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Day 3

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Day 3 – GRAND SESSION OF PRINCE HALL ARKANSAS – FEBRUARY 27, 2010

Day 3 was a very busy day.  Grand Lodge convened at 9:00 AM with all dignitaries present.  Most of the remaining Committee reports were dispensed with.  Then the Grand Master opened the doors for the OES ladies who were also having their Grand Convocation in their Grand Lodge hall.  Grand Worthy Matron Winnie Ruth Johnson was given a prominent seat in the East along with many Arkansas and out of state visiting OES Grand Officers behind her.

The Grand Master made his Grand Address before all OES and Master Masons assembled together.  It was a packed house with standing room only. Much of what the Grand Master said is private and not for public consumption.  Some of it was tough but Grand Master Wilson is not one to shy away from tough issues.  I can tell you that he asked all within his jurisdiction to step up to the plate, “We can make a difference,” he reminded us.  He lamented on the fact that bogus, fake Masonry in Arkansas is more active in society than Prince Hall and it shouldn’t be that way.  “Education is the key to our success,” he emphatically stated. “You can’t lead where you don’t go and you can’t teach what you don’t know,” he added as he announced the forming of a state wide Masonic Quiz Bowl Competition. And he commented on the fact that he often visits his chartered Lodges. “What the members of a subordinate Lodge need to ask themselves when they hear an alarm at the door is – is that the Grand Master?”

After his address all Heads of Houses and visiting dignitaries were asked to speak a few words, after which the women were dismissed and the Grand Lodge proceeded to wrap up any business it heretofore had not completed.

There followed nominations for the elected offices of Grand Lodge, conducted by Honorable Deary Vaughn, Grand Master of Prince Hall Oklahoma and also Sovereign Grand Commander AASR PHA Southern Jurisdiction.  Following nominations Grand Master Vaughn installed all the officers. The 138th Grand Session of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Arkansas was called off until next year.

The business, elections and installation were over but not the celebration.  Day 3 saw us all gather back at the banquet hall at Grand Lodge at 7:00 PM for the Trustees Banquet.  After  we all sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and the benediction, we all dined on sliced Angus beef and baked chicken breast in champagne sauce with all the fixings.

The speaker for the banquet was State Representative Stephanie Flowers. Her message was titled “Stick To The Task” and revolved around the scripture of Nehemiah 4:7&8. She told us that her father was a lawyer and that when she graduated from Law School her father presented her with a Holy Bible inscribed by him.  All her fellow graduates were getting big checks or a new car.  Didn’t her father understand what is needed for a brand new lawyer to launch her career?

She didn’t understand her father’s actions then as well as she does now. Today that Bible is her most used and treasured possession, she said.  As a matter of fact it is a little beat up and dog eared.  That white Bible is now more brown than white.

Continuing on to her message she told us, “Hindering good work is what bad men aim at.” And: “Nehemiah put his career under divine protection.” We should do the same she told us.  What is in it for us today, she asked – “Put God first, watch and pray.”

The end of the festivities was the raffle drawing for the 2010 Chevy Cobalt which was in the banquet hall with us.  This is a major money maker by the Trustees of the building for the building fund.

Closing remarks by Grand Worthy Matron, Winnie Ruth Johnson and Grand Master Cleveland K. Wilson, followed by all voices singing God Bless American and the benediction, closed out the festivities of the evening.

Yet there is still more to be said.  During my three days at Grand Session in Arkansas I had the opportunity to watch Grand Master Wilson lead his flock and I took some time to size him up.

The Grand Master of a Grand Lodge has to have a certain presence. GM Cleveland Wilson has presence, the presence of command.  There is no doubt about who is in charge of the MWPHGL of Arkansas.

There is the need for the Captain of the Ship to have not only the presence of command but the ability and knowledge to make intelligent and correct decisions. If you listen to GM Wilson for a brief time you can tell that he has his priorities in the right order and that he knows what is best for his jurisdiction.

