King Solomon's Lodge

L'Ordre de Chevalier Bienfaisant de la Cité Sainte

The Rite Ecossais Rectifie (Scottish Rectified Rite) is the oldest continuously extant chivalric Masonic Order in the world. In the United States it is known by the name of its pinnacle degree. It was originally an offshoot of Baron von Hund's Rite of Strict Observance. RER works the following system of degrees:

Generic Martinist Logo Masonic CBCS

When attempting to draw a suitable logo for CBCS I originally used the logo shown above on the left. I have come to learn that this is a generic logo used by many non-Masonic Martinist orders, but not directly employed by the Masonic CBCS. I have come up with the logo on the right as an alternative based upon input from readers and examination of the few logos and jewels I've been able to find on the web. I have chosen to keep the cross-hairs and green dots around the edge to signify the Martinist influence in CBCS. This logo is still a work in progress. If you are familiar with CBCS, let me know what you think by commenting below.

The governing bodies of the RER are called Great Priories. There is only one governing body in the United States, the Great Priory of America, which was founded in 1934 at Raleigh, N.C., by Dr. William Moseley Brown and J. Raymond Shute II. Under agreement with the Great Priory of Switzerland, membership is limited to 81, divided into three Prefectures limited to 27 members each, and is further limited to no more than two members from each state, with the understanding that some states will never be able to provide even a single candidate for the rite. In England, the Order is governed by the Knights Templar. It is important to observe with caution that there are several other groups of CBCS and other Martinist Orders with different histories and lineages: Some of them are outside of Masonry entirely, and some of them admit women.

The Masonic RER, much like the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, is empowered to work the Craft Degrees (EA, FC, and MM), but in the United States and Europe they choose not to do so, ceding this privilege to the authority of the Grand Lodge system which works the York Rite version of the first three degrees. In several other countries, RER works these degrees directly, and they differ from the York Rite version in that they derive from a source that predates the de-Christianization of the Craft which took place throughout most English speaking systems of Freemasonry to accomodate a truly Universal Fraternity.

Here are some links with more information about CBCS/RER or other Martinist Orders. You will need to determine the accuracy, Masonic regularity and relevance of these links on your own:

Return to York Rite Allied Bodies | Return to Masonic Logos and Emblems

24 Comments:

  1. The Scottish Rectified Rite still works the degrees you list on your site. The RER in the USA is in fact the Scottish Rectified Rite. The Ordre de Chevalier Bienfaisant de la Cité Sainte is simply the Inner Grade of Knighthood, but it is not a rite unto itself. It is not correct to state that the degree structure as follows: * Scottish Master of St. Andrew * Perfect Master of St. Andrew * Squire Novice * Knight Beneficent of the Holy City

    ...closely resembles the RER, as it does not closely resemble the RER, it simply is the RER!

    Comment by Jean Baptiste Willermoz — May 2, 2007 @ 6:36 am

  2. "Jean Baptiste", thank you for pointing this out. I have done more research and updated the information accordingly.

    Comment by Jeff Day — July 30, 2008 @ 10:22 am

  3. The symbols shown for the Scottish Rectified Rite is incorrect. Please remove it as it is the symbol for a completely different order.

    Comment by Knight Kadosh — September 14, 2008 @ 11:37 am

  4. That is the generic symbol for Martinism, and the RER is a Martinist order. If you have an alternate symbol for RER please provide a reference to it, until then, this one stays up since it is accurate in spite of being somewhat generic.

    Comment by Jeff Day — September 30, 2008 @ 10:21 am

  5. RER is NOT a martinist order, so the symbol is not correct, please feel free to use the correct symbol available at www.scozzeserettificato.ch rosarosa

    Comment by rosrosa — October 7, 2008 @ 10:11 am

  6. Rosrosa, perhaps we are talking about two different RER's? The one I am talking about is the one commonly referred to by the name of its highest grade, the C.B.C.S., which is a branch of what was originally founded by Jean Baptiste de Willermoz, and includes the teachings of Martinez de Pasquelly. So I am specifically trying to use a symbol reflective of The Great Priory of America, C.B.C.S.

    I do not deny that other orders of RER exist throughout the world, which may be Masonic, and may even be recognized, but since this is a webpage for York Rite Allied Organizations, in other words, organizations who draw their members from the American York Rite (Royal Arch Masons and Knights Templar, specifically), it is not the place to include emblems or great details for other organizations which do not constitute an appendage to the York Rite.

    Comment by Jeff Day — October 7, 2008 @ 12:17 pm

  7. I always thought the symbol for the CBCS to be this:

    http://www.yorkrite.com/degrees/image018.gif

    I may be wrong but its the one I see all the time for the CBCS in the United States.

