Qualifications of a True Mason by Manly P Hall

“Hence the disciple of the Ancient Wisdom is taught to realize that man is not essentially a personality, but a spirit.”—Manly P. Hall

All true Masons know that their work is not secret, but they realize that it must remain unknown to all who do not live the true Masonic life. Yet if the so-called secrets of Freemasonry were shouted from the housetops, the Fraternity would be absolutely safe; for certain spiritual qualities are necessary before the real Masonic secrets can be understood by the brethren themselves.

Hence it is that the alleged 'exposures' of Freemasonry, printed by the thousands and tens of thousands since 1730 down to the present hour, cannot injure the Fraternity. They reveal merely the outward forms and ceremonies of Freemasonry.

Only those who have been weighed in the balance and found to be true, upright, and square have prepared themselves by their own growth to appreciate the inner meanings of their Craft. To the rest of their brethren within or without the lodge their sacred rituals must remain, as Shakespeare might have said, 'Words, words, words.'

Within the Mason's own being is concealed the Power, which, blazing forth from his purified being, constitutes the Builder's Word. His life is the sole password which admits him to the true Masonic Lodge. His spiritual urge is the sprig of acacia which, through the darkness of ignorance, still proves that the spiritual fire is alight.

Within himself he must build those qualities which will make possible his true understanding of the Craft. He can show the world only forms which mean nothing; the life within is forever concealed until the eye of the Spirit reveals it.



Reprinted from 'The Lost Keys of Freemasonry' by Manly P. Hall.

Quotes Albert

Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955), Physicist

Harmony & Peace by Ill. Bro. Art Brion, 33° IGH

[Speech of Ill. Bro. Arturo D Brion, 33° IGH, Supreme Court Justice, Semi-Annual Session, [Philippine Scottish Rite] Supreme Council, September 12, 2009.]

1. Let me start with a word of thanks to our Sovereign Grand Commander and the Supreme Council for granting me the honor to be your Guest Speaker in our Semi-Annual Session. This invitation is a distinct honor for me and for [my lodge -] Manila Bodies.

2. Our theme for today is - "Scottish Rite Masonry: A Bridge to Peace and Harmony," a topic that addresses core masonic values. While we are in a masonic gathering, I will not speak to you about the topic strictly as a Mason as to do so would be to engage in Masonic Education - an endeavor more appropriate in our formal proceedings. Let me speak to you about this theme on the basis of both my personal experiences and perceptions as a Mason.

3. Due perhaps to my own personal experiences, the first thought that came to mind when I focused on our topic was not peace but the absence of peace. As you must all be aware, war - in one form or another - is one of the constants in our contemporary world. And I am not speaking only of Iraq and Afghanistan. War has been there from my earliest recollection of my government service.

Barely a month after I entered government service in 1982, then Minister Blas Ople ordered me to go to Lebanon to manage the evacuation of our OFWs whom we then called contract workers. My first thought when I saw Israeli armor and came within hearing distance of the shooting was - how lucky we are in the Philippines as we do not have to undergo this experience.

4. Of course, I was wrong. I did not simply appreciate then that we had our own war, and that the fighting between the government and the communist insurgents and those in the South between the government and the MNLF were no less a war than what I saw in Lebanon. But it was not until later that this dawned on me when I became privy to more detailed reports of the kind of fighting that was taking place. It came as no surprise to me therefore when, in my own international meetings while I was Secretary of Labor, the fact that there is fighting in parts of our country was not truly appreciated.

I refer to an incident when I pleaded before an international office the fact that the situation in the Philippines is not as normal as the situation in Geneva, and that we should not be judged on the basis of the peaceful and sterile situation in Geneva because there is effectively an undeclared war in our country - in fact, we had and still have the longest lasting communist rebellion today and a very serious on-going hostile conflict in some areas of Mindanao involving our Muslim countrymen.

5. I bring up all these to ask the question - why do we have these conflicts when we are not lacking in initiatives for peace and, in fact, everybody - our government, the communists, the MNLF, and the MILF - professes to love peace?

6. It came to me, while considering this question, that masonry has a unique answer that is derived from the lessons we have learned as early as our entered apprentice level. The Masonic answer entered my mind when I asked myself - as I considered the term "peace and harmony" - why these concepts are always paired and why "peace" always comes ahead of "harmony."

