Interesting video from the web.
The heading on the YouTube page says the footage comes from a Danville, Illinois, Parade
Video
The Grand Leveler
Not much I can say about this video, other than to comment that it seems to really come from the heart takes a serious and respectful approach to the fraternity in a very modern and contemporary way. It definitely belongs in the sphere of the Masonic nexus of the material culture.
Even if you’re not a fan of the genre of the music I think you’ll find some depth in the message.
From the YouTube Credits:
Apathy – “The Grand Leveler” produced by Smoke The World
From the album “Connecticut Casual” (June 3rd, 2014)
On Dirty Version Records
Video by Reel Wolf Productions
Special thanks to the officers and brethren of Coastal Lodge #57 in Stonington CT & Bro. Jim Johnson
Nicely done.
A Modern History of the OTO
Originally published on Jan 10, 2013, in the video author and publisher James Wasserman shares his experience in the development of the modern Thelemic movement, some observations on the contemporary scene, and his continued enthusiasm for the spiritual teachings of Aleister Crowley.
Wasserman, you may recall, was a guest on Masonic Central in 2009 discussing his work The Mystery Traditions and other more esoteric topics.
This video was recorded at Swirling Star Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis in Pompano Beach, Florida.
It includes numerous photos of influential figures in the development of Thelema as well as the early years of TAHUTI Lodge in New York City.
The video offers some interesting insights into the one time Masonic organization Ordo Templi Orientis, better known as the OTO.
More Masonic History.
Wilbert M. Curtis Texas Prince Hall Library Museum
The Wilbert M. Curtis Texas Prince Hall Library Museum located at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Free & Accepted Masons of Texas in Fort Worth will open its doors to the public during Black History Month 2013.
The History of Freemasonry with David Harrison
Historian Dr David Harrison constructs the hidden history of Freemasonry through a mixture of mediaeval guild societies, alchemy and necromancy. From his book The Genesis of Freemasonry, this video comes from On the Level in which Andrew Selwyn -Crome interviews Historian Dr David Harrison.
In the interview, Aelwyn-Crome examines the earliest known Freemasons and their obsessions with Solomon’s Temple, alchemy and prophecy. In that exploration he looks at the formation of the Grand Lodge in London which leads to rebellions within the Craft throughout England and the formation of the antients, a York line of early Masonry.
In the interview, Harrison discusses the role of French immigrant Dr Jean Theophilus Desaguliers in the development of English Freemasonry, focusing on his involvement with the formation of the mysterious modern Masonic ritual.
A Timeline of High-Degree Masonry
From WEOFM
Dr. S. Brent Morris, PM gives a video lecture from the WEOFM (Worldwide Exemplification of Freemasonry) series.
I have a lot of respect for Br. Morris and think you will appreciate this presentation. Originally published on the WEOFM website on December 31, 2011.
An interesting point, with the distribution of information today delving deep into masonic history, all discussion seems to reach the same point of origin.
Does this lack of further history devalue the history or does it merely give us a marker by which we can move from exploring Masonic history to studying present day contributions?
Either way, I think you’ll enjoy this presentation.
Ke$ha’s Die Young occult foray
Pop singer KeSha’s new video Die Young, a track off her new album Warrior, is an interesting foray into the Masonic Nexus as it swirls in a mix of secret society symbolism.
Certainly not the most interesting use of esoteric or occult symbolism in music, I’d give that prop to Jay-Z and his all seeing eye hands, but perhaps Ke$ha’s use is the most danceable.
Symbolism to keep an eye out for…
The all-seeing eye, pentagrams, triangles and nested triangles, geometric patterns galore, a lambs wool covering, and a glowing pentagram juxtaposed with an inverted cross.
The symbolism in the video is intended, as an MTV deconstruction explains, as it includes Illuminati references while telling a story of a cult like collection, in essence, dying young.
Honestly, though, I find it hard to really construct any real conclusion on the use of the iconography other than to say that it’s trying to make reference to some kind of esoteric essence through the lens-flare in a disco.
What do you think? Does the video artfully depict your secret society experience?
Mitt Romney and the Mormon Masonic Connection
I thought this would be of interest to readers, politics aside.
You can catch the full documentary on Current TV (still in rotation as of the date of this publication), but for this post I wanted to explore a clip from The Mormon Candidate which speaks to the Mormon tradition of swearing “Masonic oaths”.
