Fraternal Art Symposium

The Scythe: Cutting Remarks

The Scythe: Cutting remarks Here’s a video with remarks to follow: One of Odd Fellowship’s most recognizable symbols is the scythe. As you saw above, it can cut grass, but its most important job is to harvest tall crops like wheat. To understand the rural imagery of the scythe it is important to understand its […]

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 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. […]

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.

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 […]

Artwork: Reworking Old Images. Vol I.

Several years ago, I acquired this cast iron trivet/plaque. Despite the damage to the dove and the rough appearance I had fallen in love with this depiction of the heart in hand. It gave the appearance that the hand was giving the heart over, while still protecting it in its gentle embrace, like cradling a small bird. It is a simple yet powerful image. The bearer is both thoughtful and generous, careful yet ready to aid others. As Odd Fellows, we cannot just help anyone who comes to altar of aid.