Archives for June 2009

More Peach Publicity – The Gates Are Open

June 30, 2009 by Fred Milliken

I have been saying for years that if we don’t police ourselves, Freemasonry will wake up some day and find some national print media will sensationalize a provocative, blaring story on the Black discrimination in the Craft and it will wish it had done something about it before hand. That time is now upon us. Does no one else wish to do something instead of sitting on one’s hands?

WASHINGTON POST REPORTS:

Masons’ spat over black inductee spills into court

By GREG BLUESTEIN

The Associated Press
Tuesday, June 30, 2009; 3:36 PM

“ATLANTA — There are a few prerequisites for anyone applying to be a Freemason: You must be a man, you can’t be a slave, you must have good character and you must have faith in a supreme being.”

“Those broad rules have allowed some of the more progressive chapters in the centuries-old fraternal organization, such as Atlanta’s Gate City Lodge No. 2, to fill their ranks with diverse members.”

“The chapter’s leaders say that racial harmony was threatened recently when other Freemasons sought to revoke the lodge’s charter for allowing Victor Marshall, who is black, to join up. The dispute has drawn the normally secretive group into a rare public battle. “

“The chapter sued the Grand Lodge of Georgia on June 18, claiming the charges are based on “racial animosity and hatred” and violate the organization’s principles.”

The Associated Press has the same story by the same author.

“The lawsuit claims members then filed “spurious” charges within the state organization against the Atlanta chapter’s leader, Michael Bjelajac, claiming he violated the group’s rules because he allowed a nonwhite man into the group. They say he violated the “Laws of Masonry” and the “moral law,” according to the complaint.”

“The charges seek to oust Bjelajac and revoke the chapter’s charter, according to the lawsuit.”

“The Georgia chapter’s attorneys, who are also Freemasons, said the lawsuit is one of only a handful against Freemason organizations in recent years. In 2008, a West Virginia Freemason leader sued, claiming he was defamed after he changed membership policies to make them less discriminatory and racist.”

Where will the story show up next?

What Drives the Anti-Masons?

June 30, 2009 by TimBryce

Everybody is worried about Masons taking over the world. Heck, we can’t even organize a picnic.
– A Mason from Washington state.

To find an Anti-Mason, you need look no further than the Internet for there is an abundance of discourse on the Net berating and misrepresenting the fraternity. As Freemasons, we are blamed for everything from the assassination of JFK, to World War I, both Gulf Wars, and God knows what else. The same people who track UFOs, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and Elvis, are the same people tracking Freemasonry.

Why? Because we make a convenient target.

As a “society with secrets” (not a “secret society”) it is easy to draw erroneous conclusions about our motives and activities. And make no mistake, the Anti-Masons are capitalizing on the naivete of the general public in the same manner as the supermarket tabloids do and for the same reason: to make a buck.

In researching this subject, I visited numerous Anti-Masonic web sites on the Internet. Even though they are all closely related, I have categorized the Anti-Masons into three groups: Conspiracists, Religious Zealots, and Wackos.

Conspiracists

I like to refer to these type of Anti-Masons as Michael Moore “wannabees” as they are alarmists claiming that the sky is falling. They are all self-proclaimed freedom fighters acting as watchdogs of the fraternity. They write numerous exposes on Freemasonry with just enough research to make them look authoritative on the subject. What is disturbing here is that although Freemasons can easily see through the malarkey in their writings, the general public cannot.

At the root of their argument is the premise that Freemasons are overtly concerned about the social engineering of the planet. Under their scenario, the Masonic Fraternity is an inherent member of the Illuminati, a group of international bankers and power brokers who are obsessed with enslaving the human race and putting all of the world’s wealth into their hands. If this was true, I wish the Illuminati would share some of their wealth with the many Craft Lodges who are struggling to make ends meet.

Religious Zealots

In a nutshell, the religious zealots portray Freemasonry as either an autonomous religion or as one dedicated to Satan. We also have people claiming to have been Masons but have “seen the light” and recanted their membership. Frankly, their membership in the Masons are somewhat questionable as their description of Masonic activities doesn’t jive with what we have learned.

