‘Library-museum seeks new director’

    

The Allen E. Roberts Library and Museum of the Grand Lodge of Virginia seeks a new Executive Director. (God, I’d love to be Executive Director of the Allen E. Roberts Library and Museum!) From the publicity:

GL of Virginia

Executive Director of the Allen E. Roberts Library and Grand Lodge of Virginia AF&AM Museum will be a scholar and manager active in all aspects of the Library and Museum and an integral and essential member of the team. The Executive Director will ensure the Virginia Masonic family and generally the world Masonic community is aware of and able to access the collections associated with this endeavor.

Incumbent will report to the Board of Directors of the corporation.

Application deadline: March 1, 2024.

Resumes can be forwarded to:

The Grand Lodge of Virginia

4115 Nine Mile Road

Richmond, VA 23223-4926

or emailed here.

Position

Executive Director of the Allen E. Roberts Library and Grand Lodge of Virginia AF&AM Museum.

GL of Virginia

The Executive Director will be a scholar and manager active in all aspects of the Library and Museum and an integral and essential member of the team. The Executive Director will ensure the Virginia Masonic family and generally the world Masonic community is aware of and able to access the collections associated with this endeavor.

Purpose

GL of Virginia

The Grand Lodge of Virginia Library, Museum and Historical Foundation, and the Allen E. Roberts Masonic Library and Museum of Virginia, Inc. is seeking a vibrant, enthusiastic and dynamic person to direct, organize and curate the Allen E. Roberts Library, the Grand Lodge of Virginia, AF&AM Museum and assist in the curating of such other Virginia Masonic collections as may come under the purview of the Corporation.

Responsibilities

Report to the Board of Directors of the corporation.

Approve, catalog and document all acquisitions including books, ephemera, recordings, furnishings and other items.

GL of Virginia

Create policies, including accession and declination policies, for the Library and Museum, including the preparation of such forms as may be necessary for such purposes, for review and approval by the Board of Directors.

Ensure that Library and Museum holdings are available for Masonic and scholarly use.

Assure proper stewardship of all Library and Museum materials and holdings.

GL of Virginia

Employ proper conservation techniques and methods to preserve and maintain all collections to make the same available for the longest possible time.

Represent the Library and Museum where necessary and as requested by the Board of Directors.

Increase engagement with members of the Masonic Fraternity.

Establish clear goals for the collection and share the same with the Board of Directors.

Deepen fraternal and public awareness of the Library and Museum and publicize its holdings to encourage use.

Serve as a visible and articulate spokesperson for the Library and Museum.

Assist in fundraising matters on individual initiative and at the request of the Board of Directors.

GL of Virginia

Supervise docents, interns and volunteers and manage the scheduling of such persons.

Prepare a budget and discuss budgetary matters with the Board of Directors.

Manage special use and restricted funds.

Assist in planning major purchases and capital expenses of the Library and Museum.

Prepare and oversee Library and Museum publications.

Manage the physical integrity and security of all Library and Museum spaces.

Grow the holdings of the Library and Museum.

GL of Virginia

Salary Range

$46,500 to $68,500

Requirements

GL of Virginia

A strong commitment to historical preservation, research and scholarship.

A strong commitment to working with a team and a Board of Directors.

Bachelor’s Degree in library science, history, museum science, related field or equivalent experience.

Ability to work independently.

A passion for history.

Ability to use Past Perfect computer software.

     

‘Scottish EA° Working Tools’

    

My lodge had the honor of initiating two candidates for the mysteries of Freemasonry Monday night. I’ve always enjoyed the variety shown in rituals around the Masonic world; the following example offers not only different language in defining the familiar Working Tools of the Entered Apprentice Mason, but also reveals a Working Tool unknown to lodges in the United States.

Under the Grand Lodge of Scotland, there is no single ritual promulgated by headquarters. Instead, lodges are free to customize the work. This doesn’t produce anarchy. Masons are responsible. It just means there isn’t a down-to-the-letter standardization of ritual.

What follows comes from The Scottish Ritual of the Three Degrees of St. John’s Masonry, printed by Lewis in London in 1895.

