Bogus Masonry and the Five Stages of Loss and Grief
David Pugh, MPS
Director of the Commission on Bogus Masonic Practices, Phylaxis Society
There are five stages of loss and grief that have been identified by renowned psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross that human beings experience, when faced with the prospect of their own demise or the loss of a loved one. These are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. This paper will examine each of the five stages and discuss my experience with each stage, as I grieved the loss of believing I was a legitimate freemason. On the surface, this may appear to be a trivial comparison. Continue reading
A significant feature of this collection is the series of articles by President Joseph Walkes, “Comments on John Sherman’s Review of Life and Legacy.” Sherman became a strong critic of Prince Hall masonry, and when he attacked Wesley’s Prince Hall: Life and Legacy, Walkes counterattacked brutally in a rebuttal that continued over five issues of the magazine. Walkes received criticism for the ferocity of his attack on Sherman, but Walkes saw it simply as a defense of Prince Hall masonry, which he had pledged himself to do.
This bound collection contains the first ten issues of The Phylaxis magazine—magazines that set the tone for a research, historical, and educational society that, at this writing, is in its fifth decade of research, history, and education. 
