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Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite For Australia
Southern Cross Grand Consistory 32° meets at the Bayside Masonic Centre on the 1st Friday in July and at the Western Masonic Centre on the last 5th Wednesday in the year (December excluded)
The Grand Consistory conducts the 31° and 32° of the Rite.
Further details of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for Australia can be found at their website: https://sites.google.com/view/aasr-australia-region3
Brief History
So that you may know something about the Rite, following is a portion of our History.
The Rite (containing 33 Degrees) is indeed a complete Rite containing the three Craft Degrees.
We do not however work our own craft degrees in Australia (except, very infrequently, for education/demonstration purposes) accepting the Craft degrees as their equivalent.
Some of our Degrees date from the 1600’s.
One of the important degrees in the Rite, now known as the Rose Croix Degree, is claimed to date from before 1700. Indeed by about 1730 some 12 versions of that degree existed. In its early years the Degree had an interesting history and was an integral part in what were known as “The High Grades of Masonry”.
In the 1762 Constitutions of the Rite of Perfection or “Order of the Royal Secret”, it was listed as the 18th Degree (or 5th Grade), in the twenty five Degrees of that Rite (as it existed at that time) which then rapidly spread throughout the “Masonic World”.
Under “The Grand Constitutions of 1786” (for governance of the Order – World Wide), the Rite of Perfection of 25 degrees was reorganised and extended to the 33rd and last Degree of Freemasonry.
It was renamed the “Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry”, with the Rose Croix Degree continuing as the Eighteenth Degree in the new Rite.
The term Scottish does not imply that the Rite came from Scotland. In fact it was developed in Europe and “Scottish” is the translation of the French word “Ecossais”, from some of their Ecossais degrees.
While the Craft degrees are acknowledged to be the foundation stone of all Freemasonry, the instruction given in the Craft degrees is, however, seldom fully grasped by the candidate. He often seeks further instruction and enlightenment to understand the great truths which Freemasonry possesses and teaches.
The Craft degrees forming the wonderful entrance to the great Temple of Freemasonry.
If this is for you?
The Supreme Council for Australia, which is the sovereign authority for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in Australia, is led by a Sovereign Grand Commander, who is supported by the Lieutenant Grand Commander and seven other Officers of Supreme Council who are also the Regional Commanders for this Country, and the Grand Secretary General.
The Chapters and Councils, which are the regular working bodies of the Rite, are aggregated into Districts led by a 33° District Commander, and these into Regions led by a Regional Commander.
Organisation
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is: The largest body of Freemasons in the world working under a single constitution. In numbers of members it is second only to Craft Freemasonry.
Sometimes known as Rose Croix Freemasonry (the 18° of the Rite). The only Masonic Order that provides an opportunity for advancement to the 33° A unified Order Nationwide, Australia’s only National Masonic Body.
Structured (unlike some Constitutions) so that All members can participate in, and progress in the conventional way through all degrees, up to and including the 32° The typical interval between each of the worked degrees:-18°, 30°, 31° and 32° being 3 years.
A Rite with two streams of Membership; one requiring Trinitarian belief and the other open to Brethren of all faiths.
Our Meetings are usually held approximately 4 to 6 times per year, so the time and financial commitment is not onerous.
The Rite is governed by the Supreme Council for Australia, as required by the Grand Constitutions of 1786 – and every Chapter across Australia works under the one set of Regulations.
He who would seek more light, more knowledge of the mission and symbolism of Freemasonry, a more complete interpretation of the teachings of the Craft degrees, as well as acceptance into a very special fellowship and Brotherhood, can obtain these within the Ancient and accepted Scottish Rite for Australia.
The Rite is, thus, broadly appealing to Master Masons of good character who are interested in developing their Masonic knowledge and their circle of Masonic friendships.
Degrees
As stated above there are 33 degrees in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.
All Members under the Supreme Council for Australia can obtain the full teachings of the AASR as they progress automatically through all degrees up to and including the 32°- Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in ceremonies for the 18th Degree – Sovereign Prince Rose Croix, 30th Degree – Grand Elect Knight Kadosh, 31st Degree – Grand Inspector Inquisitor Commander and 32nd Degree – Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret.
The intermediate degrees are awarded by name and description in one of the above degrees, and are regularly demonstrated in one of our Chapters of Improvement Our Degrees are worked in:-
Sovereign Chapters of the 18°, Sovereign Councils of the 30° and either an annual meeting of a Sovereign Tribunal and Grand Consistory, or in Victoria in a regular meeting (3 to 4 times @ year) of the Southern Cross Grand Consistory.
Qualifications
To become a member of our Rite you must be a Master Mason in good standing of a Craft Lodge owing allegiance to an Australian Grand Lodge or any Grand Lodge in amity with an Australian Grand Lodge.
To remain a member of the Rite, you will be required to remain a member of a recognised Craft Lodge.
Your three craft degrees are accepted as equivalent to the first three degrees of this Rite.
If you truly seek greater knowledge of Freemasonry, we invite you to apply to join our Order.
I am sure that you will find the experience both uplifting and rewarding