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Archives for 2011

The Habitation of The Grand Architect

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a poem by Bro. Rev. J. Gierlow
From The Masonic Mirror,
October, 1872

God dwells in light!
Before the ocean of unmeasured space
Was islanded with stars serenely bright­
Reflecting back the radiance of His face,‑­
He dwelt above, in Heaven’s immortal bliss,
Thinking into existence that which is.

God dwells in light!
Before He laid the world’s foundation‑ stone
High on the nothing of primeval night,
And in Heaven’s center throned th’ eternal
He dwelt above, beyond the far‑off sky,
With Angels born of His Eternity.

God dwells in light!
And holds within the hollow of His hand
The universe of worlds which gem the night,
Which, through Heaven’s sea, at His divine command.
Freighted with His own smiles now sail at even,
Fearless of storms, around the sun in Heaven.

God dwells in light!
And where He dwells, there spirits also dwell,
Who drink fresh glory from His face so bright,
As stars drink from the sun’s deep golden well
Exhaustless beams, so that they never die,
And thereby show His immortality.

10,000 French defection a hoax?

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It would seem so.

The article in El Confidencial was refuted in a posting by the Grand Master Ortega of the SL España who denies the story (Thanks to Chirs Hodapp for the comment and link to the blog Worshipful Lodge No. 33 Añaza published today).

In relation to information published in the secular press of Spanish, I say:

Completely untrue that 10,000 French Brothers want to join the Grand Lodge of Spain. As of today, January 31, 2011, the number of French brothers who have applied for membership of the Grand Lodge of Spain that I have the honor to lead is … zero. Again, zero. Indeed, there has been no request to that effect, contrary to what transpired in the secular press. The contents of the article in a digital media does not correspond to reality and can only be understood as a sort of trial balloon launched by someone, I fear that a Mason in lower case, which is still far from certain polish stone to heat up the atmosphere and create an environment conducive to that possibility. But the reality is stubborn and, as I said, there has been no movement of French Brothers to join the Grand Lodge of Spain. In this regard I must reiterate that, in my opinion, every Big East is sovereign and independent, so that should be resolved internally the events that occur within it, and no other Grand Lodge should interfere or meddle in matters that concern them.

The original story reported:

“Sources of the Grand Lodge of Spain consulted by El Confidencial suggest that “what has been, so far, are some contacts of the brothers of France to see if the GLE would open its doors, as the organization in that country has suffered hit hard by the actions of its Grand Master. ”

These sources emphasize that “the crisis in the GLNF is very strong and many members have sent us their intention not to be affiliated with the organization since they are very disappointed by the political manipulation that has been made of the institution. These sources Emphasize That “the crisis in the GLNF is very strong and Many members sat us Have Their intention Not to be Affiliated with the organization Since They Are very disappointed by the Political manipulation That has-been made of the institution. One thing is that you can Masons have in politics is quite another to such an institution serving some interests, which is prohibited. One thing Masons That May Have Another in policy and remove to put Such an institution serving Some Interests, Which is prohibited. Stifani Freemasonry has betrayed. “Stifani Freemasonry has betrayed.”

The betrayal was cited as a letter Stifani sent to French President Nicolas Sarkozy in January, 2009 wrote a letter in which he expressed his (Masonic) support to him and several cabinet members.  The letter has since forced François Stifani’s resignation as the organizations President, but not its Grand Master, and the appointment of Monique Legrand, judicial administrator, as the ad hoc administrator of the French National Grand Lodge (GLNF).

Was it merely a testing of the waters? Seems not to be the case.

The Lion’s Paw

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Brother Wayne Anderson of Canada sends out a weekly Newsletter on Sundays to anybody who wants to be put on his mailing list. He often sends out some works by H.L. Haywood, one of his favorites.  If you would like to be put on Brother Anderson’s newsletter mailing list please do not hesitate to contact him.

Wayne Anderson, FCF, MPS

This weeks newsletter was on a subject that I have always found fascinating and demonstrates how interwoven with history Freemasonry is.

lion of the tribe of judah, Jesus, lion statue
A lion of Judah sculpture at a synagogue in Florida.

The Lions Paw

By H. L. Haywood

The Mackey Encyclopædia article on this subject is very brief, as may be seen from the following: “A mode of recognition so called because of the rude resemblance made by the hand and fingers to a lion’s paw. It refers to the ‘Lion of the tribe of Judah.'” This is true as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough, for it leaves unanswered the questions of origin and interpretation. Nor does the companion article on the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah” give us much more information. If Mackey refrained from saying more because he knew no more we can sympathize with him, seeing that at this late day there is still very little known about the matter. But we have learned something since Mackey wrote, enough maybe, to set us on the track toward a satisfactory understanding of the matter.

Owing to its appeal to the imagination, and to the fear and reverence it has ever aroused, the lion has often been a favorite with symbolists, especially religious symbolists. Our modern anthropologists and folk-lore experts have furnished us with numberless examples of this, even among primitive folk now living, who are sometimes found worshiping the animal. Among the early peoples of India the lion was often used, and generally with the same significance, as standing for “the divine spirit in man.” Among the early Egyptians it was still more venerated, as may be learned from their monuments, their temples, and especially their sphinxes; if we may trust our authorities in the matter, the Nile dwellers used it as a symbol of the life-giving power of the sun and the sun’s ability to bring about the resurrection of vegetation in the spring time. In some of the sculpture left by the Egyptians to illustrate the rites of the Egyptian Mysteries the candidate is shown lying on a couch shaped like a lion from which he is being raised from the dead level to a living perpendicular. The bas-reliefs at Denderah make this very plain, though they represent the god Osiris being raised instead of a human candidate. “Here,” writes J. E. Harrison in her very interesting little book on “Ancient Art and Ritual,” “the God is represented first as a mummy swathed and lying flat on his bier. Bit by bit he is seen raising himself up in a series of gymnastically impossible positions, till he rises . . . all but erect, between the outstretched wings of Isis, while before him a male figure holds the Crux Ansata, the ‘cross with a handle,’ the Egyptian symbol of life.”

The crux ansata was, as Miss Harrison truly says, the symbol of life. Originally a stick, with a cross-piece at the top for a handle, it was used to measure the overflow of the Nile: but inasmuch as it was this overflow that carried fertility into Egypt, the idea of a life-giving power gradually became transferred to the instrument itself, in the same manner that we attribute to a writer’s “pen” his ability to use words. A few of our Masonic expositors, among whom Albert Pike may be numbered, have seen in the crux ansata the first form of that Lion’s Paw by which the Masonic Horus is raised. If this be the case, the Lion’s Paw is a symbol of life-giving power, an interpretation which fits in very well with our own position as outlined in the two preceding sections.

But it is also possible to trace the Lion’s Paw symbolism to another source. Among the Jews the lion was sometimes used as the emblem of the Tribe of Judah; as the Messiah was expected to spring from that Tribe the Lion was also made to refer to him, as may be seen in the fifth verse of the fifth chapter of the Book of Revelation, where Jesus Christ is called the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” It was from this source, doubtless, that the Comacines, the great Cathedral Builders of the Middle Ages, who were always so loyal to the Scriptures, derived their habitual use of the lion in their sculptures. Of this, Leader Scott, the great authority on the Comacines, writes that, “My own observations have led me to the opinion that in Romanesque or Transition architecture, i.e., between A.D. 1000 and 1200, the lion is to be found between the columns and the arch—the arch resting upon it. In Italian Gothic, i.e., from A.D. 1200 to 1500, it is placed beneath the column. In either position its significance is evident. In the first, it points to Christ as the door of the church; in the second, to Christ, the pillar of faith, springing from the tribe of Judah.” Since the cathedral builders were in all probability among the ancestors of Freemasons it is possible that the Lion symbolism was inherited from the Comacines.

During the cathedral building period, when symbolism was flowering out on all sides in mediæval life, the lion was one of the most popular figures in the common animal mythology, as may be learned from the Physiologus, the old book in which that mythology has been preserved. According to this record, the people believed that the whelps of the lioness were born dead and that at the end of three days she would howl above them until they were awakened into life. In this the childlike people saw a symbol of Christ’s resurrection after He had lain dead three days in the tomb; from this it naturally resulted that the lion came to be used as a symbol of the Resurrection, and such is the significance of the picture of a lion howling above the whelps, so often found in the old churches and cathedrals.

