Philalethes Society
Encyclopedia
The Philalethes Society is a Masonic
research society based in North America. The society was founded on October 1, 1928, by a group of Masonic authors led by Cyrus Field Willard. Willard was a former reporter for the Boston Globe and the founder of a utopian commune on Puget Sound. Philalethes was designed to serve the needs of those in search of deeper insight into the history, rituals and symbolism of Freemasonry
.
and World War II
caused nearly all Masonic periodicals to cease publication. After the war ended, and paper rationing was lifted, the Philalethes Society was able to release the first issue of Philalethes. The first issue, dated March, 1946, was edited by Walter A. Quincke.
Philalethes: The Review of Masonic Research and Letters has long served as the de facto magazine for North American Freemasonry. The journal features original research, Masonic education articles, book reviews, art and poetry by new and established Masonic writers. At the present time, the journal is published quarterly.
, an earlier alchemist who had used the same name. Finally, a Rite of Philaléthes was founded in Paris in 1772, devoted to the study of esotericism
. Founding President Cyrus Willard wrote in 1936 that the Philalethes Society took its name from the Parisian Philaléthes.
. Access was opened to all regular Master Masons through the Correspondence Circle. Today, members of the Correspondence Circle are merely referred to as "Members." The number of Fellows is still restricted to forty.
Among the original forty Fellows were Cyrus Field Willard, Harold V. B. Voorhis, Rudyard Kipling
, Oswald Wirth
, Robert I. Clegg, Henry F. Evans, Louis Block, J. Hugo Tatsch, Charles S. Plumb, Harry L. Haywood, J.S.M. Ward
, and Charles C. Hunt.
Fellows elected since that time have included Masonic notables such as Carl H. Claudy (1936), Arthur Edward Waite
(1937), Ray Denslow (1945), Allen E. Roberts (1963), S. Brent Morris
(1980), John Mauk Hilliard (1981), Wallace McLeod (1986), Thomas W. Jackson (1991), Norman Vincent Peale
(1991), Robert G. Davis (1993), Leon Zeldis (1994) and Jay Kinney
(2010).
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
research society based in North America. The society was founded on October 1, 1928, by a group of Masonic authors led by Cyrus Field Willard. Willard was a former reporter for the Boston Globe and the founder of a utopian commune on Puget Sound. Philalethes was designed to serve the needs of those in search of deeper insight into the history, rituals and symbolism of Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
.
Publications
In the Society's early days, all of its publications appeared in other, established Masonic periodicals—many of which were edited by Fellows of the Society. There was no separate Philalethes journal. Soon, the hardships of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
caused nearly all Masonic periodicals to cease publication. After the war ended, and paper rationing was lifted, the Philalethes Society was able to release the first issue of Philalethes. The first issue, dated March, 1946, was edited by Walter A. Quincke.
Philalethes: The Review of Masonic Research and Letters has long served as the de facto magazine for North American Freemasonry. The journal features original research, Masonic education articles, book reviews, art and poetry by new and established Masonic writers. At the present time, the journal is published quarterly.
Origin of the name
The Greek word φιλαλήθης was used by ancient writers such as Aristotle and Plutarch, and means "a lover of truth." The word came into Masonic circles through alchemical mystic Robert Samber (1682–1745), who used the pseudonym Eugenius Philalethes; Samber's use, in turn, was an homage to Thomas VaughanThomas Vaughan
Thomas Vaughan may refer to:*Thomas Vaughan , Welsh soldier, diplomat, and chamberlain to the eldest son of King Edward IV*Thomas Vaughan , Welsh-See also:*Tom Vaughan...
, an earlier alchemist who had used the same name. Finally, a Rite of Philaléthes was founded in Paris in 1772, devoted to the study of esotericism
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
. Founding President Cyrus Willard wrote in 1936 that the Philalethes Society took its name from the Parisian Philaléthes.
Membership
Originally the Philalethes Society consisted only of recognized Masonic authors, limited to forty Fellows at any given time in imitation of the Académie FrançaiseAcadémie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
. Access was opened to all regular Master Masons through the Correspondence Circle. Today, members of the Correspondence Circle are merely referred to as "Members." The number of Fellows is still restricted to forty.
Among the original forty Fellows were Cyrus Field Willard, Harold V. B. Voorhis, Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
, Oswald Wirth
Oswald Wirth
Oswald Wirth was a Swiss occultist, artist and author. He studied esotericism and symbolism with Stanislas de Guaita, and in 1889 he created a set of Tarot trumps based on the Marseilles deck. His interests also included Freemasonry and astrology.-External links:* * *...
, Robert I. Clegg, Henry F. Evans, Louis Block, J. Hugo Tatsch, Charles S. Plumb, Harry L. Haywood, J.S.M. Ward
John Sebastian Marlowe Ward
John Sebastian Marlow Ward was an English writer on Freemasonry and spiritual matters....
, and Charles C. Hunt.
Fellows elected since that time have included Masonic notables such as Carl H. Claudy (1936), Arthur Edward Waite
Arthur Edward Waite
Arthur Edward Waite was a scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. As his biographer, R.A...
(1937), Ray Denslow (1945), Allen E. Roberts (1963), S. Brent Morris
S. Brent Morris
S. Brent Morris is an American author who writes on Freemasonry. He is a Master Mason, a 33° Scottish Rite Mason, and currently the editor of , a publication of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction....
(1980), John Mauk Hilliard (1981), Wallace McLeod (1986), Thomas W. Jackson (1991), Norman Vincent Peale
Norman Vincent Peale
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was a minister and author and a progenitor of the theory of "positive thinking".-Early life and education:...
(1991), Robert G. Davis (1993), Leon Zeldis (1994) and Jay Kinney
Jay Kinney
Jay Kinney is an American author, editor, and former underground cartoonist. A member, along with Skip Williamson, Jay Lynch and R. Crumb, of the original Bijou Funnies crew, Kinney also edited Young Lust, a satire of romance comics, in the early 1970s with Bill Griffith...
(2010).