Chain Of Union

Freemasonry is a peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. Symbols are something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance. In Freemasonry, we have the Compass, the Square, the Level, the Plumb and so on, visible, physical symbols of philosophical principles and elements.

There are also symbols that are enacted, for instance the due guards and signs by which we can recognize each other. There is another type of enacted symbol, the Chain of Union.

Generally, it is formed at closing a lodge, and usually only in the first-degree. Some do it immediately before the closing, others after, and some as a part of the ritual of initiation where is it done in an evocative manner: Immediately after closing the works, the novice is placed “between the pillars” where he is able to see the formation of the chain. After it is formed, by order of the master, the circle is opened towards the West so the candidate, crossing the threshold, is welcomed into and becomes an integral part of it. The chain is closed, locked “with force and vigor,” having assimilated the new ring in an almost organic way.(1)

To form the chain, the brethren descend to the level, and assemble in a circular shape around the altar or tracing board in the center of the lodge. If the lodge wears gloves, the brethren should remove them, then standing shoulder to shoulder, they should stand with heels together, their feet forming the angle of a square, their toe tips touching that of the brother on each side.

The brethren should cross their arms over their chest, right arm over the left joining hands with those of his neighbors so the right hand takes the neighbors left, with the right hand covering and the left hand supporting.

The brethren should rest their chin on their chest, close their eyes and concentrate on the intent of the Worshipful Master, remaining silent and meditative. The master says: so mote it be, and the brethren raise and drop their arms in unison three times, then release the hands to break the chain and release the joined will of the brethren.

The chain of union reminds us of the indissoluble chain of sincere affection which unites us all, the high and low, the rich and the poor into one society or band of brothers. The Chain of Union also represents the knotted cord that runs around the temple walls. It indicates that we are all links belonging to the same chain.

This practice has seemingly fallen into disuse in many jurisdictions, and is one that symbolically unites us, physically, psychically, morally, and masonically.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us!

References:

(1) Chain of Union, Giovanni Lombardo, Lodgeroom International Magazine, June 2006, pp 7

Is the "Traditional Observance" Movement Elitist?

In the interests of full disclosure, I am in the process of forming a European Concept lodge (ECL) that closely follows the "Traditional Observance" format developed by the Masonic Restoration Foundation. I Just wanted to get that out of the way before we started. In the furtherance of full disclosure, hereafter I will use ECL to describe the lodge, as the term “Traditional Observance Lodge” is trademarked by the Masonic Restoration Foundation and has a specific, defined meaning.

First, what IS an ECL? First and foremost, it is an attempt to return to the foundation of Freemasonry as a philosophical and moral society. ECLs have a focus on the initiatic process in all their activities. A deep, contemplative atmosphere is what these lodges strive for in all meetings, often employing darkness, candle rather than electric lighting, music, periods of silence and meditation.

Degree conferrals are also very serious affairs, with strict rules for candidate advancement and participation. Often six moths to a year elapse between degrees, with the candidates encouraged to prepare and present research papers to the brethren as part of the process.

There are differences between the ECL and TO lodge concept, but they are essentially the same in practice, in my opinion. The ECLs are places where ideas can be discussed in a brotherly atmosphere, where learning is promoted, and fellowship fostered.

Is this elitist? I don’t think so, though I can see how a brother from a contemporary blue lodge could feel that way. Most blue lodges, in my experience, have gotten away from education, and gotten away from the contemplative aspects of Freemasonry. This is not a criticism of contemporary Freemasonry, but, rather, is an observation of the state of being.

TO Lodges are formed by Brethren who want a return to the more philosophic aspects of Freemasonry, in a more traditional, somber, and contemplative setting. We're the guys who yearn for what our Mother Lodges promised, but didn't deliver. We want the Masonry of Goethe, Voltaire, Franklin, etc., and recognize that it is tough to find that in the current system.

Elitism has nothing to do with it. TO Masonry isn't for everybody, and we're not out to convert the entire system. It works for those who are looking for traditionalism, formality, and the great, deep teachings we have to offer, that are often overshadowed by fish fries and membership drives. Visit a TO Lodge, if you have one in your area. We are anything but elitist- intellectual, yes. Philosophical, yes. Serious about our Masonry, yes. And we will have you busting a gut laughing by the time the night is over. We're good, honest, funny dudes, and we treat our visitors like kings.

Cult? Nah. If you knew me, you wouldn't even entertain the idea. I'm hypercritical of everything of which I'm a part, and TO has it's problems, like every other Lodge. But it works for us, and the net effect is that Brethren who were ready to leave the Craft out of disappointment now have a home, and are still members. I'm one of those; had I not found my TO Lodge, I would have demitted, entirely, never to return.

…We joined seeking the promise of Freemasonry, the philosophy, the great work, the fellowship with other like minded, good and honorable men.

Dave Mavity, TO Lodge Member http://excoboard.com/exco/thread.php?forumid=54969&threadid=1395167

We find lodges focused on moving men through the degrees by making it as easy as possible for them, and of course, loosing the purpose along the way to a certain extent. Masonic philosophy is something a brother is expected to find in the dusty disused books in the lodge library, and education is a pamphlet and the ritual lecture.

Even the memory work, so much a part of the tradition of Freemasonry has been, to a large extent, reduced or eliminated. There are even grand lodges that have instituted programs that are often terms “All the way in a day”. A candidate is brought to a lodge in the morning, and by late afternoon, is often a 32^nd degree Scottish Rite Mason. Exhausted, and having achieved nothing but a certificate, a stack of books, and it is hoped, the will to persevere.

So when a group of brothers comes along, calls for extensive Masonic education, Masonic Formation is what the Grand Lodge of California calls it, and calls for extending the length of time it takes to get from degree to degree, and calls for the ritual to be conferred in a solemn, serious manner, it can be seen as elitist.

The reality is, the movement toward ECLs is a move to the past, to the rich history and tradition that made Freemasonry the great and enduring institution that it has been, and can be again. Men join Freemasonry for a variety of reasons: because their dad, uncle, grandfather, neighbor are Masons, because they met or have seen Masons in the community and formed favorable opinions of them, or to be a part a something greater than themselves.

Regardless of the reason(s) they joined, they deserve to receive all the light that can be conferred upon them in a lodge of master masons. This is not to say or imply that a non ECL is less than any other lodge, because its not true. There are millions of men in the United States today that enjoy their Masonry, as they should.

There are others though, that want… more. As brothers and fellows, we should be glad that they are finding it, and should be ready to lend a hand to them along the way… and maybe, just maybe, we might peek into the ECL lodge to see if there is something there we might want for ourselves.

I was privileged to be invited to Academia Lodge #847, the first chartered Traditional Observance Lodge in the State of California. To say that I was impressed and left breathless would be an understatement. Since that day, I have prepared myself to form an ECL lodge in my district, and was surprised to find the number of brethren that are interested in participating in such a lodge.

Are ECL/TOs elitist? Not at all… but we do want to continue to search for more light, as all brothers and fellows have done, who have gone this way before.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us!

Of Masonic Regularity

No single issue is more divisive than that of the Regularity of a lodge. If you are a member of a regular Grand Lodge, you have millions of brothers around the world, and tens of thousands of lodges will open their doors to you. As a regular Mason, you know that your masonry can trace its roots back to the Premiere Grand Lodge of England and that you are heir to a rich heritage of Masonic history, tradition and learning.

Defining the Terms

Regular: Regularity is a constitutional mechanism whereby Grand Lodges or Grand Orients give one another mutual recognition. This recognition allows formal interaction at the Grand Lodge level, and gives individual Freemasons the opportunity to attend meetings at Lodges in other recognized jurisdictions.

Irregular: This is a description of practice. For instance, a regular lodge can confer a degree in an irregular manner: George Washington was raised as a master Mason before he was 21 years old, a practice that, at the time, was considered irregular. This does not change that he was a regular Mason.

