‘Weird Fact Wednesday: The Last and Only Grand Master of America’

     

Joseph Montfort

This edition of Weird Fact Wednesday concerns the embryonic period of Freemasonry in the New World, that four-decade span straddling the mid eighteenth century when lodges were linked directly to the British Isles. In some cases, lodges here were chartered by grand lodges abroad, like George Washington’s lodge receiving its warrant belatedly from the Grand Lodge of Scotland. In other instances, the Grand Lodge of England would issue a deputation to an individual, naming him the authority for some impossibly vast tract of geography. The problems with this, I’m guessing, were two: a shortage of politically connected Freemasons who intended to relocate to the American colonies, and a general unfamiliarity with North America suffered by mother country people of this era. The latter obstacle surely changed when the shooting started in 1775, but before then I doubt many in, say, London could distinguish Boston from Philadelphia from Charles Town—much less the inestimable hinterlands beyond city limits.

Magpie file photo

Daniel Coxe

Daniel Coxe was the first of the appointees, being named Provincial Grand Master of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in 1730, but leaving no trace of any activity connected with that authority. That was a two-year appointment for a not-so-young man of 57, involving a territory spanning, by today’s borders, more than 109,000 square miles. But getting something going (at least one lodge is known to have existed in Philadelphia, not far from Coxe’s home in southwest New Jersey) and maybe delegating a little authority would not have been impossible. If he did anything, we do not know of it today.

The Grand Lodge of England would name other provincial grand masters, including John Hammerton for South Carolina in 1736; Francis Goelet in New York in 1751; John Rowe at Boston in 1768; and, in 1771, Joseph Montfort “of and for America.”

Montfort (pronounced Mumford) was born in England in 1724 and became a highly significant figure in the early history of North Carolina by the time he died in 1776. He held a variety of public offices, appointed and elected; was a noteworthy land-owner; and led Colonial troops. On the negative side, there were unflattering and unsolved mysteries about his professional life.

He was a Mason at labor in Royal White Hart Lodge in Halifax, North Carolina. On January 14, 1771, the Grand Lodge of England named him provincial grand master “of and for America.” Montfort even had a deputy, Cornelius Harnett, and together they did exercise authority, albeit limiting themselves to the province of North Carolina. The “of and for America” part of Montfort’s title was noted on the warrants he issued to local lodges. (He chartered ten lodges and helped six others get reorganized, making huge strides toward establishing the current grand lodge, which happened more than a decade after his death.) His headstone reads, in part: “Highest Masonic official ever reigning on this continent... the Last and Only Grand Master of America.”

How the heck did that happen?

I attribute it to that lack of understanding among Britons about the territories in the New World. I don’t doubt the average man in the street understood Jamaica was different from Nova Scotia, but there was some common confusion about the Americas.

What was “North America?” Did that name apply to the thirteen future United States, or did it also include the captured New France? Did it encompass anyplace else? Were the “Plantations” down south the same legally as “Colonies” up north? Did “New England,” of which Henry Price was made provincial grand master in 1733, refer to the whole of the continent (as Grand Master John Lindsay, Earl of Crawford, purportedly told Price), or only to the northern region, as we employ the name today? In terms of Masonic hierarchy, with the advent of a provincial grand master “of and for America,” what would be the dispositions of other PGMs, such as Sir John Johnson in New York?

Fortunately, there is a document clarifying it all. On February 6, 1771, Montfort received from the Grand Lodge his commission (he had to pay for it!) certifying his rank as “P.G.M. for No. Ca.” This hangs in the offices of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina today.

Montfort is memorialized in North Carolina Freemasonry in the form of that grand lodge’s top honor being named for him. The Joseph Montfort Medal is awarded by the grand master “to any Master Mason in good standing and recognized by the grand lodge who, in the opinion of the grand master, is deserving thereof because of distinguished service or achievement.” A grand master may award no more than three medals, and they all make use of the three availabilities. Carl Claudy received the honor in 1947. In more recent years, brethren you’ve read about on The Magpie Mason have been so honored, like Bill Brunk, Dave Hargett, and Allen Surratt.

