'A Bridge to Light' is standard issue for all new Scottish Rite Masons

Earlier this year, in a post on Jan. 2, I published a bucket list of things I’d like to accomplish at some point in my life. No. 16 on that list was to join the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and to attain the 32nd degree. I scratched that item off my bucket list earlier this year when I officially became a member the Montgomery, Ala. Scottish Rite Valley and attained the 32nd Masonic degree on March 3.

One of the coolest things about joining the Scottish Rite is that, upon your initiation, you’re given a paperback copy of a book called “A Bridge to Light: A Study in Masonic Ritual and Philosophy” by Dr. Rex R. Hutchens. I finished reading this excellent book the other day, and when I was done, I immediately wanted to read it all over again.

First published by the Supreme Council, 33° Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, in 1988 and now in its fourth edition, this 343-page book serves as an introduction to the Scottish Rite’s degrees and symbolism. The book summarizes each degree and is based on Albert Pike’s Masonic classic, “Morals and Dogma.”

(New Scottish Rite Masons are also given a very nice copy of Pike’s book, but I’ve yet to read that one. It’s 1,112 pages long and is staring me down from a spot on my desk as I type this.)

Hutchens, who is a 33° Scottish Rite Mason, is considered to be one of the Scottish Rite’s “most articulate philosophers and writers.” A native of Oregon and a U.S. Army veteran, he is a Past Grand Master of Masons in Arizona. He has a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh and has a master’s degree in Oriental Studies from the University of Arizona. He has been a Mason since 1982.

In addition to “A Bridge to Light,” his other books include the following titles “The Bible in Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogma: A Glossary to Morals and Dogma” (1992), “Pillars of Wisdom: The Writings of Albert Pike” (1995) and “Lecture on Masonic Symbolism and a Second Lecture on Symbolism: The Omkara and Other Ineffable Words” (2007). He actually coauthored “The Bible in Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogma” with D.W. Monson, and his 2007 book is an annotated edition of a work originally written by Pike.

For non-Masons in the reading audience, some of you might find this book very interesting while others might not be able to make much sense of it. A careful reading of the book by non-Masons, however, might kindle an interest in you to learn more about “the world’s oldest fraternity,” and it could even change your life. Then again, it might leave you scratching your head and reaching for your dog-eared copy of “The Lost Symbol.”

In the end, I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading it again. How many of you have ever read (or even heard of this book)? What did you think about it? Let us know in the comments section below.