tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66118130001310921732012-01-31T14:14:53.092-05:00A running collection of reportage, reviews and ruminations.Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.comBlogger3051100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-82003446314079264352012-01-27T22:57:00.003-05:002012-01-27T23:07:04.544-05:00

     On Saturday, March 24, the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of New York will host a testimonial dinner honoring one of its own, M.E. Ted Harrison, General Grand High Priest of the General Grand Chapter. Any and all inquiries should be directed to Ted Jacobsen, chairman of the event, who can be reached at: thjnycusa(at)aol.com The announcement: The Grand Chapter of New York is

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-88376012581275127022012-01-27T14:05:00.000-05:002012-01-27T14:05:42.619-05:00

     Today is the 256th anniversary of the birth of Bro. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, an apt occasion to remind the brethren of The Masonic Society’s New Jersey Second Circle that I’d like to organize a trip to see the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra this April for a performance of some of the great composer’s Masonic music.  Mozart at right. The program for three performances during the last

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-88985653808079222832012-01-27T00:32:00.002-05:002012-01-27T00:50:21.669-05:00

   It has been more than four years since I first heard W. Bro. David Bailey tease us about a bicentennial celebration of Prince Hall Masonry in New York, and obviously 2012 is here, so that 200th anniversary is upon us. Thanks to Bro. Diego for sending the info along. Boyer Lodge No. 1 was the first Prince Hall lodge chartered in New York. That took place February 16, 1812, and there are

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-72739495147461309162012-01-27T00:20:00.000-05:002012-01-27T00:20:58.022-05:00

   News from the Grand Lodge of New York public relations folks: The Grand Lodge Committee for the George Washington Masonic Historic Site at Tappan, cordially and fraternally invites you and your guests to join us for a celebration of the birthday of our cherished Brother and First President of the United States of America, George Washington, to be held Sunday, February 19. The activities for

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-81226280902286953392012-01-26T00:43:00.002-05:002012-01-26T00:56:41.972-05:00

   Today is the deadline to lock in the group rate on your hotel reservations for Masonic Week 2012. In addition, next Tuesday is the deadline for reserving for the various banquets and other meals, and there are two events in particular you should attend. The Masonic Society's Annual Feast and Forum is set for Friday, February 10 at 6 p.m. at the Alexandria Mark Hilton in Alexandria, Virginia.

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-36153250558381618012012-01-25T23:13:00.002-05:002012-01-26T00:53:18.813-05:00

      Robert Burns upon composing a poem to his love, Mary. It's the 253rd birthday of Robert Burns, Poet Laureate of Canongate Kilwinning Lodge. Hope you had a great time at your Burns Suppers! He is depicted here, sitting on a tree stump, along Literary Walk on the east side of Central Park. The massive bronze was created by Sir John Steell in 1880, and it was a gift to the city from New

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-58187524648671622822012-01-25T01:44:00.003-05:002012-01-25T04:11:39.486-05:00

     I think it went well Tuesday night. Makia told me attendance was higher than usual. Even Yasser was there! I got a taste of Pennsylvania Royal Arch ritual, which is a bit different from what I'm used to. Then we went out for drinks and a bite to eat. What more could you want? For a topic, I went with Kabbalah's interpretations of several of the Royal Arch Degree's borrowings from the Book

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-1849391934610251352012-01-23T23:44:00.000-05:002012-01-23T23:44:28.671-05:00

     Coming later this winter to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Union County are two events worth your time. Bro. Andrew also will appear at Peninsula Lodge on the evening of Thursday, March 22. Peninsula is located at 888 Avenue C (at 40th Street) in Bayonne. A-P 10 has much more on the agenda for the year, such as RW Bro. Thomas K. Sturgeon, Past Grand Master of Pennsylvania. Check The

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-3440311250678344732012-01-23T23:21:00.003-05:002012-01-28T15:45:41.172-05:00

Bro. Mohamad Yatim is on tour. Catch him at any of these New Jersey dates: Tuesday, January 24 at Olive Branch Lodge No. 16 in Freehold. Topic: Freemasonry and the Mystic Schools of the East. Wednesday, February 22 at Sons of Liberty Lodge No. 301 in Secaucus. Topic: Freemasonry and the Mystic Schools of the East. Thursday, March 22 at Alpine-Tilden-Tenafly Lodge No. 77 in Tenafly. Topic:

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-40512685731991777552012-01-08T23:03:00.000-05:002012-01-08T23:03:02.694-05:00

      I'm sorry to say I cannot attend. At that very hour I'll be speaking at Abington Chapter No. 245 in Pennsylvania. But that doesn't mean you can't be there! You must reserve your seat in advance though. The Livingston Library's seating area is small, with maybe 50 or so chairs, and events like this are always standing room only. Bro. Andrew's remarks will cover the thesis of his terrific

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-49003640405162128442012-01-01T06:14:00.055-05:002012-01-02T08:03:35.439-05:00

Happy New Year! Among my New Year's Resolutions is to renew The Magpie Mason and to post more frequently than in the year past. The focus will shift, as I expect to share messages worth your contemplation, while toning down the journalistic coverage of events. (I think I have done a disservice to some of the Masons I have inadvertently made famous on these pages. My goal has been only to extol

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-74303909166663140742011-12-28T01:38:00.037-05:002012-01-08T22:59:52.613-05:00

      A very late night at The American Lodge of Research, but most of the officers were installed safely, with a few by proxy. Our new Worshipful Master is Gil Ferrer, of Shakespeare Lodge and Kosciuszko Lodge. I'm Senior Deacon. The Master's inaugural paper concerned the origins and evolution of Freemasonry in India. Inspired by Gil's travels there, this paper tells of the first lodges in

