‘Best Practices in College Station’

    

To whet your appetites before the Masonic Restoration Foundation Symposium this weekend, budget about an hour and a half to watch this new episode of the Masonic Improvement podcast. Pete Normand, a past president of the MRF, converses with co-hosts Justin Jones and Dennis Yates on the topic of the best practices set to labor in St. Alban’s Lodge 1455 in College Station, Texas.

Normand helped establish this lodge in 1992 with the specific goal of curating a certain Masonic experience, one far away from what was typical in that area at that time. An antidote to the deleterious mix of tedious meetings, non-Masonic activities, uninspired food, and lackadaisical attire that are the hallmarks of lodges that have given up.

Pete does about 99 percent of the talking in this interview, but it’s all instructive to the attentive ear. Listen to him recount how he explored Freemasonry for years before even learning how to petition for the degrees. How he recognized the lodge experience he inherited was not optimal. How he discovered the components of what some today call an “Observant lodge,” and the smart way to incorporate them into lodge culture.

Some of these ideas later became Grand Lodge law.

To Pete, it’s just common sense “best practices,” and he communicates it in recollections of how St. Alban’s accomplished it. The best kind of lesson.

Find Masonic Improvement on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms. Feel free to skip the first sixty seconds to spare yourself the grating theme song, and enjoy the conversation.

     

‘Fête Lafayette’

    

Chuck Schwam, Executive Director of The American Friends of Lafayette.

YouTube was abuzz last night with talk of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. Bro. Lafayette, as you and I might know him.

First, on the American Revolution Institute’s channel, Mr. Chuck Schwam, Executive Director of The American Friends of Lafayette, discusses Lafayette’s farewell tour of America of 1824-25, and of the American Friends’ plans to celebrate the bicentenary nationwide with multiple events, including a banquet at the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia. The partying will begin in August here in New York City. Click here.

“The Masons and the Society of the Cincinnati were important because they came out in droves when Lafayette came around,” he says. “In fact, I don’t know if Lafayette would have come to America if he wasn’t a Mason, so the Masons are very much involved with our bicentennial events.”

Eye-popping history from Bro. Ruli.

Also, Bro. Chris Ruli, author of the upcoming Brother Lafayette, due out in August, appeared on the Masonic Roundtable podcast to reveal some of the research that comprises his book, some of which will surprise you, such as Lafayette not being welcome to participate in Paris’ official mourning of George Washington’s death—plain political snubbing of the hero.

Budget a couple of hours to enjoy both videos.

     

‘Daily Masonic Progress starts now’

    

This morning begins the collaboration of Craftsmen Online and RW Bro. Darren Allatt of Australia, blogger and podcaster extraordinaire. He has been guiding his own audience through his production, “Daily Masonic Progress,” and now he joins Craftsmen Online’s podcast team. His segments will appear on Thursdays.

Craftsmen Online, while based in New York, is not an official voice of the Grand Lodge of New York, although that august authority endorses the independent platform. It was launched about four years ago, during the pandemic, by RW Steve Rubin, now our Deputy Grand Master, and W. Bro. Michael Arce, a veteran broadcaster of many years experience.

Darren Allatt is a Past Master of The Leichhardt Lodge 133, and is a Past Junior Grand Warden of the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory. He has been writing brilliantly on Substack for almost a year. I recommend his blog without any hesitation, mental reservation, etc.

With all that out of the way, you should listen to two episodes of the Craftsmen Online podcast unveiled this morning. Click here to enjoy a 27-minute Arce-Allatt interview. Click here to make your Daily Masonic Progress with the 10-minute debut.

    

‘MAGI is here!’

    

They’d been teasing it for an interminable three weeks but, several hours ago, Bob Cooper and Mark Tabbert finally gave us the gift of M.A.G.I.

A podcast, Masonic Authors’ Guild International is “for educational purposes and perhaps entertainment.” I’ll just share the publicity:

Welcome to the Masonic Authors’ Guild International (MAGI), where each week two historians review and critique books and other productions focused on Freemasonry, as well as discuss broader issues in historical research. Our mission is to promote the highest professional and academic standards in Masonic research, education, and publications. These podcasts begin the Guild’s mission by reviewing those that do, or do not, uphold high academic standards, and explain why they do, or do not.

