‘Masonic Super Bowl pick’

  
Super Bowl XLVII will be one of those forgotten contests for its improbable match-up of the San Francisco 49ers versus the Baltimore Ravens. As The Magpie Mason, my heart tells me to bet on the Ravens, but everything else compels me to go with the 49ers. But we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are obliged by our tenures to look beyond temporal indicators, and to consider the symbolic, the allegorical, the unexpected.

Analysis

The San Francisco 49ers’ name derives of course from California history. The Gold Rush populated the California territory and turned it into an economic powerhouse that helped shape the destiny of our country as a whole. Bank of America is, I suppose, the most obvious financial legacy to have survived to this day.

Gold. In alchemy, gold is that state of material perfection the ancient scientists tried to make from base metal, like lead. One of the most precious and beautiful metals, gold is linked to the element Fire and its planetary complement is the sun, unsurprisingly. Even when melted or liquefied by fire, gold retains its luster and spellbinding color. It is incorruptible, immune to tarnishing and corrosion, and has been the basis for wealth throughout recorded human history.

It's game time!

As the sun is the giver of life, so too gold has its connotations to immortality. It is believed the golden sarcophagi of ancient Egypt were meant to ensure the immortality of the souls departed from those deceased, encased earthly bodies. In Judaism, gold is, among other things, the emblem of the purity and goodness we want our own characters and behaviors to reflect. The Ark of the Covenant is laid with gold inside and out to remind us that our inner selves should be the basis of all our external characteristics. To be truly “good as gold,” and not just putting up appearances. In the New Testament, gold is one of only three gifts brought to the newborn Christ.

In spiritual alchemy, gold is emblematic of that same state of perfection, but this time the transmutation is that of mortal man to a being at one with god. (Many thousands of words could be written about this one aspect of symbolism, but it’s almost game time.) The alchemical symbol for gold is a design instantly recognizable to any Apprentice Mason.

And what is forty-nine? It equals 7x7. Seven is a holy, magic number reminding us of seven days, seven planets, seven rungs of perfection, the seven petals of the rose, seven archangels, seven steps of the Buddha, and many other signs to look for.

7 = 4 + 3. Four symbolizes earth, with its cardinal points of the compass. Three symbolizes heaven, with various trinities denoting many of humanity’s religious archetypes. A full moral life can be explained with the number seven, as the four Cardinal Virtues (Fortitude, Temperance, Prudence, and Justice) are matched to the three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. Likewise the seven Liberal Arts and Sciences consist of its quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy) and trivium (grammar, rhetoric, and logic), making for a wholly rounded education.

So, with seven squared, you’re really looking at something!

Now the Ravens.

In recent centuries, the raven has been a symbol of death and bad omens, but in the larger picture of human culture, this bird has an overall favorability. In Genesis, Noah deploys a raven to find land, making the bird a symbol of clear-sightedness. Likewise to the ancient Greeks, the raven was sacred in the Apollo cult, and served as a messenger of the gods in addition. In myths from Ireland to Scandinavia to Africa, the raven played its part as symbol of creativity and other positive meanings.

The Baltimore football team chose its name in honor of Edgar Allan Poe, the poet who lived and worked much of his life in Baltimore. And died there. In fact, the 168th anniversary of the publication of “The Raven” was only a few days ago.

Again thousands more words could be spilled on this subject, but kick-off is moments away. Enjoy the game.
  

‘Mercedes employs Faust to slur Masons’

  
During the Holocaust, Daimler-Benz was one of the German manufacturers that exploited slave labor, so it knew something about cutting deals with the devil. Therefore it doesn’t faze me in the least to see today its descendant company Mercedes-Benz will borrow from the Faust story to sell its low-end sedans.

During the Super Bowl tonight, a spectacle as famous for its multi-million dollar advertisements as for the football game itself, several ads from the German luxury car-maker will run. One, titled “Soul,” features Willem Dafoe as the devil and the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” in the soundtrack; it shows a young man about to sign away his soul in exchange for the Merc he sees in the billboard being posted across the street. View it here.

