‘334 Auburn Avenue’

     

I read late into the night, and in the summer months I often return to books I had read in my youth. You’ve heard of comfort food? I like comfort comprehension. I am well into The Making of the President 1964 again, Theodore White’s second of what would become his quadrennial four-book series. These are fascinating chronicles that encapsulate many of the social and political forces that shaped those times. The reporting is not only about men campaigning for the presidency of the United States; it is a witness’ account of historic happenings contextualized with details that can make your eyes pop.

So I reach Page 176, early into Chapter Six, titled “Freedom Now: The Negro Revolution” (remember, this was published 50 years ago) which recounts the birth of Martin Luther King’s nonviolent civil disobedience campaign to end segregation in the American South, beginning in Birmingham, Alabama. Excerpted:

“Full plans were drawn up after Thanksgiving, 1962. In December the Alabama Christian Movement leaders met with King at his Atlanta headquarters in the Masonic Lodge building at 334 Auburn Avenue and decided to launch their protest just before Easter.”

I probably noticed the reference to a Masonic lodge when I had read this previously decades ago during high school because my grandfather was a Mason, but obviously that sentence appears larger to me today, and I found it odd just now that the street address would merit mention.

Gotta love Google.

A flickr.com user named Wally Gobetz posted this history two years ago:

Atlanta - Sweet Auburn:

Prince Hall Masonic Temple

Courtesy Wally Gobetz

The Prince Hall Masonic Temple, located at 334 Auburn Avenue NE, was built in 1937, with an addition in 1941, for the M.W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia, under the leadership of prominent black leader and Grand Master John Wesley Dobbs. The Renaissance Revival building was designed by Charles Hopson and Ron Howard. The Prince Hall Masons, Georgia’s most influential black Masonic lodge, were first organized in 1871 by Frances J. Peck, the pastor of Big Bethal A.M.E.

Starting 1949, the Masonic Building’s second floor housed WERD 860AM, the first radio station owned and programmed by African-Americans. Jesse B. Blayton Sr., an accountant bank president and Atlanta University professor, purchased the station in 1949 for $50,000, and hired his son Jesse Jr. as station manager. By 1951, “Jockey Jack” Gibson had become the most popular DJ in America.

The Prince Hall Masonic Building currently houses the national offices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an African-American civil rights organization. The SCLC traces its origins back to the Montgomery Bus Boycott by the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), under the direction of Martin Luther King, Jr., following Rosa Parks’ arrest in 1955. As boycotts spread across the South, leaders of the MIA met in Atlanta on in 1957 and founded the Southern Leadership Conference on Transportation and Nonviolent Integration, which was later shortened to the Southern Leadership Conference and eventually changed to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Under the direction of its first President, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the SCLC was run out of the first floor of the Prince Hall Masonic Temple. It is said that Dr. King would bang on the ceiling of his office with a broom when he wished to address the public on WERD.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic District, an area bound roughly by Irwin, Randolph, Edgewood, and Auburn Avenues, was established in 1974 and later, in 1977 designated a national historic landmark, and expanded in 2001. The district encompasses the environs in which Martin Luther King, Jr., grew up, from his birth in 1929 until he left Atlanta.


I have to believe every Prince Hall Mason in the world is aware of all this, but it is news to me, and I share it here in case it’s news to you too.
     

‘Alchemy exhibit on the Summer Solstice’

     

Courtesy Rosicrucian Alchemy Museum

The Rosicrucian Order is constructing its Alchemy Museum, to be the first of its kind in the United States. Located at Rosicrucian Park in San Jose, California, the two-story structure is being built amid the Order’s Egyptian Museum and Alchemical Herb Garden. It will feature a fully equipped laboratory and an auditorium for classes in both operative and spiritual alchemy.

In the meantime, the Order is four weeks away from opening an Alchemy exhibit in the Egyptian Museum. Just in time for the solstice, the exhibit will open Saturday, June 20. A dedication ceremony will be held at six o’clock. On Sunday the 21st, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Dennis William Hauck will lead a workshop. And at 7:30, the Order will host its annual Summer Solstice Ceremony.

