‘Making the good Isle of Man post better’

     

Philatelist Freemasons have something more to look forward to this spring. Isle of Man Post Office will release six postage stamps commemorating the tercentenary of the establishment of the Grand Lodge of England. And there are secrets! From the publicity:

300 Years of Freemasonry Set

This set of six 300 Years of Freemasonry stamps (20p, 1st, 50p, £1.30, 1.74, £3.40), have been printed with gold foil highlighting HM Queen’s head and the words ‘Isle’ and ‘Man’. Each stamp features a badge of office for senior officers within the lodge. There are additional discreet references to six important locations at the top of the stamps and other hidden mysteries, including some visible only under UV light.

The sheet sets contains six sheets, made up of ten of each design.

 

 

Both the sets and sheet sets are available in Mint condition and cancelled to order.


International purchases are welcome. Click here to buy yours. (Images courtesy Isle of Man Post Office.)
     

‘Donald Weiser, R.I.P.’

     

Shoppers at the original Samuel Weiser Bookstore on Fourth Avenue circa 1940, amid what had been the great book dealer district in Manhattan.

I’m not trying to turn The Magpie Mason into the obituary blog, but here is today’s sad announcement from Weiser Books:

Legendary bookseller and publisher Donald Weiser passed away peacefully at age 89 in his home in Florida, surrounded by his wife and family, on April 12, 2017. As a young man, Donald worked alongside his father Samuel Weiser in the eponymous bookstore that changed the lives of countless people. Samuel Weiser Bookstore had opened its doors in New York City in 1926 and grew to become the world’s largest esoteric bookstore, attracting customers from every country. One of its better known patrons was magician Harry Houdini, but Karl Germer, Harry Smith, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jimmy Page, Patti Smith, Barbara Somerfield, and many others were also regulars.

Over its nearly 70 years in New York City, the bookstore moved four times from its origin on Fourth Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets, to Broadway between 13th and 14th, two locations at Astor Place and Broadway, and finally 24th Street between Park and Lexington. In the 1960s, Donald was joined by brother-in-law Fred Mendel at the Astor Place location. Business skyrocketed as contemporary culture embraced Eastern religions, and Occult and New Age thought.

The publishing company Samuel Weiser, Inc. grew organically from the bookstore. It was incorporated in 1957, first releasing several important reprints of pamphlets that Samuel and Donald realized were too important to remain solely as rare book items. Under Donald’s leadership, Samuel Weiser, Inc. grew to well over a thousand titles, internationally respected as the major esoteric publishing house in the English language.

Rising rents ultimately encouraged Donald to relocate to York Beach, Maine in 1981. The NYC bookstore closed its doors in the early 1990s. In Maine, Donald focused exclusively on his publishing and distribution efforts, then-wife Betty Lundsted’s Nicolas-Hays line, and rare book sales through Weiser Antiquarian Books. In the 1990s, Donald was also involved with the Watkins bookstore in London. In 2000, the publishing company was sold to Red Wheel/Weiser.

In 2005 Donald left Maine and relocated to Florida with wife Yvonne Paglia-Weiser. Retirement eluded Donald, however, as he and Yvonne continued with Nicolas-Hays and started Ibis Press. They have since produced some 150 titles of the world’s finest esoteric literature.

Donald is survived by Yvonne, four children, six grandchildren, and his beloved sister Helene.

A celebration of his life will be held at a later date in New York City.
     

‘Death of a past grand master’

     
Today on social media the sad news of the death of Bro. Anthony Montuori was spread. Tony was grand master of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey in 2015.

MW Anthony Montuori
Grand Master, 2015

I can’t say I knew him well, but several years ago, when I really needed friends in high places, he was there to help me out of a jam. Honestly, I don’t know why he chose to get involved, other than doing so fit his understanding of Masonic obligations, but he did. This was before he became grand master.

By the time he had taken office, I had become a New York Mason, and basically had turned my back on the New Jersey approximation of Freemasonry, so I don’t know firsthand what things really were like during his tenure. I’ve read eyewitness accounts of events that struck me as hard to believe. Maybe Tony wasn’t flawless, but he wasn’t a EDITED—like EDITED—either.

Alas, my brother.
     

