The Magpie Mason is an obscure journalist in the Craft who writes, with occasional flashes of superficial cleverness, about Freemasonry’s current events and history; literature and art; philosophy and pipe smoking. He is the Worshipful Master of The American Lodge of Research in New York City; is a Past Master of New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786; and also is at labor in Virginia’s Civil War Lodge of Research 1865. He is a past president of the Masonic Society as well.
A: The immutable law of God requires, that besides respecting the absolute rights of others, and being merely just, we should do good, be charitable, and obey the dictates of the generous and noble sentiments of the soul. Charity is a law, because our conscience is not satisfied nor at ease if we have not relieved the suffering, the distressed, and the destitute…. We are the Almoners of God’s bounties. Albert Pike Prince of Mercy Degree (26º) Morals and Dogma This is a request for charity in its material form, inspired by charity in its spiritual form: sincere fraternal regard and kindness. A lodge brother has set up a Go Fund Me page to help, aid, and assist a Mason in need. Click here to contribute to a veteran of our nation’s armed forces (ten years in not one, but two airborne divisions) and a career school teacher sidelined by medical challenges. I know him to be a virtuous being who deserves far better than what the unkind vagaries of fate have dealt him recently. His lodge, the lodge’s district, and the grand lodge have done what they can, and hopefully Magpie readers could keep the energy moving. Click here. To donate, click the orange Donate Now button at top right. Thank you.
I get the feeling there isn’t a book by Owen Barfield that isn’t thoroughly lovable for the way they smoothly hum with the electricity of learning. His History in English Words unlocks the system of the world that is language, its structures and its evolutions. Barfield, the reluctant lawyer, passionate professor, Inkling, and Anthroposophist, published the book in 1953. This book’s foreward, written by none other than W.H. Auden, begins:
Many who write about ‘linguistics’ go astray because they overlook the fundamental fact that we use words for two quite different purposes: as a code of communication whereby, as individual members of the human race, we can request and supply information necessary to life; and as Speech in the true sense, the medium in which, as unique persons who think in the first and second person singular, we gratuitously disclose ourselves to each other and share our experiences. Though no human utterance is either a pure code statement or a pure personal act, the difference is obvious if we compare a phrase-book for tourists traveling abroad with a poem. The former is concerned with needs common to all human beings, hence, for the phrases given, there exist more or less exact equivalents in all languages. No poem, on the other hand, can be even approximately translated into any other language. A poet, one might say, is someone who tries to give an experience its Proper Name, and it is a characteristic of Proper Names that they cannot be translated, only transliterated. The foreward moves forward brilliantly for five more pages and concludes with a quotation from Dag Hammarskjöld: Respect for the word is the first commandment in the discipline by which a man can be educated to maturity—intellectual, emotional, and moral. Respect for the word—to employ it with scrupulous care and an incorruptible heartfelt love of truth—is essential if there is to be any growth in a society or in the human race. To misuse the word is to show contempt for man. It undermines the bridges and poisons the wells. It causes Man to regress down the long path of his evolution.
(Hammarskjöld, of course, was secretary general of the United Nations from 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1961. Freemasons, among others, should appreciate him for, among other things, creating the Meditation Room inside the UN headquarters in New York City. Hopefully the room is open again, having been off limits in recent years due to construction nearby.) We know Freemasonry communicates very special meanings with certain impressive words. Just as Auden says, these terms are employed to “request and supply information necessary to life,” and they permit us to “disclose ourselves to each other and share our experiences.” Deep into History in English Words, Barfield unpacks vocabulary important to Freemasons.