Courtesy Find a Grave

Montfort is interred on property outside his lodge building. Royal White Hart Lodge 2 originally was known as Marsh Store Lodge; under circumstances unknown today, it became White Hart Lodge. In 1764, it received a provincial warrant that named it Royal White Hart Lodge, but four years later the Duke of Beaufort issued a supernally prestigious warrant, as he was the grand master of the Grand Lodge of England.

Courtesy Find a Grave

     

‘On the Square is shaping up’

     

On the Square, the board game I was telling you about, is coming closer to fruition with a Kickstarter campaign today.

All profits from Lodge Level pledges and 10 percent of all profits will be donated to Lodge charities, so help them out.
     

‘Veiled Prophet cigars’

     

I feel like I may be the only Freemason who hasn’t yet sampled Hiram and Solomon cigars, but I’m a pipe smoker, so I plead nolo contendere. The company has expanded its offerings to include a line named for the fastest growing order in the Masonic family: the Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm!

We call it the Grotto for short. Here’s what the cigar makers say about their new Veiled Prophet sticks in their publicity:


In spite of its name, the Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm is not an occult or mystical organization, but entirely a fellowship association for Master Masons. The order was created in 1889 by LeRoy Fairchild and members of a Masonic lodge in Hamilton, New York. It grew out of an expressed desire of lodge members for diversions from the mundane concerns. Meeting for the first time in September of 1889, the order was originally known as the Fairchild Deviltry Committee. The idea proved a popular one, and the next year, members of the growing organization formally instituted the Supreme Council of the Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm. From the beginning, membership was limited to Master Masons in good standing.


I’m not sure what is meant by “mundane,” but the cigars come in several shapes. The website shows a toro, named the Monarch, which is six inches in length and has a hefty 54 ring gauge. There also is a double corona, named the Grand Monarch, which measures a massive 7x60. On Facebook they also show what looks like a lonsdale, but their website doesn’t give specs on that.

The blend? It is said to consist of a Colorado wrapper from Brazil, binder leaves from Indonesia, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Paraguay, including some ligero, so I’m guessing this is a pretty full-bodied smoke. The publicity says the Veiled Prophet “elicits the aroma of cedar, coffee and caramel, finishing with hints of earth and pepper.”

It seems there is only one retailer in Manhattan who carries the brand, so check them out at Cigarillos on Spring Street in SoHo.
     

‘The Prestonian Lecturer for 2021 will be…’

     

This just in: The United Grand Lodge of England decided its Prestonian Lecturer for next year will be Bro. George Boys-Stones!

Bro. George, of course, is the current Prestonian Lecturer. His lecture, titled “A System of Morality: Aristotle and English Masonic Ritual,” is available in book form via Amazon.

“My failure to deliver the 2020 Prestonian Lecture has proven so popular that I am to be reappointed for 2021,” he says. “People just can’t get enough Aristotle, it seems! Or any.”

I had had Bro. George booked to speak at two events in and around New York City next week, but the pandemic changed our plans. We will get those rescheduled, but it is great there will be even more time for other lodges everywhere to make their own arrangements.
     

‘Hey, commission this artist to create lodge décor’

     

Tivoli II, statuary marble, 2014. Thirteen inches tall.

Matthew Simmonds is an English artist, now based in Denmark, who sculpts in marble and other stone to create small scale works that bring the due proportions and just correspondences of classical design to your tabletop.

Imagine what he could craft for use in your lodge. Columns, arches, stairways, and more abound in his work, where he shows historic structures—with sacred architecture a favorite theme. Surely he could provide your lodge with a variety of highly useful artworks that could serve in candidate instruction. Or maybe just to adorn your lodge room. (And a perfect gift for your favorite blogger!)

Chapter House, limestone, 2007.

His website offers many photos of his past creations. Their sizes vary. At right, is “Chapter House,” which is described as standing a little less than 4.75 inches tall. I concede that is too small for use in candidate education during a degree but, if his intricacies can be rendered in paperweight size, he also could fashion something large enough.

Colonnade II, carrara marble, 2013.

Exedra, carrara marble, 2018. Sixteen inches tall.