7. My answer, derived from no specific masonic lesson, but rather from the thrust of all that I have learned from masonry, is that we are placing the cart before the horse when we use the term "peace and harmony;" for, peace is the end result and should come last, while harmony should come first because it is the means to the end that is "peace."

To put it more succinctly, we cannot really have any true peace if there is no harmony, and we need not even aim for and think of peace as a desired condition if only we have harmony, because peace will inevitably follow once there is harmony.

8. To be sure, this is not an earthshaking thought, but I became convinced of this as I harked back to my most basic masonic lessons; everything I learned in Masonry somehow relates to harmony - from the lessons we derived from the square, the compass, the plumb, the level, the triangle, and the circle, all of which in the mathematical and architectural realms result in the harmony of lines, figures and structures; in the realm of Masonry, contemplation of these tools results in our harmony with our Supreme Being, with nature, and with mankind.

9. At the level of man, harmony, of course, does not only signify the relationship of man with his fellowmen. At its most basic, harmony refers to the self and must exist from within before it exists anywhere else; no manifestation outside of self can be made unless the self itself is capable of the manifestation. In blunter terms, one cannot give what one does not have. The internally disharmonious man cannot have harmony and peace with his fellowmen if his own thoughts are in turmoil and at war with one another.

10. I recently spoke to a friend of long standing who unfortunately was diagnosed with cancer, not the most virulent type of leukemia but a cancer nevertheless. You all know what cancer essentially is - a condition when the body turns against itself as wayward cancer cells turn against and seek to defeat the normal body cells. My friend told me that his cancer is now stable, which I understood to mean that the cancer cells were already under check, and I asked him what kind of medication he was taking. He calmly answered me - "none at the moment as I have stopped all medications."

He said that he is more into meditation and into calming his own body through his thoughts, and now only regularly sees a psychiatrist rather than an oncologist. I was rather incredulous at first when I heard this, although I thought that psychology and meditation are no less effective as medication if the sick thinks this is the medication that can address the illness.

It was then that I heard from him the word "harmony" as a means of addressing his illness. He said that he is trying hard at establishing harmony within himself so that his condition of normal health shall prevail over the wayward cells causing all his distress. He said that his problem is as spiritual as it is physical, and gave me reading materials on how our own very thoughts can create and cure illnesses because the physical always reacts to thoughts from the spiritual.

It was through these readings that I began to pay attention to and seriously consider internal harmony as a condition that must necessarily precede any other harmony that we want to establish outside of ourselves.

11. In masonry, it seems to me that internal harmony is basic as we commit ourselves to meet on the level of equality, live by the plumb-line of virtue, and to act always on the square. I have heard, time and again, the admonition to curb our passions - an advice that is more into controlling the self rather than addressing our relations with others.

We use our Masonic tools to create that structure, even if only by allegory, that will lead us to God through the perfection of ourselves. From ourselves, perfected through Masonic virtues, harmony in relationships with our brethren within the Craft and with others, is just one achievable step away.

In other words, because we control ourselves, harmony with others is facilitated; harmony with others in turn directly translates to peace in our relationships because conflicts are prevented. We thus fulfill the duty of a Mason with respect to peace that the Morals and Dogma define as follows:

"The duty of a Mason is to endeavor to make man think better of his neighbor; to quiet instead of aggravate difficulties; to bring together those who are severed or estranged; to keep friends from becoming foes, and to persuade foes to become friends."

12. Any relationship, however, cannot but have at least two dimensions. The first is how we relate to others which we as Masons address through our duties to our brethren, to the Lodge and to the Craft; the other is how our fellowmen - whether a brother Mason or not - relate to us.

The latter dimension of the relationship - whether we like it or not - to a large extent depends on the expectations of others from us. Unfortunately, for some reason or another, we do not always take these expectations into account even if they
are fully known to us.

13. I have found from my own personal experiences - both in my private and public dealings - that expectations from brethren are easy to define because we meet each other on the level of our sworn obligations. To paraphrase these obligations at their simplest - we swear not to cheat or wrong a brother mason and will always help a brother mason in distress for as long as we can do so without prejudice to ourselves.

Because we take these obligations to heart, these obligations at the same time embody the responses that our brother masons expect from us - a proportionality inherent in Masonic teachings that utilize our Masonic tools to ensure that our actions are kept within due bounds.