The early Freemasons, so the records show, read both these meanings,—Christ and Resurrection,—into the symbol as they used it. And when we consider that most of Freemasonry was Christian in belief down at least to the Grand Lodge era, it is reasonable to suppose that the Lion symbol may have been one of the vestiges of that early belief carried over into the modern system. If this be the case the Lion’s Paw has the same meaning, whether we interpret it, with Pike, as an Egyptian symbol, or with Leader Scott, as a Christian emblem, since it stands for the life-giving power, a meaning that perfectly accords with its use in the Third Degree. This also brings it into harmony with our interpretation of Eternal Life for in both its Egyptian and its Christian usages it refers to a raising up to life in this world, and not to a raising in the world to come.

Women and Freemasonry – We have met the enemy and it is us.

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The title, in part, comes from the comments about an article that ran in the USA Today – online edition, titled Masons, other service groups fight membership declines.

The article is the usual grouping of why the decline is happening, what groups are doing about it, and what the results are in the realities of the 21st century. The article included a quote from Richard Fletcher, the executive secretary of the Masonic Service Association of North America (MSANA) who said “There are fewer Masons today — by nearly a million — than there were in 1941 as the country came out of the Great Depression.” – something illustrated in a piece published in 2007 and again in 2010 titled So what? The Dynamic of Masonic Membership?.

Similar positions were repeated throughout the piece by the Rotary, Elks, but not the Lions.

Amos McCallum, of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, says that they are presently at 900,000 members, down from 1.6 million in 1980 (an almost half million member drop). And Elizabeth Minelli, a Rotary International spokeswoman, says that Rotary is down 42,000 since 1995 in the USA to 360,790 today.

The only silver lining in the story was the success of the Lions Club International who are seeing a rising trend, up by 20,000 new members as of 2010 following decades of decline, claiming more than a million worldwide. the reason for the success of the Lions Club? I’ll quote Lions Club spokesman Dane La Joye from the article:

Reaching out to women has been key, La Joye says. “Women are the fastest-growing segment of our membership today,”.

While, right below it quotes Fletcher as saying “Women are not allowed to join [Freemasonry], and the policy is not up for debate.”

Far be it any one Mason to say that the institution should at least self evaluate itself, but to NOT look at the growing trend of Feminine dominance in the marketplace as a potential source of new association, then it is truly mis-reading the heartbeat of society and perhaps then should relinquish the claim as being the builder of modern society.

Some statistics about Marketing to Women, from She-conomy.com

Senior women age 50 and older control net worth of $19 trillion and own more than three-fourths of the nation’s financial wealth.

Over the next decade, women will control two thirds of consumer wealth in the United States and be the beneficiaries of the largest transference of wealth in our country’s history. Estimates range from $12 to $40 trillion.

Wealthy boomer women are the marquee players in our country’s culture and commerce. They are educated, have a high income, and make 95 percent of the purchase decisions for their households.

Women account for 85% of all consumer purchases including everything from autos to health care.

  • 76% want to be part of a special or select panel
  • 70% of new businesses are started by women
  • 79% would try your product or service
  • 80% would solidify their brand loyalty
  • 51% would give a company a second chance if a product or service missed the mark the first time

Women make more than 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions.

Even in a the male dominated world of professional sports women are:

  • 47.2 % of major league soccer fans
  • 46.5% of MLB fans
  • 43.2% of NFL fans
  • 40.8% of fans at NHL games
  • 37% of NBA fans
  • Purchase 46% of official NFL merchandise
  • Spent 80% of all sport apparel dollars and controlled 60% of all money spent on men’s clothing
  • Women comprise about one-third (34%) of the adult audience for ESPN sport event programs

With lots more data about modern women as consumers, that last bullet is a strong point – given that joining an organization that necessitates annual dues would fall into a consumer purchasing decision, if more men aren’t joining the ranks its probably because 80% of their wives are unwilling to allow men to commit to just such an expenditure.

So, do you change the tide of social evolution, or change your marketing?

If Masonry were operating as a Corporate business, as a shareholder, it would be safe to say that its missing the single largest opportunity to grow the business – opening it up to women, and as a share holding stake holder, does that make good business sense?

Instant Karma’s Gonna Get You

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I shot out a traffic light the other day with my shotgun, one that has been giving me fits lately as I go to work. No, I didn’t actually shoot it, but I have found myself fantasizing about doing so lately as I have become increasingly agitated while waiting on this particular light. In fact, I’ve noticed I’m becoming more irritable lately and have even found myself yelling expletives at machines, particularly my computer and cell phone. No, I don’t think I’m going through a change of life. Heck, I wouldn’t even know what a hot flash was, but I don’t think I’m alone. When I mention this to my friends, they recognize their level of impatience is rising as well. I have older friends who are retired and appear much less stressed out and this got me thinking as to what was the cause of the discrepancy. True, I am still actively employed and they are not, but this is as it has always been. There must be something else.

Other than being employed, I am much more imbued with technology than my predecessors. For example, I make extensive use of computers on a daily basis. I write and communicate with them, I prepare presentations and spreadsheets, develop and use data bases and web pages, process financial transactions, and I use them for entertainment purposes. I have a cell phone which I use only occasionally, unlike a lot of people who seem to be addicted to them. My children are probably more proficient with such devices than I am, not to mention games and digital multimedia. Then it hit me; through our technology we have been nurturing a sense of instant gratification thereby affecting our tolerance.

Take photography as a small example. Just fifty years ago you would have a simple box camera where you carefully loaded a roll of film, usually consisting of just 12 shots (exposures). After you took your “snapshots” you would take the film to a drug store to be processed at a price and normally requiring a couple of days. 35mm cameras slowly made their way into our lives offering superior pictures with a roll of 36 shots. Nonetheless you would still have to wait to have the film processed. The point is, because you had limited exposures which cost you money to process, you tended to be more judicious in taking a photograph which was normally used for special occasions, such as group shots at birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, etc. or to capture memories while on vacation. Today it’s different. You would be hard pressed to find anyone without ready access to a digital camera of some kind (the cell phone took care of that). Now we expect to take voluminous instant pictures and upload them to the Internet for sharing with family and friends. Whereas fifty years ago, the average family may have taken no more than 100 pictures in a year, today we take thousands and distribute them around the world instantly. And if we cannot, we become terribly upset.

This leads me to believe there has been a significant change in our dispositions due to our enhanced use of technology. It would be interesting to see some research substantiating how our tolerance levels have changed over the years, thereby leading to heightened stress in our society. Technology has dramatically altered how we access news, our eating and sleeping habits, even how we learn which, in turn, affects our mental acuity, such as our alertness, our attention span and our sense of work ethic.

Technology has conditioned us to be intolerant of inefficiencies and limitations thereby causing us to think faster, virtually, and to multitask. Think about it; we don’t like to wait in traffic, we expect to be able to call and talk to any person anytime we want, we want information at our fingertips, we expect to be able to listen to any song or watch any movie whenever we’re in the mood, we want to get in and out of hospitals, we want instant food, instant pictures, instant credit, instant money, instant everything. We drive faster and talk faster because we have been conditioned to do so. The pace of business has also picked up considerably because it is driven by technology. We want things to be built faster and cheaper, and have no patience for anything less.

When John Lennon wrote his song “Instant Karma!” he was poking fun at our inclination to want everything instantly, that we didn’t want to work hard for anything, such as instant coffee, instant food, etc. Since he wrote the song in 1970 there have been sweeping changes to technology beyond what Lennon could have imagined as we have developed an unforeseen addiction to it.

Our sense of instant gratification today causes us to throw childlike tantrums when we cannot get something on demand. Waiting is one thing, our tolerance level is another. I contend our personalities are being subliminally distorted by technology. We obviously want everything faster, cheaper and better, but is it possible that too much communications is a bad thing? Or too much entertainment, or too much information? If it distorts our culture negatively, the answer is, Yes.