Courtesy New York Daily News

Dafoe proffers a golden fountain pen to the impressionable guy. After a lengthy sequence of fantasy scenes, including an indelible image of Kate Upton, the Faust-like character accepts the pen, sets nib to parchment (which, incidentally, depicts something similar to the Chi Ro), only to spy the just posted price of this new Mercedes model on that billboard. Rating his soul at a value higher than the car’s sticker price, he declines the devil’s offer.

Devil Dafoe, attired in black, also sports two rings on his left hand, one of which bears a square and compasses-like sigil. It does not look to me precisely like the square and compasses. Its square is anything but square, and the compasses simply are not compasses, but clearly the design is meant to mimic the primary symbol of Freemasonry. There’s no mistaking it for any other symbol, emblem, logo, letter, word, or character.

“It is what it is,” as the kids today say.

So what can ya do?

The Magpie Mason and other blogs ask you to lend your name to a petition calling on the advertiser to change this ad. In all likelihood, this ad won’t be seen after the game, except maybe on the web for a while. I suppose there also is the chance that an abbreviated version of this commercial could run later this year when this model actually goes to market, but I’m sure shortening the spot would result in losing the shots of that ring. One can hope, anyway.

But the petition: change.org makes it available. Freemasons by nature are not activists, but objecting to such slurs is good exercise. Click here for the petition.

(By the way, my money is on the Ravens, but only because I’m a Magpie.)


MAGPIE EDIT: This spot just aired a second ago (10:23 p.m.), and I did not even see Dafoe’s rings. Perhaps Mercedes learned a lesson after the Masons killed the electricity in their stadium.
  

‘George Washington Masonic Stamp Club’

  
The 2013 annual meeting of the George Washington Masonic Stamp Club, with the conferral of the Master of Philately ceremony to make new members, will take place Sunday, February 24 at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia.

The agenda for the day:

Noon – An optional ($5) tour of the upper floors and tower will begin.

1:30 – Review of Covers/social hour in North Lodge Room.

2:00 – The annual meeting, with Master of Philately.

4:45 – Regroup at Joe Theismann’s Restaurant at the bottom of the hill.

5:30 – The 56th Anniversary Dinner (“no host,” with ladies and guests welcome).

Dinner Speaker: To Be Announced.

Those desiring to receive the Master of Philately should reserve in advance by contacting Secretary John R. Allen at gwmsc1956(at)gmail.com

Membership proposals are balloted upon at each meeting. Each requires a completed application, including payment of the $20 Life Membership fee, and evidence of current membership in a recognized Blue Lodge. For a Life Membership Application, see the Membership button on the club’s home page.
  

‘St. Patrick’s No. 4’

  
There are plenty of blogs out there devoted to Freemasonry, but it can be more fun reading blogs from outside the fraternity that occasionally focus on Masonry from their perspectives. It’s usually history.

The New York History blog, a collaborative effort of twenty writers catering to history professionals and other history lovers, published some research this afternoon on St. Patrick’s Lodge No. 4 in Johnstown, New York written by Ms. Wanda Burch, Vice President of Friends of Johnson Hall and former site manager of Johnson Hall State Historic Site.
  

‘A mystic tie?’

    
The Masonic Society’s club tie is available for sale!

Note the quills and the TMS emblem. The color looks great too. (No, it’s not the same as I.R.A.’s tie.)

Also available as bow tie. Click here for the TMS store to place your order.
     

‘Livingston Library lecture’

    
The Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library will host its next lecture February 25, when Bro. Patrick Craddock will present “Admit Him If Properly Clothed: The Evolution of the Masonic Apron in America, 1740 to the Present.”

Patrick, of course, is The Craftsman’s Apron.

This lecture is open to Master Masons, Fellows, and Apprentices from lodges under or in amity with the Grand Lodge of New York.

The library is located on the fourteenth floor of Masonic Hall, at 71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.

    

‘As Above, So Below’

    
On Saturday at 6 p.m., New York Open Center will host the opening reception of an art exhibit titled “As Above, So Below,” featuring works by four artists conveying their conceptual interpretations of geometry. This is related to a lecture series NYOC will present next month titled “Sacred, Symbolic, and Creative Geometry.”

