Precipitating ruin and despair

I was reading through Pikes 11th degree – Prince Ameth for a paper I’m working on and ran across this passage which I liked and wanted to share.

The people that does not subjugate the propensity of the wealthy to avarice, ambition, and sensuality, expel luxury from them and their families, keep down pauperism, diffuse knowledge among the poor, and labor to raise the abject from the mire of vice and low indulgence, and to keep the industrious from starving in sight of luxurious festivals, will find that it has cherished, in that avarice, ambition, sensuality, selfishness, and luxury of the one class, and that degradation, misery, drunkenness, ignorance, and brutalization of the other, more stubborn and intractable despots at home than it ever encountered in the field; and even its very bowels will be continually teeming with the intolerable progeny of tyrants.

These are the first enemies to be subdued; this constitutes the campaign of Peace; these are triumphs, difficult indeed, but bloodless; and far more honorable than those trophies which are purchased only by slaughter and rapine; and if not victors in this service, it is in vain to have been victorious over the despotic enemy in the field.

For if any people thinks that it is a grander; a more beneficial, or a wiser policy, to invent subtle expedients by stamps and imposts, for increasing the revenue and draining the life-blood of an impoverished people; to multiply its naval and military force; to rival in craft the ambassadors of foreign states; to plot the swallowing up of foreign territory; to make crafty treaties and alliances; to rule prostrate states and abject provinces by fear and force; than to administer unpolluted justice to the people, to relieve the condition and raise the estate of the toiling masses, redress the injured and succor the distressed and conciliate the discontented, and speedily restore to every one his own; then that people is involved in a cloud of error, and will too late perceive, when the illusion of these mighty benefits has vanished, that in neglecting these, which it thought inferior considerations, it has only been precipitating its own ruin and despair.

While every ox and horse can find work, and is worth being fed, it is not always so with man. To be employed, to have a chance to work at anything like fair wages, becomes the great engrossing object of a man’s life. The capitalist can live without employing the laborer, and discharges him whenever that labor ceases to be profitable. At the moment when the weather is most inclement, provisions dearest, and rents highest, he turns him off to starve. if the day-laborer is taken sick, his wages stop. When old, he has no pension to retire upon. His children cannot be sent to school; for before their bones are hardened they must get to work lest they starve. The man, strong and able-bodied, works for a shilling or two a day, and the woman shivering over her little pan of coals, when the mercury drops far below zero, after her hungry children have wailed themselves to sleep, sews by the dim light of her lonely candle, for a bare pittance, selling her life to him who bargained only for the work of her needle.

Fathers and mothers slay their children, to have the burial-fees, that with the price of one child’s life they may continue life in those that survive. Little girls with bare feet sweep the street-crossings, when the winter wind pinches them, and beg piteously for pennies of those who wear warm furs. Children grow up in squalid misery and brutal ignorance; want compels virgin and wife to prostitute themselves; women starve and freeze, and lean up against the walls of workhouses, like bundles of foul rags, all night long, and night after night, when the cold rain falls, and there chances to be no room for them within; and hundreds of families are crowded into a single building, rife with horrors and teeming with foul air and pestilence; where men, women and children huddle together in their filth; all ages and all colors sleeping indiscriminately together; while, in a great, free, Republican State, in the full vigor of its youth and strength, one person in every seventeen is a pauper receiving charity.

How to deal with this apparently inevitable evil and mortal disease is by far the most important of all social problems. What is to be done with pauperism and over-supply of labor? How is the life of any country to last, when brutality and drunken semi-barbarism vote, and hold offices in their gift, and by fit representatives of themselves control a government? How, if not wisdom and authority, but turbulence and low vice are to exalt to senatorships miscreants reeking with the odors and pollution of the hell, the prize-ring, the brothel, and the stock-exchange, where gambling is legalized and rascality is laudable?

He follows it up saying:

Masonry will do all in its power, by direct exertion and co-operation, to improve and inform as well as to protect the people; to better their physical condition, relieve their miseries, supply their wants, and minister to their necessities. Let every Mason in this good work do all that may be in his power.

Take a moment and digest what it says to you.

Be All You Can Be in Occult America

Occult America by Mitch Horowitz

I just had the pleasure of finishing Mitch Horowitz’s book Occult America and am a bit surprised at the story it tells, and some of what it doesn’t.

Only recently did I come across the 2010 Bantum Books edition, (the first edition published in hardback in 2009) and it was the sub headline of the books title Occult America: White House Seances, Ouija Circles, Masons, and the Secret Mystic History of Our Nation, that grabbed me, making an interesting premise to open the cover and start reading the book.

Once started, it delivers – developing a body of ideas creating an evolution of thought influenced in an era before the Catholic witch trials of Cagliostro and began in the new world with the voyage of the Quaking Shaker Ann Lee (later to re-dubbed Mother Ann) who traveled from Manchester in 1774 to New York with a cohort of 8 followers who together cobbled resources to form a small religious colony in Niskayuna near Albany.

Horowitz takes on a daunting task, the challenge of not sounding encyclopedic and pulling a variety of disparate pieces of Americana together to tease this occult history out from the facts.  In some ways, the telling of Occult America mirrors the troubled story of Mother Ann that Horowitz introduces us to in the opening of the book, inauspiciously to the unintentional spread of ideas everywhere.

So as not to ruin the fun of discovering the secret history for yourself Occult America links together a progression of thought, in an age not known for its wide degree of communication, that at its present day apex has shaped the widest segment of religious and spiritual thought to such a degree that, Horowitz suggests, shaped the 1980 to 2001 “Be all you can be” slogan of the U.S. Army as a mantra of sorts to the ultimate of New Thought self development.  His suggestion is that many aspects of the New Age philosophy (what was at first called “New Thought”) have become integral to much (if not most) of out day to day life.

Sydney Omarr, son of a grocer and housewife, was at one time dubed by Time magazne Astrology’s “most skillful and sober public protagonist.” In Occult America, Horowitz explores how Omarr went from magic shop cruiser and Atlantic City fortune teller to the grandfather of modern newspaper astrology still published in newspapers today.

