Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish everyone viewing this blog who celebrates the holiday a Happy Thanksgiving. If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving happy thursday.

In Light,
Steve

Ordained

I previously ordained myself with themonastery.org but found out from http://ulchq.com that they are no longer in agreement with one another. I have filled out the appropriate forms on ULCHQ.COM and wait my response.

Freemasonry Returns In You

With much of the negativity being floated around about the present state of the craft I figure it's time to chime in with my two cents.

Whatever our origins might be as a fraternity or our past or present intentions we have to realize that what we give to freemasonry is what we'll get out of it. I believe that "Freemasonry gets what we put into it" not the other way around. We must hold ourselves accountable for the Craft.

The lessons learned in masonic degrees are not specific to freemasonry alone - Brotherly Love, Relief, Truth. Fidelity, Piety and the Golden Rule are not new concepts. The Craft does portray them in an interesting, thought provoking manner. It is up to us how we take our lessons further. If we find something interesting it is also my belief that it is our duty as brethren to share that information with one another so that we all may grow. I participate on a few online forums where discussion runs rampant and enjoy brethren from all jurisdictions speaking their mind on educated topics.

Thus we have "Freemasonry Returns In You". On a short aside my mother has a plaque in her and my step-fathers room related to marriage. It says (paraphrase):

"One may think what the other may be;
To know this is compatibility"

My brothers, Freemasonry is as far and vast as it is wide. It is one of the many aspects I enjoy about being a mason. There are so many schools of thought and ways of life that we can't help but increase our ever widening circle of knowledge. As it has been said "The more I learn the less I know".

Think about it Brothers!

We have men of all walks of faith (even those whose official stance is to condemn freemasonry) and life. If we take a moment to listen to our brothers we can certainly learn a lot. I believe that's what Freemasonry is all about - learning. If you're not into the esoteric/philosophic/spiritual aspects of the fraternity learn what it means to be a cabinetmaker, or a car salesman. To make it short and sweet be brothers!

I think learning is what this fraternity is about & as I stated above - it's not strictly masonic. If we don't strive to learn through common interaction or masonic ritual I believe we're headed for a downfall as a species.

If we learn much Freemasonry will return to us and we can impart that to the fraternity at large - thereby making better men & better communities as Freemasonry has intended us to do.

Traveling DE Style

I was in attendence at St. Johns Lodge # 2 to see Bro. Sturgis raised to the sublime degree. It was a very well performed degree and I believe Bro. Sturgis enjoyed himself thoroughly.



-Left to Right: PSGD Jim Hutchinson who sat in the East, Milt Draper ,Trustee (PM), Newly Raised Bro. Surgis (MM), MWPGM Atkinson (Sitting WM of St. Johns Lodge 2007-2008), Bobby Blackard JW (PM), Steve Pugmire (Chaplain)-

Jamendo

In leiu of the persuit of the Fellow Craft I would like to direct your attention to jamendo.com a free, legal (under the creative commons liscense) music downloading program. All you do is search for the artist via a genre (blues, jazz, etc) and hover your mouse over the album & among other options it will show you these:

Download
Listen

I hope you find it as enjoyable as I have.

Focusing on Arithmetic

Add to your knowledge

Never subtract from the character of your neighbor

Multiple your benevolence to your fellow creatures

Divide your means with those in need.

Taken from here

Introduction

Brethren & All,

I'm still trying to think of what this blog should be about. I want this to deepen my knowledge of craft masonry (exo & esoterically). I hope to post masonic articles that I have written in the near future. I have been knocking ideas around in my head but have yet to get anything down on paper. It will also be about my experience as a Delaware freemason (I seem to see a lot of states/provinces represented online yet somehow I am one of two brothers who has a masonic presence on a forum/blog/etc). I hope to see this grow for our state.

I took the traditional route into masonry and was:

Initiated on October 25th, 2006
Passed on November 29th, 2006
&
Raised on January 24th, 2007

I took 'Further Light' literally and have been searching ever since and have been pleased to find in my mind that masonry is able to be mentioned in the same paragraph with the likes of Hermeticism, Symbolism & Spiritual Awakening.

There's something special about being a Delaware Freemason that in terms of easily accessable lodges could only be surpassed by that of Rhode Island. It's easy to travel here and the brethren get to know one another very fast.

Fraternally,
The DE Freemason