From the publicity:

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW

Sharon Ligorner, Karl Lorenzen, Luisa Sartori and Kenneth W. Walker

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 26, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Exhibition Run: January 26 to February 23

Free and open to the public.

Join us on Saturday, January 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. for the group art opening reception of As Above, So Below. Each artist explores, through their artwork, the mathematical and geometric constants that are woven into the very fabric of all life with the recognition that this order provides an interface between the visible and the invisible world.

Strongly influenced by nature’s patterns and geometry, Sharon Ligorner allows the process of change; building up, burying, and scraping away, to inform her paintings.

Sharon Ligorner, Watersign #24, oil and silkscreen on glass, 1995, 8x14.

Karl Lorenzen’s body of work utilizes the Flower of Life motif to illustrate the vocabulary and alphabet of Sacred Geometry.

Luisa Sartori, Untitled 1, graphite and oil on prepared paper, 2010, 14x17.

Luisa Sartori’s collection of drawings and paintings reflect the artist’s fascination with the construction process of decorative patterns that ultimately opens the way for more complex patterns and forms to emerge.

Kenneth W. Walker’s paintings revolve around the nature of monumentality. Employing the triangular form, he creates visually oscillating structures that refer to domestic interiors, architecture and spirituality.

As Above, So Below is curated by Lola C. Shepard.


Click here for information and registration for the lecture series.

New York Open Center is located at 22 East 30th Street in Manhattan.
    

‘Your brother will rise again’

  
A lot of positive things are happening in New Jersey, among them the creation of a “new” lodge in the Camden area.

This edition of The Magpie Mason borrows its title from the Gospel of Saint John, Chapter 11, when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. There are different interpretations of these verses, one of which posits how Jesus in fact did not restore physical life to a four-day-old corpse, but instead brought to light a man living in darkness. Another suggests Jesus returned to community/brotherhood a man living in exile.

There has been a lodge in Camden, New Jersey named Lazarus Lodge 001 at labor under something called United National Masons. Full name: The United National Supreme Council, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Free Masons of the World, 33rd and Last Degree and Order of Eastern Stars, Inc., headquartered in North Carolina.

Currently located near our Valley of Southern New Jersey in West Collingswood, Lazarus Lodge, through certain personal contacts, expressed an interest in affiliating with the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. Last December 17 came the dispensation needed to create Lazarus Lodge under the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, with our Deputy Grand Master and Grand Wardens serving as the Master and Wardens of this lodge, which will meet in Haddonfield, where our Rising Sun Lodge meets. On Saturday, February 2, Grand Lodge will convene a one-day class to initiate, pass, and raise the men from Lazarus, “healing” them (although that is not a term we use), and preparing them to begin new Masonic lives as New Jersey Masons. This will take place at USS New Jersey Lodge No. 62 in Cherry Hill.

Throughout 2013, the brethren of Rising Sun Lodge will teach the Lazarus Masons the rituals, jurisprudence, etiquette, etc. of their adopted grand jurisdiction. At a certain point, Lazarus will take up permanent residence inside the Camden Performing Arts Center, and New Jersey Freemasonry will have a lodge inside Camden for the first time, probably, in decades. Its warrant will be issued when Grand Lodge meets in April.

Cheerful best wishes and congratulations to all involved.
    

‘Sunday Morning on CBS’

     

Courtesy Mo Rocca/Twitter

Word comes from Bro. Piers of the taping today of a segment on the George Washington Inaugural Bible that will be broadcast Sunday, January 20 on CBS between 9 and 10 a.m.

The program, aptly titled Sunday Morning, sent correspondent Mo Rocca and a crew to Masonic Hall, where the priceless historical artifact was displayed on the altar of the Grand Lodge Room.

The bible is owned by St. John’s Lodge No. 1, several of whose brethren were on hand to explain this singular VSL’s amazing history, like Worshipful Master Piers and Bro. Conor Moran.

Click here for a little more info on this bible.


Magpie edit: Click here to see the broadcast.

