‘The Magpie is back’

     

Well, I certainly didn’t think I’d be away for that long! A number of profound interruptions have rocked my life this year. I’ll just say 2019 has been the worst year of my already grim life. It cannot end fast enough for me. (The year, that is, not the life.)

I know I already have said thanks personally to the brethren who have been looking out for me in a time of bereavement and other staggering tempests—my lodge brothers’ efforts to keep me stable are beyond what reasonably might be expected—but allow me to say publicly here how grateful I am for Masonic friendship. It is humbling to be on the receiving end this time, but it also is exalting. I won’t forget.

In other sad news, let me belatedly say goodbye to RW Bro. Bernie Cohen, Past Grand Chaplain in the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, who served as Junior Warden both of Mt. Nebo Lodge 248 and of Peninsula Lodge 99—the first time when my grandfather was in the East in 1976, and the second time when I was in the Solomonic Chair in 2005. He was a tireless laborer in the quarries of Freemasonry for 71(!) years, and was one of the kindest souls one could be lucky enough to know. My condolences to his family.

The Worshipful Master is flanked by the Junior and Senior Wardens of Mt. Nebo Lodge 248 in Elizabeth, New Jersey at the Installation of Officers in December 1975.
From left: Bernie Cohen, my grandfather, and Arthur Simon.

Also, we lost Bro. Tim Wallace-Murphy last month. He let us know this was coming long ago. Having seen the best of the best on the Masonic speaking circuit for many years, I say without mental reservation, etc., etc. that Tim was one of the most engaging lecturers in the business, such was his zeal and skill for sharing what he knew about the medieval Templars, Rosslyn Chapel, Islam, and other subjects Masons ought to know about. He performed real research. Primary research. In the field. Read his books! He was 89 years old.

Regular Magpie Mason posting resumes now. I’ve been looking at the analytics of this website to see how badly readership has plummeted. Evidently the drop-off has been insignificant. Considering I’ve been absent for nine months, I don’t know if I should interpret that as a compliment, but thanks for reading the old Magpie posts. It is really odd in some cases to see which posts attracted a lot of traffic, but I’ll take what I can get.
     

‘Knuffels to Rotterdam’

     

From her Facebook page, Betty Langenberg
with two of her beloved dogs.

Freemasonry, going back to the first grand lodge’s first book of jurisprudence, published 1723, is said to be best understood when it “becomes the Center of Union, and the Means of conciliating true Friendship among Persons that must have remain’d at a perpetual Distance.” The authors weren’t talking about geographic or physical distance, although in retrospect that may make sense, but were alluding to the artificial barriers of religious opinions that estranged Roman Catholics from Protestants, and that also divided Protestants by their differing denominations. And then there was politics! In modern times, that Center of Union that closes any “perpetual distance” often exists on the internet. The term “E-Masonry” was coined in the book The Temple That Never Sleeps, written by Josh Heller of Pennsylvania and Gerald Reilly of the United Kingdom. Heller is the co-founder, with Chris McClintock of Ireland, of a discussion forum named Masonic Light; Reilly is one of that group’s original conversationalists. T3NS, as the book is known among us, recounts the history of the group, making clear the wonderful alchemy created when Freemasons of numerous backgrounds, from a galaxy of lodges, and of both sexes unite in respectful discussion of all things Masonic. (Actually, “All Things Masonic” was the name of the original e-group. It became Masonic Light in May 2000 after Yahoo! acquired the e-groups.)

It is difficult to explain the bond that existed among those of us who were regular participants in the free flowing conversations that made this group so special. On February 20, 2004, Tim Wallace-Murphy phrased it this way:


“Perhaps I am simply a romantic old Irish curmudgeon who still has both feet planted firmly in mid-air, but … there is indeed a spirit of community among us, one which manifests itself in compassion for any members illness or miss-fortune; delight in members’ achievements and a growing sense of fraternity that crosses all man-made boundaries of class, culture, religious belief, as well as those barriers imposed by nature such as geographical location. ’Tis surely better to progress slowly over a long period of time to create an ambience which lasts longer than we will as individuals.”


I’d better come to the point.