How so, you might be wondering?

Just a few of the ideas that were at one point considered occult include the evolution of human consciousness, the connection of the mind-body-spirit health, and the ever growing trend of people moving (which data supports) away from organized religion to pursue instead a spirituality.  All of these various aspects, he says, have a root in the developments of the past 200 years through this subculture of Americana.  For those who may not remember, even the Scottish Rite Journal was titled the New Age for many years and represented a fraternal flag ship to the movement.

In some respects, you could bookend Occult America with Jeff Sharlet’s The Family because as the Family chronicles the rise of the Fundamentalist religious right, Horowitz traces a line through the various sub culture movements that transmitted one idea to the next movement and so on.  As a Masonic reader you will be interested to know that at points he acknowledges the presence of Freemasonry as well as other esoteric/occult groups as major players to the dissemination of ideas.

What the book doesn’t do, which might be a product of necessitating many more pages, is chronicle the earlier presence of occult ideas that at the time were a regular part of the American landscape.  For instance, it’s impossible to look at the early American development without seeing Freemasonry (Washington was inaugurated on a Masonic bible which speaks to its presence) as a major contributor in many earlier instances.  Horowitz does touch on this earlier history, but he starts his telling with the founding of Mother Ann’s religious Shaker colony and its promulgation of ideas forward.

Ouija Board, talking board

One of the more entertaining chapters that I enjoyed was the lineage of the Ouija Board, started in the age of séances and the selling of spiritualism.  He makes a very good case for how the rapping tables and automatic-writers of the burgeoning psychic era moved from formalized sitting room sessions to game boards made by Hasbro (now Glow in the Dark) to sit between two kanoodling lovers knees playing slide the planchette.

(I did stumble across a cool glass topped octagonal Tree Of Life Ouija board that’s worth looking at here.)

You can almost sum up the history of the Occult in America in the story of the Ouija Board, from the home spun to the highly processed and manufactured message, but to do so would omit so much of the rich history that the Occult has traced through America, and Horowitz has really captured in an album of snapshots of our esoteric landscape starting with Mother Ann, who was at the time called by her followers “Christ returned in female form.”

I definitely recommend Occult America: White House Seances, Ouija Circles, Masons, and the Secret Mystic History of Our Nation as a fun and light read into the heavy and often deeply woven history of the New Thought/New Age America we live in today.

Some Howie Damron News

From Brother Howie Damron:

I can’t believe that April 1st is the 9th anniversary of the first time I ever presented my Masonic Pride Tour. Now countless performances and close to a million miles have passed.  As I’m reflecting back and doing self examination of where I’ve traveled and whom my music has allowed me to meet in our Brotherhood I’m humbled to know that they are out there keeping the Masonic Spirit alive.

As many of you know I would have never written my first Masonic song had it not have been for the late Great Brother Rich Stoll who passed away from Pancreatic Cancer. The Great Creator has sent another wonderful chapter in my Masonic Music career recently with a new exciting group of Publicists.

I want to invite everyone to go to www.MasonicPrideProductions.com and see the new web site and new album “My Masonic Legacy.”

I was involved in an accident hit by a car a while back that destroyed my left shoulder in which I’m doing major therapy on and it appears will end in reconstruction surgery. My shoulder falls completely out of joint which numbs my left hand.  We were preparing to launch a fishing boat and a car came backing up the wrong way on the launch ramp and hit our boat and  trailer from behind which totaled the boat and trailer and my left arm was inside the boat leaning over unhooking it when it exploded into the air. My Dads hand was broken as well while he was unhooking the front. Thank God my eight year old Grandson who was standing beside the boat was only shaken up but not hurt. I had just crossed behind the boat one second before the impact. This will keep me from the Masonic Pride Tour for quite some time and from playing the guitar.  I’d like to ask you for your support by ordering the CD.

I make my living from the performances and now at least for a while I’m counting on the new album and all my Brothers support.

God Bless each of you.

Brother Howie Damron

The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus

This originally appeared in the Masonic Traveler blog in 2008.

Have YOU ever heard of the The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus?

Neither had I. But there was a story about them in the New York Times today that linked their distant and ancient past to that of Freemasonries… Well, not really, they just said that they came about as a parody of “…more serious minded groups like the Oddfellows and the Freemasons”.

It was, I suppose you could say, the poor miners version of Masonry back in the 1800’s

In some ways too, they could be the Shrine’s 2nd cousin as its said that they stem from the Gold Rush Era of quick and dirty shanty towns, whose purpose eventually took on the hallmarks of caring for the sick and injured members and to the caring for of widows and orphans. Not that the Shrine originated in shanty towns, but that its less about the ritual and more about the charity and fun.

And from the looks of it, the E Clampus Vitus like to party…Be warned, the page these images originated from is not for the faint of heart (sadly, the original page is gone).

But its not until you get into the meat and potatoes of their initiation and ritual that you really start to see the parallels to Masonry…fancy titles and all that.

Besides, they get to wear some really cool bling…

And, by their own admission, the purpose of the society are well known: Members swear to take care of the Widows and Orphans — especially the Widows.

And, if you want to be a Clamper?  A chapter website says it all:

The prime requisites to becoming a Clamper are a good sense of humor, an interest in Western history, an open mind, and a cast iron stomach. If a man has those qualities, and strikes up a friendship with a Clamper or two, he may find himself taken in to (and by) the Ancient and Honorable Order. But one can’t simply walk up and say, “Can I be a Clamper?” It is for the Brethren of ECV to invite prospective members to join. And if a man is asked, he should know that the invitation is only given once. If it is refused, it is never tendered again. But a man of any intelligence and character so invited would hardly be likely to turn down such a signal honor. And remember, as the Brethren of E Clampus Vitus maintain, Clampers are not made, they’re born. Like gold, they just have to be discovered.