It is also important for a Grand Master to have a humble and loving heart. I can’t tell you the number of times that GM Wilson tells the members of his Grand Lodge that he loves them and appreciates them.  And he tells all that he is their servant.

The last trait that you look for in a Grand Master is toughness.  No one would ever describe GM Wilson as a “milktoast” sort of guy. Tough but kind are hard traits to find in the same person, but find it you will in the person, in the heart, in the soul of one Honorable Cleveland K. Wilson.

The Grand Master’s address was both tough and touching.  Much of the particulars were private and not able to be repeated.  But the sentiment, the feeling the Grand Master has for his Grand Lodge was right out there for all to grab onto. Tough and touching sums up Cleveland K. Wilson for me.

The Golden Rule

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The Golden Rule
THE GOLDEN RULE by Norman Rockwell 1894-1978

I thought that this would a good time to re-affirm the tenets of the Golden Rule and the scriptures that seem to capture the essence of it.

At its essence, reciprocity is the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have done to you.

Essentially, this is the application of the principal of the golden rule across 14 different faith traditions. It does not say they are all the same, rather it reflects a broader equanimity between all faiths and faith traditions and no matter your belief others believe similarly to you.

“By Speculative Masonry, we learn to subdue the passions, act upon the square, keep a tongue of good report, maintain secrecy, and practise charity. It is so far interwoven with religion as to lay us under obligations to pay that rational homage to the Deity, which at once constitutes our duty and our happiness. It leads the contemplative to view with reverence and admiration the glorious works of creation, and inspires him with the most exalted ideas of the perfections of his Divine Creator.”

Duncan’s Ritual & Monitor

The Golden Rule

“Lay not on any soul a load that you would not want to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.”
Baha’i Faith – Bahu’u’llah

“Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”
Buddhism – Udana-Varga 5:18

“In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law of the prophets.”
Christianity – Jesus in Matthew 7:12

“One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct…loving kindness. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.”
Confucianism – Confucius, Analects 15:23

“This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.”
Hinduism – Mahabharata 5:15-17

“Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.”
Islam – The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith

“One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated.”
Jainism – Mahavira, Sutrakritanga

“What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor, This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary.”
Judaism – Hillel, Talmud, Shabbat 31a

“We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive.”
Native American – Chief Dan George

“I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all.”
Sikhism – Guru Granth Sahib, pg. 1299

“Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.”
Taoism – T’ai Shang Kan Yin P’ien 213-218

“We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”
Unitarianism – Unitarian Principle

“An’ harm none, do as thou wilt.”
Wicca – The Wiccan Creed

“Do not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself.”
Zoroastrianism – Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29

Have faith.

Facebook Freemasonry

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facebook freemasonryOnce upon a time, organizations like Freemasonry were one of the most common forms of entertainment. Fraternities and community organizations offered a getaway from the daily routine and a chance to network with individuals that a person might not typically meet. Regardless of how much Freemasons talk about the necessity of education in our lodges—which is an issue that I regularly address—the truth is that the success of Freemasonry and other organizations is largely attributed to the fact that men are social creatures.

It seems that every time I attempt to answer the question “Why are you a Freemason?” I try to answer it by talking about my desire to seek self improvement through Freemasonry’s philosophy and allegorical lessons. But after stumbling through a long dissertation on that particular subject, I almost always come back to an easier reply: “Because Freemasonry has given me the opportunity to meet and associate with men of the finest character.”

Since I have become a Freemason, the constant focus of the Masonic organizations that I have been involved with has been how to attract new men to the fraternity and bring Brothers that don’t attend lodge back to our meetings. Many Brothers blame the fact that there are many other forms of entertainment available in today’s society. There is a lot of truth in this assumption because the way that people socialize has changed with technology. There was a time when a man would have to join an organization like Freemasonry in order to have a place to go and converse with other men sharing the same interests. Now, people can get home from work and plop down in front of the computer to spend an evening on Facebook.

