The Journal of The Masonic Society, Issue #18 by The Masonic Society

dly Apathy Michael R. Poll

The Journal

have ently I ank while d that it enough ged when ounted next day, the floor severed at the n to the hospital the doctors gave grene had set that if he had not would have died. if he had waited arm, it would on would have nothing then man’s life was took action, but

all read or heard stories of individuals who have taken drastic steps to save their own lives read of a man who was doing some repair work on his water heater. He needed to reach fa lying on his back. While working in that position, his arm became wedged in the tank and was impossible to remove it. He screamed for help, but was alone in the house and no one outside to hear his cries. The man had spent several days trapped with his arm hopelessly he noticed a disturbing smell coming from inside the tank and around his arm. The man la that instinct must have taken over. He managed to reach a saw and began to cut off his arm several family members – concerned at not being able to reach him – found him unconsci in a pool of blood, h elbow. The man wa where he recovered him a sobering repo into his arm, and he removed it when he The doctors also no any longer to remov have been too late. spread through his b would have saved h saved not just becau when he took action

ined Masonry in number of my Masons, I he philosophy or that I knew was nization. It took “good” meant. philosophy of ng is becoming the rule today. join Masonry philosophy. They and exciting y arrive at the awareness of a al and enlightened to share in and nization. But, they always find

the mid-’70s. While family members ha knew next to nothin history of Freemaso that it was a “good” my joining to find o Such ignorance of Freemasonry prior more of the excepti Many of the young already know much have read the popul books on Freemaso door of the Lodge w wonderful, mysterio group of seekers. T be a part of such an sadly, this is not exa when they join.

Of The Masonic Society

numbers of demits, NPD, and participation are growing at an alarm The new reports paint a dismal pictu new members are coming fast, and etimes in very good numbers, but we seem to be having trouble keeping them. So, why is this happening and Issue what 18 do we do?

t seems to be happening is the young men come to Freemasonry with an idea of what it should be and find that it is something v rent. Many come with the hopes of finding enlightening discussions, intellectual programs designed to lift us to new heights and arn more of ourselves and our world. Yet, sometimes all they find is “good ole boys” seeking to add another title, gain a bit more

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Autumn 2012

OF THE

MASONIC SOCIETY

THE ROLE OF THE WILLING SUSPENSION OF BELIEF IN MASONIC RITUAL by WILLIAM S. BURKLE MMS

WWW.THEMASONICSOCIETY.COM

ISSN 2155-4145

Editor in Chief Christopher L. Hodapp Phone: 318-842-1103 editor@themasonicsociety.com

THE CRAFTSMAN’S ALLEGORY by DAN ELLNOR MMS

1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248 Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 Editorial Committee Jay Hochberg - Submissions Editor Kenneth W. Davis - Assistant Editor

18 The Stained Glass of New York’s Tompkins Memorial Chapel by Christopher L. Hodapp

Submit articles by email to: articles@themasonicsociety.com Officers John R. Cline, President James R. Dillman, 1st Vice President John Palmer - 2nd Vice president Nathan C. Brindle, Secretary/Treasurer Christopher L. Hodapp, Editor-in-Chief

These guidelines apply to the reuse of articles, figures, charts and photos in the Journal of The Masonic Society. Authors need NOT contact the Journal to obtain rights to reuse their own material. They are automatically granted permission to do the following: Reuse the article in print collections of their own writing; Present a work orally in its entirety; Use an article in a thesis and/or dissertation; Reuse a figure, photo and/or table in future commercial and noncommercial works; Post a copy of the article electronically. Please note that Authors must include the following citation when using material that appeared in the Journal: “This article was originally published in The Journal of The Masonic Society. Author(s). Title. Journal Name. Year; Issue:pp-pp. © the Journal of The Masonic Society.” Apart from Author’s use, no material appearing in the Journal of The Masonic Society may be reprinted or electronically distributed without the written permission of the Editor. Published quarterly by The Masonic Society Inc. 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248, Indianapolis IN 46260-2103. Full membership for Master Masons in good standing of a lodge chartered by a grand lodge that is a member of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons of North America (CGMMNA), or recognized by a CGMMNA member grand lodge. (includes Prince Hall Grand Lodges recognized by their counterpart CGMMNA state Grand Lodge): $39/ yr., ($49 outside US/Canada). Subscription for nonmembers: $39/yr., ($49 outside US/Canada).

Issue 18

FEATURES

THE JOURNAL

Directors Ronald Blaisdell Kenneth W. Davis Andrew Hammer Jay Hochberg James W. Hogg Mark Tabbert

22 THE HANDSHAKE by JOI GRIEG 22

Knights of the Square and Compasses by Jason L. Mair

SECTIONS 4 President’s Message 6 News of the Society 7 Conferences, Speeches,

36 Symposia & Gatherings

8 Masonic News 35 From the Editor

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Journal of The Masonic Society, 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248, Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 © 2012 by The Masonic Society, Inc. All rights reserved. The MS circle and quill logo, and the name “The Masonic Society” are trademarks of The Masonic Society, Inc. and all rights are reserved.

This issue’s cover features Lorado Taft’s “Eternal Solitude” in Washington, D.C.’s Graceland Cemetery. Photograph by Christopher L. Hodapp. AUTUMN 2012 • 3

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The Quarry Project by John R. “Bo” Cline, FMS

Dr. Andres Önnerfors, a keynote speaker at the 2011 International Conference on the History of Freemasonry, presented a paper entitled “Researching the History of Freemasonry: 3X3 ways forward!” As Dr. Önnerfors describes his paper, it: “. . . was about “conflicting epistemologies” i e different ways of reaching knowledge researching freemasonry from within, through the process of going through the degrees/initiation and from outside, studying freemasonry as a representation of human culture as any other. My main point was that we need to raise awareness of these two different approaches of achieving knowledge, each in their right, allocate them meaning in each appropriate forum and last but not least to build bridges between them.” (Önnerfors 2012) The two contestants in this particular search for knowledge about Freemasonry are (1) Freemasons who have a more intimate knowledge and understanding of the Craft by virtue of having passed through the three degrees of initiation and (2) the academic research community who have a greater knowledge of the process of academic research. That doesn’t mean that there are not among the members of the Craft, Freemasons who cross over into the field of the academic research. Dr. Önnerfors is a perfect example of one such Freemason. However there are, in my estimation, a number of brethren who have a natural desire to explore the history, philosophy, and symbolism of Freemasonry in greater detail than is explained in our ritual, but who may only possess a portion of the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the essential research. I was impressed by Dr. Önnerfors’ message, and it particularly resonated with me. I saw in it an opportunity to present a set of Masonic research standards, which, although would be consistent with academic standards, would be accessible to the average Mason who aspired to delve more deeply into Masonic history and symbolism, and who wished to share his research. I saw, also, an opportunity to start a process of building bridges between Freemasons who do research and the academic research community. To that end, I have enlisted the aide of The Masonic Society. The primary mission of The Masonic Society is to address the needs of Freemasons by way of assistance and cooperation to individual research lodges throughout the Masonic world. To meet this mission, and in cooperation with the Masonic Library and Museum Association, The Masonic Society has embarked upon an activity which we call the Quarry Project. The Quarry Project, scheduled for September 27 – 29, 2013 at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, VA, will provide lectures and workshops on researching and preserving our Masonic history. The focus of the conference will be to provide a standard of excellence for individuals and Masonic research lodges; to guide them in their pursuit of Masonic 4 • AUTUMN 2012

research, defining how to communicate their findings, and to care for and preserve their Masonic history. The conference will also be a workshop, with hands on instruction on what are proper and improper information sources; how to develop and defend an argument; what styles are recommended for writing and communicating findings; what are the ethical standards that must be followed; what are some sources for publishing their findings; and how to maintain, preserve, and display our Masonic heritage. To accomplish our goals, we have enlisted the assistance of several individuals recognized for their expertise in Masonic research and preservation. These individuals include: • Dr. Jose Diaz (TMS Fellow), Ph.D., Associate Professor, University Libraries, The Ohio State University • S. Brent Morris (TMS Fellow), Ph.D., Editor, The Scottish Rite Journal • Kenneth Davis (Member, TMS Board of Directors), Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of English, Indiana University • Aimee Newell, Ph.D., Director of Collections, Director of Collections, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and library, Lexington, MA • Brian Rountree, MLS, Librarian, Grand Lodge of Manitoba The conference will be divided into four subject areas, which are Masonic Research – Standards and Practices; Masonic Research – Editorial Guidelines; Museums and Archives – Preservation and Presentation of Historic Masonic Artifacts; and Masonic Libraries and Archives – Preservation, Display, and Cataloging. Programs are being arranged to enable conference participants to attend any and all presentations. The conference will include plenary lectures presented by Andres Önnerfors, Aimee Newell, and S. Brent Morris, as well as banquet address delivered by Chris Hodapp. Finally, each of the four program committees is preparing a handbook to help guide conference attendees in their future activities of research and preservation. I am very excited about the Quarry Project, and I look forward to seeing a host of members of The Masonic Society in attendance. For more information about the program details and to register for this event, please go to http://www. thequarryproject.com/. Also, please be sure to like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-QuarryProject/356915394387513.

THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

News of the Society

Masonic Conference on Research and Preservation September 27-29/2013 The Masonic Society and the Masonic Library and Museum Association have joined forces to establish The Quarry Project. Phase one of this endeavor will be the Conference on Masonic Research and Preservation to be held in the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, VA on September 26-29, 2013. The conference is open to anyone interested in Masonic research and preservation, but will be specifically targeted toward two groups: (i) members of Masonic lodges of research as well as authors, writers, and researchers, both published and aspiring, and (ii) Masonic librarians and museum curators. Andreas Önnefors, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden–“Researching Freemasonry from within the Craft” Session 1-Libraries: “Collection Policies” Brian Rountree, MLIS, GLMB, chair • Tom Savini, GLNY–Collections Policy, Grand Lodge of New York • Bill Kreuger, GLIA–Collections Policy, Grand Lodge of Iowa • Jeff Croteau, MLS, Scottish Rite Library and Museum, Inc.–“Avoiding Collections Policy Headache-Makers” Session 2–Research: “Basics” Jose Diaz, Ph.D., Ohio State University, chair • Jose Diaz, Ph.D–“Learning to Do Historical Research in Freemasonry: A Primer” • Natalie Bayer, Ph.D., Drake University–“Studying the History of Russian Freemasonry in Iowa,” a case study of how to locate research materials by drawing on the resources available at the local level Session 3–Museums: “Collections, Plans, and Policies” Mark A. Tabbert, GWMNMA, chair • Adam Kendall, GLCA–“Grand Lodge of California Collection Policies” (State) • Aimee E. Newell, Ph.D.–“Masonic and Fraternal Collections Policies” (General) • Heather Calloway, Scottish Rite House of the Temple–“Scottish Rite Masonic Collections Policies” (Organizational) Session 4–Writing and Editing: “Writing Plainly” Kenneth W. Davis, Ph.D., GLNM, chair • Annetta Cheek, Ph.D.–“Using Plain Language in Academic Writing: A Workshop” General Session–“Library and Museum Success Stories: A Panel Discussion” Adam Kendall, GLCA, moderator • Mark A. Tabbert, GWMNMA–Museum • Michael D. Brumback, PGM, GLIN–Museum

