Kenneth Mackenzie, in his Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia, p. 633, gives the objects of study, which it might be useful to study in connection with the table he presents on page 617. This is all ripped from Magister Pianco's exposé on the Gold R+C.
JUNIORES: Learners…
THEORICUS: The realization of Gold without labour
PRACTICUS: Inured to hardship; find from other sources the essential forces in the form of coin, which govern any body of men. Invested with a knowledge of chaos.
PHILOSOPHICUS: Botany, Natural History, Sciences.
ADEPTUS MINOR: Instructed in the Nature of the Philosophical Sun.
ADEPTUS MAJOR: Possess the Lapidem Mineralem, or Magnet.
ADEPTUS EXEMPTUS: Acquainted with the philosopher's stone; the Kabbalah, and Natural Magic.
MAGISTER TEMPLI: The three principle sciences in a perfect degree.
MAGUS: Nothing is unknown. They claim superiority and rank over all others, as Moses, Aaron, Hermes, Hiram and others did.
This is the skeleton of the old system. Mackenzie copied it from other sources, probably Magister Pianco. Next, we come to the Table. Here are thumbnails of the charts in MacKenzie's Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia:
Next, we shall cover the degrees of the 1777 Rite as they were elaborated by Waite.
"Those who are acquainted with the broad elements of the Secret Tradition in Israel and what may be called its charter of transmission will see that this Legend of Foundation is varied but slightly therefrom, the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross being substituted for other equally mythical keepers, such as the Sons of the Doctrine in the ZOHAR. The Legend is notable otherwise as formulating for the first time, and on the authority of the Order itself, what may be called the once familiar and even popular thesis which represented Speculative Masonry as emerging from a Rosicrucian centre. Assuredly those writers of the early nineteenth century, such as Bühle and Nicolai, who put forward this view were unacquainted with these unprinted sources from which my account is drawn, and it is interesting that they were forestalled by the Brotherhood some twenty-five years at least. It should be added that the qualification required for JUNIORES of the Rosy Cross was that of Master Masons, who were termed Masters of the Appearance of Light, otherwise Masters of the Dawn of Light and of the Lost Word. At the beginning of his experience as a Novice the Candidate received a summary explanation of the Craft Grades in the light of Hermetic science. The Pillars J.'. and B.'. are significant of far more than simple Beauty and Strength: they connote eternity and time, the male and female principles, the two everlasting seeds, the active and passive which rule in all created Nature. The Sun, Moon and Stars represent the Three Philosophical Principles, being Salt, Sulphur and Mercury. These are clear issues at their value, but it is said also - and in a more strained, artificial manner- that the seven steps set forth the wisdom of Solomon in his recognition of the Trinity and the four active qualities. They are typical also of the seven planets and seven metals. As regards Masonic tools - the gavel, compasses, trowel, square and so forth - they do not refer to the building of any earthly temple but to the work of erecting furnaces and the making of vessels which are necessary to the science of physics. In the Third Degree the dead body of Hiram alludes to philosophical putrefaction; the three lights mean God, Christ and Man, the beginning, middle, and end of all things, and finally soul, spirit and body. As regards the Substituted Word in the Third Degree, the Novice is taught thereby that the inferior Brethren - who walk in parabolic darkness - have lost the Word, which is the Name applied to the true matter of the Stone, connoting also the valid understanding thereof and how it is to be sought and found, namely, through God and His wisdom, according to the blessing of Jacob [See Genesis xxvii, 28.] - that is, in the dew of heaven and the fat of the earth. The philosophical matter is said further to bear record of those who are three and one, yet not God, but the principle of the world and the end of all things. I conceive that this is an allusion to the three alchemical principles already mentioned, embroidered on Rosicrucian vestments.
