Sisters of secrecy: more facts on Eastern Star

In my previous post on the Order of the Eastern Star (OES) I briefly gave a history of the secret society, highlighted its Masonic ties, and discussed a few of the gods represented by the “Eastern Star” on which they base their name.  I will now highlight the goddesses behind the Order, some of the symbols they embrace, and their Cabalistic Motto.

Embracing the goddesses

When Rob Morris was organizing the basic layout of the OES, he decided there would be five degrees, or points, and that there would be five female figures representing the Order.  Originally, he chose five goddesses from ancient paganism as his five female figures, then had second thoughts about bringing pagan ideas to the forefront, possibly thinking that the majority of women would probably be turned off if the pagan ideas were the focus since most of the U.S. at the time professed Christianity.  So he pulled what I would call a “Constantine” by giving his goddesses Biblical concepts or names, but keeping the symbols of the women the same as the pagan goddesses.  Here they are:

1. Jephthah’s daughter, who Morris named Adah: The OES claims that she illustrates respect to the binding force of a vow.  Jephthah made a vow to the Lord in Judges 11 that the first thing to greet him from his house when he returned from battle with a victory from God would be offered to the Lord.  The first to greet him when he returned home from that battle was his daughter, so he kept his vow to the Lord in spite of how much it would cost him.  Adah was originally the goddess Luna, the goddess of the moon.  Luna is the “goddess with three forms” and also called Diana, Selene, Artemis, and Hecate.  She is also goddess of witchcraft, sorcery, night (darkness), the lower world, and patron saint of feminists and lesbians since she perpetually shunned males.  The followers of Diana were the ones who started a riot against Paul and his companions in Acts 19 for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. Ruth: She illustrates devotion to religious principles. Originally she was Flora, the goddess of springtime and flowers who was also called Chloris.  Every year in honor of Flora, the Romans held the festival of Floralia in the spring.  Floralia was much like Mardi Gras where the people participated in “merriment and licentiousness.”¹ This is a nice way to say they had drunken orgies.²
3. Esther: Illustrates fidelity to kindred and friends.  Esther was previously Hebe, the goddess of youth who was cupbearer to the gods and goddess of domestic matters.  The Romans called her Juventas.
4. Martha: Represents undeviating faith in the hour of trial.  Her corresponding goddess was Thetis (Thesis), goddess of creation and the sea.  She was mother of Achilles and dipped him in the river Styx to make him invincible.  Thetis had the power to prophesy (i.e. fortune-telling) and was a shape-shifter.
5. Electa: This name is not in the Bible, but Morris gave this name to the woman hosting the church in her house in 2 John.  The goddess who she replaced in the original plan of the Eastern Star was Areme, a secret goddess of the Egyptians whose name is not widely known.

Symbols

Masonic organizations like OES rely heavily on the use of symbols to hide the true meanings behind the doctrines they embrace.  One Masonic publication admits,”It may be asserted in the broadest terms that the Freemason who knows nothing of our symbolism knows little of Freemasonry.  He may be able to repeat every line of the ritual without an error, yet, if he does not understand the meaning of the ceremonies, the signs, the words, the emblems and figures, he is a Masonic ignoramus.”³ So here is a look at some of the symbols used by OES:

• Broken Column: This symbol can be traced back to ancient Egypt and symbolizes the fall of Osiris.  Some depictions show Isis weeping over the column while holding a sprig of wheat in her right hand and a canopic jar in her left with Horus (Chronos, Saturn) standing behind her while she reads in a book of incantations to try to resurrect her husband. The broken column is also a phallic symbol where the column is the male member and the circular base is female genitalia.  So here we see again how Masonic organizations are preoccupied with sex.

• Pentagram:  The emblem of OES has a five-pointed upside-down star.  This, of course, represents black magic, the Goat of Mendes, Baphomet, or his most popular name, Satan.  They also use the right side up five-pointed star which represents white magic, the Light Bearer, or Lucifer, the other name for Satan.
• Gavel: Symbol of power and Thor’s hammer.  Thor was the Norse god of thunder, lightning, air, and fertility.  Thor was lord of the air and the Bible reveals clearly to us who that really is in Ephesians 2:2.  Thor’s hammer was also a phallic symbol of the male member.
• Equilateral Triangle: It is used on Eastern Star badges and represents the perfection or divinity of humankind.  Manly P. Hall, a 33 degree Mason, in his book The Lost Keys of Freemasonry (1923) states on p. 92 that “Man is a god in the making.”  This idea that man can become a god is also taught by various other Masonic authors like Joseph Fort Newton, Arthur Edward Waite, and J. D. Buck.  The origins of this doctrine go all the way back to the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3 when the Serpent told Eve “…ye shall be as gods…”
• Hexagram: Also called King Solomon’s Seal, the Star of David, this double equilateral triangle is the joining of the “Water Triangle” and “Fire Triangle.”  It symbolizes contact with the dead (necromancy) and calling up devils.  It is also a phallic symbol of the joining of male and female genitalia.

These are just a few of the symbols Eastern Star uses.  Since they are Masonic, they also use other symbols promoted by Freemasonry.  When the whole body of symbols is taken into account, it becomes obvious how corrupt an organization OES really is.

Cabalistic Motto

Cabala, or Kabalah, or Qabalah, is Jewish-based theosophy (occultism).  Eastern Star has a motto based on this mystic cult which appears as an acronym on their seal–FATAL.  The acronym is a warning to its members about divulging their secrets but also stands for the motto, “Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely.”  This password used in Eastern Star rituals is an offshoot of phrases found in the Song of Solomon.  In Song of Solomon the man in chapter 5 was called chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely and he represents Christ.  The phrase was used by Christians of old to express their love for Christ.  The OES has given it a bastardized meaning.  By reciting the motto, OES believes the initiate achieves salvation.

The following statements are used with the five women in each degree mentioned above:

• Jephthah’s daughter, because she devoted her life to preserve her father from eternal infamy, was the Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely
• Ruth, because she forsook home, friends, and all things, in a heathen land, to seek out the people of God, was the Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely
• Esther,  because she offered her crown and life to preserve her people, was Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely
• Martha, because amidst all the despair of death and the woe of desolation, she preserved her faith in the Word of God, was the Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely
• Electa, because in her martyrdom for Christ’s sake she hesitated not to sacrifice all things that love can prize or friendship cherish, was the Fairest Among Thousands, Altogether Lovely⁴

So the Eastern Star has turned a phrase once used to represent Christ into a phrase to represent their initiates and have essentially pushed the Lord Jesus Christ aside to save themselves by their own works so they can become a god.

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [Romans 1:21]

Freemasonry From Their Own Books

The context of the OES is found from 1:28:30 to 1:39:00

References:

¹ New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology (Prometheus Press, 1972) p. 210.
² Charles G. Berger, Our Phallic Heritage (New York: Greenwich Book Publishers, 1966) p. 78-79.
³ Short Talk Bulletin, “Symbolism” (March 1925, vol. 3, no. 3) p. 15.
⁴ History of the Order of the Eastern Star (Cedar Rapids, IA: Torch Press, 1917) p. 572.

Source: Cathy Burns, Hidden Secrets of the Eastern Star (Mt. Carmel, PA: Sharing, 2006).

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–