     

‘Pennsylvania Academy’

  

I would love to attend – it’s been three or four years since I last visited the Academy – but New Jersey Council of Deliberation will meet that very day, and I am obligated to be there. You should go though. Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge will be brought to order Saturday, March 16 at Elizabethtown.

Click on the agenda to enlarge it. Looks like a great line-up. Enjoy!

  

‘The Quarry Project’

    
For months throughout the Masonic world there was whispering of the initials T.Q.P. among the knowing and the curious alike.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know, but I want in!”

Then the Dummies blog broke the news last week and directed much traffic to the website of The Quarry Project, and as of today, registration for attending this groundbreaking conference and for the recommended hotel accommodations are accessible on our webpage. Click here to check out this singular occurrence scheduled for September 27 to 29.

The Quarry Project is a joint effort by The Masonic Society, the Masonic Library and Museum Association, and, our host, the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia, and will be three days of valuable instruction in all facets of research, education, writing, publishing, curating, organizing, archiving, displaying, and other ing’s that most of the Masonic world takes for granted, but that cultured Masons – like readers of The Magpie Mason – recognize as essential to preserving and sharing our heritage.

There’s no sense in copying information from the webpage, so to see the agenda, click here. For registration, click here.

This conference is not just for us eggheads, but is intended to educate everyone who wants to be productively engaged in the transmission of Freemasonry’s archives and material culture to future generations. Yes it’s true that Masons make Masons, but in addition to what can be imparted only by the grip and by mouth-to-ear instruction is a vast wealth of accumulated knowledge and wisdom, and amassed artifacts, records, and ephemera – and somebody has to keep it together!
    

‘ALR: January 30’

     

The American Lodge of Research will meet Wednesday, January 30, a Special Meeting for our October meeting that was canceled by Hurricane Sandy – so expect a blizzard on the 30th. That is at Masonic Hall: 71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.
  

‘Artist Ari exhibit’

    
Bro. Ari Roussimoff will have his recent paintings exhibited in Masonic Hall, the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of New York in Manhattan, in March.

The exhibit, “A Traveling Artist: Russian Soul, American Magic and the Light of Freemasonry,” will be held March 12-19 inside the French Doric Room on the tenth floor, and will be open to the public from 2 to 8 p.m. The opening of the exhibit will be Tuesday the 12th at 6 p.m. Other of Roussimoff’s works can be seen inside the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library, on the 14th floor of Masonic Hall. Click here to see those paintings when the artist brought them to the Big Night at the Little Inn a little more than four years ago.

Masonic Hall is located at 71 West 23^rd Street in Manhattan.

Hiram's Apron by Ari Roussimoff.

See symbols but do not expect allegory in Ari’s images. He is a builder of bold colors and vivid likenesses that cannot be misunderstood. His paintings do tell stories, but I think it’s safe to say the stories are not open to interpretation, and are narratives Ari shares with his audience.

Definitely make a point of seeing them for yourself.
    

‘MRF this August’

     
W. Bro. Paul C. Smith in New Hampshire shares the following news about the Masonic Restoration Foundation’s 2013 conference. Check out this line-up of speakers!

MAGPIE EDIT: Click here for more information and to register.

My Brothers, I had made it a point to release some of the details of our upcoming MRF Fourth Annual Symposium, which will be held August 16-18 in Manchester, New Hampshire. While we are working on a website and graphic layouts and the like, I wanted to keep my word and share with you our session breakouts and presenters, as well as our keynote speaker. So without further ado, please allow me to share!

“The Middle Chamber: The State of Observant Masonry Today”

W. Bro. Andrew Hammer 

“The Magic of Masonry: Pathways to Apotheosis”

W. Bro. Kirk White 

“Visionary Leadership: How to Achieve your T.O. Goals”

W. Bro. Robert Herd 

“Admit Him If Properly Clothed: The Evolution of the Masonic Apron in America”

W. Bro. Patrick Craddock 

“Recapturing the Educational Legacy of Traditional Observance”

VW. Bro. Piers A. Vaughan 

“A Survey of the Creation, Rise, Progress and Future of the Masonic Restoration Foundation”

W. Bro. Mark Tabbert 

“The Potential for Advancement of Masonic Knowledge in the Age of New Media”

Bro. Kyle Ferguson 

“Remove Not the Ancient Landmarks: A Classical and Traditional Vision for Lodge Observance”

W. Bro. Shawn Eyer 

And our Keynote Speaker: RW Bro. Thomas Jackson, Past Grand Secretary of Pennsylvania, etc.