I now present to you the Working Tools of an Entered Apprentice Free Mason, which are, the Twenty-four inch Gauge, the Common Gavel, and the Chisel.

The Twenty-four inch Gauge is to measure our Work, the Common Gavel to knock off all superfluous knobs and excrescences, and the Chisel to further smooth and prepare the stone, and render it fit for the hands of the more expert Craftsman.

The Twenty-four inch Gauge is the first instrument placed in the hands of a workman, as it enables him to measure the work he is about to begin, so that he may estimate the time and labour it will cost.

The Gavel is an instrument of labour. Known to Artists under various appellations, it is still admitted by them all that no work of manual skill can be completed without its aid.

The Chisel is a small instrument, solid in its form, but of such exquisite sharpness as fully to compensate for the diminutiveness of its size. It is calculated to make impression on the hardest substances, and the loftiest structures are indebted to its aid.

But as we are not operative, but rather Free and Accepted, or Speculative Masons, we apply those Tools to our Morals.

In this sense the Twenty-four inch Gauge represents the twenty-four hours of the day,—part to be spent in Prayer to Almighty God; part in Labour, Refreshment, and Sleep; and part to serve a friend or Brother in time of need, that not being detrimental to ourselves or our connections.

The Common Gavel represents the force of conscience, which should keep down all vain and unbecoming thoughts, so that our words and actions may appear before the Throne of Grace pure and unpolluted.

The Chisel points out to us the advantages of Education and Perseverance, by which means alone we are rendered fit members of regularly organized Society. That the rude material can receive a fine polish from repeated efforts alone. From the whole we deduce this moral: That Knowledge, aided by Labour and prompted by Perseverance, will finally overcome all difficulties, raise ignorance from despair, and establish truth in the paths of Nature and Science.

I can’t locate this quotation, but it fits Aristotelian thought.

     

     

‘Remember the great objects of our association’

    

Chuck Dunning imparted something via Facebook last week that inspires me to share here. (Plus, it’s easier than writing something myself.) Enjoy.

Friends and Brothers,

Chuck Dunning

Here’s a traditional opening charge for Blue Lodges in the Preston-Webb tradition. It’s now rarely a mandatory part of ritual in many jurisdictions, and some no longer even include it as optional. I regard it as highly instructive and inspiring, and it would be wonderful if more lodges included it.

Charge at Opening

The ways of virtue are beautiful. Knowledge is attained by degrees. Wisdom dwells with contemplation: there we must seek her. Let us then, brethren, apply ourselves with becoming zeal to the practice of the excellent principles inculcated by our Order.

Let us ever remember that the great objects of our association are the restraint of improper desires and passions; the cultivation of an active benevolence; and the promotion of a correct knowledge of the duties we owe to God, our neighbor and ourselves.

Let us be united, and practise with assiduity the sacred tenets of our Order. Let all private animosities, if any unhappily exist, give place to affection and brotherly love. It is a useless parade to talk of the subjection of irregular passions within the walls of the lodge if we permit them to triumph in our intercourse with each other.

Uniting in the grand design, let us be happy ourselves and endeavor to promote the happiness of others. Let us cultivate the great moral virtues which are laid down on our Masonic trestleboard, and improve in every thing that is good, amiable, and useful.

Let the benign Genius of the Mystic Art preside over our councils, and under her sway let us act with a dignity becoming the high moral character of our venerable Institution.

     

‘Learn the Secret Teachings in the Reading Room’

    

Manly P. Hall’s The Secret Teachings of All Ages covers many subjects, but one of the passages on Freemasonry will be the topic of discussion in the Reading Room, a feature of Craftsmen Online, this spring. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, the panel will look into “Freemasonic Symbolism.” A taste:

The sanctum sanctorum of Freemasonry is ornamented with the gnostic jewels of a thousand ages; its rituals ring with the divinely inspired words of seers and sages. A hundred religions have brought their gifts of wisdom to its altar; arts and sciences unnumbered have contributed to its symbolism. Freemasonry is a world-wide university, teaching the liberal arts and sciences of the soul to all who will hearken to its words. Its chairs are seats of learning and its pillars uphold an arch of universal education. Its trestleboards are inscribed with the eternal verities of all ages and upon those who comprehend its sacred depths has dawned the realization that within the Freemasonic Mysteries lie hidden the long-lost arcana sought by all peoples since the genesis of human reason.

