volume 61, No. 04 206-324-3330
USPS 485-660 Periodicals postage paid
July / August 2014
Normandy
MetGL
Our Mission
pg 5
pg 8
pg 11
Page 2
Scottish Rite Communicator Valley of Seattle
www.seattle-scottishrite.org
SCOTTISH RITE OFFICERS Ill. Ronald A. Seale, 33° Sovereign Grand Commander
Ill. Alvin W. Jorgensen, 33° S:.G:.I:.G:., Orient of Washington Ill. Sat Tashiro, 33° Personal Rep. of S:.G:.I:.G:. stashiro@comcast.net Ill. Greg Goodrich, 33° General Secretary Communicator Editor secretary@seattle-scottishrite.org Ill. Norman Miller, 33° Treasurer Ill. George A. Lofthus, 33° Almoner
PRESIDING OFFICERS Jeff Craig, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:. Venerable Master, Lodge of Perfection Brian Thomas, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:. Wise Master, Chapter of Rose Croix Gale Kenney, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:. Commander, of Kadosh Jack Stewart, 32° Master, Seattle Consistory
Scottish Rite Masonic Center 1207 N 152nd St Seattle, WA 98133-6213 206 324-3330 voice 206 324-3332 fax Brian Lorton Building Manager brian@seattle-scottishrite.org Lorna Schack Administrative Assistant lorna@seattle-scottishrite.org
The Communicator (USPS 485-660) is published by the Seattle Valley of Scottish Rite, 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213, for the benefit of its members, bi-monthly and is mailed as a non-profit publication to all members of the Seattle Valley and to specified other interested parties. $2.00 per member is assessed for the publication of The Communicator. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, Washington and at additional mailing offices. The material contained within this publication is intended for the education and enjoyment of the members of the Masonic Fraternity and all material published becomes the property of Seattle Valley of Scottish Rite. Postmaster: Send address changes to — The Communicator at 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213.
RiteCare News!
RiteCare of Washington has hired two new Development Directors. Please take a moment and welcome them to the RiteCare family. In addition, Bro. Chris Baker is in the process of receiving his Scottish Rite degrees and will be a great asset to the Valley of Seattle.
Chris Baker, Director of Development and Communications, RiteCare of Washington. As director of development and communications, Chris Baker directs RiteCare of Washington’s fundraising and marketing efforts; focusing special attention on annual operating funds, major donors, and state-wide communications. Chris attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio where he studied Russian Area Studies. He has over ten years of experience generating revenue and increasing support bases for nonprofit organizations. Chris has worked extensively on behalf of young people including executive roles with the Boy Scouts of America in three different states. Chris is an avid cyclist, a Mason, and a passionate advocate for providing young people and their families with the resources necessary to ensure their future success. You may send an email message to Chris at cbaker@ritecarewa.org. Meagan Garrett, MBA, Regional Director of Development and Communications, RiteCare of Washington. As regional director of development and communications, Meagan oversees marketing and fundraising initiatives for Eastern Washington, while working in conjunction with the Seattle team to facilitate state-wide media engagement and communications. Meagan has ten years of experience in media relations, public relations, marketing strategy and communications. Prior to joining RiteCare of Washington, she served in a variety of marketing management roles within diverse industries including higher education and financial services as well as the nonprofit community. Meagan’s nonprofit experience includes serving as president of the Phoenix Professional Chapter of the National Association of Women MBAs and marketing director for Active4Youth. She holds an MBA from Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business and a BA in marketing from Eastern Washington University. Meagan is a northwest enthusiast and enjoys hunting, camping, fishing and hiking. You may send an email message to Meagan at mgarrett@ritecarewa.org.
