By accident, almost, we stumbled across the website for the "Ancient, Accepted & Esoteric Freemasons". It's probably unnecessary, based on the section in which this explanation occurs, to mention that they are, simply, none of the above! They're not ancient - by ANY stretch of the imagination, being an invention for the world wide web in December, 2003. They're not "Accepted" by ANYONE and should someone join this group thinking perhaps that they'd be able to visit real Masonic lodges, they'd be sadly disappointed. Their claim that "The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Accepted & Esoteric Freemasons (A:. A:. &  E:. F:. ) is the Supreme Mother Lodge for all Esoteric Freemasons. It's descended from the original Grand Lodge of Masons established in England in 1717." is just SO laughable. Don't believe us? Contact the United Grand Lodge of England and ask them if this group stems from them. Oh, and if they laugh at you, don't feel badly. This stuff can sometimes be awfully comical to us Masons. Sadly, it's the public that gets caught and loses their money in the process.

We won't comment on their "Esoteric" bent except to say that they've hidden the fact of their theft of material from various legitimate Masonic websites.

And if all of this didn't give you a clue, then the fact that your check to become a member is to be made out to Universal Gnostic Church at a post office box in a mountain town in North Carolina might.... Oh, and did we mention that while you're sending Betty Reeves (the name that used to be on a bunch of their websites but has since been removed since we created this page) your check, you might also want to pay for your membership in the so-called "Magickal Order of the Golden Dawn - where you can become an adept in a year or less" or maybe you want to be part of the "Modern Order of Essenes" or perhaps buy your license as a "Spiritual Health Coach". If that's not enough, you could simultaneously join the "Order of Mary" or the "Gnostic Yoga Fellowship", all from the same place. Pretty amazing, huh?

Simply: they are not, as you might already surmise, Freemasons. Period. Comically, we've even seen one of the 'disgruntled bloggers' quoting this group! Talk about credibility.

The Universal Gnostic Church of Ridgecrest, North Carolina seems to have found a pretty good way to gain from folks seeking an easy way (or a perceived 'more enriching' way) to Masonic membership!

November, 2007 update:

Since we last wrote about this group, their website registration is hidden with - you can't make this stuff up, folks - "Secret Registration" using a Post Office box in Swannanoa, North Carolina. This also, curiously, is the very same address as the Biofeedback Association of North America and there are others as well. You can become part of the Alliance of Christian Healers (they ask that you don't call - and they don't provide a phone number because - as their website states - they're just so busy!). Don't overlook their reminder that "Licensed Spiritual Healers™ may use any tools provided by our Father in Heaven to help God-fearing people regain and improve their spiritual, mental, emotional, psychological and physical health. { Note: the trade name Licensed Spiritual Healer™ is jointly owned by the Spiritual Healer License Board and the Alliance of Christian Healers License Board.}". We're not quite sure in what country that Trademark is supposedly registered, however, but a search of the United States (since they're in North Carolina which when we last looked was part of the United States!) Patent and Trademark Office's Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) comes up empty. What were the odds of that, eh?

And if you're going to read Tarot cards through their Tarot Institute (same address), you can - according to Mr. John Gilbert, Ph.D., D.D. (we'd love to see where THOSE credentials come from!) - protect yourself (maybe) by getting that {supposedly trademarked} spiritual healers license. Our suggestion: don't take legal advice from a Doctor of Philosophy with credentials from someplace unknown and who is the guiding hand behind all of this. Dr. Gilbert was - at one point - claiming to be a Mason in Michigan. When we checked with them, as you might have surmised - he was NOT a member there. In 2004, he was listed in self-accrediting group's directory for biofeedback practitioners as follows: "Dr. Gilbert is a Board Certified Diplomate in Neurotherapy and Peak Performance currently retired from clinical practice and doing peak performance research and consulting." Now needless to say, the 'Board Certification' came from the organization which he 'founded'. You can see more about him here but, strangely, no mention of where his Ph.D. came from. How curious. And in 2005 when we first put this page up, we received an e-mail from him as follows:

"I believe you may be in error about the Ancient and Accepted Esoteric Freemasons.  They do appear to have the proper lineage and they have been around at least since the early 1950's when I first came across them."

So if Mr. Gilbert first came across them in the early 1950's, that would mean he's now somewhere in his 80's - or he came across them as an infant. Why don't these stories ever quite add up? Needless to say, requests for additional information were unanswered.

You are free to roll your eyes now!

You might want to take some courses from their Universal Seminary although at this writing, that web site is pretty screwed up. Hard to keep your juggling straight sometimes. Yes, they're at PO Box 103, Swannanoa, North Carolina as well. These folks must be one of GoDaddy's biggest customers they way they buy websites. And, of course, they wouldn't be paying for  them every month if they weren't making enough money to cover their costs, would they?

You might also want to join in with their REIKI LICENSE COMMISSION FOR REIKI MASTERS AND HEALERS. It would seem that there's a never-ending string of things you can spend your money on up there in the North Carolina hills, not the least of which is the Esoteric Freemasons!