From the publicity:

All Day Alchemy Workshop

with Dennis William Hauck

Sunday, June 21, 2015

10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Spend the day with one of the world’s few practicing alchemists, and probe the intertwined mysteries of mind and matter. Learn how to use the alchemists’ secret formulae in practical work on all levels of body, mind, and spirit. Resonate with the magical imagery of the alchemists’ drawings, harness the archetypal power of the elements, and experience alchemical change within your own being, as you progress through each of the operations of transformation.

The alchemists not only tried to change base metals into gold, but also to rejuvenate their bodies, integrate their personalities, and perfect the very essence of their souls. Although they spoke of furnaces, retorts, and chemicals, they were really talking about changes taking place within themselves. In this unique and inspiring workshop, the secret principles of this ancient art will be revealed using the alchemists’ own writings, drawings, and meditations.

Dennis William Hauck is known for his ability to present these teachings in a way that comes alive in people. While studying for his doctorate in mathematics at the University of Vienna, he completed a three-year apprenticeship in alchemy and was later initiated into a variety of Hermetic traditions in Europe, Egypt, and the United States. He has since translated several old manuscripts and written a number of bestselling books on alchemy, including The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy for Personal Transformation, Sorcerer’s Stone: A Beginner’s Guide to Alchemy, Secret of the Emerald Tablet, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Alchemy. More info on the lecturer here.

In preparing to complete the Alchemy Museum, the Rosicrucian Order welcomes some donations. Click here to see how you might assist.
     

‘The Masonic Society begins its eighth year’

     
If it’s May, it is another anniversary for The Masonic Society. This is the seventh anniversary of our launch, and what has been accomplished is kind of amazing. With ethical, thoughtful, and professional leadership, great things are possible.

Members of The Masonic Society have been receiving issue number 27 of The Journal—the quarterly periodical that just happened to have revived the Masonic publishing business in the United States. No. 27. Meaning twenty-six issues preceded it. I am reminded of now otherwise forgotten critics who said the Society’s business model was flawed, and that it wouldn’t get more than four issues to its members before folding. (They were championing something called Freemasons Press, which folded before getting four issues to its subscribers, but that’s old news too.) The Society begins its eighth year in service to the Craft. We have a fortune in the bank, so we’ll be around, publishing The Journal and hosting great Masonic events, for a long time.

Names in the news: Bro. Ken Davis of Albuquerque is our new First Vice President, following the departure from that post of Bro. Chip Borne in March. Ken was the obvious choice to fill that vacancy. A retired English professor and former chair of the English Department at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, he is an author of several books. Ken is a Past Master of Lodge Vitruvian No. 767 in Indianapolis, and is active these days in several Masonic groups in Albuquerque, including New Mexico Lodge of Research.

Ken has distinguished himself as a Director of The Masonic Society by serving as the Book Review Editor for The Journal, and was instrumental in creating and writing The Quarry Project Style Guide. (I return to the Board of Directors, taking Ken’s place. My thanks to President Jim Dillman and the other officers and Board members.)

Wanna hear something cool? That style guide has been adopted by the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (Southern Jurisdiction)’s bimonthly periodical Scottish Rite Journal; the Scottish Rite Research Society’s annual book of transactions Heredom; Grand Encampment’s monthly Knight Templar magazine; and Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research in Indianapolis.

But back to The Journal.

This issue highlights several familiar elements of Masonic ritual and symbol in ways that even longtime Freemasons could find fresh. The Four Cardinal Virtues are a subject I find vital to Freemasonry—I even used to present a popular lecture of my own devising on the topic—so I’ll start by sharing a bit of “The Masonic Relevance of the Four Cardinal Virtues” by Christian M. Christensen. Here, the full member of Texas Lodge of Research reminds us of the meanings of Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance, and Justice, and then takes us from Plato to Cicero to St. Ambrose to Thomas Aquinas and, finally, to the Jachin and Boaz exposure of 1797 for the Virtues’ arrival into Masonic tenets.

“Taking the Cardinal Virtues to heart and living them day by day requires work, just as becoming a better man is hard. Instead it is easier to continue the quest for light, blinding ourselves to the fact that the most important understandings are in front of us already. The Cardinal Virtues are cornerstone of the Craft, easily explained to us and are available for all to live by—if we are ready and willing to pick up our working tools and apply them.”

