‘African initiations and Kabbalistic interpretations’

    

In honor of Thomas Smith Webb Chapter of Research, the Library displayed various artifacts, including this set of Grand Chapter jewels from the nineteenth century.

I should have clocked it, but I’ll state unequivocally that The American Lodge of Research set a new speed record in Opening, Balloting, and Closing last night, having done it all between 6:15 and 6:50 p.m., or thereabouts. No trophy for ritual excellence, but it was a lot of fun.

That was all we had to do because the main event started at seven upstairs in the Livingston Library. Congratulations to all our new Corresponding Members, including RW George Filippidis, Bro. Alex Vastola from the Library, and Bro. Jussi from Finland! And to new Active Members, including Dan Kemble from Kentucky! Plus, we finally seated a team of Trustees, which you wouldn’t think would be so difficult, but it took a while. (One must be a legal resident of New York, and it seems many of the brethren live elsewhere.)

And we elected a Fellow, but I think I’m not supposed to say who yet, pending notification of next of kin.

We packed our gear back in storage, and headed to the fourteenth floor just in time for the joint ALR-TSW lectures. Representing Thomas Smith Webb Chapter of Research was Bro. Americo (of Aurora Grata-Day Star Lodge 647), who discussed “African and Afro-Diasporic Initiatory Structures and their Interaction with Masonry,” which opened our eyes to a number of things. Not only the ritual elements common to all kinds of initiatic rites, but some specific things known to Freemasons that appear in some African systems. Next up was Bro. Michael, Master of The ALR, who explained the Kabbalistic side of the three Craft degrees. When many speakers attempt to delve into this sort of topic, their enthusiasm outpaces their knowledge, but Michael nailed it. Unfortunately I had to exit before he finished, but I saw his audience was loving it.

(I’ve known Michael for years and I’ve never heard him talk so much, but let him speak on Kabbalistic content in the degrees and he’s Billy Graham!)

This event was available via Zoom, and I’m hoping it will be uploaded to the Library’s YouTube channel, and I’ll provide the link if it becomes available.

     

‘A few words on the EA°’

    

We have a Ritual of Initiation upcoming at lodge in November, and our monthly magazine, The Herald, includes a few pages of educational reading focusing on a certain aspect of the EA° excerpted from Symbolical Masonry: An Interpretation of the Three Degrees by H.L. Haywood. (He was a member of our lodge a century ago, oddly enough.) Also in mind is Grand Lodge’s appeal on behalf of the Grand Lodge of Israel. Here are the relevant paragraphs:

Before a man can be persuaded to learn an art, he must realize his ignorance thereof; before he can be made to enter into a new life, he must be made to feel that he is in a natural state of ignorance in regard to that life. There is a certain method by which the candidate is prepared in our ceremonies that is designed to cause the Apprentice to know that, whatever may be his title and possessions in the world, he is poor, and naked, and blind as regards that new life which is Masonry. There is in this method no desire to humiliate him, as that word is understood, but there is every need that he experience humility, a very different thing.

Humiliation may come from disgrace, or some check of adverse fortune; humility is that lowliness of mind in which one becomes aware of his real position in the universe. To know one’s self is to be humble, for in the presence of the infinities of the universe an individual, be he the greatest of the great, is pitiably small and weak; “what is man that thou art mindful of him” is his cry, and he will be the last to strut with pride. A mere sense of humor alone would preserve a man against vanity, did he not also know that he is a frail creature, compounded of dirt and deity, hemmed in by ignorance, and weak every way. When a man compares himself with his fellows he may find cause for pride, but when he stands in the midst of that lodge which is itself a symbol of the cosmos, surrounded by emblems and images on which rests a weight of time more than that which lies upon the pyramids, where the All-Seeing Eye, symbol of omniscience, looks down upon all, he can but feel how frail, how unspeakably helpless and frail, he is. The worldling may eke out a modicum of pride in considering how much wealthier he may be, or more learned than another, but the Mason, acknowledging a law that demands he be perfect as the Father in Heaven is perfect, will be more inclined to cry “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Black Cat Caboodle

“Among the ancients,” writes Pierson, “the ceremony of discalceation, or the pulling off a shoe, indicated reverence for the presence of God.” The Pythagorean rule, that an initiate must “sacrifice and worship unshod” applied throughout the religious customs of antiquity. The priest removed “his shoes from off his feet” before entering the place of worship even as does the Muslim of today. Of this Mackey gives an interpretation as simple as it is wise! “The shoes, or sandals, were worn on ordinary occasions as a protection from the defilement of the ground. To continue to wear them, then, in a consecrated place, would be a tacit insinuation that the ground was equally polluted and capable of producing defilement. But, as the very character of a holy and consecrated spot precludes the idea of any sort of defilement or impurity, the acknowledgment that such was the case was conveyed symbolically by divesting the feet of all that protection from pollution and uncleanness which would be necessary in unconsecrated places. The Rite of Discalceation is, therefore, a symbol of reverence. It signifies, in the language of symbolism, that the spot which is about to be approached in this humble and reverent manner is consecrated to some holy purpose.