There is a certain amount of Parkinson’s Law being applied here – “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” For example, video games used to be nothing more than tic-tac-toe, then PacMan was introduced, both of which were amusing but rather lethargic by today’s standards. Now we have realistic video graphics featuring blood and guts that move at warp speed and teaching questionable ethics. As the pace of video games increased, so did our pulse.

I find one of the biggest differences between my generation and my older retired friends is we no longer know how to enjoy the moment. We are constantly pushing ourselves to move aggressively faster. Not enough people are finding time to unplug and decompress, and, No, collapsing in front of the boob tube at night is not the answer. Activities such as reading, attending civic events, art, exercise, sightseeing, fishing, etc. offer a distraction that a lot of us need to regain our composure. In other words, there is nothing wrong with occasionally stopping to smell the roses.

If things are this hectic early in the 21st century, imagine what we’ll be like by the 22nd. We already see signs of change in our youth who want everything now and as painlessly as possible thereby creating a sense of entitlement. Older people have trouble understanding why youth no longer has the drive and desire to earn things. The answer is rather obvious; they’ve been conditioned to think this way. It would be interesting to see what would happen if the plug was suddenly pulled from our technology. People would probably go through withdrawal symptoms before finding it necessary to think for themselves again, to learn to cooperate, communicate, socialize, and all of the other people related skills that have been altered over the years. It would actually be quite fascinating, but, of course, this will never happen.

Finally, consider these lyrics from Lennon’s “Instant Karma!” –

Instant Karma’s gonna get you
Gonna knock you right in the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon you’re gonna be dead

What in the world you thinking of?
Laughing in the face of love
What on Earth you tryin to do?
It’s up to you, yeah, you

Instant Karma’s gonna get you
Gonna knock you right in the face
You better get yourself together darling
Join the human race

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim’s columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

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Tune into Tim’s THE BRYCE IS RIGHT! podcast Mondays-Fridays, 11:30am (Eastern).

Copyright © 2011 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

10,000 French Masons Seek to Defect to Grand Lodge of Spain

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symbols2-sSuch is the headline from the online Spanish newspaper El Confidencial.

Freemasons in the Grand Lodge of France (GLNF) are livid with French Grand Master Francois Stifani for entering the political arena and are threatening to desert to the Grand Lodge of Spain (GLE).

GM Stifani wrote in a letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy:

“I will help you everything you need in your projects, as Masons do my obedience to you. You are the first president with whom we fully agree. And you can count on our order to carry out its future reforms.”

In a rough translation from El Confidencial Sarkozy reportedly wrote back:

“I trust you certify and support given to me, comfort me in my determination to continue the reform movement initiated to bring our country to new emergencies and give it a place in the evolution of the world.”

The issue in the GLNF resulted in GM Sifani refusing to call Grand Lodge into Session to debate the issue, his resignation as President of GLNF while keeping his Presidency of the organization or foundation.

Now the French Masons are in court to bring the issue to a head (shades of Frank Haas).

Meanwhile some GLNF members have contacted the Spanish GLE as to the likelihood of joining the Spanish Grand Lodge.

Spain has recently emerged from its own Masonic problems with current Grand Master Oscar Alfonso cleaning up the mess left by the previous Grand Master Jose Carretero.

I wonder what this all has to say about the Right of Exclusive Territorial Jurisdiction that some American scholars have written originated in Europe?

The Hour Glass

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The Hour Glass has always been one of my favorite Masonic symbols.  So much so that in my times as Master of a Lodge I often included the litany of the Hour Glass in the funeral or memorial service.

Holding the Hour glass out before me, watching the sand slowly filter down from top to bottom, these words seemed to have an eerie prognostication of life and what a fleeting moment our lives really are.

“Thus wastes man! Today, he puts forth the tender leaves of hope; tomorrow, blossoms and bears his blushing honors thick upon him; the next day comes a frost, which nips the shoot, and when he thinks his greatness is still aspiring, he falls, like autumn leaves, to enrich our mother earth.”

Brother Ezekiel M. Bey has added his poetic thoughts to the meaning of the Hour Glass in verses that should be taken to heart.

The Hour Glass, African American Freemasonry In The State Of New York
Ezekiel M. Bey

The Hour Glass
By Ezekiel M. Bey, FPS

I saw an hour glass with crystal sand
The grains fell through a slim sleek band
Wide at the top, wide at the bottom
Each single grain dropped through its model

Its mark was equal to minute’s lesson
To fill the bottom took sixty seconds
Equivalent to an hour I sat to look
As thoughts revealed a shape it took

Those crystal grains disciplined by law
The law of gravity defined it all
We start from top, end up below
We start from spirit, to give-up ghost

hourglassBut life is beauty and creativity
Depends on what we chose to be
Life has many choices and one is failure
Success defines a Godly Tailor

However, not all success is God divine
Not all who fails is crucified
It’s just the lessons we’re to define
It’s all what you are deep inside

So life itself is but a moment
So treasure it, solstice to solstice
There comes a time to understand
The last grained dropped in the hour glass

Favorite Quotes of Tim Bryce – Part 2

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quotation-marksFavorite Quotes of Tim Bryce on Life, Business, Sports, Politics and Government.  Part 2

Excerpted from the book The Freethinking Freemason – Collected Masonic Works of Tim Bryce

QUOTATIONS FROM FAMOUS MASONS WHO WERE MILITARY LEADERS

“It’s got to be done and done quickly, so let’s get it done.”

– Bro. Henry “Hap” Arnold
U.S. General, Commander of the Army Air Force
Union Lodge No. 7 A.F.& A.M., Junction City, MO, USA

“I learned that good judgment comes from experience and that experience grows out of mistakes.”

– Bro. Omar N. Bradley
General, U.S. Army; “The Soldier’s General”
West Point Lodge No. 877 F.& A.M., Highland Falls, NY, USA

“Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”

– Bro. David G. Farragut
Union Admiral in U.S. Civil War
Naval Lodge No. 87 F.& A.M., Mare Island, CA, USA

“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.”

– Bro. Andrew Jackson
U.S. General and President
Harmony Lodge No. 1 F.& A.M., Nashville, TN, USA

“As you know that the Credit of the Service depends not only on dealing fairly with the men Employed in it, but on their belief that they are and will be fairly dealt with.”

– Bro. John Paul Jones
Founder and first admiral of the U.S. Navy
St. Bernard’s Kilwinning Lodge No. 122 (now St. Cuthbert No. 41), Kirkudbright, Scotland

“You are ordered abroad as a soldier of the King to help our French comrades against the invasion of a common enemy. You have to perform a task which will need your courage, your energy, and your patience. Remember that the honor of the British Army depends on your individual conduct. It will be your duty not only to set an example of discipline and perfect steadiness under fire, but also to maintain the most friendly relations with those whom you are helping in this struggle…. Do your duty bravely. Fear God and honor the King.” (a printed address to the British Expeditionary Force carried by soldiers during World War I)

– Bro. & Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener
British General
PM – British Union Lodge No. 114, Ipswich, England, and La Concordia Lodge, Cairo, UGLE

“It is a rule in war never to leave a fort in your rear.”

– Bro. Henry Knox
Major General, U.S. Revolutionary War
First U.S. Secretary of War
St. Johns Regimental Lodge F.& A.M., Morristown, NJ, USA

“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”

– Bro. Douglas MacArthur
U.S. General of the Army
Manila Lodge No. 1, Manila, Philippines

“A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops.”

– Bro. John Joseph “Blackjack” Pershing
U.S. General, WWI
Lincoln Lodge No. 19 A.F.& A.M., Lincoln, NE, USA

“Up men to your posts! Don’t forget today that you are from old Virginia.”

– Bro. George Pickett (at Gettysburg)
Major General CSA
Blandford Lodge F.& A.M., Petersburg, VA, USA

“Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”

– Bro. Eddie Rickenbacker
Captain, American Air Force Ace WWI
Kilwinning Lodge No. 297 F.& A.M., Detroit, MI, USA

“Brave rifles, veterans, you have been baptized in fire and blood and have come out steel!”