Clandestine: A clandestine lodge is one that pretends to be Masonic but is without a warrant, dispensation, or charter from a regular/recognized grand lodge. Mackey (History of Freemasonry) states: “The (Anderson) Constitutions declare, Section 8, that where a number of Freemasons shall take upon themselves to form a Lodge without a Grand Master’s Warrant, the regular Lodges are not to countenance them nor own them are fair brethren, and duly formed. In other words, Lodge formed without a Warrant from the Grand Master (we now say Grand Lodge) is “clandestine,” and so a “clandestine Masons” is one made in a Lodge without a Warrant.”

Recognize: When One Grand Lodge recognizes another, it acknowledges its Masonic regularity, authority, and territorial integrity. Such recognition, in order to be effectual, must be mutual. When such a recognition is finally given by a more senior Grand Lodge to a Junior Grand Lodge, (it is always the Junior Grand Lodge that applies for recognition) the two Grand Lodges are said to be in amity, mutual intercourse, or fraternal relations. The processes whereby one Grand Lodge recognizes another often involve, and are sometimes preceded by a settlement of prior differences, if any. The most usual method of assessing the regularity of an unrecognized Grand Lodge petitioning for recognition involves the seeking out of the opinions of other Grand Lodges already recognized. (Henderson, op cit. p. 15)

Amity: Grand Lodges and Grand Orients that afford mutual recognition and allow intervisitation are said to be in amity. As far as the UGLE is concerned, regularity is predicated upon a number of landmarks, set down in the UGLE Constitution and the Constitutions of those Grand Lodges with which they are in amity. Even within this definition, there are some variations with the quantity and content of the Landmarks from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

There are two major branches of Freemasonry which consider their Lodges to be "regular", and both branches consider the other to be "irregular". The first, oldest and significantly largest of these two groups are those Grand Lodges in Amity with the United Grand Lodge of England. The other group are those Orients and Grand Lodges in amity with the Grand de France. The UGLE branch is commonly referred to as being "regular" (or "Mainstream") Masonry, while those Grand Lodges and Grand Orients in amity with GOdF are commonly referred to "liberal" or "irregular" Masonry.

For most regular, Mainstream Masons, there is little or no thought given to clandestine masonry, what it is, what it does, what it looks like, who are its members. They are not demonized to any extent, though they are not, for the most part, considered to be “real” masons. On the rare occasion that clandestine Masonry is considered at all, it is to ensure that the lodge you are visiting is in the Lodges Masonic publication, or, if you have met a brother on the street, to ensure his lodge is in that book before you invite him to your lodge for a degree.

So, Why Regularity?

Regularity is the tool we have devised to keep Masonry… well, Masonic. With anything in life, one must have a definition. In the case of Freemasonry, we have a definition of what is, and what isn’t, Masonic. In Freemasonry, what is Masonic is defined by the use of Regularity, recognition, and amity.

A Google search will show that there are many groups around the world that style themselves as Masonic, from outright frauds, such as the American Masonic Federation founded by Matthew McBlain Thomson upon the premise of selling degrees, to the United Grand Lodge of England, and hundreds of variations in between. Pretenders to masonry are groups like the Regular Grand Lodge of England, and the Grand Lodge of All England at York and of course, the American Masonic Federation noted above.

Yet, in between those extremes, the entirely irregular and clandestine to the very definition of regularity are orients, grand lodges and obediences that have as their members men, and yes, women, who name themselves Masons and brothers. What is a non Mason, no less a regular Mason to make of this spectrum of masonry that confronts them? How is one to decide, and does one need to decide?

We are told by irregular and clandestine Masons that the definition does not matter. Of course that is the position they would take, they must, or they would have to quit their group and join a regular lodge. At the other extreme you have the regular masons, who stand on the ground that the definition is essential, and they must take this position as well.

There are endless papers written on regularity, the Grand Lodges that participate in the system have committees and rules that define regularity. These seem to be pretty cut and dried things, but they aren’t, and therein lies the fault of the whole system. Of course, any system devised by man has faults.

In an earlier blog entry I wrote about the difference between regularity and recognition. In that article, my point was that, while the grand lodges and grand orients need to wrangle over the issue of regularity and amity and recognition, brothers, members of those orients, do not… as long as it does not entail Masonic communication.

Masonic communication, or as it is alternately called, Masonic intercourse, involves any type of communication involving sharing the secrets of masonry. Primarily, that is sitting in a tyled lodge session, which is any type of Masonic meeting where the general public is NOT allowed, or where the qualification for attendance is being a Mason.

For most Masons in the United States, regularity is not an issue. Rare is the case where you will meet a member of a non regular obedience in your travels. In other countries, for instance, in the United Kingdom or France, the probability rises that in your life you will meet at least one female Mason, or a man that is a member of a co-ed lodge. Try not to back away in horror if you do, as they are, for the most part, as is true with all regular masons, good brothers.

That is the rub, and the cause of much… hurt feelings. As a member of the Grand Lodge of California (just to reinforce, I am NOT speaking for the GLoCA here, only for ME), it is my understanding that I cannot hold Masonic intercourse with a clandestine Mason. My grand lodge does not recognize him/her as a Mason, however, on a personal level, its not about what the Grand Lodge does or says. Its about me, and the other Mason.

When I meet a Mason, it is not about whether they are regular. My first reaction is not to ask if they are a member of a regular grand lodge, that doesn’t even come up… unless they ask me to visit their lodge. THEN and only then, do I need to consider if I can do so legally and within my obligation.

Yet, brothers from lodges that are not recognized as regular do have a problem with the whole issue of regularity. Those in co-ed lodges are very interested in getting my grand lodge to recognize them and allow intervisitation, or at least allow the members to chose to attend a co-ed lodge. The question that has to be asked is: Why should the grand lodge do so?

The assumption being made, by the co-ed Mason, is that regular masons want to attend their sessions, that regular masons have an overwhelming curiosity about their sessions. The truth couldn’t be further from the truth, but it is hard to communicate that to our brethren in the co-ed obedience. The other, often unstated but clearly felt opinion by our brethren in the co-ed community is that the grand lodge fears them, that if they could somehow convince their regular brethren to visit that the regular brethren would be so smitten by what they see and experience that they would dimit and join the co-ed lodge on the spot.

This seems a pretty arrogant, though understandable conceit. The co-ed brethren are also, at least this has what has been communicated to me so often I assume it is true, of the opinion that many regular masons would leave the regular grand lodges if they just, somehow, knew that co-ed masonry existed in the world for them. Again, it’s an arrogant thing for them to feel, though as noted before, it is an understandable conceit.

As brothers, we can tie ourselves in knots over the regular/clandestine issue, or we can recognize that regularity is only a tool, one that has served the grand lodges and freemasonry well for almost 300 years. It is a tool for GRAND LODGES, however, and is not a tool of a master mason. We have other tools at our disposal, one of which is the level.

Let us, as brothers then, apply the Level to our non tyled meetings. If a person claims to be a Mason, let us, in the spirit of brotherly love, accept the claim on its face and grant them the respect they are due as masons. Leave the issues of regularity to the grand lodges to wrangle over.

May the blessings of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons, may brotherly love prevail, and evey moral and social virtue, cement us!

Guarding The West Gate

What is it to guard the West Gate? We are told, as entered apprentices, and as Masters, that we should never recommend a man to a participation in our degrees unless we feel that by a similar fidelity he would bring honor and respect to our ancient and honorable fraternity.

For the past few years, decades even, the fraternity seems to have shirked that duty, or taken it less… seriously than in times past. There have even been grand lodges that have instituted one day conferrals, where a profane might be taken, through watching the performance of some plays, to the 32nd degree in a single day.

