The United Grand Lodge of Memphis-Misraïm

We practise initiatory and traditional masonry.

In practical terms, this means that :

• We practise a Rite, the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraïm, which supports a personal, initiatic path, sustained over time.
• We believe that form matters, that this is not theatre. It is a way of emphasising that, in this space, at this moment, we are standing before something greater than ourselves.
• We assume a spiritual dimension : it requires each person to recognise the existence of a principle that transcends human beings, whatever name we give it. In other words, human beings are not considered to be the only absolute measure of reality.

Our Lodges are composed of Sisters and Brothers who are undergoing an initiatory process. We seek to keep this way of working Freemasonry alive. We are committed to this position, and it is with this intention that we work, with rigour.

Our approach is based on a simple principle : to create a space that allows for honest, demanding and lasting inner work. People come here to seriously confront themselves. This is not something to be treated as an occasional spiritual pastime. It is not a matter of coming to ‘try it out’ for two evenings to see if it suits us, then leaving with an exotic impression. It is about embarking on a path that requires regularity, consistency and patience.

But what does this work actually consist of ?

what takes place within our work remains within it. Not because we enjoy secrecy for secrecy’s sake, but because it is an experience that only makes sense when lived. This experience belongs to those who actually walk through the door. However, the page on our Rite will provide some answers about the ‘nature’ of our work.

Mixed membership as a founding principle

Mixed membership is part of our living history and is fundamental to our current identity.

In our Grand Lodge, mixed membership is not a concession to the modern world. It expresses the way we understand the inner work proposed by Memphis-Misraïm. The Tradition we receive often speaks, in different forms, of an encounter between two principles : one associated with the Red King and the other with the White Queen. Their union does not describe a man and a woman, but an inner dynamic : the meeting of two luminaries, of momentum and measure, of rigour and mercy.

These images belong to traditional language. They do not concern social identities or today’s debates ; they say something about the path that leads each person towards greater unity within themselves. Based on this interpretation, the joint presence of Sisters and Brothers in our Working is not an organisational issue, but an initiatory choice. Other Grand Lodges that practise Memphis-Misraïm work consistently in either the masculine or feminine path : these approaches have their own legitimacy and express a different sensitivity to the Rite, while also producing remarkable work.

Ours is different. We work in a mixed environment because this way of working highlights the quest for balance and complementarity that the Rite invites each and every one of us to pursue within ourselves. In our understanding, Memphis-Misraïm naturally tends towards mixity.

When mixed membership was introduced into the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraïm in 1996, it was not an abstract declaration of intent, but a conscious act of initiation. From that moment on, the working could be carried out in a mixed environment, with Sisters and Brothers together, not as a one-off tolerance, but as a founding principle.

This decision was implemented and organised by leaders of the Rite, many of whom are now members of the United Grand Lodge of Memphis-Misraïm. These Brothers and Sisters are the direct actors in the establishment of gender diversity and its lasting integration into the life of the Rite.

The first founding act of mixed membership in Memphis-Misraïm was the creation of the Respectable Lodge Khepri, in the East of Aix-en-Provence : the first lodge of the Rite in France to have been created directly as a mixed Lodge. It is not an extinct symbol : it still exists today in our Grand Lodge. Mixed membership is the means by which we receive and transmit the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraïm. It is the visible form through which the GLUMM has chosen to embrace the Rite in the modern world, without reducing it, without impoverishing it, without turning it into a product.

Our columns are open to intervisitation.

We fully identify with the spirit of Anderson’s Constitutions, which remind us that a Freemason must above all be free and of good character, and that Freemasonry aims to become a centre of union where people who would otherwise remain strangers to one another can meet in a spirit of brotherhood. We also identify with the ideal set forth in the Declaration of Human Rights, which states that the free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the fundamental rights of the individual. In the same spirit, we embrace the words of Brother Paul Goumain-Cornille of the Grand Lodge of France in 1880 : ‘a Freemason in a free Lodge’.

We consider the various Masonic structures to be equal and recognise their own ways of working as legitimate. We see the diversity of Rites, traditions and sensibilities as a treasure to be shared. We do not make intervisitation conditional on administrative agreements between Grand Lodges : for us, Masonic life is nourished first and foremost by exchange rather than formal restrictions or prohibitions.

Consequently, we gladly welcome visits from Sisters and Brothers of other Grand Lodges, regardless of their Rite or affiliation, provided that they know how to identify themselves according to our customary forms and that they respect the framework of our work. We remain committed to an open Freemasonry that prioritises encounters, the sharing of initiatory work and mutual recognition of our different paths.

What we do not do

We are not an organisation focused on taking public positions. We do not produce texts on current affairs or to influence secular debate. We do not seek to recruit on a large scale or to present ourselves as a network of interests. We do not promise any secular advantages, protection or backdoor access to power.

We also refuse to be the mouthpiece for political or ideological activism. The work done at GLUMM is not intended to produce slogans to be sent out into the world. It is about inner rectification, not external conquest.