In the beginnings of the moral life of man, a place was made holy by being set apart, as the word literally means. The Sabbath was kept separate from other days; the Temple from other buildings; and the altar from all other spots of earth. This was a necessary teaching to cause men to recognize the mere existence of sacredness. But the floor of a Masonic lodge room is not made sacred in order to render other places defiled by contrast; rather is it to convince us that as the lodge is a holy place, so also should the whole world be, of which the lodge is a symbol. When men walk the common ways of life with bare feet, when they undertake every daily task with clean hands, when they seek out their fellowships with a pure heart, then will all life shine with the sanctity God intended, and the Universe be in fact, as well as theory, the Temple of Deity. In the days before our era when astrology and alchemy were seriously received by great minds, the planets were believed to rule variously over the fates of life, and each planet was supposed to be in some wise linked up with a corresponding metal. Lead was Saturn’s metal, iron belonged to Mars, copper to Venus, gold to the sun, etc. To keep one of these metals in one’s possession was to invite the influence of the planet to which it was sacred. Consequently, as a Candidate came to the Mysteries, he was divested of metals lest he bring some unwelcome planetary influence into the sanctuary.

If we find a far-off echo of this custom in our own ceremonies, we may understand that the lodge would thus symbolically exclude every jarring element from its fellowship. We may further understand it in another sense, as meaning that the possessions which secure us the services of the world have no potency in the lodge.

Of this, as we may read in his booklet on “Deeper Aspects of Masonic Symbolism,” A.E. Waite has written with characteristic insight. His words have a finality of wisdom that may fitly conclude a study of destitution:

“The question of certain things of a metallic kind, the absence of which plays an important part, is a little difficult from any point of view, though several explanations have been given. The better way toward their understanding is to put aside what is conventional and arbitrary—as, for example, the poverty of spirit and the denuded state of those who have not yet been enriched by the secret knowledge of the Royal and Holy Art. It goes deeper than this and represents the ordinary status of the world, when separated from any higher motive—the world-spirit, the extrinsic titles of recognition, the material standards. The Candidate is now to learn that there is another standard of values, and when he comes again into possession of the old tokens, he is to realise that their most important use is in the cause of others. You know under what striking circumstances this point is brought home to him.”

     

‘Film project: Spearshaker: Knowledge is Power’

    

You likely have at least heard about the “Francis Bacon was the real William Shakespeare” theory that has been around more than a century; built into that is the notion that Bacon was a Rosicrucian and Freemason. Feel free to pull out your copy of Hall’s Secret Teachings of All Ages and refer to the chapter “Bacon, Shakespeare, and the Rosicrucians.” In short, there is doubt that uneducated, regular guy William Shakespeare could have authored the Folio and the poetry. Some of those plays include sly references to things currently happening at court, and it is contended that Shakespeare could not have known of such things, whereas Bacon had been immersed in it all.

Anyway, a teaser of a film project was unveiled this month, and I hope a full production isn’t far behind. From the publicity:

Spearshaker is an epic historical script for a new film project in development about the Secret Life and Times of Sir Francis Bacon.

The script is the culmination of more than thirty years of historical research into this extraordinary and elusive man. It covers his enigmatic life and the secret aspects of his legacy.

• The lost, last Tudor, son of Elizabeth the ‘Virgin’ Queen
• The true author behind the immortal name Shakespeare
• The leading light and inspiration behind the Rosicrucians, a secret fellowship devoted to a Universal Reformation of the Whole World.

Spearshaker website. All enquiries here.

Watch the concept trailer and subscribe to the YouTube channel to get more updates on film developments.

That’s Jonathon Lawrence Freeman in the title role. Also, if you are on X (once Twitter), seek out @BaconSpeare for frequent news about this fledgling film and all things Bacon-Shakespeare, to wit:

Click here for @BaconSpeare.

And, yes, there is Shakespeare Lodge 750 (constituted 1874) in Manhattan; and, in England, Shakespeare 284 (est. 1792) in Warwick; and Shakspere 1009 (est. 1864) in Manchester.

     

‘The pipes are calling’

    

Detroit Shrine

The Detroit Shriners Highlander Unit.

