Eunice Pinney (1770–1849)
Windsor, Connecticut, 1809
Watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper
13 7/8 x 11 3/4 in.
American Folk Art Museum
Masonic mourning piece commemorates Reverend Ambrose Todd (1764–1809), rector of St. Andrew’s Church in Simsbury and a close personal friend of the artist
“I was thinking today about the Sisters at Lodge Aletheia in Los Angeles, a lodge that I have had the pleasure of visiting more than once, and the dedication that they show to Freemasonry.
Lodge Aletheia belongs to the Women’s Grand Lodge of Belgium and has sister lodges in Washington D.C. and New York. The founders had to travel to Belgium to be initiated, passed, and raised, which in itself is an indicator of their dedication to bringing women’s Masonry to the United States.
The sisters are required to attend education meetings at 10 am, followed by a break for lunch, and the lodge opens at 2 pm and normally lasts until 5pm, followed by a common meal (in the European tradition this is known as an Agape).
How many of us would be willing to commit ourselves to what is essentially an entire Saturday for Masonic work, and this is every month?
As with those mainstream lodges that belong to the Masonic Restoration Foundation or that follow a European Lodge pattern, these are the lodges that are the future of Freemasonry in this country.
Those lodges that require commitment and hard work are the lodges that prosper and attract the highest quality candidates. Lodge Aletheia turns away more candidates than it accepts, as I can testify to personally. At one blindfold interview session I was witness to, only one of three women applying to the lodge was accepted for initiation.
If we don’t ask much of our members, we should not expect much. Being a Freemason is a privilege and an honor. It is not an entitlement. When the West Gate is opened to whoever knocks, there is no telling who we are letting in the door; Freemasonry must maintain high standards to be a beneficial and quality organization.”
(by San Diego Freemason, September 28, 2011)
I have met a few of the sisters of the Aletheia Lodge, some have visited our lodge from time to time. Two were even present at my initiation into my mother lodge, back in 2007. Their practices and rituals are very similar to those of our own order.
“Order of the Eastern Star has a motto…which appears as an acronym on their seal–FATAL. The acronym is a warning to its members about divulging their secrets but also stands for the motto, “Fairest AmongThousands, Altogether Lovely.”
This password used in O.E.S. rituals is an offshoot of phrases found in the Song of Solomon. In Song of Solomon the man in chapter 5 was called chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely and he represents Christ. The phrase was used by Christians of old to express their love for Christ.
The phrase is used with the five women in each degree mentioned above:
Jephthah’s daughter Adah, because she devoted her life to preserve her father from eternal infamy, was the Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely
Ruth, because she forsook home, friends, and all things, in a heathen land, to seek out the people of God, was the Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely
Esther, because she offered her crown and life to preserve her people, was Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely
Martha, because amidst all the despair of death and the woe of desolation, she preserved her faith in the Word of God, was the Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely
Electa, because in her martyrdom for Christ’s sake she hesitated not to sacrifice all things that love can prize or friendship cherish, was the Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely”
http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/sisters-of-secrecy-more-facts-on-eastern-star/
IMO, This organization is “Altogether” antiquated at best (and sexist at worst). As I see it, O.E.S. is definitely not freemasonry for women. While I could list many philosophical reasons for why I think this, personally the most galling is the eligibility requirements. In order for a woman to join the Eastern Star, she must be related to a Male Freemason. Women cannot seek out “the light” on their own. (that is assuming seeking “the light” is actually the purpose of O.E.S. rituals, not actually being O.E.S. myself.)
“Increasingly I am aware of the value and necessity of women belonging to Freemasonry. As a member of a mixed lodge, I could not imagine practicing Masonry without the insight that my Sisters bring to the work, nor the balance that they offer to the lodge.
Many mainstream Masons claim that the involvement of women would result in Masonry no longer being Masonry. In the United States and England, Freemasonry, for the most part, has already ceased to be Masonry, instead evolving into a charitable social club. As a men’s club to hang out and discuss sports and socialize, I can see where they are coming from. The Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes and the International Order of Friendly Sons of the Raccoons of Television fame served a similar purpose.” (~ San Diego Freemason)
http://sandiegofreemason.blogspot.com/2010/08/can-woman-be-freemason.html
Kid Acne Masonic Themed Lightboxes
Stella Dore Gallery, London, England
photos 2009, Graffoto.co.uk
There are 6,000 female Freemasons in the UK and Commonwealth and their centenary celebrations recently filled the Albert Hall. The current grandmaster supports a policy of non-secrecy, hence this rare interview with Dr Iris Oktabsova and her daughter Zuzanka.
“It’s not about worldly power,” says Oktabsova, past grand master of Lodge Equity 16. “It’s about spirituality and personal growth.” Oktabsova, 86, joined when she was 21 years old, after attending a “spectacular” meeting at the Grand Lodge in London’s Notting Hill. “A lot of masons at that Lodge were Equity members, so it was quite a theatrical performance.” What, with hymn-singing and dancing? “That sort of thing.”
If Oktabsova is vague, it is “because otherwise there would be nothing for new members to discover”. “There would be no journey,” agrees Zuzanka…
Grand Master M. W. Bro Halsey, Initiated in Lodge Golden Rule No 1 on 29th April, 1909
"veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols"