I was admitted to this eclectic and wonderful group in January 2001. Not finding anything remotely akin to the Masonic education I expected from my lodge and the many Masonic fraternities I had joined since 1997, I looked to the internet for informative and inspiring Masonic discussion and instruction. Yahoo! Groups were big at the time. I signed up for a number of them, including Paul Bessel’s MasEd (as in Masonic Education) forum, and it was there where I encountered a female Mason named Betty Langenberg from the Netherlands. Specifically, she was with—at that time—Pythagoras Lodge No. 5, under the Dutch Grand Lodge of Freemasonry for Men and Women, located in Rotterdam. (Later in life, she would affiliate with Loge Ziggurat in the Hague.)

More than the novelty of “meeting” a woman Freemason, it was Betty’s knowledge, wisdom, warmth, and humor that cemented many friendships between her and many of us in the group.

On March 8, 2001, after consulting with both Josh and Chris, I invited Betty to join us on Masonic Light. It would initiate a whole new dynamic in our group discussions. Janet Wintermute arrived after a few days. Then Nadia from Athens. And Vera from Belgium. And many more over the years, most electing to avoid conversation, and others commenting in reserved tones, but many gregariously joining in the sharing of Light. I’d say we all benefitted. Personally, by the time I was being installed Master of my lodge in 2004, I felt I possessed a somewhat worldly perspective on Masonic life. I certainly was more understanding of the Craft’s teachings, and their diverse interpretations, than most of my peers who served in the East of their lodges near me at that time. There probably were about fifty MLers (there have been many hundreds who have been members these sixteen years) whose participation in the group discussions have enriched my personal Masonic experience immeasurably. I will remain indebted always.

And there were private chats outside the group.

Sister Betty and I talked (I mean e-mails) at some length, off and on, for many years. Our respective frustrations with Masonic bureaucracy. Our mutual love of tobacco. The weirdness on the streets of the Netherlands I sometimes followed in the news. Her repeated offers to let me crash on her couch should I ever visit her country. I regret not acting on this, not only because I haven’t traveled to the Netherlands since 1990, but naturally because it would have been amazing to meet up and make the personal connection (and maybe even get a tour of her lodge and grand lodge!). I never closed that “perpetual Distance.” There just never seemed to be enough time.

We all have so little time.

Betty Langenberg wrote poetry. (Click here to read a few poems.)

Brother

Brother, is there something between you and me?

The east is glowing in a golden candlelight,

we listen to Mozart, and think in different languages,

Yet, I understand you, as you understand me.

I dont know your place in your society,

I do not know to which God you daily pray,

There must be thousands things that seperates you and I.

Brother, is there something between you and me?

You make the sign and know the word.

I know you now,

although you live under a different sky;

You are my brother, seated next to me.

Brother is there something between you and me?

Between us, in the chain, the secret lives.

I heard your heart, as you heard mine,

and from countless miles, we recognize.

Betty passed away January 6 after a long illness. She was 66 years old. Her funeral service was held January 12. Her remains were cremated.

I didn’t intend to post this edition of The Magpie Mason on the fifteenth anniversary of Betty’s joining us on Masonic Light. I wanted to do it in January, but I sometimes procrastinate, and especially did so here. By the time I stopped dreading writing this and got to it, I observed the coincidental timing. I accept this in a very positive way!

What also is positive, and also with fortuitous timing, is Josh’s new effort to get Masonic Light revived and buzzing again. ML (and I think probably all Yahoo! Groups) has been quiet and still for several years, as we all have migrated to more modern social media platforms. To rally everyone, I launched Masonic Light 2.0 on Facebook in 2014 for the fourteenth anniversary of ML’s founding. It ain’t the same.

Betty almost always concluded her posts to the Masonic Light group with “Knuffels from Rotterdam” (or from a rainy Rotterdam, or a cold Rotterdam, or a sunny Rotterdam). Knuffels are hugs.

I close this tribute to my Masonic sister and friend with Knuffels to Rotterdam. Goodbye.
     

‘Two tours of France’

     
I don’t feel France is the place for me, but here are two opportunities for you to visit the Hexagon in June. Both Esoteric Quest and old friend Tim Wallace-Murphy will lead groups through the Languedoc region. From the publicity:

An Esoteric Quest for the South of France:

Troubadours, Cathars, Templars,

and the Grail in Medieval Languedoc

June 4-9, 2015

Join us for the eleventh in the Open Center’s series of international conferences on the Western Tradition as we journey to Carcassonne, Languedoc, in an exquisitely beautiful region of the South of France.

