Fraternal Art Symposium

Famous American Odd Fellows of the Mid-1800s Digital Painting

by Ainslie Heilich Several months ago I was commissioned by Louie Blake Saile Sarmiento to create an image depicting a specific list of famous American Odd Fellows of the mid-1800s for his upcoming book on the Odd Fellows. This was no simple task and was definitely a labor of love. Thankfully, with the use […]

I.O.O.F. Certificates: A Lost Art by Scott Robinson

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is steeped in traditions and a rich history. Being one of the oldest surviving Fraternal Orders in the United States, it is a fascinating study of “lost arts.” What do I mean by “lost arts”? One only has to examine our own fine documents to see skills and pride that our modern society has all but forgotten about.

You can run on for a long time.

Cash is from my state: Arkansas. In fact my dad was born in the same community in the 1940’s, although the families did not know one another. And Arkansas, we have a particular reverence for the darkness and irony sometimes found in his music. (Lyrics found below video) MASHUP POETRY: Red letter Odd Fellow and […]

A Lifeboat Challenge

Odd Fellowship has four commandments: Bury the dead, relieve the distressed, educate the orphan, visit the sick. The concept is to do good works in our communities. But is it that simple? Let’s look at an ethical situation. Pretend for a moment your lodge was on a ship that sank to the bottom of the […]

The Making

Taken from The Patriotic Odd Fellows, 1790’s, initiation: My son, the days of man are of short duration, and it is our duty with the help of God, to endeavor, even when the afflictions that attend advanced age press on us, to do our best for mankind although no longer able to bear the burden […]

The Black Keys – In Time

Lyrics are below. Philosophy of Odd Fellowship can be noticed in many places. “In Time” Where do we go? And all the people, they sure don’t want you to know They don’t want you to know, oh Livin’ in chains, the heart’s rearranged You gotta lure it back, all of the time Now tell me […]

New Music: Odd Fellows Hymn

I wrote/recorded/made the video all in one day just to force myself to complete something in a small window. I had written the words a few months ago. I wanted to capture the disorientation and mystery that someone goes through during initiation. All sound effects are authentic and come from my Lodge. Even the creaky 17th step!

The Common Good: Mad Max and Little Lord Fauntleroy

The Common Good. “It is possible that people should combine for the common good; hence we have societies…united by a compact, which protects their members.” There are several things in the above quote that an Odd Fellow can observe. However, I’ll focus specifically upon the idea, put forth in the quote, of a social contract. […]

Bro. Mathew Yingling and the “Columbus Factor”

While it is true that idle curiosity caused me to join, what I found in the organization is what kept me coming back. It kept me going to meetings, researching, looking for ways to improve myself and my Lodge. My Lodge and the Order it belongs to impressed me in a way that nothing in the world ever has. It has presented me with the privilege to meet some of the greatest people I have ever met. Doing the work of the order and moving through the chairs has been one of the greatest honors I have ever been able to experience outside of fatherhood and my marriage to Jessica who shares in Odd Fellowship with me.

On the Edge of Revival

My theory is that the Gen X and Millennial generations are looking for something outside of formal religion that is fun, mysterious, and meaningful to help make sense of the chaotic world we live in today. People like me got intrigued by the history and the mystery of all of the symbols and rituals and it drew me to the order. I needed to feel like I was a part of something larger than myself. Something that was serious but didn’t take itself too seriously. Something that helps the community. Something that gives me a purpose and reminds me to do the right thing. Odd Fellows is all of those things and more.

The Heads of Giants

The Heads of Giants Human myth is full of giants. From the giant in “Jack and the Bean Stalk” to “David and Goliath” to the modern mythical giant “Godzilla.” But what do giants represent to ancient humanity and modern sensibilities? One of the ways we can begin to interpret the idea of “giant” is thinking […]