Click here for the text. Click here to join this meeting via Zoom when the time comes.

     

‘News from the Philalethes Society’

    

Great news from the Philalethes Society during Masonic Week:

✓ Adam Kendall is President for the two-year term.

✓ Chris Ruli is the new Third Vice-President.

✓ Michael Poll, made a Fellow in 2003, has been chosen Dean of the Fellows of the Society.

Steve McCall, owner of Macoy Masonic Supply Co., was the keynote speaker at the luncheon yesterday, discussing the history of his company in “175 Years of Serving the Craft: Publishing, Regalia, and Masonic Supplies.”

The Philalethes Society was founded in 1928 to serve as a nexus for serious thinking and a source for real scholarship on Masonic subjects. Grand lodges were not places to find research and education, so brethren motivated to fill that void organized independent bodies to publish enlightening papers and articles for the fraternity’s advancement in Masonic knowledge. The Philalethes Society was neither the first nor the only such group from that era, but it is the one still breathing at the close of the first quarter of the twenty-first century.

Congratulations all!

Okay, okay. I’ll rejoin. Stop browbeating me.

(Hey guys, how about updating the website, yeah?)

I wonder if I can revive Knickerbocker Chapter.

     

‘Terra Masonica is on YouTube now; sequel is planned’

    

Terra Masonica is available on YouTube now. The two-hour (in two parts) documentary from 2017 was uploaded several days ago, and can be enjoyed free of charge—legitimately. And keep reading for word about a sequel. From the movie’s publicity:

What is Freemasonry today? Who are the Freemasons? Since 1717, Freemasonry has expanded worldwide. Throughout the centuries, this phenomenon has become impregnated with the different local cultures on the five continents. On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Freemasonry, this extraordinary world tour in 80 lodges unveils, for the first time, these ancient and fascinating communities. Terra Masonica takes us to meet Masons in everyday life, sharing their history and vision of a changing world.

It’s impressively photographed and smartly edited. The film is at its most poignant during the segments shot in Scotland, Norway, Ukraine, Mali, and Spain, although the stops in India and Israel leave impacts as well.

A sequel, Terra Masonica 2: The Widow’s Son, is forthcoming. (Has nothing to do with the motorcycle club.) Click here to visit the Terra Masonica YouTube channel.

     

‘The Masons that Made the Tarot!’

    

This month, the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge of New York will bring to the lectern Bro. Oliver Ash, who will present “The Masons that Made the Tarot!” From the publicity:

Tarot cards can be found everywhere in modern culture. There are hundreds of decks available all over the world, and the global tarot card market is expected to keep growing. Despite their popularity, many people are unaware of tarot history and, in particular, they are unaware of the profound influence that Freemasons have had on its creation.

Oliver Ash

Join Oliver Ash for a dive into the history of tarot cards, with special attention paid to those Masons who helped to begin one of the most intriguing modern spiritual traditions.

Oliver Ash is currently completing his Master’s Degree in Theological Studies at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester. He is constructing his thesis around tarot history, which he has been studying for five years. He received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Champlain College in Vermont.

Ash was initiated into Masonry in 2022, and is acting as junior master of ceremonies in his mother lodge. His interests include Masonic ritual and history, Western esotericism and occultism, mystical spirituality, and interfaith studies. He has worked with institutions in the past related to tarot education and stimulating interfaith dialogue.

Click here to register. Photo ID is required to enter Masonic Hall. The library is located on the fourteenth floor.

     

‘It was sixty years ago today’

    

Walter Shenson/Subafilms

At this hour sixty years ago, the Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show.

While there are a few Freemasons depicted in the cover art of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, there aren’t Beatles-Craft connections that I know about, except. . . In 1965, the group filmed their second movie, Help!, which includes this quick, silly exchange between Ringo Starr and Alfie Bass:

Ringo: “Does this ring mean anything to you?”

Doorman: “Freemason?”

