‘The Masonic Con with a mission’

    

The Grand Lodge of New York’s first Masonic Con arrives tomorrow, and you still can buy tickets and join about 125 of your brethren from New York and elsewhere around the Northeast.

Masonic Con New York will examine Freemasonry in the 21st Century: Self and Society—a look at where our fraternity should go as modern America suffers from an epidemic of male loneliness, as documented in the recent study from the U.S. Surgeon General.

Click here.

Freemasonry, as a path of self-development, as a social network, and as an influential and history-making institution, bears the potential to remedy the crisis facing so many American men. Come here our speakers discuss the ideas behind this Masonic Con with a mission:

Keynote Speaker

Maj. Gen. William Green, Jr.

Chief of Chaplains

U.S. Army

—with—

 

Dr. Heather K. Calloway

Executive Director

Center for Fraternal Collections

and Research, Indiana University

MW Akram Elias

Past Grand Master

Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia 

Bro. Bull Garlington

Author and Attorney

Bro. Michael LaRocco

Executive Director

Chancellor Robert R. Livingston

Masonic Library

Bro. Jim Loporto

On “The Elephant in the Room”

This day of Masonic and social studies is open to the public, except for Bro. Loporto’s presentation at day’s end, which will be restricted to regular Freemasons, with an emphasis on seating Apprentices, Fellows, and new Master Masons.

Mariners 67

The weekend will begin tonight with the famous Mariners Lodge 67’s Maritime Festive Board and Beefsteak Banquet. That’s a separate ticket for a magnificent meal in an unforgettable ambiance of feast and song. This is the kick-off of the lodge’s bicentennial celebration.

The speakers program awaits you on Saturday, also featuring tours of Masonic Hall, plenty of vendors, and other attractions.

Click here.

Afterward, the 1781 Society welcomes you for cocktails and socializing with our speakers and with Grand Master Steven A. Rubin and our Grand Lodge leadership. (Sorry. Sold out.)

There are group rate hotel accommodations (sold out) and special rate parking as well.

Questions? Contact me here.

     

‘It’s beefsteak season!’

   

Mariners 67

Mariners Lodge 67 in the First Manhattan District will host its famous Beefsteak Dinner later this month, which I mention here to urge you to attend. These are unforgettable banquets for enjoying course after course of terrific food (and not just beef), libations, song, and a camaraderie I don’t think can be found elsewhere. It’s a rite of passage unto its own.

This will take place Saturday, February 24. From the publicity:

Maritime Festive Board

and Beefsteak Banquet

February 24 at 6:30 p.m.

Masonic Hall, Jacobean Room

Attire: Tuxedo (preferred) or Business Formal, and everyone gets a Butcher’s Apron. This event is open to Masons and male guests only. Doors open at six; gavel at 7:30.

Tentative Menu:

First Course

Iced Shrimp, The Ancient Mariner’s Cured Salmon, House Pickles

Second Course

House-Smoked Brisket Pastrami with Rye Toast, Roast Pork with Rolls, Tomato-Braised Lamb Meatballs

Third Course

Memphis-Style Dry-Rubbed Pork Ribs, 72-Hour Braised Beef Short Ribs, Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Fourth Course

Strip Steak, Lamb Chops, Roasted Potato Wedges

Fifth Course

Assorted Dessert Platters

Draft beer from the legendary Bronx Beer Hall.

Click here to book your seats. This is a perfect group activity for your lodge.

Granted, the ticket price is a lot of money, but if you plopped down in a restaurant and ordered those dishes, you’d have to wash dishes to get back out the door.

Click here for coverage of the last time I attended.

Make time to read Joseph Mitchell’s legendary story from 1939, originally in the New Yorker, titled “All You Can Hold for Five Bucks.” Click here and turn to Page 291.

     

‘New team at Penna research lodge’

    

Myself and plenty of others at New Jersey’s research lodge would love to visit Pennsylvania Lodge of Research, but time and space prevent it. Their meetings often coincide with ours, and the commonwealth is so large that their meetings can be hundreds of miles away. That was the case yesterday; we held our meetings, and theirs was in Pittsburgh.