This is not all that’s in store for you in Manchester, but I hope it has sparked your interest!

S&F,

Paul
     

‘Mohamadmania’

     
W. Mohamad Yatim is on the road again. He has five dates so far on his winter speaking tour of the central New Jersey area.

Monday, January 14 at Theodore Roosevelt Lodge No. 219 (82 Elm St. in Carteret), speaking on “The Chamber of Reflection.” (Open to Apprentices and Fellows.)


Monday, January 21 at USS New Jersey Lodge No. 62 (1201 Berlin Rd. in Cherry Hill), speaking on “The Myths Behind Who Killed Hiram Abiff.” (Master Masons only.)


Friday, February 1 at Hightstown-Apollo Lodge No. 41 (535 North Main St. in Hightstown), speaking on “Masonic Membership Promotion and Retention.” (Open to Apprentices and Fellows.)


Monday, February 25 at Cincinnati Lodge No. 3 (39 Maple Ave. in Morristown), speaking on “Freemasonry and the Mystic Schools of the East.” (Master Masons only.)




Tuesday, March 5 at Loyalty Lodge No. 33 (1912 Morris Ave. in Union), speaking on “The Myths Behind Who Killed Hiram Abiff.” (Master Masons only.)
     

‘Q.U.E.S.T. 33’

  

Those guys in Queens are at it again. They keep saying Freemasonry is an educational institution! Oh wait, that’s New York. They do that there.

QUEST XXXIII will take place March 9. That is the 33rd annual event hosted by Queens United Education Seminar Today. I think this is the year I’ll make an effort to attend. Been saying that for several years, but I really would like to be there this time. Read those fliers below. The mentions of “The Power and Passion of Freemasonry” undoubtedly are references to the book of that name by the late Bro. George Peter, a really valuable read. (Look for my book review in The Journal of the Masonic Society shortly.)

     

‘Tom Jackson to speak in Union’

  

Magpie file photo

Bro. Tom Jackson—the irrepressible, outspoken, dauntless idol of American youth—will be the very special guest speaker next Tuesday at the Stated Meeting of Northern New Jersey Council Princes of Jerusalem.

You know the brother. I don’t even want to attempt to identify him by listing his countless credentials, except I’ll offer the most obvious: Past Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Executive Secretary of the World Conference of Masonic Grand Lodges, and Founding Fellow of The Masonic Society.

The Council meeting will open at 7:30. Open to 16° Masons only please.

The Council meets at Loyalty Lodge No. 33 at 1912 Morris Avenue in Union, New Jersey. Visitors should their AASR identification. Regalia isn’t necessary, but feel free!

  

‘Book of Ezekiel’

    
This just in:

Bro. Ezekiel Bey will be the guest speaker at Mariners Lodge No. 67 next Wednesday when the lodge holds its January Stated Communication and Festive Board at Masonic Hall in New York City.

Bro. Bey will speak on the subject shared in his new book The Hour Glass: African-American Freemasonry in the State of New York, 1812-2012. Last year indeed was the bicentenary of Prince Hall Masonry in New York, but notice that title doesn’t say Prince Hall, so I suppose author Bey records Masonic doings within and without the apartments of the PHA temple.

Reservations are a must. Click here to book your seat, and I hope to see you there. (Regular Masons under or recognized by the Grand Lodge of New York only please.)
    

‘Coming to DeWint House’

    

This reproduction of The Unfortunate
Death of Major Andre hangs
in the museum of DeWint House.

The George Washington Masonic Historic Site at Tappan Committee has announced its plans to celebrate the birthday of Bro. George Washington next month. This of course concerns DeWint House, the historic property in Tappan, New York owned and operated as a historic site and museum by the Grand Lodge of New York.