Simmonds has been exhibiting all over the world, and collecting awards, for decades. In biography:

Matthew Simmonds graduated from university with a degree in history of art in 1984, specializing in the art and architecture of the medieval period. In 1991 he trained as an architectural stone carver, and in this capacity he participated in the restoration of several important historic monuments in England, most particularly Westminster Abbey and Ely Cathedral. In 1996 he transferred to Italy, where he specialized in the carving of fine classical sculpture in marble.

This kind of artistry does not come inexpensively. Poke around the web, and you’ll find his pieces trading in the thousands of dollars, but the buyer gains something beautiful that will last practically forever.

The Undiscovered Country, statuary marble, 2018. Twelve inches tall.

     

‘PRS offerings online’

     

“Philosophy is of slight importance unless it is a source of strength in time of trouble; otherwise, higher intellectualism is only a hobby or recreation and not a useful instrument.”

Manly P. Hall


A recent note from Greg Salyer, Philosophical Research Society president and chief executive officer, reminds us of several online offerings, including on YouTube, to help us through this time of trouble. Excerpted:


PRS will continue its mission to provide practical and profound wisdom for the 21st century and now for the pandemic. Our website has been redesigned to highlight our online offerings. You will see there a number of exciting ways to seek and find wisdom during these trying times. We have recently made Lecturer-in-Residence Mitch Horowitz’s video series available as a package. In 16 lectures, he leads viewers through Manly P. Hall’s greatest work, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, as well as his first book, The Initiates of the Flame. It is a wonderful opportunity to sit at home and watch Mitch talk about the chapters of these two significant and relevant Manly P. Hall works.

I am very excited to share that our online enrichment curriculum is growing, and new courses are in development. We are also rerunning some of our existing courses, such as the ever-popular Basics of Esoteric Symbolism with Stephen Reedy and the powerful Walking the Path of Grief with Carlyle Coash. Watch for announcements of upcoming classes here, on the web site, and on social media. For example, I think you can expect the new and next course in esoteric symbolism to be available in the coming weeks, and it will be a close reading of the J. Augustus Knapp images in The Secret Teachings of All Ages.

Carlyle Coash will also present Going Boldly on the Path of Uncertainty: Calling on Green Tara and Our Protectors as a guest lecture on our YouTube channel. On that channel we recently premiered Courtney Sell’s wonderful documentary film of Artist-in-Residence Mandy Kahn titled Peace Piece. It is an amazing and evocative meditation on the beauty of words and bodies and thoughts in motion as only Mandy can create and only Courtney could capture on film. We are also looking forward to our dear friend Raïna Manuel-Paris offering a lecture on liminality, a topic that is all too relevant as we exist “in-between” what has been and what will be.

Finally, my President’s Class will continue on YouTube, where viewers can live-chat during the lecture and continue the discussion in the community forum. Beginning Tuesday I will offer a series titled Seeking Wisdom in These Times in which I will offer my own reflections on the pandemic, including what it reveals about ourselves and our cultures and what it can teach us about who we are and how to live.
     

‘Learn the secrets of master ritualists’

     
W. Bro. Anthony, Past Master of historic Mariners Lodge 67, will bring his Ritual Memorization Workshop to you via Zoom on Thursday night. Click here to get involved. From the publicity:

SuperMemorize

and

Legends of the Craft

Present:

Ritual Memorization Workshop

Secrets of Master Ritualists

Click to enlarge.

Memorizing ritual is important, but no one teaches you how to memorize, so for most using outdated methods, memorization is a chore. That changes now. The Ritual Memorization Workshop will help you save time and energy memorizing Masonic ritual. You will feel more confident and motivated to tackle ritual of any size, and you will develop a deeper understanding of the Craft. We will dissect your current memory method, eliminate inefficiencies, and give you a series of tips, tricks, techniques, and ideas to turn it into a finely tuned tool of Masonic instruction.

We also will cover:

• The ancient reason Masons memorize ritual
• The five Myths of Memory that are hurting your inner Ritual Rockstar
• The simple Secret to Memorization and improving your memory (supermemorization) as confirmed by science and ancient practices
• Why preparing before you study ritual will save you time and give you confidence
• How to make ritual easier to study and recall by turning it into a catechism
• Advanced memory tools

All attendees will leave with an information packet, with additional training material.

