Lodgeroom International MagazineThe

Volume 2 - Issue 12 December 2007

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Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 2

Of This Take Due Notice, and Govern Yourselves Accordingly:Neither the editors, publishers or writers of this magazine represent themselves as speakingFOR any Grand Lodge or official body. The material presented in this publication is intendedsolely for informational purposes. The opinions presented herein are solely those of theauthors, editors and publishers. This magazine may be redistributed freely, but may not besold. The contents of the magazine are Copyright of the respective authors and may not berepublished without permission of the Lodgeroom International Magazine.

Cover: 1994 Mount Vernon Three Great Lights of MasonryOrnament

Published by: Willam McElligott, P.M., R. Theron DunnUnited Grand Lodge of England Grand Lodge of California

Senior Editor: Giovanni LombardoGrande Oriente d’Italia

Questions or Comments: LRINT@lodgeroomuk.com

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Featured ArticlesWho is the Widow? ................................................................................................. 3Parmenides By Giovanni Lombardo ................................................................................... 3The Esoteric Jazz of Br. Duke Ellington By Br. John Hirt, Jr. .................................... 4Magic and Mysticism By Br. René Guénon ..................................................................... 4Masonic Dog Tags By Wr. Jason Smith, SSgt, U.S. Army (Ret.) ................................. 5Murder and Treason Only By Br. Ed King ....................................................................... 5Masonic Traditions in Our Past and Our Future by Paul M. Bessel ....................... 5

Catechism Corner By Dr. John Nagy ................................................................................. 6Travel Experience By Steinarr Kr. Omarsson ................................................................. 7NJ Masons Making Blood Donations By Craig Butler ............................................... 7Masonic Plans ...................................................................................................... 21

Regular FeaturesBetween The Pillars ................................................................................................ 2

Other Masonic Publications ................................................................................. 18Tim Bryce On...

A Masonic Christmas Tale .......................................................................... 19Masonic Humor .................................................................................................... 22

Volume 2 - Issue 8 - September 2007

Between The PillarsThe Outer Portico

By R. Theron Dunn

Masonry is divided, as we all know, into three degrees,each revealing as much as it conceals to the candidate.Masonry is a progressive science, taught by degrees

alone, with the candidate lead, over time, closer to thetrue secrets of Freemasonry.

The degrees serve multiple purposes, and in fact, are part ofthe guardians of the way to the true secrets of Freemasonry.Men join Masonry for many purposes, some, craven, others,social, and others, to truly become better men.

By craven, I refer to those who simply want to obtain thesecrets of Freemasonry, having no interest in anything more.These men are confused by the initiatic experience, andextremely disappointed to find they have, by their time,obtained no secrets but a grip, a word, a due guard and a sign.

These rarely come back for the second degree, thinkingthat there are no secrets to obtain. Some, however, comeback for the second degree, and seeing only a few moregrips, words and signs, drop the fraternity, and go throughlives having missed the greatest opportunity ever presentedto them.

Those who join for social reasons are much like the cravenones who join, though these men, discovering that there isactually work required of them, also often drop out beforeor after their second degree. It is the rare craven or social

animal that actually make it through the third degree,though, of course, we all know a few who do so.

The degrees, therefore, act as a kind of filter againstthe occasional mistake of the investigation committee.

Those who become Freemasons only for the sake offinding out the secret of the order, run a very great risk ofgrowing old under the trowel without ever realizing theirpurpose. Yet there is a secret, but it is so inviolable that ithas never been confided or whispered to anyone.

Those who stop at the outward crust of things imagine thatthe secret consists in words, in signs, or that the main pointof it is to be found only in reaching the highest degree. Thisis a mistaken view: the man who guesses the secret ofFreemasonry, and to know it you must guess it, reaches thatpoint only through long attendance in the lodges, throughdeep thinking, comparison, and deduction. He would nottrust that secret to his best friend in Freemasonry, becausehe is aware that if his friend has not found it out, he couldnot make any use of it after it had been whispered in his ear.No, he keeps his peace, and the secret remains a secret.[1]

In the Entered Apprentice degree, the true seeker is reborn,from the profane outside, to the outer portico of the temple.Like an infant, through struggle and challenge, he openshis eyes to the new light of Freemasonry, and sees for

Continued on Page 10 - Portico

Letters to the Editor

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Send your comments to:

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Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 3

Who is the Widow?By R. Theron Dunn

We are taught that everythingin Freemasonry is symbolic.Each of the symbols havemore than one meaning. Yet,there is one symbol ofFreemasonry that we rarelytalk about or consider, but it

is a sigil of who we all are and represent.

We are all Hiram, on one level of another. Wediscuss who he is, what he represents, what weare to learn from him and his sacrifice. To some,Hiram represents Jesus, and to others Mithra andto others Osiris and so on. We know that Hiram isan archetype, an exemplar, a teacher… and ofcourse, we are all, symbolically, Hiram Abiff.

The one symbol we only discuss tangentially though,is WHO IS THE WIDOW? We are told that Hiramis a widow’s sons, of the tribe of Napthali. That iscertainly the biblical reference, but if you carefullyread the bible, you will see that he did not die beforethe temple was completed, and truth to tell,according to the bible he was a worker in metals,dyes, fabric and stonework, not an architect, ormaster of workmen.

When the first grand lodge was created in Londonin 1717, it comprised two degrees. The Fellowcraftpossessed the “master’s word”. Shortly thereafter,around 1728, the third degree was created, moreor less the third degree we have today. The characterHiram Abiff was chosen for a reason, one that, giventhe deep symbolic nature of the degrees alreadyextent, had to be more than simple representationof an archetype... so, who, or what, is the Widow,why are we all widow’s sons, and why do weidentify ourselves as Son’s of the Widow?

Now, I was thinking about this the other day,actually, I was responding to a post about Mary,the “mother” of god, and how the cult of Maryarose in the Catholic Church around the 4thCentury AD, just about the time the Christian faithwas taking off in England. Now, arguably, theexistence of the Catholic Church can be pinnedon the strength of that faith in England in the firstfour or five centuries AD, but that is another longand involved monologue.

But, here is the strange thing... the Celtic “faith” ifyou will, was a worship of the earth mother, thegoddess, and her horned consort. The goddessappeared in three incarnations: the Virgin, TheMother, and the Hag. Now, we all know what theVirgin represents, and we all know what the motherrepresents, but the crone was DEATH... not themean evil avoid it at all costs death of contemporaryculture, but the satisfying, going home, rest hasfinally come, welcoming grandmother.

Any of this sound familiar? Mary, the mother

of god, the eternal virgin who gave birth to godin his incarnation in flesh, and the comfortingmother/grandmother that is with us in death. Thecult of Mary was created by the Roman CatholicChurch around the 4th c AD… in direct responsethe Celtic Goddess.

The widow may symbolize a separation ofthe material world to that of the spiritualFather. The widows son, the Hiram ofMasonic allegory, therefore, symbolizes ourhuman physical nature bound to the mother(creation/material) after the symbolic ‘Fall’of mankind. The Widow reference thereforesymbolizes our lost connection to our Divineessence and origin. PTBOJIM (1)

But the celtic goddess is just another incarnationof Isis/Ishtar/Anu/Anna, a fertility goddess. Of Isis,it is written:

Isis, the Virgin of the World

IT is especially fitting that a study ofHermetic symbolism should begin with adiscussion of the symbols and attributes of Continued on Page 9 - Widow

Parmenides Or,Light In The Dark

by Giovanni Lombardo

Duality is the human feature.Like a tree, man’s feet areon the ground and his headis turned toward heaven.

Even more, I think dualityis the whole manifestation’s

feature: the world, which is separated from theOne after creation, is a mixture of good and evil,light and darkness, yin and yang.

Ancient Greeks displayed this idea in theirlanguage, for they translated “two” and “evil” withsimilar words, dyo and dys respectively.

No wonder, then that this feature is recurrentthroughout humankind’s history. To each centuryits own aporia: the eighteenth century is dividedbetween Lessing’s enlightenment and Cagliostro’switchcraft, while in the present era coexistcybernetics and New Age, a disquietingphenomenon which however dramatically pointsout the need of sacred.

The western civilisation removed the sacred fromthe reality and replaced it in the heights ofmetaphysics. From Descartes onwards, westernculture adopted a dualistic approach: on the onehand res cogitans, the world of ideas, on the other

hand res extensa, the reality in which we live.Hence huge scientific progress, albeit paid at greatcost: on the outer side, reification of Nature andenvironmental pollution; on the inner one, loss ofman’s psychological roots and subsequent anxietyand frustrations. Most of the mental diseases areactually affecting the human soul which wasseparated from divinity and is therefore wonderingacross darkness, fearful and unsure like a whelpmissing the mother.

New Age’s apparent success made me think overthis: young people who are searching for lightdisregard western institutions, catholic churchcomprised, and turn toward the eastern ones,following gurus who seldom have any altruisticattitude. I remember that whenever westernyoungsters met Gandhi and asked him forsuggestions about Hindu religious literature,Mahatma used to reply, counter-asking if they hadalready read the bible: a man cannot study foreigntraditions if he has not yet strengthened his ownones. For this reason I attribute much ofimportance to rediscovering Parmenides’sphilosophy, which largely influenced MagnaGræcia’s Pythagorean communities.

We have a few of news about him. From Plato’sdialogues we know that he was a wise, old man

Continued on Page 9 - Paramenides

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 4

The EsotericJazz of Br. Duke

EllingtonBy Br. John Hirt, Jr.

“Music is a moral law. Itgives soul to the universe,wings to the mind, flightto the imagination, andcharm and gaietyto life and to everything.”(Plato)

“It Don’t Mean a thing if it don’t have thatSwing”. (Duke Ellington)

The above line from Duke Ellington’s 1932 Jazzclassic of the same name conveys the deepestessence of jazz music. What exactly does “swing”mean? A type of jazz music, yes, but even moreso “swing” is interchangeable with the word “soul”.Ellington is poetically saying that if the musicdoesn’t touch your inner essence than it lacks afundamental ingredient that makes it good music.

It is beyond the scope of this article to critic theworks of Ellington or to delve into extensive listsof discography. We will look at certain pieces asthey come up but our main point will be to profilethis Master craftsman and Freemason as well asto delve into some of his more spiritually mindedworks.

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899-1974)is considered by many critics and historians to bethe greatest American composer/band leader ofthe 20th century. His career spanned seven decadesand left us with a song book of 1500 original andinnovative compositions .To understand the scopeof this output, recently, I saw for sale a box setcollection of Ellington’s work. It contained 755tracks spanning an incredible 40 cd’s of music! InJazz annals only Louis Armstrong had a careercomparable to that of Ellington. However ifArmstrong was the performer who took Jazzmainstream it was Ellington the composer whodid the same. *

A child, of middle class parents, Ellington was bornand raised in Washington, DC. Although he begantaking piano lessons at the age of eight he wasmore interested in baseball than the piano.Nicknamed “Duke” by a childhood friend becauseof his regal bearing Ellington considered art as acareer however the experience of watching aragtime piano player brought him back to theinstrument at age 15. He began his apprenticeshipin the pool halls of Washington, DC where hewatched and learned from the variety of playersavailable. When he was 18 he rejected an artscholarship to the Pratt Institute in order to becomea professional musician.

He arrived in Harlem, at age 22, during the dawnof the Harlem Renaissance and began forming hisOrchestra. They became leading exponents of whatwas called “Hot Jazz” for its expressive style andimpact on the popular dance of the period. Theyset up shop at a place called “The Kentucky Club”and began building their reputations. In 1927 heand his players received their major break bybecoming the house band of Harlem’s storied “TheCotton Club” which broadcast their shows liveover the radio waves. This made Ellington ahousehold name and during this period hecomposed such pieces as “East St. Louis Tooddle-O”, “The Mooche” and “Mood Indigo” amongothers.

