What is the Eastern Star?
The Order of the Eastern Star is the largest fraternal organization in the world that both men and women can join. It was established in 1850 by Robert Morris, a lawyer and educator from Boston, Massachusetts who had been an official with the Freemasons. It is based on teachings from the Bible, but is open to people of all monotheistic faiths. It has approximately 10,000 chapters in twenty countries and approximately one million members under its General Grand Chapter. Members of the Order are aged 18 and older; men must be Master Masons and women must have specific relationships with Masons. Originally, a woman would have to be the daughter, widow, wife, sister, niece, sister-in-law or mother of a master Mason, but this has been expanded throughout the years in response to declining membership. Emblem and heroines : The emblem of the Order is a five-pointed star, representing the Star of Bethlehem. In the Chapter room, the downward-pointing white ray points to the West. The character-
It is an association related to and supported by Masonry that exists primarily in the US and parts of Canada. It was established in the mid-1800’s in the US and was among the first social organizations primarily for women, however men (who are Master Masons) may also be members. While not really a form of Masonry, the organization does embrace many of the same principles and looks heavily to Biblical stories surrounding women’s struggles and triumphs. Also unlike Masonry, which does not exercise any kind of religious preference, the OES is an exclusively Christian organization. The name Eastern Star is a Biblical reference of the Star of Jerusalem- “His (Christ’s) Star in the East”.- which also happens to be the same “star” as the Star of Esther in Jewish tradition, Venus in Roman tradition etc. In various descriptions and depictions this star has historically been represented as having its greatest ray pointed towards earth, or is “inverted”. Hence the symbol of the order being an inv