Open to the public. Attire: business casual.
      

‘California streamin’: five upcoming talks’

     

Beginning Wednesday night, the Grand Lodge of California will offer five online lecture presentations, featuring world renowned speakers, to take us through Saint John Baptist Day. There will be no fee to join, but register at On24 to take part. Also, take note of the start times. The speakers are from all over, so it looks like the scheduling is based on their availability. From the publicity:

Introducing the Online

Masonic Speaker Series

New Speakers Series Brings

Masonic Experts Online

Beginning in late April, the Masons of California will host an exciting and entirely digital speaker series featuring lectures and talks from Masonic experts on a range of topics. All events are free. To attend, simply register.

April 29

7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Patrick Craddock

Admit Him if Properly Clothed:

The History of the Masonic Apron

in America, 1740 to the Present

Register here

Author and historian Patrick Craddock, Past Master of Conlegium Ritus Austeri 779 in Nashville, and a noted expert on Masonic regalia, discusses the history of the Masonic apron and how it has changed over 250 years. The presentation features images of many historic American aprons. In addition to his work as a writer and museum exhibits curator at the Carter House Museum in Franklin, Tennesse, Craddock is the owner of the Craftsman’s Apron.

May 13

5 to 6 p.m.

Dr. Oscar Alleyne

Topic: TBA

Register here

A published author, subject matter expert, and scientific presenter in the field of applied epidemiology, health policy, and public health, Dr. Oscar Alleyne is senior advisor for public health programs at the National Association of County and City Health Officials in Washington, DC. There he is responsible for providing executive leadership, strategic visioning, senior management, and technical assistance to the country’s 3,000 local governmental public health departments. He directly oversees a portfolio of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health, Pandemic and Catastrophic Preparedness, and Public Health Informatics. He interfaces directly with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, FDA, USDA, EPA and several other national agencies.

Dr. Alleyne is the Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New York. Raised in Wallkill Lodge 627 in Orange, he served from 2014 to 2016 as Master of Wappingers Lodge 671. He is also Past Commander-in-Chief and Past Sovereign Prince at the Scottish Rite Valley of the Hudson, and served as Grand Superintendent for the state of New York for the Grand Council of Allied Masonic Degrees.

He lectures internationally on history, ritual, philosophy, leadership, and other Masonic topics of interest, and is a member of several Masonic research and invitational bodies.

May 27

Noon to 1 p.m.

Dr. Andreas Önnerfors

The Development

of Scandinavian Freemasonry

Register here

Dr. Andreas Önnerfors is an associate professor in the History of Sciences and Ideas Department at the Universities of Gothenburg and Lund, and is Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076. From 2007 to 2010 he was contracted by the University of Sheffield, where he worked as director of the Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism, and as a senior lecturer in their department of history. Dr. Önnerfors is the author of “Freemasonry: A Very Short Introduction,” and numerous other papers on Freemasonry and fraternal culture. He regularly lectures on Freemasonry in academia and to the general public, and is frequently consulted by international media on various subjects.

June 10

7:30 p.m.

Steve Doan

The Magic Flute

Register here

Join California Past Grand Master R. Stephen Doan to explore the Masonic influence on Bro. Mozart’s iconic opera The Magic Flute. Doan will be joined by W. Bro. James Lincoln Warren, Past Master of Santa Monica Pallisades Lodge 307, and an expert on music and conducting.

June 24

Noon to 1 p.m.

Robert L. D. Cooper

Scottish Freemasonry

and the United States of America

Register here

Robert L.D. Cooper is the curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland’s Museum and Library, making him the custodian of some of the oldest and most precious Masonic documents in the world. A Past Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 and a recognized historian and expert on Scottish Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, and the Sinclair family, Cooper has lectured around the world and has appeared on TV numerous times as a Masonic authority, as well as having authored numerous articles and books. Among them are The Red Triangle: A Brief History of Masonophobia, The Masonic Magician: The Life and Death of Count Cagliostro and His Egyptian Rite, and The Rosslyn Hoax? Viewing Rosslyn Chapel from a New Perspective.
     