“Ex-Masons for Jesus” is an organization of Christian men and women who claim to have been members of a Masonic Lodge or one of the affiliated Masonic organizations such as Eastern Star, DeMolay, Job’s Daughters or Rainbow Girls. “We have left Masonry because of our commitment to Jesus Christ and a realization that Masonry is not consistent with a sincere expression of the Christian faith. We have found that participation in Freemasonry interferes with a close relationship with Jesus Christ.” Nuts.

Wackos

Finally, we come to the offbeat critics of the fraternity who attack it for a variety of reasons, such as child abuse and other forms of sexual misconduct.

To prove their point, the Anti-Masons turn to Masonic and news quotations to support their claims. In reality, the sources are either misquoted or quoted out of context. However, accuracy of reporting and truthfulness is not the forte of the Anti-Masons.

CONCLUSION

As Masons we are charged not to suffer our zeal for the institution to lead us into arguments with those who, through ignorance, may ridicule it. But because we often cloak our ceremonies in secrecy, we make a convenient target to be cast in the role of “bogeyman.” Laugh as we might at our critics, they do have an effect on the general public. Let me give you an example, I know of a young Mason in the Tampa Bay area of Florida who was initiated an Entered Apprentice and passed to the degree of Fellow Craft before falling in love with a young woman who frequents the Internet and became suspicious of the fraternity her fiancé had joined. Frankly, I think she jealously saw Freemasonry as something that would divert his attention from her. Nonetheless, she read a lot of the propaganda and came to the erroneous conclusion that Freemasonry was anti-Christian with hidden motives and, consequently, swayed her fiance to halt his Masonic involvement.

Whether we like to portray ourselves as a “secret society” or a “society with secrets,” we have become fodder for every crackpot accusation imaginable. This puts us in the unenviable position of having to defend ourselves of every charge brought against us. As Masons, we can readily see through a lot of these falsehoods, but how do you defend yourself against a crime you didn’t commit? Unlike American jurisprudence where a man is “innocent until proven guilty” we find ourselves in the predicament of being “guilty until proven innocent.” Our critics know this and use it to their advantage by charging us with any ludicrous accusation they can dream up. Their motto seems to be, “When in doubt, blame the Masons.”

What our critics don’t seem to understand is how we investigate the background of everyone who petitions to join the fraternity. The only general criteria for joining is that a person believe in a Supreme Being (based on their religion of choice), that he does not believe in the overthrow of his resident government, and that he hasn’t committed any heinous crime. From this perspective, we are God-fearing peaceful citizens who happen to enjoy the company of other God-fearing peaceful citizens. If this is a crime, I plead guilty, most guilty.

In reality, our critics are well aware of this, and if they were to honestly answer you, they would have to admit as such.

So what is their motive? Why do they find it necessary to harass Freemasons? Is it because some of them were blackballed? Perhaps a woman feels scorned? Perhaps. More likely, it goes back to a simple human trait: Greed. If you look at the background of the Anti-Masons you will find people who have failed in business, but having an aptitude for writing, have concocted inflammatory stories which appeal to conspiricists, the religious right, and other wackos. Bottom-line: they are out to make a buck at the expense of Freemasonry. To do so, they build arguments out of minuscule incidents from our past and paint a picture of distrust and felonious activities with the truth sacrificed in the process. Even the noted author, Dan Brown, uses this to his advantage with his highly acclaimed books, such as “The Da Vinci Code” and the upcoming “The Solomon Key.” But unlike the Anti-Masons, and to his credit, Brown is quick to point out his stories are works of fiction. Bottom-line, the Anti-Masons are capitalizing on the ignorance of the public to sell books and make public appearances. Plain and simply, it’s all about money. They take a little Masonic knowledge and blow it out of proportion knowing we cannot or will not defend ourselves.

One interesting attribute of all of the Anti-Masons is that they strongly safeguard their identity. In fact, they are cloaked in more secrecy than a Masonic Communications. You won’t find too many photos of our detractors, and their whereabouts on this planet are strongly guarded. To communicate with them, you must go through a “cloak and dagger” e-mail process which I find to be particularly ironic as they often accuse Freemasonry of being too secretive. Fortunately, their anonymity hurts their credibility with the public.

Understand this, Freemasonry wouldn’t be plagued by such voluminous false accusations today had it not been for the Internet, a powerful communications medium that can carry the Anti-Masons messages to the masses at little cost. Sure, Freemasonry has had detractors in the past, but the Internet has accelerated the volume of contrived nonsense being presented to the public.

