Sunday, March 1, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
A New Vision
Don't fall in love with a dreamer
'Cause he'll always take you in
Just when you think you've really change him
He'll leave you again
Don't you fall in love with a dreamer
'Cause he'll break you every time
Put out the light and just hold on
Before we say goodbye
Now it's morning and the phone rings
And you say you've gotta get your things together
You just gotta leave before you change your mind
And if you knew what I was thinking girl
I'd turn around if you'd just ask me one more time
Don't fall in love with a dreamer
'Cause he'll always take you in
Just when you think you've really change him
He'll leave you again
Don't you fall in love with a dreamer
'Cause he'll break you every time
Put out the light and just hold on
Before we say goodbye
I love those with a vision. I always fall in love with a dreamer! Those who dream and those who contemplate and meditate and get a vision and see a mission, well they are my kind of people.
So when Greg Stewart came to me with his vision, right away I was impressed. Sometimes it's just something that you have got to do. You follow your instincts and the nudges that the angels send you. And when I was asked to participate in Greg's vision - well how could I say NO.
Time to move on. For every door that closes another one opens. To be a part of something that is bigger and better and pools the resources of many great minds! Don't you see - I JUST HAD TO!
SO THE BEEHIVE IS MOVING. IT WON'T BE HERE ANYMORE. IT WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO A DREAM, A VISION.
But this is not goodbye but hopefully hello again! Particulars are to follow but this is the last posting on this site except for one more to follow to tell you where to go to see the dream, the vision made real.
So as we opened with a song we shall close with one. And may you all have your own dream, your own vision and work for it to become reality!
Adieu! a heart-warm fond adieu,
Dear brothers of the Mystic Tie!
Ye favored, ye enlightened few,
Companions of my social joy!
Tho' I to foreign lands must hie,
Pursuing fortune's sliddry ba',
With melting heart, and brimful eye,
I'll mind you still, tho' far awa'.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Interviewed on Journey In The East
Brother Due East asked to interview me and his questions and my answers can be seen on his blog, Journey In The East: http://journeyintheeast.blogspot.com/2009/02/q-with-bro-frederic-l-milliken_06.html
Please take an opportunity to peruse this wonderful Masonic blog and information site. It does credit to the Fraternity and is a well thought out effort of two Brothers putting their heads together to enlighten us all!
Please take an opportunity to peruse this wonderful Masonic blog and information site. It does credit to the Fraternity and is a well thought out effort of two Brothers putting their heads together to enlighten us all!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Old Past Master
The Old Past Master got to Lodge unusually early that evening. He had a hunch that there was going to be some feedback to the heated exchange that had occurred at their last meeting. As always he tried to make himself available for counsel without ever offering an opinion unless asked for. That had not been the policy of Past Master Sinclair who got up at the business meeting two weeks ago and lambasted the Lodge members for non-participation in Lodge events and programs. For fifteen minutes PM Sinclair harangued the Brothers on the past glory of the Lodge and how they were not living up to the standards of the good old days. After the meeting you could see that some of the Brothers were tight lipped while others left early rather than staying for fellowship as they usually did.
This was definitely not the Old Past Master’s style. He never offered an opinion unless he was asked. But he had to admit that Past Master Sinclair was right. Lodge participation was way down. The Brethren seemed almost lethargic and disinterested. And the new Master was young and so full of grandiose plans and programs. It definitely was an open sore that was festering. He had been giving the whole matter some serious thought himself.
As he came into the parking lot the Old Past Master could see that the Master’s car was already parked in its usual spot but all alone. Nobody else had arrived yet. When he entered the Lodge Worshipful McKinney was deep in contemplative thought starring at a blank wall.
The Old Past Master said nary a word but sat down and opened his briefcase and pored over some papers he had pulled out. Five long minutes went by with not a word spoken.
“Why”, exclaimed Worshipful McKinney. “ Why me Lord? What have I got myself into”?
The Old Past Master just continued to shuffle his papers.
“Well aren’t you going to say anything”, Worshipful McKinney broke the silence with.
“Only if you want me to.”
“Of course I want you to. I have been waiting for you to say something for weeks now.”
“And I have been waiting to be asked.”
“Well Past Master Pelham has not been shy about giving me advice. When I told him that I was going to telephone all the Brothers and remind them of the next Lodge meeting and the programs we were working on, he told me that was absolutely the wrong strategy. He said that a Mason is obligated to come to Lodge and to participate and he shouldn’t have to be reminded of his duty. Once you start that you will never get anything done unless you do it all the time. Besides it is not fair to the next Master to saddle him with such a laborious task every month.”
“Yes I have heard Past Master Pelham pontificate on the proper way to run a Lodge.”
“So what do you think of what he said”?
“It’s not my business to critique everybody else’s view. You have to be your own man, Worshipful.”
“Now you are the first person to tell me that. Does that mean you will not offer up any advice”?
“Of course I will if you want me to and you ask me for help. I would not be a Mason if I were unwilling to help a Brother in need.”
“Well what would you do about this listlessness in the Lodge and the non participation by the Brothers”?
“Well if you are asking me I would listen to everybody and then take a course of action that I thought would be most successful. It might not fit exactly what I wanted or be part of my vision but it would be what most of the Brethren desired and would sign onto.”
“Then you would let the Brethren rule the Lodge.”
“Absolutely not. But what I would do is incorporate my vision into their vision at the same time realizing the limits of what can be accomplished and the reality of the complexity of life.”
“You are saying I am too ambitious. What are the Brethren not signing onto and what will they embrace”?
“Well, Worshipful, I don’t mean to be unkind, but you show signs of ‘I’m the brand new Master and I’m going to conquer the world syndrome.’ You have initiated a whole plethora of projects and programs for the Lodge to do. It’s not that I don’t like what you are doing but Lodge should not be a burden it should be a joy. Remember that Lodge is not a job. We are all volunteers, here to celebrate life.”
“I like the way you say that. So I should not have any special projects or programs? Are you saying I should eliminate them all”?
‘Not at all. What I am saying is that quality counts more than quantity. Sometimes it is better to do one thing up proud, extra special, then to do three things rather ordinarily.”
“What would you do with the rest of the time”?
“Well let me leave you with this thought because I see others are now arriving. It’s not what you do it’s who you are. Sometimes it’s all about just being not just doing. We are human beings not human doings.”
The Brethren arrived and got Lodge ready to open. The Master can be seen on his cell phone after which Lodge opens in the usual manner. Before Master McKinney can get to the usual business Past Master Pelham rises and says, “I would like to add some further thought to the debate we had at the last Lodge meeting.”
“Not tonight”, replies the Worshipful
“But I think we need to……………”
RAP!
“I don’t think continuing such a discussion is in the best interests of the Lodge”, Worshipful McKinney states a little more forcibly.
“Worshipful are you telling me I can’t speak”?
“Precisely Brother Pelham. Please sit down.”
“Now for the next five minutes”, continues Master McKinney I would like you to sit in total silence and think of everybody in this room and remember what you admire about them the most. Then after five minutes of silence I would like to hear from each one of you.”
After what seemed more like twenty minutes Worshipful McKinney broke the silence with, “ OK the East will entertain some thoughts from the Brethren. Who will go first”?
The Old Past Master got up and said how much he admired Brother Sinclair and his passion for the Craft. “It is very rewarding and heartwarming”, he said, “To know that we have one in our midst who cares so much.”
Another Brother rose to speak, and right on his heels another, then another and another and……………well before you know it almost two hours had flown by.
Worshipful McKinney then said, “I will entertain a motion to have the Master and Wardens pay all bills, that the reading of the minutes be postponed until next meeting and that all correspondence be tabled”
“I so move”, came from the Craft
“Second”, replied another
“After we close Brethren I have placed an order of pizzas at the Star Bar and Grille and I respectfully request your presence there for fellowship”, The Master announced.
“Now is there any other business to come before this Lodge before I proceed to close”?
This was definitely not the Old Past Master’s style. He never offered an opinion unless he was asked. But he had to admit that Past Master Sinclair was right. Lodge participation was way down. The Brethren seemed almost lethargic and disinterested. And the new Master was young and so full of grandiose plans and programs. It definitely was an open sore that was festering. He had been giving the whole matter some serious thought himself.
As he came into the parking lot the Old Past Master could see that the Master’s car was already parked in its usual spot but all alone. Nobody else had arrived yet. When he entered the Lodge Worshipful McKinney was deep in contemplative thought starring at a blank wall.
The Old Past Master said nary a word but sat down and opened his briefcase and pored over some papers he had pulled out. Five long minutes went by with not a word spoken.
“Why”, exclaimed Worshipful McKinney. “ Why me Lord? What have I got myself into”?
The Old Past Master just continued to shuffle his papers.
“Well aren’t you going to say anything”, Worshipful McKinney broke the silence with.
“Only if you want me to.”
“Of course I want you to. I have been waiting for you to say something for weeks now.”
“And I have been waiting to be asked.”
“Well Past Master Pelham has not been shy about giving me advice. When I told him that I was going to telephone all the Brothers and remind them of the next Lodge meeting and the programs we were working on, he told me that was absolutely the wrong strategy. He said that a Mason is obligated to come to Lodge and to participate and he shouldn’t have to be reminded of his duty. Once you start that you will never get anything done unless you do it all the time. Besides it is not fair to the next Master to saddle him with such a laborious task every month.”
“Yes I have heard Past Master Pelham pontificate on the proper way to run a Lodge.”
“So what do you think of what he said”?
“It’s not my business to critique everybody else’s view. You have to be your own man, Worshipful.”
“Now you are the first person to tell me that. Does that mean you will not offer up any advice”?
“Of course I will if you want me to and you ask me for help. I would not be a Mason if I were unwilling to help a Brother in need.”
“Well what would you do about this listlessness in the Lodge and the non participation by the Brothers”?
“Well if you are asking me I would listen to everybody and then take a course of action that I thought would be most successful. It might not fit exactly what I wanted or be part of my vision but it would be what most of the Brethren desired and would sign onto.”
“Then you would let the Brethren rule the Lodge.”
“Absolutely not. But what I would do is incorporate my vision into their vision at the same time realizing the limits of what can be accomplished and the reality of the complexity of life.”
