Any “regular” masonic lodge or organization is ultimately recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, or the Grand Lodge of Ireland. There are many fake “masonic” lodges, two of which are listed here.
International Order of the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraim1, 2
Founded as the Rite of Misraim in Milan in 1805 by a person who was refused entry into the masonic
Scottish Rite3. It had 90 degrees. In 1839 in Paris France a person who had been
expelled from the Rite of Misraim created the Rite of Memphis, with 97 degrees. It seems that the
Rite of Memphis came to the USA around 1850 although that is not entirely certain. In the USA it
was almost dormant but still alive in 1895. There were a number of other organizations using
“Memphis” and “Misraim” in their titles, all of them fakes.
The two rites were joined in 1881 in Italy, apparently by Garibaldi. Throughout their history these
rites have had connections to European revolutionary movements.
An 1889 Canadian ritual book with constitution is online4 for the A & A Egyptian Rite of
Memphis. The constitution is for the Sovereign Sanctuary, Valley of Canada. Ther was a Chapter in
Peterborough <1883 to 1888>, number 11, named Benaiah Rose Croix Chapter.
Today there seems to be two groups using the name: the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraim
(which is not in Canada), and the International Order of the Ancient and Primitive Rite of
Memphis-Misraim (which is in Canada with a Grand Lodge of Canada5 in Montreal but not in
Ontario).
Rosicrucians
Founded, it appears, in medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz, who may have been an imaginary
character. It claimed to possess secrets gained from the Moors and in the 1600s attracted the
interest of several occultists. It is claimed that the Freemason’s Scottish Rite is based on
Rosicrucian principles, although some Masonic historians disagree.
From this medieval and enlightenment base, an astonishing number of Rosicrucian organizations grew
and still exist. Most are beyond the scope of this book. One is the Society of Modern
Rosicrucians, formed in the USA in the mid-1800s to study the history of Freemasonry6.
It apparently appeared in Canada but has not been found under that name, although one entity has
been found with the name Rosicrucian Society AF&AM.
McLeod-Moore College Peterborough <1888>
References:
(1) http://www.memphis-misraim-international.org/
(2) http://www.iss-ic-memphis-misraim.com/
(3) Stevens p78
(4) https://archive.org/details/cihm_03246
(5) http://memphis-misraim.org/
(6) Stevens p86