Ringo: “He’s from the west!”

Doorman: “Nah, east—Stepney!” 

The Beatles previously had been Quarrymen, but they never were Freemasons. It’s not too late! I’m sure Chelsea, St. Cecile, or any lodge would love to have Ringo or Paul.

     

‘It’s beefsteak season!’

   

Mariners 67

Mariners Lodge 67 in the First Manhattan District will host its famous Beefsteak Dinner later this month, which I mention here to urge you to attend. These are unforgettable banquets for enjoying course after course of terrific food (and not just beef), libations, song, and a camaraderie I don’t think can be found elsewhere. It’s a rite of passage unto its own.

This will take place Saturday, February 24. From the publicity:

Maritime Festive Board

and Beefsteak Banquet

February 24 at 6:30 p.m.

Masonic Hall, Jacobean Room

Attire: Tuxedo (preferred) or Business Formal, and everyone gets a Butcher’s Apron. This event is open to Masons and male guests only. Doors open at six; gavel at 7:30.

Tentative Menu:

First Course

Iced Shrimp, The Ancient Mariner’s Cured Salmon, House Pickles

Second Course

House-Smoked Brisket Pastrami with Rye Toast, Roast Pork with Rolls, Tomato-Braised Lamb Meatballs

Third Course

Memphis-Style Dry-Rubbed Pork Ribs, 72-Hour Braised Beef Short Ribs, Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Fourth Course

Strip Steak, Lamb Chops, Roasted Potato Wedges

Fifth Course

Assorted Dessert Platters

Draft beer from the legendary Bronx Beer Hall.

Click here to book your seats. This is a perfect group activity for your lodge.

Granted, the ticket price is a lot of money, but if you plopped down in a restaurant and ordered those dishes, you’d have to wash dishes to get back out the door.

Click here for coverage of the last time I attended.

Make time to read Joseph Mitchell’s legendary story from 1939, originally in the New Yorker, titled “All You Can Hold for Five Bucks.” Click here and turn to Page 291.

     

‘The return of Macoy’s Masonic Monitor’

    

Front cover, I assume, of the book.

Macoy Masonic Supply Co. of Virginia (formerly of New York City) will publish a seminal work by its founder soon in commemoration of the business’ 175 years, and thoughtfully invites us to purchase the painstakingly reproduced historic volume. This is Robert Macoy’s Monitor from 1867. From the publicity:

Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply is celebrating 175 years of serving the Craft this year. It all starts with a collector’s limited edition of one of Robert Macoy’s first books: Macoy’s Masonic Monitor.

Our team has gone to great lengths to honor this book and Robert Macoy, by meticulously retyping each word and restoring the more than 300 images to their original beauty.

This is not just a photocopied reproduction found on the internet. On top of that, we have had a special die made so each copy of this book will be hand gold stamped by Macoy craftspeople.

Why should I buy this book?

▶︎ Limited Edition — We will print only a select number of this book. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

▶︎ Each cover will be hand stamped in gold leaf.

▶︎ Own Masonic history — This monitor is like the monitor, manual, or presentation manual you use today. You’ll be shocked by how the words you say today are so similar to what Masons said 175 years ago.

▶︎ Learn about the York Rite — All degrees are covered in the book.

Brief history and explanation of Masonic Monitors:

According to Coil’s Encyclopedia, “A monitor is a book of esoteric ritualistic matter. Virtually all…of the moral and ethical instructions of Freemasonry is contained in the published…monitors and manuals issued by various Masonic authorities. Such publications (are not) the secret parts of the ritual. The most prominent of the monitors were Preston’s of 1772; Webb’s of 1797: Cross’ of 1819: Tannehill’s of 1824; Mackey’s of 1852; and Macoy’s of 1867.

Brent Morris writes: “So what’s the difference between a monitor and a ritual book? It might help to start with an analogy. One can think of Masonic degree ritual as a sort of morality play, in which the candidate is the main protagonist and other members of the lodge take on other dramatic roles in the cast. Ritual books contain the scripts to these ‘plays,’ and contain material that is considered either secret or not intended for non-members. Monitors, on the other hand, contain the non-secret excerpts of rituals, lectures, and other ceremonies. In other words, monitors include extracts of parts of Masonic ritual that, when read, may give the reader a general sense of the ritual while including neither the text of the ritual itself, nor the passwords, signs, grips, etc. that are a part of what Masons pledge not to reveal to non-Masons.