The next two decades saw relentless touring. Hewrote many of his compositions aboard trains(sometimes by flashlight), in hotels, and after anevening performance. Ellington and his band wouldoften practice, compose, and improvise getting tobed long after daybreak. The period consideredto be the Ellington “golden age” roughly 1938-1943 saw the composition of such classics as “Takethe A Train”, “Sophisticated Lady”, and hisCarnegie Hall debut “Black, Brown, & Beige”.

His later compositions included such diverseworks as “Such Sweet Thunder” (1957) an albumof Jazz music based off of Ellington’s interpretationof Shakespeare’s plays. The film score forPreminger’s classic “Anatomy of a Murder” (1959)and his “Live at Newport Jazz Festival” (1956) atriumph that created pandemonium among festivalgoers, sent critics running for bylines, and fansbuying a record number of albums.

Bro. Ellington took his Masonic Degrees at SocialLodge #1 PHA, in Washington, D.C. in 1932. Hewould also become a member of the Scottish RiteBodies and the Shrine. It is interesting to note thatwhen Ellington became involved in Masonry thedemands on his time were nearly constant. Myresearch has not been able to reveal what drewthe Duke to Masonry however his benevolentcharacter, religious character (not a regular Churchgoer Ellington was however a deep student of thebible), and his impulse to craft musical art may allbe clues.

Continued on Page 10 - Ellington

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Magic and MysticismBr. René Guénon

The confusion of initiationwith mysticism is largely dueto those who for whateverreasons wish to denyexpressly the reality ofinitiation by reducing it tosomething else. On the other

hand, in such circles as those of the occultists,replete with all their unwarranted initiaticpretensions, there is a tendency to include asintegral aspects, if not as essential elements, ofthe initiatic domain numerous things altogetherforeign to it, among which magic is often the mostprominent. The factors behind this error alsoexplain why magic presents especially gravedangers for modern Westerners, the chief one beingthe tendency to attribute excessive importance to‘phenomena’, to which their development of theexperimental sciences bears witness.

If they are so easily seduced by magic and entertainsuch illusions as to its real import, this is becauseit is indeed also an experimental science, althoughcertainly quite different from those the academicworld designates by this term. We must not deceiveourselves on this point: this is an order of things

that contains absolutely nothing ‘transcendent’; ifsuch a science, like every other science, can belegitimized by its connection with those higherprinciples upon which everything depends, inaccordance with the general conception of thetraditional sciences, it can still only be situated inthe last rank of secondary and contingentapplications, among those furthest from theseprinciples, which therefore must be regarded asthe most inferior of all. This is how magic is

Continued on Page 12 - Magic

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 5

Masonic DogTags

Wr. Jason Smith, Master of Barstow Lodge wrote:

My military brothers will love this one, as theyhave all been there.

Before going back to Iraq I had new DogTags madeup. (Identification tags).

Normally it is in this format.

NAMESocial Security NumberBlood TypeReligious Preference

When I went in to have mine done, I changed myreligous preference from Protestant to instead read:“MASONIC FUNERAL”.

The lady behind the counter came out and askedme what this was about and that I needed to giveher a religious preference and this was not one.She argued with me about it, because I told her toput it on there. She even grabbed a chaplain tocome over and argue with me about it.

He was one of those Anti-Masonic types and saidthat this proved that we considered Masonry aReligion. I just laughed and told them both, that Ihave made my peace with God and I don’t needlast rites. I just want my earthly Masonic Funeral.

They went as far as to look up the regulations tokeep me from doing it. I proved them wrong. Afterthey finished the new tags, I went around to allmy brothers and showed them my shiny tags.

They were amazed and ask how they could do ittoo. 12 Brothers got new tags that day. This gaveus all a peace of mind that our true last wisheswould be honored.

Also, I bought 12 funeral ritual books and gavethem out. We each carried one in our combat packsat all times. JUST IN CASE!!!

Brother: Here’s hoping you never need either! ed.

By Br. Ed Kingwww.masonicinfo.com

In some Masonic obligations, there appears aphrase which will cause a law-abiding citizen topause. While the wording may be slightly differentfrom place to place, the essence of the promise isthat a Mason agrees to protect a Brother MasterMason's secrets as his own, murder and treasonalone excepted.

One may rightfully ask, then: what about othercrimes? Robbery, assault, or other crimes againstpersons or property surely should not be thesubject of 'Masonic protection', should they?

Of course not! And no Mason would believe thatthey were. Immediately prior to taking thatMasonic obligation, the candidate is advised thatnothing he is about to promise will in any wayinterfere with any duty he owes to God, hiscountry, his family/neighbor or himself.

Clearly, an obligation each person in our societyhas is to report knowledge of a crime. In fact,hiding knowledge of a criminal act is a criminalact in and of itself, sometimes punishable by onlya slightly lesser penalty? Accordingly, no Masonhas an obligation to protect another Mason shouldhe learn of criminal wrongdoing of any kind. Werehe to do so, he interferes with his duty to family/neighbor that he live as a peaceable citizen, obeying

the laws of the land. He would also severely violatehis duty to himself, to live a clean and upright life,providing for his family and his community to thebest of his ability. Thus, the hiding of a crime byanother, be they a Mason or not, is inappropriatefor a Mason under any circumstances.

Masons are obligated to protect the laws and tolive as law-abiding citizens. As such, it would beunthinkable to allow a criminal to avoid theappropriate punishment simply because of acommon membership. In fact, most Masonswould be so distraught at the thought of a criminalin their midst, they would quickly take action toensure that the perpetrator was brought to justiceand be removed from their ranks as well.

Freemasonry does not condone criminal acts nordoes it condone the hiding of them when known.

The admonition in the obligation is to impress upona candidate that a Brother Mason should feel freeto share their innermost thoughts without concernabout 'blabbing' or reprisal. To suggest that (a) aMason would commit a criminal act and then (b)tell another Mason about it in order that (c) it wouldbe concealed is foolish in the extreme.

Masons as a group are not law-breakers nor do theysupport them. The charge that they do is specious atbest and there are no supportable examples of Masonsconcealing the criminal acts of other Masons.

Masonic Traditions in OurPast and Our Futureby Paul M. BesselPresentation at La FranceLodge #93, F.A.A.M.,Washington, D.C.,September 8, 2000

Introduction

The subject we arediscussing this evening is the most important onein Freemasonry, for we will be exchanging ideasabout what Freemasonry has been in the past, whatit is today, and what it can and will be in the future.

This does not mean that we must follow ourtraditions simply because they have existed. Wecould say that some of them were wrong andshould end, just as the traditions of slavery, or ofwomen having no rights, were traditions thatproperly ended. Or we could say that sometraditions made sense in the past, but no longer.But we should be honest with ourselves in

examining what Freemasonry has been in the pastand what it is today, so we can make better choicesabout what we want to make it in the future.

I believe we can place Masonic traditions -- whatFreemasonry has been, what it is today, and whatit can be in the future -- into 5 categories.

Learning

We do not know much about the origins ofFreemasonry, as we know it today, in the 1600sand 1700s, and maybe that is good because itallows those interested in Masonic history toexplore all sorts of threads of events in that era.

We do have a pretty good idea that men who wereinterested in learning were among the leaders whofounded and promoted Freemasonry in the earlydays, particularly the 1700s. Scientists,

Continued on Page 13 - Traditions

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 6

Catechism CornerBy Br. John S. NagyAn Occasional Contribution of Light from a Not So Occasional Contributor.

MASONIC WARNING: Although all of what is written below is openly available toeveryone with access to archaic books, if you’re on a Masonic track, it’s wise that you savereading this until after you’re raised a Master Mason.

The Significance of the Four Ruffians

Ritual tells us that there were three Ruffians. Witha little research, one can see that there is clearlyfour and his working tool is quite telling. – Dr.John S. Nagy

Summary:

The three Ruffians are infamous and have beenimmortalized in our Ritual. It is the connectionthat they have to their fourth Brother that providesfor us a working tool that is mentioned in lecturebut seldom seen for what it is.

—————

It was years after I had been raised that I wentback through ritual to make connections that arenever communicated directly in Lodge. To makesuch connections, a Mason must have a soundmind and retentive memory. He must also bewilling to go back through his VSL and read aboutcharacters and references that are spread outthroughout its pages. Included in this might alsobe actions that are directed to other sacred textsthat he might not be too familiar with. It is not aneasy task but it is well worth the effort.

I was called upon to do such a task when Ivolunteered to provide Masonic Education that wasfar beyond the usual ritual instruction and tests thatdetermine Digest Law knowledge. To do so, Ireadily combed through old ritual books and differingversions of VSL. One such question that arose inmy search was the significance of the Ruffian’snames. Why were they so similar? What cluespresented themselves in their differences? Whatconnections might be made when I examined thesesimilarities and differences? I had many questionsand I knew that my work was cut out for me.

I started flipping through old ritual books andBibles. What came to Light were connections thatwent far beyond ritual and the VSL toward sacredtexts in the East. The first connection that wasnot so obvious was as mentioned before, thespelling of the Ruffian’s names. As intimated inthe catechism provided, the differences spelled outa word that is used by Buddhists monks and theword that was shown has a specific reason foruse. That spelling, and the “correct” renderingand pronouncement of the word lead me tounderstand that there was indeed a fourth Ruffianthat went unnamed in ritual.

The unnamed Ruffian though is characterized in the

VSL much different than I imagined and it is hisplacement in a his family that lead me to anotherBrother that is also mentioned in ritual – but theconnection that I made when I heard of him duringritual is not the connection to the Ruffians that I knew!

There was much Light the revealed itself to me asI continued to make further connections. Includedin this Light were the connections between thepenalties, the steps in the East, the working tools*used by the Ruffians, integrity (how to maintain itand what occurs when one doesn’t!) and how onemight view one’s life unfolding continuously.

AS before, I found that simply asking obviousconnections and searching for answers started theunfolding of a wonder filled catechism that I foundmost enjoyable.

Here now for your perusal, enjoyment and possiblefurther enlightenment is the Catechism that Iprovided on this subject during Masonic Educationspots in Lodges around my area.

One final note of two:

The greatest challenge many Masons have is tomake sure one honors their Obligation and the lawsof their Jurisdiction. Keeping this in mind, I madesure to the best of my ability that this specificCatechism came from historical documents andnot from current day ritual. It may not matchyour Jurisdiction’s ritual exactly but the Light ithas to offer is as significant today as it was then.

I’ve purposely left some specific names out andrelied on the provided hints to help stir yourcuriosity. In addition, I’ve purposefully notfootnoted this catechism in the hopes that you willuse its hints as a road map to find much valuabletreasure. To aid you in this I’ve provided thereferences used to create this herein.

§ Duncan’s Monitor and Ritual§ Webb’s Masonic Monitor By Thomas

Smith Webb, Edition 1865§ Holy Bible – Lamsa’s Version§ Transformations of Myth Through Time

– Joseph Campbell

May this Catechism shine a bright Light on yourcurrent day ritual and your life as well!

Enjoy!Brother Dr. John S. Nagyhttp://www.coach.net Continued on Page 15 - Catechism

PS – Everything herein can be found within BlueLodge Masonry.

* These working tools vary from one place toanother so please forgive me writing a catechismthat would include these tools without having somejurisdictions left out by doing so.

The Significance of the Four RuffianCatechism

I: Be you a Master Mason?R: I be.

I: Then you have the integrity of a Master?R: I have so been tried and found to have

such.

I: How have you so been tried?R: Ruffians did so try me.

I: What was tried?R: My integrity.

I: How so?R: At first, by the demands of Time.

I: By whom?R: By the first Ruffian.

I: How was this so conveyed.R: By a 24 inch gauge and with good measure.

I: What does it teach us?R: Time demands us to keep sacred that

which is necessary to maintain our work,refreshment and belief.

I: How may we corrupt this?R: We may be tempted to borrow from one

for benefit which will lead to debt anddetriment to another.

I: When does this occur?R: In a Mason’s Youth.

I: What step was this?R: A Mason’s first step?

I: Where was this so symbolized?R: A Mason’s EA Degree.

I: Where else?R: In a Mason’s EA Step.