• Sally Sinor, MLIS, GLLA–Library • Jesse Chariton, Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago–Library General Session–Keynote Aimee E. Newell, Ph.D., Scottish Rite Library and Museum, Inc.–“What Can Masonic Objects Tell Us That Documents Don’t?” Session 5–Museums: “Artifact Inventory and Cataloguing” Aimee E. Newell, Ph.D., chair • Adam Kendall, GLCA–“Inventorying Collections: A Primer” • Bill Kreuger, GLIA–“Cataloguing Objects: A Primer” • Todd Johnstone, GLWA–“Digitizing Photographs for Online Use” Session 6–Research: “Avoiding Pitfalls in Masonic Research” Shawn Eyer, GWMNMA, chair • Shawn Eyer, GWMNMA–“Masonic Historiography and Cultural Analysis: Avoiding the Extremes of Minimalism and Eisegesis” • Alain Bernheim–“Masonic Authors: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” Session 7–Libraries: “Cataloging and Basic Care of Books and Archives” Tom Savini, GLNY, chair • Glenys Waldman, Ph.D., GLPA,–“Basic Book Preparation and Preservation” • Brian Rountree, MLIS, GLMB–“Cataloguing Masonic Libraries” • Sally Sinor, MLIS, GLLA–“Basic Care and Organizing Masonic Archives” Session 8–Writing and Editing: “Following Rules: Adopting and Observing a Style Guide” Kenneth W. Davis, Ph.D., GLNM, chair • Kenneth Davis, Ph.D.–“Presentation and Review of Various Academic and Masonic Style Guides: Pros and Cons” • Kenneth Davis, Ph.D.–“Developing a Useful Masonic Style Guide: A Workshop” General Session–Publishing Success Stories: A Panel Discussion John Palmer, PGM, GLTN, editor, Knight Templar Magazine, moderator • Sanford Holst, author, Sworn in Secret: Freemasonry and the Knights Templar • Rich VanDoren, Ph.D., author, various articles for periodicals and the internet • Michael Halleran, GLKS, author, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War • Andrew Hammer, GLVA, author, Observing the Craft: The Pursuit of Excellence in Masonic Labour and Observance Gala Banquet After-dinner speaker: Christopher L. Hodapp, GLIN, author, editor, and film producer

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THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

News of the Society ith great pride and appreciation, The Masonic Society welcomes the following brethren as our esteemed new members from July 1st through September 30th, 2012. Daniel G Anderson Charles Devin Fuller Andre Armand Gabriel Bassou Robert Edwin Gordon David Clinton Benfield Philip Todd Grayson Samuel E Brandes Robert Scott Harrison Murdoch H. Cameron Marc Hoefer Crawford Clark Milen Ivanov Steve Connelly William Johnston Major Timothy S. Cooke (ret) William Michael Jones Dustin R Cummins Jason Koscinski Adam Hiram Domenech Daniel G Leger John R Duncan Richard W Lowrance Tim Dunstone Capt. Colin Joseph Lozon Larry A Fahnestock Matthew C. Lucas Kelly D Feldcamp Michael J. MacDonald Adrian T Fulle Herbert Francis Mailey

Gerald Edward Manning II Adam Christopher Marks Anthony Mongelli Jr. Ed D. Norris David W Nunez Jason M Oakes Michael Pearson Joshua M Penrod Jake T. Redden William L Reese Sr. Frederick Reichert Jr. Mark Julian Richards Daniel Rivers Jonathan Rugan Jeffrey A Schaefer

Norman A. Schlosser Basil John William Soundy Travis Lee Stewart Gene F Tawney Kevin Thompson MEd Joseph Oliver Bangero Torre Jaroslav Turicik Alan Walls Dr. Charles A Warfield

General Session–Exhibitions Hilary Anderson Stelling, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library, Inc.– “Exhibiting Masonic History” General Session–“Ideas and Prospects for Future Quarry Project Conferences: A Panel Discussion” Adam Kendall, GLCA, President, Masonic Library and Museum Association, and Bo Cline, PGM, GLAK, President, The Masonic Society, moderators Conference Close S. Brent Morris, Ph.D., editor, Scottish Rite Journal–“Masonic Meta-analysis vs. Original Masonic Research”

For tickets, hotel reservations, and vendor booth information, visit the Quarry Project website at www.thequarryproject.com •

he Journal is very much in need of your articles, news, announcements, photos and more. Please submit them as a Word document to: articles@themasonicsociety.com. When formatting and footnoting, please note that we prefer the Chicago Manual of Style. •

he official tie of the Masonic Society is now available from our online store at www.themasonicsociety,.com. It is a beautiful red tie with the distinctive quill of the Society, crafted by Toye Kenning and Spencer from silk in England. Selling for a mere $20, these won’t last long.

Renew your membership now online at www.themasonicsociety.com 6 • AUTUMN 2012

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Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings February 6-9, 2013 2013 Masonic Week Hyatt Hotel, Reston, Virginia http://yorkrite.com/ MasonicWeek/ February 18-19, 2013 2013 Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America Hyatt Crown Center Hotel, Kansas City, MO No contact information provided March 16, 2013 Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research, U.D. Indiana’s Lodge of Research will meet at Indiana Freemasons’ Hall, 525 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, Indiana, at 1:00 PM Eastern time. Speaker: S. Brent Morris. Refreshments will follow the meeting. For more information see http://indianalodgeofresearch. com or contact Bill Sassman, P.M., Secretary, at billsassman@me.com March 16, 2013 Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge. Freemasons’ Cultural Center, Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, PA. Brother Alexandre Cleven, Most Worshipful Past Grand Master of the Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium, speaking on Freemasonry in Belgium; Theodore W. Schick, Jr. - Philosophical Roots of Freemasonry; Larry A. Derr, DDGM - The Mentoring Program / Aspects of Social Media;Paul D. Fisher - Historic Grand Lodge Leaders; Charles S. Canning - Pennsylvania’s Unique Ritual / Worthwhile Books;Thomas W. Jackson - Freemasonry and Religion. Preregistration is required. http://www.pagrandlodge. org/programs/academy/ameetings.html March 18, 2013 Quatuor Coronati Lodge Education Initiative  London, United Grand Lodge of England Grand Lodge Building, Great Queen St., Library and Museum. “Welcome” by Diane Clements; “Behind the Headlines: Masonic Newspapers and other Library resources” by Martin Cherry; “Veiled in allegory but illustrated by objects: studying freemasonry using Museum collections” by Mark Dennis; “Inside the Archive” by Susan Snell TO REGISTER: Contact Secretary Gordon Davie gdavie@lansdale. demon.co.uk T: 0208 460 2975

July 19-20, 2013 Rocky Mountain Masonic Conference The 2013 RMMC will be hosted by the Grand Lodge of Montana, at the Great Northern Hotel, Helena, MT. No contact information provided August 16-17, 2013 Union Lodge No. 38 F&AM Cave Degree. Tennessee EA Degree, North Carolina MM Degree. Eblen’s Cave, Kingston, Tennessee. http://union38.org/wordpress/?page_ id=142 August 16-18, 2013 4th Masonic Restoration Foundation Symposium Manchester, New Hampshire, hosted by Phoenix Lodge August 18-20, 2013 Supreme Council Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. J.W. Marriott Hotel, Washington, D.C. August 25-27, 2013 106th Biennial Session of the Supreme Council Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction. Washington, D.C. September 26-29, 2013 The Quarry Project Conference on Masonic Research and Preservation to be held at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, VA on September 26-29, 2013. The conference is open to anyone interested in Masonic research and preservation, but will be specifically targeted toward two groups: members of Masonic lodges of research as well as authors, writers, and researchers, both published and aspiring, and Masonic librarians and museum curators. See page 5 for details.  http://www.masoniclibraries. org/quarryproject.php February 13-16, 2014 Masonic Week. Hyatt Hotel, Reston, VA August 15-16, 2014 Masonic Restoration Foundation Annual Symposium. Cincinnati, OH

April 12-14, 2013 Midwest Conference for Masonic Education Winnepeg, Manitoba. Airport Hilton Suites.  http://www.midwestmasoniced.org April 29, 2013 Shiloh Lodge No. 558, Sixth Annual Bernard H. Dupee, PM Memorial Lecture. Gwynedd, PA. WBro. Robert Davis, PM 33°, President of the Masonic Restoration Foundation, Vice-President of the Scottish Rite Research Society, Editor of Heredom. Contact Matthew D. Dupee at mdupee6@comcast.net May 24-26, 2013 International Conference on the History of Freemasonry Edinburgh, Scotland. http://ichfonline.org June 30-4, 2013 Imperial Shrine Session Indianapolis, Indiana No contact information provided July 14-16, 2013 Great Smokies Summer Assembly of York Rite Masons. Maggie Valley, NC. Dewey R. Preslar, Jr., Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, A.F.& A.M. of NC; Sean Graystone, Superinendent of the House of the Temple; Bryce B. Hildreth, M.W. Grand Master of Iowa; David C. Dechant, GM of SC. http://www.yorkrite.com/nc/ GSSAprogram.htm

Please send notices of your event to Jay Hochberg at articles@themasonicsociety.com

AUTUMN 2012 • 7

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Masonic News replacing the embattled François Stifani, but that has not prevented the United Grand Lodge of England two days later from de-recognizing them. Serval is seen by many French Masons as a continuation of the Stifani officer’s line. According to the Romanian Masonic Press Agency, Servel decided on December 4, 2012, to suspend Past Grand Master François Stifani: Stifani was suspended for unethical Masonic conduct, violation of fundamental rules, attempt against the Fundamental Principles of the Craft and attempting against the image and proper functioning of the French National Grand Lodge. According to this decree, Stifani is forbidden to attend GLNF’s Lodge meetings, the Annual Communication and Board of General Purposes. After years of internal struggle, Stifani is temporarily removed from GLNF, which may indicate that Servel wants to show to the United Grand Lodge of England that GLNF can have once again credibility.

eritas Chapter No. 103, the first “Traditional Observance” Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in the state of Oklahoma has minted 100 Chapter pennies. This original run will be the only ones with this specific design (each run shall have a slightly modified design). This was a custom design created by their Chapter -- you won’t see these anywhere else. Each one is 4.3 ounces and 2.5” x 2.5” at the widest and tallest points. The Chapter is making these available to the public. Each coin is $20 including shipping & handling (for US addresses only). You may order one (or more) by sending $20 via PayPal to darkdan@aol.com along with your mailing address. • Jean-Pierre Servel was elected on September 10th as the new Grand Master of the Grande Loge Nationale Frainçaise, 8 • AUTUMN 2012