In his “We Have a Problem with the 47th Problem,” Brian C. Thomas of Washington ponders why Freemasonry prefers Euclid over Pythagoras. I remember one of the first flaws I discerned in Masonic ritual was its attribution of “Eureka!” to Pythagoras, actually exclaimed by Archimedes, which Thomas notes before guiding us through the chronology of the Pythagorean Theorem and its appearance in Masonic thought. His is a reasoned study, and what I appreciate most is Thomas’ inclusion of Benedict Spinoza in his analysis. The well read Freemason must be aware of the Dutch-born philosopher (and Jewish heretic)’s Ethics, which “mimics Euclid and systematically proves that God is the universe, the single substance in which all natural phenomena exists.”

“Such a concept of God could be universally accepted in all religions,” Thomas continues. “Spinoza is clear that we can know God without intersession of the church, and that a spark of the divine is within us to be discovered.” Read all about it on Page 18.

Patrick C. Carr, Grand Senior Warden of Arkansas, reminds his reader that two of the Great Lights of Masonry are tools for moral building. “Only by learning and understanding how [the Square and Compasses] work together can we hope to begin to tame our earthly passions and begin to focus on our spiritual development in the Craft,” he advises. “Only then will we start to become true Master Masons with the ability to travel and to seek the eternal.” SMIB.

Isaiah Akin, Historian of historic Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC, presents “Gavels and Contagious Magic,” a photo spread of that most handy of working tools, the gavel. But these have illustrious origins. Gavels made of wood, stone, and ivory connected to highly notable human events. Check out these unforgettable artifacts.

And of course there are the regular features of The Journal. In the President’s Message, Jim Dillman updates us on the recent amazing developments in The Masonic Society, including a hint of things to come that take Masonic education beyond the printed word. Journal editor Michael Halleran, freshly outstalled as Grand Master of Kansas, polishes the shine of Dwight Smith. Smith, as you know from your Knights of the North reading, Laudable Pursuit, was Grand Master of Indiana in 1945. His writings were amazingly prescient for their bold foretelling of the demographic and structural ailments in American Freemasonry we see today. When the size of Masonic membership was at its unimaginable apex and the future seemed so blessed, Smith cautioned “that men judge Freemasonry by what they see walking down the street wearing Masonic emblems, and if what they see does not command their respect, then we need not expect them to seek our fellowship.”

“If we have grown so prosperous and fat and lazy,” Halleran quotes Smith, “there is nothing further to do except revel in our status symbols and create more status symbols [because] we have ceased to possess anything that is vital.” A prophet.

Yasha Berensiner’s “Masonic Collectibles” recalls eighteenth century Masonic newspapers. The good, the bad, and the inaccurate are shown in the yellowed fragile pages of long ago.

The book reviews pages share insights into half a dozen authors’ current offerings, from academic and popular approaches. “Masonic Treasures” depicts an odd ballot box of unknown origin that you have to see to believe, courtesy of Isaiah Akin.

And there is a lot more in the pages of this issue of The Journal. Membership in The Masonic Society, as boasted by many—not just me—is the best $39 you’ll spend in Freemasonry. It is a Masonic fraternity on the move. Never content to rest, TMS continues to grow because it improves the condition of the Masonic Order. Enjoy.
     

‘A Day with Plato’

     

I had a great night Saturday at the School of Practical Philosophy on East 79th attending a lecture titled “The Meaning of Meaning,” an exploration of some of the various ways one finds the mean of arithmetic (as the middle of a difference), geometry (proportional measure), harmonics (an average of numbers found in music), and by other, uh, means. It was an one-hour lecture, so there wasn’t time to delve too deeply into a subject that spans four pages of explanation in the Oxford English Dictionary, but the talk was fluid—save for the outbursts of some rude woman in front of me who thought we all paid to hear her speak.

To illustrate a basic definition of a mean in geometry, our lecturer shared a symbol that happens to be found in alchemy, astronomy, and Freemasonry: the point within a circle. With the point as Cause, and the circle as Effect, the mean is a line that connects that point to any part of the circumference. In the parlance of most Masonic lodges, “the Point within the Circle represents an individual brother; the Circle is the boundary line beyond which he is never to suffer his passions to betray him,” so I found it interesting how our speaker likened this symbol’s message to the fundamental philosophic question: Who am I? Borrowing from the Gospel of Thomas, he quoted “He who knows the all, but fails to know himself, misses everything.”

