Caps
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Second only to the Masonic apron, the Scottish Rite cap is undoubtedly one of Freemasonry's most distinctive items of regalia. But, while we as speculative Masons inherit the Masonic apron from the operative craft of the medieval stonemasons, the Scottish Rite cap comes down to us from the medieval chivalric tradition. When the Master Mason receives the Thirty-Second Degree and dons the black satin headgear of the Scottish Rite, the Masonic craftsman is elevated to an order of Masonic knighthood.
The Scottish Rite cap is a vestige of the dress regalia more commonly associated with orders of European knighthood. Aside from their distinctive caps, the full-dress regalia of the various orders includes other accouterments such as sashes or cordons, swords and sword belts, cloaks or capes, and jewels, badges, and other decorations denoting their rank or office within their respective orders.
THE SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDER
The Sovereign Grand Commander is the highest ranking officer of The Supreme Council and the chief executive and judicial officer of the Rite within this Supreme Council’s Jurisdiction. He is the representative of The Supreme Council when that Body is not in session and is invested with general powers of supervision and administration everywhere within its Jurisdiction. The cap for the Sovereign Grand Commander is violet in color and features a darker violet band embroidered with laurel vine, leaf, and berry pattern in gold. On the front is the symbol of his office, a Cross of Salem with crosslets.
SOVEREIGN GRAND INSPECTOR GENERAL
This is the title of an Active Member of The Supreme Council. There is only one Active Member for any one Orient (state, territory, or country). He is the highest ranking officer of the Rite within his jurisdiction, and, in relation to the Rite, his powers are similar to those of a Grand Master of the Symbolic Craft subject, however, to The Supreme Council and the Sovereign Grand Commander. The cap of an Active Member is purple and features the symbol of his office, a slanting Patriarchal Cross with crosslets.
INSPECTOR GENERAL HONORARY
During the Biennial Session of The Supreme Council, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General and Deputies nominate a small quota of members who are Knights Commander Court of Honour to receive the Thirty-third Degree. A committee reviews the nominations, but The Supreme Council must vote upon every nomination. Members unanimously so elected become honorary members of The Supreme Council. The Thirty-third Degree may not be requested. The Degree is conferred solely out of recognition for outstanding services. The only difference between the jewel of the Thirty-third Degree and that for an Active Member of The Supreme Council is that the latter is larger. The cap for an Inspector General Honorary is white with a white band edged in gold, featuring the symbol for this honorary Degree, a red slanting Patriarchal Cross.
MASTER OF THE ROYAL SECRET
This is the title of a 32° member of the Scottish Rite. The cap of a Master of the Royal Secret is black silk with a black band trimmed in gold. In the center front is a double-headed eagle emblem with a rayed equilateral triangle above in gold. The triangle is red, has 32° in its center, and is trimmed with gold.
The jewel of the Thirty-second Degree is a Teutonic Cross of gold, one and three-fourth inches square, with raised or beaded edges and a background frosted surface, having in the center a wreath of green enamel, with a gold tie at the bottom, and within the wreath the Roman numerals XXXII in gold.
Southern Jurisdiction
FIFTY-YEAR MEMBER
Southern Jurisdiction
Any 14° member of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, who is in good standing and who became a member fifty years prior to the current calendar year is entitled to recognition as such. Such recognition entitles the recipient to receive a proper certificate and to wear a 50 year lapel pin or cap. The cap of a 50 year member is blue with a blue band. In the front at the center is a figure "50" surrounded by a green silk embroidered laurel wreath.
KNIGHT COMMANDER OF THE COURT OF HONOUR
Southern Jurisdiction
The Rank of Knight Commander of the Court of Honour is not a Degree but an Investiture bestowed upon members deserving recognition for faithful services to the Rite. The respective Sovereign Grand Inspectors General or Deputies likewise nominate members for this honor, and these must also be unanimously approved by The Supreme Council. This Investiture is a prerequisite of receiving the Thirty-third Degree at some later time, though relatively few receive this distinction.
The cap of the Knight Commander Court of Honour is red with a darker red band trimmed in gold. In the center front is a representation of the Knight Commander Jewel, a Passion Cross with fancy arms, featuring in the center a trefoil embroidered in green encircled by the "Kt\ Comm\ Court of Honour" embroidered in gold. The symbol used here, the tripod \, was regularly used in formal Masonic documents in place of a period in the abbreviation of formal titles. Its use is maintained as a tribute to the Craft’s distinguished past in much Masonic writing today, such as in the Scottish Rite Journal, but it may be and often is replaced by a standard period.
DEPUTY OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL
Southern Jurisdiction
In Orients (states, territories or countries) which do not have an Active Member, the Sovereign Grand Commander appoints a "Deputy of the Supreme Council." The Deputy has powers similar to those of a Sovereign Grand Inspector General. However, he has no vote in the Supreme Council and holds his office at the pleasure of the Sovereign Grand Commander. The Deputy’s cap is white with a scarlet band and features on the front a slanting Patriarchal Cross.
GRAND CROSS OF THE COURT OF HONOUR
Southern Jurisdiction
This is the highest individual honor that The Supreme Council bestows. It is voted very rarely to Thirty-third Degree Masons only for the most exceptional and extraordinary services. The Grand Cross cap is white with a blue band. On the front is a replica of the Grand Cross jewel, which is composed of a Teutonic Cross, with an embroidered crimson rose with green leaves at its center.
CORRECT WEARING OF THE CAP
Southern Jurisdiction
"If wearing the cap is in good taste and appropriate for a positive Scottish Rite image, it is time to educate the general public regarding the cap, who is wearing it, and the organization it represents."