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-88224186085715472412011-12-26T18:38:00.000-05:002011-12-26T18:39:33.007-05:00

      There are huge plans afoot in New Jersey Scottish Rite Masonry that will reverberate throughout the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in 2012, and these plans all concern teaching Scottish Rite Masons what it means to be Scottish Rite Masons. (The event advertised in the graphic above is not one of them. It's only a hint of what's to come. A far more substantial, but still inconclusive, clue is

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-37899233772973862992011-12-24T01:12:00.000-05:002011-12-25T16:34:38.293-05:00

   New Jersey Prince Hall's Lodge of Research and Education No. 2006 will meet next week. The info, as it appears here, is: Stated CommunicationThursday, December 29 at 8 p.m. Hiram Lodge No. 5143 Warwick Road in Lawnside Attire: Masonic Dress Any Master Mason recognized by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of New Jersey may attend. For more information, call Worshipful Master Eubert G. Brown

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-33802956057888532092011-12-20T18:46:00.007-05:002011-12-21T21:42:33.011-05:00

   Bro. Makia Pai and I have this thing. When he is installed in the East of a Masonic society, he invites me to lecture at his first meeting. We did that in 2009 at Fairless Hills Lodge, and again in 2011 at Kensington-Kadosh Commandery, and we'll give it another go next month at Abington Royal Arch Chapter. Hanukkah having begun only a short while ago -- best wishes for a happy one, to all

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-9951708004859828322011-12-20T03:48:00.001-05:002011-12-20T03:48:01.393-05:00

     From the Secretary's Desk: The 352nd Stated Communication of The American Lodge of Research will be held in the French Ionic Room of Masonic Hall, 71 West 23rd Street, City of New York, on Tuesday Evening, December 27th, 2011 at Eight O’Clock, for the Presentation of Annual Reports, Adoption of the 2012 Budget, Unaffiliation of Members in Arrears, Proposed By-Law Changes, the regular

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-78457022296220902732011-12-20T03:20:00.004-05:002011-12-20T03:20:00.299-05:00

   A King James Version of the Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, the 'George Washington Inaugural Bible' was printed in the 1760s, and has been owned since then by St. John's Lodge No. 1 AYM in New York City. On April 30, 1789, George Washington took his first presidential oath of office upon this Bible, his hands resting at Genesis 49-50. I had the good fortune to be in the

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-45438865669411654702011-12-20T02:50:00.007-05:002011-12-20T03:13:09.469-05:00

Every year, Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. 2 hosts its Wendell K. Walker Lecture, an event to allow us all a day's advancement in Masonic knowledge together. The 2012 lecture will be held Thursday, March 15 at The Players. Lecturer: no stranger to the pages of The Magpie Mason ... W. Bro. David Lindez! More information to come, as it is announced. The Players is a private club founded in 1888

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-11076897813932297372011-12-20T00:59:00.000-05:002011-12-20T00:59:28.468-05:00

         

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-8857263246913081372011-12-17T03:13:00.001-05:002011-12-17T16:42:54.173-05:00

   Ambassadors Jason, Piers, and Steven traveled to Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge No. 10 Friday night, bringing with them the historic George Washington Bible. The holy text has been owned by their lodge, St. John's No. 1 Antient York Masons, since the 1760s, and it is in fact the Volume of Sacred Law upon which George Washington took his first presidential oath of office on April 30, 1789 at Federal

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-3006437379531988832011-12-15T02:29:00.000-05:002011-12-15T02:29:42.934-05:00

      As you may have guessed from the slowdown of traffic here on The Magpie Mason, I have stepped back from almost all of my Masonic activities this year to attend to other important things in life, but I hope to be back in 2012. In fact, I'll be back with a vengeance in January, with three speaking engagements in three states in two weeks. (I've been assured this is not illegal.) I wasn't

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-17176925172349838392011-12-13T23:49:00.147-05:002011-12-24T03:56:58.487-05:00

      "A ritual is the enactment of a myth. And, by participating in the ritual, you are participating in the myth. And since myth is a projection of the depth wisdom of the psyche, by participating in a ritual, participating in the myth, you are being, as it were, put in accord with that wisdom, which is the wisdom that is inherent within you anyhow. Your consciousness is being re-minded of the

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-56483134658697199262011-11-23T22:30:00.001-05:002011-11-23T22:40:08.598-05:00

      'Oh, it is so on.' “The dead have no existenceother than that whichthe living imagine for them.” Jean-Claude SchmittGhosts in the Middle Ages:The Living and the Dead in Medieval Society The New Jersey Second Circle of The Masonic Society will meet again next week for its second annual Feast of Saint Andrew. Wednesday, November 307 p.m.Bloomfield Steak and Seafood House409 Franklin

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-92008940101431586832011-10-31T23:21:00.118-04:002012-01-08T23:02:07.775-05:00

   The American Lodge of Research met tonight to hear the paper presented by W. Bro. Scott Thomas Cairns titled "From Lead to Gold: The Path of Alchemy and the Masonic Path." From the lodge summons: To those who are wise and knowledgeable, Alchemy is far more than the mundane pursuit of turning lead into gold. It is the extraordinary process of personal transformation. It has been said that

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-53291470754926384692011-10-24T03:09:00.139-04:002012-01-02T06:10:58.426-05:00

     Well, it seems sleep is out of the question for the 412th consecutive night, so I may as well edit the photos I shot Thursday at the meeting of the local Knight Masons council, and if I'm going to do that, I might as well share some of them with the regrettably neglected readers of The Magpie Mason. And I confess to an ulterior motivation: It was a great night that needs to be publicized