On Sunday, February 17, the committee will host a luncheon just around the corner at The ’76 House. The food there is excellent, and the cost per person is only $25. That will begin at 11:30 a.m. Only fifty (50) seats have been set aside, so make your reservations now. Leave me a note (not for publication) in the comments section, and I’ll reply with the contact info. Then, at 2 p.m., a performance will be staged in the Carriage House at the DeWint House grounds.

From the publicity:

Rendezvous with Treason: The Andre-Arnold Conspiracy

Mr. Gary Petagine as Major General Benedict Arnold, and Mr. Sean Grady as Major John André present an interpretative performance of the infamous conspiracy between these two men. A major part of this story took place in Rockland County, ending in Tappan with the trial and finally the execution of André. Worshipful Brother and General George Washington used the DeWint House as his headquarters during the court martial proceedings, including the signing of the major’s death warrant. Mr. Petagine and Mr. Grady are Master Teachers for the Living History Education Foundation.

Totally unrelated, but in other Washington New York news, click here for an interesting announcement concerning many artifacts from the Revolution.
    

‘The new AQC is here!’

     

Courtesy Aspen Film Society

Like practically everything in the world of Masonic research publishing, you never know exactly when to expect it, but evidently the new edition of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum is hitting mailboxes in the United States now.

AQC is the annual book of transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 in London, the first Masonic lodge of research ever chartered, having received its warrant from the United Grand Lodge of England in 1884. What we have now is Volume 124, representing the lodge’s output for the year 2011. Receipt of this book each year is the principal benefit of membership in the Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle—the corporate side of the lodge’s endeavors—which unites Masons from all over the globe in the joy of advancing in Masonic knowledge.

To join QCCC, click here. (Membership in QC2076 itself is exclusive, but QCCC members who are regular/recognized Masons may attend the meetings of the lodge.)

Contents of this edition include:

• “The Little Man,” a Masonic biography of Bro. T.N. Cranstoun-Day, with a look at early Freemasonry in South Africa – the inaugural paper by the Worshipful Master, Bro. Thomas V. Webb.
• “Early 17th Century Ritual: Ben Jonson and His Circle” by Bro. John Acaster. (I turned to this one first, having met John a few times over the years.)
• “Thomas Dunckerley: A True Son of Adam” by Susan Mitchell Sommers. I assume it is part of, or at least sidebar to, her eye-opening new book titled Thomas Dunckerley and English Freemasonry, a most welcome fresh look at the highly influential figure in early Masonry. Look for my book review in The Journal of the Masonic Society soon.
• “Opposition to Freemasonry in 18th Century France and the Lettre et Consultation of 1748” by Michael Taylor.

And there is a lot more. Check it out. Support your local research lodge. Bring informed lecturers to your lodges. Show your brethren that there is more to Freemasonry than feting the VIPs and showing the Stewards when to ground their rods. There is culture. There is history. There are things tangible and intangible that are worth handing down to future generations.
    

‘Symbol in the window’

  
Apropos of nothing, and caught only by happenstance, I share a quick look at a storefront display window on Bleecker near Sixth Avenue.

Native Leather has been selling quality leather goods for forty years. Jackets, luggage and other bags, hats, belts – lots of belts – guitar straps, wallets, and all kinds of other goods of quality hides and skilled craftsmanship are available here. About twenty years ago, I once almost ventured to buy a jacket here, but luckily realized I wasn’t cool enough to wear it. Anyway, you know how Masonic symbols leap out and grab your eye when you least expect it? I’m walking past in the dark of night while the shop is closed and gated shut, and my head is turned to face a Masonic Knights Templar sword in the window.

The display window actually is decorated with a number of swords to create some kind of theme. I don’t know what that might be, but there were other swords standing and leaning here and there. The kind of swords you see hawked on television at three in the morning. “440 stainless!” Faux medieval, samurai, et al. But anyway, front and center, there is the KT Sir Knight sword.

I approached this window to see what else it had going for it, and I see a collection of pocket knives.