    Comment by John — October 11, 2008 @ 9:02 pm

  8. The Martinist sigil you have there is listed as being for the Scottish Rectified Rite CBCS. While the Scottish Master and Perfect Scottish Master do make use of the 6 hexagram with St Andrew being crucified on a St Andrews cross that is laid over a Martinist hexagram, the symbol you have here is a stylized version of that used by purely Martinist Orders & not that of the RER. The black and white deltas reminds me of the seal given by the Grand Lodge of NY to its Assistant Grand Lecturers and worn on their aprons. The symbol of the RER and of any CBCS priory will vary from province to province, but it will always contained a red patey cross as a dominant and central feature...often centered over a heraldic shield. The Great Priory of the USA employs a descending dove of the Holy Spirit with the patey red cross of the CBCS.

    Comment by Beloved Brother of the Rectified Rite — October 27, 2008 @ 7:32 pm

  9. Dear Brother Jeff,

    I think the poster "rosrosa" was trying to tell you that the symbol you posted is for Martinist Orders as in the non-Masonic Order created by Papus with the transmission of the Unknown Philosophers from Louis Claude de St Martin and influenced by Pasqually's Martinezism. It was the Masonic Order of Knight Masons Elu Cohen that was injected into the Strict Observance (a hybrid of the French Masonic Work and the German Esoteric Teutonic Orders) which created the Scottish Rectified Rite which does give a transmission back to Willermoz directly and is infused with Cohenim doctrine and does connect it initiates to the egregore of Pasqually and yet is totally separate from the Martinist Order as far as organizational purposes. The influences are the same. In any case, the RER has its own beautiful symbols. You should be able to pull a CBCS cross off of the Web these days.

    Comment by Jean Baptiste Willermoz — October 30, 2008 @ 8:48 pm

  10. Dear Jeff,

    You are doing a grand job in your work to summarize these bodies. One important point though. You said: "There is only one Lodge in the United States, with membership limited to 100, exactly two members from each state" This is not true. It is 3 prefectures of 27, so the limit is 81 members. Membership in the inner order of CBCS has never been over 55 in the USA. The founders of the CBCS in the USA believed demographics to be an impeding factor in that they were of the opinion that certain states (which shall rename unnamed) mostly in the Western Prefecture were not expected to ever produce a single candidate deserving of the quality of being rectified let alone being made a CBCS. It is an interesting social commentary considering some French speaking brethren still question weather Americans or English speaking Masons in general have the capacity to truly understand the deep spiritual content that is to be encountered in the Scottish Rectified Rite.

    Comment by Jean Baptiste Willermoz — October 30, 2008 @ 8:59 pm

  11. The CBCS Pantacle as shown above is a Generic Martinist emblem. Depending on how or what colors are used and where, it can denote a different branch. Martinez Pasqually was the founder of what was to become Elus Cohens. Louis Claude de San Martin was Pasqually's secretary and felt uncomfortable opporating with egragore's. His 'Way of the Heart' was not Thergical but was based more along the lines of the traditional Christian Mystism of the Monastics. Neither man really started anything like an Order. Eliphas Levi who was St. Martin's secretary got the system started with Papus filling in the blanks in the later 1800s. A French Rite it has been in and been out of Mainstream Freemasonry for over 200 years. Robert Ambelin took over some of Papus' ideas and tried to make Martinism, Memphis Misriam into a catch all esoteric work in progress. His passing in 1997 has left the field open to interpretation. There are many Martinist Bodies World Wide. Some speak while others don't. The primary sticking point is Apostolic Succession or a hand's on direct transmittion of power from one S:::I::: to the next. The lesser rift is were a woman should be placed. Since Martinism is a Generic Gnostism, not to be confused with the Heretical Gnostism of the early days of Christianity, there appears to be room for the + and - in all workings. Christ being the Neutral Post, (My Term). Or given as 3 = 1; Indivisible; No-thing contains Everything. Bro. Icnorbid

    Comment by Brother Icnorbid — March 4, 2009 @ 11:21 am

  12. There were so many comments about CBCS/RER and its logo that I decided to consolidate it all onto this page dedicated to details and discussion of CBCS. I have moved all the related comments from the old pages into this thread.

    Comment by Jeff Day — March 10, 2009 @ 3:06 am

  13. Dear Brother Jeff.'.

    It was a great idea to lodge all CBCS / Martinist information in one location. Thank you. I personally have only known one Masonic CBCS. According to the wink he gave me some 20 years ago. I also think he was more then a Dinner Club Masonic CBCS. A very good and holy man and wiser then at times he let on. A good Masonic Leader. Looking forward to more discussion on this topic from time to time.