And speaking of interesting, we pondered the meaning of the word interest: inter (between) and est (being). To be between. Like a mean.

We also got into Pythagorean mean, even employing a monochord to match number to tone, and the lecture concluded on the high note of the Golden Mean, an aspect of Sacred Geometry that every thinking Mason should know.

I highly recommend studying at the School of Practical Philosophy. If enrolling in the classes is not feasible, then stay current with the schedule of these lectures. There is one coming in a few weeks that continues the theme of last November’s “The Trial of Socrates.” From the publicity:

The Great Escape

A Day with Plato

Plato’s Crito records a dramatic conversation in a damp Athenian jail between the great philosopher Socrates and his dearest friend, Crito. The stakes could not have been higher. Socrates is to be executed the following day, and Crito stands ready to implement a foolproof plan of escape.

Socrates consents to leave if reason proves this to be the right course of action. Crito has to make the case. How does he fare? What is true freedom worth?

Join us on Sunday, June 7 in a conversation that covers some of the most important questions a human being can consider.


The day includes an opening presentation, group study sessions, a Greek lunch, light entertainment, and closing reception. Family and friends are welcome and no prior study of Plato is necessary.

Reserve a place by purchasing tickets on-line or at the Registration Office on the first floor of 12 East 79th Street.

8:30 a.m.—Coffee and Registration
9 to 3:30 p.m.—Program, and Wine Reception to follow

$45 - Includes Materials, Refreshments, Lunch and Wine Reception
$25 - For full-time students
     

‘Livingston Masonic Library’s digital archives’

     

I’ve been sworn to secrecy since January, but with the Grand Lodge Communication behind us, I feel free to share this great news from the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library. Actually this announcement comes from RW Bruce Renner, President of the Library Board of Trustees:


This year the Library is engaged in another project to bring your Lodge’s history to digital life. As many of you are aware, the Library maintains historical information about Lodges in Lodge Folders, and I’m happy to announce a project that will greatly enhance the way these folders are created, updated, accessed, and preserved.

These folders contain documents dating primarily from the 20th century, provided by the Lodges, that cover a wide range, including information about important events, meeting notices, information on notable people, and even Lodge histories. They have been kept in paper folders, and stored the traditional way in metal filing cabinets. The only way to access your folder was to visit the Library, often during your brief visit to Grand Lodge each year; with several hundred Lodges wanting a look at their files, things can get quite congested.

There are many other challenges with these folders. Even for Lodges in the New York City area, there is limited access. Many Lodges, therefore, lose interest in the process, and let valuable historical information be lost. Over time, a Lodge Folder may be forgotten. In addition, many of the documents are fragile. An excellent example is newspaper clipping that demonstrates a public interest in Lodge activity, but which is printed on very cheap paper. Paper folders also are hard to maintain with our limited staff, and duplications occur frequently. Because adding documents, especially remotely, requires some work, good intentions aside, many Lodges fail to get it done. This leads to information gaps sometime spanning many years.

Finally, the only way to search for something is to handle the physical folder and each document. This requires an on-site presence, and exposes the folder to additional handling with all the incumbent preservation issues.

So just how many documents are we talking about? We estimate the collection contains at least 300,000 documents. They are stored in 35 four-drawer filing cabinets, or 140 file drawers. There is a huge variety of documents and even some three-dimensional objects stored with our museum artifacts.

Over the past several years the Library Board and Staff have been moving the Library into the digital age. The collection of Lodge Folders was an excellent target for early digitalization. After some discussion, the Board set aside funds for the project, which amounted to about $35,000. The Library undertook the digitalization of fragile materials that couldn’t be subjected to high speed scanning, but outsourced the rest of the work.

From our Board, RW Ed Chiani, our Technology Chairman, was key to getting this project off the ground.

At a high level, the process is fairly straight forward, although the actual scanning of 300,000 items is not a trivial task. First, items were presorted, and fragile items were separated out. The remaining documents were then packed into file boxes and transported to the outsourcer’s image processing center by their staff. Once there, the remaining documents are processed using high-speed scanners. An important valued added step to this process is that optical character scanning technology allows many of the documents to be indexed for on-line retrieval. The original documents were then returned to the Library. The remaining steps include enabling access for Lodges and Brothers. We expect this to be in beta test sometime this summer.

