A Past Master's Thoughts

Sitting here this morning and started reading the book I got the other day. The Chaplain's Guide to Freemasonry. It’s a short book about 40 pages, and the majority of it is ideas for prayers. Opening the Lodge, Degree work, Festive Boards, Annual Communication, etc. So far, from what I have read, I really love this book. I am betting a copy of this book makes it to my Lodge Library, and honestly, I feel a copy should be placed in the hands of every Brother appointed to that office. Be it your local Blue Lodge or your Grand Chaplain. There are things here that can and will assist them in their duties. To me, the office of the Chaplain is maybe one of the most important in the Lodge. Well, not just the Lodge but the Fraternity as a whole. The top two spots are the Master and Secretary. But the Chaplain meets the spiritual needs of the Lodge or should. While Masonry is NOT a religion or holds a specific religious faith. Its members do. Their faith is every bit as important to them as ...

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, - 1 Corinthians 3:2 What come you here to do?  This is maybe one of the most important questions in Masonry. It is followed up by three very distinct answers. Yes, I know there are personal responses, but in our ritual, there are three.  I say that because I know I’ll get a response saying, “I joined to go do this other thing over here”. There is nothing wrong with that “other thing” over there, and I would not discourage anyone from doing that, in time. But this page is very “symbolic Lodge” forward, so that is our focus, the Blue or Symbolic Lodge. We are always on the quest for “further light,” we want to know more. But in our quest and thirst for more Masonic Knowledge, do we sometimes skirt over the light we have in front of us? Did we take the time to really focus on the lessons we were given and apply them? That is how you turn “knowledge into ...

  Last night at Lodge, I was given the opportunity within Masonry I have never really taken. Oh, sure, I have done a lot of things and enjoyed them. But this is one I have never taken the time to do. Not sure why, just haven’t. There is a young man in our Lodge who is a Fellow Craft and just received a new mentor, me. His current mentor has some family stuff going on, so I volunteered to step up. I know what some of you are going to say. Good Job, Worshipful, take that young pup under your wing and… Wait a minute, hold on. Yes, that’s a part of it. I want this young Brother to be properly trained. We will go over things and discuss stuff not normally in a “bare bones” Lodge proficiency. We will even go beyond the Grand Lodge Proficiency requirements. Oh, you did not know Grand Lodge has a basic requirement for proficiency. My jurisdiction does. We will go a bit beyond that. I stepped up for a couple of reasons. The first , as I said I want him to have a solid masonic experi...

One of the podcasts I follow pretty closely discusses a LOT about clandestine Masonry. What is legit Masonry and what is not. They have brought former members of clandestine lodges on the show and have discussed everything from being “beat in” and other such hazing, to 99 degrees. I think it is pretty safe to say the majority of folks know all that stuff is bunk. But a number of people buy into it and still do. It is my understanding that there have been people who have left clandestine Lodges and joined legitimate Masonic Lodges because of their work. Thank you for that. There is a guy’s page I will visit from time to time. More for the humor of it than anything else. There is always a picture of him in his “Grand Lodge” apron, jewel, etc., and the vast majority of his posts have the same echo: “me, me, me.” Oh, and sometimes he will mention the “Boones Farm” groups. Inside joke, if you know, you know. But even those posts end with the spotlight on him. First, let me say that in...

Some may not feel this thought is related to Masonry, but it is related to life. That, in turn, is very Masonic. There are things in this thought I will allude to, but not go into details. For good reasons. The first being I do not want to be seen as violating a “Masonic Secret,” and second, I want to give you something to research yourself. Yesterday, while at a Masonic meeting, I was talking with a young Brother. His age does not really matter much (if at all), but I am twice his age plus a bit. Wanna make an Old Past Master feel old? There you have it. He knows my background, as I am not very shy about it. I write about my exposure to Magick and how I blend it with Masonry all the time. It is really one of the reasons I author these articles, the two blend nicely. Again, Magick is the art of causing change within will, and Masonry gives you the tools to do so. By the way, so do other systems and spiritual paths. So, as we talked, he asked me about a specific Magickal System. T...

The best ritual is the one lived outside the Lodge. First, I guess we should define what a ritual is. The dictionary defines it as a noun. The established form for a ceremony. While the term “ritual” may be a noun, it is anything but. The act of ritual is very much a verb, an action. Ritual, and I am talking about dedication and initiation rituals, are designed to teach and show a part of a “hidden truth.”  Since rituals are done with symbols and actions and the mind speaks in this language. Trust me it does. The letters you are reading are symbols, strung together to make words or other symbols that your mind is interpreting so you can understand. Someone who cannot read or speak English may not view or read it the same once translated. But they will be able to get close. There are some good translation apps out there. The goal of ritual, as mentioned, is to bring about an inner change. To alter your mindset or worldview. Not just about a group, be it your church, spiritua...

“A place where no creature must enter.” – William Shakespeare Let me start by saying I value good theater. The hard work that goes into the craft of the thespian.  This is from William Shakespeares play Macbeth. It is referencing inner growth and solitude. It asks us where we can find our own inner peace. I have always said I wanted this page to be open, honest and raw. It is how we learn and grow.  For those that know me, you know I have struggled for a while. If you know you know and if you don’t, that’s ok. I am not going in to details as there is no need. I am using this time to focus on myself and my ashlar. Today I saw a meme that was titled “What a Demon Really is”.   Are there Demons within Masonry? Yes and No.  There are no Demons within the institution of the Masonic Order as much as Conspiracy theorist  would like to believe there are.  Now when we talk about “Demons” the first thing most think about is the “bogy man” and tha...

This morning while enjoying my coffee and morning cigar I saw a reel about the Pygmalion effect. I had no real idea what it was as I had not heard of it before I did a bit of research. The Pygmalion effect refers to a psychological phenomenon where higher expectations lead to improved performance in others. First described by Rosenthal and Jacobson in 1968, it gets its name from the Greek myth of Pygmalion, where a sculptor’s great expectations for his statue result in it coming to life. Essentially, when teachers or leaders expect more of others, those individuals perform better. As I was looking at this, I saw a diagram showing the cycle. Everything is a cycle, right? Think it, Feel it, Speak it, Become it?  Right? According to the idea of the Pygmalion effect that is only a part of the whole.  It goes deeper. According to the idea by Robert Rosenthal not only our personal ideals about ourselves influence change, but the ideas of those around us, of us.  To explain the ...

I just saw a post on another page that asked. What has God blessed you with that was not money? This answer will seem odd because we hate it. I do too. I want peace, joy, happiness, etc. I want all the good stuff. You can not really know the good stuff until you’ve struggled through the crap. It’s the struggle that allows you to grow and honestly know yourself. So GAOTU thank you for caring enough to test me. Giving me the opportunity to prove my worth. Showing me the burrs on my stone. But most importantly giving me the tools, Brothers, and patience to work on it. I know I am not always the shining example, but I am a work in progress of my Creator. Just like everyone else. May we all be of proper service I love you and may we govern ourselves accordingly