‘Hermetic Rite, Fratres Lucis, Fiery Heart, and more’

     
I hate to sound like a broken record, but if you’re a thinking Mason but not yet a member of the Grand College of Rites, then you leave me skippin’ and jumpin’ like a needle on the hi-fi. The primary benefit of membership—well, maybe it’s second after improved posture and clear skin—is receipt of the annual volume of Collectanea, which transports you to another world through the portal of a retired, unknown work of Masonic (or other) ritual. The initiatory thinking of generations past springs to life for your profit, giving you a seat on the sidelines to learn not just the unique lessons of a particular rite or order, but also to enjoy the often beautifully crafted language of the rituals.

But if you’re a regular Magpie reader, you know that already. I’m writing today simply to forward the message sent this afternoon by our Grand Registrar, R.I. Gerald Klein, who announces the new availability of four Collectanea reprints. Here’s what he says:


We are very proud to announce that four volumes of Collectanea have been reprinted for our members.

Courtesy Grand College of Rites

1972 - The Royal Oriental Order of Sat B’Hai
 contents:

1º Mute
2º Auditor
3º Scribe
4º Herald
5º Minister
6º Courier
Ceremony of Installing an Arch Censor


1961 - Le Coeur Enflamme
 contents:

Le Coeur Enflame (The Fiery Heart)

Courtesy Grand College of Rites 

1978 - Fratres Lucis
 contents:

1º Knight Novice of the Third Year
2º Knight Novice of the Fifth Year
3º Knight Novice of the Seventh Year
4º Knight Levite
5º Knight Priest


1957 - The Hermetic Rite 
contents:

3º Knight of the Black Eagle, or Rose Croix
4º Chevalier of the Sun—Prince Adept, the Key to Masonry

Courtesy Grand College of Rites

5º Knight of the Phoenix
6º Sublime Philosopher—Chevalier Rose-Croix
7º Chevalier of the Rainbow
8º True Mason
9º Chevalier of the Argonauts
10º Chevalier of the Golden Fleece


These are being made available to our dues-paying members for the first time in many years. Supplies are limited. Please take advantage of this opportunity. Use the order form you recently received with your 2015 volume. If you do not have an order form, please e-mail the Grand Register here.

Thanks,
Gerald Klein, KGC
Grand Registrar
     

‘The Mystery’

     
The Mystery

I was not; now I am—a few days hence
I shall not be; I fain would look before
And after, but can neither do; some Power
Or lack of power says “no” to all I would.
I stand upon a wide and sunless plain,
Nor chart nor steel to guide my steps aright.
Whene’er, o’ercoming fear, I dare to move,
I grope without direction and by chance.
Some feign to hear a voice and feel a hand
That draws them ever upward thro’ the gloom.
But I—I hear no voice and touch no hand,
Tho’ oft thro’ silence infinite I list,
And strain my hearing to supernal sounds;
Tho’ oft thro’ fateful darkness do I reach,
And stretch my hand to find that other hand.
I question of th’ eternal bending skies
That seem to neighbor with the novice earth;
But they roll on, and daily shut their eyes
On me, as I one day shall do on them,
And tell me not the secret that I ask.

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar

I did not know Dunbar (1872-1906) was a Freemason when I decided to share his poem here, but Bro. Google reflects light in all directions, and it turns out not only was Dunbar a brother, but there’s a remarkable story about his initiation and his lodge. In Along this Way: The Autobiography of James Weldon Johnson (1933), the author writes of the time he and Dunbar were made Masons. Excerpted:


Paul returned to his home in Washington early in the spring. He always spoke of his stay in Jacksonville in high terms. Before he left, the Negro Masons decided to organize a lodge of young men, and in honor of Paul, name it the Paul Laurence Dunbar Lodge. The lodge was organized, and Paul and twenty-five or thirty more of us were one night initiated and carried through the first three degrees of Masonry. The Negro Masons of that day in Jacksonville were a horny-handed set. The Odd Fellows lodges were made up of white collar workers, but the Masonic lodges were recruited largely from the stevedores, hod carriers, lumber mill and brickyard hands, and the like. The initiation was rough, and lasted all night. One of our young friends was lame for a number of weeks on account of a fall to the floor while being tossed in a blanket. I was made Worthy Master of the lodge, but it did not take me long to see that being a good Mason demanded more time than I should be willing to devote to it. The first time that I had to “turn out” with the lodge, arrayed in regalia, settled the question definitely.


