tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50191201094098364402024-03-14T00:32:20.277-04:00THE MANTHANEIN CHRONICLESOne Man's Journey into FreemasonryEsquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-1165042545934639162012-01-09T10:39:00.005-05:002012-01-09T11:14:08.239-05:00Masonry in Fiction: A Death on the Wolf<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mcYNY5m_GEI/TwsK2DiYHLI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/2Ao53JskWVA/s1600/Wolf_final_front.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 125px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mcYNY5m_GEI/TwsK2DiYHLI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/2Ao53JskWVA/s200/Wolf_final_front.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695658077518830770" border="0" /></a>From the time I became a Mason I knew my next novel would deal in some way with Freemasonry. I had two choices: write something along the lines of a Dan Brown novel, or have a more realistic story where one or more characters are Masons. I chose the latter. <span style="font-style: italic;">A Death on the Wolf</span> is a coming of age story set in southern Mississippi during the summer of 1969. The main character, Nelson Gody, is a fifteen-year-old wrestling with all the typical teenage issues, but guided by a widower father who is a Mason, and who takes to heart the tenets of Freemasonry and lives his life accordingly. As we follow Nelson over the course of that summer we see how he is influenced by the way he's been raised as he faces moral and ethical dilemmas centered around falling in love for the first time, dealing with a secret his best friend has been hiding, and a dark stranger who one day rides into town on an exotic motorcycle. The summer ends with the devastating effects of Hurricane Camille, which laid waste to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in August of 1969.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A Death on the Wolf </span>is available in trade paperback ($15.99) or e-book ($4.99) at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Wolf-G-M-Frazier/dp/146625453X/">Amazon</a> or other online booksellers.Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-19602470169741117082011-09-18T12:54:00.006-04:002011-09-18T13:12:58.394-04:00Laying the Capitol Cornerstone<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zre8nI4U3A/TnYlwGpQyyI/AAAAAAAAAJI/RAnwr4ZxuV4/s1600/1793.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 158px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zre8nI4U3A/TnYlwGpQyyI/AAAAAAAAAJI/RAnwr4ZxuV4/s200/1793.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653747890557864738" border="0" /></a>On this date in 1793 George Washington presided over the Masonic ceremony laying the cornerstone for the Capitol building in Washington, DC. The following is the newspaper account of the event, from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Columbian Mirror & Alexandria Gazette</span>.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">On Wednesday last one of the grandest MASONIC Processions took place, which perhaps ever was exhibited on the like important occasion: It was in all probability much facilitated by an advertisement which appeared many days before in several news-papers of this state.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">About 10 o'clock, Lodge, No. 9, were visited by that Congregation, so graceful to the Craft, Lodge, No. 22, of Virginia, with all their Officers and Regalia, an directly afterwards appeared on the southern banks of the Grand River Potomack: one of the finest companies of Volunteer Artillery that has been lately seen, parading to receive the President of the United States, who shortly came in sight with his suite -- to whom the Artillery paid their military honors, and his Excellency and suite crossed the Potomack, and was received in Maryland, by the Officers and Brethren of No. 22, Virginia and No. 9, Maryland whom the President headed, and preceded by a bank of music; the rear brought up by the Alexandria Volunteer Artillery; with grand solemnity of march, proceeded to the President's square in the City of Washington: where they were met and saluted, by No. 15, of the City of Washington, in all their elegant regalia, headed by Brother Joseph Clark, Rt. W.G.M. --- P.T. and conducted to a large Lodge, prepared for the purpose of their reception. After a short space of time, by the vigilance of Brother C. Worthy Stephenson, Grand Marshall, P.T. the Brotherhood and other Bodies were disposed in a second order of procession, which took place amid a brilliant crowd of spectators of both sexes, according to the following arrangement.<br /></div><br />Viz. --- The Surveying department of the City of Washington.<br />Mayor and Corporation of George-Town.<br />Virginia Artillery.<br />Commissioners of the City of Washington, and their attendants.<br />Stone Cutters, Mechanics,<br />Two Sword Bearers.<br />Masons of the 1st. Degree.<br />Bibles &c. on the Grand Cushions.<br />Deacons with Staffs of Office.<br />Masons of the 2d degree.<br />Stewards with wands.<br />Masons of the 3d degree.<br />Wardens with truncheons<br />Secretaries with tools of office.<br />Past Master with their Regalia.<br />Treasurers with their Jewels.<br />Band of music.<br />Lodge No. 22, of Virginia, disposed in their own order.<br />Corn, Wine, and Oil.<br />Grand Master P.T. George Washington , W.M. No. 22, Virginia,<br />Grand Sword Bearer.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The procession marched two a-breast, in the greatest solemn dignity, with music playing, drums beating, colors flying, and spectators rejoicing; from the President's Square to the Capitol, in the City of Washington; where the Grand Marshall called a halt, and directed each file in the procession, to incline two steps, one to the right, and one to the left, and face each other, which formed a hollow oblong square; through which the Grand Sword Bearer led the van; followed by the Grand Master P.T. on the left --- the President of the United States in the Centre, and the Worshipful Master of Number 22, Virginia, on the right --- all the other orders, that composed the procession advanced, in the reverse of their order of march from the President's Square, to the south-east corner of the Capitol; and the Artillery filed off to a defined ground to display their maneuvers and discharge their cannon: The President of the United States, the Grand Master, P.T. and the Worshipful M. of No. 22, taking their stand to the East of a huge stone; and all the Craft, forming a circle westward, stood a short time in silent awful order;<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The Artillery discharged a Volley.<br /><br />The Grand Marshall delivered the Commissioners, a large Silver Plate with an inscription thereon which the missioners orders to be read, and was as follows:<br /><br />This South East corner Stone, of the Capitol of the United States of America in the City of Washington, was laid on the 18th day of September 1793, in the thirteenth year of American Independence, in the first year of the second term of the Presidency of George Washington, whose virtues in the civil administration of his country have been as conspicuous and beneficial, as his Military valor and prudence have been useful in establishing her liberties, and in the year of Masonry 5793, by the Grand Lodge of Maryland, several Lodges under its jurisdiction, and Lodge No. 22, from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas Johnson, David Steuart and Daniel Carroll, Commissioners, Joseph Clark, R.W.G.M. pro tem,., James Hobam and Stephen Hallate, Architects.” Collin Williamson, Master Mason.<br /><br />The Artillery discharged a volley.<br /><br />The Plate was then delivered to the President, who, attended by the Grand Master pro tem., and three Most worshipful Masters, descended to the cavazion trench and deposited the plate, and laid it on the corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States if America, on which were deposited corn, wine, and oil, when the whole congregation joined in reverential prayer, which was succeeded by Masonic chanting honors, and a volley from the Artillery.