Their lodge reorganizes its officer line every December, and Bro. Seth Anthony, on Faceypage, reports:

“After several years of service, today was my last meeting as the secretary of the Pennsylvania Lodge of Research. I wish my successor, Mike Moran, all the best as he assumes the role. Also, congratulations to Richard Muth on a great year in the East, and best wishes to Christopher Rodkey on his upcoming year as Worshipful Master. You’re doing great work, Brothers!”

It’s extra notable news to me because Bro. Moran was the book reviews editor, and Bro. Rodkey was an assistant editor of The Journal of the Masonic Society for a number of years. They and Seth have been frequent writers in The Journal also. Congratulations, everybody!

(Coincidentally, Pennsylvania L of R Past Master Aaron R. White will be the guest speaker at Mariners Lodge 67 on Wednesday, presenting “The Tyranny of Memory.” I always say Mariners communications are not to be missed, although I myself never seem to get there, and this one will be no different. Great lodge. Great people. Great meal. And Aaron!)

Looking to the new year, Pennsylvania’s research lodge will meet June 15 at Williamsport; and December 14 at York. The former will not coincide with New Jersey’s meeting, but the latter will—and both are too far away. D’oh! I would join if they came east once in a while, but don’t let that stop you.

     

‘Chris Murphy coming to Mariners’

    

Mariners Lodge 67 will host Chris Murphy at its meeting next Wednesday.

Chris is Worshipful Master of Adoniram Lodge 42 in Vermont and is Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge. You may know him from previous speaking engagements (I was fortunate to hear him at Masonic Con six months ago) or from his published work.

Next Wednesday, the 11th, he will present “Enrich Our Hearts: The Esoterica of the Prayer at Opening.”

Mariners tiles at seven o’clock in the Doric Room of Masonic Hall in Manhattan. Apprentices and Fellows are welcome. Lodge attire is black tie or dark suit. Book your seats for the meeting here.

Surely you are aware of the legendary meals Mariners hosts after its meetings, so don’t miss out. Make your reservations here.

     

‘Way haul away, ye Mariners haul!’

     
It’s Robbie Burns’ birthday, but don’t look for haggis at this Masonic feast. We—more than 250 of us—are seated fairly comfortably inside the Grand Lodge Room of Masonic Hall in New York City, enjoying the camaraderie, conviviality, and near gluttony that is the Mariners Lodge Beefsteak Banquet.

This annual affair is sold out tonight at $150 a plate.

Everything we needed to know was spelled out in our program.

Tonight’s tobacco is chosen! Masonic Hall is smoke-free (must be some bureaucratic snafu), so no pipes at the beefsteak, but no matter. A pinch of Mr. Gawith’s Original every so often will aid digestion, stimulate conversation, and improve posture!

Getting ready to set sail.

Michael, Sal, and Josh.

At a Mariners Lodge festive board, Masons are on port and starboard sides. We were seated amidships.

How many Masons does it take to change a lightbulb? One, when it’s Moore. Actually, Isaac is up that ladder to shoot photographs, which were all over Facebook before long.

Don’t your festive boards have drones keeping an eye on things?

RW Bro. Sam conducted us through the festive board ritual and served as emcee. Grand Master Sardone, in purple, at his right.

If you ever wondered what 250+ Freemasons gorging on beef, lamb, beef, shrimp, salmon, beef, ale, potatoes, and beef looks like.

My mistake for relying on a phone as a camera. Here is our Junior Warden for the night.

The purpose of the aprons is defined clearly and humorously in that New Yorker piece by Joseph Mitchell I mentioned in the first Magpie post on this event, but it was lost on some of the brethren whom I observed eating their ribs and lamb lollipops with the cutlery. They went home with aprons as unsullied as any symbol of purity and innocence. From left: Oscar, Josh, Augustine, Michael, and Sal Corelli.

Close-up shot of the apron. This unforgettable event was described by some present as a Bucket List item. The maritime-themed festive board is something every cheerful Mason ought to experience, but I would hope everyone would be able to take part more than once.