Imagine being initiated, passed, and raised in a single night, and having a lodge named in your honor! That is Paul Laurence Dunbar Lodge 219 under the MW Union Grand Lodge in Jacksonville, Florida. Another lodge named for Dunbar is found in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Google also shows how Dunbar’s poetry was included in several publications of several mainstream grand lodges. In the January 1916 edition of the Grand Lodge of Iowa’s Quarterly Bulletin, an all-around delight to read, we see the last stanza of his “The Poet and His Song”:


Sometimes the sun, unkindly hot,
My garden makes a desert spot,
Sometimes a blight upon the tree
Takes all my fruit away from me;
And then with throes of bitter pain
Rebellious passions rise and swell;
And so I sing and all is well.


Amid the Report on Foreign Correspondence in the pages of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska’s proceedings for 1922, there is a report from the Grand Lodge of New Mexico that makes the point of specifically recording how its grand master “quotes Paul Lawrence [sic] Dunbar’s lines, on ‘The Lord Had a Job for Me.’” But it seems the actual title of that poem is “Too Busy.” This is found in the anthology titled The Collected Poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar edited by Joanne M. Braxton (1993).

Ever on the lookout for pipe poetry, I can’t resist concluding this edition of The Magpie Mason with Dunbar’s “A Companion’s Progress,” also found in the Braxton book, which puts its first publication at August 21, 1901 in a periodical called St. James Gazette.


My stock has gone down and my tailor has sent
To request that I settle my bill;
My landlady asks with a frown for her rent,
And there isn’t a cent in the till.
The governor storms and my mother’s in tears;
There’s a coldness betwixt me and Nell,
But I’m utterly dead to regrets and to fears,
For my meerschaum is colouring well.

At first I had fears of what looked like a crack,
And my breath came in gasps of alarm,
But oh, how the joy of my heart flooded back
When I found that ’twas nothing to harm.
And so ever since I have nursed it with care,
With thrills that my heart cannot quell,
And I’ve bored all my friends to relate the affair
That my meerschaum is colouring well.

Magpie file photo

A meerschaum pipe I saw at the New York Pipe Show in 2014. It was colored artificially, but true meerschaum pipe lovers prefer to turn the white mineral into progressively darker hues of brown by patiently and personally smoking the pipe over a long period of time. It is a delicate substance, ergo the poet’s fear of cracks.

Gotta share this one with my pipe club on Facebook.
     

‘Book your MRF reservations now’

     
I won’t be able to make it this year, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t attend the Masonic Restoration Foundation’s symposium this August in North Carolina. A letter from MRF President Andrew Hammer yesterday advises against procrastination in registering for the weekend of events, and I share it here in the hope of nudging some of those who need to learn about the Observant model of Masonic lodge off the fence. I had the pleasure of attending the previous two symposia (even presenting a talk last year in Philadelphia), and I highly recommend the experience if you are committed to, or even just curious about, the Observant movement, which I believe advances the most beneficial suite of lodge practices today.

Now, I just have to persuade the MRF to come to New York City.

Anyway, here is Andrew’s note to those who attended last summer:


Brethren,

That time of year is here again. The Masonic Restoration Foundation will be having its Seventh Annual Symposium in Asheville, North Carolina from August 19-21, and I wanted to send out a special message reminding you to register early if you would like to attend. Please take note of the following points:

REGISTRATION LIMIT
This year the registration is capped at 200, with a limit of 137 on the Harmony/Festive Board on Friday night.

Full registration is proceeding at twice the speed of last year, so early registration is the best way to guarantee your place at the event.

The Harmony on Friday night is now halfway booked, three months out from the event.

BOOK YOUR ROOMS NOW
Asheville, North Carolina is one of the prime tourist destinations in the South. We have secured a block of rooms at the Sheraton nearest the Temple. Don’t procrastinate in making your arrangements.

To find out everything you need to know about the Seventh Annual MRF Symposium, go here.

Fraternally,

Andrew Hammer
President, Masonic Restoration Foundation
     

‘A Way of Life’

     

An update on some Grand Lodge news from last week and this week.

Courtesy Frank Gaskill

Jeffrey Williamson was elected and installed Grand Master of Masons

in the State of New York at Masonic Hall in Manhattan May 3.

Courtesy Frank Gaskill

Past Grand Master Bill Thomas and wife Susan Taylor Thomas
unveil his portrait at Masonic Hall.

Courtesy Jason Sheridan

Every Grand Master commissions a lapel pin to herald his term in office,
and MW Williamson will distribute these at St. John’s Weekend in Utica next month.

The Grand Master of Cuba visited the Grand Lodge of New York. (Grand Master Thomas had visited the Grand Lodge of Cuba late last year.) From left: Bill Thomas, Past Grand Master of New York; Lazaro F. Cuesta Valdes, Grand Master of Cuba; Jeffrey Williamson, Grand Master of New York; and Vincent Libone, Past Grand Master of New York.

Click to enlarge.
In consideration of the Tennessee and Georgia situations.

     

‘Admit him if properly clothed’

     
Just for fun, for a cause, and in time for summer, a sought after T-shirt displaying the names of all Masonic lodges constituent to the Grand Lodge of New York is available for sale via eBay. Proceeds to benefit West Point Lodge’s renovation efforts. Click here. From the auction description:

Courtesy West Point Lodge 877

Created by one of your fellow Brothers, this comfortable T-shirt is a great conversation starter, and it allows you to proudly display, and share in style, your fraternal ties with every Brother in the great state of New York.

Front of shirt: depicts an outline of New York State, overlaid with the words “New York Freemasons,” as well as the encoded message “2 B 1 ASK 1,” and the Master Mason’s Square and Compasses subtly concealed within. Note the intentional use of color to draw the viewer’s attention to the words “NEW MASONS,” communicating the revival of fraternal bonds that we, the modern Brotherhood of New York Free & Accepted Masons, share. Brothers wearing this T-shirt communicate to everyone “We are the future of our craft.”

Courtesy West Point Lodge 877

Back of shirt: is an all inclusive word-art mosaic containing the names of every district and every lodge under the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. The mosaic depicts the Master Mason’s Square and Compasses, and it is framed in a gold border with the words “Aude Vide Tace,” meaning hear, see, be silent.

Courtesy West Point Lodge 877

Shirt specifications:

• soft, 65/35 cotton poly blend using 4.5 oz, 100% preshrunk ringspun cotton for comfort.
• navy blue in color.
• gold and white graphic design on both front and back applied using a modern, lightweight direct-to-screen method.
• ¾-inch rib knit collar.
• double needle stitched sleeves and bottom hem.
• taped neck and shoulders.
• available Sizes: S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL

Produced by the brothers of West Point Lodge 877 in Highland Falls, New York, this T-shirt is a fundraising endeavor to support the restoration of the lodge building. All proceeds from the sale of these shirts will go to the Building Fund.

Price of each shirt includes shipping and handling within the United States.
     

‘Grand Lodge 6016’

     

Just wishing everyone all the best at Grand Lodge today and tomorrow: sagacity in decision-making; fraternal regard in elections; and, ah, temperance during the hours of refreshment!

Wish I could be with you.
     

‘Anthroposophy to host Chekhovek this weekend’

     
Anthroposophy NYC will host two evenings of theater based on the short stories of Anton Chekhov this weekend. From the publicity:

Chekhovek

Presented by Michael Chekhov Acting Studio

Friday, May 6

Saturday, May 7

7:30 p.m.

