‘Magpie on the Move: the Fall Calendar’

    
(All events are subject to change.)

Friday, September 11
Scott Chapter No. 4, Royal Arch Masons, North Brunswick, New Jersey
Past High Priest Night.

Saturday, September 12
Prestonian Gala Banquet at Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Prestonian Lecturer John Wade and two past Prestonian Lecturers to speak at Black Tie banquet to benefit 32° Masonic Learning Center for Children.

Sunday, September 13
Maryland Masonic Research Society, Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club – Coho Grill
Columbia, Maryland at noon.
Bro. John Wade to give the UGLE’s Prestonian Lecture for 2009.

Monday, September 14
Maimonides-Marshall Lodge No. 739 in New York City (10th floor at 23rd Street.)
Past Prestonian Lecturers Trevor Stewart and Gordon Davie to speak.

Tuesday, September 15
Loyalty Lodge No. 33 in Union, New Jersey
Bro. Mohamad Yatim to speak on “V.I.T.R.I.O.L. and the Chamber of Reflection.”

Tuesday, September 15
Fairless Hills Lodge No. 776 in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania
W. Bro. Ben Hoff, Master of NJ Lodge of Masonic Research and Education to speak.

Wednesday, September 16
St. John’s Lodge No. 1, Ancient York Masons, New York City
Bro. John Wade to give the UGLE’s Prestonian Lecture for 2009.

Monday, September 21
Nutley Lodge No. 25 in Nutley, New Jersey
RW Bill Thomas, Master of American Lodge of Research, to speak on “The Mystery of the Blue Slipper.”

Thursday, September 24
Peninsula Lodge No. 99, Bayonne, New Jersey
Entered Apprentice Degree and Festive Board using Ancients ritual c.1760.
(An exemplification of the First Degree, not a conferral.)

Thursday, October 1
Aurora Grata Lodge of Perfection, AASR, Rockville Centre, Long Island, NY
201st anniversary celebration: Feast of Tishri, with Sovereign Grand Commander.

Friday, October 9
Garibaldi Lodge No. 542, New York City (Grand Lodge Room at 23rd Street.)
The Entered Apprentice Degree of the French Rite, as worked in Italian by this unique lodge. Lodge opens at 8 p.m.

Sunday, October 11
Grand Master’s Day at Tappan, New York
MW Edward Gilbert to welcome the brethren to DeWint House, the historic site that was George Washington’s headquarters during the trial of Major John André. 2 p.m.

Wednesday, October 14
Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, New Jersey
Piers A. Vaughan, world renowned expert on the Rectified Scottish Rite, to speak on “Willermozism.”

Saturday, October 17
Re-dedication of J.J.J. Gourgas gravesite memorial
By the Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. Jersey City, New Jersey.

Monday, October 19
Union Lodge No. 19 in North Brunswick, New Jersey
Bro. Mohamad Yatim to speak on “V.I.T.R.I.O.L. and the Chamber of Reflection.”

Saturday, October 24
Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge
Masonic Cultural Center at Grand Lodge’s Elizabethtown campus, 9 a.m.
MW Glen A. Cook, Past Grand Master of Utah, to speak.

October 24-25
The Masonic Society’s inaugural Semi-Annual First Circle meeting
(With separate Board meeting) at Indiana Freemasons’ Hall in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Wednesday, October 28
Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, New Jersey
W. Bob Gilbert, Past Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, to speak on A.E. Waite’s mystical approach to Freemasonry.

Thursday, October 29
American Lodge of Research
French Ionic Room at GL of NY (71 W. 23rd St., NYC.) Opens at 7:30 p.m.
The Annual Meeting with election of officers, followed by W. Gilbert Ferrer’s presentation titled “The Anti Mason’s Toolbox: Abusing Logic to Attack the Craft.”

Monday, November 2
Nutley Lodge No. 25 in Nutley, New Jersey
Bro. Mohamad Yatim to speak on “V.I.T.R.I.O.L. and the Chamber of Reflection.”

November 4-8
Masonic Library and Museum Association’s annual meeting
To be hosted by the Henry Wilson Coil Library & Museum of Freemasonry in San Francisco, California.

Monday, November 9
Re-dedication of Daniel D. Tompkins gravesite
AASR-NMJ to assist United States Daughters of 1812 in restoration, and unveiling of the first Sovereign Grand Commander’s gravesite monument. 131 East 10th St., New York City.

Wednesday, November 11
Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, New Jersey
Thomas R. Hughes, Grand Master of the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New Jersey, to speak on Freemasonry’s historic importance to African-Americans.

Saturday, November 14
Scottish Rite Day, AASR-Northern Masonic Jurisdiction
31° and 32° to be conferred at Valley of Southern Jersey by ritualists from across New Jersey and Philadelphia.

Saturday, November 14
Nutley Lodge No. 25 in Nutley, New Jersey
Heather Calloway, Director of Special Programs, Supreme Council of the A&ASR-SJ, to speak on “Significant Masonic Buildings in the United States.”

Sunday, November 29
Fairless Hills Lodge No. 776 in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania
Annual Lodge Banquet with keynote speakers Thomas Jackson and S. Brent Morris.

Saturday, December 12
New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786
Meets at 100 Barrack St. in Trenton at 10 a.m. All Master Masons welcome.

‘A grave concern’

The committee charged with restoring the J.J.J. Gourgas gravesite memorial met today at the site to finalize the plans for the re-dedication ceremony to take place Saturday, October 17.

The progress achieved toward the re-dedication next month of the John James Joseph Gourgas gravesite memorial has been phenomenal. In less than a year, the final resting place of “the Conservator” of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite has been transformed from a forgotten, neglected thatch of weeds to its present state of restored dignity and quietude. And there is more work to come.