<br /><br />The President of the United States, and his attendant brethren, ascended from the carazion to the East of the corner-stone, and there the Grand Master pro tem., elevated on a triple rostrum, delivered an oration fitting the occasion, which was received with brotherly love and commendation. At intervals during the delivery of the oration several volleys were discharged by the Artillery. The ceremony ended in prayer, Masonic chanting honors, and a 15-volley from the Artillery.<br /><br />The whole company retired to an extensive booth, where an ox of five-hundred pounds weight was barbecued, of which the company generally partook with every abundance of other recreation. The festival concluded with fifteen successive volleys from the Artillery, whose military discipline and maneuvers merit every commendation. Before dark the whole company departed with joyful hopes of the production of their labor.<br /></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-46866751057134795672011-05-25T08:03:00.004-04:002011-05-25T08:22:52.465-04:00Frederick Dalcho, 33°<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PuHEWh6yCsE/Tdzxio6Uz_I/AAAAAAAAAI0/AhFH16kJfdY/s1600/Dalcho_33.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PuHEWh6yCsE/Tdzxio6Uz_I/AAAAAAAAAI0/AhFH16kJfdY/s320/Dalcho_33.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610624813196693490" border="0" /></a>Today marks the 210th anniversary of Frederick Dalcho's receipt of the Thirty-Third Degree. His original patent, the oldest extant document of the Scottish Rite, resides in the archives of the Supreme Council in Washington, D.C.<br /><br />Dalcho was instrumental in the formation of the Scottish Rite and served as its first Lt. Grand Commander. He was born in London in 1770 and came to America with his family in 1787. He studied medicine under his uncle and became a physician in 1790. He joined the Freemasons in Savannah, GA in 1792. While serving in the Army, he first moved to Charleston in 1796 where he would come in contact with High Degree masonry and meet the other men he would join with to form the Scottish Rite.<br /></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-67256551500016224452011-04-17T18:46:00.002-04:002011-04-17T18:52:50.500-04:00Early History of the High Degrees in the USThis is a terrific lecture given by Ill. Bro. Brent Morris, 33rd on the early history of High Degree Masonry in the U.S. His analysis and contrast of the nascent York Rite degrees and the degrees of the Royal Secret (what would become the Scottish Rite) is especially interesting.<br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/22450333" width="400" frameborder="0" height="302"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/22450333">The Royal Secret in the U.S. before 1801</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/weofm">WEOFM</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-2224432382058732722011-03-02T12:43:00.003-05:002011-03-02T13:02:58.610-05:00A Dialogue with a Non-Mason<div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier this morning I got into a dialogue with someone about Masonry on the facebook page of a local radio station. At first I thought she was commenting on her husband who was a Mason, but I quickly realized that was not the case. Here is the exchange in full:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span jsid="text"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: My entire problem with the masons, the higher you go, the more secretive your activities are. I have no problem with my husband coming home and not telling me every single little detail about his day. I do have a problem with parts of his day being completely off limits because some guy he's in a club with said he couldn't tell. That's a bit scary. What is it that you can't tell your spouse?????? That's disrespectful of marriage. I don't want him hanging around with people like that.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: </span><span jsid="text"> If your husband is a Mason then he knows our order of loyalty is as follows: God, Family, Lodge. Sounds like the two of you need to have a serious talk if you feel his membership in the Masons is disrespectful of your marriage.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: </span></span><span jsid="text"><span style="font-style: italic;">my husband isn't a mason, I know couples who are in that boat, though, and what happens at the lodge stays at the lodge. It does cause problems.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: </span><span jsid="text">There are things that happen in the Lodge that stay in the Lodge. But nothing happens in a Lodge that should compromise a marriage unless the wife wants to insist that she has a right to know everything, down the last detail, of w<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><span class="text_exposed_show">hat her husband does 24-7. If a man is in that kind of marriage, then, because his ultimate loyalty must be to his family, he should not be a Mason. A wife who trusts her husband will trust that if her husband can't tell her certain things about the Masons, that's a reflection of his character and ability to abide by a pledge and that nothing in his loyalty to the Lodge is detrimental to his loyalty to his wife and family.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: </span></span></span><span jsid="text"><span style="font-style: italic;">But wouldn't that trust dictate that if asked, an honest man should be able to answer? Encouraging secrecy between a man and his wife is a HUGE red flag to me. H U G E. I don't have to know everything, but if I ask, and you tell me that </span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_hide"></span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-style: italic;">some dude that ISN'T joined to you inside the boundaries of marriage, the holiest of institutions, told you that you couldn't tell me, we got a problem.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: I</span></span><span jsid="text">t would boil down to how much YOU trust your husband. Do you trust him enough to forgo your own curiosity, because that's all it is. You certainly don't have a need to know the details of what goes on in a Lodge. And keep this in mind: if your husband is a Mason and you ask him to reveal certain things he's sworn not to, you would be putting him the position of violating his oath. If he does that, how much faith could you really have in him after that?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: </span></span><span jsid="text"><span style="font-style: italic;">If I am to trust you enough for you to not tell me what you've done with your evening, why do you not trust me enough to tell me? Trust goes both ways. Trust also says that we have accountability between us. People who end up struggling through hardships like hidden addictions and adultery usually start with "Go ahead, honey, I trust you."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: </span><span jsid="text">Well, clearly your husband should not join the Masons.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: </span></span><span jsid="text"><span style="font-style: italic;">I'd just not have faith in someone to start with who would endanger OUR vows as we became ONE by taking an oath to an outside organization or person to keep things from me. I don't expect you to come home and tell me what you had for lunch</span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_hide">...</span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-style: italic;"> everyday or how many times you rode the elevator. When you go outside our home and spend significant amounts of time with people I don't know doing things you are required to keep from me, that's an issue. I can't believe someone who has taken a marriage vow WOULDN'T consider that a problem.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: </span></span><span jsid="text">It's a trust issue and it would clearly be a problem for you, thus if your husband sought membership I would counsel against it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: </span></span><span jsid="text"><span style="font-style: italic;">It's not WHAT you're doing. Heck, it could be, but you're all secretive about it so we don't know. It's the fact that when you take a marriage vow, the TWO become ONE and to violate that vow with an oath to keep things from your spouse is immoral. It creates trust issues. I don't care if you're off feeding orphans, if you are keeping secrets from your spouse, it's wrong.