I: Is there more?R: Yes, in the first step leading to the station

of the Worshipful Master in the East.

I: Where else is this symbolized?R: In the seasons of a Mason’s life, it would

be considered “Spring.”

I: And last?R: By the last letter of the first Ruffian’s name.

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 7

Travel ExperienceBy Steinarr Kr. Omarsson

Foreword:

I come from Iceland. I wasinitiated in 2001 and havereached the VI° in theSwedish system ofFreemasonry. I have been

intrested in International Freemasonry from dayone. My activities have been limited to the web,but that changed last October when I travelled toLondon.

A meeting in a different masonic rite:

For a long time I have been intrested inFreemasonry as it is practiced in England,especially in London which is in a way the cradleof modern Freemasonry.

In Great Queen Street in London the United GrandLodge of England has a very beautiful and big GrandLodge building. Visiting that building is alone a greatmasonic experience, but I wanted more, so I packedmay tails and regalia and went to a meeting.

When I first entered the building I was directedto a relations office, where my masonic passportwas examined and I had a choice of meetings togo to, an Installation or a 3rd. I took the third. Iwas given a letter for the secretary of the lodgeand sent on my way. Before the meeting I wasof course tested in my knowledge of grips, signsand words.

If one comes prepaired gaining entrance to ameeting is easy.

The meeting:I went to a meeting of the lodge The Royal Albertno. 907. There I met true gentlemen of the craft.I was made most welcome from the beginning andall possible questions I had were answered. I was„assigned“ to a very experienced brother whoknew a thing or two about Freemasonry.

Almost everything was different from what I amused to. The layout of the lodge was different,the way men travelled around the lodge wasdifferent, the signs were different, the lecture wasdifferent, but in the end a brother was raised tothe third degree. For me this experience was likegoing through a degree myself.

In this meeting I experienced something which Iwas told is rare. The Tyler gave a Walking Charge.I wish I had it on video, it was awe inspiring andthought provoking.

The festive board:

What a good time we had. In this short time we

spent together I felt like I had known thesegentlemen and brothers for a long time. Againthings were done differently, but now I had theopportunity to give a response to a toast like wedo it, so I was able to give them a little glimpseinto another masonic world. I also gave a shortspeech about Icelandic freemasonry and theSwedish Rite which I hope was enlightening. TheTyler gave the full version of the Tylers toast inmy honor. What an experience.

I thank the members of The Royal Albert Lodgeand the guests present at the meeting from thebottom of my heart for an unforgettableexperience and hospitality.

Reflections afterwards:

Afterwards, when thinking about what I learned

and experienced that night I had the humblingthoughts of how little I really know aboutFreemasonry. The road is long ahead and thejourney will take a long time. I saw things that Iknow done in a different way, sometimes sodifferent that it adds a new meaning or changesthe meaning I had drawn from them considerably.In some ways I got questions answered, but at thesame time I had more questions.

Is either system better? No. I think this is one ofthe greatest things about Freemasonry that it ispossible to do things in so many different ways, butyet reach the same goal. It is a great strength thatthere are so many flavors in Masonry International.

The visitation right that is built into our system is oneof the greatest assets we have. Whenever possibleI am going to visit a lodge wherever I am. I encourageeveryone who has the opportunity to do so.

If you have any questions or comments plese sendme an e-mail to okunnurleitandi@gmail.com

NJ Masons Making Blood Donations by Craig Butler

November 13, 2007 - People with thalassemiaknow the importance of maintaining the nation’sblood supply: their lifelong transfusions make themthe singe largest consumers of blood products inthe U.S. This is why CAF is constantly encouragingpeople to donate blood and to take an active rolein organizing blood drives. Of course, millions of people without thalassemiabenefit from efforts to increase the blood supply,as 4.5 million people in the U.S. and Canada needblood products every year, and 95% of allresidents will require blood at some point in theirlives. And with only 5% of the populationdonating blood, there’s plenty of room to growin terms of donations. In New Jersey, blood banks and hospitals whichcollect blood are helped enormously by the effortsof the New Jersey Masons. According to RobertGiudice of Madison Masonic Lodge No. 93, whoorganizes the blood drive program in the state andwhose wife, Lisa, has thalassemia, New Jerseyneeds approximately 70,000 units of blood peryear. Last year, the blood drives arranged by theMasons brought in about 1,900 units; this year,they’re on target to collect almost 3,000. AndRobert is determined to see that number rise to10,000 within 3 years. “We had a 600-pint month this last June,” Robertsays of the Masons’ efforts, adding that this wasthe first time that had occurred in 8 years. He isworking with the 137 Lodges in the state to try toincrease both the number of drives – currentlyabout 15-20 every month – and the number ofdonors at each drive.

“Only about 3% of New Jersey residents giveblood,” he says, “so there’s definitely an untappedpool out there.” The Masons work with all 4 ofthe major blood service organizations in the state– Blood Services of NY and NJ, Blood Center ofNJ, Penn-Jersey Red Cross and Community BloodCouncil of Trenton – as well as with hospitals tomake their drives happen. “But to have a successful drive, you can’t leave itall up to the blood services,” he says, pointing outthat they bring the equipment and trained personnelneeded to collect blood. “They can give youposters and flyers, but you need to get those up –and you need to come up with your own ways todraw attention.” The New Jersey Masons put a large signannouncing their blood drives outside their halls,so that people passing by see it. Then they try toput up other signs – or posters or flyers – in thecommunity, so that the message sinks in. “If a person drives by and sees the sign every day,and then sees another message about it at thesupermarket, it makes an impression – andhopefully gives them just enough guilt that they’llcome in,” Robert says. He also says the Masonsmake use of the internet, word-of-mouth –anything that will help. “If the priest can talk aboutthe blood drive from the pulpit, that’s a greatmotivator. Enlisting the aid of girl scouts to handout flyers is good, too – and it helps the scoutswith their community service badges. “I used to work in real estate, so I know the powerof big signs – but I also know that real estate agents

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Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 8

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WidowContinued from Page 3

the Saitic Isis. This is the Isis of Sais,famous for the inscription concerning herwhich appeared on the front of her templein that city: “I, Isis, am all that has been,that is or shall be; no mortal Man hath everme unveiled.”

This Egyptian deity under many namesappears as the principle of natural fecundityamong nearly all the religions of the ancientworld. She was known as the goddess withten thousand appellations and wasmetamorphosed by Christianity into theVirgin Mary, for Isis, although she gave birthto all living things—chief among them theSun—still remained a virgin, according tothe legendary accounts.(2)

The term ‘widow’ denotes a separation fromone’s husband. In Isis case, she as a symbolof the material world is identified asseparated from the spiritual side of existence,symbolized by her brother/husband (thenature of this relationship is meant toemphasize a unity between material andspiritual existence) the vital principle ofNature or creative Force.

Horus himself is the classic archetype andsymbol of unifying our spiritual and materialaspects. He is the personification of thetranscendent nature of humanity, in otherwords, a different way to express the samenature of the creative forces symbolized asIsis and Osiris. As above, so below -expressed in Hermetic terms.(3)

“The only reasonable explanation that wehad come across regarding the actual nameof the Masonic hero was that Hiram meant‘noble’ or ‘kingly’ in Hebrew, while Abifhas been identified as old French for ‘lostone’, giving a literal description of ‘theking that was lost’.”

“Masonic ritual refers to Hiram Abif asthe ‘Son of the Widow’... In Egyptianlegend the first Horus was uniquelyconceived after his father’s death andtherefore his mother was a widow evenbefore his conception. It seemed logicaltherefore that all those who thereafterbecame Horus, i.e. the kings of Egypt,would also describe themselves as ‘Son ofthe Widow’.” Bill McElligott(4)

So, if the widow is Isis/Mary, then Hiram is Osiris/Jesus. The Widow, of whom we are all symbolicsons, is the archetype for the mother, the earth,the mortal and material world. Hiram is thearchetype of the spiritual, arising from the widow.This makes sense when we consider that the goalof the Mason is to transcend the mortal, to riseabove the intellect, to become one with the creative

principle, the Great Architect of the Universe inthe Sanctum Sanctorum, where master masonshold their lodges.

(1) ptbojim, http://thefreemason.com/forum/

topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=3193&whichpage=1

(2) http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/sta10.htm

(3) ptbojim, http://thefreemason.com/forum/

topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=3193&whichpage=2

(4) Bill McElligott, http://thefreemason.com/forum/

topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=3193&whichpage=2

ParamenidesContinued from Page 3

who favourably impressed Socrates because ofhis inner depth and his open mind.

He was born at Velia, perhaps in 520 b. C.. Thistown lies on the coast somewhat south of Naplesand was founded by some inhabitants of Phoceaseeking relief from Persians invaders. Phocea wasan important commercial centre, with close tieswith Samos, Pythagoras’s homeland: commercialrelationship anticipate the cultural ones.

Parmenides wrote a poem, describing hisjourney in a chariot, led by the Daughters ofthe Sun, to the Gates of Day and Night, wherehe meets an unnamed Goddess who is the sourceof all wisdom. It is worth of notice that allfeatures are females.

At first time there is a contradiction between thecontent of the poem – a journey toward darkness– and the form, it being written in hexameters,which man used to tell about heroic gestures; thecontradiction is however merely apparent, as weshall discover later.

In the Greek mythology Tartarus is also the Sun’sdwelling, the place where it goes after the sun-set torest and to recover energies for the subsequent day.

Parmenides teaches us that underworld is not onlythe house of darkness and death, as we modernmen think because we lost any contact with afterlife.Tartarus is a paradoxical place, where oppositesmeet each other. Light’s source is in the darkness!

This is not only a poetic imagine, but a rigorousphilosophical idea. Parmenides argued that the every-day perception of reality of the physical world (doxa)is mistaken, and that the reality of the world is ‘OneBeing’ (aletheia): an unchanging, not engendered,indestructible whole. Everything belonging to OneBeing, opposites are complementary.

Parmenides’s teachings were similar to thePythagorean ones. Pythagorean communities wereaware of the orphic traditions and of the sunnymythologies. Their villages were near volcanoes,the fire of which had a twofold meaning: destructive,hellish, but also a means to convey heat and light,so life. They thought a man cannot long for heavenif has not already purified himself: volcano’s darkcaves were like a womb, preparing men to besymbolically reborn. Here is the ground for whichTartarus’ s inhabitants are of feminine gender.

As the Sun rests in Tartarus, so the initiate findsthe light in his deepest conscience. By uniting theopposites he carries on a cosmogony. He will actwith love (éros), that is with strength: in this sensehe will be a ‘hero’. He will consider life as ‘nonconforming concordance’. Being aware thatharmony is thereby stemming, he will take care ofany life’s events.

The initiate wisdom does not divide them in firstand second class: every aspect of human life isequally important, also – but I would say: mainly– the political ones, in their etymological meaning:pòlis, city, týche, destiny.

In conclusion, let me recall an excerpt of “TheAlchemist”, by Paulo Coelho.

A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn aboutthe secret of happiness from the wisest man in theworld. The lad wandered through the desert forforty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle,high atop a mountain. It was there that the wiseman lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man though, ouryoung lad, on entering the main room of the castle,saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went,people were conversing in the corners, a smallorchestra was playing soft music, and there was atable covered with platters of the most deliciousfood in that part of the world.

The wise man listened attentively to the boy’sexplanation of why he had come, but told him

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Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 10

that he didn’t have just then to explain the secretof happiness.

He suggested that the boy look around the palaceand return in two hours. “Meanwhile, I want toask you to do something,” said the wise man,handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops ofoil. “As you wander around, carry this spoonwithout allowing the oil to spill.”

The boy began climbing and descending the manystairways of the castle, keeping his eyes fixed onthe spoon. After two hours, he returned to theroom where the wise man was.

“Well”, said the wise man, “did you see the Persiantapestries that are hanging in the dining hall? Didyou see the garden that took the master gardener10 years to create? Did you notice the beautifulparchments in my library?”

The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that hehad observed nothing. His only concern had beennot to spill the oil that the wise man had entrustedto him..

