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Freemasonry in India Is Growing

Freemasonry for Dummies - 21 hours 43 min ago

The Grand Master of India reports that, while membership in some countries may be slipping, India is seeing new gains.

From the Times of India, "Old Secret Society Finds Future in Youth":

"Writer Dan Brown certainly created a flutter about Freemasons, but what's encouraging is that membership in India is growing while many other countries are losing members," says Balaram Biswakumar, neurologist and grand master, The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons (AF & AM) of India.

"While fiction has played a role in this, a lot of our new masons are youngsters who have access to the Internet and have read about Freemasons and their charitable activities," he says. Kumar attributes the growth in membership to the conservative approach of selection adopted by the masons. Most new entrants have a familial masonic link.

IT professional S Ramasubramanian, who was initiated into Lodge Ramprasad in the city in January 2010, says he had some idea about masonry as his paternal uncle and cousins were part of the society. "The rituals were a bit of a surprise," he adds.

"Having said that, I must confess there is nothing scary about them. Like every religion has certain symbolic rituals so does freemasonry," says Ramasubramanian, a manager with Cognizant. Lodge Ramprasad has around 188 members, 15 of whom are in their thirties.

[snip]

Another 'brother',Harish Mohan, who joined freemasons at the age of 18 in 2003, has been a regular with his mother lodge, Om Vigneshwara. When he joined the freemasons 10 years ago, Om Vigneshwara's membership was 30. It has now doubled. Around 24 members of Om Vigneshwara are in the 20-40 age group. The entry age is 21, but it is relaxed to 18 for those whose fathers are members of lodges.

Mohan is associated with a project that provides solar power to villages across the country. He attributes the growth in membership to open sessions with families and the public at large by the Grand Lodge of India. "We are becoming more open. At Om Vigneshwara, we have two family meets every year," he says.

Masons get little time to learn about each other in the formal environs of the lodge, so members like Mahendra Jogani are trying to encourage social interaction through initiatives like the Freemasons Family Circle. The Freemasons Family Circle has 300 members in Chennai.

"This is an informal body, and is not affiliated to freemasonry. The whole objective is to provide a platform for family and social bonding," he says.

Thirty-nine-year-old Peeyush Sinha, also known as 'green mason', was drawn into the fold after hearing about the masons from friends abroad. The diamond trader joined the freemasons three months ago but says he has still not been exposed to all the rituals of the society.

"There were a lot of queries initially. They were clarified during the first two meetings. Discussions largely centre on societal change and it is very enriching," he says. Religion and politics are taboo subjects. Sinha belongs to Patel Fulchand Lodge, which has 30 members of whom he is the youngest.

Lodge of Connaught & Truth No. 521

Freemasonry Tomorrow - Sat, 02/04/2012 - 12:35

Last night I attended the Lodge of Connaught & Truth Lodge No. 521 (www.truth521.org.uk) where I acted as Director of Ceremonies. We were delighted to admit a new member into the Lodge; the ceremony was an initiation.

Albert Edward Lodge No. 1783

Freemasonry Tomorrow - Sat, 02/04/2012 - 12:33

On Wednesday I was delighted to attend the 132nd Installation meeting of the Albert Edward Lodge No. 1783, which meets at Greenhead Masonic Hall, Huddersfield.

We Meet UP, On The Level

The Northeast Courner - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 12:50

Speculative Freemasonry began at a time when the world was a conglomeration of despotic monarchical, quasi theocratic societies, where the vast majority of the human population was kept in the dark both spiritually and mentally. The differences in quality of life for the common ditch digger to the shop keeper were minimal at best. Only the aristocracy and clergy led the life of high comfort, with the masses living in virtual squalor. The common man was uneducated and his mind was constantly filled with a well thought out litany of deprecating drivel, to keep him subservient to those who were in power.


This way of life had existed since the dawn of man. No matter what god given talents an individual was blessed with, if he or she was born in a certain class of society, the chances of raising ones status or quality of life was slim to none. The number of bright and talented humans that must have had their natural spark extinguished by a dreary labor filled existence must be countless. The reality of the lives of the common man revolved around scratching out a meager living, and whole hearted devotion to a church that was complicit in keeping them down, then came a revolution in thought.