"The validity of these interpretations is not a question at issue, but the fact that they were communicated to neophytes as of faith in the Order, combined with the Masonic qualification and the claim that Speculative Masonry originated within the secret circle, are obvious warrants for affirming that whatever Grades were administered by the Golden and Rosy Cross can be regarded only as superposed on the Craft Degrees. [At the Masonic Convention of Paris, held in 1785, Baron de Gleichen affirmed (1) that the Rosicrucians claim to be the Superiors and Founders of Freemasonry; (2) that they explain all its emblems Hermetically; (3) that it was brought in their hypothesis to England during the reign of King Arthur; (4) that Raymond Lully initiated Henry IV, King of England; (5) that the Grand Masters of the Order - then as now - were designated by the titles of John I, II, III, and so onward; (6) that the jewel was a golden compass suspended on a white ribbon, as a symbol of purity and wisdom; (7) that the emblems of the "floor cloth", or Tracing Board in modern parlance, included Sun, Moon and Double Triangle, with an Aleph placed in the centre; (8) that the Grades at this period were three in number; and (9) that the Master-Grade, as practised now among us, is the shadow of something which was then of great significance.] It was therefore within its own measures and subject to its distinctive characters a High Grade movement, comparable as such to the Rite of Perfection, the Scottish Philosophical Rite and others by scores. Like genuine Rose-Croix Masonry, it was also Christian and maintained the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity, as we have indeed seen otherwise. The Grades were nine in number, being (1) Fratres Zelatores vel Juniores; (2) Fratres Theoretici; (3) Fratres Practici, (4) Fratres Philosophici, (5) Adepti Minores, (6) Adepti Majores, (7) Adepti Exempti, (8) Magistri, (9) Magi. The authority for this sequence rests in part on the documents, to some of which I have alluded, and in part on that work under the name of Magister Pianco, entitled THE ROSICRUCIAN UNVEILED, published at Hamburg in 1782, the content of which has been discussed in my previous note.
The Masonic qualification was not in itself a sole and sufficient warrant for reception into the Rosy and Golden Cross. The petitioner having made his formal application for admission, and this having been entertained by the Directorate of the Order, he was supplied with a list of questions designed to test his fitness, and put by some texts in the following terms:
(1) What in your opinion are the ends of this Sacred Order and in virtue of what motives do you seek admission?
(2) Are you acquainted with the aims and dedications of our laudable Brotherhood and what are those qualities by which, in your own expectation, you hope to be found worthy to share therein?
(3) Have you diligently examined
your own capacity?
(4) Are you conscious of such courage
and firmness as will enable you to withstand those trials by which the Superiors
of the Order may search your heart and prove your strength of mind?
(5)
Do you commit yourself with confidence to the Venerable Superiors of the Order,
putting trust in their wisdom and love, notwithstanding that they have the power
of life and death over those who are under their obedience?
(6)
Do you confess that the Holy and Worshipful Order is endowed with knowledge and
wisdom, that it possesses the highest secrets of Nature, including true cognition
of the image of our Principle, and that it can communicate them to zealous disciples,
according to their abilities and desert?
(7) Do you
believe that the elevation of base metals into gold and silver can be performed
by the processes of the Order?
(8) Have you made any
study of the works which treat of true physics, the high science of chemistry
founded thereupon, and Natural and Divine Magic? What books do you know-meaning
obviously on Hermetic subjects-and what are your views concerning them?
(9)
Have you made any practical experiments in chemistry, in which case what was the
object in view and what was the object attained?
(10)
Do you enjoy any secret knowledge whatever, and if so in what does it consist?
(11)
Are you ready and willing to attain the truth and to learn the refinement of metals
by operative practice?
(12) Are you pure in your intentions?
Are you solely in search of wisdom, knowledge and virtue, according to the good
pleasure of God and for the service of your neighbour?
(13) Have you, in fine, resolved, of your own free will and apart from all compulsion, to petition for admission to the Genuine, Most Ancient and Laudable Order of the Rosy and Golden Cross, submitting to its Laws and Bye-Laws, pledging yourself to inviolable secrecy and unconditional obedience, that you may become a true Son of Wisdom?
As regards the Form of Application which preceded the communication of these test questions, it appears to have been bried and informal, the postulant being left to express it in his own terms. A typical example is as follows:
" I, N. N., being a Master of the Shadow of Light and of the Lost Word, do petition hereby and herein, and by the Holy Number of the Order, to be received into the most Ancient and Genuine Order of True Rosicrucians, according to the old system."
In respect of the questions themselves, supposing that the particular Order of the Rosy Cross, whether of the old or another system, were veridic Adepti, familiar with the secrets of transmutation, it is-as we have seen in the case of the Sigmund Richter foundation-an incredible hypothesis that they should have been anxious to receive members and should have devised an elaborate system for the initiation and advancement of Candidates. They had nothing to gain thereby and they ran a considerable risk in respect of the Great Secret, which all alchemists were supposed to guard so jealously, while it was obviously possible that their science could be transmitted in a simpler and safer manner, according to the old traditional method of communication from master to pupil, and could in this way be kept alive equally in the world. I am led therefore to conclude that as this particular branch of the Rosy Cross was at least concerned mainly with the physical work on metals, it was an association on the quest and not at the term of attainment. Its position, in other words, was similar to that of Sigmund Richter, whether or not it had made a certain progress during the intervening sixty years. [Compare Thory's ACTA LATOMORUM, which affirms that the Brotherhood of 1777 promised the Secret of the Great Work and the Universal Medicine. It would be the current report of the period.]