The Board has recommended not retaining the paper Lodge Folders. Lodges will be given the opportunity to reclaim their folders; unclaimed folders will be stored or discarded at the discretion of the library. The electronic version of the Lodge Folders takes up about 40.5G. It easily fits on a flash drive that fits in the palm of your hand! Now the dream of converting these files into electronic format will be realized!

Lodges should contact the Library to retain contents by July 1. Lodges may only receive folders of the current Lodge and past Lodges that have merged with their lodge. How to file your request:

Worshipful Masters or Secretaries, e-mail your requests with a list of lodge numbers for folders you wish returned. Provide shipping address to receive contents OR arrange for in-person pick-up at the Manhattan Branch by an authorized Lodge representative or DDGM.

Throughout the summer until Labor Day in-person pick-ups can be made by appointment at the Manhattan Library. Alternatively, we will also arrange for weekly shipments. DDGMs can also make pick-ups for Lodges in their districts. After Labor Day, future requests for contents will be processed on an annual basis—delivered to Lodges at St. John’s Weekend if they are still available.

Please contact the Library’s Manhattan branch by email above, or at 212-337-6619 with any questions.
     

‘You know any Freemasons?’

     
Anyone catch the mention of Freemasons on Mad Men Sunday night? Roger Sterling and Peggy Olson were getting high on vermouth(!) while Roger packed his personal belongings for the move to McCann. He pulls out a Masonic ceremonial trowel, and asks Peggy if she knows any Freemasons. She laughs appropriately.

Where did Roger get that trowel? Could he have been a member of my own lodge, Publicity 1000?

I can’t get my DVR to talk to my iMovie, so here is a crude recording of the scene. Courtesy Lionsgate Television and American Movie Classics.

I hate to be like a groupie about it, but I’m going to miss this show. Only two episodes remaining. Losing this, and Letterman, and Vin Scelsa on the radio, all at the same time, is robbery.

©The New Yorker

     

‘The Bernie’

     
One of the highlights of the Masonic calendar in Pennsylvania is near. It’s always a good time. Make sure you get there. From the publicity:

Shiloh-MacCalla Masonic Lodge No. 558

Presents the Bernard H. Dupee, PM

Memorial Lecture

Tuesday, June 2

Social Hour: 6 p.m.

Dinner: 7:15

William Penn Inn

1017 DeKalb Pike

Gwynedd, Pennsylvania

The 2015 Bernard H. Dupee, PM Memorial Lecturer is none other than Brother Pierre G. “Pete” Normand, Jr. of Texas.

Pete is known internationally for his contributions in the field of Masonic research, writing, and publishing. In 1986, for the Texas sesquicentennial, he wrote and published The Texas Masons: The Fraternity of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons in the History of Texas.

Magpie file photo

He is a Past Master of Texas Lodge of Research, having served as Master of the lodge in 1989, and was named the lodge’s 15th Fellow in Masonic Research in 2003. In 1991, just before the appearance of the internet as a means of transmitting Masonic news, he created the St. Alban’s Research Society, and its quarterly publication, American Masonic Review. As a result of those efforts, he was named the 1996 Fellow of Maine Lodge of Research.

In 1991, he was one of eight founding members of The Scottish Rite Research Society, and was named one of the first Fellows of the Society, and served for ten years as editor of The Plumbline, the Society’s quarterly bulletin. He continues to serve on the Society’s Board of Directors.

He has served as a director on several Masonic boards, including the Brazos Valley Masonic Library and Museum, the Houston Scottish Rite, the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, and the Masonic Restoration Foundation.

In 2010, in recognition of his contributions in the field of Masonic research, he was named the 99th member of the Society of Blue Friars.

Three-course dinner with wine. Choices of entrée: Chicken Marsala or Blackberry-Barbecued Pork or Mediterranean Pasta. Reservations should accompany a check for $45 per person payable to “Shiloh-MacCalla Lodge No 558” no later than May 26. Event is for Masons only. Jacket and tie required.


Drop me a note in the comments section (not for publication) with your email address, and I’ll send you the remittance mailing address.
     

‘Abraham Lincoln and Anthroposophy’

     
Things to do and places to be in Anthroposophy this month in and near New York City.