Also, many young people are caught up in the Anti-Mason movement which may be natural since young people find it fascinating to discuss cover-ups and conspiracies of world domination. Let us not forget that we live in a day and age of extremists who can readily communicate through this powerful medium.

So what should Masons do, turn the other cheek and let our critics run all over us? As Masons we are taught to subdue our passions and not directly engage our critics. Maybe. However, when flagrant errors appear in print, they should not go uncontested, otherwise the public will think the detractor is correct. As an example,

I do not encourage our Brothers to get directly into arguments with our critics, but I think we have a responsibility from time to time to clarify our position, if for no other reason, to dispel misinterpretations that might hurt our membership. I am reminded of what M:.W:.Harold G. Ballard, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, said,

Masons should never forget, nor miss an opportunity to inform the uninitiated that Freemasonry is a fraternity of men from all walks of life who meet as equals in a common quest for knowledge and a better life, both philosophical and material, for all mankind.

In other words, I recommend we become proactive in our communications with the general public, not reactive as we have been.

Just remember, the anti-Masons are not interested in the truth. If they truly did their homework, they would inevitably arrive at a different conclusion. As evidence, consider the work of Dr. Jessica Harland-Jacobs who wrote Builders of Empire: Freemasons and British Imperialism, 1717-1927 a non-Mason who thoroughly researched our background and “gets it.”

So, what drives the anti-Masons? In a nutshell: Money. Why do they continue to argue with the fraternity? Because we represent a threat to their livelihood. It’s as simple as that.

Keep the Faith.

by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA

“A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry”

NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction or any other Masonic related body. As with all of my Masonic articles herein, please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on Masonic web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following:

Article reprinted with permission of the author and www.FreemasonInformation.com

Please forward me a copy of the publication when it is produced.

Also be sure to check out Tim’s “Pet Peeve of the Week” (non-Masonic related).

Georgia News, Georgia Blues

June 29, 2009 by Fred Milliken

Late breaking news from the Georgia situation proves that this controversy will not be quietly fading into oblivion. The Atlanta Journal Constitution has picked up the story and it’s only a matter of time before other papers and media also latch onto it.

In a show of solidarity Mt. Rushmore Lodge #220 of the Grand Lodge of South Dakota has issued a public statement of support urging their Grand Lodge to do likewise.

Racial controversy spurs Atlanta affiliate to sue state Masons

By Péralte C. Paul
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, June 29, 2009

“An Atlanta chapter of the Masons and its senior officer are suing the state body and two high-ranking members of other Georgia chapters, saying leaders are trying to disband them because they accepted a black man as a member.”

“Gate City Lodge No. 2 and its head, Michael J. Bjelajac, filed the complaint in DeKalb County Superior Court. It names the Grand Lodge of Georgia Free & Accepted Masons, the state level of an international fraternal organization; Douglas Hubert Ethridge of Atlanta; Starling A. “Sonny” Hicks of Stockbridge, and W. Franklin Aspinwall Jr. of Kingsland as defendants.”

“Aspinwall, a Georgia attorney, is named in the suit because he was appointed to chair the internal “trial” the group plans to have.”

“Bjelajac and Gate City claim when they accepted 26-year-old Victor Marshall into membership last fall, Hicks and Ethridge wrote letters to the state organization, saying allowing a nonwhite man into the group violated the association’s moral and Masonic laws.”

“Hicks and Ethridge are high-ranking in their respective chapters.”

Monday, June 29, 2009

Upholding the Masonic Ideals of Equality and Tolerance

“Mt. Rushmore Lodge No. 220 took the following action at their regularly stated communication on the 25th of June:”

“In light of the events occurring within the Grand Lodge of Georgia and their possible implications for the Universal Brotherhood, the members of Mt. Rushmore Lodge No. 220 present at the regularly stated communication on June 25th have decided to take action by unanimously passing a resolution to request the following of the Grand Master of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in South Dakota:”

1)”That the Grand Lodge of South Dakota will issue a formal, public statement that it will not accept racial or religious intolerance, prejudice, or bigotry in any of its subordinate lodges.”

