The Journal
Of The Masonic Society
Spring 2009
Masonic Treasures
THE JOURNAL OF THE
MASONIC SOCIETY Editor in Chief Christopher L. Hodapp Phone: 317-842-1103 editor@themasonicsociety.com 1427 W. 86th Street Suite 248 Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 Editorial Committee Jay Hochberg Shawn Eyre Officers Roger S. VanGorden, President Michael R. Poll, 1st Vice President Rex R. Hutchens, 2nd Vice President Ronald D. Martin, Executive Secretary Nathan C. Brindle, Treasurer Christopher L. Hodapp, Editor-in-Chief
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riday the 13th turned out to be a very lucky day this past March. Vincennes Lodge No. 1, the first lodge chartered by the Grand Lodge of Indiana in 1818. It began life in 1809 constituted as Vincennes Lodge No. 15, F. & A.M. under a charter issued by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, before the Indiana Territory gained statehood. The lodge marked its 200th anniversary with a three day celebration. The lodge was temporarily returned to the status of a Kentucky lodge for one day by agreement between the two Grand Masters. Guest speaker S. Brent Morris was on hand to mark the special occasion. Hundreds paraded from the steps of the Knox County courthouse to the lodge, and it was a great day for Freemasonry in Indiana. Vincennes Lodge No. 1 opened its doors and showed the public some of its priceless treasures that are quite unique. The lodge room features a handmade winding staircase for conferring the Fellow Craft degree. And its attic hides a complete, three dimensional labyrinth for conferring the Knights Templar Order of the Temple. (Photos by Christopher Hodapp)
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Directors Robert G. Davis Fred G. Kleyn III Jay Hochberg Mark Tabbert James W. Hogg Ronald Blaisdell James R. Dillman
The Journal of The Masonic Society, Spring 2009 Volume 1, Number 4 Published 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). POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Journal of The Masonic Society, 1427 W. 86th Street, Suite 248, Indianapolis IN 46260-2103 Š 2009 by The Masonic Society, Inc. All rights reserved.
THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY SPRING 2009 Sections
Articles
4 President’s Message
13 Special report:
5
News of the Society
7
Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings
8
Masonic News
The Real Illuminati by Christopher L. Hodapp
20 Did He or Didn’t He? by Jay Hochberg
35 From The Editor
Masonic Treasures 2
Indiana’s Vincennes lodge No. 1
32
The 1904 Temple of Fraternalism
36
19th century Masonic certificate
24 Philosophy and Freemasonry by John Bridegroom
26
A Masonic ceremony of Baptism Edited by Michael Poll
Poetry 34
All In A Day’s Labor by Kevin Noel Olson
COVER: This month’s cover features the “All-Seeing Eye” of the Great Seal of the United States, as depicted in a large bronze bas relief bronze casting set into the sidewalk of Freedom Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington D.C. Photo by Christopher Hodapp.
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THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
“The New Recruit” By Roger S. VanGorden
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Masonic f r i e n d suggested I read the book The New Recruit by Sarah L. Sladek. There are many books available discussing the differences between generations. This book answers those questions in a concise and practical approach. Sladek writes from a professional association point of view but her advice is applicable to Freemasonry. Early in the book Sladek makes a charge which should be a clarion call to us. Sladek writes, “Those that fail to engage the younger generations will age noticeably and eventually become obsolete. If you don’t believe me, visit an association whose membership is largely under the age of fifty, and then visit an association whose membership is largely over the age of fifty.” If we have marketed the Fraternity, we have done so to the traditionalists and baby boomers. We need to start focusing our message toward the younger generations. As for numbers, Sladek points out there are nearly 80 million Generation Yers in the United States. Some characteristics that Sladek identifies which are common to the younger generations; They place a high value on their personal and family time; They are very selective about how they spend their time and who they spend it with; The younger generations have to feel a sense of trust and belonging before joining any organization; and they rely heavily on word of mouth or buzz marketing from friends. Sladek says that many believe that the younger generations are not joiners. They will join if invited. Further, younger generations want a role in an organization’s leadership ranks. They will disengage from those organizations they feel powerless to influence. Technology is important to the younger generations. As the baby boomers watched more television than listened to the radio, the younger generations are on-line more than watching television. Some opportunities to use technology are; social networking sites, webinars, streaming audio, and video, and distance learning. These opportunities are especially appealing to younger generations. 4 • SPRING 2009
Sladek advises, “To engage the participation of the new recruits, associations must find ways to empower them, reward their kind of thinking, and recognize them for their contributions. For example give them the opportunity to lead a committee or oversee a task, then reward them with a certificate or public recognition. Once they do become actively involved, younger generations expect the experience to be a worthwhile, enjoyable experience.” Freemasonry is loaded with opportunities for advancement, recognition, and affirmation. Lodge, Scottish Rite, York Rite, and the Shriners afford opportunities for leadership and committee work. Then look at the many opportunities for recognition and affirmation available through honorary organizations. The York Rite offers Knight Masons, Allied Masonic Degrees, York Rite College, KYCH, and Knight Templar Priests to name a few. We offer opportunities for a young man to become immediately involved in something fun, fulfilling, and which he can learn valuable skills. There is one thing we must stop doing. We must stop touting the charities as a means of making ourselves palatable to the public. Young men are not going to join Freemasonry to hawk charities. Why is it every time we read a news report the lodge master or other Mason starts talking about our charities? Freemasonry is not a charity. We will not increase membership by pushing charity work. Sladek had this to say about the Jaycees, “The Jaycees experienced the greatest amount of growth between the 1940s and 1970s. Membership has declined since 2000, partly due to the fact that Jaycees strayed from their original mission of leadership development to focus on community service initiatives.” If we want to entice men to join Freemasonry we need to talk about the things which interest them. The younger generations want career-building opportunities, networking opportunities, to build relationships, and exchange ideas and information. Benefits we offer are leadership skills development, public speaking training, interpersonal skills development, networking, and relationship building skills. Add to those, the benefits of the spiritual and introspective aspects of our Fraternity. These benefits are what the younger generations value. Sladek closes her book by saying, “If you can bring value to younger members, they will never question whether a membership is a worthwhile investment, and they will refer your organization to their peers.”
Sladek, Sarah L. The New Recruit. Andover, MN: Expert Publishing, Inc. 2007.
THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY
News of the Society
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he Masonic Society’s 2009 First Circle SemiAnnual Meeting will take place on October 24th in Indianapolis, Indiana, and will be held in Indiana Freemasons’ Hall, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this June. Hotel rooms will be available in the nearby Indianapolis Hilton Garden Hotel, and a banquet is planned for Saturday evening at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. Indianapolis has a proud Masonic history, culturally and architecturally, and there will be a variety of programs and tours to enjoy. Mark your calendar now, and watch for details on the Masonic Society members’ forum.
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ake the opportunity to meet up and visit with Masonic Society members! Several are speaking across the country over the next few months: • May 27th, 2009 S. Brent Morris will speak at the Masonic Lodge of Research on Wednesday, May 27th, at the New Haven Masonic Temple, 285 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT • May 29-30th, 2009, several of our members will present papers at the 2nd International Conference on the History of Freemasonry in Edinburgh, Scotland. Adam Kendall will present “Klad in White Hoods and Aprons: The K.K.K. and the Infiltration of California Freemasonry”; Mark Tabbert will present “Prince Hall, African Lodge # 459 and the American Masonic Landscape of the 1770-80s”; John Belton will be presenting (with Bob Cooper) “Scotland’s Masons - membership and occupations of freemasons 1800-2000” • June 19th, 2009 Chris Hodapp will speak to the South Dakota Lodge of Research, which meets in conjunction with the Grand Lodge of South Dakota’s annual communication. • September 9, 2009 Rashied Sharrieff-Al-Bey of Cornerstone Lodge No. 37, MWPHGLNY, will speak on the “Hidden Work of our Gentle Craft” at Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, New Jersey. TMS members, please remember to send notices of your events, speakers, conferences, and other announcements to Jay Hochberg at euclid47@earthlink.net
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ichael Poll, our 1st Vice President, has been named as the 2009 Maine Lodge of Research Fellow. According to Ed King, the Maine Lodge of Research picks
only one Fellow each year—and sometimes none—so the group is small indeed and includes Masonic scholars Harry Carr, Alphonse Cerza, Ray Wells, Dwight Smith, William Preacher, Thomas Jackson, Pete Normand, Paul Bessel, and a group of Maine Masons who might be less broadly known but who have contributed to the storehouse of Masonic knowledge. Congratulations, Mike!
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xecutive Secretary Ron Martin is organizing state and regional Masonic Second Circle committees. The ones that are denoted as *in process are states/countries where we are simply finalizing some details and the names will be posted shortly. If you live in one of these states and are interested in helping the Society and Masonry in your area please contact the Chairmen in that state. There are plenty of things that need to be done and your expertise will be appreciated. These appointments will train their replacements and there will be a rotation. If you don’t see your state or country listed please let Ron know that you would be interested in helping in that area. Thanks to each of you for stepping forward and wanting to help! Contact Ron Martin at ronmartin.freemasonry@gmail.com United States Arizona: (*in process) Alaska: Bo Cline California: (*in process) Florida: (*in process) Indiana: Colin Peterson Iowa: Timothy Bonney Louisiana: Marc Conrad Missouri: Aaron Shoemaker New Jersey: Jay Hochberg Oklahoma: (*in process) Utah: (*in process) Canada Alberta: Stephen Dafoe England Yasha Beresiner Ireland (*in process)
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estern Esoteric Traditions, a series published by SUNY Press, is in its twentieth year with over fifty volumes, and is currently open to submissions. Send queries or proposals for books to David Appelbaum, series editor, Department of Philosophy, State University College, New Paltz, New York 12561 SPRING 2009 • 5
THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY
News of the Society
Adrian Florescu Sean F. Forrester James H. Funston Daniel Gardiner Mark A. Genung Donald Hansen Christophe Hegnievitzki Kenneth James Hoerricks Maurice Janeczko Thomas A. Johnson Thomas R. Johnson Jimmy Jordan Patrick S. Kelly Stephen Lawrence
Jeffrey Alexander David E. Amstutz John E. Armstrong Scott Bates Kevin E. Betterton Vincent G. Blackman James Burke David L. Carter Michael Chase Kerry J. Colston Randall E. Crouch Jess Epps David M. Ferreria Harrison T. Ferris
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ondon’s Canonbury Masonic Research Centre has announced a call for papers for its eleventh international annual conference on October 24th and 25th, 2009 on The Origins of Freemasonry. Scholars of all disciplines are invited to submit ideas for papers on sociological, political, cultural, religious and esoteric themes relating to early Freemasonry. Papers can be wide ranging in content or more narrowly focused, however, all should be fully documented as the CMRC plans to publish a book of presented papers. All proposals for papers (max. 250-300 words) should include contact details and a short CV. The deadline for all submissions is June 24th, 2009. For further information, contact the conference organiser at: biee@btinternet.com
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asonic Society members who are regular users of Facebook, be sure to do a search for the group “The Masonic Society.” Join the group to keep in touch with fellow TMS Facebook users.
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Raymond Roché Jerel M. Rowe Matthew Schneider Igor Shpak Raymond Simond Jeremiah Spence Joel H. Springer Kevin W Stewart David W. Thomason Stormy Thorson Heber C. Willis Charles Wilson Jon Woods
Renew your membership now online at www.themasonicsociety.com
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ooking for cool Masonic Society hats, shirts, cups, mousepads and more? Visit our Cafepress web store at www.cafepress.com/ tms where you’ll find a growing number of custom items to show your pride in membership! Your editor has already purchased a wall clock to help reminding him how far behind he is on deadlines.
Masonic News
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he Masonic Society celebrates its 1st Year Anniversary on May 1st, 2009 with just under 800 members. The officers and directors wish to thank all of you who came on board this new organization in its first year. We’ve had both bumps and successes, but zero to 800 in a year makes us all smile. There’s more and better yet to come. Tell the brethren in your lodge!
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James W. Maertens James H May John G. McWilliams Scott M. Mesorana Richard G. Mills Steve Moore Robert H. Morris Robert Neff Pete Normand Casey W. Norris Fiacre O’Duinn James Panek Photis Peter Pascali Patrick Quealey
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f you’re not making use of The Masonic Society discussion forum, you’re missing a major benefit of membership. Meet brethren from around the world, get help with research projects, share new discoveries, ask questions, get (or give) answers, and much more. Log on at www.themasonicsociety. com/forum (Members only.)
THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY
July 12-14, 2009 Conferences, 72nd Annual Great Smokies Summer Assembly of York Rite Masons Maggie Valley, NC. Masonic News Speeches, July 22-25, 2009 York Rite Sovereign College of North America’s 52nd General Symposia & Assembly Cincinnati, Ohio. Gatherings May 1, 2009 Iowa Research Lodge No. 2. Location and time TBA. May 2, 2009 9th Annual California Masonic Symposium - Applying Masonry in Contemporary Society James West Alumni Center, University of California at Los Angeles 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Speakers: Dr. Margaret C. Jacob (the Henry Wilson Coil Lecturer), R. Stephan Doan PGM, and John L. Cooper III, PGS. May 19, 2009 Fairless Hills Lodge in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania Bro. Aaron White, PM of Kite and Key Lodge No. 811 speaking on “Traditional Observance Lodges.” May 26, 2009 Gate City Lodge No. 2, Atlanta, Georgia. “The Catholic Church and Freemasonry,” a program supported by the Archbishop of Atlanta that addresses the topic of the history and the current state of relations between the two institutions. Open to the public. May 27, 2009 Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, New Jersey Lectures: “Archetypical Influences and the Molecular Impact of Sacred/ Secret Words In Masonry,” “The Pillars of Masonry” and “Reactions to Music in Freemasonry.” May 29-31, 2009 2nd International Conference on the History of Freemasonry Grand Lodge of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland. Call for papers has closed. www.ichfonline.org May 30, 2009 A. Douglas Smith, Jr. Lodge of Research. 10 a.m. George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, VA June 1, 2009 Nutley Lodge No. 25, Nutley, New Jersey MW David Chase, Past Grand Master, on “Masonic Symbolism.” June 6, 2009 Pennsylvania Lodge of Research at Claysville Lodge, Claysville, PA. June 12-13, 2009 York Rite Southeast Conference Crown Plaza Atlanta Airport in Atlanta, Ga. June 13, 2009 New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education #1786 Lodge opens at 10 a.m. All Master Masons welcome. 100 Barrack St., Trenton, NJ June 24, 2009 Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, New Jersey Summer Solstice Agape Observation of St. John’s Day, with lecture on “Planetary, Lunar and Solar Influences in Masonic Movement, Stations and Places.” June 27, 2009 Virginia Research Lodge No. 1777 10 a.m. in the Babcock Masonic Temple in Highland Springs, Virginia. July 2-3, 2009 International Conference, Université de Nice, France “Diffusion and Circulation of Masonic Practices in Europe and in the Mediterranean, 1720-1820 “ Contact Prof. Pierre-Yves Beaurepaire at pierre-yves.beaurepaire@unice.fr July 8, 2009 Anniversary Lodge of Research. Installation of Officers at William Pitt Tavern, Strawberry Banke, Portsmouth, NH. 7 p.m.