Somewhere in the early 18th century Reason began to replace Religion and small groups of like minded individuals started to meet in closed spaces to discuss ideas that if discovered, could cost them their lives. It has been theorized that this wellspring of radical thinking began as a way to justify the Protestant Reformation. Democracy replacing Monarchy, Liberty replacing Dogma, are key ideas that caught fire in the minds of individuals that had been repressed from birth to death. The lower classed people wanted to become better, and they used a tool that they had been given at birth that sat unused for the most part, their mind.The advent of the printing press and the growth of literacy spread to the repressed people like wildfire.

But where could the intelligent farmer and the smart blacksmith meet with the merchant and the ship captain to discuss these blasphemous ideas that made so much sense? Not church. Not on the town green. No, men of increased intelligence needed to meet in secret to elevate themselves and society.

In France they met in Salons, in England it was the public house or coffee house. From these back rooms the challenge was put forth to educate and illuminate the people. Debate, discussion, and dissemination occurred between men and women who wanted to learn and grow in thought and spirit. It was not a place to grumble about their lot in life, but a place to dream about what they could attain if they used their god given gift of reason and higher thought.

Enter Speculative Freemasonry, what was a guild for the association of men who built in stone, became a social meeting place for men who would build in spirit and thought. The lodge was the earliest form of pure democracy. Liberty, fraternity, and equality were the values that cemented the forum where the lowest man could elevate himself to be a master. The constitution and laws of the order and elections of the men who were championed to lead it, were a micro-society that formed a model that would change the world. Freemasonry was a nonreligious venue to make cross societal contacts in an effort to make good men better.

This phrase “making good men better” is the ten cent answer that most members of the craft use to explain what the purpose of Freemasonry is. It is a blanket statement that only touches upon what the purpose of the fraternity is meant to be. What exactly does going to a Masonic meeting or going through the three degrees do to make a man who is “good” “better”.

In modern times, does listening to arcane enlightenment language in itself lead to making a “better” man? Does voting on how and when to pay for the dinner you eat at the meeting bring a brother to a higher level of thought? Is the ritual of opening a lodge to do business then promptly closing it in the same way, a way to enlighten the minds of the gathered brethren? Is the reason a man goes through three degrees of “initiation” only, to sit on the sideline to watch more initiations?

The answer to these questions is a resounding NO! The ritual of Freemasonry was meant to be used as a tool to unlock the greatness that lies in some men. The degrees of the order were meant as a means to weed out those, who would by their association in the fraternity, bring down the “level” of their fellow members. Long times between degrees and requirements of demonstrating an understanding of the ideals of the fraternity were once the norm, although in the name of numbers this practice has generally disappeared in the United States.

Masons meet on the level, by the plumb, and act on the square. The idea of meeting on the level has been subverted into the belief that we must bring ourselves down to the level of the lowliest brother. Like the American society we live in, efforts to make oneself better are misconstrued as being elitist and that term has been perverted into a bad word. The smartest and the brightest are ostracized and it is more acceptable to make yourself out to be like the lowliest type of person, a full reversal of what the enlightenment had achieved hundreds of years ago. In the name of egalitarianism we are made to believe that all men are created equal and that equality transcends the actions and intentions of a man his entire life.

All men are created equal. After creation, it is up to the individual to live up to the standards and laws of the highest form of nature that surrounds them. Equal creation does not mean equal existence. The Great Architect of the Universe, has laid out for man an amazing world for which greatness is possible of attaining if only his creations strive to recognize the divine in what surrounds them. The mystical practice of Freemasonry when lived by its supplicants to the highest level possible, can elevate the men who knock on its gates. The format is there but the practice is missing in American Freemasonry.

“The Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God” is another Masonic axiom that has been turned around on itself. In a familial context we can better understand this idea. A man is born onto parents who he will devote his life to. If the parents have another child, it is accepted into that devotion. A man will take care of his brother before he takes care of a stranger. Associations of like minded individuals became like families to those who met and shared together, and the endearing term to use between these group members became what they already used to call their siblings, brother or sister. The Masonic saying of a Brotherhood of man under a Fatherhood of God does not encompass all of God’s creations, only those of which we can find that familiar bond to call Brother. Even in our fraternity it is hard to find men who you would consider your actual brother, especially since West Gate was turned into a floodgate.