The GLNF has lost nearly a third of its membership over the Stifani flap, and the majority of the world’s grand lodges have yanked recognition of the grand lodge, leaving France without a regular, recognized branch of Masonry for the majority of brethren. • The Masonic Service Association has issued an appeal to help the Masonic victims of Hurricane Sandy: The entire Atlantic Coast of the United States was buffeted in the last few days of October by the winds and waves of Hurricane Sandy, described by the news media as a “super storm.” After crossing the shoreline in New Jersey, the storm continued inland. Extensive building and property damage, electrical outages, unhealthy conditions cause by flooding, and widespread disruption of normal living conditions have occurred in a multi-state region. In particular, New York City and the coastal areas of New

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Masonic News Jersey felt the brunt of Sandy. The Grand Lodges of New York and New Jersey have requested a Disaster Appeal to assist their Masonic families who have been injured or who have received extensive damage to their homes. Please forward any donations you feel appropriate to the MSA. When remitting funds, please mark your check that you wish the donation to go to New York or New Jersey. Unmarked funds will be divided equally between the two Grand Lodges. Make checks payable to MSA Disaster Relief Fund and send to: Masonic Service Association of North America8120 Fenton Street, Suite 203, Silver Spring, MD 20910-4785. MSA is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization. Thank you for your assistance for these stricken jurisdictions. Sincerely and fraternally, George O. Braatz, P.G.M.Executive Secretary • From The Hacker News: A group of computer hackers Anonymous goes by the name xPsych0path has accuse Masonichip for unwillingness to accept the forced chipping of children they are working toward mitigating it by disrupting the chipping operation. They have built their own operation, in opposition to this issue. In #OpMasonChip is designed to express publicly their anger. He had the following to say about this operation; “We are fighting against putting RFID chips inside children by masons they have plan to put chips in all of us and those who don’t want it won’t be able to buy and sell. So I down all those site’s for them” on pastebin. “But In actual there is no “chip” in Masonichip as it stands for Masonic Child Identification Program and includes

Abduction Awareness and “Safe Kids” Education benefits to all children and parents attend events and participate.” Masonichip explained on their site. Sites attacked were 1. http://masonichip.org/ 2. http://mychip.org/ 3. http://www.masonichip.ca/ 4. http://www.mainemason.org/ 5. http://www.illinoisfreemason.org/ilchip.html 6. http://www.keywestmason.com/child_id.htm 7. http://www.mdchip.org/ 8. http://www.kschip.org/ • If you think we’re the only ones attempting to recruit new members, catch this article about England’s International Order of Co-Masonry in the Independent (“Freemasons Launch Recruitment Drive For Young Women”): Nikki Roberts is someone a teacher might call a good “all-rounder”: smart, pretty, lots of friends. Aged 31, she is also a far cry from your typical Freemason. But that, if the Federation of the International Order of Co-Freemasonry has its way, is about to change. Forget secretive circles of white-haired men locking fingers in strange handshakes, they say. A British branch is in the throes of a thoroughly modern recruitment drive. It is using Facebook and Twitter to sign up new members, particularly young women, to its society. “A lot of people have misconceptions about what Masonry is,” Ms Roberts says. Not surprising, given that for centuries members of this traditionally male club have refused to divulge what goes on behind closed doors in meetings and ceremonies. “I can say that AUTUMN 2012 • 9

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Masonic News it [the Freemasons] is an association, a fellowship if you like, dictated by a system of morals, with lot of symbols and philosophy...” Roberts explains. She compares it to an “occult”: “You need to believe in a divine intelligence or supreme being.” Since joining the Freemasons five years ago, Roberts says her life has been transformed. “I gave up a lucrative job in the City and now I work in health and social care, something more rewarding,” she says. While cohorts at her lodge (one of the only mixed gender orders in the world, the British Federation) range from party-planners to nurses – many of them female – there are other common elements among members, she says. “The kind of people it draws are interested in being good people; we have respect for laws, we like giving to charity... we live by certain morals.” It is a “life-long commitment”, she adds. The biggest misconception, Roberts says, is that women are not suited to joining the club. “People choose the Masons in order to become more aware and to awaken areas of their mind to their true nature; women, being naturally nurturing and intuitive, are particularly responsive to that.” That, however, is a matter of opinion. Ask Ken Kirk, 86, a former policeman and a member of the strictly-male United Grand Lodge of England and the answer is clear: “Mixed gender orders? Absurd.” • Robert L. Jackson, Grand Master of Masons in Arkansas, has declared the Shrine clandestine and is forbidding Arkansas and affiliated Arkansas Masons from belonging to the Shrine. • In a surprising and unprecedented move, the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons of the State of Florida, Jorge L. Aladro has effectively expelled from the Craft all Pagans, Wiccans, Gnostics, Agnostics and members of other non-Christian or pre-Christian religious belief systems. In his Ruling and Decision No. 10 • AUTUMN 2012

3, dated November 26, 2012, the Grand Master issued an ultimatum to any member of the aforementioned groups: Resign from the Craft, or face trial and expulsion from Florida Freemasonry. The reaction nationwide has been one of shock and disappointment. • Check out Jason Van Dyke’s regular podcast, “The Life Masonic” on the Scottish Rite website at http:// scottishrite.org/member-programs/the-life-masonicpodcast/ . There are interviews and philosophical discussions, along with practical advice. There are welve episodes so far. • James E. Sullivan, Grand Master of New York, has lifted the suspension of Past Grand Master Neal Bidnick (2006-2008) and restored to hime the full rights and privileges of a Master Mason. He has found that Bidnick did not commit an act of “moral turpitude” or “scandal or degradation of the fraternity in the public eye.” Further, he says that “no larceny or misappropriation of funds occurred and in fact the notice announcing those findings, sent out by the Grand Secretary’s office in April 2012, was misleading and incorrect.” “The Masonic misfortune of trials, suspension, and expulsion fell upon our Past Grand Master when he was also suffering under extreme personal distress with respect to a matter which involved his wife. This was a time when brothers should have come to his aid to ease the distress, rather than inflame it.”

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he scene amidst which C

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SOCIETY

THE ROLE OF THE WILLING SUSPENSION OF BELIEF IN MASONIC RITUAL by WILLIAM S. BURKLE MMS

ecently a friend and I were discussing the latest James Bond movie, and he mentioned that he was enjoying the film up until the moment in which a double-barreled shotgun was referred to as a “rifle.” This moment was pivotal in his ability to accept the validity of the character portrayed to be James Bond since in his estimation Bond would have clearly known the difference between a rifle and a shotgun. This scene literally ruined the entire movie for him.

This conversation got me thinking about the phenomena that the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge termed1 “willful suspension of disbelief.” Simply put, “willful suspension of disbelief ” is the ability of a rational observer to subconsciously (and on a temporary basis) accept improbable events, behaviors, and elements as real and fully possible when they occur and are consistent within a larger framework of assumptions. For example in the larger framework of a science fiction movie, both the presence of enemy flying saucers and the act of dissolving enemy flying saucers with ray guns are entirely plausible. The very fact that we are able to imagine spaceships and ray guns as three-dimensional solid objects when said objects are being projected upon a twodimensional flat screen is in itself testimony to the power of the willful suspension of disbelief. One of the thoughts that emerged from this contemplation and ensuing research was the realization that willful suspension of disbelief plays a major role in ritual work, especially Masonic ritual work. I would point out that I occasionally differentiate between ritual and ritual drama in this paper. Ritual is considered to be a range of activities performed in order to make something happen; ritual drama is a range of performances (oral, literary, dramatic) intended to re-enact an event with the intent of drawing the observer (or listener) into the event as a participant. Ritual drama may, and frequently does include reenactment of a ritual. Further, when I speak here of Masonic ritual (unless otherwise specified), I am referring to both the basic ritual of Blue Lodge Masonry as well as the Masonic degrees which incorporate dramatic elements (i.e. ritual drama) to facilitate enlightenment, such as some ritual work performed in the Scottish Rite and York Rite. I will speak more on ritual and ritual drama later. This paper will examine the role of willful suspension of disbelief in Masonic ritual and will identify opportunities for promoting willful suspension of disbelief to improve the depth of the ritual experience.

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Suspension of Disbelief The phenomenon of suspension of disbelief is seemingly an inherent capability of the human mind, and has been critical to man’s understanding of his own historic oral traditions, literary traditions, and eventually his dramatic traditions. Suspension of disbelief is closely affiliated with the faculty of imagination. Suspension of disbelief is also related2 to “cognitive estrangement” in which a person’s ignorance or lack of knowledge is used to promote suspension of disbelief. A good example of this occurs in modern forensic crime dramas in which instantaneous results of complex laboratory tests are provided, even though in reality these tests often take weeks or even months to complete. The willful suspension of disbelief is believed to occur frequently during the dream state during which the faculty of imagination is especially active.3 Imagination then must figure prominently in the psychological mechanics of suspension of disbelief. There are many proposed explanations of the mechanism by which willful suspension of disbelief functions. One which especially appeals to me is that provided by Professor Eva Schaper4 who expresses it thus: “…it seems, that it (suspension of disbelief ) helps us to resolve, or dissolve, a puzzle allegedly raised by that response to fiction: unless disbelief were suspended, we could not avoid the puzzle resulting from being moved by what we do not believe ever really happened or ever existed.” As previously stated, the phrase “suspension of disbelief ” was coined in 1817 by Coleridge, who frequently collaborated with many contemporary poets, such as Wordsworth. In his Biographia Literaria5 Coleridge posited concerning his working relationship with Wordsworth during the development of the Lyrical Ballads (first edition 1798, to which Coleridge contributed The Rime of the Ancient Mariner). Coleridge wrote: “... It was agreed, that my endeavours should be directed to persons and characters supernatural, or at least romantic, yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith. Mr. Wordsworth on the other hand was to propose to himself as his object, to give the charm of novelty to things of every day, and to excite a feeling analogous to the supernatural, by awakening the mind’s attention from the lethargy of custom, and directing