– Bro. Winfield Scott
General, U.S. Army
Dinwiddlie Lodge No. 23 A.F.& A.M., Virginia, USA

“There is no such thing as bravery; only degrees of fear.”

– Bro. Jonathan M. Wainwright
U.S. General of the Bataan Peninsula, WWII
Union Lodge No. 7 A.F.& A.M., Junction City, KS, USA

“We must never despair; our situation has been compromising before; and it changed for the better; so I trust it will again; If difficulties arise; we must put forth new exertion and proportion our efforts to the exigencies of the times.”

– Bro. George Washington
U.S. General and President
Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 A.F.& A.M., Fredericksburg, VA, USA

FAMOUS MASONS WHO SERVED IN THE U.S. SUPREME COURT

“The very reason for the First Amendment is to make the people of this country free to think, speak, write and worship as they wish, not as the Government commands.”

– Bro. Hugo L. Black
Birmingham Temple Lodge No. 836 F.& A.M.
Birmingham, AL, USA

“The law does not expect a man to be prepared to defend every act of his life which may be suddenly and without notice alleged against him.”

“To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.”

“The acme of judicial distinction means the ability to look a lawyer straight in the eyes for two hours and not to hear a damned word he says.”

– Bro. John Marshall
Chief Justice (1801-1835)
Grand Master of Virginia (1793 & 1794)

“Next to the right of liberty, the right of property is the most important individual right guaranteed by the Constitution and the one which, united with that of personal liberty, has contributed more to the growth of civilization than any other institution established by the human race.”

“There is nothing so despicable as a secret society that is based upon religious prejudice and that will attempt to defeat a man because of his religious beliefs. Such a society is like a cockroach – it thrives in the dark. So do those who combine for such an end.”

– Bro. William Howard Taft
27th President and U.S. Chief Justice
Initiated Occasional Lodge, Cincinnati, OH;
Affiliated Kilwinning Lodge No. 356, Cincinnati, OH, USA

“In civilized life, law floats in a sea of ethics.”

“The man of character, sensitive to the meaning of what he is doing, will know how to discover the ethical paths in the maze of possible behavior.”

– Bro. Earl Warren
Chief Justice (1953 – 1969)
Grand Master of California (1935 – 1936)

SENTIMENTS REGARDING THE FRATERNITY BY MASONS AND NON-MASONS ALIKE

“Gentlemen, I have always entertained a profound respect for the Masonic fraternity and have long cherished a desire to become a member…”

– Abraham Lincoln, 1860

“What couldn’t a million Masons do if they made a concerted effort to change the world? We could approximate brotherhood in the twinkling of an eye.”

– Dwight D. Eisenhower

“I say today, thank God for Masons and for all affiliated with this outstanding organization because you bring good, and the more good we bring, the closer we get to a more perfect world, so that the children of this world can indeed know peace, have freedom, and seek dreams.”

– Bro. Dirk Kempthorne
Governor, State of Idaho
September 16, 2004

“I am closing my address with a confession.

Since becoming a Freemason, I forgot hate. Instead, I learned to love – to love God and my fellowman. I am now at ease with my own conscience. I only do what I think is right, and shun all evil. I also forget fear. I can be alone no matter where I am, what I do, or where I go.

A clean conscience makes a man brave. I hope that Freemasonry has had the same influence upon all of you, which is an assurance of a better world to live in, and a happier humanity to live with.”

– Bro. & Gen. Emillio Aguinaldo, Filipino Hero,
Addressing the Grand Lodge of the Philippines in 1955

“Through Freemasonry, however, I have had opportunity to break bread with good men of other than my own Christian faith. Freemasonry does not promote any one religious creed. All Masons believe in the Deity without reservation. However, Masonry makes no demands as to how a member thinks of the Great Architect of the Universe. Freemasonry is, for all its members, a supplement to good living which has enhanced the lives of millions who have entered its doors. Though it is not a religion, as such, it supplements faith in God the Creator. It is supporting of morality and virtue.

Freemasonry has no dogma or theology. It offers no sacraments. It teaches that it is important for every man to have a religion of his own choice and to be faithful to it in thought and action. As a result, men of different religions meet in fellowship and brotherhood under the fatherhood of God. I think that a good Mason is made even more faithful to the tenets of his faith by his membership in the Lodge.”

– Bro. & The Reverend Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

“From my earliest recollection, sitting about my father’s knees, who was a Mason, and hearing him and fellow Masons talk, I imbibed the impression in early childhood that the Masonic fraternity is one of the most helpful mediating and conserving organizations among men, and I have never wavered from that childhood impression, but it has stood steadfastly with me through the busy and vast hurrying years.”

– Bro. George W. Truett (1867-1944)
Former President of the Southern Baptist Conference (SBC) (1927-1929)

“It is no secret that Masons love and revere the Bible. Nor is it a secret that Masonry helped to preserve it in the darkest age of the church when infidelity sought to destroy it. The Bible meets Masons with its sacred message at every step of progress in its various degrees.”

– Bro. & Dr. James P. Wesberry
Former Executive Director and Editor of
the Southern Baptist Publication “Sunday”

“In a day of mistrust, suspicion, discrimination, separation and even hatred, Freemasonry removes the distance between men. Friendship, morality, and brotherly love are the hallmarks of our relationships. There is a basic integrity in the Fraternity so often lacking in many of life’s relationships…. Let me quickly and emphatically say that Freemasonry is not and has never been a religion; however, Freemasonry has always been a friend and ally of religion. In 50 years as a minister and as a Mason, I have found no conflict between my Masonic beliefs and the Christian faith.”

“My Masonic activities have never interfered with my loyalty to and my love for my Church. Quite the contrary, my loyalty to my Church has been strengthened by my Masonic ties. Good Masons are good Churchmen.”

“Let no one say you cannot be a Christian and a Mason at the same time. I know too many who are both and proud to be both.”

– Bro. & Bishop Carl J. Sanders
United Methodist Church

“Good Masons make good churchmen. Every clergyman can testify to the truth of this. They make loyal and sacrificing patriots. Our colonial history supplies the proof of this assertion. All Masons are not ardent church members but neither are all church members ardent for the church. Yet the proof is clearly and abundantly evident that the Masonic fraternity is an influence for good in personal and community life.

Freemasonry is not a religion. It has never claimed to be, and has always corrected those of the Brotherhood who unthoughtfully would say ‘Freemasonry is my religion.’ Freemasonry has always been a friend and ally of religion. Religious people have found a congenial fellowship within the Lodge and have not been embarrassed by what takes place there. In many respects, Freemasonry may be called a religious institution owing its ‘origin and morality to the religious element.’ But this is something different from being a religion. A hospital can be a religious institution but not a religion.”

– Bro. & Rev. Bishop Fred Pierce Corson
Methodist Bishop of Philadelphia and
President of the World Methodist Council

ALBERT PIKE (1809-1891)

Teacher, poet, essayist, trapper, explorer, historian, revolutionary, newspaper editor, lawyer, legal scholar, political activist, publisher, military commander, orator, State Supreme Court Chief Justice, philosopher, and devoted Freemason.

“That which causes us trials shall yield us triumph: and that which make our hearts ache shall fill us with gladness. The only true happiness is to learn, to advance, and to improve: which could not happen unless we had commence with error, ignorance, and imperfection. We must pass through the darkness, to reach the light.”

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

“To work with the hands or brain, according to our requirements and our capacities, to do that which lies before us to do, is more honorable than rank and title.”

“Almost all the noblest things that have been achieved in the world, have been achieved by poor men; poor scholars, poor professional men, poor artisans and artists, poor philosophers, poets, and men of genius.”

“A war for a great principle ennobles a nation. A war for commercial supremacy, upon some shallow pretext, is despicable.”

“He who endeavors to serve, to benefit, and improve the world, is like a swimmer, who struggles against a rapid current, in a river lashed into angry waves by the winds. Often they roar over his head, often they beat him back and baffle him. Most men yield to the stress of the current… Only here and there the stout, strong heart and vigorous arms struggle on toward ultimate success.”