From Wikipedia:

They are a fraternal organization dedicated to the study and preservation of Western Heritage, in particular the history of the Mother Lode and gold mining regions of the area. There are chapters in California, Nevada and other Western states. Members call themselves “Clampers.” The organization’s name is in Dog Latin, and has no known meaning; even the spelling is disputed, sometimes appearing as “Clampusus”[citation needed], “Clampsus”, or “Clampsis”. The motto of the Order, Credo Quia Absurdum, is generally understood as meaning “I believe it because it is absurd.”; the proper Latin quotation Credo quia absurdum est, is from the Christian apologist Tertullian (140-230), who rejected rationalism and accepted a Gospel which addressed itself to the “non-rational levels of perception.”

On their initiation:

By tradition, a man can only become a Clamper by invitation. However, one can express his desire to join. Initiation rites are sometimes spur-of-the-moment, such as forcing a blindfolded candidate to be lifted into the air by a block and tackle. Other times, the blindfolded initiate is seated upon a wet sponge in a wheelbarrow, and taken upon the “Rocky Road to Dublin” (a ladder lying on the ground). The initiations are secret and vary greatly in execution and severity. Once he has been asked to answer several questions, the Scales of Darkness (the blindfold) are removed, the new member “sees the light”, is handed the Staff of Relief, is presented the Stone of Enigma, and appointed Chairman of the Most Important Committee. Afterward everyone toasts the new member with drink. Once enlightened,a brother is a brother for life.

And from Phoenix Masonry on their ritual:

The Order of Initiatory Functionaries

N.G.H. The Noble Grand Humbug
C. The Clampatriarch
G.N.R. The Grand Noble Recorder
G.I.H. The Grand Imperturbable Hangman
G.M. The Grand Musician
R.I. The Roisterous Iscutis
R.P. The Royal Platrix
C.P. The Clamps Petrix
C.M. The Clamps Matrix
C.V. The Clamps Vitrix
D.F.D. #1 Damfool Doorkeeper Number One
D.F.D. #2 Damfool Doorkeeper Number Two

From their ritual…

The Order and Liturgy of Initiation

N.G.H. raps with his Clampregnant Scepter for order.
N.G.H.: Let there be Order in the Hall of Comparative Ovations.
Let all the Brethren maintain seemly decorum.
N.G.H. solemnly raps again three times.
Grand Musician, sound the Hewgag.
G.M. stentoriously sounds the Hewgag.
Grand Noble Recorder, what is the occasion of this riotous assemblage?
G.M.R.: Noble Grand Humbug, without yon impenetrable portal there attend certain Supine Suckers, without honor, shame or sense, who have nevertheless signified their aspiration to become members, even Brothers’ of our Ancient and Honorable Order.
N.G.H.: Have these brazen individuals made fitting and appropriate supplication?
G.V.R.: Verily, sir, they have.
N.G.H.: Have they deposited the prescribed treasure?
G.N.R.: Their gold dust is securely within our custody.
N.G.H.: Are they attended by the Clamp Functionaries thereunto privileged?
G.V.R.: They are indeed.
N.G.H.: Clamps Vitrix, have these pitiable wretches been duly interrogated?
C.V.: Verily, sir, they have.
N.G.H.: And are their responses satisfactory?
C.V.: Such, sir, is the report I have received.
C.: Well, sons, what the Heck are we waiting for?
N.G.H.: Yea, Brethren, what might in anywise necessitate delay?
G.N.R.: Naught, sire, save the Hewgag’s mournful Bray.
C.: In due course let her Bray, but first make due obeisance to him from whose unpublished, nay unwritten words, arises our Brotherhood’s Clampotent liturgy Our Worthy Patron Vitus.
All Functionaries bow and tip hats. N.G.H. raps thrice with his scepter.
N.G.H.: Rise, Brethren of E Clampus Vitus.
All rise.
C.: Repeat after me HAIL VITUS, NOBLE CLAMPATRON.
ALL: HAIL VITUS, NOBLE CLAMPATRON.
C.: Give unto him the Sign of the Well Jackass. All give the sign with vigor.
N.G.H.: Let us repeat his words CREDO QUIA ABSURDUM. I believe because it is absurd.
ALL: CREDO QUIA ABSURDUM. I believe because it is absurd.
N.G.H.: And our benevolent motto PER CARITATE VIDUARIBUS.
ALL: PER CARITATE VIDUARIBUS.
N.G.H.: ORPHANIBUSQUE.
ALL: ORPHANIBUSQUE.
N.G.H.: SED PRIME VIDUARIBUS.
ALL: SED PRIME VIDUARIBUS.
N.G.H.: For the benefit of widows and orphans, but more especially of widows.
Let us repeat the majestic Password THE HEWGAG BRAYS.
ALL: THE HEWGAG BRAYS.
N.G.H.: And the memorable Response BEFORE OR AFTER THE FULL MOON.
ALL: BEFORE OR AFTER THE FULL MOON.
N.G.H.: Brethren of E Clampus Vitus, it is for you to signify whether the Hewgag shall be sounded and these miscreant malefactors immolated. What say the Brethren?
ALL: Satisfactory!
G.N.R.: And so recorded.
and so on…

It actually seems pretty passive and a good tongue in cheek way to celebrate history with your friends and not worry about the apron strings or the height of the fez.Instead you can just roast some weenies and marsh mellows and let the hair down while your Clampin.

Masonic Toasts, festive board, lodge celebration

Masonic Toasts

Masonic Toasts, festive board, lodge celebration

We are now approaching the holiday season where we typically enjoy several year-end parties. For many Grand jurisdictions, it marks the end of the Masonic Year, and the birth of a new one. Knowing the festive atmosphere of such occasions I posted a request on the Internet soliciting favorite Masonic toasts. As usual, the Brethren responded generously. Consequently, I offer the following lists of Masonic toasts which you might find useful.

Thanks to all of the Brothers for their contributions. Be sure to read the comments for more toasts, or to add your own to this festive collection.

SCOTTISH GRACE

Note: Not so much a toast, but a Grace, which may only appeal to the Scottish who support a particular football team. Origin unknown.

God bless the meat and God bless the stovies,
God bless the Jews, the Muslims and Jehovies.
God bless the Catholics and God bless the strangers,
And if you’ve any Blessing left Lord,
God bless the Rangers!

