‘Oscar to speak at MMRS’

   

Oscar Alleyne

The Maryland Masonic Research Society will host Oscar Alleyne next month on the occasion of its festive board.

From the publicity:

Maryland Masonic Research Society

Annual Festive Board

Saturday, August 12 at noon

Kings Contrivance

10150 Shaker Drive

Columbia, Maryland

Reservations by advance payment

only here by August 7

Masons and friends are welcome.

We have a very interesting presentation and fantastic speaker. Joseph de Bologne Chevalier de Saint-George (1745-99) was a French violinist, conductor, and composer. A biracial Creole free man of color, the chevalier is considered the first classical composer of African descent to receive widespread critical acclaim. He was France’s first black Freemason, and formed the Masonic symphony orchestra, Le Cercle de l’Harmonie, while rising to the 33rd Degree.

Oscar Alleyne is an internationally respected Masonic speaker who has presented more than 700 lectures to lodges and concordant bodies covering multiple areas of interest to Freemasons. He has published in widely distributed Masonic journals, research bodies, and educational conferences on Freemasonry. Alleyne is President and a Fellow of the Masonic Society, a Fellow and Vice President of the Philalethes Society, and a member of Quatuor Coroati Lodge 2076 under the United Grand Lodge of England.

     

‘Whew! Thank God that’s over!’

     

It’s been six years, so I can’t remember all the specifics of why Grand Lodge withdrew its recognition of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, but the disagreement has been resolved, according to a proclamation from Grand Master Richard J. Kessler.

Grand Lodge is meeting today in Masonic Hall to tackle all kinds of business for the year. Questions of relations with other jurisdictions inevitably arise, but I think it’s unusual to see squabbles between some of the oldest grand lodges in the world. I don’t see a previous edition of The Magpie Mason that explains the New York-Scotland rift, but I think I recall an incident of three individuals being rejected for membership here, who then found a lodge in Scotland that accepted them. Correction: Three New York Masons were expelled. They later became members of a Scottish lodge in Lebanon, as Scotland wouldn’t honor the New York expulsions. There is more to the affair, exacerbating details involving grand lodges active in Lebanon, but it’s all over now.

That could sound trivial to the uninitiated ear, but it speaks to a couple of the fraternity’s integral principles. But they worked it out, which honors possibly the bedrock of our fundamentals.

The decision required a vote of the members of Grand Lodge, which evidently happened, since our Grand Secretary disseminated the proclamation moments ago.

Congratulations to all parties! What a regrettable circumstance to have materialized back in 2017.

(I see Oscar is in Edinburgh today; he’s free to visit a lodge there now. 😁) 

     

‘Ingathering in NYC’

    

The group portrait at the conclusion of a meeting seems to be a common tradition in Masonic Hall.

Wow! What a day! When I stepped outside this morning to walk to Masonic Hall, I could tell it was going to be a great summer Saturday. Blue skies, sunshine, gentle breeze, seventy degrees, quiet streets & open sidewalks—even the pervasive threat of crazy violence that demoralizes the once irrepressible city seemed to take the day off. You see, today was the Allied Masonic Degrees Downstate New York Ingathering.

Downstate can mean a lot of things. New York is a big state, so referring to downstate can indicate New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley. For me personally, everything north of 72nd Street is upstate, so these designations are variable. Anyway, several local councils of Allied Masonic Degrees collaborated on the labor at hand: a daylong extravaganza of conferring degrees and celebrating Masonic philosophy.

Jose Marti 512 charter.

These were Jose Marti 512 (our host), Moses Blatchley 567, and Antares 532. (I may be wrong about Antares. There seemed to be a change of plans regarding the participant councils that I didn’t catch at the time.) In the degree department, the brethren conferred three: Architect, St. Lawrence the Martyr, and the “chair degree” for St. Lawrence: Installed Worthy Master.

I don’t think I’ve received the Architect Degree actively before. We receive the degrees in name upon being inducted into the AMD, but in my twenty-one years in the order, this may have been the first time I’ve had that degree conferred on me. (Speaking of twenty-one years, I suspect there’s a good chance I was the senior-most AMD member in the room. An unsettling notion.) The degree itself is derivative of the Craft degrees in that it concerns Solomon, GMHA, and the Temple. Historians believe this was one in a suite of three degrees, with Grand Architect and Superintendent, comprising a rite that now is lost to time.

