Can a woman be a Freemason?

[Brother JC]

They can have the same benefit my wife has. Coming down and enjoying good people, fun get togethers, volunteering right next to me and being around the brothers!

Is that what you sought when you knocked on the door? Is that the culmination of the Masonic Experience to you? Or is that all you feel women are worthy of?

 

[coachn]

Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: Have you considered this Rock over here?
Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: You can be fulfilled enough by this Rock.
Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: You can get everything you need from this Rock.
Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: This Rock is your only option.
Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: You should really want this Rock instead.
Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: The Rock is much better for you.
Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: The Rock is all that you shall ever need.
Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: Mustangs are not good for you.
Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: Your passion is your problem.
Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: The Rock will satisfy your passion.
Light Seeker: I want a Mustang.
Blind Man: You're not listening.
Light Seeker: I'm not being heard.

 

[Roy_]

Do you happen to know the specific names of the women's lodges or the co-Mason lodges you mention (or even their websites)? I would like to find out more about this subject since merely applying definitions of 'regular' and 'irregular' leaves out much information.

Here are a few listed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-Freemasonry

 

[Brother JC]

For Levelhead: same equation, different variables; if a man asks you about Prince Hall Masonry, would you summarily shoot him down and tell him your Lodge was the only viable option? I mean, you consider PHA to be clandestine, even though it flies in the face of the majority...

 

[Levelhead]

For Levelhead: same equation, different variables; if a man asks you about Prince Hall Masonry, would you summarily shoot him down and tell him your Lodge was the only viable option? I mean, you consider PHA to be clandestine, even though it flies in the face of the majority...

In MY state.They are Not recognized. Not clandestine. Ive corrected myself in a prior thread.

If someone inquired about masonry and they were a MAN i would direct them accordingly.

 

[Brother JC]

If someone inquired about masonry and they were a MAN i would direct them accordingly.

"Accordingly?" A man has two options in your state, based solely on his choice in the matter. Would something about a man cause you to point him in one direction or another?

I realize this is getting off-base to some degree, but I feel it's germane to the conversation. More than one Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient) exists in Florida, and whether you, personally, consider them clandestine, regular, or recognized, is beside the point. They exist, and they make Masons. You can't sit in any of these Mason's Lodges, yet some you consider clandestine, some you don't. You've admitted that you'd send a Seeker to one, but not the other. I personally find this thinking hypocritical and intolerant, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Levelhead]

Yes "ACCORDINGLY" maybe i spelled it wrong.

Your original question was what i would do or say to someone asking about prince hall?

And i would give him whatever info i had knowledge of. Thats the best i can do.

 

[dfreybur]

What your view offers is not what they seek.

In business there's a concept of satisfying a client's requirements. Sometimes that means doing what the client wants. Sometimes the client asks for something that doesn't make sense on the surface and it's time to step back and ask "What are you actually trying to accomplish?"

There is an issue of accessibility. I'm currently in San Antonio, TX which is not a large metropolitan region. Our airport isn't even a regional hub. Here is San Antonio I can offer contacts for a list of recognized Masonic related orders that do admit women. I can list both Prince Hall and "George Washington" branches all a easy local commute to get there.

In comparison the nearest CoMason lodge to where I am appears to be in Chicago, and the nearest female only lodge to where I am might be in Los Angeles. Either one of those is an extremely long way to go in comparison to a local commute. The only female CoMason I know that I've met took her degrees in England before she moved to the US. The only female Mason I know that I've met took her degrees in Los Angeles and was attending a lodge social not wearing any regalia just as I would not wear any regalia should I attend one of her events.

So it becomes time to ask the question "Is it worth it to you to take a 3 hour flight to get the *real thing* when you can get membership in one of our orders closer than across town?"

We haven't even gotten to the question of what the expression "real thing" means here. In the context of distance does it make any sense at all to tell a women to go somewhere other than local? Who's going to be able to fly 3 hours each way every month to attend most of the meetings? In comparison to who's going to be able to drive to a place that isn't even across town every month to attend most of the meetings? What really are the requirements here?

And then we get to the next level. Are lodges of CoMasons and female only obedience the "real thing". On a social level I can say they are. On a lodge level I can't. They are real in the sense they teach the same lessons that I learn at my lodges, but that's also true of the Star and Amaranth chapters a short drive away. But while I can attend their social events just like I can go to church socials of someone's religion other than mine, I'm never going to try to cross their tiler so I'm never going to be able to attend a tiled event together with a woman who flies out to petition one of these lodges.

Why is a woman asking for the "real thing" anyways? I can hand her a can of soda and do that, knowing full well it's an answer that is technically truth but fundamentally irrelevant. But isn't taking a 3 hour flight to a group I can never attend just as fundamentally irrelevant?