I pass now to the Rituals of the several Grades, of which there are five codices within my own knowledge, premising that they present the earlier stages at full length, while they disclose nothing whatever as regards the status of Magistri and Magi or the method of induction into these exalted positions.
Concerning postulants for the Novitiate, otherwise the Grade of Zelator, it is laid down (1) that the special qualifications are intelligence, sincerity, a disposition towards peace, desire of knowledge and the virtue of willing obedience; (2) that each applicant must be warned against fostering false and illusory notions; (3) that there must be no thought of riches or greatness; (4) that the heart must be set on the path of quickening virtue, realising (5) that it is the duty of one and all to carry the doctrines of the Order by their own diligence into practical experience.
On the day for reception, the Candidate was provided with Bread and Wine, in a vestibule and was required to wash his hands. There also he was asked whether it was his sincere wish to become a humble Apprentice of the True Wisdom and a zealous Brother of the Rosy Cross. Having satisfied his conductor, he was led into a second room and was called upon to affirm (1) that he had no vain or evil purpose in view; (2) that he was not covetous of material wealth; (3) that he thirsted after wisdom, virtue and the secret art for the better fulfilment of Christian duty.
He was then bound with cords about the hands and neck, a white veil being also placed over his head.
In this condition he was led to the third and innermost apartment, where he was presented as one whose spiritual being was imprisoned by an earthly body, which however could be rendered perfect and thus justified by the spirit. He was subjected to further questioning and placed within a fourfold circle to take the pledge of the Grade. The circles were respectively coloured black, white, yellow and red, by allusion to the successive states and stages which appear in the Philosophical Work, being (1) Putrefaction; (2) Albation; (3) Gradation; (4) Rubification, or the achievement of the Highest Arcanum of Nature. But the fourfold circle as a whole is said also to be a symbol of eternity - compare the Masonic Grade of ROSE-CROIX - and of the everlasting covenant into which the Candidate enters with God and the Brethren.
The Pledge was taken on the New Testament and - according to one of the codices - was couched in the following terms:
"I, Brother X, Y, Z, in the Name of the Triune God, Omnipotent and Omnipresent, in the presence of this Illustrious Order, and before its Worshipful Masters, do hereby and hereon vow, promise and swear: (1) That I will work steadfastly in the fear of God and to His honour; (2) That I will never cause distress to my neighbour of my own will and intent; (3) That I will maintain inviolable secrecy in all that concerns the Brotherhood; (4) That I will always pay due obedience to my Superiors; (5) That I will act with perfect faith in respect of the Order; (6) That I will reserve no secret from the Honourable Fraternity which belongs to the business thereof; (7) And finally, that I will live for the Creator, His Divine Wisdom and for the Order. So help me God Almighty and His Holy Word."
[One alternative version was as follows and was taken on the Gospel according to St. John:
"I, N. N., of my own free will and accord, after due and mature consideration, do vow hereby and hereon to worship the Eternal Jehovah from this day forward, even to my life's end, in spirit and in truth; so far as in me lies, to seek out the Wisdom of God Almighty in Nature; to forego the vanities of this world; to strive for the welfare of my Brethren; to love them; to aid them in their necessity with my counsel and consolation; and finally, to maintain inviolable secrecy. As God is everlasting."
See H. G. Albrecht: SECRET HISTORY OF THE ROSICRUCIANS, 1792, p. 103. We may compare also a Pledge which seems to have been written and signed by the Novice with his own hand after Reception:
"I, A. B., of my own free will and accord, in sincerity and truth of heart, do obligate and dedicate myself, soul and body, to God and to the Most Ancient and Venerable Fraternity of the Golden and Rosy Cross, dwelling under Divine Protection. I acknowledge my integration therein by virtue of reception into the First Degree of Juniores and that the same has been ratified in the Supreme Degrees by the Secret Name and Coat of Arms conferred upon me. I submit myself cheerfully and with my whole heart to the ordinances and commands of my Superiors. I undertake to maintain the Seven Points of Obligation, as imposed already upon me, to the best of my ability; and to act as a true Son of Wisdom, deferring to my Director with all patience and obedience. I will keep inviolable the Laws and Regulations of the High Illustrious Brotherhood. I will love and be true thereto. I will preserve everything concerning it in profound and eternal secrecy, in accordance with the third sworn Point of Obligation. So help me God and His Holy Word." - See OSTERR. FREIMAURER ZEITUNG.