Long known as a focal point for numerous spiritual streams, this area was at the heart of the high medieval culture of both the Troubadours and the Gnostic Christian Cathars. “The Bons Hommes,” as the Cathars called themselves, created one of the most remarkable and enigmatic spiritual movements of the Middle Ages, the destruction of which was one of the great tragedies of European religious life. The Troubadours were the first to bring romantic love to the Western world in poetry and song of great elegance and charm that expressed a new merging of the erotic and the mystical.

Languedoc, with the neighboring domains of Catalonia and Provence, is filled with culture and spiritual history. It is a region that carries significance for the medieval Grail stories and is imbued with the mythology of Mary Magdalene. This Quest will explore the aura of mystery that still clings to the castles and villages of the region, and will drink deeply of its wisdom and legacy.

We invite you to join us and meet others who share an attunement to this brief, beautiful but unforgettable time when love, esoteric spirituality, and appreciation of the divine feminine and its immense gifts reigned supreme.

The Esoteric Quest starts with an optional pre-conference day visiting Montségur, the last stronghold of the Cathars, and Puivert, an important center of Troubadour culture in the 12th century.

We also will offer two post-conference journeys: one heading south into the wild beauty and hilltop villages of Catalonia, Spain; the other traveling east into the azure skies and brilliant sunlight of Provence.

Co-sponsors: The Lumen Foundation and the Divination Foundation.

Lure of the Languedoc:

Group tour with authors

Tim Wallace-Murphy and Jeanne D’Août

Land of Mystery, Myth, and Magic

June 7-14, 2015

The mystery, magic and intrigue of the Languedoc range far beyond the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau, which is a minor affair, or the more important story of Mary Magdalene. This land has been at the cultural, commercial and spiritual crossroads of the known world for more than 20,000 years and is redolent with spiritual energy.

The Phoenicians, the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Visigoths, the Jews, the Moors, the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller, the Troubadours, and the Cathars all have played their part in molding the spiritual heritage that is so apparent here. On this tour we will explore Neolithic sites that resonate with tangible, telluric energy; see cave paintings which are among the earliest archaeological spiritual artifacts known to man; visit castles, churches, and towns associated with the Knights Templar; explore the rich local heritage (which, according to many historians, was so creative that it would have sparked the Renaissance in the 1300s had it not been for the Crusade against the Cathars); visit castles that are imbued with the history of the Troubadours; and, most important of all, just be in this wondrous landscape and absorb its peace and its sacred, transformative atmosphere.

The tour will be led by two authors who live here and know this landscape well. Tim Wallace-Murphy and Jeanne D’Août will share their insights to enhance your understanding and appreciation of this beautiful country where historic sites and sacred geometry are an integral part of a much larger holistic spiritual entity—the land itself.

Click here to see the detailed itinerary.
     

‘A night at Navesink’

  

I just learned that Bro. Tim Wallace-Murphy will return to New Jersey this Friday night to appear at Navesink Lodge No. 9 in Red Bank.

True to form, Bro. Tim will speak on "From Egyptian Mythology to Jewish Mysticism; Rome and Greece to the Druids and the Gnostics," according to the lodge's announcement. He will trace the development of the Western esoteric tradition through the centuries to the advent of Templars, Rosicrucians, and Freemasons, and continue to the present.

If you haven't met Tim anywhere on his never ending tour, you surely have encountered his many books or have seen him in any of numerous documentaries, where he is called upon to explain matters of the Western mysteries.


And if you can get to Red Bank, it'll be well worth your time. The lodge does require reservations, and will accommodate the first 95 guests who contact Bro. Fred Stein at devilsfan37(at)verizon.net

Navesink Lodge is located at 152 Maple Ave. Dinner will be served at 6:30. Admission is free, and is open to Apprentices and Fellows. Copies of Tim's books will be available for sale.

‘Tim Wallace-Murphy in Connecticut’

    
Bro. Tim Wallace-Murphy will appear at Pymander Bookshop in Norwalk, Connecticut on Friday at 7 p.m. to deliver his illustrated talk titled “Cracking the Symbol Code.”

Admission: $20.

Pymander Bookshop is located at 37 Wall St.

From the shop’s website:

Back by popular demand! This presentation is based on his book of the same name; it is a guide to the coded symbolism of the hidden streams of spirituality that preserved the true teachings of Jesus. After twenty years of research, author Tim Wallace-Murphy takes the reader on a guided tour across Europe to medieval churches searching out the secret messages that were meant to be discovered.