Gourgas died in 1865 in New York City, and because of a lack of burial space in the city, he was laid to rest in what now is called Bayview New York Bay Cemetary in Jersey City, New Jersey. The view from this gravesite at that time must have been very pleasing, as it faces New York Harbor and downtown Manhattan. In 1865 the spires of St. Paul’s Chapel and Trinity Church would have been the tallest visible structures; the Statue of Liberty was decades away from being assembled.

In 1938, the Supreme Council dedicated the current gravesite memorial. On October 17, 2009, after all the restoration has been completed, it will be re-dedicated. Supreme Council will open at Peninsula Lodge 99 in Bayonne that morning, and then we’ll take the short ride to the cemetery for the ceremony.

As above: The Gourgas gravesite memorial as it looks today.
So below: The site on August 5, 1938, when the memorial was dedicated.

Needless to say, The Magpie Mason will provide full coverage of the event, but in the meantime, all this restoration work must be underwritten. Pardon the brazen solicitation, but this is an expensive undertaking. If anyone cares to support this effort, please consider contributing a donation in any amount. Checks can be made payable to New Jersey Council of Deliberation, and mailed to:

Valley of Southern New Jersey
315 White Horse Pike
West Collingswood, NJ 08107
attn: David Herman

We welcome the financial assistance of not only individuals, but also lodges, grand lodges, Scottish Rite valleys, Councils of Deliberation, historical foundations and societies, and all like-minded conservators of American heritage and Masonic history.

A close-up of the memorial.

It is impossible to count all the Masonic headstones in this cemetary. Brethren from New York and New Jersey are interred here in great numbers, including past grand masters, Supreme Council active members, commanders-in-chief, and other dignitaries.

One of the more attractive headstones
sporting the Square and Compasses
(and the Odd Fellows links).

James W. McCarthy was Scottish Rite Deputy for New Jersey in the early 20th century. He was U.S. Attorney for New Jersey before becoming the U.S. District Court Judge for New Jersey. For many years, the Museum of Masonic Culture at the Valley of Northern New Jersey displayed a slightly larger-than-life bronze bust of this man, whose identity was lost to us until only a few years ago.

     

‘Appropriately in Rockland’

Another autumn event on the Magpie Mason’s schedule is Grand Master’s Day at Tappan. On Sunday, October 11, MW Edward Gilbert, Grand Master of New York, will welcome the brethren to DeWint House, the Revolutionary War historic site owned and operated by the Grand Lodge of New York. Appropriately for Masons, it is located in a county called Rockland.

Never been there, so I don’t know what to expect, but there will be a brunch at 11 a.m. at Old ’76 House, reputed to be the oldest tavern in New York – and that’s saying something! – having served the public since 1686. The festivities at DeWint House will begin at 2 p.m.

What the two historic sites share in common is the treason of Gen. Benedict Arnold. You know the story: the once admired Continental Army general betrayed the Revolution by attempting to help the British capture the West Point garrison. His contact was Major John André, who was captured, tried and executed for his espionage. DeWint House repeatedly served as a headquarters for George Washington, including during the trial and execution of André in 1780, while Old ’76 House was known as “André’s prison” because he was incarcerated there during his trial.

Left: Old ’76 House. Right: DeWint House. Both are located in historic Tappan, in Rockland County, New York, just a few minutes over the New Jersey border. Come October, the landscape should be beautiful, with the leaves turning and the air acquiring its autumnal chill.

DeWint House is the oldest surviving structure in Rockland County, and is renowned as an excellent showcase of Dutch Colonial architecture. It has been owned and operated by New York Freemasonry for more than 60 years. In 1966 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The adjacent Carriage House serves as the visitors center and offers many exhibits of George Washington and other historic interests.

An additional Masonic link is the 20° of the AASR, titled “Master ad Vitam.” The degree has been rewritten a number of times during the past two centuries. In 1896, a drama was added that told a fictional story of Frederick II of Prussia visiting a lodge in 1763. A story within the drama tells of a spy who gains entrance to the lodge with a patent that actually was a map of a fortress. The spy escapes, but a Gen. Wallraven was caught and sentenced to life in prison for his complicity in the espionage. His sentence is reduced to exile.

In the aftermath of World War I, when American sentiment toward people and things German was cold, and when Masonic lodges banned the German language from lodge activities, this degree was rewritten again, with a new setting and new historical characters, substituting Washington for Frederick the Great, and Arnold taking the place of Wallraven.

I wonder if the New York Scottish Rite brethren ever conferred this degree at DeWint House. Seems like a natural fit.

How it was done in ‘Antient’ times

   

Peninsula Lodge, No. 99 in Bayonne, New Jersey will exemplify an Entered Apprentice Degree in Antients ritual c. 1760 next month.

At its Regular Communication of September 24, Peninsula Lodge, No. 99 – the Magpie Mason’s mother lodge – will host a special event that mixes Masonic education with a great meal, plenty of toasts, and perhaps even more mirth than the lodge usually enjoys... and that’s saying something!

On that evening, W. Bro. Ben Hoff, Master of New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education, No. 1786 in Trenton, will visit the lodge to quarterback Peninsula’s officers through an exemplification of a ritual that otherwise exists only in rarely seen texts.

This very singular occurrence is an EA° compiled from primary 18th century sources, namely the ritual exposures known as Three Distinct Knocks, and Jachin and Boaz, as well as other texts. This is the ritual of the Antients, the branch of Freemasonry that solidified following the public debut of the Premier Grand Lodge of England in 1717. The Antients began as Irish Masons in London whose lodges welcomed working class men, soldiers, and merchants, in contrast to the nobility, middle and upper class, and academic elites found in the Grand Lodge’s lodges. (Freemasonry in the United States descends almost entirely from the Antients, who formed their own grand lodge in 1751 called Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of England, according to the Old Constitutions. In 1813, the two grand lodges merged, forming the United Grand Lodge of England.)

