Theosophy and Co-Masonry

"Co-Masonry - Pamphlet" is an excerpt from Arthur Edward Waite's "New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Part 1". Thus, this little pamphlet could be seen as a teaser! The excerpt deals with Co-Masonry, a special form of Freemasonry which accepts women as members on equal standing with men.

The idea comes from France. The first female Mason, feminist writer Maria Desraimes, was initiated on January 14, 1882 into the lodge Les Libres Penseurs (The Free-Thinkers), which was immediately suspended by whoever was its higher authority in the Masonic world. In 1893, a 33 degree "Scottish" Freemason and self-proclaimed male feminist named Georges Martin got in touch with Desraimes and persuaded her to form a new Masonic lodge of both sexes, known as Le Droit Humain. This was the beginning of Co-Masonry, or - to use its original name - Loge Symbolique Écossaise Mixte de France.

At some point, Annie Besant and the Theosophists expressed interest in this new form of Masonry, forming lodges in India and Burma. (Despite having a Western leadership, the Theosophical Society was seated at Adyar in India.) Besant somehow secured the right to organize the Co-Masons in Britain and all British colonies, effectively making her the international leader of the movement. When Waite wrote his article, the Co-Masons had acquired a distinctly Theosophical flavour in many locations, with lodges named HPB, Christian Rosenkreuz, Dharma, Bodhi or Star in the East. ("HPB" refers to Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society. "Star in the East" presumably refers to the Order of the Star in the East, founded by Theosophists to promote Jiddu Krishnamurti.) However, Waite believed that non-Theosophical lodges still existed, as well.

Although "Co-Masonry - Pamphlet" is rather short, and probably doesn't say more than the average Wiki entry, I found it somewhat useful, and therefore give it three stars.