User:GLF4MAW

As a founder member of the Grand Lodge of Freemasonry for Men and Women, and as the webmaster I can confirm certain events around which much conjecture and confusion arises, namely why I and three others were expelled (illegally) from Le Droit Humain – International Co-Freemasonry. As the Grand Orator (Chaplain) at the time I can confirm that the Consistory Council of the British Federation of Le Droit Humain were summoned to the Paris HQ of the Order at the command of the Grand Master Njordur Njardvik 33o to account for why the Consistory Council rejected his instruction to abandon the Landmark, requiring all brethren to believe in a Supreme Being. The British Consistory had agreed that this landmark forming a part of the Annie Besant Accord dispensation granted by the Supreme Council in 1904 was not negotiable and to which all our brethren had sworn to uphold under Oath.

LDH Grand Master Njordur Njardvik had announced publically and to the Order that Le Droit Humain did not require belief in a Supreme Being and that we were to drop this requirement in Britain (and elsewhere in the English speaking world). We have a video recording of this announcement at a conference in evidence. The British Consistory Council was suspended for disobedience and subsequently those of us summoned to Paris were expelled by the then Most Puissant Grand Commander for the British Federation, Helen Boutall, who had herself supported the Consistory Council resolution, but made no defence of it. There was no judicial hearing as setout in the Constitution. The Annie Besant Accord also included the requirement to have the volume of sacred Law in Lodge, another Landmark, all of which were to be abandoned despite our sworn oaths to uphold. According to Njordur Njardvik the Le Droit Humain Grand Master, our oaths could be released on these points. The then Grand Secretary retained a copy of the official minutes of the Consistory Council meeting as proof of events.

Both I as Grand Orator, the Grand Secretary the Grand Treasurer Grand Organist and the Assistant Grand Secretary had attended the hearing in Paris, along with two of  the by now disbanded British Grand Council 33rd degree members, led by Helen Boutall (Most Puissant Grand Commander) all of the latter whom have now passed away. We received no support from the latter curiously as they had supported the letter appealing the withdrawal of these landmarks, indeed they made no utterance at all. A few months after our return to London, four of us were expelled by letter without appeal and five other senior members of the suspended Consistory Council resigned immediately followed by almost all of the remaining council members and later by around 100 members of the British Federation over a period. All letters to Paris in appeal were left unanswered. The pressure burden then fell on the Easter Federation in India, the American Federation and many others, who subsequently withdrew from Le Droit Humain amidst a lot of unpleasantness. Le Droit Humain belatedly seeing the damage caused vigorously deny the basis of these events even to today, but we have kept signed minutes of the meetings, sworn affadavits of fact and the Video recording of the LDH Grand Master in evidence for posterity. They still do not require a belief in a Supreme Being and admit atheists.

In order to continue our Masonic Work, nine of us Members of the 32nd degree created the Grand Lodge of Freemasonry for Men and Women, with Freemasons who had all resigned in disgust at the unmasonic, unjust and high-handed treatment, but more importantly to continue their Masonic work maintaining the essential landmarks we had sworn to uphold. We now enjoy fraternal relations with the Eastern Order of International Co-Freemasonry, The Eastern Order of International Co-Freemasonry –American Division and have formed a New Grand Lodge in Bulgaria for men and Women and started creation of another in Macedonia..

Sadly the British Federation of International Co-Freemasonry today announce they intend to change their name to Freemasonry for Men and Women, essentially the name we chose in 2001 although we can say we are a Grand Lodge where they are not.