“Above all things let us never forget that mankind constitutes one great brotherhood; all born to encounter suffering and sorrow, and therefore bound to sympathize with each other.”

Keep the Faith.

Freemasonry From the Edge
Freemasonry From the Edge

by: W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
“A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry”
Originally published on FmI in 2008

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.

To receive notices of Tim’s writings, subscribe to his Discussion Group.

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

Copyright © 2008 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Symbolism on the Winding Staircase – Seven the Magic Number

by

The Middle Chamber

From the three steps to the five steps, we now stand at the landing of of the middle chamber.  On this journey we have climbed much – traversing up Jacob’s ladder in the first degree, climbed the first series of three steps and introduced to their significance in our maturity with an introduction to the Kaballah. Then, we traversed upon the next five steps where we were illustrated the role of architecture and to our senses to take in the exoteric and esoteric undertaking of the degree.  Now, before us we confront the next leg, the next seven steps that have such meaning that they can scarcely be fully understood as they are contained in their presentation.

To approach them, we must first see them as presented in context through Duncan’s Ritual and Monitor of Freemasonry as he writes of the journey:

The seven steps allude to the seven Sabbatical years, seven years of famine, seven years in building the Temple, seven golden candlesticks, Seven Wonders of the World, seven wise men of the east, seven planets; but, more especially, the seven liberal arts and sciences, which are: Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy

Each of these arts, as they are defined come with a specific exoteric meaning, they are what they presume to be, and by that I mean that they are in fact what we consider comparable to be the Liberal Arts of study in university today.

At first blush, seven dissonant elements are mentioned first, but our concentration must first come to focus on the latter 7, the seven liberal arts and sciences. But why study a liberal arts course of study?  Harvard, a school of some esteem and founded well before Masonry organized under its present day Grand Lodge system, says of a present day liberal arts education that “A liberal education is…a preparation for the rest of life.”

It goes on to say a liberal education…

“…is, an education conducted in a spirit of free inquiry undertaken without concern for topical relevance or vocational utility. This kind of learning is not only one of the enrichments of existence; it is one of the achievements of civilization. It heightens students’ awareness of the human and natural worlds they inhabit. It makes them more reflective about their beliefs and choices, more self-conscious and critical of their presuppositions and motivations, more creative in their problem-solving, more perceptive of the world around them, and more able to inform themselves about the issues that arise in their lives, personally, professionally, and socially. College is an opportunity to learn and reflect in an environment free from most of the constraints on time and energy that operate in the rest of life.”

Though the idea of what a liberal study was at the time of their inclusion in Masonry, the principal of that study was the same.  This is no subtle assertion; the creators of the Masonic degrees agreed and included in them the instruction to pursue the study of this program to better make the Mason. In short, to make the man a better man with a firm understanding of the Liberal Arts is a necessary foundation for his being.

But what exactly does that mean? To see that answer, we must look at what resides within the study of the liberal arts as instructed by Duncan’s Monitor. To do that, we need to break down what the study of the Liberal Arts would entail in its age of inclusion.

Grammar

The body of rules describing the properties of the English language. A language is such that its elements must be combined according to certain patterns, its morphology, the building blocks of language; and syntax, the construction of meaningful phrases, clauses and sentences with the use of morphemes and words.

The first codex for English grammar, concisely called Pamphlet for Grammar was compiled/written by William Bullokar, and was written with the ostensible goal of demonstrating that English was just as worthy and rule-bound as was Latin, and was published in 1586. Bullokar’s grammar was faithfully modeled on William Lily’s Latin grammar, Rudimenta Grammatices (1534), which was a Latin text and was used in schools in England at that time, as it was “prescribed” for them in 1542 by Henry VIII.

From early on we can see that the use of language was seen as an important necessity and that the study of Grammar and the use of language in communication of ideas to others as an important aspect of transferring knowledge.

Rhetoric

Like grammar, is the art of using language to communicate effectively and persuasively involving three audience appeals: logos which is the “reason or the rational principle expressed in words and things”[1], pathos which is the ” the quality or power, esp in literature or speech, of arousing feelings of pity, sorrow”[2], and ethos which is the ” the distinctive character, spirit, and attitudes of a people, culture, era,”[3], as well as the five canons of rhetoric: invention or discovery, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Along with grammar and logic or dialectic, rhetoric is one of the three ancient arts of discourse dating back to antiquity and the great works of Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle of whose surviving texts we can read today. From ancient Greece to the late 19th Century, rhetoric was a central part of Western education, filling the need to train public speakers and writers to move audiences to action with arguments rather than coercion of force.

It is the use of language in persuasion of others, an interesting Masonic application, indeed.

Logic

With its origins from the Greek λογική logikē, is the study of arguments – Grammar and Rhetoric together. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. Logic examines general forms which arguments may take comparing which forms are valid, and which are fallacies.  It is a form of critical thinking. In philosophy, the study of logic figures into most major areas of focus: epistemology, ethics, and metaphysics. In mathematics, it takes place in the study of valid inferences within some formal language.

Clearly, we can see that Logis is the application of Grammar and Rhetoric together.

These three areas of study composed what the medieval universities called the tritium, meaning the “three roads” or “three ways” which was necessary in preparation for the quadrivium which are the next four liberal arts of ancient study.  The use and preparation of this work was principally for the deeper study of philosophy and theology both noble arts in this period of the middle ages and Renaissance.  The four studies came from the curriculum as outlined by Plato in the Republic, as written in the seventh book. The same quadrivium was suggested to of come from the Pythagoreans, as Proclus wrote in A commentary on the first book of Euclid’s Elements:

The Pythagoreans considered all mathematical science to be divided into four parts: one half they marked off as concerned with quantity, the other half with magnitude; and each of these they posited as twofold. A quantity can be considered in regard to its character by itself or in its relation to another quantity, magnitudes as either stationary or in motion. Arithmetic, then, studies quantities as such, music the relations between quantities, geometry magnitude at rest, spherics [astronomy] magnitude inherently moving”

Arithmetic

Arithmetic, then, is the simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations involving the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers. In day to day usage it refers to the simple properties of traditional operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with small number values.

The origins of Arithmetic are thought to date back to as early as 20,000 B.C.E. from ancient tally marks on bone, however earliest records date back to the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians of 2000 B.C.E. with numeral systems and counting marks.  Continuous historical development of modern Arithmetic begins in the Hellenistic period of Greece with a close relationship to philosophical and mystical beliefs such as in the works of Euclid and Pythagoras, both Masonic patriarchs.

Geometry

From the Greek as earth-measurement, geometry is concerned with the determination of shape, size, relative position of figures, and the properties of space.  Euclid, Archimedes, Descartes, Kepler, and Pythagoras are but a few who are a part of this 5000 year old art of lengths, angles, area, and volume, of which works can be found in ancient Egypt and Babylon too.  A fantastic example of their prowess we look to still today in the Great Pyramids of Giza.

The advanced study of Geometry today looks not just into the dimension and space of number, but into its correlation to physics, algebra, and string theory just to name a few as it puts to measure both the physical and invisible universe.

Music

The art of the muses, is an art form whose medium is found in the creation of sound.  Common elements of music are to be found in pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts of tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture.

