Monday, September 25, 2006

Another Great Raising with My Prince Hall Brothers












Well brethren, I attended another Prince Hall raising on Saturday,9/23 and again it was a memorable event. I really like the idea of bringing masons in as a class, multiple candidates. It is always advantageous, IMHO, to go through an experience with peers. The trials and tribulations these particular PH candidates experience is pretty traumatic compared to the MS systems of progression through the gates. Everyone probably feels that there is a certain part of the MM degree that is more important than another, but my experience at the PH raising, they feel the most important part of the degree is the going through the gates. They make the situation as real as possible, and very trying on the candidates psyche. For that brief period of time, their candidates really experience the feeling of rfns trying to extrt something from them, really experience fidelity and the repercussions of holding firm. I know the men we bring in would probably have offered anything up as a scrt of a mm, just to survive.
I love the differences in the ritual of the transition from 1st sect to 2nd sect, the incident that transpires, I've never seen in our MS procedures, and the affect of it is awesome. The lecture, charge and symbolism explanation is done in a 1st class manner.
I noticed no introductions of 33rd's and KYCH's, which I am all in favor of. The PM's are given the most respect and as a visiting PM, the hospitality and respect is flattering and honoring. At refreshment, a full meal was prepared by the OES, myself and fellow brother sat at the head table with the sitting master's of the various Blue Lodges participating in the raising, and the candidates served us and semi waited us. The other brethren went through a line to serve themselves, but the candidates, with humility, had no problem taking care of the master's and visitors. A few hundred dollars was collected from passing the hat around for the stars effort.
We then returned for the lectures and charges, which were phenomenal. I followed along in my ritual book, and they have a 20 minute extra part to the charge which is not in my book. Things were done by memory, the portrayal of the degree was second to none, the fellowship was more than what we experience when visiting other MS lodges, and it is because of this that I have problems circumscribing my desires and keeping my passions within due bounds in regards to recognition because of race. How any mason and GL can and does get away with NOT recognizing PH masons because of color is beyond my comprehension. Men, with two arms and two legs, two eyes and two hands, who practice the same masonry we do, have to rely on small minded men for "recognition" or labeled "regular" and be considered equal. The rest of American masons are not saying you have to go to their lodges and intermingle, but "recognition" should be as universal as the way one becomes a MM. Because of my experiences and relations with the Ph's, I would be apt if visiting the states were recognition has not migrated to yet, to visit or call upon the PH's of those states than the MS GL's. Even if I would be in "violation" of my GL codes, I would rather show brotherhood and acceptance to the "underdog/minority" group, because I have problems with ego maniacs and control freaks. I would not be able to sit down with men who would not allow recognition, accept the decision of that policy from their GL. At some point, doing the right thing should outweigh clinging to a membership. Maybe it is easier for me because I have walked away from wrong actions and have taken stands. My integrity is more important than being a member of something. Trying to right wrongs is worth any repercussion, whether being banned from gradeschool Masonic forums or taking on the wrath of my GL for standing up for justice. I've offered up my dues card to a DDGM before, taking a stand on BS actions and ways.
I look forward to more fellowship with my PH brothers, and look forward to visiting Fla, and attending a PH meeting to find out what those repercussions will be due to their non recognition status. I hope it will put someone in an unpleasant predicament to take actions against me for sitting in an unrecognized lodge. I need to plan my next trip to Fla. Oh, and by the way, I will avoid traveling through NC and spending any of my hard earned money in their state as my own little boycott of racists GL states.

To my PH hall brethren, thank you so such for an incredible experience in masonry, I can't wait till we meet on the level again!
So Mote It BE!

Sunday, September 24, 2006

CENSORSHIP AT THE THREE PILLARS FORUM












I feel priveledged that I was banned from a Masonic Forum called The Three Pillars.
Anytime a coward reacts with that type of action, it makes me feel that I must have hit a nerve. Well good Mother F-ers. I take pride in the fact that cowards and hypocrites don't want me around. The truth always hurts, so ban someone who speaks the truth.
The Three Pillars would rather protect Racists, than it being exposed by a concerned, hard working mason who is involved in bringing the two groups together.
Good thing masonry is about truth and equality and freedom.
I prefer to associate with real men with real convictions who walk the walk instead of talking the talk only.
It looks like someone just threw gas on my fire!