I should back up. If you’re not familiar with the AMD, it is an invitational order, open to Royal Arch Masons. It cobbles together about a dozen degrees that once upon a time were side degrees that a Mason might receive in lodge. You pay a fee, you receive a degree. It’s not as crass as that to be fair. The truth is the degrees we receive in tidily organized Royal Arch chapters and other groups had been worked in Craft lodges before the advent of those chapters, commanderies, et al. It’s just that a number of degrees did not make the transition from lodge side degrees to extra curricular “high degrees,” and they were in a kind of limbo as time passed and other degrees became independent sovereign bodies (e.g., Mark, Royal Arch, Templar). So, in the 1890s, English Masons united these orphaned degrees, making them the Allied Masonic Degrees. The myriad details of it all are incomprehensible unless you make a deep study of them, something I haven’t done in many years.

After the Architect Degree, we had lunch; after that, it was time for a panel discussion with Oscar, Praveen, and Matt.

Bro. Mike of Half Moon Council was out of town on Royal Arch Grand Chapter business, but he had suggested “Why AMD?” as a thematic question for the panel. The trio tendered remarks that traced the history of the AMD and its degrees up to the present day; that described Masonic Week (many are unacquainted); and the differences in attitude toward, and the covert nature of, the order. V. Bro. Praveen said AMD maintains a “sub rosa” character in New York—and I hope this edition of The Magpie Mason doesn’t blow its cover! There was much understandable curiosity about the AMD’s origins and development. RV Oscar provided specifics on the evolution of certain rituals to make clear the utter bizarreness of the AMD situation.

We met inside the Doric Room on six.

I think most Freemasons in the United States are unaware of, or haven’t even given a thought to, the history of Masonic rituals. As I explained in this space last month about the 1658 Rhode Island myth, there are Masons who consider themselves researchers but actually believe the three Craft degrees they know today have existed and gone unchanged since time immemorial. There are Masons who have no idea that the rituals of the lodge differ from state to state. What we know in New York varies noticeably from what they do in New Jersey, and the Pennsylvanians work rituals that are significantly different from both, for example. So, to attempt to explain how the rituals inherited by AMD might have come into existence would require a post-graduate level inquiry into both history and anthropology. I don’t think there’s even been a book that satisfactorily tells the story—or if there was, it’s been long out of print.

Our panel speakers: Oscar, Praveen, and Matt.

To illustrate, Oscar explained how the AMD was exported from England to Maine, but that doesn’t mean all the rituals were English in origin. Our Royal Ark Mariner Degree actually is Scottish, he said. When examining English, Scottish, French, Dutch, etc. rituals, one finds “the wild, wild west of Freemasonry,” he added. “People were doing all kinds of things.”

“They’re still finding rituals,” he continued. “If you open every door, you’ll be opening doors for the rest of your life.”

We were getting into the mid afternoon, so the time came to open a lodge of St. Lawrence the Martyr and to confer the degree. For some of the historical or legendary, depending on your point of view, basis of the story, click here. It is the introductory degree in English AMD, but we Americans don’t have such a structure. (We did have three initiates for the day though.) Nevertheless it is an instructive and memorable degree, even if its various signs and gestures slip your mind.

Can it be coincidence that St. Lawrence the Martyr Degree regalia bears the New York City colors of blue, white, and orange? I think not!

After the degree, those who have yet to preside over an AMD council were asked to step outside while the rest of us opened a Board of Installed Masters to confer the Installed Worthy Master of St. Lawrence the Martyr Degree.

The ritualists in all three of the degrees today performed with skill and confidence. A pleasure to watch.

The quitting hour was starting to draw near. This Ingathering featured no research papers or other formal readings, and I’m not accustomed to that, but Bro. Javier capped off the day with his original and heartfelt discursion into the esotericism of space, dimension, shape, direction, and the like. Neither reading from a text nor referring to notes, which I’m also not used to, he weaved personal speculations into, if I understood correctly, an inquiry into the nature of the Masonic physical world. It’s not at all impossible that some of it soared over my head, but it was an apt conclusion to the memorable event. But we weren’t finished yet!