I have heard a lot of my Brothers claim that the people who would rather spend time on Facebook or any other form of social media than come to a lodge meeting don’t know what they are missing. But what are they missing? Let’s take a look at what Facebook offers. There are no awkward introductions with Facebook, if you want to add someone as a friend you simply have to click your mouse. Anyone that has filled out a petition for Masonry knows that it can be intimidating to be the “new guy” and many seasoned Freemasons have to admit that visiting an unfamiliar lodge can make you feel like you don’t fit in. When you lose contact with a friend on Facebook, it is simple to write a brief message on their wall or check their status. If you lose contact with your Masonic lodge, it can sometimes be difficult to stay up to date with all of the lodge’s events. Finally, Facebook offers each person the ability to proudly show off their individuality. A person can proclaim everything about themselves on Facebook and show who they are as an individual. Unfortunately, our lodges don’t always offer this same opportunity to our Brothers. We show up, conduct our meeting, and leave without giving us a chance to show who we are or learn about the lives of our Brethren.

So when a man must make a decision between spending an evening on-line checking up on all of his Facebook friends or going to lodge only to make awkward conversation with somebody he doesn’t know very well and be just another Mason sitting through another lodge meeting, which one will he choose?

Maybe our lodges should be a little more like Facebook. Maybe we should spend a little less time having meetings and a little more time socializing. We should spend more time getting to know who our Brothers are, what they do for a living, and what they do for fun. The more we learn about our Brothers, the more likely it is that we will find that we have something in common. When we have something in common, we might just find that we can have a more interesting evening at the lodge than spending an evening on Facebook.

Let’s make sure that our lodges are reading and writing on the figurative Facebook wall of our Brothers’ lives. Let’s make fellowship and social networking a focus in our fraternity.

Day 2

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Day 2 – GRAND SESSION OF PRINCE HALL ARKANSAS, FEBRUARY 26, 2010

Grand Lodge Session of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Arkansas convened at 9:00 AM. I remained in the Grand Masters office and connecting offices with my Texas state delegation including my Grand Master, the Honorable Wilbert M. Curtis, waiting to be formally presented.  With me were delegations from Missouri, Washington D.C., Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Indiana, Nevada, Tennessee and Mississippi. Most delegations were headed by their Grand Master but a few were led by a Deputy Grand Master or a Past Grand Master. It was a unique opportunity to converse with such leaders and share stories and concerns.   Sometimes there is more Masonry in an informal setting than there is in the formality of the tyled Lodge room. It was almost two hours before Texas was introduced so like the two hours of casual time the day before with the Grand Master in his private office this was two hours of solid fraternal sharing.

After lunch The Grand Lodge started to hear committee reports.  It was transacting the business of the Grand Lodge.  I noted that Grand Master Wilson ran his Grand Lodge like a well respected Judge.  He speaks often from the heart and with humor. Often times he would interject into the middle of a report being given some words of wisdom.  His soliloquies could last a number of minutes after which he would declare, “I’m done, continue.”

One committee report consisted of a recommendation for immediate prayer for a beloved Brother dying from cancer.  After a motion was entertained for acceptance of the report and it was duly seconded, and approved  one of the Grand Chaplains immediately headed for the altar and what ensued was one of the most beautiful prayers I have heard in many a moon.  It touched the heart of everyone present.

At times the Grand Master delegated the running of the business of the Grand Lodge to his most capable Deputy Grand Master Edward L. Briggs.   The two were a bit different but were obviously in tune with each other.  I likened them to Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon.

Grand Lodge adjourned at 4:00 PM.  I returned to my motel room to change clothes and freshen up and then join the Grand Master for dinner.  The Grand Master had invited his visiting dignitaries and his Grand Lodge officers and OES Grand officers and some spouses and me out to dinner on him and we left the Grand Lodge with a convoy of autos to all descend on a restaurant that specialized in fried catfish.  A catfish dinner it was with some more great fellow-shipping.  When we had finished the Grand Master gathered us all together and he asked us to introduce ourselves individually.  He wanted us all to know how much he enjoyed our presence and how binding moments like these were – heart to heart always trusting in God an outpouring of love.  It was a great way to end a great day.