I got excited when I heard the call for a Masonic pipe club, but it wasn’t what I thought. Some of the brethren up in the Hudson Valley are exploring the possibility of organizing a Masonic pipes and drums square club. As in bagpipes! From the publicity:

My name is Bro. Antonio J. Forte from Dunwoodie Lodge 863 in the First Westchester-Putnam District. Myself and a few brothers from the district have been meeting informally and discussing the formation of a Masonic pipes & drums square club with the permission of the DDGM. We have disseminated an email to help determine the level of interest.

The formation and operation of a pipes & drums band requires many hands: bagpipers, drummers, fund raisers, uniforms, instruments, etc. With this in mind, I have created a Google survey to see if brothers in neighboring districts would be interested in participating, if this comes to fruition. It is my hope that this survey could be disseminated to neighboring districts like the Second Westchester District, Bronx District, Orange-Rockland District, and Dutchess District.

Click here.

If there is enough interest, and if approved by the Grand Master for operation, this square club would meet on a regular basis in the Westchester County area to learn to play, practice, and perform pipes and drums music. No experience necessary, only a willingness to learn.

We may contact you depending on your level of interest. Thank you for taking the time to check out the survey!

     

‘Freemasonry, art, and Kabbalah’

    

Detail of Aperçu de l’Origine du Culte Hébraïque by David Rosenberg, 1841.

Embassy of the Free Mind, the Amsterdam-based locus of things spiritual, cultural, scientific, et al., will host a lecture of particular interest in December. From the publicity:

Freemasonry and Kabbalah:

Cultural Exchange in Esoteric Art

by Peter Lanchidi

Thursday, December 7

1:30 p.m. Eastern

The lecture will explore the interface between Freemasonry and Kabbalah, an important yet largely unexplored area of research both within the narrower fields of the academic study of Freemasonry and Kabbalah and the wider area of Western esotericism. The subject will be presented through the Masonic-Kabbalistic lithographs of David Rosenberg, a Freemason and rabbi who was member of Lodge of Aristocrats in the Paris of the July Monarchy (1830-48).

The splendid pieces of art of the rabbi are richly populated with Masonic, Jewish and Kabbalistic symbols and text, and were popular among both French and English Masons. Rosenberg’s life journey through several countries, the long reception history of his works, and the complex nature of the topic necessitated a truly interdisciplinary approach and extensive archival research that used primary sources from close to 100 archives, collections, libraries and museums in 18 countries on four continents.

Through the artworks of the rabbi the audience will learn how Kabbalah was perceived and used within Freemasonry and they will see how the Jewish visual heritage of Eastern Europe and Kabbalah were amalgamated into Western Masonic science and art. On a broader perspective, the lecture will shed light on the workings of cultural exchange and cross-fertilization within the esoteric landscape of nineteenth-century Europe.

ELTE photo

Peter Lanchidi

Peter Lanchidi is a tenured senior lecturer in the Institute of Art History at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. As an Azrieli Fellow, he earned his Ph.D. in the Department of Jewish Thought at Ben-Gurion University. His doctoral dissertation on the Masonic-Kabbalistic art of David Rosenberg, a Freemason and rabbi, won the Thesis Prize of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism. With a background in art history and aesthetics (BA) from Budapest and in Jewish studies (MA) from Stockholm and Heidelberg, his research focuses on the interface between Freemasonry and Kabbalah in visual material in the nineteenth century and its historical and cultural contexts.

There is more to read here, if you understand Dutch. Click here for tickets (US$13.21 for Zoom).

Click here to read a paper by Lanchidi.

     

‘Masonic Unity Day in January’

    

Masonic Hall will be the venue next January when Grand Lodge will host brethren from the grand lodges of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey for a daylong exemplification of the Craft degrees. From the publicity:

Masonic Unity Day

Saturday, January 27

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Masonic Hall

71 W. 23rd Street

Manhattan

$50 per person

The Grand Lodge of New York will host a Grand Jurisdiction Unity Day, where the Grand Lodges of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania will come together to exemplify their versions of the Craft degrees in an event open to all Master Masons.

While in general terms, the Craft rituals practiced by the various grand lodges in the United States stem from the same roots, these rituals can be significantly different, yet successfully maintain the same lessons practiced by regular and recognized grand lodges around the world. This very unique event will allow Master Masons from all jurisdictions who, for many reasons, might never travel outside their jurisdictions, and be able to come together to witness a variety of Craft degrees.

The participating grand masters will make history, and such an event will be remembered forever. It is a perfect example to prove that Freemasonry, while independently governed, is a one big family of Brothers.