“Monitors exist for the Craft degrees (i.e. the first three degrees), Scottish Rite, York Rite, and various other degrees. Monitors…often include descriptions of how the lodge room or stage is decorated and often contain an outline of the narrative story of the degree. Monitors of the Craft degrees usually contain excerpts from the various ‘lectures’ in which the metaphorical meaning of various Masonic symbols is explained.”

Click here to place your order. Receive a 10 percent discount if you’re fast. (I just ordered mine!) Books will ship in April.

     

‘Festive Board at Lafayette’s Royal Arch chapter’

    

Another Royal Arch “Bring-a-Brother Night” is coming! Jerusalem Amity Chapter 8, where Lafayette was made a Royal Arch Mason, is planning one for later this month. From the publicity:

On Tuesday, February 13, Jerusalem Amity Chapter 8 invites all Master Masons and Royal Arch Companions to join us for our 225th Anniversary “Companion Bring a Friend Night.” This will be a chapter-style festive board at 8:30 p.m. in Masonic Hall’s Jacobean Room on the eighth floor. Dress Code: Masonic.

The night will consist of toasts, talks, feasting, Light, and fellowship. If you are interested in joining us, please RSVP here.

For close to 225 years, JA8 has been actively involved in New York City Masonic, and in the larger, global, community. An example is demonstrated by the Holy Royal Arch ceremony with Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette almost 200 years ago, an event we intend to celebrate in September.

     

‘Fezruary announcement’

    

Click to play the video.

As today is the first Fez Friday of the month of Fezruary, here is some news you need to know.

First, if you didn’t catch the Sapere Aude lecture on Sunday that brought Frank John Sforza to the world to discuss the Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm, you missed an inspired presentation of Grotto knowledge from our Grand Historian (and local DDGM). Just click the graphic above.

Looking to next month, there will be a Ceremonial at Simba Grotto in south Jersey bringing together Prophets from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Frank says all Prophets are welcome, but the ritual will be worked by Prophets from those three states.

And in April, our Empire State Grotto Association will host its spring session, from the 19th to the 21st, in Kingston. You’ll receive the info if you haven’t already. In addition to the business meetings, there will be the President’s Banquet, Installation of Officers, and more. I’m going to drive up for the Saturday. Hope to see you there.

     

‘Brotherhood Night next month’

    

If you enjoyed Unity Day at Masonic Hall in Manhattan last Saturday, maybe you’ll want to attend Brotherhood Night next month.

The Grand Lodge of Delaware’s annual affair welcoming brethren of New York, Pennsylvania, and more to Nur Shrine in New Castle will be the ides of March.

I think the graphic above says it all.

(The Magpie Mason cannot attend as the fifteenth of March is World Sleep Day.)

     

‘Royal Mint honors Studholme 1591’s most famous’

    

Closing out the month of January is news from the Royal Mint. This has nothing to do with Freemasonry, except it concerns the memory of a famous Mason. The Royal Mint is releasing a £2 coin with the likeness of a young Winston Churchill on the reverse.

King Charles III’s profile graces the obverse. (I think they could have made an exception in this case, but this is not the first coin that depicts Churchill—he adorned the reverse of the 1965 crown after his death—so I’ll let it slide.) The fifty-ninth anniversary of Churchill’s death passed last Wednesday, but this coin is to commemorate the 150th birthday of the “greatest Briton,” which comes November 30. From the publicity:

Sir Winston Churchill:

An Inspirational Leader

Marking the 150th Anniversary

of the Birth

of Sir Winston Churchill.

Most famous for leading Britain to victory in the Second World War, Sir Winston Churchill was a statesman, writer, orator and leader who became one of the most influential prime ministers in British history.