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it to the loveliness and the wonders of the world before us...” Inge Nielsen6 writes that from the earliest known human culture ceremonies have been developed to bridge the spiritual and material worlds. The form and structure of these ceremonies have changed as our spiritual beliefs have developed, but all such ceremonies have in common that there is a belief in the reality of the spiritual world, and that through our own awareness and experience we can become cognizant of that world. Such states of awareness might be described as “Altered states of consciousness.” Suspension of disbelief was directly recognized as an essential component of live theatrical performance; as early as 1559, where it was addressed by Shakespeare7 in the Prologue to Henry V: “... make imaginary puissant ... ‘tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings ... turning accomplishment of many years into an hourglass.” What then does suspension of disbelief have to do with ritual? The answer is highly complex and requires a brief examination of what we may consider to constitute ritual and what we consider to be ritual drama. The two are not one and the same, but both require willful suspension of disbelief. Suspension of Disbelief in Ritual Anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff8 (1935-85) provides the following brief description of the function of suspension of disbelief in ritual: “All ritual takes ordinary things and makes them extraordinary. The means it uses are everywhere the same. Whether it’s an African initiation ceremony in Botswana or a Jewish storytelling session in Los Angeles, ritual sets the ordinary apart by its use of language, gesture, costume, posture – sensuous things. And those sensuous things are very persuasive and invite us to suspend disbelief, exactly as we do in a theater; ritual induces the same willing suspension of disbelief. The ‘as if ’ fades away, and we enter into the story, and it becomes, then, something that has its own reality; an imaginary life, an imagined reality, comes to life and it’s our own.” The word “ritual” has many definitions depending upon the context in which it is used; in this regard the meaning of the term remains dynamic. Author Richard Schechner in his The Future of Ritual: Writings on Culture and Performance9 suggests a few such contexts including: • as structures with formal qualities having definable relationships • as symbolic systems of meaning • as actions or processes associated with performances • as experiential events Schechner also suggests that ritual effectiveness depends upon intention and the degree of suspension of disbelief (i.e. one must believe that ritual can transform something and that it is a

transforming exercise or experience). Suspension of disbelief has been specifically defined10 as it relates to ritual. In this context it is defined as: “… a temporary curtailment of critical faculties for a specific time and specific purpose, (and) it is absolutely necessary during the performance of a ritual.” Characteristics of ritual11 include that the purpose of ritual is practical; that is it is performed to achieve a specific result (i.e. causing rain, effecting exorcism, appeasing the gods, summoning spirits etc.). Ritual is not innovative; a ritual has to be performed in accordance with rigid predetermined rules. Ritual is not a competitive endeavor (i.e. priests do not perform ritual for accolade, public favor, prizes or applause). From this standpoint, ritual and ritual drama are similar but not identical. The origin of drama is unknown; however it probably began as reenactments of heroic deeds or historically significant events. Ritual may be separated from common drama12 in many ways, primarily in that the intent of common drama is story telling as opposed to being utilitarian; ritual drama may further be separated from common drama in that it portrays events having a sacred or mystical significance, or it transmits a story of morality. As stated, ritual drama is very old; there is evidence that in Egypt sacred lakes were incorporated into the performances of ritual drama. Inscriptions tell of a ritual drama (Triumph of Horus 1300–1200 B.C.) in which such a lake was employed. The history of ritual drama during medieval times may be traced to the religious ritual of the Church13 which developed into ritual drama. This drama is exemplified by many features, including the gestures of the Priest as he spreads his arms, mimicking Christ on the Crucifix. There is some complexity involved in analyzing the role of church ritual in terms of suspension of disbelief. Author and Theologian Kester Brewin14 is quoted as saying: “I’ve been pondering on this, wondering if within the performance of ritual – the church service as theatre – we are required to suspend our disbelief for a while. But perhaps the opposite is true. Too often I think church services can be museums of fact. We trail round singing one truth, then hearing another before recanting another. We rehearse and recount them over and over to make them more true. There is, in many evangelical services, no suspension of disbelief, because there is no doubt. There is thus no theatre, no drama. It is all sermon: an expounded text to be taken as read.” Sacred drama and ritual theater employs the element of willing suspension of disbelief, often as a means to facilitate altered states of consciousness. This effect has been documented15 in research on ritual in a Catholic School academic setting. Further descriptions16 of the role of willful suspension of disbelief in magical subcultures such as Wicca have been developed with AUTUMN 2012• 13

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much the same conclusion. Considerable scientific investigation17 has been performed to examine the rationality of belief systems which includes the rationality of the willful suspension of disbelief. The literature on this topic includes cases of deliberately induced unreal experiences including certain religious experiences which may be classified as alteration of consciousness. The latter frequently refer to the willful suspension of disbelief associated with ritual transubstantiation and consubstantiation (the transmutation of communion elements into the body and blood of Christ). Masonic Ritual and Suspension of Disbelief The rituals of the degrees of Craft Freemasonry share a structure and method which is nearly identical to the initiatory processes originally employed by ancient civilizations throughout time. Henrik Bogdan18 in his Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation provides a detailed account of the development and adaptation of the Craft degrees, along with degree systems allied with or adopted from the degrees of Freemasonry. Bogdan states that: “Masonic rituals of initiation form a discrete and coherent phenomenon within Western esotericism that transcends their origins within seventeenth-century European Freemasonry.” It is important to realize that the content of the Craft Degrees is organized and that the degrees provide verbally or through gestures and symbolism a rich variety of archetypical imagery that is processed subliminally as the Candidate progresses through the ritual. While it is not normally recognized as such, the rituals are “staged” much as is a dramatic play, with special clothing, cable tows, hoodwinks, and a variety of visual and auditory events designed to stimulate the imagination of the Candidate. The properly prepared Candidate will enter the Lodge with a sense that something profound is about to happen, and with an enhanced expectation of the same. At some point during the earliest stages of the ritual the Candidate will attain an altered state of consciousness. Ritual staging. plays an important role in this process; the Candidate’s preparation will have instilled in him a sense of the history which underpins the ritual; all of this combined with the atmosphere of gravity with which he is received and conducted during the degree is intended to facilitate his transition to this altered state of consciousness. The historical role (1896-1929) of creating an appropriate environment to facilitate the willful suspension of disbelief in ritual drama (specifically that employed by the Scottish Rite) is addressed extensively by Brockman & Carnes19 in Theatre of the Fraternity. These authors explain that in early Scottish Rite Masonry, dramatic portrayals were usually performed in Blue Lodge facilities, often consisting of only one small room. These rooms were very serviceable for Blue Lodge degrees which largely take place in one location, in one time period, with the same cast of 14 • AUTUMN 2012

characters. Scottish Rite Ritual Dramas incorporated characters from many traditions and backgrounds, over time periods which spanned centuries. To accept an enclosed room as Solomon’s Temple required a creative imagination. To picture the same room as the throne room of a Persian King, a mountain top, and a military encampment demanded true suspension of disbelief. This required theatrical lighting and scenery. These elements were introduced to Scottish Rite ceremonies around the 1890s. Ritual is recognized as being very important20 to Freemasonry; the emphasis on performing ritual however has drifted from ensuring that an initiatic experience is transmitted to getting the mechanical elements of the ritual correct. While it is granted that the mechanical elements serve as the base by which the initiatic elements are conveyed, performing a ritual involves a great deal more than ensuring that corners are squared during circumambulation. I refer of course to the esoteric elements which lay hidden in plain sight, but which through emphasis upon form seem to have been largely forgotten. A more extensive discussion of the esoteric content of ritual in Masonry may be found21 in Roel Leeuwen’s 2004 Kellerman Lecture, A Separate Reality - Antropology, Ritual and Today’s Mason. Frater I..D.V.A. quotes Mircea Eliade in Rites and Symbols of Initiation when he defines the term initiation22 as: “In the most general sense denotes a body of rites and oral teachings whose purpose is to produce a decisive alteration in the religious and social status of the person to be initiated. In philosophical terms, initiation is equivalent to a basic change in existential condition: the novice emerges from the ordeal endowed with a totally different being from that which he possessed before his initiation; he has become another.” It is notable that over the centuries, Masonic ritual has been revised and changed23 to align with evolving social and theological concepts. It is crucial to the fraternity that these changes maintain the original intent and esoteric elements in order that we do not lose that which was entrusted to us. Opportunities Author Edward Berry24 has identified that initiatic rites may be separated into three distinct phases. These include Separation, Transition, and Incorporation. He considers loss of identity (often signified by a change of clothing) to be an example of separation; symbolic death as an example of transition, and describes incorporation as a process by which the candidate is brought out of isolation and reintroduced back into the community with a new identity, often accompanied by presentation of an emblem of new identity or status. The Mason reading this paper will no doubt recognize the Blue Lodge degrees in this description. In order for the initiatic experience to be successful, the Candidate, the degree team, and the observers all need to be immersed in the “greater reality” which constitutes the ritual environment and also the ritual intent. There is some thought that

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the ritual environment is composed of several “layers” or “walls”, each of which serves to reinforce suspension of disbelief. If the outermost (or fourth) wall is breached, the entire construct collapses and suspension of disbelief cannot be regained. Suspension of disbelief can be extremely fragile. We all owe it to the Candidate to maintain decorum during Ritual work; sadly courtesy is not25 observed by all in attendance. This may be the result of inadvertent actions such as forgetting to silence a cell phone. It could also be the result of ignorance, such as “whispering” to another Brother during Lodge work in the mistaken belief that whispering will not carry or be heard by others. The most egregious lack of decorum is that which is willful, such as answering a cell phone and conducting a full voice conversation in the midst of Lodge preparations to receive a Candidate (yes, I have personally seen this). On the more subtle level the observers should be a part of the fabric of the ritual, entering into and actively participating in the ritual with the Candidate. At the very least, the Ritual should become a Ritual Drama for the observers. At the moment of the knocks upon the door, the ritual should be the sole focus of all participants. One of the ritual elements which we often ignore but to which the (blindfolded) Candidate is especially sensitive are the auditory (sound) elements. The gavel raps, invocations, and other auditory sensations should have a profound effect upon all present. Likewise, light and lighting play an important role in initiation. It has been theorized that both vibration and light stimulate the pineal gland in the brain, causing the secretion of brain chemicals related to (among other things) suspension of disbelief. Again, there is much more to ritual than meets the eye. Properly observed and performed, we all experience suspension of disbelief and undergo the initiation together; just as it should be.

William S. (Steve) Burkle is a member of Scioto Lodge No. 6 in Ohio as well as Alpha Lodge No. 116 and Philo Lodge No. 243 in New Jersey. He is a member of the AASR Valley of Columbus and is a York Rite Mason. Steve is the author of numerous papers and articles dealing with Alchemy, Theurgy, Astrology, Hermeticism, and other topics related to esoteric Freemasonry. His first book on Modern Laboratory Alchemy is due for publication by Salamander & Sons in 2013. Steve and his wife Pat live in Cypress, Texas.

(Endnotes) 1 Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. (1871). Biographia Literaria: Biographical Sketches of My Literary Life and Opinions. Vol II, Chapter XIV. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 2 Wordsworth, William & Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. (1798). Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems. London: J.A. Arch. 3 Gendler, Tamar. (2011). “Imagination”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Edward N. Zalta (ed.). Retrieved November 19, 2012 from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2011/entries/ imagination/. 4 Schaper, Eva. Fiction and the Suspension of Disbelief. The British Journal of Aesthetics . 1978. Vol. 18. Issue 1. 5

Op cit. Coleridge. Biographia Literaria.

6 Nielsen, Inge (2002). Cultic Theatres and Ritual Drama: A Study in Regional Development and Religious Interchange Between East and West in Antiquity. Aarhus University Press. ISBN 87-7288-879-2. 7 Gary Taylor. ed. (2008). Henry V. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-953651-1. 8 Myerhoff, Barbara. “The Ritual Telling of the Great Story that Shapes Individual Lives” transcript of lecture, ts, box 55, folder 5, Barbara Myerhoff Papers, U of Southern California.