I never know what to do with the parchments, but there’s no denying they convey warm memories of great occasions and terrific people for many years.

There were presentations, including official Grand Council parchments to all of us certifying our advancement in the aforementioned degrees, and also—of course!—lapel pins. I’ve never even seen an Architect Degree pin before. I believe I’ll wear it to lodge to see if it prompts any questions. (So much for sub rosa!)

     

‘The ALR: a new understanding of familiar history’

    

Bill, Conor, and Oscar.

The American Lodge of Research met Tuesday night to hear a brilliant presentation and to tend to necessary business.

It was RW Bro. Oscar Alleyne, President of the Masonic Society, who did us the service of introducing to the lodge one John Batt, a soldier who served on both sides in the American War of Independence and who Oscar reveals to have played a remarkable part in the birth of what today is called Prince Hall Masonry.

Batt was a British soldier in North America in the 1770s, being deployed in Boston, Halifax, and Staten Island, as the fortunes of his regiment fluctuated. Oscar delved into British and American military records to illustrate Batt’s hopscotching from one side to the other and back again (I suspect he returned to the British lines upon realizing he wasn’t gonna get paid squat in the Continental Army), and plumbed the archives of Prince Hall Masonry to reveal how—are you sitting down?—it was Batt who initiated the free men of color in Boston who later would organize African Lodge.

As you know, the commonly understood history of the initiations of Bro. Prince Hall and his fourteen companions involves Lodge 441, a traveling military lodge of 38th British Foot Infantry. But wait, there’s more! Oscar shows it was Batt himself who, in accordance with the contemporary custom of degrees for fees, made those men Masons.

I don’t think it’s necessary to be too much of a Masonic history nerd to get excited over such a discovery. This is precisely the sort of thing that compels us to support Masonic research. The brethren’s applause and thanks followed the Q&A.

Next, it was time to elect new members of The ALR, and five Corresponding Members and two Active Members (including Leif from QC2076) were voted in with appreciation.

Being June, it came time to reorganize the officer line. There were a few excused absences, so we’ll install our secretary and senior warden later, but Conor is continuing for another year in the East. (I don’t want to embarrass him, but the truth is he’s a godsend during this encouraging time of rebuilding the lodge.) Dave remains at the treasurer’s desk. Michael is our new junior deacon; Yves moves on to senior deacon. I am now observing the sun at meridian, just in time for tanning season.

MW Bill Sardone honored us as our installing master, with the assistance of RW Oscar as installing marshal.

The new apron for the senior deacon of the lodge.

Conor procured aprons for us officers. Great stuff from Macoy, and based on the design of ALR regalia from generations ago too.

We will meet again in October.

     

‘Bill Paul Horn Medal 2022’

    

Masonic Society President Oscar Alleyne, doing what he does best, at the lectern Monday at the Grand Lodge of Washington’s communication. Cameron Bailey photo.

I don’t know if Oscar’s home has a mantel, but if it does, I choose to envision it laden with all kinds of awards. His latest from the world of Freemasonry is the Grand Lodge of Washington’s Bill Paul Horn Memorial Masonic Medal. Congratulations, Oscar!

The honor is named for a past grand master of the Grand Lodge of Washington, but it is not necessary to be a Washington Mason to receive it. Oscar is from New York. Past honorees include Ernest Borgnine, Bob Davis, Matt Dupee, Dick Fletcher, Tom Jackson, Joe Manning, Ron Seale, and Aaron Shoemaker.

Please don’t ask me to recapitulate all of Oscar’s accomplishments in Freemasonry, but of course he is President of the Masonic Society, which says it all.

     

‘Oscar at The ALR’

   

RW Bro. Oscar Alleyne will be our presenter at The American Lodge of Research’s meeting this month. Sometimes you need star power.

Oscar will discuss “John Batt: Mercenary, Opportunist & Hero.” That’ll be Tuesday, the 28th at seven o’clock inside the Colonial Room on the tenth floor of Masonic Hall, located at 71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.

We’ll also conduct our elections and installation of officers, plus other necessary business to conclude our highly productive and memorable year back at labor following a hiatus we have reason to forget.