We have adopted from Latin the word initiate, which meant ‘to admit a person to these Mysteries,’ and the importance attached to secrecy is shown by the fact that ‘muein,’ the Greek for ‘to initiate,’ meant originally ‘to keep silent.’ From it, the substantive ‘mu-sterion’ was developed, thence the Latin ‘mysterium,’ and so the English word. The secrets of the Greek Mysteries were guarded so jealously and under such heavy penalties that we still know very little about them. All we can say is that the two principal ideas attaching to them in contemporary minds were, firstly, that they revealed in some way the inner meaning of external appearances, and secondly, that the ‘initiate’ attained immortality in a sense different from that of the uninitiated. The ceremony he went through symbolized dying in order to be ‘born again,’ and when it was over, he believed that the mortal part of his soul had died, and that what had risen again was immortal and eternal. And later: Let us try to trace the origin of some of the meanings which are commonly attached to the word love. As in the Mysteries, so at the heart of early Greek philosophy lay two fundamental assumptions. One was that an inner meaning lay hid behind external phenomena. Out of this, Plato’s lucid mind brought to the surface of Europe’s consciousness the stupendous conception that all matter is but an imperfect copy of spiritual ‘types’ or ‘ideas’—eternal principles which, so far from being abstractions, are the only real Beings, which were in their place before matter came into existence, and which will remain after it has passed away. The other assumption concerned the attainment by man of immortality. The two were complementary. Just as it was only the immortal part of man which could get into touch with the eternal secret behind the changing forms of Nature, so also it was only by striving to contemplate that eternal that man could develop the eternal part of himself and put on incorruption. There remained the question of how to rise from the contemplation of the transient to the contemplation of the eternal, and, for answer, Plato and Socrates evolved that other great conception—perhaps even more far-reaching in its historical effects—that love for a sensual and temporal object is capable of gradual metamorphosis into love for the invisible and eternal. From my early years in Freemasonry I encouraged anyone who would listen to use their lodge’s ritual as a map. More than memorize, examine it for content, including using a dictionary to learn the vocabulary that is unfamiliar, at the very least.
It’s not due out for another two months, but Ouroboros Press is making a classic text available in its typical high style. First published in the 1750s, Mytho-Hermetic Dictionary is one of those reference books that either unpacks a host of meanings for you, or simply enhances understandings of hidden wisdom you thought you knew. Not necessarily Masonic, but, in my view, a must read for the thinking Freemason. From the publicity: Mytho-Hermetic Dictionary Translated by Joseph Zabinski Book Design and Typography by Joseph Uccello 352 pages, more than 80 illustrations, 7.5” x 10” Classic reference work, hundreds of entries Illustrated with emblems and engravings Bibliographic details and footnotes Cross-references and wayfinding typography Quality bookmaking for beauty and longevity Written in 1758, the Mytho-Hermetic Dictionary defines the most obscure of terms, substances, and concepts employed by the enigmatic authors of the alchemical texts. Its entries unlock the Hermetic mysteries veiled by the motifs, allegories, and symbols of the classical myths, as well as making clear what substances are implied by the terms expressed by the Language of the Birds. In addition to the comprehensive entries, the Mytho-Hermetic Dictionary is a treasure-house of classical and alchemical imagery, containing more than 80 illustrations in the text and featuring the symbols, signs, and iconography of the art. “Finally, thanks to Ouroboros Press and Joseph Zabinski’s insightful translation, Antoine-Joseph Pernety’s Mytho-Hermetic Dictionary is now available. The Mytho-Hermetic Dictionary is a must-have work for anyone researching alchemy, hermeticism, philosophy of science, mythology, lexicons, etc. As important and useful as this dictionary is in focused and direct research, it is also a book that rewards random perusal. In fact, because of its dense web of cross-references, an interesting ‘Hermetic game’ suggests itself—pick a word and follow Ariadne’s thread through the lexicon’s maze. It truly is a Mytho-Hermetic education in itself. Maybe start with the dieties Hecate and Mercury as your guides, or my favorite, the ‘House of the Chicken of the Sages.’ Brian Cotnoir author of Alchemy: The Poetry of Matter THIS BOOK IS AT PRESS FOR AN OCTOBER 2018 RELEASE Ouroboros Press is a labor of love. The research, translations, typesetting, design and production all require time and investment prior to the printing of the book. While we can offer our time in advance of the publication, the printers require funds upfront. Popular literature such as fiction has a much wider audience and returns are swift, but with specialized content such as this we rely on our readers’ pre-orders so that we can bring texts such as the Mytho-Hermetic Dictionary to the world. Please consider subscribing this title now. All readers who pre-order will receive their copies first in October and each copy ordered will be accompanied by the signatures of the translator and the publisher. Thank you for your kind support! Click here to order.