Friday, May 1—“Inquiries on God: A Talk by Joe Serio” From the publicity: “Bringing fruits from his years of research, Joe Serio will present thoughts arising out of both East Indian thought and anthroposophy, leading to a conversation.

Admission: $15 suggested donation. 7:30 p.m. at Threefold Educational Foundation’s School of Eurythmy at 260 Hungry Hollow Road in Chestnut Ridge, New York.


Saturday, May 9—Marcus Macauley piano recital: works by Mozart and Beethoven.

Admission: $20 suggested donation. Pre-concert talk at 7:30 p.m. and concert at eight at School of Eurythmy, Hungry Hollow Road in Chestnut Ridge, NY.

The Human Being between the Michaelic
and Raphael Forces by Walter Roggenkamp.

Monday, May 11—“Bringing the Lemniscate to Life.” Linda Larson, instructor in Eurythmy, will lead exercises to awaken creativity. (Bring soft-sole shoes.)

Admission: $20 (but free for first time visitors). 7 p.m. at the NYC Branch of the Anthroposophical Society at 138 West 15th Street in Manhattan.


Wednesday, May 13—“The Five Spiritual Events and Basic Human Tasks in the Michael Age.” Thomas Meyer lecture. From the publicity:

“Spiritual knowledge is not given to us as in ancient times. By spiritual means it must be struggled and striven for against a host of demons... We must therefore get to know the powers that would cover up and obscure all spiritual knowledge,” writes T.H. Meyer, in the preface of his forthcoming book on this topic. “The world seems to be standing within a demonic storm that threatens to overwhelm it.” Appeals to traditional religious belief will no longer pacify this storm, and neither will mere good will suffice. How can we better recognize the deeper significance of these times and orient ourselves accordingly?

Thomas Meyer is founder of Perseus Verlag, Basel, and editor of the monthly journals Der Europäer and the new The Present Age. His books include Reality, Truth, and Evil, Rudolf Steiner’s Core Mission, D.N. Dunlop, Ludwig Polzer-Hoditz, and The Development of Anthroposophy since Rudolf Steiner’s Death. He also edited Light for the New Millennium describing Rudolf Steiner’s association with Helmuth and Eliza von Moltke.

Admission: $20 (but free for first time visitors). 7 p.m. at the NYC Branch of the Anthroposophical Society at 138 West 15th Street in Manhattan.


Thursday, May 14—“The Reflections of Ancient Egypt on the Current Era: Thoughts on Rudolf Steiner’s First and Fourth Mystery Dramas” by Thomas Meyer.

Admission: sliding scale, $10-$30. 7:30 p.m. at Threefold Auditorium, 260 Hungry Hollow Road in Chestnut Ridge, NY.


Saturday, May 16—“The Bread of Life.” From the publicity: Lecturer Walter Alexander, medical writer and former public and Waldorf educator, “will lead a brief meditation workshop on Rudolf’s Steiner's adaptation of The Lord’s Prayer. We will consider its connection with Steiner’s Foundation Stone meditation and the relation of both to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.”

Donations welcome. 7 p.m. NYC Branch of the Anthroposophical Society. 138 West 15th Street in Manhattan.

Saturday, May 16—“The Little Prince” performed by Matthew Dexter. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s tale brought to life in dramatized storytelling.

Admission: sliding scale, $5 to $30. 7 p.m. at Threefold Auditorium, 260 Hungry Hollow Road, Chestnut Ridge, NY.


Friday, May 22—“Spiritual Science and the Role of Technology in Evolution” by Andrew Linnell. Topics: the future of human-machine interaction; robotics and avatars; neuroplasticity of the brain; and electricity, thinking, and consciousness. Andrew Linnell is a 41-year veteran of the computer industry, and vice president of the Anthroposophical Society of Greater Boston. He lectures on various themes from art history to ancient mysteries, to artificial intelligence, and more.

Admission: sliding scale to $30. 7:30 p.m. at The Living Room at Threefold Main House, 285 Hungry Hollow Road in Chestnut Ridge, NY.


Thursday, May 28—“Abraham Lincoln: Spiritual Aspects Connected with His Task for the United States and Humanity,” by Virginia Sease, a member of the Executive Council of the International Anthroposophical Society at the Goetheanum in Switzerland. Admission: $15. 7:30 p.m. Threefold Auditorium, 260 Hungry Hollow Road in Chestnut Ridge, NY.