Your advance registration is necessary. Click here.

Photo ID is required to enter the building. Attire, like any other lodge, is suit and tie with apron.

See you there.

     

‘Wendell K. Walker Lecture’

    

I.R.A. 2 photo

Oscar with Worshipful Master Matthew.

April really snuck up on me so I missed the Wendell K. Walker Lecture last night. It’s an annual tradition at Independent Royal Arch Lodge 2. This year’s speaker was Oscar Alleyne, President of the Masonic Society and Past Junior Grand Warden.

Oscar presented “Man’s Argument with His Inner Self.” Hopefully we’ll get to hear that in other venues in the future.

(I’m envious. My longstanding offer to speak on “Fire and Clay: Tobacco in Early New York Lodges” has ignited no response.)

     

‘Masonic Myth of Our Nation’s Capital’

    

February already? It’s hard to believe, but that means my tenure as President of the Masonic Society is in its final days. As always, there will be a peaceful transfer of power, and that will take place next Friday in Virginia, when Bro. Oscar Alleyne will become our eighth President. Our after dinner speaker will be Bro. Chris Ruli, Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, on “Masonic Myth of Our Nation’s Capital.”

Masonic Society

Annual Meeting

Friday, February 11

7 p.m.

Masonic Week

Arlington, Virginia

$55 per person

Reserve here

We have 85 guests booked as of yesterday and there’s still room if you haven’t added us to your itinerary. And, of course, if you are a local Mason inexperienced with Masonic Week, you are more than welcome too! This event is open to all Masons and friends of Freemasonry.

      

‘Are you free for dinner?’

    

Masonic Week draws near—next month, in fact—and registration for our events is open. The anchor of the multifaceted affair is the Masonic Society dinner on Friday, February 11. It’ll be a big deal!

We will seat our new President, and the new Second Vice President, and two new members of the Board of Directors. Plus, more surprise announcements.

Our after dinner speaker will be Bro. Chris Ruli, Grand Historian and Librarian of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. Chris will give us just the facts concerning “Masonic Myths of Our Nation’s Capital.”

The dining fee is $55 per person, and attendance is open to all Freemasons, our ladies, and friends of Freemasonry. (And, for a hotel, the food is good.)

Oscar Alleyne

Our eighth President will be Bro. Oscar Alleyne. Oscar is a New York Mason, but he kind of is a citizen of the Masonic world—a member of QC2076, a frequent flyer on the lecture circuit, and a valued leader in numerous groups within the fraternity. Come, and let’s give Oscar a momentous inauguration!

Founded in 2008, the Masonic Society is an independent 501(c)(3) educational foundation that publishes the quarterly periodical The Journal of the Masonic Society. Membership, at $45 annually, is a source of pride, many brethren inform me. (The hand-stamped, wax-sealed parchment each of us receives itself prompts accolades.)

The Journal is a beautifully designed and thoughtfully balanced mix of educational papers, speculative writings, news, opinion, photography and more. (We call it the Time magazine of Freemasonry, if you’re old enough to get that reference.)

Again, click here to join us for dinner and conversation on Friday, February 11 at Masonic Week in Arlington, Virginia. Vivat!

     

‘Congratulations are in order’

    

Tremendous news broke earlier today.

Bro. Oscar Alleyne, the Right Worshipful Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New York, the First Vice President of the Masonic Society, and a lot more, has been elected to membership in Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 in London.

Holy cow!

If you’re not familiar, that’s a kind of immortality in Freemasonry.

Meanwhile, at the meeting of Pennsylvania Lodge of Research, Bro. Moises Gomez was named a Fellow of the lodge! Huzzah! Moe is the RW Grand Historian of New Jersey.

I don’t know if I can sit with you guys at lunch anymore. I’ll certainly avert my eyes in the hallway.

But, wait, there’s more!

In the outside world, two Prince Hall brethren are on their way to elected public office.

RW Bro. Darren Morton, the Grand Senior Warden of the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York, won the Democrat Party primary Tuesday for Comptroller of the City of Mt. Vernon. And Bro. Malik Evans, of Eureka Lodge 36, won the party’s nomination for Mayor of Rochester.

