‘The Journey in Esoteric Societies’

     

Piers Vaughan will be the guest speaker of Atlas-Pythagoras Masonic Lodge in New Jersey in two weeks. He will present “The Journey in Esoteric Societies” on Friday the 20th. The event will be open to all Freemasons, their families, and friends.

Lodge will open at 7:30 p.m. The address is 1011 Central Avenue in Westfield.
     

‘A singular surprise at Masonic Week’

     
I better get to the Masonic Week coverage, although there won’t be much this time because I attended only three functions before heading home too early on account of a medical concern. So, I attended The Masonic Society’s ninth annual banquet, the Society of Blue Friars 73rd annual Consistory, and the Grand College of Rites’ annual meeting. But this edition of The Magpie Mason concerns the Allied Masonic Degrees meeting on Saturday, by which time I was well on my way home, where Bro. Mohamad was honored with a singular surprise.

I was there in 2002 at the former Hotel Washington when Grand Master James Olmstead inaugurated the Marvin Edward Fowler Award as his final action in office, presenting it to Herb Fisher (MVGM of AMD in 1981). Olmstead designed the glass piece, having a gentle green hue added to symbolize AMD beyond the fraternity’s emblem and wording on the surface of the beveled glass. It is awarded, and not necessarily meant to be given every year, to those designated by the grand master in thanks for outstanding service to the fraternity. Its namesake had died just two months before our meeting in Washington, DC. Marvin Fowler was one of those Masons who provided backbone to American Freemasonry, having served as grand master of AMD and grand master of the Grand Lodge of Washington, DC, and was a VIP in many other apartments of the Temple. He is remembered as one of the Masons who ensured the Masonic Week (then known as AMD Weekend) tradition continued through the years as chairman of the planning committee. He had been around for some time, having been coroneted at 33° Scottish Rite Mason back in 1943! (He was made a Mason at age 22.) I did not know him; in addition to the age difference, I was still somewhat new to AMD in 2002. Nevertheless, I felt it was a pretty emotional moment when the award was revealed to the brethren present, and its first recipient was asked to approach the East to accept it. Fowler’s son Ed was junior grand warden of the Grand Council of AMD at the time too, adding more fraternal warmth to the occasion.

Courtesy Moises Gomez

Fast forward 15 years, and it is Bro. Mohamad’s turn. Here he is, at left, receiving the award from outgoing Grand Master Lawrence Tucker.

One unusual detail: Mohamad is a past master of Atlas-Pythagoras Masonic Lodge 10 in New Jersey. There are three other Fowler Award honorees who have links to the lodge. First, of course, is Thurman Pace, who served as grand master of AMD in 1994. In addition—and I had no idea of this until Bro. Moises Gomez pointed it out in the lodge’s March trestleboard—two honorary members of A-P 10 have received it: James M. Ward, past grand master of Mississippi (2004), and William R. Logan, past grand master of South Carolina (2016).

Congratulations, Mohamad! In addition to being proud to be your friend, I am in awe of your commitment to Freemasonry, and enjoy watching the tokens of esteem come to you.
     

‘Masonic March madness!’

     
There are so many great things for the thinking Freemason to do this month! Check out some of these events within the apartments of the Temple and without.

Thursday, March 2 – Washington Lodge 21 in the First Manhattan District will meet at 7 p.m. in the French Doric Room on the tenth floor of Masonic Hall (71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan). Program: A lecture on American Talmudist and Washington Lodge Brother Israel Baer Kursheedt given by the lodge’s own W. Bro. Tessler.

Friday, March 3 – New York Open Center will host an open house with a discussion of Esoteric Quest at 7:30 p.m. Free admission. 22 East 30th Street in Manhattan. From the publicity:

The Open Center’s Esoteric Quest conferences have now run for over 21 years and are some of the world’s leading events on the Western spiritual paths. We invite you to join us for an informative and engaging evening in which we will briefly review the remarkable history of the Quests and look forward to the upcoming Esoteric Quest in the Western Isles of Scotland in August. The Outer Hebrides in the North Atlantic are where Celtic and Norse cultures mingled, where megalithic standing stones dot the landscape of the isles of Lewis and Harris, and where big skies, mountain vistas, and the ever present rolling sea provide the context for our thirteenth Quest. Join us for a convivial and entertaining evening. All are welcome.

Friday, March 3 – The Gurdjieff Foundation of New York will hold a new introductory session at 6:30 p.m. in the lecture hall at Quest Bookshop. Details here:

Click to enlarge.