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: </span><span jsid="text"> What if your spouse is a lawyer? Should he violate attorney-client confidence just because you want to know? Or a doctor? Should he violate doctor-patient confidence just because you want to know? Or what if he's a civilian contractor for the DOD with top secret clearance? Should he violate his oath and reveal state secrets to you just because you want to know?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: </span></span><span jsid="text"><span style="font-style: italic;">Gary, I don't go out and volunteer or socialize in such a way that I can't tell my husband. I know attornies, doctors, etc. The two are one. If the spouse wants to know, they will know. Because my friends and family know that the marriage covenant is more important than any other covenant made between two people. I don't think we can equate "where we've put our warships and why" to "I'm going out for the night, don't you dare ask where I am and what I'm doing". Really?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: </span><span jsid="text">I really don't think this is something you need to worry about if your husband is not a Mason. You clearly are suspicious of Masonry and uneducated about it. No Mason would say to his wife "I'm going out for the night, don't you dare ask where I am and what I'm doing." What is more likely is "I'm going to Lodge, honey, and I'll be back around 10. My phone will be on buzz so call if you need me."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: </span></span><span jsid="text"><span style="font-style: italic;">Trust goes both ways. Sorry. I think it's immoral, and I know about as much as anybody who isn't willing to take that nasty oath is able to know.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: </span><span jsid="text">How do you know it's a "nasty" oath if you haven't taken it?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: </span></span><span jsid="text"><span style="font-style: italic;">It requires me to keep info from my spouse. REQUIRES. NOTHING escapes the accountability and devotion of a solid marriage vow. NOTHING. That fact makes it nasty. Nothing else is required to qualify that assessment. Nothing can possibl</span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_hide"></span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-style: italic;">y redeem it. You could destroy poverty total and completely, feed, clothe and house every woman and child on the planet.............. but if you're keeping things from your wife, especially because someone on the outside of your sacred marriage vow told you to, it's a nasty oath. You've asked your wife to trust you when, not only have you not trusted HER, you've vowed NEVER to. EVER.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: </span></span><span jsid="text">So when the Chief Justice of the SC Supreme Court swore me in to the SC bar, and I swore to keep "inviolate" the confidences of my clients, was I taking a "nasty" oath? Does your view of the marriage covenant require me to violate that oath if my wife decides she wants to know something about one of my clients?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: yep.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: </span><span jsid="text">Okay...at least you're consistent, I'll give you that.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">It's a matter or priority. Of who you esteem highest. If my husband were a lawyer, and I had a concern for his safety or the motives of a client to do something to undermine my husbands character, morals, or general wellbeing I would abso</span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_hide"></span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-style: italic;">lutely ask questions and there would be a problem if he didn't answer. I wonder how many men have left to go 'to the lodge' and wound up elsewhere and go away with debauchery because their wives were never allowed to ask? I know. I know. You're honest, moral and just. You'd never do that. You do, however, have a weakness somewhere. I'll not ask you where. There will be temptation at some point, however, in that area, and if your accountability partner is being left in the dark about your activities, she can't be your helpmate, as god's word says she is to be. Keep your accountability coach in the dark and you can fall into a hole and you won't even know it til the dirt starts being thrown in behind you.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>:</span><span jsid="text"></span> <span jsid="text">So once again your bias and ignorance about Masonry comes out. Again (and this is my last word on the subject), since your husband is not a Mason, you don't need to worry about it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Her</span>: </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;" jsid="text">I'll go ya one further, that debauchery may be happening inside the lodge. They may very well make it in the doors. Who am I to know, a husband couldn't share that info with his wife if he wanted to. Nothing sucks more than that moment dur<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><span class="text_exposed_show">ing a debate when you realize you're wrong, eh?</span></span></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-13415099390881234862011-02-25T14:47:00.003-05:002011-02-25T15:00:51.412-05:00Samuel Colt: Gunmaker and Mason<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C5NI6eYKLik/TWgKYMpwlII/AAAAAAAAAIs/IKdaxwLe67M/s1600/samcolt.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 185px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C5NI6eYKLik/TWgKYMpwlII/AAAAAAAAAIs/IKdaxwLe67M/s200/samcolt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577719549327873154" border="0" /></a>On February 25, 1836, Bro. Samuel Colt was granted a patent for his revolving cylinder handgun, what would become the "Patterson" Colt revolver. This gun was the progenitor of every successful revolver design from every U.S. gun maker, but more especially Colt's own Walker, Dragoon, Army and Navy percussion revolvers, as well as the legendary Single Action Army model of 1873.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Colt revolutionized gun making in the 19th century by introducing mass production and assembly lines to what had been the exclusive province of artisan gunsmiths. The company that bears his name is still going strong.<br /></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-79494251753025466702010-10-30T23:22:00.003-04:002010-10-30T23:29:13.216-04:00Was Abraham Lincoln a Mason?<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/TMzhQvGtuBI/AAAAAAAAAIc/1sb_TdaCFDg/s1600/Lincoln.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/TMzhQvGtuBI/AAAAAAAAAIc/1sb_TdaCFDg/s200/Lincoln.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534045719770282002" border="0" /></a>From Mastermason.com: Abraham Lincoln was not a Freemason. He did apply for membership in Tyrian Lodge, Springfield, Ill., shortly after his nomination for the presidency in 1860 but withdrew the application because he felt that his applying for membership at that time might be construed as a political ruse to obtain votes. He advised the lodge that he would resubmit his application again when he returned from the presidency.<br /><br />Lincoln never returned. On the death of the president, Tyrian Lodge adopted, on April 17, 1865, a resolution to say "that the decision of President Lincoln to postpone his application for the honours of Freemasonry, lest his motives be misconstrued, is the highest degree honorable to his memory." <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:1px;" ></span></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-12989848384219365932010-07-27T23:12:00.005-04:002010-07-27T23:32:57.599-04:00Albert Pike's ESOTERIKA<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/TE-kyYjd1rI/AAAAAAAAAH8/jjXDHIeCCuY/s1600/esoterika.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 90px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/TE-kyYjd1rI/AAAAAAAAAH8/jjXDHIeCCuY/s200/esoterika.