That blue one in the center has the Square and Compasses on it. I couldn’t get a clear photo because it was too dark.

If you have a minute, click here and read about some other Masonic paraphernalia I spotted in a shop window around the corner on another day.
  

‘BOTA study group’

    
Among the many avenues for the study of Western Esoteric Traditions there is one named Builders of the Adytum that marries a peculiar form of Kabbalah study to the symbols found on a particular deck of tarot cards. I’ve had a nagging interest in BOTA since the days of the Knights of the North, but never have gotten around to it. A New York City study group has been doing its thing at Masonic Hall, one Saturday morning a month, for a long time, but again, it’s not easy for me to be in Manhattan on Saturday mornings. And I do have my reservations about it.

BOTA calls Kabbalah the “Holy Qabalah,” which to me raises a question, and they call their tarot deck the “Sacred Tarot.” This simply may be a device to justify BOTA’s incorporation as a non-profit, tax-exempt, etc. religious organization, or it may be something contextual that would prohibit me from taking it seriously. I’m not suspicious of anything, y’understand, but this is the kind of thing I notice. Anyway, I thought it was time to mention them on The Magpie. Maybe this will motivate me to attend.

The group will meet this Saturday, the 22nd, at 10 a.m. in the Chapter Room on the 12th floor of Masonic Hall at 71 West 23rd Street. I don’t know if they timed this for the solstice, but the card to be examined that morning is The Sun.

That particular deck of tarot cards of BOTA’s was first published by Paul Foster Case, a Freemason who founded this group early in the last century. He is the one credited with matching the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet to the 22 major trump cards of tarot. I do not recommend venturing into Manhattan on the last Saturday before Christmas, but maybe I’ll see you there.

From BOTA’s website:

Builders of the Adytum is a religious organization dedicated to spiritual attunement through study, practice and worship in the Tradition of the Western Mysteries. Spiritual aspirants participate through the B.O.T.A. lesson instructions. Wherever they may be geographically, they actively participate in mystical-esoteric meditations that unify them into a powerful metaphysical body of enlightened worship. There is no charge for any instructions or other benefits B.O.T.A. offers its dues paying members. The Order’s material needs are met by membership dues and donations.

Adytum is the Greek word for ‘Inner Shrine’ or Holy of Holies. Like Jesus, who many believe was trained in Qabalah, members of the Order aspire to build the Inner Temple, to construct the Holy of Holies within. Form and awareness evolve simultaneously. Consequently, as evolution unfolds, all men and women will ultimately be possessed of higher levels of consciousness. Almost incomprehensible periods of time elapse before such changes occur. Yet acceleration is possible. Humanity is endowed with mental and physical faculties which can be trained to speed up the evolutionary process. This cultural forcing process has been the work of the Mystery Schools for many centuries. Higher Consciousness, Illumination, can be attained by learning theory and testing it in the rigors of daily life.

These instructions and practical secrets constitute what is known as Ageless Wisdom. It is called ‘Ageless’ because it is not susceptible to the mutations of time. Ageless Wisdom is not primarily a product of man’s thinking. It is “written by God upon the face of nature,” and is always there for men and women of all epochs to read. Builders of the Adytum is an authentic Mystery School in the Western Tradition. Its teachings are based on the Holy Qabalah and the Sacred Tarot, and have been handed down from one group of initiates to another since ancient times. However, B.O.T.A. does not claim value on the grounds of being old, but because its instructions have met the tests of centuries of practical application. People of all faiths are welcome to study the teachings of this Order. B.O.T.A. recognizes Qabalah as the root of Judaism and Christianity. The Order’s ultimate purpose is to hasten the true Brotherhood of mankind and to make manifest the truth that love is the only real power in the universe.

Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.) is a religious non-profit, tax-exempt, California Corporation.
   

‘The Council degrees at NYC’

  

Click on the image to view it completely.

I haven’t heard Piers speak on the degrees of the Council Princes of Jerusalem, so it’s about time I did. You too. Make your reservations with Secretary John.

(Thanks to Bro. Michael for the heads up.)
  

‘Personal best’

    

Alas, Magpie tobacco is no more.

