Greg Stewart

Masonic Central Pod-Cast Talk Show

September 16, 2008 by Greg Stewart

What is Masonic Central?
Masonic Central if an interview based weekly pod-cast talk show made by Freemasons for Freemasons. It is hosted by Greg Stewart and Dean Kennedy (see below for bios), and is recorded in front of a live audience of brothers and other interested guests. The show is broadcast LIVE on Sunday evenings at 6pm PST, and available afterward for streaming or download. To see a Calendar of upcoming show, visit our show website at MasonicCentral.com.

The show is hosted on a unique website for people to participate in live interactive pod casts called Talkshoe. You can listen along to a live or to a previously recorded program. Hundreds of people can talk and interact live, thousands can listen in by audio streaming and you can download a pod-cast of the recorded show.

The Player Widget.
This widget allows your visitors to be able to listen directly from the site in which it resides, and it provides call in and participation information for our program.

You can use the player on the left of this page. Click the large arrow button to stream the show, or use the pull down arrow to select a past episode of the show to to play NOW on your computer.

Download
You can also Download a copy of the show to play on your MP3 Player or IPod.
To download the show, first go to the shows Talkshoe website.
Halfway down the page look for Past Shows.
Select the show you desire, then click on the download icon.

Also, you can find us on Itunes by doing an Itunes search for Masonic Central and stream the shows on your computer or download to take them with you.

How to participate in a Masonic Central Live Show.
To call into the show when it is live, dial 724-444-7444 And the Talkshoe Call in ID 19162

To participate in a call via phone only, dial +1-724-444-7444 and when prompted, enter the Call ID 19162 followed by #. If prompted for a PIN, enter the 10-digit PIN you selected (typically your phone number), or enter 1# if you don’t know it.

To participate in the studio audience, call 15 minutes prior to the show going “live” which is at the scheduled time of the show.

If you want to join in the chat-room during the show, and appear with your name, you need to create an account on talkshoe, which is very fast and easy. To create a Talkshoe account, go to talkshoe.com and sign up, then follow the link back to our show from the show posting.

How do I participate in a call if I do not have access to P.C. at time of call?
You do not need a computer to call in. To participate in a call via phone only, at the time of the call, dial +1-724-444-7444 and when prompted, enter the Call ID 19162 followed by #. If prompted for a PIN, enter the 10-digit PIN you selected (typically your phone number), or enter 1# if you don’t know it.

Who are the hosts of Masonic Central?
Greg Stewart is the host and editor of Masonic Central. He is a 32nd degree Master Mason form the Grand Lodge of California and is a member of Hollywood Lodge No. 355 in Tarzana California. In addition to Masonic Central, he is the writer of the Masonic Blog Masonic Traveler, and the editor of the Masonic Information site Freemason Information. Outside of the pod-cast, Greg belongs to several Masonic bodies and is active in his lodge as the chair of several committees. Outside of Freemasonry, Greg is a Brand Manager, Graphic Designer, and web developer. He is very passionate about Freemasonry, history, religion, and their contributions to the fraternity.

To contact Greg, you can send him an email at Masonic Traveler

Dean is the co-host and producer of Masonic Central. He is a past master, Shriner and 14th degree Master Mason from the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, Canada. He is a proud member of Ad Astra Lodge #130 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As well he owns a blog called Freemason’s Corner. Outside of Masonry Dean is a father of two (three in a month) and a business owner. He is a benefits consultant/insurance broker. When he is done with that he is running his other business, an e-marketing firm.

To contact Dean, you can send him an email at Dean kennedy

Masonic Central at the Movies

September 11, 2008 by Greg Stewart

Its MOVIE TIME!

Join Greg and Dean in this episode recorded on September 14, 2008, as the show wanders into the film cinema sphere to talk about three of the most iconic masonic films: The Man Who Would be King, Rosewood and National Treasure. This episode has a few “surprise” guests that jump on the air and build on the conversation. Plus we go deep on Sean Connery and his possible connection to Freemasonry (and his hairy chest).

Its something that all Freemasons like to talk about in lodges, during meetings, and on the web, so lets take a minute and look at three films that have Freemasonry at their core, but in three very unique ways.

https://freemasoninformation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/freemason-movies.mp3

The movies on the table for the talk are:

The Man Who Would be King

An adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling story of the same name. This is one of those films that Freemasons love–not just for the masonic connection but for the depth of the story around it. The Man Who Would Be King is almost a perfect film, with or without the masonic connection.

National Treasure

Set in a fictional universe, the film’s over the top plot and heroic depiction of the fraternity as the keepers of the Templar Treasure. This film was more valuable than any marketing or advertising the fraternity could have purchased generating years of interest and resulting in a decade of interest in the “secrets” that Freemasonry holds, for better or worse.

Rosewood

The film is not Masonic, per-se, but Freemasonry is an underlying central theme to the story. Prince Hall and Grand Lodge Masonry as they twist together resulting in the destruction of the Black community of the films namesake. This film, while dramatic, is the telling of a real story about the destruction of the Florida community in 1923.

