Archives for April 2011

Kevin Trudeau’s Brotherhood and the Global Info Network

April 30, 2011 by Greg Stewart

Natural Remedies, How to Stop Pain Now, and Miracle Weight Loss Cures – snake oil comes in many shapes and sizes, and Kevin Trudeau is one of its heaven sent salesmen.

The Ridiculous Infomercial Review calls him “a leading light in the conspiracy theory community” who has joined forces with the infamous Alex Jones (you can watch Jones talk to Trudeau on the Alex Jones program).

In the 2010 infomercial appearance for his newly released book “Your Wish is Your Command”, Trudeau spoke with Skip Lindeman where he claimed his affiliation with the fraternity (or as he called it the brotherhood) and his use of the magical and mysterious Law of Attraction – aka “the Secret”.

His appearance was obviously to hawk his “Your Wish is Your Command” book which also comes with a private invitation to join a very elite society that proclaims to give you access to those members of the “brotherhood” as well as a cohort of the Bilderberg Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Freemasons, Yale University’s Skull and Bones, the Illuminati, the Trilateral Commission, Bohemian Club and many more.

No lie, the Global Information Network is a real “society” where you can join up and pay dues and squeeze brain cells with other MLM’ers and “develop your global wealth”. Oh, and according to the website you can learn and “Use the secrets from over 20 “secret societies” – just in case you didn’t already know ’em.

John Stossel spent some time on ABC’s 20/20 debunking the guy in a slew of Q&A’s from various sources, to which Stossel suggests in conclusion that Trudeau is a liar and a charlatan – that he “prey’s on those who are sick and dying.” And the evidence seemed to be pretty conclusive in the 8 minutes it was playing.

Mark Dice, author of Illuminati: Facts & Fiction says he likes the guy, but questions the “Secret Work” in his new book. Dice asks us to consider Trudeau as another fraud for his Illuminati membership.

He has about 8 Federal legal proceedings against him for claims against his products and contempt’s of court (not to mention credit card fraud). And almost as many books from Weight Loss Cures to Debt Cures with a slew of infomercials in between – if you can trust the Wikipedia page on Trudeau.

Quack Watch has about 26 entries in 13 documents about Trudeau detailing some of his claims and run ins with the law.

Have you ever run across Trudeau or any of his products? What stories do you have?

Lodge Renewal – Part 2

April 27, 2011 by Fred Milliken

In Lodge Renewal – Part 1

we saw how Craft Lodge performance and membership deteriorated after 1960. We also took a brief look at the Grand Lodge response (when they woke up) of increased mandates, centralized control, relaxed standards, Institutional charity and One Day Classes which differed drastically from the response of individual Masons, that being the formation of TO Lodges.

One of the reasons that Masons themselves resorted to starting new TO Lodges is that they could get none of their reforms approved by a majority vote of the Lodges they belonged to. Senior citizens on fixed incomes comprised the bulk of Lodge membership and they refused to vote for anything that cost money or change anything from the way it was always done. They possessed this power as we have seen because Mainstream Masonry skipped a generation resulting in a disproportionate number of elderly Masons.

Starting a new TO Lodge is not as easy as it sounds. First of all many jurisdictions prohibit them as being an illegal altering of Freemasonry – “You agree to make no changes in the body of Freemasonry.” Even when approved some provisions a TO Lodge might want to adopt would violate Grand Lodge By-Laws, such as meeting less than once per month. Then there is the sheer volume of work involved, petitioning Grand Lodge, drawing up By-Laws, finding a place to meet etc.

So if much of what the reformers and the young enthusiasts hope to accomplish could be implemented within current Lodge structure and if it was not only sanctioned by the Grand Lodge but was enthusiastically encouraged by the Grand Master, would that not be a viable alternative? Such a program exists now. It is called the Lodge of the Year program and exists in many jurisdictions under many different names. Let’s take a look at the Grand Lodge of Iowa’s program.

Brother Gerald Edgar of Mosaic #125 AF&AM @ Dubuque, IA, Grand Lodge of Iowa has supplied The Beehive with the following information.

The Iowa Grand Lodge “Lodge of the Year” program can be a truly rewarding program for those Lodges that compete. As one can see from the application form, a successful lodge must not only engage its Master & Wardens but many other members as well if it hopes to achieve the variety of goals set out. Not only do the Officers need to fulfill their duties, but they truly must put the Craft to work, engage the public, be charitable and in general use as many “tools” as possible to be a successful lodge. A hallmark of the competition is the planning beginning with the WM’s vision for his term followed by the planning of individuals and committees to identify goals, the means to achieve them and implementation.

One measure of the success of the competition is that those Lodges that compete have fewer SNPD’s & demits and more Raisings. One might conjecture that ‘good’ lodges would be successful regardless but the competition provides a measuring tool and a roadmap. Ideally as soon as a Brother is elected to his lodge’s ‘line’ he can begin planning what events he will promote, what he needs to prioritize, whom he can influence to chair an event, etc.

We are all competitive to some degree – such lodge competitions, if done fairly, can satisfy our competitive nature while making our lodges true “working” lodges. Members enjoy being part of a vital, lively organization and the lodge prospers. Creativity results as well. One competition requirement is holding a recognition of some persons or groups within the community apart from Masonry. At Bethel Lodge a PM came up with the idea of recognizing community volunteers such as Scout & 4H leaders with a dinner. Yes, these folks may be recognized within their own group but to be applauded in public makes them especially proud. (and the Lodge got nice coverage in the local newspaper – just remember to prepare press releases and always have a camera ready!)

Even if your Grand Lodge does not have such competition, the checklist will prove to a valuable tool in revitalizing your Lodge both within the Lodge Room as well as within your community.

I would tweak the Iowa Program with these additions.