More than the study of melody and song, the Pythagoreans of ancient Greece were the first researchers believed to have investigated the expression of music in scale in terms of numerical ratios, particularly the ratios of small integers. Their central doctrine was that “all nature consists of harmony arising out of number”[4]

On Pythagoreans scale, the Greek Pythagorean and Presocratic philosopher

Philolaus says in Carl Huffman’s “Philolaus,”

A musical scale presupposes an unlimited continuum of pitches, which must be limited in some way in order for a scale to arise. The crucial point is that not just any set of limiters will do. We cannot just pick pitches at random along the continuum and produce a scale that will be musically pleasing. The scale that Philolaus adopts is such that the ratio of the highest to the lowest pitch is 2 : 1, which produces the interval of an octave. That octave is in turn divided into a fifth and a fourth, which have the ratios of 3 : 2 and 4 : 3 respectively and which, when added, make an octave. If we go up a fifth from the lowest note in the octave and then up a fourth from there, we will reach the upper note of the octave. Finally the fifth can be divided into three whole tones, each corresponding to the ratio of 9 : 8 and a remainder with a ratio of 256 : 243 and the fourth into two whole tones with the same remainder. Thus, in Philolaus’ system the fitting together of limiters and unlimiteds involves their combination in accordance with ratios of numbers. Similarly the cosmos and the individual things in the cosmos do not arise by a chance combination of limiters and unlimiteds; the limiters and unlimiteds must be fitted together in a pleasing way in accordance with number for an order to arise. Fragment 6a suggests that Philolaus saw the cosmos as put together according to the diatonic scale. This would be very much in accord with the famous conception of the harmony of the spheres according to which the heavenly bodies make harmonious music as they move, but neither in Philolaus nor any other early source do we get an explicit account of how the musical scale corresponds to the astronomical system.[5]

As you can see, the study of music, in its basic form of composition and in its deeper esoteric study, lends itself to the exploration of mathematics, logic, and geometry, which can lead to a better understanding of the universe itself, which brings us to the last element in this progression.

Astronomy

More precisely called astrology in its earliest Western study.

Astrology and astronomy were archaically one and the same discipline (Latin: astrologia), and were only gradually recognized as separate in Western 17th century philosophy during the “Age of Reason”.  Since that time the two have come to be regarded as completely separate disciplines.

Astronomy, then, is the study of objects and phenomena from beyond the Earth’s atmosphere which is a science and widely studied in academic discipline discovering the expanse of the heavens in planets, stars, and other stellar phenomena.  Astrology, which uses the positions of celestial objects as the foundation for predictions of future events, and other esoteric knowledge, which is not considered a science and is often seen as a form of divination.

The early astronomer/astrologer, despite its predictive application, would use the study of celestial bodies and chart the astrological movements in space which in turn were applied to correspondences in day to day life of those who he charted them for.  Many renaissance scientists were astronomer/astrologers including Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler.  The infamous John Dee, astrologer and Magus for the court of Elizabeth I in 1558.  Its suggested that by his charts he selected Elizabeth’s coronation date.  The practice was in keeping with their earlier study pattern of the liberal arts and not seen as abhorrent to their conclusions in their time.

Scoffed at in academic circles today, the realm of astrology is often the fodder for cheap periodicals and psychic infomercials.  In its deeper recesses we can link it to the study of the Kabbalah and the Western mystery traditions and find parallels to our perceptions and ideas even in our Masonic symbolism.  Just a quick look at the Holy Saints John again will remind us of our own pairing of earth bound ideas to the equatorial poles of our sun’s annual transition from summer to winter and back again.  Perhaps this is coincidence, or by design, in either case it gives us a link to our past in the Liberal studies.  This is, in some aspect of antiquity, the role of astrology and the cycle of mankind and our understanding of it.

Notwithstanding the work in Duncan’s or in more localized versions of the Work, the number seven has a deep and rich symbolic significance within many circles.  Cirlot, in his A Dictionary of Symbols says of the number seven that it is “Symbolic of perfect order, a complete period or cycle…composed of the ternary and quaternary and … endowed with exceptional value.” He goes on to suggest that it corresponds to the seven directions of space and to the reconciliation of the square with the triangle – the sky over the earth.   Seven is the number expressing the sum of heaven and earth.[6]

Now, as we have looked at the seven liberal arts it is necessary to turn back to the dissonant collection at the beginning of this section of steps to look at some of the other connections mentioned in Duncan’s Ritual Monitor to bring them into resonance.  In this degree, Duncan mentions the seven Sabbatical years, seven years of famine, seven years in building the Temple, seven golden candlesticks, Seven Wonders of the World, seven wise men of the east, and seven planets.  Briefly we must touch on what each of those things mentioned in the 7’s allude to and see if we can find any deeper esoteric meaning behind them to get a glimpse of their significance or meaning to Masonry.

The Number Seven

The Seven Sabbatical years, known also as Shmita, is the seventh year of a seven-year agricultural cycle as mandated by the Torah for the use of the Land of Israel.  During that 7th year the land is to lay fallow and all agricultural activity on it stops (excluding some maintenance) and comes from the Book of Leviticus which makes promise of bountiful harvests to those who are observant:

Leviticus 25:20-22 N.I.V.
20 You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” 21 I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. 22 While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.

The seven years of famine stems literally from Genesis 41:30 which reads “And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land” which follows a 7 year period of great abundance.  Interestingly, there are other activities in the period of the Sabbatical year, in which debts are to be forgiven as it is considered a Godly act, which becomes a component of the focus in that seventh year.

The seven years in building the Temple is clearly the story of Solomon building the temple in which…King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel – and the labor force was thirty thousand men . . . Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them. (1 Kings 5:13; 2 Chronicles 2:2).  According to 1 Kings 6:38 The work of the temple took seven years saying:

“And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it.”

The seven golden candlesticks, literally from Revelations 1:20 (NIV) which reads

“The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches.”

Spoils of war from the sack of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

This could, interpretively, be seen as the Menorah which is a seven branched candelabrum used in the ancient Tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness (not to be confused with the nine branched Menorah used at Hanukkah.  The Great architect himself instructing Moses on the construction of the lamp in Exodus 25:31-40 a depiction of which can be found on the Arch of Titus, which is a first century Roman honorific on the Via Sacra in Rome which shows the spoils from the sack of Jerusalem.

The Menorah, when lit, was said to represent the Shekhinah, which refers to a dwelling or settling in a special sense as that of divine presence, to the effect that, while in proximity to the Shekhinah, the connection to God is more readily perceivable.  Its lighting, or continual ignition, is variously representative of universal enlightenment and/or the burning bush as seen by Moses.

The temple menorah is a more likely source of Masonic inspiration as it fits with the appointments of King Solomon’s Temple, to whom Masonry holds its affinity and who’s role fits more in resonance with the purpose of the degrees.

The seven wonders of the world are very straight forward and are reflections on the impressive work of the Masons (literally stone cutters) who came before the present day lodge.

7 wonders, wonders in antiquityThe Ancient Wonders were:

  • The Great Pyramid of Giza from 2584-2561 BC in Egypt.
  • The Hanging Gardens of Babylon from around 600 BC in Iraq.
  • The statue of Zeus at Olympia from 466-456 BC (Temple) 435 BC (Statue) in Greece.
  • The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus circa 550 BC in Turkey.
  • The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus 351 BC (to which the modern AASR SJ HQ is modeled after) in Carians, Persians, Greeks
  • The Colossus of Rhodes from 292-280 BC in Greece.
  • The Lighthouse of Alexandria circa 280 BC in Hellenistic Egypt, Greece.

The seven wise men of the east were early 6th century BCE philosophers, statesmen and law-givers that were renowned in the following centuries for their wisdom.  The title of Seven Wise Men (or Seven Sages) was the title given by ancient Greek tradition.

Each of these Sages represents a worldly aspect of wisdom, though each has varied over time, these are the most common:

Cleobulus of Lindos: he would say that “Moderation is the best thing.” He governed as tyranos of Lindos, in the Greek island of Rhodes, circa 600 BC.

Solon of Athens: he said that “Keep everything with moderation”. Solon (640-559 BC) was a famous legislator and social reformer from Athens, enforcing the laws that shaped the Athenian democracy.

Chilon of Sparta: authored the aphorism “You should never desire the impossible”. Chilon was a Spartan politician from the 6th century BC, to whom the militarization of the Spartan society is attributed.

Bias of Priene: “Most men are simply bad.” Bias was a politician who became a famous legislator from the 6th century BC.

Thales of Miletus: Thales is the first known philosopher and mathematician. He famously said “Know thyself”, a sentence so famous it was engraved on the front façade of the Oracle of Apollo in Delphos.

Pittacus of Mytilene (c. 650 BC), governed Mytilene (Lesbos) along with Myrsilus. He tried to reduce the power of nobility and was able to govern Mytilene with the support of popular classes, to whom he favored. He famously said “You should know which opportunities to choose”.

Periander of Corinth: he was the tyranos of Corinth circa 7th and 6th centuries BC. Under his rule, Corinth knew a golden age of unprecedented prosperity and stability. He was known for “Be farsighted with everything”.

