Masonry Craft Initiation the Speculative Work into of

By Aaron Wilcox

Throughout our Masonic life we have contemplated what duties we owe to our God, our country, our neighbor and to ourselves. “Blue lodges,” also known as “Craft” or “Ancient Craft Lodges,” refer to the lodges that work the first three degrees in Masonry. It is explicitly the first, and implicitly the second and third degrees which I am about to cover.

Each of us come from a different place, family, neighborhood; yet we are Brothers, but what duty do we owe to one other? The very first duty we owe to each other is to subdue our own passions. This is necessary to truly be able to aid and assist our Masonic family and meet upon the square. If we are successful in doing this then we will all be much better off, and ensure the perpetuity of the august institution, as Brothers have done since time immemorial. This is also the Masonic identity of the Saints John of Jerusalem.

The circle with the point in the center with two parallel lines one each side represent the lines of our duty, but also if turned sideways it symbolizes the furthest the sun may travel at Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice. This is what is hieroglyphically represented as the St. Johns. John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus, who was born 6 months before him. He symbolizes the Summer Solstice and the coming of the spiritual Light that Jesus the Christ represents. John the Evangelist is celebrated the sixth day after the Winter Solstice because he signals the return of the Sun, represented by Jesus who is risen from the dead at Easter, the first Sunday after the first Full Moon following the Spring Equinox, which taken together with the solstices symbolize the cross.

Lately awareness on this topic has grown but let us explore this further. The circle represents the Sun, the soul (from Latin Sol meaning sun) of man, and Gold. Alchemy is at play here also because if we subdue our passions, and convert our passions into virtues, we may transform our base nature (lead) into that of virtue (Gold). In other words, we can make good men better if they contemplate upon the mysteries of Freemasonry and do the Great Work.

We also learn to divide our time which takes effort, but in so doing we keep our energies within due bounds and take control over with our minds. The line formed by using the gauge and tracing from the center to the circumference reveals to us our Cabletow, wrapped once around our neck which was dividing our head or mind from our body, the center of which is the Solar plexus representing the soul.

If we break down the word Radius, we encounter two words: Ra and Dius. Ra is the name of the Egyptian God of the Sun and Dius from the Greek means “divine.” Taken together the word radius can be interpreted as the throne of the sun.

Dius is related to the word Dais which means disc in old French, derived from the solar disc of Apollo, and later came to mean a table, raised platform, or throne. We call the principal officers of the Lodge Dais officers for this reason. Dius was a son of Apollo, the god of sunlight, prophecy, music, and poetry. His full name was Dius Fidius or Dius Fidus, and his name was thought to be related to Fides, who is often hieroglyphically represented as an image of two hands joined. Dius was the god of oaths, associated with Jupiter, and in the classical system of astrology, or the seventh science. His place the day of the Sun as a day of rest from labor, even though it is written in the Hebrew Bible that their God rested on the 7th day, yet on the first created Light. For this reason the Romanized world adopted the solar calendar and the Hebrews kept their Sabbath on the 7th day, the day of Saturn. The remaining days are named for Norse gods: Twix, Woden, Thor, and Freya as a political move as well, to appease the Norse, Germanic, Anglo Saxon and Celtic Europeans and to influence all cultures to adopt the Roman calendar which as we can see today worked out very well.

Each planet representing a different note in the octave in music, which is the sixth science and leads to astrology. The geometry that proves the octave is the same that defines the layout of the lodge and governs the colors; therefore, some people can hear sound in color or see color in sound even when they read. Four percent of the world’s population experience this mysterious phenomenon, it is called synesthesia.

This guides us in our understanding of the connections between sound, color, and light or electricity as they all are governed by the physics of frequency, built upon geometry or the fifth science. Cymatics is also a fascinating Segway which I encourage you to learn more about which illustrates how a sound could create, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God. John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ may be found with a little extra seeking among the seven principal officers of a Lodge of Masons, which also represent the seven planets in the classical solar system, beginning with the Sun and culminating with Saturn.

It is written, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, let there be light... and there was light.”