There should be added to the list of actions required the formation of a Lodge esoteric study group.
Then there should be some sort of financial reward for the top three vote getters. Granted hundreds of Lodges can win the award but the top 3 should get something special. Most Grand Lodges today are financially well off enough to give the First place winner $50,000, Second place $25,000 and Third place $10,000.

The Bee Hive is indebted to Brother Gerald Edgar of Iowa for supplying the information that made this article possible. The Lodge pictures included here are explained by Edgar.

The big temple is the Dubuque Masonic Temple, built in the 1930’s in the style of an English Manor House – it is as magnificent inside as it is outside. Four Lodges, YorkRitBodies, OES, White Shrine, DeMolay, High-12, etc are among the Masonic bodies therein. The storefront Lodge Hall was built in 1916 as the third home of Bethel Lodge #319 which owns the building with 3 tenants providing income. The unusual feature is the large cast concrete square & compass at the roof line, with a York Rite keystone below.

Hip Hop Freemasons

April 27, 2011 by Greg Stewart

I stumbled across this by accident, but its amusing how many views and comments videos like these pick up in their linking of Hip Hop and Freemasonry. Its like the whole genre of conspiracy and secret societies has filtered down from the mass media culture of TV and movies and into the urban hip hop community.

It speaks volumes to the outreach that the fraternity has in those communities in engaging and educating them as to their work, but I wonder if the results are even more devastating in the way that the greater ideals of the fraternity are being perverted into the thought and imagery we see in the videos below. Interesting is that they are coming from an Islamic stand point (as you’ll see at the beginning of the 2nd video).

I say this because even as I post this, it will reach only a few thousand people who happen to find the material through a search, but the videos mentioned have already filtered through several thousands of computers (in come case several million) influencing and shaping the thoughts and perspectives of its viewers.

In other words, even though the detractors are wrong, they are telling the story of Freemasonry and not Freemasons. Even in the commentary the second video suggests that the artists are being approached by secret societies to spread their message.

This is the outcome of staying locked in our temples and not engaging with the greater society.

It really becomes a rabbit hole of imagery and videos on the internet. Traditional mass media is shaping the thinking of the viewers, even creating greater suspicions of institutions that already have a degree of conspiracy against them in society.

What to do?

Who knows? But the makers of these videos, like a Anti-Masonic party 150 years ago, know what they’re doing even if its happening by accident.

Jay-Z’s playing with us now.

April 26, 2011 by Greg Stewart

So Jay-Z isn’t a Freemason… but his line of Rocawear is.

Not so new, but just in time for fathers day, is the Masters of the Craft T-shirt straight up with the Square and Compass. Called the Circle T, its one a few in the Rocawear line (both new and old) that’s riffing off the whole esoteric/occult/Masonic mystique.

It must mean were finally cool, right? A Hip hop mogul borrowing the iconography from the 300 year old fraternity for his own personal line of cloths.

It’s not a new thing. I remember being at a fashion trade show some years back seeing Shriners iconography being used as repeat screen printed patterns on urban apparel in much the same way. The trend at the time turned into skulls (which is why there were so many in Penny’s, Sears, Wall Mart and Target a year or so back).

But Jay-Z’s Rocawear is riffing off the Scottish Rite too, Northern Jurisdiction to be precise. It makes me wonder if his designers who lifted the imagery have any idea that their linking the rappers line to a fraternity who at one point had confederate general Albert Pike as its organizer, not that theres anything wrong with the reformed confederate general or anything, but theres an irony there when successful urban hip hop apparel connects itself to Civil War anti-history.

The Double Phoenix Tee has as its description: Short sleeve tee features a ribbed crew neckline, a printed eagle graphic design at front, and a printed logo design at left sleeve. It might just as easily to of said the Scottish Rite Double Eagle Tee… In case your wondering, here’s a link to who they lifted the graphic from.

So then, one can only assume, if J isn’t a Freemason, then he must like to dress like one, and imitation is still the best form of flattery.

Or maybe his line of apparel is just trying to fuel the extra publicity that he is some illuminiati/Freemason agent, and that he is really playing behind the scenes – given as many denials Jay-Z has made to being a Mason.

Also in the Rocawear line is a cap that sports the square and compass too in the accessories section. Imagine running into somone with that cap askance on their head representing ~~Freemasonry~~, err, I mean Jay-Z.

This is a great post on the use of Empire, Heraldry, Skulls and Esoteric Imagery In Modern Rap Culture from 2010, which you can see is not something new. But I think there is a definite connection trying to be drawn to the perceived life of the secret society as an aspirational message of the Brand, much the same way that earlier urban music linked itself to the iconic Al Pacino film Scarface. I’ve even noticed in a few local fairs that side by side on the midway game prize wall sits framed pictures of the pyramid and the eye from the dollar bill right next to the black and white poster of Tony Montana and the machine gun, ready to adorn the walls of overly macho adolescents and their aspirational “gangsta” lifestyle.

So then, is Rocawear trying to do the same thing, subtly, by making such direct use of the fraternal imagery? Are they trying to re-link Jay-Z to Freemasonry even after J denied it?

[since the original post, the apparel is no longer in the Rocawear line-up]

William Shakespeare – the Freemason

April 26, 2011 by Greg Stewart

Its been debated in a sea of endless questions, was William Shakespeare a Freemason?

Well, this week (April 23rd -30th) is a celebration of all things William Shakespeare as Stratford’s Greatest son’s celebrates his 447th birthday.

For the non mason, its hard to really pick up on the clever word play that is so intricately woven into Shakespeare’s sonnets and plays, and one is often left wondering “was it Shakespeare who applied Masonic ideas into his works, or the Freemasons who appropriated the ideas from the bard of Avon?” Most scholars suggest the latter, but Masons familiar with the wordplay might see otherwise.

Its been in debate for a long while, at least in Masonic circles, appearing in the Builder Magazine in 1919 with a score of quotes and lines to illustrate the point.

