Friday, July 21, 2006

My Third Prince Hall Visitation For Degree's and Fellowship

Last night myself and two other brethren attended a Prince Hall FC Degree. The night was again a phenomenal masonic experience. The Brotherhood shown between all the Brothers of 4 different Prince Hall Lodges comming together to do ritual on multiple candidates representing the 4 lodges is beautiful. Seeing men from one Blue Lodge caring about the candidates masonic experience from other Blue Lodges was refreshing. In my GL system, majority of men are possesive and want to hord and train their candidates and keep them in a box.
My first two experiences were in MM degrees and it was the most exciting and meaningful MM degrees I have been apart of. I was lucky enough to be on the fellowcraft team one time and a steward another. Last night for the FC degree, I was able to sit back and watch. The ritual is almost letter for letter the same, except for a little more religious undertone to their in their opening and closing with song and prayer. No biggie to me. But the lecture had more in it, more explainations of symbols and I, a PM, was more educated in that lecture than in any regular Blue Lodge I have attended or been apart of. It was a beautiful nite with great fellowship and livations afterwards. We are striking up great bonds with these brethren, and letting them know we, as young progressive masons, will not tolerate racism from any GL system and feel our own GL should step up to the plate and put pressure on the backwards, 18th century, southern masons who discriminate by color?
I always thought recognition was structured by UGLE. Meaning, if UGLE recognizes a particular masonic body, then by code, we should recognize any body that UGLE recognizes, period. I do not understand how GL's can circumvent that code? I do not understand the lack of integrity by other GL's not to put pressure on the few rogue GL's who are in violation of UGLE's mandated codes?
One day my GL might man up and take a stand and make all the non racist young masons proud of their "leaders" and represent the true meaning of masonry and put a stop to INTOLERANCE!
Any Brothers out there who have not attended a prince hall ritual, I advise you to do so. Strike up relations with these gentlemen. The fraternity can only get better and stronger by spreading Universal Brotherhood under the All Seeing Eye of a Deity.
Bothers, please lets all move forward and wake up to the wrongness of racial segregation, and unite as One Brotherhood!
Plus you may learn a few things about masonry visiting a prince hall lodge!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very sage words and proof of where you were made a mason first.

Darren

Tubal Cain said...

Funny how simple it is!
We partied until 2:00am with the brothers at their shrine bar.....
my money was no good...
We offered up the use of our facility for MM degree's. Great time had by all and spreading universal brotherhood is nothing better. Hopefully it will spread down south like bird flu.

Tom Accuosti said...

Very cool. Thanks for writing that up.

Tubal Cain said...

Shadrack,
I'm glad to see that you are open to masonic fellowship with PH masons in your district. It is true that even up north that racism still exists and runs amok within a brotherhood that teaches tolerance. Hopefully enlightenment will spread throughout the fraternity and we all can come together to show the world what brotherly love, relief and truth are all about. May light continue to shine on you, your district and your lodge!

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