Blueprints of the Master Craftsman

Blueprints o f t h e M a s t e r C ra f t s m a n

Volume 1, No.1

Winter 2009

Rolling out the Blueprints ... elcome to will attempt to communicate Blueprints of the to you what is happening Master Craftsman, with the program both on the the first issue of the official individual level (with stories newsletter of the Scottish Rite from and about you—the Master Craftsman (SRMC) individual participant), and Correspondence Program. on the community level (with Like the SRMC itself, this newsletter has its genesis in the feedback we have Ronald A. Seale received from members SRMC Graduate like you. So, first and foremost: Thank you. You are the key ingredient that makes this program successful news and stories that relate to through your willingness the ongoing development of to participate and in your the SRMC on the whole). We thoughtful and honest feedback. hope these articles will help to In this inaugural issue, and the deepen your knowledge of the issues to follow, the people who Scottish Rite, introduce you to are responsible for the day-tonew people that make the Rite day nuts and bolts of the SRMC what it is, and inspire you to become involved in the

educational activities of your Valley.

In this newsletter you will find the beginnings of what will hopefully be regular features, such as: Master Plans – A short article that starts off each issue, written by one of the esteemed Brethren that comment on the essays you send in.

Blueprint Blowup – Here we will take a commonly missed question, dissect it, and explain the answer.

From the Drafting Table – Here we will feature an interesting person connected with the program in some way, they will answer questions pertaining to Masonic education and give advice for those interested in

furthering their individual light in Masonry.

Legend – A small section with some fun facts and numbers concerning the SRMC. Annotations – A News and Notes section that will communicate everything that needs to be said about what’s going on with the SRMC Program, now and in the future.

Back in March 2008, we introduced this program at the Birmingham Leadership Conference, and while we expected a good response, we are still amazed at how many of you have really taken to the idea behind this course. I hope you enjoy these newsletters, and I look forward to seeing more of your great ideas and constructive feedback in the months ahead. ±

Quiz #1 – Question #15 This may truly be the most difficult and oft-wrong-answered question in the whole program, so it seems only logical that we start here. – ed.

15. — How many Degrees did the Scottish Rite confer by name at its founding? a. Fifteen

b. Eighteen

c. Twenty-five

d. Thirty-two

e.Thirty-three

The correct answer is: a. Fifteen (page 79: S.R. Ritual Monitor and Guide) Why? If you follow the narrative on the development of the Degrees on page 79, pay special attention to the last sentence of the first paragraph and the first sentence of the second paragraph: “For example, the “Prince of the Royal Secret” constituted the three degrees, 30°–32°.”

“It is also important to note that the Supreme Council originally only exercised direct authority over the Seventeenth through the Thirty-third Degrees.” (See Blowup, pg. 3)

Legend Total Participants............. 1617 Completed course..............378 NMJ Participation..............33% New participants/wk. 25–30 GMs/PGMs completed..........4 Participants answering Quiz 1, #15 correctly.......5% Blueprints of the Master Craftsman is designed & laid out in the office of the Scottish Rite Journal by Elizabeth A. W. McCarthy and written & edited

by Bro. Jason Van Dyke, 32°.

Blueprints of the Master Craftsman ©2008–09 The Supreme Council, 33°, A.&A.S.R. of Freemasonry, S.J., U.S.A. Comments? Questions? Email mc@scottishrite.org.

2 • Blueprints of the Master Craftsman ± Winter 2009

Mathematician, Magician, Master Craftsman n this section, we hope to introduce you to a few people who help make the Master Craftsman Program a reality; from the brains behind the books and quizzes to the people who keep the databases and send out the mail. – ed.

Dr. S. Brent Morris, 33°, G∴C∴ (Managing Editor, The Scottish Rite Journal) – Master Craftsman Program Essay Reader Brent Morris is a nearly ubiquitous presence as a Masonic author and scholar both in the United States (where he is the Managing Editor for The Scottish Rite Journal, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry, and frequent television commentator on all things Masonic) and in England (where he is the Immediate Past Master of the famous Quatuor Coronati Lodge #2076).

But Dr. Morris never intended to be a writer. Out of disdain for writing term papers, he majored in Mathematics and finished his mathematics education with a Master’s and a Ph.D. from Duke University.

And after working his way through school performing as a magician (a skill he continues to hone in his spare time), he landed a job as a mathematician in government service for 25 years.

Luckily for Masonry, his curious nature and thirst for scholarship led him back to writing. After a series of published Masonic historical papers, and a growing friendship with the Editor-in-Chief of The New Age Magazine, Dr. Morris was offered a position on the staff of the Supreme Council, 33°, in its Washington, D.C. headquarters. Several important books, papers, and Scottish Rite Journals later, Dr. Morris today has taken his place amongst the world’s leading Masonic scholars and experts.

What is your role in the program today?

I worked with Art de Hoyos and others to prepare the 6 tests for the original course,

and today I am one of the essay readers.

Every week I get a stack of tests and I read them and make comments on them.

In your eyes, how should the average participant approach the task that this program presents?

The Master Craftsman Program is basically a guided reading course. At the end of the

From the Drafting Table An Interview with S. Brent Morris

program, you have, or should have, read both the Ritual Monitor and Guide and A Bridge to Light. Alone, these are daunting tasks, but hopefully by using the tests as a guide, the task of reading these books is lessened and, perhaps even made enjoyable.