Decoding this “hidden symbolism” is on two levels: There are certain keys, but there always will be an intuitive element to the understanding of the coded messages.

Information and reservations at (203) 854-5596.
    

‘Hidden Wisdom’ rendered in plain sight

  

He’s still on the road, in Canada now. Bro. Tim Wallace-Murphy is on a speaking tour, promoting his new book titled Hidden Wisdom: Secrets of the Western Esoteric Tradition. He had been in New Jersey and New York these past few days, drawing more than 100 Masons to Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge Friday night, and following that triumph the next day with an intimate afternoon at the Theosophical Society’s Quest Bookshop in Manhattan, and his final stop in the area at the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library at the Grand Lodge of New York last night. You’d never guess he’s 80 years old.


It’s the prolific author’s 12th book, and while it covers material quite familiar to his regular readers, what I take to be the point of Hidden Wisdom is not ancient Egypt or the Israel of antiquity or medieval Europe or any point in history, but is the future. Our future.


To be sure, the author writes for new fans, and indeed leads a tour beginning... well, at the beginning of esoteric thought, namely the cave paintings in France depicting shamanistic ritual believed to be more than 10,000 years old. From there, hidden wisdom evolves. Neolithic spirituality, Egyptian temples, Israelite covenant, the Greeks, the Romans, the Celts, the Grail, the Templars, the Renaissance, the Masons, and many more points of interest are made.


But it is the book’s conclusion that gives us pause because it could be understood as an urgent warning from one who has lived long and seen much. Wallace-Murphy exhorts us to “live our beliefs and turn our world around. For if our world cannot be transformed into a global, just and equitable society, stripped of violence, greed and poverty, why should it survive? We have the spiritual answers to our problems in the hidden wisdom of the ancient sages and mystics. The real question is: Have we the wit, the humility and the courage to apply them?”
    

‘Into the Oriental Chair, II’

Congratulations to Bro. Mohamad Yatim, the newly installed Master of Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge No. 10 in Westfield, New Jersey.

Mohamad’s installation took place Friday night in the presence of more than 150 well wishers. Masons came from all over New Jersey, plus Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and elsewhere, I’m sure. One visiting Worshipful Master stood to praise Mohamad as one of the guys who gets it, an “education Mason,” the likes of whom we need more.

Among the visiting lecturers scheduled to appear at Atlas-Pythagoras in 2010 include RW Rashied Bey, of Cornerstone Lodge No. 37 under the MWPHGL of New York; Bro. Tim Wallace-Murphy, of Lodge Robert Burns Initiated No. 1781 in Edinburgh; W. Trevor Stewart of Quatuor Coronati 2076, et al.; W. David Lindez, of historic Alpha Lodge; and the Magpie Mason of The Magpie Mason. However, Atlas-Pythagoras’ “theme” for 2010 will be “Enlightening the Temple,” so there will be thoughtful discussion of the meaning of Masonry at most, if not all, the meetings.

The lodge is blessed with a full line of enthusiastic and talented officers, and a cadre of experienced Past Masters; all are supportive of Mohamad’s plans for the year, which is a great indication that the lodge will continue on this path in 2011 and beyond.

I was going to joke that he is singing “My Way,” but it is enough to know that W. Bro. Mohamad will set the Craft to labor his way during the coming year.

Tim Wallace-Murphy at Alpha

     

Dr. Tim Wallace-Murphy is welcomed to Alpha Lodge by Worshipful Master David Lindez. The world renowned scholar visited Saturday night to discuss “Rosslyn Chapel: Reliquary of the Holy Grail.”

The August Order of Alpha Males inducted a new member Saturday night when Dr. Tim Wallace-Murphy of Lodge Robert Burns Initiated No. 1781 in Edinburgh became the latest world renowned scholar to lecture at historic Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, New Jersey.

(I recently dubbed Alpha the Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex County because it simply surpasses everything else going on in New Jersey Freemasonry in terms of Masonic culture, while not at all forgetting about the basics, the brotherhood, and its relationship to the neighborhood.)

They came from miles away to be at Alpha that night. Masons from New Jersey’s Fifth, 10th, 12th Districts and more; and from Pennsylvania too. We gathered to listen to this prolific author, lecturer and familiar face from documentary films discuss “Rosslyn Chapel: Reliquary of the Holy Grail.”