Each day of the week has a corresponding color, this also corresponds to the seven classical planets, which in Latin languages name these plants; while in English only Saturn, the Sun, and the Moon are named to show respect to the Mohomodeanns, Hebrew, and many pagan cultures as they revered the moon, Saturn for the ancient Roman cults, Greek, and Claldeans, and the Sun for the later Roman cult of Sol Invictus who superimposed the Christian sabbath upon

Dius Fidus is still waiting to reveal the secret to his veiled identity. Let us speculate and find his name through word study. Fidus is a version of the name for the god Fides, which is why he is known to be the god of oaths, because only a man with virtue can take an oath that could be binding upon him. Dius, as we have established, means the throne and Fidus means fidelity or virtue. Taken together his name Dius Fidus means the throne of virtue.

We my Brother, are at a distance, spread all over the world. Many of us shut inside due to an epidemic, yet we are connecting as Brothers through the work of our hearts. We are inside of the most sacred of spaces, first made possible by asking, then seeking, and then knocking at the door of the hidden mysteries. After subduing the passions, we were able to meet on the level, and forget our worldly titles seeing each other as souls. Humbly building that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

We must learn to use the radius, or the line of our duty. This line is also our Cabletow, since it is the line of our duty that we are instructed not to go beyond. It is the radius we can travel to aid and assist a worthy brother, and represents the tie that held us in place, and was symbolically used to pull us higher in our Masonic advancement, we can deduce from the meaning of the word, cable meaning a thick rope used to tow a dense or difficult to move object. After the oath, the cable is removed because at that time you are cemented in place as a living stone, bound by an obligation stronger than human hands may impose.

This Circumpunct gives us much more to contemplate than what we might have initially accepted when we were initiated into the teachings thereof. Let us review the meanings of, “initiated” for our speculative purposes include both 1. to be inducted into membership by or as if by special rites, as well as 2. to cause or facilitate the beginning of an action or study, or to be introduced to. This means that in all the symbols of Freemasonry, there is an abundance of deeper truths and understandings to be found by the contemplative. This is significant if you desire to draw further lines as you continue your speculative travels as a journeyman or traveler of the work.

Just remember to balance your time in this pursuit, for even Masonic work must be balanced with the charity you owe to yourself in refreshment and sleep. Let us never neglect that three-part harmony, which includes service to your God and a worthy Brother, reserving time as well to your usual professional and creative vocations. This is also known as spirit, mind, and body. By developing Faith, Hope and Charity within our hearts and minds we succeed in creating a perfectly balanced and prosperous life, impossible without the care of our Brothers. We soon become capable of climbing above who we were before, transcending from the level of the tessellated floor to the heavenly regions above.

By now I am sure you have already made many connections in your mind between this point and points I have made. You will make many more for yourself, to share with Brothers, and there are still more which I would like with your permission to explain. We will speculatively connect our lines together into a superficies and upon further study into a solid but let us continue with our EA work for the time being.

If our work is to begin and continue to completion, we first must find and prove the line of our duty in the first degree by learning who we are at our core through the challenging work of subduing our passions. By making use of the common gavel and 24-inch gauge we shape our own mind and learn to balance the time which will be required to become the best builder we can become. In the division of our time whereby we find eight hours for the service of God and distressed worthy brethren, eight for our usual vocations, and eight for refreshment and sleep. We find the power to subdue the passions as we also are practicing opposite acts which counterbalance the passions.

As we employ the 24-inch gauge and speculate upon the hidden meanings of the division of time, we lift one of the initiatory veils in Masonry and reveal to us the greatest of forces that we will require to complete our life long Masonic work together. In the first degree circumambulation, we recall Psalm 133, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” In this phrase, another mystery is revealed if seen in the context of our present study. Time is of the essence, as well as unity.

The only way we can dwell together as Freemasons, and truly be in unity is if we have done the work so far described such as subduing the passions. To work as craftsmen, we first need to be sure we have the ashlar in our possession, also known as the Philosopher’s Stone. In alchemy, the stone is that which must be refined, the goal being to turn lead into gold, never physical gold but philosophical gold. We learn to use the gold of the mind and soul to take control of the silver of the body.