Hello tubulcain420,

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CONCRATULATIONS NORTH CAROLINA! WAY TO GO FORWARD INTO THE 21ST CENTURY! WAY TO
BE AN EXAMPLE OF BROTHERHOOD!


An unconfirmed report has just reached us that at Friday's Annual Communication
of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, held in Winston-Salem, a vote was held on
whether the Grand Lodge of North Carolina would recognize the predominantly
black Prince Hall Grand Lodge of North Carolina.

Our source tells us that the proposal did not pass. He reported that the vote
tally was 685 votes for recognition, 404 votes against, but a 3/4 majority is
required for a proposal to be carried by the Grand Lodge of North Carolina.

According to the Grand Lodge of North Carolina's website, the Grand Lodge's
Mission Statement is: "The mission of Freemasonry in North Carolina is to raise
the moral, social, intellectual, and spiritual conscience of society by teaching
the ancient and enduring philosophical tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and
Truth, which are expressed outwardly through service to God, family, country,
and self under the Fatherhood of God within the Brotherhood of Man."

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET. WAY TO MAKE US PROUD OF OUR FRATERNITY. After I spent
all day raising 5 candidates at the Prince Hall lodge yesterday, I get this news
from NC. Way to make me proud to be associated with you.

You embarrass me.
un masonic and un american behavior associated with masonry !

Thumbs up NC

Monday, September 18, 2006

Masons groups join in 'brotherhood'
















Masons groups join in 'brotherhood'
Race separated men for 150 years; now, they'll grow stronger together
By MIKE CHALMERS, The News Journal
Posted Sunday, September 17, 2006



WILMINGTON -- With regal pomp and the flourish of a pen, two of Delaware's oldest organizations ended more than 150 years of racial separation Saturday.

The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Delaware, whose members are white, and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Delaware, whose members are black, signed a compact of recognition at a two-hour ceremony at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington.

The event celebrated what one speaker called "the universality of our brotherhood."

"Now, we have two grand lodges in Delaware," said Ronald W. Conaway, grand master of the traditional Grand Lodge. "That's something this grand state can be proud of."

James R. Fitzgerald Jr., grand master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, said masonry itself is not racially discriminatory, but men's application of it has been in the past. Saturday's ceremony was one step in changing that practice.

"This is the future of our organizations, as we become stronger in mutual recognition," he said. "With these newfound friendships, we hope that masonry in Delaware will go to another step."

Masons from both grand lodges packed the Opera House's third-floor hall. They wore black tuxedos, white aprons decorated with symbols of the office they hold and gold "collars" made of sparkling chain links. Their enthusiastic baritone voices reverberated through the hall, and their applause was muted only by the white gloves they wore.

With the signing, Delaware became the 38th state where the traditional and Prince Hall grand lodges have agreed on some form of mutual recognition. The remaining states are all in the southeastern United States.

Discussions about mutual recognition of the two grand lodges began four years ago over a dinner in Dover. James S. Russell Jr., grand master of the traditional Grand Lodge, and Solomon Henry, grand master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, discussed ways to bring their organizations closer together.

Delaware masons formed their traditional Grand Lodge in 1806, forged from four lodges chartered in Maryland and Pennsylvania. It now includes 28 subordinate lodges and about 5,400 members statewide.

In 1849, black masons formed their own Grand Lodge in Delaware, known as a Prince Hall lodge after a black mason in the late 1700s. The group now has 550 members and 12 lodges.

The mutual recognition is long overdue, said Robert McGee, first district deputy grand master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge. Racism kept the groups apart for too long, he said.

"We both practice the same principles and morality," said McGee, a mason since 1978. "It's a shame it's taken so long to sign this compact."

McGee said he became a mason because his father was one and because the group's ideals meshed with his own sense of civic duty. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge is involved in mentoring teens and feeding the hungry, he said.

"I felt right at home joining an organization like this," McGee said. "We're on the same wavelength in terms of what we want to do with our communities."

Attending the ceremony was Floyd Bagwell Jr., grand master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge in Connecticut. His organization and the traditional Grand Lodge in Connecticut became the first groups to formally recognize each other in 1989.

Also, the grand masters from the traditional and Prince Hall grand lodges in Maryland, which recognized each other in April, attended and addressed the Delaware members.

Ronald Belanger, of the traditional Maryland Grand Lodge, said the term "recognition" doesn't go far enough in describing the ceremony played out Saturday. The two grand lodges have always known the other existed, of course. What's different now, he said, is they acknowledge their shared heritage and values.