Anyway, about this ritual.

“Eighteenth century degrees took place in taverns or hotel function rooms rather than in the formally arranged and decorated lodge rooms we use today,” Ben explains. “All lodge arrangements were temporary and symbolic. Officers stood in their places, and decorations were either small and portable, or were temporary. While the ‘Moderns’ represented the lodge with floor cloths or elaborate floor drawings, the representations in ‘Antients’ lodges were almost entirely symbolic.”

“This symbolic lodge should be at least six feet tall and four feet wide to allow for the placement of the candidate and three tall candlesticks within the diagram, while officers stand around the outside,” Ben added. “Ideally, it should be positioned within the open area of the U-shape table typically used at table lodges. Notice the X-shape cross should be extended below the rectangle proper to create the three ‘steps.’ Leave enough room around the outside of the diagram for the officers to stand while still allowing the candidate and his conductor to move around the outside of the diagram for the circumambulation.

“The VSL should be on a small table or pedestal (a chair will do) in front the WM’s station, the square and compasses arranged as EA. Place three candles in tall holders in the East, West and South of the diagram. The East candle should be slightly to the north to allow the candidate to approach the pedestal/chair for the OB.

“The officers for this degree are the Master, Wardens, Deacons, Secretary (Treasurer is optional) and an Immediate Past Master, who would take the place of a Chaplain or Marshal. The officers should stand in their accustomed places OUTSIDE the diagram, except for the Secretary and Treasurer, who stand together in the North. The Wardens should carry their columns held vertical in their right hands. The Deacons would have their long rods, grounded unless otherwise in use.”

And the rest? You’ll just have to see it yourself. There is food and drink, call and response – a true multi-sensory experience worthy of the Middle Chamber Lecture’s instruction! – and even singing. (Or, more accurately, there is Bro. Matthew Birkhead’s Enter’d ’prentices Song. It remains to be seen if the brethren can sing.)

The Magpie Mason had the good fortune to witness this exemplification at Ben’s mother lodge – Highland Park, No. 240 – several years ago, and it was one of the greatest evenings I’ve enjoyed in 12 years in Masonry. At the end of the night, everyone present was glowing, and not only from the wine. Even if they didn’t intend it, they learned something very important about the history and culture of Freemasonry – the primary goal, of course, of this blog.

Brethren, seating will be at a premium that night. I expect a huge turn-out from the lodge and the surrounding district, so if you would like to attend, let me know by e-mailing me at ____ as soon as possible.
     

New AASR blog and French site

There’s a new blog in town... and it addresses a long overlooked facet of Masonic education. Ill. Cliff Jacobs of the Valley of New York City released this announcement today:

Illustrious & Distinguished Brothers, Sublime Princes, Brothers All: The New York State Council of Deliberation, under the leadership of the Deputy for the State of New York, Ill. Peter J. Samiec, 33°, is pleased to announce the launch of a new site devoted to Masonic research: the New York State Council of Deliberation Blog. Although created as a blog, the site is not a forum for debate. Instead it will serve as the repository for Masonic research papers. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following: Freemasonry including both the York and Scottish rites, Rosicrucianism, Templarism, Kabbalism and Western Mystery Traditions. In order to avoid issues of copyright infringement, authors of papers submitted must be able to assert their moral right to be identified as the sole author of the created work. Reference material used in the creation of the work should be properly cited. Authors retain all intellectual rights over their research papers and shall indemnify the New York State Council of Deliberation from any third party claims resulting from the publication of articles on the website. Please e-mail your papers to: Ill. Clifford Jacobs, 33° Valley of New York waznojake2001 (at) yahoo.com Please submit text in the Word format and graphics in the JPG format. The first paper: “A Historical Perspective of the 29th Degree,” by Mete Talimcioglu, MSA, Commander-in-Chief of the Valley of New York. You can access the site by clicking here. Please be sure to bookmark! – “The game’s afoot...” Respectfully & fraternally submitted, Ill. Clifford Jacobs, 33° Valley of New York

The Magpie Mason has learned of this only from Ill. Cliff’s announcement moments ago, but on the surface it seems the inspired work of the Rose Circle Research Foundation, on whose board Cliff serves, is crossing over to New York Masonry. A good thing. ▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲ Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Bro. Guy Chassagnard, a researcher-author from Le Delta Quercy-Rouergue Lodge No. 1173 in France, also announced today on Masonic Light that one of his Scottish Rite brethren has created a bilingual website to serve as a public repository of Masonic documents and books.

I wish to let all the members of the list know that a French Mason (Scottish Rite from 1st Degree) has just opened a website which is to be a public Masonic library of books and documents. It may be used in French and in English. You may find and get documents (pdf) from the site. You may freely subscribe and have your own books and documents offered to other viewers. No fee, no censorship. I think it is a very good project to support. Have a look to the first 50 documents which may be freely loaded and get them if you want. Brotherly, Guy

Merci Frère Guy!

‘The Magic Flute’

AMC Theatres is working with the Metropolitan Opera to bring marvels of the stage to the big screen, and on Wednesday, Mozart’s The Magic Flute will be shown nationwide at 7 p.m. in all time zones.

The always accommodating website of the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon says:

The first performance of The Magic Flute took place on September 30, 1791 at the Theater auf de Wieden. Mozart was now a member of the New Crown Freemason Lodge, and was suspect to the Austrian emperor, a prime mover and benefactor in Mozart’s compositional life. Knowing that the Masons are soon to be outlawed in Vienna, Mozart realizes that The Magic Flute is his last chance to ensure that his esoteric knowledge gained through Freemasonry reaches the rest of continental Europe. The Magic Flute must become the metaphorical journey into the Enlightenment questions and ideals that remain unanswered, yet can be through Freemasonry.