The good thing about the order of Freemasons, is that it is a beacon that draws some men of that higher calling, not as many as it used to, but it still does. Like a light in the dark that attracts all types of insects because of its resemblance to the sun, the light of Freemasonry draws all types of man. It is up to the individual Mason to distinguish between the ones who come out of curiosity, or in simple awe of light, and the ones who look at the light and want to know why it shines. Only by associating with the ones who are striving to understand and truly become “Better” can we meet upon, or more correctly UP on the level.

Like the pyramid that starts on the ground with many stones and drives up towards the heavens, on each successive course there are fewer and fewer blocks. The higher it reaches the closer and smaller the groups become, until it reaches a single point and in that single point lies infinity. We must level UP.From The North Eastern Corner

Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism: Saturday, April 28, 2012

Freemasonry for Dummies - Thu, 02/02/2012 - 23:29

Registration is now open for the April 28 symposium at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library in Lexington, Massachusetts.

The symposium seeks to present the newest research on American fraternal groups from the past through the present day. By 1900, over 250 American fraternal groups existed, numbering six million members. The study of their activities and influence in the United States, past and present, offers the potential for fresh interpretations of American society and culture.

Seven scholars from the United States, Britain and Belgium will fill the day’s program:

-Jeffrey Tyssens, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, “The Goatee’s Revenge: A Founding Myth and a Founder’s Cult in American Fraternalism”

-Yoni Appelbaum, Brandeis University, “The Great Brotherhood of Toil: The Knights of Labor as a Fraternal Order”

-Adam G. Kendall, Henry W. Coil Library and Museum, “The Shadow of the Pope: Anti-Catholicism, Freemasonry, and the Knights of Columbus in 1910s California”

-Samuel Biagetti, Columbia University, “A Prehistoric Lodge in Rhode Island? – Masonry and the Messianic Moment”

-Alyce Graham, University of Delaware, “Secrecy and Democracy: Masonic Aprons, 1750-1830”

-Bradley Kime, Brigham Young University, “Masonic Motifs in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”

-Kristofer Allerfeldt, Exeter University, “The Significance of Fraternalism in Three Criminal Organizations of Late Nineteenth Century America: The Mollie Maguires, the Ku Klux Klan and the Mafia”
All Symposium attendees are invited to a public lecture by Michael Halleran, Independent Scholar, “Gentlemen of the White Apron: Freemasonry in the American Civil War,” at 1 PM, in the Maxwell Auditorium. This presentation is made possible through the generous support of Ruby W. Linn.

The symposium is funded in part by the Supreme Council, 33°, N. M. J., U.S.A. Registration is $65 ($60 for museum members) and includes morning refreshments, lunch and a closing reception. To register, complete the Registration Form and fax to 781-861-9846 or mail to Claudia Roche, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA 02421; registration deadline is APRIL 14, 2012. For more information, contact Claudia Roche at croche@monh.org or 781-457-4142.

A registration form can be downloaded here.

Northeast Masonic Symposium 4/14 Albany, NY

Freemasonry for Dummies - Thu, 02/02/2012 - 23:15

The Northeast Masonic Symposium will take place April 14th, 2012 at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, New York, sponsored by St. Georges Lodge No. 6. I'll be speaking that day, along with Dr. Roger M. Firestone, Terry L. Tilton and Richard Friedman. Tickets are $50, and include lunch and a cocktail reception.

For more information see the symposium website at www.northeastmasonicsymposium.com

George Washington: Zombie

Freemasonry for Dummies - Thu, 02/02/2012 - 22:57

William Thornton is best known for his winning design for the U.S. Capitol, building in Washington DC. As a part of his design, he envisioned a special burial niche for the body of George Washington. But Thornton was trained in Edinburgh, Scotland as a doctor, and when George Washington died in December 1799, Thornton had bigger plans than just putting the President's body in a special tomb. He concocted a scheme that would use cutting edge techniques to reanimate George's body into a zombie.

Really.

From the io9.com website, "The Capitol architect wanted to reanimate George Washington’s dead body":

The president may not have feared death, but he did fear being buried alive. Before he died, he commanded his secretary, Tobias Lear, to make sure that he would not be entombed less than three days after he died. In accordance with Washington's wishes, his body was put on ice until it could be moved to the family vault.