News from the Personal Representative
Page 3
T
his issue of the Communicator covers the late spring-summer period of the year where formal activities slow down for the summer months, as members and their families schedule their well-deserved summer outings. In many ways this is also true for the Scottish Rite Valley of Seattle. A brief DVD history of the Seattle Valley, prepared by Ill. Greg Goodrich, our General Secretary, was shown during the recent Celebrating of the Craft by the Supreme Council, in May. It was extremely well done and my thanks for his effort, showing the past and present history of our valley. It can be made available for those wishing a copy. Many of us attended our Grand Lodge in Wenatchee on June 12-14, as officers, and Past Masters of our many lodges, or as members of the Grand Lodge team. Others may have been involved in annual meetings of our other Masonic fraternal bodies throughout the state during June. The month of June was busy with two degrees of the Kadosh, the 27th, and the 29th, for the class of 2014. During the coming months of July and August, we will continue to be active with the emphasis on more social networking, such as our Scottish Rite picnic, and to provide an opportunity for Master Masons to learn more about our rite and its place in the Masonic fraternity. The next planned degree will be in fall 2014, with the 30th and 31st degree scheduled for September, followed by the 32nd degree in October. Details will be forthcoming in coming issues of the Communicator. Our membership has continued to increase at our latest meetings as we receive petitions for affiliation as well as for the degrees. We wish to acknowledge the interest of our 2014 class in the Master Craftsman classes, which expands on the lessons exemplified in the degrees taken to date. The office staff of the Seattle Valley wish to extend best wishes to our members and their family in the coming summer months. Fraternally, Sat Tashiro, 33째 Personal Representative of the S:.G:.I:.G:.
Page 4
B
rethren, summer is finally here and the Valley is slowing down a bit while our members are enjoying vacations and time with their friends and family. I am personally looking forward to getting some great rounds of golf in on the weekends. Although we do not have a stated meeting in June, July or August, we still have several events happening in our Valley.
O
n July 12th the Valley of Seattle, School of the Ancient Rite will once again host an exciting discussion group with special guest Freddy Silva, author of several books on sacred sites and temples. Once again, please contact Dantes LaHens to sign up and see the announcement on page 11 for further details.
I
would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the brethren that have donated to the Stained Glass Window fund. You still have time to contribute $100 or more before we have the names engraved on the donation plaque that will be displayed in the entrance. After speaking with the glass artist, it should be installed by the end of July.
T
hank you for your contribution to our beloved Scottish Rite and I hope to see you at our next degree or stated meeting.
Fraternally, Greg Goodrich, 33째 General Secretary
Follow us on Twitter @SeaScottishRite
Page 5
Reflections from Normandy D-Day Redux
Y
ou would think it is D-Day all over again. And it is just as sobering. Yet exciting.
The 70th anniversary. Why not wait to have this giant celebration on its 75th? As a docent at one of the many Normandy museums dedicated to the landing stated, “We just don’t know if we would have many more veterans by that time”. From military parades chock full of 1940’s vehicles and equipment, to parachute jumps, all of Normandy is once again bathed in olive drab. It is at once celebratory and sobering. In between the tears and the chills is a deep undercurrent if not overriding sense of admiration, appreciation, and awe: awe that something so huge could be pulled off so well. As Stalin grudgingly stated, “The large-scale forcing of the English Channel and the mass landing of troops of allies in Northern France have fully succeeded. One must admit that the history of wars does not know any such undertaking so broad in conception and so grandiose in its scale and so masterly in execution”.
T
he attackers were made up of Brits, Canadians, Poles, French, Greeks, Belgians, Dutchmen, and Norwegians. But overwhelmingly they were American born and bred. I have spent six days here so far and I have covered the length of Normandy into Brittany. From Deauville to Benerville, Caen to Carentan, Bayeux to the beaches, and St. Lo to St. Malo. A lady who lives in the famous parachute site St. Mere Eglise brought me to tears with her comments about her memory as a young girl and other citizens helping to bury the American dead. She said, “That’s when we really connected to America. Of course we were appreciative; they freed us from the Germans. But as we laid them down, well that was when the relationship started. We brought flowers to their graves because they became our families too. And we feel it to this day.” Houses all over Normandy are festooned with American, British and French flags. There are huge flags at the top of the Cathedral in Bayeux (home of the famous tapestry), and they adorn the side of the towering Mont St. Michelle abbey. The people I am staying with had come from farming stock in the area of Cherbourg. - continued on next page
Page 6
O
ne of the great pities was to hear her sadness at having their cows and livestock killed or wounded having stepped on German mines. At the must-see huge D Day museum in Caen, while watching a short movie about the Utah and Omaha Beach battles, as well as the Ponte du Hoc cliff scaling, we were interrupted by a group of school kids romping, laughing, and making noise. My first reaction was anger. How could they be so disrespectful in such a sacred place? But that was the reason we fought that war, so they could romp and laugh and make noise. The realization made me want to go laugh with them.