– courtesy of Bro. Peter Taylor
Worshipful Senior Warden, Lodge Albert No. 448, Lochee, Scotland
Secretary, Lodge Discovery No.1789, Dundee, Scotland

A FELLOW CRAFT TOAST FROM ISRAEL

A toast on the occasion of a Brother being passed to Fellow Craft.

Worshipful Master, Brethren,

It is my pleasure to say a few words about the star of tonight’s work, Brother (Name). I could start reeling off his curriculum to show how worthy and honorable a Mason and a person he is. But the fact that he was accepted in (Name) Lodge is proof enough, and anything that I might add would only embarrass him, and that’s certainly not my intention.

When we met for the first time, Brother (Name)’s last name brought immediately to my mind the hero of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” Petruchio, the gentleman from Verona who came to marry well in Padua.

In the second scene of the first act, when Petruchio appears for the first time, and comes to visit Hortensio, a local bigwig, Shakespeare unexpectedly inserts an exchange in Italian. Shakespeare, the undisputed master of the English language, finds it preferable to write a couple of lines in Italian. Why? I don’t know. Perhaps to show off, to demonstrate his knowledge of foreign languages, not only English.

For whatever reason, this is what William Shakespeare wrote:

Petruccio speaks:
Signor Hortensio, come you to part the fray con tutto il cuore, ben trovato, may I say.

And Hortensio replies:
Alla nostra casa ben venutto, molto honorato signor mio Petruchio.

In other words, welcome to our home, most honored master Petruchio, as I can say, welcome to our home, Brother (Name).

Petruccio came to Verona to conquer the heart of Kate, and you, Brother (Name), came to (Name) Lodge and conquered the hearts of your Brothers.

So let us all rise and lift our glasses. Brethren, a toast to our Brother (Name)!

Alla salute!

– Courtesy of W:.Leon Zeldis, PM
Tel Aviv, Israel

Read: The Mystical Meaning of So Mote It Be

AUSTRALIAN HONORS

Author comment: I do not know of any special toasts but I have often felt the need for a collection of Masonic honors which go with the toasts, such as this one for Lodge Irrigation:

Down the channel and over the wheel (with suitable gestures),
flow back to Irrigation (three times, hand and foot etc.),
and for Lodge Ibis (the Ibis is a medium sized water bird):
Dip your beak (hand outstretched fingers in a beak pointing down),
spread your wings (arms outstretched),
fly back to Ibis (hands flapping) three times,
apron heart and hands.

Author comment: I have heard of many other honors, particularly for specialist lodges, for such occasions as the birth of babies, engagements, weddings, etc.

– courtesy of Bro. Ian Alexander
Lodge Leeton-Yanco 313, UGL NSW & ACT
Australia

SEQUENCE OF TOASTS IN ONTARIO, CANADA

Toast to Grand Lodge
Toast to Queen and the Craft
Toast to the Office of President of the U.S.A (if American Brethren present)
Grace
Toast to the candidate
Response by the candidate
Toast to Visitors
Response by a visitor
Junior Warden’s Toast – Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part,
Happy to Meet Again

– courtesy of W:.Marty Brokman, PM
Bedford Lodge 638, A.F.& A.M., GRC
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PAX, CARITAS ET CONCORDIA

This, in Latin, is the motto of Caliburn Lodge. Translated it means, “Peace, Love and Harmony.”

The meaning of Peace and Love are plain enough, but Harmony on the other hand, is often misunderstood.

Is it merely the absence of conflict, and if so, is this a desirable goal?

Imagine a world where everyone is always in agreement with each other. Can you? Of course not! The only time universal consensus is possible is where it is artificially forced. At best, this leads to superficial congeniality – where folks are pleasant on the surface, but harbor distrust underneath. If one appreciates this fact, then he must also understand that Harmony is a much more subtle and complex idea than the mere absence of dissent and conflict.

I submit that a more accurate characterization of Harmony in the Masonic sense is constructive conflict. Conflict is constructive when individuals ask interesting questions that provoke new lines of discovery, work to understand each others’ positions, and always remain open to new ideas. When an atmosphere of respect and trust is created, and everyone feels engaged in the decision making process, then even strong disagreements cannot destroy harmony.

Isn’t this a more apt understanding of what we, as Masons, mean by Harmony? Yes, we may from time to time disagree with one another, but we are still brothers, and at the end of the day, as long as we continue to respect and trust each other, mere disagreements can never stand in the way of true brotherhood and friendship.

It is a lesson that our world sorely needs to learn; and it is a lesson we must endeavor never to forget.

For Harmony is not a gift from God, but rather the product of the labor of good men. We must work each and every day, and work hard, to create Harmony.

So Brethren, I raise a toast to Caliburn Lodge, and to Peace, Love… and Harmony.

– W:.Richard A. Graeter, PM
Caliburn Lodge No. 785 F.& A.M.
Cincinnati, OH, USA
At our Festive Board on October 5, 2006.

Masonic Toasts around the room

Thanks to R. W. Goldwyn for this extensive list.