All Masonic Expo – If you happen to be near Cheektowaga, NY.

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This is a little late to make hard plans for, but if you happen to be near Cheektowaga, NY tomorrow…   you might want to drop in to say hello, and if you do, tell them that we sent ya!

EVERYTHING YOU MIGHT WANT TO LEARN ABOUT FREEMASONRY
MASONIC YOUTH GROUPS
AND MASONIC RELATED ORGANIZATIONS!

Join us for a free one day exposition
Fun and Excitement for the Family
Free Safety ID program for children and adults

Learn about the outstanding Masonic Youth Camp in the Adirondacks

Masonic Educational Assistance and Scholarships

Masonic Charities and Community outreach program

MASONIC STUDENT ASSISTANCE TEACHERS PROGRAM
in our area helping to identify Kids at Risk!

The Masonic Care Community
Masonic Medical Research Laboratory

Military and Veterans outreach programs

SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2010

10:00 AM  UNTIL  4:00 PM

32nd  Degree Masonic Center
2379 Union Rd., Cheektowaga, NY 14227-2234 (map)

MASONIC EXPOSITION

Presented by:

THE COMBINED FIRST AND SECOND ERIE DISTRICTS
WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF ALL MASONIC BODIES, CONCORDANT BODIES, AND
ALLIED MASONIC BODIES

Members from participating groups will be present to answer you questions your questions in an open forum.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT

www.MasonicExpo.info

The Occult of Personality on Masonic Central

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The Occult of Personality

Few places give you consistent discourse on the occult and the western mystery tradition. And even fewer present the thought leaders within that field. Masonic circles aside, few are the sources to find this type of conversation, and even fewer that produce it with the passion that Greg does.

Greg is the spirit, production, and host of the Occult of Personality podcast which has an ever increasing inventory of programs centered squarely on the idea of the occult and how it intersects with those of us who are interested in its practice and wisdom.

He could perhaps be called a techno mage, but In light of the conversation, I’d like to call him brother.

Joining us this week on Masonic Central is brother Greg Kaminsky, host of the Occult of Personality Podcast to talk all things esoterica and including some of the interesting spaces between Masonry and the broader esoteric/western mystery traditions. on Blog Talk Radio

Day 1

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Day 1 – GRAND SESSION OF PRINCE HALL ARKANSAS, FEBRUARY 25, 2010

I started my journey to Arkansas at 2:30 AM on Thursday morning, February 25, 2010 and headed Nellybelle up I30 towards Texarkana. After a refueling at IHOP on that border city at 5:00 AM I pushed on, arriving at the Pine Bluff, Arkansas and the Grand Lodge at 8:30 AM. The parking lot was deserted and except for two cleaners the place was unoccupied. Funny, I thought, to be so dead when Grand Lodge is supposed to convene in 30 minutes at 9:00 AM.  Not thinking clearly I wandered into the Grand Lodge to ask one of the cleaners for the use of a room to shed my travel clothes and change into my Tux. Once changed I headed back to the lobby whereupon I ran smack dab into Grand Master Cleveland Wilson just coming through the door and who was not in Masonic dress.  He said, “Fred you are a bit overdressed this morning.”  “Grand Lodge does not convene this morning,” I asked. “No, not until evening”, Grand replied.

That mistake proved to be a blessing in disguise.  For then the Grand Master proceeded to take me on a grand tour of the building.  Arkansas Grand Lodge is huge and the feature that we old folks appreciate is that it is all on one floor. Its size is deceiving as from curbside it doesn’t seem to be of the magnitude of its actual inside. I took a look at the hall for OES, the hall for Blue Lodge Masons, the banquet hall and the various offices and storage areas of the building. The last stop was the Grand Master’s private office where we both settled in for a two hourtête–à–tête.  We conversed at length on life and our first passion, Freemasonry.