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498794855534286514" border="0" /></a>Albert Pike spent the latter part of his life immersing himself deeply in the study of the symbolism of the Blue Degrees. The result of that study was what could arguably be considered his third <i>Magnum Opus</i>: the book <i>Esoterika: Symbolism of the Blue Degrees of Freemasonry</i> (the other two being his first rewrite of the Scottish Rite rituals and, of course, <span style="font-style: italic;">Morals and Dogma</span>). Pike never intended <span style="font-style: italic;">Esoterika</span> to be published and only two manuscript volumes were produced, one of which rests in the archives of the Supreme Council and the other with the Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 in London. In 2005 the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction authorized the publication of <i>Esoterika</i> and it is now available not only to Scottish Rite Masons, but to all Masons.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Restoration Books of Logan, UT has announced a <a href="http://www.rarebookrestoration.com/pages/books.html">limited edition of 100 copies</a> of <span style="font-style: italic;">Esoterika </span>hand-bound in navy blue morocco goatskin with traditional hand-marbled endpapers. The binding was designed to reproduce that of the original bound copy in the archives of the Supreme Council. Arturo De Hoyos, Grand Archivist of the Scottish Rite, will sign each copy.<br /><br />With only 100 copies being produced they are sure to go fast. I reserved my copy yesterday. </div></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-55563576633001220082010-07-18T20:26:00.005-04:002010-07-18T20:39:02.948-04:00You didn't learn this in history class...<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/TEOehb-9f_I/AAAAAAAAAHs/UnUAs9RYiMU/s1600/hookedXCover_sm.gif"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/TEOehb-9f_I/AAAAAAAAAHs/UnUAs9RYiMU/s200/hookedXCover_sm.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495410267606843378" border="0" /></a>Freemasons are justifiably proud of the role the fraternity played in the founding of the United States. If you'd like to read an unusual theory of the earliest European explorers to North America that involves the Templars and Freemasons roughly 400 years before the Founding Fathers penned the Declaration of Independence, I highly recommend this book by Scott Wolter.</div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-52401899312276123742010-07-10T20:44:00.002-04:002010-07-10T20:55:52.969-04:00Was Thomas Jefferson a Mason?<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/TDkUK6XTokI/AAAAAAAAAHk/oVAJc6V_SRw/s1600/Th_Jefferson.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/TDkUK6XTokI/AAAAAAAAAHk/oVAJc6V_SRw/s200/Th_Jefferson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492443398253290050" border="0" /></a>Was Thomas Jefferson a Mason? I know this topic has been dealt with in Masonic and non-Masonic texts alike, but I have to confess I've not read much on the subject. But in perusing a letter Jefferson wrote in 1800 to Benjamin Rush, I was struck by this passage: "... for I have sworn upon the altar of god, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." The context in which Jefferson wrote this was an argument against the establishment of an "official" form of Christianity for the nascent United States. But any Freemason can't help but be struck by how peculiarly Masonic those words are—especially if you are a Scottish Rite Mason. And the Scottish Rite owes much to French masonry and Jefferson spent a great deal of time in France.<br /><br />The full text of Jefferson's letter can be found <a href="http://odur.let.rug.nl/%7Eusa/P/tj3/writings/brf/jefl134.htm">here</a>.<br /></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-85425284994560939252010-04-26T20:06:00.002-04:002010-04-26T20:11:50.052-04:00"Turn the Key" by Freestonemusic<object width="320" height="193"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gICYmpNEM_8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gICYmpNEM_8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="193"></embed></object><div style="padding-left: 640px; display: none;"></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-25721019684208453992010-04-22T22:37:00.006-04:002010-04-22T23:02:08.409-04:00Freemasonry and the Political Arena<div style="text-align: justify;">I've just finished the second section of the Scottish Rite Master Craftsman Program, which covers the 4th through the 14th degrees, also known as the "Ineffable Degrees." As I studied and pondered these degrees of the Lodge of Perfection I was struck by the political lessons taught in many of them. Often times we think of Masonry as a “safe zone,” free from discussions about the two most divisive topics known to man, namely, politics and religion. To some extent this conception of Masonry is accurate. For the most part you don't hear too many discussions in the Lodge about religion or politics. But as the lessons of the degrees of the Scottish Rite amply illustrate, Masonry is neither areligious or apolitical.<br /><br />The fundamental tenets taught in most of the 4th through 14th degrees are loaded with essential political truths. Thus, the question I have to ask myself is readily apparent: As a Freemason, how should I seek to implement those truths in my daily life? Perhaps in the same way that I manifest the moral lessons of the Craft, i.e., not in that I openly proclaim that I act a certain way because I'm a Mason, but in the sense that my moral compass is grounded in the lessons of Masonry and therefore I am duty bound to act a certain way. Thus, when it comes to politics, I don't openly proclaim my political beliefs as “Masonic,” but rather I seek to influence the political arena in whatever way I can to move it toward the great political truths taught in Freemasonry. Is this not what the Founding Fathers of the United States who were Freemasons did? They did not seek to establish a “Masonic party” to rally the citizenry around the controversial political philosophy that they learned in their lodges, and which helped shape the nascent Federal government. No, they simply took the fundamental political truths in which they were grounded by virtue of being Freemasons and fashioned a system of government based on those truths. I as a Freemason today, in whatever way I may interact with the political process—be it at the ballot box or by serving in some elected or appointed office—must do the same if I am to be true to my obligation as a Freemason. My vote (or my work in a political office) must always be true to the fundamental political truths taught in the Lodge of Perfection: A<span style="font-style: italic;">n enlightened citizenry; an independent judiciary; an economic order based on capital and labor; an upper house of legislation; a lower house of legislation; trial by jury; a chief executive; and a constitution or fundamental law.</span> So mote it be.<br /></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-64467677695009494492010-04-21T23:30:00.005-04:002010-04-21T23:49:06.225-04:00The Motto of Freemasonry<div style="text-align: justify;">In 1858 Albert Pike gave an address at the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana. In it he offered the following as the timeless motto of Freemasonry:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Devotion to the interests of the People; detestation of Tyranny; sacred regard for the rights of Free Thought, Free Speech, and Free Conscience; implacable hostility to Intolerance, bigotry, Arrogance and Usurpation; respect and regard for labor, which makes human nature noble; and scorn and contempt for all monopolies that minister to insolent and pampered luxury.</span><br /></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you are a Mason, is this the motto of your local lodge? Do you manifest the tenets of this motto in your daily life? Food for thought.</div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-6358259967541633942010-04-16T08:13:00.008-04:002010-04-17T09:43:05.894-04:00Scottish Rite Master Craftsman Program<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:Hm6sbZScNI0TEM:http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/rjpowell/srmmcp.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 127px; height: 127px;" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:Hm6sbZScNI0TEM:http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/rjpowell/srmmcp.