To…

  1. Our most Worshipful Grand Master. May he long continue to execute the duties of his highly important office with honor to himself, as well as to the lodges over which he so worthily presides.
  2. All grand officers around the globe. May they square their lives by the strictest regard to the rules of morality, and regulate their conduct by the plumb line of equity, so that when any of them shall be consigned to the silent grave, it may be inscribed on his tomb “here lies a good man.”
  3. Health, happiness, and unanimity to all the fraternity of free and accepted masons, around the globe.
  4. To all the members of the ancient and honorable craft. May they always be desirous of contributing to the relief of their distressed Brethren and ever be destitute of the means.
  5. May every Mason entertain that ardent and generous good will to his Brother, which makes his Brother’s situation his own, and do to all as he would they should do to him.
  6. To all ancient Masons, wherever dispersed and oppressed. May they soon find friends able and willing to relieve them.
  7. May every Mason, who Is desirous of assisting a distressed Brother or his family, be always possessed of the means.
  8. All regularly constituted lodges throughout the globe. May peace, harmony and love predominate in all their meetings and happiness be the portion of every member, in his individual capacity.
  9. May the funds of all lodges be managed in such a manner, that the distressed widows and orphans of deceased members may never have the mortification of applying for that relief of which they stand in need, but cannot obtain.
  10. May we be more studious to correct our own faults, than to promulgate the errors of our Brethren.
  11. May no honest heart ever know distress.
  12. May the fragrance of a good report, like a sprig of acacia bloom over the head of every departed brother.
  13. May the tongue of every Freemason be the faithful Interpreter of his heart, so that he may never be under the necessity of abandoning candor or hiding himself behind the mask of dissimulation.
  14. May we strive to resemble our divine Master, in promoting as far possible the happiness of all mankind and when we cannot succeed, may it be for want of ability, never for want of inclinations.
  15. May we enter apprentices to virtue; be fellow-crafts with charity; and always masters of our passions.
  16. The heart that conceals, and the tongue which never reveals.
  17. The immortal memory of the Widow’s Son.
  18. The good Samaritan. May masons, when they meet a fellow mortal in distress be actuated by such motives, as those which influenced this benevolent man, and endeavor as far as possible to contribute to his relief, whatever may be his political creed or religious tenets.
  19. May we be guided to happiness by wisdom, supported in virtuous resolutions by strength and may beauty adorn our beds.
  20. Sincerity! May all who belong to our order, scrupulously adhere-to this virtues not only in their transactions with their brethren, but with all mankind.
  21. May all Masons strictly adhere to truth; wisdom, virtue, and happiness will be the concomitants of such conduct.
  22. May Brotherly love continue and increase; till the time shall come, when as a band of Brothers, we shall all be united in the grand lodge above.
  23. Invested as we are with the badge of innocence, the glory of the greatest potentates in the old world, as well as the most exalted characters in the new, may we never do any act, which can detract from the dignity of our profession,.
  24. May every Mason be obedient to all lawful orders of his superiors, friendly to his equals, and condescending to his inferiors.
  25. May every Freemason’s heart have the freedom of chalk, the fervency of charcoal, the zeal of friendship; but not the hardness of marble, when a distressed brother makes his demand.
  26. May universal benevolence be the plumb line of all our actions
  27. May every Mason endeavor to attain a thorough knowledge of himself.
  28. May the square form our conduct through life; the level and plumb line remind us of our condition, and teach us to walk perpendicularly and act uprightly.
  29. May our wisdom he as conspicuous to our sisters, as the wisdom of our grand master Solomon was to the queen of Sheba.
  30. May every free and accepted Mason rise in the East, find refreshment in the South, and when he rests in the West, may he enjoy the same reward as was bestowed on our patron St. John, that of being the disciple, whom the savior. of mankind loved.
  31. The American fair. May virtue, modesty, grace and love, endear them to the affections of their husbands.
  32. Success to every Mason, who stands plumb to his principles, yet on a level with his Brethren.
  33. The President and constituted authorities of the United States. Though in the lodge, we can have nothing to do with political disputes, we must all unite in wishing health and prosperity to the magistrates of our country.
  34. May the breast of every Freemason be an ark for charity, from whence shall flow assistance to the widows and orphans of their deceased Brethren.
  35. May the rays of celestial light dart from the east. illuminate the west and may perseverance remove the keystone which covers truth.
  36. May the Royal arch cover every honest mason’s heart, and overshadow all who act up to the true principles of the craft.
  37. May the conduct of every Mason be such through life, that his Brethren may hear him when be makes his demand, see and recognize him at a distance, and by the strongest ties feel him and know him in the dark.
  38. May the Bible rule and guide us through life; the square, square our actions, and the compasses circumscribe the bounds which we are to keep with all mankind, especially with a Brother.
  39. May Masonry flourish till nature expire. And its glories ne’er fade till the world is on fire.
  40. The Craft. Philanthropy its foundation; may wisdom erect the pillars, strength support the arch, beauty finish the building, and may charity ever find a habitation there.
  41. The immortal memory of our late most Worshipful brother, general George Washington, the father of his country, and the friend of man.
  42. Our Sisters. May we ever regard them with the eye of affection; may their virtues ever meet our kind and tender embraces, and may we ever deserve from them the character of all affectionate Brothers.
  43. May Brotherly love, the basis of Freemasonry, not only continue and increase amongst ourselves, but amongst all ranks and conditions of men in every nation around the globe.
  44. May secrecy, good fellowship, morality, and an ardent desire to promote the happiness of each other be the polar star of every Mason.
  45. May Masonry flourish and vice decay.
  46. May the two great parallels be our guide to the grand lodge above.
  47. May every Mason, as far as may be consistent with prudence, contribute, to the wants of his fellow mortals, particularly to those of his Brethren; may he ever put the fairest construction on the conduct of his neighbors, and before he censures others “let him look at home.”
  48. May Masonry continue to flourish till time shall be no more.
  49. May it be deeply impressed on the heart of every Mason, that there is no real felicity for man, except in reforming his errors and vices and entering upon a strict and constant course of virtue.
  50. Religion! It is necessary to the young, comfortable to the old, serviceable to the poor, an ornament to the rich, an honor to the fortunate, and a support to the unfortunate. May every Freemason ever be actuated by its divine precepts.
  51. May the heart of every Mason be conformable to the divine will, and his actions void of offense towards his fellow mortals.
  52. May we as Masons be affectionate to our friends, faithful to our Brethren, obedient to the laws, and just even to our enemies; and may it ever be a maxim of our creed, to fear death less than the least reproach of our conscience.
  53. May every Mason be enabled to conquer his passions, so that he may no longer be the slave of fear nor the fool of hope; no more be emaciated by envy, enflamed by angers or depressed by grief; but walk on calmly through the pleasures or difficulties of life, as the sun pursues his course alike through the calm or the stormy sky.
  54. The great Masonic virtues faith, hope and charity. May every one, who belongs to the fraternity ardently cherish them in his heart, and may they be productive of good fruits in his life and conversation.
  55. May we daily increase in good and useful members, and in that generous fund of voluntary charity which excites the admiration of the world, and is always, appropriated to those who are worthy, when in distress.
  56. May the whole Brotherhood continue constant in good works, and adorn their profession, whilst arts and learning flourish amongst men, even to the end of the world.
  57. The secret and silent.
  58. All mankind.