Conclusion

9 Schechner, Richard (1993). The Future of Ritual: Writings on Culture and Performance. New York: Routledge.

Our perception of reality is a complex matter, involving the physical senses, mental faculties such as reasoning, knowledge, and experience as well as the manner in which reality manifests. Our perception of reality is altered when we engage in willful suspension of disbelief; in effect we create an alternative reality or what may be called an altered state of consciousness. When properly guided by the inclusion of ritual elements and symbolism, this altered state of consciousness can result in enhanced susceptibility to profound insight and enlightenment. Without willful suspension of disbelief our Masonic ritual is empty and ineffective.

10 A Wisdom Archive on Suspension of Disbelief. Retrieved November 18, 2012 from http://www. experiencefestival.com/suspension_of_disbelief.

It turns out that the “double-barreled shotgun” which so offended the sensibilities of my friend was in reality a legendary double-barreled Nitro Express 500 “Big Game” rifle. I’ll take mine shaken; not stirred.

14 Brewin, Kester. (2011). Religion as Theatre : A Willing Suspension of Disbelief. Retreived November 17, 2012 from http://www. kesterbrewin.com/2011/04/06/religion-as-theatre-a-willing-suspension-of-disbelief/.

11 Bell, Catherine. (1997). Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions. New York: Oxford University Press. 12 Johnston, Brian. (2007). Ritual vs. Drama. in Courses in Drama. Retrieved December 1, 2012 from http://www.coursesindrama.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5. 13 Edwards, Francis. (1976). Ritual and Drama: The Mediaeval Theatre. London: Cox & Wyman Ltd. ISBN: 0-7188-280-7.

15 McLaren, Michael. (1999). Schooling as a Ritual Performance: Toward a Political Economy of Educational Symbols and Gestures. Latham, Maryland: Rowman & AUTUMN 2012 • 15

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Littlefield Publishers. ISBN: 0-8476-9195-0. 16 Luhrmann, T.M. (1991). Persuasions of the Witch’s Craft: Ritual Magic in Contemporary England. First Harvard University Press. ISBN: 0-674-66323-1. 17 Kelly, Thomas. The Rationality of Belief and Some Other Propositional Attitudes. Philosophical Studies 110: 163-196, 2002. Retrieved November 20, 2012 from http:// www.princeton.edu/~tkelly/rb.pdf. 18 Bogdan, Henrik (2007). Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation. State University of New York Press. ISBN13: 978-0-79148010-6. 19 Brockman, C. Lance & Carnes, Mark C. (1996). Theatre of the Fraternity: Staging the Ritual Space of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, 1896-1929. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN-13: 9780878059478. 20 Reid, Robert B. Ritual in Freemasonry - Its Importance. Retreived December 2, 2012 from the website of the Grand Lodge of Scotland at van Leeuwen, Roel. (2004). A Separate Reality - Antropology, Ritual and Today’s Mason. in Proceedomg, ANZMRC (Kellerman Lecture). retrieved December 1, 2012 from http://www.freemasonsfreemasonry.com/ritual-masons.html. 21 van Leeuwen, Roel. (2004). A Separate Reality - Antropology, Ritual and Today’s Mason. in Proceedings, ANZMRC (Kellerman Lecture). retrieved December 1, 2012 from http://www.freemasonsfreemasonry.com/ritual-masons.html. 22 Frater I.D.V.A. (pseudo.). The Nature and Purpose of Ritual. Retrieved from the website of ther Order of the Rose and Cross on December 1, 2012 at http://orderroseandcross.org/nature-of-ritual. html. 23 Trexler, Deforrest C.The Degree Rituals of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. Heredom 2009. Vol.17. 24 Berry, Edward. (1984). Shakespeare’s Comic Rites. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 25 Aldridge, Kenneth. Ritual in Freemasonry. Short talk Bulletin STB-AU90. Retrieved from the Masonic World website at http://www. masonicworld.com/education/files/artsep01/ritinfree.htm..

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FICTION

THE CRAFTSMAN’S ALLEGORY by DAN ELLNOR MMS

nce upon a time…. There was a wonderful craftsman of fine caliber. One night he dreamed a dream of a miraculous gem. It was made of the finest emerald, gilded with gold, studded with diamonds. Upon awakening he started to work. He sought the finest materials and using the most precious tools he worked for years. Finally he completed his greatest work. He called it Masonry. He presented it to good king Athelstan who declared it a national treasure and commissioned dozens more. He bequeathed them to heroes and statesmen of the land. Masonry was carried as a symbol of the highest achievements of service to man. Those who received these jewels carried them close with pride and honor. At the end of his life the Craftsman died a happy old man knowing that his lineage was held firm with his son. His Son too was a fine craftsman to be sure and he too had an idea. The King and his father being were gone, now he wanted to carry on the fine tradition. So he too made Masonry. He branded it as a high and honorable thing to receive such an item and everyone wanted one. However, the materials and work to create these precious jewels were scarce and difficult. His father would take years to craft but one. The Son reasoned that if he would simply replace emerald with glass and gold with pewter he could sell hundreds and maybe thousands. Rather than years he could do it in months. Rather than months of wages, he could sell masonry for just a few hundred pounds. He set to work. They would not look much different and still be fine. The pewter would not sell. . . Everyone wanted what the kings and knights of old had.

the way they have always done it when adversity came. They set to work. The Masonry was . . . no longer a gem, but who really cared as it was cheap, just pennies really. Everyone could have one and some were given for free. Masonry flew off the shelves. But few found any value in it really. They were just plastic after all. Shops closed. Buildings were torn down. The last factory was still cranking out masonry and the Board knew not what to do. Down in the Filigree department a young workman had been studying. The Filigree department had almost been closed as it was said to be obsolete, out dated and the old filigree Master was long past blind. The Board did not have the heart to kick the old filigree Master out though. The old Master pulled out a dusty album. Upon the cover were these letters inscribed: V.I.T.R.I.O.L The young workmen opened the tome and upon the first page was a jewel made of emerald of such beauty he hardly could believe. That night he went home and dreamed a miraculous dream...

The Son began a campaign; he gilded the pewter and set about anew. “Come buy the gem of old!” He placed sign’s about the town. His business grew and grew. He hired apprentices and taught them the trade. Emeralds and diamonds were replaced with glass. The apprentices were very skilled and the filigree was fine. The Sons wealth grew and soon he had shops all around the country. Masonry was carried by every other man. Success was his as his father’s fine trade was taken up by many and everyone could enjoy it. The Son incorporated . . . formed a Board of Directors of his finest apprentices. He died a proud and happy man knowing his lineage was secure and tradition would be carried on. The Board carried on. They now had grand buildings and shop fronts and staff and . . . bills. They needed a plan. The chairman, the first apprentice to the Son had an Idea! “We once replaced emerald with glass; we can do that again!” We will replace glass and rhinestone with plastic he told them. “We can mass produce!” We won’t need all these shops and we can produce thousands an hour. The Board agreed as it was AUTUMN 2012 • 17

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The Stained Glass of New York’s Tompkins Memorial Chapel Photography by Christopher L. Hodapp

ocated on the grounds of New York’s Masonic Home in Utica, New York, the Tompkins Memorial Chapel was built in 1911 in memory of Most Worshipful Daniel D. Tompkins, Grand Master in 1820, Governor of the state in 1807, and twice elected Vice President of the United States beginning in 1816. It contains some of the most beautiful Masonic stained glass in the world.

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HISTORY

THE HANDSHAKE by JOI GRIEG

ach of us choose to research a topic based on interests or, in this case, serendipity. One of my favorite things to do is to go through old cemeteries and read the gravestones. When I was in Greece for my 25th anniversary, we went to Kerameikos, one of the oldest cemeteries in the world. It goes back to the third millennium BCE with tombs dating from the Early Bronze Age (2500-2000 BCE).though the 6th Century CE. As we were walking through the museum, I found myself transfixed by a Greek funeral stone or stele of a youth and older man shaking hands in a very special way. The sign by it said it was a dexiosis or right-handed handshake from around 400 BCE. As I moved around the room, I found another one with a woman being grasped by her arm with a sign indicating it was to welcome her into the afterlife by her ancestors or the Gods using a right handclasp. Hmmm… I’d never really thought about handshakes. How long have they been used? What sacred meanings have they had? How do these relate to freemasonry? And what might they mean to each of us? I am not the first or the last that was or will be intrigued by this topic. In Albert Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, there is a discussion of the hand and hand signs. Mackey states, “In Freemasonry, the hand as a symbol holds a high place...The same symbol is found in the most ancient religions and some of their analogies to Masonic symbolism are peculiar.” Mackey revealingly says that the hand is deemed important “as that symbol of mystical intelligence by which one Mason knows another in the dark as well as in the light.”1 He goes on to discuss the use of the hand in such ancient Mystery Religions as Mithraism and in worship of the Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian Gods. I found a significant amount of research by Mormons on this topic. If you weren’t aware, the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Jr., became a Mason early in his life and there is some commonality in Mormon temple worship in their use of robes, aprons, handshakes and raising/positioning of arms. Mormon scholar Todd M. Compton, of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, wrote about his interest in this topic exceedingly well and ties it to initiation: Though its “secular” use — as a widespread token of recognition, friendship, and agreement — is obvious,7 it was also co-opted by the mystery religions for use as an emblem for many things: Love, initiation, arrival, salvation, union with the god, apotheosis. …, we may conjecture that a handclasp as token …took place as part of the initiate’s union with the god at Eleusis.2 Scholars agree that handshakes pre-date preserved written

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history or art. That’s pretty intuitive as it’s easy to think about the use of the hand and hands grasping another’s hand for assisting each other as well as in love or in anger. The earliest recorded history of handshaking appears to go back to ancient Egypt where a hieroglyphic shows an extended hand that some say represents the verb “to give” from 2800 BCE. In the pro-Canaanite origins of Hebrew called ketav ivri, the original pictograph for the letter yod was an extended hand. The timing for this is about 1800 BCE. About this same time in history, the “Investiture Panel,” an ancient Mesopotamian figural wall painting shows how the kings got power in ancient Babylon. This pictoral work shows a creation scene and garden of Eden-like myth as well as this handshake. The ritual is known as the Enuma Elish or “When on high” where, in part, the king grasps the hand of the god Marduk statue to ensure his authorities are transferred for the coming year. In viewing this work, you may also note that the king’s left hand is extended to receive these insignia while his right hand is raised in a gesture of oathmaking. In the Old Testament, handshakes are mentioned as well in Psalms, Isaiah, and other books. The handclasp between God and man generally means being raised into eternal life, becoming part of a divine council, an elevation to a role, receipt of divine aid or some combination of these. Plutarch, a Greek historian and essayist (46-120 CE) in Moralia, talked about the role of the handshake among the Pythagoreans as a symbol of love, brotherhood, and reconciliation. “We should pattern ourselves after the Pythagoreans…(who) never let the sun go down before they joined right hands, embraced each other, and were reconciled,” wrote Plutarch.3 In the Roman world, the right hand was sacred to Fides, the deity of fidelity. Worshippers of Mithras, centered in Rome, had a complex system of seven grades of initiation. Initiates called themselves syndexioi, those “united by the handshake” or “joined by the right hand.” The followers of Mani (216 – 275 or 277 CE), called Manicheans use the handclasp, or kusta as symbolizing “pulling each other out of the darkness and into the light”. Many comment that the handclasp in Sufi initiation is “extending a saving hand to a drowning man.” It isn’t until we move into the Middle Ages or with migratory tribes like the Bedouin that the use of a handshake as a safety check for weapons is mentioned. When two strangers would meet, each would extend their right hands, grasping the other’s hand to demonstrate that they did not possess concealed weapons. The shaking motion was an attempt to dislodge any fatal weaponry that may be lurking ominously up the sleeves. The handshake effectively became short hand for ‘I promise I’m not about to violently stab you to your untimely and bloody death’.

