GM Official Visitation Solomon 36

This blog contains more of my masonic travels.

Solomon Lodge had the honor of receiving the Grand Master of Masons tonight. There was a lovely speech most important to this blog by Worshipful Leon Ware Grand Steward. As I'm horrible at paraphrasing I'll give you the basic gist of his story. It mentioned of our need to make use of our working tools - to keep them 'oiled' and 'well maintained' and that the proper care of our tools is the proper care of our principles as masons. I'll try and get a copy of this speech and type it up in PDF format. If I can't get a copy I'll let you know.

I also attended an EA degree at Union # 7. I brought our newest EA along & it was well attended. It was great to see many brethren attend an EA (in our lodge --since it is a two story building-- it's a bit harder for us to get brethren out). Among them W. Bro. Hiott was in attendance acting on behalf of the GM giving out the GM year pin (and trying to sell the GMs theme pin for $5. The money goes to the jobs daughters/demolay charity. The GMs theme is "Freemasonry - Live It!"; which is also very important to this blog). I believe we lose sight of 'living' freemasonry and just go into the subculture of being its members - that is why I enjoyed the speech so much by W.Bro. Ware.

S&F
Steve

GM Official Visit To Union # 7

(LtoR)Steve, The Most Worshipful Grand Master Of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons Of Delaware 2007-2008; Earl L. Emerson. Picture taken by cell phone.

The MWGM of Masons and his Grand Staff visited Union # 7. The food was (and usually is at masonic events) fantastic. There were oysters (which I had never had before), dumplings, chicken salad, coleslaw, dessert & rolls.

There was a wonderful email read by Most Worshipful Earl L. Emerson, a touching speech on temptation by Most Reverend W. LeRoy Jones and some wonderful thoughts on how we as masons should get out to nursing homes more presented by our JGD Worshipful Martin "Hoagie" D. Furnish (he is a clown, hence the name "Hoagie") - Highfield being the charity of the GM.

I was also paid the highest compliment I believe I could recieve today. We were outside the lodge room and the conversation went something like this:

him: "lets see what's your name? ah, steve"
me: "and you are? (unfortunately I'm horrible with names). I'm pleased to meet you."
him: "are you an officer?"
me: "yes, I'm sitting chaplain"
him: "you look a little young to be chaplain"
me: "that's what I've been told"
him: "well, you look like you're not even 18 (i think that's what he said - it was something about my age) but I know you have to be" [note: DE is 18 to be a mason]
me: "I'm going to be 23 in march; 22 right now"
him: "well you must live a good life"
me: "thank you! I try."

I'm due to attend another official visit from the Grand Master & his Grand Staff a week from tomorrow at Solomon Lodge # 36. I'll recap events there as well.

'of the mysteries of freemasonry'

mys·ter·y1 /ˈmɪstəri, -tri/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[mis-tuh-ree, -tree] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun, plural -ter·ies.

1. anything that is kept secret or remains unexplained or unknown: the mysteries of nature.
2. any affair, thing, or person that presents features or qualities so obscure as to arouse curiosity or speculation: The masked guest is an absolute mystery to everyone.
3. a novel, short story, play, or film whose plot involves a crime or other event that remains puzzlingly unsettled until the very end: a mystery by Agatha Christie.
4. obscure, puzzling, or mysterious quality or character: the mystery of Mona Lisa's smile.
5. any truth that is unknowable except by divine revelation.
----------------------------

We've all taken obligations. What exactly are the mysteries? I believe they are not cut and dry; especially when you take a look at definition # 5. What are we keeping secret? Are the modes of recognition enough? I think not.

I've heard of many a brother getting uptight about revealing the 'secrets' of freemasonry (myself included when I was a younger EA). "I think I took an obligation not to say that". "That shouldn't be disclosed here". Cyphers, Grips, Words, Steps, Signs, Due Guards are all physical secrets. They are part and parcel of the 'secrets' and 'mysteries' of Freemasonry. The intangible aspects are more 'part and parcel' of the 'secrets' and 'mysteries' of Freemasonry. What, then, are the mysteries? What are the secrets?

I believe they lie in our mental capabilities of knowing and understanding divinity; our physical reaction with the world around us & keeping our obligations - not only the spoken ones in our degrees to our brethren and self - but of the moral obligations we all try to partake as good men. I believe it lies in The Power Of Now and our common inability to make use of the moment properly. Yet still those are all part and parcel of what the 'mysteries' of Freemasonry are.

We are all still searching, aren't we?

'Light'

When I think of 'light' in masonry I think of divine knowledge - ie. spiritual texts that reveal the presence and all knowing/all being of the higher power. I also think of the grips given after we have told the master we wish to recieve light.

In keeping with my jurisdictions rules on the 'secrets' of freemasonry I will not name the grip in the third degree but you will do well to remember the addendum after the word is given.

If you know anything about alchemy it's not so much about turning base metals into gold but rather improving yourself spiritually. I wonder if there is any connection between the addendum for the pass grip of Master Mason and the spiritual practice of alchemy? Is this a way to relate the spiritual practice of alchemy to the spiritual esotericism of freemasonry?

This dawned on me when I thought what the addendum to the pass grip of master mason is while writing a post on what members of a masonic forum thought about when they heard the term 'light' in masonry. On second thought I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before.

Have any of you thought about this before? Leave something in the comments.

S&F In Light,
Steve

Esotericism Abound

I posted on a masonic forum (www.masonicdiscussion.com) that I was looking for ebooks. There were two qualifications 1)Subject Matter - It had to be esoteric/occult 2) It had to be free. In the spirit of spreading light I would like to forward you the following:

http://www.the-book-of-thoth.com/content.html
http://www.fatumoperandi.org/index.php?esoteric
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.geometry/unit1/INTRO.html
http://www.gnosticteachings.org/content/section/10/10125/
http://www.librarything.com/groups/initiationintohermet
http://www.hermeticinstitute.org/html/abstracts.html
http://www.ritmanlibrary.nl/site_map.html
ftp://ftp.dragon.org/pub/pfcase/PFC&Bryant-Philosophers_Stone.pdf
http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/
http://canada.lvx.org/library/
http://www.abardoncompanion.com/PDF-Links.html
http://www.hermetic.com/
http://www.hermetics.org/
http://www.mastermason.com/luxocculta/
http://www.theosophical.ca/OnLineDocs.htm
http://www.crcsite.org/library.htm
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/titles.html
http://www.thothweb.com/sections.html
http://www.esotericarchives.com/
http://www.bradford.ac.uk/webofhiram/?section=walter_leslie_wilmshurst
http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/index.htm
http://www.sacred-texts.com/mas/index.htm
---

As they say in Masonic Circles "Ask and you shall receive...".

I have more links hiding somewhere. There may be some topics up there that can't be linked to Freemasonry but I believe most can be in one way, shape or form.

S&F In Light,
Steve