It is probable that this post-initiation Pledge was dictated to the Novice, thus accounting for its correspondences and variations in several cases. It is on record that one new member was required to keep silence about certain aberrations and differences, referring presumably to those events which I have cited already as having caused a revolution in the Order circa 1777. ]
It is obvious that this undertaking lies within the general measures of simple piety and good faith, there being nothing - on the surface - of an occult and much less of a Hermetic character, except in so far as the latter is connoted by the reference to "business" of the Order. In respect of Ritual procedure the Golden and Rosy Cross has not made any signal advance upon the Laws published in 1710, for the matter of its First Grade is practically before the reader. That which remains is concerned with the communication of Official Secrets, the Symbolic Name, the Arms bestowed on the Novice, and the payment of fees.
Reception to the Grade of Theoreticus is even more like a shadow of procedure. The Candidate is led into the place of convocation, where he undertakes to maintain the Pledge of the Order and submit to all its Laws, after which he receives the Word and Token, together with a special Cipher, the necessity or reason of which does not appear in the text.
The Grade of Practicus was important, at least, by its name; therein it was the duty of a Superior to instruct the lower Brethren and to prove all their mental powers, because the praxis of true philosophy must rest on a sound theory. On the day and in the place of his reception the Candidate certifies (1) that in his experience of the Order he has found nothing in opposition to the commands of God, the love of others or the welfare of the State; (2) that he will abide by the customs of the Fellowship; (3) that he desires to be numbered among the Practici; (4) that this is of his own free will and (5) that he covenants once more to maintain inviolably the Seven Points Major of his original Pledge. These undertakings are sealed by the threefold Grip of the Grade and the corresponding Secret Words.
When the Grade of Philosophus is worked in ample form there is an elaborate arrangement of apartments and furniture therein, but the essential procedure in most versions lies within a moderate compass.
The Candidate is caused to partake of Bread and Wine, and is reminded that the medial or vegetable kingdom of Nature produces nothing more exalted than are these gifts of Heaven, by which also God made and confirmed an Eternal Covenant with the race of man.
He is then directed to wash in pure water and to remember in so doing that the Portals leading to the Higher Wisdom are closed to the impure and open only to virtuous and spiritual men.
He is asked in formal terms whether he will become a Philosophus, is instructed in that case to pay the fee of the Grade and is welcomed by the Philosophical Brethren, who pray that wisdom, peace and joy in God may be with him. He testifies that he has looked for promotion, as on the previous occasions, that he may attain Wisdom, Art, and Virtue, for the service of God and his neighbour. He repeats the Pledge of the Grade, which is one of obedience to the particular Laws thereof, and is anointed with Oil in confirmation of his covenant, made with God and with the Order.
It is prayed that the Spirit of Wisdom may strengthen his senses, enlighten his mind and rule in all his heart.
He is given a new Word and another manner of token, after which he offers incense to the glory of God and His wisdom and for the welfare of all the Brethren. In fine, he is declared a Philosophical Brother in the name of the whole Order and is embraced by all present.
The Candidate for Rosicrucian advancement passes from the Grade of Philosophus to that of Adeptus Minor. It is the taking of an important step and preparations in all cases are made with solemn care. The President or Superior of his district makes known to him the fact of his election, or a messenger, who is himself an Adept, may be sent to him from the general centre. On the eve of the day of advancement he devotes himself to pious meditations on the Divine Goodness, on the immortality of the soul and its royal race.
When the day itself arrives he repairs to the place of assembly in his richest vestures.
The Ceremony in most codices, but not throughout the series, recalls that of the Eighteenth Degree in the Scottish Rite, otherwise ROSE-CROIX OF HEREDOM, and in the summary account which follows I shall omit all descriptions of interiors by reason of this resemblance.