That's where the story gets a little strange. The morning after Washington died, his step-granddaughter Elizabeth Law arrived with a family friend, William Thornton. History best remembers Thornton as the architect who created the original design for the Capitol building, but he was also a trained physician, having studied at the University of Edinburgh. Although he did not practice medicine for much of his life, Thornton always had a keen interest in the workings of the human body, and he suggested a novel method for resurrecting the fallen warrior. Thornton told Washington's wife Martha that he wanted to thaw Washington's body by the fire and have it rubbed vigorously with blankets. Then he planned to perform a tracheotomy so he could insert a bellows into Washington's throat and pump his lungs full of air, and finally to give Washington an infusion of lamb's blood. Friends and family declined Thornton's mad scientist offer, not because they thought his solution impossible, but because they felt the nation's first president should rest in peace.

So what gave Thornton the idea to play Dr. Frankenstein? Susan E. Lederer, author of the book Flesh and Blood: Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion in Twentieth-Century America, notes that many physicians in the late 18th Century believed that lamb's blood had special properties, and believes Thornton meant to give Washington's circulatory system "a spark of vitality" that might jolt him back to life. But Paul Schmidt, in his article "Forgotten transfusion history: John Leacock of Barbados" published in the British Medical Journal, suggests that the University of Edinburgh may have been on the forefront of transfusion research (unless you count all those transfusion experiments in 17th-Century France). Thornton wasn't the only Edinburgh alum thinking about blood transfusions during that time period. Philip Syng Physick, an earlier Edinburgh grad (who incidentally practiced in Philadelphia, where Thornton himself briefly practiced medicine), is reported to have performed a human blood transfusion as early as 1795. John Leacock, a later graduate, performed successful transfusion experiments, believing an infusion of blood would "excite" the recipient heart. Leacock's experiments in turn influenced James Blundell, who is credited with introducing the process to the mainstream medical community. Schmidt wonders if the Edinburgh community took particular interest in those early French transfusion experiments, planting the idea in Thornton's mind.

H/T to Rob Mountain. Image: Zombie George Washington by Plemon Studios.

Masonic Ornithology Part II

The Northeast Courner - Wed, 02/01/2012 - 15:37

In continuation of my descriptions of particularly prevalent pontificators with precellent plumage, that I began in Peacocks and Pompocity, I would like to turn my brothers attention to another pernicious pecking creature that pervades once great halls of knowledge that were temples...
The Parrot
This eye catching bird is at first a very amusing and endearing pet. With training, a parrot can vocalize words much like its human owner. One particular specimen named N'kisi has an impressive vocabulary of over 950 words and is reported to have quite a good sense of humor. The key to training these animals to mimic the language of  a human, is to give them lots of one on one attention and reward them for repeating whatever phrase you wish them to vocalize. High praise or a favorite treat are perfect rewards for your talking bird...

Do you see where I am going with this?

The masonic parrot is a particularly harmful creature when it is realized that perfect mimicry of particular language can be often confused as understanding. We all know the species. Word for word they can recite masonic ritual, sometimes with convincing delivery. This bright plumage makes the masonic parrot an attractive member of the lodge indeed. Newer members, mesmerized by the recitation of arcane language will flock to and praise the masonic parrot. Older members will pat the masonic parrot on the back for doing things like they did in the old days. This praise is exactly what the masonic parrot is looking for. Like a cracker, the patting on the back and attention are what drive the masonic parrot to move further along in its delivery of the ancient language of the fraternity.
The aviary version of the parrot is cute and funny, amusing to all, but rarely are parrots allowed to use their ability to vocalize language to be confused with knowing what it is they are saying. The masonic parrot is entertaining until brothers start to confuse speaking words perfectly with actually knowing what they are talking about. When this confusion occurs the masonic parrot can be held in high regard and put into a position of power, this is when the masonic variety can become dangerous.
Imagine asking a parrot for advice on life's big questions.
They may hear trigger words and dive into already memorized phrases or if they are not triggered into a learned routine they may just spout out colloquialisms or riddles that make no sense to what was asked of them. Harmless right?
Imagine putting a parrot behind the wheel of a car.
That's crazy you say, I would never let my pet parrot drive my car but do we allow masonic parrots to lead a lodge? All of the time.
When the meaning of the language of the ritual of masonry is lost, it becomes just elevator music. It entertains you, kind of, but only for the short time you are locked in a room with it. You will never go out and find that muzak that you heard in the elevator and listen to it in your car or at home. The same thing goes with our ritual. If we just parrot the words and never internalize the deeper meanings or explore the teachings of our order with the brothers of our lodge in lodge why do we go?
To sit around a 3 foot wedge with loose acquaintances squawking meaningless drivel?
To trick new guys into buying into the fake mystique and get them to pay dues?
The problem with the masonic parrot is that once an intelligent brother discovers that all it takes to progress in the fraternity is to memorize meaningless words and spit them back to get huzzahs from the assembled, he quickly becomes disenfranchised with Freemasonry. If the purpose of the ritual is not to improve a mans understanding of himself and his roll in the society he belongs to, why go through the parroting?
Just get to the pizza and beer.From The North Eastern Corner