2)”That the statement will clearly state that the Grand Lodge of South Dakota believes in upholding the Masonic ideals of equality and tolerance”

3)”That the statement will be issued to all Masonic lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of South Dakota and in the Grand Lodge of South Dakota’s publications including The Masonic Messenger and Grand Lodge website.”

“The Brethren of Mt. Rushmore Lodge No. 220 believe that these recommendations will help the Grand Lodge of South Dakota to become a leader in making Freemasonry a 21st Century fraternity.”

2009 Prince Hall Texas Grand Lodge Session

June 29, 2009 by Fred Milliken

I always enjoy attending Grand Lodge Session at The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas. We meet twice per year, a four day session in the summer and a two day gathering in the winter. This year the summer session ran from Thursday June 25^th through Sunday June 28^th.

I was only able to attend the last two days this year on Saturday & Sunday. I missed the various workshops, officers meetings and Past Masters degree for all the new Masters on Thursday along with the Gospel Festival at night. I also missed the Heroines Prayer Breakfast and the welcoming of all visitors and the bulk of the business conducted by the Grand Lodge on Friday along with the St. John Day Service & Memorial followed by The High Twelve Club dance at night.

Saturday morning is traditionally set aside for the Grand Master’s Allocution followed by election of Grand Lodge officers. There was no exception this year. The Grand Master told us all that he was so glad to see a full house because he had been worrying about attendance in these tough economic times. Civil economic recession and depression do have a detrimental effect on the Craft. The Grand Master in his sixth Allocution reported on the accomplishments and the losses of the previous year along with the state of the Craft. Some of his address is private and confidential but I can tell you that he issued three dispensations for the laying of cornerstones, dedicated a Prince Hall cemetery for us in Texas and reported on the raising of 56 Master Masons at the previous Winter Session. He also had to remind us that Grand Lodge had withdrawn recognition of Texas Prince Hall Shrine.

This Allocution was delivered before the entire Prince Hall Family including the Heroines of Jericho and the OES who also addressed the combined Body. Prince Hall Texas always gathers as a family. OES conducts their Grand Session on the same days as Grand Lodge does, meeting in the same building and likewise the Heroines of Jericho who hold their Grand Session at the hotel where all who desire have rooms and where all members of the family gather for our banquets.

So Saturday after the Grand Master’s election we elected the Grand Lodge officers for the ensuing term, finished up the business of Grand Lodge, closing in a record early time this year. Lunch was a feast at the Headquarters Hotel where all three Bodies presented awards to their members and scholarships to deserving high school graduates. I always manage to meet someone new at Grand Session and this year was no exception. I had a long, enjoyable conversation with four Brothers from El Paso. I asked them how long a drive it was and they replied nine hours. Texas is a pretty big state and many come from long distances for Grand Lodge Session.

Saturday night the traditional Masonic Family Banquet is held at the hotel always with a prominent guest speaker. All members of the Prince Hall family gather to celebrate. It’s open to the public so many bring non member spouses and friends. This year’s speaker was Past Grand Master of South Carolina, Alonzo Haynes.

His message to us centered on, “If we will do our part, God will do his part.” The family banquet opened with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and then opening prayer. Along the way between some official greetings we were all entertained by two soloists. The last one had the entire gathering on its feet joining in to the rendition of “I am a Living Testimony.” Grand Master Curtis brief closing remarks followed by prayer closed the Prince Hall Masonic Family Banquet for 2009. All that was left was a Sunday morning prayer service followed by the Installations of all three Houses.

Grand Master Wilbert M. Curtis

June 29, 2009 by Fred Milliken

The Honorable Wilbert M. Curtis, Grand Master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas, is the type of person not usually found in the Grand East. He is not loud or flamboyant or a braggadocio. He is a quiet, gentle man who leads his Grand Lodge with kindness and thoughtfulness. Oh, don’t get me wrong, he can get tough when he has to but by then all other resources have been exhausted and nary a member would disagree with his actions.

This type of leadership is sorely lacking in many jurisdictions of all different Obediences. It is all the rage these days to follow the leadership style of General George S. Patten, but not Grand Master Curtis. He is a leader totally accessible by any and all members of the Craft. He is a giving person with a good heart who will always be appreciative of what you can do for Freemasonry within the length of your cable tow. He doesn’t go out of his way to criticize others but would rather gently nudge you along. He motivates and inspires all of us who know him with his leadership style. Consequently he is a most beloved Grand Master.