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The handshake is not limited to the traditional Western and Near Eastern histories. The Hopi, the indigenous tribe here in North America, feature the handshake in their mythology. After some meetings with the foreign visitors, the Hopi were told in the prophecies that we should try to remind all the people that would come here of the sacredness of all things. If we could do that, then there would be peace on earth. But if we did not do that, if we had not come together as a human family, the Great Spirit would grab the earth with His hand and shake it. If the Great Spirit had to, it would come again a Second and then a Third with increasing intensity of handshakes. The Hopi also talk of the nakwách, an ancient symbol of brotherhood and the use of a handshake as a requirement to enter the fifth world.from the fourth world that we’re in now. It is important to point out that in some cultures, men and women can’t shake hands (Orthodox Jewry) or that it is considered inappropriate in others to touch outside of close personal relationships.

“I

In the academic world, research on handshakes continues. This August, a doctoral student (at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics) in the Netherlands released a paper on handholding among chimps. Apparently, among some groups, furpicking between chimps is accompanied by above-the-head handholding. One chimp will grasp the other’s hand and raise their linked hands toward the sky. Specific findings included, “The fact that the behavior is long-lasting and appears to be passed down through generations suggests that the handshakes may be a rudimentary form of culture.”5 There was a neuroscience research announcement this month (October 19, 2012 and it will appear in the December issue of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience) that confirms the power of proffering their hand in greeting and a handshake with strangers to form a better impression. “It’s not just any handshake that leads to positive feelings, but a particular way of shaking hands, such as a firm, confident, yet friendly handshake, as is often promoted as good business practice.”6 Before encountering the Greek funeral stones and this research, I’d never really thought about how I felt about hand-

n the Old Testament, handshakes are mentioned as well in Psalms, Isaiah, and other books.”

Over time and in multiple cultures, the right hand was reserved for eating, touching, and use for handshaking. Particularly, for men, shaking of right hands was a sign of quality, respect and accord. Among and with women, it was during the 19th Century in England that the practice of handshaking became more widespread. The Victorians were uncomfortable with the kissing that had been common, even between men and women publicly. In some groups, such as Orthodox Jews, touching between men and women is inappropriate so handshaking is not practiced. The left hand, in a number of cultures, was reserved for duties such as the toilet and, in some views, was seen as evil. An exception is with Boy Scouts. The first explanation I heard was it was the hand closest to the heart and, because of that, is offered as a token of friendship. Robert Baden-Powell, who founded the Boy Scouts, had this story attributed to him when he was a soldier after a battle with Ashanti leader, Prempeh in Africa in 1895, as he, “…encountered Prempeh after a battle and greeted him with his right hand. The chieftain offered his left hands and said: “In our land only the bravest of the brave shake hands with the left hand, because to do so we must drop our shields and protection.”4

shakes, much less the use of the terms handclaspand grip. Two hands grasped together are a symbol seen in jewelry as a charm and on Masonic pins. What is it that has made this such a powerful symbol? For me, there have been many handshakes that are memorable such as graduating, being congratulated, making a sale, agreeing on a car price or getting my first mortgage. As a child, I remember secret club handshakes and developing ‘routines’ of fancy handshakes done with friends. At college, I recall seeing fraternity brothers greeting each other with a special handshake. When I asked about it, I was told it was secret. Since I didn’t join a sorority, I don’t know if they have a similar handshake. From a Freemasonry perspective, grips are related to each degree. From this usage of grips, the phrase, “Get a grip” is attributed. They are said to go back to operative times where handshake use was the way to validate their level as a stone mason – apprentice, craftman, or master. It was said to be a secret so that imposters couldn’t come in and do inferior work. As masonry moved from operative to speculative, the use continues. Clearly, handshakes, handclasps, and grips have long been with us and have significance from antiquity through their presAUTUMN 2012 • 23

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ent use. Perhaps this article will provide additional light and an opportunity for each of us to reflect on them and their symbolism and usage within Freemasonry today. Joi Grieg is a Past President and the current Chaplain of the Maryland Masonic Research Society. This article was presented there on December 8, 2012.

ENDNOTES

1. An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and its Kindred Sci-

ences by Albert G. Mackey, Google eBook, 1917, p. 373 retrieved January 1, 2013 and available at https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=A2Z MSStxzW8C&rdid=book-A2ZMSStxzW8C&rdot=1

Chapter 27: The Handclasp and Embrace as Tokens of Recognition by: Todd M. Compton in By Study and Also by Faith: Volume 1 by John M. Lundquist, and Stephen D. Ricks, Deseret Book Company, 1990 available as an e-book retrieved January 1, 2013 and available at http://maxwellinstitute.byu. edu/publications/books/?bookid=108&chapid=1249

3. Quoted in above article. 4. “Who do Scouts use the left hand?” in wikianswers

retrieved January 1, 2013 at http://wiki.answers. com/Q/Why_do_Scouts_use_the_left_handshake.

ADVERTISEMENT 5. “Chimp ‘Secret

Handshakes’ May Be Cultural” by Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience e-journal of August 28, 2012 retrieved January 1, 2013 and available at http://www.livescience.com/22765chimp-handshakes-grooming-cultural.html.

6. “Science Reveals the Power of a Handshake” by Steve McGoughey, Beckman Institute Website, October 19, 2012retrieved January 1, 2013 and available at http:// beckman.illinois.edu/news/2012/10/dolcoshandshake.

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HISTORY

Knights of the Square and Compasses by Jason L. Mair Soon after her inception, Freemasonry became attached to the romanticism that had surrounded knighthood and the orders of chivalry. This becomes self-evident as one looks into the various Rites that build off of and continue the traditions, philosophies, and teachings of the Craft Degrees. The York Rite has the Orders of the Commandery; the Scottish Rite has such degrees as Knight of the East, Knight of the East & West, Knight Rose Croix, Scottish Knight of Saint Andrew, and others; the Swedish Rite has the degrees of Knight of the East, Knight of the West, and Knight Commander of the Red Cross; and many other defunct, irregular, and unrecognized degrees and orders relate to the fascination that Masons have with knighthood. Somewhere along the line in Speculative Masonry’s formative years, chivalry entered the Order and has maintained that relationship ever since. The Beginnings of Knighthood Knights emerged during the early medieval period as mounted soldiers in the service of the various petty-kings throughout Europe. As these kings grew more powerful, acquired more lands, and needed more soldiers, the knight eventually

The siege of Acre

omehow, being a Knight, a mounted soldier, was the new in thing during the Medieval Era.

became the elite soldier of the Middle Ages, and with their existence becoming a necessity these elite soldiers they became members of the minor nobility. As this necessity increased, Kings and the Church would create groups of knights into different Orders to either take advantage of their fighting prowess or to recognize them for some deed or loyalty to the Crown. The idea of Orders of Knighthood originated during the Crusades. The Order of Hospitallers and the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, or Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar respectively, were the first Orders of Knighthood to form. These orders had formed to protect pilgrims journeying to and in the Holy Lands; they were joined later by the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, or Teutonic Knights. These three orders of Knighthood would set a precedence around the world of what was expected of a knight; valor in battle, courage in the face of unbeatable odds, service to church, and so many more.

Eventually, as the popularity of Orders of Knighthood grew, everyone wanted to be knight. Knighthood wasn’t limited to the mounted soldiers of an army of a given King, Duke, Earl, or Baron, now those same Kings, Dukes, Earls, and Barons wanted to be Knights. The Most Noble Order of the Garter is probably the best known Order of Chivalry in existence. The Garter was formed in 1348 by Edward III, King of England as he was trying to press his claim to the French Throne. One of the legendary origins of the Order place it during a court ball in Calais. During the Ball, the “Countess of Salisbury’s” garter had fallen off and many of the courtiers began to laugh. King Edward picked up the garter and as he did so supposedly said, “Honi soit qui mal y pense (Shamed be the person who thinks evil of it).” This phrase would become the motto of the order during its formation. Membership in the order is limited to the Sovereign, Prince of Wales, and no more than twenty-four members, or companions. This era was the beginning of Chivalric Orders of AUTUMN 2012 • 25

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Knighthood; The Order of Saint George, Order of the Band, and the Order of the Star to only name a few. The age of Chivalry was born. We now find the knights fitting that paradigm of Knighthood that we all picture; shining armor, the Knighterrant, and courtly love.2 Knighthood Enters Freemasonry The Nobility had a pension for joining and creating systems that were seemingly beneath their status. As already discussed and for reasons unknown to us, they felt compelled to knight themselves and go on to create the most prestigious orders for themselves. Somehow, being a Knight, a mounted soldier, was the new in thing during the Medieval Era. As time moved on, and the Enlightenment Era began in earnest, the nobility found a new organization to join and influence, Free and Accepted Masonry. Every now and again, Masonry found itself with a noble Patron, King James VI of Scotland, James I of England, was, according to the oldest existing record of the Lodge, called “The Mutual Agreement” of December 24th, 1658 records that James was “entered a Freemason and Fellowcraft of the

to employ themselves in bringing back their architecture to its first institution…This sacred promise was therefore not an execrable oath, as it has been called, but a respectable bond to unite Christians of all nationalities in one confraternity. Sometime afterwards our Order formed an intimate union with the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem. “The Kings, princes, and lords returned from Palestine to their own lands and there established divers Lodges.”4 The Chevalier would argue that our order, as constituted today, is the brainchild of crusading knights returning from the Holy Lands with secrets they had found supposedly written by King Solomon himself. Most Masonic scholars would agree that this oration was the formative point for the entrance of knightly degrees in our order, the knighthoods bestowed by the Scottish and York Rites, as well as many of the now defunct bodies and organizations that were springing up in the last half of the 18th century. Ramsay’s oration had multiple effects though, not only did it start a craze of degree formations, each dubbing the candidate as a Knight or Prince of some place, person, or

t was in the 1730’s that the nobility began to flock to the Masonic lodges.