It is hard to think of November during this August heat wave, but mark your calendars for Garibaldi Lodge 542’s Entered Apprentice Degree. When the lodge confers the EAº in the fall, I think it usually chooses the Friday before Columbus Day, so this one is a bit later, but save the date: Friday, November 2.
Magpie file photo
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Bring your apron and current membership card. Be prepared to work your way into a Masonic lodge. Garibaldi will meet in the Grand Lodge Room. Please help the lodge help you by making reservations. If you are traveling in a group, send a headcount to Garibaldi by emailing them here before October 24. (It’s important. The first time I attended this degree many years ago, I saw a huge contingent of Pennsylvania Masons turned away because the fire department wouldn’t permit an excess of the lawful maximum occupancy for the room.) Apprentices and Fellows are welcome! They just need a MM escort. With all that safely explained, about the degree: Garibaldi Lodge 542 is part of the Tenth Manhattan District, that group of historic lodges that includes lodges working in foreign tongues. Garibaldi was chartered in 1864, at which time it received from l’Union Française Lodge 17 its French Rite rituals, and then translated them into Italian. These rituals are very different from what we’d see in nearly every other lodge in America, being that they are of the Continental tradition, rather than the Anglo-American tradition most of us have inherited. The European tradition, at least in this case, features Rosicrucian and Alchemical symbolism that makes the ceremony of initiation very dramatic—flamboyant even. It’s been said that visiting brethren have walked out of the lodge room in protest over the unexpectedly exotic ritual. Don’t be one of those guys. This isn’t theater; this is a tiled Masonic lodge working its Entered Apprentice Degree. If you believe your lodge’s rituals are universal across the country, you are uninformed, so come get some culture at this wonderful opportunity. Garibaldi Lodge will be at labor and the degree is expected to begin at around eight o’clock, with the closing anticipated to come at about 10 p.m.
I swore I’d never write about the fraudulent “Grand Orient of the USA” on The Magpie Mason, but its demise was so long ago I suppose this doesn’t matter. Looking for something else on Google a minute ago, I found this August 1 story concerning a Masonic temple in Cleveland. Once a historic place of sacred retreat for Masonic Speculative craftsmen, it soon will be dedicated to an operative purpose involving stone: rock climbing. I think we’d have to peruse the Dummies blog to see the timeline of the whole story, but way back in the previous decade, a gaggle of rejects stole an entire Masonic lodge from its membership in Cleveland, and proceeded to secede from the Grand Lodge of Ohio. It had been Halcyon Lodge 498, but the five or ten little rascals behind the defection made it the “Grand Orient of the United States.” (GOOFUS to some of us.) The revolution was short lived.
