Scottish Rite

So if you imagine a tree trunk, and it's an evergreen, and the trees sort of go down like this in an evergreen, that the top of the hierarchy in terms of the branch is where it joins into the trunk and into the tree trunk organization.

And in the tree trunk organizations that we've talked about in the past, you have Freemasonry at the lowest level, so that there's going to be an adept at, um, 3rd degree of the Old York system or 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite system, which is a little bit more prevalent, particularly in North America.

Uh, and above that is, you know, higher degrees.

And I don't know how many degrees there are, but there's a lot.

In the Scottish

...

in Scottish Rite.

Yes.

That for that energy harvesting, that constant pilgrimage.

But then also within the Freemasonry, when it is totally infiltrated and organized in lodges, there is the York Rite and the Scottish Rite.

The York Rite is a little more benevolent than the Scottish one.

And there are different lodges, of course, they all articulate themselves in a global system.

We'll be there tomorrow at 4 o'clock.

That Scottish Rite building, Jack, is going to give us some good shade from the western setting sun, which will be awesome.

And we'll be down there having a good old time.

But when the Longhorns go on the road, which won't happen until the end of the month when they go to Knoxville, Tennessee...

Yes, this would be wonderful things for Lodge to share.

As a matter of fact, my Scottish Rite bodies in Long Beach, when I was living down there, I gave the pre-degree classes.

Certain degrees are just...

Kabbalah is mentioned right and left.

Benevolent fraternal organization.

Albert Pike, and you're going to hear an awful lot about Albert Pike during this series, the sovereign grand commander of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry here in the United States from 1850 to 1891, the man who founded the Ku Klux Klan and B'nai B'rith, wrote a book entitled Morals and Dogma.

And when and if you can find that book, don't pass it up.

Buy it and read it.

Hall.

Yep.

His book is given to each Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction Freemason who is asked to read it.

There seems to be a difference of opinion as to whether or not this book is still required reading for each Scottish Rite Mason.

But yeah, so I was speaking at a lodge of Freemasons a while ago, and in Freemasonry, so you go through through the first three degrees which is really what's considered to be freemasonry proper in in the english-speaking world so uh ended apprentice fellow craft master mason so you're a master mason that's as high as it gets then there are these quote quote unquote higher degrees which you can't take or you you don't have to take them doesn't It doesn't make you better.

But a lot of the more esoterically inclined Freemasons will go through the Scottish Rite in particular.

And then if they're really, really esoterically inclined, they might join a Martinist order, then the Inner Elect Cohen order, then the Golden Dawn order.

And then whatever is beyond that, you know, the inner world of the Golden Dawn and then some other orders as well.

But for us to believe that this took 24 months in 1884 before the power tool and then randomly burns down is, in my opinion, is complete nonsense.

Back then, many of the masons worked downtown, and even as the building burned, they saved the books, said Abby Hughes, a master mason and member of the Scottish Rite for 56 years.

They moved almost everything, even the grandfather clock, where we are told this building also held an elaborate Italian marble staircase, and they saved that as well.

I'm going to ask you guys, Does this sound like a fire? Or does this sound like a demolition after they removed everything? Let me know what you think in the comments.

The cornerstone is said to have been laid in February of 1884, that same year that Clayton wrapped up this building that had a demon fire that licked its way through the rich furnishings, gutted the building, and cracked the walls.

sending debris flying into the streets, where thousands of people watched.

Another quote from Abbie Hughes, the master mason of the Scottish Rite for 56 years, when I'm sure nobody was watching them do anything.

Ball High started its construction in 1884 and wrapped it right up in 1886.