Collectively, these wise men have been quoted and mentioned throughout antiquity and have been looked to as great men worthy of emulation if in their least for their thoughts.

Plato’s Protagoras is the oldest and most explicit mention of the 7 sages in which he says:

“…There are some, both at present and of old, who recognized that Spartanizing is much more a love of wisdom than a love of physical exercise, knowing that the ability to utter such [brief and terse] remarks belongs to a perfectly educated man. Among these were Thales of Miletus, and Pittacus of Mytilene, and Bias of Priene, and our own Solon, and Cleobulus of Lindus, and Myson of Chen, and the seventh of them was said to be Chilon of Sparta. They all emulated and admired and were students of Spartan education, and one could tell their wisdom was of this sort by the brief but memorable remarks they each uttered when they met and jointly dedicated the first fruits of their wisdom to Apollo in his shrine at Delphi, writing what is on every man’s lips: Know thyself, and Nothing too much. Why do I say this? Because this was the manner of philosophy among the ancients, a kind of laconic brevity.”[7]

The seven planets from classical astronomy included the Sun and Moon and the five non-earth planets of our solar system closest to the sun each visible without a telescope including Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.  At an early point they were considered asteres planetai or wandering stars, as they were seen as non fixed objects in the night sky.

The astute observer may notice the inclusion of the Sun and the Moon as these two objects relate to the leadership of the lodge, the pillars of wisdom, strength, and beauty, and the art of Kabbalah.

As a side note, the early seven planets were the derivatives of the names of the week; in alchemy the seven metals of the classical world: gold, silver, mercury, copper, iron, tin, and lead which corresponded to the known planets.

How do we relate these 7’s to the degree is complex.  Perhaps how Cirlot stated, each of these 7’s are elements of perfection: how to achieve perfection, how to live it, how to incorporate it, etc., giving us the map by which to seek it out.

With this, we have reached the top of the stair, and in having taken the journey we have learned what we can about the being of a Fellow of the Craft. As said earlier, this is a complex lot of knowledge and information to digest through the smallest of apertures as presented on a rolled out carpet as given in the degree lesson.  It is assumed that the candidate would have knowledge of these esoteric things; in the sense that few would have studied them and even fewer committed them to memory, or that the candidate would seek out this information beyond their degree explanation to educate and enlighten himself as to what these various elements mean.  This lesson in three parts is an offering of the latter in assumption that you, like the author, are in deficit of the former and not enlightened in the ways, means, and ideas of the deep and often obtuse ancient world that is so little a part of our modern one.  Clearly, the second degree is a wealth of information, from the suggestion of the pillars of Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty as a conduit to the study of the Kabbalah, to the understanding of our senses and their physical and spiritual meaning and to the study of alchemy in its assertion of the significance of the seven planets and what we can infer from them physically as their position in the heavens affects our life.  Perhaps Thales of Miletus said it best saying “Know Thyself“ as this change is the fuel to discovering the universe, both within and without.  There is much more to this statement than what rests at its surface, of both the degree and of our being and, it is with some hope that this has served to educate you to that end.

Fiat LVX

Missed the series? Read:
Part 1 – Masonic Symbolism on the Winding Staircase  
Part 2 – Symbolism on the Winding Staircase – 5 steps upon the stair
Part 3 – Symbolism on the Winding Staircase – Seven the Magic Number

Notes

[1] logos. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved January 03, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/logos
[2] pathos. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 03 Jan. 2011. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pathos>.
[3] ethos. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved January 03, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethos
[4] Jean, James, Science and Music, p154 retrieved 1/03/2011
[5] Huffman, Carl, “Philolaus”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2008 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2008/entries/philolaus/>.
[6] Cirlot, J.E., A Dictionary of Symbols, London, Routledge & Kegan Paul LTD 1962 page 283 : As the cross in three dimensions, 7 is a “Septenary number, composed of seven elements.  “Ultimately, it is founded upon the seven directions of Space: two opposite directions for each dimension, plus the center. This spatial order of six dynamic elements, plus one which is static is projected into the week as a model of the septenary in the passage of time.”  “Three is, in many cultures, the number pertaining to heaven (since it constitutes the vertical order of the three dimensional spatial cross) and four is associated with the earth (because of the four directions – comparable with the cardinal points of the two horizontal dimensions).”
[7] Protagoras 342e-343b, trans. R.E. Allen

Freemasonry and the Internet

by

compasssquare12This paper will attempt to explain the role the Internet has had on Freemasonry and provide some guidance on where it should be going. Whereas Freemasonry is an ancient order, the Internet is still considered a relative newcomer. Fortunately, the two should be seen as compatible with a great deal of synergism arising between the two; e.g., increased membership, reduced costs from streamlined administrative processing, improved public relations, etc.

Before I go any further, allow me to establish my credentials in this area. I have been involved with the Information Technology industry since 1976. My company specializes in Information Resource Management (IRM) which, among other things, includes methodologies for business planning, as well as systems and data base design. This involves considerable teaching and technical writing. Consequently, I have been writing articles on management and technology issues since 1976, as well as industry newsletters, not to mention the volumes of manuals I have written for my company’s products. I have been using e-mail and e-phones since 1982. In the early 1990’s I began to write web pages as a cost-effective alternative for our company’s voluminous manuals. Shortly after being raised a Master Mason, I began to develop Masonic web pages in 1997; first for local lodges, then for districts, zones, and then on an international basis. I have visited virtually every Grand Lodge web site in the world and probably 90% of all local Lodge and peripheral Masonic body web sites. In other words, I have seen a lot; so much so that I feel I am in a unique position to offer the following advice.

Basically, what I have learned is this, if that there was ever a vehicle devised for supporting Freemasonry, it is the Internet. The Internet fits Freemasonry like a glove and begs the issue of the universality of the Brotherhood. Regrettably, as a relative newcomer, it is still not considered a vital and integral part of Masonic operations. This is due to simple ignorance of its capabilities. Understand this; the Internet is primarily a vehicle for our younger Brothers as well as those considering joining this great institution. It is our future.

In the United States alone, 75% of all households now have access to the Internet. Close to 100% of all libraries, schools, and public institutions also have access. It is not uncommon to find training in the use of the Internet at any of these institutions, normally free of charge. Beyond this, the Internet has replaced telephone books and other voluminous catalogs and documents as the primary vehicle for reference and research. So much so, many Lodges are eliminating land-line telephones simply because they are no longer being used. Want to find a Masonic Lodge near you? In all likelihood you will be searching Google or Yahoo! before you ever pick up a thick telephone book. Further, candidates for the fraternity will reference the Internet well before they consider visiting a local library or book store. This is the hard truth of the Internet, and the sooner Grand Lodges accept it and adopt a sound course of action to adapt to it, the sooner they will be able to capitalize on its capabilities.

Not all Masonic web sites are created equally, some are obviously better than others. It all depends on the Grand Lodge’s understanding of the situation. For example, very few Grand Lodges have developed formal and published rules and regulations for the use of the Internet within their jurisdiction. Fewer have recognized the need for a Grand Webmaster to oversee all Internet activity. Don’t laugh, such a title is inevitable. Due to the dynamics of the Internet, such a person cannot be encumbered with too much bureaucracy in its implementation. True, such a person should operate under a set of rules and regs, but he should be entrusted to update web sites without having every word or character go through a lengthy review process. It is simply not practical to operate this way. Beyond this, the Grand Master and Grand Secretary must be Internet savvy. If they are not, then they should be educated and brought up to speed as soon as possible. In this day and age, ignorance of the Internet is simply a reckless course of action for any leader to take, Masonic or otherwise.

Up to now, most Grand Lodges have a basic presence on the Internet. But the Internet is still evolving and growing in sophistication. And already most Masonic sites are falling behind in looks and functionality.