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The Scottish Rite Master Craftsman program is a correspondence course of advanced study for members of the Scottish Rite. It covers the history of the Scottish Rite as well as the history, lessons, and esoterica of the Degrees of the Scottish Rite. <a href="http://www.srmason-sj.org/mastercraftsman.html">For more information, click here.</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />I actually signed up for the program shortly after joining the Scottish Rite. Unfortunately, all that was delivered to me was the main textbook, the <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.scottishritestore.org/cgi-php/store.php?search=yes&detail=yes&category=1&subcat=8&item_no=RITUALMONITOR2">Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide</a>.</span> I finally got around to ordering the program kit again a couple of weeks ago, and this time the first exam was included with a new second edition of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Monitor and Guide</span>. Since I'd already combed through much of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Monitor and Guide</span>, I took the first exam yesterday and it's off in the mail today back to the House of the Temple to be graded.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/S8m6kQh4JKI/AAAAAAAAAHc/vFHqpbL_E6I/s1600/book2.gif"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/S8m6kQh4JKI/AAAAAAAAAHc/vFHqpbL_E6I/s200/book2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461101155238552738" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I would encourage all Scottish Rite Masons to check out the Master Craftsman program. It's an enjoyable and affordable way to expand your knowledge in Masonry.<br /></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-7031063729656954892009-12-03T22:40:00.004-05:002009-12-03T23:22:59.733-05:00From Steward to Senior Deacon<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://marksoup.com/461/images/S-Deacon_Jewel_97x112.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 97px; height: 112px;" src="http://marksoup.com/461/images/S-Deacon_Jewel_97x112.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>We had Blue Lodge officer elections and installation tonight. I was appointed Senior Deacon for 2010. This is a great honor and privilege. I'm looking forward to the duties this office entails.</div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-33783179164864288512009-11-16T09:41:00.006-05:002009-11-16T09:59:12.277-05:00Lost copy of Francken manuscript found<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.scottishritemasons-can.org/hamilton/2trianb.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 118px; height: 103px;" src="http://www.scottishritemasons-can.org/hamilton/2trianb.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>The oldest extant rituals of the Lodge of Perfection are contained in the Francken manuscript. Up until now there were only three known surviving copies. A fourth copy in the possession of <span style="" lang="EN-GB">the District Grand Library at Lahor, Pakistan had been reported. Apparently that copy has now been found. <a href="http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/Francken-Manuscript.html">You can read about it here.</a></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="" lang="EN-GB">This is a find of tremendous importance for Scottish Rite Freemasonry. In the realm of biblical scholarship it would be like finding a second copy </span>Codex Sinaiticus.</div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-59270094929331682792009-10-20T08:24:00.004-04:002009-10-20T22:18:28.809-04:00The Ring of the Perfect Elu<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cdn3.freemasonstore.com/images/thumbnails/SCHC149.jpg.thumb_160x120.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://cdn3.freemasonstore.com/images/thumbnails/SCHC149.jpg.thumb_160x120.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The Valley of Spartanburg had its annual Feast of Tishri banquet last night. And while some valleys across the Rite no longer do the Ring Ceremony, this is a tradition that my valley continues. It followed the sumptuous roast leg of lamb dinner.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />For this year's ceremony I was asked to give a lecture on the meaning of the 14th Degree ring. Here is the text of that lecture:<br /></div><br />The ring of the Perfect Elu, which is awarded to every Scottish Rite Freemason who attains the 14th Degree, is one of the oldest Masonic accoutrements. In the earliest existing 14th Degree ritual of the Rite of Perfection, found in the Francken Manuscript of 1783, the ring is described as a plain band of gold with this inscription: <span style="font-style: italic;">Virtus junxit, mors non separabit.</span> This is Latin for “What virtue has united, death cannot separate.” At some point in the late 19th century, the Supreme Council for the Northern Jurisdiction altered the ring to add the equilateral triangle with the Hebrew letter “Yod” in the middle, and the Southern Jurisdiction later adopted this design as well, and it is the ring used today.<br /><br />Like most things in Freemasonry, the ring is a symbol, and in the wearing it should bring to mind many aspects of what you have learned and will learn as a Scottish Rite Mason. The ring is a circle, and a circle is a symbol of completion. That it is awarded with the final degree of the Lodge of Perfection is appropriate since the word “perfection” as used does not denote being “perfect” in the sense of being “flawless,” but rather in the antiquated use of the word meaning “complete.” (It is in this same sense that the word “perfect” is used in the preamble to the Constitution of the United States: “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union...” meaning, of course, to form a more complete union.)<br /><br />The Lodge of Perfection completes the journey of Symbolic Masonry you began with the first three degrees. The ring symbolizes that completion and is an ever present reminder of your Masonic journey. The equilateral triangle is emblematic of the three essential attributes of the Great Architect of the Universe: omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. The Hebrew letter “Yod” in the center of the triangle is the first letter of the ineffable Name of God and should serve to remind you of what was lost in the Third Degree and is found in the Degrees of Perfection. In so doing, the ring reminds you that as a Freemason you are identified with and should demonstrate continued dedication to that highest and most universal human aspiration: reverence for and service to God.<br /><br />As you progressed from the Symbolic Masonry of the Lodge of Perfection into the chivalric degrees, you learned that purity of Honor, integrity of the Sword, and spotlessness of the Shield were the three highest ideals of our Ancient Brethren. “Honor that never broke faith with anyone” was supreme and preserved despite danger or personal loss. “Integrity of the Sword in never failing to draw it in defense of innocent and right” was a duty embraced with fervor and acted upon with courage. “The Shield never to be sullied by protecting oppression and wrong” was the symbol of each brother's dedication to the knighthood. When the ancient knight passed to his eternal home he bequeathed his Honor, his Sword, and his Shield to another, one near and dear, one he knew would carry on his quest unblemished and victorious.<br /><br />The Scottish Rite ring also symbolizes these ancient emblems of Honor, Sword, and Shield. And just as with our Ancient Brethren, on its owner's death the ring should be given with dignity and pride to another Scottish Rite Mason so that he may carry on the Masonic Honor, Sword, and Shield of the fallen Brother.<br /><br />As to the wearing of the ring, there is no prescribed method. It may be worn on any finger, with the triangle pointed either away from or toward the wearer. The position is irrelevant so long as the ring is worn with honor in keeping with the deep symbolic meaning inherent in it.