Welcome and congrats. The Scottish rite is a series of degrees one can achieve once they've been even raised to the sublime degree of a master mason. Starting with 4th degree all the way to the 32nd, each degree has a lesson to impart using dramas or plays to impart the lesson. The 33rd degree is awarded to masons who have done outstanding service to the fraternity and their community. Masons only get invited to the 33rd degree and can't petition to obtain it. Also there are 33rd degree masons who are in charge of running their prospective Scottish rite jurisdictions, along with the honorary masons. Both are highly respected. Some relate the Scottish rite to the "university" of masonry.
The York rite of freemasonry, depending which jurisdiction you are from is broken down into 3 groupings: Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, The Cryptic Rites, and Knights Templar. The degrees in the Royal Arch are not numbered. They consist of: The Mark Master Mason Degree, the Past Masters Degree(virtual) The Most Excellent Master Degree and the Supreme Degree of the Holy Royal Arch of Jerusalem. In Ontario Canada for complicated reasons, the Past Masters degree has been removed. Once the Mason receives his Royal Arch Mason Degree (RAM) he has the option to go to the optional Cryptic Rite degrees which consist of: Royal Master, Select Master, and Super Excellent Master. After that, one can go to the Commandery of Knights Templar. In Canada they are called Priories. In the Knights Templar instead of degrees the candidates receive orders, which function in the same way as a degree. They consist of: Order of the Res Cross, Order of Malta, and Order of the Temple. After that there are only invitational bodies, and their location varies from place to place.
A WORD OF ADVICE:
I would suggest as a newly made Entered Apprentice you shouldn't look into any degrees you haven't received. Not because you'll get into some trouble, but it will most definitely ruin your Masonic experience. That's a mistake that I highly regret. Thankfully it's was only a few degrees. But only look into things that your degree permits you to. ( masonically speaking of course) Once your receive your third degree by all means go and read what you've experienced. But only what you've experienced.