In the part which belongs to the Portal: (1) The Candidate certifies in the presence of chosen Philosophi that he has been called to the rank of Adeptus; (2) The Brethren give him God speed and bid him remember them, even in the Higher Wisdom. (3) The Spokesman of Adepti enters in full regalia and with his face veiled. (4) He wishes all present the blessed fruits alike of eternity and time. (5) He informs the Philosophi that they have been cited as witnesses of a great and holy event, being the transit of one of their number from the fourth to the fifth Grade. (6) He invites them to testify concerning him. (7) They give expression to their approval and bear good witness. (8) The Spokesman of ADEPTI places a gold circlet on the table, puts his right finger therein and directs them to do likewise. (9) They swear to keep secret all that has been performed so far and all that remains to be done. (10) He bids them close the Hall of Assembly in the Philosophical Grade. (11) Thereafter he says that they are about to be deprived of a beloved Brother, but he leaves them in the certain hope that each of them shall be called to advancement in his due turn. (12) The Philosophi are dismissed, and here ends the First Point.
In the Second Point the Spokesman of Adepti is alone with the Candidate and what takes place is discourse between them.
(1)The Spokesman dwells upon the symbolical contrasts of Darkness and Light, Death and Life, Corruption and Resurrection or Rebirth, Time and Eternity. (2) He speaks of the Righteous Man and of the state in which all creation becomes an open book, revealing past, present and future. (3) He affirms that the Grade of Adeptus Minor gives increased knowledge of Nature. (4) There is also philosophical and theosophical contemplation, leading to the attainment of the Blessed Stone. (5) The Stone is triune. (6) It proves the existence of God and the Divine Transmutation of Souls in Christ by the regenerating illumination of the Holy Spirit. (7) The Candidate is asked whether he has sinned against the Order, its Holy Covenant, and the Seven Points of Obligation. (8) In the event of him making acknowledgment, the free confession is taken as a sign of goodwill and he is asked whether he repents. (9) Supposing that he has nothing to confess he is invited to be sorry in respect of all human errors. (10) The required acknowledgment being made in either case, the Spokesman of the Adepti pronounces absolution in the name of the Order and seals the Candidate in a particular manner on forehead, mouth and breast, after which he is declared made pure and entitled to the Fifth Degree. Here ends the Second Point.
The Third takes place in the presence of all the Adepti, amidst incense, lights and the offering of praises to the Glory of God in the Highest, all present being veiled, the Candidate only excepted.
(1)The Spokesman of Adepti testifies concerning his charge. (2) The Master of the Temple welcomes him as one who has been created, called and chosen for the work of their Holy Assembly. (3) He is exhorted to manifest the Christian man within him and to unite with them in the praise of the Most High. (4) A curtain is drawn aside from a Representation of the Most Holy Trinity, before which they kneel and worship. (5) The Candidate is pledged in respect of the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Degrees, which would seem to be like a trinity in unity of Ritual. (6) He promises to esteem Divine Wisdom above all earthly treasures, applying the riches of this world to the Glory of God and the salvation of his soul. (7) All present unveil and the Candidate is clothed in the vestments of an Adept, which include an apron, after the Masonic manner, to which a special explanation attaches. (8) He receives the Official Jewels. (9) He is told that during the present Decennium the High Superiors have suspended the Astral Works because of their great difficulty and that they abide in the Mineral Realm. (10) So far as the wording of this observation goes, it appears to apply only to the Grades of Adeptship. (11) Above these there is the eighth, which we know - on other authority than the MSS. from which I derive - to be that of Magistri. (12) It is said concerning this that the Eighth Degree can never be changed, for therein is the great and unique work which is called Treasure of Treasures, otherwise Lapis Philosophorum. (13) It is the magnalian Jewel of Nature, and as such it can be understood why the High Superiors have placed this Mysterium Magnum at the summit of so many steps - a reference to the staircase of Degrees. (14) The last words addressed to the Candidate, now an Adept of the Golden Rosy Cross, pray that he may be blessed, directed, ruled and crowned with the fear of God, love of humanity, long life, health and wisdom, to the Glory of the Eternal Name, for the salvation of his own soul and to the honour of the Order, through Christ his Lord and Saviour.
An Adeptus Minor had a right to petition for advancement to the Sixth Degree, in which there is no Ritual procedure that can be said to deserve the name. It is wanting in some codices. As a fact, he is pledged simply, receives the Grip or Token and hears the Secret Word. There is a Cipher attached to the Grade of Adeptus Major…
…and another to that of Adeptus Exemptus. So far as records are concerned this and a New Word are the sole communications received on attaining these exalted positions. The mode of Opening and Closing the House or Hall of Assembly is identical in the Three Grades of Adeptship.