Sunday, March 5 – The School of Practical Philosophy will present a new Plato Study Day titled “Plato’s Path to Prosperity.” Click here.

Sunday, March 5 – Anthroposophy NYC will present Anne Keller-de Wild, who will present “The Five Temperments: An Open Secret, Continued.” Details here.

Tuesday, March 7 – My favorite chapter of Piers Vaughan’s latest book concerns the Archangel Raphael, and on this night the Scottish Rite Valley of New York City will host Piers (33°, MSA, PMWM, etc.) for a reading of this very chapter and a book-signing. Details here:

Click to enlarge.

Wednesday, March 8 – Mariners Lodge 67 in the First Manhattan District will meet at 7 p.m. in the Doric Room on the eighth floor of Masonic Hall (71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan). Program: Voyage into Mystery Chapter X: “Secret Origins of the Illuminati” presented by Josef Wages. From the publicity:

Who were the Illuminati? Why was it formed? Is there a connection to Freemasonry? Does it still exist, and is it behind the “New World Order?”

Bro. Josef Wages is a famed Masonic author who is one of the principal editors of the book The Secret School of Wisdom: The Authentic Ritual and Doctrines of the Illuminati. (Copies of the book and Illuminati jewelry will be available for sale.) Open to Apprentices and Fellows.

Program will be followed by Mariner’s legendary maritime-themed Festive Board at 9 p.m. Reservations are a must. Click here.

Friday, March 10 – The Fourth Manhattan District (my home) will host a Grand Lecturer’s Convention. These are amazing happenings. Bro. Richard Kessler, the Right Worshipful Grand Lecturer, will discuss a certain aspect of the meaning of Masonry. A real treat, especially for those of us new to New York Freemasonry and are unaccustomed to knowing Grand Lodge officers who can discuss Freemasonry brilliantly. At Masonic Hall: 71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.

Saturday, March 11 – New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786 will host the Magpie Mason! A Past Master of the lodge, I will tender my first presentation to the brethren in a really long time. Titled “Question Everything (And Answer as Best You Can),” I’ll recount the history of Masonic education, and explain how attainable an advancement in Masonic knowledge really is, even for the timid seeker.

We meet at Hightstown-Apollo Lodge 41 in Hightstown.

Thursday, March 16 – The inimitable Andrew Hammer, president of the Masonic Restoration Foundation and author of Observing the Craft, will present the 2017 Wendell K. Walker Lecture, hosted by Independent Royal Arch Lodge 2 in the First Manhattan District. All info on this flier:

Click to enlarge.

Thursday, March 16 – The Mythology Roundtable of New York will meet for Mesopotamian Mythology Class at Brooklyn Brainery at 8:15 p.m. From the publicity:

Mesopotamia, the ancient “Land Between Two Rivers” in present day Iraq, was home to many different gods. Though less-well known today than the pantheons of ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt, the gods of Mesopotamia had just as many grand adventures, big personalities and poignant observations on the human condition. We know them today thanks to a rich ancient literature, including the famous “Epic of Gilgamesh,” the first example of written epic poetry in world history.

In this class, we’ll meet the most important gods of Mesopotamia: tempestuous Inanna (the original femme fatale), wise Enki, monster-slaying Ninurta, and many more. We’ll hear the story of the great “two-thirds divine” hero Gilgamesh and uncover the original context of familiar names like Ishtar and Lilith. We’ll also learn how these gods were worshipped, and how the worship affected history, up to and including the modern world.

This class is a general introduction to the myths and legends of Mesopotamia. No previous knowledge of the subject matter is required.

Friday, March 17 – Atlas-Pythagoras Masonic Lodge 10 in New Jersey will welcome back Past Prestonian Lecturer (2014) Michael Kearsley, who will speak on “1814 Consolidation and Change: The First Year of the United Grand Lodge of England.” Details here:

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Saturday, March 18 – The Rose Circle Research Foundation will bring renowned scholar, author, Freemason, Fama translator, etc. Christopher McIntosh back to the lectern to present “New Light on the Golden Dawn.” From the publicity:

In the founding of the 19th century English occult society the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a key role was played by an alleged German Rosicrucian adept named Fräulein Anna Sprengel, who had the magical motto Sapiens Dominabitur Astris (the wise person overcomes their stars). In this lecture, historian Christopher McIntosh reveals a sensational discovery he made about Fräulein Sprengel, and speaks about its significance for the history of the Golden Dawn.

