Maybe someone here knows?

I remember when I was young my grandparents taking me to some organization they belong to in Cleveland, OH. They only took me two times and I vaguely remember what the building looks like or even where it was located. It has been a long time; anyway I remember that the place seemed really well guarded, I mean not just anyone could walk in. I also remember seeing people in white robes with a green cloth over their shoulders, no hoods. But probably the most significant thing I remember about the whole thing was a symbol of a star. Inside each 5 legs of the star were symbols, I do not remember of what, but another feature of the star was each of the 5 legs where different colors, I think blue, red, yellow, green, and I want to say white but it could have been black. I was too young and never gave it any thought, but now that I am older I am curious what my grandparents were involved in. I asked my mother about it a while ago and she didn’t know. I don’t think it is a secret society or anything because they let me go in with my grandparents and I remember other kids there as well. I am just curious what it was and what it was called. Anyone have any ideas?

Did it look like this?

www.easternstar.org...

That was most definitely the Order of the Eastern Star. It is an organization for female family members of Freemasons. Well, it's actually an organization for both the actual masons and their female family members, but I believe the majority of members are women.

Thats it! The name even rings a bell now. Thanks. I will check it out, thanks for the website. Interesting.

Originally posted by XxaudioholicxX
Thats it! The name even rings a bell now. Thanks. I will check it out, thanks for the website. Interesting.

Your grandfather is/was a Freemason, and a brother to several of us here on this forum, incase you didn't know.

[edit on 23-6-2005 by sebatwerk]

I didn't even know he was one. This mason and freemason stuff is new to me, I mean I heard of them, but I have no clue as to what it is or why my grandparents were in it. I will have to spend a few weeks doing some research on it, maybe ask my mom about it again. My cousin and I would talk about it, and my cousin is very suspicious about what she was doing in the organization, not that she was doing anything wrong, it was just, well..... kinda mysterious. He actually did some research on our family tree and said he found some interesting things, but never told me what. Both of my grandparents have passed away.

Originally posted by XxaudioholicxX
I didn't even know he was one. This mason and freemason stuff is new to me, I mean I heard of them, but I have no clue as to what it is or why my grandparents were in it. I will have to spend a few weeks doing some research on it, maybe ask my mom about it again. My cousin and I would talk about it, and my cousin is very suspicious about what she was doing in the organization, not that she was doing anything wrong, it was just, well..... kinda mysterious. He actually did some research on our family tree and said he found some interesting things, but never told me what. Both of my grandparents have passed away.

Many people are suspicious of Freemasons and Freemasonry, because of the myth that its a secret society. It is not, it is a men's fraternity which keeps certain rituals, handshakes and passwords secret. But, because of the notion of secrecy, people always think the very worst. It's completely ludicrous, and you can find out anything you want about the fraternity online at websites like:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

www.masonicinfo.com...

Just stay away from the conspiracy and anti-mason sites. They all have an obvious bias against Freemasonry, and have obvious agendas that they are carrying out. They have already confused MANY people, and given them the impression that we are somehow evil or satan worshippers, trying to take over the world instead of men who believe that charity, love and honor is the way to a life of happiness and an eternity in heaven.

If you ever have any questions, just let me know. I would be more than happy to discuss Freemasonry with you, and maybe give you some insight into a part of your grandfather's life that you never knew.

you say seb that we are not a secret society, which IS true. we are a society with secrets. however, the only reason i would say it's a secret societ is because i love the idea of myself belonging to one such orginization. but that's just MY opinion.

My Grandfather was a freemason too, in Australia. Unfortunately, I was 3 when he died so I never got to really bond with him.

Did it look like this?






Actually, I could AMAZE you with all the stuff I DON'T know about Masonry.
Who are The Daughters of the Nile? What's the "Sons" group called? Who is the R.O.J.? What's the significance of "32 Wings up" as opposed to "Wings down"?

See? Told ya so!

[edit on 24-6-2005 by Toelint]

Genuine curiosity.

May I ask what the Freemasons actually do?

Originally posted by Koka
Genuine curiosity.

May I ask what the Freemasons actually do?

Shh, it's a secret.