August 15-19, 2009 64th Triennial Grand Encampment, Knights Templar of the USA Roanoke, VA
August 23-25, 2009 Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction Boston, MA September 9, 2009 Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, New Jersey RW Rashied Sharrieff-Al-Bey of Cornerstone Lodge No. 37, MWPHGLNY, who will speak on the “Hidden Work of our Gentle Craft.” September 11-12, 2009 York Rite Northeast Conference Founding Fellow Brent Morris to be keynote speaker. Comfort Inn-BWI in Baltimore, MD. September 12, 2009 Prestonian Gala Banquet: Prestonian Lecturer John Wade and two past Prestonian Lecturers, Trevor Stewart and Gordon Davie, to speak at black tie banquet/benefit. Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Contact Jay Hochberg. September 23, 2009 The Masonic Lodge of Research of Connecticut New Haven Masonic Temple (285 Whitney Ave.) at 7:30 p.m. September 26, 2009 Virginia Research Lodge No. 1777 10 a.m. in the Babcock Masonic Temple in Highland Springs, Virginia. October 1-6, 2009 Supreme Council 33° Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction Washington D.C. October 6, 2009 Scottish Rite Research Society Membership Meeting 11:30 am in conjunction with the AASR-SJ Session. Speaker: Alain Bernheim, noted Masonic researcher and author, member of the Regular Grand Loge of Belgium and to the Swiss Grand Lodge Alpina. Washington D.C. October 24, 2009 The Masonic Society Semi-Annual Meeting Indiana Freemasons’ Hall, Indianapolis, Indiana Nov. 4-8, 2009 Masonic Library and Museum Association’s annual meeting Hosted by the Henry Wilson Coil Library & Museum of Freemasonry San Francisco, Ca. February 12, 2010 The Masonic Society’s Second Annual “First Circle Gathering” Masonic Week, Alexandria, Va. April 9, 2010 National Heritage Museum First biennial symposium: New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism” Lexington, Massachusetts May 2011 3rd International Conference on the History of Freemasonry George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Alexandria, VA
Please send notices of your event to Jay Hochberg at euclid47@earthlink.net SPRING 2009 • 7
THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY
Masonic News
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he National Heritage Museum announces a call for papers for its first biannual symposium, “New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism,” to be held on Friday, April 9, 2010 at the Museum in Lexington, Massachusetts. The National Heritage Museum is an American history museum founded and supported by Scottish Rite Freemasons in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States. As the repository of the largest collection of American Masonic and fraternal objects, books and manuscripts in the United States, the Museum aims to foster new research on American fraternalism and to encourage the use of its scholarly resources. The symposium seeks to present the newest research on American fraternal groups from the past through the present day. By 1900, over 250 American fraternal groups existed, numbering six million members. The study of their activities and influence in the United States, past and present, offers the potential for new interpretations of American society and culture. Diverse perspectives on this topic are sought; proposals are invited from a broad range of research areas, including history, material and visual culture, anthropology, sociology, literary studies and criticism, gender studies, political science, African American studies, art history, economics, or any combination of disciplines. Perspectives on and interpretations of all time periods are welcome. Possible topics include: • Comparative studies of American fraternalism and European or other international forms of fraternalism • Prince Hall Freemasonry and other African-American fraternal groups • Ethnically- and religiously-based fraternal groups Fraternal groups for women or teens • Role of fraternal groups in social movements • The material culture of Freemasonry and fraternalism • Anti-Masonry and anti-fraternal movements, issues and groups • Fraternal symbolism and ritual • The expression of Freemasonry and fraternalism through art, music, and literature • Approaches to Freemasonry – from disciplinary, interdisciplinary, or transnational perspectives; the historiography and methodology of the study of American fraternalism Proposals should be for 30 minute research papers. Submit an abstract of 400 words or less with a resume or c.v. that is no more than two pages. Be sure to include full contact information (name, address, email, phone, affiliation). Send proposals to: Aimee E. Newell, Senior Curator of Collections, National Heritage Museum, by email at anewell@ monh.org or by mail to 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA 02421. Deadline for proposals to be received is August 15, 2009.
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en Gibala reports from Washington DC that the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia has granted dispensation for a new affinity lodge for students, faculty, staff and alumni of George Washington University. “The Colonial Lodge U.D.” will meet adjacent to the university and will stress continuing Masonic education and philosophy. It is described as similar to W. L. Wilmshurst’s famous “Lodge of Living Stones No. 4957”, founded in Leeds, England in 1927, which stresses spirituality, education, and an academic approach to Masonic scholarship. The lodge website is at: www.thecoloniallodge.org
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n April 24th, 2009, the Grand Lodge of North Carolina A.F. & A.M. and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of North Carolina F&AM were convened in a joint session by Most Worshipful Milton F. Fitch, Jr. and Most Worshipful Dan C. Rice in the Temple of Rockingham Lodge No. 495 A.F. & A.M., in Rockingham, North Carolina According to a message by William Mills of the GLofNC, “the purpose of the meeting was to lay a cornerstone for the new Richmond County Courthouse in Rockingham. For purposes of conducting the ceremony the Grand Masters appointed the officers of Day Spring Lodge #44 F & AM and Rockingham Lodge to serve as pro tempore as Grand Lodge officers. The Masters of both lodges were appointed pro tempore Grand Master and the other officers were appointed on an alternating basis from the two local lodges.” Not just a cornerstone, but a new milestone.
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rother Jack Kemp has been called to the Celestial Lodge above. Brother Kemp was born on July 13, 1935. Prior to his political career, Kemp played as quarterback for 13 years for both the San Diego Chargers and the Buffalo Bills, and helped to found the American Football League Players Association. When he
THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY
Masonic News retired from the game, he held three all-time AFL career records (3,055 pass attempts, 1,428 completions, and 21,130 yards gained passing). During his football years, he also served in the US Army Reserve. He served his country well as a member of the US House of Representatives from 1971 to 1989, as a senior economic advisor to President Reagan, and as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1993. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 1988, and became the Republican vice-presidential candidate in 1996 with fellow Freemason Robert Dole. But he is perhaps best known for his role in crafting the 1981 Kemp-Roth tax cut bill which many economists credit for causing the economic recovery that followed. Brother Kemp passed away Saturday, May 2nd from cancer at the age of 73. He was a member of Fraternal Lodge No. 625 F&AM, in Hamburg, New York, and a 33° Scottish Rite Mason. R.I.P.
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reemasonry and music have long been intertwined. A large section of Anderson’s Constitutions featured the lyrics to songs that were sung by the earliest members of the modern fraternity. A new CD, “The Temple of Humanity” by the Dutch band Freestone, is the latest melding of Masonry and melody. Producer, composer, and Freemason Harm Timmerman wrote the twelve tracks, wrapped around Masonic symbolism, initiation, and mysticism, and even takes a stab at anti-Masons (“Masonry Dissected”). Vocalist Diederik Huisman, Alex Simu’s flute, and the multi-talented Timmerman on guitar, bass and keyboards, have created a concept album with Freemasonry at its core, recalling Pink Floyd or Alan Parsons Project discs. At times progressive rock, at other times jazz, it is a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable collection of songs and ideas. These are not just occasional Masonic buzzwords grafted onto rambling studio tracks. They are contemplative lyrics that explore Masonic concepts, along with solid and enjoyable music. “Temple of Humanity” is well worth seeking out. It can be purchased from iTunes as a download, or from Freestone’s website: www.free-stone.org
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ewis Masonic has a proud history of publishing books for Freemasons in Britain for decades, and they have a massive catalog of titles. Unfortunately, U.S. Freemasons rarely find out about them. Few Masonic magazines in the U.S. accept advertising (this one being one notable exception), they have no distribution in the colossal U.S. bookstore chains, and their presence on Amazon.com can also be spotty. As easy as it is to order online, their U.K. website was off-putting to Americans
who scratched their heads figuring the exchange rate and balking at shipping charges. Martin Faulks at Lewis is now spreading the word of the opening of Lewis Masonic’s U.S. website at: www. lewismasonic.us
At long last, the company’s extensive list is available with U.S. prices, and shipping from a US distributor. Some of their more popular authors include Harry Carr, Reverend Neville Barker Cryer, Tobias Churton, TMS members Stephen Dafoe, Robert Lomas, Yasha Beresiner, and many more.
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wo years ago, the Masonic Information Center created the Mark Twain Award, to “recognize Lodge leadership for asserting a uniquely Masonic identity both within the Lodge and throughout the community that is consistent with the Fraternity’s historic focus on education, self-improvement, good works, and fellowship.” It’s the only national Masonic award of its kind, and it represents achievement at the local lodge level. Lodges that win the Twain award are working hard to make their individual lodge just that—individual. These lodges have found ways to make their lodge unique, distinctive, educational, vital to their members, and a part of the community in which they reside. The Masonic Information Center is a committee recognized by the Conference of Grand Masters in North America, and the Twain Award winners were announced at the Conference in Anaheim in February. Congratulations to the 2008 winners: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Helion Lodge #1, Huntsville, Alabama Epes Randolph Lodge #32, Tucson, Arizona Springville Lodge #153, Powder Springs, Georgia Burnside Lodge #634, Burnside, Kentucky Bewleyville Lodge #228, Bewleyville, Kentucky Maine Lodge of Research, Portland, Maine St. Aspinquid Lodge #198, York, Maine Vienna Lodge #205, Clio, Michigan George W. Lininger Lodge #268, Omaha, Nebraska Omadi Lodge #5, South Sioux City, Nebraska Nellis Lodge #46, Las Vegas, Nevada Trenton-Cyrus Lodge #5, Pennington, New Jersey Nutley Lodge #25, Nutley, New Jersey La Fraternidad Lodge #387, New York, New York Clifford Duell Lodge #756, Fayetteville, North Carolina Frontier Lodge #48, Stillwater, Oklahoma Albert Pike Lodge #162, Guthrie, Oklahoma Jeptha Lodge #121, Hudson, South Dakota Bethel Lodge #194, Prospect, Tennessee Frontier Lodge #28, West Columbia, Texas Hay Market Lodge #313, Haymarket, Virginia Sequim Lodge #213, Sequim, Washington Eureka Lodge #20, Seattle, Washington Lynden Lodge #56, Ferndale, Washington
The criteria for the Twain Award is designed to motivate lodges to plan its future and improve itself with meaningful SPRING 2009 • 9
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Join online and pay with credit card via Paypal at www.themasonicsociety.com 10 • SPRING 2009
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Masonic News activities that serve the needs of its own members. There’s no he Royal Order of Jesters, a unit within the Ancient checklist, no defined roadmap of specific items that get crossed off when completed. The goal is to motivate lodges to act for Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, is under W.own Bro.good, Trevor backcommunity, in the United their andStewart the goodwas of their andStates to do itthis fall, investigation by the FBI, along with other various state and in a thought out manner. Their website at www.msana.com/ national authorities over charges of prostitution and human twainaward has much information on it, and suggests activities trafficking. Three former members (a former New York state and ideas that every lodge ought to be considering, regardless supreme court justice, his law clerk, and a chief of police) all of whether they are trying for an award or not. pleaded guilty in Buffalo, New York to violations of the Mann Act for transporting illegal aliens across state lines, and even to The Masonic Information Center was originally funded Canada, in connection with Jesters’ events. Police and customs in 1993 by John J. Robinson, author of Born In Blood, who officials are now investigating the Jesters in New Jersey, was not a Mason at the time. Robinson gave a grant to start the Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Florida and elsewhere. Center in order to provide information to both Masons and nonThese charges come on the heels of an investigation of Masons, and to respond to critics of the fraternity. The Center another Jesters’ group that is alleged to have hired underage operates as part of the Masonic Service Association of North prostitutes on a Brazilian fishing trip in 2007. America. Quoted in the Buffalo News, ROJ president Gary N. Martin said, “We believe that this is isolated, inappropriate, indeed illegal conduct by only an extremely small fraction of our membership. . . We have, however, taken a number of significant steps to make it abundantly clear to [members] that such behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” There are an estimated 22,000 members of the Royal Order of Jesters. These unfortunate incidents have been splashed across newspapers across the country for months, prominently mentioning the connection of the Jesters to the Shrine and Freemasonry. The result is that Masonry has been splashed with the mud of members who seem to have lost the ability to subdue their passions. Boys may indeed be boys, but our doors need to be slammed in the faces of men who knowingly bring this kind of shame to the fraternity. Dallas Lodge No. 128 in Mena, Arkansas, was destroyed on April 9th after a tornado struck the building at about 8 p.m. The twice-monthly meeting of the Mena’s chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star had been going on uninterrupted, and the an Brown’s new novel, the sequel to The Da Vinci Code, nineteen people inside only faintly heard the sirens through the now to be called The Lost Symbol, is due in stores building’s cinder block walls. They were attempting to leave September 15th. From a press release announcing the news: when the twister hit, tearing down the Masonic hall’s walls, collapsing the roof on one woman, and killing OES member The long-awaited novel – one of the most Anna True Cress, Past Worthy Matron, who was 84. Two others anticipated in recent publishing history - will be were killed in Mena, and thirty others were injured in the area. called “The Lost Symbol,” and will take place over Homes were flattened, and the Mena courthouse was destroyed. a 12-hour period. No more details were given about Almost immediately in nearby Little Rock, the Scimitar its content, but persistent rumours have suggested Shrine Center was organized as a depot for donated goods to it will be set in Washington DC and will focus on assist the citizens of Mena. freemasonry. It will be published on 15 September The lodge met on April 17th and has organized a rebuilding with an initial print run of 6.5 million copies – the fund. Donations may be sent to: P.O. Box 163, Mena, AR 71953. largest first printing in publisher Random House’s WB Fred Key, Worshipful Master of Dallas Lodge No. 128, can history. be contacted at fred_key@att.blackberry.com “This novel has been a strange and wonderful Dallas Lodge in Mena was the mother lodge of Norris Goff journey,” said Brown. “Weaving five years of and Chester Lauck—long forgotten today, but better known in research into the story’s 12-hour timeframe was the 1930s as the comedy team of “Lum and Abner,” one of the an exhilarating challenge. Robert Langdon’s life most popular radio shows on the air between 1932 and 1954. clearly moves a lot faster than mine.”