Some of my favorites include:

“What is he that builds stronger than either Mason?”
Henry V., I, 47.

“Here, Robin, an I die, I give thee my apron.”
2 Henry VI., II, 3:75.

“The nobility think scorn to go in leather aprons.”
2 Henry VI., II, 2:14.

“Hold up, you sluts, your aprons mountant.”
Timothy of Athens, IV, 3:135.

“To hold opinion with Pythagoras
That souls of animals infuse themselves
Into the trunks of men.”
Merchant of Venice, IV, 1.

“What is the opinion of Pythagoras concerning wild fowl?
That the soul of our grandam might haply inhabit a bird.”
Twelfth Night – IV, 2

Pythagoras is a bit of a Masonic patriarch, and aprons are in abundant supply throughout the fraternity.

And I found a few more from the Grand Lodge of British Coloumbia’s page on Shakespeare:

What! My old Worshipful Master!
Taming of the Shrew, Act V, s.1.

I have not kept my square,but that to come shall all be done by Rule.
Antony and Cleopatra, Act II, s.1.

I particularly like this one, which has so much in common with the Hermetic ideas of Know Thyself.

If circumstances lead me, I will find
Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeed
Within the centre.
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Act II, s.2

Much of this comes out of the work of Peter Dawkins “Shakespeare and Freemasonry” to which he suggests:

Moments of jest in Shakespeare…often carry the deeper and more veiled allusions to the Mysteries, but this is not always so. The Tempest, for instance, gives many Masonic allusions quite openly, and indeed might be said to be a most complete Masonic play. For a start the play is based upon Virgil’s Æneid, Books III and VI. Book VI in particular deals with the ancient Mysteries, whose degrees of initiation are echoed, howbeit with different allegories, by those of Freemasonry.

How much of this is want to see the work of Masonry in Shakespeare’s plays or the real deeper mysteries artfully woven into them – this is the question!

Some suggest that Shakespeare’s work is a clever use of Gematria, the letter numerical interplay seen in the esoteric applications associated with the Kabbalah, which Shakespeare skillfully worked into illustrating his Mason Mark, the right-angle triangle. Its in this same discovery that some suggest that Kit Marlowe wrote the Sonnets because of the discovery of the Masons Mark.

Peter Bull, on his website Marlowe wrote Shakespeare, suggests:

Shakespeare seems to have been fully conversant with the Masonic symbolism of the Square – and thus the symbolism of Euclid’s 47th Proposition. We have seen in Anthony and Cleopatra (II, iii) reference to the lines:

Read not my blemishes in the world’s report;
I have not kept my square, but that to come
Shall all be done by the rule.

The Bard also makes a number of pointed references to a ‘mark’ in his Sonnets. An analysis of these, in my book reveals that their placement is not a casual matter but clearly predicated by Masonic considerations of a very exact and specific nature. They all refer to his own Masonic mark.

Marke how one string sweet husband to an other, (s8)
For slanders marke was euer yet the faire, (s70)
Marke how with my neglect I doe dispence. (s112)
O no, it is an euer fixed marke (s116)

Shakespeare’s mark turns out to be no different from that of Alexander Hamilton – the right-angle triangle. He uses it consistently throughout the Sonnets to encode his name.

The context of the first Marke actually has a clear association with a right-angled triangle. In this sonnet the discussion concerns the three-way play between ‘sweet husband’, ‘happy mother’ and the ‘child’ they bring forth; there is also, in the following sonnet, the strongest indication that the mother is a widow. This scenario brings to mind the legend of Osiris, Isis – the widow and child Horus. The most common representation of this relationship in Masonic symbolism (following Plato) is the 3-4-5 right-angled triangle: the upright represents Osiris, the horizontal Isis and the hypotenuse Horus . Therefore it’s interesting to note that the word Marke is the 828th word in the Sonnets – and 828 is the gematria value of the Hebrew words BN ALMNH – The Widow’s Son.

I’ve always been keen to the idea that William Shakespeare was really the statesman Francis Bacon, the writer of the almost eerily Masonic tale – The New Atlantis. You can spend a lot of time following the threads about their connection on Sir Francis Bacon’s New Advancement of Learning.

Shakespeare and Freemasonry by William Norman M’Daniel, from 1912 suggests something similar:

Hence, to read these plays as mere stories in dramatic form, filled in with many wise reflections, is to miss their real character. The Tempest may be read simply as such a story, and even as having a moral purpose. Sir Edward Strachey says quite aptly that it is “a mimic, magic tempest which we are to see, a tempest raised by art, to work moral ends with actual men and women,” But he fails to show how it is to bring about such a state in the actual affairs of men, say of our day or of any time. The play contains hints suggesting that it is meant to be of universal application. It will yet be clear that this play can be fairly interpreted as an allegorical drama, summing up the whole method of Francis Bacon’s philosophy, and especially his moral philosophy, as it is to affect in actual life the individual, and all the relations which men and women sustain toward each other, from the primary relations of the family to the highest, which is that of government. And when so interpreted it will be found that it is also the philosophy of Freemasonry.

I do find it to be very interesting to think about and consider Shakespeare’s involvement with the early invention of Freemasonry (I’ve had conversations that he was at the same time Grand Master of both the Rosicrucians and the Freemasons) – well before it coalesced in its 1717 founding. And, it seems that the brothers of the United Grand Lodge of England felt of like mind in 1929 when pro Grand Master Lord Ampthill, accompanied by 600 masons in full regalia, laid the foundation stone of Stratford’s Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. The UK fraternal magazine Freemasonry Today [now archived] suggests that the connection can be found in the meaning from a quote found in Love’s Labour’s Lost as it being the essence of a Freemason’s purpose: to be a builder of love.