January Poll: Feast of St. John

Freemasonry for Dummies - Mon, 01/30/2012 - 23:46

Question: Does your lodge celebrate the Feast of St. John?

Yes - 124 (43%)

No - 159 (56%)

Total votes: 283

Poll closed.

Yale Teaching Assistant Blames "Satanic Freemasonry" for Catholic Sex Abuse Scandals

Freemasonry for Dummies - Fri, 01/27/2012 - 23:10

Wonder what's getting passed off as scholarship in Ivy League schools these days?

A Yale University teaching assistant and graduate student has posted her 53,000 word doctoral thesis online, entitled "Shakespeare and Dante: Demonic Agency as Literary Theory.” Margherita Viggiano was let go from her position as an art history TA and dismissed by the dean of the graduate school, Edward Barnaby, after a heated exchange of truly loony emails. The central theme to Viggiano's thesis is that "Satanic Freemasons" infiltrated the Catholic Church and arranged for priests to sexually molest children to destroy the Church from within.

According to the Ivygate website, Viggiano was apparently notorious for distributing conspiracy-laden handouts to undergraduates.

From the Ivygate website entry, In Doctoral Thesis, Rogue Yale T.A. Blames “Satanic Freemasonry” for Catholic Sex Abuse Scandals:

It’s unclear whether Yale has yet accepted Viggiano’s thesis; we’ve emailed Yale’s Department of Comparative Literature for comment, and will update if we hear back.

Referring to an Italian woman who had been “demonically possessed” and the Church’s efforts to save her, Viggiano writes:

"Her case is so exceptional, and the reasons of her continuing sufferings so disturbing, that one wonders why the Church hierarchy in Rome did not publicly intervene to denounce the phenomenon of Satanism in the Catholic Church. The crime of her cursing happened in Italy, performed by Italian fallen priests: therefore, it would have been logical for the Vatican, in Rome, to start a formal investigation into Satanism, looking for the causes that drive ordained priests to renegade God, renounce eternal life, and embrace the cult of Satan instead. If the hierarchy had done so, other scandalous events such as the repeated cases of pedophilia would have been better understood – and perhaps avoided – in light of the infiltration of Freemasonic elements in the Church, with an aim to discrediting the Church in the eyes of the world. As we will see in the section Freemasonry and Satanism, the abuse of children is completely in line with the ‘requirements’ of the church of Satan for its adepts. The defilement and, possibly, the ultimate sacrifice of an innocent – and children of course represent The Innocent, par excellence – is Satan’s attempt to ape the Passion of Jesus, to repeat it for his own glory and the damnation of the priests performing it. [clxxiv]"

The endnote to which “[clxxiv]” refers is, well, you’ll have to see for yourself, after the jump. (Warning: it’s disturbing.)

"[clxxiv] As we will see, Satanic Freemasonry re-enacts the Passion of our Lord quite literally, with the skinning and crucifixion of innocent victims: preferably children, who are figurae Christi. This practice has been in use since the Passion itself, two thousand years ago – but we will especially focus on a famous artistic representation of this torture dating from the Renaissance."

As for Catholic priests themselves, on the other hand:

"Far from being victim souls, many members of the Church hierarchy are often unfaithful and morally corrupted, and a number of them have betrayed God to be part of Freemasonry, which is defined by Jesus as the church of Satan on earth, active within God’s Church itself and covered by a mask of hypocritical respectability."

