The Degree Rituals The Supreme Council, 33 ... - Scottish Rite, NMJ

The Degree Rituals
Time and Scheduling
One of the greatest influences on ritual revision is the element of time. In
recent decades Scottish Rite reunions have been contracted into increasingly
tighter time schedules. Even large Valleys are challenged by this kind of pressure.
The day is long past when candidates anywhere in the jurisdiction experience
all 29 degrees before attaining the 32°. At present, two eight-hour
daily sessions probably represent the maximum in degree programs. In many
Valleys it can be considerably less. One-day reunions, originally introduced
as special occasions to accommodate candidates whose occupational obligations
would not allow their participation for a longer period, soon became
commonplace occurrences.
One-day reunions provide adequate time for candidates to witness the six
degree rituals required as a minimum for advancement to the 32° (Constitutions
516-1). A schedule that provides only the minimum requirement, however,
affords little opportunity for candidates, and members for that matter, to
witness the remaining 23 degree rituals and experience the full degree system
of the Rite as it was intended and designed. In 1990 the Committee on Rituals
reported as a matter for concern the growing trend toward shorter reunions
and the presentation of fewer degrees, as candidates who witness only the required
degrees are not exposed to the complete philosophy of Scottish Rite
Masonry.
Such concerns led to the Scottish Rite passport program, proposed in 1999,
to encourage 32° Masons to witness all the Scottish Rite degrees. The following
year the Supreme Council adopted a policy goal for each Valley in the jurisdiction
to present every one of the 29 degrees at least once during a six-year
cycle. Of course, both of these programs are dependent upon voluntary compliance
by members and Valleys. Their success has been limited.
More effective in addressing the problem generated by shorter reunion
schedules has been the policy of the committee in revising the degree rituals
to make them more concise. This policy was first formalized in 1995, when
the Supreme Council approved a recommendation of the committee to eliminate
the opening and ceremonial sections from all future revisions of the de-
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