The Masonic year that was 2009

Highlights are a staple to every nightly news, we live in bits and bytes, electronically and in our day to day doings.  With that in mind, I thought a recap of some of 2009′s Masonic blogs would be a great way to close out the year.  Obviously this isn’t everything that happened, but these are some of the illuminated moments that stood out to me.

I have to admit, this started as a collection of all things newsie and/or important in 2009, but what I soon realized was that its not so much the important points, but the conversations and ideas that surrounded them.  So, in the end what I’ve collected are some of the posts that particularly caught my attention in 09.

I apologize if I missed any particular post.  If there is a particular one you think should be added, or a link to something from 2009 that belongs on this list, drop it into the comments!

January:
William R. Singleton-Hope-Lebanon Lodge #7 of the Free and Accepted Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia holds the First Ever Masonic Presidential Inauguration Ball for President elect Barack Obama – From The Millennial Freemason

Don’t Tread on Me – From The Metaphysical Freemason

February:
No Second Chances, living life as a Mason. – From The Relevant Freemason

One-Day Ritual Class – From the Grand Master’s Musings

March:
Lewis Masonic Publisher Launches US Website , from Freemasons for Dummies

Jennifer Emick, formerly of the about.com/altreligion blog, launches the new Symbol Dictionary

A Short Masonic Look at Cuba—In Pictures – From Justa Mason

Grand Master’s Job Expectations – From MNGrandMaster09

England around 1717 – From Leon Zeldis on FmI

A Masonic Bill of Rights – From Tim Bryce on FmI

April:
Joint GL Meeting and Cornerstone of Ceremony with PHA and A.F. & A.M. in North Carolina – From Freemasons for Dummies.

Tornado Destroys Arkansas Lodge: Kills OES Member – From Freemasons for Dummies

‘So help me God’, on the 220th anniversary of George Washington’s first presidential inauguration – From The Magpie Mason

Masonic Duties: Citizenship – From Masonic Minute

Are Illiterates Raising Illiterates? – From John Nagy on FmI

Connecticut and Rhode Island to merge Grand Lodges Special to The Hartford Times
Dateline: Farmington, CT. – From The Tao of Masonry

and not to forget the aboves follow up: Grand Lodge merger talks stalled – From the Tao of Masonry

and the follow up to the follow up… Hoax, Deconstructed

May:
Henry W. Coil Library & Museum Launches Website – From Freemasons for Dummies

Federal Probe of the Shrine’s Royal Order of Jesters Expands in the wake of its prostitution and other spurious charges. – From  Freemasons for Dummies

It Was So Much Better Back Then. Really. – From Justa Mason

York Rite Alchemy – From Lodgical

The Catholic Church and Freemasonry – From Gate City Lodge on FmI

Solomon the Magician – From Isaiah Coffey on FmI

The “truth” on Conspiracies with Chris Hodapp – From Masonic Central

June:
Masonic Bigotry and Georgia – From Freemasons for Dummies

and My brother’s keeper. Open Racism in Georgia Freemasonry. – From FmI

Not just a Club for Old Men – From A Christian Mason

Mormon and Mason – From The Sprig of Acacia

The Restaurant at the End of the Masonic Universe – From Stephan Dafoe on FmI

July:
Grand Master of Kentucky Issues Edict on Race. – From Freemasons for Dummies

He coined G.A.O.T.U. – From The Magpie Mason

The heart is deceitful above all things.  – From Manthanein Chronicles

What will Freemasonry Offer My Son? – From Tim Darnell on FmI

August:
Edict Issued by Grand Master of Georgia on the issues of Racism Raised earlier in the year. – From Freemasons for Dummies

Last Saturday He Died – From The Relevant Mason

The Back Nine of the Magnum Opus – From the 47th Problem of Euclid on FmI

Social Media & the Non-Profit – How Social Media is vital to fraternities – From Masonic Central on FmI

September:
FmI’s Greg Stewart released the Free e-book “What is Freemasonry?”