Life's not fair. Woman can't join my lodges. The fact that women can join some other lodges out there somewhere often isn't the question that's really being asked.

Can a woman become a Mason? The answer may be yes, but most of the time that answer is theoretical and rather irrelevant. That answer doesn't satisfy the requirements most of the time. There's no getting past that. There exist female only groups that I can't join. That's not fair either. Sometimes women want a local answer - Go local go Star. Sometimes women want a theoretical answer - Get on a plane and fly to a lodge that admits women. Sometimes women want a fairness answer - There are female orders that won't permit me to be a member so that balances the issue out. Somethings women want a sympathy answer - Life's not fair. Folks get in our way all the time. I know how you feel. I used to feel that way. I found there isn't any real answer to this mystery of life.

 

[Levelhead]

In business there's a concept of satisfying a client's requirements. Sometimes that means doing what the client wants. Sometimes the client asks for something that doesn't make sense on the surface and it's time to step back and ask "What are you actually trying to accomplish?"

There is an issue of accessibility. I'm currently in San Antonio, TX which is not a large metropolitan region. Our airport isn't even a regional hub. Here is San Antonio I can offer contacts for a list of recognized Masonic related orders that do admit women. I can list both Prince Hall and "George Washington" branches all a easy local commute to get there.

In comparison the nearest CoMason lodge to where I am appears to be in Chicago, and the nearest female only lodge to where I am might be in Los Angeles. Either one of those is an extremely long way to go in comparison to a local commute. The only female CoMason I know that I've met took her degrees in England before she moved to the US. The only female Mason I know that I've met took her degrees in Los Angeles and was attending a lodge social not wearing any regalia just as I would not wear any regalia should I attend one of her events.

So it becomes time to ask the question "Is it worth it to you to take a 3 hour flight to get the *real thing* when you can get membership in one of our orders closer than across town?"

We haven't even gotten to the question of what the expression "real thing" means here. In the context of distance does it make any sense at all to tell a women to go somewhere other than local? Who's going to be able to fly 3 hours each way every month to attend most of the meetings? In comparison to who's going to be able to drive to a place that isn't even across town every month to attend most of the meetings? What really are the requirements here?

And then we get to the next level. Are lodges of CoMasons and female only obedience the "real thing". On a social level I can say they are. On a lodge level I can't. They are real in the sense they teach the same lessons that I learn at my lodges, but that's also true of the Star and Amaranth chapters a short drive away. But while I can attend their social events just like I can go to church socials of someone's religion other than mine, I'm never going to try to cross their tiler so I'm never going to be able to attend a tiled event together with a woman who flies out to petition one of these lodges.

Why is a woman asking for the "real thing" anyways? I can hand her a can of soda and do that, knowing full well it's an answer that is technically truth but fundamentally irrelevant. But isn't taking a 3 hour flight to a group I can never attend just as fundamentally irrelevant?

Life's not fair. Woman can't join my lodges. The fact that women can join some other lodges out there somewhere often isn't the question that's really being asked.

Can a woman become a Mason? The answer may be yes, but most of the time that answer is theoretical and rather irrelevant. That answer doesn't satisfy the requirements most of the time. There's no getting past that. There exist female only groups that I can't join. That's not fair either. Sometimes women want a local answer - Go local go Star. Sometimes women want a theoretical answer - Get on a plane and fly to a lodge that admits women. Sometimes women want a fairness answer - There are female orders that won't permit me to be a member so that balances the issue out. Somethings women want a sympathy answer - Life's not fair. Folks get in our way all the time. I know how you feel. I used to feel that way. I found there isn't any real answer to this mystery of life.

Very well put brother.

 

[dfreybur]

Yes "ACCORDINGLY" maybe i spelled it wrong.

Your original question was what i would do or say to someone asking about prince hall?

And i would give him whatever info i had knowledge of. Thats the best i can do.

http://www.conferenceofgrandmasterspha.org/gjlinks.asp

Sometimes questions are easy to answer once you have some information, as in this particular post. Sometimes questions are not so easy to answer even when you do have the information (links to various orders get posted to this forum every so often so they are in the archive), as in this large and popular thread.

 

[Zack]

Levelhead or anyone else that is interested,
do a search for Karen Kidd/author.
She has written 2 books. one co- masonry and one on women in Freemasonry.

 

[Mike Martin]

Ok so me being in florida.. If a woman asks me if she can become a freemason "IN FLORIDA" i will say "no".

That would be a fair answer yes.

 

[Mike Martin]

So in the past 200 + years theres an approximate 5 million freemasons living among us. And I've never ever met a female freemason and ONLY seen 1 on tv from England.