‘The Economist: Hand wash, not handshakes for Masons’

     
It’s so new it is dated April 25, but the new issue of The Economist features a story from the United Kingdom about Freemasons’ initiatives to aid their countrymen during the pandemic with donations of everything from toilet paper and face masks to parking spots and hand sanitizer. Click here, but if you have no account with the publication, read on. The following is copyright © 2020 The Economist.

Out of the shadows

The freemasons want to be known

for hand wash, not handshakes

Covid-19 offers a chance

for some good publicity

The freemasons, a centuries-old network of fraternal lodges, have long provided fodder for thriller writers and folk with overactive imaginations. Suggestions of conspiracy range from the outlandish to the banal. Steve White, a former chairman of the Police Federation, a cops’ union, claimed they blocked reforms to the service. Masons roll their eyes at such claims. “There is The DaVinci Code and the keyboard warriors going crazy,” sighs Matt Felgate, a freemason from Lincolnshire’s Provincial Grand Lodge. “But much to my disappointment, it’s mainly about making yourself a better person.”

Covid-19 gives Mr. Felgate and his fellow masons the chance to step into the limelight, and demonstrate another side to their institution. He has transformed his gin distillery into a factory pumping out hand sanitizer. Masons in Scunthorpe have made more than 1,000 facemasks for carers. Other lodges have bought thousands of masks from China or are lending nurses their car parks. For once, being able to call in favors from a network of contacts seems positively altruistic. In Belfast, masons managed to find some 3,000 packs of loo roll. “I got together with someone I knew who owned a toilet-roll factory,” says Leslie Weir of the local lodge. “It’s just nice to be seen. We may have some secrets but it’s not a secret society.”

Masons emphasize that such charitable efforts are nothing new. Indeed, they claim their brotherhood is the second-biggest institutional donor in Britain. As well as being a good in itself, such public acts of philanthropy help to counter the brotherhood’s reputation for secrecy. David Staples, chief executive of the United Grand Lodge of England, the lodges’ governing body, says dispelling the public’s misconceptions about freemasons is a priority.

That includes dismissing the idea that the organization is set on advancing an agenda. “We’ve got trade-union leaders right through to captains of industry,” he points out. “I wouldn’t have a clue what our members’ political leanings are.” He nevertheless hopes that their efforts during the current crisis will be rewarded by a boom in initiations—including, perhaps, your correspondent. “When all this is over, please do come and visit us,” he urges.

     

‘Moe & Moe present two Michaels’

     
Moe & Moe Productions (that’s Mohamad and Moises) proudly present two online events starring two Michaels to help get us through this time of enforced Refreshment:

 Click images to enlarge.

     

‘Weird Fact Wednesday: Jack White’s newly upholstered bench’

     

All images courtesy Third Man Upholstery

I’ve heard of “the furniture of the lodge,” but this is something else!

Third Man Upholstery

You know Jack White is a rock star, but did you know he is a master upholsterer and furniture repair expert too? I suppose it is wise to have something to fall back on.

This edition of Weird Fact Wednesday concerns the news of how White gave new life to a piece of former Masonic seating used inside a one time Masonic temple that today is an arts center. A few hours ago, CityBeat published the story, based on photos from White’s upholstery company’s Instagram account.

CityBeat says:


One of White’s most recent projects is a vintage Masonic bench, which he restored—and added a bit of creative flair to in the form of a built-in amplifier—as a gift to Johnny Wirick’s Masonic Sounds Studio inside of Dayton, Kentucky’s The Lodge, a century-old Masonic lodge that has been renovated into a bustling arts hub over the past decade.

When asked where he plans to put the bench, Wirick said White told him he had a “dream” it would go into The Lodge’s Blue Room (the Masonic Sounds Studio).

The lodge room seating, as it was.

The work in progress.

Et voila!

Click here to see all the photos White shared on his Third Man Upholstery Instagram page. Be sure to watch the brief video of White, armed with a Les Paul, demonstrating the amp inside the bench. Also, note the hilarious photo captions.

Click here for The Lodge in Kentucky (although it is right outside Cincinnati, Ohio).

Click here for the CityBeat story.
     