“Then go back and observe the marvels of myworld”, said the wise man.

Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returnedto his exploration of the palace, this time observingall the works of art on the ceilings and the walls.He saw the gardens and the mountains all aroundhim, the beauty of the flowers. Upon returning tothe wise man, he related in detail every thing hehad seen.

“But where are the drops of oil I entrusted toyou?”, asked the wise man. Looking down at thespoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can giveyou”, said the wisest of wise men. “The secret ofhappiness is to see all the marvels of the world,and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon..”

This story serves as just a little reminder that whilewe get all caught up in the frenzy of work andassignments, we mustn’t forget about the “dropsof oil”, the things in life that really matter... friends,family, stuffed toys... and the ties that bind.

the first time with new eyes.

Like a newborn, everything presented to him is new;he is the student of life. Like all students, knowledgecomes to him in stages, in degrees. Each degree ofMasonry grants new insights, new ways of seeing,and new ways of applying old knowledge.

When we were young, we were taught to add andsubtract. Then we were taught to multiply, then todivide. All along the way, the skills we masteredare expanded upon until we can find the area under

PorticoContinued from Page 2

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an arc or the cosign of atangent.

The same is true ofFreemasonry, what welearn as an EnteredApprentice is expandedupon as Fellows of theCraft, and we look backon the lessons of thefirst degree and chuckleat how simple thoselessons were…sometimes forgettingthat the profound oftenseems simple inretrospect.

As we progress in thedegrees, our eyes areopened further to thelight, until as masters ofthe craft, we are toldthat we are now inpossession of all thelight that can be conferred upon us in a lodge ofMaster Masons. We possess the light, but we arenow searchers, traveling men.

And what are we traveling in search of? More lightin Masonry, of course. Our studies of the craftonly begin when we are raised to the sublimedegree of Master Mason. The foundation has beenlaid, the tools explained, the fundamentalsmastered. It is then time to go out, measure ourwork and use the tools to erect a spiritual housewith perfected stones.

As Entered Apprentices, we are on the outerportico of our journey in masonry, having takenthe first steps. This is the allegory of the firstdegree. Yet, as Masters, we are told that we arealways Entered Apprentices in the ritual.

When I was the Junior Warden, I studied to sit asMaster in the first degree conferrals. One of thefirst things I noticed in opening the lodge was myquestion to the Senior Warden in opening the lodge:

Brother Senior Warden, Satisfy yourself thatall present are Entered Apprentice Masons.

Worshipful Master, all present are EnteredApprentice Masons.

Now, looking at the brethren in the lodge, allwere Master Masons, but the ritual, and theSenior Warden, all assured me they wereEntered Apprentice Masons. We all proved itby giving the due guard and sign of EnteredApprentice Masons.

It occurred to me then that we are all still EnteredApprentices, on a certain level, and though asMasters, we symbolically worked in the SanctumSanctorum, we were all still on the outer portico,learning, and searching for more light.

Is there a relationship between Jazz andFreemasonry? A question I sought more insight into.My research indicated that as within every othersphere of life Freemasons were well representedamong Jazz musicians as well. Besides Ellington,other members of the Craft included Big BandLeaders William “Count” Basie and Glenn Miller,Singers W.C. Handy (author of the famous “St. LouisBlues”) the legendary Nat King Cole, and Al Jolsonperformer in the first “talkie” movie “The JazzSinger”, pianist Oscar Peterson, and interestinglyAntoine Joseph Sax, who while not a Jazz musiciandid invent the Saxophone.

However not content with just finding that membersof the Fraternity were active within Jazz musicianshipI hoped to find an esoteric connection. Which I didwith a wonderful article posted online and authoredby Bro. Tuncel Gulsoy, in Turkey.

Bro. Gunsoy in his article “Jazz and Freemasonry”draws interesting parallels between Jazz andFreemasonry such as “one cannot ignore the factthat the simplest jazz chord is made up of the 1st,3rd, 5th, and 7th notes in the diatonic scale. Infact, it is essentially the use of the 7th note, whichdifferentiates a jazz chord from a classical chord.You simply flatten the 7th note. As the chordstructure gets more complicated you flatten the3rd note next to the 5th.” He finishes this paragraphwith a very apt “ I will leave you to draw thesymbolic parallels according to your Masonicexperience. (1)

“Jazz music is a new art form in music with a uniquerhythmic structure and sound color. It demands the

EllingtonContinued from Page 4

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Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 11

utmost technical virtuosity and creativity from itsperformers and followers. It is clear that in order toachieve this level of virtuosity and creativity is onlypossible by being a sincere and a free-mindedperson”. Here Bro. Gulsoy strikes upon a pointrelated directly to our profile of Bro. Ellington. WhatEllington was hoping for and achieved was adiscipline and precision within the freedom of Jazz.Read in Ellington’s own words:

“What exactly is Jazz? A matter of trick rhythms,blues-notes, and unorthodox harmonies? I think not.Those matters may enter into it, but only in thenature of a result and not of a cause. To my mind,jazz is simply the expression of an age, in music.Think of the terms classical music, romantic music.An entire picture comes to mind-a picture of theway people thought and felt: an expression of humanreactions to the conditions underwhich they lived. You wouldn’tdream of associating a certainrhythm, or a fixed tone qualitywith either of them. Jazz is exactlythe same- not in its forms, ofcourse, but in the large, overallpattern of its expression. Just asthe classic form represents strictadherence to a structuralstandard, just as romantic musicrepresents a rebellion against fixedforms in favor of more personalutterance , so jazz continues thepattern of barrier-breaking andemerges as the freest musicalexpression we have yet seen. Tome, then, jazz means simplyfreedom of musical speech! Andit is precisely because of thisfreedom that so many variedforms of jazz exist. The importantthing to remember, however isthat not one of these formsrepresents jazz by itself. Jazzmeans simply the freedom tohave many forms.” (2)

Consider the above statement inrelation to Freemasonry. We asMasons are free to interpret and contemplate themany forms of the Supreme Architect as eachBrother finds within his own faith and conscience.Where basic human freedom is evident so arevaried forms of worship and spiritual expression.

As Duke Ellington said “Put it this way. Jazz is agood barometer of freedom. When pure Jazz isnot accepted and pseudo jazz with political anddogmatic coatings takes over, you can look forfreedom of expression to step out of the picture.In its beginnings, the USA spawned certain idealsof freedom and independence through which,eventually, jazz was evolved and the music is sofree that many people say it is the onlyunhampered, unhindered expression of freedomyet produced in this country”. (3)

Bro. Gunsoy in his article “Jazz and Freemasonry”

essentially concurs, with Bro. Ellington with someinteresting parallels as follows:

“Both in Jazz and Freemasonry wisdom notknowledge is exchanged. Both in Freemasonry and Jazz, one loves,and love lessons cannot be given Both in Freemasonry and Jazz knowledgecan be transferred not wisdom Both in Jazz and Freemasonry wisdomcannot be explained, but only lived.” (4)

“Wisdom is something that man partiallyenjoys-One and only One has all the wisdom.God has total understanding. There are somepeople who speak one language and somewho speak many languages. Every man praysin his own language, and there is no

language that God does not understand”. –Duke Ellington

One of Ellington’s great achievements was hiscontribution in bringing Jazz from a folk music statusto that of a major art form. Perhaps, THE major artform of the 20th century when one considers the farreaching and borderless appeal of Jazz music.Ellington was there, from near it’s conception, in thepool halls and speakeasy clubs all the way throughto the world’s great symphonic Halls and JazzFestivals. Never content to rest on what he had doneEllington constantly challenged himself, his orchestra,and listeners to broad redefinitions of previouscompositions to experiments in longer forms he called“Jazz Suites”.

Ellington also recognized the spiritual power ofthis new art form. His 1943 composition of “Come Continued on Next Page

Sunday” (later bolstered by the addition of lyricssung by Gospel great Mahalia Jackson) bespokethe power of God in the lives of African-Americans. In 1965, Ellington was commissionedto due a concert of original sacred music for SanFrancisco’s Grace Cathedral. Reportedly wheninitially visited by the Cathedral officials about theproject Ellington was relaxing in bed but when heheard the proposal he immediately sat up andexclaimed “What?” Ellington had been long lookingfor an expression of his faith in music and herewas an opportunity that Ellington threw himself inwhole heartedly. The success of the concert wasrepeated by two other original compositions ofsacred music culminating in a 1973 performanceat Westminster Abbey. It is should be noted thatdespite his long career of triumphs he consideredhis sacred music compositions among the most

important things he created.

Bro. Ellington composed his firstsimple piano piece at age 15 thenspent the next 60 yearscontinuously craftingcompositions. Endlesslysearching for new directions intowhich his music could flow andgathering all manor of soundsand instruments Ellingtonpersonified the MasterCraftsman allegorically alwayschipping away from the roughstone of inspiration to create asmooth compositional art thattransformed Jazz music andmade his a cornerstone of the20th centaury music.

“Communication itself is whatbaffles the multitude. It is bothso difficult and so simple. Of allman’s fears, I think men are mostafraid of being what they are-indirect communication with theworld at large. They fearreprisals, the most personal ofwhich is that they “won’t beunderstood”…Yet, every time

God’s children have thrown away fear in pursuitof honesty-trying to communicate themselves,understood or not-miracles have happened.” –Duke Ellington

(1) Tuncel Gulsoy & Alan J. Hutchison, Jazzand Freemasonry

(2) Unidentified author, “Why Duke EllingtonAvoided Music Schools” ** excerpt fromthe New York newspaper PM, 9 Dec.1945.Source: “The Duke Ellington Reader”edited by Mark Tucker, Oxford UniversityPress, 1993.

(3) Duke Ellington, “The Race for Space”,1957, typescript in the Ellington collection,Smithsonian Institute.

(4) Gunsoy and Hutchinson, “Jazz and

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 12

Freemasonry”.(5) Duke Ellington, Program note for “A

Concert of Sacred Music” 16 Sept. 1965.San Francisco, Ca.

* Ellington and Armstrong would record one albumtogether “The Great Summit”, in 1961.

** One should not consider this title anindictment of Music Schools by Ellington. Thesame article mentions that Ellington had recentlyestablished three music scholarships forgraduates of New York High Schools and at theJulliard School of Music.

considered in all the civilizations of the East, andalthough it cannot be denied that magic exists there,it is far from being held in esteem as Westernersvery often imagine because they are too easilydisposed to project onto others their owntendencies and ideas.

Even in Tibet, as well as in India and China, wherethe practice of magic is something of a ‘specialty’,it is left to those incapable of rising to anythinghigher. This of course does not imply that otherscannot in exceptional circumstances and for limitedpurposes also occasionally produce phenomenaoutwardly similar to those of magic, but theobjective and even the means employed are reallyaltogether different. Besides, confining ourselvesto what is known of these things in the West, weneed only consider the stories surrounding bothsaints and sorcerers to see how similar are the factsin both cases; and this shows quite clearly, contraryto the belief of the modern ‘man of science’, thatphenomena of whatever kind can never proveanything in themselves.1

Now it is obvious that illusions about the valueand importance of these things considerablyaugment their danger, and what is particularlyproblematic for those Westerners who ‘dabble inmagic’ is their complete ignorance, unavoidable inthe current state of affairs and in the absence of

MagicContinued from Page 4

turn to mysticism,2 for astonishing as it may seemat first glance, this latter still satisfies similar needsand aspirations, although under another form.

Certainly, we are far from denying that mysticismin itself may have a character much more elevatedthan magic; nonetheless, if we look more deeply,we soon realize that at least from a certain pointof view the difference is not as great as one mightimagine, for here again it is in fact only a matter of‘phenomena’, visions, or the other tangible andsentimental manifestations that characterize thedomain of individual possibilities alone.3

In mysticism, then, illusion and disequilibrium arefar from being left behind, and although they maymanifest themselves here in unaccustomed formsthey are no less dangerous and are even aggravatedin a sense by the passive attitude of the mysticwho, as stated before, leaves the door open toevery influence that may present itself, whereasthe magician is granted at least a measure ofprotection by the active attitude he attempts tomaintain with respect to these same influences,which certainly does not mean, however, that inthe end he is not often overwhelmed by them.

