From Refreshment is a research initiative unlike any other — a living archive dedicated to exploring the Grand Lodges, Masonic bodies, and esoteric societies that have shaped our world. Within these pages, we aim to catalogue every Grand Lodge (GL) and fraternal society with hidden traditions, documenting their origins, rites, lineage, and lore.

This resource will encompass: Historical societies long dissolved, yet whose influence echoes in modern orders. Obscure Masonic Lodges—both those deemed regular and those marked irregular—examining what truly defines regularity in Freemasonry.
Lodges formed under extraordinary circumstances, such as the wartime prison lodges of World War II, created without formal sanction yet in full compliance with the spirit and landmarks of the Craft.

The vision for From Refreshment began when I was first initiated as an Entered Apprentice. Even now, having served as Worshipful Master, I continue to wrestle with the question: How can a lodge faithfully practicing the landmarks of Freemasonry still be labelled “irregular”?
This site will not shy away from those questions.
Through careful research, it will investigate the jurisdictions, politics, recognitions, and schisms that have divided or united the Craft.
By drawing from archival records, lodge proceedings, charters, constitutions, and personal accounts, we will build a navigable repository for Masons, historians, and seekers of truth.
From Refreshment is more than a website. It is an interactive Masonic research library—a gateway for exploration. Each section will link to historical timelines, lodge profiles, symbol glossaries, and interactive maps, allowing you to trace connections between orders, rites, and affiliated societies across centuries. Whether you are a newly‑made Mason, a Past Master, or simply an interested researcher, you are welcome to step through the gate. Knowledge once earnt, is knowledge well learnt.