Dan Brown’s long awaited “The Lost Symbol” hits the shelves to much fanfare in both the Masonic and the profane world.  The Lost Symbol – it’s the symbol of the symbolism.  From Greg Stewart on FmI

Interview with Baphomet – From The Setting Maul – Voices From The Clefts…

The Seven Blunders of the Masonic World – From The Euphrates   on FmI

October:
Explain to us in detail a Christian can be a Freemason. – From A Christian Freemason

Tolerance Awareness Tuesday – What Do We Fear? – From MNGrandMaster09

Masonry and the Pursuit of Happiness – From The Rose City Mason

What is Gnosticism? – From the Papers of Robert G. Davis

Praise vs. Prayer – From the 47th Problem of Euclid on FmI

Symbols and Symbolism – From Carlos Antonio Martinez on FmI

November:
My Two Worlds of Masonry – From Grand Master’s Musings

Which Public Image Do We Claim? – From the Papers of Robert G. Davis

November is Upon Us – From The Weekly Owl

Lon Milo Duquette on Masonic Central – From Masonic Central on FmI

December:
TSS, The Sanctum Sanctorum joins forces with FmI as the message board of choice for Masonic Discussion.

Halcyon Lodge prevails in court case brought against them by Grand Lodge of Ohio.  From The Burining Taper

Changes at the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania – From Freemasons for Dummies

Tennis Shoe and T-Shirt Wearers Should Read This  – From the Palmetto Mason

Brotherly Love

We have heard over and over that Freemasonry is a Brotherhood. That it is a fraternity. We use the term ‘Masonic Family’ when referring to the group of organizations associated with Masonry. But it often seems that we use these terms out of habit, without any sense of meaning behind the words that are coming out of our mouths.

I can think of countless lodge meetings that I have attended where we recognize men as Brother Smith or Worshipful Brother Jones. We use the term ‘Brother’ so often that we become desensitized to its meaning. Soon the word ‘Brother’ becomes little more than a substitute for ‘Mister’ or ‘Sir.’ Perhaps this is a failing of our institution’s protocol or perhaps it is our own fault for overusing this word. But in the spirit of the Christmas season, I’d like to talk a little bit about what the word ‘Brother’ means to me.

A Brother is your next of kin. He is more than a friend, he is your own flesh and blood. A man for which you would lay down your life. In the Masonic lodge, the term refers to the men of that mystic tie, that solemn obligation which we have all taken. This obligation is more than just a formality or organizational oath. The obligation is a pledge to be true to God, to yourself, and to your neighbor. The obligation is our promise to live and act virtuously and to love our fellow man. When we assume this obligation, we are declaring that we wish to be in the company of men who share the same values and ideals. By uniting ourselves with this honorable pledge, we become Brothers of that ancient and honorable clan: the Freemasons.

Unfortunately, we find that throughout history that relationships between brothers have not always been worthy of emulation. Two of the greatest examples of this are found in the Old Testament. We read of Cain murdering Abel in Genesis and when God inquires about Abel’s whereabouts, Cain replies “Am I my Brother’s keeper?” We learn that Jacob was willing to trick his father Isaac in order to obtain Esau’s blessing. We need not look far to see similar actions occurring today. Our Masonic lodges are full of Brothers who resent each other out of jealousy or are too proud to meet each another upon the level. We have arguments and feuds over lodge business and we often neglect our fellow Masons in need of relief.

During the Christmas holiday, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus who would grow up to become a leader that espoused the ideals of Brotherhood. Of all the lessons that Jesus taught, the most important is undoubtedly his new commandment: love one another. This is exactly what we as Freemasons and as Brothers should do. For if we love one another we will act by the square, we will circumscribe our desires, and we will give relief to our worthy Brother Masons. If we use the word ‘Brother’ not out of habit, but out of love, we will truly be a Masonic family. And by loving one another, we can understand the spirit of that solemn obligation.

One of the tenets of our profession is Brotherly Love and I propose that we all make this theme our focus for the new year. Let us make love a bigger part of the Masonic equation and let us focus on the meaning of being a Brotherhood.

My Brothers, love one another.