‘Inside the Freemasons to be broadcast next Monday’

     
Don’t ask me how or when television viewers in the United States might be able to watch this documentary, but Sky TV will broadcast “Inside the Freemasons” beginning next Monday at 8 p.m. in the United Kingdom.

Originally a four-hour series meant for broadcast across four evenings, the film was expanded to five hours. In addition to Sky1, the series will be shown on Now TV, TalkTalk, and Virgin Media also all in the U.K. The United Grand Lodge of England will make DVDs available for sale after the series has been aired.

From Emporium Production’s website:

Courtesy Emporium Productions

Sky Television in England will be saying welcome to Freemasonry. Having been granted unique and unprecedented access to the Freemasons, “Inside the Freemasons,” asks who are Freemasons and what do they do? As the United Grand Lodge of England celebrates its tercentenary in 2017, the presenters go beyond the myth and legend to discover what it means to be a Freemason today through the words and lives of Freemasons themselves.

Produced by Emporium Productions which was set up in 2015 by award-winning Executive Producer Emma Read, and leading UK independent television production company Hat Trick, the five one-hour programs will explore what lies behind the familiar concept of Freemasons, and ask:

• What has motivated generations of men to join its ranks?
• What does the symbolism mean?
• How does public perception differ to reality?
• And what does Freemasonry have to offer men and society in the 21st Century?

Click here for a story in Friday’s Mail.
     

‘Livingston Library lecture and debut of Ari’s Art’

     
The lecture series at the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge of New York will continue in three weeks with the return of Bro. Ari Roussimoff, who will discuss the Masonic inspirations behind his paintings, and will unveil a new painting. From the publicity:

Ari Roussimoff Lecture and Exhibit

Thursday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m.

Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Library

Masonic Hall

71 West 23rd Street, 14th floor

Manhattan

Magpie file photo

Ari Roussimoff, a critically acclaimed painter and film director, has been called one of the most prolific and creative artists of his generation. His paintings of Russian, Ukrainian, and symbolic Masonic themes have earned him much praise. Early on, his work was even lauded by the modern art masters Marc Chagall and Oskar Kokoschka. Having become a Freemason in 2002, he has devoted many paintings to Masonic subjects. Inspired by Freemasonry and its rich symbols, he incorporates Masonic ideas and philosophies into uniquely imaginative compositions. In addition, Roussimoff has revived painted Masonic aprons, embedding them with his very own artistic vision.

He will be speaking about how the symbols and ideals of Freemasonry have given him the inspiration to create artwork that integrates the Masonic spirit into an altogether universal context. Roussimoff will also be debuting his newest Masonic artwork.

Seating is very limited, so please RSVP here.

We serve white wine and water at our lectures. Note: Photo ID is required to enter Masonic Hall.


In other library and museum news, an exhibit will be installed on the ground floor of Masonic Hall to present a sampling of the Livingston Library’s massive collection of Masonic aprons. Click here to see more. Click here to see Catherine Walter’s blog post introducing the exhibit. (Photos courtesy Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library.)

 

  

‘Piers Vaughan at Mariners next week’

     

I had the good fortune two weeks ago to visit Mariners Lodge 67 on the occasion of its Entered Apprentice Degree done tavern style. (They had me at “tavern.” All you have to do is add tavern to the name of whatever you’re doing, and I’m there. I even brought a clay pipe with me…just in case.) It was a great night with the First Section conferred expertly in the lodge room, with the Junior Warden in the East, and the Lecture and remaining work presented next door in the dining room. The Lecture really was done tavern style—not just with the brethren seated at table with food and drink, but in a way similar to how Masons did it in ye olden days—with the call-and-response method of the Master posing questions, and the brethren answering. Not all of us. To keep things orderly, a group of eight or so did the talking while the rest of us did the eating and drinking. (If you’re not aware, the modern lecture we see today—the monologue of twenty minutes or so—is an example of how things have changed over the generations. In the tavern age of Masonic meetings, the lecture was a group function. The Master asked questions, and the brethren on the sidelines took turns answering them. This form of lecture has become the Opening ritual, and there were lectures for all three degrees.*)

Anyway, it was a great night for those reasons and others, and another outstanding evening is planned for next Wednesday. From the publicity:

Mariners Lodge 67

Wednesday, April 12 at 7 p.m.