Originally posted by sebatwerk

Originally posted by XxaudioholicxX
I didn't even know he was one. This mason and freemason stuff is new to me, I mean I heard of them, but I have no clue as to what it is or why my grandparents were in it. I will have to spend a few weeks doing some research on it, maybe ask my mom about it again. My cousin and I would talk about it, and my cousin is very suspicious about what she was doing in the organization, not that she was doing anything wrong, it was just, well..... kinda mysterious. He actually did some research on our family tree and said he found some interesting things, but never told me what. Both of my grandparents have passed away.

Many people are suspicious of Freemasons and Freemasonry, because of the myth that its a secret society. It is not, it is a men's fraternity which keeps certain rituals, handshakes and passwords secret. But, because of the notion of secrecy, people always think the very worst. It's completely ludicrous, and you can find out anything you want about the fraternity online at websites like:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

www.masonicinfo.com...

Just stay away from the conspiracy and anti-mason sites. They all have an obvious bias against Freemasonry, and have obvious agendas that they are carrying out. They have already confused MANY people, and given them the impression that we are somehow evil or satan worshippers, trying to take over the world instead of men who believe that charity, love and honor is the way to a life of happiness and an eternity in heaven.

If you ever have any questions, just let me know. I would be more than happy to discuss Freemasonry with you, and maybe give you some insight into a part of your grandfather's life that you never knew.

Thanks for the information, I agree with you about people thinking of the worst, like my cousin, who obviously dwells on feeds off of the unknowing. My grandparents, and grandfather was a great man indeed, very knowledgeable, loving, and family oriented. I miss him the most. I would never in a second think that they would be involved in something evil. They were very spiritual people and good people. I don't belive in lots of things, especially on this site, I am the type of person that reads, analiyzes and researches before I come to a conclusion. But just my experience as a young child, going to this organzation with them, I just remember having a good time, eating, and playing with other children. I however do not remember any conversations, rituals, or anything like that. I just remember being surronded by good people. You know it kinda reminded me of being at church, that is the best way I can describe it.

you say seb that we are not a secret society, which IS true. we are a society with secrets. however, the only reason i would say it's a secret societ is because i love the idea of myself belonging to one such orginization. but that's just MY opinion

i really really try to stay out of the freemason stuff, but this one caught me by surprise. freemasons are generally nice, but the above quote pretty much captures what i think many freemasons intentions and motives boil down to. most of them arent as open as umwolves123, but i think they all share his opinion.

the professed efforts of freemasonry are noble and very much appreciated all over the world. they are all about fellowshipping and comradarie. they are open friends. all the good qualities of a fraternity. they are contributors to many charities and every single one i have encountered was a nice fellow. really good people.

theres always a BUT,
since when did joining a ~secret~ society enable you to be a good friend, or contribute to charity?

if those were the key motives by the average individual, there are so many ways to show your efforts. why then does freemasonry, and pretty much every other successfull fraternity have such a massive following?

the answer is outlined in the quote above.

they are elitists. if that doesnt bother you, fine. be elite. not a crime really. even the word 'elite' establishes a seperation between people, or some kind of social ladder that is climbed. as fitting as it is the adage pyramid metaphoar were all familiar with best illustrates that ladder: beaurocracy. if you climb high enough the power rests in the hands of very few.

now, if you can be certain 'elitehood' is a key motivator for many recruits, what might you find behind lodge doors all over the world? A beaurocracy, or a climb to the top.

whats at the top guys? -i doubt its worth it.

Exactly,

since when did joining a ~secret~ society enable you to be a good friend, or contribute to charity?

So, what exactly do the Freemasons do that is not capable of being done, without being a Freemason?

Originally posted by lost

they are elitists. if that doesnt bother you, fine. be elite. not a crime really. even the word 'elite' establishes a seperation between people, or some kind of social ladder that is climbed. as fitting as it is the adage pyramid metaphoar were all familiar with best illustrates that ladder: beaurocracy. if you climb high enough the power rests in the hands of very few.

Elitist is the wrong word. After all in masonry the CEO of Superhuge Inc. and a guy mowing lawns for a living are total equals.

Esprit de corps would be a much better term.

As far as the poster liking the term secret society, well there is nothing wrong with something sounding cool!

Originally posted by Koka
Exactly,

since when did joining a ~secret~ society enable you to be a good friend, or contribute to charity?