14. Generally, brethren in distress make known their distress to us; some even specify how we can help, a step that helps a lot in defining what we can really do. To the credit of this Fraternity, people do really go all out to help. In turn, brethren in distress as a rule know what they can expect from us; in my case, I can say that brethren are very sensitive to and respect my limitations and the rules that bind me as a public servant, and do not demand more than quick action and a level playing field in acting on the causes of their distress. Thus, because of these expectations, breaks in our relationships very seldom occur; the limits of what we can do to help are given and accepted, while the expectations from our assistance are all properly and proportionally defined. In short, harmony reigns.

15. How I wish I can see this kind of expectations from others so that our own relationships with them will not break under the stresses of unanswered or denied requests, or of culturally-induced unreasonably high expectations of what we can do. I say culturally-induced because it seems to me that the high expectations come from our culture that dictates norms of "utang na loob" and of "pakikisama" that are way above what our own duties and responsibilities to ourselves, to our laws and to our country would allow.

16. How I wish people would know that in this Fraternity, we have more than "utang na loob" and "pakikisama" in our relationships with each other. Even strangers who recognize each other as brother masons become close at first meeting because of the commonalities and the obligations we all recognize we owe one another; yet we do not demand nor do we expect responses or favors beyond what our brethren can give.

17. I verbalize these wishes, my friends, because our kind of obligation and the reasonable expectations we have from one another as Masons, can be the model of the relationship that can foster overall harmony in our society and establish the peace we fondly speak about. Replicated many times over inside and outside our Fraternity, the harmony we strive to create within ourselves and the smooth inter-personal relationships it fosters, cannot but lead to significant tranquility, whether the relationship be individual, in groups, or even in politics where people can be most demanding. This can be true, too, even at the levelof countries where due recognition of one another´s obligations and self-interests as nations, can lead to understanding and lasting cooperative solutions.

18. I seize this rare opportunity to express these wishes before this gathering of Masons, because we have here a distinct area of life where Masonry and its tenets, demonstrated through our examples, can immeasurably make a difference. To my mind, this is a unique bridge that we as Masons can offer to our society so that there can be greater harmony among us and more lasting resulting peace.

19. A Chinese Proverb - drawn from the book Chicken Soup for the Soul - encapsulates the circle of harmony and peace that I wish we Masons can demonstrate and exemplify. The proverb runs:

If there is light in the soul,
There will be beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person,
There will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house,
There will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
There will be peace in the world.

Maraming salamat po.

I give you all the sign of peace.

Brotherly Love

From: Freemason in Africa Facebook Page

"Brotherly love?" commented the Old Past Master. "Oh, yes, the lodge is full of it.

It is curious the way it manifests itself, sometimes, but when you dig down deep enough into men's hearts, you find a lot of it." "A lot of them never show it, then," said the Very New Mason. "Oh, no, certainly not! Men don't go around demonstrating their affection like a lot of girls, you know," answered the Old Past Master.

"But you don't have to see a demonstration to know the feeling is there. The trouble with so many young Masons is their misunderstanding of the term 'brotherly love,' though high heaven knows the words are sufficiently easy to understand."

"'Brotherly, ' now, means 'like a brother.' I know a lot of brothers hate each other, but they don't act like brothers. There have been cowardly soldiers, and forsworn ministers, and corrupt judges, but when you say a man is 'like a soldier,' you mean 'brave and true'; when you say he is 'good as a minister' you mean one who 'truly does his honest best.' When you say 'upright as a judge' you mean 'as straight as the best of judges.' And when I say 'brotherly' means 'like a brother,' I mean like a brother who is acting as a good brother likes to act."

"As for 'love' there are more definitions than there are words in my mouth (which are several). But in connection with the 'brotherly' the word means that true affection which first considers the good of the person loved."

"Masonry teaches brotherly love. Many of its scholars are a long way from 100 per cent perfect in their lessons. But a lot could get an 'E' on their report card if the Lodge gave out evidence of scholastic standing!

"For instance, there was B'Jones. That is not his name, but it will serve. B'Jones undertook to do a piece of work for a hospital. It took him a year. At the end of the year his business was in shreds and tatters. He had one of those businesses that needs a man's personal attention." "His attention had gone to his hospital, which, by the way, was built and flourishes, to the everlasting credit of his city. It ought to be called the B'Jones hospital, but it isn't."

"A lot of his brethren in his lodge got to know about B'Jones. They called a meeting, called it the B'Jones meeting, issued stock in the B'Jones association, bought the stock, started B'Jones off all over again, and let him pay them back as he could. All this, without B'Jones ever asking for help.