Anthroposophy NYC

138 W. 15th Street in Manhattan

Donations welcome

The Studio’s 2016 Art of the Actor students present Chekhovek, a comedy about desire, death, and foolishness based on short stories by Anton Chekhov, written by Melania Levitsky and directed by Lenard Petit. These two intimate performances are for friends of Anthroposophy NYC and The Michael Chekhov Acting Studio. They mark the end of a 20-week training in the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique led by teachers Lenard Petit, Bethany Caputo, Dawn Arnold, Mel Shrawder, James Luse, Akil Davis, Natalie Yalon, and Scott Miller.

Melania Levitsky

Melania Levitsky: (Writer), Associate Artistic Director, Walking the Dog theater; member, The Actors’ Ensemble; guest faculty of the Studio. She has taught workshops across the United States, Europe, and South Africa.

Her one-woman show Blue Arches, commissioned by Sunbridge College, has been produced numerous times in the States and abroad.

Lenard Petit

Lenard Petit: (Director), Artistic Director, The Michael Chekhov Acting Studio, is one of a handful of teachers trained by the original members of Michael Chekhov’s Theater School.



He has taught Master classes at the Moscow Art Theater, the Munich International School for Film and TV, Helsinki University, and workshops across Europe.
     

‘Gurdjieff at St. Mark’s in the Bowery’

     
The Gurdjieff Foundation of New York will host an introductory discussion on the theme “Living the Gurdjieff Teaching: A Search in Contemporary Life” later this month.

That will be Saturday, May 21 at 3 p.m. in the Parish Hall of St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery (131 East 10th Street) in Manhattan. The afternoon will include practical exercises in attention.

For reservations (recommended) or further information, send an e-mail here.

     

‘Where Poetry and Wisdom Meet’

     
I nearly neglected to mention this, but since there still are a few dozen seats available, let me gratuitously advertise the School of Practical Philosophy’s lecture of next Saturday. From the publicity:

The Tenth Muse:

Where Poetry and Wisdom Meet

A Lecture with Mr. Paul Sheppard

School of Practical Philosophy

Saturday, May 7 at 7 p.m.

12 East 79th Street

Manhattan

What happens when a poem hits home? When it lights our minds and melts our hearts? Emily Dickinson noted that real poetry made her “feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off.” Is it down to the poet, or the poem, or to those with ears to hear it? Is it divine inspiration, or human interaction? Is it the work of the nine muses of Greek mythology, or a tenth muse—a muse inside us all?

Join us as we explore the power of poetry to reveal the wisdom that lies within it and within us. Works from a wide range of poets will be read and discussed.

No prior knowledge of poetry is assumed, just a willingness to listen and, if so moved, to be heard.

Tickets cost $25 each, which includes light refreshments. Tickets may be purchased through the School’s website and in the Registration office.
     

‘Rosicrucian perspectives of the Egyptian myths’

     
The Rosicrucian Order will host a series of lectures on Rosicrucian perspectives of ancient Egyptian mythology in the coming weeks at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center (2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard) in New York City. From the publicity:

Discuss the Mythology

of Osiris and the Underworld

April 25 through April 29

May 16 through May 19

nightly at 6:30

Each soul confronts the 42 Confessions of Maat. Anubis weighs the heart against the feather of Maat, and Osiris judges. The Rosicrucian mystical perspective of this myth is examined. Question and answer session will be followed by a meditation.

Discuss Isis and Osiris

from a Rosicrucian Perspective

May 2 through May 6

nightly at 6:30

We will explore the archetypes of Isis and Osiris from a Rosicrucian perspective.

Discuss the Metamorphosis

of Apuleius from a Rosicrucian Perspective

May 9 through May 13

nightly at 6:30

A young man named Lucius becomes fascinated with witchcraft and is transformed into a donkey. Passed from owner to owner, his ordeal exposes him to many trials until the magic spell is broken by the goddess Isis, and Lucius is initiated into her cult. This story of transformation has many mystical implications which are discussed from a Rosicrucian perspective. There will be a discussion period and meditation.