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Undoubtedly, previous reports over the last six years that it was to be called “The Solomon Key”, and the subsequent flooding of the market of similarly named books influenced a SPRING 2009 • 11
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Masonic News title change. And there are no details yet as to whether Brown will follow through on his announced plans for the book to involve Freemasonry. But we’ll know in September.
• .The University of Sheffield’s Centre for the Study of Freemasonry and Fraternalism has published the first volume of a planned series of Sheffield lectures. Freemasonry and Fraternalism in the Middle East comes out of a series of lectures presented in the autumn of 2008. The Centre succeeded in attracting leading international specialists to deliver lectures on this hitherto largely neglected field of research. The scope of the papers ranged from the early 18th century up to the beginning of the 20th century, and included topics related to the Ottoman Empire, Iran and India. Authors are: Thierry Zarcone, Dorothe Sommer, Isaac Lubelsky, Mangol Bayat and Paul Dumont with an introduction and afterword by the Centre’s director, Andreas Önnerfors. The book may be purchased for £20 from the Centre’s website at: http://freemasonry.dept.shef.ac.uk
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In February 2011, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial will present an exhibit on Freemasonry at Washington’s home of Mount Vernon, as a joint project with the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. “A Deserving Brother: George Washington and Freemasonry” will be displayed in Mount Vernon’s new museum and visitor’s center. It will tell the story of Washington’s Masonic background and the role Freemasonry has played in the history of the nation. This is the first such venture between the Memorial and Mount Vernon, and provides an opportunity to introduce nearly one million visitors to the fraternity. The exhibit is scheduled to open on President’s day in 2011 and run through January 2012.
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fter the publication of William Highsmith’s article in the Winter 2008/2009 of The Journal (“Masonic Influence on the Order of the Arrow”), we were contacted by several members of the National Association of Masonic Scouters. The association was started by Freemasons to “foster and develop support for the Boy Scouts of America by and among Freemasons while upholding the tenets of Freemasonry. This includes, but is not limited to, encouraging Masonic Lodges and other Masonic organizations to charter and support BSA units. NAMS will seek to provide opportunities for Masonic fellowship at Scouting events and encourage the awarding of the Daniel Carter Beard Award to deserving Masons while supporting the Scouting movement at all levels.” See their website at: www.nams-bsa.org
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ight Worshipful Brother Grady Adams, Grand Master of the American-Canadian Grand Lodge of Germany, has passed away. RWBro. Adams was visiting the Middle Eastern island of Bahrain, and as he was descending the plane’s ramp, he was struck with an apparent heart attack. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. R.I.P. The American-Canadian Grand Lodge was organized in 1962 as part of the United Grand Lodges of Germany, and today comprises 44 lodges in Germany, as well as Asia and the Middle East, where they operate while keeping a very low profile. A Past Grand Master of the ACGL reported that, several years ago, one of their lodges quietly operating in Saudi Arabia was shut down, its property confiscated, and its Master jailed by Saudi authorities. Such stories are a reminder that brethren all over the world often risk their freedom, their livelihood, their property and their lives for the privilege of wearing the apron of a Mason.
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n April, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported Shriners Hospitals is considering closing six of its facilities in the U.S. On the chopping block are hospitals in Galveston, TX, Greenville, SC, Spokane, WA, Erie, PA., Springfield, MA, and the first hospital built by Shriners in Shreveport, LA. The Galveston hospital was severely flooded and damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008, and the Shrine has deemed it too expensive to repair. In a curious twist, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the Board of Regents for the University of Texas System filed for a restraining order and injunction against the Shriners on March 30th to prevent them from shuttering the Galveston hospital. Past Imperial Potentate and Shriners’ Hospitals CEO Ralph Semb is quoted as saying, “Unless we do something, the clock is ticking and within five to seven years we’ll probably be out of the hospital business and not have any hospitals.” According to the article, the Shrine endowment fund has been dropping since 2001, but plunged in value from $8 billion to $5 billion in less than a year because of the stock market, as well as the nationwide drop in charitable contributions that has hurt most philanthropies. The Shrine is pulling $1 million a day from its endowment to balance the budget for the existing 22 hospitals. Semb said this year’s operating budget for the hospital system is $856 million. The budget has risen by $100 million each of the past two years while donation levels remained static. The Imperial Session in San Antonio this summer will be asked to vote on the hospital closures. Such votes in the past have been contentious, and getting a 2/3 majority vote to do so may be well nigh impossible, in spite of the reality of the economic situation. Semb claims that to return to the kind of income from the endowment needed to sustain all of the facilities, its value must rise to $12 billion. An unlikely prospect in the best of times, which these are certainly not. Meanwhile, sentiments continue to be divided evenly between those who think the Shrine would be better off eliminating its connection to Freemasonry, ending Masonic membership as a requirement, versus those who believe it would kill the organization. Economic reality may tip such a vote this time around.
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Special Report:
“Princes and Nations shall disappear from the face of the Earth . . . and this Revolution shall be the Work of Secret Societies.” Illuminati founder Adam Weishaup’s Discourse for the Mysteries
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he super-secret society called the Illuminati seems to be everywhere you look in the world of conspiracy theories, and they have received revived interest as the central villains of Dan Brown’s book “Angels & Demons,” along with the film just released May 15th. If you believe half of what you read, they are the ultimate world-dominating evil geniuses. Their universal logo, the All-Seeing Eye and the unfinished pyramid, is on the back of the U.S. dollar bill, along with their motto, “A New World Order.” One of their earliest members, Thomas Jefferson, wrote their criminal influence into the Declaration of Independence. They created all that is evil, including the European Union, barcodes, injected microchips, Paris Hilton’s career and ATM fees. So what’s the truth about this legendary organization, and just how are they connected to Freemasonry?
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HISTORY
by Christopher L. Hodapp (Portions of this article have appeared in Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies)
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he Illuminati are somewhat unique in the catalog of modern day secret societies, because they don’t really exist.But that’s not to say they never existed. The Bavarian Illuminati had a brief lifespan for a group that has caused so much nervousness. It lasted less than fifteen years, and its membership was actually quite small. Many other groups followed, even to the present day, claiming the mantle of the original Illuminati, or having that moniker stuck on them without their having asked for it. In fact, in the alternate universe of the Internet, accusations about the “vast influence” of this littleknown and defunct secret society get thrown around constantly. Unfortunately, the Illuminati and Freemasonry really are tied together in history, and not the way Dan Brown tells it. The “Illuminated Ones” The Age of Enlightenment, a period that lasted roughly throughout the hundred years of the 1700’s in Europe and America, was an intellectual, scientific and philosophical movement all rolled into one. It was a time when the scientific method of experimentation and reason replaced the more superstitious attitudes of the Middle Ages, a time of revolution, scientific discovery and invention. The very term Enlightenment was chosen as a contrast to the Dark Ages, and light and illumination became a metaphor for knowledge and republicanism (meaning governments free of kings, popes and their “divine rights”). In fact, late medieval adepts at alchemy or the sciences were sometimes called “the Illuminated Ones.” The first group to be associated with the term Illuminati (“Illuminated Ones”) were known in Spain as the Alumbrados. Appearing in the late 1400’s, not much is known about this sect of Christian mystics. They apparently believed in trancelike meditation to the exclusion of all other thoughts in order to commune with God, and they developed decidedly un-Catholic beliefs, such as the notion that female adepts copulating with priests released souls from Purgatory. Not surprisingly, the Spanish Inquisition came crashing down on the Alumbrados like a ton of evangelical bricks. What really brought down the wrath of the Church on the Alumbrados was their belief that Man could achieve enough perfection through meditation and prayer to become sinless. Where they got into hot water was the belief that, if you achieved sinless perfection, you would no longer have to fast or even pray, and you wouldn’t have to deny your physical body anything anymore. Your mind would become divine, so whatever you did with your body was of no consequence. See if your wife buys that story. A French group appeared in the early 1600’s known as the Illuminés, and they seem to have been an offshoot of the Spanish Alumbrados. But these groups have no real connection to the Illuminati that is at the center of so many conspiracy theories today, apart from the same name.
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n 1776, just before the Continental Congress declared American independence from England, on the other side of the world a new “secret society” that was to become the Illuminati was born in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. First called The Perfectabilists, the group was the brainchild of a young university professor named Adam Weishaupt (1748-1830). Adam Weishaupt & the Bavarian Illuminati The man who would found the Illuminati had an unlikely background for the leader of such a radical organization. He was born in Ingolstadt in 1748. When his father died seven years later, Adam was placed in the care of his godfather, Baron Johann Adam Ickstatt, who was curator of the University of Ingstadt. The University was a Catholic school, and the majority of the administration and teaching staff were Jesuit priests. Weishaupt graduated from the University in 1768. He spent another four years there as a tutor, and in 1772 he was made a full professor of civil law. What makes all of this important in his development is that, a year later, Pope Clement XIV (1705-1774) had an explosive disagreement with the Jesuits, and completely dissolved the Order. As a result, the young Weishaupt was appointed to the chair of canon (Catholic) law, the first non-Jesuit and layman to have the position in almost 100 years. What made his appointment ironic is that Weishaupt was unquestionably anti-Catholic, on the quiet. He spent years studying the philosophies and beliefs of the free-thinking Enlightenment writers, and had no patience with superstition, miracles or sacraments. Unfortunately, he was in the sticky situation of earning his livelihood at a Catholic university, teaching canon law as proscribed by the Vatican. Spartacus and the Areopagites On May 1st, 1776, he formed his secret society, with just five original members. Weishaupt had a big goal in mind for such a small bunch. He believed that a group dedicated to mutual aid, intellectualism and philosophical free thought could help change the world by influencing the movers and shakers of society. But a peaceful change was not really what Weishaupt had in mind. In order to change society, kings and princes, as well as church leaders, all had to be gotten rid of first. These were the foes of his brand of enlightenment and republican thinking. And, of course, because he and his four young friends saw themselves as being superior to most of the common herd, they would remain in control of this new, improved society. In addition, at first anyway, they had no interest in recruiting anyone much over the age of 35 or so, because such “old” men were too creaky and set in their ways. This would change over time, as they discovered they needed important, well-placed men who were already in positions of some influence, to infiltrate the military and halls of government. Because of his position at a Catholic university, which would undoubtedly be less than ecstatic over one of its professors writing anti-Catholic essays, he and his organizers communicated using
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code names. At least two of the other four members, known as the Areopagites (named after the hill in Greek mythology where Ares, the God of war, was tried and acquitted of murder), were students at the university, known by their secret names Ajax and Tiberius. Writing as “Spartacus,” Weishaupt outlined a secret plan to infiltrate the Freemasons’ lodges, and then overthrow governments of nations and churches, take over the world, and create a new world order of tolerance and equality. It was as simple as that. The name of the organization itself changed over time, from Perfectibilists, to the Bees, and finally the Illuminati. In code, it was represented by a point within a circle: . The symbol was meant to represent the Sun illuminating all bodies in its orbit. The Masonic Connection In 1777, Weishaupt joined a Masonic lodge, Munich’s Lodge Zur Behutsamkeit, and began looking for like-minded brethren to recruit into his circle of the Illuminati. Unlike the overwhelming majority of Rosicrucian and other so-called secret societies that sprung up all over continental Europe in the 1700’s, Weishaupt’s Illuminati was definitely not preoccupied with occultism, mysticism, esotericism or hidden knowledge. At least, not the medieval, alchemical kind of concepts that groups like the Rosicrucians were hunting. In fact, anything that seemed to have been influenced by Judaism, Kabbalah, Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, was not allowed to seep into the Illuminati rituals. What there was plenty of was secrecy. Inordinate stress was placed on the memorization of ciphers—secret writing codes. As the years progressed, Illuminati members were instructed in how to mix poisons, prepare for suicide in case of discovery, and even how to construct “infernal machines” in which to hide their secret papers —explosive boxes that would self-destruct if tampered with. The Illuminati created groups of members who were to infiltrate Masonic lodges and take control of them. Called the Insinuators, they quickly invaded the membership of Munich’s Lodge Theodore of Good Council, as well as Lodge Zur Behutsamkeit, and totally them both over by 1779. Baron Adolf Franz Friedrich Knigge (1752-1796) was a wellknown diplomat and Freemason in Bavaria. After becoming a Mason, he was disappointed by the lack of mysticism and occult influence, since it was one of the primary reasons he had joined in the first place. Weishaupt encouraged Knigge to join the Illuminati in 1780. At first, Weishaupt tried to convince him that the order had a well-developed degree, or grade, system, and that, of course, the higher grades were where the truly enlightened member would find hidden knowledge. Of course, the higher grades didn’t actually exist yet. Weishaupt had only developed three— Novice, Minerval, and Illuminated Minerval—but he eventually convinced Knigge that this was a golden opportunity to create them from scratch.