Courtesy Fresh Water Cleveland
The former Masonic temple in question, located at 2831 Franklin Boulevard, is to become a center for rock climbing, yoga, and other activities after a $2.4 million renovation is completed, Fresh Water Cleveland reports, adding: “About eight Masonic Lodges operated out of the building before an ownership dispute reduced that number to just one lodge (that eventually moved out, too). ‘It was the Masonic lodge here,’ says [Kevin] Wojton. ‘One lodge took ownership and kicked the others out. They ran out of money three years ago and locked the doors and walked away.’ “After sitting empty, the building has some physical repairs that must be addressed, including asbestos remediation and a new roof. Vandals stole pipes, and the rain soaked the interior. But Wojton sensed the potential. ‘We saw it as an iconic space,’ he says. ‘With the story and the narrative, we wanted to invest the time and energy.’ “Wojton says old engraved Masonic chairs, desks, gavels, and other ‘Masonic icons’ remain, not to mention paintings (even one of George Washington) and Art Deco design elements. Then there’s marble everywhere—on the floors, the walls, the staircase, even the bathrooms. “‘It was definitely a different time,’ Wojton says. ‘We want to keep as much of the historic nature of the building as possible.’” The new enterprise is expected to open for business at the end of this year, or early next. Click here to read Karin Connelly Rice’s story in Fresh Water Cleveland.
This month’s lecture at the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Library is scheduled for Thursday, August 30 at 6:30 p.m. From the publicity: In the early-to-mid nineteenth century, Freemasonry in New York suffered from an unbroken series of schisms and calamities that at times threatened the existence of the Craft. From the division of the City and Country Grand Lodges in 1822, through the Morgan Disturbance, the St. John’s and Phillips schisms, and the last, and least-studied, of the schismatic movements of this period, the Revived St. John’s Grand Lodge, our Grand Jurisdiction, and even individual lodges, were divided by geography, faction, personal animosity, and ambition.
The recent discovery of an 1854 Master Mason certificate, issued by a previously unknown City lodge, led W. Bro. Brad Corsello to delve into this period of conflict. His lecture traces the history of the Grand Lodge of New York from the Atholl Warrant of 1781 through the end of the Age of Schisms, in an attempt to answer the question “Who was Liberty Lodge No. 7?”
Bro. Corsello is a Past Master of Solomon’s Lodge 196 in Tarrytown. He also is a member of Azim Grotto 7, MOVPER. He is a graduate of the Ohio State University College of Engineering, and Case Western Reserve School of Law, and is an attorney specializing in intellectual property. Photo ID is required to enter Masonic Hall (71 West 23rd Street), and the library is on the 14th floor. RSVP here.
“Freemasonry has been upheld by distinguished people in many
countries, reviled and persecuted, linked with politics, reduced to the
relative informality of staid businessmen’s frolics, penetrated by
Rosicrucianism, attacked as a Jewish imposture by the Nazis. It would not be
seemly for a Freemason to engage upon a public portrayal of any part of the
craft’s symbolism or beliefs—indeed it is more than probable that a member
would be under an oath of secrecy whereby he must preserve every part of the
brotherhood’s workings from all who are not initiated. The source of material
purporting to be Masonic for the nonmember, therefore, is bound to be fairly
one-sided-the inner workings of Masonry provided by renegades and probably by
opponents of the craft.
“When a study is made of all available literature purporting
to contain Masonic secrets, certain definite outlines appear, which might
justifiably be considered to form a reasonable amount of true information, on
the no-smoke-without-fire principle. Be that as it may, what interests the Sufi
is the fact that, out of the material which claims to be partially or wholly
Masonic, a very great deal is at once seen to concur with matters of everyday
Sufi initiatory practice. Either Freemasonry is, as Burton claimed, derived
from the Sufis, or else the substance of the frequent and plentiful exposes,
which may not be of Freemasonry at all, are in fact exposures of a Sufic cult
other than Freemasonry. For the purposes of this study we shall approach this
exciting part of the inquiry from the only perspective open to us. Parallels
will be sought between what the exposers claim to be Freemasonry, and what we
know of Sufic schools.”
Idries Shah
The Sufis
pp. 205-6
Having failed to arouse much interest in a book club for my lodge, I’m delighted to share news of the Fourth Manhattan District’s Book Club. Next meeting: Wednesday, August 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 1615 of Masonic Hall. (Photo ID required to enter the building.)
The group selected The Sufis by Idries Shah for this meeting. Buy your copy, read, and bring to the meeting. RSVP here.