This seems to have come about through a series of slow changes, each seemingly innocuous on its own, but as usual, taken in concert, have reduced our vigilance. Then there is the concern for the decreasing numbers, which seems to have been taken as a justification for allowing quantity rather than quality through the gates.

The purpose of Freemasonry was never to admit every man into the fraternity! The purpose was to take men who were already upstanding, good men, and through the principles of the fraternity, make them in to better men. It was never to take every man and reform them into adequate men… yet in the name of numbers, we seem to have lost sight of that goal.

This may sound elitist, so lets take a look at the definition of elitist. Merriam-Webster defines it as:

Main Entry: elit•ism
1 : leadership or rule by an elite
2 : the selectivity of the elite; especially : SNOBBERY 1 (elitism in choosing new members
3 : consciousness of being or belonging to an elite

Main Entry: elite
1 a singular or plural in construction : the choice part : CREAM (the elite of the entertainment world) b singular or plural in construction : the best of a class (superachievers who dominate the computer elite -- Marilyn Chase) c singular or plural in construction : the socially superior part of society (how the elite live -- A P World) (how the F.-speaking elite ... was changing -- Economist) d : a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence (members of the ruling elite) (the intellectual elites of the country) e : a member of such an elite -- usually used in plural (the elites ..., pursuing their studies in Europe -- Robert Wernick)

The definition of Elite and by extension, elitist seems to indicate that Masons are elitists only in the sense we only select, or, rather, allow, only the best, most honorable men into the fraternity. Since our goal is to take GOOD MEN, and make them better men, we have to ask: Is that necessarily a bad thing?

Masonry, as all Masons know, is a group of good men, dedicated to god, seeking to be better men through fellowship with other good men, holding a higher level of morality than society in general. If we claim a higher ground, that is, we claim to be a fraternity of good men, how exactly do we determine that, and how do we define it?

1) A belief in god, however the candidate knows Him.
2) That the candidate be a free man
3) That the candidate be free born (not born into slavery).
3) That the candidate be under the tongue of good report and come well recommended... ie, that he is a moral man.

Ok, the first is pretty straightforward. Most regular grand lodges require a profession of faith and no further inquiry, and the second is fairly self evident; the manner of dress in the ritual puts a fine point on that observation. Since there is no longer any slavery, number three is pretty much a given and a traditional carryover.

The fourth, now, that is the one that requires examination and is the one that most likely will define what watching the West Gate is all about. We know what it is to be under the tongue of good report… a moral, upright, level headed, honorable man with integrity, right?

The issue, then, is morality... does a man come to us under the tongue of good report, and does he come well recommended? The first step is the requirement that two brothers recommend the petitioner for the degrees. As I am a member of the Grand Lodge of California, F&AM, I will speak to my understanding of the rules of that Grand Lodge. Your Grand Lodge rules may vary.

The Petition of the Grand Lodge of California asks that you know that candidate for at least a year before a brother sign a petition. In practice, this is rarely the case, and of course, this is an incremental change that has contributed to the problem.

In the past, we lived within 8 miles of where we were born, and chances are, brothers knew petitioners for many years in the community. Today, that is no longer the case, with men traveling thirty miles or more just to get to work, and our extreme mobility. A man can express interest in joining, and after a few hours talking with him, a brother will be willing to sign as a recommender.

Then the petition is read and accepted, and the master appoints a secret investigative committee, who is charged by the master to look into the character of the petitioner. As an aid in that effort, the Grand Lodge helpfully provides a list of questions that the candidate must be asked. This is a good step, unfortunately, it appears that the investigative committeemen often ask only the questions on the list.

The reason the committeeman often asks only those questions on the list is twofold. The first is because the questions are… to a certain degree, embarrassing. One of the questions we ask is if the petitioner makes enough money to support his family, and another if he has sufficient insurance. I understand the reason for the question, but these are difficult questions to ask someone the committeeman has only known for ten minutes. It does not exactly lead to ongoing general conversation.

The second reason is the committeeman is often untrained for this job on any level, other than by being a good man and a brother. He may have been chosen because the master knows he will fulfill the task, or hopes he will, or because he has done so in the past.

The committeeman often does little more than ask these questions, fill in a sheet and turn it in to the master with a recommendation for membership or a non recommendation. Basic investigative methods aren’t even known often, to the committeeman, so the references aren’t usually called.

Nor are the references asked for other names that may know the candidate so those people may be called. Any investigator should know that the best references are the ones on the petition, and that the true picture of the candidate will come from the secondary or tertiary references. Sometimes, the candidate is interviewed by phone, not even face to face.

Then there is an awesome tool at our fingertips that few of us even consider: The Internet.

I have been on many investigative committees, and one thing I always do is look the candidate up on Google, full name, first name, initial and last name, initial and last name and so on. Until recently, I also checked the public criminal records as well. Its amazing what can be found on the internet.

So, regardless of how well, or how poorly the committeemen do their job, and they can hardly be criticized for how they do their job, they have no training at all, they make a recommendation. If at lest two of the three committeemen make a positive recommendation, the lodge ballots on the petition. If the master does not get at least two recommendations, the petition is held over for another month.

Then of course, there is the ballot box, where one black cube eliminates a candidate. How can you rationally ballot on someone you do not know? So what we do is vote based on the recommendation of the investigative committee. The same committee that is often doing the minimum to carry out an investigation is the basis upon which the lodge makes the decision to initiate a candidate.

So, through a series of simple changes, each made to make it easier to qualify a candidate, we are not watching the west gate, and some men who should never have made it into the lodge are being raised as master masons. Of course, some are caught during the degrees, and not passed or raised as a result… their degrees just never get scheduled and they eventually go away.

I think there are a few things we can do to fix this problem, but they are going to be difficult. First, we need to decide that a man must be known by his top line signers at least three months, by attending public lodge functions or by working with him, or community meetings or… whatever. They should be known before they are allowed to face the investigating committee.

The members of the investigation committee should have some training, at the very least, in how to conduct an investigation. A process should be defined, and at least one of the committeemen should look the man up on the internet, and preferably, the lodge should invest $35 in having a private investigator do a basic background check.

The candidate should at the very least, be introduced by his top line signer to the brethren before a ballot is taken, and the brothers should be encouraged to meet and talk to the candidate prior to a ballot. However, there is no way to eliminate the ballot box, it is a tradition. We might want to consider whether one black cube is enough to disqualify a man. Perhaps at least two for a second ballot and three to disqualify might be a good step.

We must guard the West Gate better, or we can become little more than Rotary with Regalia.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons, may brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

Tools of a Mason

As an Entered Apprentice, we are presented the working tools of that degree; the 24” gauge and the common gavel. We are told the 24” gauge reminds us there is a time for everything, and the common gavel is to be used, symbolically it is hoped, to remove the rough and superfluous parts of our rough ashlars, by removing the vices and superfluities of life.

As Fellowcrafts, we are presented with the square, the level, and the plumb, reminding us to square our actions by the square of virtue, to walk uprightly in our several stations before g-d and man, and by the level, that we are traveling upon that level of time toward that undiscovered country.

As Masters, we are presented with the Trowel, to use to spread the cement of brotherly love and affection.

These are the working tools as presented in the State of California, though in other jurisdictions there may also be presented the pencil and the chisel. As speculative Masons, we are taught to make use of these tools for more noble and glorious purposes than our operative early brothers did, the erection of a spiritual house, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

In this vein, we are presented with a rough ashlar and with a perfect ashlar. The rough ashlar represents a stone as taken from the quarry, in its rough and “natural” state, before being prepared for the architect’s use. This ashlar represents the individual brother, who, through the use of the tools of Freemasonry, he is to work at smoothing.

Of course, we are to add that stone, as time passes, perfecting the walls through using the tools of the Fellowcraft, leveling our walls so they are plumb and square. Of course, we use the trowel of the master to spread the cement with unites these stone into one common mass.

