The Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm (Grotto)

Origins in Hamilton, New York

The Grotto grew out of the friendships of Hamilton Lodge No. 120, F.&A.M., in Hamilton, New York. For some years before 1889 a group of its members, not wishing to disturb the dignity of the lodge itself, had made a habit of staying on after it closed for jokes, songs and good company. The leading spirit was LeRoy Fairchild. In the summer of 1889 the group staged a mock initiation that was such a success that they decided to put their fun on a firmer footing.

On 10 September 1889 seventeen brethren met in the Masonic Hall at Hamilton and formed what they cheerfully named the “Fairchild Deviltry Committee”, with Fairchild presiding under the title “King Devil”. At that first meeting they agreed that membership should be limited strictly to Master Masons in good standing. Two brethren, R. R. Riddell and H. P. Tompkins, were proposed as the first candidates, and their initiation was a hit. The ceremony had been written by George Beal with help from Adon N. Smith. Riddell then joined a committee to polish it, and it was his idea to give the characters exotic, mythological-sounding names. According to the Order’s long-serving Grand Secretary, Sidney D. Smith, Beal’s original framework survived every later revision. Smith also dismissed the story that the ritual was based on the Egyptian Book of the Dead: Beal, he said, had never even seen it.

Word spread quickly, and Masons from beyond Hamilton asked to be admitted. On 28 May 1890 the “F.D.C.” resolved to create a governing body, and on 13 June 1890 the Supreme Council of the Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm was formally established, with fourteen members present. Thomas L. James, a former Postmaster General of the United States, was elected the first Grand Monarch, with Fairchild as his deputy. Professor Oren Root of Hamilton College became Grand Keeper of the Archives. The first charter went to Druid Grotto No. 1 at Hamilton, soon renamed Mokanna Grotto, and further Grottoes followed at Ilion, Rochester, Rome, Amsterdam and New York City, then across the country. Fairchild remained Deputy Grand Monarch until his death on 23 January 1897, aged only 51.

Root explained the reason for it all in a toast to the early Supreme Council. Freemasonry, he said, is earnest and practical, and some have built elaborate philosophical systems on its teachings. But earnest men need warmth, humour and sympathy too, “sunshine in life as well as in the air”. The Grotto was meant to supply it.

The Veiled Prophet

The Order’s emblem shows Al Mokanna, “the Veiled One”, a Persian preacher of the eighth century (about 760) who is said to have delivered his prophecies from behind a veil. Thomas Moore’s popular poem Lalla Rookh tells the tale of the “Veiled Prophet of Khorassan”, and it supplied the Grotto with many of the names of its local bodies, such as Khorassan, Lalla Rookh, Zelica and Azim. The poem was not, however, the source of the ritual. As the Order’s early members explained, Mokanna stands only for the veil of secrecy the Order wears before the world, and not for its ideals. The Persian names simply add a touch of the mystery and colour of the East.

Ceremonies and regalia

The Order describes its ceremony as original and spectacular. Staged in a Persian setting, it needs a cast of thirty or more, a large stage, elaborate costumes and scenery, and it leaves plenty of room for stage tricks and stunts. It is meant to be mysterious and startling, and full of good humour. Beneath the fun, the Order says, lies a serious lesson that stays with the new member: optimism, kindness towards his fellow man and a lasting sense of Good Fellowship.

Early Prophets wore turbans with silver veils. From 1890 each Grotto could choose its own turban colour, though purple was reserved for members of the Supreme Council. Today members wear fezzes whose colours show their rank in the Order.

Membership and purpose

Any Master Mason in good standing may join a Grotto. The Order calls itself a “social organisation for the Master Mason”, and it sees part of its job as sending members back to their own lodges with renewed enthusiasm, encouraging interest in the Craft lodge and better attendance at its meetings. Though it makes no claim to be part of Craft Masonry, it never forgets that every one of its members is a Master Mason. The Order aims to offer every Master Mason the hand of Good Fellowship, “with a smile for all and a frown for none”.

Two women’s organisations grew up alongside the Grotto for the female relatives of Prophets: the Mysterious Order Witches of Salem, founded some time before 1917, and the Daughters of Mokanna, founded in 1919. Both combine fellowship with charitable work.

The Grotto today

Grottoes are found mainly in the United States, under the Supreme Council, Grottoes of North America. Their main charity is the Humanitarian Foundation, which helps pay for dental treatment, including the anaesthesia often needed, for children with special needs such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. Local volunteers known as “Doctors of Smiles” put families in touch with dentists and the Foundation, and many Grottoes raise money through annual Toothbrush Campaigns.

Learn more or join

For more information, or if you would like to join, please visit:
– https://scgrotto.org/ (Supreme Council, Grottoes of North America)
– https://hfgrotto.org/ (Humanitarian Foundation)
– https://anokamasons.com/selim-grotto/
– https://www.grandlodgefl.com/glf-orders/grotto/
– https://www.pittsburghgrotto.com/