The 33rd Degree Explained: What It Actually Means and Why It Is Not the Highest Rank

Few phrases in popular culture carry as much mystery as 33rd degree Mason. It appears in films, conspiracy videos and political gossip, almost always implying a hidden inner circle that directs the fraternity, or indeed the world, from somewhere behind a curtain. As a student of Masonic history for most of my adult life, I can tell you the reality is both more modest and more admirable.

The 33rd degree exists. It is an honour conferred by the Scottish Rite, one of several optional bodies a Master Mason may join. It is awarded to a small number of members in recognition of outstanding service. It carries no authority over lodges, Grand Lodges or anyone else. And, most importantly for the curious reader, it is not higher than the degree of Master Mason in any sense that governs the Craft.

§The three degrees come first

Every Freemason begins in a Craft lodge, sometimes called a Blue Lodge. There he receives three degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. These are the foundation of the fraternity, and they are explained in The Three Degrees of Freemasonry. In the Craft there is no degree higher than the third. A Master Mason has the full rights of membership, may hold any office in his lodge, and may be elected Grand Master.

The governing authority over every Craft lodge is its Grand Lodge, not the Scottish Rite. What Is a Grand Lodge? explains this structure. It is the single most useful fact for dispelling the 33rd degree mythology. A Scottish Rite 33rd degree member who is not a Grand Lodge officer has no more say in the running of his Craft lodge than any other Master Mason sitting beside him.

§What the Scottish Rite is

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is an appendant body, a further system of degrees open only to Master Masons. Despite its name, it developed largely in France in the eighteenth century and was organised in its modern form in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1801 with the founding of the Supreme Council. What Is an Appendant Body in Freemasonry? places it alongside the York Rite and others.

In the United States, the Scottish Rite confers degrees numbered from the 4th to the 32nd. These are dramatic, often theatrical presentations of moral and philosophical lessons, frequently staged in large auditoriums. A man may receive many of them over a single weekend reunion. The 32nd degree is the highest a member receives in the ordinary course of membership. The Supreme Council for the Southern Jurisdiction publishes a helpful overview at scottishrite.org.

§Who receives the 33rd degree

The 33rd degree, styled Inspector General Honorary for most recipients, is conferred by the Supreme Council on 32nd degree members who have given outstanding service to the fraternity or to society. It cannot be applied for. A man is nominated, usually after many years of quiet work in his lodge, his Scottish Rite Valley or his community, and the honour comes as a surprise to many recipients.

In the Southern Jurisdiction, there is an intermediate honour, the Knight Commander of the Court of Honour, which usually precedes the 33rd. Active members of the Supreme Council, a small group who govern the Scottish Rite itself, also hold the 33rd degree. Their authority, however, extends only to Scottish Rite matters. They do not govern Craft lodges.

§Famous 33rd degree Masons

The roll of 33rd degree recipients includes some notable names: senators, generals, entertainers and astronauts among them. This is part of why the degree attracts attention. But the honour followed their service, it did not cause their success. It is rather like an honorary doctorate from a university: a recognition of achievement, not a qualification that grants power. For a broader picture of how prominent men have related to Freemasonry, Do Freemasons Help Each Other Get Ahead? is worth reading.

Every 33rd degree Mason began exactly where you are now, with a question. Take the free Readiness Quiz to see how prepared you are for the first degree.

§The myths, examined

• Myth: 33rd degree Masons know secrets hidden from everyone else. Reality: the degree teaches a lesson on duty and service, and much of the Scottish Rite's ritual material has been openly discussed in published works for over a century.
• Myth: they control Grand Lodges. Reality: Grand Lodges are sovereign and elect their own officers. The Scottish Rite exists by Grand Lodge permission, not the other way round.
• Myth: there are degrees above the 33rd. Reality: the Scottish Rite stops at 33. Other Masonic bodies have their own degrees, but no hidden 34th sits above everything.
• Myth: you must reach the 33rd to be a real Mason. Reality: most Freemasons never join the Scottish Rite at all, and are no less Masons for it.

These myths share a common root: a misunderstanding of how Freemasonry is structured. Once you see that the Craft lodge, governed by the Grand Lodge, is the heart of the fraternity, the mystique around the 33rd fades. Freemason Myths and the Truth Behind Them addresses many related claims.

§Where the Scottish Rite fits in a Mason's life

If you join the fraternity, you will likely hear about the Scottish Rite within your first year. Brethren may invite you to a reunion. My counsel to new Master Masons is consistent: do not hurry. Spend at least a year in your Craft lodge. Learn its ritual, attend its meetings, perhaps take a junior office. The appendant bodies are rewarding, but they build on a foundation, and that foundation is laid in the Blue Lodge. Your First Year in Freemasonry describes what that year looks like.

Each body also brings its own fees and time commitments. A man who joins too much too soon often ends up overstretched and drifts away from all of it. How Much Time Does Freemasonry Take? will help you plan.

§The ring of the 33rd

The 33rd degree is often marked by a distinctive ring: a triple band, sometimes with an inscription in Latin. Members of the 14th degree may wear a plain gold band of their own. If you are curious about Masonic jewellery more generally, The Masonic Ring covers the etiquette, including who may wear what, and when.

§A closing thought

In my experience, the 33rd degree members I have known have been among the least showy men in the fraternity. They tend to be the ones setting out chairs before a meeting, visiting sick brethren, and quietly paying for a widow's heating bill. If there is a secret to the 33rd degree, that is it. It recognises men who served without asking for recognition.

For a broader view of how Masonic offices and titles relate to one another, continue with Masonic Ranks and Hierarchy.