This is the great work on which we are embarked. And yet… there seems to be something missing. Of course, we have dropped the chisel, which is used with the common gavel to shape the ashlar in favor of simply the common gavel, with its wedge shaped head to chip off the rough and superfluous parts of the stone.

What then, of the perpend ashlar, or what is called the broached thurnel? In early masonry, there did not appear to be a perfect ashlar, and certainly not in the first degree, where it does not make sense to appear. In the first degree, the candidate is taught to begin the work, not finish it, because the candidate in the first degree is the rough ashlar.

The rough Ashlar and the Trestleboard seem to have been symbols in Ancient Craft Masonry at least from the beginning of the Grand Lodge period (1717). They are illustrated on the earliest of the old tracing-boards which have come down to us. Just when or how the Perfect Ashlar came into our symbolism is another matter, and not as simple as it appears. In 1731 one Samuel Prichard, who denominated himself as a “Life Member of a Constituted Lodge” wrote and published “Masonry Dissected,” the first of a long series of exposes of Freemasonry. In it is this curious dialogue, purporting to be held between the Entered Apprentice during his initiation, and some initiating officer:

Q. “Have you any Jewels in your Lodge?”

A. “Yes.”

Q.“How Many?”

A.“Six, three movable and three immovable.”

Q.“What are the movable Jewels?”

A.“Square, Level and Plumb Rule.”

Q.“What are their uses?”

A.“Square, to down true and right lines; Level, to try all Horizontals; and Plumb Rule, to try all Uprights.”

Q. “What are the immovable Jewels?”

A. “Tarsel Board, Rough Ashlar and Broached Thurnel.”

Q. “What are their uses?”

A. “A Tarsel Board for the Master to draw his designs upon, Rough Ashlar for the Fellow-Craft to try their Jewels upon, and the Broached Thurnel for the entered Apprentice to learn to work upon.”

“Broach or broche is an old English term for spire, still in use in Leicestershire, where it is said to denote a spire springing from the tower without any intervening parapet. Thurnel is from the old French, “tournelle,” a turret or little tower. The Broached Thurnel, then, was the Spired Turret. It was a model on which Apprentices might learn the principles of their art because it presented to them, in its various outlines, the forms of the square and the triangle, the cube and the pyramid.”

A Perpend Ashlar - the word has many variations, such as parpen, parpend, parpent, parpine, parpin, parping - is a dressed stone which passes completely through a wall from one side to the other, having two smooth, vertical faces. This perpenstone. or bonder, or bondstone, is the same as the Parping Ashlar of Glocestershire - a stone which passes through a wall and shows a fair face on either side.(1)

Why did we drop the perpend ashlar or the broached thurnel from the ritual in favor of a rough and a smooth ashlar? There are many things that have been changed over time. Perhaps the perpend ashlar was dropped when we created the third degree in the early 18^th century?

There are other changes in ritual. For instance, I am told in some rituals, the candidate is actually handed a chisel and a hammer, and told to have a go at a rough ashlar with them, to teach him the difficulty a mason endures in breaking off the rough and superfluous parts of his own rough ashlar… a rough ashlar that looks a lot like a broached thurnel, though it is not so described.

The ritual is what it is, timeless and unchanging… except where we correct it. We now have the rough and perfect ashlars in the first degree, though as long as we do not forget our history. So let us not forget the broached thurnel, and that it was replaced by the Perfect Ashlar.

May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons, may brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

(1) SHORT TALK BULLETIN - Vol.XI August, 1933 No.8, Author Unknown

A Beacon of Morality in a Sea of Moral Relativism

There are few institutions in the world more misunderstood that that of the Freemasons. There is much incorrect, deliberately misleading and false information posted about the fellowship of Freemasons. Let’s take a few moments here to discuss what Freemasonry actually is and what it is not, what it stands for, and what it does NOT stand for.

First of all, Freemasonry is an ancient and venerable institution, with a stated purpose of Brotherly Love, Relief, Charity, with the basic tenets of Faith, Hope, Charity, temperance, fortitude, justice and truth. Freemasonry is a fraternity of religious men, dedicated to the goal of making good men into better men.

Freemasonry teaches men that there are no moral relatives. In a culture that offers classes in moral relativism, Freemasonry stands as an almost lone beacon in worldwide culture as a fraternity dedicated to the promulgation of morality. Freemasonry teaches its members moral lessons using allegorical tales (as the bible does, and as did the Christ), using symbols to illustrate the lessons.

There are many things that Freemasonry is NOT. Freemasonry is not a religion, or a substitute thereto, nor is it a secret society, or not part of a secret world government. The truth is that many famous men have been Masons, among them George Washington, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, nine signers of the Declaration of Independence and thirteen signers of the Constitution of the United States.

Freemasonry is not a religion, or a substitute for the religious duty of honoring God and his works and praising Him in fellowship. Freemasonry is open to all MEN of ALL Faiths who profess a belief in God and life beyond this one, regardless of race. Freemasonry claims as its sons Christians of all brands, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Taoists, and Hindus.

All lodges open with a prayer to God, and close with a prayer to God. God is acknowledged in all our undertakings. In fact, when a candidate is initiated, he is told that "? No man should ever enter upon any great or important undertaking without first invoking the blessing of God?"

Freemasonry is not a secret world government. Freemasons are janitors and presidents, ditch diggers and lawyers, funeral directors and doctors. We are your brothers, your uncles, your fathers and grandfathers. Freemasons are ordinary, good men who believe in the word of God, and seek to make themselves more serviceable to their God, their country, their neighbors, their families and themselves.

It is ridiculous in the extreme, however, to infer that the world is ruled by Freemasons because some famous politicians and powerful men have been Freemasons. This belief is the mental equivalent of saying that since all Heroin users drink milk that milk leads to Heroin. This type of mental self-abuse is not intellectually honest or demonstrative of mental excellence. Great men CHOOSE to be Freemasons because Freemasons are honorable men, God-fearing men, men who are dedicated to moral honesty and integrity.

So, so, we have discussed what Freemasonry is, let us now turn our attention to what it is not. I will start with an admission the Freemasonry has erred over the last fifty years in not responding to those few critics that exist, ignoring them as irrelevant. By not responding to our critics and ignoring them, we have allowed their voices to be the only voices heard on the subject, and therefore harmed ourselves.

By being secretive, and withdrawing from the community of discussion about the fraternity and what we stand for, the moral stand we take, the moral teachings of the fraternity, and the services we provide to the community, we have inadvertently caused this paranoid concern. Masonry requires that a man come to the fraternity of his own free will and accord, and we do not solicit members.

Since we do not solicit members, some have assumed us to be a secret society, so lets examine what a secret society is and why Freemasonry is NOT a secret society. Freemasons identify themselves by the symbol of the Square and Compass, the square of virtue and the compass which is used to symbolically circumscribe our desires to keep our passions within due bounds toward all of society.

We wear this symbol on our suits, on our vehicles, on our homes. We are proud to be Freemasons. Our lodges are listed in the phone books in all towns across America under Masonic Lodge, and in the classified directories under Fraternities. Our lodge buildings are marked clearly and distinctly with the square and compass, and can also be seen in nearly every city in the world.

The only exception to this is in dictatorial countries. For instance, in Germany during the Nazi reign, Hitler suppressed Freemasons, and as a result, we hid, using the Blue Forget Me Not flower to show ourselves to other Freemasons. After the fall of the communists in Russia, thousands of Freemasons came out of hiding to rejoin the worldwide fraternity. Masonry is NOT a secret society.

Freemasons do have secrets, but not the ones you would be led to believe. The secrets are passwords, signs, tokens by which one brother mason may know another and show himself to be a Mason. These "secrets" are ancient, and a historical legacy that is imparted to each Mason as he moves through the three degrees. Our meetings are closed to non-masons, though any man, who can assert a belief in God and in the afterlife, can come into the meetings. This is hardly secret.

Freemasonry is not satanic, and has no agenda to push any religious beliefs. In fact, there are two things that are not allowed in lodge, proselytizing for any religion and politics. Not that our members don’t have opinions about both, but since these are the two subjects that are most divisive and most likely to cause disharmony in the lodge, they are forbidden.

Some few, dishonest men, claim that Freemasonry is satanic worship. This claim can be found in the writings of a pornographer and Vatican tool named Leo Taxil. This man, to curry Vatican favor and make money from the Catholic Church, admitted after a number of years that he had made it all up to make a fool of the pope, but that does not get the press that the lies do.

The second reason Freemasons have been accused of devil worship is less clear, and more rooted in the fanaticism of the evangelist. They teach that if you do not 100% support the Christ and denounce any other faith, you are a Satan worshipper. Southern Baptists have accused Roman Catholics of Satan worship for the same reason, yet no thinking man considers the Catholic Church a hotbed of Satanism, despite its recent setbacks due to child molesting priests.

Sorting out the lies takes intellectual energy, and the few opponents of Freemasonry are not interested in the truth, but are interested in controlling you through fear of the unknown. The truth is that Freemasonry is erected to God and dedicated to the Holy Saints John, and all lodges have the great book of Law open on the altar, either a Holy Bible, a Torah or the Koran, or whatever other Holy Writings are used in the country.

Now, when I assure you that Freemasons do not worship the devil, some person with a lack of understanding will claim "Well, you think that because you are not a 33rd degree or 32nd degree Freemason, so lets take a moment to dispel that bit of nonsense. A moments serious consideration by a person with an IQ above that of his shoe size will realize this is patently impossible and inane.

To wit: A religious man joins the fraternity, watches religiously based moral lessons, works for the benefit of his community in the name of God, and attends lodge meetings, opened in the name of God and conducted in the name of God, and finally attends the 32nd Degree of Freemasonry in the Scottish Rite or York Rite, given in the name of God. Then after additional hard work and labor for the community and the fraternity, is AWARDED the 33rd degree, is told that this honorary degree is dedicated to the service of Satan? That is so patently ridiculous that even the most hateful and ignorant savage can see it cannot be true.

George W. Bush, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, Ariel Sharon, Henry Kissinger etc etc are not Freemasons. Many famous men are Freemasons, and if these men were Freemasons, the fellowship would be enriched therefrom, as among these men, George W. Bush is a most religious, pious, honorable and respectable man! However, President Bush is a "Bonesman", a member of the college fraternity, the Skull and bones, but this fraternity is NOT Masonic in nature.

Oh, sure, it was started by a Mason, but so were many organizations in the world. However, being founded by a Freemason does not make these organizations Masonic. I will give you three examples: the Boy Scouts of America, was founded by Lord Baden Powell, a Mason; Ford Motor Corporation was founded by Henry Ford, a mason, and J.C. Penny’s was founded by J.C. Penney. None of these organizations are Masonic.

There are all kinds of absurd claims made against Freemasons, none of which have a basis in truth, however, someone makes a claim, the Fraternity does not respond, and there it hangs. In intelligence circles, this is referred to as Disinformation. Ignored, it takes on a life of its own. So let’s take a look at the claim. Freemasonry teaches her sons to act by the square, a symbol of truth and morality, by the plumb, walking uprightly before God and men in our various stations, and on the level, open and honest between men.

It is the intent of the Fraternity to no longer sit back passively and allow lies to be promulgated about our fraternity. Freemasonry does not practice magic, worship goats, practice human sacrifice, abuse children or any of the other ridiculous claims made against it. So, one man says "where there is smoke there is fire." We all know that this is not true, and a famous example of this is the McCarthy Hearings. Tons of smoke, created by a man trying to further his career, no substance.

An even greater example of this is the Nazi regime, which needed a scapegoat, and chose the Jews. All manner of hateful lies were created to justify the pogroms to further the career of a little failed painter turned politician. Folks that publish lies about the fraternity, either knowingly or through a lack of a willingness to actually research the issue, are acting in much the same manner.

Freemasons are good men, servants to the community, and reverent, religious men, whose goal in the fraternity is the fellowship with other good men and service to the community. For a more in-depth examination and refutation of the lies and frauds perpetrated against the fraternity, I recommend a visit to http://www.masonicinfo.com.

"...the network, from the intimate connections of its several parts, denotes unity..."

I disagree…

I have participated in online masonry for the better part of six years, and the one phrase that I keep seeing over and over, the one that leads to more dissension, disputes and hard feelings among brothers is:

I disagree

These are two words that should be discarded among Masons. Now, on the surface, this seems a simple thing. We aren’t all going to agree on everything, no one expects us to, really. What is expected, however, is when we do disagree, that we display an excess of brotherly love.

Masons are humans, of course, and we are as prone to getting carried away with our own opinions and thoughts as any other human. What is important is that we keep in mind those compasses, whereby we are enjoined to circumscribe our desires and keep our passions within due bounds.

Benjamin Franklin enjoins us to never contest, and to never come to the discussion with a mind set firm. You see, the purpose of discussion is to share and to learn, not proselytize. If you join a discussion with the intent of teaching, correcting, converting, you are approaching the discussion with a closed mind.

It’s a matter of intent. If you intend to learn, you have to listen twice as hard as you speak. As masons, we are taught there should be no contention among us, except that noble contention, or rather, emulation, of who can best work and best agree.

When we disagree with each other, we loose sight of brotherhood, and in doing so, we loose sight of the value that our brother brings to the discussion. When we disagree, we are no longer listening, we are instead formulating our responses, and we can’t learn, we can’t share if we are focused on our own wants, needs, desires.

Next time you are in lodge, or on a forum, consider discarding these two words.

I know I will.

G-d bless.

Glad to meet you thus…

One of the joys and privileges of Freemasonry is that of traveling and visitation. There are regular lodges around the world where any brother from a recognized jurisdiction might sojourn among brothers, culture, and make new friends who he has never known before.

I have been traveling, this last year, far, far to the east. I traveled so far to the east, in fact, that I found myself in a typical police state, where Freemasonry is illegal. Not only is it illegal to be a Freemason, or practice Masonry here, but if any of the natives were caught, it would cost them their lives.

Puts a whole new spin maintaining secrecy, doesn’t it?

As a result, I have been a lodge of one… I have although had the pleasure of working with two brothers, also world travelers, veterans of military careers and sojourners in this place. For obvious reasons, I will say no more of them, other than their presence has been a sanity saver for me.

Now, we have all had the pleasure, I am sure, of recognizing, and being recognized as Freemasons by brothers we have never met. We make ourselves known by certain signs, phrases, turns of speech, and in America, by rings, pins, necklaces, bumper stickers, license plates, plaques, and so on.

Here, there is none of that for obvious reasons, so it is all the more rare, pleasant and surprising to meet a brother! As Freemasons, we instill in our speech certain phrases from ritual. We do this without thinking, as often as not. There are of course the tried and true phrases as well, questions and responses that indicate a man is indeed upright, on the level and acting on the square.

There are other ways we know each other as well. Not words, gestures, questions, or signs, but the manner a man expresses and carries himself that identifies him as a Mason. The first brother I met, I knew before I asked him that I was a brother. When I did ask him obliquely, he looked at me and said: “I wondered how long it was going to be before you asked me.”

You see, he had recognized me as a Mason long before I recognized him, or said anything directly to identify myself. Masonry does change us, it does make us into different, better men, and we can see that in others.

Why do I mention this now? Well, in a short time, I am on my way home. Back to my family, my friends, my brothers, and my lodges. This, because I have found a new and better job.

I have spent so much time here in the east, I literally feel as if I should be proclaimed a past master again. Why? Because here, I was a lodge of one.

I was required to master myself, live by the square, on the level, in an upright manner before g-d and man. This has been a dangerous place, where exposure, for me at least, would result in, at best, expulsion from the country.

