Quick Answer
Masonic bodies are the organizations that make up the broader family of Freemasonry. The Blue Lodge is the foundation, conferring the three core degrees. Beyond it, concordant bodies (Scottish Rite, York Rite) extend the degree system with additional philosophical and chivalric teachings. Appendant bodies (Shriners, Order of the Eastern Star, DeMolay) provide fellowship, charity, and youth development. All require Blue Lodge membership. Prince Hall Freemasonry operates a parallel system founded in 1784.
Key Takeaways
- Everything Starts at the Blue Lodge: No Masonic body is accessible without the three Blue Lodge degrees (Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Mason). The Blue Lodge is the foundation of all Freemasonry.
- Scottish Rite and York Rite: The two main concordant bodies extend Masonic degree work. The Scottish Rite offers degrees 4-32 with philosophical emphasis. The York Rite includes Royal Arch, Cryptic Council, and Knights Templar (the only explicitly Christian Masonic body).
- The Masonic Family: Appendant bodies like the Shriners (fellowship and children's hospitals), Order of the Eastern Star (open to women), and DeMolay (youth) serve the broader community connected to Freemasonry.
- Prince Hall Freemasonry: Founded in 1784, Prince Hall operates a complete parallel Masonic system with over 300,000 members and is recognized as regular by most mainstream Grand Lodges.
- Esoteric Bodies: The SRIA/SRICF and Allied Masonic Degrees serve as scholarly and esoteric research organizations, typically by invitation only, focusing on the deeper philosophical dimensions of the Craft.
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The Blue Lodge: Where Everything Begins
Every Masonic journey begins in the Blue Lodge, also called the Symbolic Lodge or Craft Lodge. This is the fundamental body of all Freemasonry. Its three degrees, Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason, are the only degrees universally recognized across the Masonic world. No other Masonic body can be joined without first being raised to the degree of Master Mason in good standing.
Blue Lodges are governed by Grand Lodges, each holding sovereignty over a specific geographical jurisdiction (typically a state in the US, or a country elsewhere). The first Grand Lodge was established in London in 1717, and today there are Grand Lodges in every US state and in countries worldwide. Estimated global Masonic membership is between 2 and 6 million, with approximately 2 million in the United States.
The Blue Lodge teaches its lessons through the working tools of operative stonemasonry, the Hiramic Legend, and a rich system of symbols centered on the building of King Solomon's Temple. For many Masons, the Blue Lodge is the entirety of their Masonic experience, and it is complete in itself. The bodies described below extend the teachings of the Blue Lodge but do not replace or supersede it.
Concordant vs. Appendant: A Useful Distinction
Concordant bodies are organizations that continue the degree work of the Blue Lodge, conferring additional degrees that build on and extend its teachings. The Scottish Rite and York Rite are concordant bodies. Appendant bodies are affiliated organizations recognized by Grand Lodges but whose membership does not constitute additional Masonic degrees. The Shriners, Order of the Eastern Star, and DeMolay are appendant bodies. In practice, many Masons and even some Grand Lodges use these terms interchangeably. The distinction is useful but not universally standardized.
The Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is the largest concordant body in Freemasonry. Despite its name, it did not originate in Scotland. The Mother Supreme Council was founded on May 31, 1801, at Shepheard's Tavern in Charleston, South Carolina, by Colonel John Mitchell, Rev. Dr. Frederick Dalcho, and nine other founders known as "The Eleven Gentlemen of Charleston."
The Scottish Rite confers degrees 4 through 32, adding 29 degrees to the three Blue Lodge degrees. The 33rd degree (Inspector General Honorary) is not earned through application; it is awarded by invitation to Masons who have demonstrated exceptional service to the Craft or to humanity.
Two US Jurisdictions
In the United States, the Scottish Rite is divided into two independent jurisdictions. The Southern Jurisdiction (SJ), headquartered in Washington, D.C., covers 35 states (the south and west) and is the older of the two, founded in 1801. The Northern Masonic Jurisdiction (NMJ), headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts, covers 15 northeastern states and was chartered on August 5, 1813.
The two jurisdictions operate independently and have somewhat different approaches. In the NMJ, a candidate does not need to receive all 29 degrees sequentially; receiving the 4th degree plus three additional degrees in any order qualifies one for the 32nd degree.
Philosophical Focus
The Scottish Rite degrees are presented through elaborate dramatic performances that explore philosophical, ethical, and spiritual themes extending far beyond the Blue Lodge's stonemasonry allegory. The higher degrees draw on biblical narrative, Kabbalistic symbolism, Hermetic philosophy, chivalric tradition, and comparative religion. Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma (1871), structured as a commentary on each degree, was for decades the standard interpretive text given to every Scottish Rite Mason completing the 14th degree.
