How We Remember – by Carl Armijo

One of the things that has been on my mind since I joined the Order was to document our Lodge brothers and sisters through modern portraiture with a throwback to the old times. I envisioned old regalia and the faces of our current membership.

What I Learned as Grand Master By Toby Hanson, PGM

I have just finished my term as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of
Washington, IOOF. We had an excellent session of the Grand Lodge at
which we conducted a lot of very important business and then I turned
the gavel over to my successor. The whole process of proceeding through
the chairs of the Grand Lodge felt like a whirlwind but now that it’s
complete I have the opportunity to reflect and share what I’ve learned.

Being a Fan of Your Lodge by Billy Sanderson

Think of your lodge now. Being a member for 20 years will have many ups and downs; good seasons and not so good seasons. Are there members in your lodge who have been “life-long fans”? Get them to tell you why their fandom has survived. Could you be a life-long fan of your lodge too?

Traditional Odd Fellowship, by Michael Greenzeiger

I have often been asked if I consider myself to be more of a traditionalist or a reformer when it comes to Odd Fellowship. I actually don’t consider those to be a contradiction, however. Odd Fellowship itself has evolved considerably over the years, from the “convivial society” of the 1700’s through the height of ritual and symbolism during the 1800’s and the charitable and service focus of the 1900’s. I do not yet know what this century will bring, but I do know that there is much of value in our past.

50,000 Views in Two Years!

A little over two years ago, two Odd Fellows who were Facebook friends were discussing the lack of new Odd Fellow content online. So we cooked up a crazy idea of starting a blog together. We had no idea where we would go with it or if anyone would bother to read it, but it was worth a shot. So here we are two years later! Not wanting to toot our own horn and we know we aren’t the biggest blog in the world but all expectations were blown away. 50,000 views is a lot more than we ever expected to get.

THE LONELINESS EPIDEMIC: Make Odd Fellows Your Tribe.

A terrific video about why we, in the 21st century, are considered by some to be the loneliest people in world history. This video interview has adult language.

Coming Together Where the World is Shut Out – New Art by Ainslie Heilich

I started thinking about the physical and spiritual sacred space of the Lodge and how it acts to bring people together. During the Opening Ritual we physically seal the room by securing the doors and covering the windows from the outside world and its influences and we spiritually strip ourselves of who we are on the outside and take on the mantle of our respective office.