Dan Brown’s Version of the Illuminati n the film Angels & Demons, directed by Ron Howard, actor Tom Hanks as professor Robert Langdon explains the Illuminati: “Shrouded in mystery for nearly 500 years, The Illuminati began in the 1600’s as a secret society of scientists, artists, architects and doctors whose theories and discoveries put them at odds with the dominant Catholic Church. For fear of persecution, members of the Illuminati, which means “enlightened ones,” meet in secret while publicly growing in influence and stature by quietly infiltrating governments and major institutions... As a warning to others, the Church apprehended four scientists and branded them on the chest with the symbol of the cross to “purge them of their sins” [an event Brown calls “La Purga”] before publicly executing them...” Dan Brown resurrected the Illuminati for his first Robert Langdon novel, Angels & Demons, like so many others have, as little more than a bogeyman. Using the Illuminati allowed Brown to engage his characters in Enlightenment-style diatribes about the supremacy of science over religion. In the end (stop here if you haven’t read it, or seen the movie), it turns out that the mysterious head of the Illuminati, Janus, has perpetrated a hoax, and resurrected the name of the Order as a diversionary tactic to hide his own individual treachery. It’s a favorite Brown tactic – use the bad guy to spout your most controversial ideas, so you have a back-door escape hatch. “The brotherhood of the Illuminati is also factual,” says Dan Brown’s “Author’s Note” in Angels & Demons. Not the way he wrote it, it isn’t. Brown’s fictional Illuminati was supposed to have been a group of scientists who rebelled secretly against Church dogma in the 1500’s. According to his story, scientists who failed to knuckle under to Church teachings and demands were arrested, tortured, branded on the chest with a super-special branding iron identifying them as members of the subversive group, and their bodies tossed into the streets of Rome as a warning. According to Brown, astronomer Galileo Galilee was a member, and they met secretly in an underground Church of the Illumination. Eventually, in the 1600s, the Illuminati became dedicated to the toppling of the Church and Christianity itself. They became Satanists, and were referred to as Shaitan, the Islamic word for Satan, by the Catholic Church. Breathlessly, Langdon describes them as the “world’s oldest and most powerful satanic cult.” Brown uses a clever device in his books, dressing up old, secret and often fictional societies to get in his licks against the Church. The history of Catholic abuses, mistakes and injustices is long, exciting and sad enough, without Brown exaggerating them to an absurd degree. And another thing is for certain: the one thing the Illuminati was not was “satanic.” Why all this sturm and drang over fictional novels? With 81 million copies of The Da Vinci Code in print worldwide, Brown’s claims of “factual basis” for his “secret societies” give less discerning readers the notion that they are reading history, even if they understand the story is made up. If Brown does to Freemasonry in his new book The Lost Symbol what he did to, say, Opus Dei in The Da Vinci Code, we may be spending a lot of time trying to get the truth out.
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The Hierarchy of the Bavarian Illuminati Adam Weishaupt (Spartacus)
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Areopagites
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National Superiors
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National Director
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Provincials and Counselors
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Hierophant (Dean)
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Perfects (Local Superiors)
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Epopts (Priests)
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Scottish Knights (Illuminatus Dirigens)
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Masonic Lodge Degrees
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Illuminatus Major
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Illuminatus Minor (Illuminated Minerval)
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Minerval
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Novices
The Degree Grades of the Illuminati Eventually, Knigge crafted 12 degrees in all for the group, and internal secrecy and intelligence kept new recruits from knowing the details of the Illuminati’s true political ambitions. As candidates advanced, the degrees were designed to find out their personal details and political proclivities. Those who were deemed untrustworthy politically or philosophically simply were not advanced. Under Knigge’s new grade system, there were the three principal degrees for new members that Weishaupt had developed: Novice, Minerval and Illuminated Minerval (or Minor Illuminati). Novices were drawn into the organization with the alluring imagery of participating in a life-altering, world-changing, secret society for superior men, and they were required to strictly follow the orders of their sponsor. They were also required to deliver detailed written reports about their family members, employers, and acquaintances, along with their likes and dislikes, personal enemies, and even information on their parents, which were passed up the Illuminati hierarchy. Novices were only allowed to know the identity of their sponsor. All other members remained unknown. And a cornerstone of the education of a Novice was to make sure he understood that the Illuminati was Freemasonry, and far superior to any other Masonic order or variation. All others were “degenerate.” The next grade was the Minerval, and drew the new member deeper into the secrecy of the Illuminati. Minervals were allowed to know the identity of their fellow lodge members, and the ceremonies became more elaborate. The third grade, Illuminated Minervals, were given the task of being recruiters for the order, as well as being mentors to the lower 16 • SPRING 2009
grades. In keeping with the espionage favored by the Illuminati, they were also to keep detailed reports on the men below them. The next classification of grades, the Masonic Lodge degrees, were created by Knigge as an intermediate entry point for men who were already Freemasons in other observances. They could forego the lower grades and advance to the Illuminati’s own elaborate variations of the three blue lodge degrees. The Illuminatus Major was given the responsibility of training the Illuminated Minerval. They were also pledged to seek important jobs in the government and the community, or to use their own position to see that other Illuminati were appointed to important positions. The Scottish Knights or Illuminatus Dirigens were largely a territorial administrative grade that oversaw the formation and inspection of lodges. Members of this grade vowed to withhold their support of non-Illuminati Masonic lodges and orders. Just as prior advancement taught the inferiority of all Masonic organizations, advancement to Priest (or Epopt) taught that all other political or religious systems were inferior to the teachings of the Illuminati. Candidates for Priest, Hierophant and perfect had to demonstrate their readiness to engage in professions that would lead society away from the old institutions. They had no administrative duties within the order. They were responsible for teaching lower members lessons on the arts and sciences. With its new structure finally in place (see chart at left), and Knigge’s help in recruiting prominent and influential members, the Illuminati started to catch on. In a relatively short period of time, the group attracted at least 2,000 members across Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Italy and France. The Masonic Congress of Wilhelmsbad In the summer of 1782, a curious event occurred in the town of Wilhelmsbad, billed as a Congress of Masonry. Freemasonry had developed very differently on the European continent than it had in Britain and the Americas, and it had taken some strange and sinister turns, especially in the German states. Delegates came to the conference from Austria, France, Italy, Holland and Russia. Between the Illuminati’s growing influence in Masonic lodges on the one side, and another German group called the Rite Of Strict Observance on the other, mainstream Freemasons were suddenly alarmed about the direction these new groups were taking them. Freemasonry had been developed to enhance society by taking good men and improving their character, making them better citizens. Masonic secrecy was simply a demonstration of honor among its members. But these new groups were something different, with a militant obsession over secrecy, and almost no interest in any of that character building malarkey. In addition, there were other groups that showed greater interest in the occult, Kabbalah, mysticism and magic. These branches of masonry were also gaining popularity across Europe. The Congress of Wilhelmsbad took place at the HanauWilhelmsbad spa, and went on for a month and a half. Prince Karl, Landgrave of Hessen-Kassel, was the principal organizer of the conference, and a showdown resulted that would crush the Rite of Strict Observance. The Rite had been based upon the tale that its innermost workings were directed by “Unseen Superiors” who were never revealed. At the conference, the members of the Illuminati set out to completely debunk the myth of these invisible adepts, and proclaim the Rite a fraud (since the Illuminati had the real invisible adepts). The result in the aftermath of the power struggle was the growth of the Illuminati by absorbing former wellplaced members of the Rite of Strict Observance, the suppression of the Rosicrucian-styled occult groups, and the eventual takeover of Freemasonry in Germany.
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More than a few disgruntled Masons went home from Wilhelmsbad, convinced they had to do something to stop this new, sinister movement. The Illuminati Cracks Up Yet, at the height of its greatest triumphs, the Illuminati was starting to crack from within. Weishaupt had become bolder in his professional life, and his Catholic students at the University of Ingoldstadt were being increasingly subjected to his anti-Catholic tirades. Knigge became convinced that Weishaupt was really a closet Jesuit spy, and came to completely distrust him. He handed over all of his Illuminati material in 1784 and stalked out of the order. Other defections soon followed for different reasons. Several former Illuminati members went to the Duchess of Bavaria, Maria Anna, with secret documents and a membership list. Confronted with clear evidence of a group that was actively gunning for their regal positions, she took it to her brother-inlaw, the Duke of Bavaria, Carl Theodore. As monarch of Bavaria, he quickly enacted a law forbidding any and all groups, clubs or societies that hadn’t been authorized by the state, and a year later clarified his position by naming the Illuminati specifically as the group he was really after. Weishaupt soldiered on, creating a flurry of anti-Catholic and anti-monarchial pamphlets and ignoring edicts from Carl Theodore in 1785 and 1787. The Duke at last issued arrest warrants against him and the Areopagites in 1790. Weishaupt fled the country to Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg in central Germany, but left behind his incriminating papers, outlining the Illuminati’s ambitious plans for world domination. They were widely published throughout Europe to expose the Illuminati and to flush out other members, many of whom were in government, military and university positions. Many members wound up in prison, and more were banished from Bavaria altogether. But one unintended result of this diaspora was that the ideas and officers of the Illuminati spread to Naples, Paris, Copenhagen, Russia and elsewhere. The Bavarian Order of the Illuminati died completely by the mid 1790s, and its secrets and plans for world takeover were discovered, published and ridiculed, eventually worldwide. It was never popular, and the movement died out completely by the end of the century. But the phantom of the Illuminati survived in the public’s memory. Because of its ties to many European Freemasons of the period, the two groups became intertwined in the public imagination. As for the Illuminati’s founder, Weishaupt wrote several apologetic treatises about the order over the years (one such work was recently translated into English, Diogenes Lamp [Die Leuchte Des Diogenes], and was the 2008 selection of the Masonic Book Club). And he promised to never try to take over the world again. He died in 1830. Illuminati and the French Revolution Scottish Freemason John Robison’s book, Proofs of a Conspiracy and Abbé Augustin Barruél’s book, Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism (Mémoires pour servir à l’Histoire du Jacobinisme), both published in 1798, had the enormous effect of fueling what have become the most common conspiracy theories that exist today. Both authors claimed Illuminati Insinuators were in Paris infiltrating specific lodges in the buildup to the French Revolution. The most famous figures of the Revolution like Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord and Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de Mirabeau have never been proved to be either Freemasons or Illuminati, in spite of Robison and Barruel’s accusations. However, there is a strong connection between known Illuminati members in France and many of the most radical “reading societies” that fomented the violent overthrow of the
monarchy and the Church. And it is unquestionable that Illuminati Insinuators infiltrated the Grand Orient of France. In 1787, Johann J.C. Bode, an Illuminati member, traveled to Paris, found new recruits, and formed Lodge Les Amis Réunis . The inner circle of active and influential lodge members were also members of the Rite of the Philalèthes, a large Rosicrucianinfluenced Masonic group interested in alchemy, hermeticism, magic and the occult. Their beliefs were in direct opposition to the Illuminati’s. Bode’s mission was to convince the Philalèthes to stop studying Kabbalah and get to work on the more pragmatic goals of the Illuminati, like overthrowing monarchies and upsetting churchmen. According to Terry Melansen’s book Perfectibilists, in 1994, Bode’s travel journal was discovered in confiscated Nazi archives and published, which outlined his other mission: namely, to take the Illuminati underground in France. In spite of the long-standing, official Masonic line that French Freemasonry had nothing to do with the Revolution or the Illuminati, Bode’s journal clearly says that he renamed the Illuminati in France the Philadelphes, with the notion of “saving” Freemasonry after the Revolution ended. Grand Orient member and historian Charles Porset claimed in a 1995 interview that new evidence exists proving, on the outbreak of the Revolution, some Lodge Les Amis Réunis members ratted out others as principal instigators of the violence. And he believes Bode’s journal, once scoffed at as Nazi anti-Masonic propaganda, is authentic. Illuminati in America? One of the favorite claims of conspiracists is that the appearance of the All-Seeing Eye and the group’s founding year of 1776 on the Great Seal of the United States is proof that the Illuminati infiltrated the creation of the United States, and still exerts power over the country today. The life and death of the Illuminati in Europe has been well documented, and many of the organization’s papers were greatly publicized after Weishaupt fled Bavaria. But the Illuminati’s time span did indeed coincide with the early days of the fledgling United States, during and immediately after the American Revolution. Trustworthy records of the group’s activities in North America – if indeed there were any – are difficult to come by. George Washington was sent a copy of John Robison’s book, Proofs Of A Conspiracy, warning him of the spread of Illuminism, and the possible infiltration of American Freemason lodges. He wrote, “I believe notwithstanding, that none of the Lodges in this Country are contaminated with the principles ascribed to the Society of the Illuminati.” In a follow-up letter he explained that he did not “…doubt that, the Doctrines of the Illuminati, and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more truly satisfied of this fact than I am. The idea that I meant to convey, was, that I did not believe that the Lodges of Free Masons in this Country had, as Societies, endeavoured to propagate the diabolical tenets of the first, or pernicious principles of the latter (if they are susceptible of seperation). It has been alleged by some researchers that a Columbia Lodge of the Illuminati was started in New York City in 1785. Over the next four years, allegedly, as many as 14 more Illuminati lodges sprung up in the 13 states, including one in Virginia that supposedly counted Thomas Jefferson as a member (see sidebar Thomas Jefferson and the Illuminati). But there is no proof whatsoever that such lodges ever existed. Nevertheless, a brief panic in the U.S. was stirred up in the SPRING 2009 • 17
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Was Thomas jefferson A Member of the Illuminati?
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vidence usually cited to peg Thomas Jefferson as a member of the Illuminati is based on a letter he wrote to Bishop James Madison in January 1800. The letter is frequently quoted out of context, leaving out the part in which he makes it clear that he knows nothing about the order, apart from what he had just read in Abbé Augustin Barruél’s book, Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism (Mémoires pour servir à l’Histoire du Jacobinisme), published after the French Revolution (the misspellings are Jefferson’s): “I have lately by accident got a sight of a single volume (the 3d) of the Abbé Barruel’s ‘Antisocial Conspiracy’ which gives me the first idea I have ever had of what is meant by the Illuminatism… Barruel’s own parts of the book are perfectly the ravings of a Bedlamite. But he quotes largely from Wishaupt whom he considers as the founder of what he calls the order… I will give you the idea I have formed from only an hour’s reading of Barruel’s quotations from him, which, you may be sure, are not the most favorable. Wishaupt seems to be an enthusiastic philanthropist. He is among those… who believe in the infinite perfectability of man. He thinks he may in time be rendered so perfect that he will be able to govern himself in every circumstance, so as to injure none, to do all the good he can, to leave government no occasion to exercise their powers over him, and, of course, to render political government useless… Wishaupt believes that to promote this perfection of the human character was the object of Jesus Christ… I believe you will think with me that if Wishaupt had written here, where no secrecy is necessary in our endeavours to render men wise and virtuous, he would not have thought of any secret machinery for that purpose.” It should be pointed out, as an aside, that the Bishop James Madison to whom the letter was written was not President James Madison (they were cousins). But for a dose of extra irony, there is actually a secret society called the Bishop James Madison Society at William and Mary College in Virginia. Started in 1812, it is the second oldest secret society on the W&M campus. The only older one is the Flat Hat Club, to which Thomas Jefferson belonged.