Y
ou have heard of civil war or revolutionary war re-enactors, right? There are several thousand of them here. I mean it, thousands, and each and every one authentically dressed in soldiers fatigues. Did I say soldiers? Nurses, and other women are dressed in their forties-style French resistance clothing. Everyone is carrying weapons. And there are hundreds upon hundreds of Sherman tanks, jeeps, halftracks, tents, foxholes, machine guns and cannons. Several large camps have been set up complete with “The Arizona Bar”. If it doesn’t all transport you back seventy years ago then you aren’t alive. It is stunning. But get this. Not one of those thousands of re-enactors are American. They are French, Swiss, Polish, Czech, name it. Not one has English as their mother tongue. That stunned me all the more. Here were people looking like my countrymen, and they weren’t! All of them were paying homage to and holding great respect for the warriors of our greatest generation. The Brits of course play themselves, especially around the Pegusus Bridge area, but I thought I was going to be speaking a lot of English. Nope.
I
couldn’t feel prouder. I am glad to feel that pride again. Deception over the years has drummed that feeling out of us. One visit to Normandy and it makes you want to get involved all over again. As British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said about his fliers, “Never have so many owed so much to so few”. This applies to the landings as well. This was our finest hour. But our finest hours are not behind us. Tyranny lurks wherever we get complacent, or wherever we let human rights get trampled. It all comes down to one word. Vote! Supreme Commander Ike Eisenhower refers to you too when he said to the GI’s, “The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you”. - Mac Macdonald, 32°
Page 7
Mac Macdonald, 32째 in front of the WW2 memorial in Caens, France along with French Police officers that are also Freemasons.
Page 8
The History of London Masonry and MetGL
F
reemasons’ Lodges have been meeting in London since the early 1700s. On 24th June 1717, four London Lodges met at the Goose and Gridiron alehouse in St Paul’s Churchyard to form the Grand Lodge of England, thereby establishing the first governing body for Freemasonry.
Initially, the jurisdiction of Grand Lodge was limited to Lodges meeting in London, specifically an area within 10 miles of Charing Cross. Within a few years, Lodges outside London were also acknowledging the authority of Grand Lodge. However, it was the members of London Lodges who, attending Grand Lodge meetings in greatest numbers, played such a prominent role in its affairs.
F
reemasonry expanded across England and Wales and developed an administrative structure through Provinces (essentially the historic county shires). London Freemasonry remained outside the Provincial structure and was administered by the Grand Secretary’s office. Between 1851 and 1911 the population within the 10-mile radius increased from 2.5 million to over 7 million and Freemasonry had to deal with this rapid growth. Many new London Lodges were formed. A larger building was required and the modern Freemasons’ Hall was built in Great Queen Street as a memorial to those Freemasons who had died in the First World War. It is the home of Freemasonry in England and Wales (see www.ugle.org.uk). In 1971 the 10-mile radius was reduced to five miles; Lodges in the band between five and 10 miles opted either to remain a London Lodge or transfer to the relevant Province. In 1767-8 a plan to establish a Province of London was considered but rejected after objections
Page 9
were raised by London Lodges and a review in 1913-14 included the proposal to create 10 Metropolitan Grand Lodges: that plan was shelved when war broke out in 1914. Despite subsequent discussions about the administration of London Lodges by the Grand Secretary’s office it was only in the late 1990s that the Grand Master (HRH Duke of Kent) set up a formal review.
T
he outcome was the formation of Metropolitan Grand Lodge (MetGL) on 1 October 2003, as an independent administrative body under a Metropolitan Grand Master. It supports Freemasonry in London in a similar way that the various Provincial Grand Lodges support Lodges elsewhere in England and Wales. Metropolitan Grand Lodge has over 1,400 constituent Lodges comprising nearly 40,000 members; the offices are situated in Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London which is also the home of the United Grand Lodge of England.
Scottish Rite History
This Scottish Rite flag was carried by Illustrious Brother Edwin (Buzz) E. Aldrin, PhD, 33° during his walk on the moon July 20, 1969. The original is on display at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C.