"For years, we have sat here and listened to stories and tales and misconceptions about why we should not offer the hand of brotherly love and affection and respect to one another," Belanger said. "After 157 years, we're going to stretch our hands across a chasm of ignorance and intolerance and say, 'Welcome, my brother, welcome.' "
Contact Mike Chalmers at 324-2790 or mchalmers@delawareonline.com.

these are the comments posted to this article:
View All Comments

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 3:05 pm
As Mr. Henrick wrote I also left my lodge here in Delaware for many reasons but the biggest was the rift between the Grand Lodge and Prince Hall. It made me ashamed to be a member of a fraternity where I could not sit in open lodge with a member of my family because of skin color, this pact between both Grand Lodges is a huge step and will strengthen both fraternities.

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 11:07 am
Mr. Henrick,

You give hope to the thought of a racially void world. I am a member of a fraternity founded by African American men. We have long had white members. Though their numbers are few, While I was completing our ritual I learned that our founders never included exclusionary language to deny membership based on race or creed in our constitution.

Many members of my organization are also Masonic men as they pledged my organization as undergrads and later pledged Mason after college. These men pointed out some of the same things you said in your post regarding the two different Lodges of Mason. Something interesting that they did share with me on one occasion was that a couple of our founders were Masonic before founding our fraternity for college men. They pointed to the separation of the two houses as one reason they ensured admittance to our fraternity would never be on the basis of race or creed.

Congrats to all Masonic men. This is a great day for your organization. I imagine it's like getting a visit from a brother you heard of, but never really knew!

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:01 am
One wonders if a "white" Lodge will now allow blacks to join their Lodge. Racial segregation has long been practiced by the Masonic Lodge. I was informed at my Third Degree that we must never give an application to a black man because "he will be refused entrance into the Lodge." And this lecture was given by a man who was well acquainted with the law at the time because he mentioned it. Apparently, the law didn't apply to the Masonic Lodge. This was just one of the reasons why I eventually quit the Lodge.

Freemasonry requires that an applicant believe in God. That sounds good but Satan also believes in God, so that requirement doesn't amount to anything. God requires people to "love one another." There is no love in racial segregation. Jesus said: "They honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me."

Racism is a sin because it condones non-acceptance of other members of God's creation. And many Christian men go along with this segregation. It used to infuriate me on Masonic Sunday when Masons made their annual church visitation, to listen to one of their members take the pulpit to promote Freemasonry, knowing that they also support racism.

This official recognition of black Lodges really is no big thing. The article shows the shame of what the "white" Lodges have done for many years, and it doesn't show that anything is going to change. Throwing racism out of the Lodge is a must but it must first be thrown out of the hearts of men, and I doubt this can be achieved.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

THE CONVENTION THAT CHANGED THE FACE OF FREEMASONRY




THE CONVENTION THAT CHANGED THE FACE OF FREEMASONRY
Short Talk Bulletin, January 1936
By Allen E. Roberts

We are indebted to Wor. Brother Roberts, a noted Masonic scholar and author, for accepting the challenge of preparing this Short Talk Bulletin. It is another example of his concern for the work of the Masonic service Association.

For more than one hundred years many Freemasons have been misinformed. They have not been told the full story of one of Free-masonry's most important events.

This story starts in December, 1839. It began with a resolution adopted by the Grand Lodge of Alabama, which requested all Grand Lodges to send a delegate to the City of Washington on the first Monday in March, 1842, "for the purpose of determining upon a uniform mode of work throughout all the Lodges of the United States and to make other lawful regulations for the interest and security of the Craft." (The emphasis is mine, for this indicates what I mean when I say we have been misinformed.)

The Convention was held on March 7, 1842, "in the Central Masonic Hall at four and a half and D Streets N.W." Ten Grand Lodges were represented. And these representatives refused to seat a delegate from the Grand Lodge of Michigan, declaring that it had not been established under constitutional principles. The report was made by Charles W. Moore, Chair-man of Credentials Committee and Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. The Convention upheld his report.

After due deliberation, it was concluded that not enough Grand Lodges were represented, and there was not enough time to formulate a uniform ritual that would be acceptable to all Grand Lodges. Differences of opinion among the committee selected to develop a uniform mode of work were too many and not reconcilable. The Convention voted to request each Grand Lodge to appoint some well-versed Mason and style him as a Grand Lecturer to report to a Convention to be held the following year.