“I started my spiritual journey 35-36 years ago,” said Wallace-Murphy, prefacing his lecture with some personal background. Fascinated by the books of Trevor Ravenscroft and Joseph Campbell, he was intrigued by the great power that symbols and myths have to conceal hidden wisdom while inspiring seekers to break the codes.

In particular it was the Holy Grail that first drew him in.

“My first literary collaborator, the late Trevor Ravenscroft, composed his masterwork, “The Cup of Destiny,” to reveal to the younger generation that the Grail romances reveal, within their drama and symbolism, signposts to a unique path of initiation: the true teaching of Jesus,” he explained. “He was not alone in this conclusion, for one of the world’s leading mythologists, the late Professor Joseph Campbell, writing of the importance of the Grail, cites a passage from the Gospel of Thomas: “He who drinks from my mouth will become as I am, and I shall be he.”

“Campbell came to the conclusion that this represented the ultimate form of enlightenment that can arise from a successful Grail quest. Thus the Grail quest is not what it seems, for there is a hidden agenda designed to conceal a heretical truth from the prying eyes of the clergy,” he continued. “The original Grail sagas of Chrétien (de Troyes) and Wolfram (von Eschenbach) are coded guides to initiation.”

Which leads us to Rosslyn Chapel, the enigmatic structure Wallace-Murphy credits with being the reliquary of this inspired initiatic heritage.

“The care and precision that went into the construction of the chapel fall into a category of what we would now call ‘quality assurance,’ ” said Wallace-Murphy. “Every carving and every decoration was first made of wood, and then shown to William (St. Clair).” They then were carved in stone and placed where he directed. Earl William St. Clair was the builder of Rosslyn Chapel and the last Sinclair Earl of Orkney.

Our speaker, using PowerPoint, lead a tour of the amazing site.


The Exterior

There are many flying buttresses of the Gothic order of architecture, but they are not weight-bearing. On the East Wall is found a bust of Mercury, “the first of many anomalies we’ll come across.” The West Wall he said was originally meant to be an inside wall, but the building was never completed; work on the site ceased upon the death of William St. Clair in 1482. In a window on the South Wall is carved a Knight Templar leading a blindfolded man by a rope about his neck.

The roof, made of solid stone, is divided into five sections, one of which displays what Wallace-Murphy said is a “profusion of five-pointed stars,” another sign denoting the Chapel’s relevance to the Knights Templar.


The Interior

“The inside is superbly carved,” he said. “Profuse, with very intricate carving at eye-level and above. A symphony of carved spirituality!” There are Zoroastrian and ancient Egyptian symbols. “Every form of spirituality known in the 15th century, but this is supposedly a Christian church.”

The Apprentice Pillar – The master mason, having received from his patron the model of a pillar of exquisite workmanship and design, hesitated to carry it out until he had been to Rome, or some such foreign part, and seen the original. He went abroad, and in his absence an apprentice, having dreamed the finished pillar, at once set to work and carried out the design as it now stands, a perfect marvel of workmanship. The master mason on his return was so stung with envy that he asked who had dared to do it in his absence. On being told it was his own apprentice, he was so inflamed with rage and passion that he struck him with his mallet, killed him on the spot, and paid the penalty for his rash and cruel act.

(Source: “An Illustrated Guide to Rosslyn Chapel” by Tim Wallace-Murphy. Photo from “Cracking the Symbol Code” by Tim Wallace-Murphy.)

The Apprentice himself, Wallace-Murphy explained, is seen in the southwest corner of the clerestory wall, his gaze directed downward at the Master Masons Pillar. Relating a fascinating anecdote, he told of how a colleague laboring in the restoration of the Chapel had discovered that this Apprentice once had a beard. “Apprentices in the 15th century were not allowed to have beards,” he added. An esoteric clue lies therein.

Other aspects of the Apprentice Pillar include its allusions to the Tree of Life; the musicians playing medieval instruments; and what is called the Stafford Knot, a pretzel-shaped configuration that Wallace-Murphy said is a reference to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Bro. Wallace-Murphy discussed many symbols found built into the architecture of Rosslyn Chapel, varying from Green Man depictions to symbols of the Deadly Sins and Cardinal Virtues to carvings of maize, lilies and rosettes. The Magpie Mason strongly recommends his books for detailed description and analysis of these and more. But one aspect he did discuss in detail that I ought to share concerns the Templar symbolism, which is the crux of his theory of initiatic intent in the design of the Chapel.

