What is a 33rd degree Mason?

A 33rd degree Mason holds the title of Sovereign Grand Inspector General, which represents the thirty-third and final degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite 1. The degree was established on May 31, 1801, with the creation of the original Supreme Council in Charleston, South Carolina, expanding the twenty-five degrees of the earlier Rite of Perfection by adding eight higher grades 1. Under the Latin Constitutions of 1786, this final grade was designed to oversee and govern all lower degrees of the Rite through a Supreme Council 1. Members of the Supreme Council managing the affairs of the Rite hold the title of Sovereign Grand Inspector General 33°, as the Supreme Council 33° states.

Holders of the degree are distinguished as active or honorary members 1. The regalia and emblems of the rank include a double-headed eagle holding a sword, a nine-pointed star carrying the motto Ordo ab Chao, and a triple-banded ring inscribed with the figures 33, the initials S..G..I..G.., and the motto Deus meumque Jus 1.

The thirty-third degree functions strictly as an administrative and governing rank within the Scottish Rite system, rather than an extension of basic Craft Masonry 1. In English-speaking jurisdictions, Supreme Councils refrain from conferring or governing the first three Symbolic degrees out of deference to independent Grand Lodges 1.