<br /><br />As you receive your ring and ponder the mysteries of its symbolism, let me leave you with these words of Albert Pike from his chapter on the 14th Degree in <span style="font-style: italic;">Morals and Dogma</span>:<br /><br /><blockquote>To make honor and duty the steady beacon-lights that shall guide your life-vessel over the stormy seas of time; to do that which it is right to do, not because it will ensure you success, or bring with it a reward, or gain the applause of men, or be “the best policy,” more prudent or more advisable; but because it is right, and therefore ought to be done; to war incessantly against error, intolerance, ignorance, and vice, and yet to pity those who err, to be tolerant even of intolerance, to teach the ignorant, and to labor to reclaim the vicious—these are some of the duties of a Mason.</blockquote><br />As you wear your Scottish Rite Ring, I hope you will remember that it is not merely a piece of jewelry, but a symbol of the bond you have to a great fraternity and the pledge you have made to fulfill your duties as a Mason.<br /></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-73734030894100017132009-10-20T08:18:00.002-04:002009-10-20T08:24:00.382-04:00The Scottish Rite responds to the Lost SymbolThe Supreme Council for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, has created a web page in response to the interest in Freemasonry created by Dan Brown's latest novel, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Symbol</span>. <a href="http://www.scottishrite.org/lostsymbol/">You can view the page by clicking here.</a><br /><br />Rumor: At the Feast of Tishri held last night by my local Scottish Rite valley, a brother told me that he'd heard that Dan Brown is planning to petition for membership in the Masons.Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-16561680446581259242009-09-24T10:12:00.008-04:002009-09-24T14:49:18.788-04:00My thoughts on The Lost Symbol<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.manthanein.com/cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 303px;" src="http://www.manthanein.com/cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I finished reading Dan Brown's <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Symbol</span> last night. It took me longer to get through than I anticipated for two reasons: 1) This book is not a "page turner," and 2) I've been very busy over the last two weeks.<br /><br />Since the book was released on September 15 I have purposely not read any reviews or blog posts about it, whether by Masons or non-Masons. I did not want the impressions of others to prejudice my own reading of the novel. So, untainted by the commentary of others, here are my impressions of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Symbol</span> after a first reading:<br /><br />First, just from a plot standpoint, the storyline is very slow to develop and it never really takes off as in <span style="font-style: italic;">The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Da</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Vinci</span> Code</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Angels & Demons</span>. Dan Brown seems to have a set formula for his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Langdon</span> novels, and he has repeated it here: A bizarre and deluded "bad guy," a female victim, a "secret" that has world-wide <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">implications</span> if reveled, and Robert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Langdon</span> as the hero/protagonist.<br /><br />Of course, my main interest in this book was how Freemasonry would be presented and how the book would affect the fraternity. I am happy to report that Brown portrays Masonry in a positive light and nothing about the storyline is disparaging in any way to Masons or Masonry. That being said, however, I was disappointed in the lack of depth in how Masonry is portrayed in the novel. Whether it was intentional on Brown's part, or reflects superficial research, is open for debate. What is troubling are the flat out inaccuracies regarding Masonry in general, and the Scottish Rite in particular. These are errors that even a modicum of research would reveal. For example, no Mason ever attains the 32<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">nd</span> degree in his local lodge. The 32<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">nd</span> degree is part of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry and is conferred by the Consistory of the Royal Secret, the body within the various local Scottish Rite valleys that governs the 31st and 32<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">nd</span> degrees in the Southern Jurisdiction, or the 19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">th</span> through the 32<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">nd</span> degrees in the Northern Jurisdiction. The highest degree conferred in any local (or "Blue") lodge is Master Mason, the Third Degree.<br /><br />The Scottish Rite as portrayed in Brown's novel is clearly the Southern Jurisdiction, the headquarters of which is at the House of Temple in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of the story Brown depicts the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">villain</span>, a 32<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">nd</span> degree Mason, being invested with the 33rd degree. In the Southern Jurisdiction no one can proceed directly from the 32<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">nd</span> degree to the 33rd. You must first be inducted into the order of the Knight Commanders of the Court of Honor (K.C.C.H.), and then you <span style="font-style: italic;">may </span>at a later time (after a prescribed period) be invited to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">join</span> the ranks of the 33rd degree. It's also important to note that unless you are one of the 33 active members of the Supreme Council, the 33rd degree is strictly an honorary degree. Brown never states it explicitly, but the depiction he gives of the induction of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">villain</span> into the 33rd degree within the Temple Room of the House of the Temple would seem to imply the man is being inducted into the Supreme Council. And regarding the Supreme Council, Brown once again shows a lack of basic research when he refers to the leader as the "Worshipful Master" of the House of the Temple. A "Worshipful Master" is the head of a local lodge. The head of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite is the Sovereign Grand Commander.<br /><br />Brown depicts the ring worn by 33rd degree Masons as a highly stylized one with a double-headed "phoenix" and a triangle with the number "33" in the middle. Again, some basic <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">research</span> would reveal that the 33rd degree ring is actually a triple band of gold with nothing more on it than a triangle with the number "33" inside the triangle. Also, one of the symbols of the Scottish Rite is a double-headed <span style="font-style: italic;">eagle</span>, not a phoenix as Brown describes it.<br /><br />The use of Masonry in this story is superficial at best. I can think of numerous ways Brown could have made this novel more appealing to Masons and more intriguing for non-Masons. The history of the United States has a rich Masonic tradition that is barely touched on in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Symbol</span>. Freemasonry and the Scottish Rite have a diverse philosophical and esoteric nature that Brown could have more fully utilized in the storyline. And I'm not talking about Masonic "secrets," but rather clear and open teachings of the fraternity that are out there for anyone to read. (If only Brown had visited the bookstore at the House of the Temple and spent a few hundred dollars his story could have been the better for it.)<br /><br />To sum up, I have to say I was disappointed in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Symbol</span>. There was so much promise and potential given Dan Brown's story telling abilities, but this time he just doesn't deliver the goods.Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-52097214190726763022009-09-15T15:07:00.003-04:002009-09-15T17:02:10.953-04:00Reading The Lost Symbol<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.manthanein.com/cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 303px;" src="http://www.manthanein.com/cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I just picked up a copy of Dan Brown's <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Symbol</span>. It will probably take me 2 or 3 days to get through it, and then I'll be posting my thoughts.Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-46449846585758037852009-08-21T10:25:00.002-04:002009-08-21T10:49:10.722-04:00The Only Response a Mason Could MakeBack in July I posted my commentary on the fiasco Gate City Lodge No. 2 was embroiled in over their raising of a black man to the sublime degree of Master Mason. My article was entitled "<a href="http://manthaneinchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/07/heart-is-deceitful-above-all-things.html">The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things</a>," and I invite you to read it now if you have not done so.<br /><br />As the months have passed since this controversy in Georgia Masonry has subsided, the implications have continued to reverberate in back-channel discussions and open proclamations in lodges and Grand Lodges across the country. The dropping of the ridiculous charges against Gate City and its officers was an encouraging sign, but I like countless other Masons have awaited some overt gesture from the Grand Master of Masons in Georgia "setting the record straight" on the issue of race and membership in the ancient fraternity of Freemasonry. Now, the wait is over and the Grand Master has spoken. In an edict issued August 19, 2009, Most Worshipful Brother J. Edward Jennings, Jr., Grand Master of Masons in Georgia, stated the following:<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons for the State of Georgia<br /><br />August 19,2009<br />EDICT No. 2009-1<br />TO ALL CONSTITUTENT LODGES UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF THE GRAND LODGE OF GEORGIA, FREE & ACCEPTED MASONS:<br /><br />WHEREAS: Freemasonry has existed in Georgia since it founding in 1734 and is the oldest Fraternal organization in the State, and;<br /><br />WHEREAS: Freemasonry is universal in scope, being a Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God, and;<br /><br />WHEREAS: the Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free & Accepted Masons, holds membership in this worldwide Brotherhood, and;<br /><br />WHEREAS: our Ancient and Honorable Fraternity welcomes to its doors and offers its privileges to men of all races, colors and national origins who believe in a Supreme Being, as stated in our Degrees and Lectures, and;<br /><br />WHEREAS: no reference is made to exclude any petitioner with regard to race, color or national origin in any of the Rituals or Masonic Code authorized for use in the Constituent Lodges chartered by the Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free and Accepted Masons, and;<br /><br />WHEREAS: it is incumbent on all members of our Brotherhood to abide by the Rules, Regulations, Laws and Edicts of the Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free and Accepted Masons;<br /><br />THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:<br />That no negative reference be made by any officer or member of any Lodge chartered under the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free and Accepted Masons, in reference to a petitioner's race, color or national origin, who believe in a Supreme Being, during any Lodge Communication, conferral of degrees, proficiency practice or proficiency examination;<br /><br />Further, be it resolved, that it is the responsibility of the Worshipful Master of each Lodge constituted under the Constitution of he Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free and Accepted Masons, to insure and enforce strict compliance with this EDICT, and, further, to have it read at the next two communications of the Lodge after receipt by the Lodge.<br /><br />Any Lodge reported in violation of this Edict will be disciplined.<br /><br />Given under my hand as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free and Accepted Masons, this 19th day of August, 2009.<br /><br />J. Edward Jennings, Jr.<br />Grand Master<br /><br />Attest<br />Donald I. DeKalb<br />Grand Secretary</blockquote>Some will complain that this edict is insufficient because it does not specifically address the Gate City situation and redress the wrongs done to that lodge. I would argue that a public edict of the Grand Master would not be the proper venue for that. This edict addresses the very issue that precipitated the Gate City controversy, and it does so in clear and unambiguous terminology. I commend the Grand Master of Georgia for issuing the only public response any true Mason could give on the issue of race and membership in Masonry: that when it comes to the color of a man's skin, the lodge, its members, and officers are to be colorblind, and no man should ever be judged unworthy of membership based on his race.Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-70836097194479315512009-07-21T22:54:00.007-04:002009-07-22T00:23:30.176-04:00Tidbits from Morals and Dogma - #1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.masonicinfo.com/images/MDPike.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 196px;" src="http://www.masonicinfo.com/images/MDPike.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I am a year into my Masonic journey, and I have finally started working my way through Albert Pike's <span style="font-style: italic;">Morals and Dogma</span> in earnest. I think even the most seasoned Masonic scholar will admit this is far from an easy read. Every page--indeed, almost every paragraph--practically demands thoughtful reflection to digest the genius that is Pike's view of Freemasonry.<br /><br />As I progress through this tome of Pike's, I will be posting from time to time small excerpts--what I'm calling "tidbits"--which I think are of particular interest to modern Masons seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the fraternity to which they belong. The first tidbit is from the chapter on the Second Degree of Masonry, that of Fellowcraft:<br /><blockquote>Knowledge is convertible into power, and axioms into rules of unity and duty. But knowledge itself is not Power. Wisdom is Power; and her Prime Minister is Justice, which is the perfected law of Truth. The purpose, therefore, of Education and Science is to make a man wise. If knowledge does not make him so, it is wasted, like water poured on the sands. To know the <span style="font-style: italic;">formulas </span>of Masonry, is of as little value, by itself, as to know so many words and sentences in some barbarous African or Australasian dialect. To know even the <span style="font-style: italic;">meaning </span>of the symbols, is but little, unless that adds to our wisdom, and also to our charity, which is to justice like one hemisphere of the brain to the other.<br /><br />Do not lose sight, then, of the true object of your studies in Masonry. It is to add to your estate of wisdom, and not merely to your knowledge. A man may spend a lifetime in studying a single specialty of knowledge,--botany, conchology, or entomology, for instance,--in committing to memory names derived from the Greek, and classifying and reclassifying; and yet be no wiser than when he began. It is the great truths as to all that most concerns a man, as to his rights, interest, and duties, that Masonry seeks to teach her Initiates.</blockquote><br />And what of these "great truths" that Masonry seeks to teach its members?<br /><blockquote>Truths are the springs from which duties flow; and it is but a few hundred years since a new Truth began to be distinctly seen; that MAN IS SUPREME OVER INSTITUTIONS, AND NOT THEY OVER HIM. Man has <span style="font-style: italic;">natural </span>empire over <span style="font-style: italic;">all </span>institutions. They are for him, according to his development; not he for them. This seems to us a very simple statement, one to which all men, everywhere, ought to assent. But once it was a great new Truth,--not revealed until governments ahad been in existence for at least five thousand years. Once revealed, it imposed new duties on men. Man owed it to <span style="font-style: italic;">himself </span>to be free. He owed it to his <span style="font-style: italic;">country </span>to seek or give her freedom, or maintain her in that possession. It made Tyranny and Usurpation the enemies of the Human Race. it created a general outlawry of Despots and Despotisms, temporal and spiritual. The sphere of Duty was immensely enlarged. Patriotism had, henceforth, a new and wider meaning: Free Government, Free Thought, Free Conscience, Free Speech! All these came to be inalienable rights, which those who had parted with them or been robbed of them, or whose ancestors had lost them, had the right summarily to retake.