TOASTS AND SENTIMENTS

  1. To SOLOMON, the luminary of the EAST, and WASHINGTON the glory of the West.
  2. To all those who steer their course by the three great Lights of Masonry.
  3. May every Mason who stands in need of Friendship be able to say EUREKA!
  4. May the Tuscan order support us; the Ionic guide us, and the Corinthian reward us.
  5. May we never feel want, nor never want feeling.
  6. The Brother who stands plumb to his principles, yet is level to his Brethren.
  7. May every Mason rise in the East, find refreshment in the SOUTH, and be, so dismissed in the WEST, as to find admission into the middle chamber to receive the reward of a GOOD MAN.
  8. May the altitude of our virtues, ever be at high twelve.
  9. To each faithful Brother, both ancient and young, Who governs his passions and bridles his tongue.
  10. The heart that conceals, and the tongue that never reveals.
  11. May we learn to be frugal, before we are obliged to be so.
  12. Pleasures that please on reflection.
  13. May we never meet an old friend with a new face.
  14. The woman we love, and the friend we dare trust.
  15. May the single be married, and the married be happy.
  16. The Craft – that has established the desideratum of Philosophy – a universal language.
  17. May we never be unmindful of Judas’s fate.
  18. May each Mason revere, the book, compass and square.
  19. To those whom we love, and to those who love us.
  20. May we correct our own faults, before we publish those of our Brethren.
  21. Great men Honest, and honest men Great.
  22. Riches to the Generous, and power to the Merciful.
  23. Love to ONE, friendship to a FEW, and good will to ALL.

To HIM who all things understood,
To HIM, who furnished stone and wood,
To HIM, who nobly spilt his blood—
In doing of his duty;
We hail the day! we hail the morn!
On which those three great men were born!
Who did the TEMPLE thus adorn
With WISDOM, STRENGTH and BEAUTY.

– courtesy of R:.W:.Ronald M Goldwyn, LMPS
GLNY & GLCT

The Toast to the Visitors

From Australia, the toast is in the form of a poem called. “The Toast to the Visitors.”

Tonight I have the pleasure
To all I must confess
To give to you this toast
To our Visitors and our Guests

The fellowship that you bring tonight
Is something that can’t compare
You know we like to see you
And glad that your always there

The harmony, the chat and jokes we have…
With our old and new found friends
We wish it could last for hours
And somehow never end.

But… all good things must come to an end
And we go our separate way
We hope you enjoyed yourself tonight
And return again someday

And now I ask the members to stand
To raise a glass in cheer
To toast to all our visitors
Who supported us this year
Our Visitors

I understand that this poem is quite old and comes from England.

– Lord Peter Wright Lodge No. 156
Alice Springs, Australia


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 2007

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 https://freemasoninformation.com

memento mori, remember that you will die

10 Signs an Occult Group Leader is Losing It

memento mori, remember that you will die

This came from the internet from some time back. It has a more magical bend but could probably apply to any “esoteric” or “secret society.”

If there are other tell-tale signs that you think are missing, drop them in the comments blow.

10 signs that an occult/esoteric group leader has lost his focus.

  1. The leadership starts to think that they, and their group, are actually important.
  2. The leader starts to claim that they are the re-incarnation of a famous leaders and/or occultists.
  3. Their leadership takes a lot of drugs or start drinking.
  4. The leadership decides to pack in their day job and live off their students of their Order.
  5. Leaders start claiming authority from Secret Chiefs or Invisible beings. (or I’ll add a Moral Law).
  6. They ask you to give you all their money or want to shag you or your partner to assist your spiritual path.
  7. They start to become incredibly paranoid.
  8. They feel the need to attack other orders, personalities and systems.
  9. The leadership lose any sense of humor.
  10. The leadership starts to believe their own bullshit.

The list gets into each point and makes for a fun read correlating them to one particular group or another. And, I suppose, you could equate the list to any group: religious, social, fraternal, etc.

The best advice is that you should you find yourself following such a person or group  – “trust in the universe that you will find new teachers.”

More of the fight of Kentucky Masonic homophobia

Kentucky Grand Lodge SealBack to the drawing board on the virtues and vices of Moral Turpitude, this time woven again with the Grand Lodge of Kentucky Masonry where it is being tangled in with the moral law.

“…these charges are retribution for speaking out about the discrimination that I experienced…”

Reported in late 2010, Kentucky Masons slapped down the open disdain for gay masons in a vote made in the Grand Lodge session.  The vote would have, if passed, made Kentucky Masonry a pro-family state that recognized only marriages between a woman and a man. The proposal, you might remember read like this:

“Freemasonry is pro-family and recognizes marriage as between one man and one woman. Any other relationship is a violation of the moral law and therefore unmasonic conduct. Homosexual relationships, openly professed and practiced, are a violation of the moral law and therefore unmasonic conduct. No openly homosexual Freemason shall be allowed to retain membership in this grand jurisdiction.”

The change to the Grand Lodge constitution failed, and a more open and diverse Freemasonry prevailed.

Until now…

On the heels of the failed change, charges have been brought against the brother who was then Master of Right Angle Lodge in Winchester, Kentucky.

John Wright, the brother who was for a time at the heart of the storm, has a Masonic trial set for April 8th on Masonic charges that were filed against him in the weeks following the statewide Masonic same-sex marriage referendum.

The change sought in the constitution came in 2010 when Wright and his wife filed for divorce when he realized that he was gay. As Wright started to open up about what happened, he says, in an October 20th 2010 article on Kentucky.com article that “news of my sexual orientation spread … like wildfire,” which has lead to some Kentucky Masons to declare Homosexual relationships, openly professed and practiced,[as a] a violation of the moral law and therefore un-Masonic conduct. Saying further that no openly homosexual Freemason shall be allowed to retain membership in this grand jurisdiction.  The measure failed, and things settled down.