“Masonic labor is purely a labor of love. He who seeks to draw Masonic wages in gold and silver will be disappointed. The wages of a Mason are earned and paid in their dealings with one another; sympathy that begets sympathy, kindness begets kindness, helpfulness begets helpfulness, and these are the wages of a Mason.”

— Benjamin Franklin

This connects directly to the reason Masons are caused to divest themselves of everything of a metallic kind, because it is not the external qualities of man, but the internal that is the true treasure. The symbolic treasure map leading to the philosopher’s stone, written in the chamber of reflections simply reads, “V.I.T.R.I.O.L.” known to the profane to mean to be cruel or the fiercely criticize, to the alchemist it is sulfuric acid, but to us it means to criticize yourself and your imperfections, to subdue and remove the rough parts of your nature.

R.W.B. Aaron Wilcox Hinsdale Lodge No. 934

Frankfort Lodge No. 567 Loaded with Spirit of Christmas

By James Duff

Brothers from Frankfort Lodge No. 567 got together on Saturday, December 18, 2021, and did a little Christmas shopping. The result was two pickup truck beds filled with food, toiletries, and other necessities, which were then delivered to the Nights Shield Family Advocacy Center in West Frankfort, Illinois.

The Nights Shield is a haven for families in distress, homeless youth, and others in crisis situations. The Center has numerous outreach programs and helps with food, clothing, and shelter. As a result of this much needed donation, many of those in attendance were brought to tears seeing the scope of the donation.

In addition to The Nights Shield donation, Frankfort Lodge No. 567 also made several cash donations to local schools to help assist students with food items and other needs during the Christmas break. The donations provided by the Lodge are funded in part by Frankfort Lodge No. 567 Smokers, a group made up entirely of Lodge members who volunteer their time and efforts, and hold several smoked meat fundraisers throughout the year, with 100% of the profit donated back into the Lodge. In the past, they smoked their “almost world famous” baby back ribs, pork shoulders, and most recently smoked ½ chicken and rib dinners. You can search “567 Smokers” on Facebook to learn more about their fundraising. Volunteers include W.M. Jim Duff, S.W. Mark McDaniels, S.D. Anthony Hargrove, J.D. Mike Rennie, and Brothers Logan Wilburn, Bill Davis, Gabe McCord, and numerous other Brothers.

Worshipful Master James Duff Frankfort Lodge No. 567

Local Family Receives Help from Payson Lodge and Fire Department

By Grant Cole

With a grant from the Illinois Masonic Charities Assistance Program, I had the privilege to present a certificate and a check for $900 to the Payson-Fall Creek Volunteer Fire Department. Payson Lodge No. 379, along with the department, adopted a local family this past Christmas. This worthy family is led by two industrious parents. The family was unaware that they had been adopted or that they would be the recipients of assistance during Christmas.

Every year, the community comes together to help at least one family and to improve the lives of some children during the holiday season. Over the past three years, the lives of four families and twelve children have been helped through

Reaching 100 Years of Age Never Looked So Good

By Graham Houser

Communities around Illinois have many opportunities to celebrate historic milestones of past events. Not too often does one get together to celebrate a rare milestone, the 100th celebration of a birthday. Such an event happened on December 29, 2021, in Urbana, Illinois.

our partnership with the Payson Fire Department. All the gifts were wrapped and distributed just prior to Christmas. Thank you to the IMCAP grant, Payson Lodge No. 379 was able to help build a better community in Payson, Illinois.

R.W.B. Grant W. Cole

Worshipful Master, Payson Lodge No. 379

Brother James Kelly, a member of Urbana Lodge No. 157, was joined by family, friends, and several Lodge Brothers in celebration of his 100th birthday. The celebration was held at the American Legion Post No. 71. Brother Kelly was raised as a Master Mason on September 11, 1951, is a life member with 70 years of good service, and a veteran

Marine Corps. Congratulations on reaching this historic milestone.