The facilitator of these discussions will be E. Bernard West, who serves the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis as Grand Councilor for Georgia and Louisiana, and the Traditional Martinist Order as Provincial Master in Georgia. He is known for his expertise in Egyptian, Greek, and Roman mythologies. He also serves in various Masonic capacities, including as Master of a Prince Hall Affiliated Blue Lodge, Patron of an Eastern Star Chapter, a Noble of the Mystic Shrine and Grand Inspector General 33º of the United Supreme Council. Bernard has a Master’s Degree in Political Science and a Ph.D. in American Studies, and is a published author and retired Army officer.
     

‘...and fear no danger’

     
Okay, I have no idea who this band is, but I’d go if I was in NOLA. Maybe they’ll come to New York City. Obviously I share this thanks to the art. From the publicity:

Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers

and the Lost Bayou Ramblers

Tonight!

One Eyed Jacks

615 Toulouse Street

New Orleans

Loyal initiates of the Dangerati! I trust you are all in full compliance with your club dues, and that your fezzes and robes have been properly dry cleaned and pressed, because we are on the eve of the greatest gathering our ancient and prestigious order has ever known. Together for the first time ever, Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers share the stage with those titans of Louisiana lore, the Lost Bayou Ramblers. Come early, stay late, and get ready for a conciousness altering get-together the likes of which you will never again know.

     

‘18th century French Rite EA° next week’

     

Courtesy worldofstock.com

The Empire State Building no doubt will be illuminated in the blue, white, and red of France’s Tricolour when l’Union Française No. 17–this is J.J.J. Gourgas’ lodge–will confer the Entered Apprentice Degree, in ritual descendant from the French Rite.

Tuesday, April 19 at 6 p.m.

Masonic Hall
71 West 23rd Street, Manhattan

French Doric Room, tenth floor

The degree will begin at 6:45, after which no one will be admitted inside.

The Tenth Manhattan District is home to the lodges permitted to work exotic Craft degrees in French, Italian, and Spanish (and maybe other tongues).

    

‘Whither Art Thou Traveling’

     
This week at Mariners Lodge 67, a very special lodge meeting. From the publicity:


Work of the Evening: Talk by R∴ W∴ Ted Harrison titled “Whither Art Thou Traveling.”

Magpie file photo

Ted Harrison

Bro. Harrison is a Past Master of Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. 2, a Past District Deputy Grand Master of the First Manhattan District, and Past General Grand High Priest of the General Grand Chapter Royal Arch Masons International. In this presentation, he will talk about the Blue Lodge relationship to Royal Arch.

Wednesday, April 13

7 p.m.

Masonic Hall

71 West 23rd Street

Doric Room, Eighth Floor

Manhattan

Maritime Festive Board Menu: an Indian feast of Chicken Keema Shishkebab; Clay Oven Grilled Chicken Tandoori; Beef Bryani (Beef and Seasoned Rice Cooked Together); Mixed Vegetable Curry; Chana Daal and Potato Masala; Jasmine Rice Pulao with Peas; Naan Bread with Yogurt Chutney; Samosas; Assorted Traditional Sweets; Soda, Seltzer, and Mariners Punch.

Cost of the Festive Board is $35 plus transaction fees. Click here to book your seat, and don’t delay because these dinners sell out quickly.
     

‘Mr. Crowley’

     
UPDATE—2/27/2021: C&D will release a new batch of this mixture on Friday, March 12, 2021.

I’m not sure what to make of this, but Cornell & Diehl, one of the most prolific blenders of pipe smoking mixtures in the United States (if not the world), will release a blend named for Aleister Crowley soon.