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Sol Invictus

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti

Sol Invictus

INVENTORI LUCIS SOLI INVICTO AUGUSTO

To the contriver of light, Sol Invictus Augustus

The Spirit of Christmas Describes the Practice of a Mason

It is this time of year when I stop and take notice of a certain change in the atmosphere around me.  When I accidentally cut off a stranger on the road I do not get back the raised fist or digital sign language of contempt.  No blaring horns, no verbalizing scorn with four letter words, no cold shoulder darken my path. Instead I am greeted with a smile and best wishes by perfect strangers; women open doors for me and even dogs wag their tail at my presence.

It’s Christmas and the spirit of the holiday has taken hold of most homo sapiens.

Chris Thomas in an article titled, “ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, Having A Real Spirit of Christmas Throughout The Year,” quotes Thomas S. Monson:

“Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things.”

Thomas goes on to say:

“Having such a spirit doesn’t have to be something that is seen or noticed by everyone. It can be as simple as continuing with one’s work while the teacher’s not in the room or conducting oneself at work as if they were being watched, even while the boss is away.”

“Philippians chapter 2, verses 3-5 state, ‘Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.’

“Note that these verses don’t encourage one to belittle themselves but rather to recognize the worth of others as well as oneself. The spirit of Christmas truly involves being a character with integrity, one that is selfless and humble and above all, loves.”
Read more at Suite101: Origins of the Christmas Spirit: Having a Real Spirit of Christmas Throughout the Year http://spiritual-growth.suite101.com/article.cfm/origins_of_the_christmas_spirit#ixzz0aHgYsBXt

“Our Daily Bread,” describes the Christmas Spirit this way:

J. I. Packer goes to the heart of this matter in his book Knowing God. He writes, “We talk glibly of the Christmas spirit, rarely meaning more by this than sentimental jollity . . . . It ought to mean the reproducing in human lives of the [temperament] of Him who for our sakes became poor, . . . the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor—spending and being spent—to enrich their fellowmen, giving time, thought, care, and concern to do good to others . . . in whatever way there seems need.”

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2006/12/01/devotion.aspx

These descriptions, this Christmas Spirit are how a Mason governs himself 365 days a year.  Oh there are a few bad apples in the pile, I guess.  But by and large a Mason is or strives to be honest, kind, giving, patient, understanding, tolerant, patriotic, gentle, forgiving and charitable.  These are attributes which puts a Mason in a year round Christmas Spirit.

I am often asked what effect does becoming a Mason have on the individual. And my answer is that one becomes a new person, with a new outlook on life.  Masonry is a way of life but that way of life is not limited to a certain time of year.  That is really what it means to become a Mason.

When you enter that door for the first time you are in darkness, seeking light.  When you have found light you have started your rebirth into the world of constant learning and constant striving to polish that rough ashlar. Freemasonry is a journey not a destination but it is the process of performing a new way of life that makes a man a Mason.

Remember that spirit that followed immediately after 9/11?  We were all one, united in one purpose, one spirit, one common bond.

From my home state of Massachusetts, The Gloucester Daily Times put it this way:

“There was a true spirit of camaraderie, a sense that we were all in this together, all on the same side, from our own neighborhoods, throughout our local communities, and across the country”

But then the newspaper goes on to lament:

“Sadly, that spirit has long since been lost over the last seven years; in fact, it was lost within a few months after the attacks. Unfortunately, we now seem as divided — politically, economically and ideologically — as we have even been. And that’s not only on the national level.”

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/punews/local_story_254224823.html?keyword=topstory

Outside the Craft, the spirit is short lived.  It is there after some national traumatic event; it is there at Christmas time but it soon fades and soon we are back to a dog eat dog world.  Not so with a Mason. His world is Christmas time year round.

So let us salute the peace, harmony and tolerance that Masons throughout the world contribute to their world and everybody else’s world.

AND A HO, HO, HO TO Y’ALL!

Christmas and Freemasonry.

The Holy Saints John

At its surface, the Christmas holiday has no intrinsic connection to the fraternity of Freemasonry.  What I mean by that is no where in the degrees does it link itself to any particular holiday in its practice, in particular the Christmas holiday season.