We’re don’t know what on earth she’s talking about. Unfortunately. At the same time, both the length and complexity of her thesis suggest that those florid emails to Edward Barnaby, her students, and her peers weren’t the result of a momentary lack of judgement, but honest and deep conviction. We’re not sure whether that makes her behavior and her beliefs less, or more, disturbing.

Is Change A Dirty Masonic Word?

Masonic Central - Fri, 01/27/2012 - 00:45

I was coming home from work the other day and listening to the radio when the announcer said that the production of CDs was slowly being stopped. The era of the CD is over. Oh my, I wondered, what am I going to do now? And then I realized that I hadn’t even gotten rid of all of my 8 track tapes yet.

Now I know how my grandfather felt. He was born in 1881 and died in 1980. He once told me that he had seen the advent of what was then every modern invention, from the mass use of the auto, to the radio, to TV, the airplane, the refrigerator, air conditioning and on and on. When he started out his career in his 20s he was a salesman operating out of a horse and buggy. Before he died he saw a man land on the moon. Now that kind of change can frizzle your brain.

Change is so prevalent today. Our President ran his first campaign on the slogans of HOPE and CHANGE. But it seems, at least to me, that the change that technology is bringing us is moving at a more rapid rate every decade or is that just my imagination? One can purchase the latest in technology and it is outmoded in what seems a flash. My first computer lasted me 10 years, my second only 5 years and my third will be replaced after 3 years.

Here is an idea of what the near future could see.

  Electronics

• From the mundane to the extraordinary, it seems every day a new piece of technology is released that promises to revolutionize the way people live. The Mind Lamp from Psyleron uses electron tunneling, a process that measures quantum-scale probabilistic events, to determine what color your mind is thinking about in order to shift the lamp to that color. For people who have trouble texting, the Android application “ThickButtons” anticipates which letters are most likely next when typing a text on a touch screen smart phone, and the program expands those letters to make texting easier. From the co-inventor of Twitter comes Square, an accessory that plugs into your smart phone that allows a mobile merchant to swipe a credit card anywhere they receive cell service.

Health

• Thanks to advancements in the field of medicine, the quality and length of human lives continues to improve. Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles have engineered mesoporous silica nanoparticles that successfully increase the percentage of cancer fighting drugs delivered to tumors during chemotherapy. A vaccine developed by Pfizer called CDX-110 causes white blood cells in the body to target and destroy cancer producing cells in the brain. Two studies released in “The New England Journal of Medicine” have proved that the asthma pills Singulair and Accolate work as successfully in preventing asthma symptoms as steroid inhalers. Each of these inventions offer a chance to ease the suffering of individuals afflicted with these conditions.

Science

• Recent developments in scientific equipment have allowed scientists to continue uncovering the mysteries of the universe. A half-mile underground in Geneva, Switzerland, is the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator designed to allow physicists to study the smallest known particles. Physicists hope to use the collider to recreate the conditions that existed immediately following the Big Bang. NASA’s Gravity Probe B has confirmed two key predictions related to Einstein’s theory of relativity by measuring the warping of space and time around a gravitational body, and how much a spinning object pulls space and time when rotating.

Automotive

• Researchers from Google have developed a car that drives itself automatically using artificial intelligence software. The car’s on board computer uses video cameras, radar sensors and laser guidance software, along with detailed maps, to navigate roads and traffic. The firefighting vehicle Amatoya has an insulated cabin that can withstand temperatures of more than 600 degrees, and is armed with dual high-powered water cannons that allow the vehicle’s crew to fight fires from within.

Read more: Recent Innovations in Technology | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8394861_recent-innovations-technology.html#ixzz1kdMDzYLi

All this has me wondering of course about Freemasonry. While the world spins on a high speed hi tech mode of constant change, what is Freemasonry doing? Of course I don’t mean the message but the messenger. The tenets and virtues of Freemasonry are timeless as is its ritual. So the question is, are we really keeping up with the times in the deliverance of that message?

Could Freemasonry using technology actually hold a meeting online?

Could it do away with altogether its Lodge building?

Could it streamline itself into having all degrees performed at Grand Lodge, as part of a Grand Lodge session, three times a year for every Lodge in the jurisdiction?

Could its record keeping become 100% digital?

Could all the messages a Lodge or Grand Lodge needs to deliver to its members be done electronically?