If you’ve been a mason for any length of time, you’re probably had the chance to watch one or two of these films already. I guarantee it will make for a fun conversation delving into one or all of them.

More Masonic Films.

Adam Kendall, Curator for the Grand Lodge of California

September 5, 2008 by Greg Stewart

Listen in as Masonic Central talks with the Curator of Collections, Adam Kendall, with the Henry Wilson Coil Library & Museum of Freemasonry for the Grand Lodge of F. & A.M. of California.

Some of the topics in the discussion will be:

Programs of California Grand Lodge
The now past Freemasonry and Women Symposium
Henry Wilson Coil Library
Who was H.W. Coil?
Why a library?
How California is entering the 21st century.
Symbolism in Masonry-its importance (or unimportance)?
Ideas on how to help foster Masonic education in lodges?
The Masonic Society
One-Day Classes and their merits.
And some ideas about the future of Masonry.

Adam is a very knowledgeable Freemason and with a definitive “left” coast perspective coming from one of the larger Grand Lodge jurisdictions. It’s going to be a great program and one not to be missed!

Paul Bessel and Jerry Samet join Masonic Central

August 30, 2008 by Greg Stewart

In this episode of Masonic Central, we are joined by Paul Bessel and Jerry Samet who are both prominent Masons in their own right, with Br. Paul having served in 7 Grand lodge offices under the Grand Lodge of Washington DC and Br. Jerry as the Past Grand Master of Washington DC. If those titles were not emphasis enough, Br. Paul is a prolific author and collector of Masonic information, which he publishes on his Masonic website www.bessel.org as well as in print in his 2005 book Masonic Questions and Answers.

Together we talk about some of the deepest topics of Masonry today, including past and present segregation that exists in Freemasonry and their work to better integrate the fraternity and broaden its recognition of Prince Hall Masonry. In the discussion we discover both their successes and failures of the of the concept of modern Grand Master Classes , also known as “One Day Classes”, and we explore some ideas on how to make Masonry interesting and more enjoyable for its members.

https://freemasoninformation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/paul-bessel-jerry-samet.mp3

In the conversation we delve more deeply into some hot issues of the day including:

Racism and Freemasonry
The future of the fraternity, and how it will survive.
The values and need for the one day class.
The role of the web and Freemasonry to broaden and spread Masonic knowledge.
And the ever contentious doctrine of Exclusive Territorial Jurisdiction.
And the asking of men to become members.

Without a doubt this conversation will open your eyes and raise some eyebrows on the subject matter we covered, no matter what side of the fence you reside. At their heart, these are some very key issues that the fraternity has started to face, but will with increasing frequency, more in years to come.

The original program was recorded August 31, 2008 at 6 PM PST on the Masonic Central podcast.

Jerry Samet passed away in December, 2020.

Jennifer Emick on Masonic Central

August 22, 2008 by Greg Stewart

Listen as Masonic Central talks to the former about.com alternative religion guide Jennifer Emick, originally recorded on August 24th, 2008

From Jennifer’s bio on about.com:

Jennifer has promoted religious understanding for twenty years, writing for a number of websites and periodicals. During her seven years with About, Jennifer has made numerous radio, newspaper, and pod cast appearances, and consulted with law enforcement agencies around the world on religious ritual and symbolism.
Jennifer is the author of the upcoming Everything Book of Celtic Wisdom.

And from Jennifer Emick:

About Alternative Religion exists to provide everyone from the casual reader to the serious seeker with unbiased, fair, and understandable information about religion’s less-traveled paths, from Asatru to Zoroastrianism and everything in between. About Alternative Religion is the most used resource on the internet for religious symbolism.
“Tolerance of the views and beliefs of others is the first step toward understanding; understanding is the first step toward peace. Tolerance does not mean accepting another person’s beliefs, but recognizing their right to have those beliefs.”

On the show we plan to talk about the many aspects of alternative religion on the net, her work on the about.com site, and why it exists. Some interesting areas to cover will be comparative religion, Hermetics, Gnosticism, and how they relate to Freemasonry (and if so why).

Listen to the program NOW!

Download the Show here.

Table Talk: All Things Freemasonry

August 8, 2008 by Greg Stewart

This episode was recorded on August 10th, 2008. In it, Greg and Dean host an open forum for a round table discussion on all things Freemasonry. Our usual cadre of hosts will be on as well as our special callers but in this episode, we invite the Masonic community to participate by calling in and asking the hosts of the show questions about the fraternity and letting us know what they think about Freemasonry. Tim Bryce joins us on the show to talk about summer lodge closing, degrees from around the world, lodges doing specialized labors and the “hidden nooks in lodges” where the relics of the temple are stored.