So, what exactly do the Freemasons do that is not capable of being done, without being a Freemason?

Nifty handshakes?

It all boils down to wanting to be associated with like-minded individuals. Fellowship, camaraderie, learning, being a part of something bigger than yourself, self-improvement (many facets of that one) are just a few of the reasons I can think of. To me it's a combination of all of those, with a little family tradition thrown in, as well as the esoteric aspect of Freemasonry. Freemasonry is different for different men. No two men get the same thing out of it; it's very personal, and you get out what you put in.

Lost, I think your perception of Freemasonry is perhaps a bit skewed. No offense.

[edit on 6/24/05 by The Axeman]

Originally posted by lost

you say seb that we are not a secret society, which IS true. we are a society with secrets. however, the only reason i would say it's a secret societ is because i love the idea of myself belonging to one such orginization. but that's just MY opinion

i really really try to stay out of the freemason stuff, but this one caught me by surprise. freemasons are generally nice, but the above quote pretty much captures what i think many freemasons intentions and motives boil down to. most of them arent as open as umwolves123, but i think they all share his opinion.

I was about to reply to his post and tell him "If that's why you wanted to be a mason, you are in the fraternity for the absolute wrong reasons", but then I saw your post and wanted to reply.

You are mistaken, I doubt many Freemasons join because they want to be part of a secret society. If one does, however, he would soon see that Freemasonry is NOTHING like that and would probably quit. But I could not disagree with you more.

Any mason can tell you that the fraternity is NOT secretive like people think. It is a very open society, but it has its rules which we must abide by. That is all the secrecy boils down to. Some masons do, however, have their own interpretation and take the whole secrecy thing WAY too far, which seems like this individual has done also.

What do Freemasons do?
Well here's a hint.
For close to 300 years there have been hundreds of books published and thousands of ex-cult members along with many people like myself that have suffered at their hands telling the world that this is an evil and deceptive organisation that fosters all sorts of depravities.

It IS a secret society, I know dozens of Freemasons personally and NONE of them will publically admit their membership.

In a nutshell the purpose of the cult is to provide a mechanism for a select few to explore the boundries of social manipulation using means that would be frowned upon by normal "profane" society which does not appriciate the "beauty" and "truth" of their endevours otherwise.

Anyway there are heaps of books and suchlike on the subject, the one trap to fall into is to expect The Freemasons themselves to offer up usefull information, they are either oath bound to "protect the secrets" or don't know them anyway (or both.)

Originally posted by sebatwerk

Originally posted by lost

you say seb that we are not a secret society, which IS true. we are a society with secrets. however, the only reason i would say it's a secret societ is because i love the idea of myself belonging to one such orginization. but that's just MY opinion

i really really try to stay out of the freemason stuff, but this one caught me by surprise. freemasons are generally nice, but the above quote pretty much captures what i think many freemasons intentions and motives boil down to. most of them arent as open as umwolves123, but i think they all share his opinion.

I was about to reply to his post and tell him "If that's why you wanted to be a mason, you are in the fraternity for the absolute wrong reasons", but then I saw your post and wanted to reply.

You are mistaken, I doubt many Freemasons join because they want to be part of a secret society. If one does, however, he would soon see that Freemasonry is NOTHING like that and would probably quit. But I could not disagree with you more.

Any mason can tell you that the fraternity is NOT secretive like people think. It is a very open society, but it has its rules which we must abide by. That is all the secrecy boils down to. Some masons do, however, have their own interpretation and take the whole secrecy thing WAY too far, which seems like this individual has done also.

Seb, you totally misunderstood what i meant by that. ya see i joined for the resons of brotherhood, which is what i miss most about not being a Marine anymore. the idea of belonging to a "secret society" fosters a point in the imagination of what it must have been like belonging to one durring the times of "secrecy", sort of giving you that idea of mystery and allows your imagination to run wild. That's all.

Freemasonery is about the closest thing i can come to to describe the brotherhood one marine shares with another. i know that as long as there is a marine corps flag flying i have a bed to sleep in and a warm meal anywhere in the world. just as if he had a giant compass and squar in his front yard. THAT is why i joined the masons.

the idea of a "secret society" is symply "fun" to think about that is what i meant.