Born in Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire on 30 November 1874, Churchill developed a fascination with the military from an early age and joined the cavalry in 1895, serving in the 4th (Queen’s Own) Hussars. His service in the military took him all over the world to countries such as Cuba, Afghanistan, Egypt and South Africa, where he simultaneously served as a part-time journalist.

Churchill’s political career began in 1900 when he was elected Conservative MP for Oldham. He defected to the Liberal Party in 1904, holding a number of Cabinet positions, before returning to the Conservative Party in 1924, serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

In the wake of Neville Chamberlain’s resignation in 1940, Churchill succeeded him as the prime minister of an all-party coalition government. His leadership during the Second World War was vital for Britain and it was during this time he gave some of his most famous speeches, which helped galvanise the nation during a time of great hardship.

Paying Tribute to an Influential Leader

© The Broadwater Collection

Created by Natasha Seaward, a graphic designer at The Royal Mint, the Sir Winston Churchill coin features a portrait of Churchill as a young man in 1895, garbed in the uniform of the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars. In tribute to this anniversary, the coin’s legend reads ‘150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF WINSTON CHURCHILL,’ whilst the date of his birth and passing are displayed in equal prominence either side of the portrait. The edge inscription, ‘PAVE THE WAY FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM,’ is taken from a remark Churchill made in late 1953, whilst serving his second term as prime minister.

“Sir Winston Churchill is arguably one of the most influential prime ministers in British history; it is a privilege to have been selected to design a coin in his honour,” said Seaward. “Although rare for a statesperson, Winston Churchill has featured on UK coins several times before. Whilst he was well known for his influential speeches and his leadership during the Second World War, Churchill achieved many things prior to his time as prime minister that aren’t widely acknowledged. I wanted to portray a side of him less known to the public and therefore chose a portrait from his time serving in the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars.”

The Sir Winston Churchill 2024 UK £2 coin will be available as part of the 2024 Annual Sets and may also feature in other sets and product formats in the future.

Marking the Birth

of Sir Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill is one of the most recognizable figures in British history and famously led Britain to victory in the Second World War. Born in 1874 at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, he was the eldest child of Conservative politician Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill and American-born British socialite Jennie Jerome.

Churchill successfully passed the entrance examination to the Royal Military College Sandhurst on his third attempt and passed out as twentieth in a class of 130. His father passed away in 1895, which had a profound effect on the young Churchill as he entered the fourth Hussars in the same year.

Churchill’s career in the military saw him travel widely and would often write about the conflicts he encountered for newspapers. In 1900, Churchill turned his attention to politics and went on to have an impressive political career, representing five constituencies, serving under 13 prime ministers and becoming prime minister himself in 1940 and again in 1951. Two years later, in 1953, he received and accepted both the Order of the Garter and the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Sir Winston Churchill 2024 UK £2 coin will be available as part of the 2024 Annual Sets and may also feature in other sets and product formats in the future.

Click here to read the specifications of this coin. If I understand correctly, it will not be available for sale individually in either proof or uncirculated condition, but it could go into circulation if there is a demand. The coin is being made available, in proof and uncirculated, as part of these sets.

Art Daily

  
Bro. Churchill was initiated into Studholme Lodge 1591 (now United Studholme Alliance Lodge 1591) on May 24, 1901. He was passed to the second degree July 19, and was raised a Master Mason on March 5, 1902.

And Studholme 1591 was consecrated on this date in 1876!

I really don’t know about his Masonic life. I always assumed he joined a lodge because that was something politicians did. To my knowledge, he did not work his way to the East, did not hold Grand Rank; or was inducted into any of the Orders beyond the Craft. I don’t know how long his membership in good standing at Studholme 1591 lasted.

Perhaps these are things to research for his sesquicentennial birthday this fall.

     

‘Nazis vs. Freemasons’

    

Nazis vs. Freemasons documentary.

Sounds almost like a soccer match but, no, Nazis vs. Freemasons is a new film from Free Documentary on the subject of the Masonic archives looted by Nazi Germany during its conquest of Europe in World War Two; those records’ subsequent seizure by the Soviets; and the surprising return of 28,000 meticulously labeled files to their original owners, despite reluctance in the Duma, at the close of the last century.