“You are saying I am too ambitious. What are the Brethren not signing onto and what will they embrace”?
“Well, Worshipful, I don’t mean to be unkind, but you show signs of ‘I’m the brand new Master and I’m going to conquer the world syndrome.’ You have initiated a whole plethora of projects and programs for the Lodge to do. It’s not that I don’t like what you are doing but Lodge should not be a burden it should be a joy. Remember that Lodge is not a job. We are all volunteers, here to celebrate life.”
“I like the way you say that. So I should not have any special projects or programs? Are you saying I should eliminate them all”?
‘Not at all. What I am saying is that quality counts more than quantity. Sometimes it is better to do one thing up proud, extra special, then to do three things rather ordinarily.”
“What would you do with the rest of the time”?
“Well let me leave you with this thought because I see others are now arriving. It’s not what you do it’s who you are. Sometimes it’s all about just being not just doing. We are human beings not human doings.”
The Brethren arrived and got Lodge ready to open. The Master can be seen on his cell phone after which Lodge opens in the usual manner. Before Master McKinney can get to the usual business Past Master Pelham rises and says, “I would like to add some further thought to the debate we had at the last Lodge meeting.”
“Not tonight”, replies the Worshipful
“But I think we need to……………”
RAP!
“I don’t think continuing such a discussion is in the best interests of the Lodge”, Worshipful McKinney states a little more forcibly.
“Worshipful are you telling me I can’t speak”?
“Precisely Brother Pelham. Please sit down.”
“Now for the next five minutes”, continues Master McKinney I would like you to sit in total silence and think of everybody in this room and remember what you admire about them the most. Then after five minutes of silence I would like to hear from each one of you.”
After what seemed more like twenty minutes Worshipful McKinney broke the silence with, “ OK the East will entertain some thoughts from the Brethren. Who will go first”?
The Old Past Master got up and said how much he admired Brother Sinclair and his passion for the Craft. “It is very rewarding and heartwarming”, he said, “To know that we have one in our midst who cares so much.”
Another Brother rose to speak, and right on his heels another, then another and another and……………well before you know it almost two hours had flown by.
Worshipful McKinney then said, “I will entertain a motion to have the Master and Wardens pay all bills, that the reading of the minutes be postponed until next meeting and that all correspondence be tabled”
“I so move”, came from the Craft
“Second”, replied another
“After we close Brethren I have placed an order of pizzas at the Star Bar and Grille and I respectfully request your presence there for fellowship”, The Master announced.
“Now is there any other business to come before this Lodge before I proceed to close”?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
William H. Upton
My Grand Lodge Sessions are usually just the most inspiring moments of my year. They are well run, move right along and have many interspersed social times, like an awards luncheon and a Family Banquet with a special guest speaker. It makes it seem much more clanish as the Heroines of Jericho and Eastern Star have their Grand Sessions at the same time and in the same building and/or hotel that we all use. So when we get together the whole Masonic family gathers and on the last day of Summer Session installations for the three are done together all in one place.
And my Grand Master Wilbert M. Curtis is the kindest, most soft spoken man I have met that has ever sat in any Grand East I have been associated with. And he is always very accessible to everyone. At summer session I happened in conversation with Grand Master Curtis to mention that I was doing some research on William H. Upton and his eyes instantly lit up. "I have something for you," he said but as if it was a Christmas present that I couldn't open until that special day had arrived, he said no more.
I had forgotten all about that brief conversation but Grand Master Curtis had not. We had just adjourned winter session when I heard my name called. "Brother Milliken" echoed in the hall but I couldn't fathom where the voice was coming from. Finally the Brother next to me nudged me and pointed to the Grand Master. And when I went up to the East to see what he wanted he handed me a DVD and said, "Here is that information on William Upton". I stammered, "But when am I going to be able to get this back to you?" "Don't worry about that, whenever we next meet", he replied.
Now this was really something quite special. It was a DVD of the joint Prince Hall/Mainstream Masonic Memorial Ceremony and monument dedication of June 8, 1991 in Walla Walla, Washington.
By now perhaps you are asking who was William H. Upton and why was a monument being dedicated to him? This remarkable man was the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Washinton State Mainstream Masonry in 1898 who first recognized Prince Hall Masonry. Yes I said 1898! To let you know how long ago that was, William McKinley was President and we had declared war on Spain. Teddy Roosevelt led the charge up San Juan Hill and the Buffalo Soldiers were in the thick of the battle.
But tremendous pressure was brought on the Grand Lodge of Washington including losing Mainstream recognition in many other states. So the recognition of Prince Hall was rescinded. But William Upton never ceased working to try to reinstitue the recognition. When he died his will stated that there was not to be any marker on his grave until such time as Black Masonry and White Masonry had joined in mutual recognition in Washington state.
It took almost a hundrd years but in 1990 the two Grand Lodges were joined in mutual recognition. And on June 8, 1991 Both Grand Lodges gathered to now lay a marker on William Upton's grave.
The DVD which the Grand Master gave me showed the full ceremony that day. Both Grand Lodges marching down the road to the cemetary in full Masonic dress, Prince Hall members on one side of the road and Mainstream on the other. Side by side they marched in this huge long line.
And when they got to the cemetary there were speeches and prayers and hugs and recognition of William Upton's surviving family that were there that day.
And above all there was the ceremony of the tombstone dedication where members of both Grand Lodges using the working tools of a Master Mason declared the work of engraved stone square, level and plumb. And as the veil was lifted from the stone all could read these words inscribed on it.
"This memorial commerates the fruition of the last will and testament of William H. Upton MW Past Grand Master Wash. F & AM who desired that all Masons regardless of color, should dwell together as recognized Masonic Brethren. This was accomplished in 1990 by actions of both Grand Lodges MW GL F&AM of Wash. and MW Prince Hall GL F&AM of Wash. Dedicated June 8, 1991 AL 5991"
If you go to the Internet you will find very little information about William H. Upton even though he authored the work "Light On A Dark Subject". Neither the Grand Lodge of Washington Mainstream or The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Washington show any material to this man on their websites. One of the few places that has anything solid on the man is Phoenix Masonry, that well run repository of so much fraternal history and objects. See: http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/light_on_a_dark_subject.htm
That's a crime. This Mason that should be revered and talked about and written about so that his story is within easy reach of any casual observer. As I sit here burning this DVD into copies, I know that this will be one of my Masonic treasures and I thank a thoughtful, kind Grand Master who follows in the footsteps of such a great man as William H. Upton. Thank you Grand Master Curtis!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Document Discovery Sheds Light On First American Grand Lodge
Most of us remember that the first Grand Lodge in the world, the Premier Grand Lodge, is the Grand Lodge of England, now The United Grand Lodge of England, formed in 1717. Many of us remember that the second Grand Lodge in the world was the Irish Grand Lodge formed in 1725. I used to think this quite strange as one hears much more about how pervasive Freemasonry is in Scotland and not so much about Irish Masonry. But one must remember that it was common in these early years for Catholics to be Masons. The first Papal Bull written to condemn Freemasonry wasn’t published until 1738.
But that’s neither here or there. The $64 thousand dollar question (gosh bringing that phrase up to modern times it must be the million dollar question by now) is, what is the 3rd oldest Grand Lodge in the world? That depends on whom you are listening to. One thing for sure is that it is an American Grand Lodge.
Both Pennsylvania and Massachusetts claim that they are the 3rd oldest Grand Lodge in the world. Now it is obvious both can’t be right. Yet that hasn’t stopped a hotly contested argument that has been simmering for more than a century.
We know from records that are on file from the 1720s that both states had Masonic Lodges that met prior to any Grand Lodges being formed. And we also know that the Grand Lodge of England appointed two men to form Provincial Grand Lodges in “The Colonies”. It is on record that Daniel Coxe was deputized in 1730 for Pennsylvania and Henry Price was deputized in 1733 for Massachusetts.
Now best I can tell from the dispute is that Massachusetts claims that since Coxe did nothing and Price right away formed a Grand Lodge that it is entitled to the claim of 3rd oldest Grand Lodge. But Pennsylvania claims that the mere act of deputizing is sufficient evidence that a Grand Lodge was granted to Pennsylvania first. Massachusetts has always seemed to have a leg up in the dispute because of a letter written by Grand Master of Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin in 1734 to Massachusetts Grand Master Henry Price requesting that a charter be approved for his Grand Lodge under the authority of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.
Wikipedia states:
Daniel Coxe
“However, it does not appear that Daniel Coxe ever organized a Provincial Grand Lodge, nor to have erected any lodges, nor ever exercised his authority in any way as Provincial Grand Master prior to his death on 25 April 1739. In fact, his death which was reported in the Pennsylvania Gazette by Benjamin Franklin, a member of the Tun Tavern Lodge in Philadelphia, does not even mention that Coxe was a Freemason, indicating that Franklin and the other members of the Craft in Philadelphia were unaware of his affiliation.”
Now further supporting the Massachusetts position is a recently discovered document in the archives of the Samuel Crocker Lawrence Grand Lodge library. It shows a Warrant for the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in the year 1764. But this whole situation is clouded by the quarrel between the Antients and the Moderns.
In Massachusetts the Antients and the Moderns went on fighting it out until 1792 when they merged, the Moderns winning out on most of the disputed positions. One of the stipulations to the merger was that there would be no numbers on any Massachusetts Lodges, thus neither an Antient Lodge nor a Modern Lodge could be #1.
In Pennsylvania the Antient/Modern split took on a different tack. The Moderns were the first Grand Lodge with the unknown date of charter the basis for this dispute. In 1757 the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania (Moderns) chartered Lodge #4. Lodge #4, however, insisted on practicing the Antient ways. Six months later their warrant had been recalled because of their actions. Lodge #4 then petitioned the Antient Grand Lodge in England for a charter to form a Provincial Grand Lodge for Pennsylvania. The Antient Warrant was issued in 1758 but lost in transit in 1761, reissued in 1763 and lost again and finally issued for the last time in 1764, which was retained.