Opening: Grand Lodge of New York

EA°: Grand Lodge of New Jersey

FC°: Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania

MM°: Grand Lodge of Delaware

Hiramic Drama: Team from the Grand Lodge of New York in full costume.

Open to all Master Masons. Hot breakfast buffet at 8 a.m. and gourmet catered lunch at noon will be provided. Cost is $50 per person. Tickets are available here.

This is not a one-day class. The purpose is to exemplify the degrees. If, however, a grand jurisdiction decides to confer the degree it is exemplifying on its candidates, the Grand Lodge of New York will welcome them to do so. All lectures pertaining to the actual degrees (if any) will be omitted on this day due to time restrictions.

For all other information, please contact RW Stewart C. McCloud II here.

Being a New York Mason, who used to be a “New Jersey Mason,” and who recently saw a Third Degree in Delaware, I know the three systems are very similar, but not identical. It has been eight years since I’ve witnessed any Pennsylvania work, but I know theirs is the noticeably different method. Actually is said to be anomalous in the country. I’ve been told it is like the Bristol ritual (Rite of Baldwin in UGLE), but I have no idea. (Don’t listen to anyone who says it’s based on Scottish Rite. It has nothing to do with Scottish Rite. AASR Craft degrees are similar to what Garibaldi Lodge works. See post below.)

Definitely will see you there.

     

‘Secret History of Huguenot Lodge’

    

The Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction maintains a monthly podcast titled The Tyler’s Place, and the episode posted this morning concerns historic Huguenot Lodge 46 in Westchester County. Host Maynard Edwards welcomes Lee Justo, who became the lodge’s historian by virtue of delving into long neglected Huguenot records and discovering an amazing past involving a number of giants of New York history, from the Delancey family to Samuel Seabury and more.

Click here to enjoy the twenty minutes of conversation.

This episode was prompted by Edwards’ viewing of Huguenot’s YouTube channel, where the brethren gradually reveal what they learn about their past as they discover it. Click here to see that.

The lodge will meet tomorrow night, with Deputy Grand Master Steven A. Rubin in attendance, to present the story of Freemasonry in Westchester during the Revolution.

     

‘Garibaldi Lodge schedules its EA°’

    

Sure it’s six months out, but add it to your calendar so you don’t forget. Historic Garibaldi Lodge 542 in the Tenth Manhattan District will confer the Entered Apprentice Degree next April.

This is the famous French Rite ritual as worked in the Italian language. With plenty of Alchemical and Rosicrucian symbolism, it likely is very different from what you are accustomed to.

Apprentices and Fellows are welcome (as always, they would be accompanied by a MM from lodge) and, in fact, are seated in the East with all the dignitaries.

Advance reservations are required. While the Grand Lodge Room is Masonic Hall’s largest space, it is not without seating limitations. The first time I witnessed this degree, the Fire Department inspected and evicted several busloads of Pennsylvania Masons (they were the last ones in) because the room’s lawful capacity had been exceeded. Click here and follow the instructions.

Bring photo ID to enter the building, Masonic ID to work your way into the lodge, and your apron.

     

‘Direct aid to Israeli Masons’

    

Grand Lodge received a communique from the Grand Lodge of Israel yesterday that provides a way for Freemasons to donate funds to help, aid, and assist the brethren in Israel as they and their families cope with both the attack of October 7 and with logistical realities of a nation at war.

Today is the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the Grand Lodge of Israel, but I don’t imagine there was celebration. From this new letter and from the previous message from their Grand Master, we know Masons are distressed directly by the terrorist assault.

I believe New York Masons ought to work with our Masonic Brotherhood Fund (see here), but Masons outside the Grand Lodge of New York can give directly to the Grand Lodge of Israel. From the letter:

The horror stories are beyond belief, how a ‘human being’ can reach to such depths is incomprehensible. The documented acts of barbarity are too gruesome to begin to describe. Our hearts and prayers go out to those hostages, and their families, who are undoubtedly going through living hell! Coupled with this, there are stories of incredible heroism, of soldiers off duty, of citizens young and old—truly indicative of the spirit that prevails. The enemy will never break our spirit!

Whatever the faults may have been and however the nation was divided before this, the nation has united in a way that is totally incomprehensible, volunteering in every possible way... The Israeli Blue Craft Lodges have been amazing and are certainly playing their part in the war effort, providing meals, food, clothing, and games for the hundreds of people who were forced to flee from their homes and are staying in government sponsored housing or in private homes. They literally fled with the clothes on their backs, some, their homes burnt to nothing…tragedy after tragedy!

