Music: Odd Fellows

Release date: August 16th, 2011 MIRROR MIRROR, the New York based duo of David Riley and Ryan Lucero, bring their avant-pop explorations to RVNG Intl. with the release of Interiors, the ten-song follow up to their debut album, The Society for the Advancement of Inflammatory Consciousness. Recorded in two parts, Interiors features the production work of Chris Coady (Beach House, Gang Gang […]

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.

Attracting Attention to Your Lodge for Potential Members

While I can’t guarantee it will work for everyone or every lodge situation… this is what I have witnessed from successful Lodges and my own personal lodge experience. Also, of the things listed below, so much of it depends on determining the culture of your lodge and what kind of members you are aiming to attract. I wrote a post about that you can check out on the blog. I am sure a lot of these are obvious and you probably already know all this too… but here goes.

Odd Fellows Hall, Digital Painting, Young Poets

In the video below we learn that our buildings continue to help communities express themselves, even though the lodge membership is long gone. The 99Angles Project is a multimedia artistic proposal that links digital writings to intervention’s methods in the public space. These 3 buildings, selected together with local artists, represent the past and […]

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.

First Odd Fellows Funeral

The very first Odd Fellows funeral in the United States took place in Maryland: “Some time during the spring of 1823, Andrew Wark, a member of Franklin Lodge, No. 2, was accidentally knocked from the deck of his vessel into the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, where he was drowned before help could reach him. […]

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 […]

Odd Fellows Art Show!

Odd Fellows/Household of Ruth Mother’s Day Parade, St. Charles Parrish, Louisiana

The Conductor has two places in his heart. One is the cotton farm he grew up on. The other is South Louisiana. Here is the Household of Ruth, part of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows on parade in South Louisiana!

I have seen the rose. I have seen the leaves.

Check this out through an Odd Fellow’s eyes.

Working With “Truth,” the Imperial Virtue

Working With Truth Our third degree, as everyone knows, is the Degree of Truth. Odd Fellows are told that “truth IS the imperial virtue.” But how do we know what truth is? How do we arrive at “truth?” Is there anything that can be called “THE truth?” Your Conductor’s goal here is to simply raise […]

Odd Fellows by Tomahawk

Lyrics: Pit Vipers Golden Dawn Old straw nerves Burning Strong They call us oddfellows We’re dancing on the gallows Who will judge you tomorrow? From the hills, Here they come Cold magic Please behold We only know the odd way