MS. book, of poor paper, a ritual of the 33d Degree, followed by what purported to be the Secret Constitutions of that degree. Pike printed the full text of the Secret Constitutions (in both French and English) but only printed a partial translation of the 33d degree ritual. In the Kessinger Publishing Company reprint of Old Cahier, the editors state: We have obtained a copy of the missing text from pages inserted into Charles T. McClenachan's copy of Pike's book. A note inside the McClenachan book indicates they were obtained directly from Pike, and were copied from his "Register." We have reset the entire text and inserted the missing sections into their proper places, thus providing for the first time the complete text of this early 33d Degree ritual. We have also deciphered the coded secret words, signs and tokens, making this the only complete edition available. Charles Thompson McClenachan (1829-1896) was a masonic scholar and a contemporary of both Albert Pike (1809-1891) and Albert Mackey (1807-1881). McClenachan contributed a dictionary to a later edition of Mackeys classic An Encyclopdia of

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Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences. Containing also an addendum, giving the results of subsequent study, research and discovery to the present time, and a self-pronouncing dictionary, by Charles Thompson McClenachan. New and rev. ed. Philadelphia: L. H. Everts, 1894. McClenachan also published a set of Scottish Rite rituals and instructions (see Bibliography).

Ritual 33rd Degree

Anonymous Secret Ritual of the Thirty-third and Last Degree Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. 1827; (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1997) 1827. [Not rewritten or revised by Pike as far as we can tell from his later works.] This book includes the complete texts of two versions of this most secret ritual: (1) a never-before-published c.1827 early American version and (2) the ritual used by most Supreme Councils world-wide. The latter is especially enlightening to those interested in the "vengeance," Templar and Kadosh aspects of Freemasonry. This book early on, makes the statement that descriptions of two versions of the Degree are included, but also includes a disclaimer that neither of the two rituals are used by the legitimate Supreme Council 33d Degree of the United States, or the Supreme Council 33 Degree for England and Wales. Few Freemasons are aware of, or will admit to the role of the Knights Templars in the history of Freemasonry, instead choosing to believe in the myth of Stone Mason Guilds as the origin of Freemasonry (e.g., Mackey History of Freemasonry.) The underlying theme of the Degree is vengeance directed against the arch-foes of the Templars: The Knights of Malta; the Pope; Phillip the Fair, King of France; and other Orders of Catholic Knighthood. The Names of Frederick II and Louis of Burbon are mentioned as the originators of this Degree.

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Secondary Sources Bibliographies: Harris, Ray Baker (1907- ) Editor. Reprint of William Llewellyn Boyden Bibliography of the Writings of Albert Pike. [Washington, 1921], Centennial edition; (Washington, DC: Supreme Council of the 33o Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1957); (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1997)

Biographies: Alsopp, Fred W. Albert Pike: A Biography. (Little Rock, Ark.: Parke-Harper Co., 1928) (rpt. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing Co., 1997) Alsopp, Fred W. Life Story of Albert Pike. (Little Rock, Ark.: Parke-Harper News Service, 1920) Brown, Walter Lee (1924- ) A Life of Albert Pike. (Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1997) Burrow, Roy Douglass Albert Pike. (Iowa City: Prairie Press Books, 1974). Duncan, Robert Lipscomb (1927- ) Reluctant General: The Life and Times of Albert Pike. (New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1961) Rogers, James R. Albert Pike and Freemasonry, The New Age Magazine, Vol. 94, No. 4, April 1986; rpt. http://tracingboard.com/albert_pike.htm, printed 01/15/2004. Article draws largely on Harris, Ray Baker History of the Supreme Council, 33, Mother Council of the World. Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A., 1801-1861. Prepared for publication by James D. Carter. (Washington: Supreme Council, 33, and Roberts Publishing Co., 1964 ) 1:244-257. Tresner, Jim Albert Pike: The Man Behind the Monument. (New York: M. Evans and Company, 1995)

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Other Works: Boyden, William Llewellyn (1866-1939) The Taylor collection in the library of the Supreme council, 33. (Washington, D.C.: Supreme Council of the 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1905) Boyden, William Llewellyn Chronology, the Supreme Council. (Washington, D.C.: Supreme Council of the 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1939) Boyden, William Llewellyn History of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in the District of Columbia. (Washington, D.C.: Supreme Council of the 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States [1940]) Boyden, William Llewellyn Classification of the Literature of Freemasonry and Related Societies. (Washington, D.C.: Supreme Council 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1946) Harris, Ray Baker Eleven Gentlemen of Charleston, Founders of the Supreme Council, Mother Council of the World, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. (Washington, D.C.: Supreme Council 33o for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1959) Harris, Ray Baker Sesqui-centennial History of the Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, District of Columbia, 1811-1961. (Washington, D.C.: Grand Lodge, F.A.A.M., District of Columbia, 1962) Harris, Ray Baker History of the Supreme Council, 33, Mother Council of the World, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A., 18011861. Prepared for publication by James D. Carter. (Washington, D.C.: Supreme Council 33 for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, and Roberts Publishing Co., 1964; rpt. 1959, rpt. 2002) Mackey, Albert Gallatin (1807-1881) An Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences. [1873]; 2 Vols. (New and revised edition) (New York: The Masonic History Company, 1918) McClenachan, Charles Thompson (1829-1896) The Book of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry: containing instructions in all the degrees from the third to the thirty-third, and last degree of the rite, together with ceremonies of inauguration. (New York, [Press of A. H. Kellogg] 1901; revised and enlarged edition, 1914) Copy in Rare Books Room, Pattee Library at The Pennsylvania State University,with an initiation program from a Scottish Rite Lodge in New Jersey from the 1920s

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The copy of the Ritual in the Rare Books Room at Penn State includes an initiation program from a Scottish Rite Lodge in New Jersey from the 1920s.