As I see it, Masonic web sites should serve three primary functions: as a Communications Aid, as a tool for Administrative Support, and for Research. Let’s review each function in more detail and describe what can be done

COMMUNICATION AID

there are essentially three audiences we, as Freemasons, need to communicate with over the Internet: our membership, potential candidates, and the general public (including news services). As such, it is important that we graphically project a positive and professional image. I realize “flash” graphics (a la Macromedia) can be pretty snazzy in terms of initial graphical appearance. Frankly, to the regular web surfer, it is an annoying distraction that keeps the reader from the information he wants to get (as an aside, if you are going to use “flash” graphics, make it a separate option to the viewer). To me, I prefer a clean and elegantly simple design offering effective navigation through the web site. To this end, here are two of my favorite Grand Lodge sites I like to frequent:

Grand Lodge of British Columbia & Yukon

Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania

It is important that your graphical layout be inviting (so that people want to return to your site), as well as intuitive and easy to use. Layers of web pages are nice, but site search engines or drop-down lists are the preferred method of navigation these days.

As a communications vehicle to the public, your site must be able to adequately promote the message of the fraternity. Although, this can be done through simple text and graphics, on-line multimedia presentations are the wave of the future. Two Grand Lodges have produced such imaginative presentations including:

Grand Lodge of Indiana

Grand Lodge of Texas [now archived]

Another useful resource along this line was in Stephen Dafoe’s Radio Free Mason. (See Masonic Central for a similar program).

The development of multimedia content should be encouraged for three reasons: people would rather watch a presentation than read text (sad but true); it’s cheap to do, and; it can be updated rather easily. I’m waiting to see which Grand Lodge is going to be the first to issue routine “web seminars” in this manner in order to communicate to the Craft.

Other items useful for communications include:

  • General Contact Info (“Contact Us”) – to include postal, telephone, fax, and e-mail addresses.
  • Officers (a Who’s Who of the Masonic World) – listing all of a jurisdiction’s officers, from the Grand Line, to State/Zone/District Committeemen, to the local Lodge, all with adequate contact information.
  • Newsletters/Magazines – currently there are 32 Grand Jurisdictions in the world who issue their official publications over the Internet as well as in print form. Some are moving towards complete electronic format simply for the economics it affords. As printing and postage costs rise, electronic magazines make a heck-ova lot more sense. The predominant format for such e-zines is PDF suitable for reading with the Adobe Acrobat reader (a popular and widely supported product).
  • General News and Announcements – a great way to issue bulletins
    to the Craft, particularly in the event of emergencies (anyone remember Hurricane Katrina?).
  • On-line Calendars can be very effective for scheduling and promoting Masonic
    events, thereby improving attendance. Personally, I recommend “layers” of linked calendars so people can see what is going on at the Local, District, and Statewide levels.
  • Lodge Locators are invaluable for helping visiting Brothers find a local Lodge. As such, it is important to be able to find Lodges based on different search criteria, such as Lodge Name, Number, City, District, etc.

Two Grand Lodges who do an excellent job in this regard is:

Grand Lodge of Missouri

Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania

Also, the Grand Lodge of Ohio has a fine graphical map to locate
Lodges (as do other jurisdictions; e.g., New York and Wisconsin):

The graphical format is nice if you need to search by location, but burdensome if you need to search by name or number (as many Masonic Secretaries have to do).

  • On-line map services are invaluable for plotting maps and providing driving instructions to Lodge locations. This should all be incorporated into the profile of each Lodge. Also, local weather stickers are useful.
  • Discussion Groups (aka “List Servers”) are essential for broadcasting both official and unofficial messages throughout a jurisdiction. One of the finest examples of this is:

The Grand Lodge of Ohio

As in Ohio’s example, a moderator is needed to oversee postings. The Discussion Groups also offer facilities to share computer files and for on-line “chat” sessions. As to the latter, I am surprised there aren’t any Grand Lodges holding regularly scheduled “chat” sessions to discuss items of interest. Further, Discussion Groups often provide “polling” facilities to get a pulse on current issues.

When forming a formal discussion group, such as Ohio’s, it is highly desirable to check the credentials of participants when joining the group, thereby keeping the “riff raff” out of the group. This can be performed simply by establishing an initial application screen where people submit their credentials for verification. It might also be a good idea to establish some Masonic questions to substantiate they are a Brother; e.g., “Who died first; Hiram Abiff, his mother, his father, his brother, his son, his niece, etc.? (My personal favorite is “What was the first name of Hiram Abiff’s wife?) 😉

  • Links – a repository of links to other pertinent Masonic web sites is an absolute must. Grand Lodges should encourage linking as it promotes traffic to their site. The problem here is keeping the list of links up to date.

Other items that promote traffic to your site include web rings, web site awards, and, of course, registration with search engines such as Google and Yahoo!

TOOL FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

  • This is perhaps the weakest part of any Grand Lodge web site. Some offer virtually no administrative support whatsoever; and they are missing the boat. Here are they types of things they should offer:
  • All of the Masonic Forms should be available for download (in PDF format), If it is good enough for the IRS, why not Freemasonry?
  • The ability to order Masonic supplies on-line complete with secured on-line payment. Everything from forms, booklets, and other paper supplies, to furniture and office equipment.
  • The ability to make secured on-line donations to charities.
  • On-line processing of membership data, which should be tied directly into a data base. This, of course, should have effective security tied into it for authorized use.
  • On-line processing of applications for things like the Masonic Home, Scholarships, and requests for assistance in sickness or distress. This could greatly simplify the processing of paperwork.

RESEARCH

This is another area rarely considered by most Grand Lodges, yet would greatly benefit the membership. If done properly, the following items should be provided:

  • History of the Grand Lodge as well as Local Lodges and other Masonic bodies.
  • Genealogy of the membership – this is particularly useful for studying someone’s Masonic heritage.

As a Lodge Secretary, I am occasionally asked to look up a past member’s records. As another example, a few years ago I was researching a project involving a member of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota in the 1800’s. Fortunately, the Grand Lodge Secretary was able to finally track down the data I was looking for. However, an on-line query would have greatly simplified this task for all concerned.

Such information is growing in popularity on the Internet and is relatively simple to establish. It would be entirely feasible to tie-in third party genealogy engines such as:

Geneology.com

Facebook

  • Laws, rules and regulations of the Grand Lodge. What better way of distributing official documents than through the Internet? Plus, it would simplify how they are updated and greatly reduce printing costs. This could be done either through standard web pages (HTML), PDF, or both. Nonetheless, putting the laws, rules and regs on the Internet would greatly expedite the distribution of this vital information to the Craft.
  • State/Zone/District Committee Reports/Booklets could also reach more people and considerably less cost.
  • Masonic Education – essays, workbooks and on-line tests could be provided to promote continuing education in Masonic affairs.

In all likelihood, items such as these should be restricted and accessed through effective security mechanisms.

CONCLUSION

The above shopping list is just scratching the surface of where Grand Lodge web pages should be going. I can also visualize it becoming a worldwide forum to verify membership, and as a communications vehicle between members (e-telephones and messaging). Frankly, I am thunderstruck as to why Grand Lodges are not diving into the Internet deeper than they have. Simple economics would dictate that this is far and away a cheaper way of operating than with today’s manual methods.

The secret to any successful web site is to make it a place where people WANT to return to; that they find it an invaluable tool they cannot live without. If you do not understand its potential, contact me, and I’ll try to explain it to you. But if you consider the Internet inconsequential, your Grand Lodge is going to lose ground and will simply wallow back in the 20th century.

One of the subliminal benefits of marrying Freemasonry and the Internet is that it promotes the universality of the Brotherhood. Masonic web sites can greatly facility communications and understanding not only within a given jurisdiction, but on a worldwide basis. As a byproduct, it promotes critical thinking and the exchange of ideas, all of which is vital to the continued evolution of the fraternity. This is hard for some Grand Lodges to swallow and, as such, often view the Internet and such discourse as a threat to their authority. This is certainly not the intent. Rather, it is intended to think on a global basis, reaffirm the relationships of the Grand jurisdictions, and build for tomorrow. As Masons, we have been given a remarkable tool to help propel us into the 21st century. But are we smart enough to take advantage of it?

Keep the Faith.

Freemasonry From the Edge
Freemasonry From the Edge

by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
“A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry”

Originally published on FmI in 2005.

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

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