  

‘All You Can Hold for 150 Bucks.’

     
They’re back in business! Historic Mariners Lodge 67 will host its legendary Beefsteak Banquet again next month after an interminable absence of, I think, a year. Don’t disappoint yourself by missing out. Tickets are on sale now.

Courtesy Mariners 67

This is not a colorized photo from the 19th century.
This is the real deal: the Mariners Beefsteak Banquet.

(The title of this edition of The Magpie Mason is borrowed from the great Joseph Mitchell’s piece in The New Yorker from 80 years ago in which he traces the history and describes the heavenly joys of the New York beefsteak dinner. Click here, but do as I did decades ago as an optimistic journalism student (ha!) and get a copy of his anthology Up in the Old Hotel, which also includes his “McSorley’s” story. “All You Can Hold for Five Bucks” and others even mention a few Freemasons. Buy yours today!)


From the publicity:

Mariners Lodge 67

Maritime Festive Board

and Beefsteak Banquet

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Masonic Hall, Grand Lodge Room

71 West 23rd Street, Manhattan

Tickets here

A Uniquely New York,

Old-School Masonic Event

Seating Begins at 6:30

Opening Gavel at 7:30

Dress is Tuxedo (preferred)

or Business Formal

All Attendees Receive

a Butcher's Apron

to Wear and Take Home

Prepaid Reservations

Are Required to Attend

Reserve and pay online here

Five Course Menu

First Course

Iced Shrimp

The Ancient Mariner’s Cured Salmon

House Pickles

Second Course

House-Smoked Brisket Pastrami with Rye Toast

Roast Pork with Rolls

Tomato-Braised Lamb Meatballs

Third Course

Memphis-Style Dry-Rubbed Pork Ribs

72-Hour Braised Beef Short Ribs

Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Fourth Course

Strip Steak

Lamb Chops

Roasted Potato Wedges

Fifth Course

Assorted Dessert Platters

Beer from The Bronx Beer Hall

The Festive Board is a feature of the Masonry that extends back to our very beginnings. Operative stonemasons’ lodges would gather upon important occasions around tables laden with food and drink to celebrate in fellowship with the tangible fruits of their labor. Most common were feasts on St. John the Baptist’s Day and St. John the Evangelist’s Day, which were not coincidentally right around the time of the Summer and Winter solstices. These traditions have been part of our Craft ever since. Indeed, one of the reasons given for forming the first Grand Lodge in 1717 was to hold an annual feast.

In the days before Masons had their beautiful purpose-built Masonic temples and lodge rooms, members of the Craft often convened their lodges in taverns and restaurants. The tables were pushed back and Square and Compasses might be scratched out in the sawdust covering the floor while the brethren performed their Masonic work. Before too long the idea arose of taking advantage of what the tavern had to offer, and a practice was born whereby the brethren would take food and drink on a Masonic form and while conducting the work of the lodge.

Over time, various ritual practices of the Festive Board evolved, especially among military officers, who incorporated various elements from their formal dining traditions. These historic rituals and traditions have been resurrected in the modern day, and the Masonic Festive Board with its multiple courses of food, toasts, responses, and giving of “Masonic Fire” has become one of the most popular special events among Masons.

The Mariners Lodge Maritime Festive Board is a unique form of these table ceremonies, which invokes certain early Masonic legends and incorporates elements of historical naval practice and seafaring tradition.

About the Beefsteak Banquet

The Mariners Lodge Maritime Festive Board and Beefsteak Banquet incorporates elements from the rich New York tradition of the Beefsteak Banquet – those famous celebrations of gluttony where men gathered to eat massive amounts of aged steak, lamb chops, shrimp cocktail, pork belly and mini-burgers washed down with bottomless schooners of beer. Forks and knives are strictly prohibited, but you will be provided with a butcher’s apron and plenty of napkins!
     

‘Rashied back at the lectern’

     
Bro. Rashied K. Sharrieff-Al-Bey, Past Master of Cornerstone Lodge 37 under the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York, has a few speaking dates upcoming in Manhattan. He is one of the best in the business, and it has been too long, so go and listen.