</blockquote><br />And how does Masonry, by adding to the "estate of wisdom" of its members, ensure that these great Truths are not lost?<br /><br /><blockquote>The wiser a man becomes, the less will he be inclined to submit tamely to the imposition of fetters or a yoke, on his conscience or his person. For, by increase of wisdom he not only better knows his rights, but the more highly values them, and is more conscious of his worth and dignity. His pride then urges him to assert his independence. He becomes better <span style="font-style: italic;">able </span>to assert it also; and better able to assist others or his country, when they or she stake all, even existence, upon the same assertion.<br /><br /></blockquote>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-34581153753343459832009-07-19T16:04:00.004-04:002009-09-01T10:52:20.274-04:00The boy who wanted to be an astronaut.The Palmetto Bug has posted <a href="http://palmettomason.blogspot.com/2009/07/freemasonry-on-moon.html">over on his blog</a> about the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, and how one of the astronauts, Buzz Aldrin, was a Freemason. I've added a bit to that discussion by pointing out that Aldrin was actually deputized by the Grand Lodge of Texas with the charge to claim Masonic jurisdiction of the moon for the Texas Grand Lodge.<br /><br />Bug's post has reminded me of the excitement I felt 40 years ago as a 10-year-old boy following the news updates of Apollo 11's voyage to the moon. And then the fateful day of the landing arrived and we were all glued to the TV listening to Walter Cronkite's commentary as we watched Armstrong descend the LEM ladder and set foot on the surface of the moon.<br /><br />Much of my childhood was spent in and around the area of Cape Canaveral, Florida. My father worked for a NASA contractor from the early 60s until 1968, so I got to visit the space center often and even spent time with several of the Original Seven astronauts.<br /><br />Here is a photo of me taken at the Cape when I was about 7 or 8. That is the Saturn V (the Apollo launch vehicle) on its launch pad in the background. I'm not sure which Apollo this one would have been, but it would have to have been one of the early (pre-moon shot) ones.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/SmOAFFYLHJI/AAAAAAAAAHE/67moYJuIAFE/s1600-h/me-7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 243px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/SmOAFFYLHJI/AAAAAAAAAHE/67moYJuIAFE/s400/me-7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360268806332292242" border="0" /></a>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-12468756428658714672009-07-17T11:04:00.004-04:002009-07-18T08:32:28.070-04:00The Masonic Art of Peter Waddell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.peterwaddell.com/images/gallery/s04_19_09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 148px;" src="http://www.peterwaddell.com/images/gallery/s04_19_09.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It's becoming clear from the clues being pumped out on the Twitter page of Dan Brown's publisher that the plot of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Symbol</span> is going to involve the supposed Masonic layout of Washington, D.C. Whether or not the design of the capital was influenced by Masonic symbolism has long been debated inside and outside the fraternity. Well-respected Masons come down on both sides of the issue. Ill. Bro. Akram Elias, 33rd, the Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of D.C. believes the layout of the city intentionally includes Masonic symbolism. Ill. Bro. Brent Morris, 33rd, the author of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry</span>, disagrees.<br /><br />Peter Waddell is a modern artist who gave an exhibition of his Masonic paintings in 2005 entitled <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="header"><a href="http://www.peterwaddell.com/initiated.html">The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry and the Architecture of Washington, DC.</a> </span></span>His artwork is really quite striking, and given the title of this exhibition it's easy to see where he stands on the question of whether or not Washington, D.C. is filled with Masonic symbolism. Whatever you believe, Waddell's paintings from this exhibit are worth reflecting on, for they are themselves, without doubt, loaded with Masonic symbolism.Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019120109409836440.post-90866577614362175692009-07-07T11:59:00.016-04:002009-07-12T07:51:06.699-04:00The A.A.S.R and The Lost Symbol<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.manthanein.com/cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 303px;" src="http://www.manthanein.com/cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The cover art for the hardcover jacket of the new Dan Brown novel <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Symbol</span> has been revealed. Dan Brown stated years ago that his next novel would deal with the subject of Freemasonry, so it should come as no surprise that there is a Masonic-like symbol on the cover of the book.<br /><br />It is being reported that the wax seal on the jacket cover is actually the seal of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States. I assure you, this is not the case. Here is the wax seal on the book jacket enlarged and enhanced to reveal some of the detail:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/Slk61VZC4AI/AAAAAAAAAGs/PHyZuv6mU9I/s1600-h/seal2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Le8G0tHmamI/Slk61VZC4AI/AAAAAAAAAGs/PHyZuv6mU9I/s320/seal2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357377919683584002" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Here are the official seals of the Scottish rite for the Southern Jurisdiction, the headquarters of which is at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.manthanein.com/SR_seal1.gif" /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.manthanein.com/SR_seal2.gif" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">As you can see, with the exception of the double-headed eagle (an emblem that has been associated with the Scottish Rite from its beginning), the wax seal on the cover of Dan Brown's novel bears little resemblance to either of the official seals of the Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction. It actually more closely resembles the seal of the Scottish Rite for the Northern Jurisdiction, but it is not identical. However, the Latin inscription at the base of the seal leaves little doubt regarding the connection to the Scottish Rite:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.manthanein.com/seal3.jpg" /><br /></div><br />The Latin <span style="font-style: italic;">Ordo ab Chao</span> ("Order out of Chaos") is the <span style="font-style: italic;">de facto</span> motto of the Scottish Rite and has been associated with the Rite since the formation of the Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree in 1801. This motto appears boldly on the patent for the 33rd Degree that was issued to Frederick Dalcho by John Mitchel in 1801 and is the given subtitle of the Supreme Council's first pronouncement to the Masonic world, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Circular Throughout the Two Hemispheres</span> of 1802.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.manthanein.com/dalcho-patent.jpg" /></center><br /><br />The color of the seal (as well as the color of the D.C. skyline) on the book may also be emblematic of the Scottish Rite. The Freemasonry of Europe (in particular, France, as opposed to England) is often referred to as "Red Masonry." The roots of the Scottish Rite are in continental Masonry (which supposedly originated in Scotland) and not in the Masonry of England.<br /><br />Given all this, I think it seems clear from the book jacket that the Scottish Rite will figure heavily into the plot of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Symbol</span>. It will be interesting to see how. I'm looking forward to reading it.<br /></div></div>Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689648399512129459noreply@blogger.com0