Special recognition should be given to Houdini Lodge, whose main purpose is to provide relief by magic shows and similar events. The brethren of this unique lodge have split into groups working seven days a week at hospitals and on Zoom to cheer up children. Masonically speaking, the Grand Lodge has allowed lodge meetings to continue by Zoom while providing lectures from the Grand Lodge twice a week to Freemasons across the country.

With all this, the list of the needs of the population never ends... The Charity Fund of the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel is funding as many of these needs within the financial constraints they face. This is in addition to the tremendous volunteering of brethren and their families... I therefore appeal to your generosity so that we too can play our part along with our sister Israeli Craft Lodges. We have Israeli tax exemption status, but unfortunately this is not the case in other countries.

Our greatest needs are in the south of the country. People are asking what are these needs? It is not an easy question to answer as the situation is so dynamic and we don't know what will happen tomorrow and the days following. Nevertheless, I have tried to categorize the immediate needs:

1. General – there is a need to help families with their daily requisites such as medicines, toiletries, diapers, food, clothing, etc… Some of these families have been sent to the center of the country and need help. In many cases, their spouses or children have been called up to serve the country.

2. Contact – Due to the situation there is a desperate need to keep contact with their friends and loved ones… for this we need more laptop computers and tablets.

3. Meals – as mentioned above, this war which is already in its second week, will take longer. As a result, we will need to make sure that we are able to help out as much as possible.

4. Counseling – Many people require psychological assistance. In Ashkelon and the South, the sirens are non-stop, people are constantly running to their shelters and for the elderly and the disabled, it is totally impossible. This counseling will continue for some time after the war ends and we would like to help where we can!

5. Rehabilitation – As I already said, each day brings its surprises and we must be prepared for the worst. Whatever happens there are hundreds of families who have to re-establish themselves, properties, equipment, cars, days of lost income and..and..and.. Naturally, we are very grateful for any assistance which our brethren can contribute. It will go to the Grand Lodge Charity Fund and be managed by them. 

To donate now to the Charity Fund of the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel [click here]… 

Unfortunately, among the casualties, there are some brethren and their families–a brother whose son was killed; a brother who survived the massacre together with his family, but whose daughter and son-in-law were taken hostage. Many of us have close family members who have been killed, wounded, missing or kidnapped. Our Past Grand Master’s grandnephew was killed. The list goes on… Israel is a small country and inevitably everyone knows of someone in distress!

     

‘The Hamas covenant and Freemasonry’

    

“The enemies have... formed secret organizations, such as the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs and the Lions.”

Hamas

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides an online English-language dissection of the founding document of Hamas, the Islamo-Nazi murder cult. Excerpted:

The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement was issued on August 18, 1988. The Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as the HAMAS, is an extremist fundamentalist Islamic organization operating in the territories under Israeli control. Its Covenant is a comprehensive manifesto comprised of 36 separate articles, all of which promote the basic HAMAS goal of destroying the State of Israel through Jihad (Islamic Holy War). The following are excerpts of the HAMAS Covenant:​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Goals of the HAMAS

“The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.” (Article 6)

On the destruction of Israel

“Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” (Preamble)

Rejection of a negotiated peace

“[Peace] initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement... Those conferences are no more than a means to appoint the infidels as arbitrators in the lands of Islam... There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility.” (Article 13)

Anti-Semitic incitement

“The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: ‘O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.’” (Article 7)

“The enemies have been scheming for a long time ... and have accumulated huge and influential material wealth. With their money, they took control of the world media... With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the globe... They stood behind the French Revolution, the Communist Revolution and most of the revolutions we hear about... With their money they formed secret organizations - such as the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs and the Lions - which are spreading around the world, in order to destroy societies and carry out Zionist interests... They stood behind World War I ... and formed the League of Nations through which they could rule the world. They were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains... There is no war going on anywhere without them having their finger in it.” (Article 22)

“Zionism scheming has no end, and after Palestine, they will covet expansion from the Nile to the Euphrates River. When they have finished digesting the area on which they have laid their hand, they will look forward to more expansion. Their scheme has been laid out in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” (Article 32)

“The HAMAS regards itself the spearhead and the vanguard of the circle of struggle against World Zionism... Islamic groups all over the Arab world should also do the same, since they are best equipped for their future role in the fight against the warmongering Jews.” (Article 32)

     

’Segev: We will substantiate the words Freedom, Equality, and Fraternity’

    

Below: a new message from MW Ilan Segev, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Israel, dated yesterday, to the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of New York.

To support our brothers and their families in the State of Israel, Grand Lodge is grateful to receive your contributions, both large and small, as checks payable to the Masonic Brotherhood Fund earmarked for the Grand Lodge Emergency Relief Fund.