Ticketing information is still to come.

Saturday, March 18 – A great day is in store at the Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge in Elizabethtown. The publicity:

Click to enlarge.

Monday, March 20 – The Rosicrucian Order will host a celebration of the Spring Equinox. If you’ve ever wondered about your harmonious relationship among your fellow man, nature, and deity, here’s a great opportunity to learn from the Grand Master. 6:30 p.m. at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center at 2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. in Manhattan.

Saturday, March 25 – The C.G. Jung Foundation will present a daylong seminar led by Michael Conforti, Ph.D. titled “Time of the Forgotten: Trauma, Memory, and Healing.” Details here.

Monday, March 27 – The Mythology Roundtable of New York will meet to discuss the new issue of Parabola magazine, “The Search for Meaning,” at 6:15 p.m. in the Kristine Mann Library at the C.G. Jung Foundation. 28 East 39th Street (fourth floor) in Manhattan. A mandatory reading assignment to prepare for the discussion.

Wednesday, March 29 – I don’t know what is going on with The American Lodge of Research. It hasn’t published a book in about six years. I haven’t received a mailing in two or three years. The website is gone. The Yahoo! Group is effectively shut down. At Masonic Week a couple of weeks ago, a past officer confided the lodge is basically dead, and yet its Faceypage still hints at activity. A meeting on this evening with RW Pierre de Ravel d’Esclapon, a Fellow of the lodge, presenting “The Vatican and Freemasonry: A History of Misunderstanding?” Eight o’clock in the Jacobean Room in Masonic Hall.

Thursday, March 30 – The Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library’s lecture series will continue with DeMolay International Grand Master Bill Sardone speaking on Jacques DeMolay. 6:30 p.m. at Masonic Hall in NYC.

And in April…

Saturday, April 1 – QUEST XXXVII at Scottish Rite Masonic Hall in Rockville Centre, New York. 9 a.m. “A Way of Life.” See flier below:

Click to enlarge.

Wednesday, April 5 – RW Hammer returns to New York City for a great Table Lodge:

Thursday, April 6 – The Scottish Rite Valley of New York City will host its annual Feast of the Paschal Lamb, with Ill. Richard Kessler, 33° delivering the address. This Past Most Wise Master will be there! Details here:

Click to enlarge.

     

‘Kearsley to return to A-P 10 next month’

     
One of the essential Masonic lodges in New Jersey is Atlas-Pythagoras No. 10 in Westfield. Definitely check out this event next month:

Click to enlarge.

     

‘Friday the 16th’

     
It’s September, so our Masonic lodges are emerging from hibernation. My lodge, Publicity 1000, will hold its first meeting of the new Masonic year on Monday, and another lodge I’m fond of will meet soon to host a brother who I like too.

Atlas-Pythagoras Masonic Lodge No. 10 will welcome Oscar Alleyne as the evening’s guest lecturer next Friday. His topic will be “The Tools of Symbolism.” See the flier below, but let me add one missing detail about Oscar’s Masonic work: He serves on the board of The Masonic Society! (Try to get that in there next time, Mohamad!)

See you there.

     

‘Isaac Newton and King Solomon’s Temple’

  
Two rules of thumb: 1) If you’re a regular reader of this website, you’re a guy who has nothing to do on a Friday night; and b) Bro. Lenny Lubitz is our kind of Freemason. Combine these two factoids and you have plans for tonight.

I don’t know Lenny well, but he’s one of the Masons who “gets it.” I keep bumping into him here and there. The book club up in Bergen County. The research lodge in New York City. ICHF.

Lenny is a Past Master of Abravanel Lodge No. 1116 in New York, and tonight at Atlas-Pythagoras he will discuss “Isaac Newton and King Solomon’s Temple.” The lecture is open to Apprentices and Fellows. Lodge opens at 7:30.
  

‘Second Circle plans’

  
The Masonic Society’s New Jersey Second Circle will not host a Feast of Saint Andrew next month, as we have done the past two years on November 30, to allow some slack in the cabletow so our brethren might attend the Grand Lodge of New Jersey’s Feast of Saint John the following night instead. Our Second Circle will sit tight through the end of the year, allowing the hectic holidays and Installations to pass, and will get together in early 2013. Plans TBA.