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early 1800s by a series of sermons delivered and published by ministers who were alarmed that the new nation was becoming a godless institution. They laid the blame squarely upon the influence of the Illuminati, who were believed to be in cahoots with supporters of Thomas Jefferson. The usual suspects of Democratic Clubs, reading societies and Jacobins (French revolutionaries) were dragged out. In the United States, the supposed Columbia Lodge of the Illuminati has been claimed to have been the fraternal refuge of New York Governor Dewitt Clinton, newspaper editor and future politician Horace Greeley, and New York politician Clinton Roosevelt. Roosevelt himself, it has been claimed over the years, used the philosophy of the Illuminati in his 1841 book, Science Of Government Founded On Natural Law. He was a distant cousin of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and there are some who claim that the book is a blueprint for both Karl Marx’s 1848 Communist Manifesto and FDR’s socialistic New Deal programs of the 1930’s. Those looking under the rug for a conspiracy claim that the Illuminati, through Clinton Roosevelt, created modern Communism along with FDR’s New Deal programs. And as icing on the cake, it was FDR (who was also a Freemason, by the way) who put the All-Seeing Eye and the unfinished pyramid on the back of the U.S. one dollar bill. Which are, conspiracists claim, are symbols of the Illuminati. Or the Masons. Or both. The Illuminati and the Occult After the death of the Bavarian Illuminati, a bewildering amount of literature poured out of Europe purporting to tell as many lurid details of the organization as authors could discover (or make up). Much like today, tales of a super-secret group engaged in conspiracies to overthrow the kings of Europe, especially during the aftermath of the bloody French Revolution, sold lots of newspapers and books all over the world. In spite of its small size, short lifespan and publicly outed officials and founders, the Illuminati captured the minds of the public in the early 1800s. After that, tales of the Illuminati slipped into obscurity. In the 1860s, a French magician and author Alphonse Louis Constant (1810-1875), writing under the pen name of Eliphas Lévi wrote a series of books and pamphlets that became the centerpiece of modern occult lore. In his book, A History of Magic, Levi mistakenly claims that the Bavarian Illuminati was occult and its members had “habitual communications with the dead.” The last thing Weishaupt’s Illuminati involved was the occult. Nevertheless, Lévi claimed that the Rosicrucians, the Knights Templar, the Freemasons and the Illuminati were all secret magicians dabbling in occult practices. In the 1870s, a German named Theodor Reuss (1855-1923) was busy dabbling in obscure, irregular Masonic organizations, and in 1880, he started his own, new ‘Order of the Illuminati’ in Berlin and Munich. The group never managed to attract many members, so in 1895, Reuss decided to invent his own Masonic lodge that claimed to be a lodge of the Illuminati. Reuss would go on to create the Ordo Templi Orientis in 1906, and his successor Aleister Crowley took the claims of the Illuminati and the occult and embellished them. Nesta Webster and the Illuminati’s Conspiracy Against Civilization In 1920 an English conspiracy theorist named Nesta Webster (18761960) published a series of articles in the London Morning Post, based on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a notorious piece of Russian anti-Jewish propaganda. The next year, she extended her articles and published them as The Cause of World Unrest. This influential work resurrected Barruél and Robison’s claims that secret societies caused the French Revolution, making the strong charge that it and all of the unrest in the world since the Revolution has been caused by a Jewish/Freemason/Illuminati conspiracy, using powers of the occult. Webster believed this was a conspiracy against civilization, and her theories became incredibly popular. Winston Churchill and England’s Field Marshal in India, Lord Kitchener were fans of her theories.
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While her contention that the Illuminati (largely Jewish) world conspiracy was the source of Bolshevism (Communism) in Russia was quickly accepted by prominent politicians, her viral antiSemitism was less than admired after World War II ended. She strongly supported fascism, the Nazi persecution of Jews, and said Hitler had successfully managed to stop the Jewish plan to rule the world. Webster’s writings have influenced many conspiracists since the 1920s. The Insiders The ultra-right wing John Birch Society did much to resurrect the spectre of the Illuminati in the 1960s and pin its tail to the backside of Communism. The society’s founder, Indianapolis candy manufacturer Robert F. Welch, believed everything he read in John Robison’s and Barruél’s books about the Illuminati, the European Freemasons and the French Revolution and concluded that Adam Weishaupt’s Illuminati was the model for Marxism, Soviet-style Communism, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the United Nations. Welch referred to the modern Illuminati as the “Insiders” and even alleged in his book, The Politician, that World War II General and Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower was an Insider working for the Communists. Gary Allen’s 1964 book, None Dare Call It Conspiracy, was widely promoted by the Society, and it laid out a supposed roadmap of the modern Illuminati, combined with the financing of the Rockefellers and the Rothschild banking family. The book certainly struck a chord in the United States by selling 7 million copies. David Icke’s Version of the Illuminati Former British soccer player, self-proclaimed Messiah and professional conspiracist David Icke has concocted his own theory of the Illuminati, and they are not of this earth. It’s probably true that Icke has done more than any other conspiracy author to promote the concept of an all-controlling cabal of elites who are working secretly behind the scenes to dominate the world. According to his book, The Biggest Secret, Icke believes the real power on Earth is a race of shape-shifting alien lizards from Alpha Draconis, known as the Babylonian Brotherhood. By night, behind closed doors, they are 12 feet tall, drink blood, nibble on rodents, molest children, and sacrifice humans in an alien Satanic ceremony. But by day, their bodies change size and shape and they become Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and his two sons, Hillary Clinton, both George Bushes, Tony Blair, William F. Buckley Jr., Bob Hope, Billy Graham, Kris Kristofferson, and even country singer Boxcar Willie, just to name a few. According to Icke, he was told about the royal family’s alien lizard lineage by Princess Diana, and it was, apparently, the Royal lizards who had her rubbed out. And the reason that England’s Royal Family has a massive estate in Scotland is because it guards the entrance to their vast subterranean lizard city. Further, the Global Elite answers to what Icke calls the “Luciferic Consciousness of the Fourth Dimension.” The Babylonian Brotherhood supposedly uses alien technology to change weather patterns on Earth, and are using “global warming” as a cover story. They also created the New Age movement to prepare the Earth for a “vibrational change.” Icke has classified a long list of different lizard races that are vying for supremacy on Earth: Grays, Troglodytes, Crinklies, Tall Robots, Tall Blondes (!), Elderbarians (they make crop circles), Zebra Repticulars, Annunaki (which include the Bush presidents), the Interdimensional Sasquatch, and more. Of course, Icke drinks in ridicule like mother’s milk. His speaking engagements are very well attended, and his rambling books sell extremely well.
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onspiracy peddlers say the Illuminati, or something like it, still exists today, acting as the puppet masters behind presidents, kings, banking, business, and the United Nations. What makes the allegation of an Illuminati conspiracy for world control so comical is that the original aim of the Illuminati was not totalitarian control of the world, but anti-Establishment revolution. The Illuminati has become a catch-all name, a ghostly standin for businessmen who own too much, giant bureaucracies and government secrecy. Over the years the Illuminati name badge has been pinned by conspiracists on left-wing socialists and communists, multi-national capitalists, and right-wing political pundits. Even politicians diametrically opposed to each other on virtually every socioeconomic level are frequently lumped together as being “elites” who secretly think alike and are supposedly part of the Illuminati. The Internet has only fueled the growth of this theory. Unfortunately, while there is an enormous range of authentic historical research material about the Illuminati in German and French, virtually none of it has been translated to English. Academic study of the Illuminati has long been deemed respectable in Europe, but in the English speaking countries, it is regarded as little more than a sensational sideshow or the obsession of cranks living in their parents’ basements. Like nearly every other esoteric movement over the last five centuries, Freemasonry has been wracked by internal disorder, fueled by disagreements over the direction it would take, and buffeted by the unpredictable egos of men who have attempted to make it something it is not. Certainly, the struggles between the Illuminati and other competing movements in Europe left their mark on the fraternity as it developed. And the men with revolutionary ambitions who were involved in it didn’t just disappear when the Illuminati was closed by authorities. But modern paranoid accusations of a Masonic/Illuminati/New World Order notwithstanding, Freemasonry today is a wildly diverse collection of lodges, grand lodges, rites and appendant bodies. Instead of centralized control, Freemasonry has become a very large tent that has expanded to encompass a wide range of beliefs and practices from country to country. Such a concept eludes the general public, and is more complex than a simple sound bite or elevator pitch can explain. And, of course, conspiracy theories frequently develop as a simple explanation for complex events, as a way to place blame for situations we seem powerless to control. Dan Brown’s version of the Illuminati is only the latest incarnation of the ghost of the Illuminati. It certainly won’t be the last. Bibliography
Allen, Gary. None Dare Call It Conspiracy. Barruél, Augustin. Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism (Mémoires pour servir à l’Histoire du Jacobinisme). London: 1798. Hodapp, Christopher L. and Alice VonKannon Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies. New York: Wiley, 2008. Icke, David. The Biggest Secret. Wildwood, MO: Bridge of love Publishing, 1999. Le Forestier, René. Les Illuminés de Bavière et la Franc-Maçonnerie Allemande. Paris: Hachette, 1914. Melansen, Terry. Perfectibilists. Walterville, OR: Trine Day LLC, 2009. Robison, John. Proofs Of A Conspiracy Against All The Religions And Governments Of Europe, Carried On In The Secret Meetings Of Free Masons, Illuminati, And Reading Societies, Collected From Good Authorities. Edinburgh: 1798. Stauffer, Vernon. New England and the Bavarian Illuminati. Arlington, VA: Invisible College Press, 2005. Originally published by Vernon Stauffer, New York, 1918.
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HISTORY
Did He Or Didn’t He? by Jay Hochberg
The inauguration in January of the 44th president of the United States renewed a debate among historians over the factual accuracy of the time-tested belief that America’s first president had added the phrase “So help me God” upon taking his oath in 1789. Here, Masonic Society Founding Fellow Jay Hochberg reviews facts and context, and makes the case in favor of Bro. George Washington speaking those words.
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he United States reached a notable anniversary April 30, the 220th anniversary of the inauguration of its first president, one of those many momentous occasions intertwined with Masonic history because that president of course was Bro. George Washington. It was Thursday, April 30, 1789 in New York City, the nation’s capital, when the president-elect took the oath of office at Federal Hall. This was made possible by the recent ratification by the states of the U.S. Constitution. Article II, Section 1 provides the presidential oath of office: “Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: ‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’” There is no mention of a Bible on which to place one’s hand, nor a “So help me God” clause. What causes skeptics to doubt whether Washington said “So help me God” is the absence of any contemporary account – a newspaper story, a diary entry, etc. – that states it as fact, and that can be attributed to someone present at the occasion. It seems the best obtainable source is Washington Irving’s five-volume biography of George Washington, published 70 years after that first inauguration, which appears to have informed the countless other accounts that made the legend such a familiar part of the American story. “I would not feel comfortable stating with absolute certainty that Washington said that,” said RW Thomas Savini, director of the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library at the Grand Lodge of New York. “I’d feel fine telling the story and acknowledging it as a story, but without an authoritative transcript or written script. I think it would be foolhardy to say it absolutely, positively was said exactly like this.” “We fall into the trap of trying to turn history into a matter of ‘who said what,’ especially with the ongoing transformation of our Founding Fathers into quasi-deities,” he added. “What I think is important is that what we know of Washington’s life and conduct tells us that he was the kind of man who very well might have added ‘So help me God’ to his oath, and there are several written accounts, all dated later than Irving, that suggest he did. The consequences of whether or not he said it are minor; the important lesson from the 20 • SPRING 2009
story is that Washington was a man who respected God.” Bearing in mind that the work of the journalist and the historian of the 18th century fails to gratify today’s expectations of fact-checked data, referenced citations, peer-reviewed research, academically credentialed experts, and media technologies, here is an account of the inaugural events that unfolded at the corner of Wall and Nassau streets in Manhattan: Finally, the time set for the inaugural ceremony arrived and about half-past twelve o’clock, all things being in readiness, the procession moved from the President’s house, preceded by the troops and a numerous escort, to Federal Hall where the Senate and House of Representatives in joint session were in waiting to receive him. At the moment appointed to take the oath of office required by the Constitution, accompanied by the Vice-President, numerous functionaries and a large number of the Senate and House of Representatives, Washington appeared on the balcony fronting Broad Street. There in the presence of a vast concourse of citizens, surrounded by intimate friends, including several former comrades in arms – among whom were Alexander Hamilton, Roger Sherman, Generals Knox and St. Clair, Baron Steuben and others – he took the following oath, prescribed by law, which was administered by the Chancellor of the State of New York, Robert Livingston: ‘I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States; and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.’ When Mr. Livingston had finished reading the oath, Washington replied solemnly: ‘I swear, so help me God,’ and bowing low, he reverently kissed the Bible.1 The standard accepted story of how a Bible was added to the proceedings appears in New York Masonic history books, and is reproduced in promotional literature printed by St. John’s Lodge No. 1, Ancient York Masons, the lodge that furnished the holy text that day:
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(or Great Britain) that George Washington concluded his oath of office by kissing the holy text and beseeching “I swear, so help me God.” A similar act of testimony is performed by every Freemason. If the three accounts above accurately recorded Washington bowing and kissing the book, then an affirmative answer to the question of whether he said it comes near. Consider the scene: Washington takes his oath, as administered by the Grand Master of New York, with his right hand upon the altar Bible of St. John’s Lodge, whose Master is present too.
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Genesis Chapters 49 and 50, where Washington placed his right hand during his presidential oath of office.