Undoubtedly the hot topic of conversation in New Jersey Masonic circles this month is this newfangled pipe club that all the kids are talking about. The Craftsmen’s Calumet Club hasn’t even met for the first time yet, and already there’s so much buzz everyone thinks their cell phones are on the fritz.

Saturday was the occasion of the 2012 Northeast Regional Pipe Smoking Contest at Peekskill, New York. There was a lot more to the day than the contest, which actually didn’t begin until after a hearty repast and hours of mingling, buying, selling, trading – oh yeah, and smoking. This took place inside the factory where Kaywoodie pipes are manufactured. I suppose Kaywoodie is to pipes what Ford is to automobiles: They’re not necessarily the most exotic or expensive on the market, but they have stood the test of time by setting the standards other manufacturers emulate, while maintaining quality and affordability for the consumer. Among my own modest pipe collection, there is one Kaywoodie I bought about a decade ago; it has been a favorite since day one, and has been smoked more often than some of the others ever will be.

The Craftsmen’s Calumet Club was entered in the contest with a third of our membership present to take part. I am that third. If you’re not familiar with pipe smoking contests, the goal is not to smoke as many pipes as possible, but to smoke a single pipe under various restrictions for the longest duration. In American contests you typically see winners clocking in at an hour and change. Saturday’s winner, named Bill Mason, kept his tobacco burning for 65 minutes and some odd seconds. (In European contests, there are guys who keep their pipes lit for more than three hours. This is due to intense concentration and technique on the part of the serious competitors, which frankly you don’t see in the United States because Americans are too drawn to chatting and having fun, which makes more sense to me.)

Not only was this my first attempt in a pipe smoking contests, but it also was my very first attempt at smoking for longevity. Smoking is purely for pleasure, so struggling to stay lit on a single match simply is not a factor when I set gentle flame to fragrant leaf. In a rigidly timed format, the contestants are given identical briar pipes, identical samples of a tobacco, identical tampers, and two identical wooden matches. The competitors are given five minutes to prepare their tobacco for smoking, and to pack their bowls. Then two minutes are allotted for lighting up; with the two matches, each smoker first lights for charring, and then uses the second match to actually light his pipe for smoking. Once lit, you have to keep it lit.

The pipe was a Kaywoodie straight panel with sandblast finish. The tobacco was exactly one bowl of Chief Catoonah Tobacconists’ Princes Street Mixture, which happens to be the winner of the 2012 John Cotton Throwdown in Chicago. The tampers were four-inch sections of half-inch dowel – seriously no frills, and pointedly no tools. And the matches were just two regular wooden matches.

I had no idea how I’d perform, but I figured a best possible showing would last between five and eight minutes. Turns out I smoked for 33 minutes and 20 seconds, making for a tenth place finish among 54 contestants. I’m pretty happy with this personal best, which I probably never will equal or surpass. It was a lot of fun. I met some very nice people, which is pretty much the only kind of people one finds in pipe clubs and pipe events. Pipe smoking mellows you. There were prizes for all contestants, and since I ranked tenth I was able to choose one of the better offerings, which was a tin of McClelland Black Sea Sokhoum from 2008. I have been a fan of their Grand Orientals line for a number of years, and I look forward to trying this one.

Anyway, this is just a longwinded announcement to publicize the Craftsmen’s Calumet Club. All Freemasons are welcome to join, no matter how much experience one may have in pipe smoking. Check out our Faceypage. We’ll organize a first meet-up pretty soon.
    

‘Deveney at the Valley’

  
I had intended to forward this announcement to you last month, but my usual lack of organization always sabotages me, but then the event was postponed a week anyway. This lecture will take place Tuesday night. I’m committed to my own Valley’s business meeting, so I cannot be there, but you should get there...and bring a brother!

The Valley of New York City

Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry

Presents a Brother Bring a Brother Evening

With a Lecture by RW John Patrick Deveney, Author

Introduction by RW Thomas Savini, Executive Director

Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library

Tuesday, December 11 at 8 p.m.

Masonic Hall

71 W. 23rd Street, New York City

Lodge Room To Be Announced