Moreover, it is also true that the mystic is almostalways too easily the dupe of his own imagination,the productions of which, without his suspectingit, become almost inextricably mixed with hisgenuine ‘experiences’. For this reason we mustnot exaggerate the importance of the ‘revelations’of the mystics, or at least we should never acceptthem without verification.4 The interest of certainvisions consists only in their many points ofagreement with traditional information clearlyunknown to the mystic concerned;5 but it wouldbe a mistake, and even a reversal of normalrelationships, to wish to find in this a ‘confirmation’of this traditional information, which in no wayrequires it and which is on the contrary the onlyguarantee that the visions in question are somethingmore than the mere product of individualimagination or fantasy.

1 Cf. Reign of Quantity, chap. 392 It also sometimes happens that others, after

having truly entered into the initiatic way,and not just into the illusions of the pseudo-initiation about which we have beenspeaking, abandon that way for mysticism;the motives are then naturally quitedifferent and mainly of a sentimental order,but whatever they may be we must seeabove all in such cases the consequenceof some defect in initiatic qualifications, atleast as concerns the aptitude to realizeeffective initiation; as a typical example onecould cite Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin.

3 Naturally, this is not to say that thephenomena in question pertain solely tothe psychological order, as certainmoderns claim.

4 This attitude of prudent caution,

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any traditional teaching, of what is involved in suchmatters. Even leaving aside both the manymountebanks and charlatans who in short donothing but exploit the credulous, and the simple-minded fantasists who would improvise a ‘science’of their own design, those who would seriouslystudy these phenomena lack both the necessarydata to guide them and an organization to supportand protect them and are thus reduced to a sort ofcrude empiricism, reminding one of children who,left to themselves, want to handle redoubtableforces without knowing anything about them; andif deplorable accidents too often result from suchimprudence we should not be unduly surprised.

Speaking of accidents, we especially want to pointout the risks of mental imbalance to which thosewho act in this way are exposed, such disequilibriumbeing an all too frequent consequence ofcommunication with what some call the ‘vital plane’,which is nothing other than the domain of subtlemanifestation envisaged particularly in thosemodalities nearest to the corporeal order and so mosteasily accessible to the average man. Theexplanation is simple enough, for it is exclusively amatter of the development of certain individualpossibilities, often of a rather inferior order; and ifthis development proceeds in an abnormal, that is,disordered and inharmonious way that precludesthe development of higher possibilities, it is naturaland even inevitable that such a result should follow,not to mention the reactions - in no way negligibleand sometimes even terrible - of all types of forceswith which the individual unthinkingly puts himselfin contact.

We say ‘forces’ with no inclination to be morespecific because the matter is of little importance toour present concerns; vague as it is, we prefer thisword to ‘entities’, which, at least for those notsufficiently accustomed to certain symbolic waysof speaking, has the risk of too easily evoking moreor less fantastical ‘personifications’. As we haveoften had occasion to explain, this ‘intermediaryworld’ is much more complex and extensive thanthe corporeal world; still, the study of both worldscomes within the purview of the ‘natural sciences’in the truest sense of the term, and to see in theformer anything more is, we repeat, to deludeoneself in a most peculiar way.

There is absolutely nothing in this intermediaryworld that belongs to the ‘initiatic’ any more thanto the ‘religious’ domain; indeed, we find hereinmany more obstacles than supports to reaching agenuinely transcendent knowledge, a knowledgecompletely different from that of the contingentsciences, a knowledge which contains no trace ofany ‘phenomenalism’, depending only on pureintellectual intuition, which alone is pure spirituality.

After applying themselves for a considerable timeto the search for extraordinary phenomena, or whatpasses for such, some people for various reasonseventually tire of it all or become disappointed byinsignificant results that fall short of their hopes. Itis worth noting that often these same people then

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 13

necessitated by the natural tendency ofmystics to ‘divagation’ in the proper senseof the word, is in any case the one thatCatholicism invariably observes withrespect to them.

5 The visions of Anne Catherine Emmerichcan be cited here as an example. [See TheKing of the World, chap. 8, n12, ED]

TraditionsContinued from Page 5

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philosophers, members of the Royal Society,explored knowledge and sought to expand it.Benjamin Franklin was an archetype -- scientist,publisher, writer, explorer, statesman, philosopher,and at the same time a man who enjoyed having agood time, he was just the type of man who wasintrigued by a fraternity of men who could meetin private and talk about the wonders of the worldand humanity.

What happened with this tradition of learning inFreemasonry. Today, are the great men of scienceand thought found among the members of Masoniclodges? No, and we generally no longer havestimulating discussions about educational topics atmost of our meetings, do we?

What is likely to happen with this tradition in thefuture? Men who love to learn tend to associatewith others who have similar feelings. Is it likelythat those who would like to learn about the greatphilosophers of the world will want to sit and listento minutes being read and bills being paid, andpossibly hearing that ours is a great fraternity, or agreat country, or see a program about our flag thatis filled with misinformation?

And let be clear -- this is not an elitist point. Menof all backgrounds and in all occupations areinterested in broadening their knowledge, andMasonic meetings could be a wonderful place toaccomplish this. But are we doing it now? Will westart doing it? If not, learning is a tradition that willdie out in our Lodges. To some extent it alreadyhas in many places. Should it be allowed tocontinue to disappear, or is there something wewant to do about this?

Social Standing and Social Interactions

Another Masonic tradition of long standing is socialstanding, or social interactions. It seems this is whatdrew George Washington to Freemasonry, and itworked for him.

This tradition went further back than Washington.Shortly after the start of the premier Grand Lodgein 1717, Masonic leaders were able to attract theEnglish nobility, even the Royal family, to join.Freemasonry became the mark of men ofdistinction, and thus something to be strived for.

This had both good and bad effects. It led to adegree of snobbery, and thus led to the Antimasonic

movement of the 1820s and 1830s that almostdestroyed Freemasonry in the United States. Theprimary reason the American populace turnedagainst Masons was that Freemasonry had cometo represent the opposite of democracy. Masonswere viewed as having too much control overpolitics and society, so average men and womenworked hard to destroy this institution that theyviewed as a threat to everything our country wassupposed to stand for. Many Masons then andnow cannot understand this attitude, but when anorganization goes out of its way to talk about howthe best people in society are its members, it shouldnot be surprising that those who are excluded mightbecome angry and fearful about its power.

But this attitude of society involvement had itsgood side. While some Freemasons werepromoting the idea that they were a society of theupper classes, another group of Masons foundeda new Grand Lodge with just the oppositephilosophy. The Antients, as opposed to theModerns in England, promoted the concept ofbringing men of different backgrounds together.They used the words in Anderson's Constitutionsto prove that they were the ones following the realtraditions of Freemasonry, and to an extent theyhave won the battle over time. We proudly speakof how Masonry is the means of bringing aboutfriendship among persons who would otherwisehave remained at a perpetual distance.

Today, Masons proudly talk about universalism,tolerance, and Masons meeting on the level. Thisis a wonderful concept, but is it true? With someexceptions -- happily, our Grand Lodge amongthem -- do Freemasons really practice toleranceand equal feelings towards all, and have they inthe past? Did Freemasonry, and does it today, treatAfrican Americans the same as Caucasians, Jewsand Moslems the same as Christians, women thesame as men? Can we truly say there is no bigotryin Freemasonry? Has anyone here ever heard aracist or antisemitic "joke" from another Mason?Has anyone not heard such comments?

Let's leave this subject for now, but we'll comeback to it.

Esoteric

Another thread in the traditions of Freemasonry isesotericism, or mysticism, the occult, magic,alchemy, tarot, or any similar word to describe this.Some Masons are fascinated by this type of subject,and feel that anyone who does not get equally misty-eyed about it does not understand whatFreemasonry is really about. They see Freemasonryas a system for the transmittal of secret knowledge,or as Albert Pike said it, the goal of Freemasonry isto give us possession of the universal principle bywhich we may master the universe.

There are two levels to this. One is typified bythose who may talk about King Solomon meetingwith Hiram King of Tyre and Hiram Abif in theSanctum Sanctorum of the Temple, not knowing

that no one was permitted to meet there, or bythose who see all sorts of proof that the KnightsTemplar consciously decided to become theFreemasons of today, or that Roslyn Chapel inScotland has proof of all sorts of things, includingthe discovery of America long before Columbus.

Arthur E. Waite wrote of Masonry as the mysticismof a first hand experience with God. W.L.Wilmshurst talked of an inner world where theancient mysteries of our being are to be learned.

This may be an interesting tradition, and whoknows, some of these theories may be correct,but the beauty of these theories, for those whosupport them, is that no one can prove them wrong,just as no one can prove them right. Either youget it or you don't.

There is another level to this tradition. There aresome, and there have always been, who feel thatreciting the words of the Masonic ritual is the mostimportant thing that can be done, and that this isthe key to the meaning of what Freemasonry isfor. As Jeremy Ladd Cross, one of the originatorsand propagators of our ritual in the early 1800ssaid, he could not tell Masons anything other thanthe words of the ritual, and did not care to. Hesaid he was just a great memorizer, and he couldteach others to memorize the words.

Again, those who believe in this Masonic traditionmay or may not be right, and no one can prove iteither way. But does anyone in this room thinkthat Freemasonry will prosper in the future if weencourage men to join by telling them that if theydo, they can spend a great deal of time learning tomemorize our ritual? Please do not misunderstand-- some of our members see this as a means to anend. They feel that men who learn these wordsand floor work perfectly, and practice it over andover, will in the process become better and helpothers become better. Perhaps, but let us look atsome other traditions, too.

Political, or Involvement in Society

A fourth tradition can be described as political,but in the best sense of the word. Even today, weproudly say that Freemasonry has alwayssupported democracy, freedom, and individualrights. You will often hear some Masons say thereason Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Franco, andKhomeini opposed Freemasonry is because theyrealized that our philosophy was opposed to alltyranny and that we would always fight for therights of the people.

Is there evidence to support these statements? Didall Masons in the 1770s and 1780s support theAmerican Revolution as the path to freedom? DidMasons in France support the French Revolution,even in its early, pre-terror years? Were thereMasons among the slaveowners, as well as amongthose who opposed slavery? What did Masons in

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 14

Germany do when Hitler came to power? Did theyoppose his tyranny, or did they do all they couldto try to prove their support of his policies?

Ironically, while most Freemasons talk proudly ofour support of democracy and freedom, the sameones argue most strongly that Freemasonry mustnot be involved in politics in any form. This is nottalking about whether anyone should vote for Goreor Bush, but even such things as whether we shouldsupport freedom of speech and thought. It is easyfor anyone to say he supports freedom of speech,but what does that mean? Freedom to say what welike to hear, freedom to say what the majority arewilling to tolerate, or freedom to say anything, evento express thoughts that almost everyone hates? Andwhat about the freedom of each person to expressdislike of Americanpolicies, or even Americaitself, or the freedom ofeach Mason to expressopposition to a GrandMaster? Do Masonssupport that, or do wemake it a Masonic offense?Do most Masons reallysupport the freedom ofeach person to be differentfrom the majority?

The Grand Orient ofFrance proudly says it isinvolved in society, urgingits members to supportindividual rights andfreedoms, and our branchof Masonry condemnsthem. Are we right, or istheir tradition a validMasonic one? And whatwould be best for thefuture of Freemasonry?

We do know thatFreemasons were activelyinvolved in the DreyfusAffair in France in the1890s, strongly supportingjustice for a man unjustlyconvicted, even at the realrisk of physical harmbecause they stood up for that cause. AndFreemasons were among those most hunted bythe Vichy regime in France in World War II, andwe can be proud of these Masons who fought forfreedom under these harsh circumstances.