The website of the United Grand Lodge of England is offline as this edition of The Magpie Mason goes to press, possibly because of crippling traffic prompted by the widespread news coverage today of a new policy that extends Masonic membership to transgender people.
From the BBC: Transgender women should be allowed to remain Freemasons if they joined as men, the largest UK lodge has said. Expelling masons for transitioning was “unlawful discrimination,” the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) warned. Women who transition to become men should also be allowed to join, its new gender reassignment policy states. The guidance document says that a Freemason’s gender reassignment should be “treated with the utmost compassion and sensitivity.” Irrespective of gender identity, the UGLE’s 200,000 members will still formally be referred to as “brothers,” the document says. But informally they should be addressed “by the name and title he/she has chosen.” It warns that using a mason’s transition as a reason for excluding them from a men-only lodge would be “unlawful discrimination and so could never constitute sufficient cause.” The document issued to 7,000 lodges across the country, says: “If a Freemason who is a member of UGLE wishes to change gender and become a woman, we expect that the Freemason would receive the full support of their brethren.” From the Guardian: Even the Freemasons cannot ignore the subject of trans rights. The society is to finally allow women to be members—but only if they joined as men. “A Freemason who after initiation ceases to be a man does not cease to be a Freemason,” says new guidance issued by the Freemasons’ governing body, the United Grand Lodge of England. Those who have transitioned from female to male can also apply, the guidance makes clear. Michael Baker, the UGLE director of communications, said “While there has been no general request for guidance on gender reassignment, questions on the subject are likely to become increasingly common in future, and now appears to be an opportune time to issue general guidance to our members. “It should also be noted that people who the law classifies as female will still be exempt from membership of UGLE. They may, of course, become members of the two female-only grand lodges–the Order of Women Freemasons and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons–both of whom refer to members as brothers.” From The Telegraph: According to the report, a senior judge oversaw the move to see if there were legal implications before the decision was made to relax the law on membership. As a single-sex association, lodges are exempt from sexual discrimination legislation on admissions criteria, but discrimination against members is a different issue. The new guidance comes after The Telegraph disclosed that Edward Lord, who is overseeing a gender identity drive as part of his role as chairing the City of London’s establishment committee, was himself a Freemason amid hypocrisy claims. Mr. Lord chairs the City of London’s establishment committee, which has begun a consultation on ending sex segregation in its women-only spaces such as public lavatories and changing facilities at landmarks in the capital. A Twitter row erupted as it emerged that Mr. Lord, who identifies as non-binary and asks to be described by the pronoun “they,” is a Freemason, an institution that has largely refused to allow women to join its men-only lodges. Critics noted that Mr. Lord previously suggested gender identity was “of complete irrelevance biologically.” One said: “So does this mean you will be campaigning to allow women into the lodges of the Freemasons as well? You know what with all spaces becoming mixed and all?” Mr. Lord retaliated: “I take the view that I can best influence change from within.” Asked about the alleged hypocrisy, Mr. Lord told The Telegraph: “It is something I continue to struggle with and continue to think about. If it was entirely up to me I would change things, but you have to take 250,000 members with you. “I've spoken fairly freely on this subject and the fact that Freemasons could be more welcoming and inclusive. The one area I would change is on gender.” From the Daily Mail: The dress code has also been slightly redefined, allowing women who were born men to wear a “smart dark skirt and top.” Women who have not undergone reassignment surgery will still be exempt from Freemason membership, however. In its new policy document, the policy also asks brethren to treat anyone going through gender reassignment with the “utmost compassion” and support. It reads: “It is important that any situation involving gender reassignment of a Freemason is treated with the utmost compassion and sensitivity and that the individual is supported throughout the process. “No candidate should be subjected to questions about their gender which could make them feel uncomfortable.”
Never before have I heard of an Eastern Star chapter hosting an event like this, so I cannot resist forwarding the news. On Friday, Lorelei Chapter 581 will welcome Michelle Snyder, Ph.D. to present “The Feminine Divine.”
