Post #232245 by Swanky on Tue, May 16, 2006 8:47 AM

You must be a Mason to become a Shriner. One of th emany "funny hats" clubs. Though there is a social network, the work of the Masons is spiritual. Meta-religion. The intense inner work of the Lodges got more and more dilute over time. It's workings being secret, many popular notions arouse about it's real ceremonies and the goings on. The outer groups and public works cause Shriners to be seen in Fezes. There are a good many revels when Shriners get together and the notion of the drunken Shriner in a Fez became popular.

It's just an iconic image of the 1950-60s.

The Masons draw a lot of symbolic imagery from the East. The East being the direction from which the Sun rises, it is symbolic of the dawning of light in your mind, life and soul. It is symbolic of knowledge and god. The imagery of Egypt and Eastern culture is just part of that symbolism of "enlightenment." It all originated in 1870-1880ish.

The public sightings of Shriners became the source of stereotype. It was a different age. Husbands spent less time with wives. The Masons require enormous amounts of your time and men were fine with that back then.

Masonic lodges are far from dissappearing though. White lodges are graying and dying, but in the black communities, Masonic lodges are having a very strong growth. In a decode or two, the majority of Masons will be black.