This idea of Masonry's role being to uplift society,and support democracy and freedom, is not sucha radical concept. In the early 1900s it appears tohave been a dominant concept in AmericanFreemasonry. Mainstream Masonic writers spokeabout Freemasonry working for the good ofsociety, bringing men of all races, religions, andbackgrounds together and promoting world peace.

Roscoe Pound in the early 1900s said Masonry's

goal is to insist on the universality of mankind andthe transmission of a tradition of human solidarity.Joseph Fort Newton said Freemasonry is a formof public service and public mindedness, pointingout that we have a social duty to help our neighborsby work in our communities, to promotedemocracy by education for all, and to unite peoplein common service for mankind. H.L. Haywoodsaid the great teachings of Freemasonry areequality - the right of all people to use our ownminds and abilities, liberty - the unhindered exerciseof our nature and mind, and democracy - the rightof people to govern themselves even if theysometimes make mistakes. We should improve thehuman condition through education, and useFreemasonry to help the human family live happilytogether.

Should we look to this as a valid Masonic traditionnow, and in the future?

Friendliness - Social and CharitableActivities

The fifth and final Masonic tradition to discusscan be called friendliness. It can be described asthe idea that Masons help each other, especiallybrethren who are in need, and that we enjoy eachothers' company.

In one sense this describes Masonic groups suchas the Shrine, but it also describes many, probablymost lodges and Masons today. Most Masons

probably look to our organization primarily as aplace to meet friends. This is fine, but I sometimesask such Masons why, if this is the case, do weopen and close our meetings with ritual, and havedegree work. If our goal is simply to meet withfriends, we should just open our meeting, talkabout who is ill and needs help, plan picnics andsuch, and then have refreshment together. I amnot trying to be negative about this, for I fullyrealize how important these activities are toFreemasonry. William E. Hammond spoke ofMasonry producing character and culture throughfellowship and mutual helpfulness.

And we must remember that this tradition offriendliness, among ourselves and toward others,leads directly to what Europeans see as the best

thing about AmericanFreemasonry -- our charitywork. Masonic leadersoften boast that we givemore than $2,000,000 eachday to charity, and that wehave blood drives, supportlots of charities, and helpto prevent drug abuse. Butagain, if this is whatFreemasonry is all about,why do we have ritual andMasonic education? And ifthis is the basic importanceof Freemasonry, why isthere antagonism towardthe Shrine, which suppliesthe vast bulk of the$2,000,000 a day inMasonic charity aboutwhich we speak?

What does this tell us forthe future ofFreemasonry? Do wethink lots of men will joinMasonic lodges if we saythis is a place where youcan find new friends,good friends, and alsowork for charity? Theanswer may be "yes," butis this is the primarypurpose of Masonry, we

have to consider the fact that there are otherorganizations that appear to be better at thisfunction than us.

Conclusion

It would be easy to say that there is room for allfive of these traditions in Masonry, and we shouldcontinue each of them to make the Craft a wellrounded institution. That is true, to an extent, andnone of us has the right to say authoritatively thatsomeone who believes Masonry is about any oneof these traditions is wrong, since there is no officialdefinition of what Freemasonry is.

Continued on Next Page

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 15

But we can try to form a consensus among someof us about which traditions are most useful toFreemasonry now, and which teach us what weshould be doing now and in the next few years ifwe want Freemasonry to become an importantorganization, or even to survive. One hundredyears from now, what do we want people toremember about Freemasonry in the early 2000s?What do we think about our forebears of a hundredyears ago, or even 50?

As much as I support such things as learning,improving Masons' image and standing in society,the meaning of words that many feel are poetic,and friendship and charity, I seriously wonder ifthese traditions would, if continued andemphasized, lead to success for Freemasonry.They are useful, and to some of our brethrenthey are exciting and even critical to their lives,but are they the things that we really think willcause people to become excited and beat downour doors to join us?

Rather than say all these traditions are equallyimportant, I would like to suggest that there is onething that Freemasonry is uniquely equipped todo, that it can do, and for which it would be viewedby the vast majority of the population as a leader,and important part of our world.

Throughout the history of Freemasonry, evenwhen our brethren of the past did not alwaysprove it by their actions, the tradition oftolerance has been a constant. Anderson in the1700s said Freemasonry brings men togetherwho would otherwise remain at a perpetualdistance. Joseph Fort Newton and hisgeneration of Masons in the 1900s saidFreemasonry could promote world peacethrough human understanding.

Isn't this the fundamental problem throughout theworld today, as it has been in the past? The UnitedStates has been plagued by racial injustice andproblems with different groups living togethersince our earliest colonial days, and this is notunique to our country. The experience of people,

including Freemasons, in places such as Ireland,Cyprus, Africa, the Middle East, Cambodia,Germany, and even England and France, showsthat humanity needs to learn how to deal withdifferences in race, color, religion, nationality,language, ethnic background, lifestyle, gender,and political differences if we are going to surviveand progress as a human species.

Freemasonry could be, and could have been inthe past, the only institution in the world thatat all times in every way promotes toleranceand meeting on the level. We could be theleaders in seeking racial harmony, religiousecumenism, cooperation among men andwomen, civility between people who believein different poli t ical philosophies, andfriendliness among those who choose to livetheir lives differently from others. We couldbe better than the United Nations, AmnestyInternational, and interfaith organizations, alltogether, because we could be the primeorganization supporting tolerance for all,everywhere, in all circumstances. This wouldbe a unique role for Freemasonry.

But let us be honest with ourselves. IfFreemasonry is going to be defined as the greatestinstitution for tolerance, it will not be easy.Intolerance must be ended in Freemasonry,immediately and without waiting for anyone tochange, or die. It must be ended completely, andright away. We need to say this clearly in ourCodes, and demonstrate it in all our actions inLodges -- recognitions, balloting, and friendshipwith all people regardless of race, color, religion,gender, politics, choices in life, or anything elseother than the content of their character.

This Masonic tradition or ideal -- tolerance,bringing all people together in unity, promotingequality of all, and supporting individual rights --could be what Freemasons and all people in theyear 2100 look back on when they think of Masonsof 2000, and say that we Masons of our day madeFreemasonry something to cheer about, somethingthat made a tremendous difference in world history.

Wouldn't that be a great tradition?

Bibliography

Adams, George R. A Trilogy: Inner Journey tothe East; Meditations of a Master MasonAlong the Way; Masonry for theMillennium. 1999.

Anderson, James. Constitutions of the Free-Masons. 1723

Claudy, Carl H. Introduction to Freemasonry.1931

Coil, Henry Wilson. A Comprehensive View ofFreemasonry. 1954

Coil, Henry Wilson. Conversations onFreemasonry. 1976

Hammond, William E. What Masonry Means.1952

Haywood, H.L. The Great Teachings ofMasonry. 1923

Newton, Joseph Fort. The Builders. 1914Pike, Albert. Morals and Dogma of the Ancient

and Accepted Scottish Rite ofFreemasonry. 1871

Pound, Roscoe. Masonic Addresses andWritings. 1953

Ward, J.S.M. Freemasonry: Its Aims & Ideals.1923

Wilsmhurst, W.L. The Meaning of Masonry.1927

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CatechismContinued from Page 6

I: How did you fair when you encounteredhim?

R: I was struck hard but my integrity remainedintact and I continued.

I: What did you gain?R: Wisdom.

I: Was your benefit worth your cost.R: Without a doubt.

I: When were you tried more?R: By the demands of Moral Rectitude.

I: How was this so rendered?R: By a Square and rightfully so.

Continued on Next Page

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 16

I: What does it teach a Mason?R: Moral Rectitude demands us to keep

sacred our code of conduct, without andwithin.

I: How may a Mason corrupt this?R: We may be tempted to “rewrite the rules”

when we are called to account for ouractions or act in manners not attuned toour code.

I: When did this occur?R: In a Mason’s Manhood.

I: What step was this?R: A Mason’s second step.

I: Where was this symbolized?R: A Mason’s FC Degree.

I: Where else?R: In a Mason’s FC Step.

I: Is there more?R: Yes, in the second step leading to the station

of the Worshipful Master in the East.

I: Where else is this symbolized?R: In the seasons of a Mason’s life, it

would be considered “Summer.”

I: And last?R: By the last letter of the second

Ruffian’s name.

I: How did you fair when youencountered him?

R: I was struck hard but my integrityremained intact and I continued.

I: What did you gain?R: Strength.

I: Was your benefit worth your cost.R: Without a doubt.

I: When were you tried further?R: By the demands of Impending Death.

I: How was this delivered?R: By a Setting Maul and properly placed.

I: What does it teach us?R: Completion demands that whatever we

have put in motion will eventually notinvolve us and hence must have theintegrity to sustain itself.

I: How may we corrupt this?R: We may be tempted to forestall detachment

and hence create conditions that jeopardizethat which we have put forth. We may alsonot assure that all we build has integrity tosustain far beyond our passing.

I: When did this occur?R: In a Mason’s Age.

I: What step was this?R: A Mason’s third step.

I: Where was this symbolized?R: A Mason’s MM Degree.

I: Where else?R: In a Mason’s MM Step.

I: Is there more?R: Yes, in the third and final step leading to the

station of the Worshipful Master in the East.

I: Where else is this symbolized?R: In the seasons of a Mason’s life, it would

be considered “Autumn.”

I: And last?R: By the last letter of the third Ruffian’s

name.

I: How did you fair when you encounteredhim?

R: I faired not well, but my integrity remainedintact.

I: What did you gain?R: Beauty.

I: Was your benefit worth your cost.R: Without a doubt.

I: What season is silently represented?R: In the seasons of a Mason’s life, it would

be considered “Winter.”

I: Why is it silent?R: Man cannot utter a Word in the winter of

his time.

I: What significance is silence?R: It gives up the remaining syllable of life

and the last syllable in the forth Ruffian’sname.

I: What significance does the fourth Ruffianplay in a Mason’s life?

R: This Ruffian will have an eternity to chipaway at all that a Mason has brought forthonce he has entered the winter of his life..

I: What is the significance of the last lettersof the Ruffian’s names?

R: When put together they spell out the fourletters of a four-syllable word used byBuddhist monks that reflects all aspects ofa Mason’s life.

I: What are the meanings of each of the four?R: The first letter symbolizes Youth; the

second letter symbolizes Manhood; thethird letter symbolizes age; and the lastletter, the silent one, symbolizes thatperiod of our life between Age andYouth where death governs ourimmortal soul.

I: What is the common threadbetween each of the four Ruffian’s

names?R: The first five letters of each name?

I: What is the significance of these letters?R: They spell out the name of a Brother.

I: What does his name mean?R: The Ram’s Horn.

I: What was he?R: A Musician

I: Who was his father?R: Lamech, which means “Servant of God”

I: What is this servant famous for?R: A passage in the Bible referred to as “The

Song of the Sword” for which he was thefirst man to use a Sword as an instrumentagainst another.

I: Who forged this sword?R: His musician son’s Brother.

I: Who was this Brother?R: The Brother that was the first known

artificer of every cutting instrument ofbrass and iron.

Continued on Next Page

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 17

I: What purpose is the sword?R: A working tool that a Mason will use in

justice toward his own heart.

I: What is its use?R: There are many.

I: What be the first use?R: The first use may be to cut one’s own

throat, rendering one’s self speechless intimes when giving good voice to one’s truthmay corrupt one’s integrity.

I: What be the second?R: It may be to remove one’s own heart,

leaving one heartless in one’s activities anddisconnected from one’s true passions,which one’s integrity should call one toardently adhere to.

I: What be the third?R: It may be to sever one’s self in twain,

leaving one un-whole and divided in one’sthoughts, feelings and actions, thusjeopardizing the integrity of all that onebuilds.

I: What does it represent?R: The Sword represents symbolically the

cleaving of a Mason’s thoughts, feelingsand actions as the perceived expectanciesand demands of his Brothers and his lifeare sensed and dealt with accordingly.

I: What question does the Swordsymbolically ask a Mason?

R: Do you maintain your integrity in the faceof perceived pressures, social or otherwise,holding sacred that which you obligatedyourself to or fold to what you believe isexpected of you by outside forces?