Some of the Masonic symbolism in this opera is not recognizable to most in the English-speaking Masonic world. What is at work here is the alchemical and esoteric language of Continental Masonry, and keep in mind this opera is a work of art, and not a ritual exposé. That said, there is plenty of dialog about harmony and Light. You will see pillars, deltas, squares, circles, vesica piscis... and an initiation into a brotherhood in a temple, repleat with “Follow me.”

The Met itself offers this synopsis:

Three ladies in the service of the Queen of the Night save the fainting Prince Tamino from a serpent (Introduction: “A serpent! A monster!”). When they leave to tell the queen, the bird catcher Papageno bounces in and boasts to Tamino that it was he who killed the creature (“I’m Papageno”). The ladies return to give Tamino a portrait of the queen’s daughter, Pamina, who they say is enslaved by the evil Sarastro, and they padlock Papageno’s mouth for lying. Tamino falls in love with Pamina’s face in the portrait (“This portrait’s beauty”). The queen, appearing in a burst of thunder, is grieving over the loss of her daughter; she charges Tamino with Pamina’s rescue (“My fate is grief”). The ladies give a magic flute to Tamino and silver bells to Papageno to ensure their safety, appointing three spirits to guide them (Quintet: “Hm! hm! hm! hm!”).

Sarastro’s slave Monostatos pursues Pamina (Duet: “You will not dare escape”) but is frightened away by the feather-covered Papageno, who tells Pamina that Tamino loves her and is on his way to save her. Led by the three spirits to the Temple of Sarastro, Tamino is advised by a high priest that it is the queen, not Sarastro, who is evil. Hearing that Pamina is safe, Tamino charms the animals with his flute, then rushes to follow the sound of Papageno’s pipes. Monostatos and his cohorts chase Papageno and Pamina but are left helpless by Papageno’s magic bells. Sarastro, entering in great ceremony (Chorus: “Long life to Sarastro”), promises Pamina eventual freedom and punishes Monostatos. Pamina is enchanted by a glimpse of Tamino, who is led into the temple with Papageno.

Sarastro tells his priests that Tamino will undergo initiation rites (“O Isis and Osiris”). Monostatos tries to kiss the sleeping Pamina (“Men were born to be great lovers”). He is discovered by the Queen of the Night, who dismisses him. She gives her daughter a dagger with which to murder Sarastro.

Sarastro confronts and then consoles the weeping Pamina (“Within our sacred temple”). Tamino and Papageno are told by a priest that they must remain silent and refrain from eating, a vow that Papageno immediately breaks when he takes a glass of water from a flirtatious old lady. The old lady vanishes when he asks her name. The three spirits appear to guide Tamino through the rest of his journey and to tell Papageno to be quiet. Tamino remains silent even when Pamina appears, which breaks her heart since she cannot understand his reticence (“Now my heart is filled with sadness”).

The priests inform Tamino that he has only two more trials to complete his initiation (Trio: “Why, beloved, must we part?”). Papageno longs for a cuddly wife but settles for the old lady. When he promises to be faithful she turns into a young Papagena but immediately disappears.

After many dangers, Pamina and Tamino are reunited and face the ordeals of water and fire protected by the magic flute.

Papageno is saved from attempted suicide by the spirits, who remind him that if he uses his magic bells he will find true happiness. When he does, Papagena appears and the two plan for the future and move into a bird’s nest (Duet: “Pa-pa-pa…”). The Queen of the Night, her three ladies, and Monostatos attack the temple but are defeated and banished. Sarastro joins Pamina and Tamino as the people hail Isis, Osiris, and the triumph of courage, virtue, and wisdom.

A list of theaters screening The Magic Flute is here.

This production of The Magic Flute is the same as that broadcast on public television in 2006, and subsequently released on DVD. (Photo courtesy of PBS.)

The ‘Tavern Age’ revived?

Okay, here’s one that even Lindez doesn’t know about!

While running errands yesterday, the daily unbearable bumper-to-bumper traffic (I am really starting to hate New Jersey) caused me to get off the highway and take the local streets. So I’m cruising along Main Street in East Orange, and just as I cross over the Orange border, my eyes are drawn to the unmistakable Square and Compasses adorning a local business’ front sign.

Hmmm.

It was kind of early in the day, so unfortunately the place was not open for business, but David, I propose a fact-finding mission! Let’s get some Alpha guys together and head over there one night after lodge.

An internet search yields very little, only a few comments from a guy named “We Repair Credit!!!” on one young lady’s My Space page, with these three photos:





A Haitian-American menu is advertised. (I wonder if saying “Make me a zombie!” to the bartender has regrettable consequences.)

Starting another great year!

I want to tell you about the progress enjoyed by The Masonic Society, the research and education foundation created last year to serve the Craft in North America.

Since introducing ourselves last May, membership in the Society has grown to nearly 850! Issue No. 5 of The Journal will arrive in our members’ mailboxes in the next two weeks, and our on-line discussion Forum is buzzing with 541 members discussing 2,496 topics. And we’re getting ready for our Semi-Annual Meeting, to take place Oct. 24 in Indianapolis.

For the Magpie Mason, it is especially great to see so many New Jersey Freemasons (46 at last count) joining the Society. Plans are in the works for a local gathering, consisting of a great meal and a thoughtful program to advance our Masonic knowledge. (Members will receive invitations soon.)

The Journal is a quarterly magazine containing Masonic information written by authors from all over the world. Speculative papers, news stories, fiction, poetry, great photography, insightful opinion and other editorial elements reviving the golden age of Masonic publishing.

Features in the new issue include:

The Two Confessions of John Whitney: an examination of the conflicting theories as to the fate of William Morgan by Stephen Dafoe.

Brother Bloom, The Most Influential Mason Who Never Lived by Kenneth W. Davis.

Debunking Reality: Solomon's Temple and the Power of Allegory by Randy Williams.