Please mail your checks directly to:

Masonic Brotherhood Fund

71 West 23rd Street

New York, NY 10010-4149

Grand Lodge ensures all funds collected will be given to the Grand Lodge of Israel to help our Israeli Brothers and their families.

My Dear Brother,

On Saturday, October 7, 2023, thousands of terrorists infiltrated the southern part of Israel and caused a barbaric mass slaughter—unprecedented in the world—while committing crimes against humanity and mankind.

Over 1,300 fatalities, with this number expected to increase; over 3,000 wounded; several hundred missing, and hundreds more abducted—babies, children, women, men, the elderly, and soldiers.

This is the blackest day in the history of the State of Israel since its establishment, some 75 years ago.

Terrible sights were discovered yesterday after searching for remaining terrorists, showing that these are not human animals (animals kill to eat)—this is pure evil, hatred of Jews. Terrorists who have lost all humanity—shooting children and their parents in the head; tying civilians up and shooting them in the limbs so they don’t run away; followed by horrific murders; rape and murder of women; cutting off heads and burning people alive who would not leave their homes, leaving a human mass of coal! Also that merciless slaughter of young people who participated in a moonlight nature party.

What can I say? A heinous murderous scene unimaginable in the human mind.

Israel was surprised by an intelligence and military failure, but very soon regained control and we are fighting for our homeland, for our lives. We have no other country. We have nowhere else. We have no choice but to win!

300,000 Israelis have enlisted in the army to defend the country, including my family and the brethren of our Order. There is no doubt that we will win!

My Brother, this is totally contrary to the principles of Freemasonry—pure evil, acts of terrorism similar to the actions of al-Qaeda and ISIS.

As we speak of principles of freedom, equality, and fraternity, we see here an unimaginable evil, an evil of a kind never seen before. On the other hand, we see the amazing heartwarming response from you and the Grand Lodges around the world, who sympathize with us in these difficult times and not only share solidarity but also express condolences for the losses that we are experiencing.

The Grand Lodge of the State of Israel brings together Christian, Muslim, Druze, and Jewish brethren who show their solidarity, warm bond, and desire to help each other. We all unite and stand together in these difficult moments.

Unfortunately, there are casualties, including some brethren and their families: a brother whose son was killed, a brother who survived the massacre together with his family but his daughter and son-in-law were taken hostage. Many of us have close family members who have been killed, wounded, missing, or kidnapped.

My Dear Brother, your letter and that of your Grand Lodge warm our hearts and show us that Freemasonry is a ray of light in the darkness, a beam of hope that shines in the terrible darkness.

You are strengthening hope and faith in man.

My brother, this is a war for freedom, a war for values.

On behalf of myself and the brethren in Israel, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and those of all the brethren of our Order for your friendship, brotherhood, concern, and caring. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Freedom, equality, and fraternity are our motto.

We will win and substantiate these words!

With sincere feelings of gratitude and brotherhood,

llan Segev

Grand Master

     

‘Grand Lodge appeal for Israel’

    

The Grand Lodge of New York appeals to its Freemasons for aid for the State of Israel via the Grand Lodge of Israel. The letter:

We at the Grand Lodge of New York are trying to do our part towards answering the call of the distressed in providing a source of much needed help to those adversely affected by these unprovoked acts of violence and war against our Ally, the good citizens of the State of Israel. These unprecedented assaults, hostage taking and aggression by Hamas and other bad actors are especially traumatic and harrowing to the population of children and the elderly residing in both the cities and countryside of Gaza and Southern Region of Israel.

Your Grand Master, Most Worshipful Richard J. Kessler, and the Grand Lodge of New York, in a strong showing of solidarity with our fellow brethren of the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel, we look to the members of our noble Craft to demonstrate their heartfelt compassion and empathy for our fellow human beings during this their hour of darkness. Together, we will emerge from this tragic and dispirited experience united with a renewed zeal for bringing back peace, harmony and brotherhood throughout the world. The essence of True Masonic Brotherhood will be a beacon of hope for all to see and emulate.

In the name of this charitable and humanitarian effort in support of our brothers and their families within the State of Israel, we are grateful to receive your contributions, both large and small, as checks payable to the Masonic Brotherhood Fund earmarked for the Grand Lodge Emergency Relief Fund. Please mail your checks directly to:

Masonic Brotherhood Fund

71 West 23rd Street

New York, NY 10010-4149

We will ensure that all funds collected will be given to the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel to be used to help our fellow Israeli Brothers and their families to become whole once again.