Reported today, March 24th 2011, in Kentucky.com is that membership of openly gay Masons is again being challenged as charges have been brought against Wright on the claim that he “violated the sanctity of his marriage” and “deserted [his wife] due to his homosexuality.” with another charge which alleged that Wright “revealed privileged Masonic Communications” because he talked openly about it.

The one charge said to of had no probable cause was that Wright had violated the Grand Lodge constitution because “he had openly forsaken his belief in God … by refusing to obey the Moral Laws in declaring his homosexuality which the Moral law declares as an abomination to the law of God.”

What’s most interesting is that the charges were brought by fellow Masons of neighboring lodges, not Wrights home lodge of Right Angle.

When inquery was made at the Grand Lodge by the articles author, Grand Secretary Joseph R. Conway declined comment.

Back to the quote from the beginning, Wright says in the article:

“Personally, I feel these charges are retribution for speaking out about the discrimination that I experienced,”

“In my heart, I feel that if I had left my ex-wife for another woman, nothing would’ve been said to me about it, nor would I have been brought up on charges, I know of many Masons in Kentucky who have been divorced and re-married, some several times, and charges were never brought against them for abandoning their spouse by causing a divorce action to be filed,”

Wright’s penalty, if found guilty, could include admonishment, a reprimanded, suspension, or expulsion.

Named in the piece are the 5 Brothers who found his distant actions to be so reprehensible, one of whom is a detective of Jessamine County Sheriff’s Department.

Interestingly, Jessamine County lists the treating of all people with tolerance and dignity as one of their aspects of Law Enforcement professionalism. Apparently, that’s no so the case outside the agency when concerned with a Moral Law.

You can find a complete list of those individuals who brought the charges in the Kentucky.com article should you want to send them a note to reconsider their actions.

Or, better yet, send a note to the Grand Lodge of Kentucky to let them know how you feel about the validity of the charges.  This could be a great learning opportunity shaped by the Fearless Campaign to shape LGBT rights going on right now in Congress.  Maybe this is a small step that Masonic leadership can take to empower themselves with the moral courage to do the right thing.

In the mean time, how do you feel? Do you think the charges are in retribution to Wright’s coming out of the closet and his subsequent divorce, or do you agree that he violated some un-coded and multifaceted Moral Law that weaves itself invisibly through our being like smoke but surrounds our decisions like iron?

Whose has the case for the moral turpitude?

Tommy Lee, Syfy, Culture Shock – what could go wrong?

Rock n’ Roll Conspiracy Exposer

If you haven’t already heard the news, Tommy Lee (of Mötley Crüe, Heather Locklear, Pamela Anderson, internet porn) is coming back to TV.

Hustler Magazine says of the guy “Tommy Lee is a modern-day Dean Martin. Men want to be him, and women want to f*#k him.”

Chris Hodapp and Mark Koltko-Rivera both broke the story when it hit Monday. The story (now in archive): Variety Magazine:

…Syfy will develop “Culture Shock With Tommy Lee,” in which the former Motley Crue member seeks to uncover and expose secret societies. Stern said that any show involving a celebrity was a tough sell to him, but that he was won over by Lee’s sincerity. “This comes from a very deep-seated, personal desire to uncover the truth behind these secret societies,” Stern said, “starting with his father’s membership in the Freemasons.”

From the Syfy channel programming announcement:

Culture Shock with Tommy Lee — This one-hour investigative travel show follows Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee as he attempts to uncover the various rituals, symbols and other mysteries of secret societies around the world. Tommy Lee will dig into the history behind the secret society, search out its meeting locations and members, and meet with former members to reveal the society’s rituals and deepest secrets. A production of ITV Studios America. Executive producers: Tommy Lee and Carl Stubner. Supervising producer: Jenna Barnes.

I don’t know about you, but nothing says investigative travel reporter like glam metal drummer Tommy Lee. Maybe its a play on words, a double entendre, as he exposes their “deepest secrets” – definitely culture shocking.

And didn’t Brad Meltzer try to do something like this on Decoded?

If the show hasn’t hooked you yet, maybe Lee’s bio of his early occult leanings will, especially as his bio reads that he lived in West Covina up through his High School years. It stands to reason that his father, whom he mentions was a Brother in a West Covina Lodge. And everybody knows just what a hot bed of occult activity West Covina is.

Hodapp makes some good observations as to the brand extension of the Syfy channel as the network to “Imagine Greater”, which must mean to imagine bad reality shows, but hey, maybe the show will be a good one, right? Perez Hilton has high hopes for what he’s calling Tommy Lee’s “Ghost Hunters…Rock N’ Roll edition”.

I would think that Lee won’t have far to go, as some of his closest friends sport some “secret society” tattoos in plain sight – just ask Dave Navarro to show you his elbows where he sports Aleister Crowley’s adaptation of the Unicursal Hexagram, one of the emblem/logos of Thelema. Even Lee sported his own esoteric tattoos, at one point wearing a backwards swastika tattoo on his arm – backward from the Nazi rendition which presumably stood for the crooked arm cross from ancient India used in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism religious practice.

In the same Hustler Magazine article, the interviewer asks Lee what his secret to being so lucky is. He answered:

I don’t know if there is one. I definitely don’t try. Maybe that’s the secret right there. I think I have a lust for life. When I wake up in the morning, I’m like: “What are we doing today?!” I still have that little kid thing. I’m not sure what that is. It might be my children’s fault. They keep me young. I still do all the shit that at some point most adults stop doing, like playing in the sandbox. They keep my lust for life alive.

Apparently playing with his kids wasn’t “secret” enough and now he needs to uncover and expose the secret societies that his father belonged to. If its anything like his other reality moments, I’m sure it’ll be all over the internet.

And if you don’t know who Tommy Lee is, give his autobiography a read, Tommyland by Tommy Lee and Anthony Bozza, or his band biography Motley Crue: The Dirt – Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band, after all the guys gonna be looking into your fraternity of the Syfy (read Science Fiction) channel

Seeking Answers, Hearing Consequences

Most of us have a Mentor/Confessor, somebody special and trustworthy we go to when things don’t make sense or problems ensue. I have been in touch with mine quite often lately regarding the developments in Mainstream Masonry and the difficulties in reporting same.

