Scottish Rite Questions

[Trufflehound]

This is going to sound like an odd question (or series of questions), and I'm thinking it'll be best if I ask someone out here locally, but:

When the Scottish Rite gets together for their reunions and confers degrees, how does that typically go? If it's a two day reunion, do they do roughly half the degrees one day and all the rest the next? Or are only half the degrees conferred in the Spring, and the latter half in the Fall?

And when they do the degree work, is each degree performed (from 4 all the way to 32), or is it only a few "selected" degrees?

Scottish Rite appears to be big(ger) in Georgia; when I lived in Texas, it appeared to me that the York Rite was. I guess it's a regional thing. While living here, I'm thinking of going into the SR, and if I ever find my way back to Texas, I think I'd like to do YR there.

 

[jaanthony]

I hope you find the time for both. Each have beautiful teachings. Being a member of both myself it has certainly assisted me in my search for more light.

Freemason Connect Mobile

 

[jaanthony]

I also suggest that if you take the Scottish Rite Degrees to do them all in a three or two day Reunion.

Freemason Connect Mobile

 

[MarkR]

In answer to your question, if varies considerably by Scottish Rite Valley. Some only confer the five obligatory degrees (4, 14, 18, 30, 32) in full theatrical form, and simply communicate the rest (reading a short summary of the degree and its lesson.) Some do more. Some confer all 29 (4-32°) over several months. My valley confers 16 of them and communicates the remaining 13, spread out over ten months. We don't do weekend reunions.

So, you really need to find out from the Valley that you're considering petitioning.

 

[dfreybur]

A lot of SR valleys confer the mandatory degrees at a reunion, plus one or more optional ones. The rest are "communicated" which means a summary is read to the candidates. I've seen one SR valley that doesn't even communicate the skipped one.

Valleys in a state or region tend to cooperate on which optional ones they present. This means you can travel around visiting and get the optional ones over time. I've taken my wife with me and made a mini-vacation weekend of it doing that.

 

[crono782]

My Valley (Fort Worth) does a 2 day reunion over 2 saturdays twice a year. They confer 24 at a time full form. The 5 they leave out in the spring will be done in the fall and vice versa so 2 reunions will get you all 29. The required degrees are done at both for sure. Valley of Dallas does them all over a 3 day reunion over 3 saturdays with the required degrees done during the first two days and again on the third. There's lots of ways to schedule it.


Freemason Connect Mobile

 

[Trufflehound]

Thanks for the information, everyone.

My Valley (Fort Worth) does a 2 day reunion over 2 saturdays twice a year. They confer 24 at a time full form. The 5 they leave out in the spring will be done in the fall and vice versa so 2 reunions will get you all 29. The required degrees are done at both for sure. Valley of Dallas does them all over a 3 day reunion over 3 saturdays with the required degrees done during the first two days and again on the third. There's lots of ways to schedule it.

You're making me wish I had never left DFW. I just talked with someone over here, and it sounds like they do seven degrees in-full where I'm at in Georgia. I'm guessing that the others are read. There's nothing wrong with that, but I was kind of hoping to be be able to get them one at a time in-full, each degree separated by about six months. I'm sure it sounds stupid, but I don't want the whole thing to be a blur.