I: What does the Sword represent?R: The Sword is symbolic for Cleaving – a

word which represents simultaneously bothunification and separation.

I: What does it remind us to do?R: Keep unified our thoughts, feelings and

actions in all things.

I: What else?R: Keep separate our thoughts, feelings and

actions from all that might influence us toviolate our given word.

I: What end does the Sword giveth?R: As with all tools, the sword giveth us

only means; the Master Masondetermine the end.

I: How do I know all this to be as such?R: Are I not a Master Mason?

I: I know you to be as such.R: Then you have the Word of a Master

Mason that this be all true.

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Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 18The California Freemason is published six times

Other MasonicPublications of Interest

Masonic Quarterly Magazine is the officialpublication of the United Grand Lodge of England

Published by Grand Lodge Publications Limitedfor the United Grand Lodge of England,Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London,WC2B 5AZ

www.ugle.org.ukeditor@mqmagazine.co.uk

General enquiries info@mqmagazine.co.uk

THE PHILALETHES

The International Masonic Research Society

Phylaxis Magazine

Phylaxis magazine is published quarterly by thePhylaxis society. The First Quarter issue coversdiverse issues, including the Man of the Year.

In this issue, we feature an article about two TexasMasons, one of whom marries a woman of color,and the other who struggled for purity of the bloodof the white race. We have an excellent review ofthe recognition process in Ontario, Canada.

We have a heated debate about the actual date thePrince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts wasestablished, and the new president of the PhylaxisSociety urges Prince Hall Masons to correct theerrors in their history perpetuated by those whomay not have our interests at heart.

annually by the Grand Lodge of California. It maybe downloaded free by going to:

www.cafreemason.com/

The name of the Society is pronounced fill a [asin a-bate] lay thess with the accent on the thirdsyllable - lay. It is derived from two Greek words,philos and alethes. It means lover of truth. ThePhilalethes Society was founded on October 1,1928, by a group of Masonic Students. It wasdesigned for Freemasons desirous of seeking andspreading Masonic light. In 1946 The PhilalethesMagazine was established to publish articles byand for its members. And to this day publishes 6times a year. The sole purpose of this ResearchSociety is to act as a clearing house for Masonicknowledge. It exchanges ideas, researchesproblems confronting Freemasonry, and passesthem along to the Masonic world.

Its membership consists of Members and 40Fellows who are Master Masons in good standingin a Regular Masonic Lodge anywhere in theworld. Today the Society has members within185 Regular Grand Lodges. More informationabout the Society can be found at http://freemasonry.org

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NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own anddo not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any GrandMasonic Jurisdiction or any other Masonic related body. Aswith all of my Masonic articles herein, please feel free to reusethem in Masonic publications or to re-post them on Maosnicweb sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add thefollowing:

Article reprinted with permission of the author and “TheLodgeroom International Magazine.” Please forward me a copyof the publication when it is produced.

A Masonic Christmas Tale“Tis the season for a tale...and a lesson.”

Past Master Vicar trudged through the snow on his wayto Lodge. It was December now and Christmas was justaround the corner. The first snow flurries had comeearly in 1950; trick or treaters were the first to tastesnowflakes. November saw a few subsequent snowflurries, but it wasn’t until the day after Thanksgiving thatthe first heavy snow fell.

This was followed by two more weeks of snow whichclogged the streets and made driving difficult. So muchso, Vicar decided to walk to Lodge instead of risking adrive through the icy streets and snow. He lived but amile from the Lodge and the cold night air invigoratedhim. As Secretary of the Lodge for the last 17 years, healways arrived early to review paperwork prior to themeeting. But because of the snow, he came a littleearlier to make sure the furnace was heating the Lodgeproperly. After he arrived, he hung his hat and coat inthe cloak room and removed his rubber boots. Heturned on the lights in the recreation hall and went downto the basement and shoveled some coal into the furnace.Vicar then went up to the kitchen where he started tobrew a pot of coffee.

Even though the Harmony Lodge building was now oneof the oldest structures in this modest Midwest community,the Craft made several enhancements over the years tohelp keep it current with the times. But the trademark ofthe Lodge was an old cast iron potbellied stove in thecorner of the recreational hall which originated from theLodge’s first building back in the 1880’s. Although itlooked like a historical piece, the Lodge had dutifullymaintained it and the stove worked remarkably well,particularly on cold winter nights, such as tonight. Vicaropened the grate on the stove and put in some ash andcherry which produced a comforting aroma in the room.

The Secretary’s office was quite small. Actually, it wasnothing more than a renovated closet which housed asmall desk and file cabinets. Vicar rarely sat in the officeas he found it confining. Instead, he would spread outhis folders and do his paperwork on a table in the adjoiningRec Hall. He didn’t mind the cramp quarters as this wasstill a small Lodge which could accommodate a maximumof 75 Brothers in the Rec Hall and the Lodge Room.Actually, the Lodge seemed cozy to Vicar as he pouredhimself a cup of coffee and waded through his paperwork.

He began by looking over the agenda for the StatedCommunications to be held that evening. Scheduledwas a 50 year service award for an old adversary, ForrestStempl, a cranky old Brother who Vicar frequently buttedheads with over the years. Vicar thought back to his

younger days when he first became a Mason in 1924. Atthe time, Stempl had already been a Master and wasgenerally considered a pillar of the Lodge. Vicar joinedthe Masons as he saw it had a positive influence on hisfather and grandfather. As a young Mason, he enjoyedLodge life and reveled in the camaraderie. His enthusiasmwas contagious and he signed many petitions for newmembers to join the Lodge. This did not go unnoticedby the Lodge officers of the day who saw Vicar asambitious and influential. Consequently, he was appointedSenior Steward, thus beginning his rotation through thechairs. By 1929, Vicar sat in the East as Master, whichwas a bit premature due to the Lodge’s Senior Wardenwho befell an accident and died, thereby catapulting Vicarthrough the chairs. Nonetheless, Vicar was prepared forthe office and fulfilled his duties admirably.

Vicar was the office manager in the local hardware store/lumber yard and had a good sense of organization andthe technology of the day. He was also an educated manwho was lucky to have earned a scholarship and graduatewith a business degree from the state university. He andhis family lived well, but not opulently. Many of theofficers he preceded, including Stempl, were not educatedand worked as factory workers. This had no ill-effect onVicar, other than a few Brothers, such as Stempl, weresomewhat intimidated by Vicar for his education andstation in life.

The hallmark of Vicar’s year in the East was his abilityto put the younger members of the Lodge to work,who helped clean up and modernize the Lodge. InOctober of 1929, the stock market crashed, forcing alot of people out of work, including several Brothers.This also greatly affected Vicar’s business, but hesomehow found the wherewithal to establish a fund tohelp distressed Brothers as well as other members ofthe community. This fund slowly grew and eventuallyhelped dozens of people over the next several years.But while Vicar’s programs endeared him to the Craftand the community, his success was viewed jealouslyby Stempl as he saw his own authority in the Lodgechallenged. Because of this, he tried to undermine Vicarin every new change he tried to introduce. The twowere at loggerheads on more than one occasion. IfVicar said “White,” Stempl would say “Black.” Hewent out of his way to complicate Vicar’s life just out ofspite. Nonetheless, Vicar persevered and eventuallyStempl was discredited and his role in the Lodgediminished. Eventually, he began to visit other nearbyLodges and infrequently attended his mother Lodge.

By the time the United States entered World War II,Vicar was already established as Lodge Secretary.However, he was too old for military service as were a

lot of the members of the Craft. The younger membersthough readily enlisted thereby causing attendance atLodge meetings to plummet. Nonetheless, the Masonskept the Lodge lights burning. Even though he couldn’tserve in the military, Vicar helped organize Lodgeprograms to sell War Bonds, collect rubber, providespecial meals for troops passing through his community,and offered assistance to families who lost sons duringthe war. To this end, Vicar carefully kept track of thefinances for these charity programs in a separate cashbook. Although Stempl didn’t actively participate insuch programs, he didn’t object to them either.However, he kept a watchful eye on Vicar who wascoordinating the programs.

When Stempl learned Vicar was maintaining the charityproject finances in a cash book separate from the Lodge’sown cash book, he seized on the opportunity and accusedVicar of unMasonic conduct by misappropriating fundsfor his own personal use. This led to Masonic chargesbeing brought against Vicar in Lodge in an attempt tobesmirch Vicar’s character. Even though Stempl had noactual proof of any wrongdoing, he suspected Vicar oftaking money for his own personal gain. This becamevery controversial among the members of the Lodge.On the one hand, Vicar was well liked and respected, andon the other, Stempl was still respected as a Past Master.The Lodge was confused as to which side to believe. Asfor Vicar, he was angered by Stempl’s accusations andvisibly shaken by the charges. Word spread around thedistrict and state of the infraction and Vicar’s Masonicrecord became tarnished.

Subsequently, Lodge members were summoned to listento the charges. It was the most attended meeting of theyear which included Lodge members, visitors, and theDistrict Deputy Grand Master who witnessed theproceedings. One by one, the charges were read of Vicar’salleged improprieties. Vicar sat quietly but seethed as hesuffered through this embarrassment. Finally, Vicar wasallowed to speak and refute the charges. He producedthe cash book and carefully explained how money wastaken in and disbursed. He had even gone so far as toproduce bank statements, receipts, and because this wasbeing managed separate from Lodge finances, producedan audit report from an independent CPA who found thefinances in good form and order.

Following Vicar’s refutation of the charges, the floor wasopen for discussion. After hearing both the charges andVicar refute them, one Brother asked why the Lodgehad not done an independent investigation prior to thecharges being made. The Master pointed out that chargescan be leveled by another Mason at any time. This didnot sit well with the Craft who overwhelmingly exoneratedVicar of any wrongdoing. After the meeting closed, Stemplexited the Lodge quickly. He may have lost in terms ofhaving Vicar found guilty, but he knew he had forever

NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own anddo not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any GrandMasonic Jurisdiction or any other Masonic related body. Aswith all of my Masonic articles herein, please feel free to reusethem in Masonic publications or to re-post them on Maosnicweb sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add thefollowing:

Article reprinted with permission of the author and “TheLodgeroom International Magazine.” Please forward me a copyof the publication when it is produced.

left a blemish on Vicar’s Masonic record. Consequently,Vicar was never again asked to serve on any district orstate Masonic committees. Stempl took great joy inknowing this would be the outcome.

Vicar sat back at the table in the Rec Hall, lit his pipe,and put the agenda away. He didn’t relish the thoughtof seeing Stempl again that evening after all of theseyears. After awhile, the Junior Warden and the Stewardsarrived at the Lodge to prepare the meal for the evening.Vicar helped set the tables and then prepared the Lodgeroom for the meeting. Other Lodge Brothers slowlyentered, put their hats and coats away, and sat downfor the Lodge supper. Vicar enjoyed their company butkept an eye on the door anticipating Stempl’s arrival.He hadn’t seen Stempl for the last several years. Vicarhad heard his health was declining and didn’t attendMasonic functions anymore.

Dinner came and went and slowly the Craft filed into theLodge room for the meeting. Just minutes before starting,the front door swung open and in came Stempl in awheelchair pushed by his nephew who was also a Mason.The nephew dutifully wheeled his uncle into the Lodgeroom and set Stempl on the sidelines.

The Master and the officers marched in procession intothe room and opened the Lodge. Following the normalreading of the minutes and treasurer’s report, the Masterordered the Senior Deacon to present W:.Forrest Stempleast of the altar for the presentation of his 50 year pin andcertificate. The Senior Deacon did as he was instructedand wheeled Stempl to the east. This was the first timeVicar could get a good look at Stempl, who was now ashadow of his old self. His clothes hung on his shrinkingbody and he appeared sullen.