This 100 years of female masonry must be a well kept secret!

Well in America maybe but here in England my Grand Lodge Library & Museum ran an exhibition to run at the same time as the Centenary celebrations of the OWF.

 

[Levelhead]

That would be a fair answer yes.

Ok so in this thread i am done as I've given an answer from my jurisdiction. Thank you.

 

[Mike Martin]

Do you happen to know the specific names of the women's lodges or the co-Mason lodges you mention (or even their websites)? I would like to find out more about this subject since merely applying definitions of 'regular' and 'irregular' leaves out much information.

Yes and if an enquirer identified themselves as being in the UK I give them the details and have done so many times on my own forum in the UK since its launch in 2000.

 

[Brother JC]

Ok so in this thread i am done as I've given an answer from my jurisdiction. Thank you.

Not long ago there was a Co-Masonic lodge in St. Pete's, but I don't know if it still exists. If I lived in FL, I'd help our theoretical woman a bit more.
I, too, am done. None of us is really right or wrong. The simplest answer to the original question is "yes, but not in my lodge."
At the end of the day we're Brothers. We may not always (ever) agree, but when push comes to shove, hopefully we have each other's backs.

 

[Levelhead]

100% brother.

 

[coachn]

That would be a fair answer yes.

Actually, there is a Co-mason Lodge in Miami. St. Germain Lodge 1737, Miami, Florida

 

[coachn]

In business there's a concept of satisfying a client's requirements. Sometimes that means doing what the client wants. Sometimes the client asks for something that doesn't make sense on the surface and it's time to step back and ask "What are you actually trying to accomplish?"

There is an issue of accessibility. I'm currently in San Antonio, TX which is not a large metropolitan region. Our airport isn't even a regional hub. Here is San Antonio I can offer contacts for a list of recognized Masonic related orders that do admit women. I can list both Prince Hall and "George Washington" branches all a easy local commute to get there.

In comparison the nearest CoMason lodge to where I am appears to be in Chicago, and the nearest female only lodge to where I am might be in Los Angeles. Either one of those is an extremely long way to go in comparison to a local commute. The only female CoMason I know that I've met took her degrees in England before she moved to the US. The only female Mason I know that I've met took her degrees in Los Angeles and was attending a lodge social not wearing any regalia just as I would not wear any regalia should I attend one of her events.

So it becomes time to ask the question "Is it worth it to you to take a 3 hour flight to get the *real thing* when you can get membership in one of our orders closer than across town?"

We haven't even gotten to the question of what the expression "real thing" means here. In the context of distance does it make any sense at all to tell a women to go somewhere other than local? Who's going to be able to fly 3 hours each way every month to attend most of the meetings? In comparison to who's going to be able to drive to a place that isn't even across town every month to attend most of the meetings? What really are the requirements here?

And then we get to the next level. Are lodges of CoMasons and female only obedience the "real thing". On a social level I can say they are. On a lodge level I can't. They are real in the sense they teach the same lessons that I learn at my lodges, but that's also true of the Star and Amaranth chapters a short drive away. But while I can attend their social events just like I can go to church socials of someone's religion other than mine, I'm never going to try to cross their tiler so I'm never going to be able to attend a tiled event together with a woman who flies out to petition one of these lodges.

Why is a woman asking for the "real thing" anyways? I can hand her a can of soda and do that, knowing full well it's an answer that is technically truth but fundamentally irrelevant. But isn't taking a 3 hour flight to a group I can never attend just as fundamentally irrelevant?

Life's not fair. Woman can't join my lodges. The fact that women can join some other lodges out there somewhere often isn't the question that's really being asked.

Can a woman become a Mason? The answer may be yes, but most of the time that answer is theoretical and rather irrelevant. That answer doesn't satisfy the requirements most of the time. There's no getting past that. There exist female only groups that I can't join. That's not fair either. Sometimes women want a local answer - Go local go Star. Sometimes women want a theoretical answer - Get on a plane and fly to a lodge that admits women. Sometimes women want a fairness answer - There are female orders that won't permit me to be a member so that balances the issue out. Somethings women want a sympathy answer - Life's not fair. Folks get in our way all the time. I know how you feel. I used to feel that way. I found there isn't any real answer to this mystery of life.

Obviously you would be the wrong person for females to ask such a question. Time to move on.

 

[Glen Cook]

So in the past 200 + years theres an approximate 5 million freemasons living among us. And I've never ever met a female freemason and ONLY seen 1 on tv from England.

This 100 years of female masonry must be a well kept secret!

Well, you've lived a sheltered Masonic life. I've had any number of meals at which female Freemasons were present, both in the US and England.