Masonic Hall

71 West 23rd Street

Manhattan

Doric Room, 8th floor

Work of the Evening: Talk by RW Piers A. Vaughan titled “Symbolism, and Freemasonry as a Mystery School.”

Brother Vaughan became a Mason in England in 1979, and he joined a number of orders before joining St. John’s Lodge No. 1 in New York, of which he is a two-time Past Master. He has traveled extensively across the United States and other countries giving lectures on a variety of topics ranging from Masonic history to talks on the symbols and esotericism of Masonry. He is the author of several books on Masonic topics, including Renaissance Man and Mason, which was published in October 2016. He is a longtime friend of Mariners Lodge and we are delighted to have him back as this month’s speaker.

Maritime Festive Board Menu: a Jamaican feast including Stewed Oxtail; Jerk Chicken; Grilled Snapper Jamaican Herbs and Spices; Rice & Peas; Callaloo (Jamaican-Style Stewed Greens); Shredded Steamed Cabbage & Carrots; Caesar Salad; Mixed Fruit Bowl; Soda and the Infamous Mariners Lodge Punch.

Cost of the Festive Board is $35 plus transaction fees. Reservations, before Monday the 10th, are required. Click here.


Don’t forget the lodge’s charity gala too:

And in other news, Worshipful Master Anthony Kofi A. Osei-Tutu visited Havana about a week and a half ago, and met with the Grand Master of Cuba!


*If you want to learn why lodges open only on the Third Degree, RW Samuel Lloyd Kinsey, a Past Master of Mariners, will present his lecture “The American System: Why We Open on the Third Degree” on Thursday, April 20 at Old Number 2.
     

‘April, with aprons and without’

     
Today through Friday, April 28 – At Center Point, the headquarters of the Anthroposophical Society of New York City (138 West 15th Street), the art exhibit “Entry Point: Paintings,” featuring works by Martina Angela Müller and Tim Paholak, opens April 1 and will run through the 28th. From the publicity:

Martina Angela Müller is a visual artist practicing in a number of different fields. The main body of her work is abstract painting, but she also works in sculpture, environmental art, and installation. It has been seen in numerous galleries in New York and Massachusetts, and in private collections across four continents. She teaches at Alkion Center at Hawthorne Valley, and maintains a studio in Ghent, New York.

Tim Paholak: “I have painted with watercolors for many years and I explored and developed relationships with the primary and complementary colors and the many colors that lie in between. About six years ago I was introduced to oil painting and have primarily been working in this medium ever since. My focus has been the relationships between colors and what lies between them. I have developed an interest in using texture on the canvas to bring a textural component to these relationships. It seems to be an endless panorama that holds great wisdom, a journey from the soul to the canvas that goes from self-awareness to world awareness.”


Today through Saturday, April 22 – Art exhibit “A Fool’s Journey” at Booth Gallery, located at 325 West 38th Street in Manhattan. I have not seen Luke Hillestad’s art before, but I think this sounds interesting. From the publicity:

“A Fool’s Journey” is an explorative visual odyssey through the inner landscapes of human pathology and desire for meaning. The viewer is invited to wander, with the fresh eyes of The Fool, down an arcane path. Along the way, we encounter painted rituals, alchemical symbols, and a cast of archetypes bearing qualities of the old but not forgotten. An unpredictable wilderness is the backdrop for the paintings, where the power of the natural elements, the animal kingdom, and forest talismans imbue the narrative. Initiation, desire, and a struggle of will are among the themes explored in Hillestad’s large-scale works, painted with a harmonious Apelles palette.

Luke Hillestad has exhibited his works in Dubai, Paris, Munich, Barcelona, Los Angeles, and Miami. He paints from life, employing friends and loved ones as models, as well as using taxidermy animals, and found natural objects to create his mythologies. Hillestad is currently illustrating “Shakespeare’s Macbeth,” a limited edition collectors’ book collaboration.


Monday, April 3 through Friday, April 7 – The Rosicrucian Order will host “Increasing Your Capacity to Live, Love, and Learn” at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center (2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. in Manhattan) at 6:30 p.m. From the publicity:

Have you been trying without success to become a better “you?” If this is true, the Rosicrucian Order has many tips and tools that are capable of transforming every aspect of your being. Join us as we examine a different aspect of our lives each day, and work together to improve and enhance the way we “show up” in the world.

