A Past Master's Thoughts

I have people reach out to me from time to time through this page. We talk about things happening in their jurisdiction, which I always start by telling them, I am not a member of your jurisdiction, or lodge and any opinion is not in any way shape or form given with the intent of interfering with any business transpiring. They will sometimes laugh at me for the “legal” disclaimer. But there is a Landmark and some things I just don’t play with. Sometimes Brothers will reach out to share some things that are on their minds and get a bit of clarity. Over the last four years or so this is normally the messages I get. Just looking for someone outside of their jurisdiction and not connected to the issue in any way to listen. Not solving anything but just being an ear. I am always happy to do this. I have found that most issues can quickly be resolved if we all stop and take the time to listen to understand and not listen to hear only. There have been times I have reached out to some folk...

The financial reward is great, and I love the life I have, but all money makes possible is for you to stop worrying about money. Then you have freedom to live your life. – Paul Stanley I have posted this a few time. But it looks like Powerball is up to 1 Billion as no one won it on Saturday. Let’s talk about wishes and dreams for a minute. If money was no object and you no longer had to worry about going to work or paying rent. If you were awarded 1 Billion dollars…or even a few Million. I mean let’s not be greedy here. What would you do? Here is my list and it has not changed much over the years. People think Im crazy and that the money would change me. But if I won I am pretty much married to this plan. The first thing I would do is hire a financial planner and lawyer. Their jobs are to provide checks and balances on each other and protect me from me. When you are not used to having that kind of cash it would be easy to just blow it over time and be in worse shape than you are now. ...

  One day a Buddhist Monk was sitting with his students in meditation. They had been there a while. Enjoying the peacefulness of the landscape and the shade of the Cherry Trees. In time the monk opened his eyes and looked at his novice students. As they each stopped their meditation and regained focus on their teacher he asked them a question. He said “Imagine you are walking, and you have with you a cup of tea. A man bumps into you, and you spill your drink. Why did you spill it?” They looked at him puzzled. The answer was simple. They each said, “Because the man bumped us causing us to spill the tea.” The Monk looks at them and smiles. While that does appear to be the logical answer it is in fact wrong. They looked at him with puzzled faces. “But, Teacher, we had tea and the man bumped into us and it spilled.” The Monk then said…your tea spilled as it was what you were carrying in your cup. Imagine you are the cup, and someone bumped into you. What would you spill? ...

"There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path” – Morpheus This morning, I was sitting in the living room, going over the member section of my Grand Lodge Website. On that site is a document with a training guide for all three degrees of Masonry. The document is about 112 pages in length and goes over everything from setting up a mentor committee all the way to proficiency on the third Degree. I have to say I really like this mentor process for a number of reasons. The first is that it talks about taking care of our Friend from the time they reach out to the Lodge and submit a petition.  It talks about building relationships and building Brotherhood early on.  Of course, that is important. It is part of what we promote. But it also does several things I fully agree with. It shares information with the Friend about what Masonry is, how Grand Lodge is set up, how the Lodge works, etc., before that Friend is Initiated. This training allows the Friend to know ...

Yesterday at a Lodge I visited the Master of that lodge who spoke about a text he has been meditating on and has for some time. He read a portion of it and now he has me thinking about it as well. He has been taking one of the Scottish Rite free online courses. So, this is from Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike. I will not post the entire paragraph but enough that you get the point. “When we condemn or pity the fallen, how do we know that, tempted like him, we should not have fallen like him, as soon, and perhaps with less resistance? How can we know what we should do if we were out of employment, famine crouching, gaunt, and hungry, on our fireless hearth, and our children wailing for bread? We fall not because we are not enough tempted! Wisely are we directed to pray that we may not be exposed to temptation.” When he first read this, it really hit home, and I wanted to read and think about it some more. What is Pike really saying? Well, it sure appears to me he is saying in “modern,...

As I have posted before there is a Lodge I am looking to become a member of. I went through all the requirements for membership, and there are a few. It is not just submitting a petition, and you have an investigating committee meeting. So, I was all geared up for the “ordeal of the Ballot”.  Well, on Wednesday I got a phone call from the Master wanting to know if I would be ok if we postponed the vote. Disappointed? Sure, I was. But two things came to my mind.  The first, You are the Master of the Lodge. That vote is at your will and pleasure. If you want to put it off till the next meeting, your call, Boss.  The second thing that came to mind was what “we” were told at the entrance of the Temple door. Wait with patience. So, I will wait.  By the way, I am not worried about that vote one way or the other.  It will fall to the “will of the Lodge” and that is always a perfect vote.  But one of the things that really impressed me about this Lodge, as many t...

Yesterday, I had the privilege and honor of traveling to Kansas City Lodge No. 220 Lodge and witnessing my first Missouri Degree. They did a wonderful job, and I found a few things I wish we did in our jurisdiction. That’s part of the joy of traveling. You get to see how other Masons practice their Craft. Then ask questions on how and why they do what they do. Some of the best Masonic Education ever. One of the Friends, being made a Brother, had a name that was a bit different and hard to pronounce. There was a Brother, RW Rick Kingcade, a Grand Lecturer, who commented the Lodge, one that I feel was very important. He reminded the Lodge that names are important. They are very important. RW Kingcade mentioned and I had not thought of it before. The only thing that friend brings in with him from the outside world is his name. So it is important that we know it, are able to pronounce it, and understand it. Call him by it as often as ritual allows, and beyond. Not only is calling a ...

A number of the thoughts and posts I write about come from things I have seen in different groups or from conversations I have had with Brothers. This one is no different.   The other day I took part in an investigation committee for a Brother looking to join a Traditional Observance Lodge. OK, It was mine and I am very excited about the possibility of doing Masonic work with these Brothers. During our discussion it was asked in a nutshell “How did I view Masonry”. We discussed charity, philanthropy, community work, etc. This is NOT Masonry. Sure, as Masons we do work in the community. Yes, we have scholarships and do good works. In my jurisdiction we have a Masonic Foundation dedicated to these efforts. They do a wonderful job at it as well. I have also seen and met people that feel Freemasonry is a social club and treat it like the Elks, Eagles, Moose, and other such Lodges. Now, as I am not a member of those orders I can not and will not speak to their works and efforts. B...