Multiple Dimensions of Silence in Freemasonry by Shawn Eyer.

The Orders of the Secret Monitor and the Scarlet Cord By Richard L. Gan.

International Conference on the History of Freemasonry 2009 by Christopher Hodapp.

Masonic Treasures: The Washingtons of Donald De Lue by Marc Conrad.

Plus news of current events, info on terrific Masonic events this fall, and other news from around the Masonic world. It is a top quality publication that, frankly, has inspired other national Masonic periodicals to rethink their own operations.

A subscription to this magazine is only one of the benefits of membership. Members are granted access to the Society’s on-line Forum, where hundreds of Masons from around the globe interact every day, helping each other advance in their Masonic knowledge.

And of course it wouldn’t be a Masonic organization without goodies like pins and membership cards, but the Society cranks up the quality of these items, producing elegant symbols of membership that are earning accolades. In addition, each member receives an 11x14 patent, personalized and highly stylized that you'll want professionally framed. It is a very impressive document, on parchment with a hand-stamped wax seal.

But the true benefit of membership in The Masonic Society is the learning experience. Whether it’s an eye-popping topic in the magazine, or just simple conversation in the forum, there is no end to what a Mason can learn from his brethren in this organization. It’s the best 39 bucks I’ve ever spent in Masonry.

Our President is MW Roger VanGorden, Past Grand Master of Indiana. Our Editor-in-Chief is W. Bro. Chris “Freemasons for Dummies” Hodapp. And our Directors, Officers and Founders include many leaders in Masonic education, including authors, publishers, curators, lecturers and more.

Brethren, there is a lot of confusion in the Temple over Freemasonry. ‘Dan Brown this,’ ‘Templar treasure that’ and all kinds of superstitions never should distract the brethren from Truth. The Masonic Society offers one way to uphold Truth with like-minded Masons from all over the world, and have some fun doing it. I hope you’ll check us out.

‘…and the moon governs the night’

Visitors to the Newman Catholic Community Center at Drexel University in Philadelphia are greeted by audacious symbolism. The fresco rendering of the iconic color photograph of earthrise taken from the lunar surface lends context to the most incomprehensible phrase in human vocabulary: ‘In the beginning, God...’ Superimposed upon it all is the Chi-Rho mounted on a cross. The Chi-Rho, one of the oldest symbols denoting Christianity, is a combination of the Greek letters chi (X) and rho (P), the first two letters in the Greek spelling of Christ, meaning ‘king.’

On the 40th anniversary of mankind’s arrival on the moon, thoughts inevitably turn to the significance of the moon in Masonic symbolism. There is much to consider.

“The adoption of the moon in the Masonic system as a symbol is analogous to, but could hardly be derived from, the employment of the same symbol in the ancient religions,” says the 1924 edition of Mackey’s An Encyclopædia of Freemasonry and its Kindred Sciences. “In Egypt, Osiris was the sun, and Isis the moon; in Syria, Adonis was the sun, and Ashtoroth the moon; the Greeks adored her as Diana, and Hecate; in the mysteries of Ceres, while the hierophant or chief priest represented the Creator, and the torch-bearer the sun, the officer nearest the altar represented the moon. In short, moon-worship was as widely disseminated as sun-worship. Masons retain her image in their Rites, because the Lodge is a representation of the universe, where, as the sun rules over the day, the moon presides over the night; as the one regulates the year, so does the other the months, and as the former is the king of the starry hosts of heaven, so is the latter their queen; but both deriving their heat, and light, and power from Him, who as the third and the greatest light, the Master of heaven and earth, controls them both.”

Freemasonry as we know it is a product of the Enlightenment, meaning, in part, it is a philosophical society intended for the improvement of man’s station. Its use of universal symbols leads to great confusion among those who mistake it for anything from a continuation of the ancient mystery religions to a form of neo-paganism, like Wicca. Those who hold these opinions miss the point that above all else it is reason that Masonry aims to inculcate, not nature worship. It is thoughtful inquiry into the essence of nature we are taught to pursue, and not satisfaction with the superficial mindset that accepts Creation on par with the Creator.

“Whoever reflects on the objects that surround him will find abundant reason to admire the works of Nature, and adore the Being who directs such astonishing operations,” writes Bro. Charles Leslie in A Vindication of Masonry, his remarks to Vernon Kilwinning Lodge in Edinburgh on May 15, 1741. “He will be convinced that infinite wisdom could alone design, and infinite power finish such amazing works.”

Revealing what later generations of Masons will know as the Middle Chamber Lecture, Leslie continues:

“Speculative Masonry is so much interwoven with religion as to lay us under the strongest obligations to pay to the Deity that rational homage, which at once constitutes the duty and happiness of mankind. It leads the contemplative to view with reverence and admiration the glorious works of creation, and inspires them with the most exalted ideas of the perfections of the great Creator.”

And on Astronomy:

“Astronomy, though the last, is not the least important science. It is that divine art by which we are taught to read the wisdom, strength and beauty of the almighty Creator in those sacred pages, the celestial hemisphere. Assisted by astronomy, we can observe the motions, measure the distances, comprehend the magnitudes, and calculate the periods and eclipses of the heavenly bodies. By it we learn the use of the globes, the system of the world, and the primary law of nature. While we are employed in the study of this science, we perceive unparalleled instances of wisdom and goodness, and on every hand may trace the glorious Author by His works....

“By employing ourselves in the knowledge of these bodies, we are not only inspired with a due reverence for the Deity, but are also induced to apply with more anxiety and attention to the sciences of astronomy, geography, navigation, &c.”

Above, Mackey mentions Diana, the Roman moon goddess, and counterpart to the Greeks’ Artemis, who earns mention on her own in another, exoteric, section of the Middle Chamber Lecture on the subject of the Orders of Architecture:

“The Ionic is a mean between the more solid and the more delicate orders. Both delicacy and ingenuity are displayed in this pillar, the invention of which is attributed to the Ionians, as the famous Temple of Diana at Ephesus was of this order. It is said to have been formed after the model of a young woman of beautiful shape....”

