‘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

  

‘Civil War Lodge of Research’

  
The following is an announcement from the lodge released this afternoon:

One week until our Stated Communication in Leesburg, Virginia, and here is information from W.M. Laing about events and activities:

Senior Warden Mike has informed me that he will not be able to proceed to the East [but] is interested in continuing in the officer line. As a result, I will be nominated for another term as Worshipful Master of our lodge. There are a few offices still vacant for 2013. We need some good, dedicated Brothers to step forward. Contact me.

I chose Leesburg because of its proximity to Sharpsburg, Maryland. The annual Memorial Illumination will be held on the night of December 1, when 23,000 candles—one for each casualty of the single day Battle of Antietam—are placed on the battlefield. I encourage you to see this impressive and inspiring display. Gates open at 6 p.m., but I recommend being in the vehicle line no later than five. The line forms on the westbound shoulder of Maryland Route 34. From there, we will have dinner at the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, beautifully decorated for the holidays.

We will have our election and Installation of Officers at the December Communication. Brothers Paul Barrass and Mike Haynes from Great Britain will present a fully costumed presentation titled “Waterloo: The Masonic Battle.” Open to members and guests. I can’t wait to see it!

Here is the itinerary for the weekend:

Friday, November 30

6:30 p.m. - Dinner at Vintage 50 Restaurant, 50 Catoctin Street NE #100, Leesburg, Virginia.

Saturday, December 1

10 a.m. - Stated Communication at Olive Branch Lodge No. 114, at 108 Cornwell Street NE in Leesburg, Virginia.

Noon - Lunch.

1 p.m. - Installation and program.

6 p.m. - Driving tour of Memorial Illumination at Antietam.

7:30 p.m. - Dinner at Bavarian Inn, at 164 Shepherd Grade Road in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.


Civil War Lodge of Research uncovers and presents factual data pertaining where the histories of Freemasonry and the U.S. Civil War intersect. It meets several times a year in various locations of interest. Click here for membership information.
  

‘Storage Wars: Heredom’

  

Courtesy A&E

Ms. Jenny Grumbles, star of A&E’s Storage Wars: Texas series.

Cooped up inside the house again because of another crazy storm, this one dumping some snow on us—and with Phil Lesh performing down the street to boot—I reluctantly turn on the television, and find a new episode of the Storage Wars: Texas series. One of the bidders, the pretty blonde named Jenny, acquires a storage locker containing a number of items of Masonic interest.

Courtesy masoniccollection.co.uk

The locker catches her eye thanks to an inventory tag on the rear of a chest of drawers that reads MASONIC HOME. Not really knowing what that means, she quickly notices that this and the other pieces of furniture are of a quality that she believes she can sell at a profit. So she bids on, wins, and dubs it her Masonic locker. Going through the drawers looking for loot, she finds a 32° black cap which, of course, she immediately puts on. Then, out comes a Most Wise Master’s collar, with jewel, similar to those shown at right. Finally, and with some fanfare, she produces a jewel box, and opens it to reveal a gold ring with Masonic symbols all over it and a diamond too.

She visits Plano Lodge No. 768 and consults with two brethren who explain the significance of the regalia, and even offer approximate values. It is a funny segment with two older Masons rattling off Masonic jargon that only baffles the young lady even more. Asked about secrets, the two tell her the big secret in Masonry is that there are no secrets. (Don’t get me started.) The cap was put very optimistically at $50, if a buyer can be had. Then, using a copy of Jim Tresner’s Vested in Glory, they explain the purpose of distinct regalia for the Chapter of Rose Croix and its presiding officer. The Rose Croix regalia was valued at about $100, which isn’t too far from what is asked for such pieces on eBay. The ring, a Master Mason’s ring, with diamond, was said to be worth $1,100.

What these Storage Wars series never explain is how these lockers become available. I bet plenty of them are abandoned by individuals who do not pay their rents, but for sure others are auctioned off after the tenants die. I cannot help but wonder about the brother who rented this locker. I remember years ago reading about the Texas Masonic Home and School being closed after going bankrupt, which might be the source of the furniture. As I recall, the institution lost its money as an investor in Enron.
  

‘Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund’

  
As we say in Rose Croix, faith is, in part, “a modest and unassuming confidence that, if we are resolute, we shall overcome all difficulties in everyday life.” And of hope, that it is “the desire for a better life” that we await with patience as “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” And charity? It “means more—much more—than the giving of alms.”

And that is true, but this is the time for material contributions to help, aid, and assist brother Masons and their families.

MW Bro. James E. Sullivan, Grand Master of Masons of the Grand Lodge of New York, has issued a statement including the following urgent information:


If you are able to provide any amount of financial assistance for our Masonic members and families in need, please make your check or money order payable to the Masonic Brotherhood Fund and earmark your check for the Special Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.

Your much appreciated donation to the Masonic Brotherhood Fund is tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. All checks should be mailed (or delivered) to:

Grand Lodge of New York
71 W. 23rd St.
New York, NY 10010-4149
Attn: Special Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund

As you may or may not know, lower Manhattan is experiencing a rash of electrical power failures as well as the disruption of many fundamental services, such as mail delivery and public transportation. Bearing this thought in mind, we ask that you delay making requests and/or donations until the middle of next week to avoid being caught up in the confusion.


In addition and apart from this effort, Mariners Lodge No. 67 is collecting funds in a way that allows you to give immediately. Click here, and you’ll see how easy it is.

I have not seen a Grand Lodge of New Jersey initiative announced yet, but I’m sure it is being devised, or maybe I missed it, and I’ll add it here when I have it.