“For charity itself fulfills the law, and who can sever love from charity?”
Love’s Labour’s Lost, IV.iii

Perhaps the mystery is the greatest clue to the bard’s mystic tie to the fraternity. Alfred Dodd, writing his examination of the plays and poems, says it unequivocally:

The story is told in the Great Shakespeare Folio of 1623 . . . the greatest Masonic Book in the world. The System was buried in secret and left to grow and root itself, like a bulb, in the dark for a hundred years. The emergence of the Masons in 1723 was a PLANNED emergence . . . …….the Centenary of the 1623 Folio. William Shakespeare was not only a Freemason, he was the FATHER and FOUNDER of the FRATERNITY, the Writer of the Rituals.

Was he or was he not to be…a Freemason? That is the question! Asking the questions is likely more fun than knowing for sure, but so long as conspiracy theories abound, this is one of the fun ones. Are the greatest works of the English language and drama really manifestos of esoteric ritual word play? We may never know.

But asking gives us more reason to celebrate the worlds greatest writer and dramatist – Happy Birthday Shakespeare.

This post was in contribution to HappyBirthdayShakespeare.com, a tribute to Shakespeare by bloggers from all over the world to post on how Shakespeare has impacted their lives. This celebration is sponsored by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust which owns and cares for the five Shakespeare Houses.

Lawsuit Settlement Costs Prince Hall Virginia $300,000

April 25, 2011 by Fred Milliken

The Richmond Free Press reports that the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia has settled a lawsuit with the Virginia Prince Hall Shrine. The Shrine in the Prince Hall system has run afoul of Grand Lodges in recent years. The issues across Prince Hall nation revolve around not recognizing the Grand Master as having ultimate supreme authority, the Shrine admitting expelled Masons and non Masons and other examples of the Shrine going its own way.

Associated Press/Claus Bjoern Larsen, Polfoto

The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia has agreed to settle three separate multimillion-dollar lawsuits involving another Masonic group called the Prince Hall Shrine, which is based in Tennessee.

Under the agreement, the Virginia organization would:

• Pay the Memphis group $300,000; and
• Re-instate Masons and Order of the Eastern Star members who previously were suspended for belonging to state affiliates of the Memphis-headquartered Shrine or its women’s auxiliary, the Daughters of Isis.

The settlement was the result of court-ordered mediation between the two groups. It is to become final once it receives expected approval from the court.

The litigation began in 2009 after Larry D. Christian of Williamsburg, then most worshipful grand master or president of the 5,000-member Grand Lodge, issued what some consider a loyalty order. The order barred Shrine members from participating in Masonic rituals and also banned them from entering Masonic lodges, including the ones to which they belonged.

Rest of the story here.

The larger issues are:

Is Freemasonry going to continue to do battle in civil courts?
Is Mainstream Freemasonry going to face the same split?
Are Grand Lodges on a losing streak in civil courts?

Lodge Renewal – Part 1

April 24, 2011 by Fred Milliken

The peak of 20^th Century Mainstream Freemasonry membership is generally conceded by Masonic scholars to be 1946-1960. After that things went steadily downhill and we are not just talking about membership.

It has been a long time hypothesis of mine that the Vietnam War was the principle culprit of the 60s and 70s decline of Freemasonry. The feel good, drop out culture had a lot to do with dissuading anybody from joining anything. Freemasonry wasn’t the only one to suffer. Other Fraternal Societies, churches, ethnic clubs, sewing circles, literary guilds, agricultural Societies – you name it, they all withered and dried up. Some went belly up and others just struggled along at half speed.

If the hypothesis holds true then FREEMASONRY SKIPPED A WHOLE GENERATION. The history of Freemasonry shows that about every 20 years or so the Old Guard would be replaced by the New Guard. You could in that time period see a total transformation of leadership with the corresponding vitality that youth brings.

But when the Masonic leaders of 1940-1960 were not replaced because membership lagged significantly, what happened is that the Forties to Sixties leaders did double duty; they stayed on for another tour through the Sixties and Seventies. Thus Mainstream Freemasonry had the same leadership from 1940-1980 (of course there was a trickle of new blood replacements).

This had some really bad effects on Freemasonry. The older leadership was less ambitious. Craft Lodge members withdrew into a comfort zone of inactivity. They became Isolationist Freemasons. Degrees were seldom performed. Masonic education was something that was felt to be unneeded. If you were 80 years old and you didn’t know it now, then you never would.

Just like my Grandfather who perpetually failed to understand why things cost so much more when he was 80 then when he was 20, Craft Lodges couldn’t understand the need for raising dues, so they froze them. For many years, retired seniors living on fixed incomes and who were a Lodge’s voting majority artificially held down the cost of maintaining Masonic membership. In the process they strangled the finances of a Lodge. Masonic programs, lavish social events and well attended ceremonies had to be cut or eliminated. Masonic buildings suffered in decay as funds to repair and maintain them were lacking.

Most of the officer’s chairs were occupied by Past Masters. Masonic Communications most often consisted of a business meeting followed by a collation of baloney sandwiches and coffee with the consistency of molasses. The sad part to all this is that Lodges met without practicing Freemasonry.

Such a picture is a bit of an exaggeration. There were many fine Lodges that did great work, just not enough of them. The inability to provide a great Masonic experience made it difficult to attract new members.

Somewhere along the line Grand Lodges woke up and realized that something had to be done. Unfortunately sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease. Grand Lodge responses of jurisdictional mandates, relaxed standards, Institutionalized charity and One Day Classes brought in some quantity without the quality. Now we had a flock of Masons in name only – MINOs. And some MINOs assumed positions of Masonic leadership.

When the Information Age hit and every household started to get a PC, the Masonic response was archaic and self-defeating. Instead of embracing the new technology they dismissed it or banned it. When they finally admitted that they were wrong, instead of employing outside professionals it became in house amateur time.

