>>>I am being raised this upcoming Saturday and while I have decided to wait a while before giving York Rite or Scottish Rite a shot I am still curious as to the differences? Why do some go one route over the other? I know ultimately it is ones preference but I am curious about why others chose yr or sr <<<
I am about 2/3rds of the way through completing the York Rite, having gone through the Chapter and Council degrees, and will hopefully completing the Commandery a little later this fall. I have not yet petitioned for the Scottish Rite, but have read my way through their handbook, "A Bridge to Light," and parts of "Morals and Dogma." Being here in Little Rock, AR, Albert Pike is my homeboy, though in the past I tended to focus a lot more on what he did in the community, Mexican War, and Civil War than strictly on his philosophies about Masonry.
What I have personally found is that the York Rite degrees, specifically the Chapter and Council degrees, are a direct follow-up to the three degrees we received in our home (Craft) lodge. The degrees "feel" much the same, and pick up on many of the same topics and legends from the master's degrees. I went throught the Chapter degrees one at a time within my home chapter, and at a festival for my Royal Arch, since that degree is designed to take no less than three candidates at a time), and the festival format for my Council degrees. Sort of like the Star Wars movie sequels, these degrees bring out "the rest of the story" from the Master Mason degree with a more focused emphasis on "how and why" certain things happened. When I became an MM, I was told I still had a "rough and rocky path" before me. Silly me, I thought that referred to the second section of the master's degree ;-) I found out better in the chapter degrees.
The Scottish Rite, from what I have seen so far. takes a different perspective on many of the same lessons, that of Pike's mixing many different thoughts on religious and cultural histories into the mix. Some of the "outcomes" or lesson points will be a little different, and at least in reading the two books, it all feels a bit more "esoteric" to me, at least, from all the different viewpoints and concepts that Pike mixed in his writings. I wasn't sure that I would really like it when I first started researching it, but now am looking forward to making that my continuing Masonic education project for next year.
On a more practical basis, the York Rite groups tend to be more common as they are organized pretty much the same way that local lodges are, and tend to be more common out in the rural parts of the state. Because of the logistics in putting on the reunions, or degree conferrals in the Scottish Rite, the Valleys are sometimes few and far between. Here in Arkansas, for example, we have only two Valleys, one in Little Rock and one in Fort Smith, I believe. But about a fifth or so of the local lodges have at least a Royal Arch chapter affiliated with them. It's a bit more convenient. Here in Little Rock, the Scottish Rite is probably more popular and active due to the presence of the Albert Pike temple right in the middle of downtown, and because we had the two Shrine temples nearby, in Southwest LR and in Pine Bluff. In the old days when you had to be either a 32nd degree SR or a Knight Templar in order to be a Shriner, it was way easier to sit through a weekend reunion and emerge with a Shrine petition in your hand than it was to work your way through the individual YR degrees. (The Shrine no longer requires that, but then the Shrine is no longer an option for Arkansas Masons, and many of the former Shriners are getting more involved with the Scottish Rite or the blue lodges again, since they can no longer go to the Shrine.)
Matters of faith and philosophy aside, I've enjoyed my journey so far through the YR degrees, and the additional fellowship with the local Royal Arch chapters. You bond with a new set of brothers, since in most cases the chapter and council will spread across a number of local lodges, and each has its own charms. And for me at least, that's one of the big differences. For someone following the path, I would recommend that upon being raised, your first focus needs to be on learning and passing your MM proficiency. Arkansas doesn't have any restriction on time for this, but Texas derned sure does, and TX doesn't allow, or at least strongly discourages your petitioning to any of the appendent or concordant bodies until you get past that proficiency thing. At the same time, be sure to get your feet firmly on the ground within your home craft lodge... all the good stuff you learn there will definitely help you in the other bodies as well.
Ultimately, I joined the YR (and a little earlier than I probably should have) because I thought it would make me a better Mason and better asset to my home lodge. So far, that impression has been coming true.
I wish you best luck in your own search for light... and would definitely admonish you to finish your MM proficiency and get settled in your craft lodge... then ponder well which of the local options for the "other degrees" will best suit your expectations.