Co-Freemasonry
It began in France in the 1890s with the forming of Le Droit Humain, and is now an international movement represented by several Co-Freemasonic administrations throughout the world.
[5] In 1879, following differences among members of the Supreme Council of France, twelve lodges withdrew from it and founded the Grande Loge Symbolique Ecossaise (GLSE).
One of these Lodges, Les Libres Penseurs (The Free Thinkers) in Le Pecq, reserved in its charter the right to initiate women as Freemasons, proclaiming the essential equality of man and woman.
The main proponent of this was Dr. Georges Martin, a French senator, advocate of equal rights for women, and also a member of Les Libres Penseurs.
On March 14, 1893, Deraismes, Martin and several other male Freemasons founded La Respectable Loge, Le Droit Humain, Maçonnerie Mixte (Worshipful Lodge, Human Rights, Co-Masonry) in Paris.
[6] The co-masonic News-Sheets appeared regularly until 1914—their publication was interrupted during the war, but some editions were published in French in America.
[6] Several prominent members of the Theosophical Society joined Co-Freemasonry, including Annie Besant, George Arundale, Charles W. Leadbeater and C. Jinarajadasa.
The Order of Universal Co-Freemasonry in Great Britain and the British Dependencies was founded by Annie Besant and officers of the Supreme Council of the French Maçonnerie Mixte (known today as The International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women, Le Droit Humain) on September 26, 1902, with the consecration of Lodge Human Duty No.
[7] Le Droit Humain's Grand Commander, Brian Roberts, in 2002 said: "Article 8 of the International Constitution of our Order states that our lodges throughout the world 'work to the Great Architect of the Universe [GAOTU] and/or to the Perfection of Humanity'.
The International Order of Co-Freemasonry Le Droit Humain has its own Supreme Council and does not derive its authority from the Grand Orient of France or any other body.
In 2001 the Grand Lodge of Freemasonry for Men and Women was formed by expelled and suspended members of the Consistory Council of the "Le Droit Humain" British Federation for refusing to drop the requirement for a belief in a Supreme Being.
Those remaining in LE DROIT HUMAIN permit each Lodge to decide its own invocation, respecting the liberty of individuals to practice Freemasonry, in the pursuit of Truth, without the imposition of Dogma.
The 2017 International Convention ratified the past invocations found in the constitution and Lodges and Masonic bodies of LE DROIT HUMAIN may still work to the glory of The Great Architect of the Universe [TGAOTU] and/or to the Perfection of Humanity' as they have always done.
[11] At the Congress on Free Thought of 1895, Louise Barberousse, Senior Deacon of the Lodge Nr.1 Le Droit Humain introduced co-masonry to Brussels and showed its Bulletin.
[11] The first worshipful master was brother Reelfs—a remarkable personality—who was born in Amsterdam in 1888, and who had lived in Switzerland since 1906, after completed his studies in The Hague; multi-lingual, speaking Dutch, English, German, Greek and French, he became Professor of Literature at Madame Rollier's school (she would later on be a pioneer of Le Droit Humain in Switzerland, and became worshipful master of the lodge in Lausanne).
He could not prevent the closure of the lodge during the war because members of foreign nationalities were obliged to return home where some were called up for military service.
One of her most interesting retorts in parliament, possibly with veiled Masonic import[citation needed] was in response to Member Latham, who tried to scold Sister Edith when he demanded "Surely, Mrs Cowan, you do not intend to lower women to the level of men?
The origins and development of Le Droit Humain in the USA cannot be separated from the life and activity of one of its primary founders, the Frenchman Louis Goaziou.
The humanitarian ideal of the new Masonic order struck him as absolutely compatible with the Socialist ideas of Louis Goaziou.
The first three degrees were conferred on them by Antoine Muzarelli, and over two days, October 18 and 19, 1903, the first Co-masonic American lodge, Alpha No 301 was born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania.
[14] Six other Lodges were founded in 1904, three working in French, one in Slav, one in Italian and one in English (under the direction of John Goaziou, a brother of Louis).
The 31st, 32nd and the 33rd degrees of the Scottish Rite were conferred on him on 21 November 1909, and he was designated by the Supreme Council as its Representative for the American Federation.
In 1922 the potash mines in Colorado went bankrupt and this led to about 100 Italian members of Le Droit Humain losing their jobs.
It was no longer possible, through lack of funds, to realize the initial project to construct, next door to the administrative offices at Larkspur, an orphanage and a home for the elderly.
With the coming of the Great Depression, membership went into steep decline, which did not recover until after World War II, in the time of his successor, Edith Armour.
Formerly known as American Co-Masonry, this now-independent obedience, which has its headquarters in Larkspur, Colorado, has since become a Co-Masonic organization in the United States[14] and has established Lodges in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina.
[19][20] Certain Grand Lodges of Co-Freemasonry, those under Le Droit Humain, also follow the lead of the Grand Orient de France in removing references to the Supreme Being from their rituals and initiating atheists; this is a further point of separation from typical Masonic Lodges which hold belief in a Supreme Being to be a Landmark requirement.