What the Scottish Rite Adds
Where the Blue Lodge teaches through the tools and symbols of building, the Scottish Rite teaches through drama, philosophy, and increasingly complex symbolism. The 14th degree (Grand Elect Perfect and Sublime Mason) includes lectures on Hebrew sacred language. The 18th degree (Knight Rose Croix) carries explicit Rosicrucian symbolism and themes of death and resurrection. The 28th degree (Knight of the Sun), which Pike called "the last philosophical degree," draws directly on Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and what Pike termed "Magism." The degrees do not merely add information; they shift the mode of engagement from the concrete (stone, tools, temple) to the abstract (philosophy, cosmology, the nature of divinity). For a deeper examination of these esoteric dimensions, see our guide to esoteric Freemasonry.
The York Rite
The York Rite (sometimes called the American Rite) is the other major concordant body. Unlike the Scottish Rite, which is a single organization conferring a continuous series of degrees, the York Rite consists of three separate and independently governed bodies, each with its own degrees, officers, and traditions.
Royal Arch Chapter (Capitular Masonry)
The Royal Arch is considered by many Masonic scholars to be the completion of the Master Mason degree. It resolves the narrative left open by the Hiramic Legend: the fate of the Lost Word and the completion of the Temple. The Royal Arch confers four degrees: Mark Master, Past Master (Virtual), Most Excellent Master, and Royal Arch Mason.
Royal Arch membership is required for entry into the other two York Rite bodies and must be maintained throughout. York Rite Masonry has roots dating to 1744 in the United Kingdom and takes its name from York, England, where some of the earliest Masonic records (dating to approximately AD 923) are found.
Cryptic Council (Cryptic Masonry)
The Council of Royal and Select Masters focuses on the "hidden" or "cryptic" aspects of the Temple legend: events that occurred in the underground vault beneath Solomon's Temple. It confers the degrees of Royal Master, Select Master, and Super Excellent Master. The Grand Council of Select Masters was formed in Baltimore in 1792. Membership requires Royal Arch status.
Knights Templar Commandery (Chivalric Masonry)
The Knights Templar is the only Masonic body that requires a profession of Christian faith. Based on the traditions of the medieval crusading order, it confers the Order of the Red Cross, the Order of Malta, and the Order of the Temple. Membership requires Royal Arch status and, in some jurisdictions, the Cryptic degrees as well.
The Knights Templar represents a significant departure from the universality of Blue Lodge Freemasonry, which welcomes men of all faiths who believe in a Supreme Being. By restricting membership to Christians, the Commandery creates a specifically Christian layer within the broader Masonic family.
Shriners International
The Shriners, originally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, were founded in 1872 by Dr. Walter M. Fleming and William J. "Billy" Florence, an actor. The organization was conceived as a social fraternity within the Masonic family: a place for fellowship, fun, and the lighter side of brotherhood that the solemnity of lodge ritual did not always provide.
The Shriners are perhaps the most publicly visible Masonic body, known for their distinctive red fez hats, parade appearances, and small cars. But their most significant legacy is charitable. In 1922, the Shriners established Shriners Hospitals for Children, now a network of 22 hospitals across the United States, Canada, and Mexico providing specialized pediatric care, including orthopedic, burn, spinal cord injury, and cleft lip/palate treatment, regardless of a family's ability to pay. The system's assets exceed $10 billion.
The Shrine's Evolving Requirements
For most of its history, the Shriners required candidates to have completed either the Scottish Rite or York Rite degrees beyond the Blue Lodge. This "stepladder" requirement was removed at the Imperial Council Session in July 2000. Today, any Master Mason in good standing can petition a Shrine temple directly. This change reflected a broader trend in Masonic organizations toward reducing barriers to membership while maintaining the fundamental requirement of Blue Lodge affiliation. Current Shrine membership is approximately 200,000 worldwide.
The Eastern Star and Youth Organizations
Order of the Eastern Star
The Order of the Eastern Star (OES) was founded in 1850 by Dr. Robert Morris, a lawyer, educator, and noted Freemason. It was adopted as an official appendant body in 1873 and is governed by the General Grand Chapter in Washington, D.C.
The Eastern Star is open to Master Masons in good standing and to women who are related to Master Masons (wives, daughters, mothers, widows, sisters, granddaughters, and certain step-relations). With approximately 500,000 members in over 10,000 chapters across 18 countries, it is described as the largest fraternal organization in the world open to both men and women. Its teachings are based on the lives of five biblical heroines. The OES was the first membership organization in the United States to give women a voice on a national scale.
DeMolay International
DeMolay International was founded on March 18, 1919, by Frank S. Land at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Missouri. Named for Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar who was executed in 1314, DeMolay serves young men ages 12-21. Its focus is leadership development, civic awareness, and personal responsibility. Notable alumni include Walt Disney and John Wayne. Current active membership is approximately 12,000 across every continent except Antarctica.