The report of another Committee was to have important, immediate, and far reaching effects on the Grand Lodges of the country. The "Committee on General Regulations Involving The Interests and Security of The Craft" reported in several areas. It recommended that the Representative System "already adopted by some of the Grand Lodges" be extended to all Grand Lodges. To protect the Fraternity from unworthy men claiming to be Masons, the Committee recommended that "certificates of good standing of visiting Brethren who are strangers" be made available by the Grand Lodge to which they belong. "These certificates will not only shield the Institution," said the committee, "from the undeserving, but will furnish the widow and orphans of the deceased Brethren the best evidence of their claim upon the Fraternity."

This Committee also considered as "reprehensible" the practice "of receiving promissory notes for the fees for conferring Degrees, instead of demanding the payment thereof before the Degrees are conferred."

The Committee considered it an "impropriety" to transact "business in Lodges below the Degree of Master Mason, except as such that appertains to the conferring of the inferior Degrees and the instruction therein." It credited the Grand Lodge of Missouri for bringing this to the attention of Freemasons everywhere. The Committee went on to say "Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts are not members of Lodges, nor are they entitled to the franchises of members."

The suspension of a Mason for non-payment of dues was also considered by the Committee. It believed that uniform legislation should be adopted by the Grand Lodges to protect the Fraternity.

It wasn't long before several Grand Lodges changed their laws to conform to the recommendations of this Committee. Certificates or cards were issued by Grand Secretaries to members of Lodges. And Grand Lodges ordered lodges to set cash fees for conferring degrees. Representatives were appointed by some Grand Lodges that had never done so before. And many Grand Lodges changed from conferring all business in the Entered Apprentice Degree to that of the Master Mason Degree.

Maryland was one Grand Lodge that acted almost immediately on these suggestions. on May 16, 1842, it voted to elect one Grand Lecturer to attend the conference in I843. It ordered the Grand Secretary to procure certificates to issue to Master Masons in good standing. It ordered all Lodges to conduct their business in the Master Mason Degree. It said "that when a Mason is suspended for any cause whatever, he is for the time of such suspension debarred from all rights and privileges of the order."

In 1842, some Lodges in Virginia started conducting their business in the Master Mason Degree. So it went over the next several years, but it was as late as 1851 before the Grand Lodge of Maine changed from working or conducting its business in the First to that of the Master Mason Degree.

It might be well to consider why some of the leaders of Freemasonry were concerned about the looseness of the ritual, as well as many other facts of the Fraternity.

Looking back to the year 1826, and the two decades that followed, it is found that in 1826, one William Morgan, who had purported to be a Freemason, disappeared. Freemasons were accused of murdering him, although there has never been any evidence that he was harmed in any way. He merely disappeared. This set off a hue and cry against Freemasonry. In many instances, Grand Lodges could not find a quorum to meet. Lodges turned in their charters by the hundreds. Freemasons quit by the thousands. Freemasonry was in deplorable condition.

During this period many of the ritualists and the men who had been dedicated to the principles of Freemasonry were lost to the Craft. Many died. Others quit because of the persecution handed down to their families because they would not renounce their membership in the Order. For these and various other reasons, Masonic Lodges were not operating anywhere near their capacity.

This was the state of affairs in the late 1830s, when Alabama called for a Convention to rectify many of the things that had gone awry. These were some of the things causing the Convention meeting in Washington to make the recommendations it did. These were some of the things carried into the Baltimore Convention of 1843, the Convention which we have heard so much about.

The ritual in its various forms did take much of the time of those attending the Baltimore Convention from May 8 to 17, 1843, meeting in the Masonic Hall on Saint Paul Street with sixteen of the twenty-three Grand Lodges in the United States represented. But many hours were taken to discuss the several points brought out during the convention held in Washington. And it approved everything that had been accomplished in the District.

The evening session was opened with the address of the President of the Convention, John Dove of Virginia. His opening remarks stated the purpose for the Convention: "For the first time in the Masonic history of the United States of North America, the Craft have found it necessary and expedient to assemble by their representatives, to take into consideration the propriety of devising some uniform mode of action by which the ancient landmarks of our beloved Order may be preserved and perpetuated, and by which posterity in all times to come may be enabled to decide with certainty upon the pretensions of a Brother, no matter in which section of our blessed and happy land he may reside; and, finally, and we hope no distant date, to transfer those inestimable privileges to our Brothers throughout the Masonic World." Dove's statement shows that much more than the ritual was involved.