Page 10
Stained Glass Window
Last chance to make a lasting impact with your donation for our stained glass window project. The stained glass will go above the entry way to the Temple and is being produced by a Northwest company that has been in business for many years and has an excellent portfolio and clientele. Now is your chance to assist in this project! Similar to the Hall of Honour project, we will be accepting donations of $100.00 or more and will have your name engraved on a plaque that will be prominently displayed in the entrance of our building. This project is underway and the window is already being manufactured. Please use the form below to make a contribution or visit our web page for further info. http://www.seattle-scottishrite.org/tickets-etc.html
Seattle Scottish Rite
Stained Glass Window Donation (Please print legibly)
Name ____________________________________ Amount $_________
(Name to be engraved on plaque)
($100 minimum)
I
Our Mission & Strategic Plan
Page 11
t is the mission of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, SJ, to improve its members and enhance the communities in which they live by teaching and emulating the principles of Brotherly Love, Tolerance, Charity, and Truth while actively embracing high social, moral, and spiritual values including fellowship, compassion, and dedication to God, family and country. Strategic Plan Objective 1: Fulfill the promise of additional Masonic knowledge through education and training. Establish training programs to provide on-going knowledge and skill development. Develop programs to train members in coaching and mentoring. Establish knowledge standards for all members. Establish resources for continued learning from a basic to advanced level. Objective 2: Establish a Public Relations Department. Expand the public awareness of our philanthropic activities. Establish a media relations strategy. Establish means to utilize well-known members to accomplish the objective. Establish initiatives to educate the public about the core values of the Scottish Rite. Objective 3: Support and expand our philanthropic activities. Evaluate the current operating structure of our RiteCare® Centers. Establish standards of quality and care for our RiteCare® facilities. Establish operational national resources for RiteCare® Centers. Evaluate our scholarship programs and create standards. Objective 4: Provide a framework for effective leadership to ensure the stability and long-term success of the Fraternity. Review entire organizational structural of the Scottish Rite and evaluate its effectiveness, efficiency and utility for providing a platform for stability and a long-term success. Establish formal (and required) training programs for all levels of Organization, from Supreme Council to local Valleys to establish standard expectations of each position and provide training and skill development necessary to successfully hold the position. Improve and enhance communications capabilities throughout the Organization Objective 5: Provide a financial process to ensure the stability and long-term success of the Fraternity. Create an organization that has strong and progressive financial planning (short and long-term) capabilities for the entire organization (i.e. Supreme Council, Orients, Valleys, etc.) Implement appropriate changes to the structure, policies and/or procedures that will result in strong internal accounting and financial controls to ensure the adequate protection of the Organization’s assets. Implement a prudent, but progressive, investment policy, for all invested funds, which is built upon responsible investment theory and, which will optimize investment return in the long term. Develop policies and controls to manage the Organization’s facilities in order to support the Organization’s Mission while optimizing the economics of the investments in and the operation of the facilities
Page 12
H
Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team give demonstration of rituals in England
undreds of masons gathered at Wisbech St Mary, Cambridgeshire, England to watch a colorful demonstration of Masonic rituals by a group of Native Americans. The Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team was on a UK tour, and its visit to the village leisure centre at Fenland attracted 300 fellow masons from around the eastern counties of England.
E
vent organizer Brian January was fascinated by the display of how Native American tribes use Masonic symbols and rituals: ‘They dressed in traditional costume and demonstrated some of their ceremonies. It was like a play, and was quite different from what we do. No one had ever seen anything like it in England. It was just out of this world.’
ARE YOU A MASTER CRAFTSMAN?
Page 13
On Saturday, July 12, the Seattle Scottish Rite will be hosting
Freddy Silva who is one of the world's leading researchers of sacred sites, ancient systems of knowledge and the interaction between temples and consciousness. He is the best-selling author of 'First Templar Nation' and 'The Divine Blueprint'.
Mr. Silva will lead us to gaze through a window into antiquity where we will scan across the globe to witness how sacred sites are connected. Placed upon geomagnetic hotspots, ancient temples and stone circles form a vast network whose purpose is focus and channel the earth’s subtle energy. Traverse through the portals of these temples and you become entranced by this energy as it courses through your being.
For thousands of years countless seekers sought to understand the mystery of ancient sacred
sites. Through painstaking research, Freddy Silva reveals that the placement of these holy temples was not by random chance. All of them are aligned across a global grid as calculated by sacred geometry. It seems the architects of these locales had intended for the transfiguration of all human souls through self-realization.