Well done, brethren, and good luck in November!

     

‘The ALR and YOU, Part II’

     

I’ll close out a pretty inactive month of April with the encouraging news coming from The American Lodge of Research.

Twenty-four hours ago, a Zoom meeting was co-hosted by Grand Master Bill Sardone, Junior Grand Warden Oscar Alleyne, and ALR WM Henry Abel to announce plans and to listen to ideas concerning returning the lodge to its urgent and prestigious labors.

1. There will be elections and installations of officers on June 29 at Masonic Hall. If I understand correctly, there will be an infusion of new leadership. I do not know any names of who may become involved in moving the lodge forward. Henry did state he doesn’t want to be Master for the rest of his life, and he will step aside.

2. Improving communications with the lodge’s brethren and with the fraternity at large is a vital goal. For years there has been no website, no social media presence, and, to my knowledge, contact only with a limited number of ALR members. Fair enough, perhaps, since there haven’t been any meetings either.

3. It wasn’t defined in detail, but there is to be a kind of working relationship with the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library. As you know, the library has maintained a longstanding monthly schedule of popular lectures. There is a lot of logic in the two institutions collaborating on projects of mutual interest. If I’m not mistaken, the library and the lodge were created by many of the same Masons way back when, so we’re close family.

Surely other things to do will arise as progress develops. For my part, I volunteered to assist with reigniting The ALR’s social media activity. (I do that for other lodges and Masonic groups, including New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education’s Faceypage.) I also made myself available to the fledgling officer line. I had served in the Deacons’ chairs for a total of three years long ago, and with 19 years of experience in New Jersey’s research lodge, and as president of the Masonic Society, maybe I can help there. I definitely would want to discuss making a few logistical changes to The ALR.

We’ll know more in two months.

     

‘History in Tennessee’

     

Courtesy Amazon

A new chapter in the history of Freemasonry in Tennessee was started today when the voting members of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee agreed it is time to extend the fraternal hand to their neighbors of the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge.

The two have coexisted since 1870. Details, like visitation, are not yet settled.

Congratulations everybody!

There remain six U.S. grand lodges that have yet to establish relations with Prince Hall Masonry.

Many thanks to Oscar for spreading the good news.

     

‘Oscar is next OpenLFM speaker’

     

I can’t prove it, so I probably shouldn’t say it, but I think Oscar has cloned himself. How else can one reasonably explain the pace he maintains in his various stations and places and concerns and employments?

If that is true, then it surely is secret, so I’ll keep it inviolate.

Anyway, it’ll be Oscar Alleyne’s turn at the lectern for this month’s Open Lectures on Freemasonry session. From the publicity:

The Masonic Legend

of Count Roume de St. Laurent

by Bro. Oscar Alleyne

Saturday, February 27

2 p.m. Eastern Time

In the year 1832, there arrived in the City of New York the Count de St. Laurent. He was a member of the Supreme Council of France and Grand Commander (ad vitam) of the Supreme Council 33 for Terra Firma, New Spain, South America, Puerto Rico, Canary Islands, etc. He found the old council sleeping in consequence of political and anti-masonic troubles existing at that time. This lecture discusses his role in resuscitating that council and many of the mysteries connected to him as he introduced Scottish Rite to African American Masons.

More info here.

Register here.

     

‘Nuts and bolts of public speaking’

     

Oscar Alleyne, the Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New York and the First Vice President of the Masonic Society, will be the next speaker in the SuperMemorize Academy/Legends of the Craft series. From the publicity:

The Art of Public Speaking:

A Nuts and Bolts Workshop

Featuring RW Oscar Alleyne

Friday, May 29

7 to 8 p.m.

Open to the public on Zoom

RSVP here

Everyone knows that public speaking is a big part of Masonry, whether it is ritual, a paper, or debate. It also is extremely important for everyday life. The ability to speak with clarity, confidence, and wisdom is a superpower. It also is one of the biggest fears for most people.

The Art of Public Speaking: A Nuts and Bolts Workshop will help you develop speaking competence by using a hands-on, small group approach. You will feel more confident and motivated to speak in any setting, and you will develop a deeper understanding of presenting to crowds.