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-76827635860357606942011-08-30T16:31:00.001-04:002011-08-31T13:27:33.435-04:00

   This shot is an ECU of part of the stained glass window outside the library at the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction's headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts. I regret not being in Chicago with my brethren and friends today. Right about now they, and many others, are behind closed doors, having the Thirty-Third and Last Degree of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry conferred upon them. In

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-31030859273980929862011-07-10T11:27:00.017-04:002011-12-24T04:46:33.617-05:00

   Yesterday, the American Bible Society in New York City hosted "On Eagles' Wings," a symposium commemorating the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible. Four academic lecturers spoke at length on different aspects of the subject, from the political machinations that helped inspire the King James Version of the Holy Bible to contemporary efforts in the Caribbean to

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-31542172804365555142011-06-30T00:13:00.000-04:002011-06-30T00:13:26.668-04:00

     There Used to be a BallparkLyrics by Joe Raposo And there used to be a ballparkWhere the field was warm and green,And the people played their crazy gameWith a joy I’d never seen. And the air was such a wonder From the hot dogs and the beer.Yes, there used a ballpark, right here. And there used to be rock candyAnd a great big Fourth of JulyWith fireworks explodingAll across

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-39734533706497559302011-06-24T15:06:00.001-04:002011-06-24T15:11:02.056-04:00

     Today is the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist, remembered fondly in Freemasonry as the anniversary of the day in 1717 when four lodges in London introduced (or revealed) Freemasonry to the world, and also formed the Premier Grand Lodge of England. But you know all that. Tonight is The Masonic Society’s New Jersey Second Circle’s celebration of St. John the Baptist Day (if you’re a Mason in

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-90779024286801486052011-06-13T23:07:00.001-04:002011-06-13T23:07:00.323-04:00

     It deserves more attention in Freemasonry, but James Joyce’s novel Ulysses is the story of a man named Leopold Bloom, who happens to be a Freemason. The story is famous, albeit not widely loved, in literature because its plot is patterned after Homer’s Odyssey, the author uses unknown vocabulary and stream-of-consciousness narrative, and the novel was banned and burned for allegedly being

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-27611709274202113022011-06-12T19:29:00.001-04:002011-06-13T11:49:22.503-04:00

   I just learned that Bro. Tim Wallace-Murphy will return to New Jersey this Friday night to appear at Navesink Lodge No. 9 in Red Bank. True to form, Bro. Tim will speak on "From Egyptian Mythology to Jewish Mysticism; Rome and Greece to the Druids and the Gnostics," according to the lodge's announcement. He will trace the development of the Western esoteric tradition through the centuries to

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-5009430778307352942011-05-31T07:38:00.001-04:002011-06-15T21:00:33.942-04:00

     The New Jersey Second Circle of The Masonic Society will host its Saint John’s Day Feast on Friday, June 24 in North Brunswick, New Jersey. An evening of good company, good conversation, and good food, with the added attraction of a very special guest speaker, awaits you. In honor of St. John’s Day, we will welcome to our podium the Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-10414376655394638462011-05-31T00:56:00.001-04:002011-05-31T00:57:35.692-04:00

   Brethren, be sure to raise your glasses at some point today. (No time like the present!) On this date in 1801, the Mother Supreme Council of the Thirty-Third Degree was formed in Charleston, South Carolina. And this year marks the 20th year of the Scottish Rite Research Society's labors. What better way to celebrate both milestones than to enroll in the SRRS? Members of the SRRS who were

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-1183710327057152722011-05-30T16:07:00.001-04:002011-05-30T16:21:04.944-04:00

  The George Washington Masonic Memorial, overlooking King Street in Alexandria, Virginia, site of ICHF 2011.   The third International Conference on the History of Freemasonry is itself history. The fourth conference will be convened in the north of England in 2013, and the fifth will take place in Ontario in 2015.

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-34622047725938383462011-05-26T23:15:00.000-04:002011-05-26T23:15:15.566-04:00

     Wow! When I said in the post below that I may be spending too much time blogging, I didn't think I'd take a sabbatical of 90 days, but that's how it worked out for a variety of humbling reasons. The Magpie Mason will be back to its usual tricks in June with coverage of things Masonic. I still have to tell you about the Rose Circle conference, Trevor Stewart at The Players, a few great

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-91924709161234540622011-04-30T04:48:00.004-04:002011-12-24T04:44:34.060-05:00

     Last month, I decided to annul my standing and rank in the Knights Templar, the chivalric branch of the York Rite of Freemasonry. I have received the demit certificate. Below is the text of my letter requesting the same, addressed to Trinity Commandery's Recorder. March 18, 2011 Sir Knight and Dear Mario, I have acquired some degree of experience in Freemasonry over the years, so I know

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-39375157153246888152011-02-26T23:43:00.002-05:002011-02-26T23:59:40.183-05:00

     It’s been a long day, capped with a great feast at Sagaponack, and I’m too tired and overfed to post a Magpie recap (a Magcap?) of the utterly mind-roasting event hosted this afternoon by the Rose Circle Research Foundation. And tomorrow I want to get to the New York Public Library to catch “Three Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam” on its final day of exhibition. (It opened in

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-10813807837852094842011-02-25T18:15:00.001-05:002011-02-25T18:16:47.978-05:00

     Nutley Lodge No. 25 continues its Lamp of Knowledge Lecture Series March 21 with a presentation by RW Bro. Rashied Bey, who will speak on “Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomy.” Lodge opens at 7:30 p.m. (almost exactly 24 hours after the Vernal Equinox). 175 Chestnut St. in Nutley. Apprentices and Fellows, properly avouched, are welcome. Bro. Rashied is a member of Cornerstone Lodge No.