The following day, May 9, the "Committee on the General Object of the Convention" submitted its report. It said: "The objects of the Convention are two-fold, viz.: 1. To produce uniformity of Masonic Work; 11. To recommend such measures as shall tend to the elevation of the Order to its due degree of respect throughout the world at large."

Four standing committees were appointed:

On the work and lectures in conferring Degrees.
On the Funeral Service.
On the ceremonies of Consecration and Installation.
On Masonic Jurisprudence.
It is interesting to note the prominent Masons who were appointed to the Committee on Work. John Dove, at the insistence of the Convention, became the Chairman. John Barney of Ohio, S.W.B. Carnegy of Missouri, Charles W. Moore of Massachusetts, and Ebenezer Wadsworth of New York were the other members.

On the morning of May 10, this Committee recited the lecture of the First Degree. The Convention adopted the work of the Committee by a vote of fourteen to one. Ebenezer Wadsworth of New York, cast the dissenting vote. The following day, the Committee reported "on the opening and closing of ceremonies of the First Degree" and their work was accepted by the Convention. Then the Chairman of the Committee, John Dove, assisted by Charles Moore, reported the lecture of the Second Degree. This work was also accepted by the Convention. But evidently Ebenezer Wadsworth was not happy with the work that had been accepted by the Convention. He "requested to be excused from serving longer on the Committee on Work." He was excused and Brother Edward Herndon, of Alabama, substituted.

At the Friday morning session, "the opening work of the Third Degree was accepted by the Convention with a vote of twelve to one "with New York dissenting."

On Monday morning, May 15, the following was reported: "The undersigned Committee on the Dedication, Consecration and Installation of Lodges, etc., having had the several subjects submitted to them under consideration, beg leave respectfully to report that they have examined and carefully compared all the various authors and systems which they have been able to obtain, and present the following, viz.:

"That the forms in the 'Monitor,' under the authorship of M.W. Thomas S. Webb, republished in 1812, possesses the least faults of any which have been before them, and has a high claim to antiquity, and having been in general use as a standard work for nearly half a century, possess no errors of material as to require alteration, except as follows." There followed six minor changes that it recommended be made, three of them in the Installation Ceremony.

Concerning the "Certificates of Good Standing," the Convention said that the Washington Convention of 1842 earnestly recommended to the consideration of the Fraternity "such Certificate, and where it has escaped attention in the deliberations of any Grand Lodge, this Convention call it to their view, as being a check admirably calculated to preserve the Fraternity from unworthy Brethren from a distance, and an additional means of protection to the good and the deserving."

The Convention adopted a resolution that was to have far-reaching and controversial effects:

That a Committee be designated to prepare and publish at an early day, a text book, to be called "The Masonic Trestle-Board," to embrace three distinct, full and complete "Masonic Carpets," illustrative of the three Degrees of ancient Craft Masonry; together with the ceremonies of consecrations, dedications and installation; laying of corner-stones of public edifices; the Funeral service, and order of processions. To which shall be added the Charges, Prayers and Exhortations, and the selection from scripture, appropriate and proper for Lodge service. The Committee further report, that they deem it expedient that a work be published to contain archaeological research into the history of the Fraternity in the various nations of the world.

The Committee on Masonic Jurisprudence reported it had considered whether or not "the evils which this Convention has met to rectify and remove, have arisen from any defect or fault in the present system of organizations as adopted by the Fraternity of the United States." It concluded the evils existed, mainly because of the individual action of the numerous Grand Lodges in the United States. Inter-communication between Grand Lodges did not exist. The "purity and unity" of work prevalent in Europe was therefore missing.

"UNITY throughout the whole Masonic family is essential," claimed the Committee. "Any system of polity tending to throw obstacles in its way must be wrong. The simple truth that we are all Brethren of one family, and look up to one common Father, the Lord our God, is the basis of all the ancient constitutions . "

To correct the "evils" that prevailed, the Committee said it had considered two plans:

"1st. A General Grand Lodge of the United States. 2nd. A triennial convention of representatives of the several Grand Lodges of the United States."

It went on to state: "Your Committee, without encumbering their report with long arguments, beg to recommend the latter course as being that, which in their opinion, will best attain the end proposed." So, contrary to what many Freemasons have been led to believe, the Baltimore Convention of 1843 did not recommend the establishment of General Grand Lodge. It did recommend "the several Grand Lodges of the United States to enter into and form a National Masonic Convention."

