An anecdotal biography of the organizer and leader of the Scottish Rite, one of Freemasonry's largest organizations.

Masonry is permeated with powerful verbal and pictorial symbolism that arouses the mental, spiritual and intellectual life. One of the treasures of the SJ USA Supreme Council's Archives at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C., is Albert Pike's manuscript of The Book of the Words. The book was originally printed, in an edition limited to 150 copies, in 1874. This remarkable study is an exploration of the symbolic words in Freemasonry. It gives the correct spelling of, and analyzes all the "significant words" in the Scottish Rite from the 1st through the 30th degrees inclusive. Pike explores and explains their origin (Hebrew, Samaritan, Phoenician and English), meaning, symbolism and relevance to the degrees and gives his insights. In addition to being an etymological dictionary Pike explains why any given word was chosen for a given degree, thereby revealing the hidden symbolism of each word.

A Life of Albert Pike, originally published in 1997, is as much a study of antebellum Arkansas as it is a portrait of the former general. A native of Massachusetts, Pike settled in Arkansas Territory in 1832 after wandering the Great Plains of Texas and New Mexico for two years. In Arkansas he became a schoolteacher, newspaperman, lawyer, Whig leader, poet, Freemason, and Confederate general who championed secession and fought against Black suffrage. During his tenure as Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite—a position he held for more than thirty years beginning in 1859—Pike popularized the Masonic movement in the American South and Far West. In the wake of the Civil War, Pike left Arkansas, ultimately settling in Washington, D.C., where he lived out his last years in the Mason's House of the Temple. Drawing on original documents, Pike’s copious writings, and interviews with Pike’s descendants, Walter Lee Brown presents a fascinating personal history that also serves as a rich compendium of Arkansas’s antebellum history.

Many books have written about Albert Pike. Authors have discussed his early life and education, his travel to the western states, his history as an Oddfellow, Freemason, Knight of the Golden Circle, Ku Klux Klan and as a Native American advocate. They've dissected his writings, especially the Morals and Dogma, and tried to determine if his World War III letter is real or fraudulent. One thing they've never discussed are the things that happened around him as he grew older and what molded and formed his personality. They also have never talked about his family, his wife and his '10' children and the trials he went through as a father and a husband. Those are some of the things which I'd like to address. I believe that we are all the product of 'nature' and 'nurture.' In other words, we need to learn who his ancestors were; what attributes he might have inherited, what ideas and beliefs were passed down to him, and how the environment he grew up in influenced his ideas and writings. Albert Pike was the descendant of '3' of the original 9 Knights Templars, as well as the Kings and Queens of England, Ireland, Wales, France and Germany. The question is: Did he know? Did it influence what he believed? Enjoy the journey as we discover the man behind the legend. I think you'll be very surprised at what we learn.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1874 Edition.

The key text of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, the belief structure laid out here intricately intertwines faith from all corners of the world as well as involving both science and faith in a bundle for adherents to carefully study and understand.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1874 Edition.

The degrees of the Lodge of Perfection are often viewed as the heart of the Scottish Rite. In these degrees, Albert Pike explores human relations, responsibilities and moral codes. We learn of how humans should interact with each other, how we should govern ourselves and live within our communities. "The Lodge of Perfection" provides each Masonic student with a collection of reflective philosophical lessons which can be used to grow as both a Mason and a member of the human family. The text has been somewhat modernized making an easier reading experience. Foreword by Michael R. Poll.

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