[According to Clavel, the Reformation
of 1777 was comprised in three Grades, the inexactitude of which statement is
now evident and is characteristic of the Histoire Pittoresque in all its sections.
Probably the author had heard a report concerning the Grades of Adeptship. He
makes four statements otherwise, which must be left to stand at their value: (1)
that the Golden and Rosy Cross spread to Sweden; (2) that it is claimed to be
under the direction of Unknown Superiors, thus recalling the Rite of the Strict
Observance; (3) that these Superiors were said to be located at Cyprus, Naples,
Florence and Russia; and (4) that in 1784 one of the known chiefs was at Ratisbon
and was in fact that Baron de Westerode of whom we have heard otherwise. He acted
certainly as if in the capacity of an Envoy at the Convention of Wilhelmsbad.
As regards the alleged abodes of Superiors they may be compared with those published
by Magister Pianco in THE ROSICRUCIAN UNVEILED and reproduced in a folding plate
facing p. 218, Vol. II., of my SECRET TRADITION IN FREEMASONRY. It should be added
that according to Pianco the Brethren of the Ninth Degree - i.e., Magi or Wise
Masters - gave instruction in Divine Things.]
Ex hypothesi at least, the Eighth Degree is a Grade of the Mastery, and there is no other reference thereto than that which I have cited, either in manuscript or printed sources.
The Ninth is the Grade of Magus, which by a colourable supposition may represent solely the status of the Headship and is therefore a Degree in numeration, but without procedure. It would be comparable in this case to the last and highest Grade of the Swedish Masonic Rite, being that of Vicarius Salomonis, held by one person only, who is the King of Sweden.
So, it appears that the Third Order
was not being described even in those times…. But then Waite had a problem
with the Third Order.
The Description of the Philosophus Grade and the Adeptus Minor Grade may be a lot different than the same grades in the Golden Dawn, but, there are some interesting features that bear serious study, by way of comparison.
We are reminded of elements that are in the 26th Degree AASR (particularly the Catechism), the 18th Degree; the Adeptus Minor Grade of the Golden Dawn; and some items that can be found in Liber Agape. This Adeptus Minor Grade for the Gold RC actually appears to us to be more interesting, in that the brethren bid farewell to the Candidate, and then he is received by the Chief Adept, who performs the communion / lecture with him. Then the Candidate is received among the Adepti. In an astral sense, this is repeated when the Exempt Adept is sent across the Abyss and received among the Masters of the Temple. Say it isn't so? Hmmm….
The important thing here, is not "esoteric" material, like Enochian or something. No, the important thing here is the function of the rite, particularly in the Philosophus and Adeptus Minor Grades. Because - it shows us the True Rite, the One Rite that has always existed, going all the way back to the Ancient Time.
It matters not whether Anna Sprengel was a member in good standing of one such Order of German Rosicrucians, or if she even existed at all; nor does it matter whether Westcott or Mathers were members, either. For, whoever was responsible for compiling the Adeptus Minor Ceremony for the Second Order … and, for that matter, the Neophyte Grade, for the Outer Order: whoever was responsible, had a firm foundation in the Authentic Tradition.
This includes an esoteric knowledge of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite rituals after the Albert Pike version; as well as other High Grade Rites; as well as the German RC Rites described by Waite, above; and a good understanding of other, more primitive teachings, like those of the Essenes, the Therapeuts, the Qadosh Fathers of the Thebaid, etc. And, too, perhaps the ancient sects of the Near East that still exist to this day (or at least to the time the rituals were compiled). Perhaps Levi, Lytton and others got this stuff, because it isn't everywhere we have looked.
The outer communion being that between the Initiator and the Candidate; the Inner Communion being that between the Secret Initiator, and the Secret Initiate: together making the Sacred Priest. (adjusted, of course, for gender as required… )
Can we find this same thing in other Rites and Orders? That is hard to say. We know it does in the Rites we have studied, and the Rituals we have practiced. It is hard to see these things entirely billed as paper rites, sold by degree peddlers, like most Masonic "scholars" view them. And non-Masonic scholars, like the fascist, Nesta Webster, drawing from her paranoid imagination, brings us to the next section. Beyond that, Timelines and Readings materials…. and then the next segment.
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