The Jurisprudence Committee had also considered a question about whether or not a Lodge could try its Master. It concluded: "The Master is an integral part of its government, unable to sit in judgment on himself, and yet without whom the Lodge could not act, without, as it were, committing felon de se (suicide). The Committee offered the following, with which the Convention concurred.... "a subordinate Lodge has not the right to try its Master, but that he is amenable to the Grand Lodge alone."

The Committee considered sojourning Masons as "freeloaders." It believed all Masons living in the vicinity of a Lodge and not a member of it should be required to contribute "a sum equal in value to the annual dues per capita of the subordinate Lodge in whose jurisdiction they reside." The Convention voted to recommend that all Grand Lodges take this recommendation under advisement.

In an attempt to bring unity "Throughout the world in all things pertaining to Masonry," the Convention approved a recommendation to send "a Delegate from the Masonic Fraternity of the United States to their Brethren in Europe."

On the evening of May 15 the Committee on Work exemplified the opening and closing of the Lodge in "the Third Degree." The ceremonies for opening and closing a Lodge were exemplified on the morning of the 16th. Then the Convention adopted a resolution thanking the Grand Lodge of Maryland for its hospitality. It was especially appreciative of Maryland assuming all expenses. This was followed by the presentation of the "Lecture of the First Degree."

It was "Resolved, that the interest of the Masonic Fraternity, and the good of mankind may be greatly promoted by the publication of a periodical devoted to Free-Masonry. This Convention, therefore, cheerfully recommend the Free-Mason's Monthly Magazine, edited and published by Brother Charles W. Moore, of Boston, Massachusetts as eminently useful and well-deserving the generous patronage, support and study of the whole Fraternity." The Convention concurred.

Each delegate contributed $5.00 to defray the expenses of printing. It was resolved to hold the next Convention in Winchester, Virginia, "on the second Monday in May, in the year 1846." This was never held.

The evening session of May 16th was devoted to the degree work. "The President repeated the first section of the F.C. and M.M. Degrees; and Brother Moore, the second sections of the same Degrees. The Committee then exemplified the work in the Third Degree."

On the morning of the last day of the Convention, the Master Mason Degree was exemplified. Then, while the President was absent from the hall, "Brother Carnegy took the chair," and a resolution praising John Dove of Virginia was unanimously adopted. Albert Case of South Carolina was also thanked for his work as secretary. The concluding session was held in the afternoon of May 17th. The Convention approved a letter, read by the Secretary, Albert Case, to be sent to "the Masonic Fraternity of the United States." Each paragraph contained the flowery language of the day pleading with the Freemasons of the country to unite in love, friendship and brotherhood.

This letter, written immediately following the anti-Masonic craze that began in 1826, called upon all Lodges "to exercise their powers and cleanse the sanctuary" of unfaithful Masons. It concluded by asking all Freemasons to "Be true to your principles, and the great moral edifice will stand beautiful and complete. Together, Brethren, be true and faithful."

The President thanked the delegates for the compliments paid him, and for their diligent work. He called upon the Chaplain to dismiss them with prayer. The Convention was then adjourned sine die.

The Convention was ended, but its accomplishments would change the face of Freemasonry throughout the United States.


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Page copyright © 2005, Lodge Vitruvian, No. 767, F. & A. M.
Content copyright © The Masonic Service Association of North America

Monday, September 04, 2006

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM pt 1


















AN EXPOSITION OF THE COSMIC FACTS UNDERLYING
THESE TWO GREAT INSTITUTIONS AS
DETERMINED BY OCCULT INVESTIGATION




The great law of analogy is everywhere the master key of all spiritual mysteries, and, although Masonry and Catholicism do not begin till we arrive at the Earth Period, they have their prototype in the earlier Periods; we shall therefore briefly touch upon the essential facts.

In the Saturn Period, the Earth-in-the-making was dark; HEAT, which is the manifestation of the ever invisible fire, was the only element then manifest; embryonic mankind was mineral-like, the only lower kingdom of evolving life. Unity was everywhere observable, and the Lords of Mind who were human then, were at one among themselves.

In the Western Wisdom Teaching we speak of the highest Initiate of the Saturn Period as THE FATHER.

