A look at the different rites and at a plethora of organizations that have “something to do” with Freemasonry.
by Massimo Introvigne
Article 7 of 8. Read article 1, article 2, article 3, article 4, article 5, and article 6.
Masonic encyclopedias mention several hundred different rites, which it would certainly take too long to examine here. At the heart of Masonic history is the Emulation Rite. It takes its name from the Emulation Lodge of Improvement, which was born as a result of the “Antient” schism (mentioned in the fourth article of this series) and its solution. After the end of the schism and the birth of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1813, the need was felt of reconciling the rituals. Eventually, this became the task of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement, which first met in 1823.
The Emulation Rite is the most widely practiced for the first three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason in English lodges. Widely practiced, and governed by their own hierarchies, are also the so-called complementary degrees. They are the degree of Royal Arch, which complements that of Master Mason, and the degree of Mark Mason, complementary to that of Fellowcraft. Also widespread in Anglo-Saxon lodges are the degrees of Knights Templar, which represent what survives of the Templar legend in mainline Freemasonry.
In the United States, the York Rite, which blends together Blue Freemasonry, Royal Arch, Mark Masonry (degrees fourth through seventh), “cryptic” degrees (eighth and ninth, plus tenth in some jurisdictions) and three orders and one passing “Templar” orders, is widely used. With the York Rite it rivals in diffusion the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, in thirty-three degrees. Hence the habit in several countries of considering the highest ranking Freemasons as necessarily endowed with the status of “33,” which is true for this rite but not for others.
In the Grand Orient of France, a French Rite is followed, which is much more meager and simplified. “Egyptian” freemasonries normally use the Memphis (92 degrees) and Misraïm (90 degrees) rites, created between 1813 and 1838, as well as various combinations of them. In some countries, variants of the Memphis and/or Misraïm are also recognized as rites by “regular” obediences.
In the specialized literature one often encounters reference to “para-Masonic,” “quasi-Masonic,” and “pseudo-Masonic” bodies. Scholars generally reserve the appellation “para-Masonic” for orders and societies that are not technically part of Freemasonry but admit exclusively Freemasons into their ranks. The most important such organization is the Shrine. Its full name is Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. It was founded in 1871 in the United States by physician Walter Millard Fleming (1838–1913) and actor William Jermyn Florence (1831–1891).
The Shrine adopts “Islamic” and oriental symbolism, which is sometimes truly grandiose. Some of its “temples” look like large mosques and possess authentic “Arab” camels, not without a playful intention of staging and joking. However, the Shrine brings together an elite of American Freemasonry and also enjoys prestige for its impressive charitable activities in the field of children’s hospitals.
We can call “quasi-Masonic” the numerous bodies and fraternities that have sprung up especially in the United States, and sometimes elsewhere, in imitation of and in competition with Freemasonry. Often, but not always, they cater to lower social classes than those from which Freemasons draw their members. They include the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Improved Order of Red Men, and many others. The famous television series “Happy Days” (1974–1984) satirized the fraternity model by staging an imaginary “Leopard Lodge No. 462” where hardware store owner Howard Cunningham has the title “Grand Poobah,” The title was actually borrowed from the comic opera “The Mikado” (1885) by the famous couple of William Schwenck Gilbert (1836–1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) These “quasi-Masonic” orders, now in marked decline but still in existence, are not part of Freemasonry. They show that Freemasonry is the species of a genus, the modern “fraternity,” which has expressed itself in different forms, addressing in different environments the same kind of sociological needs and expectations.
Masonic literature likes to call “pseudo-Masonic” bodies that use the word “Freemasonry” in their name but are considered outside the Masonic world by most “regular” or official bodies. This includes initiatives set up from time to time by mere adventurers selling “Masonic” degrees for pure profit, an activity forbidden by the law in the United States, where the name “Freemasonry” is reserved to some obediences only, but not always elsewhere. There are also groups that invent “Freemasonries” without any derivation from known obediences to cover up illicit or criminal activities. There have been several Mafia-connected examples of this in Southern Italy in recent years.
In the past, some called a “pseudo-Freemasonry” also the so-called Prince Hall Freemasonry, which arose among African Americans who for long years were excluded from lodges in the United States and are still discreetly discouraged from joining in some states. Having been excluded from white Freemasonry, African Americans formed in the 19th century (with prodromes as early as the 18th) a Masonic obedience called Prince Hall after the name of its 18th-century founder (ca. 1735–1807). Later, white Masonic and para-Masonic organizations acquired one after another an African-American counterpart: the Shrine was matched by a Black Shrine, and so on.
Relations between Freemasonry and Prince Hall Freemasonry have certainly improved in recent years. Various American lodges have developed cordial relations, no longer use the term “pseudo-Masonry,” and rather regard Prince Hall as a legitimate Masonic body. The United Grand Lodge of England has recognized most of the independent Prince Hall Grand Lodges that exist in states of the U.S. and in some foreign countries, thus settling the question of regularity.
However, the name “Prince Hall” is used by different and competing organizations. Those recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England and by “regular” American Freemasonry are all part of the so-called Prince Hall Affiliation (PHA). The rival Prince Hall Origin (PHO) is regarded as “irregular” by both the United Grand Lodge of England and mainline American Freemasonry, as are other minor African American obediences. There are also attempts at dialogue between the different Prince Hall branches.