Some in the Craft were muttering enough is enough. Along came an Australian Mason in named Kent Henderson and the Masonic reform movement was born in 1992.

Oh, I’m sure there were some noteworthy earlier contributors but Henderson wasn’t just a talker he was a doer. In 1993 he, with 34 others, formed Lodge Epicurean based on the European Concept. When Henderson wrote his paper explaining the European Concept – BACK TO THE FUTURE: A prescription For Masonic Renewal – he spread the word to the United States and beyond.

The Creation of Lodge Epicurean

In early 1992, a group of mostly young (but Masonically experienced) freemasons living in Victorian provincial city of Geelong, lamenting the state of the Craft, decided to do something about it in a practical way. They determined to form a new lodge which would be quite different in a great many ways to others working under the Victorian Constitution. Lodge Epicurean, as they named it, would be a top quality lodge, with the highest standards. Anything not consistent with such high standards would be discarded.

It was decided to form the lodge on Two Great Pillars, which are as follows:

A high quality lodge must be paid for — therefore dues need to commensurate with this. Based on the successful European formula, it was decided on dues at about the average weekly wage.

A lodge has two main challenges: getting members, and keeping them.

(a) GETTING MEMBERS. Only an existing member can propose a candidate. We suspected that the reason why members did not repeatedly propose candidates, if ever, was because they either consciously or sub-consciously did not think their friends would be interested. There are probably a variety of reasons for this, but one is probably fear that in the event that their friends do not like the lodge, their friendship might be affected. Members these days are rarely proud of the standards of their lodges. However, if a lodge has very high standards, members do not hesitate to ask their friends to join. This is the secret of gaining new members, and lots of them.

(b) KEEPING THEM. A high quality lodge will greatly assist in holding new members in the longer term, but this is still not enough. There are other social organizations that offer quality. Freemasonry has one great thing more to offer, available nowhere else — freemasonry! But what is it? It is not a charitable organization like Rotary or Lions (though some would make it out to be), although charity is an important part of its teachings. Masonry is first and foremost an education society, one which TEACHES moral and ethics – a way of life. Secondly, Masonry is a universal brotherhood, with all that implies. Thus, what a lodge must do is teach. Exposure to the three degrees is but the beginning. What a lodge must understand is the overriding reason why a brother will sit in a Masonic lodge in the medium to long term is because he knows exactly why he is sitting there. The answer to keeping them, therefore, is to give them quality, and to concurrently educate them in Masonry.

The word was picked up in Texas where a European Concept Lodge was formed in College Station, St. Albans Lodge No. 1455, founded in 1992 by Pete Normand and elsewhere about the U.S the most notable being in Indiana. In a popular Internet Indiana Masonic Forum much discussion led Jeff Naylor, Chris Hodapp and Nathan Brindle, among others, to form the Traditional Observance (TO) Lodge, Lodge Vitruvian and to publish the American version of BACK TO THE FUTURE, LAUDABLE PURSUIT with due homage to Past Grand Master Dwight Smith.

Lodge Vitruvian operates under what has come to be known as “The European Concept” as popularized by Lodge Epicurean, among others, in Australia.

The European Concept is known for its dedication to a number of primary tenets:

Dignity and high standards are to be maintained by the Lodge in all its undertakings.

Nothing short of excellence in ritualistic work is acceptable.

Candidates shall be advanced only after having undertaken an intensive program of Masonic education and proving themselves proficient in open Lodge.

The Lodge enjoys the fellowship of the Festive Board at a local restaurant following all Regular and Emergent Meetings of the Lodge.

Members are expected to dress properly to attend to the duties of the Lodge.

A Lodge of this caliber must be paid for.

Fast forward a short time to the founding of the Masonic Restoration Foundation where TO Lodges nationwide were encouraged, aided and networked. President Dennis Chornenky in his paper THE TRADITIONAL OBSERVANCE LODGE, once again makes clear what is being promoted.

While many Masons may have heard about European Concept lodges, which are themselves a relatively new concept in American Freemasonry, few have heard of the Traditional Observance lodge. Traditional Observance lodge s are similar to European Concept lodges in that they also incorporate higher dues, festive boards, a strict dress code and higher standards of ritual, but differ in that they choose to follow a close observance of the traditional initiatic elements of Continental European and South American Freemasonry.

This observance is characterized by a solemn approach to holding stated communications and conferring degrees, the use of the Chamber of Reflection as part of the initiation ceremony, forming the Chain of Union after the meetings, longer time between degrees and the requirement for candidates to present a paper before the lodge on the lessons of each degree prior to advancement. Traditional Observance lodges are also more likely to use the term Agape rather than Festive Board to describe the meal which follows the meetings. Agape is the ancient Greek word for “love,” and in Freemasonry the term signifies a meal eaten in common by a congregation of Masons in token of Brotherly Love.

TO Lodges, while they continue to grow, have never really caught on to the point that they can be found neither in every state nor in abundance anywhere.

All this serves as background information for what follows. In Part 2 to this article we will explore alternatives to the TO concept that can be adapted to existing Lodges.

The Coaches Coach – Building Builders

April 24, 2011 by Greg Stewart

The Coaches Coach by Dr. John S. Nagy from WEOFM

Br. John Nagy has been a friend of FmI for a while. You may remember his from his past appearances on the Masonic Central pod cast.

He is the author of the Building… series of books, and his blog Building Builders.

This video below comes from the World Wide Exemplification of Freemasonry, in which he speaks about the Masonic Paradigm which he says is different that what most might be familiar with that will enlighten the viewers Masonic endeavor – called Building Builder.

its a great intro into Masonic leadership from both sides of the learning curve: those being lead and those leading them. Its a great listen for quite literally Building Builders.

The Coaches Coach from WEOFM on Vimeo.