None of these qualities equate with weakness or timidness. Grand Master Curtis is a confident, strong leader who has gained national recognition. He has been elected President of the Conference of Grand Masters, PHA. He recently was invited to the Northern United Supreme Council (PHA) where he met and had conversation with Sov. Grand Commander John Wm. McNaughton of the Supreme Council, AASR, Northern Jurisdiction, Mainstream. Soon after he attended a history making event in Tulsa, Oklahoma where the AF & AM Grand Lodge officers and Past Grand Masters attended the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Oklahoma. In a time when we read disheartening stories elsewhere of Masonic racial unrest, Grand Master Curtis quietly and confidently forges ahead in building bridges of cooperation among all peoples.

After Grand Lodge Session closed Grand Master Curtis invited me up to his office to see his Commission from the Grand Lodge of England as Representative to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas and the jewel received from the same. Below are pictures of Grand Master Curtis with these items.

If you ever run into this man, don’t hesitate to stop and say hello for he is very much a man of the people who would enjoy conversing with you.

An Allegorical Dream

June 29, 2009 by The Euphrates

The other evening I had a strange dream. Now, most dreams are rather odd, but every once in a while a dream gives us a bit of truth about life. The following is an account of my dream.

I found myself driving along a highway, following a gray pick up truck. I could see that we were nearing a storm on the horizon and it appeared to be a cloud burst. It was obvious that the rain was very heavy because the curtains created by the precipitation from the clouds had ceased to be translucent and had now become opaque, blocking out all light from the sun.

As I entered the storm following the gray truck, I thought to myself “As long as I stay behind that vehicle, I will be safe. The pickup will guide the way.” But while I turned on my head and tail lights so that the vehicles in front of and behind me could see my car, the truck didn’t follow suit. The gray color of the truck provided it with the perfect camouflage in the rain storm and without the rays of red emanating from its tail lights it was nearly impossible to see. My windshield wipers struggled to remove the dense rainfall from my view and I feared that I would not be able to find the vehicle that was suppose to be guiding me through the rain.

In a moment of desperation, I pressed harder on the accelerator to find the gray truck. As I sped through the sheets of rain I wondered if it had pulled off of the road and I was lost forever. Finally, I saw the reflection of my head lights on the wet tailgate of the truck. I realized that if I could see my own reflection in my guide, that I could properly follow it anywhere.

I found this dream incredibly applicable to the idea of knowing thyself, which is an important part of a person’s overall spiritual health. It is impossible to learn more about God without learning more about one’s self. Self examination is essential to spiritual growth.

The idea of examining one’s inner self in order to come closer to God is an ancient concept. In the Bible, it can be found in the very first chapter of Genesis:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27

This passage has long supported the idea that there is some sort of divine spark in man. Something that raises man above the animals and makes him god-like. If a man can look at his own reflection and see the part of the Divine which exists in him, he can unlock the mysteries of his Creator. As Oscar Wilde once said “The final mystery is oneself.”

Masonry is a personal journey that leads us through the journey of knowing ourselves. It invokes the contemplation of our past, present, and current conduct, how we can better ourselves, how we view God, and even our own mortality. In order to truly understand Freemasonry, we cannot only look to the organization for our purpose; we must look inside and discover what role Freemasonry plays in ourselves. Through personal study, meditation, and devotion we can truly subdue our passions and improve ourselves in Masonry. This is how Freemasonry helps us to know thyself.

The Hindus use the greeting Namaste—or I bow to you—which is commonly used in religion to say “I salute the divine within you.” I think that this salutation is a fitting way to end this article.

Namaste.

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Prince Hall Texas Installation

June 28, 2009 by Fred Milliken

The Prince Hall Family not only gathers at the same time, celebrates together but also holds their Installations together. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas, Heroines of Jericho, PHA Affiliated, Texas and Eastern Star, PHA Affiliated, Texas all gather in one room where a public Installation for all three is held.

Officiating at this year’s Installation again was Past Grand Master Edwin B. Cash the only living Past Grand Master the Grand Lodge has still alive. Assisting him in the Installation of the Heroines and OES was the Honorable Cleveland K. Wilson, Grand Master of Arkansas. Grand Master Curtis told us that he and GM Wilson have been friends for a long time, long since either was Grand Master and that he regards the Arkansas Grand a mentor.