The Guild members are Robert Cooper, Curator Emeritus of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, who lives in Edinburgh; and Mark Tabbert, former Curator at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia, who lives in Iowa. Both have published significant academic historical research, and have contributed to Masonic journals and magazines. Together they have more than 65 years as Freemasons, and are members of numerous Masonic research societies and Masonic lodges in Europe and North America.

For this launch, they very wisely uploaded five episodes of the podcast for our enlightenment, including examinations of David Stevenson of Scotland and Joseph Fort Newton of Iowa.

Click here and share the link with your brethren.

(Jesus wept. I hope they don’t critique this blog.)

     

‘Five Great Sources for Masonic Research’

    

Chris Ruli and Maynard Edwards.

The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, SJ-USA YouTube channel posted a new podcast episode Tuesday in which host Maynard Edwards welcomes Chris Ruli to discuss research techniques.

This ain’t the whole thing! Watch the video.

The video runs less than twelve minutes, and it concludes with a most useful pointer.

     

‘A lovely evening with Jim Dillman’

    

Yes, they need to work on their logo.

While it’s hard to stay current with all the Masonic podcasts, I had to budget some time to listen to the November 26 episode of That Other Masonic Podcast for the simple reason that the guest is…Bro. Jim Dillman!

Jim is an old friend; I think we go back twenty or so years, starting with the Masonic Light group, then the Knights of the North, and on to the Masonic Society, where he served as president a decade ago. He was made a Mason in 2000 at Royal Center Lodge 585 in Indiana, but might be better known through Lodge Vitruvian 767, the European Concept lodge in Indianapolis founded by Jeff Naylor, with Roger VanGorden, Chris Hodapp, Jim, and other conspirators endeavoring to introduce a high style of lodge experience to the Masonic scene there. That’s how I found these gifted Masons. I had the idea of organizing a similar lodge in my area, and their know-how was invaluable (although I ultimately failed to get such a lodge launched).

All I can say about Jim is already said by the co-hosts of the show; quoting VanGorden, they describe him as “the definition of what a Mason should be.” (Not even an old man in dotage or a madman would say that about me, so it impresses.) Jim has a colorful Masonic past to share, although talking about himself does not come naturally. The co-hosts mention bringing Jim back another time, and with some show prep, they could pose the questions that would elicit his story better.

This podcast is carried on the usual platforms. The show runs almost ninety minutes, so choose a double corona from your humidor, keep the decanter and ice near, and enjoy a pleasant chat on the Level.

     

‘Maybe Freemasons aren’t devil worshipping lesbians’

   

Richard Brookhiser is an author and historian I have followed since his days long ago at National Review. And literally following today—on Twitter. Saturday, Freemasonry came up in conversation among some of his acquaintances, and you can appreciate how that word stands out, so I couldn’t help but notice. And then I saw strange comments.

Anyway, the tweeting about Freemasonry mentioned the appearance last Thursday of author John Dickie on The Rest Is History, a podcast I’m very pleased to have found. Dickie wrote the popular The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World. (I haven’t read it yet.)

It’s a fun interview. If you’ve been around a long time, you might not find it particularly informative, but I think it’s a fair discussion—with some humor too. (Ergo the title of this edition of The Magpie Mason. And catch the mentions of cricket.) Actually, I learned something about the Cathars.

     

‘Craftsmen Online Super Fans unite!’

    

Starting today, Craftsmen Online, the clearinghouse of Masonic education and news launched during the pandemic to keep Light shining, offers content reserved for those who wisely pay the inordinately modest subscription fee. I signed up yesterday (I’m a sucker for exclusivity).

You know the podcast, with its 3,000 episode downloads per month; and you’ve read the blog; and you receive the newsletter; and maybe you’ve attended the Reading Room; and perhaps you’ve benefitted from the ritual education and the historical research (I think that’s everything!), so now we happy few who pony up five bucks a month can partake of:

• subscriber-exclusive podcast episodes with select guest stars
• access to exclusive Zoom meetings with special guests
• podcast episodes without ads
• early access to the episodes

Excerpted from the publicity:

From the beginning of Craftsmen Online, RW Steven Adam Rubin and I have been dedicated to producing quality products. We see this as more than a project to provide a place for Brothers to connect during the pandemic, but as a long-term resource to unite Masons across the internet who seek more Light in Freemasonry.

After three seasons, with our early episodes being broadcast to an audience, thanks to your generous support, we have grown our reach to all jurisdictions in the United States and beyond! Now it is time to offer you, our listener, an opportunity to take your experience to the next level.