We will dissect your current public speaking methods, eliminate any inefficiencies, and give you a series of tips, tricks, techniques, and ideas on how to inform, persuade, and educate your audience.

Dress code: Business Casual
     

‘California streamin’: five upcoming talks’

     

Beginning Wednesday night, the Grand Lodge of California will offer five online lecture presentations, featuring world renowned speakers, to take us through Saint John Baptist Day. There will be no fee to join, but register at On24 to take part. Also, take note of the start times. The speakers are from all over, so it looks like the scheduling is based on their availability. From the publicity:

Introducing the Online

Masonic Speaker Series

New Speakers Series Brings

Masonic Experts Online

Beginning in late April, the Masons of California will host an exciting and entirely digital speaker series featuring lectures and talks from Masonic experts on a range of topics. All events are free. To attend, simply register.

April 29

7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Patrick Craddock

Admit Him if Properly Clothed:

The History of the Masonic Apron

in America, 1740 to the Present

Register here

Author and historian Patrick Craddock, Past Master of Conlegium Ritus Austeri 779 in Nashville, and a noted expert on Masonic regalia, discusses the history of the Masonic apron and how it has changed over 250 years. The presentation features images of many historic American aprons. In addition to his work as a writer and museum exhibits curator at the Carter House Museum in Franklin, Tennesse, Craddock is the owner of the Craftsman’s Apron.

May 13

5 to 6 p.m.

Dr. Oscar Alleyne

Topic: TBA

Register here

A published author, subject matter expert, and scientific presenter in the field of applied epidemiology, health policy, and public health, Dr. Oscar Alleyne is senior advisor for public health programs at the National Association of County and City Health Officials in Washington, DC. There he is responsible for providing executive leadership, strategic visioning, senior management, and technical assistance to the country’s 3,000 local governmental public health departments. He directly oversees a portfolio of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health, Pandemic and Catastrophic Preparedness, and Public Health Informatics. He interfaces directly with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, FDA, USDA, EPA and several other national agencies.

Dr. Alleyne is the Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New York. Raised in Wallkill Lodge 627 in Orange, he served from 2014 to 2016 as Master of Wappingers Lodge 671. He is also Past Commander-in-Chief and Past Sovereign Prince at the Scottish Rite Valley of the Hudson, and served as Grand Superintendent for the state of New York for the Grand Council of Allied Masonic Degrees.

He lectures internationally on history, ritual, philosophy, leadership, and other Masonic topics of interest, and is a member of several Masonic research and invitational bodies.

May 27

Noon to 1 p.m.

Dr. Andreas Önnerfors

The Development

of Scandinavian Freemasonry

Register here

Dr. Andreas Önnerfors is an associate professor in the History of Sciences and Ideas Department at the Universities of Gothenburg and Lund, and is Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076. From 2007 to 2010 he was contracted by the University of Sheffield, where he worked as director of the Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism, and as a senior lecturer in their department of history. Dr. Önnerfors is the author of “Freemasonry: A Very Short Introduction,” and numerous other papers on Freemasonry and fraternal culture. He regularly lectures on Freemasonry in academia and to the general public, and is frequently consulted by international media on various subjects.

June 10

7:30 p.m.

Steve Doan

The Magic Flute

Register here

Join California Past Grand Master R. Stephen Doan to explore the Masonic influence on Bro. Mozart’s iconic opera The Magic Flute. Doan will be joined by W. Bro. James Lincoln Warren, Past Master of Santa Monica Pallisades Lodge 307, and an expert on music and conducting.

June 24

Noon to 1 p.m.

Robert L. D. Cooper

Scottish Freemasonry

and the United States of America

Register here

Robert L.D. Cooper is the curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland’s Museum and Library, making him the custodian of some of the oldest and most precious Masonic documents in the world. A Past Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 and a recognized historian and expert on Scottish Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, and the Sinclair family, Cooper has lectured around the world and has appeared on TV numerous times as a Masonic authority, as well as having authored numerous articles and books. Among them are The Red Triangle: A Brief History of Masonophobia, The Masonic Magician: The Life and Death of Count Cagliostro and His Egyptian Rite, and The Rosslyn Hoax? Viewing Rosslyn Chapel from a New Perspective.
     

