A Past Master's Thoughts

     One night I had a wondrous dream, One set of footprints there was seen, The footprints of Hiram before me were, But what else was seen I wasn't sure. But then some stranger prints appeared, and I asked Him, "Grand Master, what have we here? These prints are large and round and neat, But much too big to be from feet." "Craftsman," He said in somber tones, "For days and weeks I have tried to hone. I challenged you to use your skill, But you refused and shunned the guild." "You would not learn, you would not try, Now before me you ask why? So I got tired, I got fed up, And there I dropped you on your butt. "Because in life, there comes a time When one must learn and be sublime When one must put their tools to use When one must face honest truth When one must work to understand. Or leave their butt prints in the sand." Author Unknown

    The Warrior is not ready for battle until they have come to know Peace. All wars that have ever been fought have started in the heart. These are the first words (OK first chapter) in a book that was recommended I read. The book is The Way of the Warrior by Erwin Raphael McManus. This really hit home and in a very real way. We as Freemasons say “Take good men and make them better”. You have no idea, and if you have read my post on my Facebook page maybe you do, how much I hate this comment. We cannot make men better, but we are there to present the tool for them to make themselves better. While many think that Masonry is a social and a service group. Yesterday one of our Past Grand Masters made it very clear that was NOT the case. If that is what you are looking for, and there is nothing wrong with it. Maybe the Eagles, Elks, Moose, or any other zoological group would better suit you. Again, if that is what you need, well wishes to you and your search. Invite me to your e...

  Tonight I was thinking. I know I tend to do it a lot. What are the qualifications of a Mason? Well this is no secret. Free born, of lawful age, and well recommend. That means the age of majority and in the end the full support of the lodge. It takes a unanimous vote to be a member. But there is a part of this that has bugged me for some time. The Free Born part. That just hits me wrong. To me it is an old antique wording that needs to be changed. If we truly live in the “Land of the Free” then we all are “Free Born”. So there is no need in it anymore. If we are seeking light and a “slave” to our darkness (of mind) then none of us are truly ”Free Born”. Honestly all of us are bound to a system. Don’t believe me? Stop going to work and paying your bills, taxes, etc. You will find the business end of that system rapidly. I am sure this will spark discussion, part of the point of these “meditations”. I just feel it is an outdated thing and needs to be dropped. How can we ...

  This post may be a bit long but it is important. There once was a grandfather and grandson who lived at the very top of a mountain. The town was at the bottom of the mountain in the valley and it was an all-day trip from the top to the bottom and vice versa. The grandpa and grandson had an old mule they named Hiney...he was a good for nothin mule and they had decided that at the first of the month when they had the sale in town that they would take Hiney down and sell him. They woke up early in the morning the day before the sale and both began walking Hiney down the mountain to the town in the valley below. As they walked they would pass by houses on the road of people who lived all along the mountain. When they passed one house there was a man outside having his morning coffee. He hollered at his wife inside and said look at those two dumb fellas there...they are both walking that mule when one could be riding it and the other walking it. The grandfather overhearing...