Today, we proudly announce the Craftsmen Online Podcast Super Fan subscription. Podcast enthusiasts will be able to listen to our episodes early and ad-free, with special subscriber-only episodes with select guests who go deeper and continue their discussions—and we will offer you the opportunity to interact with these select guests virtually during VIP Zoom webinars.

Bro. Michael Arce

Co-Founder and Podcast Host

The inaugural podcast with paid subscription features Ohio’s Bro. Jason Short, who speaks on “An Exploration of Words and Widows,” in which he delves into Biblical content borrowed for the EA°. There also is a PDF we may download for further tutelage.

The Craftsmen Online Podcast Super Fan subscription comes via Patreon, which marks its tenth anniversary this month. It really is that simple. While Craftsmen Online is created by New York Masons, its content befits all the brethren wheresoever dispersed about the face of the earth. That’s you! Click here to sign up. If you are yet unfamiliar with this top rated podcast and the other attractions of Craftsmen Online, click here to inspect the warrant, as it were.

     

‘UGLE debuts Craftcast’

    

Magpie coverage of the weekend’s “Scottish Freemasons in America” conference in Virginia is coming soon, but in the meantime, here’s news from the English.

The United Grand Lodge of England announced the debut today of Craftcast: The Freemasons Podcast. Hosts Shaun Butler, James Dalton, and Stephen Whatley discuss “all things Freemasonry” and will welcome guests from throughout the UGLE.

Click here.

UPDATE:

     

‘Lodge culture discussion’

     

I have been remiss in keeping pace with the Meet, Act and Part podcast, having missed the previous eight or so episodes (When did they get the English guy to voice the intro and outro?), but I couldn’t skip yesterday’s episode.

Titled “Lodge Culture,” Episode 30 brought to the microphone Bro. Michael Arce, a warden in Mount Vernon Lodge 3 in Albany. Okay, I admit that’s why I listened. I’m a bit of a chauvinist regarding New York Freemasonry, and am interested in hearing from the brethren here.

As an aside, Mount Vernon 3 dates to February 21, 1765, so happy anniversary, brethren! It is the eldest lodge outside New York City.

Anyway, co-hosts Bill Hosler, Greg Knott, and Darin Lahners welcomed Arce for the nearly hour-long chat on the numerous and varied dynamics that comprise lodge culture. Of course we’re all familiar with the common tales of faltering lodges, but there can be remedies in certain—not all—situations. Maybe there’s an individual with Tom Brady-like star power who can inspire and lead, or perhaps a committed core group could execute a deliberate, longterm reform. The point is whatever it takes will depend on people and the relationships among them.

Listen to the four knowledgeable and experienced Freemasons here.

     

‘The post-COVID Masonic fraternity?’

     
Here is your due and timely notice:

The next episode of The Masonic Roundtable podcast will be a special one. Don’t look for it on the usual Thursday night, because instead it will air on Monday. This will be the brethren’s 300th episode, and I advertise it here because they will discuss “What Does a Post-COVID Fraternity Look Like?”

That’s Monday—Memorial Day—at 9:30 p.m.

I’m finally doing a better job of keeping current with the many podcasts that serve Masonic audiences, and I find few that remain consistently excellent in the long term. This is one of them. Discussion topics often are surprising; the thoughtful opinions are on the level; and there is great chemistry among the hosts.
     

‘Meet Act and Part podcast is on’

     

Masonic Education is the topic of the first podcast of Meet Act and Part. I do a terrible job of keeping current with the podcasts concerning Freemasonry, but this looks like another great one. Our hosts are Bill Hosler, Greg Knott, and Darin Lahners. They divulge their Masonic credentials on air, so I won’t transcribe them here. The discussion concerns their respective efforts in education.

This was published on Podomatic Thursday. It runs 30 minutes, so check it out. Click here.
     

‘Live from Masonic Week?’

     

This week’s X-Oriente podcast just concluded (will be posted soon), and the brethren were thinking out loud about possibly going live from Masonic Week in 2019, or maybe even giving it a go next February. It’s not even an embryonic idea yet, but Eric and Jason are interested in exploring the feasibility of hosting their show from the hotel.

The questions they ask now are: Would you attend in person and perhaps take part or observe; or would you watch on line from afar?

Or “if you think this is a horrible idea,” they want to hear from you also. Topic suggestions are welcome too.