Facilitating the discussions will be long-time Rosicrucian Patricia Downes, OD/HRD Specialist, Relationship and Organizational Systems Coach and Certified Life Coach.


Wednesday, April 5 – “The Gift of Happiness,” Open House at the School of Practical Philosophy. Click here.


Wednesday, April 5 – New York Theosophical Society hosts weekly meetings for both members and non-members alike. Honestly, I’m not sure what my opinion of the Society is, but I don’t hesitate suggesting Magpie readers would enjoy checking it out. The topic for Wednesday will be “The Absolute.” Click here for the month’s schedule.


Wednesday, April 5 – Table Lodge with Andrew Hammer:

Wednesday, April 5 – One of the very few educational opportunities in “New Jersey Freemasonry” is the Book Club. Check it out:

Thursday, April 6 – New York City Chapter of Rose Croix (AASR) will host the annual Feast of the Paschal Lamb. Open to the public.

Friday, April 7 – Introductory Event: “Seeing: Self-Awareness and the Search for Inner Freedom” at Gurdjieff Foundation of New York. Quest Bookshop at 240 East 53rd Street.

Monday, April 10 through Friday, April 14 – The Rosicrucian Order will host “Bringing Your Whole Self to the Workplace” at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center (2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. in Manhattan) at 6:30 p.m. From the publicity:

Have you often wondered whether it is safe to be the real you at work? Or whether you can have autonomy and a sense of control in your work environment, or do you fear rejection or misunderstanding? In order to do this one must be aware of one’s values and beliefs and have a clear life purpose.

We will explore how and why bringing your whole self to work increases your capacity to reach your potential as well as improve the environment and energy of your workplace.

Facilitating the discussions will be long-time Rosicrucian Patricia Downes, OD/HRD Specialist, Relationship and Organizational Systems Coach and Certified Life Coach.


Thursday, April 13 – The Passing of Arthur. Click here.


Monday, April 17 through Friday, April 21 – The Rosicrucian Order will host “Tips for Giving Heartfelt Service During Turbulent Times” at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center (2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. in Manhattan) at 6:30 p.m. From the publicity:

We become easily distracted when life events do not turn out the way we would like them to. A crisis in our lives can change our predominant mood and energy in an instant, yet we want and need to continue to contribute, care, and serve even though our energy levels may be affected, and we just do not feel quite up to it. This is the time, more than ever, that we need to energize ourselves, regain our equilibrium, and fulfill a significant part of our life purpose–contributing to what Matthew Fox describes as “the great work.” Join us as we share tips and ideas for re-energizing ourselves and moving bravely forward.

Facilitating the discussions will be long-time Rosicrucian Patricia Downes, OD/HRD Specialist, Relationship and Organizational Systems Coach and Certified Life Coach.


Tuesday, April 18 – Institute of Classical Architecture & Art to host “George Hadfield: Architect of the Federal City,” with Dr. Julia King. 20 West 44th Street, Suite 310. Reception at 6:30/Lecture at seven. From the publicity:

Theatre of Marcellus by George Hadfield.

The ICAA is pleased to present a lecture with Dr. Julia King in which she will be discussing her recent book George Hadfield: Architect of the Federal City.

During his lifetime, the work of the neoclassical architect George Hadfield (1763-1826) was highly regarded, both in England and the United States. Since his death, however, Hadfield’s contributions to architecture have slowly faded from view, and few of his buildings survive. In order to reassess Hadfield’s career and work, this talk draws upon a wide selection of written and visual sources to reconstruct his life and legacy. Dr. King will examine projects including the Capitol, Arlington House, and Old City Hall.

Dr. Julia King holds her Ph.D. from Birkbeck College, University of London, as well as a Master’s in Publishing from Oxford Brookes University and a BA in the History of European Art from the Courtauld Institute, University of London. She was a Fellow of the United States Capitol Historical Society, as well as the Royal Society of Arts, and served as the Executive Director of the Mills Society from 1984-87. She has taught at East Tennessee State University, the University of Reading, and the Newport College of Art and Design, among other colleges. At present, Dr. King is a consultant historian and author of many works including, The Flowering of Art Nouveau Graphics, Equestrian Monuments, and George Hadfield: Architect of the Federal City.