But about this Feast of Saint John: The guest speaker will be Bro. Robert L.D. Cooper, curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland’s museum, and a knowledgeable debunker of Templar myths and legends. I have no idea what he will say from the podium on the evening of Saturday, December 1, but I’ll be there to hear. I have not attended one of these dinners since Hodapp was the speaker, and that was about five years ago, so I am very happy about this. I am trying to assemble a couple of tables worth of Masonic Society brethren. Tables can be booked for either eight or ten seats, so let me know if you’re interested, even if you’re not a member of The Masonic Society yet. Leave a note in the comments section below—not for publication—with your e-mail address, and I’ll get back to you.

And about Saint Andrew’s Day itself, I just heard Bro. Cliff Porter will be guest speaker at Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge No. 10 on Friday, November 30. Apprentices and Fellows are welcome. See you there too.
  

‘The KJV at A-P’

    
This just in:

Bro. Oscar Alleyne will speak at Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge tonight! Topic: the frontispiece of the first edition of the King James Bible from a Masonic perspective.

If you are not familiar with this famously symbolic page of early publishing, here it is:

But seriously, this should be an excellent presentation. If you want to prime your appetite a bit in anticipation, click here for some Magpie coverage of the KJV’s quadricentennial celebration.

    

'Coming to Atlas-Pythagoras'

    
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 Mason for updates.

     

'A new look at ye olde Bible'

  

Magpie file photo

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 presence of a certain Bible on Friday night, one that has been discussed here before. A cherished, priceless document we in Freemasonry call the George Washington Inaugural Bible was brought to a local Masonic lodge in New Jersey to display during a ceremony.

I just want to offer a quick post on this now to share a perspective that is new to me. Two, actually, but I'll begin at the beginning.

The George Washington Inaugural Bible, a King James Version containing the Old and New Testaments, has been owned by St. John's Lodge No. 1, Ancient York Masons, in New York City since the lodge purchased it from Baskett printers in London in 1767, for use as the lodge's altar Bible. It earned its nickname because on April 30, 1789, George Washington took his first presidential oath of office with his hands resting on the pages of this Bible, opened to Genesis 49-50, in a ceremony on Wall Street.

In a fraternal order that cherishes its history and its artifacts, this holy text enjoys a unique standing; whereas those Founding Fathers who were members of Masonic lodges left this world long ago, this Bible serves as a portal that grants us today the chance to touch them in their day. Well, almost. The Bible is handled only by select members of St. John's Lodge when they travel with it on the very few occasions it is allowed to travel. But it does travel, unlike so many other pieces permanently encased in glass or locked in vaults, never to reach their full value as educational tools and cultural touchstones.

One of those guardians on Friday night was VW Bro. Piers Vaughan, who addressed the audience of approximately 150 to tell the history of this Bible, and his own thoughts on why this particular text came to hold its singular significance.

Piers Vaughan, in Masonic regalia, exhibits 

a miniature replica of the historic George

Washington Inaugural Bible, one that

features the autograph of George H.W. Bush.

Piers spoke of how the preparations for Washington's inauguration were planned to the most minute detail, even down to the quantities of hay and water required to refresh the horses in the procession. How could it be that the very instant of inauguration could be bereft of a Bible? It is a depth of thoughtlessness that seems too improbable to be taken seriously. Instead, argues Piers, the president-elect himself fashioned "an elegant solution" to a potential political and religious misstep. With the new American states characterized by different sectarian beliefs, the choice of one holy text over another in the performance of this swearing-in ceremony could have had repercussions throughout the land. But because of the very high esteem in which the public regarded Freemasonry, Washington's choice of a "Masonic Bible" would have been appreciated as the best obtainable ecumenical solution to the ceremonial dilemma.

And the second point that caught my ear Friday night was the ranking in which Piers placed this Bible in political and civic importance: third, after only the Declaration and the Constitution.

His reasoning is because Washington was created president of the United States with the assistance of this Bible, the Executive Branch of U.S. government was thereby embodied by him that very moment. Enlightened by this view, I now see the aspiration of the Declaration of Independence as prelude to the covenant of the Constitution, rendered in the flesh as a civilian, temporary, and elected chief executive.

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In other New York City news, I repeat the info on an upcoming lecture at Fraunces Tavern Museum on Thursday, January 19 at 6:30 p.m.

From the publicity:

Most people are aware that Freemasonry is a centuries-old society cloaked in mystique, its brethren ever present in the sweep of history, but what exactly do Masons profess? Did Freemasonry inspire the War of Independence? Were all the Founding Fathers members of the Masonic fraternity? Drawing from period literature, and with an insider's understanding of how Masonic lessons are imparted, Jay Hochberg, an officer in New York City's only Masonic lodge of research and education, will define and contextualize the Colonial Freemason's bond to his neighbor, his government, and his god.