In the Sun Period the root of a new element, AIR, was evolved, and coalesced with the true fire, which, mark again, is always invisible, and which manifested as HEAT in the Saturn Period. Then fire burst into FLAMES, and the dark world became a blazing ball of luminous firemist at the word of power, "LET THERE BE LIGHT."

Let the student ponder well the relation of FIRE and FLAME; the former lies sleeping, invisible in everything, and is kindled into light in various ways: by a blow of a hammer upon a stone, by friction of wood against wood and by chemical action, etc. This gives us a clue to the identity and state of THE FATHER, "whom no man hath seen at any time" but who is revealed in "The Light of the World," the Son, who is the highest Initiate of the Sun Period. As the unseen fire is revealed in the flame, so also the fullness of the Father dwelt in the Son, and they are one as fire is one with the flame in which it manifests. This is the root of all true Sun and Fire worship. All look beyond the physical symbol and adore "Our Father Who art in Heaven." The Mystic Masons of today hold this faith in fire as firmly as ever.

Thus it will be seen that the Unity which prevailed in the Saturn Period continued in the Sun Period. The ordinary humanity of that time has now evolved to the glory of Archangels; some were more advanced than others, but there was no antagonism among them. Our present humanity had advanced to a plantlike stage, and was slightly above the new Lifewave started in the Sun Period, and unity also here prevailed.

In the Moon Period contact of the heated sphere with cold Space generated moisture, and the battle of the elements commenced in all its fierceness. The heated ball of fire endeavored to evaporate the moisture, force it outwards and create a vacuum wherein to maintain its integrity and burn undisturbed; but there is and can be no void in nature, hence the outrushing steam condensed at a certain distance from the heated ball and was again driven inwards by the cold of Space, to be again evaporated and propelled outwards, in a ceaseless round for ages and ages, as a shuttlecock between the separate Hierarchies of Spirits composing the various Kingdoms of Life, represented in the Fire-Sphere and Cosmic Space which is an expression of the Homogeneous Absolute Spirit. The Fire Spirits are actively striving to attain enlargement of consciousness. But the Absolute rests ever clothed in the invisible garment of Cosmic Space. In 'It' all powers and possibilities are LATENT, and It seeks to discourage and check any attempt at expenditure of latent power as dynamic energy required in the evolution of a solar system. Water is the agent It used to quench the fire of active spirits. The zone between the heated center of the separate Spirit Sphere, and the Point where its individual atmosphere meets Cosmic Space, is a battleground of evolving spirits at various stages of evolution.

The present Angels were human in the Moon Period, and the highest Initiate is The Holy Spirit, (Jehovah).

As our humanity and the other Kingdoms of Life on earth are variously affected by the present elements, so that some like heat, others prefer cold, some thrive on moisture and others require dryness, so also in the Moon Period among the Angels, some had affinity for water, others abhorred it and loved fire.

The continued cycles of condensation and evaporation of the moisture surrounding the fiery center eventually caused incrustation, and it was the purpose of Jehovah to mold this "red earth," translated ADAM, into forms wherein to imprison and QUENCH THE SPIRITS OF THE FIRE. To this end, He issued the creative fiat, and the prototypes of fish, fowl and every living thing appeared, even including the primitive human form, which were created by His Angels; thus He hoped to make all that lives and moves subservient to His will. Against this plan a minority of the Angels rebelled; they had too great an affinity for FIRE to bear contact with water, and refused to create the forms as ordered; but thereby they at the same time deprived themselves of an opportunity of evolution along the conventional lines, and became an anomaly in nature; furthermore, having repudiated the authority of Jehovah, they must work out their own salvation in their own manner. How this has been accomplished by LUCIFER, their Great Leader will be made plain in the following articles; for the present, suffice it to say, that in the Earth Period, when various planets were differentiated to provide proper evolutionary environment for each class of Spirits, the Angels under Jehovah were set to work with the inhabitants of ALL PLANETS HAVING MOONS; while the Lucifer Spirits have their abode upon the planet Mars. The Angel GABRIEL is representative on earth, of the Lunar Hierarchy, presided over by Jehovah; the Angel SAMAEL is ambassador of the Martial forces of Lucifer. Gabriel (who announced the coming birth of Jesus to Mary,) and his lunar angels are therefore the givers of physical life, while Samael and the hosts of Mars are the Angels of Death.