Job's Daughters and Rainbow for Girls
Job's Daughters International, founded on October 20, 1920, by Ethel T. Wead Mick in Omaha, Nebraska, serves girls and young women ages 10-20 who are related to a Master Mason. Its teachings emphasize character building drawn from the Book of Job.
The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, founded on April 6, 1922, by Rev. W. Mark Sexson in McAlester, Oklahoma, originally served daughters of Masons but has since opened membership to all young women. Its focus is service, leadership, and faith-based values.
Prince Hall Freemasonry
Prince Hall Freemasonry is not an appendant body. It is a parallel, independent system of regular Freemasonry with its own complete structure of Blue Lodges, Scottish Rite, York Rite, Shriners, Eastern Star, and all other bodies.
The Founding of Prince Hall Masonry
On March 6, 1775, Prince Hall and 14 other free Black men were initiated into Freemasonry through Irish Constitution Lodge No. 441, an army lodge attached to a British regiment stationed near Boston. They had been denied admission by Boston's white St. John's Lodge. After the British regiment departed, Prince Hall and his brethren were granted a limited permit to meet as a lodge and conduct burials, but they could not confer degrees or do regular lodge work.
Prince Hall petitioned the Grand Lodge of England directly, and on September 29, 1784, a charter was granted for African Lodge No. 459. This charter, issued by the same Grand Lodge that authorized all "regular" Freemasonry, gave Prince Hall Masonry its foundation of Masonic legitimacy. Over the following decades, Prince Hall Grand Lodges were established across the United States.
Today, Prince Hall Freemasonry has over 300,000 initiated members and more than 4,500 lodges worldwide, with Grand Lodges in every US state plus Canada, the Caribbean, Liberia, and Brazil. It is the oldest and largest predominantly African-American fraternity in the United States.
For much of its history, mainstream (predominantly white) Grand Lodges refused to recognize Prince Hall Grand Lodges as regular. This has changed substantially in recent decades, and most US mainstream Grand Lodges now extend full recognition, though a small number of holdouts remain. The recognition process has been gradual, state by state, reflecting both the progress and the unevenness of American racial reconciliation.
Esoteric and Scholarly Bodies
Several Masonic bodies serve specifically esoteric, scholarly, or research functions. These tend to be small, selective, and invitation-only.
Societas Rosicruciana (SRIA / SRICF)
The Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA) is a Masonic Rosicrucian body founded in England, with its American counterpart, the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis (SRICF), established in 1880. Membership requires Trinitarian Christian faith and Master Mason status, and is by invitation only. Colleges are capped at 72 members.
The SRIA is historically significant far beyond its small membership. All three founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (Westcott, Mathers, and Woodman) were members, and the SRIA served as the institutional bridge between Freemasonry and the Golden Dawn. Its focus is the study of Kabbalah, Hermetic philosophy, and the Western mystery tradition within a Christian framework.
Allied Masonic Degrees
The Allied Masonic Degrees (AMD), with its US Grand Council founded in 1933, preserves a collection of "detached degrees": historical degrees that were once conferred under Craft warrants but became dormant over time. Membership requires Royal Arch and Blue Lodge status and is by invitation only. Individual councils are limited to 27 members. The AMD emphasizes Masonic research and the study of degrees that would otherwise be lost to history.
Royal Order of Scotland
The Royal Order of Scotland, with documented records from 1743 and its Grand Lodge established in 1767, confers two degrees: Heredom of Kilwinning and the Rosy Cross. Membership requires Trinitarian Christian faith, Master Mason status of at least five years, and invitation. It is considered one of the most prestigious Masonic bodies in the world.
Research Lodges
Research Lodges are specialized lodges devoted exclusively to Masonic scholarship, historical investigation, and intellectual inquiry. They do not confer degrees. The most famous is Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 in London, established in 1884, which pioneered evidence-based Masonic history and publishes the prestigious annual volume Ars Quatuor Coronatorum. The first American research lodge was North Carolina Lodge of Research No. 666, founded in 1930. Research lodges exist in most states and many countries, and most also maintain "correspondence circles" open to interested Masons worldwide.
The Social and the Esoteric: Two Streams, One River
The Masonic family of bodies can be understood as two parallel streams. One stream is social, charitable, and community-oriented: the Shriners with their hospitals, the Eastern Star with its fellowship, DeMolay with its youth leadership programs. The other stream is esoteric, scholarly, and contemplative: the SRIA studying Kabbalah, the Allied Masonic Degrees preserving historical ritual, the research lodges investigating the Craft's origins. Both streams flow from the same source, the Blue Lodge, and both serve the Masonic ideal of "making good men better," though they understand that ideal in different ways. A Mason who joins the Shriners and a Mason who joins the SRIA are both extending their Craft experience, just in different directions. The family is large enough to contain both.