Meanwhile the Modern Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania folded in the early 1760s. So the Grand Lodge that exists today is a descendent from the Antient Provincial Grand Lodge of 1764. And the document uncovered in the Massachusetts archive is that 1764 Warrant. Hopefully this settles the argument. But I doubt it.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Joint Wrap-Up to “Preventing Lodge Foreclosures”
Part of a Cooperative Effort between The Beehive and The Masonic Line
The original article on The Beehive is here.
The 1st response on The Masonic Line is here.
The 2nd response on The Beehive is here.
The 3rd response on The Masonic Line is here.
The 4th response on The Beehive is here.
The 5th response on The Masonic Line is here.
STOP. This is a series that builds on each new post. Make sure you have read past posts before proceeding.
And now the JOINT WRAP UP is before you on both blogs.
From Squire Bentley:
Well it’s time to wrap this issue up. Hopefully it has been a lesson, a learning experience. Both of us are going to add our ending comments and then let you the reader think over the give and take that has led to two Brothers with different styles and different concepts of Freemasonry come together to try to raise awareness to a looming disaster.
You see we both agree that the ever declining economy is going to adversely affect American Freemasonry. And we both agree that now is the time to take steps to meet the challenges that we all will face in the coming months.
The fictional Lodge was only a means to an end. What they did or did not do is not the issue. What the choices available are and what could be done was what the lesson was. For in that it will be what others CAN do. To answer a question on the by-laws change to a tax exempt organization is that the by-laws change is referred to the Grand Lodge by-laws committee who rules on the matter. The recommendations of the committee are voted on by the Grand Lodge which is in most cases a formality since very few know the particulars.
It is true that this fictional Lodge let things go too long without calling the Lodge and any Masonic family tenants together to hold a congregational meeting on the problems. But that was the old guard. That’s the way they operated. The new guard came in and forced the issue. Now I wrote it this way because that is what is happening to many Lodges. We are going from 75 year olds in control to 25 and 30 year olds in control across our nation. We skipped a whole generation of Masons.
The plot was designed to see what the reaction would be to the clash between the old and the new both in the Lodge and between the Lodge and Grand Lodge where the 75 year olds are also entrenched. The Oldsters are entrenched in their ways and are very inflexible. The new Young Turks are hot headed and rash and know it alls. This is a scenario lived out in many other areas of organization in many different times.
The questions that need to be faced are can Grand Lodges across our nation in a time of crisis respond by allowing some departures from the norm? Can they meet the Young Turks halfway? Will they negotiate? Will they get out of the way and let local Masonry manage its own affairs? Do they have to enforce the letter of the law?
And will the Young Turks listen and respect the age old advice of their elders who have had much more experience than they have? Can they try to stay inside the rules and come up with Masonic solutions? Are they willing to work for solutions in combination with others instead of trying to go it alone? Will they avoid confrontation and seek accommodation?
I don’t have a lot of answers, just a bunch of questions. It’s up to you the reader to decide and hopefully carry the message and discussion into your Grand Lodge. Both of us hope that we have been some help to you.
From Palmetto Bug:
As Fred has already stated, the downturn in the economy is going to have a negative effect on lodges and Grand Lodges. Since these entities require money to operate, there is no way around it. The trick is figuring out now how to deal with the situation. Time may be running out for those lodges that were already hanging on by a shoestring.
Lodges that have developed schisms within their ranks – an example of which would be what Fred described when he mentioned the Oldsters and the Young Turks – will have an especially difficult time when it comes to meeting the economic challenges head on. I submit that existing schisms must be met addressed before any hope of positively dealing with economic matters can be realized.
It really all boils down to communication, openness, and being proactive rather than reactive. The players, which are ultimately all of the members of Freemasonry, also have to understand that there are rules and limitations that must be considered and adhered to while developing possible courses of action. This is no different that what we, as individuals, have to consider and deal with when faced with our own economic challenges. Example: Though robbing a bank is a possible solution to the problem of not having enough money to pay your mortgage and other bills, it is a solution that falls outside of the established rules and limitations.
Should the Grand Lodges be trying to help? Of course they should – though they also have economic issues to deal with while staying within certain limitations. The leadership of Grand Lodges should be facilitating discussion, calling together the financial experts of the Fraternity, and helping struggling lodges to make contact with the successful ones. I think that financial workshops may be a useful tool in assisting the lodges and the Grand Lodge to develop solutions – or at least to allow for brainstorming about the issues.
If a lodge is unable to find a solution to its financial problems, it is still not the end of the world. Lodges have come and gone since the earliest recordings of the existence of Masonic lodges and the merging of lodges is certainly not a new idea. Schisms are also not always the worst of things. Looking back over the years, we can find evidence that shows schisms sometimes led to the birth of new lodges. Either way, though the edifices of brink and mortar may fall, Freemasonry will survive.
Like Fred, I do not have the answers. I do know that a failure to be proactive will probably lead a lodge into a reactive mode. This leads to desperate and – sometimes – drastic actions, which are rarely a good thing. The real losers in a bad economy will be those Freemasons that choose a desperate and drastic solution that falls outside of the known rules and, by doing so, remove themselves from the Fraternity – kind of like the bank robber. It should never have to end that way.
I’ll end by quoting and agreeing with the Squire. “Both of us hope that we have been some help to you.”
The original article on The Beehive is here.
The 1st response on The Masonic Line is here.
The 2nd response on The Beehive is here.
The 3rd response on The Masonic Line is here.
The 4th response on The Beehive is here.
The 5th response on The Masonic Line is here.
STOP. This is a series that builds on each new post. Make sure you have read past posts before proceeding.
And now the JOINT WRAP UP is before you on both blogs.
From Squire Bentley:
Well it’s time to wrap this issue up. Hopefully it has been a lesson, a learning experience. Both of us are going to add our ending comments and then let you the reader think over the give and take that has led to two Brothers with different styles and different concepts of Freemasonry come together to try to raise awareness to a looming disaster.
You see we both agree that the ever declining economy is going to adversely affect American Freemasonry. And we both agree that now is the time to take steps to meet the challenges that we all will face in the coming months.
The fictional Lodge was only a means to an end. What they did or did not do is not the issue. What the choices available are and what could be done was what the lesson was. For in that it will be what others CAN do. To answer a question on the by-laws change to a tax exempt organization is that the by-laws change is referred to the Grand Lodge by-laws committee who rules on the matter. The recommendations of the committee are voted on by the Grand Lodge which is in most cases a formality since very few know the particulars.
It is true that this fictional Lodge let things go too long without calling the Lodge and any Masonic family tenants together to hold a congregational meeting on the problems. But that was the old guard. That’s the way they operated. The new guard came in and forced the issue. Now I wrote it this way because that is what is happening to many Lodges. We are going from 75 year olds in control to 25 and 30 year olds in control across our nation. We skipped a whole generation of Masons.
The plot was designed to see what the reaction would be to the clash between the old and the new both in the Lodge and between the Lodge and Grand Lodge where the 75 year olds are also entrenched. The Oldsters are entrenched in their ways and are very inflexible. The new Young Turks are hot headed and rash and know it alls. This is a scenario lived out in many other areas of organization in many different times.
The questions that need to be faced are can Grand Lodges across our nation in a time of crisis respond by allowing some departures from the norm? Can they meet the Young Turks halfway? Will they negotiate? Will they get out of the way and let local Masonry manage its own affairs? Do they have to enforce the letter of the law?
And will the Young Turks listen and respect the age old advice of their elders who have had much more experience than they have? Can they try to stay inside the rules and come up with Masonic solutions? Are they willing to work for solutions in combination with others instead of trying to go it alone? Will they avoid confrontation and seek accommodation?
I don’t have a lot of answers, just a bunch of questions. It’s up to you the reader to decide and hopefully carry the message and discussion into your Grand Lodge. Both of us hope that we have been some help to you.
From Palmetto Bug:
As Fred has already stated, the downturn in the economy is going to have a negative effect on lodges and Grand Lodges. Since these entities require money to operate, there is no way around it. The trick is figuring out now how to deal with the situation. Time may be running out for those lodges that were already hanging on by a shoestring.
Lodges that have developed schisms within their ranks – an example of which would be what Fred described when he mentioned the Oldsters and the Young Turks – will have an especially difficult time when it comes to meeting the economic challenges head on. I submit that existing schisms must be met addressed before any hope of positively dealing with economic matters can be realized.
It really all boils down to communication, openness, and being proactive rather than reactive. The players, which are ultimately all of the members of Freemasonry, also have to understand that there are rules and limitations that must be considered and adhered to while developing possible courses of action. This is no different that what we, as individuals, have to consider and deal with when faced with our own economic challenges. Example: Though robbing a bank is a possible solution to the problem of not having enough money to pay your mortgage and other bills, it is a solution that falls outside of the established rules and limitations.
Should the Grand Lodges be trying to help? Of course they should – though they also have economic issues to deal with while staying within certain limitations. The leadership of Grand Lodges should be facilitating discussion, calling together the financial experts of the Fraternity, and helping struggling lodges to make contact with the successful ones. I think that financial workshops may be a useful tool in assisting the lodges and the Grand Lodge to develop solutions – or at least to allow for brainstorming about the issues.
If a lodge is unable to find a solution to its financial problems, it is still not the end of the world. Lodges have come and gone since the earliest recordings of the existence of Masonic lodges and the merging of lodges is certainly not a new idea. Schisms are also not always the worst of things. Looking back over the years, we can find evidence that shows schisms sometimes led to the birth of new lodges. Either way, though the edifices of brink and mortar may fall, Freemasonry will survive.
Like Fred, I do not have the answers. I do know that a failure to be proactive will probably lead a lodge into a reactive mode. This leads to desperate and – sometimes – drastic actions, which are rarely a good thing. The real losers in a bad economy will be those Freemasons that choose a desperate and drastic solution that falls outside of the known rules and, by doing so, remove themselves from the Fraternity – kind of like the bank robber. It should never have to end that way.
I’ll end by quoting and agreeing with the Squire. “Both of us hope that we have been some help to you.”
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
4th Response To Preventing Lodge Closures
Read the original post on The Beehive here.
Read the 1st Response here.
Read the 2nd Response here.
Read the 3rd Response here.
STOP. This is a series that builds on each new post. Make sure you have read past posts before proceeding.
As usual you can see in this back and forth debate the schism that divides Palmetto Bug and Squire Bentley. The former sees everything Grand Lodge does as the law, the final say and the righteous course. This view fails to take into consideration Masonic politics. The utopian picture painted by Palmetto Bug is just that, a scenario where majority rules and everything has been democratically decided. It is a rosy picture that has no relation to reality. I will remind you that Hitler was elected also.
The same reasoning has led many others to constantly say to me as I criticize Grand Lodge, “Fred if you don’t like the way things are being operated, run for office, work the system.” And my reply is as soon as those in power see that you are a reformer they will slam all doors in your face. You will never get appointed District Deputy or on any Grand Lodge Committee, necessary stepping stones to climb the Grand Lodge ladder.
Besides I shouldn’t have to become Grand Master to see my Grand Lodge do the right thing. If you look at Grand Lodges today with glasses on that show what is real not that which is theory, you will see that most Grand Lodges are ruled by a tight knit Oligarchy.
How is all this helping this poor Lodge that is in financial distress? Well the first thing you have to do is get by the premise that Grand Lodge can do no wrong. Gosh, I don’t even think the US government can do no wrong. You have to look at a problem and explore all possibilities. You have to lay all the cards on the table and say nothing is impossible.
My problem with the “Traditionalist” point of view as represented by Palmetto Bug is that it comes to the table with preconceived notions of how things must be done. Traditionalists are only willing to discuss solutions to a problem that match their view of how Freemasonry should operate. They come to a problem solving meeting with the “law” in their hands and foremost in their minds. They view every proposal to see if it fits into how Freemasonry has traditionally operated, thus they get the tag “Traditionalists.” Their approach to Masonic problem solving is always governed by what the by-laws, rules and regulations of their Grand Lodge say, which they carry with them as their Bible. They are the modern version of the Sadducees and Pharisees of Christ’s time.
This way of thinking automatically rules out any other course of action than narrowly prescribed in the “Book of C’ants”, which is what Grand Lodge by-laws, rules and regulations really are. But what about the can dos? In reality what is being said by the Traditionalists is that we can’t think outside the box (they have us boxed in). And if we do Traditionalists will tell us that we are heretical and unmasonic. But I maintain that we can’t solve problems this way. If we can’t consider all possibilities as possible then we are doomed before we start.
When we come together to try to fix what is broken we often are immersed in Conflict Resolution. If the Grand Master in question here was willing to sit down at the table and negotiate in good faith then perhaps all might come to some sort solution. But the problem is Grand Masters don’t negotiate and thereby lies the problem. There is no give and take, only the ax. Grand Masters refuse to make concessions. We wouldn’t allow such behavior in a labor-management dispute. And a ballplayer’s contract would never get signed if there was no true negotiation.
So what support are Grand Lodges offering to their chartered Lodges who are in serious trouble? Let me think. Now what Grand Lodge has had the vision in these tough economic times to see the need to plan ahead for a depression, a total economic meltdown? Besides marketing Masonry and trying to make Masons as fast as they can, what have USA Grand Lodges done to prepare for a disaster? Personally, if you were faced with the report of an oncoming hurricane would you not be making some preparations? I can’t think of one thing that any American Grand Lodge has publicized as guidelines, helping tools or a disaster preparation plan.
And this is one area Palmetto Bug and I see eye to eye on. We are in an economic recession. Personally I see us headed for a depression. I think that the stock market decline is only 50% of what it will end up bottoming out as. I see unemployment doubling and perhaps rising to 10%. I see American auto manufacturers either filing for bankruptcy or reducing their production and workforce by 2/3. I see many Masons not paying their dues or demiting.
Masonic Traveler has provided some interesting insight into Masonic membership during the last depression in 1929. Click here. What he has done is chart Masonic membership decline from 1959 to the present noting that for each decade there was an average of a 20% decline in membership. He also has shown an unusually large decline before this period in the 1929-1939 decade where membership dropped by 24%. I would think that decline might be attributed to America’s biggest and worse depression ever. So if terrible economic times does have an effect on membership then will we not experience the same today? If you couple a 24% economic depression effect with a 20% regular decline as evidenced in the last four decades, we could be looking at the Obama decade with a 44% loss of Masonic membership. Is not this possibility worth some planning ahead? Or are we just going to sit and wait for the tsunami to hit, because you see this is exactly what this fictional Lodge did. It just did nothing in the face of disaster. And if there is anything Palmetto Bug and I would like to do is to raise awareness of the seriousness of this issue.
So let’s get down to what can be done and what could have been done in our fictional Lodge’s case. Both Palmetto Bug and I along with Masonic Traveler would really like to see some sort of preparation and planning being made no matter what your point of view is or where you lie on the conservative/liberal Masonic spectrum.
I maintain that the fictional Lodge in question was backed into a corner with a lose/lose choice of action. No matter what they did at this point it was going to be a no win scenario. Palmetto Bug says the Lodge waited too long. And I say that that this is what Grand Lodges and Lodges across the USA are all doing right now. Freemasonry today should be in an emergency preparedness mode. Anybody see that anywhere? It’s human nature to be lazy and very easy to sit around and do nothing. And yes I agree a building is not a Lodge and a house of worship is not a church, but if you have a beautifully crafted building with much historical tradition who would want to practice their Masonry or worship elsewhere? In time a building becomes Holy ground and a historically protect treasure.
There is no reason that Masons across the country have to roll over and play dead. There is time to act and to pull our horns in as many businesses are doing also. There is time to hunker down and watch every penny and cut expenses as many, many families are doing right now. Why should Freemasonry be different? Here are some suggestions.
LODGES
1) Get together at your business meeting with this topic as your primary focus. Publicize the urgency and the necessity of having everybody on board in your Lodge Bulletin, Newsletter or Summons.
2) Pare down the budget. Eliminate luxurious expenditures immediately, especially Lodge supported social functions. Ask your membership for some special contributions now while they still have some money.
3) Consider a temporary District plan whereby only one Lodge in the District is used and all others are closed with heat/AC and all utilities shut off.
4) Cut out all charitable and community action programs immediately
5) Ask your Grand Lodge to forgive any Grand Lodge fees and payments until normalcy returns.
6) If you must stay open look for tenants who could pay you rent.
7) If your building is mortgage free consider taking out a loan via a short term mortgage. If you have a mortgage talk to the Bank or mortgage company about renegotiating your terms of payment.
8) Ask your city or town to relax any standards of outside upkeep so you can stop landscaping and snow removal services.
9) Renegotiate the insurance policy on your building, especially if it is temporarily closed.
10) If your Lodge is not on a tax exempt basis do what is necessary to institute that ASAP.
GRAND LODGES
1) Stop restricting local Lodges on who they can rent their building to. There is no harm in renting space to women’s Masonry, Co-Masonry, Prince Hall, GOUSA, Knights of Columbus, Sons of Italy, Franco-Americans, Knights of Pythias, churches, Temples, mosques, or most commercial enterprises.
2) Allow alcohol in the Masonic building to be a decision of each local Lodge as it sees fit. This Masonic Prohibition is really a corruption of Masonry whereby men’s personal religious belief has been codified by Masonry. The rest of the Masonic world has no problem with cocktails at the festive board.
3) Arrange for your whole jurisdiction to operate as a tax exempt organization
4) Negotiate a jurisdiction wide group insurance rate for all chartered Lodges.
5) Consider direct financial aid to those in most serious trouble and/or long term loans with Grand Lodge as the banker.
6) Instruct and send out your District Deputies with information and aid packets to all Districts. Call for District meetings to meet the problem head on.
7) Stop all Grand Lodge charities immediately. From now on your biggest charity is your chartered Lodges.
8) Limit Grand Lodge travel.
Read the 1st Response here.
Read the 2nd Response here.
Read the 3rd Response here.
STOP. This is a series that builds on each new post. Make sure you have read past posts before proceeding.
As usual you can see in this back and forth debate the schism that divides Palmetto Bug and Squire Bentley. The former sees everything Grand Lodge does as the law, the final say and the righteous course. This view fails to take into consideration Masonic politics. The utopian picture painted by Palmetto Bug is just that, a scenario where majority rules and everything has been democratically decided. It is a rosy picture that has no relation to reality. I will remind you that Hitler was elected also.
The same reasoning has led many others to constantly say to me as I criticize Grand Lodge, “Fred if you don’t like the way things are being operated, run for office, work the system.” And my reply is as soon as those in power see that you are a reformer they will slam all doors in your face. You will never get appointed District Deputy or on any Grand Lodge Committee, necessary stepping stones to climb the Grand Lodge ladder.
Besides I shouldn’t have to become Grand Master to see my Grand Lodge do the right thing. If you look at Grand Lodges today with glasses on that show what is real not that which is theory, you will see that most Grand Lodges are ruled by a tight knit Oligarchy.
How is all this helping this poor Lodge that is in financial distress? Well the first thing you have to do is get by the premise that Grand Lodge can do no wrong. Gosh, I don’t even think the US government can do no wrong. You have to look at a problem and explore all possibilities. You have to lay all the cards on the table and say nothing is impossible.
My problem with the “Traditionalist” point of view as represented by Palmetto Bug is that it comes to the table with preconceived notions of how things must be done. Traditionalists are only willing to discuss solutions to a problem that match their view of how Freemasonry should operate. They come to a problem solving meeting with the “law” in their hands and foremost in their minds. They view every proposal to see if it fits into how Freemasonry has traditionally operated, thus they get the tag “Traditionalists.” Their approach to Masonic problem solving is always governed by what the by-laws, rules and regulations of their Grand Lodge say, which they carry with them as their Bible. They are the modern version of the Sadducees and Pharisees of Christ’s time.
This way of thinking automatically rules out any other course of action than narrowly prescribed in the “Book of C’ants”, which is what Grand Lodge by-laws, rules and regulations really are. But what about the can dos? In reality what is being said by the Traditionalists is that we can’t think outside the box (they have us boxed in). And if we do Traditionalists will tell us that we are heretical and unmasonic. But I maintain that we can’t solve problems this way. If we can’t consider all possibilities as possible then we are doomed before we start.
When we come together to try to fix what is broken we often are immersed in Conflict Resolution. If the Grand Master in question here was willing to sit down at the table and negotiate in good faith then perhaps all might come to some sort solution. But the problem is Grand Masters don’t negotiate and thereby lies the problem. There is no give and take, only the ax. Grand Masters refuse to make concessions. We wouldn’t allow such behavior in a labor-management dispute. And a ballplayer’s contract would never get signed if there was no true negotiation.
So what support are Grand Lodges offering to their chartered Lodges who are in serious trouble? Let me think. Now what Grand Lodge has had the vision in these tough economic times to see the need to plan ahead for a depression, a total economic meltdown? Besides marketing Masonry and trying to make Masons as fast as they can, what have USA Grand Lodges done to prepare for a disaster? Personally, if you were faced with the report of an oncoming hurricane would you not be making some preparations? I can’t think of one thing that any American Grand Lodge has publicized as guidelines, helping tools or a disaster preparation plan.
And this is one area Palmetto Bug and I see eye to eye on. We are in an economic recession. Personally I see us headed for a depression. I think that the stock market decline is only 50% of what it will end up bottoming out as. I see unemployment doubling and perhaps rising to 10%. I see American auto manufacturers either filing for bankruptcy or reducing their production and workforce by 2/3. I see many Masons not paying their dues or demiting.
Masonic Traveler has provided some interesting insight into Masonic membership during the last depression in 1929. Click here. What he has done is chart Masonic membership decline from 1959 to the present noting that for each decade there was an average of a 20% decline in membership. He also has shown an unusually large decline before this period in the 1929-1939 decade where membership dropped by 24%. I would think that decline might be attributed to America’s biggest and worse depression ever. So if terrible economic times does have an effect on membership then will we not experience the same today? If you couple a 24% economic depression effect with a 20% regular decline as evidenced in the last four decades, we could be looking at the Obama decade with a 44% loss of Masonic membership. Is not this possibility worth some planning ahead? Or are we just going to sit and wait for the tsunami to hit, because you see this is exactly what this fictional Lodge did. It just did nothing in the face of disaster. And if there is anything Palmetto Bug and I would like to do is to raise awareness of the seriousness of this issue.
So let’s get down to what can be done and what could have been done in our fictional Lodge’s case. Both Palmetto Bug and I along with Masonic Traveler would really like to see some sort of preparation and planning being made no matter what your point of view is or where you lie on the conservative/liberal Masonic spectrum.
I maintain that the fictional Lodge in question was backed into a corner with a lose/lose choice of action. No matter what they did at this point it was going to be a no win scenario. Palmetto Bug says the Lodge waited too long. And I say that that this is what Grand Lodges and Lodges across the USA are all doing right now. Freemasonry today should be in an emergency preparedness mode. Anybody see that anywhere? It’s human nature to be lazy and very easy to sit around and do nothing. And yes I agree a building is not a Lodge and a house of worship is not a church, but if you have a beautifully crafted building with much historical tradition who would want to practice their Masonry or worship elsewhere? In time a building becomes Holy ground and a historically protect treasure.
There is no reason that Masons across the country have to roll over and play dead. There is time to act and to pull our horns in as many businesses are doing also. There is time to hunker down and watch every penny and cut expenses as many, many families are doing right now. Why should Freemasonry be different? Here are some suggestions.
LODGES
1) Get together at your business meeting with this topic as your primary focus. Publicize the urgency and the necessity of having everybody on board in your Lodge Bulletin, Newsletter or Summons.
2) Pare down the budget. Eliminate luxurious expenditures immediately, especially Lodge supported social functions. Ask your membership for some special contributions now while they still have some money.
3) Consider a temporary District plan whereby only one Lodge in the District is used and all others are closed with heat/AC and all utilities shut off.
4) Cut out all charitable and community action programs immediately
5) Ask your Grand Lodge to forgive any Grand Lodge fees and payments until normalcy returns.
6) If you must stay open look for tenants who could pay you rent.
7) If your building is mortgage free consider taking out a loan via a short term mortgage. If you have a mortgage talk to the Bank or mortgage company about renegotiating your terms of payment.
8) Ask your city or town to relax any standards of outside upkeep so you can stop landscaping and snow removal services.
9) Renegotiate the insurance policy on your building, especially if it is temporarily closed.
10) If your Lodge is not on a tax exempt basis do what is necessary to institute that ASAP.
GRAND LODGES
1) Stop restricting local Lodges on who they can rent their building to. There is no harm in renting space to women’s Masonry, Co-Masonry, Prince Hall, GOUSA, Knights of Columbus, Sons of Italy, Franco-Americans, Knights of Pythias, churches, Temples, mosques, or most commercial enterprises.
2) Allow alcohol in the Masonic building to be a decision of each local Lodge as it sees fit. This Masonic Prohibition is really a corruption of Masonry whereby men’s personal religious belief has been codified by Masonry. The rest of the Masonic world has no problem with cocktails at the festive board.
3) Arrange for your whole jurisdiction to operate as a tax exempt organization
4) Negotiate a jurisdiction wide group insurance rate for all chartered Lodges.
5) Consider direct financial aid to those in most serious trouble and/or long term loans with Grand Lodge as the banker.
6) Instruct and send out your District Deputies with information and aid packets to all Districts. Call for District meetings to meet the problem head on.
7) Stop all Grand Lodge charities immediately. From now on your biggest charity is your chartered Lodges.
8) Limit Grand Lodge travel.
Monday, January 5, 2009
2nd Response To Preventing Lodge Foreclosures
Before you read this post make sure you have read the Original post here on the Beehive and then the 1st response here.
Hannity…………er Palmetto Bug presents a cogent and well reasoned rebuttal and at first it might seem difficult to disagree with the points he has made.
Let’s talk specifically first and then we can get to general comments. In this fictional Lodge’s case the Old Guard or retired Past Masters ruled the Lodge. They pretty much let the Lodge run down hill constrained by the mindset of doing things as they had always done them. New younger leadership came in gradually to the point where the Old Guard lost their iron grip on the Lodge. I would maintain that this is a scenario often times repeated over and over again in Lodges across the USA. This newer younger leadership wasn’t used to doing things a certain way.
At first they tried to stay in the system and work within the rules. They petitioned the Grand Master for financial help, which was denied. They asked for an end to Masonic Prohibition (alcohol in the Masonic building) so they could attract paying functions. Request denied. They asked the Grand Master to allow them to rent their facilities to a Boxing Club who would put a gym in the building. The Grand Master said he didn’t think that a Boxing Club matched the image he wanted the Lodges in his jurisdiction to portray. Request denied. The new leadership of the Lodge was trying to find paying tenants who could use the building when it was idle to boost revenue and allow them to pay the operational costs and repair and restore what had been neglected.
The Masonic building had other Masonic tenants, an Eastern Star Chapter and York Rite – Chapter, Council and Commandery. The rent these other Bodies were paying had not been increased in 50 years. The new leadership of the Lodge raised the rent on these Bodies and rather than pay it they all moved out to another Masonic building whose leadership accepted them at their old cheap rate. The Master of the Lodge asked the Grand Master to prohibit that transfer. The Grand Master declined.
The Lodge asked the Grand Master to allow them to rent space to a Prince Hall Lodge. The Grand Master said no. The Lodge asked the Grand Master to allow them to rent space to the Knights of Columbus. The Grand Master said no.
The Lodge asked the Grand Lodge to allow the Lodge a by-laws change whereby the Lodge would reorganize itself into a charitable corporation and thereby apply for 501©3 tax relief. The Grand Lodge failed to approve the by-law change.
The Lodge approved a by-laws change that would increase their dues from $50 per year to $150; the last dues increase having been 1962. It was rumored that a Past Master with clout called the Grand Master to ask him to refuse to approve that by-law change. The Grand Lodge denied the dues increase. When asked why they said it was too drastic. Amore realistic increase would have been to $75.
Now generally speaking what we have here is the modern concept of Masonic management whereby the seat of power rests solely with Grand Lodge. But it wasn’t always that way which is why the chicken and the egg question is pertinent. If you look back at the 1800s you will find a good percentage of power rested with the local Lodge and Grand Lodge was not able to dictate every little thing to its charted Lodges. Grand Lodge then was more of a helper, an enabler. Modern Masonry has seen the rise of total Grand Lodge control where in many jurisdictions Grand Lodges micro manage the Craft. A local Lodge today cannot breathe without the Grand Master’s approval. And what has followed is that Grand Lodges are all about rules and regs. Many of them govern today using the US Army as a role model.
The first comment on the original post was made by the esteemed Robert Davis who reminds us that all Masonry is local. He said this:
If we keep concentrating on an overly strict adherence to rules and regulations then we have a Society that truly reveres its Institution above everything else. But Grand Lodges are pushing people away with their top down authoritative rules orientated government. The forces of necessary change and local creativity are being held back by an Old Guard who would rather see Freemasonry wither and die then do things differently. And by gosh they may just get their death wish.
Hannity…………er Palmetto Bug presents a cogent and well reasoned rebuttal and at first it might seem difficult to disagree with the points he has made.
Let’s talk specifically first and then we can get to general comments. In this fictional Lodge’s case the Old Guard or retired Past Masters ruled the Lodge. They pretty much let the Lodge run down hill constrained by the mindset of doing things as they had always done them. New younger leadership came in gradually to the point where the Old Guard lost their iron grip on the Lodge. I would maintain that this is a scenario often times repeated over and over again in Lodges across the USA. This newer younger leadership wasn’t used to doing things a certain way.
At first they tried to stay in the system and work within the rules. They petitioned the Grand Master for financial help, which was denied. They asked for an end to Masonic Prohibition (alcohol in the Masonic building) so they could attract paying functions. Request denied. They asked the Grand Master to allow them to rent their facilities to a Boxing Club who would put a gym in the building. The Grand Master said he didn’t think that a Boxing Club matched the image he wanted the Lodges in his jurisdiction to portray. Request denied. The new leadership of the Lodge was trying to find paying tenants who could use the building when it was idle to boost revenue and allow them to pay the operational costs and repair and restore what had been neglected.