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-63402025574907726212011-02-24T01:22:00.002-05:002011-02-28T10:06:42.867-05:00

     Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. 2 has announced the Annual Wendell K. Walker Lecture will take place on the evening of Thursday, March 24. Bro. Trevor Stewarton “Masonic Lodges in Colonial North America.” The Players16 Gramercy Park SouthManhattan Cocktails at 7 p.m. in the Sargent Room (cash bar)Dinner at eight in the Ball Room – $65 per person Attire: Business Open to Freemasons and

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-62973323240185322872011-02-19T23:07:00.000-05:002011-02-19T23:07:31.958-05:00

     I thought I’d be done with posting reports of Masonic Week by now, but you get what you pay for. Once again, sorry for the bad photographs, etc., etc. The Grand Council of the Order of Knight Masons met for its annual meeting last Friday morning, as did Great Chiefs Council 0. My notes from this meeting are even worse than my other notes. I must have used my notepad as a coaster at some

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-66250253985819897442011-02-18T23:27:00.001-05:002011-02-18T23:27:00.202-05:00

     “Aloha is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation. Aloha means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return. Aloha is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. Aloha means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable.” Hawai`i

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-5673001730447229272011-02-17T01:07:00.001-05:002011-02-17T01:07:27.954-05:00

     The annual meeting of the Consistory of the Blue Friars was the occasion of the welcoming of its 100th member: Alton Roundtree, a Past Master of Redemption Lodge No. 24 and the inaugural Master of David A. McWillliams, Sr., Research and Education Lodge, both under the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. You more than likely have heard of this brother, as his fame extends

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-73920690075497774002011-02-14T19:07:00.001-05:002011-02-14T19:53:53.020-05:00

     (Nota Magpie: As mentioned in the post below, I have to apologize for the substandard photograph. I opted to bring the pocketsize Panasonic, not the Nikon, to Masonic Week, and the result speaks for itself.) There now are more than 400 councils of Allied Masonic Degrees in the United States, and they all are special, but there is one in particular that is constitutionally capped at nine

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-38520742854773932102011-02-13T23:56:00.007-05:002011-02-15T12:13:17.868-05:00

     (Nota Magpie: Many of the photos I shot at Masonic Week are blurry or otherwise unusable. Wanting to travel light, I brought my Panasonic Lumix – a perfectly serviceable camera – instead of the Nikon, which was a mistake for this kind of interior photography. Lesson learned. Won’t happen again.) It was love at first sight, when I happened upon the Grand College of Rites while surfing the

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-27621196696971923922011-02-04T01:22:00.005-05:002011-02-08T15:22:42.410-05:00

     You know about lodges of research, but what are not as common are chapters of research. Royal Arch chapters set to labor for the purpose of researching, accumulating, and presenting Royal Arch education for debate and discussion. Thomas Smith Webb Chapter of Research No. 1798, warranted by the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the State of New York, will meet next month. Thursday,

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-43650878176477302042011-01-28T15:26:00.000-05:002011-01-28T15:26:53.724-05:00

     Way back a long time ago, when I was a junior in high school, my teacher of U.S. history sadistically assigned his class, as requisite to passing the course, what seemed like impossibly obscure topics for research papers. Obscurity is in the eye of the beholder, of course, and to a 16-year-old underachiever, the prospect of delving into the life and work of one Thomas Cole, father of the

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-25298015672484650452011-01-27T20:00:00.002-05:002011-01-28T16:18:59.586-05:00

     This edition of The Magpie Mason is the fifth attempt to catch up on 2010 events I haven’t told you about. Every time I post one of these, I remember yet another, so this may take a while. In fact, this one dates to Masonic Week 2010, nearly a year ago, and I want to finish catching up before this Masonic Week arrives in only two weeks!  Blue Friar No. 93 Thomas W. Jackson, left, and

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-43235395265504464902011-01-26T14:44:00.001-05:002011-01-26T15:26:28.681-05:00

     The Magpie Mason endorses philately, especially as an affordable, accessible form of art collecting. The George Washington Masonic Stamp Club will host its annual meeting Sunday, February 27 at the George Washington Masonic Memorial for its 55th anniversary celebration and a conferral of “Master of Philately.” The day’s schedule: 1 to 2 p.m. – Assemble, socialize, and review Covers. 2 to

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-50139136685254976592011-01-26T07:51:00.002-05:002011-01-26T13:46:39.802-05:00

     A post for the benefit of our local and somewhat local brethren: Two great nights coming up in early February. On Monday, February 7, Nutley Lodge No. 25 will continue its Lamp of Knowledge lecture series, hosting W. Henry Abel of Humanitas Lodge No. 1123 in New York City. Henry will lead us into the Chamber of Reflection, so to speak, for an explanation of the many intriguing symbols that

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-69670882092054374482011-01-24T08:01:00.000-05:002011-01-24T08:01:00.458-05:00

     (I admit it. I’m trailing the Dummies blog.) The new issue, No. 11, of The Journal of the Masonic Society is in the mail to our more than 1,200 members now. What I’m most excited about is the appearance of the first piece by New Jersey’s own Bro. Ben Hoff, the Right Worshipful Grand Historian. Ben is a kind of forensic historian of Masonic ritual, in that he consults, compares, and

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-26968864021971087202011-01-22T00:41:00.002-05:002011-01-23T22:13:56.842-05:00

     The Magpie Mason enjoyed a good, but extremely busy, week. The American Lodge of Research held its Installation of Officers on Tuesday, and yours truly was installed Junior Deacon for the year. This gives me a lot to think about, for a number of reasons, but mostly because I’ve been Master of a research lodge previously (New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786). Every