‘The Nine Lives of Benjamin Franklin’

     

Profs & Pints Online will present “The Nine Lives of Benjamin Franklin” with Richard Bell, associate professor of history at the University of Maryland, on Wednesday night, and $12 will get you in. That’s 7 p.m. Reserve here. From the publicity:


Benjamin Franklin’s genius is a puzzle. Born the tenth and youngest son of a decidedly humble family of puritan candle-makers, his rise to the front ranks of science, engineering, and invention was as unexpected as it was meteoric. Despite having only two years of formal schooling, he would end up receiving honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, Oxford, and St. Andrews, as well as the 18th century equivalent of a Nobel Prize for physics.

Like his hero Isaac Newton, Franklin was driven by a perpetual dissatisfaction with the world as he knew it. He optimized, tinkered, and improved. Hardly the tortured genius, he took a schoolboy’s pleasure in everything he made. Experimenting was a constant source of beauty, pleasure, and amusement for him, even when things went wrong (which they did all the time).

In this talk, Professor Richard Bell will examine many of Franklin’s ideas to make life simpler, cheaper, and easier for himself and everyone else. It turns out that those ideas encompassed not only natural science and engineering—the kite experiments and the bifocals for which he is justly remembered—but also all sorts of public works, civic improvements, political innovation, and fresh new business ideas. His experimenter’s instinct, his relentless drive to build a better world one small piece at a time, even encompassed innovations in medical device design, in music, in cookery, and in ventriloquism.

Dr. Bell, a hilarious and engaging speaker who ranks as a Profs and Pints crowd favorite, will discuss what lessons—and great intellectual habits—we all can learn by examining Benjamin Franklin’s life. Tickets are $12. Live, interactive talk broadcast via Crowdcast technology. A recorded version of the talk and Q&A will remain available at the ticket link.
     

‘Stamp Club to carry on’

     

Courtesy GWMSC

The stamp club brethren chatting before the meeting in February.

The George Washington Masonic Stamp Club lives on, according to a note from Walter Benesch, immediate past president. Walter led the group for almost the entire last 30 years, and indicated that the club would fold unless others met the challenge of providing direction into the future. They hosted their annual meeting February 20 where Stefan Benjamin Dodson was elected president for this two-year term.

Walter tells me the new president is almost half Walter’s age, and that the new webmaster has assumed the duties of cachet master as well. “A major turn-over,” he says, “but all positive.”

Masonic philately is not what it used to be. I think the George Washington Club is the last remaining Masonic stamp club in the country. It meets every February at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia, where it confers the Master of Philately Degree on its members. Life membership costs $20.
     

‘Moises to deliver the Truman Lecture’

     

Missouri Lodge of Research’s Truman Lecture Series will continue as scheduled, but with this difference: It will be shown online.

Moises Gomez, once and future Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, will present his well traveled “Freemasonry and the Underground Railroad” on Saturday, May 16 at noon Central Time.

There is no cost to join in, but it will be carried via Zoom, so you’ll need to have an account set up, and you also will register here. From the publicity:

Freemasonry and 

the Underground Railroad

Once again, many Freemasons stepped in and gave of themselves with considerable risk to do what was right. Slavery is a significant part of American history, and led to the Civil War that turned brother against brother, and culminated in voting rights, civil rights, and the end of segregation in America.

This is a powerful lecture which deals in Toleration, Equality, Justice, Truth, Sacrifice, Acceptance, and Respect for others.

Open to all Master Masons, family and friends.

“The time is right to always

do what is right.”

  

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Research Lodge was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Missouri, AF&AM on September 30, 1941 under the direction of MW Harry S Truman for the purpose of gathering and disseminating historical information pertaining to the origin and development of Freemasonry and to its members who have contributed to its growth and development.

One of the annual events that the Missouri Lodge of Research sponsors is the Truman Lecture, which has hosted a number of notable Masons over the years on a variety of topics. Most remarkable about the series is that it represents Freemasonry in action, the act of presenting to its membership a breadth of knowledge and information by some of the most notable speakers in the contemporary craft.

Membership in MOLoR is open to any Master Mason in or out of the state of Missouri. In-state members may participate as active members, with access to lectures and events in the state. Out-of-state correspondent members receive MoLAR’s quarterly newsletter, an annual book selection published by the Lodge of Research, and all of their other correspondence materials.
     