The Masonic building had other Masonic tenants, an Eastern Star Chapter and York Rite – Chapter, Council and Commandery. The rent these other Bodies were paying had not been increased in 50 years. The new leadership of the Lodge raised the rent on these Bodies and rather than pay it they all moved out to another Masonic building whose leadership accepted them at their old cheap rate. The Master of the Lodge asked the Grand Master to prohibit that transfer. The Grand Master declined.
The Lodge asked the Grand Master to allow them to rent space to a Prince Hall Lodge. The Grand Master said no. The Lodge asked the Grand Master to allow them to rent space to the Knights of Columbus. The Grand Master said no.
The Lodge asked the Grand Lodge to allow the Lodge a by-laws change whereby the Lodge would reorganize itself into a charitable corporation and thereby apply for 501©3 tax relief. The Grand Lodge failed to approve the by-law change.
The Lodge approved a by-laws change that would increase their dues from $50 per year to $150; the last dues increase having been 1962. It was rumored that a Past Master with clout called the Grand Master to ask him to refuse to approve that by-law change. The Grand Lodge denied the dues increase. When asked why they said it was too drastic. Amore realistic increase would have been to $75.
Now generally speaking what we have here is the modern concept of Masonic management whereby the seat of power rests solely with Grand Lodge. But it wasn’t always that way which is why the chicken and the egg question is pertinent. If you look back at the 1800s you will find a good percentage of power rested with the local Lodge and Grand Lodge was not able to dictate every little thing to its charted Lodges. Grand Lodge then was more of a helper, an enabler. Modern Masonry has seen the rise of total Grand Lodge control where in many jurisdictions Grand Lodges micro manage the Craft. A local Lodge today cannot breathe without the Grand Master’s approval. And what has followed is that Grand Lodges are all about rules and regs. Many of them govern today using the US Army as a role model.
The first comment on the original post was made by the esteemed Robert Davis who reminds us that all Masonry is local. He said this:
"But your larger point is that all Masonry should be local. Grand Lodges should rarely enforce rules which threaten the closure of a local lodge; nor should they impede creative ideas which are otherwise legal under civil law and aimed at solving local problems. Every lodge should be sovereign enough to endow its membership and its phsyical plant, and otherwise employ all legal means to secure its financial future."
If we keep concentrating on an overly strict adherence to rules and regulations then we have a Society that truly reveres its Institution above everything else. But Grand Lodges are pushing people away with their top down authoritative rules orientated government. The forces of necessary change and local creativity are being held back by an Old Guard who would rather see Freemasonry wither and die then do things differently. And by gosh they may just get their death wish.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Hannity's Response
1st Response to “Preventing Lodge Foreclosures”
Part of a Cooperative Effort between The Beehive and The Masonic Line
The challenge is in. The debate is on. Click here for the response
This debate is brought to you by Palmetto Bug & Squire Bentley the Hannity & Colmes of Masonic Blogisphere.
Part of a Cooperative Effort between The Beehive and The Masonic Line
The challenge is in. The debate is on. Click here for the response
This debate is brought to you by Palmetto Bug & Squire Bentley the Hannity & Colmes of Masonic Blogisphere.
Preventing Lodge Foreclosures
WHO IS BAILING OUT FAILING LODGES?
A FICTIONAL STORY THAT COULD BE TRUE
This is a story that could have happened but in reality is pure fiction. It’s really a sophisticated guess. It seems that there was this Lodge that had a once beautiful building that was falling into disrepair. With a dwindling membership and no other tenants it found it increasingly difficult to maintain and pay for the costs of this grand old piece of architecture. It was an albatross hanging around the Lodge’s neck. Try as they could by raising dues and holding fundraisers they just could not meet the operating costs of the building never mind keep ahead of its deterioration. Part of the problem was the hefty tax bill on the property. The solution that the Lodge came up with did not meet with the approval of the Grand Master. Let’s listen in on what might have been said.
GM = Grand Master M = Master of the Lodge
GM: I have come to meet with you to make it plain in no uncertain terms to you that your course of action in selling this Lodge building which belongs to Grand Lodge is a violation of the by-laws, rules and regulations of Grand Lodge and is cause for expulsion and loss of your Charter.
M: It is sad that it has come to this. Our building – or your building as you call it – was in a state of disrepair and we were not generating enough money to take proper care of it or really afford to own it unless we took drastic action to see that funds were available to save and restore it.
GM: But why did you sell it knowingly in violation of your Grand Lodge? Why did you not to seek to raise money through fundraisers and other legal means?
M: We never were able to obtain anywhere near the money we needed by raising dues and holding fundraisers. The amount we were able to raise fell far, far short of what was needed to save this grand old building. We put off the inevitable as long as we could but finally the day of reckoning came.
GM: Then you needed to give up the building and meet somewhere else, perhaps renting reasonable space or paying rent in another Lodge building
M: That was one course of action that had some following in our discussion and debate on the matter. Where it is a beautiful old building and your building as you say, why would you not provide the funds to save it? Why would you want one of your buildings to be condemned and face the wrecking ball?
GM: The Grand Lodge is not a bank or a charitable trust and I am not here to offer you money gathered from everybody else for your exclusive use to save your building. I am here to enforce the rules.
M: Now it is our building is it? It is ours when it comes time to pay for its upkeep, maintenance and operation. It’s yours when we decide to convert it into a moneymaker that will continue Freemasonry in a style that will attract new members and allow our Lodge to grow.
GM: If you don’t like Grand Lodge rules you have an opportunity to vote to change them at every Grand Lodge Session. Your action in selling Grand Lodge property is a direct violation of these rules and I must insist that you negate the sale or suffer the consequences. And if you cannot or refuse to do that then I command you to turn over to me and the Grand Lodge the proceeds of this illegal sale.
M: Here you are Grand Master. Here is what we got for the building.
GM: WHAT! YOU SOLD OUR BUILDING FOR ONE DOLLAR?
M: Well Grand Master you refused to help us. You refused to provide any funds so we could get out from under. You have refused to allow us to rent to paying tenants you do not approve of. You have refused to allow alcohol to be served in the building so that we could use the building when it sits idle as a banquet hall for weddings and functions. You have refused to put all YOUR Masonic Buildings in a tax-exempt status or allow us to do so. You have refused to negotiate group insurance rates for our buildings, contents and property. You have refused to use the power of economies to scale to financially aid your chartered Lodges in a time of declining membership and a depressed economy. You have refused to be of any assistance in our time of need. Lord knows that we have asked for your help many times over and informed you of our dire circumstances. Yet you sat on your hands and did nothing. You fiddled while Rome burned.
Now we have sold for next to nothing the Masonic building to a community charitable organization in which the Lodge and Lodge members have significant control. They have registered the building and all its activities and expenses as a 501©3 tax exempt operation. The new owners have rented out parts of the building to four well-heeled tenants among them a citywide boxing club. The charitable organization has been able to attain the finances needed to repair and maintain this beautiful building while we as a Lodge can continue to meet here and now totally rent free. We gave the building to charity and charity pays for and runs the building and returns our favor by charging us nothing as a tenant.
You have left us alone to solve our problems without any help from you or the Grand Lodge. We have come up with the only means we could to save the building and to be able to stay here and meet here as we have done for over a hundred years. At the same time we have seen to it that our involvement as Freemasons with charitable pursuits for the entire community has markedly increased.
Grand Master you could try to come to some kind of compromise with us.
GM: There is no compromise. It’s all there in black and white. You have violated your Grand Lodge and thereby have violated your obligations.
M: Grand Master, could we not come to some sort of middle ground here? The new owners are prepared to offer the Grand Lodge the right of first refusal if the building is ever put up for sale again. You would have the right to meet any offer made for this building and buy it back for the Grand Lodge. In the meantime our membership will increase with the building restoration and the increased activity within. This will mean more per capita money the Lodge will be sending into Grand Lodge.
GM: The Grand Lodge is never going to pay for what it already owns. Reverse the sale or be expelled and lose your charter.
M: What worth is there in owning a building that no longer can meet building and fire codes and will be abandoned only to be razed? There will be no building your way and you refuse to supply any assistance to repair the problems and restore the building, nor allow us to rent to the tenants we want to. Your rules and regulations are strangling us leaving us no other course of action then the one we have taken.
GM: And you fail to see that this is not about you but about the sanctity of the institution. First and foremost we must protect Freemasonry in this jurisdiction by enforcing the Grand Lodge by-laws, rules and regulations which have been put there for the survival of the many, not the interests of a few.
I see that you are committed to your course of action. Therefore your charter is now officially pulled and you are all expelled. And we shall see you all in court where maybe a judge will honor the Grand Lodge’s claim to its building.
M: We shall see you in court, Grand Master. Maybe a judge will see that in reality you have abandoned the building by not supplying the means or allowing the necessary steps to be taken to keep it alive.
And herein lies a problem that will become more and more prevalent as our economy sinks deeper and deeper into depression. Many Lodges across our nation have been struggling in good times to meet the expenses of owning a Masonic building. Now with hard times upon us look for Lodge “foreclosures” to rapidly increase.
The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts is known to have in excess of $300 million in its coffers. It spends all kinds of money on its pet projects and charitable projects yet it rarely will bail out any of its chartered Lodges in financial trouble. In fact because Grand Lodge donations were down it launched a $10 million Grand Lodge fund raising program in order that it did not have to tap into its $300+ million principle.
The very well respected Masonic blogger Masonic Traveler wrote a column asking whether American Masonry had become institutionalized. Do we revere and worship the institution rather than the philosophy? For you see if we worship the institution first then all other forms of Masonry are bogus even if they say the exact same thing which is a point that the blog The Middle Chamber has so deftly made.
The result is that we create artificial laws like the Right of Exclusive Territorial Jurisdiction so we can create a Masonic monopoly, then we write rules of recognition, of irregular Masonry and clandestine Masonry. Now we are the one and only true Masonry. We have created an institution that has a life of its own. It is then that the institution and its preservation uncorrupted comes first and the well being of people and the practice of the dogma or philosophy take a back seat. Ask Ed King. He will tell you all about it.