Even now, I will not name the country, though there are a number in the east where Freemasonry is illegal. Wherever tyranny stands, there you will find Freemasonry held as illegal. Tyrants cannot abide freedom, no matter how it appears. This place is no different.

But, for all of that, this has still been a good experience. This sojourn has forced me to focus on my Freemasonry in a manner I would never have experienced at home in the United States. You see, it’s easy to be a Mason in the US and in the UK where we have our detractors. At least in free countries we have freedom from persecution, though even there can be found pinheaded hatemongers.

It is sad that, in some countries, Masons must still conceal themselves, must still keep their Masonry only in their hearts. A few political divisions in England recently tried to create rules and laws requiring Masons to declare themselves before taking certain jobs, and in Italy Masons must conceal themselves or face prejudice, job loss, and other unpleasantries.

There is no reason to require someone to register themselves, as a particular religion, or member of an organization, other than to create the same type of harassment the Jews underwent in Germany in the 1930s, and all of our forefathers gave to stop that horrific event will be lost as history repeats itself.

This trip has given me a new view of my Masonry, has enlightened me, made me appreciate it all the more, and forced me to focus internally on Masonry. I have had time for quiet contemplation and for study. In a sense, this blog is itself a result of my time in the east.

Take the time to examine your Freemasonry. What is it, what does it mean, how has it affected and transformed your life? Not everyone can be blessed with the time in this place as I have been, surrounded by hostile forces.

And next time you meet a brother, remember how wonderful it is to meet on the level!

G-d bless!

On tolerance and Intolerance

One of the principle teachings of Freemasonry is tolerance. We don’t speak of it in lodge much, but it is inherent in the way a lodge operates, it is custom. The most “visible” evidence of tolerance in lodge is the unwritten custom of not allowing proselytizing or the discussion of politics.

The teachings on prudence, justice and temperance, though, it could be argued, are directly related to tolerance, as is brotherly love. But the most definitive discussion on tolerance can be found in Morals and Dogma by Wr. Br. Albert Pike, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction.

…it (toleration) inculcates in the strongest manner that great leading idea of the Ancient Art, that a belief in the one True God, and a moral and virtuous life, constitute the only religious requisites needed to enable a man to be a Mason.

Masonry has ever the most vivid remembrance of the terrible and artificial torments that were used to put down new forms of religion or extinguish the old. It sees with the eye of memory the ruthless extermination of all the people of all sexes and ages, because it was their misfortune not to know the God of the Hebrews, or to worship Him under the wrong name, by the savage troops of Moses and Joshua. It sees the thumb-screws and the racks, the whip, the gallows, and the stake, the victims of Diocletian and Alva, the miserable Covenanters, the Non-Conformists, Servetus burned, and the unoffending Quaker hung. It sees Cranmer hold his arm, now no longer erring, in the flame until the hand drops off in the consuming heat. It sees the persecutions of Peter and Paul, the martyrdom of Stephen, the trials of Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin, and Irenæus; and then in turn the sufferings of the wretched Pagans under the Christian Emperors, as of the Papists in Ireland and under Elizabeth and the bloated Henry. The Roman Virgin naked before the hungry lions; young Margaret Graham tied to a stake at low-water mark, and there left to drown, singing hymns to God until the savage waters broke over her head; and all that in all ages have suffered by hunger and nakedness, peril and prison, the rack, the stake, and the sword, - it sees them all, and shudders at the long roll of human atrocities. And it sees also the oppression still practiced in the name of religion - men shot in a Christian jail in Christian Italy for reading the Christian Bible; in almost every Christian State, laws forbidding freedom of speech on matters relating to Christianity; and the gallows reaching its arm over the pulpit.

No man truly obeys the Masonic law who merely tolerates those whose religious opinions are opposed to his own. Every man's opinions are his own private property, and the rights of all men to maintain each his own are perfectly equal. Merely to tolerate, to bear with an opposing opinion, is to assume it to be heretical; and assert the right to persecute, if we would; and claim our toleration of it as a merit. The Mason's creed goes further than that. No man, it holds, has any right in any way to, interfere with the religious belief of another.

It appears that, in Wr. Pike’s opinion, we are called upon as Masons to demonstrate more than simple toleration. But, what does that mean?

Merriam-Webster defines To Tolerate as:
… to endure, to put up with; akin to Old English tholian to bear, Latin tollere to lift up, latus carried (suppletive past participle of ferre), Greek tlEnai to bear
1 : to exhibit physiological tolerance for (as a drug)
2 a : to suffer to be or to be done without prohibition, hindrance, or contradiction b : to put up with
To endure… to put up with… to suffer it to be done without prohibition… so, in essence, to simply tolerate something is to endure it in silence. That is brotherly?

But what is the next level? If we go beyond simple toleration, where are we? Acceptance? Well, that certainly seems correct, so let’s examine acceptance for a moment.

Merriam-Webster defines to Accept as:

1 a : to receive willingly b : to be able or designed to take or hold (something applied or added)
2 : to give admittance or approval to
3 a : to endure without protest or reaction b : to regard as proper, normal, or inevitable c : to recognize as true : BELIEVE
4 a : to make a favorable response to b : to agree to undertake (a responsibility)
5 : to assume an obligation to pay; also : to take in payment
6 : to receive (a legislative report) officially intransitive senses : to receive favorably something offered.

To give admittance or approval to… to endure without protest or reaction… neither separately is the correct Masonic position, but together, these two might suffice. Two brothers may vehemently disagree on a subject, but if each brother accepts the other’s right to that opinion and the brother’s right to believe differently, then we are closer to the Masonic ideal.

This is not to say that we must each accept the others POSITION, for we do have right to our own thoughts, and it could be argued that it is quintessentially Masonic for brothers to work out for themselves that which is right, fit, mete and proper. It is, however, entirely unmasonic to try to suppress a brother for having a differing opinion. It is wrong to go out and try to change a brother’s opinion, or to convert him.

Discussion of issues and the exchange of positions, while it may seem contradictory, is not intolerant of non accepting, for it is by the exchange of ideas and thoughts that we all grow. However, pushing your onto a brother is intolerant… for instance, the prohibition against proselytizing in lodge is quintessentially a Masonic virtue, for if a brother is interested in your position on religion, he will ask… outside of lodge.

But the whole issue of religion and tolerance is a thorny one. I recently made the point to a brother that preaching to someone, going door to door, bracing them in the workplace or in the street, or sending “missionaries” to another country is, on its face, intolerant. Masonically, it is intolerant, for it is a failure to accept the other person’s beliefs (or lack thereof), and a pushing of one person’s opinion onto another.

If group A sends people door to door to “share” their version of faith, those folks going door to door are intruding (literally trespassing) to push their views, and are, by definition, being intolerant of the views held by the people they are intruding upon. If a group sends people to another country to “feed and clothe the poor”, and of course, share their faith with them, those people are being intolerant of the beliefs and customs of the people they are feeding and clothing.

If they were truly interested in just feeding and clothing, they wouldn’t take as many holy books with them as potatoes…

The difference between mere toleration and acceptance of another’s right to his views is a simple matter of intent. If you go to a man and ask him his opinion on a subject, be it religion or politics or the shape of the clouds in the sky with the intent of sharing with him your own view then you are not being tolerant of his views.

This is an extreme interpretation to make a point, but it is no less true for that. Some feel it is the nature of their religion, the call of their faith, to share with everyone the nature of that faith. Wonderful, however, doing that is a manifest demonstration of intolerance… done with the best of intentions.

Another example of this is the War Between the North and the South here in the United States in the 1860’s. Examples abound of Masons on each side of the war, stopping to hold joint funeral services for fallen brothers, to hold out a Masonic lodge from being burned or looted, to give shelter or forbearance to a brother… during a shooting war. THAT was true Masonry.