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-35602481244340893532011-01-21T23:43:00.002-05:002011-01-22T13:20:52.082-05:00

      Bro. Erik at the podium. Kosciuszko Lodge No. 1085 met Wednesday night for the visit of the DDGM and to hear Bro. Erik speak on the life and times of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. A genuinely fascinating man! And not a Freemason either. Kosciuszko is a familiar name to us in the New York area, thanks largely to the bridge named for him that connects Brooklyn and Queens, which is invoked every

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-91700260252896518362011-01-21T20:35:00.000-05:002011-01-21T20:35:09.016-05:00

Mark your calendars: On Friday, June 17, W. Bro. George Haynes of Pennsylvania will speak on “Esoteric Freemasonry” at Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge No. 10 in Westfield, New Jersey. A Fellow of The Masonic Society, George is a valued speaker on the Masonic lecture circuit. Other dates of note: March 18: Franklin Melnick on “Geometry: The Foundation of Freemasonry.” May 20: Masonic Society Member

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-54371498405892607032011-01-14T22:43:00.003-05:002011-01-17T12:02:07.145-05:00

      From left: Grand Junior Warden Matthew D. Dupee, junior past Excellent Chief John Corrigan, Excellent Chief David Lindez, Great Chief of the USA Edward P. Fagan, past (2007) Excellent Chief Rob, and Excellent Ted Harrison.   It’s hard to believe, but it has been a year already since John Corrigan was installed in the East of our Knight Masons council, so last night was his “

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-89272381876398944942011-01-14T01:34:00.001-05:002011-01-14T12:25:31.090-05:00

     Freemasons speak of East and West, but leave it to Bro. Michael A. Halleran, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature, to get published in North & South magazine. The January issue of the official magazine of the Civil War Society features a six-page spread of Halleran’s work. (You know Bro. Michael from Heredom, The Plumbline, Scottish Rite Journal, et al.) I stumbled across this today

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-81956898060702851492011-01-09T21:26:00.002-05:002011-01-11T19:18:38.163-05:00

      Membership in The Masonic Societystimulates the intellect,relaxes the nervous system,and improves physical appearance. The shiniest jewel among the treasures comprising Masonic Week’s social calendar undoubtedly is the banquet hosted by The Masonic Society, so our keynote speaker is the perfect fit. Bryan Toye, Chairman of Britain’s foremost manufacturer of Masonic regalia and

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-85089399210889083822011-01-08T22:34:00.001-05:002011-01-08T23:04:46.846-05:00

     “I have a duty to protect all Egyptian monuments whether they are inside or outside of Egypt. If the Central Park Conservancy and the City of New York cannot properly care for this obelisk, I will take the necessary steps to bring this precious artifact home and save it from ruin.”Zahi Hawass  Oh, Dr. Hawass? It is said to weigh 220 tons! ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ An

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-2379870177439307742011-01-07T22:28:00.002-05:002011-02-09T12:22:13.534-05:00

     This edition of The Magpie Mason is the fourth attempt to rectify past negligence in blogging (a disappointment to the kids, for which I’m truly sorry). There are 10 or maybe more events from 2010 that I never got around to sharing with you – lectures, ceremonies, Germanic beer fests, etc. – and before we get too far into 2011, I’ll try to catch up on last year’s happenings. No lengthy

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-2545677507931911052011-01-06T23:58:00.001-05:002011-01-07T01:09:20.875-05:00

     This second “On Tap” post concerns the Ninth Manhattan District’s 120th annual Traubenfest held at the German Masonic Park, an autumn wonderland of beer, blondes, and sausages. I had no idea this place existed until I happened to be cc’d on an e-mail advertising this event some weeks previously. Too good to be true, I figured, must be a prank. But it is for real. As far as I can tell,

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-29310872620368815642011-01-06T23:25:00.000-05:002011-01-06T23:25:35.390-05:00

     This edition of The Magpie Mason is the second attempt to rectify past negligence in blogging (a Class C misdemeanor in West Virginia). There are 10 or maybe more events from 2010 that I never got around to sharing with you – lectures, ceremonies, Germanic beer fests, etc. – and before we get too far into 2011, I’ll try to catch up on last year’s happenings. No lengthy articles, but some

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-55360362105122971392011-01-05T23:52:00.000-05:002011-01-05T23:52:00.676-05:00

     Fresh from the Secretary’s desk is official notice of the rescheduled Installation of Officers of The American Lodge of Research (postponed from St. John Evangelist Day due to the snow): Tuesday, January 18 at 5 p.m. (Yes, five o’clock.) ALR meets in the French Ionic Room at Masonic Hall, located at 71 West 23rd St. in Manhattan. After the ceremonies, a bunch of us probably will dine at the

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-39570901043475172882011-01-05T22:51:00.003-05:002011-01-06T09:21:50.089-05:00

     This edition of The Magpie Mason is the first in an attempt to rectify past negligence in blogging (a Class C misdemeanor in several states). There are 10 or maybe more events from 2010 that I never got around to sharing with you – lectures, ceremonies, etc. – and before we get too far into 2011, I’ll try to catch up on last year’s happenings. No lengthy accounts, but some good photos. The

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-69074231342019946732011-01-03T18:49:00.002-05:002011-01-04T09:09:01.297-05:00

     As promised on The Magpie Mason way back in 2010, yours truly will be the evening’s lecturer at the April 20 meeting of the New York Mythology Group. Our group is the New York City Chapter of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, and among its regular activities are these monthly discussions, collectively known as Mythology Café, or perhaps for this one evening, Masonic Café. The topic,