Brotherly love, my son, in the best meaning of the word."

"There was poor old Smith. Smith, during his lifetime, came to the lodge every night. He wasn't very bright, that Smith. He could't learn the work and had no presence. Couldn't make a speech to save his life, so he never was called on at banquets. He never did anything audible, but he was always on committees and he always passed around refreshments and he attended every funeral, and he was always down ahead of the meeting to see if the room was clean, and if it wasn't, he'd sweep it out."

"He gave the best he had in service. Well, Smith died. Men do, you know; and awful lot have, already. At the funeral, we found out Smith left an invalid wife and two half grown children and no assets. It's the lodge's business to take care of such, and we did it.

But three men in the lodge with more money than ability to keep it to themselves, subscribed enough cash to put the boy through a good business school and the girl through a normal school, so they could earn their own living. Charity? Nonsense! The lodge attended to the 'relief.' The three attended to brotherly love. They just remembered what old Smith was and how he gave, and so they turned to and gave. Actually, Smith did most of the loving. The three just acted in reflex to Smith's loving heart, that so cared for his brethren and his Lodge he was always engaged in brotherly work."

"Do you know Brown? Brown runs a garage. Also, Brown ran a temperature until the doctors took him off to the hospital to cut out his something-or -other. Well, the garage was about to cash in. Garages don't run themselves, and there wasn't any one we could hire to run it. So six brothers of this lodge spent two hours a day each at the place, looking after it. We didn't do a very good job, I'm afraid: Brown says we are the worst garage keepers in the world, but we saved the shop from being wrecked and looted, and Brown thinks Masonry means something.

One reason we did it was because of brotherly love in spirit of the fact that sitting around a cold garage selling gasoline is about the uneasiest apology for loafing I know!" "I could talk all night about it. But what's the use? Those to whom 'brotherly love' is just words won't listen to what I say and those who know what they really mean don't need to hear it."

"Well, I am glad I heard it!" answered the Very New Mason. "Then," went the Old Past Master, "get it firmly fixed in your mind, young man, more than one man has gone into a lodge and curled his lip when he learned that he was supposed to be a brotherly lover, and turned around and wept when he found that he was being loved like a brother by men he didn't know cared what became of him."

"Masonry works miracles all the time, and the commonest of them and the one she works oftenest is teaching hard-hearted citizens to be soft-hearted Masons; teaching men the real meaning of the words 'brotherly' and 'love' until they, too, become teachers."

The Old Past Master on Failure by Ill Bro Carl H Claudy

"What's troubling you?" asked the Old Past Master of a serious-faced brother who sat down next to him.

"So much I hardly know where to begin to tell it," came the response. "I try to be an optimist, but I can't help feeling that, practically speaking, Masonry is a failure, and it depresses me horribly, because I love it."

"Now that's too bad," said the Old Past Master soberly. "Masonry is a failure, practically speaking! That would depress me, too, because I also love it. In fact, I should think it would depress a great many men."

"Yes it would.... a lot of men love it," said the troubled brother.

"Suppose you explain why it is practically speaking a failure," said the Old Past Master. "If I ought to be depressed because of such a condition I think I ought to know it."

The troubled brother looked up suspiciously, but the grave face in front of him wore no smile. If the old eyes twinkled they were hidden by solemn lids from the penetrating glance of the troubled brother.

"Well, it's this way," he began. "Masonry teaches brotherhood. Naturally, your brother is a man on whom you can depend; he is worthy of trust. One believes in one's brother. One backs his note and expects to be paid; one is willing to trust one's wife, one's life, one's good name, to a real brother.

"But there are a good many men who are Masons that I know are not worthy of my trust, merely because they are Masons. They are my brethren because I have sworn with them the same obligations and professed the same faith. But I do not think I could trust them with that which is of value to me, and I know they wouldn't trust me with what is of value to them. I don't mean they are not good men, but I don't feel that my Masonic bond is strong enough to give me the complete trust which a real brotherhood should provide and I don't think they feel it either.

"If I were in a strange city and a man came up to me and wanted to borrow two dollars and pointed to a Masonic pin as the reason, I wouldn't lend it to him. And if I walked into a strange bank and tried to cash a check for twenty dollars on the strength of my Masonic pin, I wouldn't get it."

