The document discusses the biblical story of Queen Esther and the lessons that can be learned from her example. It notes that Esther went through three stages: from passivity to activity to authority. She found her strength and came into her own when she realized she must stand up for her beliefs. The document also discusses the importance of strong moral character, both for leaders and members, and cautions against the misuse of power or authority for selfish purposes. Leaders should serve humbly and remember where they came from.

1. Excerpt taken from Guidance for the Traveling Star, pgs 64-68 copyright 2013 by Joyce Fuller, PWM
Excerpt taken from Guidance for the Traveling Star, pgs 64-68 copyright 2013 by Joyce Fuller, PWM
What does Esther mean to us?
Only two women were given the privilege of having a place of honor in the Holy Bible:
Esther and Ruth. Their stories and lessons have been shared and respected by many
denominations. The story of Queen Esther builds on the lessons we have learned from
Adah of obedience and Ruth of Loyalty.
“Esther develops in three stages: “from passivity, to activity, to authority”.
Indeed, for the first half of her story, the men in Esther’s life – the King,
Mordecai, and Haman – appear to be the decision makers. Yet, once she learns
that the fate of her people lies in her hands, Esther’s metamorphosis begins to
reveal itself. She sends. She commands. She inquires.
Esther truly comes into her own when she realizes that she must stand up for
what she believes in. Considering the corruption of ethics in business today,
many modern-day Esthers struggle with these same issues involving integrity
and remaining true to ones principles. So, there are valuable lessons to be
learned from Esther’s story. ”
The quotes above come from a little book I found in my travels called, What Queen
Esther Knew, Business Strategies from a Biblical Sage: Queen of Persia, Leader,
Heroine by Connie Glaser and Barbara Smalley. A very enlightening book for any
woman in today’s working world with excellent guidance from a biblical perspective.
As we continue this journey through the Labyrinth of life moving steadily eastward, the
lesson of Esther (Justice) moves us forward. Esther is an example of our development in
the order; with Adah, we learned about passivity. From Ruth we learned about activity,
and through Esther we learn about authority.
Esther was no different than any other human being in that she treasured her life as we all
do. This woman had to do some serious soul searching to stand up against a strong and
formidable enemy that would exterminate her people. We have read about or witnessed
many attempts to exterminate people in our history of mankind. Genocide is an ugly
thing and brings much pain and unfathomable suffering not only to its victims, but also to
its perpetrators.
This is what Esther faced! Haman wasn’t her personal enemy, he was an enemy to her
bloodline; he plotted to destroy a race of people. No, it was not a personal vendetta
against Esther herself, for Haman knew very little of her other than the fact that she was
the wife of the King. Therefore his role was that of humble servant to his Royal Queen.
There have been many Haman’s in the world, both past and present, whose goal is to seek
out and destroy those, which are not like themselves. There are Haman’s in our Order;
although they are not called by that name, and I dare say are not as evil hearted as the
biblical character represents, but the essence of the evil they permeate is much the same.
It’s so sad that there are Sisters and Brothers that would seek to destroy one another’s
character and good works. They destroy the very fabric of the work of the Order. Just
like Haman with Esther, these members are not attacking us personally; they have a goal,
an ulterior motive as it may or may not relate to the goals of the Order. They are blinded

2. Excerpt taken from Guidance for the Traveling Star, pgs 64-68 copyright 2013 by Joyce Fuller, PWM
Excerpt taken from Guidance for the Traveling Star, pgs 64-68 copyright 2013 by Joyce Fuller, PWM
by their own greed, lust, arrogance and sometimes ignorance to see their actions clearly.
Most often, they believe they are doing the right thing, spurred on by childhood injuries
or, character defects that they may or may not be aware of. Haman believed in his cause;
he believed he was doing the right thing, for he was avenging the death of his own people
in a battle far behind him in his childhood. He was caught in the snare of revenge and
self-righteous indignation!
If we recall, in the story of Esther, she was not just cast into the role of a Queen fresh out
of her daily role and cultural upbringing. She was groomed to become the Queen of
Persia. For twelve full months she was in the care of the king’s *keeper of women*. “…
six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for
the purifying of the women” (Esther 2:12 KJV). It goes without saying that bathing and
smelling good was not the only “purification” that was given to Esther during these
twelve months. Deportment, etiquette, and even learning how to take, as well as, give
directions and orders are instructions that a person placed in a position of authority must
display. Before we can give directions, we must be able to accept them. I’m sure there
were some who were chosen that did not make it through the twelve month *purification*
process, perhaps for their lack of ability to accept directions or perhaps even for character
defects. It was very smart of the King to have these virgin candidates to the throne to live
among his chamberlains, elders and teachers for a year; you only learn about a person as
you get to know them and even more so when you live with them.
Usually we know very little about the women that are brought to the Altar given only that
they have a ‘desire’ and can pay the fees. There are times when Sisters know those who
are brought to the altar, so I’m not saying we choose haphazardly; although, I am sure
there have been times when we probably have committed this error in judgment. As I
mentioned earlier, you really get to know a person when you live with them, and as they
start to attend our Chapter meetings and other functions, their personality and character
begins to surface. I’d like to believe that most of the time, we have made a worthy Sister
that is faithful, honest, and true to the Order but there are also times when someone has
come with hidden agendas, negative habits and character defects that have the potential to
hurt and destroy our Chapters. Habits I spoke about in my discussion of Ruth; habits such
as gossip, backbiting, arrogance, lying and deceitfulness, etc.
Before I became a member of my Chapter, I had several occasions to attend a few
functions. By the time of my initiation, I had met many of the members and even knew
some of them by name. I had formed a relationship with the other women who were also
initiated with me, and I was put to task immediately. I recall my first year vividly and
recognize it as a year of “purification” where I was taught the deportment of a Sister in
the Order and the language of the Order, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I know I didn’t come
in here all sparkling clean and pure either, and I still have a long way to go, as the saying
goes “God isn’t finished with me yet”, *smile*. I was taken under the wing of a Sister I
love dearly and who is no longer with us, PWM Sis. Janice Green. I am speaking of
MENTORSHIP! She was my teacher, my confidant, my friend, and my Sister. Yes, she
was a LIGHT and a BRIGHT SHINING STAR!!