The Installation was kept simple many of those being installed having served a number of years in their position. Grand Master Curtis was installed for his 7^th consecutive term as Grand. The long list of duties and responsibilities were admitted in favor of some remarks from the heart. Instead of long drawn out ceremonies with a lot of hot wind, the gathering was more a love fest, a gathering of family that was close in contrast to a business gathering usually performed out of necessity.

While the installations are considered a most serious and sincere ceremony yet there is always room for some humor. The Grand Marshal assisted by electronic media master technicians will add something different each year to make sure we get a little joviality in the production. Some years it might involve some special visual effects, at other times participants specially dressed and most always some special music. This year as in most years in parading the newly installed around before all assembled, the Grand Marshall added some dance steps to be imitated that were most extraordinary.

The 2009 joint installations started at 10:00 AM on Sunday 6/28/09 and ended after the Grand Masters remarks at 11:30 AM. Everyone participating and attending left feeling satisfied and bursting with pride. It seems to me that part of the success of the Prince Hall Family of Texas is that it is a family, one that supports each other and does the fraternal thing as a team. Another plus is the continuity of leadership. The vision doesn’t change every year and the policies of the last administration are not all overturned to be replaced with new designs which in turn will be discarded by the next successor. Perhaps the whole thing works so well because those in power aren’t there for the raw power of command nor the prestige of office but rather to fulfill a mission in life. And that’s why I’m proud to be a Prince Hall Mason.

A Short(er) History of Early Women Freemasons

June 26, 2009 by Greg Stewart

By Karen Kidd
Author of “Haunted Chambers: the Lives of Early Women Freemasons”

Controversial American author Robert Temple observed “Technology is forbidden when it is not allowed to exist.”

“It is easy to forbid technology to exist in the past because all you have to do is to deny it. Enforcing the ban then becomes a simple matter of remaining deaf, dumb and blind. And most of us have no trouble in doing that when necessary. . . I call it consensus blindness. People agree not to see what they are convinced cannot exist.”

Temple made these comments in his paper “Forbidden Technology”, which is about optical technology, long denied by “experts”, that none-the-less existed for millennia.

“Consensus blindness” long has been the unwritten/unspoken rule among Malecraft Masons, likewise accepted by many non Masons including women, about the existence of early women Freemasons. However, just as there are lenses in Ancient Egyptian archaeological finds dating to the 4^th and 5^th dynasties at Abydos, so also have women Masons existed throughout all of the modern Freemasonic period^{^[1]}.

Denying their existence, for centuries, was the expected norm and any Masonic historian who wrote about them had to adopt a sort of double-speak. For instance, 20^th Century Masonic scholar Carl Claudy, when he wrote about women Freemasons in his “Masonic Harvest”, spent the first page of that chapter stating that women could not be Freemasons; then ten pages describing – with continual double-speak – the lives of those women Freemasons.

Claudy, whatever his personal opinions, had no choice but to write about early Women Freemasons in this way. Had he attempted to be more straight-forward, it likely would never have been published. In this way, Claudy and other Masonic writers kept from complete obscurity the lives of these women Freemasons.

Their existence is a fact, despite determined effort to ignore, marginalize and deny it. That effort, however, ongoing for centuries, has done its worst. The very vast majority of early women Freemasons are unknown to us. Finding them can take as much effort as it did to obscure them.

They include:

Gunnilda the Mason: a female operative mason mentioned by name as living in Norwich in the Calendar of Close Rolls for the year 1256^{^[2]}.
Elizabeth St. Leger Aldworth: initiated into her father’s lodge in County Cork in Ireland before the founding of the modern Freemasonry Grand Lodges.
Hannah Mather Crocker: Grand Mistress of the Femalecraft St. Ann’s Lodge in Boston during the 1770s.
Henriette Heiniken: better known as “Madame de Xaintrailles”, a hero of the Napoleonic wars initiated into an otherwise Malecraft Lodge in Paris the early 19^th Century.
Mary Ann Belding Sproul: an early New Brunswick settler initiated into her husband’s Lodge in the early 19^th Century.
Catherine Sweet Babington: a teen-ager when she snuck into her uncles’ lodge in East Kentucky, initiated into that Lodge at the height of the anti-Masonic era spawned by the disappearance of William Morgan.
Salome Anderson: late 19^th Century wealthy matron of Oakland, CA, outed as a Freemason by a respected Masonic publication six years before her death in 1898.