"A pin, you know," put in the Old Past Master, "is not real evidence of being a Mason!"

"No, but even if I could convince the banker I really was a Mason he wouldn't cash my check without identification. And I wouldn't give money to a stranger even if I knew he was a Mason, because....well, because my brotherhood hasn't struck deep enough, I guess. And so it seems to me that practically speaking, Masonry is a failure."

"And yet you say you love it!" sorrowed the Old Past Master. My brother, you have, in the language of the street, got hold of the wrong dog.

"Now let me talk a minute. Your blood brother is a man you love. You were children together, you fought with him and for him. You shared his joys and sorrows. You learned him, through and through. If you love him and trust him, it is not because of your mutual parentage, but because of your association. Two boys are not blood brothers, but raised as brothers, may have the same tender love and trust. It isn't the brotherhood of the flesh, but the brotherhood of spirit, that makes for love and trust.

"You complain because you don't have that feeling for a stranger. Had you been parted from your blood brother at birth, and never seen nor heard of him until he met you on the street and demanded money while offering proof of his blood relationship, would you trust him without knowing the manner of man he had come to be? Merely because he was a blood relative wouldn't mean he was the type of man you are. He might have become anything during these years of separation.

"Now, my brother, when you became a Mason you assumed a tie of brotherhood with all the other Masons of the world. But you did not assume any obligation to make that tie of brotherhood take the place of all the virtues which are in the Masons of the world, or the virtues possessed by the profane. If you are a true Mason you will extend Masonic brotherhood, practically, to those Masons who hold out the brotherly hand to you; which means those men who are able and willing to prove themselves brothers and Masons, not merely those who belong to lodges and wear pins.

"The world is one big compromise, my brother, between things as they are and things as we would like to have them. You would like to be rich, and you compromise by getting what you can. You would like to be famous, and you compromise by being as well known as you can and doing the best you can to deserve fame. You would like to be the most highly skilled man in your profession, but you have to compromise with perfection on the one hand, and the need of earning a living on the other. As a Mason, you would like to trust on sight every Mason in the world, but you have to compromise with this fact that all Masons are human beings first and Masons afterwards, and human beings are frail and imperfect.

"Masonry makes no man perfect. It merely holds out one road by which a man may travel towards the goal of spiritual perfection more easily and with more help than by other roads. It had no motive power to drive men over that road; but it smooths the way and points the path. The travel is strictly up to the individual brother.

"If you trust those whom you know travel that path, they will trust you....and Masonry will be, practically speaking, for you both a success. If you travel with your eyes open, you will see many who fall by the wayside, not because the way is plain and smooth, but because they are too weak to travel it. That is the fault, not of the road, but of the traveler.

"And so, my brother, Masonry cannot be a failure, because men fail as Masons. As well say the church is a failure because an evil man goes to it; as well call Christ a failure because all men are not Christians. The failure is in the man, not in the beautiful philosophy which is Masonry."

"And I," said the troubled brother, "Am a failure now because I have failed to understand. But not in the future, thanks to you."

Quoted from a series of Masonic writings of the Old Past Master series by Ill Bro Carl H Claudy, 33rd degree, PGM, c1924.

Of acts and intentions

"Before the throne of the Almighty, man will be judged not by his acts but by his intentions. For God alone reads our hearts."

Mohandas Gandhi

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"This saying by Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi (aka Mahatma Ghandi) alludes to the universality of the Godhead that Freemasonry espouses. Christians readily relate to this but little do they realize that its author, Mohandas, was never a Christian.

When [we were] asked "In whom do you put your trust?" we readily answered 'in God' and to this Supreme Being we join Ghandi in claiming that "God alone reads the hearts."

Once again, Bro. Cris, thank you for sharing your QOD. Travel light and always ...

By the Square,

The Rev. Bayani D. Rico, PM
Mission Lodge 169, San Francisco, CA

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"And although our thoughts, words, and actions may be hidden from the eyes of man, yet that All-seeing Eye, whom the sun, moon and stars obey, and under whose watchful care, even comets perform their stupendous revolutions, pervades the innermost recesses of human Heart, and will reward us according to our merits".

The Monitor

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Excerpt: Dare We Be Masons?

"The danger in an organization such as ours is that, while it begins with ideals and principles, the organization may become the greatest enemy to those ideals and principles.