Click to enlarge.
From her blog: “Michelle earned her post-graduate degree at the University of Wales, decoding prehistoric images, mythology, folklore, and fairy tales, and tracing them to their roots. She is an author, columnist, publisher, artist, and teacher. Her artwork, inspired by her love of symbolism and folklore, has appeared in galleries from Massachusetts to California. Michelle is co-owner of White Knight Studio.” Her books, on symbology and fairy tales, include: Symbology ReVision: Unlocking Secret Knowledge Symbology: Hidden in Plain Sight Symbology: My Art and Symbols Symbology: Fairy Tales Uncovered Symbology: Decoding Classic Images Symbology: World of Symbols Symbology: Secrets of the Mermaids and: A Tale of Three Kingdoms, Book One: The Lost Unicorn A Tale of Three Kingdoms, Book Two: The Lost Mermaid The Fairy Tales: Once-Upon-a-Time Lessons She has spoken from the lectern to a variety of Masonic audiences.
Big news from the irrepressible Piers. He has translated this historic text, and has made it available to you. From the publicity:
Courtesy Piers Vaughan
I’m delighted to announce that Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin’s second book, Natural Table, is now published and available. First published in 1782, seven years after Of Errors & Truth, Saint-Martin was still a Freemason and avid follower of Pasqually and his teachings, even though his Master had died years earlier, and the Elus Cohen was almost defunct. This book shows how he continued to develop the Theosophy, and this great image of God, Man, and the Universe examines Pasqually’s theology from ancient mythology and the Old Testament. He continues to the advent of Christ, whom he called the Repairer, and continues to the Apocalypse. We also should remember that this work was published in the same year as the Convent of Wilhelmsbad, at which Jean-Baptiste Willermoz received authority to rework the Order of Strict Observance into the Scottish Rectified Rite, forever preserving Pasqually’s teachings in one of most sublime Masonic Orders of all. It’s available in hardcover and paperback, and at a discount for now, so act fast!
American roots music spans a galaxy of styles and traditions, regions and generations. I practically used to live on the music of contemporary singer-songwriters from Texas, Louisiana, and environs. Guy Clark, Robert Earl Keen, Lucinda Williams, Joe Ely, Townes Van Zandt, and many more. I had the good fortune to see them perform when they came to New York. You’d pay something like $12 to sit at their feet in the Bottom Line back in the 1980s and ’90s. I would leave class, or the library, or my desk at the student newspaper, and would just cross the street and fold into my usual seat. One night in December 1990, I saw Clark, Keen, and Van Zandt sharing the stage. I’ve been revisiting this music lately. Got a lot of CDs. Van Zandt’s historic double album Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas captures a night in 1973, pretty early in his career. It was released on New York City-based Tomato Records in 1977. I had totally forgotten this song. “Fraternity Blues” is about the college fraternity game, of which I never was part. Musically, this is in the tradition of Talking Blues. Think Woody Guthrie and those first Bob Dylan records, for example.
