Books on freemasonry to aid with tarot study?

astronautica

I've managed to find a fair amount of information on the dummies.com website about freemasonry (http://www.dummies.com/Section/Content-Search.id-324209.html?query=freemasonry) - the information is fairly straightforward and a good starting point, but it doesn't delve too deeply into any of the symbolism. I'm finding Mackey's Encyclopedia to be an invaluable resource while I'm waiting for my books to arrive :)
 

Cerulean

I ran across this to the French Lodge Des Amis Reunis...

On April 23, 1771, a new lodge was constituted with the name ‘Des Amis Réunis’ [The United Friends]...

http://www.bavarian-illuminati.info/2009/08/karl-r-h-frick-on-the-philalethes/

as I was researching Simon Francois Blocquel, a Lille-based publisher of the Grand Etteilla II tarot and a publishing partner of a subsequent Grand Etteilla III (Grand Oracle Jeu des Dames) tarot pattern in the 19th century. Turns out he was a Free Mason and while he published tarot as popular culture...perhaps there other esoteric links as well...

Hoping this is relevant...

~Liberty, Equality and Fraternity~

Cerulean
 

alesia

Curious about this too!

PS. Eastern Star requires that you be Christian along with the requisite Masonic affiliation; Amaranth just requires faith in a higher power (but not any specific religion) and belief in an afterlife. It was originally meant to be the highest degree of Eastern Star. Great people, too. ;)
 

Richard

.....Unfortunately my gender denies me membership to the lodges! I am looking into the Order of the Eastern Star though :)
Eastern Star is a good organization. I was in the Order of DeMolay, which I enjoyed very much. There are Co-Masonic organizations which admit women and do all the standard degrees of Freemasonry, such as Le Droit Humain, which does all 33 degrees of the Scottish Rite. Unfortunately, Co-Masonic lodges seem to be few and far between.

ETA: I forgot that Eastern Star is Christian. I think that being a Christian also is a requirement for the York Rite degrees of Freemasonry. There were no religious requirements for the DeMolay other than belief in a Supreme Being. As far as I know, Le Droit Humain requires no such belief at all.
 

astronautica

Eastern Star is a good organization. I was in the Order of DeMolay, which I enjoyed very much. There are Co-Masonic organizations which admit women and do all the standard degrees of Freemasonry, such as Le Droit Humain, which does all 33 degrees of the Scottish Rite. Unfortunately, Co-Masonic lodges seem to be few and far between.

ETA: I forgot that Eastern Star is Christian. I think that being a Christian also is a requirement for the York Rite degrees of Freemasonry. There were no religious requirements for the DeMolay other than belief in a Supreme Being. As far as I know, Le Droit Humain requires no such belief at all.

The Order of DeMolay is a youth lodge, isn't it? That would have been fantastic! I wish my dad had encouraged me to join Job's Daughters, but I think it was a bit late/ I was in the wrong headspace when I found out about it.

Oh! I didn't realise that the Eastern Star were christian... maybe it's not quite for me then. I have no problem with christian organisations, but I just don't identify with a christian god. I might have a look Le Droit Humain then, and the Amaranth. My computer doesn't seem to want to open the Australian page for Le Droit Humain though! I think I'd like to read and learn a lot more before I seriously start to pursue joining an order.

And thanks heaps for the link, Cerulean! I'm always fascinated to see links between freemasonry and the tarot :) Lots of reading to do!
 

alesia

Yep, York Rite (and its capstone, the Knights Templar) is Christian only. Scottish Rite requires a belief in a higher power but no particular religion, much like Amaranth.

Fair warning: the Lord's Prayer is in the Amaranth ritual, but non-Christians are welcome to pray silently during that time. (I do the Qabalistic Cross and a quick Middle Pillar.)

I'd love to live near a Co-Masonry lodge, or a Grand Orient de France lodge (atheists and women accepted), or even some Thelemites. Until that time, well, Amaranth is good ritual practice with a side of social outreach and charity work.