‘Free at last: The Journal of the Masonic Society!’

     

It was way back on March 17 when Parabola, one of my favorite magazines, made available for free a PDF of its “Alone & Together” issue from 2012. “Quarantine reading,” they call it, to ease some of the pain of enforced “social distancing,” and it makes me happy to announce that the Masonic Society is revealing its first several years of publications to you today.

As this edition of The Magpie Mason goes to press, we have our first twenty issues of The Journal of the Masonic Society available for reading via our website. Click here.

I think more will be forthcoming—we’re still working it out—but, in the meantime, enjoy!

It is not a secret that The Journal of the Masonic Society revolutionized Masonic publishing in the United States when we launched in 2008. Practically overnight, other publishers realized they had been complacent and estranged from the expectations of their readers. From various grand lodge periodicals to The Knight Templar and The Philalethes, the editorial boards and other governing bodies recognized they had an immediate need to revamp their periodicals. Making editorial content relevant and graphic design attractive became urgent goals, thanks to the unexpected competition hatched by Journal Editor Chris Hodapp, his team, and the many contributors whose writings and photography have made us so proud all these years.

If you came to the Masonic Society later, and are not familiar with these early years, check it out. If you’re somehow still not a member of the Masonic Society, you can remedy that right here.
     

‘Sketches from an Esoteric Notebook’

     

Bro. Julian Rees, the noted UGLE Freemason turned Droit Humain Freemason, offered the following thought, “to sustain us all in this uncertain time,” via social media:


“As I write this I am sitting in the garden surrounded by evidence of life. I can see a butterfly fluttering round a bush. I can hear a bird showing off his vocal range. I can feel my own heart beating. I am not a fatalist, but I do recognize that at any moment the butterfly may stop, the bird fall silent, and my heart seize up forever.”


The “this” he was writing resulted in his new book, published three weeks ago, titled Freemasonry for the Heart and Mind: Sketches from an Esoteric Notebook. It seems to be unavailable in the United States right now, pending, I suppose, the post-pandemic return of normal shipping. From the publicity:


Julian Rees has been writing about Freemasonry for many years, promoting the deeper, esoteric aspects of the Freemason’s Craft. His speculative writing on the symbolism, allegory, and ritual aspects has become for many the touchstone of Masonic education and information.

In this compendium, he writes about the different aspects of brotherhood; the power of allegory; the spirituality inherent in the Craft; the reality of Freemasonry stripped of extraneous matters; the importance of Truth in all areas of Freemasonry; about the way we can make sense of chaos and invest in harmony, order and peace; and the importance of the tools the Freemason uses in his work and on his path.

Here he gives us some insights, some old some new, arranged in themes to illustrate the rich tapestry of Freemasonry.


From his bio:

Julian Rees was initiated in Kirby Lodge 2818, under the United Grand Lodge of England, in London in 1968. He was Master in 1976-77 and again at the centenary of the lodge in 1999-2000. He served as Junior Grand Deacon of the UGLE, and he is a holder of the Silver Matchbox Award of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement. He has been honored by the Institut Maçonnique de France with the Ordre Maçonnique de Lafayette, and served as Master of the German-speaking Pilgrim Lodge 238 in 1978-79. He is currently a member of the International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women, Le Droit Humain, in London.

Rees was a regular contributor to the quarterly magazine Freemasonry Today since its founding in 1997, and served as deputy editor and news editor from 2003 to 2007.

In 2003, he delivered the prestigious Wendell K. Walker Memorial Lecture in New York, titled “Through Ritual to Enlightenment.”

He was one of the founding members of The Cornerstone Society, serving as Secretary for a number of years, and has given talks about Freemasonry in numerous lodges around the world.

He is the author of five works on Freemasonry:

• More Light: Today’s Freemasonry for Men & Women
• Making Light: A Handbook for Freemasons
• The Stairway of Freemasonry: 30 Short Talks and Questions
• So You Want to be a Freemason?
• The Tracing Boards of the Three Degrees in Freemasonry Explained
• Ornaments, Furniture, and Jewels

Julian recently has been writing for The Square, England’s independent Masonic journal, and is the editor of the Droit Humain publication for the UK: The Freemason.