The Grand Master told me a few interesting stories and I told the Grand Master a few interesting stories. It was a rare opportunity and one not to be missed, to explore the depths and breadth of personal feelings with a man of the stature of Grand Master Cleveland Wilson.

When the Grand Master’s telephone started ringing off the hook, we broke, I checking into my motel, grabbing some lunch and then a nap, the Grand Master to what I am sure was a busy day of last minute contingencies.

That evening the Grand Lodge opened its Grand Session in the banquet hall with a joint Memorial Service to all the deceased members of OES and Arkansas Master Masons in 2009. It is worth noting that the Grand Lodge would close its Grand Session in similar fashion with a church service.

The Grand Lodge had lost its most illustrious, most erudite and most beloved Past Grand Master, the Honorable Howard L. Woods in 2009 and the mourning was still evident.  This man was sorely missed.

The service was an outpouring of celebration and thankfulness. There were three choirs who performed, the OES choir who led off the program with “Bye and Bye” and a short time later with “Oh How I love Jesus,” the PB (Prime Beloved)  Men in Black and the Greater Macedonia Choir from the guest preacher’s  church.  The musical performance was also accompanied by the keyboards and piano, saxophone and drums.

The scripture reading was Psalm 121.  When the deceased Master Masons names were read a ship’s bell was rung once for each name, twice for PGM Howard Woods and Bruce Warren, PMEG High Priest –R.A.M. and PEG Commander – K.T.

The sermon was given by guest preacher the Reverend Cleo Nellum of the Greater Macedonia Baptist Church.  His sermon was based on the 23rd Psalm. He told us that the Psalm was 118 words long of which 116 words were devoted to explaining the first two words, “The Lord.” “Everybody is always talking about the Sweet Bye and Bye – what about the Nasty Now and Now,” asked the Reverend Nellum?  “He was before was ,was – when there was nothing, there was God.”

Quietly and solemnly we departed after the benediction with more than one eye filled with tears. One always needs to remember those who have gone before him before he proceeds to take up the business of the present and the future.

From the Salon

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Within every edifice there is a room of equal stature to the lodge room itself, though few are aware of its important stature. Hidden behind a wall of dining room chairs, institutional styled serving ware, and a Norman Rockwell styled feast, rests what was at one time where most of the lodge business took place. Votes not by hand or by ‘nay, but in conversation and deep and intimate discussion.

That room of antiquity, hidden in plain site, is the lounge, or in more eloquent parlance, the Salon.

So, in memory of the august room that once held the most august of meetings, introducing at FmI the Salon, a place for all things masculine, and every bit as important.

What we plan for in this new category is a cross section of Men’s issues, the types of discussion you might expect amongst your closest friends on topics that are (or may soon be) of interest or importance to you. From the easy fix on the car to which cigar goes best with which brandy. As family is of the utmost importance to every Mason their role in our discussion will play an integral part in what goes on in the Salon, as will issues of health, relationships, and well being.

What issues are on your mind? This is your Salon, pull up a chair, lets talk.

National Heritage Museum “New Perspectives” deadline looms!

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Lexington, Massachusetts – Are you registered yet?

This has been posted a few times, but some changes to the schedule have been made, and your shot at early registration is coming to a close, so if your in or around the Lexington Mass area, you need to attend this symposium!

Registration deadline draws near! Register by March 24, 2010.

On April 9, 2010, the National Heritage Museum, in Lexington, Massachusetts, will hold a symposium, “New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism.”

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 new interpretations of American society and culture.

Jessica Harland-Jacobs, Associate Professor of History at the University of Florida, and author of Builders of Empire: Freemasonry and British Imperialism, 1717-1927, will open the day with a key note titled “Worlds of Brothers,” Harland-Jacobs’ paper will survey and assess the scholarship on American fraternalism and Freemasonry. Drawing on examples from the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s, she will demonstrate that applying world history methodologies pays great dividends for our understanding of fraternalism as a historical phenomenon. Harland-Jacobs will conclude with some thoughts on how global perspectives can benefit contemporary American brotherhoods.