Lodge of Scoon” on April 15th, 1601.3 However, up until the 1730’s Masonry continued to be primarily an operative art with encroaching speculative ideas and philosophies being snuck into the ceremonies from such individuals as Elias Ashmole and John Theophilus Desaguliers, to whom much of the creation of the Third Degree is credited. It was in the 1730’s that the nobility began to flock to the Masonic lodges. There are a myriad of possibilities why, one could be the distinguished pedigree that Masonry had assumed after an Oration by one, The Chevalier Andrew Michael Ramsay: “Our ancestors, the Crusaders, gathered together from all parts of Christendom in the Holy Land, desired thus to reunite into one sole Fraternity the individuals of all nations. “They [our founders] were not only skilful architects, desirous of consecrating their talents and goods to the construction of material temples; but also religious and warrior princes who designed to enlighten, edify, and protect the living Temples of the Most High. “At the time of the Crusades in Palestine many princes, lords, and citizens associated themselves, and vowed to restore the Temple of the Christians in the Holy Land, and 26 • AUTUMN 2012

thing. But it also broadened the appeal of Masonry, and might have been used to broaden Jacobite sympathies on the continent and among Masons, whom were more and more likely to be members of the nobility. In 1721 the Duke of Montagu became the Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England, from that point forward, until the Articles of Union joined the Premier and Antient Grand Lodges; there was a member of the nobility holding the Grand Mastership of that Grand Lodge. Quickly after the official formation of the Antient Grand Lodge, the 1st Earl of Blessington became the Grand Master in 1756, that position was held by members of the nobility until the union of the two Grand Lodges in 1813. The United Grand Lodge of England, since its inception has had a member of the Royal House as its Grand Master, continuing today with Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. Other Grand Lodges that would form across the European continent would claim the nobility and royalty of those countries as members as well. Frederick V of Denmark and Norway was probably entered sometime in 1744 while the Crown Prince and established the first Masonic Lodge in Norway in 1749 while King. Frederick the Great of Prussia, close friend of Frederick V, was initiated in 1738 and was a long time friend and patron of the Royal Art, who

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according to accounts, perhaps spuriously, was the author of the “Grand Constitution of the Thirty-Third Degree.” Napoleon in France was a long-time fan of the organization, there is no definitive proof that he was ever made a Mason but many in his family and court were, as well he was at time referred to as the “Protector” of the craft. This is just a short list of many who would be considered Imperial, Royal, and Noble who had positive influences on and in Freemasonry. As more members of the noble classes joined Masonry, they too brought with them customs and traditions of prestige, one of these being Chivalry and its myriad of accoutrements, pomp, and circumstance. Chivalry in the Craft There are a few vestiges that remain in Craft Masonry of this deep relationship between Chivalry and Masonry. When each brother is presented with his Apron it is impressed upon his mind the importance of this investiture by comparing it to the investiture of Knighthood in various Orders of Chivalry. The Collars and Jewels worn by each officer are reminiscent of the same collars and jewels by members of these orders of Chivalry. The newest Entered Apprentice of every lodge is presented with his apron, that vestige which connects us to our ancient, operative brethren. During this humble presentation, as we all know, this new brother is reminded of the tremendous symbol that the Apron is, “more ancient than the Golden Fleece or the Roman Eagle, more honourable than the Star and Garter, or any other order that may be conferred upon you...” As that lecture goes on, as the Rite of Destitution takes place, and so on, it is easy, and understandable, that the new brother easily overlooks this sentence. But this sentence potentially hints to our noble beginning as a Speculative Craft.5 When looking at this sentence we initially assume that the Golden Fleece and the Roman Eagle mentioned are exactly that, the Golden Fleece of Argonaut fame and the Roman Eagle which civilized much of what we would now call the Western World. We can deduce from the sentence, as a whole, that this assumption is wrong however, “or any other order that may be conferred upon you...” is not only speaking of the Star and Garter, but also the Orders of the Golden Fleece and the Roman Eagle. The Order of the Golden Fleece was an order of knighthood that originated on January 10th, 1429, to commemorate the marriage of Phillip III, Duke of Burgundy and the Netherlands to Princess Isabella of Portugal. The Golden Fleece was chosen as the namesake and jewel of the order for the fact that wool was a major commodity in Burgundy. The Roman Eagle was always a symbol of the Roman Empire, from its dawn before the Christian era through the generations into the Holy Roman Empire which covered much of the Germanic and Frankish States. The Holy Roman Empire used for its Imperial Arms the black eagle on a golden shield which eventually morphed into a Double Headed Eagle and its many renditions of official Arms, a symbol which the brethren of the Scottish Rite will most likely recognize. On January 17th,

Philip the Good

1701 the Order of the Black Eagle was formed to celebrate the crowning of Friedrich I, King in Prussia. Prussia at the time was still a member state of the Holy Roman Empire, which is why Friedrich’s title was “King in Prussia” and not “King of Prussia,” this small, but significant, title was ordered by Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. It is completely possible, and more than likely, that the mention of the Golden Fleece and Roman Eagle were in reference to these orders, not the Golden Fleece of Greek myth or the Roman Eagle which collapsed in 476 to Germanic Barbarians. The Order of the Star was the premier order of Chivalry in France, formed in 1351, by King John II of France in imitation of the Noble Order of the Garter. This statement in the Apron Lecture is a direct reference to these Orders of Chivalry. Every brother’s Apron is a hint of our Chivalric ancestry.6 Along with the Apron, another piece of regalia that connects us to our Chivalric kin is the Collar and Jewels that the officers of each Lodge wear. The Orders of Chivalry throughout Europe, over time, adopted collars to display the ornaments of their order, a ram for the Burgundy’s Order of the Golden Fleece, an elephant for the Danish Order of the Elephant, and so on. This custom began with Philip III, Duke of Burgundy who gave his knights of the newly formed Order of the Golden Fleece. Eventually most Orders across Europe would adopt these collars. Each collar was designed to specifically reflect the individuality of these orders; the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece was made up of flints, steels, and sparks from which hung a golden ram, the collar of the French Order of St. Michael was made of joined scallop shells from which hung a depiction of the Saint.7 Today, Masons share in this rich tradition. Most Lodges across the world use some type of cordon or collar to hang the jewels of the officers from. Every Grand Lodge in the United States use golden collars and jewels to reflect their Chivalric AUTUMN 2012 • 27

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heritage. A common collar that can be found is made of links that reflect the symbology of the Craft: the All-Seeing Eye, the Beehive, the 47th Problem of Euclid, the Square and Compasses, the Trowel, to name a few. Hanging from these collars are the jewels of each officer. Early prints show Masons in lodge or lodge events wearing a cordon with a jewel of their office, it isn’t until the nobility arrive in Europe that the “Chivalric” collars become more commonplace. These are only a few of the many minute “evidences” that exist within the blue lodge of the Chivalric heritage that Masonry carries.

is placed. Suspended in the East of all regular and well governed lodges (in North America) is the letter “G,” an allusion to the name of deity before whom all created beings should bow. When the wisdom of men faileth, an infinite supply can be obtained through supplication to Divine Providence. Through the three

William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) “Charity” (1878) Collar (Order of Knighthood)

The Importance of our Chivalric Heritage Today It is what evidences that can’t be seen however, that make this lineage important to the modern Freemason. Just as one does not have to don an Apron at all times to be considered a Mason, or to act as a Mason, one does not have to be dubbed a knight of an order to act chivalrous and knightly. Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, established twelve chivalric values for his Order of the Golden Fleece. These virtues are: faith, charity, justice, sagacity, prudence, temperance, resolution, truth, liberality, diligence, hope, and valour. Throughout the three degrees of the Blue Lodge specifically, as well as the degrees of the various Rites, we find these same virtues inculcated around our sacred altars.8 Faith: Remember in whom you put your trust in times of doubt and darkness? The first words spoken by a new brother when he enters a Lodge are an affirmation of his faith. Before entering upon any great or important undertaking we first invoke the blessing of deity, it is upon Him that our confidence 28 • AUTUMN 2012

degrees of the Blue Lodge we are constantly reminded of the need of Faith in our lives. Charity: This charity is the Charity that is long suffering and is not puffed up, that which extends its hand to help a fallen brother and aid in his reformation. “And now abideth Faith, Hope and Charity, these three; but the greatest of these is Charity.” (1 Cor. 13:13 KJV) or “Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:3 KJV) This is Masonic Charity; this is Chivalric Charity, to open one’s heart and give, not of temporal necessities or even our body to save another, but rather a giving of our entire heart, to do the best for another, so far as we are capable, without want of return. Justice: Justice is one of four Cardinal Virtues of the craft which is inculcated in the lecture of the First Degree. It is associated with one of four perfect points of entrance; pedal. It refers to feet planted and body upright. This Cardinal Virtue is referenced with the Cardinal Direction, North, or Darkness. Remember that Justice is blind, it is objective and impartial, it is the hope that the Brother will act justly towards himself, his brethren, and the world. Sagacity: One of our three pillars of the Lodge is the

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Pillar of Wisdom which the Worshipful Master of each lodge represents. He in turn is a representation of our first Grand Master, King Solomon of Israel. We are told in scripture, “Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman and Chalcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about.” (1 Kgs 4:29-31 KJV) Wisdom is found in the East for the East is the fountain of Light, Knowledge, and Truth. It is Wisdom that should govern the Lodge, should govern the actions of every Mason. Prudence: Another one of our Cardinal Virtues, Prudence is the coupling of Reason with Wisdom. Prudence is the virtue that should direct our Wisdom in all of our actions. Prudence is our commitment, as Masons, of how to

“P

act. We should be circumspect in all of our actions, cautious that what we are doing is both reasonable and wise, not governed by the dictates of passion and emotion. Temperance: Again, another of our Cardinal Virtues, Temperance is our ability to govern our passions. As each Entered Apprentice knows we came to the doors of the lodge “To learn to subdue [our] passions...” Temperance is our ability to be unyielding to our appetites, which, if we were not able to constrain these appetites we would lose our ability to use reason and justice to govern our lives. Remember that it is the work of the Entered Apprentice to subdue each passion. This is the first step in improving ourselves in Masonry, Temperance is the ability to smooth the rough stones of our nature, but keep them smooth. Resolution: To be resolute is to be determined in the

rudence is the virtue that should direct our Wisdom in all of our actions. Prudence is our commitment, as Masons, of how to act.”