The divine feminine looms large in other systems of symbols, like the tarot deck and astrology. (The Magpie Mason does not advocate use of tarot cards or astrology for divination, but, for reflection, study and exploration of symbols, tarot and astrology are as valid as any other works in the gallery of esoteric arts. Parallels to Masonic imagery are numerous.)

In tarot’s major arcana there is Card 18, called The Moon, which is thus described by Adele Nozedar in The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols:

At the lower level of the three layers that comprise this image, is a square-edged lake with a crayfish in it. Above, there are two dogs – or possibly a wolf and a dog – that look up to the Moon, jaws open, possibly howling. To their left and right are the corners of two buildings, both slightly different. One has a roof; the other appears to be open to the sky and is reminiscent of the Tower that was struck by lightning in Card 16. In the sky at the top of the card is the full Moon, with a face that points to the left and with a halo of rays, like moonbeams, surrounding it. There are teardrop shapes surrounding it that seem to either emanate from the Moon or, alternatively, are sucked into it.

The dogs are a reminder of the hounds that accompany the Moon Goddess. Dogs also act as psychopomps, guardians of souls in the spirit world. There is a nightmarish aspect to this card. The surrounding landscape is barren, only two small plants appear in it, a sort of no-man’s land. This card represents the “dark night of the soul.” However, the preceding card (No. 15, The Star) signifies hope, and the Moon provides the light that is reflected from the Sun (Card 19), illuminating the way ahead, indicating that guidance will come from above.

Left: An elegant interpretation of The Moon tarot card, courtesy of All Posters.

Right: Bro. Colin Browne’s version, from his Square and Compasses Tarot Deck, which connects the moon to the Senior Warden in the West.



There is a lot to work with here. The dogs can remind us of hunting, as in Diana, Goddess of the Hunt. The twin towers may speak to certain pillars Masons know well. That crayfish is important for its shell. In other tarot decks and elsewhere in symbolism, creatures with shells (crabs, scarab beetles, etc.) denote self-protection, and even aloofness. The astrological connection, naturally, is to the crab of the Cancer constellation, which Nozedar describes elsewhere in her book as a female symbol that denotes the moon and, interestingly, spans from June 21 to July 22.

On July 20, 1969, astronauts named for the god of the sun landed on and walked on the moon. And Freemasonry was there. Bro. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, the second human to walk on the moon, was made a Mason at Montclair Lodge No. 144 in Montclair, New Jersey, which was Aldrin’s hometown. That lodge no longer exists; it is one of the many lodges that amalgamated into what today is Essex Lodge No. 7. But, getting back to the feminine, Aldrin’s mother’s maiden name was... Moon.

He coined G.A.O.T.U.

     
Happy birthday wishes to the man who coined the phrase “Great Architect of the Universe.” Yes, John Calvin would be 500 years old today. Among the world’s major religions, Calvinism is kind of a youngster, but its importance to Protestantism and its indirect benefit to Freemasonry are very important.


It was Calvin, the legendary French troublemaker, who coined that phrase in his “Commentary on Psalm 19,” which sometimes is translated to say Supreme Architect.

(The 19th Psalm itself is worthy of every Junior Warden’s attention.)



But the idea of God being a kind of cosmic architect predates Freemasonry by even more centuries. Depictions of this nature are found in medieval Christian art. The “Bible Moralisée,” published about 1250 AD, shows God busy at work with compasses in hand.

G.A.O.T.U. was introduced into Freemasonry by Dr. James Anderson, author of the Premier Grand Lodge’s first Book of Constitutions in 1723. A Presbyterian minister himself, Anderson is a theological descendant of Calvin. However, I’d say the credit for making the phrase Masonic vernacular belongs to Albert Mackey who used the term in his groundbreaking list of Masonic Landmarks, which has affected the jurisprudence of our grand lodges since its publication in 1858. And then of course there is the Scottish Rite and its siblings, which employ the term in prayer and ritual. (Photo courtesy GL of British Columbia and Yukon.)
     

Cushite at labor

Senior Warden Rob Morton, Sovereign Master David Lindez, and Bro. Steve rally around the altar at the Hunter Estate, the private home where Cushite Council No. 474 held its first meeting July 3.

An interesting development in New Jersey Freemasonry is the current proliferation of AMD councils. If you are not familiar with the Allied Masonic Degrees, it is an honorary, invitational fraternity within the York Rite. Membership is predicated on Royal Arch membership, and the AMD is supposed to be devoted to research and education, and the preservation of a corpus of very interesting degrees that long ago were worked in lodges, but later were discarded, and finally were collected under the authority of the AMD.

Anyway, two AMD councils are being set to labor in New Jersey, with talk of a third on the way. DaVinci Council is forming in central Jersey, and Cushite Council No. 474 held its ceremony of constitution and first meeting last Friday. The third council is in an embryonic phase in north Jersey, but I’m sure it’ll come together and begin functioning soon.

You might recognize the name Cushite. In the Bible, Cush was the son of Ham. He and his people inhabited the land called Cush, which we know today by its Greek name Ethiopia. In Freemasonry, Cushite Lodge was to be a lodge set to labor in Newark, New Jersey in 1870. The Grand Lodge denied the petition for a warrant. The brethren aiming to form Cushite Lodge instead organized Alpha Lodge No. 116, whose Worshipful Master today is W. Bro. David Lindez, the Sovereign Master of the new Cushite Council.

(I won’t attempt to summarize the history of this process, which is very complicated, involves race relations, and has been told by more competent writers. A quick Google search will yield GLNJ proceedings and other trustworthy sources of this exciting time in 19th century Masonic history.)