“Everything was ready for the administration of the oath of office to the president of the new government, when it was found that there had not been provided a Holy Bible on which the President-elect could swear allegiance to the Constitution. Jacob Morton, who was Marshal of the parade and, at that time, Master of St. John’s Lodge, was standing close by, and, seeing the dilemma they were in, remarked that he could get the altar Bible of St. John’s Lodge, which met at the ‘Old Coffee House,’ at the corner of Water and Wall streets. Chancellor Livingston begged him to do so. The Bible was brought, and the ceremony proceeded. When the stately Washington had finished repeating the oath, with his right hand resting on the open Book and his head bowed in reverential manner, he said, in a clear and distinct voice, ‘I swear, so help me God!’ Then bowing over this magnificent Bible, he reverently kissed it. Whereupon Chancellor Livingston in a ringing voice exclaimed, ‘Long live George Washington, President of the United States!’ “The Bible was Printed by Mark Baskett, Printer to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, London 1767…. The first page is an artistic steel engraved portrait of King George II, but, that which is so dear to the heart of every Mason is the inserted second page, beautifully engrossed and remarkably legible even at this date are the lines: ‘On this sacred volume, on the 30th day of April, A. L. 5789, in the City of New York, was administered to George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, the oath to support the Constitution of the United States.’ This important ceremony was performed by the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York, the Honorable Robert R. Livingston, Chancellor of the State.”
y 1789, George Washington had been a Freemason for 37 years. He was initiated into the fraternity on Nov. 4, 1752; passed to the second degree on March 3, 1753; and raised to the degree of Master Mason on Aug. 4, 1753 at Fredericksburg Lodge in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In each of these three ceremonies, Washington would have taken an oath and an obligation; more than finalizing the process of becoming a Mason, this act is what Masons specifically credit for “making” the Mason. It is important to understand that while the oath and the obligation of each degree are presented ritually together, the two declarations serve distinct purposes. There is no enigmatic Masonic mystery here. Just grab a dictionary. “Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition” says: Oath – (1) a solemn usually formal calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says (2) a solemn attestation of the truth or inviolability of one’s words. Obligation – (1) the action of obligating oneself to a course of action (as by a promise or vow) (2) something (as a formal contract, a promise, or the demands of conscience or custom) that obligates one to a course of action. From the day he entered the society of adulthood at age 17, George Washington no doubt had sworn to many oaths before April 30, 1789. Washington the public official: surveyor of Culpepper County in 1749, and adjutant of Virginia three years later. The Freemason: a Master Mason in a prestigious lodge of local elites at a time when only one in six lodge members attained the rank of Master Mason.3 The officer in the Virginia militia: a major in 1752, a lieutenant colonel in 1754, and a brigadier general in 1758. The elected government official: a legislator in Virginia’s House of Burgesses in 1758. A married gentleman in 1759. And of course commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in 1775, and president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. How were all of these oaths worded? Perhaps only specialized academic researchers can
Here is a contemporary newspaper account of the inauguration: “The ‘Federal Gazette’ of Philadelphia reported: ‘The impression of his past services, the concourse of spectators, the devout fervency with which he repeated the oath, and the reverential manner in which he bowed down and kissed the sacred volume– all these conspired to render it one of the most august and interesting spectacles ever exhibited on this globe. It seemed from the number of witnesses, to be a solemn appeal to Heaven and earth at once. Upon the subject of this great and Good man, I may perhaps be an enthusiast, but I confess that I was under an awful and religious persuasion that the gracious Ruler of the Universe was looking down at that moment with peculiar complacency.’”2 It would surprise no regular Freemason in the United States
The original portrait of King George II, left, and the portrait of Washington added subsequently. SPRING 2009 • 21
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George Washington takes the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall, New York City. The building, designed by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, was demolished in 1812, and later replaced by the current structure. (Lithograph: National Archives)
say, but the phrase “So help me God,” used specifically to seal one’s oaths, is not idiomatic to Freemasonry. A brief but amazing piece of research published in the current (Vol. 120) edition of “Ars Quatuor Coronatorum,” the annual book of transactions published by Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 in London, reveals a seminal use of “So help me God” for public administration purposes. Masonic students everywhere are indebted to editor Peter Hamilton Currie for including this oath of allegiance masons swore to King James (VI of Scotland and I of England). Excerpted, but with the spelling modernized: “I, A.B., do truly and sincerely acknowledge, profess, testify and declare in my conscience before God and the world, That our Sovereign Lord King JAMES, is lawful King of this Realm… And all these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear…without any Equivocation, or mental evasion, or secret reservation whatsoever…So help me God.” Another oath, even older but without any connection to masons, dates to 1559 in the reign of Elizabeth I and is called the Oath of Supremacy: “I, A. B., do utterly testify and declare in my conscience that the queen’s highness is the only supreme governor of this realm and of all other her highness’s dominions and countries, as well in all spiritual or ecclesiastical things or causes as temporal, and that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state, or potentate hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence, or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm; and therefore I do utterly renounce 22 • SPRING 2009
and forsake all foreign jurisdictions, powers, superiorities, and authorities, and do promise that from henceforth I shall bear faith and true allegiance to the queen’s highness, her heirs, and lawful successors, and to my power shall assist and defend all jurisdictions, pre-eminences, privileges, and authorities granted or belonging to the queen’s highness, her heirs, and successors, or united or annexed to the imperial crown of this realm: so help me God and by the contents of this Book.”4 In the reign of Charles I was promulgated the Oath of Allegiance, a pledge of loyalty to the Crown: “I A. B. do truly and sincerely acknowledge, profess, testify and declare in my conscience before God and the world, That our Sovereign Lord King CHARLES, is lawful King of this Realm…. And all these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear, according to these express words by me spoken, and according to the plain and common sense and understanding of the same words, without any Equivocation, or mental evasion or secret reservation whatsoever. And I do make this Recognition and acknowledgement heartily, willingly, and truly, upon the true Faith of a Christian. So help me God.5 “So help me God” also is found in the earliest extant Masonic rituals. There is a corpus of literature in Freemasonry known as the Old Charges, consisting of dozens of manuscripts starting with the Regius poem (c. 1390) and culminating with 18th century documents. There are too many to address here, but these four examples quoted from “The Early Masonic Catechisms,” by Douglas Knoop, G.P.
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Jones and Douglas Hamer establish a bridge from those royalty loyalty oaths to modern Speculative Freemasonry. (Likewise with the spelling modernized.) “These Charges that you have received you shall well and truly keep, not disclosing the secrecy of our lodge to man, woman, nor child…so god you help. Amen.” (Buchanan MS, c. 1670) “I, AB, do in the presence of Almighty God and my fellows and brethren here present, promise and declare that I will not at any time hereafter… make known any of the secrets… of the fraternity…so help me god and the holy contents of this book.” (Harleian MS, c. 1675) “…you shall not reveal any part of what you shall hear or see at this time…so help you god.” (Edinburgh Register House MS, 1696) “The signs and tokens that I shall declare unto you, you shall not write… and you shall not tell… to man, woman, nor child… so help you God.” (Drinkwater No. 1 MS, c. 1700) Other events of that historic day in New York City add more color to the picture being painted here. Washington and entourage prayed at St. Paul’s Chapel, the church where he would worship until the nation’s capital was relocated to Philadelphia. And there is the inaugural address, delivered to a joint session of Congress, sharing the newly sworn chief executive’s thoughts on his own role in government, the government’s duty to the country, and the country’s deportment under God. It is a short speech of 1,428 words, but the president devoted more than 400 words to acknowledging, to giving thanks to and to invoking the blessing of deity. Excerpted: “…it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow-citizens at large less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States….”6 With this understanding of the facts of Washington’s first inauguration and contextual facts of the phrase “So help me God,” it is safe to believe he added this language to his presidential oath, not as an improvised coda, but in an established tradition of governmental, and even Masonic, oaths. It is fact that the birth of the American republic was unprecedented in history, but it cannot be denied that the men who gave it law and politics were creatures of English habit, schooled in the mother country’s history, laws, politics, religions and traditions.
The statue of George Washington erected at the spot where he took the presidential oath of office, Federal Hall, New York City.
Footnotes
Charles H. Callahan, Washington: the Man and the Mason. (Washington: National Capital Press, 1913), pp. 158-59.
1.
Allen E. Roberts, Freemasonry in American History. (Richmond, Virginia: Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., Inc., 1985), p. 186.
2.
Ronald E. Heaton and James R. Case, eds., The Lodge at Fredericksburgh: A Digest of the Early Records (Bloomington, Illinois: Pantagraph Printing and Stationary Co., 1975), p. 25.
3.
4.
http://www.constitution.org/sech/sech_081.txt
5.
Ibid.
John Gabriel Hunt, ed., The Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush (New York: Grammercy Books, 2003), pp. 3-7.
6.
Photos by Jay Hochberg
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PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy and Freemasonry by John Bridegroom
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his essay is intended to be a rough sketch of Masonic history, real and legendary, with a look at philosophy and esotericism in Masonry. It is first necessary to discuss an individual who does not appear in Masonic tradition, at least not directly: the biblical figure Enoch. No small figure in mystic tradition, despite barely appearing in the Bible itself. Enoch was the seventh of the patriarchs, the son of Jared, and the grandfather of Noah. He was born in 662 BCE, and by some accounts he was more than 430 years old when his “Earthly Pilgrimage” ended. Enoch did not die, according to legend, but ascended to heaven. It is said that, being disgusted with the evil dwelling in man all around him, and appalled at the thought of its inevitable consequences, he fled to the solitude and secrecy of Mount Moriah, and devoted himself to prayer and pious contemplation. It was on that spot where the Shekinah, or sacred presence, appeared to him, and gave him those instructions which were to preserve the wisdom of the antediluvians to their posterity when the world, with the exception of one family, would be destroyed by the forthcoming flood. The circumstances which occurred at that time are recorded in a tradition which forms what has been called the great Legend of Enoch. It is said that he walked with God, and it was transmitted to him all wisdom and the liberal arts and sciences, and given to him was the ineffable name of God. Along with the arts and sciences, God informed Enoch that he would destroy the world by either fire or flood, and so Enoch and his sons made two pillars, one of marble to withstand fire, and the other of brass to resist water. On the pillar of brass he engraved the history of creation, the principles of the arts and sciences, and the doctrines of Speculative Freemasonry as they were practiced in his times. On the pillar of marble he inscribed
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characters in hieroglyphics, imparting that near the spot where they stood a precious treasure was deposited in a subterranean vault. Enoch, under the inspiration of the Most High, and in obedience to the instructions he received in a vision, built a temple underground on Mount Moriah, and dedicated it to God. His son, Methuselah, constructed the building, although he was not acquainted with his father’s reasons for it. This temple consisted of nine vaults beneath each other, and reached through apertures in each. Enoch then caused a triangular plate of gold to be made, each side of which was a cubit long. He enriched it with precious stones, and encrusted the plate upon a stone of agate of the same form. On the plate he engraved the true name of God, or the Tetragrammaton, and placing it on a cubic stone, known thereafter as the Stone of Foundation. He deposited them in the lowest arch. When this subterranean structure was completed, he made a door of stone and, attaching to it a ring of iron by which it might be occasionally raised, he placed it over the opening of the uppermost arch, and so that it covered the aperture and could not be discovered. Mount Moriah, is where Abraham would prepare to sacrifice his son for God; where Solomon would build the Temple; where the Second Temple would stand, where Mohammed ascended to heaven; and where the Dome of the Rock stands today. The legend says these underground chambers were discovered by Solomon when the Temple’s foundations were dug. The scenes of Enoch’s vaults are seen in the Cryptic degrees of the York Rite of Freemasonry, though the names and particulars are somewhat changed. It also is touched upon in the Chapter degrees, where we see the same stone door, set in the aperture of an arch with the same contents within, but it is not Enoch who carves this underground chamber in the Cryptic and Chapter degrees. In fact, Enoch is not mentioned at all. The connection of Enoch to these degrees is thus explained. Masons are taught that the fraternity we know today dates to 1717 at the formation of the first Grand Lodge of England. Some of us dig a little deeper and discover the Halliwell Manuscript, circa 1390. But it is argued by some that the true picture of the formation of is found in the York Legend, which says that in 926, King Athelstan, with the help of Prince Edwin, designed constitutions to bring Christian knights and Masons Guilds together. Approximately 100 documents are said to have existed as the York, or Gothic, constitutions, of which about seven can be considered source documents, with the rest appearing to be copies, and that have minor differences. Within the “Ancient Charges” there is a curious statement: A man called Hermes Trismegistus is cited as the founder of Freemasonry. Grand Lodge Manuscript No. 1, dated 1583, states “The great Hermarines that was Cubys sonne, the which Cubye was Semmes sonne, that was Noes sonne. This same Hermarines was afterwards called Hermes the father of Wysdome; he found one of the two pillars of stone, and found the science written therein, and he taught it to other men.” The pillars of Enoch, containing the liberal arts and sciences, are discovered by Hermes Trismegistus. Hermes is a very important figure in the Ancient Mysteries. An Egyptian priest, Hermes Trismegistus (or the thrice-greatest) was supposed to have lived about 2000 BCE. A celebrated Egyptian legislator, priest, and philosopher who lived in the reign of Ninus, he is credited with writing 36 books on theology and philosophy,
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and six on medicine, all of which are lost. There are many traditions of him, one of which, related by Eusebius, says he introduced hieroglyphics to Egypt. It is to him who the “Legend of the Craft,” that body of early myths so named by historian Albert G. Mackey, refers. In the first ages of the Christian Church, this mythical Egyptian philosopher was the inventor of everything known to the human intellect. It was believed that Pythagoras and Plato derived their knowledge from him, and that he had recorded his inventions on pillars. He is author of the Emerald Tablet, the foundation of Alchemy. Many discount any connection of the Egyptian mystery schools to Freemasonry, yet here we have a pivotal Egyptian figure cited in early Masonic-related documents as the founder of the Craft. If Hermes was instrumental in the genesis of Freemasonry, either historically or by legend, his influence still stems from that Egyptian source. As an aside, the 1904 edition of “Ahimon Rezon and Freemasons Guide, an Instructional Book for the Regulation of Masonic Lodges” written by Macoy and Sickles, states: “That portion of the Rite which is connected with the legend of the Tyrian Artist, is well worthy the deep and earnest study of thoughtful men. But it should be studied as a myth, and not as a fact; and, if thus accepted, it will be found exceedingly rich in instructive lessons, and lessons, too, which admit of an immense variety of applications; whereas, if it be regarded simply as a ceremony commemorative of historical occurrences, it has no philosophical importance nor significance whatever. “Against the notion that it is the representation of a scene
Freemasonry in post-flood history. So here we have the legend corroborating what is written in seminal Masonic literature. The York Constitutions provided source material for Dr. James Anderson, author of the first Book of Constitutions published in 1723, where Hiram Abiff is mentioned for the first time in Masonic letters. Hermes disappears, but interestingly enough, one of Hermes’ prominent creations mentioned earlier, the Emerald Tablet, the basis of Hermetic philosophy and science, begins with “I am called Hiram, one in essence and three in aspect. In this trinity is the wisdom of the whole world.” Perhaps Anderson was familiar with this when he wrote the Constitutions, as Masonry takes a historic turn and makes a stand on its origins henceforth. Alchemy, founded on the Emerald Tablet, is known as akin to the teachings of Masonry, only using the language of the chemist as opposed to that of the builder. Parallels have not escaped our ritual, as the three lesser lights are one example coinciding with Alchemical symbolism. It is clear that Masonry existed before 1723, and we cannot ignore how our ancient brethren acknowledged Hermes as the founder of the Craft. If our fraternity which organized in York acknowledges Hermes, it must acknowledge Enoch, as it was Enoch’s pillars that Hermes found, enabling him to impart the arts and sciences to mankind. If we acknowledge the legend of Enoch, then the connection of the York Rite degrees to that legend are clear. And remember that originally the Royal Arch Degree was worked within the Craft lodge (and still is in some parts of the world). The question then becomes why are the names and details in the legend changed in the ritual? Why would we tell a story preserved over the
“If Hermes was instrumental in the genesis of Freemasonry, either historically or by legend, his influence still stems from that Egyptian source.” that actually occurred in the Temple, it may well be urged that, outside of Masonic tradition, there is no proof that an event, such as is related in connection with the Temple-Builder, ever transpired; and, besides, the ceremony is older, by more than a thousand years, than the age of Solomon. There are characters impressed upon it which cannot be mistaken. It is thoroughly Egyptian, and is closely allied to the supreme rite of the Isianic mysteries. This myth is the antetype of the Temple-legend. Osiris and the Tyrian Architect are one and the same—not a mortal individual, but an idea—an immortal principle! In Egyptian Freemasonry, Osiris was the type of Beauty, Goodness, Order, and Truth. So, in the Temple-myth, the Tyrian is the symbol of Beauty and Order, and of that Creative Art which is ever ready to seize the Ideal, and incarnate it in material forms— that divine art which robes the physical world in immortal splendors—embellishes and beautifies life—idealizes all Nature, transforming dull and prosy reality to a sunny, flowery dream.1” The book goes on to say “In the old philosophies, the number 12 always concealed a mystical sense, and was considered a symbol of divine ideas. But here the twelve F.C. represent the companions of Isis, who assisted her in her long and wearisome search after the body of the slain Osiris.” Hermes Trismegistus relates more specifically here than his Egyptian heritage; the legend says it was Hermes who discovered the pillar of Enoch after the flood, and delivered it along with the arts and sciences – most importantly, Geometry, or Masonry – to the people. This means Hermes would have been the founder of
ages, but alter it in seemingly insignificant ways? Masonry teaches the educational use of allegory, through which Masons realize it is not the Temple of Solomon we seek to rebuild, but the temple of the soul of man. We are not squaring the ashlar in the quarry, but the ashlar of our being, building according to our moral plan. “The pillars of the porch were cast hollow, the better to serve as a safe deposit for the archives of masonry against all conflagration and inundation,” says the ritual. The pillars in the porch in the Masonic lecture were built to survive flood and fire; they are indeed the pillars of Enoch, holding the keys to Masonry, brought back to man by Hermes after the flood of Noah’s time. When we compare ritual to legend, the transmission of a philosophy becomes evident, as a message from the beginning of time that connects ancient mystery schools to modern fraternities. There is a philosophy in Masonry that does not conflict with religious notions, but rather coincides with them, clarifying a natural order of the universe we see through geometry and astronomy. It is a Hermetic teaching, and it is why the letter G displayed in the East of our lodges represents God and geometry.