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-40322229350209757742011-01-01T22:06:00.003-05:002011-02-10T12:25:14.284-05:00

     As smoking customs changed so radically in the past 30 years, the venerable cigar box lost its status as the safest place for small personal items that otherwise would be jeopardized by the recidivist menace of occasional tidying. A cigar enthusiast since 1985 myself, I don’t even use cigar boxes to store stuff, but generations of smokers and non-smokers alike had their peculiar treasure

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-4667972444189068072010-12-30T21:59:00.001-05:002010-12-30T21:59:00.816-05:00

     All the brethren, their families, and friends are invited to the Grand Lodge of New York’s annual celebration of the birthday of none other than George Washington, a Freemason and, if I’m not mistaken, a president of the United States, and possibly a general before that. This event (Reason No. 367,712 why the Grand Lodge of New York is the center of the Masonic universe in the tri-state

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-66345892704847372772010-12-28T20:11:00.002-05:002010-12-29T11:24:22.622-05:00

     Another Magpie Mason crosspost with the famous American Creation blog. December 27 is the Feast Day of Saint John the Evangelist, and therefore is one of two major celebrations for Freemasonry (June 24, the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist, is the other). On the 27th of December, 1779, while encamped at Morristown, New Jersey during the Revolution, the Masonic brethren serving under

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-71332090314078829052010-12-10T04:22:00.000-05:002010-12-10T04:22:00.522-05:00

     On Saturday, February 26, the Rose Circle Research Foundation will host another of its world renowned conferences, welcoming to its podium none other than Dr. Christopher McIntosh in celebration of the new publication of his The Rose Cross and the Age of Reason: Eighteenth-Century Rosicrucianism in Central Europe and its Relationship to the Enlightenment in January by SUNY Press in its

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-87294419940932821222010-11-26T17:58:00.001-05:002010-11-26T17:58:00.122-05:00

     Ever skeptical of the effectiveness of on-line petitions – I’m still lobbying for the return of The Bottom Line! – I nonetheless submit to you this global rallying cry for the preservation of the Library of Hermetic Philosophy, known more widely as the Ritman Library, in Amsterdam. According to the petitioners: It is widely known that the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica in Amsterdam,

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-57967894201037721792010-11-21T12:58:00.001-05:002011-01-08T23:24:57.552-05:00

     ‘The Bat Signal,’ on the 24th Street side of Masonic Hall, towers over Chelsea. It is a period of big anniversaries in New York City Freemasonry: 250th for I.R.A. No. 2, the bicentennial of Columbian Council No. 1, 130th of Cleopatra’s Needle, The Big 8-0 for The American Lodge of Research next spring, and the centennial celebration of Masonic Hall itself in a few weeks. The headquarters

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-3520900003483570432010-11-19T07:34:00.001-05:002010-11-19T10:12:30.158-05:00

     The November 30 dinner-meeting of The Masonic Society’s New Jersey Second Circle is sold out. We thank all the brethren, not all of whom are Society members (yet), for reserving their seats with advance payments so promptly. (If you’ve ever tried to plan an event in New Jersey Freemasonry, you know how excruciating it can be, but this was as expedient as possible. We really are appreciative

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-7192916888016828852010-11-17T21:45:00.000-05:002010-11-17T21:45:00.458-05:00

     Bro. Tim Wallace-Murphy will appear at Pymander Bookshop in Norwalk, Connecticut on Friday at 7 p.m. to deliver his illustrated talk titled “Cracking the Symbol Code.” Admission: $20. Pymander Bookshop is located at 37 Wall St. From the shop’s website: Back by popular demand! This presentation is based on his book of the same name; it is a guide to the coded symbolism of the hidden

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-30493959246208474162010-11-15T18:02:00.010-05:002010-11-16T09:20:42.979-05:00

     Announced during the weekend: The Thomas Smith Webb Chapter of Research will publish its second annual book of transactions in early 2011. We are looking for papers with a Royal Arch nexus to publish. Please contact me if you might have a paper or idea of interest. Deadline is December 31. We would like to have the transactions available at the Annual Convocation in March in Albany. Please

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-8592419983859922052010-11-15T17:29:00.001-05:002010-11-15T17:29:00.542-05:00

     Tonight is the first of the three-part Masonic Development Course in the First Manhattan District. Topics will include the 24-inch gauge and Masonic etiquette. The brethren will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Wendell Walker Room, first floor of Masonic Hall. (71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.)  The remaining dates:  Session 2, Monday, Jan. 17, 2011 Session 3, Monday, Feb. 7, 2011  The cost

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-22200251574504007222010-11-15T08:39:00.003-05:002010-11-15T11:54:45.834-05:00

     It’s not every day that the Library of Congress hosts a program concerning Freemasonry, but I just got word of this. Wish I could attend. Presentation: The Prince Hall Shriners’ Parade Frankie Ervin Hill, freelance photographer and U.S. Army veteran, will present photographs documenting “The Prince Hall Shriners’ Parade.” Tuesday, November 23, from noon to 1 p.m. Library of Congress

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-24634011878874401302010-10-21T14:38:00.003-04:002010-10-21T14:54:45.722-04:00

“No one has even begun to understand comradeship who does not accept with it a certain hearty eagerness in eating, drinking, or smoking.” G.K. Chesterson “What’s Wrong with the World” Save the date, and make your reservations! The Masonic Society’s New Jersey Second Circle will hold its first Gathering on Tuesday, November 30 at 7 p.m. Bloomfield Steak & Seafood House is located at 409

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-43705379970234655532010-10-20T21:58:00.000-04:002010-10-20T21:58:00.453-04:00

