An Eye For The Lack Of An Eye

You have two eyes. Would you give one of your eyes so someone in a developing nation without sight could become seeing? You have two kidneys. Would you give one up so a stranger could live a longer life? What is it that drives some of us to look beyond our own interests and the […]

Joshua Colaw’s Six Truths for Initiates.

(Adapted from the IOOF book “The Beacon Light,” by J. A. Colaw, pages 92-96) Joshua Colaw, author of The Beacon Light, identified what he believed to be six truths in the Initiatory Degree. He categorized them into two groups. A. Five preliminary truths B. One primary truth As an Odd Fellow I often feel like too […]

The Lost Symbols of Odd Fellowship

Shadowy cabals, connections to European kings and US presidents, and possibly one late 19th century rebellion in a US state, dot Odd Fellow’s history. And although we are not like Freemasonry, we are an organization that has been around since the late 1730’s, and if you spend time digging you can find a ton of mystery. […]

The Gift of Time -by Kelly Hughes

By Kelly Hughes Grand Master Washington State 2017-2018 Originally printed in the Washington Odd Fellow. As I sit here writing this letter for the newspaper, I think about the holidays. I received several wonderful gifts from family, but the most precious of all was time. Mother and I had my nephew and his wife and […]

Part II: Using the Emblems for Reflection and Contemplation

Part II Read Part I: Using the Emblems for Reflection and Contemplation Part I I recently decided to use the emblems of the Order in one of the ways they were intended to be used: as guides for daily life. I chose the first seven emblems, and applied one each day, starting on a Tuesday. Tuesday: […]

Using the Emblems for Reflection and Contemplation Part I

“Those emblems are there for a reason.” The artwork showing our emblems is enticing– even beautiful. In fact those emblems are one of 3 things that pulled me into the Order. Before I joined the Order I used to think “What do those things even MEAN?!” The mystery behind them did the trick– I joined […]

Odd Fellows Music: “Odd Fellows Rest” by the Danish band The Dirty Diary.

The Dirty Diary is a one man band that hails from Denmark. Music style is a dirty gritty slide guitar blues and spaghetti western themed songs that sound like they could come from a Sergio Leone Western. Musical influences are: Tom Waits, The Kills, Ennio Morricone, Jimi Hendrix, The Black Keys. Grab a beer, and […]

The Fraternal Spectrum – by Seth Anthony

“We all have the same problems you know” he said. “Whether Odd Fellows, Masons, Pythians, or Rotarians – it’s the same issues, they just have different names.” I pondered on that statement and realized how true it was. Later, I spoke to my Pastor who lamented the issues facing the church and membership. Then I heard it again from a client at work, who was saddened by the lack of interest in their charitable mission.

10 Webpages To Aid Your “Odd” Life!

I agree: the featured image of the “man-chickens” is pretty odd. One of the things we’re supposed to do as Odd Fellows is take care of one another so here are 10 webpages that can help you lead a better Odd life! The first two you may have to copy and paste in your address […]

APATHY

For years, I wanted to belong to a fraternal order. I’d researched several and settled on Odd Fellowship. It took a couple of years of trying to contact people before someone eventually replied, and so my journey to Jericho began. The journey has been difficult, but not without diamonds found along the way. My first […]