Courtesy Cornell & Diehl

Crowley, the irregular Freemason, entrepreneurial mystic, self-described “Beast,” and all-around nut, was a pipe man who allegedly smoked Perique tobacco straight. I say allegedly because smoking Perique straight simply isn’t possible as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know the right analogy, but imagine consuming a meal of nothing but Scorpion Peppers, or quaffing a tall glass of undiluted Everclear. Or eating the peppers and washing them down with the grain alcohol. You get the idea.

Courtesy Cornell & Diehl

777 tins!

Which brings us to this new product. Named “The Beast,” this will be one of C&D’s Small Batch line. No word yet on a description of the mixture. I’d anticipate a blend heavy on Perique, I guess. (Perique is called a condimental tobacco, because its use is supposed to be light. Produced only in St. James Parish in Louisiana, it is a spicy tobacco that adds a peculiar potency to many kinds of pipe blends—but certainly not aromatics—and a little goes a long way.) Cornell & Diehl once had a blend named Crowley’s Best, but that’s something else, and was named for Fordham football legend Walter Crowley.

No release date announced, but I’ll update this edition of The Magpie Mason when that information becomes available, and I’ll certainly bring a tin to New York Pipe Club when I have one in hand.

UPDATE—APRIL 19:

Courtesy Cornell & Diehl

     

‘Digital Square Club of New York Conference’

     

The Digital Square Club will host its 2016 conference in June, during the St. John’s Weekend events at Utica, New York. This will be Saturday, June 25 at 4 p.m. in the Meditation Room at the Masonic Care Campus (2150 Bleecker Street).

On the agenda:

• Presentation of donations to Masonic Care Community
• Speakers: tentative topics—photography, calendars, and optimizing websites for mobile devices
• Award of Official Grand Lodge District and Lodge Webmaster Pins

Seating is limited to forty (40) and attendance is open to wives.
     

‘A QUEST fit for a Mason’

     
Every year I tell myself I must get to QUEST, but No. 36 won’t be the one either. No reason why you can’t attend, though. The publicity:

Click to enlarge.     

   

‘You won’t believe what The Masonic Society is doing now!’

     
(Sorry for the clickbait headline. With the Dummies blog publishing early and often again these days, I have to work a little harder to get readers. Come back tomorrow for “The Illuminati’s Top 10 Weight Loss Secrets!”)


Ken Davis, President of The Masonic Society, unveils the initiatives TMS undertakes this year in the name of Masonic education. If you are a regular Freemason who is interested in learning more about the Craft, membership in TMS is for you. Click here.


Ken’s message:

I’m happy to announce three important TMS programs for this year:

First, is an Annual Conference of The Masonic Society, taking place October 7 through 9 at Morgan Hill Masonic Lodge in Morgan Hill, California (just twenty minutes from San Jose International Airport). The theme of the conference will be “Freemasonry on the Frontier,” on the role of Masonry in the westward expansion of the United States and Canada.

The conference will begin Friday evening with an informal dinner, and will end with lunch on Sunday.

Details on the conference, with a call for presentations, will appear in the Spring 2016 issue of The Journal of the Masonic Society. To receive advance information when it’s available, please e-mail us and ask to be put on the Conference e-mail list.

The second new program is The Masonic Society School, a program of non-credit online Masonic “courses,” study groups, and reading groups, as well as possible tours and other experiences, exclusively for TMS members. We expect to launch the first offerings at the October conference.

Details on the school also will appear in the Spring 2016 issue of The Journal of the Masonic Society. To receive advance information when it’s ready, e-mail us and ask to be put on the School e-mail list.

The third new program is The Masonic Society Scholar, an annual award to a Masonic researcher/educator. During the year of the award, the recipient will make himself available to speak at a number of lodges of research and other Masonic bodies throughout the world (with travel expenses paid by the local host organization).

The first TMS Scholar will be announced at the Annual Conference this October.

Details on the program, with a call for nominations, too will appear in the Spring 2016 issue of The Journal of the Masonic Society. For advance information, e-mail us and ask to be put on the Scholar e-mail list.

By sending e-mail to these addresses, you are opting to receive occasional e-mails about the three programs.