Cost/Reservations: Free for ICAA members; $30 General Admission.


Friday, April 21 – Mariners Lodge 67’s Charity Gala:

Saturday, April 22 – In concert: Marcus Macauley, Piano; and Claude Gilbert, Cello.

The planned program includes Bach’s Suite No. 3 in C Major for unaccompanied cello, and selections from Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto on E Major, Op. 85.

Location: Anthroposophical Society’s Threefold Auditorium, 260 Hungry Hollow Road in Chestnut Ridge, New York.
Suggested donation: $20 / $10 students and seniors / $5 children
Information here.


Saturday, April 22 – North West Mounted Police Lodge 11’s Degree Team to confer the Master Mason Degree in Delaware.

Monday, April 24 through Friday, April 28 – The Rosicrucian Order will host “What Is Your Teachability Index?” at the Rosicrucian Cultural Center (2303 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. in Manhattan) at 6:30 p.m. From the publicity:

Are you willing to let go of what you think you already know? Are you able to learn with a child’s mind? Have you become an “expert” in a particular area, and thus are unwilling to examine new information and the opinions of others?

One writer says “experts are the slowest learners.” Another points out that “you cannot travel within and stand still without.”

Come and be part of this challenging discussion series as we examine long held beliefs and ideas about the world and its people.


Friday, April 28 – The annual re-enactment of the first inauguration of President George Washington, as performed by New York Freemasons. 11 a.m. at Federal Hall, where the 1789 ceremony actually took place. I assume the George Washington Inaugural Bible will be present (weather permitting).

Saturday, April 29 – Hudson River Lodge 309 will confer the Master Mason Degree, but this will be a degree unlike any other.

Sadly, the lodge is vacating its building, but the brethren will make it a celebration by raising Fellow Crafts to the Sublime Degree. New Windsor Masonic Hall (18 Snake Hill Road in New Windsor) at 10 a.m. RSVP here. Breakfast at 9 a.m. and lunch will be served.
     

‘Masonic stained glass stamps mark tercentennial year’

     
Masonic philately is alive and well at the Royal Mail, with help from the Masonic Philatelic Club. The club has designed new stamps to commemorate the tercentenary this year of the formation of the first Grand Lodge of England. From the publicity:

Click to enlarge.

300 Years of English Freemasonry

News has been received of a new entrant to the Business Customized stamp sheet world in the guise of the Masonic Philatelic Club, with a little help from John Chapman of Bletchley Park Post Office fame it would appear.

This year marks the 300th anniversary of the formation of the first Grand Lodge in England. To commemorate this event, The Masonic Philatelic Club, in conjunction with The Royal Mail, are releasing a beautifully designed commemorative sheet of ten images of Masonic stained glass windows and ten Royal Mail stamps, with an additional printed sheet with background information on the two Churches featured.

The stamps and images of the stained glass windows are framed beautifully by a classic piece of Masonic art, forming the background to the whole sheet. The two churches whose windows are featured could not be more different. The first is Kingston Parish Church in Jamaica, and the second, a little closer to home, St. Peter’s Church in Leicester.

Ken Elston, Chairman of the Masonic Philatelic Club, is responsible for the design and image research for the project, ably assisted by the Masonic Philatelic Club Magazine graphics team. “When starting this project we explored a number of options for the images on the sheet, but our choice was made easier when we came across the two stained glass windows in Leicester and Kingston, Jamaica,” Elston said. “As well as the team at the MPC magazine, we are indebted to Dr. Andrew Green, an Assistant Professor at The University of Nottingham, for his invaluable background information on St Peter’s Church and its Masonic stained glass window.”

Another driving force behind the project has been John Chapman, former Director of the world renowned Bletchley Park Post Office. “The dedicated work of Ken and his team and Andrew Green’s expert background history has allowed us to produce a truly unique commemorative sheet to mark the 300th anniversary of Freemasonry in England. It represents an opportunity for Masonic stamp collectors and general stamp collectors the world over to add a unique piece of Masonic postal history to their collections.”