You’re the kind of guy that really knows a little bit about everything, a modern-day Renaissance man if there ever was one.

Who or what drives your rapacious hunger for knowledge?

I guess I have a little inner-demon, like a 4-year-old child, that is constantly saying, “Why? Why? Why?” This impels me to learn about Freemasonry, how it grew; how it evolved. And on the other shoulder, I have a little rational angel who says, “Yes, but this all has to fit together and make sense.” So by trying to balance these forces out, I’m always researching and trying to put the pieces together to form a rational and logical picture of Freemasonry’s origins.

What is your assessment of the program so far?

Master Craftsman has been a stupendous success, beyond our wildest dreams. In fact, I think all new members should take the course, and I would go so far as to say that in

the future it should be required in order to receive the 32°.

What are your current research interests?

Is there a new Morris tome on the horizon?

I continue to be interested in a statistical analysis of membership trends in Freemasonry, trying to understand why after World War I there was a spike in membership, and after World War II, membership plummeted. Why? I’m also interested in the early origins of the Scottish Rite degrees in France.

In fact, I’m working with Art de Hoyos on a translation and commentary of Le Plus Secrets Mysteres des Hauts Grades de La Maçonnerie (1766), the first printed exposé of a high-degree Rite. This book, being kind-of like, Prichard’s Masonry Dissected, is incredibly important in investigating how and why ritual evolves through the years. (See Morris, pg. 3)

Winter 2009 ± Blueprints of the Master Craftsman • 3

--Ann tati ns--

Blowup, from pg. 1 Now, we take that information and do a little bit of counting:

Just because we can’t write a whole article

1.

Seventeen 9.

Twenty-five 2.

Eighteen 10. Twenty-six 3.

Nineteen 11. Twenty-seven 4.

Twenty 12. Twenty-eight 5.

Twenty-one 13. Twenty-nine 6.

Twenty-two 14. Thirty, Thirty-one, 7.

Twenty-three Thirty-two 8.

Twenty-four 15. Thirty-three This question, honestly, has caused a lot of grief. Perhaps because the drive for perfection in some people may cause them to lose sight of an important pedagogical outcome—errors that are corrected can be just as, if not more, instructive than a perfect performance or, said differently, one should always strive for perfection, but it’s OK to make mistakes, because they can sometimes be more instructive than initial success.

This question also illustrates that even though the exams in the Master Craftsman program are multiple-choice, some questions still require a little bit of “outsidethe-box” thinking. The best strategy to employ in all multiple choice exams is to thoroughly read the question and all of the answers first, then choose the answer that “best fits” the question. And keep in mind, that while often the correct answer is directly from the text and easy to pull out, sometimes, to arrive at the answer that “best fits,” more abstract thinking may be necessary. ±

about it, doesn’t mean it’s not important. This section will be a catch-all for issues, events, and happenings in the universe of the Master Craftsman. – ed.

• Reminder #1 – Because we give each exam individual attention (And believe me, there are more of you than there are of us! – ed.), it can take two or three weeks to get your old and new exam back to you. If it has been longer, let us know, and we’ll track it down.

• Reminder# 2 – Just because the program is analog and not digital, doesn’t mean you don’t have to back up your work. Before you send off that freshly-finished exam you spent all night working on, make a quick photocopy for yourself—just in case the mail doesn’t make it.

• Reminder #3 – Taking into account #2, please remember that you must send in your original exam first; copies will not be accepted unless you have notified us (see below) and an exception has been made.

• We have added all the reading assignments to our web page at: http:// www.scottishrite.org/mastercraftsman. html, so if you’re looking for something to do while waiting for your next quiz to come, why not read ahead?

• Next issue’s featured interview is another noted Masonic scholar (and frequent partner in crime to Ill. Bro. Morris): Ill. Bro. Arturo de Hoyos, 33°, Grand Historian and Archivist of the Supreme Council and primary architect of the Master Craftsman Program. So, email your questions to mc@scottishrite.org with the subject line “Newsletter Interview Questions.”

• Got a question? Maybe some helpful bit of advice you’ve been dying to share, or a fantastic Master Craftsman event you want publicized? Email it to mc@ scottishrite.org with the subject line “Newsletter Feedback.” It may be used in a future issue of Blueprints. ±

Morris, continued from pg. 2 ————— For those that already have completed the Master Craftsman Program, do you have any advice for what to do while they wait for the next level? Perhaps some reading suggestions?

Once you’ve completed the program, I urge you to follow the things that

interest you. You should read things like Heredom, Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, and authors like David Stephenson and Steven Bullock. Ignore anything about a historical connection to the Templars, as this is foolish.

Remember, find good authors, see whom they reference, and make that your next reading program. ±

Back to the Drawing Board

(What we’re drawing up for the next Blueprints of the Master Craftsman) In “From the Drafting Table,” another Masonic Scholar and publishing heavyweight is up: Ill. ± Arturo de Hoyos, 33°, Grand Archivist and Historian of the Supreme Council, and primary architect of the Master Craftsman Program.

“Master Plans” gives us insight on what Sean Graystone, 33°, GC and newly hired House of ± the Temple Chief Building Engineer gets out of reading your essays.

Another breakdown of a notorious quiz question in “Blueprint Blowup.” Next up: Quiz 2, Quest. 20. ±