The Supreme Council has set forth a rule of the correct wearing of the cap. When wearing a cap it will be considered to be a part of the apparel of the wearer and will not be removed. At the presentation of the flag, the cap will remain in place, and the members will stand at attention with the right hand over the heart. During prayer the cap will remain in place and the hands and arms will be crossed as in the 18th Degree--the "Sign of the Good Shepherd".
The wearing of caps is considered proper a Reunions, Scottish Rite Meetings, Maundy Thursday services, etc. It is improper for the cap to be worn in any other public place.
RINGS AND BADGES
Both
JurisdictionsRINGS
14°
Central to the ritual of the 14°, Perfect Elu, is the presentation of a ring, worn by Scottish Rite Masons from the 14° through the 32°. It is a plain gold band with an equilateral triangular plate enclosing the Hebrew letter yud, the initial letter of Yahweh—the tetragrammaton—the ineffable name of God. Engraved on the inside is the Latin motto, "Virtus Junxit Mors Non Separabit" (Whom virtue unites, death will not separate). Ill. Bro. Jim Tresner, 33°, G.C., tells us in Vested in Glory, "The circular shape of the ring symbolizes unending commitment and loyalty, just as it does in a marriage. The triangular plate and the letter signify that the commitment is to the Deity."
33°
Possibly the most recognized (and certainly misunderstood) Masonic honor is the Thirty-Third Degree of the Scottish Rite. About 1.5% of our members hold this Degree. The ring is a triple band of gold, either plain or with a triangular plate of gold enclosing the numerals 33.
BADGES
32°
A Thirty-Second Degree Mason, Master of the Royal Secret, is identified with the jewel of the Degree: a gold Teutonic Cross with the numerals XXXII surrounded by a laurel wreath in the center and suspended from a white ribbon. The Teutonic Cross was probably adopted because the Grand Constitutions of 1786 were believed to be authored by the Prussian King, Frederick the Great, and the Teutonic Knights were the preeminent German order of knighthood. The laurel wreath is the ancient symbol of victory and triumph, and it is used throughout Scottish Rite Regalia. Here it can signify the triumph of attaining the Royal Secret.
33°
The Thirty-Third Degree jewel, suspended from a white ribbon, has very distinctive details.
Jim Tresner describes it as follows: "The basis of the jewel is a Teutonic Cross. On that is a nine-pointed star, composed of three gold triangles, interlaced. The design also forms nine small triangles, and in each of these is one of the letters … 'S.A.P.I.E.N.T.I.A.,' the Latin word for wisdom. A sword extends from the lower part of the left side of the jewel to the upper part of the right side. Crossing that is … a 'Hand of Justice.' This forms a scepter, terminating in a carving of a hand…. On top of the cross, triangles, crossed sword, and Hand of Justice is a circular plate, and on the plate is a shield with a crowned double-headed eagle. To the right of the eagle is a balance and to the left is a Square and Compasses. Around the design are the Latin words Ordo ab Chao, Order out of Chaos, enclosed by two serpents, each biting its tail."
The Teutonic Cross continues to remind us of the German origins of the Grand Constitutions of 1786. The double-headed eagle looking to the East and West may be from the coat of arms of Germany or from a French ancestor organization of the Scottish Rite, the Emperors of the East and West. Its crown signifies that the Thirty-third Degree is the administrative Degree of the Rite, and this symbolism of proper administration is continued with the sword of strength, the hand of justice, and the scales in balance. The three three-sided figures remind us of 33, the number of this Degree, while Sapientia indicates the symbolic achievement required for this recognition. The snakes biting their tails are ancient symbols of eternity and completion, and can allude to the scriptural admonition, "Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).
Southern Jurisdiction
Knight Commander of the Court of Honour
After being a Thirty-Second Degree Mason in the Southern Jurisdiction for at least 46 months and distinguishing himself in service to Masonry, to the Scottish Rite, or to the service of humanity, a Brother may be selected to be invested with the Rank and Decoration of a Knight Commander of the Court of Honour. The selection is made by the Supreme Council at its Biennial Session meeting every odd year, and about 2.5% of our members have been so recognized. Recipients of this honor receive a special jewel to wear on their coats, over the heart. The K.C.C.H. jewel is a red passion cross (arms of unequal length), fitched (the ends terminate in three points) on a circle of laurel leaves, on which is a raised gold circular plate, with gold beads around the circumference. The plate is enameled in white, and on it is a green trefoil, an ancient symbol of spirituality. Around the trefoil is "KT. COMM. COURT OF HONOUR." The jewel is suspended from a white ribbon.
Grand Cross of the Court of Honour
The highest honor awarded by the Supreme Council, 33°, S.J., is the Grand Cross of the Court of Honour. There are fewer than 60 living recipients of this decoration out of nearly 400,000 members in the Southern Jurisdiction. The Grand Cross jewel has as its foundation the Teutonic Cross of the 32° and 33° resting on a wreath of gold oak leaves, emblematic of strength of purpose in the service of humanity and the Rite. In the center is a gold circular plate with a blue enameled border containing the gold letters, "GR. CROSS COURT OF HONOUR." In the center of the plate is an enameled crimson rose with green leaves on a white background. The red rose recalls the imagery of the 18°, Knight Rose Croix, where the flower represents renewal, as a recipient of the Grand Cross is forever renewing his efforts to serve.
Portions from:
The Distinctive Regalia of the Scottish Rite
by Pete Normand, 33°