There are, however, certain celebrations that have become a part of the fraternity which are linked to one of the interesting symbols that resides at the heart of the practice.  Without any specific reference, Masons are said to come from a Lodge of the Holy Saints John, the specific why and how of this connection is lost in the sands of metaphorical time, but some connection infers a balance to the celestial equinox (from summer to winter and back again).

Through this link, winter is said to be represented by the Saint John the Evangelist, whose feast day falls on December 27th.  This Holy Saint John has an interesting symbolic significance, in that, as John the Baptist (who represents the other Holy Saint John) was the precursor to the coming Christ, John the Evangelist is said to be the first disciple at the Lake of Genesareth who recognized the Christ and believe that he had risen.  Of the Saint it is also said that he was the only disciple of Christ to not to forsake him in the hour of His Passion at the foot of the cross.  John the Evangelist is also called the Apostle of Charity, which may be in part, his connection to Freemasonry in addition to his unwavering resolve and purity of his love of the divine.

In creating the original construct of the two Johns, the conclusion that I came to was that they struck a balance between zeal and knowledge, the Baptist who was the precursor of the Christ living in his zeal for the coming son of God and the Evangelist as the representation of knowing that the Christ was the son of God.  Only in piecing the component of knowing did it become clear to me that it was not about the degree of knowledge gained, but the degree to which the Evangelist trusted his intuition, to know what was before him.  An interesting parallel comes in the book of Matthew where this very lesson is communicated to Peter from the Christ who says in Matthew 16:15-17

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”

This is somewhat out of original context, but illustrative of revealed knowledge based on experience, on learning.

John the Evangelist came to that knowledge by his experience with the Christ.  Another way of looking at this experience is coming from darkness to light, an awakening, and if you take it further, the dawning of awareness.  This awareness sits squarely with the idea of Sol Invictus, or the conquering sun which overcomes its captivity of night from the summer solstice and again begins to vanquish the night in its ever increasing minutes of daylight.

Looking at some of the other symbolic connections, the Evangelist is said to relate to the alchemical symbol of the up pointed triangle which represents fire, where again we can see a link to light and knowledge.  When we combine the alchemical sign of the Baptist with that of the Evangelist, we create the star of solomon, and the duality of fire and water, further, the duality of light and dark and summer and winter.

Further work attributed to John the Evangelist are the Epistles of John, and the book of Revelation, though his

Pope Adrian I

connection to them in later centuries has been contentious, as much of his life from 2000 years ago is lost to time.  Within the church his feast day is first mentioned in the Sacramentary of Pope Adrian I near 772 A.D.

The message of the church, and something each of us can take away from John the Evangelist is to “Apply thyself, therefore, to purity of heart, and thou shalt be like Saint John, a beloved disciple of Jesus, and shalt be filled with heavenly wisdom.”

The feast of the Evangelist is little remembered today, except within Masonry where it is celebrated by a few lodges that still practice the Table Lodge ritual where brothers gather together to celebrate it with toasts to those brothers present and absent.   in the past, it was considered a feast day of high importance for Freemasonry because of its proximity to the holidays and the presence of lodge members being close to home. Because of this, It gave those brothers a festival to meet under to punctuate the closing of the year. Meeting like this though is something less convenient in this modern day as most with families travels abroad to celebrate the holiday.

Because it is celebrated less does not diminish the importance of the day, nor the symbol itself, as in the modern ritual we are reminded that we come from the Holy Saint John’s in Jerusalem, and as such we should pause and reflect on just what that means.  John the Evangelist gives us an important lesson to pursue knowledge and wake from the darkness and renew our commitment to the awakening light of the Victorious Sun.  Even taken out the Christian metaphor, we can salute with Sol Invictus, as knowledge is re-awakened from its cold wintry defeat.

Through the lens of symbolism, John the Evangelist gives us a means to find resonance with the holiday of giving and compassion to the fraternity of brotherly love, relief, and truth.

Happy Holidays!

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