We have a special appearance by the Millennial Freemason.

https://freemasoninformation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/table-talk-masonic-central.mp3

This was a really fun episode to listen back to relieve the comrade of the conversation. I think you’ll enjoy listening to it again, too.

Tom Accuosti

July 3, 2008 by Greg Stewart

Join Greg and Dean in this episode, originally recorded on July 6th, 2008, as we interview Tom Accuosti author of the Masonic blog the Masonic Tao. Tom takes us back to a Golden Age when blogging about Freemasonry was new, or at least new-ish.

This was a fun conversation and a nice glimpse of Freemasonry from “back in the day.” Tom was always good for a laugh, a jab at the orthodoxy and his fresh insight of Connecticut Freemasonry.

You can hear our newness in the podcast. It’s refreshing.

An early adopter of the Freemasons online world, today Tom spends most of his online masonic time as the moderator for the r/freemasonry subreddit.

We hit all the Masonic highlights:

Anti-Masonry
Jack Chick Comics
What brought Tom into Freemasonry
His expectations about joining
When and where the deeper meaning go masonry gets discussed
And lots more.

https://freemasoninformation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/tom-accuosti.mp3

We even get into the shrinking ranks of the fraternity and the loss of history at the local lodge level.

More importantly, in the conversation we dig deep into the early days of Freemasonry on the web, many of the message boards we haunted—many of which have long since gone under. Re-listening to the conversation reminded me just how different Freemasonry was in the pre-social world. It makes me think how online masonry is done today “isn’t how we used to do it.”

Tim Bryce and Fred Milliken join in on the conversation, too. Tom has a great wit—I was surprised how many times I caught myself laughing during the conversation. I’m glad I was able to restore and clean this episode up to republish it.

I hope you enjoy it.

And, pardon the ringing phone.

More from Tom Accuosti: The Secret Lesson of Hiram and the Ruffians

Masonic Central: John Ratcliff

June 27, 2008 by Greg Stewart

In this episode, Dean and Greg spent some time with John Ratcliff, a Freemason under the Grand Lodge of Missouri. Recorded June 22, 2008, this episode covered several topics relevant to Freemasons including his own personal story into Freemasonry, blogging, books on Freemasonry, esoteric Freemasonry vs. ritual magic, symbolism, the Boy Scouts, and traveling to visit other lodges.

This episode is unique as it features an impromptu candid conversation with a brother about regular life—something lost in the social landscape today.

It was a pretty dense conversation.

Some notable points in the show touched on:

Esotericism vs. non-esotericism
Why people believe in the “fantastic”
John’s philosophy behind the fraternity
And what it means for a man to be a “Good Mason.”

John even challenged Greg to define his ideas of the esoteric aspects of Freemasonry.

https://freemasoninformation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/john-ratcliff.mp3

Masonic Central: Brother Tim Bryce

June 16, 2008 by Greg Stewart

In this episode, recorded on June 15, 2008, Greg and Dean are joined by a long-time contributor to Freemason Information, Tim Bryce.

Tim has been a shining light in Freemasonry publishing several Masonic magazines and websites with the goal of spreading the light of Freemasonry. Listening to this episode from more than 10 years ago, it’s interesting to hear it in schema and framework of the current era. One thing that shines through is the passion all involved have for the fraternity.

In this episode we chat about Tim’s masonic journey, balancing work and life, and the bodies of Freemasonry. In particular we talk about the requirement of Blue Lodge membership for entrance into the Shrine.

We also define what “true masonry” means—a squishy term that seems to have a vague definition which Tim clearly articulates an answer to.

Tim’s work in Freemasonry was a huge influence in the formation of this site and efforts to be a candle in the dark on what it means to BE a Freemason.

https://freemasoninformation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/tim-bryce.mp3

Together we talk through a number of subjects, including:

Communications in Masonic Systems
A Nationwide Masonic Congress
Recognizing Prince Hall Freemasonry
Asking who Governs Freemasonry
Visiting other lodges
Marketing/Soliciting for membership
A state/national masonic press office
and much more

Tim is the author of The Freethinking Freemason – Collected Masonic Works of Tim Bryce from Cornerstone publishing. And in the call, Tim mentions the book Builders of Empire: Freemasons and British Imperialism, 1717-1927 by Jessica Harland-Jacobs.

Masonic Central: Brother Fred Milliken

June 1, 2008 by Greg Stewart

The podcast that started it all. Masonic Central’s first episode featuring a conversation with Fred Milliken. For those who are fans of the show, you can see how things began. In this episode, we dig into defining “Modern Freemasonry.” This show was originally recorded on June 1, 2008. Fred has a deep history with Freemasonry serving as the director of Phoenix Masonry for several years.

In this episode our conversation covers a lot of territory looking at membership in Freemasonry, the masonic journey through the bodies of masonry and the Prince Hall Masonry experience. Fred brings the unique experience of having membership in both lineages. This conversation was unique for the time given the divide between grand lodge masonry and Prince Hall.

In the episode, we touch on: