‘Hodapp at Nutley 25 in June’

    

Chris Hodapp will be in the New York area for a speaking engagement in June.

D. Hosler photo

Nutley Lodge 25, located in Nutley, New Jersey, will host America’s favorite Masonic author, raconteur, Dummy, etc. on the night of Monday, June 17. The lodge is very easy to reach from the Lincoln Tunnel via Route 3.

Lodge tiles at 7:30. See you there.

     

‘Flag waving at Nutley Lodge’

     
Being that it’s been a month and a half since this event, I’d better stop procrastinating and get to it before my memory is old enough to qualify for a Flashback Friday post, but I had a great time at Nutley Masonic Lodge No. 25 in New Jersey on June 20. Having been invited to speak by Worshipful Master Joel (I think I’ve appeared at Nutley as a guest speaker more often than at anywhere else) in proximity to Flag Day, I presented a review of the symbolism displayed in a number of U.S. state flags. Not all 50, but about 20 of the most interesting. Needless to say several of these flags are most conspicuous to the initiated eye.

There is no reasonable claim of Freemasonry influencing these flag designs in any way, but I hoped to illustrate how instructive images Masons use are found in major and official public symbols also. I didn’t prepare much in formal remarks, so what follows are simply some notes concerning each flag.

Bro. Dave, Master of the local Rose Croix Chapter and a member of Nutley Lodge, was instrumental in bringing me back to the lectern, so of course I was sure to begin with this flag: Louisiana.

One of the alternate names of the Rose Croix Degree is Knight of the Eagle and Pelican, and one of the key symbols of the degree shows the pelican in her piety, a metaphor for love and sacrifice. For the purposes of Louisiana, the flag’s symbolism is Roman Catholic, but if you’ve read Manly Hall’s The Secret Teachings of All Ages you probably recall the above illustration, a full-page, by Augustus Knapp, showing the full Rose Croix imagery.

Utah – The Beehive is one of my favorite Masonic symbols, and it is not uniquely Masonic. It is widely understood as a symbol of industry, but considering Freemasonry’s significance to Mormonism, which begat the State of Utah, it is an apt choice for the flag.

Alabama – St. Andrew’s Cross: St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scottish Freemasonry. This X-shape is the cross on which Andrew was crucified.

Alaska – Astronomy: the North Star and the Big Dipper.

Arizona – “As the sun rises in the East,” or sets in the West as the case may be. Thirteen rays = the original states. The colors are from the flag of Spain. The star symbolizes the copper mining industry.

Maine – We see the North Star again. “Dirigo” means “I lead.” For the Masonic eye, we have the anchor at right. The symbol of Hope.

New Jersey! – Liberty holds a staff topped with the red cap. This hat was presented to freed Roman slaves, and it appears in several state flags. The shield shows three plows to symbolize the agriculture of the Garden State. At right is the ancient goddess Ceres (grain) holding none other than the cornucopia.

New Mexico – Sometimes simple is best. What we have here is another sun symbol. There are four angles of a square. Four parts of a circle. This is a sacred symbol of the Zia tribe of Native Americans. Four is the sacred number denoting the circle of life; the four cardinal directions; four seasons; four elements.

New York – Another radiant sun. Justice stands at right with the scales—another Scottish Rite symbol. There’s that Roman slave cap again at left. The body of water is the mighty Hudson River.

Oklahoma – I included this because it has a smoking pipe. Lots of Native American symbolism built into this. That’s an olive branch.

Rhode Island – The anchor of Hope most prominently.

Virginia – Left breast bared! This is Virtus, goddess of virtue. Sic Semper Tyrannis means Thus Always to Tyrants—what John Wilkes Booth shouted after shooting President Lincoln. This was designed by George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, but not a Freemason.

Washington, DC – Taken from the coat of arms of the Washington family–not just George Washington, but his ancestors dating to the 12th century. Benjamin Franklin said this emblem partially inspired the look of the U.S. flag. It also appears on the Purple Heart.

Magpie file photo

Washington State – Kind of speaks for itself. This Grand Lodge of New York apron is worn by RW Bro. Bill Mauer, a noted historian and trustee of DeWint House, the Washington Headquarters in Tappan.

West Virginia – The Latin motto means “Mountaineers are always free.” On top of the crossed rifles is that slave’s red cap again. To the left we see an ear of corn and also a bushel of wheat. June 20 is today: the anniversary of the state’s admission to the Union.

Wisconsin – Masonic symbols: the anchor, the cornucopia, the spade & pickaxe, as in Royal Arch Masonry.


Flag images courtesy united-states-flag.com
     

‘Rosicrucian workshop at Nutley’

     
Julie Scott, Grand Master of the Rosicrucian Order’s English Grand Lodge for the Americas, will present a workshop Saturday, November 29 at the Order’s Pronaos in Nutley, New Jersey. From the publicity:

H. Spencer Lewis Pronaos

175 Chestnut Street in Nutley

Saturday, November 29

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

AMORC members only

Fee: $54—Click here

H. Spencer Lewis Pronaos, AMORC will be honored to have Grand Master Julie Scott present a workshop at our Pronaos quarters. The theme for the day will be “Expansion of Awareness.” You will be participating with her in an experience that will help you discover your eternal, infinite, inner Cosmic Consciousness that seeks to guide you on your life’s journey. Be sure to take advantage of this precious opportunity.

Doors open at 9:30
Council of Solace at 10
Workshop Part I at 10:30
Lunch at 12:30
Workshop Part II at 1:30
Convocation at 3:30
Social hour at 4:30
     

‘Hammer strikes’

     
Bro. Andrew Hammer is keeping busy this fall. Andrew is the author of Observing the Craft, a book I consider to be one of the most important writings on lodge life to be published in ages. If you are the Mason who hasn’t read it yet, click here, and order your copy. My review appears here.

Anyway, here are three dates I should bring to your attention.

On Thursday, October 11, Andrew will speak at his own lodge, historic Alexandria-Washington No. 22, which meets inside the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia.

His topic will be “What Came Ye Here To Do: The Transformation of American Masonry,” in which Andrew will present “some thoughts on purpose and focus in our Masonic endeavors, and report on the exciting developments now taking place in the Craft throughout the nation.”

I’d say few are as qualified to speak on that subject today. Get there if you can, but you must make dinner reservations by e-mailing the Senior Steward at reservations(at)aw22.org now.

On Saturday, October 27, Andrew will speak at the Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge in Elizabethtown. As always, the Academy will meet in the Deike Auditorium of the Freemasons Cultural Center at the Masonic Village. Registration will open at 8:30 a.m., and the program will start at 9:30 a.m. Lunch will be served at noon, and the program will be completed by 3 p.m. Dress code for this meeting is coat and tie. All Masons are welcome to attend, but please contact Bro. Shawn Dignazio at dignazio(at)yahoo.com no later than October 21.

Andrew will be sharing the podium with Bro. Alton G. Roundtree, Past Master of Redemption Lodge No. 24 PHA in Washington, DC. He is co-author, with Bro. Paul Bessel, of Out of the Shadows: The Emergence of Prince Hall Freemasonry in America.

On Monday, November 19, Bro. Andrew will return to New Jersey, this time to speak at Nutley Lodge No. 25 in Nutley. (This will be the only one that I’ll be able to attend. Hope to see you there.)

     

‘Have you heard the good news?’

     

Like I mentioned in a post somewhere below, there are some good things happening in New Jersey Freemasonry these days, some beginning at the top, but others rising from the grass roots.

Every year, our grand lodge hosts what it calls a leadership conference at the Elizabethtown campus of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. I don’t know what goes on there – when I used to bother asking about it, brethren either would just stare at their shoes or start gushing wildly about brotherhood, and frankly I don’t perceive a statewide improvement in leadership – so I can’t describe it to you in any detail, but it is several days of classroom-type instruction and break-out sessions, and the like. This year it will take place at the end of October.

Anyway, and don’t ask me how this has come to be, but Cliff Porter will be the guest lecturer this year!

W. Bro. Cliff is a Past Master of Enlightenment Lodge No. 198 in Colorado. He is the author of several books: The Secret Psychology of Freemasonry and Masonic Baptism among them. In addition, he is one of the guiding lights behind the Sanctum Sanctorum Education Foundation, and Living Stones Magazine.

Undoubtedly one of the sharpest thinkers on the Masonic scene today, and I’m sure he’ll be great at the leadership conference.

In other good news, and this one strikes close to home because it concerns publishing, is the complete change of direction given to New Jersey Freemason magazine, the official periodical of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. When I was a young Master Mason, this publication was produced on newsprint, in tabloid shape if I recall correctly. Through the foresight and toil of the editors then, it made the transition to magazine format on glossy paper about 10 or 12 years ago. The problem through all that time to the present has been the content of the magazine, which ran the gamut from uninspired to unnecessary. Actually it has been very typical of grand lodge magazines: big on posed “grip & grin” photos, charity work, necrology, and bureaucratic odds and ends, but bereft of anything Masonic. I guess they did the best they could, but now the magazine is under the direction of W. Bro. Cory Sigler, editor and publisher of The Working Tools e-zine. Cory reached out to New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786 to tap into its talent, and otherwise has made a strong effort to build a staff of writers to provide solid Masonic education pieces, current events reportage, and other content that thinking Masons actually will want to read. I haven’t seen the finished product yet, but it’s in the mail somewhere.

The first printed issue of The Working Tools.

In addition, let me congratulate Cory on his first hard copy publication of The Working Tools. After 51 issues over the course of six years, he has just gone to press with an actual magazine magazine. (Cory, forgive me, but except for your first issue, I’ve never really read The Working Tools before. I can’t read magazines on-line. I need the physical book in my hands. It catches my cigar ash, you see.)

And last but not least in the Good News Department is the launch of a book club in northern New Jersey. The brethren of the Second Masonic District, chiefly at Fidelity Lodge, but also drawing Masons from other lodges, recognized a need to discuss real ideas in Freemasonry, and thus this book club and discussion group.

You know they mean business and are hungry for reform when the first text they choose is Laudable Pursuit, the biggest plum among the fruits of the labors of the Knights of the North. Truth be told, it mainly is the work of Chris Hodapp, but it was published anonymously at the time (around 2005) for reasons I hope we’ve all forgotten by now.

I found out about the book club’s first meeting by accident, but then was contacted by the organizers. I said sure I’ll come! I thought they’d get a kick out of having a KOTN alum present, and I did get a few minutes to speak and share some inside baseball.

For better or worse, the topics confronted by LP stimulated the group to the extent that conversation was hard to organize, and we realized a second meeting to discuss LP was necessary. I missed that one. But what was really cool was the group itself: about 30 Masons, varying from a newly raised Master Mason to the District Deputy Grand Master.

The group will meet next on Monday the 21st at Nutley Lodge No. 25, and another KOTN alum will be there: none other than Hodapp himself, who will be in New Jersey for a few days to co-star in our 2012 Scottish Rite Symposium, with Bob Davis and Brent Morris. Click here for info on that! Thanks to the size of the auditorium, we actually have some seats remaining. Only $50 per person, which covers breakfast, lunch, and souvenirs.

There are other good things in the works here, and I look forward to telling you about them when the time is right or as they develop.
    

‘Stellar Theology in the Lamp of Knowledge’

    

Nutley Lodge No. 25 continues its Lamp of Knowledge Lecture Series March 21 with a presentation by RW Bro. Rashied Bey, who will speak on “Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomy.”

Lodge opens at 7:30 p.m. (almost exactly 24 hours after the Vernal Equinox). 175 Chestnut St. in Nutley.

Apprentices and Fellows, properly avouched, are welcome.

Bro. Rashied is a member of Cornerstone Lodge No. 37 under the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York.

‘To know the unknowable’

    

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

Hawai`i Revised Statutes Section 7.5

Yes, that is public law in the State of Hawaii. It also says:

In exercising their power on behalf of the people and in fulfillment of their responsibilities, obligations and service to the people, the legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, executive officers of each department, the chief justice, associate justices, and judges of the appellate, circuit, and district courts may contemplate and reside with the life force and give consideration to the “Aloha Spirit.” [L 1986, c 202, §1]

What I would give to see the criminals who govern New Jersey live up to that standard.

But I digress. Just announced:

On Monday, April 4, Nutley Lodge No. 25 will host a highly distinguished Mason, who will present “Freemasonry and the Spirit of Aloha.”

This Brother is a Pennsylvania Past Master. He is a lifelong student of the martial, meditative and metaphysical arts having received the title of Kahu from Kahu Lanakila K. Brandt on the Big Island of Hawai`i along with permission to teach the ancient Hawai`ian metaphysical tradition known as po`ohuna. He is also a lineage disciple in the Chinese/Hawai`ian martial arts style of Grand Master Daniel K. Pai and the founder of Dragon Moon Martial Arts Association in Bristol, Pennsylvania. He is a member of four Blue Lodges, including Honolulu Lodge, and a member of numerous appendant Masonic bodies. An attorney at law by profession, he enjoys the history, teachings, tradition, and universal brotherhood found in the ancient and gentle Craft of Freemasonry.

Nutley Lodge No. 25 is located at 175 Chestnut St. in Nutley. The meeting (Master Masons only) will open at 7:30.

    

‘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.
    

‘The fruits of labor at Alpha’

     

W. Bro. David Lindez, left, receives the thanks of Alpha Lodge No. 116 from Worshipful Master Kevin and District Deputy Grand Master Fred Waldron Wednesday night. David was Master last year.

We enjoyed a nice evening at Alpha Lodge the other night with a fun, interactive program complemented by a heartfelt gesture by the lodge in salute to its junior Past Master.

The meeting began with Worshipful Master Kevin calling W. Bro. David Lindez to the East, where he was presented with an etched golden plaque commemorating his service to Alpha Lodge in 2009 – when The Magpie Mason conferred upon it the nickname “The Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex County.” If you read this blog with any regularity last year, you learned of the world renowned lecturers and other visitors who made stops at Alpha Lodge, surely testaments to W. Bro. Lindez’s qualities as a man and a Mason. Bro. Rob Morton, Senior Warden, was summoned to the East for the purpose of awarding David his Past Master’s jewel and ring.

The program for the evening was a multifaceted group presentation united under a theme one might term “The fruits of labor.” Five presenters took turns in a kind of show-and-tell format, giving talks and displaying items to make the point that working hard in Freemasonry yields benefits of health and happiness, with the possibility of acceptance into Masonry’s invitational and honorary orders to boot.

Bro. Gerard, recently returned from a trip to the Holy Land, spoke on the Tree of Life, pointing out the parallels between this timeless esoteric map of the spirit to the meaning of Masonry. Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty are not only supports of a lodge; they epitomize vigorous health of psyche, body, and spirit.

W. Bro. Franklin of Nutley Lodge No. 25, also recently passed from the Master’s chair, likewise worked wonders during his year in the East, dispensing Light to the brethren with the help of an impressive itinerary of guest lecturers and with a variety of very enjoyable activities. You may have read about these meetings on this blog also.

Left: W. Bro. Franklin displays his replica George Washington apron.

Right: Bro. Gerard explains the Tree of Life.

Franklin talked frankly about what Masonry means to him, and what he has gained from his experience as Worshipful Master. For “Show and Tell,” he gave the brethren an eyeful of the beautiful apron his lodge gave him. Not the constitutionally mandated lambskin bordered with purple grosgrain–although he got one of those too–but a wonderful reproduction of the apron presented to Bro. George Washington in 1784 by the Marquis de Lafayette.

Bro. José, also from Nutley Lodge, and a newly initiated brother of the Allied Masonic Degrees, spoke enthusiastically of the AMD. Franklin and José are among the charter members of Alexandria Council No. 478, one of the four(!) AMD councils chartered in New Jersey in 2009.

José displayed AMD regalia (aprons, breast jewels, etc.), connecting each piece to its corresponding degree, and explained these time honored degrees, sometimes with the help of W. Lindez.

Bro. José displays the miniature jewels of the AMD.

Yours truly spoke of The Masonic Society, careful to point out how membership is not invitational, and that all that is required is a curious mind desirous of further Light in Masonry. Circulating copies of all six issues published thus far of The Journal of The Masonic Society, I explained the philosophy of the publisher: to offer a top quality periodical that delivers solid scholarship, colorful current events, insightful opinion, fiction, poetry, helpful advertisements, and more – the way the excellent Masonic magazines of the early 20th century did, but this time with state-of-the-art layout and design.

The Magpie Mason does a lot of work in Freemasonry–frankly, more than is healthy–and nothing instills more pride than my association with The Masonic Society. Since introducing ourselves in 2008, membership in the Society has grown to more than 1,000. Issue No. 7 of The Journal is now arriving in our members’ mailboxes, and our on-line discussion forum is buzzing with 650 members discussing 3,300 topics. And we’re getting ready for our second annual Gathering and Banquet on February 12 in Alexandria, Virginia at Masonic Week. In addition, local events, called Second Circle meetings, are taking place all over the United States and Canada, with one in the works for Britain too! It is exhilarating to eyewitness such success.

After my spiel, several other Masonic Society members rose spontaneously to say how much they too love the magazine. José said when he receives each new issue of The Journal, he stays awake late into the night reading it from cover to cover. That was one of the more tame endorsements offered. And then, our Master of Ceremonies thoughtfully held up a stack of Masonic Society membership applications, asking “Who wants one of these?” Nearly every brother in the room stuck out a hand to get one. Thanks for that, guys.

And speaking of our intrepid Master of Ceremonies, it was none other than X who brought us all together, kept us all on topic, and thematically tied together our presentations... with calisthenics thrown in too! (The Magpie Mason is unable to share the memorable photo of the exercising, for fear of being pummeled.) Seriously though, think about that. Imagine a couple of minutes near the start of a lodge meeting devoted to some simple stretching exercises to get the blood circulating, awakening the body and mind. I’m a strong advocate of adding a moment of silence to the early minutes of a meeting for the sake of tranquility, but the perfect complement to this would be, let’s say, a “moment of motion!” Just a minute of stretching arms, legs, back, and neck to maintain alertness. (Or maybe your lodge has no one napping on the sidelines!)

X’s own talk included a show-and-tell display of the replica claymore given to him in thanks by his grateful commandery, the excellent Trinity No. 17. But more importantly he shared with us the numerous pieces of “bling” (his word). In what really could be the most important remarks of the evening, thanks to their candor and brevity, X said these beautiful aprons, medals, jewels, collars, sashes, and swords are not to be treasured for their impressive appearances or intrinsic values, but they must be seen as symbols of the intangible: the spreading of Brotherly Love, the readiness to extend Relief, the resolute upholding of Truth. It was a blunt challenge to our senses of duty and honor which, to be honest, needs to be heard much more often in this fraternity. I’m sure we all have seen instances of titles and privileges being bestowed with undue generosity, which of course devalues the fraternity itself, to say nothing of reducing its regalia to gimcrackery.

Yes, it was a great night at Alpha. As usual.


The Magpie Mason will be the guest lecturer at Alpha Lodge’s Regular Communication of Wednesday, May 26. Topic: “Death: Why I’m Looking Forward to It!”
     

Magpie Mason on the road in MMX

“Merry New Year!”

The Magpie Mason’s speaking tour for 2010 is shaping up. Here are the dates for the first half of the new year. All are in New Jersey, unless noted otherwise.

Tuesday, January 19 - Northern New Jersey Council Princes of Jerusalem in Lincoln Park. Through the kind offices of SP Rajaram, I will help Scottish Rite Masons make sense of Dan Brown’s new bestseller “The Lost Symbol,” decoding the accuracies, the obvious inaccuracies, and the bizarre references.

Wednesday, January 27 - Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange. Through the kind offices of W. Bro. Kevin, I will discuss The Masonic Society as part of a kind of “show and tell” program on things Masonic.

Wednesday, February 10 - George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. (Not speaking, but helping organize an amazing event that day. Details to come!)

Thursday, February 25 -  St. John’s Commandery No. 9 in Rahway. Through the kind offices of EC Franklin, I will speak on “What the Rule of Saint Benedict Means to Templars and Freemasons.”

Friday, March 5 - Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge No. 10 in Westfield. Through the kind offices of W. Bro. Mohamad, I will speak on “The Lessons of Atlas and Pythagoras.”

Monday, March 15 - Trinity Commandery No. 17 in Westfield. Through the kind offices of EC Mario, I will speak on “What the Rule of Saint Benedict Means to Templars and Freemasons.”

Wednesday, May 26 - Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange. Through the kind offices of W. Bro. Kevin, I will speak on “Death: Why I’m Looking Forward to It!”

Monday, June 14 - Kensington-Kadosh Commandery No. 54 in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. Through the kind offices of EC Makia, I will speak on “What the Rule of Saint Benedict Means to Templars and Freemasons.”

Saturday, July 10 - Annual Voorhis Ingathering in Freehold. Gronning Council No. 83 of Allied Masonic Degrees again hosts the Ingathering. Papers will be presented, and the Degree of St. Lawrence the Martyr will be conferred. More info to come later this year.

DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED - Nutley Lodge No. 25 in Nutley. Through the kind offices of W. Bro. Dalton, I will speak on a topic to be announced.

In addition, on the first Thursday of each month, I will endeavor to lead a class at Peninsula Lodge No. 99 in Bayonne. This study group, dubbed The Architects, will explore Masonic ritual and symbol by reading classic and contemporary texts, and discussing what the speculations therein mean to each of us.

Wait, there’s more! I certainly will do my best to support my research lodges, AMD council, etc. Let’s see how many innocent Masons I can bore to tears before they file charges!

I especially am looking forward to:

• Masonic Week in Virginia in February;
• The National Heritage Museum symposium in April on New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism;
• Scottish Rite Supreme Council in Philadelphia in August;
• Masonic Library and Museum Association in Virginia in October; and
• Rose Circle conference in Manhattan in October.
• Plus, Scott Council No. 1 reaches its sesquicentennial, and Columbian Council celebrates its bicentennial this year.
• And The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry, and the Architecture of Washington, D.C. is on exhibit at Lexington through January 2011.
• Furthermore, there is the Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge, the Joseph Campbell Foundation New York Chapter, and more!

I’m exhausted already.

2010 is going to be a wonderful year! I’ll see ya around.

‘Missed Opportunities’

The Magpie Mason has been under the weather for about a week. My “Cigar a Day Keeps the Doctor Away” regimen was put to a rigorous test – and it passed! But in the meantime, I was ill briefly, and regrettably missed several great events in the area.

Last Monday, Nutley Lodge No. 25 turned itself into a “Lodge of Reflection,” a variation of the Chamber of Reflection. Worshipful Master Franklin explains:

I have to tell you, it was odd but wonderful to see Masons doing breathing exercises, and meditating & contemplating our symbols. I’ve seen this type of activity with other groups (Rosicrucians, Martinists, etc.), but I don’t think ever with Masons.

We had 19 guys in attendance: six officiating ceremonies, and 13 “candidates.” Not too bad!

We are planning to do this on a regular basis, every other month or so. We’ll keep you in the loop.

And he supplied photos!






There are more photos that are too graphic to post on the web (unless Franklin says it’s okay).

Also missed with great reluctance was the December meeting of Cushite Council No. 474 of Allied Masonic Degrees. Regular Magpie readers know – and are probably damn tired of hearing – that four(!) AMD councils were set to labor in New Jersey this year, with Cushite being the first to receive its charter, back in February at Grand Council’s Annual Meeting.

Sovereign Master David explains:

Tonight we conferred the Royal Ark Mariner Degree, heard two papers, plus Q&A, and one multimedia presentation. We had a catered meal from a very nice restaurant in town, and met upstairs in an Irish tavern, then came downstairs for drinks and discussion until midnight.

I know that Irish tavern. Long before I was The Magpie Mason, I frequented the gin mills of County Essex. I am going to guess that Thursday night was the first time incense was burned there. I’m glad to see the place has classed up a bit.

And he supplied photos!






And then Friday was the installation of officers at historic Enterprise Lodge No. 31 in Jersey City (one of the last “mainstream” lodges in an urban area in New Jersey). Congratulations brethren! Photo courtesy of David Lindez.



And I still have much to tell you about Fairless Hills Lodge’s annual banquet, and Northern New Jersey Lodge of Perfection’s recent meeting, and I still haven’t told you about the rededication of Daniel Tompkins’ gravesite held four weeks ago! Where does the time go?

And then there’s the December 28 meeting of Lux ex Tenebris Council No. 176 of Allied Masonic Degrees at the dropdead gorgeous Allentown Masonic Temple in Pennsylvania. It’s the 14th Annual Feast following the election and installation of officers for 2010. I’d love to be with you guys again, but that is the same night American Lodge of Research meets.

Heather Calloway

‘Vivat!’ – The wait staff at Bloomfield Steak and Seafood House didn’t know what to make of this party of 25 and its seven ritualistic toasts, but the food kept coming: platters of stuffed mushrooms, pasta, calamari, clams, mussels; bowls of salad; plates of steak, salmon, chicken; pitchers of Sam Adams Winter Lager; bottles of wine; trays of desserts; pots of coffee.... We’ll get used to them, if they get used to us.

Another Worshipful Master in New Jersey who is exiting office on a high note is W. Bro. Franklin Suco at Nutley Lodge No. 25. Franklin is a Mason who works hard to broaden the horizons of his brethren by shedding light on ritual and symbol to communicate the meaning of Masonry. And he isn’t afraid of borrowing from other Masonic rites to enhance these lessons. His year in the East included about ten lecturers, the last of whom was Heather K. Calloway, Director of Special Programs for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, at the House of the Temple in Washington.

Heather, with laptop and projector at hand, screened her Powerpoint presentation titled “The Masonic Traveler,” taking us on a busy tour of significant Masonic sites and sights from Britain to Bluefield, West Virginia. (With good humor, her first photo showed... Nutley Lodge. This dinner-lecture was a fundraiser for the lodge’s building fund.) These unique locations vary in their reasons for importance – architecture, history, collections of artifacts and archives, je ne sais quoi, etc. – yet are equals, like dots just waiting to be connected in the travelogue of... well, a Masonic traveler. And travel broadens one’s horizons, ergo her presence.

Our tour included a pint or three at Freemason’s Arms, coincidentally located across the street from the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England in Covent Garden. I wonder if the brethren go there.

Some of the brethren are still bending their elbows at the restaurant as this late night edition of The Magpie Mason goes to press, but your correspondent is dutifully at the keyboard, not even meekly curious about the Two Large he invested this afternoon in Miguel Cotto’s unstoppable career!

It was a great night. Calloway took us to the grand lodges of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York, since these three are the first logical destinations of Masons in this area. But we soon found ourselves in New Mexico (her native state) at the grand lodge, and also in Taos for a quick tour of Bent Lodge No. 42. This lodge room has a beautiful Southwestern décor, making the room simultaneously look otherworldly but still as instantly recognizable as any lodge appointed in a federal style. This was Kit Carson’s lodge, and a sizable collection of Carson memorabilia is on hand here.

Heather’s Masonic journey began during her childhood in New Mexico. Her grandfather was a Mason, and her dad was Grand Master in 1991 and serves as Grand Secretary now, instilling an interest in the Masonic Order that she brought to college, adding the study of Freemasonry to her theology course load. And conversely, her various university degrees, including a Master’s in Library Science, make her ideally suited for her career at the House of the Temple where, in true non-profit fashion, she fills multiple roles that have nothing in common except that somebody has to do them. (Exactly the kind of opportunity The Magpie Mason covets, except I know they’d never let me smoke in there.)

We’re still in New Mexico, now at the Scottish Rite Valley of Santa Fe (Sean Graystone’s Valley), where Heather’s wedding was held. Pretty cool. Next, it’s the Valley of Denver, then on to Guthrie, Oklahoma where she once abandoned her father during a visit, so enthralled was she by the endless sights to see at the Valley famous for conferring 29 A&ASR degrees in exhausting four-day marathons.

Junior Warden Dave, left, and Senior Warden Dalton debate the architectural style of the pillars lining the Valley of Guthrie. ‘They’re Ironic, I tells ya.’ ‘No, you murgatroyd, dey’re Adoric!’

Then we’re in El Paso, followed by the Grand Lodge of California in San Francisco. Suddenly we’re on Great Queen Street in London before heading north to Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. Turns out there’s a little Masonic lodge just down the road from the Sinclairs’ famous enigma. Then, it’s on to Hibbing, Minnesota; and New Orleans; and Coos Bay, Oregon. Before we could even think of unpacking, we had arrived at the House of the Temple, John Russell Pope’s recreation of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

A Past Most Wise Master myself, I had to shoot a photo of this Rose Croix apron Heather showed us from the House of the Temple collections. Below: an apron from the 1790s, one of the oldest on hand at H.O.T. (That’s Thurman in the foreground.)

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is undertaking a $70 million fundraising campaign to finance massive renovations and modernizations to the House of the Temple. Individuals, lodges, valleys, foundations – everyone – can make gifts in support of this urgent effort to ensure this priceless landmark and national treasure will be inherited by generations yet to be born. Bequests are great, but the funds are needed now so please make a timely impact.

Pythagoras taught that standing to drink and sitting to eat allowed for proper digestion, a practice adopted at Nutley Lodge...

...although I am at a loss to explain why Tiler Clarence is standing on his chair.

Right: Past Master Anthony demonstrates correct chair usage, sometimes called ‘The Secrets of the Chair.’

‘Why, I oughtta...’ – Heather fields another question from Dave.

Utterly ignoring The Magpie Mason’s staff photographer, Franklin presents Heather a recognition award in thanks for her hard work tonight.

Franklin, congratulations on a wonderful year! Heather it was great seeing you in New Jersey and having a chance to chat. Cannot wait for Masonic Week!