Symbolism of the Eastern Star

Book excerpt: This book by Shirley Plessner, which was first published in 1956, was compiled in response to numerous requests for informative material about the symbols, terms, and stories of the Order of Eastern Star. The Order of the Eastern Star is a Masonic appendant body open to both men and women. It was established in 1850 by lawyer and educator Rob Morris, a noted Freemason, but was only adopted and approved as an appendant body of the Masonic Fraternity in 1873. The order is based on teachings from the Bible, but is open to people of all religious beliefs. It has approximately 10,000 chapters in twenty countries and approximately 500,000 members under its General Grand Chapter. “This book contains a complete discussion of the whole biblical account from which the teachings of the Order of Eastern Star are derived. Like all such interpretations, no effort is made to establish it as the one and only interpretation. Each discussion is a collection of ideas which are designed to assist the reader in forming his own conclusions concerning each selection. This book also contains the Bible passages from which our symbols, emblems, terms and stories have been taken. All of the information in this book has been alphabetically arranged to make this information readily accessible. “Use this book to find the answers to your questions about the symbols, emblems, terms, and legends associated with the work of our Order.”