In anticipation of your most generous support, please accept the warmest fraternal thanks on behalf of the Grand Master, the officers and members of the Grand Lodge for your kind-spirited gift to the Grand Lodge Emergency Relief Fund. The noted humanitarian and physician, Dr. Albert Schweitzer said it best, “There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed.” In memory of the many victims who are injured, maimed or have perished during this calamity, and in cohesion with their families and fellow countrymen, we gratefully bear witness to your genuine and unselfish expression of charity.

Thank you once again for your thoughtfulness and generosity for our fellow human beings during these trying times.

With kindest fraternal regards, I am sincerely,

RW Richard T. Schulz

Grand Secretary

cc: Grand Lodge of the State of Israel

     

‘Grand Lodge of Israel statement’

     

The best reproduction I can manage.

‘Emulation Ritual’s bicentenary’

    

emulationloi.org

I wanted to get to this last Monday, which was the actual 200th anniversary, but anyway I’ll note the landmark occasion of the start of Emulation Lodge of Improvement on October 2, 1823 thusly.

Emulation is a Masonic ritual under the English Constitution of Freemasonry. The United Grand Lodge of England has no official ritual; there are, if I understand correctly, approximately eighty rituals found in UGLE lodges around the world, but I’m told practically all of them are variations of Emulation.

What is Emulation?

Seal of the Ancients.

I would say Emulation was the ritual component of bringing together the Grand Lodge of England (the “Moderns” of 1717) and the Grand Lodge According to the Old Institutions (the “Ancients” of 1751). There was a lot more that went into the amalgamation of the grand lodges in 1813 than merely who was going to be in charge. Matters of ritual and regalia and a lot more required a meeting of the minds. To discuss the ritual department, I will defer to Brent Morris and Art de Hoyos, who co-wrote the Introduction to The Perfect Ceremonies of Craft Masonry and The Holy Royal Arch, published by the Masonic Book Club in 2021.

The two former rivals had ritual variances and, for the next two years, a Lodge of Reconciliation met to create a new form of ritual acceptable to all. They did not create an ‘authorized ritual’ which was to be enforced throughout the English Constitution, but rather created a satisfactory form of ritual. Lodges would be free to include variations so long as the essentials were included…

In 1823 the Emulation Lodge of Improvement was founded for Master Masons only. Several of its members had belonged to the Burlington and the Perseverance Lodges of Instruction. Burlington began working in 1810 under the Moderns Grand Lodge, while Perseverance started in 1818 under the United Grand Lodge. As Colin Dyer noted, ‘Among the Founders [of Emulation Lodge] were some who were very able ritualists and who had a great deal of experience and expertise in the working of the new forms according to the Grand Stewards’ Lodge system.’ The founders were almost equally split in membership among the former rival grand lodges.

Peter W. Gilkes

Peter William Gilkes (1765-1833) joined Emulation Lodge of Improvement in 1825. He was initiated at age twenty-one in British Lodge No. 4, a Moderns lodge, in 1786, and became a preeminent instructor of Masonic ritual. Although not a member of the Lodge of Reconciliation, he visited it about ten times. He was known for his strict adherence to verbal accuracy, which is still a characteristic of lodges using Emulation working. It is not known precisely when the lodge adopted its particular working, beyond the lectures, but we can narrow it down to a five-year period. In 1830 the lodge sent a petition, or “Memorial,” to the Grand Master, the Duke of Sussex, requesting a special warrant to continue its practice, and sometime between then [and] about 1835, it formalized its ritual working. The earliest notice of the Emulation working appeared in an article in The Freemasons Quarterly Review (1836):

About the year, 1823, several Brethren considered that the Masonic lectures were not worked in the Lodges upon a sufficiently regulated system, and that if those whose attainments as working Masons placed them as a prominent authority, were to meet together and to work efficiently, they might be the means of effecting much improvement. They accordingly met, we believe in Wardour Street, pursuant to a general notice in the public papers, which advertisement created a considerable sensation in the Craft. Some members of the Grand Stewards’ Lodge, hitherto the only authority for a recognized system, felt that it was necessary to watch the proceedings. Some Grand Officers, with Brother E. Harper, the Grand Secretary, also attended. The several chairs from the Master to the Outer Guard were all filled with the most practical and experienced Masons of the day; and we have the authority of a Grand Officer for stating,  that never was there so perfect an illustration of the ceremonies and lectures ever before manifested. The visitors separated, highly delighted; and among them, the lamented Peter Gilkes, who so highly approved of the proceedings, that, in about twelve months afterwards, he joined the Lodge, and supported it until the time of his death.

 

It was likely in 1836 that the first version of an “Emulation ritual” was printed, appearing under the title, The Whole of the Lodge Ceremonies, and Lectures in Craft Masonry; as taught by the late P. Gilkes. Although an imprint was absent from the publication, the printer may have been George Claret (1783-1850), a well-known ritualist and acquaintance of Gilkes. This work was the first post-Union plain text English ritual, printed as a fraternal aide-mémoire rather than as a public exposé.