Many thanks to the Grand Lodge of Indiana for their work in the Worldwide Exemplification of Freemasonry.

Al-Qaeda Targeting of Freemasonry

April 23, 2011 by Greg Stewart

A short time back, we published a 4 page document from the Canadian CSIS on the threat posed to Freemasonry by Islamic extremists.

Shortly after posting the paper, I recieved an email from a source who has had close dealings with the CSIS and is involved in International and Terrorist Intelligence Programs.

In his email, he said:

This report, and the CSIS document upon which it was apparently based, simply confirms what most counterterrorists have long known: Islamic-extremist are hostile to Freemasons. In this regard, please refer to the Hamas Charter, Articles 17, 22 and 28, below. As you may know, Hamas, generally considered to be the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine arm, is a designated terrorist organization under the laws of various countries.

They lump the fraternity of Freemasonry in with with several groups including Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, B’nai B’rith, saying they are part of the various Zionist Organizations making consistent efforts by way of publicity and movies, and curricula of education and culture.

This is of some interest as I can see where certain traffic frequently comes from to the site and notice every so often that large volumes of traffic comes from the middle east, specifically from countries that have generally been considered enemies of the West, or at best tacit allies in the war on terror. Often the spikes in traffic are followed by requests of “how to join in my country”, “Where are lodges in my country”, and pleas of people who “want to “become members”. With all this in mind, I often wonder what it was that sent them or what was behind the requests.

As a Masonic community, what do you think about this? With an enemy so far away, do you find there is any immediate threat, or is it just one of the many religious detractors towards Freemasonry?

Included below are those portions of the Hamas Charter of 1988.

Article Seventeen: The Role of Muslim Women

The Muslim women have a no lesser role than that of men in the war of liberation; they manufacture men and play a great role in guiding and educating the [new] generation. The enemies have understood that role, therefore they realize that if they can guide and educate [the Muslim women] in a way that would distance them from Islam, they would have won that war. Therefore, you can see them making consistent efforts [in that direction] by way of publicity and movies, curricula of education and culture, using as their intermediaries their craftsmen who are part of the various Zionist Organizations which take on all sorts of names and shapes such as: the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, gangs of spies and the like. All of them are nests of saboteurs and sabotage. Those Zionist organizations control vast material resources, which enable them to fulfill their mission amidst societies, with a view of implementing Zionist goals and sowing the concepts that can be of use to the enemy. Those organizations operate [in a situation] where Islam is absent from the arena and alienated from its people. Thus, the Muslims must fulfill their duty in confronting the schemes of those saboteurs. When Islam will retake possession of [the means to] guide the life [of the Muslims], it will wipe out those organizations which are the enemy of humanity and Islam.

Article Twenty-Two: The Powers which Support the Enemy

The enemies have been scheming for a long time, and they have consolidated their schemes, in order to achieve what they have achieved. They took advantage of key elements in unfolding events, and accumulated a huge and influential material wealth which they put to the service of implementing their dream. This wealth [permitted them to] take over control of the world media such as news agencies, the press, publication houses, broadcasting and the like. [They also used this] wealth to stir revolutions in various parts of the globe in order to fulfill their interests and pick the fruits. They stood behind the French and the Communist Revolutions and behind most of the revolutions we hear about here and there. They also used the money to establish clandestine organizations which are spreading around the world, in order to destroy societies and carry out Zionist interests. Such organizations are: the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, B’nai B’rith and the like. All of them are destructive spying organizations. They also used the money to take over control of the Imperialist states and made them colonize many countries in order to exploit the wealth of those countries and spread their corruption therein. As regards local and world wars, it has come to pass and no one objects, that they stood behind World War I, so as to wipe out the Islamic Caliphate. They collected material gains and took control of many sources of wealth. They obtained the Balfour Declaration and established the League of Nations in order to rule the world by means of that organization. They also stood behind World War II, where they collected immense benefits from trading with war materials and prepared for the establishment of their state. They inspired the establishment of the United Nations and the Security Council to replace the League of Nations, in order to rule the world by their intermediary. There was no war that broke out anywhere without their fingerprints on it: “…As often as they light a fire for war, Allah extinguishes it. Their efforts are for corruption in the land and Allah loves not corrupters.” Sura V (Al-Ma’ida—the Tablespread), verse 64 The forces of Imperialism in both the Capitalist West and the Communist East support the enemy with all their might, in material and human terms, taking turns between themselves. When Islam appears, all the forces of Unbelief unite to confront it, because the Community of Unbelief is one. “Oh ye who believe! Take not for intimates others than your own folk, who would spare no pain to ruin you. Hatred is revealed by [the utterance of] their mouth, but that which their breasts hide is greater. We have made plain for you the revelations if you will understand.” Sura III, (Al-Imran), verse 118 It is not in vain that the verse ends with God’s saying: “If you will understand.”

Article Twenty-Eight

The Zionist invasion is a mischievous one. It does not hesitate to take any road, or to pursue all despicable and repulsive means to fulfill its desires. It relies to a great extent, for its meddling and spying activities, on the clandestine organizations which it has established, such as the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, Lions, and other spying associations. All those secret organizations, some which are overt, act for the interests of Zionism and under its directions, strive to demolish societies, to destroy values, to wreck answerableness, to totter virtues and to wipe out Islam. It stands behind the diffusion of drugs and toxics of all kinds in order to facilitate its control and expansion. The Arab states surrounding Israel are required to open their borders to the Jihad fighters, the sons of the Arab and Islamic peoples, to enable them to play their role and to join their efforts to those of their brothers among the Muslim Brothers in Palestine. The other Arab and Islamic states are required, at the very least, to facilitate the movement of the Jihad fighters from and to them. We cannot fail to remind every Muslim that when the Jews occupied Holy Jerusalem in 1967 and stood at the doorstep of the Blessed Aqsa Mosque, they shouted with joy: “Muhammad is dead, he left daughters behind.” Israel, by virtue of its being Jewish and of having a Jewish population, defies Islam and the Muslims. “Let the eyes of the cowards not fall asleep.”