‘Does Masonry stop? Not at all.’

     

UPDATE: March 16, 6:30 p.m.

D'oh! Everything is postponed!

It is being said on social media this morning that Freemasonry is closing down everywhere due to concerns of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak, but this is not true. While grand masters throughout the United States are ordering postponements, of varying severities, of all manner of Masonic activities within their jurisdictions, the Grand Lodge of New York is governed by reason and it stands above the panic—which is really saying something considering how both the City and State are run by corrupt incompetents who could provoke hysteria in the streets with a single public utterance.

Dr. E. Oscar Alleyne

We have a secret weapon: The Right Worshipful Junior Grand Warden is an epidemiologist who serves as chief program officer for the National Association of County and City Health Officials. Bro. Oscar Alleyne earned a Doctor of Public Health Degree at New York Medical College, and he has years of experience with far more serious outbreaks (H1N1, Smallpox, MERS, and West Nile, to name a few). Maybe you saw him on television last night reassuring the public.

A few days ago, at the Congressional City Conference in Washington, Oscar delivered this presentation. It runs less than seven minutes, but watch and learn.

Neither I nor anyone else is saying there’s nothing to worry about. I’m just saying remain calm. I’m a simple-minded man; I think about other past and present outbreaks that did not spark nationwide panic. The flu, Types A and B, are expected to kill 20,000 or more this season, but for reasons I won’t get into here, we’re not hearing about any of it. In recent years, we have had those MERS and H1N1 viruses, but there wasn’t—shall we say?—the same “news” media coverage.

And social media? Our problem is the avalanche of emotionally hastened decisions they inspire. Grand Master A sees how Grand Master B has ordered the local lodges closed through April 1, and so A does the same thing. Twenty minutes later, Grand Master K, not wanting to squander a chance to sound significant, orders the local lodges in his area closed through May 1.

Well, my grand master says we’re going to carry on, and we’ll just modify some behavior with common sense precautions. For example, the March 19 launch of the Horticultural Center at Utica will proceed, but without ceremony. On the home page of the grand lodge’s website, there is a letter from MW Bro. Sardone—and it’s not even the first button to click; the scholarship application deadline comes first—which provides the headline of this edition of The Magpie Mason.

So, go easy, fellas. Subdue the passions, and “Follow Reason,” as we used to say 300 years ago.

Somehow, Oscar has time to visit our lodges to share what he knows. He will take to the lectern at Copernicus Lodge 545 in Whitestone on March 24 at 8 p.m. for a discussion open to Masons, our families, and friends. I’m sure he will speak at many more lodges to help us through this.
     

‘Alleyne apron presentation’

     
Save the date: Saturday, September 22, at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel, for the Mid-Hudson District Grand Lodge Officers Apron Presentation. Bro. Oscar Alleyne, the Right Worshipful Junior Grand Warden, with five other Grand Staff Officers, will receive their purple and gold.

Beyond the installation of officers, New York Freemasonry offers a terrific tradition of formally presenting the grand rank aprons in local settings. Details about this event are still to come, and I’ll share them here when they’re available.
     

‘Masonry in the Age of Enlightenment’

     
If you were afraid of having nothing to do in the summertime, don’t worry, and get thee to Masonic Hall. On Saturday, July 14, a day of—well—enlightening lectures will be presented by four of the best speakers one could hope for. From the publicity:

Legends of the Craft

Presents

Masonry in the Age

of Enlightenment

Saturday, July 14

11:30 to 4:30

Masonic Hall

71 West 23rd Street, Manhattan

FREE admission—Tickets here

“Since 1717, there have been over 1000 ‘Masonic’ degrees created. The most popular survived and are included in many of the rites, orders, and systems we know today. Like a meal, each degree is only as good as its creator. The recipe may include many of the same ingredients as other meals, yet taste completely different. By analogy, we may see many of the same ‘ingredients’ (features like the use of the term Scottish) in a number of degrees which teach completely different things. The predilections of a degree’s author affect the content as much as the taste buds of a chef. The ‘flavor’ of the foundational Craft degrees in various rites, orders, and systems (Webb working, Scottish Rite, York Rite, Swedish Rite, RER, etc.), differs immensely, and in the ‘Higher Degrees,’ the differences are even more dramatic and pronounced. Some are philosophical, others practical; some present allegory, and others offer discourses on symbolism or (quasi-) historical themes.”