Grand Lodges are in a lot of trouble these days and Freemason Information has reported some of the worst case scenarios. We do so in the hopes that reforms will be made by informed Brethren who were in the dark about such goings on.

Yet 50% of the time we are greeted with derision instead of applause. Many have called us harmful to the Craft and a bunch of Grand Lodge bashers.

So I have taken to running these articles by my Mentor/Confessor for him to peruse and he has followed the developments of Grand Lodge abuse as it has unfolded for the last two years. At first he was incredulous thinking that perhaps there was much exaggeration or even misinformation from bad sources going on. As the stories multiplied and he checked them all out he finally saw what we saw.

When Nebraska hit the news I asked him if he had any special insights besides affirmation that he would like to share with me, something that might shed more light on the situation and perhaps heal some ill feeling.

This is what he sent me:

A grand lodge begins to sign its own death warrant when its internal governance and judicial procedures depart significantly from the accepted values and standards of the wider society of which it is a part.

Just as the seventeenth century English poet, John Donne, famously observed that, “No man is an island, entire of itself,” so too is this true of a grand lodge, any grand lodge. The conceit that a grand lodge can isolate itself, as if it truly was a sovereign entity in fact as well as in grandiloquent title, as if its members had no other emotional or intellectual loyalty to anyone or anything else, and as if a wider public was neither of concern to the grand lodge or itself had any interest in the doings of the grand lodge, is not only false in itself but a lethal basis for suicidal action by a grand lodge.

The general rank and file of the fraternity will forgive a great deal in the way of human frailty; they will accept errors arising out of honest error; they will generally cast a forgiving eye upon mistakes grounded in ordinary organizational inertia. But, when error arises out of conscious greed, the deliberate and knowing exercise of Masonic tyranny, or indefensible and arbitrary violations of the ordinary standards of fairness, square-dealing and honesty in order to conceal crime, promote racism or protect unworthy individuals from the ordinary consequences of their own deliberate and knowing transgressions, then the collective wrath of an outraged membership must, inevitably, descend upon those responsible.

As per the Letters of Junius, “The subject who is truly loyal to the chief magistrate will neither advise nor consent to arbitrary measures.”

Most recently, the manifestation of such withdrawal of consent has taken the form of judicial appeal to the secular courts. It has also become a prominent feature of Internet Masonry, a kind of modern version of the Committees of Correspondence that flourished in the colonies just prior to the more formal actions of the American Revolution. At some future point, it may take the form of mass resignations or demits from existing grand lodges, a kind of “vote with our feet” reaction. Lately, a return to pre-grand lodge Masonry in the form of the appearance of a few independent, sovereign individual lodges has appeared as an alternative organizational possibility.

In terms of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln once observed that, “If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men we must live through all time or die by suicide.” Such is the situation of Freemasonry in America: our Craft is so strong in itself, so grounded in the finest principles and ideals of the Enlightenment, that, if it is to be fatally weakened or even destroyed, then it must be ourselves who do the deed.

Brother Junius

Nebraska: A Predictable Masonic Mess

Looking at the Masonic mess in Nebraska certain questions come to mind, such as, “How did we get to this point in Freemasonry where something like this can so easily happen? “  A hundred years ago in the Craft would any of the participants acted in this manner?  What is the difference between now and then? The answer to the last question may offer a clue as to why so many stories like this are so prevalent today. It seems like every few months another Masonic mess hits the scene.

nebraska flagParsons’, the outgoing Grand Master, logic is that the rules and regulations in the Constitution and by-laws of Nebraska will not allow a quick enough response for justice to take place.  Watts, the incoming Grand Master, who should be tried and convicted immediately and thus become ineligible to become Grand Master will not happen by following the rules, he thinks. So Parsons with some Past Grand Masters and other members of the Grand Lodge have decided that if the rules are deficient they no longer apply and they must take the law into their own hands. Watts will use his powers as Grand Master to delay his trial until after his term of office is up, they say. He could through controlling parliamentary procedure sidetrack or squash motions to challenge his authority or question his authenticity if he is allowed to assume the Grand East immediately.

It seems to me that here is an instance where the Grand Lodge has been hoisted on its own petard.  Grand Lodges have deliberately allowed the power of the Grand Master over the Craft to reach hither unheard of heights. It was OK when the Grand Master was lording his authority over subordinates but now that it is the Grand Master versus his own Grand Lodge and Grand Master versus Grand Master and Past Grand Masters the tables have been turned and many look aghast at such horror.

It is precisely this trend in the Grand Master’s absolute power with no constrictions –  not voting members of the Grand Lodge or the Constitution of the Grand Lodge –  that has moved Masonic trials from the local Lodge into the chambers of the Grand Lodge chaired by the Grand Master and then ultimately to expulsions with no trial whatsoever. And right along with that goes the power of the Grand Master to revoke subordinate Lodge charters immediately on the spot and at will. So it only follows that a Grand Master can refuse to seat a duly elected successor or in the case of Frank Haas for a Grand Master to expel a Past Grand Master without a trial.

That amount of power has enabled Grand Masters in voting Grand Lodges to control the agenda and refuse to allow certain motions or votes to take place declaring then unconstitutional or not correctly drawn up or ultimately “not in the best interests of the Craft.”

It is not the rulings of the 21st century all powerful Grand Master that are always detrimental.  Many Grand Masters are quite benevolent and operate always with the best interests of the Craft in mind. It is the breakdown of the rule of law, the violations of its own Constitution that doom Freemasonry to chaos and anarchy. In civil society it is precisely the rule of law that separates third world machine gun political nations from those who obey the law even when the rulings are not in their favor.

Freemasonry seems to be going down this same lawless path.  It is the Old Wild West relived where Sheriffs and Judges rule with extraordinary powers and justice is a quick hanging without taking time for the formalities of the law.

The sooner Freemasonry recognizes why it is having all these problems and restores the rule of Masonic law is the sooner Masonic messes disappear from today’s news.