3. Excerpt taken from Guidance for the Traveling Star, pgs 64-68 copyright 2013 by Joyce Fuller, PWM
Excerpt taken from Guidance for the Traveling Star, pgs 64-68 copyright 2013 by Joyce Fuller, PWM
Just as Esther had her companions that were chosen with her for those twelve months, we
have Sisters among us that will listen to our doubts, fears, trials and imperfections. If we
are honest with them about ourselves and they are honest with us about themselves, we
can form strong relationships in the Order that allow us to grow strong, reliable and
appropriate for the paths we take in service to God, our Chapters and our fellow man.
The ritualistic lessons of the Order, the learning of our stations, offices, etc., are one thing
that should not be taken lightly; although, learning to look at ourselves, our shortcomings
and negative characteristics is one of the lessons we MUST learn if we are to be sound in
our judgments, pure in our hearts, and guiding lights, not just in the Order but in all areas
of our lives.
We must begin at the Altar, with ourselves and then with others. It is our responsibility
to tell them the good and the bad, to tell them of their strengths as well as their
weaknesses, to build sound and moral character! Now granted, there are some that will
not hear, some that would be offended and disrespectful, face it… everybody can’t be
told anything by anybody.
As I had talked about in the lesson of Ruth, there are often difficult times in being a
member of the Order. Sometimes those difficulties are of our own making due to our
character defects, which enable us to look at our true selves and to question our motives.
Therefore, we point out the imperfections or what we think are the imperfections of
others while never looking at our own. If we hold to these character defects and negative
attributes, when and if we should ever be subjected to a trial, we will falter. When we
allow ourselves to be enslaved to negative emotions and character defects, they actually
sway power OVER us, power to make us doubt ourselves, power to slow us down, power
to confuse our thought process and power to misinterpret what we see, feel and believe to
be true, therefore altering our ability to BE true, honest, forthright and these are the
demons that prevent us from attaining the thing we love the most, the LIGHT! These are
the defects that affect self-esteem and self worth individually and in the Order. We
cannot be the person that we are meant to become, not only do we lack the ability to
stand up for ourselves; we cannot stand up for others or for the Order!
Again, we are reminded of our oaths and obligations, Esther’s lesson is a lesson of
humility, patience, education, loyalty, endurance and courage.
The lesson of the Third Point is … CHARACTER, without character there can be no
Justice!
Esther is a true heroine, she utilizes her feminine charm and her spiritual strengths to
save her people. It is no far stretch of imagination to realize her strong willed
character. Strong will is essential in good leaders although there are many that use
their strong sense of will to elevate themselves to positions of power only to forget
those that supported and helped them to get there. Once on their “THRONES”, they
forget from whence they came.
Sarah H. Terry, author of, The 2nd
Mile, states:
“We sometimes see people elected or elevated to positions of honor

