Affiliate; Affiliated Freemason

Affiliate; Affiliated Freemason. One who has been a member of a lodge and has taken his demit or dimit and is affiliated with no lodge is called a non-affiliate. The contrary does not necessarily follow, for a member of a lodge is scarcely ever referred to as an affiliate or affiliated Mason, unless he has brought a demit from his old lodge and has affiliated with a new one, that is, been elected to membership. In that instance, he may be called an affiliate for a short time but his origin is soon forgotten and he simply merges into the general membership. A Past Master who has left his old lodge and affiliated with a new one generally does retain the title of affiliated to distinguish him from the Past Masters who have presided over that lodge, although he has the same rank and privileges as other Past Masters of the lodge. A demit is generally recognized all over the world and the bearer of such demit is usually admitted to any other lodge on petition, but after investigation and ballot. One who has withdrawn from a lodge and has the type of demit often called a certificate of withdrawal is merely a Mason at large and is expected under most regulations to petition and join another lodge within one year, otherwise he loses his good standing until he does so. This comes from the General Regulations of 1723, which provided that it was the duty of every Mason to belong to some lodge, and this rule is generally followed at the present day.

Macoy Collector's Note: Coil defines the critical rules of lodge membership, demits, and the historical expectation that every Mason belongs to an active lodge.