Fraternity Blues
Townes Van Zandt
I decided to improve my social station
I joined a fraternity organization
Tucked in my shirt
Signed on the line
Right away they set about to improve my mind
The car I drove
The books I read
The food I ate
The booze I drank
The girls I took out
My breath
Said “kid, we don’t much like the way you walk
And you gonna have to change the way you talk”
They said “your dress is kind of slouchy
And your attitude is mighty grouchy”
Said “you got to learn to bubble”
“You got to bubble with enthusiasm” I started to bubble
“Most important thing you can’t forget
Is learning the entire Greek alphabet”
I never did really understand
That that’s gonna make me anymore a man
But I learned it
I can whip through that son-of-a-beta backwards in five seconds
Then they hit me with some pretty bad news
Concerning the payment of monthly dues
I never did know where that money went
I never was sure it was well spent
But I paid it
I’m no trouble-causer and besides I figured that’s life
If you want good friends it gonna cost you
Well, finally got to be party time
I got a great big old jug of wine
I went back to the house in about an hour
when the boys were drinking whiskey sours
brandy alexanders
frozen daiquiris
Reciting the Greek alphabet to one another
I could see I was gonna have to do my very best
To get myself out of that fraternity mess
I stood right there outside the door
And I chugged that wine like never before
Walked inside and bubbled
All over a couple of their dates
So now everything’s back to normal again
But there is still lots of room for improvement my friend
On this Jewish calendar date, the Ninth of Av, Nebuchadnezzar’s troops took Jerusalem and destroyed King Solomon’s Temple in the year 587 BCE, and the Second Temple was destroyed by Roman forces in 70 CE. Many other calamities occurred on this date in Jewish history right up to the modern era. Synagogue lights will be dimmed, fasting will commence, and the Book of Lamentations will be read. It’s worth the attention of Freemasons too.
Save the date: Saturday, September 22, at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel, for the Mid-Hudson District Grand Lodge Officers Apron Presentation. Bro. Oscar Alleyne, the Right Worshipful Junior Grand Warden, with five other Grand Staff Officers, will receive their purple and gold. Beyond the installation of officers, New York Freemasonry offers a terrific tradition of formally presenting the grand rank aprons in local settings. Details about this event are still to come, and I’ll share them here when they’re available.
The School of Practical Philosophy’s “Summer Stories” series is near. If you’ve never attended a lecture or taken a course at the school, this opportunity offers a great way to get acquainted with the quality of instruction and socialization at the townhouse. We won’t know what the stories will be until we get there, but the schedule is: Wednesdays July 11 and 18 Tuesdays August 21 and 28 Seven o’clock starts. Only $20 per person, which includes wine and light refreshments. Click here for tickets. The school is located at 12 East 79th Street, just outside Central Park.
If you were afraid of having nothing to do in the summertime, don’t worry, and get thee to Masonic Hall. On Saturday, July 14, a day of—well—enlightening lectures will be presented by four of the best speakers one could hope for. From the publicity:
“Since 1717, there have been over 1000 ‘Masonic’ degrees created. The most popular survived and are included in many of the rites, orders, and systems we know today. Like a meal, each degree is only as good as its creator. The recipe may include many of the same ingredients as other meals, yet taste completely different. By analogy, we may see many of the same ‘ingredients’ (features like the use of the term Scottish) in a number of degrees which teach completely different things. The predilections of a degree’s author affect the content as much as the taste buds of a chef. The ‘flavor’ of the foundational Craft degrees in various rites, orders, and systems (Webb working, Scottish Rite, York Rite, Swedish Rite, RER, etc.), differs immensely, and in the ‘Higher Degrees,’ the differences are even more dramatic and pronounced. Some are philosophical, others practical; some present allegory, and others offer discourses on symbolism or (quasi-) historical themes.” Arturo de Hoyos “Esotericism is a Matter of Degrees”
The Legends of the Craft Symposium “Masonry During the Age of Enlightenment” is a one-day educational experience for Master Masons interested in the development of many of our rituals. The focus this year is on degree systems and rituals developed during the 18th century in Europe. We’re filling the room with Brothers, Companions, Sir Knights, and Sublime Princes from around the nation. The Symposium is free and features a 30-minute talk followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. After, there will be an amazing Festive Board (only $55 per person). The goal is to get the smartest minds in Freemasonry in one room, and then learn a whole lot from each other. The hosts are Shakespeare Lodge 750, Continental Lodge 287, and memorizemore.com.