Seating is limited to about 60, and no advance reservations are taken. Tickets are sold, at $10 per person, at the door.

     

'Deep Purple'

  

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 Hall on Wall Street in New York City.

I can't even remember the last time I was in a Craft lodge, but Friday night was the installation of Moises Gomez into the Solomonic chair. Wasn't going to miss that. And besides, he asked me to take pictures.

They came from all over New Jersey, from New York City, from the Hudson Valley, Delaware, New Hampshire, maybe elsewhere too. About 150 of us met to salute a Mason who I think is the hardest working Brother I've ever seen. We all know guys who excel in a million things in lodge, or in Scottish Rite, or the Shrine, or wherever, but Moises is everywhere. And without neglecting family and career.

Of course now that he is Master of his lodge -- oh, did I mention it's Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge? The Provincial Grand Lodge of Union County? -- I imagine he'll have to change some of his habits and scale back the extra-curricular stuff. Or at least that would be my strong advice to him.

It was a grand evening. Plus I got to see Piers, Jason, and Steven from St. John's No. 1. I hardly get to see those guys any more.

The Rampant Lion Pipe Band set the tone by opening the festivities with a Scottish march.

The George Washington Inaugural Bible with Square and Compasses.

The banner of the lodge. I'll try to decode the coat of arms. Clockwise from top left: Atlas and Pythagoras; three plows denoting New Jersey heritage; three S&Cs representing Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty; and the cornucopia, because this lodge has everything in abundance. "Ex tenebris lux" can be understood as "From darkness, light." 

The appointed officers for 2012. Thurman, at left, is the Historian.

Not easy zooming in to get this shot of the new Master's gavel,
presented to him by Junior Warden Mike.

It's almost a crime to cut into this cake.

Very Worshipful Brother Piers Vaughan presents Worshipful Brother Moises Gomez a miniature replica of the George Washington Inaugural Bible, a memento from St. John's Lodge No. 1 AYM.

     

‘In the neighborhood’

    
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 of Humanitas Lodge No. 1123 in New York City, who will lead us into the Chamber of Reflection, so to speak, for an explanation of the many intriguing symbols that await initiates in the Scottish Rite tradition of Craft Masonry.

Henry also is Senior Deacon of The American Lodge of Research, the premier education lodge in the United States, and is active in other research bodies.

Apprentices and Fellows, properly avouched, are welcome to attend this lecture.

On Wednesday, February 9, at historic Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, our good friend and Brother Rashied Bey returns to the podium. Rashied is with Cornerstone Lodge No. 37, under the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York, and is very well known about the apartments of the Temple.

RW Rashied will speak on properties of astronomy found in Masonic ritual and symbol.

Also that night, W. Mohamad Yatim, Past Master of Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge No. 10, will visit Madison Lodge No. 93, also to speak on the Chamber of Reflection.

Curious things are happening in some of the lodges here. An amazing line-up for the week ... and that’s even before we get to Virginia for Masonic Week! I’ll need extra cigars and whisky to sustain myself. Let me also point out that all three of these traveling lecturers are of The Masonic Society family. Rashied is a Fellow, and Henry and Mohamad are Members.
    

‘At Atlas-Pythagoras’

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 Yasser Al-Khatib, Past Master, on “The Astral Plane.”

 

‘On the Magic Square’

    
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 “Enlightening the Temple” series, that brought to the podium seven guest speakers during the year, including Rashied Bey, Trevor Stewart, and Tim Wallace-Murphy.

On the historical side, Steve explained the known origins – mathematical and historical – of the Theorem, and explained away the clumsy manner in which it is explained in the lecture of the Third Degree. In the process, he told us about John Dee and a curiosity named Plimpton 322. The former, of course, was the 16th century English esotericist and mathematician. The latter is an ancient Babylonian cuneiform, numbered 322 among the G.A. Plimpton Collection at Columbia University, and might be the best known artifact to show mathematics in archeological history. It dates to 1900-1600 BCE, and it reveals the most advanced mathematics known previous to ancient Greece because it teaches how to form right triangles akin to the Pythagorean way.

The 47th Problem of Euclid is key to Freemasonry because it is elemental to the design of the universe. In short:

In any right triangle, the area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares whose sides are the two legs (the two sides that meet at a right angle).