UPDATE: November 5 - Bro. Nick at the Millennial Freemason Blog announces an effort underway in Minnesota to bring much needed supplies to New Jersey.
  

‘Craftsmen’s Calumet Club’

     
You are hereby invited to take part in a new venture for Freemasons in northern New Jersey and New York City: I’d like to see if I can get a pipe club going. The Faceypage here.

Just about the entirety of my own collection. Nothing exotic.

A purely fun, social, convivial group to meet and smoke, with an educational component as well, since we’ll learn from each other about the countless variations in pipes’ manufacture, design, shape, land of origin, etc.; and the truly inestimable varieties of tobaccos made for our enjoyment.


“To the Plains Indians,” states The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols, the “calumet,” or pipe, and the act of pipe smoking were “part of a unifying ritual.”

“The tobacco used in the pipe is also a powerful magical substance originally intended for ritual use only,” the Encyclopedia continues. “The smoke rising from the pipe signifies a prayer traveling toward the gods, and symbolizes the sacred breath, source of all life. The fire that lights the pipe symbolizes the sun and the male element. The pipe itself is equivalent to the prayer that is offered up from it…. In addition, the bowl is described as an altar, and the stem, the passage of the breath extending from the human body.”

I don’t think this actually is a meer,

but you get the ‘idear.’

You can’t argue with that, so bring your Barlings, let’s see your Savinellis, carry your Kaywoodies, pack your Petersons, and don’t forget your Dunhills. No matter if you prefer briar billiards, calabashes, or clays, come one, come all! Someday we’ll all have fancy meerschaums with Masonic symbols carved into ’em.


Thus far, it’s only Bro. Martin from New Jersey’s St. John’s No. 1 and myself, but you have to start somewhere. I think I can get Bro. Cory to come along. If we grow a little and function somewhat regularly, we might even want to affiliate with the United Pipe Clubs of America, which could help us land guest speakers from the companies that manufacture and sell pipes and tobaccos which, believe me, is a lot of fun. Also, UPCA membership would put us in fraternity with other pipe clubs.

My own pipe passion—distinct from my love of cigars—began in 1996, when I started the first of two part-time stints in the employ of the great Lew Rothman in his flagship store. (Fond memories because Lew has no love for either pipes or pipe smokers, resulting in ample colorful commentary.) Between then and 2008, when I concluded my second tenure there, I accumulated a modest collection of simple briars, with a couple of clays, shown in the photo above. Basically, I’d blow my Christmas bonus on pipes every year.

The health benefits of pipe smoking are well documented and too numerous to list here. I’ll only attest to the simple enjoyment of it all: experimenting with unfamiliar blends of tobacco; making your own mixtures; settling on the one or more that are perfect for you; caring for pipes; aging tobaccos; complementing tobaccos with the best beverages; pursuing your own “holy grail” of pipes among either the new or estate pipe markets; and on and on.

To get involved, pull me aside next time you see me, or send an e-mail, or leave a note (not for publication) in the comments section below, and we shall take it from there.

Below are some photos I shot not too long ago at the New York Pipe Club Show, which is hosted in Newark at least once a year. Used to be every March and September, then they moved it around. As far as I know, the club has not yet scheduled an upcoming show, but I am sure it will.

Pipe shows are wonderful events. Here is just part of one table
of Ardor pipes, a respected maker in Italy.

As above: Pelican, the official tobacco of Rose Croix Masonry!

So below: Hermit’s Mystic blend, the tobacco of tarot.

(Not sure if it is available anymore.)

Click to enlarge. Not easily found, perhaps intentionally, is Esoterica Tobacciana.
Ask. Seek. Knock. It is worth finding.

Quintessence. What can be said?

I think he’s on The Step!

There are even pipes for Hermeticists!

     

‘Chambre sans frontières’

    
In Freemasonry, particularly its French traditions, there is what’s called the Chamber of Reflection, which is a small room outfitted with a number of symbols that recall mortality, regeneration, and the essence of being. The aspirant awaiting his possible initiation into the Craft is conducted inside, and is given time to contemplate existential matters free of any conceivable distraction, save for whatever may emanate from his own heart and mind. His task is to quell even that.

About twelve hours ago, electricity and heat were restored to my home, only six days after Sandy’s visit. Whether she indeed was a hurricane or not seems to be disputed, but I leave that to meteorologists and insurance companies. In the calmness that followed the devastation, thousands of people were left in a world without necessities (shelter, food, potable water, etc.), and millions of lucky ones like myself were robbed of our creature comforts. I’m not even well equipped in that department. My television, which I rarely use, is a 25-year-old Sylvania. My computer is a four-year-old Mac. I have no smart phone, tablet, laptop, or any other modern portable communications device aside from my old LG cell phone that cannot open any of the attachments Lindez or Davenport send me.

So during a dark, cold, and mostly immobile existence of 115 hours of decreasing daylight without lights, heat, and passable streets, I enjoyed the luxury of not checking e-mail, perusing status updates, or surfing either web or channels. Light was provided only by a couple of flashlights and the beeswax votives I purchase in bulk for “ezzo-deric” personal work. Mass media flowed in one direction only, via a battery powered Bush clock radio (with an analog face!) I bought in London in 1990.

There was darkness, but it was darkness visible; my home was cold, but still was my home; I sat in solitude, but in league with millions; the week was interminable, and turned out to have been too brief.

Of time, the Freemason and poet Khalil Gibran writes: “But if in your thought you must measure time into seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons, and let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing.”

The luxurious gift of a chamber of reflection without walls or sands of time was not lost on me, and I will not forget how it was delivered or the prices paid by so many others for it.