W.B. Graham Houser

Urbana Lodge No. 157

Never Too Late for Activity

By Thomas Hill

It takes a special man to care for his faith, home, family, friends, and his lodge. We know that priorities can change depending on where we are through ages and stages. One Masonic Brother in Cuba, Illinois, seems to have found the right balance. He has an indefatigable energy to celebrate life daily.

Born on March 4, 1925, Worshipful Brother James “Peck” Hart was initiated as an Entered Apprentice on November 25, 1946, passed to the Degree of Fellowcraft on January 9, 1947, and raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on February 20, 1947. W.B. Hart journeyed through the chairs and was installed as Worshipful Master of Cuba Lodge No. 534 in 1954. Through the 66 years since serving as Master, this exemplary Mason has been at most lodge meetings, degree work, and has helped with fund raising as he served at the will and pleasure of each Worshipful Master and the good of the lodge. On February 20, 2022, our Brother will receive his pin as a 75-year member of Cuba Lodge No. 534.

His Lodge has 3 to 5 spaghetti dinners annually. The Lodge also serves sliced Bar-B-Q sandwiches, homemade ice cream and lemon aid shake-ups during the community of Cuba’s “Soldiers and Sailors Reunion”. During the annual Spoon River Drive the Lodge makes homemade ice cream and has a serving booth at the Red Brick School in Smithfield. Whether the brethren have gathered to smoke meat, make ice cream, or serve dinners, WB Peck is there to wash dishes, pots and pans, scrub buckets, butter bread and wash and quarter lemons. He is one of the first to arrive and often the last to leave earning him the nickname of “The Eveready Bunny”.

At the dinners he serves as our ambassador. He always has a good word to offer and extends his hand to everyone he greets. He knows virtually everyone that walks through the doors. At the age of ninety-six he knows you, your parents, your grandparents and in some cases your great grandparents.

On November 20, 2021, WB Hart was installed as the Worshipful Master of Cuba Lodge No. 534. On his 75th year as a Master Mason we could think of no better tribute than to serve the will and pleasure of W.M. Hart for the ensuing Masonic year. It has been our pleasure over the years to be associated with Peck and we will extend every courtesy to assure he has a successful and pleasant year as the Worshipful Master of Cuba Lodge No. 534.

R.W.B. Thomas Hill D.D.G.M. 4W

Looking for Light?

By Henrik Schrader

No! Literally! Are you looking for daylight? If you are, look no further. Let me introduce you to our daytime Lodge, Sunrise Lodge No 996, located in Riverside, Illinois.

We are a small daytime Lodge in the near western suburbs of Chicago and one beautiful October morning in 1916 the officers of Sunrise Lodge received our Charter from the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Illinois and we have not looked back since. Sunrise was formed with those brethren in mind that are not able to attend an evening Lodge due to their regular vocations, personal obligations or physical or medical issues.

It does not matter if you are like many of our members that work the afternoon or evening shift, or like others that have difficulty driving at night, you are saved. You can always get your Masonic fix at one of our meetings. We meet every 2nd Monday of the month at 11 am at the Riverside Masonic Temple, 40 Forest Avenue, in Riverside, Illinois. We recently managed to grab the former Executive Butcher and Sous Chef of the famous Drake Hotel. As a result, our lunches that are served right after the meeting are well received by all attendees.

We are a small Lodge with thirty-five members and we found ourselves last year debating to move our meetings to a different time to accommodate more brethren, but we decided to stick it out as a daytime Lodge and thereby better serve our above-mentioned brethren. So, if you find yourself in the situation where you cannot attend your regular Lodge’s Stated Meetings for whatever reasons, feel free to try us at Sunrise.

I want to make perfectly clear that by drafting this article, we are not trying to steal members from other Lodges. We just want to raise some awareness, that there are options for those brethren to partake in Masonic fellowship who are not able to attend meetings at their evening Lodges. All Master Masons are welcome to visit, one of the last few remaining daytime Lodges, and either join as a plural member or just visit and enjoy some Masonic education and fellowship plus a nice lunch on a regular basis. If you are interested or have any further questions, please reach out to me at Sunrise996Sec@gmail.com or text/ call me at (709) 262-1861.

R.W.B. Henrik Schrader

Sunrise Lodge No. 996