This tradition, taken in the First Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood, was abandoned in 1990, and was part of the taking a covenant with God in a ritual held in the Mormon Temple.
For those in the know, the ordinance penalties bear striking similarities to Masonic oath traditions which this clip from The Mormon Candidate discusses.
In the clip Church Elder Jeffrey R. Holland agrees that Romney took the ordinance vows (pre-1990) which have similarities to the Masonic rituals in relationship to its pledge toward God.
While it was not the swearing of an oath, Holland says “We do not have penalties in the temple, we used to…the vow that was made was regarding the ordnance, the ordnance of the temple…its similar to a Masonic relationship.”
His oath, Holland says, was “that he [Romney] would not tell anyone about his personal pledge to the Lord.” Something that Holland opines about any religious candidate “…any religious candidate…who has a relationship to God has made a pledge of some kind to God, there should be some kind of loyalty to God, or what kind of God is that?”
Prior to 1990, those vows were accompanied with penalty oaths recognizable to any Mason around the world in their Masonic context which seem to have parallels to past Mormon ritual signs and penalties.
But the connection between Mormonism and Masonry has been a long and, at times, contentious one explored by more than a few scholars.
Most of those scholars suggest that while a few gestures and grips don’t go far enough to bridge the gap between Freemasonry and Mormonism, some Mormons find that Joseph Smith adopted the Masonic rituals for the Mormon endowment integrating many of the broad stroke ideas and subtle articulations of the Fraternity like the points of fellowship, the grips, signs and penalties. And why not? Many of those in close association with Smith, at the time of his founding of the faith tradition, were Freemasons.
Yet, the road between Masonry and Mormonism are fraught with ideological landmines and eschatological paradigms. It makes for an interesting exercise to explore the links between Masonry and Mormonism along with their parallels and differences akin to the perennial quest to answer which came first, the chicken or the egg.
The take away from this for me is that Mormonism likely adopted some Masonic elements and attributes into the creation of the religious tradition. While still without complete agreement, this seems to be the prevailing opinion between scholars who suggest that Mormonism is a continuity of the Mormon and Masonic traditions with differences in the meaning of the activity. Certainly, the church Elder sees the similarities, a fact which he openly agrees with.
If you can catch The Mormon Candidate on Current TV, I think it will give you a bird’s eye view of Romney’s faith behind the politics at the intersection of religious observance on the road to the White House.
Update – You can watch the full video, while it’s on YouTube, below.
Usain Bolt and the Masonic Ring.
This should be filed under the material culture of Freemasonry, the validity of which is open to interpretation. Yet, the video illustrates the story itself.
The footage comes from the Usain Bolt’s DJ Challenge channel on YouTube within which the Olympic medalist talks about his love of music from a 2010 spot for the 2010 Singapore Olympic Games.
In the video, at about 10 second mark, you can see his sporting of a gold Masonic ring with a red jewel and a gold square and compass in the center.
It’s been a topic of conversation in the Godlike Productions conspiracy internet forum which is where I noticed the 2010 video being bantered about a week or so ago. It was a topic of a photo of the athlete published in a 2010 piece in Jahkno! asking if Bolt was a Freemason then as the same ring is clearly shown on his pinky.
Needless to say, its made for a cavalcade of suggestive connections to the Illuminati, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, and the hip hop underground of secret societies and world domination.
Yet, after a brief search on the web, all that seems to come to the surface are mentions of Bolt’s success because he is a Freemason, world domination from Freemasons, and how the Illuminati is running the world through actors like Bolt nothing readily comes to the surface about his affiliations. So, I file this one under the material culture of Freemasonry as another example of Masonry in the world.
Palmestry Freemasonry and Apollo
In case you were wondering what those funny hand-signs were, Chris Constantine , editor of the website Let the Truth be Known, has made a video to tell you what they mean.
By association, he seems to believe the secret hand and finger signals of Illuminati, Freemasons, Wiccans, Pagans, Druids all relate to Apollyon the Beast, the dread monster from the Book of Revelation aka HALIOS or Zeus.
He reveals his startling revelation of in hand maps of palmistry which use the names of so called Greek “gods” (Nephilim) to name the fingers.
There is so much truth in this video that it’s like a truth bomb. Kidding, of course.
Enjoy.