Today, we see a definite lack of tolerance in the lodge. There are issues that have come up, changes in process and procedures of varying natures. As usual, there is one group championing the change, and as usual, there is a group the opposes the change, and there is always they third group that really don’t care and just want to get to the coffee and donuts.

Under true Masonic tolerance, we would accept each other’s right to have the opinion(s) and move on. Unfortunately, we see one side or the other trying to shut up the dissenters. There are claims of divisiveness, “Masonic Civil War”, splitting the craft etc etc as rhetoric to stop one side from holding their own opinions.

Masonic teaching would have us accept the other opinion, and the each other’s right to have those opinions, and seek common ground, but that is not happening. Instead, we see retrenchment, and, frankly, resentment. The issue doesn’t matter, there are several of them facing us today. The Masonic way would be to work together instead of trying to win at all costs. As one man wrote, it is better to have half a pie than no pie at all… that is acceptance.

Masonically, it is not about winning, or shouldn’t be… oh, we have elections, and we have moderated debate in lodge over issues, decorous and brotherly… mostly. Then we vote, and the vote should end the discussion… but it often turns into more than that after the election is done.

So, what is Masonic tolerance? In reality, it should be, in this mason’s opinion about brothers seeking how best to work and best agree. It should be about accepting our brothers for who they are and what their faith is, and how we can best learn to be better men before g-d and our fellow men.

No man truly obeys the Masonic law who merely tolerates those whose opinions are opposed to his own.

As always, I look forward to seeing your comments.

G-d bless

Regularity Vs. Recognition

One of the more, I think, misunderstood issues in Freemasonry is that of regularity. What is regularity, who determines it, and what does it mean to not be a regular mason? Before we get into a discussion about regularity, we need to define some terms:

Regular: A chartered lodge that can trace its lineage back to the Grand Lodge of England Grand Lodge of Scotland, or the Grand Lodge of Ireland, through regular Grand Lodges. it is a constitutional mechanism whereby Grand Lodges or Grand Orients give one another mutual recognition. This recognition allows formal interaction at the Grand Lodge level, and gives individual Freemasons the opportunity to attend meetings at Lodges in other recognized jurisdictions. Conversely, regularity proscribes interaction with Lodges that are irregular. A Mason who visits an irregular Lodge may have his membership suspended for a time, or he may be expelled. For this reason, all Grand Lodges maintain lists of other jurisdictions and lodges they consider regular.[1]

Clandestine: A lodge operating either without a charter/dispensation or operating with one from a Grand Lodge that is not considered Regular. The (Anderson) Constitutions declare, Section 8, that where a number of Freemasons shall take upon themselves to form a Lodge without a Grand Master’s Warrant, the regular Lodges are not to countenance them nor own them are fair brethren, and duly formed. In other words, Lodge formed without a Warrant from the Grand Master (we now say Grand Lodge) is “clandestine,” and so a “clandestine Masons” is one made in a Lodge without a Warrant.[2]

Irregular: Often confused with Clandestine. Irregular denotes something not regularly done in masonry. For instance, a woman, made a mason, is by definition of regular masonry, irregularly made, even if all else is done “regularly”. So, for instance, if a regular lodge makes a woman a mason, the doing would be considered irregular.

Recognition: the action of recognizing : the state of being recognized : as a : ACKNOWLEDGMENT; especially : formal acknowledgment of the political existence of a government or nation b : knowledge or feeling that someone or something present has been encountered before[3]

Now that we have our terms straight, we can discuss this. In yesterday’s blog, Are There Women Masons, I noted that there are women masons. I did not say that there were regular women masons, but I did note an indisputable fact. Since then, there has been a long and somewhat serious discussion on the forum I help administer, The Lodgeroom US.

It is one thing to accept a group of masons as regular, and another to simply recognize a fact of life. No one is seriously suggesting that the regular Grand Lodges extend consideration of regularity to women’s lodges, least of all me. Regularity has been clearly defined by the Mainstream Grand Lodge system.

In all of this, there is one thing that should be remembered, my brothers: Will ye, nill ye, there are women who swear the same obligations, who form as lodges, with the same officers, the same symbols, the same rituals, the same teachings, who live the same tenets, and who fulfill their obligations.

As Br. Gregg Hall of The Lodgeroom US says: if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, chances are, it’s a duck.

Our grand lodges teach us that a man is first PREPARED to be made a mason in his heart. Then, it is our obligation that makes us a mason. In the catechism of the first degree in the Grand Lodge of California, the candidate is asked:

What came you here to do?
Ans: To improve myself in masonry
Then you are a mason, I presume?
Ans: I am, so taken and accepted among men and masons
How may I know you to be a mason?
Ans: By my obligation

So, to be known (another word for recognized) as a mason, we have our obligation. To recognize a brother, any brother, we look at how they live, what they do, how they act. Most of us who meet a man in public who claims to be a mason is accepted at face value, without any proofs. After all, in public, we aren’t likely to jump into an exchange of Masonic “secrets”.

The issue here is not conferral of regularity. Neither women’s lodges, nor men’s lodges, are interested in changing the definition of regularity, or of creating intervisitation. Nor is it one of merging the two systems into some kind of mismash of the two… the old, separate but equal concept. The issue here is, rather, one of recognition, not regularity.

Since we have set aside the issue of regularity, we should approach the true issue here, the one that, as masons, we are really commanded to uphold. In my jurisdiction, in the Entered Apprentice lecture, we are taught that:

By the exercise of brotherly love, we are taught to regard the whole human species as one family, the high and the low, the rich and the poor, who, as created by one almighty parent, and inhabitants of the same planet, are to aid, support and protect each other. On this principle, masonry unites men of every country, sect and opinion, and causes true friendship to exist among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.

So, while we cannot, and to be faithful to our obligations, should not, extend consideration of regularity to women’s or co-ed obediences, there is nothing that says we cannot recognize them as MASONS. In this case, recognition would mean the acknowledgment of a self evident fact:

The women are acting as Masons, living as Masons, and keeping the very same obligations that we keep. So, while they are not regular masons, that term has no value to them anyway, we can, and should recognize them as Masons. It does no harm to our Masonry, and in fact, a salient argument could be made that to recognize them as Masons is an imperative in our obligations.

As always, I look forward to your comments.

G-d bless

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry#Regularity

[2] http://www.masonicworld.com/education/files/artjuly01/clandestine.htm

[3] http://www.miriamwebster.com/dictionary/recognition

Are there Women Masons?

Ok, so this is going to sound a bit like heresy, but here goes:

Brothers, there are women Masons.

Close your mouths, it’s not that bad.

I like male only Freemasonry, and certainly have no personal interest in sitting in lodge with a woman. I enjoy our fraternity as it is, and with minor exceptions, I love everything about Freemasonry, and do not see any need to invite women into my lodge.

We know that men and women think differently, work differently, and are surrounded by different energies. Different is not bad, it just is a fact of life. Different does not in any sense imply superiority or inferiority. We should celebrate our differences instead of trying to force everyone into the same mold!

Reality Check.

Women have been practicing the tenets and teachings of our gentle craft since at least the 1800’s, and there are records of women earlier than that. Even the United Grand Lodge of England admits they exist:

"There exist in England and Wales at least two Grand Lodges solely for women. Except that these bodies admit women, they are, so far as can be ascertained, otherwise regular in their practice (emphasis added!). There is also one, which admits both men and women to membership. They are not recognized by this Grand Lodge and intervisitation may not take place. There are, however, informal discussions from time to time with the women's Grand Lodges on matters of mutual concern. Brethren are therefore free to explain to non-Masons, if asked, that Freemasonry is not confined to men (even though this Grand Lodge does not itself admit women). Further information about these bodies may be obtained by writing
to the Grand Secretary."