Often written as the equation:

a² + b² = c²

With the number 3 being a common denominator of deity, there are many ways the triad speaks to divinity. Plato’s three-fold principle has Thought (father/generative power), Primitive Matter (mother/passive principle), and Kosmos (offspring/product). Plutarch, writing of Isis and Osiris, continues along this thinking and explains that within this right triangle the perpendicular is the masculine; the base is the feminine; and their offspring (Horus) is the hypotenuse. (Read the Master Mason chapter in Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogma for a smarter rendering of this. Regardless of how much or how little one might meditate on geometrical theorems, this particular one can be appreciated as part of the “DNA” of the universe.)

Bro. Steve later explored numerology and gematria, linking the Pythagorean Theorem to what is called the Magic Square. A Magic Square is a matrix of rows and columns containing numbers that all agree on the same sum, no matter which direction is taken to add those numbers. To wit:

I think what I like most about Powerpoint presentations is how I can
photograph the images, instead of frantically taking notes!

Then, combining the geometry of the Pythagorean triangle with the numerology of the Magic Square and the cosmic implications of Kaballah, Steve illustrated his theory of a kind of code that defines the universe.

Read more about Steve’s presentation here. He explains Masonic symbolism very poetically and cogently, especially regarding the place occupied by the initiate upon taking his oath and obligation.

The Worshipful Master thanks Bro. Steve for the lecture.

Worshipful Master Mohamad Yatim deserves hearty praise for his work this year, a term during which he not only successfully governed the lodge’s traditional operations while setting attendance records with his lecture series, but also remained on top of the ever increasing mandates of the grand lodge. I am proud to know him, and am very excited to be working with him in 2011 at the Valley of Northern New Jersey, where we will be part of a group that revives a long-dormant Masonic education program. More on that later this fall.
  

‘Consecrating the stone’

    
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 cornerstone-laying at a church in Cranford.


Trinity, an Episcopal church that has stood in the center of town since 1875 (the church had been incorporated three years earlier) on land donated by parishioners, has renovated and modernized its building and grounds several times during its history. Hopefully this remodeling endeavor will serve the faithful for many years to come. The congregation will hold its first service in its newly renovated building on December 5, and on January 15, The Right Rev. George E. Councell XI, Bishop of New Jersey, will re-consecrate this sacred space.

This affair immediately brought to mind the 2009 Prestonian Lecture by Bro. John Wade, whose “Go and Do Thou Likewise” explained the purposes and history of English Masonic processions from the 18th to the 20th centuries. His title is borrowed from the King James Version of Luke 10:37, when Christ relates the parable of the Good Samaritan as the right thinking and right action rewarded with eternal life, so the connection to this ceremony on the grassless front lawn of Trinity Church is natural.

And we indeed had a procession. A century ago there would have been hundreds, if not thousands, of Masons and Knights Templar marching through town to celebrate an important cultural event for the town, but we do what we can these days. I’d say there were about 65 Masons present, with church congregants and other citizens drawn to the curious sight. The local police and fire departments were extremely helpful, closing off streets and hoisting an enormous 48-star flag for the occasion.

Templar honor guard leads the procession.

Members of local lodges approach the church.

An officer of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey addresses the audience.

The ceremonial Working Tools

and the Elements of Consecration are ready.

The Cranford Fire Department hoists

an enormous, antique 48-star flag over the site.

The Rev. Dr. Gina Walsh-Minor, Rector of Trinity Church,

sprinkles holy water onto the stone.

According to Bro. Wade’s research, there traditionally are three types of public Masonic processions: Display Processions, in which the brethren show themselves and their regalia; Ceremonial Processions, where Masons celebrate religious or civil occasions in public; and Building Processions, at which Freemasons demonstrate the operative origins of the Craft by inaugurating buildings. This occasion encompassed all three varieties.

“Processions are where we are most obviously in the public sphere,” Wade’s lecture concluded. “I suggest that we should explore the possibility of a return of these activities. I am concerned that, with regard to our public image, we have lost that civic association that we have had for hundreds of years. As we move further into the 21st century, we surely need to be proactive about our civic identity. For the man in the street, we should be demonstrating that we have a civic association with the community, and that we are not a secret society or private members’ club. Certainly we have our private space – and that is what distinguishes us from other charitable organizations – but we also have a rich heritage of moral integrity with its allegorical ceremonies and symbolism that has continued in unbroken tradition for close on 300 years. With such a sense of display, we can restore confidence in the genuine meaningfulness of what it is that makes us Masons.”

No argument here.