And:


A total of 500 sheets are being printed and more than 300 sheets have already been pre-ordered. The sheets are priced at £45, and any orders of two sheets or more are reduced to £40 each, plus £2.50 for postage.

For more details, contact John Chapman on email.
     

‘An open house for the open mind’

     
I’ve written many times here about the School of Practical Philosophy, from descriptions of the education offered, to reportage of events I have attended, to announcements of coming attractions, and I am going to do that again now because I cannot recommend the School strongly enough. The courses are a perfect complement to Masonic learning but, of course, even independently of any teachings of Freemasonry, they add tremendous value to anyone’s efforts to understand life.

Many are intimidated by any talk of “philosophy,” fearing overwhelming ideas couched in indecipherable language echoing from ages ago, but this is practical philosophy. The concepts are rendered simply, and the goal is for you to apply this wisdom to your thoughts, words, and deeds in everyday life. While the classes proceed on a weekly schedule, the learning is yours to digest at your own pace. For life. (There are no exams.)

In addition to the classes, the School hosts fascinating lectures and seminars that are open to enrolled students and the general public alike. On May 13, “Reverence: The Forgotten Virtue” will be presented in Wallkill and, on May 21, a Thoreau Bicentennial Celebration will be hosted at 79th Street. (More on these when the info becomes available, and I’m sure other special events will come this summer.)

This event is the School’s open house next week. Naturally, admission is free, but registration is required. As I write this, there are plenty of seats still available. Check it out. Hear about the classes offered; meet the dedicated unpaid tutors; behold the beautiful UWS townhouse just outside of Central Park; and—best of all—enroll in the first level of instruction of ten weeks of classes for only ten dollars.

From the publicity:

The Gift of Happiness

Open House

Wednesday, April 5 at 7 p.m.

School of Practical Philosophy

12 East 79th Street, Manhattan

Register here

Come join us for an open conversation about happiness with tutors from The School of Practical Philosophy. Ask questions about the School, find out about the classes offered, and discover how generations of students have benefited from the discovery of innate wisdom and the study of Practical Philosophy.

Light refreshments will be served.

PLEASE NOTE: This event is intended for new and prospective students and those curious about The School of Practical Philosophy. Current students or students who have already taken Philosophy Works are asked not to register for this event.
     

‘The Passing of Arthur’

     
Anthroposophy New York City has a calendar full of great events for April, and this one particularly deserves your attention. From the publicity:

The Passing of Arthur

By Third Wheel Collective

Thursday, April 13 at 7 p.m.

Anthroposophical Society of NYC

138 West 15th Street, Manhattan

$20 per person

A one-person telling of the epic tale from Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s narrative poems about the Arthurian legend, “The Idylls of the King.” After the 45-minute performance, there will be a half hour of music.

Third Wheel Collective is “a collaboration-based theater company that works within the medium of performance to explore, elucidate, and further develop a compassionate and holistic view of the world, the human journey, and art.”

Séamus Maynard

Séamus Maynard graduated from Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, after training intensively in the Michael Chekhov Technique for several years. Séamus writes music and performs with The Living Roots Trio; he co-founded Quiet in the Head with Jonathan Talbott, an ensemble that composes and performs original, instrumental music for violin and guitar.

Meaghan Witri is

Meaghan Witri

an actor, director, and musician with a degree in Theatre/Performance and English Studies from Muhlenberg College. Among many stage roles she played the title role in the Actors’ Ensemble workshop production of Antigone by Jean Anouilh. Meaghan tours internationally as a soprano soloist performing in cathedrals and sacred spaces, and sings folk music with Séamus.
     

‘African-American Freemasons and the Problem of Democracy in the Modern World’

     
I don’t know what they eat for breakfast at Boston University Lodge, but here is another stellar event for the thinking Mason next Monday, right after this weekend. And admission is free. From the publicity:

Boston University Lodge is proud to sponsor its annual Lecture on Fraternalism. The Lecture will be delivered by Dean Corey Walker, of Winston-Salem State University, who will speak on “The Sovereignty of the Imagination: African-American Freemasons and the Problem of Democracy in the Modern World.”

The Lecture will be in KCB-101 (Kenmore Classroom Building), 565 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, and will begin at 8 p.m.
     