A Deadly Deception?

April 21, 2011 by Greg Stewart

The following comes from a very bright young woman who is very involved with the Masonic Youth Orders that I had the pleasure to meet on Twitter. You can read her full bio below the article. I wanted to say that she offers a fresh and interesting perspective on the fraternity from a unique perspective of both being within and without the regular goings on of the Blue Lodge. After reading her paper, I thought it offered a great deal of value to the community on several levels and she graciously allowed FmI to republish her work.

I think you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I did. – MT

A Deadly Deception?
by Anne M. Stegen

The History Channel gets a lot of things wrong.

That is, they get facts wrong concerning certain details of say, Freemasonry or Masonic symbols. Considering that Freemasonry is the History Channel’s biggest obsession, just behind World War II, this is a rather serious offense. They take an obviously negative attitude towards Masons, connecting them to conspiracies left and right. One special about the alleged 2012 shift even mentioned that Freemasonry is inherently a conspirator in the matter. The program alluded to the “secrets” that Masons have, but gave no evidence to definitely connect the two. That form of ignorance is frustrating. The paranoia that has arisen in the general public is unfounded. There is no plot to create a “new world order.” Masons are not that coordinated. Instead, they focus on making their members better people, and helping their communities. Freemasonry is a benevolent society and is unjustly connected to conspiracy theories and plots for a new world order.

I am not a Mason. I am a woman, but I have extensive observations of the “Craft” of Freemasonry from my father and grandfather’s extensive involvement in the fraternity. My father started in the Blue Lodge, the basic Freemasonry. He was a member of Camelback Daylight Lodge No.75 in Mesa, Arizona. Yearly installations of officers are held and are often open to the public. Camelback Daylight Lodge’s membership consisted of elderly gentlemen, so the Regular Installation of Officers were usually an event with ill-fitting and wrinkled tuxedos, walkers, bolo ties, oxygen tanks, and hearing aides buzzing away, but also warm handshakes, and big hugs for me. It was always astounding to think that these men were accused of plotting world domination.

The fear comes from the unknown. Freemasonry still has some traditions that have been lost to the ages in common society. While ignoring the symbolism, people get hung up on the details—“Why are they wearing aprons?”—and jump to the conclusion that these gentlemen are obviously conspirators. Freemasonry began as an operative masonry guild—thus the aprons—that transformed into a gentlemen’s club that fostered the ideas of tolerance and truth during the Enlightenment. “Speculative” Freemasonry (as opposed to operative masonry) and the Illuminati were formed during the same era, so they are often connected. The Illuminati was formed on the same basis, tolerance and truth, and was not able to continue due to persecution by the Bavarian government. The Illuminati is no longer in existence, despite what Dan Brown says, and it is definitely not connected to Freemasonry. The fear in America that comes from the term “Freemasonry” is based on Americans’ general paranoia of anything they don’t yet understand. My challenge to you, then, is to join the fraternity and judge for yourself.

It is unlikely that such a plot for world domination or a new world order could be conceived in Freemasonry, even in the higher levels of the organization. The Blue Lodge is not governed by an international, or even national leader. In the United States, every state is autonomous. The Grand Lodge of the state regulates and directs the local lodges in their jurisdiction. The many different Grand Lodges are kept in check by a process of recognizing each other. If the Grand Lodge of one area decrees something that is against Masonic teachings, the Grand Lodges of other areas will declare it a “clandestine” Lodge, and members are forbidden from attending lodge meetings there. This system makes it nearly impossible to create a viable conspiracy of the magnitude of a new world order. There are other branches of Freemasonry, such as the York Rite and the Scottish Rite, but to join these appendent groups, one must first be a member of the Blue Lodge. There is no conspiracy within these branches because the Grand Master, the leader of the Grand Lodge, ultimately controls those branches as well. The fabled 33^rd Degree Masons are often charged with making malicious plots in the dark smoky room. First of all, smoking is not allowed in lodge rooms. Secondly, these men are just Scottish Rite Masons, still subordinate to the Grand Master. Thirdly, many of these men are also Shriners, the same elderly gentlemen who wear the funny red hats, dress as clowns and do tricks in miniature cars in parades. The finger pointing must stop.

Many people and groups today attack Freemasonry without looking into the truth. Thousands of web sites claim things like “Freemasonry is a Non-Christian Occult Religion,” “Christians Beware – of Freemasonry,” (Keohane) and “Freemasonry proven to worship Satan, as its symbols venerate the sex act.” Bad grammar, poorly constructed HTML layouts, and “telling” photographs of “Masonic” symbols and regalia accompany these sites. The experts referenced have Masonic titles, like 33^rd Degree, slapped at the end of their name. Anti- Masonic literature has the same fallacies. The Indiana Freemason web site analyzes one such book, The Deadly Deception: Freemasonry Exposed by One of Its Top Leaders by James Shaw, and finds four outright lies on the front cover alone. The various arguments against Freemasonry are baseless and uninformed.

Yes, Masons keep secrets. When you were little, did you ever have a club? Did that club have passwords that you kept secret from “outsiders”? Did it make you feel special to be a part of that club, especially because it had secret passwords? Apply that same concept to a club for older men, and you get the idea. While a Mason may not tell you what the passwords are, they are not really secrets anymore. If someone is really curious, the Masonic “Ritual,” a book containing Masonic ceremonies is already published in various forms. Charles William Heckethorn (1965), secret society expert, says, “The outside world, who cannot believe that Masonic meetings, which are so jealously guarded against the intrusion of non-Masons, have no other purpose than the rehearsal of a now totally useless and pointless ritual, followed by conviviality [a break for refreshments], naturally assume that there must be something more behind; and what seems to fear the light is usually supposed to be evil.” The ceremony to initiate new members has always been an object of attack because of the seemingly strange things parts of the ceremony. Essentially it involves the reenactment of a story. Various objects and words are used to represent a lesson that the initiate should always bear in mind. The phrase “on the level” comes from one such lesson.