And many more. Late 19^th Century Masonic history W. Fred Vernon, writing when Malecraft Masons were a bit more laid back about the subject, commented, “I have no doubt other ancient Lodges have their lady members just as ancient buildings have their haunted chambers.”[3]

I’ve heard my book is a threat to all Freemasonry, Malecraft Masonry in particular. This is no more true than admitting to the existence of their contemporary male brethren is a threat to any part of Freemasonry. All our Brethren who have passed to the Grand Lodge above, be they male or female, are to be remembered and emulated.

While none of these women were Co-Masons, they did pave the way for that part of Freemasonry. And, today, women can become Freemasons without eavesdropping, sneaking into lodges or hiding in furniture.

For more than a century, Freemasonry has operated in three parts. There is Malecraft Masonry, there is Femalecraft Masonry and there is Co- or Mixed Masonry. And we know this system can work, largely before it does.

And so it will continue with the past duly recalled. I wrote about these women to follow in the tradition of Claudy and other Masonic historians who kept their stories alive. I wrote the truth that this generation, and the next, may find worthy of remembrance.

Listen to the Masonic Central Podcast with Br. Kidd.

[1] Temple’s paper was published in the Summer 2001 edition (Issue 17) of Freemasonry Today and is available online here: http://www.freemasonrytoday.com/17/p11.php

[2] See “Calendar of Close Rolls 1254-1256”, page 366

[3] See “Ars Quatour Coronatorum, Vol. V (1892)“.

Haunted Chambers, the lives of early women Freemasons.

June 25, 2009 by Greg Stewart

Join Masonic Central this Sunday, June 28^th at 6pm PDT / 9pm EDT as we meet and talk to Br. Karen Kidd, the author of the new book Haunted Chambers: The Lives of Early Women Freemasons.

The topic of the program is a haughtily debated one, and certain not to be decided in the time we spend in the program. But we will discuss the book, some of the notable history of Feminine Freemasonry, and perhaps explore what that means today.

Missed the live program? Listen Now!

From the site:

These women aren’t supposed to have existed.

But they did.

“Haunted Chambers“, for the first time ever, presents not only the most complete list of early women Freemasons but also as much detail about their lives as can still be found. Here are their stories, long suppressed, ignored and marginalized. They include medieval women stone cutters; so-called “adoptive” women Freemasons; an aristocrat; a countess; an early New Brunswick settler; a war hero; a writer of women’s rights; an immigrant Irish girl; the famed sculptress of Abraham Lincoln’s statue in the US Capitol Rotunda and many whose names are now lost.

Some will find this book a challenge. Some would rather it never had been written, let alone published. “Haunted Chambers” is highly recommended to anyone who wants the actual history of these early women Freemasons and aren’t afraid to read it.

This is a special hour and a half long program on Masonic Central on Sunday June 28^th starting at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT to explore the dark and mysterious Haunted Halls of history and its impact on Freemasonry today. In the last half hour we will open a segment for your questions and comments to the author live on the air. To ask your questions call: (347) 677-0936 during the program.

You can listen to the program live from our home at Blog Talk Radio here and join in with our live program chat, or from our player widget on our website at Freemasoninformation.com

>>Download the Program

Sex and Rockets – The Occult World of Jack Parsons – A Review

June 24, 2009 by Masonic Traveler

The occult, in the early part of the 20^th century, set the stage for how it has come to be perceived in the 21^st Century. Never has the explanation of the third way come into a mainstream light (except in works of fiction books and film) where it has been readily played up with bright flashes of scintillating energy and half mad megalomaniacs bent on short cutting their way to the realms of the Gods. Few have gone so far as to suggest the connection between space and the realm of the divine powers except in some of the more bizarre Lovecraftian tales of horror and suspense. (See The Best of H. P. Lovecraft). But the ground work of this 20^th century occult, while shaped in one part by Manly P. hall was

also shaped in character that was formed by the man Marvel “Jack” “John” Parsons. And this tale, as told in the book “Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons” by John Carter is every bit science fact of rocket to the moon as it is Aleister Crowley‘s failure in inspiring his new aeon and Babylon working to manifest in his Thelemic following in Los Angles circa 1946. In Jack Parsons, hubris and vanity were very much a part of his wonder at the idea of sending rockets into space. But even in his explosive demise, Parson’s legacy on earth has crowned him a father of modern Rocketry with a crater dedicated to him on the dark side of the moon.