Arturo de Hoyos
“Esotericism is a Matter of Degrees”

The Legends of the Craft Symposium “Masonry During the Age of Enlightenment” is a one-day educational experience for Master Masons interested in the development of many of our rituals. The focus this year is on degree systems and rituals developed during the 18th century in Europe. We’re filling the room with Brothers, Companions, Sir Knights, and Sublime Princes from around the nation. The Symposium is free and features a 30-minute talk followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. After, there will be an amazing Festive Board (only $55 per person).

The goal is to get the smartest minds in Freemasonry in one room, and then learn a whole lot from each other.

The hosts are Shakespeare Lodge 750, Continental Lodge 287, and memorizemore.com.

The Lectures

The Legend of Comte de St Laurent

and his role in Scottish Rite Freemasonry

By E. Oscar Alleyne

In 1832 there arrived in the City of New York the Count de St. Laurent. He was a member of the Supreme Council of France and Grand Commander (Ad Vitam) of the Supreme Council 33º for Terra Firma, New Spain, South America, Puerto Rico, Canary Islands, etc. He found the old council sleeping in consequence of political and anti-Masonic troubles existing at that time. This lecture discusses his role in resuscitating that council, and many of the mysteries connected to him as he introduced Scottish Rite to African-American Masons.

Early Scots Masonry, the Royal Arch,

and the Scottish Rite

By Arturo de Hoyos

In the early 1730s in England there were “Scotch Masons” or “Scots Master Masons,” a step after the Master Mason Degree (and apparently unrelated to Scotland). By 1742 in Berlin there was talk of “higher or so-called Scottish Masonry.” In 1743 the Grand Lodge of France adopted a regulation limiting the privileges of “Scots Masters” in lodges. It’s clear from these few mentions that something was going on behind the scenes with “Scottish Masonry,” but we’re not quite sure what. These developments were happening at the same time the Royal Arch was gestating before its birth. It’s even possible the Royal Arch and Scottish Masonry came from the same sources. We just don’t know, until now.

“Early Scots Masonry, the Royal Arch, and the Scottish Rite” explores the early migration of Scots Master from Britain to Europe, its association with Royal Arch Masonry, and how it became the foundation for the Scottish Rite degrees.

The Magician, the Mystic,

and the Mason:

The Unlikely Origin of the Rectified Rite

By Piers A. Vaughan

Pasqually, Saint-Martin, and Willermoz are names which are revered in continental European Freemasonry, yet are scarcely known in England or the United States. Nevertheless, their influence has spread far beyond the borders of France, and what they established has affected Freemasonry—and other Orders—ever since.

In this talk, you will learn how an almost chance encounter between these three men in the latter part of the 18th century led to the creation of one of the most astonishing orders in Freemasonry, one which still exists and which is considered one of the highest honors to be invited to join. Yet few of its members really understand the gnostic, theurgic, and symbolic underpinnings of an order which, had the French Revolution not taken place, was set to become the standard work across Europe for the following centuries. Had this order become the basis of Freemasonry, there would have been no doubt that the fraternity would have indeed been based upon deeply spiritual and magical practices, and would indeed have been full of “secrets!”

Stephen Morin

and the Baylot Manuscript:

The Origins of the Order

of the Royal Secret

By Josef Wäges

One of the most elusive questions of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite concerns its origins. Where exactly did it come from, and from what source do its rituals emanate?

Many scholars have rightfully determined that Étienne Morin, also known as Stephen Morin, is the founder of this system, but it is even less certain precisely from whence his authority came, let alone who Étienne Morin was. The truth is that we only have a partial picture of who he was and the circumstances concerning his authority to establish the rite. Nevertheless, when one assembles all of the evidence and gathers still more, there is still enough light left in the fragments to project a more complete vision of the truth.

A close examination of the Baylot Manuscript, in comparison to the Francken Manuscripts in particular, is necessary because it reveals that this manuscript forms the nucleus of what became the Order of the Royal Secret, and later the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.