How to Buy Masonic Gifts and Regalia

Knowing The Different Groups and Organizations of Freemasonry

Nov 21, 2009
Rita Marshall

Regalia of Basic Freemasonry - Invisible Hour

Buying a Masonic gift for that special Freemason? Be sure to understand what groups and organizations he (or she) is a part of first. The most common are explained here.

Masonic regalia and gifts are widely available online, but there is one simple thing a buyer needs to know first: what kind of Masonic order, orders or organization the gift receiver is in. While some regalia and symbols are common to all Masons and would make appropriate gifts, others are specific to certain orders and groups. A Scottish Rite Mason, for example, will find little use for a York Rite Masonic tie.

Masonic Regalia for Basic Freemasonry and Different Masonic Orders

All Masons belong to a basic lodge, called the Craft or Blue Lodge. As the Grand Lodge of Virginia explains on their website, “There is no higher degree than the Master Mason's Degree or Third Degree in Freemasonry.” A Third Degree Mason can also join a number of associated Masonic groups, however, and many have specific gifts and regalia available. These include:

The Shrine (as Shriners International explains, a Shriner may also belong to a special unit within his local temple. Popular units include the Mini-Cars, the Hillbillies, the Keystone Kops and the Desert Rats)
York Rite (includes Royal Arch, Cryptic and Knights Templar)
Scottish Rite (includes Lodge of Perfection, Chapter of the Rose Croix, Council of Kadosh and the Consistory)
Grotto
Tall Cedars of Lebanon

Gifts and Regalia for Special Masonic Organizations

Order of the Eastern Star and Daughters of the Nile are the two main Masonic organizations for women, although men may also belong to OES. Regalia and gifts for the OES and Daughters of the Nile are specific to those orders but can be found at most online Masonic gifts and supply stores. Prince Hall Masons are African-American Freemasons who trace their lodges back to Prince Hall. The larger Masonic suppliers usually carry Prince Hall regalia and gifts.

Masonic organizations for young boys and young girls include the Order of DeMolay (for young men aged 12-21), the International Order of Job’s Daughters (for young women ages 10-20 who are related to a Master Mason) and Rainbow Girls, for girls ages 11-20. Regalia or gifts for these orders are not as common, but can be found online, especially in online stores such as Zazzle.

How to Find Out Which Organizations a Freemason Belongs To

Much like becoming a Mason, the best way to find out is to ask one. Knowing the gift receiver’s gender and age may give a general idea of what organization he or she could belong to, but it is still necessary to find out whether a woman is in OES or Daughters of the Nile, and whether a Mason going into “the Rite” means Scottish Rite or York Rite. Also, while Prince Hall Freemasons are African-American, an African-American Mason may belong to a regular craft lodge and not a PH lodge.

If asking the gift-receiver about their lodge and Masonic group memberships is not an option, another Mason in that particular lodge should also be able to help. They could very well rattle off several groups, so write everything down carefully. With this information in hand it’s simply a matter of choosing different regalia or gifts for Christmas, birthdays or special Masonic events.

Rita Marshall - I'm a freelance writer in southwestern Ontario. Through my company, Longbow Business Solutions, I provide professional writing for small ...