I think just about all of Cushite Council’s brethren come from Alpha Lodge and Alpha Chapter. But there was one special guest at this first meeting last Friday: Bro. Balvin came all the way from North Carolina, making John Candy’s travels look like a hansom cab ride in comparison.

Cushite AMD Council plans to meet in a local restaurant, returning Masonry in one respect to its tavern roots. “Eat, drink, and be Masons,” I always say.

The first paper presented in this new council was presented by Bro. Steve, who spoke on the symbolic and numerological significances of the number 27. Citing Biblical, Pythagorean and other esoteric sources, Steve linked the permutations of the three-fold number to various elements in Masonic ritual and symbol. Well done!

Next up was the Sovereign Master’s paper on the August Order of Light. Also very enlightening.

All in all, it was a great start for a council that will be productive for many years.

I feel a verse is imminent!


Deity was invoked,
and incense was lit.
Masonry was worked,
and whiskey was sipped.
Cigars were smoked,
and Balvin finally made it.

Bro. Balvin joins V. Lindez in the East of Cushite Council.

This fall at ALR

     
Another reason to look forward to fall is the next Regular Communication of American Lodge of Research on Thursday, October 29 at 8 p.m.

This will be the Annual Meeting, with the election of officers, and WM Bill Thomas announces the paper presented that evening will be “The Anti-Mason’s Toolbox: Abusing Logic to Attack the Craft” by W. Gilbert Ferrer. “An introduction to the logical fallacies underlying some typical arguments of contemporary Anti-Masonic zealots. The focus will be on debating tactics zealots use to avoid having to prove their allegations against the Craft.”

The lodge meets in the French Ionic Room at the Grand Lodge of New York, located at 71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.

Before the meeting, brethren are welcome to join the lodge’s officers for dinner at the Limerick House Pub next door at 6 p.m.
     

Opportunities for scholars

     
Here are two opportunities for Masonic scholars to present their work and maybe earn a little praise as well.

Pythagoras Lodge of Research in Washington, DC invites the brethren to participate in its Masonic Research Awards Program, intended to encourage research and education work.

From the official announcement:

The following criteria will be used to evaluate all submissions:

Originality: The topic introduces new ideas, innovative concepts, unfamiliar resources, and/or creative methods. Topic is the writer’s choice.

Masonic connections: Interesting, informative, and innovative references to Masonic symbolism, ritual, practices, history, etc. are included.

Style: The author displays a thorough knowledge of the content. Alternative viewpoints are legitimately presented. The content is characterized by clear, unmistakable evidence, and focused on the central statement (thesis) or research topic with effective transitions between points.

Content: All information is well arranged with compelling presentation of the issue, question or problem. The research is supported by an investigation of facts and a development of the ideas. The paper is closed with strong supporting points that underline or expand the central postulate.

Persuasion: The concluding position provides coherent argument illustrative of critical analysis and a thoughtful level of inquiry, supported by well-founded, fact-based solutions and/or cause and effect relationships.

Format: The presentation is neat, correct and consistent in appearance, including margins, font size, indentations, titles, quotations, etc.

Grammar: The research paper is free of errors in terms of sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics.

Person: The research paper is presented in perspective of Third Person focusing attention on the work, not on the author. Personal essays are not encouraged.

Citations: The bibliography demonstrates sufficient synthesis of relevant literature and practices. Citations are embedded, footnoted, and quoted correctly. A minimum of three external sources should be included.

Summary: An abstract briefly provides the key elements, main findings, and overall conclusions of the research.

Entries are to be submitted as Word documents by e-mail to W. Bro. Ted Berry at eab_dc(at)yahoo.com no later than October 31.

By submitting a paper, the author recognizes that such entries might be included in Pythagoras Lodge publications and/or forwarded to other Masonic research bodies for inclusion in their publications, with appropriate attributions.

Three medals will be awarded.

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

In addition, the National Heritage Museum, located at the headquarters of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, is planning for its first symposium in what is hoped will become a bi-annual tradition.

“New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism” will take place April 9, 2010 at the museum in Lexington, Massachusetts.



From the official announcement:

Recently, a call for papers was issued, and we are pleased to announce that response has been brisk.

The symposium seeks to present the newest research on American fraternal groups from the past through the present day. By 1900, over 250 American fraternal groups existed, numbering six million members. The study of their activities and influence in the United States, past and present, offers the potential for new interpretations of American society and culture. Diverse perspectives on this topic are sought; proposals are invited from a broad range of research areas, including history, material and visual culture, anthropology, sociology, literary studies and criticism, gender studies, political science, African American studies, art history, economics, or any combination of disciplines. Perspectives on and interpretations of all time periods are welcome.

Possible topics include:

• Comparative studies of American fraternalism and other international forms
• Prince Hall Freemasonry and other African-American fraternal groups
• Ethnically- and religiously-based fraternal groups
• Fraternal groups for women or teens
• Role of fraternal groups in social movements
• The material culture of Freemasonry and fraternalism
• Anti-Masonry and anti-fraternal movements, issues and groups
• Fraternal symbolism and ritual
• The expression of Freemasonry and fraternalism through art, music, and literature
• Approaches to Freemasonry from disciplinary, interdisciplinary, or transnational perspectives; the historiography and methodology of the study of American fraternalism

If you know anyone interested in submitting a proposal, these are the details: Submit an abstract of 400 words or less with a resume or c.v. that is no more than two pages. Be sure to include full contact information (name, address, e-mail, phone, affiliation).

Send proposals to: Aimee E. Newell, Director of Collections, National Heritage Museum, by e-mail at anewell(at)monh.org or by mail to 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA 02421.

Deadline for proposals to be received is August 15. For questions, contact Aimee E. Newell as above, or call 781-457-4144.

