It's a shame that the Freemasons there are against women, LGBTQ+ folks, and atheists joining their club 😔

I'm back in the country, I've returned from leave. We're going to be setting up more meet-and-greets and get togethers. I'll be catching up on our inbox over the coming days. See you soon!

Morals and Dogma reads as one man's religious "theory of everything," and most Freemasons today do not hold the work in high regard. Albert Pike, despite his influence, was a bit of a crank, and a terrible racist.

We been reading John Dickie's The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World. Very briefly: it's a good, 10,000-foot view of our history, but, because we recognize purpose in Masonic secrets communicated ritualistically, we do not recommend it for those interested in becoming Freemasons.

We are just getting started. Check us out at www.josphinebakerlodge.org!

We believe that an equally-recognized women's tradition, and gender-neutral and comasonry, align with core Masonic principles: the universality of Freemasonry, enlightenment, equality, and social progress.

Our call thus remains the same: we appeal to all American Freemasons — especially the men of traditional, single-sex and religious, Freemasonry — to recognize that true equality demands the recognition of women Freemasons.

... we caveat our recognition with equal recognition that the Order of the Eastern Star does not produce Freemasons, and that women who participate in the Order are still second-class citizens as members of, essentially, a Masonry-themed social club attached to a Masonic Lodge.

While we recognize this as a slight step forward for women's equality in Freemasonry — it is problematic that women have historically only been able to participate in Masonic life via their relationship to a man...

We've heard the news that the General Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star has made a policy change that allows any woman, not only those with a Masonic relation, to petition for membership.

We are officially nowhere yet as we have not rented space, but thank you for noticing us :) We have, as you have correctly noted, determined to launch this project in Alexandria.

You can learn more about our community at www.josphinebakerlodge.org

Hello Bluesky! We are Baker Lodge, a group of liberal Freemasons in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.