Digital Edition | July 2025

With its more than ninety degrees, the Rite of Memphis-Misraim (originally two different, though closely related, rites) has fascinated, intrigued, and even enraged regular Freemasons. Sometimes described as “Egyptian Freemasonry,” Albert Pike opposed the tradition and dismissed its degrees as “cheap wares.” Notably, too, Memphis-Misraim is barely mentioned in A. E. Waite’s New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, even though some of the most obscure esoteric societies (many of them non-Masonic) are documented in some detail in this same work. Such an omission seems unlikely to be an oversight. While Memphis-Misraim remains a contentious issue within the world of regular Freemasonry, it is difficult to know why; among others, the Scottish Rite is recognized by regular Freemasonry while Memphis-Misraim is not. However, this irregular rite’s large number of degrees is almost three times that of the Scottish Rite; and, as such, its claims to secret esoteric knowledge must have some bearing on the situation.

     To give us a firm footing in this issue, author Mathieu Ravignat takes us through the sometimes complex history of Memphis-Misraim. Also historical, I have contributed an article on the “Misraim Service” of Rudolf Steiner. Alexandros Armaos throws open the doors of the Memphis-Misraim third degree, enabling us to grasp its teaching on spiritual resurrection, personified by the ancient Egyptian god Osiris. We also speak with David Harrison, Britain’s premier Masonic historian, about John Yarker’s involvement with both regular Freemasonry and Memphis-Misraim. To take you deeper inside the Mysteries of this fringe Masonic rite, we look at two little-known Memphis-Misraim diagrams (“tracing boards”): Universal Hieroglyph and the Philosophic Cross. Lastly, we explore the Memphis-Misraim degree of Three Fires, reproduced here in “Tyler form” (a short description with passwords, due guards, etc.), contemplated by Frater Amoritur, who notes parallels to Craft Freemasonry, Martinism, the “left-hand path,” Zoroastrianism, and Eastern traditions.