Saturday July 12, 2014 All are welcome : 10:00 am : No Cost : 1207 N 152nd St. Shoreline, WA To register, contact Dantes laHens, 32° at dlahens@outlook.com RSvP Required : www.seattle-scottishrite.org
Page 14
Gnosis is Conscious Knowledge Gnosis: (Greek γνώσις) knowledge. The word Gnosis can refer to: • The knowledge we acquire through our own experience, as opposed to knowledge that we are told or believe in. Gnosis is conscious, experiential knowledge, not merely intellectual or conceptual knowledge, belief, or theory. This term is synonymous with the Hebrew “da’ath,” the Sanskrit “jna” or “vidya,” and the Tibetan “rigpa.” • The tradition that gave birth to our most respected philosophies, sciences, arts, and religions. Although some modern people believe the term gnosis is related only to certain groups active in the Middle East some 2,000 years ago, the reality is different. The word Gnosis implies a type of knowledge that is derived from experience, and encompasses the whole of a person. That is, it is genuine knowledge of the truth. Reality, truth, does not fit neatly into a concept, dogma, or theory, thus genuine Gnosis must also be something that one must experience. Personal experience is not transmissible in conceptual terms; a concept is merely an idea, and experience is far more than an idea. In other words, real Gnosis is an experience that defies conceptualization, belief, or any attempt to convey it. To understand it, one must experience it. This is why real spirituality is based on one’s own effort to experience the truth, and the method to reach that experience is primarily practical. Nonetheless, in order to understand what we experience, we must study the experiences of others. For this, we prefer to rely on those who have proven the qualities we wish to embody ourselves: profound love for all beings, brilliant intelligence, and radiant joy. As such, we rely on the greatest human beings and their legacies, in every field of understanding: philosophy, science, art, and religion. “Howsoever men approach Me, even so do I welcome them, for the path men take from every side is Mine.” - Krishna, from the Bhagavad-gita
Page 15
Messages Happy Birthday! Congratulations from all your Scottish Rite brethren to our members who have reached a very important birthday!
July
August
Marvin Jackson 7/18/1920 Robert Freimund 7/1/1921 Leonard Abelson 7/25/1921 John Frodesen 7/30/1921 James Farrington 7/31/1921 Robert Lauer 7/1/1922 Daniel George 7/1/1923 Russell Rogers 7/10/1923 John Jones 7/22/1923 Harold Kusulos 7/1/1924 Edward Gibson 7/4/1924 Donald Jenkins 7/6/1924 Joseph James 7/15/1924 John Howard 7/24/1924
Thomas Constant 8/14/1915 Virgil Mudd 8/31/1917 Jack Lothrop 8/29/1918 John Christensen 8/1/1919 Bill Harris 8/27/1919 Marwin Holm 8/30/1920 Bertil Carlson 8/2/1921 Alvin Thornton 8/5/1921 Gerald Bryson 8/6/1921 John Grosso 8/19/1921 Richard Mecartea 8/9/1922 William Broadhead 8/28/1922 David Belvin 8/1/1923 Joseph Roundhill 8/1/1923 John Larson 8/2/1924 Glenn Bailey 8/27/1924
Lodge of Sorrow Our brethren lie before us, overtaken by that relentless fate which, sooner or later, is to overtake us all.. Virtus Junxit Mors Non Separabit
Kenneth Heggen 9/18/2013 Robert Herrington 4/20/2014 Peter Southas 3/21/2014
Page 16 Scottish Rite of Freemasonry 1207 N 152nd Street Seattle, WA 98133
Periodicals Postage Paid USPS 485-660
Schedule of Events
July 2014
www.seattlescottishrite.org
Saturday July 12th
9:00 am
Executive Council at 9:00 am
Saturday July 12th
9:30 am
SOTAR - Freddy Silva discussion on Temples. - Open to all
Saturday July 12th
12:30 pm
Valley BBQ - Open to all
No stated meeting in July
August 2014 No stated meeting in August
Scottish Rite Members Lounge (Great friends. Great Chats. Great Drinks.)
After all stated meetings please stop in the membership lounge for further fellowship. Have a glass of wine or a pint of fresh poured draught on our rotating tap. Currently we have a Pilsner from Trumer Brewery in Austria. This is a great place to catch up with members after meetings, discuss ritual and enjoy the fellowship and all that the Seattle Scottish Rite has to offer.