John Bridegroom is a member of Porter Lodge 137. He lives in Chesterton, Indiana. SPRING 2009 • 25
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RITUAL
Masonic Ceremonial of Baptism
Author Unknown — Often Attributed to (or edited by) Albert Pike Edited by Michael R. Poll In October 2008, the Southern Colorado Consistory of the Scottish Rite and members of Enlightenment Lodge No. 198 in Colorado Springs performed an uncommon and little-known ceremony with their children: a Masonic baptism. The ceremony is of European origin, perhaps from the Rite of Strict Observance. This particular version is believed to have been adapted by Albert Pike for the Scottish Rite. This public ceremony can be for a single male or female child under the age of 18, but normally infants or small children, or several children, adjusting descriptive terms (he, she, they) as necessary. Note: For best effect, this ceremony should be memorized if preformed. If a script is used, it should be only to refresh the memory.
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he Master, giving ONE rap, which is answered with ONE by each Warden in succession, rises and says:
WORSHIPFUL MASTER: We are met here to perform a symbolic ceremony that has descended to us from the remote ages and ancient initiations; one that should be impressive and solemn, since it is for us the assumption of new duties and grave responsibilities; ones that eminently accord with the true spirit, nature, and purposes of Freemasonry. Washing by water, as a symbol of purification and consecration to duty, is not the exclusive property of any religion. It is a symbol so natural and obvious, that we find it in universal use in the earliest ages of the world. In using it, Masonry does not imitate a religious rite of any church, or imagine that its ceremony, more ancient than the churches, has any sacramental benefits or saving properties, as when it is used in the proper manner by the ministers of religion. We call our Lodges TEMPLES, and in them we have our ALTARS, and yet we do not pretend that Masonry is a religion. We use our symbolic ceremonies because they have always been ours, although the church has borrowed and adopted them, and thereby invested them, when used by itself, with a new and peculiar sanctity. For us they continue to be symbolic rites of initiation into the mysteries. Nor is Masonic Baptism a showy ceremonial, by which the Order seeks to obtrude itself upon the notice of the world. Those who desire to witness it are welcome to do so; and each may find in it something by which to profit. It will teach neither hatred, nor intolerance, nor revenge. When the aspirant to knowledge of the old mysteries cleansed his body with water, he did so as a pledge that he would, in like manner, cleanse his soul and spirit from vice and immorality. It was not imagined that the ceremony itself had any sanctifying virtue. We use it in the same symbolic sense in which it was used, not only before the days of the building of the pyramids, but before the first streams of emigration flowed from the Northern Indies; and in the very infancy of the human race. THREE loud and distinct knocks are made on the door of the lodge. 26 • SPRING 2009
The JUNIOR DEACON opens the door a little and asks: JUNIOR DEACON: Who makes the alarm, and what is its cause? TYLER: I give the alarm. There are here (name of Child) and his parents, who ask admission, the parents desiring that their child may be baptized. JUNIOR DEACON closes the door, returns to his place, faces the SENIOR WARDEN, and says: JUNIOR DEACON: Venerable Brother Senior Warden, the alarm is made by our Tyler, who reports that there are in waiting (name of Child) and his parents, who ask admission, the parents desiring that their child may be baptized. SENIOR WARDEN raises and says: SENIOR WARDEN: Worshipful Master, there are in waiting without (name of Child) and his parents, who ask admission, the parents desiring that their child may be baptized. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: Brother Master of Ceremonies, take with you the necessary assistance, and if you find any without who are entitled to demand of us Masons baptism, bring them here. MASTER OF CEREMONIES, knowing how many of the children are too young to walk, takes with him as many of the Brethren, and one more, and repairs to the anteroom. When MASTER OF CEREMONIES is ready to enter, he raps at the door with FIVE loud and distinct knocks. JUNIOR DEACON rises and says: JUNIOR DEACON: Venerable Brother Senior Warden, someone demands admittance by the mystic number five. SENIOR WARDEN: Brother Junior Deacon, ascertain what Brother so demands to enter. JUNIOR DEACON: Who demands to enter? TYLER:
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The Master of Ceremonies and those who assist him with the child for whom baptism is asked and his parents. JUNIOR DEACON: Venerable Brother Senior Warden, it is the Master of Ceremonies and those who assist him with the children for whom baptism is asked and their parents. SENIOR WARDEN: Worshipful Master, the Master of Ceremonies and those who assist him demand to enter, having with them the child for whom baptism is asked, and his parents. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: Let the doors be opened and allow them to enter. JUNIOR DEACON goes to the door and opens it. MASTER OF CEREMONIES enters first with a sword drawn. He is followed closely by a Brother bearing a candlestick with THREE lit white candles of equal size forming a triangle. After him, a Brother carrying, or holding the hand of the child followed by his parents. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: This young child is brought here to receive at our hands Masonic baptism. It is well for those who are his natural protectors and guardians that they understand, for themselves, the significance of
and understanding of duty, and the capacity for improvement; for blessing us with the moral faculty of knowing the right from the wrong, how often so-ever our passions and frailties make us to disregard the warning of the conscience, and to do that which we know we ought to leave undone. Most earnestly and especially we thank Thee for that Thou has conferred upon us the power to advise and instruct others, and by our precepts and examples to mold their characters and influence their conduct. Help us to perform the duties which we propose now to take upon ourselves in respect to this child. Let us not become weary thereof, nor lose our interest therein, nor perform them coldly, nor neglect or postpone or transfer them. Help his parents to train him in the ways of virtue, truth, and honor, obedient to Thy laws and useful to his country. And may this ancient ceremony which we are now about to perform, be indeed the symbol to him of purity of soul, of innocence and a blameless life. And may he and we so live amid the troubles and sorrows of this world, as finally to reach the realm now seen only by the eyes of faith, where peace and loving kindness reign, and misery and evil are unknown. Amen! ALL: So mote it be. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: Who offer to take upon themselves the offices of godfather and godmother of this child? Approach and be seated near the parents.
“Masonry does not imitate a religious rite of any church, or imagine that its ceremony, more ancient than the churches, has any sacramental benefits or saving properties, as when it is used in the proper manner by the ministers of religion. We call our Lodges TEMPLES, and in them we have our ALTARS, and yet we do not pretend that Masonry is a religion.” this most ancient ceremony. We the Brethren of (Lodge Name) are ready to accept the responsibilities which the administration of the rite will impose upon us, and to endeavor with faithful honesty to perform the duties that will be born of the new relations created b it. To the mother and father of the child we are ready, we promise, to assist you in developing the infant and youthful intellects; in averting from them all evil influences; in cultivating their affections and moral sensibilities; in protecting from all blight and disease, from the withering heats of pleasure and indulgence, and the biting frost of hardship and privation, that make young hearts prematurely old. We have been taught early in Masonry that before engaging in any important undertaking, we should invoke the blessing of Almighty God. I therefore request silence, and call upon all to unite with our Chaplain in an address to the Throne of Grace. CHAPLAIN: Oh Eternal God, Merciful and Loving Father, we give Thee humble and hearty thanks for all the benefits and blessings, the immunities from want and the solaces from sorrow, which in the riches of Thy great goodness, Thou hast bestowed upon us. We thank Thee for making us rational creatures, and assuring our preservation by the constant effects of Thy Providence; for giving us the sense
The persons who have been selected to act as such rise, repair to the platform, and are seated by the MASTER OF CEREMONIES in the rear of the parents. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: By accepting the offices of godfather and godmother of this child, you consent to become the special instruments by whom the Lodge shall watch over and protect him; its eyes to see, and its ears to hear all the dangers and hazards, all trials and temptations that may approach and menace or entice him; its voice to warn, encourage, cheer and persuade him; and its hands to ward off from him all harm and evil influences. Informed that such will be your offices and duties, do you still consent to assume and promise to perform them? Do you promise that, so far as your persuasions and teachings can affect it, this child shall try to be good, and to become a good man; that he shall always try to do what is right; that he shall neither lie, nor fear to tell the truth, nor seek revenge; that he shall try to forgive those who may wrong him, and be kind and affectionate and not cruel or malicious; that he shall try hard not to be selfish, but generous, preferring the comforts of others to his own; and also that he shall himself renew these promises to us when old enough to understand them? SPRING 2009 • 27
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GODPARENTS: We do. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: It is well. Remember that to his parents and yourselves will, in a great measure, be committed the destiny of this young Immortal; and that you must answer to the Heavenly Father for the fidelity with which you fulfill the duties that you now voluntarily assume. Brother Senior Warden in the West, what should this child be taught in respect of his duty to others? SENIOR WARDEN: First of all, to love honor and obey his parents; and that not to do so is ungrateful, unnatural and shameful. Then to respect those older than himself, and to listen reverently to their counsels, and patiently receive their reproofs, for if just, he ought to profit by them, and if unjust he ought to be too glad, knowing them to be so, to be angry. To be charitable of opinion, because to be uncharitable is to be less than just. Let him be taught to be more than just in giving, and when advantage offers; in exacting what is due him, to accept less than he might justly claim, since he who today extracts the uttermost farthing will tomorrow demand more than is due him. And in all things make it in him and conform it as a habit to do unto others all that and only that which he would think it just, generous and noble for others to do unto him. Worshipful Master, how should this child be taught of God? WORSHIPFUL MASTER: To love God with all the heart and all the soul is to most human beings a commandment that imports no obligation. God is so far removed from those who have any true conception of His majestic greatness, that they rarely feel any emotion that can properly be called love for Him. That word used to express the feeling of the creature toward the Creator, is to most men a word utterly without meaning. Simply to tell a child that he should love God is to use mere idle words. Yet he owes to God his existence, his senses that enable him to enjoy His abundant gifts, his intellect and imagination which enable him to comprehend that He exists. But how may he be taught to love God as he loves his parents? God whom he can never see and whose nature he cannot in the least comprehend, nor understand the mode of His existence? He should be taught to cherish and love Him as the author of all the blessings that surround him, the giver to him of all good gifts; as the source of all the goodness, affection, generosity and lovingkindness that display themselves in His creatures. You may teach him that in loving the divine qualities in those who possess them, he loves God; that it is Gods love for him which is reflected in the smile of his mother; and his sorrow when he suffers. The child should be taught to revere and honor the Deity and not to simply fear Him. He may be taught that in doing what is right, and yet more in doing what is generous, he does what God wishes him to do, and by obeying His laws, he shows his love for God. Teach him not terror of God, but to trust in His providence, to believe in His supreme love and kindness, to hope for and expect, as it will merit, by good conduct, His approval. CHAPLAIN:
Almighty Father, Incomprehensible Intelligence, enable us to read the lessons of duty which Thou hast written in Thy magnificent hieroglyphs and symbols, expressions of Thy will, Thy thoughts, and Thy affections on the open pages of the wondrous book of the universe. Teach us and assist us to perform our duties towards this child, our own, and all Thy other wards that Thou may commit to our charge. Take all of them by the hand, Thou who watchest us incessantly and lovingly over the minutest of Thy creatures as over the stars and angels. Take and strengthen them to resist and overcome. Guide their young feet along the perilous paths and down the slippery precipices of life. Make them, each in his sphere, Thy almoners, to dispense to the suffering and destitute some portion of the means of relief that Thou loanest them; and in the execution of that trust make them faithful. Let them become Thy agents, in whatever humble degree, to instruct and improve others; and their country, and to love and revere Thee. Amen! ALL: So mote it be! WORSHIPFUL MASTER: Brother Master of Ceremonies, let this child who is to be baptized be now brought to the alter of baptism. MASTER OF CEREMONIES conducts the child, his parents, and godparents to the East and places him by the pedestal or table on which are the water, oil and salt. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: No words are adequate to express the veneration and love that we ought to feel towards our Father in Heaven. The soul seeking in vain to express them should abandon the attempt, and exhaling in a single aspiration, rise upward toward the Eternal Throne. This worship from the soul our ancient Brethren symbolically expressed by the invisible waves of incense ascending from their altars. Let us by the same symbol and in silence adore Him. MASTER OF CEREMONIES lights the incense on the altar. WORSHIPFUL MASTER takes the child in his arms , if an infant, and by the right hand, if able to walk, carries or leads him to the pedestal or table and dips his left hand in the basin of perfumed water, saying as he does so: WORSHIPFUL MASTER: (child’s name) by this symbol I devote you to the service of virtue and truth. May our Father, who is in Heaven, keep you innocent and pure of heart all the days of your life. WORSHIPFUL MASTER then returns the child to his parents, takes the vessel of perfumed oil, dips the little finger of his right hand into the oil, and with it marks a delta (point down) on the forehead of the child, saying as he does so: WORSHIPFUL MASTER: I set upon your forehead the old symbol of the Wisdom, Power and Love of God. May He protect and guide you in right courses all the days of your life. WORSHIPFUL MASTER replaces the vessel of oil on the pedestal or table; extends his right hand, palm downward, over the child’s head and says: WORSHIPFUL MASTER: May the blessing of our Father who is in Heaven rest upon you. May SPRING 2009 • 29