Professor Harlan Jacobs was a guest in Masonic Central in 2008.
[podcast]http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-19162/TS-137883.mp3[/podcast]

Six scholars from the United States, Canada, and Britain will fill the day’s program:

  • Ami Pflugran-Jackisch, Assistant Professor of History, University of Michigan – Flint, “Brothers of a Vow: Secret Fraternal Orders in Antebellum Virginia”
  • Hannah M. Lane, Assistant Professor, Mount Allison University, “Freemasonry and Identity/ies in 19th-Century New Brunswick and Eastern Maine”
  • Nicholas Bell, Curator, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, “An Ark of the New Republic”
  • David Bjelajac, Professor of Art History, George Washington University, “Freemasonry, Thomas Cole (1801-1848) and the Fraternal Ethos of American Art”
  • Kristofer Allerfeldt, Exeter University, “Nationalism, Masons, Klansmen and Kansas in the 1920s”
  • Adam G. Kendall, Henry W. Coil Library and Museum, “Klad in White Hoods and Aprons: American Fraternal Identities, Freemasonry, and the Ku Klux Klan in California, 1921-1928”

Adam was a guest on Masonic Central in 2008.
[podcast]http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-19162/TS-137878.mp3[/podcast]

The symposium is funded in part by the Supreme Council, 33°, N. M. J., U.S.A. Registration is $50 ($45 for museum members) and includes morning refreshments, lunch and a closing reception.

To register,

Visit the Museum’s website, www.nationalheritagemuseum.org for a printable registration form and fax to 781-861-9846, or contact Claudia Roche via e-mail at croche@monh.org or 781-861-6559, x 4142 for sending options.

Registration deadline is MARCH 24 – Event is April 9th!

Fortune Cookie Tarot

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The Social Meme

At the end of a recent dinner out, I was unceremoniously handed a fortune cookie.

As per the usual parlance, the ceremony for those that I partook the meal with was that the fortunes would be read aloud and serendipidously commented on, talked and joked about, and otherwise ignored, and that’s the fun of it.

Usually with some randomness, the fortunes include such wisdom about true friendship “There is a true and sincere friendship between you and your friends” or ones outlook on life “You find beauty in ordinary things, do not lose this ability”, and the general feel good topic “It takes more than good memory to have good memories.”

But these post agape parting shots have a fortune telling nature, they are a means to take us, in a short sentence, from where we are now to another space.  Little sweet bits of wisdom to take away from the table.  A humorous edible fortune teller, that at the crack of its cookie shell, reminds us that we are beautiful, or to plan ahead for something great. The implied message is for the future, just after dinner, just following our last crunch of cookie, or at some indeterminate point down the line. The point is in the message, the small prediction delivered with such surety that you know, just know without a doubt, that what it has to say will come true.

And why not? Any idea placed in the crucible of the mind is capable of manifestation. Even in its simplest expression, you will have a “thrilling time in your future”, or that “something you lost will soon turn up”.

These are meme’s of expression, subliminally placed into your subconscious that have a way of becoming like one of those electronic text display boards that run electronic messages endlessly in their crimson bulb furiosity. The Fortune Cookie Tarot becomes something that you unconsciously look forward to happening. Meme‘s, by the way, are little cultural ideas transferred from one mind to another. Not telepathy, but subconscious pick ups from the chatter and noise from the information around us.

These Fortune Cookie Tarot meme’s are little positive affirmations that help to shape your perception of the future reality to which you embark upon following the feast that you just got up from. A little wonderment to leave the table with.

And what a wonderful thing that is.

Following my dinner out, as I opened my fortune cookie to absorbed the little message, I was dumbstruck. The meme given was a wonderful message, truly a Fortune Cookie Tarot like prediction, one that I couldn’t help to look forward to in my future.

The message read:

You will soon witness a miracle.

The Fortune Cookie is a form of magickal expression, a way to insert a little subliminal message into your subconscious to alter your present perspective.  A synaptic alchemical catalyst, something even the most stalwart of us can prevent from happening.