Does Freemasonry make efficient use of websites, You Tube and E Readers now?

Does Freemasonry in your jurisdiction use Facebook and Twitter now?

Does your Grand Master, Grand Lodge officers and local Lodge Master text?

What I see now is also the death of the home PC and even the laptop. The younger generation is communicating by texting, reading from E-readers, and connecting to the World Wide Web and everything and anything via smart phones. If Freemasonry desires to connect with the present generation will they be willing to use the tools that this generation uses? And will they be able to communicate the timeless message of Freemasonry in a manner that today’s hi tech youngsters can receive? Or is change really a dirty Masonic word?

One Day 2012

The Millennial Freemason - Tue, 01/24/2012 - 19:00

The title I've chosen for this post can either be viewed as very boring or very provocative. The reason I say that is that One Day class remain, in the world of Masonry, a sore spot or a normal course of business.

I was asked to take part in the first degree during the One Day class held on Saturday, January 21st at the Minneapolis Scottish Rite building on Dupont. One Days, for those who don't know, compresses the three degrees into one day. They often have some of the best ritualists in the state and in many cases, have all the staging to really make the degree work pop.

There is debate that has been going on since the One Day format was started over its legitimacy and its efficacy in shoring up membership numbers. Frankly, I don't really have an opinion one way or the other. I like degree work in a small lodge setting but I also remember that Masonry is an ongoing lifestyle that has to be worked over a number of years. The initiation is important but it is not the end all be all for a Mason.

I was very impressed by the work I saw. When I say that the best ritualists are at the One Day, I'm not joking. All the degrees were performed in formal apparel, as in tuxedos. With spotlights to the front and custodians behind me, I was understandably nervous. I got through my part with only a minor hiccup. (For the sake of secrecy, well, maybe just embarrassment, I will not mention what I missed.)

I was also fortunate to be there with a lot of Southeast Area Masons. The Southeast Area hosts many, many Schools of Instruction. From the work I've seen in our more sparsely populated area, I really think we have some wonderfully good ritual being performed. Most Masons in the state of Minnesota don't come down to our neck of the woods and that's a shame. If you're interested in making a visit, just visit here.


What I really found interesting was the tour of the building. WBro. Mark Campbell led us through the building to see all the different areas of the building. The Scottish Rite temple was originally a church, the Fowler Methodist Episcopal Church. As explained by WBro. Mark, the congregation merged with the Heenepin Avenue Methodist Church and to prevent competition with some other church, the Church sold the building to the Minneapolis Valley in 1916. Many modifications to the building have occurred since that time. I was very impressed by the building and I think all Masons should make a trip to this amazing Masonic edifice. In fact, Lodge #19 currently meets in this building so all Master Masons from Grand Lodges in amity with the Grand Lodge of Minnesota may visit.

In all, I had a very enjoyable time and solidified friendships with many brothers I only see once in awhile. Congratulations to all the fine ritualists at the One Day; you guys did an outstanding job. Congratulations also goes out to the class for having been made Master Masons.

Jan 23, MASONIC CLIP ART - Huge Selection of FREE Freemason Graphics and Images

Masonic Lodge of Education - Mon, 01/23/2012 - 16:50

This list of free Masonic Clip Art Websites saves you time searching for high resolution Masonic symbols, images and graphics in .tif, .format; and .gif and .jpg formats.for web quality graphics.

Jan 22, MASONIC LODGE LOCATIONS,...Find a Masonic lodge in the U.S. or internationally

Masonic Lodge of Education - Sun, 01/22/2012 - 15:42

Use this list of Masonic lodge locations around the world to find a Masonic lodge in a state or country near you.

Jan 22, OLDEST MASONIC LODGE - Where Is It Located?

Masonic Lodge of Education - Sun, 01/22/2012 - 15:29

Which is the oldest Masonic Lodge in the world? You may be very surprised at the answer!

Oderfelt No. 35 OSM

Freemasonry Tomorrow - Sun, 01/22/2012 - 04:18

On Friday I was delighted to attend Odersfelt OSM No. 35 in Heckmondwike where I proposed the health of two of the candidates I had proposed into the Conclave. This was an Emergency Meeting so we could bring the candidates in before the Installation meeting. We have brought in six candidates this year, with an Induction at each of the three meetings of the Conclave throughout the year, next year. A bright future is ahead for Odersfelt Conclave No. 35.

