All Earthly Greatness Goes Away

This is not a solid world in the way we may think of it. Sure, we see rocks as solid, concrete as solid, steel and other metals as solid. Yet, as our skull and bones emblem reminds us, all things decay, disintegrate, and transform. This is a reminder that the natural world around us is […]

Copenhagen bike messengers – freedom and friendship

PG rating. May not be suitable for work, or younger family members.

Odd Fellows and the Mystery of an Unidentified Murder Victim

“The Tamam Shud case, also known as the Mystery of the Somerton Man, is an unsolved case of an unidentified man found dead at 6:30 am, 1 December 1948, on Somerton beach, Glenelg, just south of Adelaide, South Australia.” — Wikipedia Below is an article alleging a connection between Odd Fellows and the Somerton Man Mystery. He may have been an Odd Fellow, but […]

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. […]

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 […]