When first initiated into Freemasonry, very few candidates are aware of the number of Degrees or Orders that exist, or their relevance to the Craft or historical incidents. In this important book, Raymond Hudson reveals the full titles and range of over thirty Masonic groups, giving details of their different history, aims and philosophies. Some are open to all Master Masons, while membership of other lesser known or esoteric fraternities, is strictly 'by invitation only'. The result is an engrossing mlange of Chivalric Orders, Druids, Rosicrucians, Saxon Kings, Mithraic Mysteries, Essenes, and the Illuminati, with Hermetic heptads and the grandiloquently-named "Order of the Knight Masons, Elect Priests of the Universe". A fascinating, entertaining and informative read for Mason and non-Mason alike.
When first initiated into Freemasonry, very few candidates are aware of the number of Degrees or Orders that exist, or their relevance to the Craft or historical incidents. In this important book, Raymond Hudson reveals the full titles and range of over thirty Masonic groups, giving details of their different history, aims and philosophies. Some are open to all Master Masons, while membership of other lesser known or esoteric fraternities, is strictly 'by invitation only'. The result is an engrossing mlange of Chivalric Orders, Druids, Rosicrucians, Saxon Kings, Mithraic Mysteries, Essenes, and the Illuminati, with Hermetic heptads and the grandiloquently-named "Order of the Knight Masons, Elect Priests of the Universe". A fascinating, entertaining and informative read for Mason and non-Mason alike.