Female and Adoption Freemasonry

[Tamrin]

Female and Adoption Freemasonry —
Gender, Ritual and Participation

Dr. Andreas Önnerfors, Sweden

[2007 International Conference on the History of Freemasonry — Abstract]

Freemasonry, as it was performed during the 18th century, almost immediately triggered female participation in the ritual play of secretive societies. Enlightenment thought included women into a joint concept of mankind, dedicated to construct the “realm of felicity”. Enlightenment thought pushed forward the idea of progress and prosperity for the benefit of mankind. In this process it was vital to open up for female participation since there was not perceived any relevant differences between genders. During the 18th century —famous as the societal age —it was just a matter of time when the first organizations dedicated for women and female space would be founded in order to share the ideational capital of male societies and orders. As it was put by a female correspondent in a journal during the 1740-ies, women claimed a place in this “school of virtues” and thus in the perfection of typical Enlightenment values: to augment human felicity, to carry out pro-active altruism (as opposed to reactive charity). Already in 1745, the rituals of the Order of Mopses were exposed in print throughout Europe. Although these have very little in common with Freemasonry, almost immediately the European educated elite became aware of the fact that women could perform rituals in secretive societies. From here the step was very close to the formation of female and adoption lodges within freemasonry as well as female or mixed orders. It was sometimes during the 1740-ies, parallel to the development of higher degree freemasonry, we can trace the first signs for the establishment of female and adoption freemasonry. This process reached its first peak with the edition of the first printed rituals 1772 in France. Whereas adoption freemasonry during the 18th century obviously was compatible with most Masonic systems around Europe, during the subsequent 19th and 20th centuries it has developed into an ingredient of a sharp dividing line between different Grand Lodges in Europe and on a global level. The panel seeks to map the historical all-European development of female and adoption freemasonry, aspects of gender, ritual and participation.