"The Board is also aware that there exist other bodies not directly imitative of pure antient Masonry, but which by
implication introduce Freemasonry, such as the Order of the Eastern Star. Membership of such bodies, attendance at their meetings or participation in their ceremonies is incompatible with membership of this Grand Lodge."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but more an acknowledgement of a fact. There really are women who use our rituals, teach our philosophy, employ our working tools and live our Masonic tenets. They were first prepared to be made Masons in their hearts, as were all of us in the regular Grand Lodges.

Now, before you burst into flames of righteous indignation, as far as I know, no one is seriously suggesting the regular Grand Lodges should throw open their door and invite women to join our lodges or to allow intervisitation. What I am suggesting is that since, as the old saying goes, if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s probably a duck, and these women are acting as Masons in all senses except that they are women, that we might, oh, I don’t know, actually treat them as if they were… Masons?

So, you are probably asking me what that means, and that is an excellent question, mostly because its one I have been wrestling with myself for some time now. What is it that makes us a Mason? Our obligation (and keeping it), at least according to the catechism of the Entered Apprentice in my jurisdiction.

Its not the secrets of a Mason that make us Masons, because any profane can acquire the secrets in a library or good sized bookstore. So, minus gender, you can tell a Mason by how s/he talks, how s/he acts, how s/he keeps his word, and how s/he carries themselves in society. So if we ignore gender, we can tell someone is a Mason by how they ARE before g-d and mankind.

Its our obligation then that makes us a Mason. Therefore, lets use that obligation as the measuring stick, a 24 inch gauge, if you will. We are called to act upon the square, keep a tongue of good report, treat people on the level, and act uprightly before g-d and man. We are to act prudently, with justice and temperance, having faith, hope and charity in our hearts and actions.

There are some that argue, and I have been one of them, that since they could not legally receive charters from a regular grand lodge, and because a brother somewhere violated his obligations to make a woman mason, somehow these women cannot be masons. Uh, so the sins of the father are to be visited upon the daughters? THEY did not take that obligation, not to be present at or assist in the making a woman a Mason, so how can they be held to that standard?

I have written many times that if it were in my power (and its probably good that its not), I would recognize all regular practicing Masons and allow intervisitation. I am not willing to go that far with Women's Obediences, but lets be realistic here... as the UGLE noted, OTHER than that they are women, they are regular practicing Masons.

If our sisters (yes, I know they prefer to be called brother, but I am only human here…) live their obligations as we do, then why can't we, why shouldn't we, extend them the same consideration, the same hand of brotherly love and relief? I am not calling for us to extend regularity or recognition to these obediences, but, in the name of Masonic tolerance and brotherly love, since they are Masons in all but gender, can we not at least treat them as cousins, as Masons who just can't belong to our lodges?

In the Master’s Lecture in my lodge, we are told that if we see a certain sign given, or hear the words accompanying it spoken, that:

“…we are to regard the PERSON giving it as a Master Mason, and it would be out indispensable duty to aid and assist them…”

The lecture doesn’t say the MAN giving it, it says the person giving it.

The fact is, the vast majority of women only Masonic Obediences have no interest in participating in Male only or what would then be co-ed Masonry) any more than the vast majority of men are interested in participating in women only or co-ed masonry. Anyone that IS interested can always join a co-ed lodge as they do exist.

There are a few, a strident few, who make a lot of noise about forcing the regular Grand Lodges to open their doors to women, but the reality is, the regular Grand Lodge brethren are happy with the Grand Lodge as it is, a male only fraternity. Truth to tell, if people, men and women were really interested in co-ed masonry, there would be more co-ed lodges in the country.

What seems to be growing in numbers is women only lodges. More power to them, I wish them the best in their work and in achieving the goals we all set for ourselves in Freemasonry. They do no harm to regular freemasonry, in fact, as I have noted elsewhere, the world could use more people living as Masons. Why do we join Masonic lodges in the first place?

To become better people.

After all, Freemasonry is not about me changing them, its about me changing me.

Given the above, I would like to suggest that we treat our sisters as Masons by giving them the same respect and courtesy we would give anyone we meet on the street who notes that they are a Mason. That does not mean inviting them to lodge, of course, nor visiting a tyled session of their lodges, but extending to them the courtesy and respect that we would give to a strange man who lays claim to our fraternal association instead of treating them as if they were horned emmisaries of the devil or infected with Ebola.

Disclaimer: It is not my purpose to try to change your mind, or convince you of any position one way or the other. I am, as always, interested in your point of view.

G-d bless.

Why Do We Keep Secrets?

I feel that there are several reasons for this, some clear, for instance, tradition, and some not so clear. We all know that Tradition is held dear in Masonry. Our rituals are old, and hard to change, immutable (we say) and timeless. We do things in many ways, the same way we have done them since 1717, and likely much further back than that.

When we are initiated an Entered Apprentice, we swear never to write, indict, print, cut, carve, hack, hew, etch, letter or engrave… upon anything moveable of immoveable, whereby the secrets of Freemasonry may become unlawfully communicated. Then we are given four of those “secrets”, a grip, a word, a due guard and a sign. We are also told about those things.

Further secrets are communicated in the Fellowcraft and Master Mason degree, all of which are, on the surface, the secrets of a Mason. I will not take the time or space here to discuss if these are the secrets or not, and what other meanings they may have. These issues are not important to this discussion. More on that in another entry later.

Most Grand Masters have determined that these are the true secrets that must be kept per our obligations.

Here is the question though: Given that these “secrets” are published all over the internet, libraries, bookstores and so on, why do we continue to “keep them secret”? I think there are a number of reasons, which I will discuss below. If you have any comments, I would like to see your opinions on this as well.

The first reason I think we keep them secret is that we promise to do so. This seems simple, on its face, but in a world where every profane who wants to know the “secrets” can find them at the click of a mouse; we still keep them locked in the repository of the faithful breast. In this sense, we keep the modes of recognition "secret" because we have always kept them secret.

In a word, tradition.

The second reason is similar to the above, but on a somewhat deeper level. We share a bond between us, to aid and assist, to keep a brother’s secrets as our own, murder and treason excepted when given to us in charge as such. We are also enjoined to go on foot and out of our way for a brother if need be, to be ever willing to stretch forth a helping hand and so on, and to whisper good counsel in a brother’s ear.

If a brother cannot keep his word in so simple a manner as keeping the “secrets”, to never let slip the least sign, token or word when in strange and mixed company, how can the brother be trusted with trusts that are more important? If a brother cannot be trusted to keep his word in all times and in all things, how can he be trusted to be there for a brother in a time of need?

A third reason for keeping the secrets is temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice. These seem obvious, but consider: a mature man holds his tongue where there is nothing of value to be spoken or communicated. That is a definition of prudence, to act in a manner that shows maturity.

A mature man tempers his speech, to reflect consideration, for himself, for others. A fool speaks when the wise venture not. Much of speech is space filler, filling the vacuum of silence and offering little of value to the mind or spirit. It takes fortitude, strength of character to consider carefully how your words will be received, to weigh the usefulness of communicating them against the value and impression they will leave once spoken.

Of course, this fortitude, prudence and temperance should be weighed with justice. Are the words being communicated just and upright before man and g-d. If the words have no value, then careful consideration must be given before uttering them. A mature, spiritual man communicates only what is good, valuable, and just, lest he, by his intemperate, imprudent words he injure himself, his friends, neighbors or Freemasonry.

Keeping the secrets is not just an exercise in not speaking that which is often well known, it is an exercise in learning to be temperate in our speech, prudential in our choices, and just in our actions, words and deeds. Keeping the secrets, like weightlifting to increase the physique, is an exercise in making us better men by exercising our spirits, by making us more contemplative and aware of our actions before we speak.

Why do we keep the secrets? Because we are learning to be better men, men that have honor, integrity and that walk uprightly before g-d and men. We hold our tongues and speak on the square because we are Masons.

g-d bless.