I’m starting to ramble, but let me close with a few words from my copy of Emulation, a well used second edition from 1970 that I bought ages ago from Yasha.

The Emulation ritual MM tracing board from Lewis Masonic’s 1970 edition.

Emulation Working takes its name from the Emulation Lodge of Improvement whose committee are the custodians of this particular ritual.... The Emulation Lodge of Improvement for Master Masons first met on 2nd October 1823. The Lodge was formed for Master Masons only, and worked, in its earliest years, only the Masonic lectures. However by about 1830 in accordance with general practice the ceremonies were also being rehearsed—always with considerable attention to accuracy, so that no alteration might inadvertently become practice. The Lodge of Improvement has met uninterruptedly since those days, so soon after the settling of the ceremonies by Grand Lodge in 1816, for the purpose of demonstrating unchanged, so far as has been humanly possible, the Emulation Ritual in accordance with the original method. Since June 1965 the variations permitted by the Grand Lodge Resolution of December 1964, with consequential amendments, have also been periodically demonstrated.

None of this has anything to do with ritual in lodges in the United States. Our practices commenced in the 1700s and evolved on their own paths into what we have today, with all their differences from state to state. Emulation is perfectly comprehensible to the American eye and ear; the biggest difference, I’d say, is the absence of our Enlightenment-era Prestonian lectures. And they have Working Tools that we do not.

If I’m not mistaken, Emulation can be found in America, in certain lodges that adhere to either the Observant or European Concept models. I think Vitruvian 767 in Indianapolis works it. Many years ago, when Marco became Master of St. John’s 1 in Manhattan, he was installed by a Board of Installed Masters of the Emulation style. Needed dispensation for that.

One of many Emulation books.

Emulation Lodge of Improvement still exists and, in fact, hosted an anniversary celebration Friday night. (I tried to join its private Facebook group last week, but couldn’t pass the test questions!) If you are interested, you can purchase ritual books from Lewis Masonic here.

     

‘The Anti-Mason library’

    

Haaswurth Books

There are Masonic libraries (I have one), and there are Masonic libraries (my Grand Lodge has one). Then there is this. Haaswurth Books, way up in Binghamton, is offering a stunning trove of literature from the start of the Anti-Masonic hysteria of the 1820s and ’30s.

You’ve heard of some of these books, and you have read reprints of a few, but this amazing cache contains first editions. I imagine the tactile experience of turning these pages might transport readers back to the birth of the American fear of Freemasonry. It was an ugly time. Americans in some rural areas (the contagion didn’t impact the cities much) started to wonder if the Freemasons holding public offices and other powerful jobs were ruling the new republic according to some secret design. Of course we hear that kind of blather even today. You know the panic was detonated by the alleged murder of a man calling himself William Morgan in 1826, but what rocked the Northeast of the country was a not wholly irrational fear of Freemasonry. After seeing the preponderance of Masons involved in the trials of the accused killers, people began to take notice of the high ranking Masons in the pinnacle of political life.

Top officials of the era in Albany and Washington were prominent Freemasons: Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, Daniel Tompkins, DeWitt Clinton, and plenty others were not united in political views—nor even within their respective political parties—but were members of this one fraternity. And Freemasonry at this time was not quite the same as the Freemasonry of the Founding. Early American Freemasonry was a workshop in self-governance, with the man on the street attending lodge and casting ballots to elect leaders, choose how funds were disbursed, and make numerous decisions as needed. By 1830 or so, however, things were changing. The simple lodge was in competition with other Masonic groups, chiefly the Scottish Rite and Royal Arch, which offered its members grandiose titles that might tickle the public funny bone today, but weren’t considered amusing by some back then. Americans didn’t overthrow a monarchial colonial system and establish a republic with democratic elections so that the local mayor, banker, newspaper publisher, and other elites could address each other with royal, ecclesiastic, and other nicknames of pageantry.

Wariness of the Craft wasn’t exactly brand new. In the 1730s, a New York City newspaper expressed skepticism of an organization that exacted secret oaths from its members while sequestering itself in a private meeting room replete with an armed sentry outside the door. But suspicion didn’t grip society, birth a political movement, and cause the near disappearance of Freemasonry. All that would come in the 1830s, as documented in these books for sale here.

I have been meaning to post this for two years, but forgot somehow. At this point, the books are available for sale individually, so if you or your favorite Masonic institution seek to start or augment a collection of original anti-Masonic material, maybe this is the way to go.