Practice: Mapping Your Interests to Masonic Bodies
If you are a Mason considering which bodies to join, or if you are exploring Freemasonry and want to understand the landscape, this exercise can help clarify your direction.
Ask yourself four questions:
1. Am I drawn to philosophy and symbolism? If the esoteric and intellectual dimensions of the Craft interest you most, the Scottish Rite (particularly the higher degrees) and the research lodge tradition will likely be your path.
2. Am I drawn to completing the Masonic narrative? If you find the Hiramic Legend compelling and want to know how the story resolves, the York Rite's Royal Arch degree is traditionally considered the completion of the Master Mason degree.
3. Am I drawn to fellowship and charitable service? The Shriners, the Grotto, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon emphasize social connection and organized philanthropy.
4. Do I want to include my family? The Eastern Star, DeMolay, Job's Daughters, and Rainbow for Girls extend the Masonic experience to women and young people who are connected to the Craft through family relationships.
There is no wrong answer. Many Masons belong to multiple bodies simultaneously. The Blue Lodge is the trunk; the other bodies are branches. Choose the ones that bear the fruit you are looking for.
One Family, Many Rooms
The breadth of the Masonic family can seem bewildering from the outside. Scottish Rite, York Rite, Shriners, Eastern Star, Prince Hall, DeMolay, the SRIA, research lodges: how does it all fit together? The answer is simpler than it appears. Everything begins at the Blue Lodge. The three core degrees, Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason, are the foundation on which the entire structure rests. Every other body is an extension, an elaboration, or an application of what the Blue Lodge teaches. Some extend the Craft's philosophy into deeper esoteric territory. Some extend its charity into hospitals and scholarships. Some extend its fellowship to include families and young people. None replaces the lodge, and none is required beyond it. The beauty of the system is that a Mason can pursue exactly as much, or as little, as his interests and circumstances allow. The Blue Lodge is complete in itself. Everything else is an invitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Masonic bodies?
Masonic bodies are the various organizations within the family of Freemasonry. The Blue Lodge is the foundation, conferring the three core degrees. Concordant bodies (Scottish Rite, York Rite) extend the degree system. Appendant bodies (Shriners, Eastern Star, DeMolay) provide fellowship, charity, and youth development. All require Blue Lodge membership as a prerequisite.
What is the difference between the Scottish Rite and York Rite?
The Scottish Rite confers degrees 4 through 32 (with the 33rd by invitation) and emphasizes philosophical teachings through dramatic presentations. The York Rite consists of three independent bodies: Royal Arch Chapter, Cryptic Council, and Knights Templar Commandery. The York Rite focuses on completing the Master Mason narrative and includes the only Christian-specific Masonic body. Both require Master Mason status.
Can women join Freemasonry?
Women cannot join the Blue Lodge or concordant bodies in mainstream Freemasonry. The Order of the Eastern Star (founded 1850) is open to women related to Master Masons and has approximately 500,000 members. Youth organizations like Job's Daughters and Rainbow for Girls serve young women. Co-Masonic orders like Le Droit Humain admit both men and women as full members.
What is Prince Hall Freemasonry?
Prince Hall Freemasonry is a parallel system of regular Freemasonry founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784, after he and 14 other free Black men were initiated through an Irish military lodge in 1775. It operates a complete Masonic system with over 300,000 members and 4,500 lodges worldwide. Most mainstream US Grand Lodges now recognize Prince Hall Grand Lodges as regular and legitimate.
Do you have to be a Mason to join the Shriners?
Yes, Master Mason status is required. Since July 2000, the Shriners no longer require Scottish Rite or York Rite membership as an additional prerequisite. Any Master Mason in good standing can petition directly. The Shriners operate Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 hospitals providing specialized pediatric care regardless of ability to pay.
Study the Complete Hermetic System
The Hermetic Synthesis course traces these teachings from the original Corpus Hermeticum through two thousand years of transmission, giving you a complete map of the hermetic tradition from source to modern application.
Sources and Further Reading
- Hodapp, Christopher. Freemasons for Dummies. 2nd ed. Hoboken: Wiley, 2013.
- Mackey, Albert G. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences. Philadelphia: Moss & Company, 1874.
- Bogdan, Henrik, and Jan A.M. Snoek, eds. Handbook of Freemasonry. Leiden: Brill, 2014.
- Wesley, Charles H. Prince Hall: Life and Legacy. Washington, D.C.: United Supreme Council, 1977.
- Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction. "History of the Scottish Rite." scottishrite.org.