Eric launched X-Oriente more than a decade ago to continue the magic of Masonic Week (then called AMD Weekend) conversations year round. Masonic Week consists of the annual meetings of a bevy of obscure Masonic fraternities, which can be pretty dull but, outside and between these meetings, Masons from all over meet in hospitality suites and other nooks to discuss the meaning of Masonry. Friendships are cemented, and it is not unusual for the brother you’ve just met to wind up guest lecturing at your lodge later in the year. (Some of these guys have been dining out on the same lectures for ten years! Hmmph.)

But check in with X-Oriente to make your opinions heard. Click here.
     

‘The buzz about The Beehive Club’

     
There is a Freemason named Burx, who recently relocated to Idaho from Virginia, bringing with him an idea for Craft Lodge education he calls The Beehive Club. On May 16, he discussed this practice on The Masonic Roundtable.

He describes it as a study group he had introduced at Herndon Lodge 264 in Virginia where the brethren would devote two hours per month to various topics. No membership dues, no meeting minutes, no fuss, no muss—just discussion to profit everyone in attendance. But no sideliners either. Eventually, all who attend participate in the talks to contribute to the common stock of knowledge. On occasion there even is room for Apprentices and Fellows to keep them engaged and on the path.

Click here to listen. The chat gets moving at the 15-minute mark.
     

‘Masonic Knowledge next March’

     
The Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge has announced the program for its March 19, 2016 session at Elizabethtown. From the publicity:

Registration is required. Please see the Grand Lodge website for registration information.

The Masonic Roundtable

A weekly Hangout of Masons

from across the country.

Tuesdays at 10/9C.

The Masonic Roundtable is a weekly panel of Masons from around the United States who discuss the latest and greatest in Masonic news, events, scholarship, and happenings.

Jon T. Ruark
Bro. Jon Ruark is a Past Master of The Patriot Lodge No. 1957 in Fairfax, Virginia. His love of technology and gadgets led him to start The Masonic Roundtable as a Hangout on Air. His Masonic interests lean toward the esoteric and philosophical aspect. He lives in Virginia with his wife, three children, a dog named Copernicus, and two cats; Tesla and Edison.

Jason Richards
Bro. Jason Richards is an officer in Acacia Lodge No. 16 in Clifton, VA, where he was raised in 2012. A historian by trade, his favorite Masonic topics include the history of American Freemasonry, the socio-cultural impact of Freemasonry, and the evolution of Freemasonry since the early 1900s. He is the writer of the Masonic blog The 2-Foot Ruler: Masonry in Plain Language. He lives in Virginia with his wife, cats, and ever-expanding collection of bow ties.

Juan Sepúlveda
Bro. Juan ‘One’ Sepúlveda is a member of Eola Lodge No. 207 F. &AM in Orlando, Florida. He is a professional artist and shortly after becoming a Freemason, he decided to develop a collection of Masonic Art and Custom Masonic Aprons. It was a natural progression to his creative work, since he is passionate for history, Masonic education and allegorical teachings. Today, Juan’s artwork is part of private and corporate collections in the United States, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Australia. Juan Sepúlveda is the host of The Winding Stairs Freemasonry Podcast and is a public speaker who specializes in the topics of Art, Freemasonry, and the art of self-improvement.

Nick Johnson
Bro. Nick Johnson is best known as the lead blogger at the Millennial Freemason blog. A lover of codes, symbols, esoteric craziness, and “secret” stuff, he became interested in Freemasonry and its symbols as a young man. With the help of his grandfather, Bro. Nick joined Corinthian Lodge No. 67 in Farmington, Minnesota in the spring of 2006 and served as Master in 2010. He is also a Past High Priest of Corinthian Chapter No. 33, RAM; Deputy Master of Northfield Council No. 12, R&SM; and Generalissimo of Faribault Commandery No. 8. He’s also involved in AMD, Knight Masons, and the Sovereign College. He lives in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area with his wife and kids, and some cats.

Robert Johnson
Bro. Robert Johnson is a Freemason in the First North-East District of Illinois, and is the Senior Warden of Waukegan Lodge No. 78. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies Royal Arch, Cryptic Council, Knights Templar, AMD and the Scottish Rite (32º). Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts Whence Came You?, a weekly podcast (internet radio program) which focuses on Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on the fraternity, and will write original Masonic papers from time to time. He is the managing editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog as well. He is a husband and father of three. He works full time in the safety industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is also working on three books, all of which are Masonic in nature. Also, he does not have any cats.