“Virtues Fighting Vices”

course of action that we have chosen to follow. Our twelve brethren, who reflected with horror on the atrocity of their potential crime, had made a resolution to be true to the dictates of the silent monitor within, and to their obligations. Even with the penalty of death hanging over their heads they were resolute in scouring the countryside for the ruffians. Even in the face of defeat these brethren were determined to give their lives to pay for the crime of their co-conspirators. We at all times will find ourselves in the place of these twelve craftsmen, will we, like them, have the resolution to be a true Mason? Truth: Truth is the third of the Principle Tenets of our Order: Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. This truth is sincerity and honesty in our dealings with our fellow man; it is the opposite of deceit and insincerity. With this meaning in mind, Truth is the foundation of all other virtues, for no action done in the name of these virtues would be such if it was not done with sincerity and honesty, without truth these virtues are nothing more that selfish and deceitful pretense. Moving from this truth to the search of Absolute Truth with which we have all be given the charge to quest after. To find the Lost Word, of which we only have the substitute, is the hope of all Masons. The Lost Word is unchanging; it is the fount of all Truths. Liberality: It is incumbent upon all men, more especially the household of the faithful to govern themselves with a spirit AUTUMN 2012 • 29

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of liberality. This may take many different forms, but they are all vestiges of one principle. We must remember standing before the Worshipful Master entirely destitute of material possession; it is there that the lesson of unselfish giving is taught, an aspect of liberality. But more so than this is the willingness to allow each brother the opportunity to believe and think as they would like, and that same liberality is extended to oneself as well. This liberality is what formed the exclusion of religious and political discussion from occurring in a Lodge Room, it allows each brother to come together who might have remained at a perpetual distance. Diligence: Once we have made our resolution to face whatever might be in our path, it is diligence that sees it done correctly. Our twelve brethren, having given up hope

“O

Hope: Hope is the second round of that theological ladder which Jacob saw in his dream extending from the Earth to the Heavens. Later, we are shown the symbol of the Anchor and the Ark, the Anchor being our well grounded hope, in the Master Mason degree. Hope is the emotional state that we use to see the silver lining of each storm cloud, to see the bright tomorrow when everything today seems to dark and ominous. Hope is always the antithesis of despair; we are reminded of our eternal hope by the Sprig of Acacia, that emblem of our belief in the immortality of the soul. Valour: Our ancient Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, is the epitome of Masonic Valour. In the undeniable face of imminent danger, he stood boldly against his attackers, his dying breath confirming that his indomitable spirit would never cringe to

ur ancient Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, is the epitome of Masonic Valour. In the undeniable face of imminent danger, he stood boldly against his attackers, his dying breath confirming that his indomitable spirit would never cringe to the safety of cowardice.”

that they would find the ruffians had decided to return to the temple, hoping that someone else had found the murderous craftsmen. They could have returned immediately to the temple, resolute to their awaiting fate. But, they chose to be diligent in the errand upon which they had been sent, to find the missing ruffians. As they made their way back to the temple, they chose to search the countryside in which they travelled, it is now that they were rewarded for the efforts, rewarded for their diligence. As these brethren were, we must ask ourselves if we will be diligent in our resolve. We have made our course we must now see it through to the end. 30 • AUTUMN 2012

the safety of cowardice. He never broke his covenant, made with Solomon, Hiram, King of Tyre, and himself, even with an instrument of death held against his skull. It is because of this courage that the Sprig of Acacia was laid upon his unceremoniously dug grave, that in his valour to keep his obligation, he had won a seat in the Celestial Grand Lodge Above. It is in our valour, in our courage to stand up for that which is right, even against innumerable odds, that our petition for that magnificent Grand Lodge above is signed. Whether or not the nobility of the 17th and 18th centuries influenced Freemasonry openly; or the Craft adopted

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vestiges of their Chivalric Orders freely will never be known, and to say that they did is speculation at best and spurious at worst. What is certain however is that the Craft can be considered one of the few places left in the world that encourages men to be Chivalrous in an era where scornfulness and selfishness are common place, teaches men to be Knightly in the place of cowardice and incivility. We are the Knights of the Square and Compasses. Jason L. Mair is a Past Master of Canyon Lodge No. 13 in Midvale, Utah. Works Cited: Dean & Canons of Windsor. The Most Noble Order of the Garter. http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/about-st-georges/ history/the-order-of-the-garter.html (accessed December 30, 2012).

Mackey, Albert G., and Robert I. Clegg. “Ramsay, Andrew Michael.” In Mackey’s Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, by Albert G. Mackey and Robert I. Clegg, 829-832. Richmond: Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., Inc., 1966.

Mackey, Albert G., and Robert I. Clegg. “Apron Lecture.” In Mackey’s Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, by Albert G. Mackey and Robert I. Clegg, 96-97. Richmond: Macoy Publishing adn Masonic Supply Co., Inc., 1966. 4

Wells, John W. “Presentation of the Masonic Apron.” The Builder Magazine, October 1915. 5

Collar (Order of Knighthood). December 24, 2012. http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar_(Order_of_Knighthood) (accessed January 1, 2013).

British Broadcasting Corporation. Chivalry. February 10, 2003. http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/south/series2/chivalry. shtml (accessed December 30, 2012). 7

A.M., Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. &. James VI of Scotland. November 29, 2002. http://freemasonry. bcy.ca/biography/james_vi/james_vi.html (accessed December 28, 2012). Mackey, Albert G., and Robert I. Clegg. “Ramsay, Andrew Michael.” In Mackey’s Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, by Albert G. Mackey and Robert I. Clegg, 829-832. Richmond: Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., Inc., 1966. Mackey, Albert G., and Robert I. Clegg. “Apron Lecture.” In Mackey’s Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, by Albert G. Mackey and Robert I. Clegg, 96-97. Richmond: Macoy Publishing adn Masonic Supply Co., Inc., 1966. Wells, John W. “Presentation of the Masonic Apron.” The Builder Magazine, October 1915. Collar (Order of Knighthood). December 24, 2012. http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar_(Order_of_Knighthood) (accessed January 1, 2013). British Broadcasting Corporation. Chivalry. February 10, 2003. http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/south/series2/chivalry.shtml (accessed December 30, 2012). Endnotes Dean & Canons of Windsor. The Most Noble Order of the Garter. http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/about-st-georges/ history/the-order-of-the-garter.html (accessed December 30, 2012).

A.M., Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. &. James VI of Scotland. November 29, 2002. http://freemasonry. bcy.ca/biography/james_vi/james_vi.html (accessed December 28, 2012).

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THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

Observing the Craft has captured the interest of brethren in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. It is being bought by lodges for their ofﬁcer lines, for every new member raised, and used as a curriculum for Masonic study groups and book clubs. It has received positive reviews from every major Masonic publication in the English-speaking world. It has been called ‘the most intellectually provocative Masonic book written in the last 150 years’, and ‘the single most important book on contemporary Masonry’.

“Observing the Craft is a must read for those men who value Craft Masonry and are seeking to restore its greatness.” –M:. W:. John “Bo” Cline President, The Masonic Society

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Paperback 161 pp. $15.99 / £9.99 / $16.99 CDN

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THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

The Royal Art, A Way of Life...

...An introduction to ritual thinking. Practicing the Craft is a lifetime commitment to the noble tenets of the Fraternity. Eleven years of jewelry making have taught us that Freemasons are a genuine breed of people who try their best to live up to these ideals. We at The Master's Jewel strive to create items to celebrate that commitment. In the same spirit, we practice the crafting of precious metals, infusing these designs with the energy, quality, and purity of Freemasonry. The New Classic Signet Ring. A solid, classy straight-forward ring that will stand out as a quality piece of jewelry. Designed in the style of an vintage Masonic ring, with a original shape and solid back design, creating a sculpted octagonal form that frames the crest of the Square and Compass.

The Renaissance Jewel. A very large, 4" tall jewel created to evoke the Renaissance of Freemasonry.

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THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY

FROM THE EDITOR

Thank You

by Christopher L. Hodapp, fms It’s been quite a ride. When we started the Masonic Society five years ago, I never expected it to be as successful as it has been. Not that I didn’t have confidence in the team we assembled at Masonic Week that year, but anyone who has had the notion of going into any business had better be aware of the failure rate facing them. What we had was a vision of starting a society of friends and brothers who would enjoy each other’s company, meet maybe a couple of times a year, and put out a magazine that looked like none other in the Masonic world. Like some kind of dummy, I volunteered for that job, knowing absolutely nothing about the magazine publishing world, having never dealt with a printer before, and having zero experience with the software required for doing such a daft thing. I was fortunate to have the assistance of brethren like Jay Hochberg to help with gathering articles and Shawn Eyre to assist with editing chores, but there’s no question that I was out of my comfort zone. Fortunately, from the very start, our authors understood what we were trying to achieve, and provided the very best articles in the Masonic universe. From Issue #1, we set the bar higher for everybody publishing Masonic magazines. The goal was to publish a magazine that would contain one or two articles that any Mason would want to read, on history, ritual, customs, lodge mechanics, and even throw in the occasional fiction and poetry, along with photography and artwork that no one else was publishing. I think we succeeded. The training wheels are off, and we have established ourselves as a quality magazine, as well as a society that any Mason would enjoy. With our semiannual meetings and speakers, and with exciting undertakings like this September’s Quarry Project, we have achieved a status in a short span of time that all of our members can be proud of and that other research societies are envious of. As of the next issue of the Journal, I am handing the editorial reins over to a new team. As many of you know, I have had some health issues over the last two years that have resulted, among other things, in the magazine landing with a thud on your doorstep several months late. That’s not good customer service, and it’s the one major area of improvement we need to accomplish. That’s no one’s fault but mine. So, beginning with the next issue, Brothers Mike Halleran and John Bridegroom will be in charge of bringing you the magazine, and I am confident they will keep up the same level of quality you have become accustomed to. Michael is the talented author of The Better Angels of Our Nature, a thoroughly researched and fascinating study of Freemasonry during the American Civil War, as well as

the Brother Brother stories that have appeared in the Scottish Rite (SJ) Journal. He is an attorney and the Grand Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Kansas. He will bring scholarship and humor to the job, and I look forward to his editorial leadership as your new Editor in Chief. John Bridegroom is an Indiana brother, a Past Master, a former Shrine Potentate, and a talented artist. He has designed everything from Masonic jewels to the Masonic Society official tie, along with many of our print pieces and brochures. He has an extensive background in the art and print side of things, and I don’t believe we could be in better hands on the art directing side. He will take the look and feel of the Journal to the next level. Brother Jay Hochberg will continue as the gatekeeper of articles, and I cannot stress how important he has been to me in beating the bushes for material over the last five years. And Brother Ken Davis will continue offering his kind assistance on the editorial side. I leave the Journal in very capable hands, and I thank all of you and the Board for allowing me to serve as Editor in Chief. I don’t want to get maudlin, but it has been a true honor. I want to make sure you understand that the Society is strong and has fulfilled what its founders intended—to be the premiere Masonic research society in North America. We have members from around the world, and we continue to grow. Please show your support by stepping up to the plate and trying your hand at writing a research paper, story, poem or article for us. I am the luckiest guy in Freemasonry. I get to travel the country and the world speaking at lodges and grand lodges, and I literally learn something from everywhere I go. I sat in Harmony Lodge No. 67 in Connecticut a couple of years ago, and tried to sneak in and sit in the back. Immediately, two brethren stood up and came over to sit on either side of me. They explained, “In this lodge, no brother ever sits alone.” It’s a lesson I never forgot. In this Society, no brother is alone. We are a band of brethren who have a love of this fraternity and its many avenues. Share your interest and your knowledge by writing an article for the Journal. Cancer is a formidable enemy, even when they tell you you’re going to live. I’m still struggling to get my life back, and it’s been tougher than I thought. I appreciate everyone’s understanding as I slowly improve. And I’ll still be around. I’ll be the guy trying to sit in the back.

AUTUMN 2012 • 35

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