Thus originated the feud in the dim dawn of this Cosmic day, and that which we see as Free Masonry today is an attempt by the HIERARCHS OF FIRE, the Lucifer Spirits, to bring us the imprisoned spirit 'LIGHT,' that by it we may SEE and KNOW. Catholicism is an activity of the HIERARCHS OF WATER, and places 'HOLY WATER' at the Temple door to quench the spirits seeking light and knowledge and to inculcate FAITH in Jehovah.

As the vernal equinox is said to be at the first point of Aries, no matter where in the constellations it falls by precession, so the point where the human seed-atom comes from the invisible world and is taken in hand by the Lunar God of Generation, Jehovah, through his ambassador, the Angel Gabriel, is esoterically the first point of Cancer. This is the Cardinal sign of the watery Triplicity, and is ruled by the Moon. There Conception takes place; but were the form built of water and its concretions alone, it could never come to birth, so four months later when the fetus has reached the stage of development corresponding to the second sign of the watery triplicity, Scorpio, the eighth sign, which corresponds to the house of death, Samael, the dauntless ambassador of the Lucifer Spirits, invades the watery domain of the Lunar Hierarchy and introduces the fiery spark of the spirit into the inert form, to leaven, quicken and mould it into an expression of itself.

There the Silver Cord which has grown from the seed-atom of the dense body (located in the heart) since conception, is welded to the part that has sprouted from the central vortex of the desire body, (located in the liver,) and when the Silver Cord is tied by the seed-atom of the vital body, (located in the solar plexus,) the spirit DIES to life in the super- sensible world, and quickens the body it is to use in its coming earth life. This life on earth last until the course of events foreshadowed in the wheel of life, the horoscope, has been run; and when the spirit again reaches the realm of Samael, the Angel of Death, the mystic eighth house, the silver cord is loosed, and the spirit returns to God who gave it, until the dawn of another Life-day in the School of earth beckons it to a new birth that it may acquire more skill in the arts and crafts of temple-building.

About five months after the quickening, when the last of the watery signs, Pisces, has been passed, the representative of the Lucifer Spirits, Samael, focuses the forces of the fiery sign, Aries, where Mars is positively polarized, so that under the impulse of their dynamic energy the waters of the womb are voided, and the imprisoned spirit is liberated into the physical world, to fight the battle of life. It may blindly butt its head against the Cosmic forces typified by the first of the fiery signs, Aries, the Ram, which is a symbol of the brute strength brought to bear upon the problems of life by the most primitive races; or it may adopt the more modern method of cunning, as a means of attaining mastery over others, which characteristic is indicated in the second of the fiery signs, Leo, the Lion, the king of beasts; or perchance it may rise above the animal nature, and aim at the stars with the bow of spiritual aspiration, typified by the last of the fiery signs, Sagittarius, the Centaur. The Centaur is just ahead of the watery sign Scorpio, a warning that one who tries to reach that prerogative as "PHREE MESSEN," a son of Fire and Light, will surely feel the sting of the Scorpion in his heel, which will goad him onward upon the path where men become "wise as serpents." It is from this class that Mystic Masonry is recruited with men who have the indomitable courage TO DARE, the unflagging energy TO DO and the diplomatic discrimination TO BE SILENT.

by
Max Heindel
[1865-1919]

Friday, September 01, 2006

The frequency field, the ocean, the all-surrounding substance in which individuals are suspended, is a great sea of undifferentiated energy.

 













"In higher dimensions, everything radiates its own nature. You know it, by becoming it. You pass over to the standpoint of the other and know it as it knows itself - from the inside-out. Knowing by becoming permits deep and rapid communication. Unlike the third dimension, in the higher dimensions everything is illuminated by an inner light that is a direct expression of its spiritual frequency. There is no reflected light from an external source such as a sun or moon. The inner light is modulated by the entity’s individuality, which expresses as a distinctive array of sound and color.

"Growth in higher awareness is directly proportional to your ability to operate with ease in realms of symbolic intelligence. Symbols contain and transmit meaning and can be used to invoke possibilities from the Void. Symbols are bodies for the energies that occupy them.

"Everything in existence has a spiritual signature, which is a symbol. To invoke the symbol is to summon the creature it represents. This, of course, is the basis for all sacred magic. Manipulating symbols is manipulating the energies they contain and transmit. Ancient symbols still carry a full charge of energy and can be summoned as allies."

Leland R. Kaiser, "Self-Transcendence" Posted by Picasa