Free Documentary is one of the many brands of Quintus Studios. Based in Germany, Quintus is an aggregator of documentaries it has uploaded to YouTube for more than ten years for our enjoyment free of charge.

Free Documentary

Nazis vs. Freemasons: Looting of the Lodges recounts the story of how and why Nazis, commanded by Alfred Rosenberg, plundered the Masonic buildings in Germany and the countries sacked by the German army, confiscating all kinds of archives, libraries, and possessions. The Masonic items later were shipped to Moscow, where they were lodged for more than fifty years.

Of Rosenberg, Holocaust Encyclopedia says:

On November 9, 1923, Rosenberg participated in the Munich Beer Hall Putsch, which resulted in Hitler’s arrest. Tasked by Hitler as interim leader of the Nazi Party, Rosenberg struggled to prevent the Nazi movement’s disintegration. After Hitler’s release, Rosenberg returned to journalism and began his chief work, The Myth of the Twentieth Century, published in 1930…

Based on a selective reading of earlier works of philosophers, neo-pagan authors, and racial theorists, such as Houston Stewart Chamberlain, the volume embodied a dichotomist world view that positioned the “Aryan” and the Jewish “races” irreconcilably against one another. All the fruits of Western culture, Rosenberg posited, had evolved solely from the Germanic tribes; yet the Roman “priestly caste” which had arisen with Christianity had combined with Freemasons, Jesuits, and “international Jewry” to erode this culture and with it German spiritual values.

Free Documentary

From the Masonic perspective, the film highlights the explanation offered by Pierre Mollier, one of the Grand Orient of France’s best known scholars. We also hear from historian Patricia Grimsted, who brought the archives to light after the collapse of the Soviet government—and was denounced as a spy, among other experts.

Some takeaways from the film:

Free Documentary

◆ These archives are not mere inanimate objects and dry documents. They comprise nothing less than the fraternity’s lost “collective memory.” Facts unknown by anyone living, even about Lodge of Nine Sisters in Paris, have been exhumed to illumine our past.

◆ Nazi venom for Freemasonry wasn’t merely loathing of Enlightenment (and anti-fascist) thinking. Heinrich Himmler believed Freemasons “held mysterious esoteric powers.”

◆ The Soviets’ interest in Freemasonry was more practical. They wanted to know about Masonic political networking to learn if Masonry had members inside the Communist Party. Also, knowing that many Western politicians and generals were Masons, they sought to leverage Masonic knowledge to infiltrate that leadership.

There’s no sense in me writing at length about the documentary. Click the image at top and watch the 51-minute film, posted to YouTube about a week ago.

My thanks to Bro. Don for alerting me to the film’s arrival on YouTube.

     

‘Wanted: Masonic speakers’

    

Okay Magpie readers, there is a request for assistance. The Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania seeks speakers for its monthly lecture series.

Settle down. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re looking for you. I assume they want knowledgeable and coherent Masons (rules me out), maybe with some public speaking experience. From the publicity:

We are looking for presenters for our Speaker Series.

Topics can be about Freemasonry, any of the Masonic appendant bodies, their philosophies, or anyone of prominence involved with Freemasonry.

Presentations, which also can be non-Masonic in origin, should run between 30 and 45 minutes, with time after for questions.

Volunteers should contact Mike Comfort, director of the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania, here.

     

‘Thurman C. Pace, 1924-2024’

    

Thurman Cleveland Pace

1924-2024

Thurman C. Pace laid down his working tools yesterday,

just three days shy of his centennial birthday.

‘The first law of the lodge’

    

At the Fourth Manhattan District’s Protocol Class yesterday.

You think you know something about Freemasonry, but then attend a Masonic Protocol class.

That’s where the Magpie Mason was twenty-four hours ago, joining three lodge brothers and others from the Fourth Manhattan District at Masonic Hall for instruction in the finer points of dos and don’ts. Actually, I shouldn’t have written “lodge brothers.” It’s lodge brethren.