‘Richard Cassaro’s cathedral codes’

     
Bro. Richard Cassaro, of George Washington Lodge 285 in Manhattan, has added several Masonic dates to his speaking tour schedule:

     

‘Music at St. Michael’s this May’

     
Bro. Stephen Rumpf, the Right Worshipful Grand Organist of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York will celebrate his 70th birthday later this spring with an organ recital in New York City. From the publicity:

Organ Recital

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church

225 West 99th Street

(at Amsterdam Avenue)

New York City

Friday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Open to all

Suggested donation: $20

Acoustically and aesthetically, St. Michael’s truly is one of New York’s premier performance spaces. The church houses two fine tracker-action pipe organs built in 1967 by the Rudolf von Beckerath Organ Company of Hamburg, Germany, and a newly restored 1938 Steinway Model B Grand. Together with the superb acoustics of the church building and the great stained glass and mosaic masterworks by Louis C. Tiffany, St. Michael’s is an extraordinary space for worship and music.

More information at 212.222.2700.

RW Rumpf is a Past Master of both Kane 454 and Joseph Warren-Gothic 934 in Manhattan, and he is well known for his musical genius far beyond the Masonic world also.
     

‘Boyer Lodge lecture next month’

     

Click to enlarge.

‘Rewarding loyalty and faithfulness that has no equal’

     
Freemasonry is not the first word that comes to my mind when Syria or Lebanon are mentioned, but the truth is the Grand Lodge of New York established its District Grand Lodge of Syria-Lebanon in 1955, the diamond jubilee of which was celebrated recently with a visit by Grand Master Jeffrey M. Williamson. (New York Freemasons can read all about it in the current—Spring 2017—issue of The Empire State Mason Magazine, a Special Commemorative Edition marking the anniversary.) There are ten lodges comprising the District, seven of which pre-date the District’s existence, with the first two having been warranted in 1924—Syrio-American Lodge 1 and New York Lodge 2.

I think that’s kind of amazing.

Grand Master Williamson traveled extensively, visiting lodges (Suleiman 1905, El Berdawni 1907, Three Pillars 1912, and others), but also taking in the natural beauty and historic locations the land offers. There was a stop at Kahlil Gibran’s tomb, sightseeing amid the Cedars of God, a visit to the City of Ehden, a tasting at Ksara Winery—with the chance to meet RW Asaad Zogheib, mayor of Zahleh—and also time for the pleasures of the hookah!

Courtesy The Masters Craft

This edition of The Magpie Mason began four months ago, when Bro. John Bridegroom of the Masters Craft shared this photo on Facebook. John is the prolific creator of Masonic jewels, pins, coins, and other goods, as well as the Art Director for The Journal of the Masonic Society. I asked the Grand Master about the new medal so I could publish information about it here. He asked me to wait until publication of this issue of the ESM, so here we are.

While at the diamond jubilee celebration, MW Williamson welcomed RW Andre Layoun, PDDGM to the podium, and announced: “In commemoration and celebration of 60 years of loyalty and faithfulness demonstrated by the brethren of the District Grand Lodge of Syria-Lebanon, the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York is pleased to proclaim the creation of a new Grand Lodge medal. This medal is named in honor of RW Khaled E. Tabet, the first District Grand Master of the District Grand Lodge of Syria-Lebanon, from 1955 to 1964.”

Writing the article in the ESM, Williamson continues:

“The award consists of a bronze top bar engraved with the words “New York.” Below the ribbon is the round bronze medallion struck with the actual likeness of RW Khaled E. Tabet. Around the medal are engraved the words “Loyalty and Faithfulness.” The medal is suspended on a distinctive red and white ribbon, along with a green stripe running through the center, symbolizing the national flag of Lebanon. This medal will be conferred by the Grand Master to any deserving member within the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York, specifically for loyalty and faithfulness to our Grand Lodge.

“The first recipient of the RW Khaled E. Tabet Medal is RW Andre Layoun, who was District Grand Master for 23 years, from 1971 to 1994. His term of leadership within our District Grand Lodge was concurrent with the Lebanese Civil War, which lasted from 1975 to 1990. It is estimated that there were over 250,000 fatalities during this period. RW Andre Layoun’s loyalty to Freemasonry in general and to the Grand Lodge of the State of New York in particular has no equal.”


Huzzah!