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you never know the bitterness of want, the remorse that follows crime, the loneliness of life without love, the midnight agonies of bruised and aching hearts, the miser’s greed of gold, ambition’s hunger for greatness, and the quenched light of a broken spirit, the sense of deadly and undeserved wrong, trust and affection betrayed or the abiding curse of weariness of life. May God comfort, encourage and uphold you, amid the disappointments, the sufferings and the trials of life, amid its fevered cares and sad disasters; in all losses of friends, by death or unworthiness; in all dangers and straights and temptations — and may He, in His great mercy and love, forgive all your weaknesses and errors, and gather you into his fold of Heaven at last. Amen. ALL: So mote it be. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: Brother Master of Ceremonies, re-conduct this child with his parents, to their seats. This is done. The parents and godparents take their seats on the platform as before. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: Brother Master of Ceremonies, invite the godmother of this child to place him at the Altar of Obligation. My Brethren, surround this ward of God and of the Lodge, in due form, and take the solemn vow to keep watch and ward over him. The godmother takes the child and carries or leads him to the Altar of Obligation, where all stand close around. Then the Master and the Brethren form a circle around them, each with his left hand on his heart and his right hand raised toward Heaven. Then all repeat the vows after the WORSHIPFUL MASTER. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: We do solemnly vow and promise that we will watch over and protect this child until he attains mature age, or so long as he lives and does require it, and it is in our power to do so. We will guard him against danger and temptation. We will help and aid him if he falls into need, strive to restrain him if he errs, forgive him if he repents instruct his inexperience, reprove his faults, and by precept and example, teach him to be good and virtuous. And may our Father in Heaven help us keep these vows. MASTER OF CEREMONIES hands the WORSHIPFUL MASTER a vessel of salt and he says: WORSHIPFUL MASTER: It has long been a symbol that when one of the desert has tasted salt with his guest, his pledge is sacred, and his guest sacred to him. Let us, by the same pledge, seal our vows of fidelity to this child that we have now taken under our protection. WORSHIPFUL MASTER: With this salt I seal my vow. Then the WORSHIPFUL MASTER passes the salt to the Brother on his right, who tastes it with the same words; and so it passes around the circle. When it returns to the WORSHIPFUL MASTER, he takes it and puts a little salt on the lips of the child and says: WORSHIPFUL MASTER: And whenever this child who has now tasted this salt of sacred 30 • SPRING 2009
faith, or anyone in his behalf, shall call upon us to aid him in need, distress, or danger, this solemn pledge shall be faithfully redeemed. To your seats my Brethren. Brother Master of Ceremonies, let this child, with his parents and godparents, return to their seats. WORSHIPFUL MASTER then gives the godmother a locket, bracelet or ring, for the child saying: WORSHIPFUL MASTER: Accept for your godchild this little present from the Lodge. It is a token of our affection; and whenever our ward needs assistance, advice, or protection, let him send to the Lodge or a Brother the gift we now make and the appeal will not pass unheeded. The godmother invests the child with the gift; and the WORSHIPFUL MASTER raps THREE times at which all the Brethren rise, and he says: WORSHIPFUL MASTER: In the name, and under the auspices of (Lodge) under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the State of ••• I do proclaim (child’s name) consecrated to the service of truth and virtue by Masonic Baptism, and anointing after the ancient custom of Masonry to be the ward of (Lodge). Proclaim it among your columns, Brethren, and charge all Free and Accepted Masons throughout the world to watch over and protect him as such. SENIOR WARDEN: Brethren of my column, hear ye! It is proclaimed that (child’s name) is consecrated to the service of truth and virtue by Masonic Baptism, and anointed after the ancient custom of Masonry to be the ward of (Lodge). All Free and Accepted Masons are charged to watch over and protect him JUNIOR WARDEN: (Same as SENIOR WARDEN) WORSHIPFUL MASTER: May the Divine Assistance always remain with us. May the offices in which we have united be profitable to us all; and may God bless and keep us in all our laudable undertakings. Go in peace. THE END
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SPRING 2009 • 31
THE JOURNAL OF THE MASONIC SOCIETY
Masonic Treasures
T
he St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 was held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, and the city pulled out all the stops. The event came at the height of the golden age of fraternalism in the United States.
The Temple of Fraternity was the brainchild of Charles Folsom Hatfield, who was an ardent joiner of fraternities. At the time of the Fair, he was a member of the Masons, Odd Fellows, the Knights of Maccabees, the Royal Arcanum, the National Union, Modern Woodmen of America, Woodmen of the World, the Tribe of Ben Hur, and several others. His plan for the fair pavilion united not just the Freemasons from across the U.S., but more than 60 different fraternal societies with a combined national membership of more than 8 million. Consider that the population of the country was 82 million at the time.
The Temple of Fraternity, atop Temple Hill.
The top floor contained two 600-seat auditoriums.
Built at a cost of $62,000 (approximately $1.5 million today), the Temple of Fraternity contained 40 different rooms and hosted 56 different national conventions of fraternal societies during the Fair. A corner suite of rooms were specifically set aside for a general Masonic headquarters, York Rite bodies, and the Order of the Eastern Star. In fact, the pavilion was carefully designed so each fraternal group had its own private area, completely separate from the others. The combined Masonic grand lodges and orders eventually gave $15,000 to the project ($355,000 today). “The Temple of Fraternity to be erected is an adaptation of the Parthenon of Athens, the standard of Greek architecture. It will be 200x300 feet surrounding a court which will be decorated as a tropical garden. It will be two stories high, with porticoes sixteen feet in depth on the exterior and interior, ornamented with Doric columns. Rooms will be set aside in this beautiful structure for all co-operating societies, where they will make their headquarters during the World’s Fair, and maintain a place for rendezvous and refreshment for the members from all parts of the country. The immense porticoes will be free for the use of all. Rooms will also be set aside for reading, writing, smoking, toilet purposes, ladies’ parlors, lounging, etc. Telephone, telegraph and postal service will be supplied, and a check room for parcels, as well as a free dispensary, attended by a board of competent physicians. The site selected for the Temple of Fraternity is one of the most commanding on World’s Fair grounds.” — Comunication sent to Grand Lodges by the Temple Association The Temple of Fraternity was a huge success. The fraternal organizations brought more visitors to the city and Fair than any other group or association. When the Fair ended, most pavilions were destroyed. The Temple of Fraternity, however, lived on. It was dismantled and shipped to New Mexico, where it became the administration building for a sanitarium for the treatment of tuberculosis, supported by an association of fraternal organizations.
Sources: Buel, J.W., Editor; Louisiana And The Fair, An Exposition of the World and Its People and Their Achievements, Vol. VI (1904: St. Louis, World’s Progress Publishing Co. Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Alabama 1902
From a commemorative box of cigars sold at the fair. (Collection of Christopher Hodapp)
32 • SPRING 2009
Kargau, E.D.: Mercantile, Industrial and Professional Saint Louis (1903: St. Louis, Nixon-Jones Ptg. Co.
Handcrafted Masonic Rings and Fine Jewels
www.mastersjewel.com PO Box 5519, Pine Mountain Club, CA 93222 661-242-2374 studio@mastersjewel.com
SPRING 2009 • 33
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POETRY
All In A Day’s Labor by Kevin Noel Olson
The sun rises in the east while workers receive instruction. The whispered wealth of knowledge, guides in their construction. The Master’s gavel resounds, pressing stone in place. Level, square, and plumb, by the board on which we trace.
Shiny metal for wages, pale to glowing hearts. How calm we go when we know in vain we do not depart. We know the labors will go on, By others we have passed. Bound freely to our brethren, until we breathe our last.
Errors are few when we plan; the trowel spreads care true. Cementing together ashlars, which virtue helps to smooth. The faithful sun joins the globes, glimmering high above. Refreshment called for one and all, bound by fraternal love.
We retire from the Temple; our labors here are done. Our tools ring as they sing, Waft our friend, true brother, home. Kevin Noel Olson is a Past Master of Butte Lodge No. 22, A.F. & A.M. in Montana.
Streaking along the wall, the sunlight wanes away. The workers look proudly on the closing of the day.
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FROM THE EDITOR
Pondering the Sublime by Christopher l. Hodapp
I
’ve been pondering one small, seemingly simple, word from our ritual: the ‘sublime’ degree of a Master Mason. The Oxford Dictionary first defines sublime as an adjective meaning “of such excellence, grandeur or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe.” It also references an archaic verb meaning “to elevate to a high degree of moral or spiritual purity or excellence.” Both definitions certainly describe the effect the Master Mason degree is meant to have on each of us. And yet, there is more to this one simple word that defies any attempt to make it simple. The word sublime comes from the Latin sublimis, which is actually a compound of sub- meaning “under” or “up to”; and limin, meaning “lintel” or “threshold.” Technically, the word means “as high as the top of a door,” but the thought behind it means “lofty, raised up, aspiring, eminent or exalted.” In the 1st century AD, the philosopher Longinus wrote a treatise called Peri Hupsous or On the Sublime. Longinus used the term to describe lofty thought or language when used in the art of rhetoric. Sublime speech or thought is persuasive, and inspires awe and veneration. Longinus’ treatise was lost for centuries, but was rediscovered in the sixteenth century, and widely circulated throughout the Enlightenment, when speculative Freemasonry was forming. At the end of the Enlightenment period in the late 1700s, philosophers explored the study of aesthetics, which was an attempt to attach logical and scientific reasoning to the somewhat nebulous ideas of taste and beauty. (Of course, in the 20th century, there was a reversal of the notion that such judgements could be quantified or fenced in by judgements and definitions, which is why Jackson Pollock could vandalize a perfectly innocent canvas with paint and a squirt gun and still be called a genius.) During this period, sublime was used as a word in aesthetics to describe taste and beauty. It was used to denote greatness, or an object or achievement or idea of great magnitude, be it physical, metaphysical, artistic, or spiritual. Something sublime was without peer, measurement, or comparison. Freemason Edmund Burke (1729-1797) explored the concept in his 1757 treatise Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, and whether by accident or design, he seems to describe the most base emotions at the root of what makes the Master Mason degree sublime: astonishment, terror, and apprehension of the unseen. “The passion caused by the great and sublime in nature, when those causes operate most powerfully, is astonishment: and astonishment is that state of the soul in which all its motions are suspended, with some degree of horror. In this case the mind is so entirely filled with its object, that it cannot entertain any other, nor by consequence reason on that object which employs it. Hence arises the great power of the sublime, that, far from being produced by them, it anticipates our reasonings, and hurries us on by an irresistible force. Astonishment, as I have said, is the effect of the sublime in its highest degree; the inferior effects are admiration, reverence, and respect .” Certainly, all of this describes the lofty goals of the Master Mason degree, that it should be the greatest of all Masonic or other fraternal degree experiences. It should impart a sense of grandness and awe. It should be astonishing. And even a little scary.
I noticed recently that the Catholic Church is having a wrangle over the wording of the Mass - their ritual, if you will. In the 1970s, a directive came from the Vatican to “simplify” the ritual, namely, to create a new translation that was closer to the vernacular, to the way people really speak and think, instead of the poetry of the old mass as it had appeared in Latin. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI decided that something had been lost in that decision, that there was worth and majesty in the original Tridentine (Latin) Mass, and that a closer translation to its original Latin form would be more desirable, more affecting, more. . . sublime. In short, it sounds like the new pope has at last recoiled from the dumbing down of the liturgy. In an October 22, 2006 National Catholic Register article, “Rome Reaches Out to Tridentine Mass Followers,” were several interesting quotes: “Folks are finally beginning to see what a banal translation of the Mass we’ve been saddled with for so long. The new translation is, I’m happy to say, not so very new-many of the expressions are just revivals of traditional expressions that have been used in English for generations.” “We need to give God the best words we can use. Words shape thoughts and cultures. We should not give God second best just to make things easier.” “Sometimes profound thoughts and truths require long sentences and big words . . . If people don’t understand it, you educate and prepare them.” The Pope put the hammer down and called for a return to higher standards (in many areas, not just the wording of the Mass) and more challenging vocabulary. For all those who point to Masonic ritual and call it too archaic, too long, or too complex for “modern men” to be interested, I find it fascinating that the Church is taking quite the opposite view. They are raising the standards. They are making it more challenging. More sublime. Freemasonry keeps making changes in an effort to appeal to young men, yet we keep doing it without asking those young men about it first. Change is a good thing, but we need to be sure those changes are serving the needs of active members and the men we hope to attract. We say they don’t have time to take the degrees individually. We say the lectures are too long. We say the memorization is too hard. Yet, men who are staying away from Freemasonry don’t know about those things before joining, so how can such things be a turnoff? The new men who ARE joining our lodges are better educated than any generation of Masons ever before. They’ve done incredible research about the Craft before knocking on our doors. They are looking for something legendary, something mythical, something timeless. These are the men who grew up fascinated by the minutiae of the Star Wars universe and its organization; of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and its heroic stories and fascinating tapestries of cultures; of the esoteric discussions and philosophical labyrinths of The Matrix. These men are not looking for fast, easy ways to join this most famous and legendary initiatic brotherhood. And when we rush to make it simple and cheap and fast, Freemasonry loses its value and its allure. Let’s keep it sublime. SPRING 2009 • 35
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Masonic Treasures