If you think yourself above protocol instruction because you’ve read Waite, Wilmshurst and whatever, get used to the idea of being wrong about that. Approaching my twenty-seventh anniversary in Freemasonry, even I was very curious about what would be imparted to us yesterday. Sure, I knew most of the material already—even I can learn osmotically over time—but a lot of it contradicted what I had learned earlier in life as a—cough—“New Jersey Mason,” and some of it was new to me.

It was in 1924 when Grand Lodge, at the suggestion of MW Arthur S. Tompkins, made the Bible presentation part of lodge life. ‘I am glad to report that my recommendation…has been adopted by many lodges,’ he said before Grand Lodge in May of that year. ‘I hope it may become a universal custom, one that shall indelibly impress upon the mind of every new Mason the fact that the Holy Bible is the Great Light in Masonry; that the doctrine of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man is the cornerstone of our fraternity; and that our first duty to is to God, and the Sacred Book should be the lamp to our feet and a light to our paths.’ 

“We study Protocol because we are convinced of its powers to help maintain harmony,” said RW Bro. Tomas Hull, Grand Director of Ceremonies. “It is a form of courtesy to the individual and a manifestation of respect to the Craft. Harmony is the first law of the lodge. Where discord enters, Freemasonry leaves.”

In the I Knew That category, for examples:

 - No one may tread across the Master’s Carpet.

 - No smoking, food, or drink is permitted in the lodge room.

 - The Inner Door may be used only during degrees.

In the Contradictions Department:

 - Never say “Blue Lodge” or “Symbolic Lodge,” but say “Master Mason Lodge” or “Masonic Lodge.”

 - Do not say “Worshipful Sir” or any other “Sir.” (I’ll never be able to break that habit!)

 - Do not say “To you and through you.” (I can break that habit.)

Under New (to me) Material:

 - There are no “Open Installations” or other events, but instead are “Public.”

 - Do not say “grace the East,” which I’ve never heard before.

 - Do not say “Sitting Master,” although I never knew where that came from anyway.

There was an awful lot more. As my lodge’s tiler, much of the instruction was idiomatic to my responsibilities. Make sure you avail yourself of this and the other courses offered in your district!

     

‘Freemasonry: the Daughter of the Enlightenment’

    

It’s not on their website yet, but the 2024 Charles A. Sankey Lecturer will be Professor Cécile Révauger. That’s both in person and online, to wit:

2024 Charles A. Sankey Lecture

in Masonic Studies

Sunday, April 14 at 3 p.m.

Sean O’Sullivan Theatre

Brock University

Professor Cécile Révauger,

Professor Emerita of English

at Bordeaux University, France

on “Freemasonry, the Daughter

of the Enlightenment:

from Religious Tolerance

to Universalism”

Generously sponsored by the Grand Lodge of AF&AM of Canada in the Province of Ontario. To attend in person at BrockU, please reserve your ticket(s) online here and clicking on the tickets link. Tickets are free.

There will also be a livestream for those who cannot attend. Click here.

     

‘2024 Magpie speaking tour’

    

Royal Arch apron on display at the GWMNM.

The Magpie Mason’s calendar of speaking engagements is filling up fast with two dates packed into the 366-day leap year that is 2024!

The Royal Arch companions at Eureka Chapter 7 in beautiful Orlando, Florida want to fly me down for their next convocation for some reason. Actually, their next meeting will be tonight, but after that the next meeting will be Thursday, March 14.

Eureka meets in Eola Lodge 207’s building, located at 3200 East Grant Street. (Happy 100th anniversary!) There I will reprise my talk on Kabbalah and Royal Arch Masonry. I changed the title so it don’t look like the same lecture I’ve been delivering for ten years, so now it is “Mystical Interpretations of Royal Arch Symbols.”

Leave it to me to visit Florida after winter. Wear something red, and I’ll see you there. 7:30 p.m.

In May, on a date to be determined, I’ll join the brethren at Audubon-Parkside Lodge 218 (another A-P Lodge!) in New Jersey. We had a date picked, but it seems the lodge is relocating, and therefore its schedule is changing, but we’ll work it out.

This talk will cover two broad topics: choosing best practices for lodge life (I’m avoiding “The O Word” because it makes some people crazy), and finding the right subscription memberships for further Light in Masonry.

I’m exhausted just talking about these.