4. Excerpt taken from Guidance for the Traveling Star, pgs 64-68 copyright 2013 by Joyce Fuller, PWM
Excerpt taken from Guidance for the Traveling Star, pgs 64-68 copyright 2013 by Joyce Fuller, PWM
who soon become so puffed up over their elevation that they forget
their friends, forget the circumstances previous to the elevation, and
thus become arrogant and unthankful and often domineering, utterly
without discretion, and without the natural qualities necessary for
positions of high esteem. Such persons are unfitted for position of
honor, and reflect upon whatever position they may hold much
discredit both to themselves and to their friends”.
YES INDEED!! We have all seen incidents of Sisters and Brothers being placed in
positions of authority and power and lose their MINDS!!
Our elected Grand Masters and Matrons sit at the highest level of service, yet there are
some that would abuse that office and use it as a position of power to dictate and hold
their membership hostage. Mind you I said SOME, for the majority I believe we have
excellent Grand Masters and Grand Matrons that love the Craft and their
accomplishments shine in evidence of that love and commitment. It is definitely not an
easy task I’m sure. Although there are others, those are the ones I am speaking of, the
very ones that stay in office for years and years. The membership is stifled with no
movement or growth in the entire jurisdiction. If the head is sick, the body suffers!
The position of an elected Officer is a position of great power and authority and in the
hands of a person whose character is not sound it can be a devastating thing to the
membership and jurisdiction. Sometimes because of the misuse of their power and
authority, they run unopposed. It appears that the members want them in office, although
with closer investigation and an attentive ear, we may find that this is not always the case.
The entire membership is not afforded a vote on Grand Officers, only Past Officers,
Grand Officers and sitting Officers - who may be the very ones that for some reason or
another fear the retribution of being singled out. Also, there are those that are of the
same mind as the one in office and electing someone new may institute change that
would undermine the abuse of power they may be a party to themselves.
Not only do some of these Grand Officers stay in seat for many years but also do the
subordinate Chapters. Matrons sitting in office for 10 & 15 years or more, is ridiculous. I
know of a Worthy Matron that sat in office for 30 yrs and another for 28 years. The
Chapters are stagnant and no new members come in and if they do, they don’t stay! We
lose good members out of sheer boredom and inactivity.
Sometimes the members continue to elect the Matron out of love and loyalty, and
sometimes out of insecurity that they could not continue without her. Many of our
elderly Sisters were made in a time of stronger commitment and dedication, there are
times that the members themselves will use that commitment and dedication to enslave a
Matron to remain in the seat, these same members not wanting to “step up” their OWN
levels of commitment! In essence, USING the good Sister for their own selfish and
inconsiderate needs that serve themselves and no other! The Sisters have become elderly
in their office and after so many years, have forgotten more than many of us will ever
learn. This creates issues with pride and ego and perpetuates fear, fear of the loss of the
beautiful light they hold dearly in their hearts of a stronger and earlier time and fear of
being forgotten. We must have the character and the courage to look within ourselves

5. Excerpt taken from Guidance for the Traveling Star, pgs 64-68 copyright 2013 by Joyce Fuller, PWM
Excerpt taken from Guidance for the Traveling Star, pgs 64-68 copyright 2013 by Joyce Fuller, PWM
and ask - am I helping? Or am I hurting? ALL OF US!! For obvious reasons, we do not
initiate members in dotage, so why do we encourage them or allow them to sit in office in
dotage? Sometimes this does more harm than good to those we say we love and who have
carried the banner for us for so many years. It’s time to step up and allow them to enjoy
the fruits of their labors.
Each and every one of us has to consider our legacy, individually and collectively. What
are we leaving behind us? With our families, our communities, our beliefs and the social
orders we have associated ourselves with? How do we want to be remembered? If we
want to be remembered in kindness, fairness, and respect, we must act with kindness,
fairness and respect while we are here!
When we live our lives where we are pleased within ourselves, it makes it easier to deal
with obstacles. Not for the glory or admiration of others, but for the glory of the Lord
and for the dedication of our Spirit and our Order, when we can give of our selves
unselfishly and without ulterior motives, it builds a self-esteem, a self-worth that gives us
the strength and fortitude to withstand many trails and tribulations. It doesn’t mean that
we won’t be afraid; it doesn’t mean that we won’t be hurt or suffer. Esther suffered and
struggled in fear, but being secure in her behavior, in her character, and with the push of a
strong mentor, she called on the ultimate guide; she called on the Lord through fasting!
It’s hard to call on the Lord when you live your life in wrong actions and attitudes!
Esther carried herself with dignity and respect and was able to conduct herself
appropriately in the best interest of Justice!
The biblical story of Esther goes to great length to express to the reader that “And the
king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight
more than all the virgins so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her
queen instead of Vashti” (Esther 2:17, KJV). Not that she had been taught the ways of
the palace and understood her role as Queen perfectly, but also that her character and
morals were also in place, perhaps from her cultural upbringing. She had an aura about
herself that made those that were in her company, respect her and love her. As it should
be with us, as members of the Order, our very presence should exude respect and love;
these are the attributes of a member of the Eastern Star!
Esther’s lesson teaches us to be open to good and wholesome instruction, to accept
guidance and direction. We have to make sure that we are correct in our own walk. We
have to emulate the same attributes that we want others to have and we must work on
ourselves first.
The lesson of Esther teaches us courage under fire! We must be whole within and willing
to learn and grow so that when the time comes to stand for our beliefs, we do not falter,
we stand in knowledge, truth and light.
The lesson of Esther asks a question of each of us:
Do I have the courage to look within that I may stand for Justice in service to others?