‘52nd annual Hill Degree’

     
It’s that time of year already. Mt. Anthony Lodge No. 13 in Vermont will host its 52nd annual “Hill Degree” later this month in Bennington. From the publicity:

Mt. Anthony Lodge cordially invites all Master Masons and their families to Bennington for the weekend of July 24-26.

Master Masons are welcome to attend the 52nd Anniversary Hill Degree on July 25. The HILL DEGREE is a day of fraternal brotherhood and the conferment of the Master Mason degree on one or more candidates. The first section the degree is worked in our historic lodge room. Officers of the Grand Lodge of Vermont will perform the first section degree work. Following the first section, all are invited to a great steak dinner (open to the family) on the outskirts of town. The second section is done in full costume at an outdoor natural amphitheater at dusk.

For information on registration, accommodations, etc., click here.
     

‘Is Summer over yet?’

     
This edition of The Magpie Mason is dedicated to Bro. Gallant, who is in search of New York lodges that work Scottish Rite ritual.

Here is a reason to look forward to autumn: Garibaldi Lodge No. 542 will confer its world famous Entered Apprentice Degree on Friday, October 9. The Friday before Columbus Day.

The lodge will open at 8 p.m. in the Grand Lodge Room (third and fourth floors) at the Grand Lodge of New York, located at 71 West 23rd St., near the corner of Sixth Avenue, in Manhattan.

This degree draws visiting brethren from all over the world. The last time I attended – April of last year, I think – the visitors were called upon to introduce themselves, and they hailed from lodges across the United States, and indeed all over the globe. The Grand Lodge Room accommodates approximately 1,200 people, and believe me when I tell you that every seat in the room was occupied. (In fact, the first time I attended – April of 2001, I think – four hundred Masons, mostly those who arrived late on their buses from Pennsylvania, had to be turned away to placate the Fire Marshal, who was poised to close down the building for safety’s sake.)

If you plan to attend, be at the front door of Grand Lodge at 6 p.m. Bring your regalia and membership identification.

But that reminds me of another important observation. The last time I attended an EA° at Garibaldi in the fall – October of 2003, I think – the room was nearly empty. I was able to get one of the best seats in the house, and I’m not saying where that is.

Other facts you should know:

• Born on the fourth of July 1807, Giuseppe Garibaldi is regarded as “the George Washington of Italy” because his military and political skills were crucial to the unification and establishment of the modern Italian nation-state. And he was not limited to that nation; Garibaldi also fought for independence in Brazil and Uruguay. (It was then that he adopted the red shirt as symbolic attire. At Garibaldi Lodge, you’ll see the officers wearing red dress shirts with their tuxedos.)

After revolutionary exploits in Italy in the late 1840s, Garibaldi went into exile in of all places... Staten Island, New York. So there is a physical proximity of the lodge to its heroic namesake, as well as the ethnic unity. Because of his sojourn in New York City, there is a terrific statue of Garibaldi in historic Washington Square Park. The bronze depicts the warrior with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Is the warrior drawing the weapon, or is the statesman sheathing it?

• The lodge works in Italian, but that does not mean the ritual is incomprehensible to those of us who do not understand the language. Unlike the Preston-Webb-Cross rituals most Masons in the United States know, this ritual is much more physical and expressive and, frankly, dramatic. Its symbolism contains many alchemical elements. I won’t say more.

• Not only are Apprentices and Fellows welcome to attend, but they in fact will be seated in the East with the Worshipful Master, Grand Master, and other dignitaries. Just make sure you introduce them as such to the tilers at the doors.

• Be prepared for a long night. It takes a while to get everyone seated and the lodge brought to order. The degree is longer than that worked in most New York lodges. There are introductions of dignitaries. Maybe the Grand Master will make a speech, as MW Neal Bidnick did last spring... for 45 minutes. My point is, this is not a Broadway production with an audience that can walk out if they’re bored. This is a tiled meeting of a duly constituted and ritually opened lodge. There have been times when visitors, who were so startled by this uncommon ritual, walked out of the lodge. Don’t do that.

• The ritual is “unusual” in that it is uncommon in the United States. There are approximately 10 lodges in Louisiana, several in California, and a few elsewhere that work this ritual. What is it? I call it Scottish Rite. My longtime penpal Bro. Jacques Huyghebaert terms it French Rite. My droog and leader Bro. Piers Vaughan once described it to me as Memphis-Misraim Rite.

I think we all are fundamentally correct, because I don’t think there are material differences separating those three forms of Masonic ritual.

Frère Jacques is co-editor of a very important book on Masonic history and ritual titled “Le Progres de l'Oceanie 1843: The First Masonic Lodge in Hawaii (Sandwich Islands),” which is available from the Grand Lodge of California for about $40. (Seriously, contact Grand Secretary Allan Casalou for a copy of this fascinating piece of research.)

This is a bilingual text of mid 19th century Scottish Rite Craft ritual used by a lodge in Hawaii that was founded by the Scottish Rite Supreme Council of France in 1843. (When you see kings of Hawaii on lists of famous Masons, they were members of Lodge Le Progres de l’Oceanie.) Read the lodge’s history here. Therefore I pay attention when Jacques describes the Garibaldi ritual as French Rite ritual translated into Italian.

Now Garibaldi himself was grand master of the Ancient and Primitive Oriental Rite of Memphis-Misraim, an amalgamation of the Rite of Memphis and the Rite of Misraim, two Masonic orders in Europe that drew from the history and myths of Egypt for their ritual and symbolism. Therefore I pay attention when Piers describes Garibaldi Lodge’s ritual as M-M.

Whatever one wants to call it, it must be experienced. The candidates who enter the Inner Door begin a transformational process. Of course the labor is up to them (and some do not return for the Second Degree), but this highly instructive ritual has the ability to grab the heart and vitals, and set that labor into motion.