Although the Worshipful Master was a young man, hewas well aware of the friction between Vicar and Stemplfrom years ago and hoped there would be no disruptionin the harmony of the meeting. He then went aboutmaking his presentation of the Masonic 50 year award,complete with Grand Honors. As the Master affixed thegold pin on Stempl’s lapel, he noticed a tear forming inStempl’s eye. As is customary, he then asked Stempl ifhe had anything he wanted to say to the Craft tocommemorate the moment.

“Yes, there is,” Stempl said, “but first could you haveBro. Vicar join us here?”

Surprised, the Worshipful Master looked over at Vicarwho was also startled by the request. He didn’t knowwhat Stempl was up to this time and was reluctant tocome forward. But Stempl looked over at Vicar andsaid, “Please.” The Master then directed the SeniorDeacon to present Vicar to the east. Vicar was still unsurewhere this was going.

Once joined in the east, Stempl began by saying tothe Craft, “I’m a very proud and private man. Ihave always relished my years in the fraternity andhave always considered myself a proponent of it.Many of you may have noticed that I have beenaway from Lodge for a long time, so much so, thatnone of you younger Masons will probably rememberme, but at one time I was very active in this Lodge.Although my health has been in decline for the lastfew years, this was not the reason. I worked a longtime and recently retired, but it was not my job thatkept me away either. Nor was it my wife or family.I haven’t forgotten the words either, they are as freshin my mind now as they were 50 years ago. No, theproblem was simply me; I was ashamed to show myface in Lodge again.”

Vicar and the Master glanced at each other surprised.

“There is an old saying my Brothers that ‘we get toosoon old and too late smart,’” Stempl continued, “Asfor me, it took me a little longer than other people.Years ago I committed a huge injustice against theSecretary here,” as he pointed to Vicar. “I thought if Icould discredit him I would be able to get the Lodge tolisten to me instead of him. But even after I pressedMasonic charges against him, I found the LodgeBrothers respected and supported Bro. Vicar morethan me. I had a hard time understanding this at first,as I was a much more senior member of the fraternitythan he was. It was then that I realized it was I whowas guilty of unMasonic conduct by allowing myselfto fall prey to simple jealousy. My envy of Bro. Vicarwas so great that I concocted a plot to assassinate hischaracter. But as you can see, he is still here and Iwas not. I finally realized I had hurt a Brother, hurtmy Lodge, and hurt the fraternity I love so much.Brothers, it was shame that kept me away. But thenI received a letter from the Secretary here, and let meread it to you.”

Stempl pulled a letter from inside his coat pocketand read it aloud, “Dear Bro. Stempl, On behalf ofthe officers and Brothers of Harmony Lodge Iextend you fraternal greetings and am pleased toinform you that we have received your 50 year pinand certificate from the Grand Lodge and we wouldlike to present it to you at our next StatedCommunications. On a personal note, I know wehave had our differences over the years but I wouldbe pleased if you would attend Lodge to receiveyour award. Brother, I wish you well and hope tosee you soon. Sincerely and Fraternally, W:.SamuelVicar, PM, Secretary.”

“This last line from Bro. Vicar was more than I couldhandle. After everything I had done to him, he stillcalled me Brother.”

Stempl then wheeled himself closer to Vicar, took hishand, and looked up at him, “My Brother, can you everfind it in your heart to forgive an old fool? I am trulysorry for all of the problems I caused you over the years,how can I have been so foolish?” and he buried his facein Vicar’s hand and wept.

None was more surprised by the outburst of emotionthan Vicar as he cradled Stempl’s head. Vicar lookeddown and him and quietly said, “My Brother, I do notknow why we were so different, but we were. Maybeits because we come from different backgrounds orperhaps we simply had two different interpretationsof what Freemasonry is all about. Understand this, Inever bore you any ill-will, not years ago, not now.Of course I forgive you, you are my Brother.”

Stempl regained his composure but didn’t release hisgrip on Vicar’s hand. Using his other hand, he reachedover and took the 50 year pin from his lapel and put itin Vicar’s hand. He then said, “My Brother, please dome the honor of accepting this pin as a sign of our newbond of friendship. And please wear it as a symbolthat there should never be any contention in our Lodge,that we must always find ways to work together andthat a rift such as ours should never again exist.”

Although Vicar was at first reluctant to accept the pin, hesaw the wisdom in Stempl’s words and allowed Stemplto pin it on him. The Craft gave the two a standingovation and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

Stempl passed away two years later and Vicar waspermitted to lead the Masonic service at his funeral.He proudly wore Stempl’s 50 year pin to Lodgemeetings for many years which reminded the Craftto respect each other. In 1974, Vicar finally receivedhis own 50 year pin. He then had Stempl’s pinframed and added a small bronze plaque underneathit which read, “From W:.Forrest Stempl, PM toW:.Samuel Vicar, PM - Brothers, let us never forgethow to best work and best agree. Let us alwaysseek Harmony. 1950.”

Although Bro. Vicar past away in 1985, the plaquestill hangs in the Lodge room as an important reminderto the Brethren. Since then, the story of the rift andreconciliation between the two Past Masters is retoldeach year at the Lodge’s annual Christmas meeting sothat every member be mindful of the cost of contention,as should we all.

Keep the Faith!

This story is fictitious. As such, the names of thecharacters and institutions in this story are also fictitious.Any resemblance to any person or entity either livingor dead is purely coincidental.

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 21

have big mouths and use them. So let local agentsknow about your drives and encourage them totalk them up.” Robert believes that getting people into the driveis only part of the battle. Once they’re there, it’simportant to make the experience a positive one. “We try to get them in and out within 45 minutes,”he says. “And make it a nice atmosphere – cheeryand welcoming. If it’s dreary, they won’t comeback. Have food there for them; we try to offersomething a little special, like meatball subs,chicken sandwiches, fresh fruit, “high end” snacks.And get local stores to donate things – that getsthem involved and invested in it, helps them givesomething back to the community. Plus, they’llbe more likely to encourage their own employeesto go donate then. “We’ll have movies at a blood drive, readingmaterial, things to keep kids who come with theirparents entertained. And we have volunteers thereto stay and talk with people, to visit with themand make them feel welcome and appreciated.” Interacting with people has another benefit for theMasons, beyond making the donors want to comeback for the next drive. “We do blood drivesbecause the Masons are interested in serving ourcommunities,” Robert says, “but these are alsoexcellent opportunities for people to get to knowus and to see our Lodges. It introduces us to peoplein the community, who may like what they seeand may one day decide to join the Masonsthemselves.” Robert, who as a teen-ager belonged to theMason’s “junior” organization, the DeMolays,joined the Masons when he was 21. He beganorganizing blood drives for his Lodge in 2005, afterthey indicated they might be dropping them. “I stood up and made a very impassioned speechabout how important these drives were,” he says.“I told them that I knew a girl with this blooddisease, thalassemia, and explained what thatmeant and what she has to go through and whyblood drives are so important to people like her.And then I told them that this girl was my wife,Lisa – and when they heard that, it reinvigoratedthem and made them feel connected andcommitted.” Lisa does her part in the drives as well, makinghandwritten thank you notes for the donors. Shealso goes to some of the drives, to help set up, putout information about thalassemia and talk topeople there about the disorder and her lifeexperience with it. “At the annual Grand Lodge meeting, we ran araffle one year to help defer the cost of the bloodprogram,” Lisa says, “and when I told them about

why it’s so important to me personally, we hadpeople just pushing money on us, saying ‘We don’teven want a ticket, just use this for the blooddrives.’” Robert’s passion and commitment have beeninstrumental in motivating the New Jersey Masonsto make such enormous strides with their bloodcollection program. “I believe that one person reallycan change things – it’s like the butterfly effect,where a butterfly flapping his wings in one part ofthe world can create a small breeze that eventuallybecomes part of a storm in another part of theworld.” Any person can be the butterfly that starts thatbreeze going. CAF encourages everyone readingthis to “make your own breeze.” Donate if youcan. And whether you can donate or not, get ablood drive started. And if you can’t start it yourself – call the Masons.“If your local Masonic Lodge is not holding a blooddrive,” Robert says, “call them up and ask themwhy not. Tell them that another Mason told youto call and let them know that your communityneeds one. Empower them to be leaders in thisarea. It benefits them and at the same time benefitsthe whole community.” (For a list of US Masonic Grand Lodges,www.msana.com/linksus.asp ) Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, Inc. TEL: 800 522-7222 FAX: 212 279-5999 info@cooleysanemia.org website:www.cooleysanemia.org ©2001 Cooley’s Anemia Foundation. All rights reserved

Blood DriveContinued from Page 7

(On behalf of GM)

Masonic PlansAugust 21, 2007

Dear Brothers;

I just got some great news from one of our CHIPScoordinators. Wor. Brother Wendell Graham hasjust returned from a 'worker bee' conference withall the latest in the computer updates for theprogram. As you may know, the CHIPS committeenow has two types of equipment for their use: oneuses video cassettes and the other uses laptop

computers and creates CDs. It's becoming clearthat the committee needs to move away from thevideo cassettes fairly soon and making sure thatMaine is keeping up with the latest in technologyis important. The Charitable Foundation issupporting the CHIPS program with dedicatedfunds for that purpose and as you might imagine,a laptop is much more expensive than a videocamera. You probably received a request forfinancial support from the Charitable Foundationrecently and one of the reasons for that requestwas to be sure that we can continue to supportthis very important project.

During the next couple of weeks your Grand LodgeOfficer Leadership team will be involved severalimportant meetings. We will be holding anothermeeting with those committees concerned withMasonic Education. The first meeting with thatgroup dealt with their goals for the remainder ofthe Masonic year and this next meeting will focuson sharing what each group has been doing sincethe last summit in August as well as plans for thefuture. Later on in the month we will be meetingwith your District Deputy Grand Masters. I thinkthat it is important that entire leadership team getstogether from time to time to share experiencesand make sure that we are all on the 'same page'.The 15th of December marks a most pleasurabletime for all of us. The Grand Lodge has beeninvited to lay the cornerstone and dedicate a newMasonic Hall for the Brethren of Lygonia Lodgein Ellsworth. Exciting times to say the least!

Just as a thought, if you don't want to get caughtup in holiday shopping frenzy but would like ideasfor the Master Mason on your list, you could donot better than to visit the Grand Lodge websiteand follow the links to the Maine Masonic College.There you will find a listing of suggested booktitles that should be in all our libraries. Using thatlist, I did the on line thing and bought myselfseveral. Continuing our individual search for lightis getting easier and easier thanks to the efforts ofthe Regents of the Maine Masonic College andothers. That search for 'light' is certainly part ofour dedication to self-improvement and socialbetterment. (Direct link here.)

As I write this, Lady Norma is patiently waitingfor me to finish so that we can travel down to seeour Grandchildren and the rest of our family forthe Thanksgiving holiday. I certainly am lookingforward to this time and I hope you are also. Beingpart of the Masonic fraternity and sharing insomething larger than myself while enjoyingfellowship, friendship and an enlightened spirit iscertainly something to be thankful for. I wouldlike to quote a short message from the MasonicService Association of North America that Irecently received: "It is the responsibility of today'sFreemasons to continue those ideals forged duringthe Enlightenment; the dignity of Man and theliberty of the individual, the right of all persons toworship as they choose, the formation ofdemocratic governments, and the importance ofpublic education."

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 22

Freemasonry: I ts not about me changing them , I ts about me changing me . 23

Merry Christmas, my brothers,from all of us, to all of you.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us all,may brotherly love prevail, and everymoral and social virtue, cement us!

Top row, Left to Right: Adam Kendall, Avv.Franceschetti.bottone, Bill McElligott, Byron E.R. Hams, Cora Burke, David T. Lang, Galen DeanSecond Row, Left to Right: Gary Bond, Gary Leazer, George Brooks, Giovanni Lombardo, Jarrod Morales, Jason Whitehorn, Paul Bessel

Third Row, Left to Right: John Hirt, Peter Dowling, Peter Taylor, Richard Moser, Theron Dunn, tim Bryce, Vincent BarnesFourth Row, Left to Right: Br. Walkes, Wayne Major, Chris Hodap, Cliff Porter, John Williams, John Pratt, Lance Ten Eyck