What is the creed of Freemasonry? What do they believe? Much confusion has arisen over the issue, and anti-Masonic groups do all they can to keep it that way. Freemason Roger Firestone articulately answers, “Freemasonry strongly encourages its members to belong to an established religion, although that is not a requirement for membership (only that a candidate profess a belief in a Supreme Being). Masonry is a fraternal organization that encourages morality and charity and studies philosophy. It has no clergy, no sacraments, and does not promise salvation to its members.” Every Masonic activity starts with a prayer (and the presentation of the national flag, when appropriate). John the Baptist and John the Evangelist are the patron saints of Freemasonry, keeping high ideals and high pursuits at the forefront. Freemasonry is not a religion itself, but it strengthens the beliefs and morals of its members.

Members of the fraternity enjoy the privileges of having brothers all over the world. Masons and their families can always call upon other members in times of need. Travelers, the infirmed, those in distress can take comfort when they meet up with another Mason, whether they have known him previously or not. The Masonic family, including the women’s and youth groups, is a tight-knit community. Often a Masonic ring on a man’s right hand signifies that he will meet you on the level.

Freemasonry is dedicated to the betterment of its members, but also its community. Shrine hospitals, the Arizona Masonic Foundation for Children, the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, the Hearing Impaired Kids Endowment, the Amaranth Diabetes Foundation and Scottish Rite hospitals are all beneficiaries of Masonic sponsorship. The South Carolina Freemasonry web site says, “The Freemasons of North America contribute over two million dollar a day to charitable causes.” Local Lodges also have programs to help the nearby schools, hospitals and youth organizations. If Freemasonry had malicious intentions, would not these resources be better employed elsewhere?

Suggesting that Freemasonry is anything but benevolent is ludicrous. Implying that it is involved in conspiracies is ignorant. Americans worried about a new world order should turn their attention to other groups with that goal. And the History Channel needs to get these facts correct. Factual errors and dramatization are unacceptable. In the war for public opinion, Freemasonry should be the benign and prestigious organization that teaches belief in a Supreme Being, high ideals for living, and brotherly love.

Bibliography

Chapter Five: The Reverend James Dayton Shaw,. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2009, from www.indianafreemasons.com/imoanti/isittrue/chap5.htm

Conder., B. E. (n.d.). The Hon. Miss St. Leger and Freemasonry. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/aqc/aldworth.html

Firestone, R. (n.d.). A Page About Masonry: Questions: Difficult Questions About Freemasonry. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/www/Masonry/Questions/difficult.html

Freemasonry is a Non-Christian Occult Religion. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.godonthe.net/cme/links/masons.htm

FREEMASONRY PROVEN TO WORSHIP SATAN, AS ITS SYMBOLS VENERATE THE SEX ACT — STUDY OF SYMBOLS PART 5 . (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.cuttingedge.org/free16.htm

Gilmour, P. (Director). (2006). Mysteries of the Freemasons DVD [Documentary]. United States: A&E Home Video.

Heckethorn, C. W. (1965). The Secret Societies of All Ages and Countries (v. 2). New York: General Books Llc.

Keohane, S. (n.d.). Christians Beware – of Freemasonry . Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://bibleprobe.com/freemasonry.htm

What do Freemasons Do (Philanthropy). (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.scgrandlodgeafm.org/FAQ/Philanthropy.htm

Upon beginning research for the paper, I contacted Michael T. Bishop, the Grand Mater of the State of Arizona (at the time), for further information and insight. My school deadline did not allow me to wait for a response, but I have since heard back from him. The Grand Master is a busy person, and I would like to sincerely thank him for his time.

My questions to him were:

How does Freemasonry help American communities?

How has Freemasonry helped America?

How does Freemasonry make good men better?

Here is his reply, in it’s entirety:

“The first two questions are much the same. Freemasonry has philanthropies and charitable projects, but its contribution is far deeper and more significant. Jacob Needleman in The American Soul speaks of a strong communal mysticism in early colonial America, especially in Quaker Pennsylvania. He emphasizes the importance of mystical communities in America and the founding fathers’ affiliations with Freemasonry. Many ideals that Americans consider definitive of our nation were introduced by these mystical communities. Today, Freemasonry is perhaps the strongest thread that binds us to our past, to that communal mysticism that seemed so strong 250 years ago. It is a search for truth, which can be translated “a closeness to our Creator.” Freemasonry embraced the philosophy of John Locke (1632-1704) who declared that human beings have natural rights and that reason and rational self-interest motivate people to freely establish governments by their own consent and for their own benefit, a philosophy embraced by the founding fathers. Jefferson would say that these rights are God given.

Freemasonry claims to make good men better, but a friend has suggested that the phrase should be that it makes better men good. To be a truly good man is what we should strive to attain. The teachings of Freemasonry in its ritual are valuable in themselves for their instruction for living a good and moral life, but its lofty goal to seek knowledge, truth, and closeness to God are perhaps more important. It was Freemason George Washington who said that the great aim of Freemasonry is to promote the happiness of the human race.”

Anne Stegen is a sophmore at Arizona State University. She is studying journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Anne wants to work with non-profit organizations, social media and digital media tools. Anne is highly involved with Job’s Daughters International in Arizona. She works with residential life at Arizona State. She is a Community Assistant at Taylor Place at the downtown Phoenix campus. She is also Vice President of the ASU chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
http://annestegen.com
http://azjdi.org
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