"America's Book Of Secrets: Freemasons" Next Saturday Night

Freemasonry for Dummies - Sat, 01/21/2012 - 23:33

Next Saturday night, January 28th, Alice and I will appear in "America's Book Of Secrets: Freemasons" at 10PM on the H2 network (formerly History International). I haven't seen the episode, so I can make no promises about it. I know how much they shot and the questions we answered, but who knows what the final edit contains. I know they also used interviews with Dr. Bob Hieronimus and MW Akram Elias, PGM of the Grand Lodge of Washington DC, and I am told they shot scenes inside of DC's Naval Lodge No. 4. I have seen a preview that shows the participation of famed paranoid Jim Marrs and the execrable Alex Jones on the "anti" side. In the name of balance, you know.

The History Channel folks interviewed us at Indiana Freemasons' Hall, with a few shots at the Indianapolis Scottish Rite Cathedral, as well. The Cathedral is the biggest Scottish Rite building in the world, and the Indianapolis Valley has the largest AASR membership in the world.

Knight Masons

Freemasonry for Dummies - Sat, 01/21/2012 - 19:05

I had the honor today of joining Knight Masons Indiana Council No. 15. Knight Masonry is based on Irish versions of what we in the U.S. work as Red Cross degrees in the Knights Templar, all concerning the return to Jerusalem of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity: Knight of the Sword, Knight of the East, and Knight of the East and West. In Ireland the degrees were split off 1923 and a Grand Council was formally constituted. In the U.S., Knight Masons is an invitational York Rite body, while in Ireland, Mark Master and Royal Arch Masons may apply to join.

My thanks to the officers and participants in today's degrees. The work was held at the new Sahara Grotto building on Indianapolis' south side.

A Favourite Masonic Moment

Just a Mason - Thu, 01/19/2012 - 04:18

The other night, the Master of a Lodge decided to go around the room and have the members who braved the icy roads introduce themselves and tell the others a bit about themselves. I suppose such an exercise has some benefits, though it gets a little embarrassing going “I” and “me” an awful lot. Then he went around the Lodge room again and asked everyone for their favourite or most memorable Masonic moment.

Naturally, the two may not be the same thing. For one Entered Apprentice in the room, they were, as he really only had the night of his initiation to talk about. Some of my own memorable moments are not particularly favourite ones—it isn’t easy handing in the warrant of your Lodge as Worshipful Master, for example. But I chose one about a visit I had made with members of the Lodge to another jurisdiction when I was a young member in another Lodge, and something kind of amusing involving some brothers who have since departed to the Grand Lodge Above.

What was interesting is a number of the Masons in the room who had been members for a long time gave the same kind of thing as a favourite moment—namely, visiting other Lodges and meeting other Masons who they never would have met under any other circumstances.

One of the joys of belonging to a fraternity like Freemasonry is the instant friendship someone can have with total strangers, a friendship based on altruism. Masons aren’t members for any material gains they can acquire. Anyone who joins for that reason (if he admits such to an investigation committee) will quickly wonder why they just didn’t become members of a Chamber of Commerce or business owners’ group where little more is required than paying an annual fee. Because Freemasonry is not an organisation designed to make some kind of “contacts.” Its purpose is a greater one.

Conversely, it’s sad when officers rise to give the Toast to the Visitors and admit they’ve never, ever been to another Lodge. They’re missing a real blessing by not meeting others.

Freemasons are supposed to lend encouragement to each other to make them all better human beings. It can’t be done without contact of some kind with one another. Meeting face to face, just getting a friendly smile and a laugh or a hand on the shoulder in sympathy or sorrow if need be, is beyond monetary worth. Each time surely must qualify as a favourite Masonic moment.

The Nite Show: Interview with Professor Weinberger

The Millennial Freemason - Wed, 01/18/2012 - 17:30

I caught this wonderful interview on The Nite Show with Tom Mischke. On this particular program, Mischke is speaking with the author of Too Big to Know, Prof. David Weinberger. 


What is knowledge? How has the Internet changed how we as human beings seek out information and what does that do to the paradigm of knowledge seeking that we know? Just a wonderful discussion and as a Mason, I think that there really is some need for us to understand the way that the Internet will affect human knowledge in the future.

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