We've also heard from a non-Mason who contacted them about membership and who was told that "The Acacia Lodge of the A.A.E.F. is a cyber lodge and we have members all over the world. The study materials and initiatory rites are designed to be self directed and self performed." WOW! Pat yourself on the head, twirl around three times, howl at the moon, and call yourself a Freemason. Pretty darn impressive - but we'd LOVE to see you explaining that you're honestly and truly a Mason to the Tyler who guards the door of our (regular & recognized) Lodge. You'd find, we guarantee, the quickest route to the exit door you could ever imagine! What a shame that there are those who will gullibly send their money to people like this.

Oh, and if you think that maybe we've gotten a couple of different groups mingled together, you should know that the Post Office Box mentioned above in Ridgecrest, North Carolina (Population not even listed on the state of North Carolina website it's so small!) is less than a 6.5 mile/10.5 kilometer drive from the one in Swannanoa (Population 4,132). Those reading from Los Angeles or London will assume that to be a long drive. In rural North Carolina, Microsoft Streets & Trips shows it to be a journey of all of EIGHT MINUTES. How conveniently close....

We could just go on and on with this stuff but it is SO typical of those who are involved with "Fake Masonry". Their web of deceit is seemingly limitless and is presented in a way to ensnare you before you discover the facts. Don't be misled!

December 2007 Update

At the same time we were updating this page with the November, 2007 update (above), our Masonic Brother Cory Sigler who writes and publishes The Working Tools magazine was preparing an issue featuring the subject of Esotericism. For this, he interviewed Mr. Gilbert, the self-styled Grand Master of the organization.

The concept of a "self-initiation" process making one more imbued with the secrets of the universe is, at best, self-delusion. Realistically, one might just as easily over-imbibe in alcohol or take mind-altering drugs. Here's what Mr. Gilbert had to say:

Q - How do the "regular" Lodges react to their members joining Esoteric Freemasonry Lodges?
A - Most "regular" Masonic groups expel any of their members who also join an Esoteric Freemasonry Lodge. For this reason, most "regular" Masons keep their membership in an Esoteric Freemason Lodge a secret. <Masonicinfo Note: That's pretty presumptive - and what Mr. Gilbert is stating is that Masons would LIE and would violate the rules and regulations of their organization in order to become 'more enriched in his interpretation of cosmic consciousness or whatever. Somehow that doesn't make much sense ~ at least to someone familiar with the 'real' Freemasonry.> Others do not take any of the optional obligations of an Esoteric Freemason thus avoiding the dual membership problem. <Masonicinfo Note: Oh. So they don't belong but can still get the secrets of the universe from you. Hmmmm....>  A few "regular" Masons do join openly because their Lodge doesn't mind. <Masonicinfo Note: Absolutely false to fact - and we directly challenge Mr. Gilbert to provide proof of this claim.>
Q - How many of the obligations in Acacia Lodge #1 are optional?
A - All of them. No Esoteric Freemason is ever required to take any obligation. <Masonicinfo Note: So it's like joining Costco or Sam's Club, eh? Only with them, you ostensibly get a discount. Oh, wait: here you get the secrets of the universe.... Sorry.>
Q - If they don't take an obligation, how can they become a member?
A - Any "regular" Mason can become a member anytime by asking. Taking an obligation does not make a person a member. Asking to become a member does. <Masonicinfo Note: AND, Mr. Gilbert should have added, send him MONEY!> Any "regular" Mason can go through all the degrees without becoming a member.
Q - How and whom does a person ask to become a member?
A - By filling out an application and paying the lifetime fees for membership. <Masonicinfo Note: Nothing more. You pay your money and you get what Mr. Gilbert is selling. No requirements at all. Anybody can join.>
Q - Do I receive a membership card when I pay my dues?
A - No, we do not send out membership cards. <Masonicinfo Note: Try Avery. They have nice stuff you can do on an ink jet printer. Then again, the five year olds they may get as members probably wouldn't be too interested. And why muck up a money-making project that's already working?>
Q - What do I receive for my money?
A - All of the teaching materials and rituals of the Lodge. When you become a Master Mason, you may help other people become Master Masons. As soon as you and two other Masons ask for a Charter, the Grand Lodge will issue you a Charter for your own Esoteric Freemason Lodge. All along the way, you have access to volunteers who will assist you in any way possible. <Masonicinfo Note: Uh-huh....>
Q - How do I find other people near me that want to be Masons?
A - You can ask. You're free to invite anybody in your life to consider Esoteric Freemasonry. People under the age of 18 may become members with the permission of a parent. Any person you know is eligible to become an Esoteric Freemason as we do not discriminate against seekers after Divine knowledge. <Masonicinfo Note: Do you get a commission for this or is all the cash sent to Mr. Gilbert?>

What Mr. Gilbert apparently didn't realize in his answers was how very telling they were in terms of 'realism'. This group has no more connection to Freemasonry than my fireplace has to my automobile!

We should, in all fairness, provide Dr. Gilbert's credentials as found on the web:

His Ph.D. is from a distance learning (then most often referred to as 'mail order') school which in 2005 began applying for accreditation. And there's also a very interesting history of the seminary where he was, he fails to mention, not only a professor but also an ARCHBISHOP. (It's that self-same Universal Seminary mentioned above which he apparently now owns.) Yep, it just gets more and more convoluted as it goes along. See the story here.

We would, of course, welcome any corrections or amplifications to this very intriguing web of connected 'organizations' which all seem to lead to the wallet of John Gilbert.

Note: The above quotes from TWT Magazine used by permission.

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