The Order of Ancient , Free & Accepted Masonry for Men & Women
of a Rose-Croix Chapter . The ritual of the 30 th degree came from an old Knight Kadosh ritual dating from around 1754 – 1758 .
The 31 st and 32 nd degrees were revised and the spiritual content increased . In accordance with the practices of the English Supreme Council for men , and as opposed to those of most of the European lodges , the 30 th to 33 rd degrees were conferred by the Supreme Council itself , which met as an Aeropagus , Sovereign Tribunal , or Grand Consistory as needed , yet this was not an autonomous entity such as a lodge or chapter .
The Australian branch of the Order had a different structure , both in terms of its rituals and its administration . The 30 th to 33 rd degrees came under the authority of a Grand Inspector General of the 33 rd Australian degree , who had received the express delegation of powers from the Most Powerful Sovereign Grand Commander to confer these degrees upon accepted candidates . This delegate of the Supreme Council also had certain administrative functions , in accordance with the Australian Aeropagus .
III . The Internal Organization of the Order and Its External Relationships The Most Enlightened Brother Aimée Bothwelll-Gosse was head of the Order as Most Powerful Sovereign Grand Commander until 1950 . She was then 84 years old . At this point she handed over her responsibilities to her faithful friend who had been with her since its founding in 1925 , the Most Powerful Lieutenant Grand Commander of the Supreme Council , the Most Enlightened Brother Marjorie Cecily Debenham .
Miss Debenham was born on December 3 , 1893 , and in 1914 was initiated into the Golden Rule lodge no . 21 of the Droit Humain , founded by Miss Bothwell-Gosse in London in 1905 . Like Bothwell-Gosse , she had an exceptional personality and was extremely cultured . She maintained a correspondence with many Freemasonry specialists in England and abroad . Her knowledge of French , which she read and wrote very well , meant that she maintained a regular correspondence with Joannis Coreloup , René Guénon , René Guilly , and even Marius Lepage . She devoted her entire life to Freemasonry and to its Brethren .
By 1945 , Miss Bothwell-Gosse had already appointed her as editor of The Speculative Mason , which was renamed as such in 1925 , as a continuation of the Co- Mason , initially created in 1909 . She remained Grand Commander of the A . F . A . M ., with Miss Debenham running the “ Regency ,” 13 until 1954 . On June 26 of this same year , Miss Debenham was admitted as Grand Master Craft Mason and established as Most Powerful Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council . Miss Bothwell-Gosse died the following December 29 , after ensuring the transmission of the multiple initiatory filiations that she held .
The new Grand Commander , whom we were fortunate enough to know , breathed new life into the Order ’ s activities , particularly by establishing contacts with other Masonic groups that admitted women . There existed , in addition to the A . F . A . M ., three such groups in England : The British Federation of the Droit Human , the Order of Women Freemasons , 14 and The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons . 15 Unfortunately , prior to this time none of them had wanted to establish any significant relationship with the others , either because they had different recruitment methods ( women only , or mixed ), or because of the secessionist nature of one group in relation to
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 13 The term “ Regency ” in is the official documents of the Order . 14 This was named The Honourable Fraternity of Antient Masonry until 1963 . 15 For more information about these lodges , see Andrée Buisine — La Franc-Maçonnerie
anglo-saxonne et les femmes .
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