    Brother Icnorbid

    Comment by Brother Icnorbid — March 18, 2009 @ 1:05 pm

  14. I had a vision from God in a Dream about 7 years ago. At the time I was 20 years old, not that it matters, between now and then I grew an interest in the Masons. The dream was very very particular, it showed the clouds in the sky going every which way very fast like there were storms brewing up across the entire earth. Then suddenly rumbling in the earth and sky, then the sky opened up and all was completely still and the earth made no noise and the others around me had gone away or disappeared and it was just me and a golden sphere that came through the opening in the clouds, it reflected rays of warm sunlight as all else seemed in total chaos then the golden sphere com crashing down to earth and out of the west arose a huge city that had its own atmosphere around it and it had in very plain sight C.B.C.S. in the sky of the city and as I stared out towards this city that came from the sky I was amazed at how beautiful this city was and in the dream I was trying to understand the city and at that time the city seemed to grow even bigger and so did its sky line and the initials CBCS had grown even bigger and stuck out more as if it were the most important scene of this dream. I had discussed this dream with my Wife at the time the first thing in the morning. Her response was "Christ Be Coming Soon". This seemed to make the dream a good story but I was not satisfied with this as the interpretation to my dream and this is when I really started to focus my life on God and find to find these answers I was looking for. Shortly after I came to realize that when we descend to heaven we are no longer one spirit with our spouse and this did not sit well with me at all. I began a battle so to say with God, I told God that I could not accept this and that She was first in my life and was angry with God for this. Then in a few weeks more like days we were in a car wreck that left my wife with brain damage and soon after that I found my self very lost needing direction to anywhere I was so confused and by the time it was all over I lost my wife to the in-laws who all turned against me and blamed me for the accident, they slandered me in ways so evil I did not know if I disserved to live and eventually brain washed my wife in to believing I wanted the both of us dead and that it was I who caused the wreck trying to end both of our lives. There was a time that I thought that God allowed this to happen, so he could teach me a lesson on who is to be first in my life and either way I know now who is to always be first and it is Him. I believe that this was a message from God and that he has a plan for me. I would like to learn more about CBCS, so where do I go from here?

    Comment by Justus — April 20, 2009 @ 9:07 pm

  15. Justis:

    A day late and a dollar short but nun the less here. I my dear friend can not read dreams. However dreams are links to our inner mind. I do suggest strongly that you look at your dream or any dream as 'symbolic' in nature and not look at it in a literal sense. C.G.Jung would be a good start in your quest for enlightenment. He was a Clinical Shrink that looked at dreams in a very interesting way. That said:

    The C.B.C.S. is a system of initiatory degrees that is designed to elevate the Receiver of These Degrees to a new spiritual understanding. They do not profess that they are actually Knights of the Forthcoming Heaven on Earth. Only God knows this and He ain't talking; at least not to me.

    Our modern Christian Church has forgotten what the Apostles knew. God IS Spirit. i.e. If you materially see the Heavenly City decending from Heaven you may get squashed because that would be a mighty heavy Construction Project.

    Remember that God Loves Us! I know bad things happen to good people and I also know that good things happen to bad people. Look for balance in life. Follow Jesus' Teachings. He was and still is teaching what all Holy Men of merit preach: You know what it is. Take care of your situation but don't blame God or think that you have been singled out. After you have found the little spark then most of what you need to know will be visiable to your eye; your spiritual eye.

    God's Blessings upon you and yours.

    IHN,

    Bro.'. Icnorbid

    Comment by Brother Icnorbid — July 23, 2009 @ 5:04 pm

  16. Ok, please correct the misinformation related to the profession. The Profession should not be referred to as a "chair degree". The professed knight is an unknown superior, placed in charge of looking after the preservation of the secrets of Masonry. There is no such requirement to pass any chair, and there never has been. There are members of the Profes who have never held an office, and there are many Past Great Priors who will never ever have the existence of the Profes confirmed nor transmitted to them.

    Comment by Jean Baptiste Willermoz — September 5, 2009 @ 6:54 pm

  17. Hello, sorry my english, but it's not my native language. RER has 6 degrees: Four symbolic: 1- Entered Apprentice 2- Fellow Craft 3- Master Mason 4- Scottish Master of St. Andrew. Two in the Inner Order: 5- Squire Novie 6- CBCS

    The 2 degrees of Professed and Grand-Professed Knight no longer exist, but the instructions of it are public and they "only" explains the martinesist structure of RER.

    Altough is symbolic, the 4th degree in the regular masonic world is ruled by the Priory/Grand Priory and not by the Grand Lodge.

    The 4th degree in RER is one degree, like it was determined in Wilhelmsbad in 1782 and in the last writing of Willermoz of the ritual in 1809. The versions that split it in 2 degrees (in one or two ceremonies) are changes made in Switzerland during the 19th century (ritual of Geneve and the others after it), so they have historical value but they are not as it was established in 1782 and 1809.

    There is only one RER in the world. There are not "2 RER". Yes it exists CBCS only connected with martinist orders (that accept women), but as the RER is a coerent regime since the 1st degree (where is all the martinesist information ...), how can a "just-martinist-CBCS" understand it all?