This is the exact position that the Catholic Church has taken and since it’s my church I feel I have a right to sound off about it (which I would not do to your house of worship). When the pedophile Priest scandal was first exposed what was the course of action the Catholic Church chose? They elected to cover it up, deny it and hide it, transferring sick Priests to another parish or non-parish duties. They did so because for them the first priority before anything else was the preservation of the Church, that is the institution. People and their suffering unfortunately have to endure in silence, they will tell you, because without the Church all would be lost. And while they are at it the Church will also tell you all about bogus and clandestine Christianity (see heresies and Protestantism).
Rome, which has billions in its coffers, takes the same attitude towards its local church’s financial woes as some Grand Lodges take to their failing local Lodges.
Once in awhile I contemplate which came first the chicken or the egg. I haven’t answered that query satisfactorily yet but I can answer which came first local Lodges or Grand Lodges? We all know the answer to that question. The problem is that while Grand Lodges used to sit at the will and pleasure of local Lodges, today local Lodges sit at the will and pleasure of Grand Lodges. And more and more Grand Lodges are cracking the whip. As they do so they purge themselves of any recalcitrants who would seek to deinstitutionalize Masonry and make it a more open society. They must keep the Institution pure, they will tell you, that’s the only way it will survive. What they are really doing is causing more fissures, splits and breakaways.
Meanwhile local Lodges like the one in our fictional story are begging for a bailout. Maybe these Lodges, these foreclosures, should turn to President Obama. After all the federal government is bailing out anybody and everybody!
Are we ready as we go deeper and deeper into economic collapse in the United States, as everybody pulls back and spends little and suspends all luxuries, to watch Masonic building after Masonic building across the USA be abandoned, foreclosed or sold? Are we ready to sit back following the same failed policies and hang tied by rules and regulations we fail to modify? Or are we going to think outside the box, get creative and meet this economic depression head on in order to survive in buildings in many cases that have thousands and thousands of dollars or irreplaceable artwork, wood work and specialized building construction? Are we going to just walk away from these hand crafted works of art to go meet at someone’s house or a church or the back room of a tavern?
Are we men enough and secure enough in our ability to keep our private affairs private to hire professionals to help us manage our finances and our assets? Can we run our Lodges like a business and make a profit? Are we willing to procure the most advantageous tax structure for our Lodges? Are we willing to modify overly strict rules and regulations to enable us to maximize the use of our buildings? Can we make our Lodge property pay for itself? Are we as a Lodge willing to put ourselves into the hands of an outside professional business manager who can run the financial/business side of our Lodges so that we can stay afloat? Or are we going to continue to muddle through until we are left with no choice but to walk away from it all?
Are not many Lodges now spending every penny they can raise on just keeping their building open? Doesn’t that severely limit what a Lodge can do in the way of providing good Masonic programs? And isn’t the lack of good Masonic programs hurting our ability to attract new members? Aren’t most Lodge mergers the result of one Lodge’s economic collapse?
Isn’t this really a vicious cycle? We are so crippled by the expense of our buildings that we have no money for anything else. We can’t go anywhere as a Lodge, have grand dinners, put on a family BBQ or a Ladies night of dinner and dancing or pay for an outside featured speaker for our Lodge because we have no money. Every cent we raise goes into keeping our buildings open. Doesn’t then what we can do as a Lodge become very limited? Doesn’t that limitation severely hamper our ability to attract new members? Because we get no new members doesn’t that limit the amount of money coming into our bank account? No money means no programs which means no new members which means less and less money. We are going around and around in a vicious circle.
What would you do about it? Was the fictional Lodge in this story justified in its actions?
A FICTIONAL STORY THAT COULD BE TRUE
This is a story that could have happened but in reality is pure fiction. It’s really a sophisticated guess. It seems that there was this Lodge that had a once beautiful building that was falling into disrepair. With a dwindling membership and no other tenants it found it increasingly difficult to maintain and pay for the costs of this grand old piece of architecture. It was an albatross hanging around the Lodge’s neck. Try as they could by raising dues and holding fundraisers they just could not meet the operating costs of the building never mind keep ahead of its deterioration. Part of the problem was the hefty tax bill on the property. The solution that the Lodge came up with did not meet with the approval of the Grand Master. Let’s listen in on what might have been said.
GM = Grand Master M = Master of the Lodge
GM: I have come to meet with you to make it plain in no uncertain terms to you that your course of action in selling this Lodge building which belongs to Grand Lodge is a violation of the by-laws, rules and regulations of Grand Lodge and is cause for expulsion and loss of your Charter.
M: It is sad that it has come to this. Our building – or your building as you call it – was in a state of disrepair and we were not generating enough money to take proper care of it or really afford to own it unless we took drastic action to see that funds were available to save and restore it.
GM: But why did you sell it knowingly in violation of your Grand Lodge? Why did you not to seek to raise money through fundraisers and other legal means?
M: We never were able to obtain anywhere near the money we needed by raising dues and holding fundraisers. The amount we were able to raise fell far, far short of what was needed to save this grand old building. We put off the inevitable as long as we could but finally the day of reckoning came.
GM: Then you needed to give up the building and meet somewhere else, perhaps renting reasonable space or paying rent in another Lodge building
M: That was one course of action that had some following in our discussion and debate on the matter. Where it is a beautiful old building and your building as you say, why would you not provide the funds to save it? Why would you want one of your buildings to be condemned and face the wrecking ball?
GM: The Grand Lodge is not a bank or a charitable trust and I am not here to offer you money gathered from everybody else for your exclusive use to save your building. I am here to enforce the rules.
M: Now it is our building is it? It is ours when it comes time to pay for its upkeep, maintenance and operation. It’s yours when we decide to convert it into a moneymaker that will continue Freemasonry in a style that will attract new members and allow our Lodge to grow.
GM: If you don’t like Grand Lodge rules you have an opportunity to vote to change them at every Grand Lodge Session. Your action in selling Grand Lodge property is a direct violation of these rules and I must insist that you negate the sale or suffer the consequences. And if you cannot or refuse to do that then I command you to turn over to me and the Grand Lodge the proceeds of this illegal sale.
M: Here you are Grand Master. Here is what we got for the building.
GM: WHAT! YOU SOLD OUR BUILDING FOR ONE DOLLAR?
M: Well Grand Master you refused to help us. You refused to provide any funds so we could get out from under. You have refused to allow us to rent to paying tenants you do not approve of. You have refused to allow alcohol to be served in the building so that we could use the building when it sits idle as a banquet hall for weddings and functions. You have refused to put all YOUR Masonic Buildings in a tax-exempt status or allow us to do so. You have refused to negotiate group insurance rates for our buildings, contents and property. You have refused to use the power of economies to scale to financially aid your chartered Lodges in a time of declining membership and a depressed economy. You have refused to be of any assistance in our time of need. Lord knows that we have asked for your help many times over and informed you of our dire circumstances. Yet you sat on your hands and did nothing. You fiddled while Rome burned.
Now we have sold for next to nothing the Masonic building to a community charitable organization in which the Lodge and Lodge members have significant control. They have registered the building and all its activities and expenses as a 501©3 tax exempt operation. The new owners have rented out parts of the building to four well-heeled tenants among them a citywide boxing club. The charitable organization has been able to attain the finances needed to repair and maintain this beautiful building while we as a Lodge can continue to meet here and now totally rent free. We gave the building to charity and charity pays for and runs the building and returns our favor by charging us nothing as a tenant.
You have left us alone to solve our problems without any help from you or the Grand Lodge. We have come up with the only means we could to save the building and to be able to stay here and meet here as we have done for over a hundred years. At the same time we have seen to it that our involvement as Freemasons with charitable pursuits for the entire community has markedly increased.
Grand Master you could try to come to some kind of compromise with us.
GM: There is no compromise. It’s all there in black and white. You have violated your Grand Lodge and thereby have violated your obligations.
M: Grand Master, could we not come to some sort of middle ground here? The new owners are prepared to offer the Grand Lodge the right of first refusal if the building is ever put up for sale again. You would have the right to meet any offer made for this building and buy it back for the Grand Lodge. In the meantime our membership will increase with the building restoration and the increased activity within. This will mean more per capita money the Lodge will be sending into Grand Lodge.
GM: The Grand Lodge is never going to pay for what it already owns. Reverse the sale or be expelled and lose your charter.
M: What worth is there in owning a building that no longer can meet building and fire codes and will be abandoned only to be razed? There will be no building your way and you refuse to supply any assistance to repair the problems and restore the building, nor allow us to rent to the tenants we want to. Your rules and regulations are strangling us leaving us no other course of action then the one we have taken.
GM: And you fail to see that this is not about you but about the sanctity of the institution. First and foremost we must protect Freemasonry in this jurisdiction by enforcing the Grand Lodge by-laws, rules and regulations which have been put there for the survival of the many, not the interests of a few.
I see that you are committed to your course of action. Therefore your charter is now officially pulled and you are all expelled. And we shall see you all in court where maybe a judge will honor the Grand Lodge’s claim to its building.
M: We shall see you in court, Grand Master. Maybe a judge will see that in reality you have abandoned the building by not supplying the means or allowing the necessary steps to be taken to keep it alive.
And herein lies a problem that will become more and more prevalent as our economy sinks deeper and deeper into depression. Many Lodges across our nation have been struggling in good times to meet the expenses of owning a Masonic building. Now with hard times upon us look for Lodge “foreclosures” to rapidly increase.
The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts is known to have in excess of $300 million in its coffers. It spends all kinds of money on its pet projects and charitable projects yet it rarely will bail out any of its chartered Lodges in financial trouble. In fact because Grand Lodge donations were down it launched a $10 million Grand Lodge fund raising program in order that it did not have to tap into its $300+ million principle.
The very well respected Masonic blogger Masonic Traveler wrote a column asking whether American Masonry had become institutionalized. Do we revere and worship the institution rather than the philosophy? For you see if we worship the institution first then all other forms of Masonry are bogus even if they say the exact same thing which is a point that the blog The Middle Chamber has so deftly made.