     They met at Keens tonight. That’s the brethren of St. John’s Lodge No. 1, Ancient York Masons, and honored guest Bro. Robert Davis, at Keens Steakhouse for a Festive Board. Bro. Bob is President of the Masonic Restoration Foundation, the think tank that gave birth to the Traditional Observance movement in American Freemasonry. St. John’s attained its T.O. certification in 2007, the year of

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-28530053474439797412010-10-19T12:25:00.000-04:002010-10-19T12:25:44.285-04:00

 Breaking news! The Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge of New York and the William Butler Yeats Society of New York present: Swedenborg, Yeats, and Freemasonry Marsha Keith Schuchard, who has written extensively on these three related subjects, will talk about the long-running Masonic melodrama into which Yeats was drawn when he met McGregor Mathers, and the

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-48037644539653198792010-10-19T07:23:00.002-04:002010-10-19T07:37:59.926-04:00

     It’s not every day that I can endorse a television program, but tonight’s PBS broadcast of Nova, titled “Building the Great Cathedrals,” is an obvious choice. Although I haven’t seen it, if it is anywhere near as compelling as “Secrets of the Parthenon,” which I watched again Sunday night as a repeat, then it should be thrilling and revelatory. As they say, check your local listings.

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-65338164777699534822010-10-16T18:02:00.000-04:002010-10-16T21:29:11.727-04:00

     Conductor David Lockington lead the New Jersey Symphony Orchestrathrough its “Best of Mozart” repertoire Thursday nightat the Community Theatre in Morristown. Masonry-wise, it was only the Overture of The Magic Flute on the program, but the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra was wonderful Thursday night at the Community Theatre in Morristown. In its “Best Of” series, the NJSO sampled seven

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-70105753625275312472010-10-16T17:30:00.005-04:002011-04-17T17:38:04.432-04:00

     Last night was the long-awaited appearance of Bro. Steve Burkle at Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge, where he spoke on “The 47th Problem of Euclid and the Magic Squares,” an exploration of historic and esoteric aspects of the Pythagorean Theorem. Steve is a prolific writer and presenter of research work, keeping busy in a variety of venues, including the AMD. His lecture was the last in the lodge’s “

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-11376523172777423512010-10-13T23:31:00.001-04:002010-10-13T23:31:00.404-04:00

     W. Bro. Wayne Buffett Warlow, the 2010 Prestonian Lecturer, will speak Monday, October 25 at Ancient Landmarks Lodge No. 358 in New York. His lecture is titled “Music in Masonry and Beyond,” which he promises will inform, educate, and entertain. The lecturer is a Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden from South Wales. A multi-instrumentalist, Bro. Warlow has been involved in some 1,800 film,

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-30040622214035562322010-10-11T19:49:00.001-04:002010-10-16T11:16:05.371-04:00

     It’s not news that the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction changes the corpus of its degrees very frequently, either by altering rituals or outright replacing them, but one of the newest innovations is especially painful. The Grand Pontiff Degree was one of those “Higher Grades” that connects the AASR to its roots in the French Rite of Perfection of the 18th

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-73321465011482379412010-10-10T08:45:00.006-04:002010-10-11T13:51:56.304-04:00

     After the cornerstone ceremony (See “Consecrating the stone” below), I was off to Manhattan for One World Symphony’s second performance in its tenth anniversary season at Church of the Holy Apostles on Ninth Avenue. The New York Daily News wrote Bro. Michael Crane’s performance was “a fete of sheer passion, tenacity, and prowess.” And so it was.   Crane, a member of Kane Lodge No. 454 of

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-53813037370101178762010-10-10T08:25:00.094-04:002010-10-11T11:10:04.843-04:00

     The Magpie got scooped by the Dummies blog! Fair enough. I’ve been a negligent blogger in recent weeks. It’s rare that Freemasonry gets to display its timeless traditions in public, but the afternoon of Sunday, September 19 was one such occasion, as the Grand Lodge of New Jersey and the brethren of the local lodges in Union County performed the ceremony of consecration and

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-70042191562838622432010-10-09T00:30:00.001-04:002010-10-09T00:30:00.634-04:00

     The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will return to the Community Theatre in Morristown next week to perform a Mozart program in its new “Best of” series of performances. A quartet of concerts will take the NJSO to four venues between October 14 and 17. Click here for the schedule and for tickets. Excellent seats still are available, even at the $18 level! Click here for audio of the

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-50406972560423111612010-10-07T21:53:00.003-04:002010-10-07T21:53:00.250-04:00

     Product endorsement is not the goal here, but since this involves St. John’s Lodge No. 1, Antient York Masons, in New York City, I thought it deserves mention. It is the new offer from Macoy Masonic Supply Co. of reproductions of the George Washington Inaugural Bible. These are smaller facsimiles of the same holy text upon which Bro. Washington placed his hand while taking the presidential

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-79655534107425115402010-10-07T00:55:00.001-04:002010-10-07T00:55:01.065-04:00

     There is no obvious connection here to Masonic ritual and symbol, unless you really do a background check on a certain artificer we know, during which you will bump heads with Greek gods and heroes like Hephaestus and Daedalus. Of course in other inquiries we can meet Hermes, Pallas Athena, and others. All this makes the current exhibition at the Onassis Cultural Center in midtown Manhattan

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-56273579246649900762010-10-04T23:41:00.003-04:002010-10-06T09:32:57.326-04:00

     Wednesday, December 1 is the night when the 92nd Street Y will host poet J.D. McClatchy for an evening of readings from his new English translations of Mozart libretti, including his interpretation of The Magic Flute, which of course is the opera known for its employment of Masonic symbols and themes. As the Y puts it: An Evening of Mozart with J.D. McClatchy and the Metropolitan Opera