    About a RER symbol... well we can not say that there is a specific symbol of the RER. Of course there are some well known: the Phoenix "perit ut vivat" and the 1st degree symbol of "adhuc stat". The six pointed star is only a symbol of the 4th degree (used as jewell also by EN and CBCS) and it isn't a "martinist importation" (it's previous to the martinist order), altough theres a obvious relation. Fraternally, in ordine eques cordi ardens

    Comment by Cordi Ardens — September 9, 2009 @ 7:28 am

  18. Cordi Ardens said, "The 2 degrees of Professed and Grand-Professed Knight no longer exist"

    Yes, that is the party line that is propagated to throw people off, but when you point out that the "written portion" of the grades of profes and gran profes are in the public space, then I can only think that you must truly believe that the grand professed no longer exist. This is the most sacred of all things in Masonry.

    Comment by Christian Mason — September 11, 2009 @ 5:33 pm

  19. Bro. Cordi Ardens is right. I'm a Master Mason working RER in Spain, Gran Priorato de Hispania (GPDH), an independent masonic body wich split from regular Grand Loge (GLE) to work the whole RER by it's own, in amity with GPDG in France and Lotaringia in Belgium. RER is a strictly Christian Rite. I'm Protestant, but most of my Bre. are Catholics. We don't accept women and non christian. We are strictly ortodox.

    S&F

    Comment by johann stein — October 10, 2009 @ 12:51 pm

  20. It's a shame this Rite is so restricted here in the USA. I know it is more widespread in Europe and other areas of the world. If the USA would adopt a more European approach to the practice of different Rites, perhaps those of us longing for more Light would be able to find it, and the coffee club breed of our Craft that is such an abomination would finally fade into a deserved extinction.

    Comment by Bro, Prexy — October 14, 2009 @ 10:18 am

  21. Dear johann stein, perhaps you can help to start The Scottish Rectified Rite in USA. I know it's very hard to open a new Rite (RER - in this case), but since you work already with RER in Spain, you think that if we are regular MM we can start a "triangle" under your jurisdiction? In my understand "high degrees" are opens to all "regular" MM (since blue Lodges only work in Symbolic Degrees).I'm MM and Martinist also and I know that Martinist Doctrine is inside of RER (after blue lodge) What do you think? Frater Jetro

    Comment by Frater Jetro — October 23, 2009 @ 3:14 pm

  22. Quote: "Dear johann stein, perhaps you can help to start The Scottish Rectified Rite in USA. I know it's very hard to open a new Rite (RER - in this case), but since you work already with RER in Spain, you think that if we are regular MM we can start a "triangle" under your jurisdiction? In my understand "high degrees" are opens to all "regular" MM (since blue Lodges only work in Symbolic Degrees).I'm MM and Martinist also and I know that Martinist Doctrine is inside of RER (after blue lodge) What do you think? Frater Jetro"

    Dear Bro. Jetro: We have actually a triangle (almost lodges indeed) in Mexico city and in Buenos Aires. You're right, it is very hard. So we expect them to grow and once they developed in a Lodge or even a Priorat, they will be able to continue by themselves and get independent. So, this seeds could spread the RER or SRR in America. Independent Grand Priorats like ours and French (GPDG) & Belgian (GPDL) don't share symbolic degrees with any other Grand Lodge, the RER or SRR is a whole regime or system, so from 1º degree you get absorbed in RER symbols and ritual, wich you will find different to others. Even if you are a MM (born in a different Rite and rectified to work with us) you have to work a couple of years (or more) the first 3 degrees before to be considered for a promotion to the 4º and last symbolic degree. So, it is impossible to "by pass" the 3 first degrees just because your are a MM and get a new degree without a Rectified and Christian preparation. This is one of our key factors to keep the Rite pure as we inherited it since 18º century. Would be great to have a RER Lodge working in the USA under our original German/French way to do.

    S&F in Xº

    Comment by Johann Stein — November 14, 2009 @ 8:04 am

  23. There has been an agreement between the 4 biggest Great Priory (Rectified Scottish Rite) in France the 6th of Dec. 2008.

    Were part of this : - The Great Independant Priory of France (Grand Orient of France) - The Great Priory of France (Traditional and Symbolical Grand Lodge - Opera) - The United Great Priories of 3 Provinces (French National Lodge) - The Reformed and Rectified Great Priory of Occitania.

    That means most of the RER brothers in France are now having an agreement.

    Best Fraternal Regards

    Laurens Eques a Rosae Sanctae GPERRO

    Comment by Eques a Rosae Sanctae — December 15, 2009 @ 2:08 am

  24. hello..what r u doing here

    Comment by testman — March 1, 2010 @ 12:15 am

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