Magpie file photo

Next Wednesday, the 14th, Bro. Rashied will be hosted by Mariners Lodge 67 in the First Manhattan District. That’s a 7 p.m. start, and Rashied’s work of the evening is titled “Three Knocks and an Opening,” which discusses certain distinct knocks and the Scriptural verses to which they relate.

Mariners always serves a feast for which reservations are required unquestionably. Don’t be one of those guys. It will sell out. Click here.

On Friday, April 20, Rashied will be the guest of Consolidated Lodge 31, also in the First Manhattan. The lodge bills the event as an eight o’clock start, and Rashied’s topic will be Bro. Prince Hall.

Masonic Hall is located at 71 West 23rd Street. Photo ID is required to enter the building.

Hopefully more dates will be announced; if so, I’ll share the info here.
     

‘Freemasonry in Cuba’

     
There’s no escaping this on social media today. Definitely stay for the Festive Board, but you must buy tickets in advance.

Click to enlarge.

     

‘Piers Vaughan at Mariners next week’

     

I had the good fortune two weeks ago to visit Mariners Lodge 67 on the occasion of its Entered Apprentice Degree done tavern style. (They had me at “tavern.” All you have to do is add tavern to the name of whatever you’re doing, and I’m there. I even brought a clay pipe with me…just in case.) It was a great night with the First Section conferred expertly in the lodge room, with the Junior Warden in the East, and the Lecture and remaining work presented next door in the dining room. The Lecture really was done tavern style—not just with the brethren seated at table with food and drink, but in a way similar to how Masons did it in ye olden days—with the call-and-response method of the Master posing questions, and the brethren answering. Not all of us. To keep things orderly, a group of eight or so did the talking while the rest of us did the eating and drinking. (If you’re not aware, the modern lecture we see today—the monologue of twenty minutes or so—is an example of how things have changed over the generations. In the tavern age of Masonic meetings, the lecture was a group function. The Master asked questions, and the brethren on the sidelines took turns answering them. This form of lecture has become the Opening ritual, and there were lectures for all three degrees.*)

Anyway, it was a great night for those reasons and others, and another outstanding evening is planned for next Wednesday. From the publicity:

Mariners Lodge 67

Wednesday, April 12 at 7 p.m.

Masonic Hall

71 West 23rd Street

Manhattan

Doric Room, 8th floor

Work of the Evening: Talk by RW Piers A. Vaughan titled “Symbolism, and Freemasonry as a Mystery School.”

Brother Vaughan became a Mason in England in 1979, and he joined a number of orders before joining St. John’s Lodge No. 1 in New York, of which he is a two-time Past Master. He has traveled extensively across the United States and other countries giving lectures on a variety of topics ranging from Masonic history to talks on the symbols and esotericism of Masonry. He is the author of several books on Masonic topics, including Renaissance Man and Mason, which was published in October 2016. He is a longtime friend of Mariners Lodge and we are delighted to have him back as this month’s speaker.

Maritime Festive Board Menu: a Jamaican feast including Stewed Oxtail; Jerk Chicken; Grilled Snapper Jamaican Herbs and Spices; Rice & Peas; Callaloo (Jamaican-Style Stewed Greens); Shredded Steamed Cabbage & Carrots; Caesar Salad; Mixed Fruit Bowl; Soda and the Infamous Mariners Lodge Punch.

Cost of the Festive Board is $35 plus transaction fees. Reservations, before Monday the 10th, are required. Click here.


Don’t forget the lodge’s charity gala too:

And in other news, Worshipful Master Anthony Kofi A. Osei-Tutu visited Havana about a week and a half ago, and met with the Grand Master of Cuba!


*If you want to learn why lodges open only on the Third Degree, RW Samuel Lloyd Kinsey, a Past Master of Mariners, will present his lecture “The American System: Why We Open on the Third Degree” on Thursday, April 20 at Old Number 2.
     

‘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:

Click to enlarge.

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.