First published in 2004, Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons is the biography of Jack Parsons. A self taught scientist and rocketer, Parsons started his career path as a hobby of sorts, fueled in the exhaust of creating rockets to soar into the high earth atmosphere. This was in the age of fiction and rockets were only the dreams of explorers and fiction writers. Like all men of vision, however, Parsons worked endlessly to create sufficient thrust to make the rocket work. In this early life he also found and embraced the works of Aleister Crowley which became his faith, of sorts, by his practice of Thelema. His devotion grew over time in that he became the head of the Agape Lodge of the OTO in the mid 1940’s which met and practiced in his Bohemian home in Pasadena. In this period, Parsons regularly corresponded with Crowley, whose agents locally praised him as the successor of Crowley’s New Aeon and great work.

left to right: Rudolph Schott, Apollo Milton Olin Smith, future JPL Director Frank Malina (white shirt, dark pants), Ed Forman and Jack Parsons (right, foreground). Nov. 15, 1936. Image from NASA/JPL-Caltech

The book spends a considerable amount of time on Parsons life, but also included some interesting details on the Ordo Templi Orientis order that Parsons was at first so devoted to. As it reads Carter spends considerable time in developing the history of the OTO from 1895 through Crowley’s taking over and the credibility collapse of its founders Kellner, Reuss, Mathers, and Westcott. The history, as encapsulated in the book, is an interesting read especially as it contextualizes their history with Crowley, but also with their connections in Los Angeles in the early incubation of the occult today. Unlike Manly P. Hall (the author of The Secret Teachings of All Ages), Crowley sent Wilfred Smith (himself a student of the OTO and Crowley) with the purpose of opening an OTO lodge, which was incorporated in 1934 and met for the first time in 1935.

It was in this era that Jack Parson’s variously worked at the predecessor of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a variety of explosives companies, Electric companies, and gas stations (notably, even rocket scientists needing to work). In this mix of engineering academia and occult practice, Parson’s path merged in a John Dee/Edward Kelly fashion with the infamous L.Ron Hubbard (before his Scientology fame). In this time, Hubbard variously played scribe, confidant, and polyamerious love interest to Parson’s spouse Betty who, Carter writes, Hubbard absconded with along with the start up capitol that he and Parson’s had used to start a business. Crowley even going so far to say of Hubbard: “Suspect Ron playing confidence trick–Jack Parsons weak fool–obvious victim prowling swindlers.” In a letter a few days later he said, “It seems to me on the information of our brethren in California that Parsons has got an illumination in which he lost all his personal independence. From our brother’s account he has given away both his girl and his money. Apparently it is the ordinary confidence trick.”. Included in the book are the notes Hubbard took while acting as scribe in Parsons ritual workings.

From his start, it seemed Parsons was destined for something great (magickly or otherwise), but ultimately met his demise in a fiery explosion in his garage turned laboratory/workshop. Sensing his end, perhaps, Carter reports that the last words spoken by Parsons were “I wasn’t done…“. This final utterance is cryptic in that his professional life had blurred the line with his occult life leaving us to wonder which work he saw unfinished. Carter suggests that Parson’s was a man drawn by an over arched Oedipious complex and a life long search for a father figure, both in Smith and in Crowley himself. At his end, it would seem he found it in neither.

Carter does an ample job in giving life to Parson’s beyond his mundane occupation of jet propulsion and established him as one of the patriarchs of the occult in Los Angeles. As notable as he is in the scientific community, few know his name in the occult community. What his tangible contribution is will be up to those who follow in his footsteps, but his early dalliances and their display in the public sphere ushered in the modern perception of the occult and quite possibly the era of the baby boomers and their unknown working of the Thelemic philosophy that Parsons hoped would take hold. Parson’s, despite his end, explored the paths he wanted to physically and spiritually. His unfinished work being his legacy, left for us to continue to explore.

I recommend the book Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons by John Carter, which is available at Amazon.