There are “five diagnostic elements” embedded in Rosslyn Chapel, he explained.

The Agnus Dei, or Paschal Lamb – the seal of the medieval order of Knights Templar that in this instance has carved into it a pair of hands drawing back a veil, all but exclaiming a sense of esoterica revealed. In addition, an angel in the south aisle is carved holding a Sinclair shield, with another pair of hands pulling back a curtain.

The Engrailed Cross of the Sinclairs – depicted throughout the main chapel is what Wallace-Murphy called the Croix Pattée: a Knight Templar cross converted into the Gnostic Gross of Universal Knowledge.

The burial stone of Sir William de Sinncler, Grand Prior of the Templar order who, according to legend, had commanded the Templars in their intervention on Scotland’s behalf at Bannockburn.

“Commit thy work to God” – is the St. Clair family motto, which the author likened to that of the Templars: “Not to our name Lord. Not to our name, but to Yours be all the glory.”

The heraldic colors of the St. Clair family – are argent and sable, the same color scheme of the Beausant, the battle flag of the Templar order.


▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼ ▲▼

As regards the medieval Knights Templar and their alleged role in the history of Scotland and as forefathers of Freemasonry, the Magpie Mason stands comfortably in the Cooper camp. It makes for a far less romantic story, but the trail of facts into Masonic origins does lead to the builders of the great cathedrals. The rival theory of Freemasonry descending from the Templars is very exciting, has sold many books, and is entirely speculative. But on interpretations of the countless symbols carved and placed throughout Rosslyn Chapel, I’m open to informed opinion and very much enjoy reading the research of those who actually study this enigmatic site, using their training in religion and mythology to translate what they see. In Freemasonry, there are tangible facts, but there also are the intangibles that spark curiosity and ought to mark common ground on which academics and ordinary thinkers like myself can build together. Bro. Tim Wallace-Murphy’s books are accessible to all, and intentionally so. He knows his material thoroughly and presents his theses in language and style that can bring together the most orthodox of Quatuor Coronati disciples and the undecided seeker beginning his journey.

That embodies the ultimate goal of the Masonic lodge.
     

2009 at Alpha Lodge

Lord Cannock and David Lindez last December at Alpha.

2009 events at historic Alpha Lodge No. 116

56 Melmore Gardens in East Orange. Easily reached by Route 280, the Parkway, etc.


Wed. Jan. 14 - Junior Warden Robert Morton on “From Whence We Come.”

Wed. Feb. 25 - Special Multimedia Presentation on Haitian Freemasonry, with a catered Haitian Agape. $10 at the door. 7:30 p.m.

Wed. March 25 - World famous Masonic author and lecturer Dr. Tim Wallace-Murphy to speak on “The Enigma of Rosslyn Chapel.”

Wed. April 8 - Visit by Oliver Kruse, Orator of the Swedish Rite in Germany, to give a paper “An Introduction to the Swedish Rite.”

Wed. April 22 - Presentation by the Worshipful Master on the Johannite traditions in Freemasonry.

Wed. May 27 - Academic presentation of Masonic research papers by brethren of Alpha Lodge:

“Archetypical Influences and the Molecular Impact of Sacred/Secret Words in Masonry” by Dr. Mardoche Sidor;

“The Pillars of Masonry” by Michael Terry; and

“Reactions to Music in Freemasonry” by Nathaniel Gibson.

Wed. June 24 - Summer Solstice Agape Observation of St. John's Day (talk to be given by the Worshipful Master on “Planetary, Lunar and Solar Influences in Masonic Movement, Stations and Places.”

Wed. Sept. 9 - RW Rashied Sharrieff-Al-Bey of Cornerstone Lodge No. 37, MWPHGLNY, will speak on the “Hidden Work of our Gentle Craft.”

Wed. Oct. 14 - Presentation on “Willermozism” by VW Piers A. Vaughan, world renowned expert on the RER.

Wed. Oct. 28 - Dr. R.A. Gilbert speaking on Br. A.E. Waite’s mystical approach to Freemasonry.

Wed. Nov. 11 - Visit by MW Thomas R. Hughes, Grand Master of the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New Jersey, to speak on Freemasonry’s historic importance in the black community.