The Lectures
The Legend of Comte de St Laurent
and his role in Scottish Rite Freemasonry
By E. Oscar Alleyne
In 1832 there arrived in the City of New York the Count de St. Laurent. He was a member of the Supreme Council of France and Grand Commander (Ad Vitam) of the Supreme Council 33º for Terra Firma, New Spain, South America, Puerto Rico, Canary Islands, etc. He found the old council sleeping in consequence of political and anti-Masonic troubles existing at that time. This lecture discusses his role in resuscitating that council, and many of the mysteries connected to him as he introduced Scottish Rite to African-American Masons.
Early Scots Masonry, the Royal Arch,
and the Scottish Rite
By Arturo de Hoyos
In the early 1730s in England there were “Scotch Masons” or “Scots Master Masons,” a step after the Master Mason Degree (and apparently unrelated to Scotland). By 1742 in Berlin there was talk of “higher or so-called Scottish Masonry.” In 1743 the Grand Lodge of France adopted a regulation limiting the privileges of “Scots Masters” in lodges. It’s clear from these few mentions that something was going on behind the scenes with “Scottish Masonry,” but we’re not quite sure what. These developments were happening at the same time the Royal Arch was gestating before its birth. It’s even possible the Royal Arch and Scottish Masonry came from the same sources. We just don’t know, until now. “Early Scots Masonry, the Royal Arch, and the Scottish Rite” explores the early migration of Scots Master from Britain to Europe, its association with Royal Arch Masonry, and how it became the foundation for the Scottish Rite degrees.
The Magician, the Mystic,
and the Mason:
The Unlikely Origin of the Rectified Rite
By Piers A. Vaughan
Pasqually, Saint-Martin, and Willermoz are names which are revered in continental European Freemasonry, yet are scarcely known in England or the United States. Nevertheless, their influence has spread far beyond the borders of France, and what they established has affected Freemasonry—and other Orders—ever since. In this talk, you will learn how an almost chance encounter between these three men in the latter part of the 18th century led to the creation of one of the most astonishing orders in Freemasonry, one which still exists and which is considered one of the highest honors to be invited to join. Yet few of its members really understand the gnostic, theurgic, and symbolic underpinnings of an order which, had the French Revolution not taken place, was set to become the standard work across Europe for the following centuries. Had this order become the basis of Freemasonry, there would have been no doubt that the fraternity would have indeed been based upon deeply spiritual and magical practices, and would indeed have been full of “secrets!”
Stephen Morin
and the Baylot Manuscript:
The Origins of the Order
of the Royal Secret
By Josef Wäges
One of the most elusive questions of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite concerns its origins. Where exactly did it come from, and from what source do its rituals emanate? Many scholars have rightfully determined that Étienne Morin, also known as Stephen Morin, is the founder of this system, but it is even less certain precisely from whence his authority came, let alone who Étienne Morin was. The truth is that we only have a partial picture of who he was and the circumstances concerning his authority to establish the rite. Nevertheless, when one assembles all of the evidence and gathers still more, there is still enough light left in the fragments to project a more complete vision of the truth. A close examination of the Baylot Manuscript, in comparison to the Francken Manuscripts in particular, is necessary because it reveals that this manuscript forms the nucleus of what became the Order of the Royal Secret, and later the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.
I screwed up by not posting this a month ago, when I should have, but fortunately the secretary says there still are seats available—including for non-members—even though the RSVP deadline passed, so check it out.
Freemasons are notorious for their “secrets”—real or imagined, benign or sinister. The year 1637 saw the first known mention of the “Mason Word,” the Freemasons’ method of identifying (and commanding?) each other. This paper looks at the known references to the Mason Word during the eighteenth century and follows the evolution of public understanding of this central piece of Masons’ identity. Bro. Morris, 33º is a Past President of the Maryland Masonic Research Society, and a Past Master of both Patmos Lodge 70 in Ellicott City, and of Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 in London. He is the managing editor of The Scottish Rite Journal, is Grand Abbot of the Society of Blue Friars, and is the author and editor of numerous books and articles on Freemasonry. He is a mathematician by training and a magician by inclination. RSVP here.
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