The result is that we create artificial laws like the Right of Exclusive Territorial Jurisdiction so we can create a Masonic monopoly, then we write rules of recognition, of irregular Masonry and clandestine Masonry. Now we are the one and only true Masonry. We have created an institution that has a life of its own. It is then that the institution and its preservation uncorrupted comes first and the well being of people and the practice of the dogma or philosophy take a back seat. Ask Ed King. He will tell you all about it.
This is the exact position that the Catholic Church has taken and since it’s my church I feel I have a right to sound off about it (which I would not do to your house of worship). When the pedophile Priest scandal was first exposed what was the course of action the Catholic Church chose? They elected to cover it up, deny it and hide it, transferring sick Priests to another parish or non-parish duties. They did so because for them the first priority before anything else was the preservation of the Church, that is the institution. People and their suffering unfortunately have to endure in silence, they will tell you, because without the Church all would be lost. And while they are at it the Church will also tell you all about bogus and clandestine Christianity (see heresies and Protestantism).
Rome, which has billions in its coffers, takes the same attitude towards its local church’s financial woes as some Grand Lodges take to their failing local Lodges.
Once in awhile I contemplate which came first the chicken or the egg. I haven’t answered that query satisfactorily yet but I can answer which came first local Lodges or Grand Lodges? We all know the answer to that question. The problem is that while Grand Lodges used to sit at the will and pleasure of local Lodges, today local Lodges sit at the will and pleasure of Grand Lodges. And more and more Grand Lodges are cracking the whip. As they do so they purge themselves of any recalcitrants who would seek to deinstitutionalize Masonry and make it a more open society. They must keep the Institution pure, they will tell you, that’s the only way it will survive. What they are really doing is causing more fissures, splits and breakaways.
Meanwhile local Lodges like the one in our fictional story are begging for a bailout. Maybe these Lodges, these foreclosures, should turn to President Obama. After all the federal government is bailing out anybody and everybody!
Are we ready as we go deeper and deeper into economic collapse in the United States, as everybody pulls back and spends little and suspends all luxuries, to watch Masonic building after Masonic building across the USA be abandoned, foreclosed or sold? Are we ready to sit back following the same failed policies and hang tied by rules and regulations we fail to modify? Or are we going to think outside the box, get creative and meet this economic depression head on in order to survive in buildings in many cases that have thousands and thousands of dollars or irreplaceable artwork, wood work and specialized building construction? Are we going to just walk away from these hand crafted works of art to go meet at someone’s house or a church or the back room of a tavern?
Are we men enough and secure enough in our ability to keep our private affairs private to hire professionals to help us manage our finances and our assets? Can we run our Lodges like a business and make a profit? Are we willing to procure the most advantageous tax structure for our Lodges? Are we willing to modify overly strict rules and regulations to enable us to maximize the use of our buildings? Can we make our Lodge property pay for itself? Are we as a Lodge willing to put ourselves into the hands of an outside professional business manager who can run the financial/business side of our Lodges so that we can stay afloat? Or are we going to continue to muddle through until we are left with no choice but to walk away from it all?
Are not many Lodges now spending every penny they can raise on just keeping their building open? Doesn’t that severely limit what a Lodge can do in the way of providing good Masonic programs? And isn’t the lack of good Masonic programs hurting our ability to attract new members? Aren’t most Lodge mergers the result of one Lodge’s economic collapse?
Isn’t this really a vicious cycle? We are so crippled by the expense of our buildings that we have no money for anything else. We can’t go anywhere as a Lodge, have grand dinners, put on a family BBQ or a Ladies night of dinner and dancing or pay for an outside featured speaker for our Lodge because we have no money. Every cent we raise goes into keeping our buildings open. Doesn’t then what we can do as a Lodge become very limited? Doesn’t that limitation severely hamper our ability to attract new members? Because we get no new members doesn’t that limit the amount of money coming into our bank account? No money means no programs which means no new members which means less and less money. We are going around and around in a vicious circle.
What would you do about it? Was the fictional Lodge in this story justified in its actions?
Friday, January 2, 2009
Edinburg Register House MS
I received in the mail recently from the Scottish Rite Research Society, the book titled “Light on Masonry” written by Arturo de Hoyos. He is quite a researcher. The book is a reprint of the famous expose by that name written by David Bernard in 1829 in the Morgan Affair period of anti Masonry. Along with Bernard’s expose de Hoyos adds a history of Masonic exposes and his own analysis.
He briefly describes a list of other exposes with the earliest being not an expose but a memory aide for Brethren. The Edinburgh Register House MS was written in 1696 and predates the formation of the Premier Grand Lodge by 21 years. It is the earliest complete description of Masonic ceremony known. We are just given a brief taste of that work.
Naturally Masonic ritual was quite different then from today with also there being only two degrees. But what is so fascinating is that which is the same. The first degree penalty is exactly as it is today over 300 years later. The five points are exactly the same. The answer to the question, “How shall I know you to be a Mason”, is the same. The grips and words are not revealed in this writing. But it does say that the Lodge faces east and west as is the temple at Jerusalem.
Some of the other points that are different but interesting are the three jewels which are said to be Perpend Esler, a square pavement and a broad oval. The key to the Lodge is found three foot and a half from the Lodge door under a perpend esler, and a green divot. But under the lap of my liver where all my secrets of my heart lie.
Life is about change and surely Freemasonry has evolved from its early history to be rewritten and then rewritten again. But I just had a glimpse into the Craft before Anderson’s Constitutions and Preston/Webb ritual. And what I see has connected me to those who have gone before me and that makes me very proud and infused with a spirit or reverential awe.
He briefly describes a list of other exposes with the earliest being not an expose but a memory aide for Brethren. The Edinburgh Register House MS was written in 1696 and predates the formation of the Premier Grand Lodge by 21 years. It is the earliest complete description of Masonic ceremony known. We are just given a brief taste of that work.
Naturally Masonic ritual was quite different then from today with also there being only two degrees. But what is so fascinating is that which is the same. The first degree penalty is exactly as it is today over 300 years later. The five points are exactly the same. The answer to the question, “How shall I know you to be a Mason”, is the same. The grips and words are not revealed in this writing. But it does say that the Lodge faces east and west as is the temple at Jerusalem.
Some of the other points that are different but interesting are the three jewels which are said to be Perpend Esler, a square pavement and a broad oval. The key to the Lodge is found three foot and a half from the Lodge door under a perpend esler, and a green divot. But under the lap of my liver where all my secrets of my heart lie.
Life is about change and surely Freemasonry has evolved from its early history to be rewritten and then rewritten again. But I just had a glimpse into the Craft before Anderson’s Constitutions and Preston/Webb ritual. And what I see has connected me to those who have gone before me and that makes me very proud and infused with a spirit or reverential awe.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Listening To Wise Counsel
Today is the first day of a New Year and the first day of the rest of my life.
Some wise counsel has been passed onto me and seeing the merit in what has been said I pass it onto y'all.
Remember we are human beings. Yes, you say. Human beings not human doings. So let's look inside ourselves more often this year and boast less about what we have accomplished on the outside.
We are human beings not human doings and our soul development is the most important thing in our life. What we are as a person is much more important than what we have done.
Spend some private time in contemplative study with the philosophy of Freemasonry. Remember Masonry is a way of life!
We are human beings not human doings.
Some wise counsel has been passed onto me and seeing the merit in what has been said I pass it onto y'all.
New Year's Resolutions: The Two Lists
From Daily OM at http://www.dailyom.com/
I was fortunate to spend time with an enigmatic man named Robert during a very special period of my life. Robert taught me many things during our days together, and this time of year reminds me of one particular interaction we had.
"Now that you are becoming more aware," Robert said, "you need to begin to set goals for yourself so you don't lose the momentum you have built."
"Like New Year's resolutions?" I asked.
"That's an interesting idea," he smirked. "Let's do that."
By then I was used to his cryptic responses, so I knew something was up because of the way his eyes sparkled as he let out an impish laugh.
"Tonight's assignment is to make two lists," Robert continued. "The first is a list of all the New Year's resolutions you WANT to keep, and the second is a list of all the New Year's resolutions you WILL keep. Write the WANT List first, and when you have exhausted all of your ideas, then write the second list on another sheet of paper."
That night I went home and spent several hours working on the two lists. The WANT List felt overwhelming at first, but after a while I got into writing all the things I had always wanted to do if the burdens of life hadn't gotten in the way. After nearly an hour, the list swelled to fill the entire page and contained nearly all of my ideas of an ideal life. The second list was much easier, and I was able to quickly commit ten practical resolutions that I felt would be both realistic and helpful.
The next day, I met Robert in front of the local food Co-op, where we seemed to have most of our enlightening conversations. "Tell me about your two lists," Robert said as the familiar smirk crept onto his face.
"The first list contains all the things I SHOULD do if I completely changed my life to be the person I always wanted to be. And the second list contains all the things I COULD do by accepting my current life, and taking realistic steps towards the life I want to lead."
"Let me see the second list," he said.
I handed him the second list, and without even looking at it, he ripped the paper into tiny pieces and threw it in the nearby garbage can. His disregard for the effort I had put into the list annoyed me at first, but after I calmed down I began to think about the first list in a different light. In my heart, I knew the second list was a cop out, and the first list was the only one that really mattered.
"And now, the first list." Robert bowed his head and held out both of his hands.
I purposefully handed him the first list and held his gaze for several seconds, waiting for him to begin reading the page. After an unusually long silence, he began to crumple the paper into a ball and once again tossed it into the can without looking at it.
"What did you do that for?!" I couldn't hide my anger any longer.
Robert began to speak in a quiet and assured voice. "What you SHOULD or COULD do with your life no longer matters. The only thing that matters, from this day forward, is what you MUST do."
He then drew a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to me.
I opened it carefully, and found a single word floating in the middle of the white page:
"Love."
Remember we are human beings. Yes, you say. Human beings not human doings. So let's look inside ourselves more often this year and boast less about what we have accomplished on the outside.
We are human beings not human doings and our soul development is the most important thing in our life. What we are as a person is much more important than what we have done.
Spend some private time in contemplative study with the philosophy of Freemasonry. Remember Masonry is a way of life!
We are human beings not human doings.
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