Daurade

@StoshA bit late, but thanks Stosh!

Yes, there were originally 2 degrees. The first was split into two, and "This second half would become known as the Second Degree (making the Vigil the Third Degree). It also defined when a member sealed his membership into the fraternity by becoming a true brother in the fraternity." This would involve an exchange of blood and indeed, the 2nd Degree did become known as the "Blood-Rite". When I became a Brotherhood member, this exchange was symbolic, but at one time they actually pricked the candidates' fingers or cut their hands. The practice was forbidden in 1956 after a 40-year run as part of the 2nd Degree ceremony, but the practice is reported to have continued until the 60s, maybe even the 70s. This info is from the official OA website, so it is reliable. I wrote an article long ago and John Salza used it for his own anti-OA purposes, which was never my intention, being both a member of the OA and a Freemason. In that article I mentioned the Blood-Rite but didn't adequately source my facts. In response to doubts that the Brotherhood was once called the Blood-Rite, I've summarized the history in a new article and linked to a couple of sources. I hope it clears up some of the confusion that may have been caused by my original article: http://lawsofsilence.blogspot.fr/2016/12/yes-virginia-it-was-called-blood-rite.html Cheers!