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-32308825534834119352010-10-04T23:23:00.049-04:002010-10-05T11:51:36.072-04:00

     Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. 2 in New York City will celebrate its 250th anniversary with a Black Tie dinner-dance later this month at a venerable private club in Manhattan. (Another wonderful event I cannot attend.) From the invitation: Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. 2, F&AM, stands as one of the oldest fraternal and social institutions in continuous existence in the City of New

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-81365239443558419002010-09-30T00:23:00.003-04:002010-09-30T00:23:00.785-04:00

     W. Bro. Hans Momplaisir, Master of Allied Lodge No. 1170, has announced the curriculum of the lodge’s lecture series for 2010-11. All Master Masons in good standing are welcome. Monday, October 4 – Brother-Bring-a-Friend Night and a discussion on “Time.” Monday, October 18 – “Egyptian Mysteries and the Development of Consciousness.” Monday, December 20 – “First Degree Tools, Emblems,

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-11308633446531293262010-09-29T00:45:00.001-04:002010-09-29T00:45:00.278-04:00

     Additional reasons why the Grand Lodge of New York is the center of the Masonic universe in the greater metropolitan area: Civil War Lodge of Research No. 1865 is coming from Virginia to hold its October meeting in Manhattan on Saturday morning. On Sunday, Grand Master’s Day at Tappan will showcase DeWint House, one of George Washington’s headquarters during the Revolution. Owned and

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-57397959699255601112010-09-27T23:40:00.006-04:002010-09-27T23:40:00.624-04:00

     Bro. Steve Burkle will speak at Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge No. 10 in Westfield, New Jersey on Friday, October 15 in the Worshipful Master’s continuing program titled “Enlightening the Temple.” Steve’s lecture is titled “The 47th Problem of Euclid and the Magic Squares.” The event is open to Apprentices and Fellows, properly avouched by Master Masons. Bro. Burkle’s mother lodge is Scioto Lodge

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-66074975421849926612010-09-25T00:55:00.001-04:002010-09-25T13:11:05.038-04:00

     The Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library at the Grand Lodge of New York will host an ambitious program on the evening of Monday, October 18, when Bro. E. Oscar Alleyne of Wallkill Lodge No. 627 will discuss: “A Look at the Various Forms of African-American Freemasonry.” The title is awkwardly phrased, but you know what he means. The program is described: “What is the difference

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-37828848586967239532010-09-20T22:37:00.001-04:002010-09-20T22:52:36.173-04:00

Congratulations to Bro. Dean Kennedy and Bro. David Naughton-Shires on their newly completed website for Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076. I mean, someone has to say it. (The previous site looked like it was built when the Macarena was trendy.) Well done, and thank you David and Dean.

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-12281962046376570622010-09-19T09:07:00.007-04:002010-09-20T19:05:24.080-04:00

     The fall meeting of Civil War Lodge of Research No. 1865 will take place Saturday, October 2 at 10 a.m. in the Renaissance Room of Masonic Hall in Manhattan. Manhattan? Isn’t that an unusual location for a meeting of a research lodge focused on the role of Freemasonry during the Civil War? Not really. New York City figures fairly largely in the annals of the war, including what became

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-24906801706972018952010-09-16T00:51:00.006-04:002010-09-16T11:15:23.532-04:00

     In another instance of the Magpie Mason wishing he could be in two places simultaneously to enjoy a concert and a lecture, tomorrow offers the almost painful choice of attending either Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge to hear Bro. Trevor Stewart, or visiting St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church for the One World Symphony’s performance, featuring Bro. Michael Crane. Fortunately, Trevor will speak

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-50829633356957774832010-09-07T08:13:00.004-04:002010-09-08T19:14:55.709-04:00

     Thursday, September 2 was the occasion of the Public Apron Presentation Ceremony honoring RW William J. Thomas, Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of New York at Shakespeare Lodge No. 750. The American Room in Masonic Hall proved too small, as more than 200 well wishers – New York Masons, wives, friends, brethren from Boyer Lodge, a Masonic VIP from the Czech Republic and others – filled

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-281763680074511092010-09-06T13:30:00.002-04:002010-09-06T13:33:24.397-04:00

     From the Master of Compact Lodge No. 402: Dear Brother, You and your Masonic friends are cordially and fraternally invited to attend and to contribute to the work of Compact Lodge No. 402, in the Corinthian Room at Masonic Hall, at its Four Hundred Fifty-Seventh Stated Communication on Tuesday, September 14 at 7: 30 p.m. for a special evening with guest lecturer Bro. Kevin Townley, noted

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-91327704212480965792010-09-04T15:15:00.001-04:002010-09-04T15:15:00.919-04:00

     And from our Never Too Early to Plan Ahead Department.... In April of next year, the Magpie Mason will be the guest lecturer at Mythology Café, the New York City Chapter of the Joseph Campbell Foundation. Date TBA. Mythology Café meets at Ciao Stella Restaurant, located at 206 Sullivan St., between Bleecker and Third streets, in Manhattan. The topic, unsurprisingly, will be Freemasonry,

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6611813000131092173.post-25461651117140989242010-08-31T15:33:00.052-04:002010-08-31T15:33:00.223-04:00

     (With apologies to Ill. Jake!) Magpie readers, as this edition of The Magpie Mason goes to press, I am not at my computer, but actually am seated inside the Philadelphia Academy of Music among a class of about 150 Scottish Rite Freemasons about to receive the Thirty-Third and Last Degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. There is a lot to say about this experience (and

Magpie Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390264410632162085noreply@blogger.com5