OES Organizations

Bogus OES Organizations

Bogus OES Organizations have become just as big of an issue as the Bogus Masonic Organizations to where they needed their own spotlight. You will see Grand Chapters and indepenant chapters on this list. This list is constantly being updated.
‍If you believe your organization is listed here in error, either because your organization is not Masonic or because your organization is recognized by a legitimate Masonic body, or if you wish to report a bogus masonic organization, contact us at bogus@thephylaxis.org and let us know

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These lists are registered businesses from the Secretary of State and unregistered reported to us.
Words like Order of Eastern Star, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, Saint, Mount and Most Worshipful are often abbreviated
Disclaimer: None of these organizations have lineage to Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite or any other body they claim to be associated with.
Names that are duplicated are different organizations using the same name or have a separate registration number with the state in which they operate.

Why Would an Organization be on this list?

The Commission evaluates Masonic bodies based on objective standards of regularity, lineage, and jurisdictional authority as defined by universal Masonic law, historical record and a demonstration of lawful and regular chain of origin within the regular and recognized Grand Lodge system. Our determination is not based on your internal morality, character or the format of your ritual, but on the documented source of your authority.
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The following outlines the basis for our classification, supported by the standards of regular Freemasonry.

1. Regularity is Defined by Lineage also known as the Regularity of Origin, Not Self-Declaration

In the established jurisprudence of Freemasonry, regularity is defined not merely by internal practices (such as displaying the Bible), but by proven lineage. This masonic law was officially put in operation in 1929 by the United Grand Lodge of England and since your organization was founded long after 1929, not before, it falls in line with that current masonic law.

Regularity refers to the internal legitimacy of a Masonic body based on its authority to work, continuity of governance, and "a documented lineage of warrants from a regular Grand Lodge". This has to do with tracing the lineage of the organization through way of lodge charters that formed the organization.

A body cannot self-constitute. While the Premier Grand Lodge of England formed in 1717 without a lodge warrants (as no Grand Lodge existed to grant one), this historical exception does not apply to bodies formed today. Current Masonic law requires that a new Grand Lodge be established by regular Lodges holding valid charters from an existing regular Grand Lodge.

Unless a masonic organization can produce verifiable lodge charters from a regular Grand Lodge that traces back to the British Isles (England, Ireland, or Scotland), it is considered clandestine, defined as an organization operating without the regularity or sanction of a regular Masonic governing body. Many also mention following Mackey’s landmarks but according to Albert Mackey himself, he defines Clandestine in “History of Freemasonry” as several men that take it upon themselves to establish a lodge and call themselves Freemasons without a Grand Master’s approval.

2. Adherence to Landmarks Does Not Confer Authority

The belief in God and volume of sacred law are necessary conditions for regularity but they are not the only ones, the most important one being regularity of origin.

Clandestine organizations frequently use the symbols, rituals, and landmarks of legitimate bodies to create an appearance of authenticity. A group may practice the rituals perfectly and display the Holy Bible, but if it lacks competent jurisdiction and a valid charter, it remains an unauthorized assembly. A body may call itself “Masonic” in ordinary language, but it is not “regular” in the technical sense used by regular jurisdictions unless it meets all of the standards those jurisdictions require.

3. Exclusive Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ)

By operating as a Supreme Council and a Grand Lodge within the United States, you are subject to the doctrine of Exclusive Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). ETJ dictates that a single regular Grand Lodge has primary authority within a defined territory. While Prince Hall and "Mainstream" Grand Lodges now often share jurisdiction through treaties, this is a result of mutual recognition, not unilateral action.

Any Masonic body that attempts to plant lodges or exercise authority in a territory already occupied by a recognized Grand Lodge, without a treaty of amity, is considered an invader and is deemed irregular. Operating a "sovereign" Grand Lodge in the United States outside the recognized recognition system is, by definition, clandestine activity.

4. Illegitimacy of the "Supreme Council"

An organization can claim the title of a "Supreme Council" but the governance of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in the United States is exclusive to four recognized bodies:
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1. The Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction (SJ)
2. The Supreme Council, 33°, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction (NMJ)
3. The United Supreme Council, 33°, PHA, Southern Jurisdiction
4. The United Supreme Council, 33°, PHA, Northern Jurisdiction.

The Grand Constitutions of 1786, the underlying document that governs the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite states how legitimate Supreme councils are formed in two articles:

Article IX:
"In a country under the jurisdiction of a Supreme Council of Sovereign Inspectors General, duly constituted, and recognized by all others, no Sovereign Grand Inspector General, or Delegate Inspector General, or Deputy, or Sub-Inspector, or Agent, shall have authority to act in such country, unless he shall have been recognized and confirmed by the same Supreme Council. And if any person shall act in opposition to this regulation, he shall be suspended and excluded from all the rights and privileges of the Order, until he shall be reinstated by the Supreme Council in whose jurisdiction the offense was committed.”

This article enunciates that a Supreme Council in a country that possesses lawful jurisdiction, and acceptance is the only Inspector General that possesses authority, barring a formality acknowledged by the Supreme Council. The article reinforces the Statement of Unity's statement regarding mutual acceptance, furthermore, indicates the need for jurisdictional boundaries.

Article XVII:
"It requires a majority of votes to invest with lawful authority the acts of Sovereign Grand Inspectors General done in a country where there exists a Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree legitimately instituted and recognized; and no Inspectors General, or Deputy, or Agent, shall have the right to act in such country without the permission or Exequatur of the Supreme Council of the same, under the penalty of suspension and nullification of their acts. No Supreme Council shall extend its powers beyond its own jurisdiction without the express consent of the Council concerned.”

According to Article XVII, acts done in a country in which a recognized Supreme Council exists require the majority consent. Inspector’s, Exequatur (fancy word alert--a formal authorization), cannot act independently or into other jurisdictions without the Exequatur to do so. The Article’s clear insistence upon a properly recognized body of the fraternity serves as a support mechanism for the Unity Statement which neither recognized nor adhered to the authority of bodies of the fraternity acting outside of topical legality. These Grand Constitutional principles remain applicable today, projecting historical legitimacy upon the 2022 Unity Agreement and firmly anchoring it into the law and fraternity of the Scottish Rite tradition.

The Grand Constitutions of 1786 are the foundational governing document of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Traditionally attributed to Prince Frederick of Prussia, these Grand Constitutions provide the legal, administrative, and philosophical framework for how the 33° structure of the Scottish Rite operates throughout the world.

5. Legal Authority to Determine Regularity:

The authority of The Phylaxis Society to classify organizations as irregular or clandestine. In addition to Masonic law, this authority is supported by U.S. civil legal precedent.

In Bayliss v. Grand Lodge of Louisiana (1912), the Louisiana Supreme Court established that Masonic organizations (and by extension, recognized Masonic research societies acting in the interest of the Craft) hold the right to determine their own standards of recognition and regularity. The court treated warnings regarding unrecognized bodies as "qualifiedly privileged communications" and declined to second-guess the internal recognition decisions of the fraternity.

This precedent affirms that the determination of "regularity" is an internal Masonic matter, not a civil one. As a research society dedicated to Prince Hall Freemasonry, we retain the full right to classify bodies based on our established standards of lineage and regularity without external interference.

Unless an organization can provide a charter tracing the authority to a regular Grand Lodge, our classification stands.

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Why Would an Organization be on this list?

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