Some person has imagined a conversation between the devil and some angels. The angels proudly told the devil that a way had been found to defeat him. When he asked how it would be done, they told him that God was going to give men lofty ideals and challenging principles to be proclaimed to the world.

The devil just laughed, and told them that he could not be defeated that way, for all he would have to do would be to institutionalize the ideals and the principles, and it would only be a matter of time until men would forget the ideals and principles as they tried to keep the institution alive.

As I once heard a friend of mine explain, "first the idea creates the organization, then the organization chokes the idea." We can become so concerned about keeping an organization alive that we forget the ideas and ideals that give it birth. We begin by having a great ideal force our thinking and acting into new channels, and we end by serving an organization. Freemasonry must be a force to be used, and not a form to be served."

-- M.W. Bro. Rev. Dr. Thomas Sherrard Roy, PGM (1951-3) GLMA: Dare We Be Masons? 1966

Masonic Snobs by Bro Bliss Kelly, MPS [Okl]

Reposted from a recent email newsletter by Bro Ed Halpaus.

Original article appeared on the August 1960 issue of the Philalethes Society.

The Philalethes Society [or the Masonic Philalethes Society - MPS] is an international Masonic research society. The name is "derived from two Greek words, philos and alethes. It means lover of truth [Fiat Lux]. The Philalethes Society was founded on October 1, 1928, by a group of Masonic Students. It was designed for Freemasons desirous of seeking and spreading Masonic light.

In 1946 The Philalethes Magazine was established to publish articles by and for its members. The sole purpose of this Research Society is to act as a clearing house for Masonic knowledge. It exchanges ideas, researches problems confronting Freemasonry, and passes them along to the Masonic world.

Its membership consists of Members and 40 Fellows who are Master Masons in good standing in a Regular Masonic Lodge anywhere in the world. Today the Society has members within 185 Regular Grand Lodges."

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Masonic Snobs by Bro Bliss Kelly, [MPS, Okla].

In a Masonic Lodge all ranks are leveled and all distinctions donnish [banish?]. The general and the private are equals within the sacred walls of the Lodge, and the laborer, the professor, the mechanic and the industrialist, the common man and the famous meet upon that level which only Masons can truly understand.

Masonry has prided itself, that it regards no man for his worldly wealth or honors and that it is the internal and not the external qualifications of a man which should recommend him to be made a Mason.

These principles are impressed upon every candidate many times as he passes through the ritual of the degrees. If any one thing may be said to be stressed more than any other it is this insistence upon equality. It is also said that every man should be accorded that respect which is due him because of his achievements, but no true Mason expects anything more than respect from other Masons.

Why, then, are there some Blue Lodges which require all officers to appear at all communications dressed in formal clothing? Does this tend to promote the idea of equality? Does it create a desire to attend Lodge on the part of those who do not have (or want) formal attire? Or, does it make him feel out of place or on a lower level than those who strut in tuxedos?

When an officer of such a Lodge is asked such questions he explains formal dress adds dignity and impressiveness to the ritualistic work and proceedings of the Lodge.

This may be true but what kind of dignity? The stonemason who observes the judges of a supreme court, clothed in black robes and sitting in high-backed chairs upon elevated benches, is impressed with the dignity of the court. But is there any equality there? These judges have the power to take away his property, his wife, his children even his life.

There are those who would go to the other extreme. Recently, on a hot summer day, an Entered Apprentice degree was being conferred by a team without coats and a man who presided in the East wearing a battered straw hat and a wad of tobacco in his cheek, with no tie and his shirt unbuttoned at the neck. The candidate was not impressed; in fact, he never returned to receive the other degrees.

Contrasting this was a Master Mason degree conferred in a country Lodge which had the ancient pot-bellied stove for heat no carpets and painted boxes for pedestals and an altar. Yet, the proceedings were highly dignified. The team was composed of two farmers, one merchant, a lawyer, a rural mail carrier, a teacher and a certificate teacher of the work. It was impossible to determine, from appearances or actions, the occupations of any of them: The rural mail carrier, a teacher and Master: The candidate was almost overwhelmed with the great lessons of the degree, expressing a desire to begin working in the Lodge as soon as he could prepare himself.

Then there are those Lodges whose members seem to think they are superior in some way to members of other Lodges, and want to convert their meeting places into country clubs or town clubs, hoping to attract "high class" men as members. Is this Masonry, or merely a means of indirectly soliciting members? Can one Masonic Lodge be "better" or more "high class" than any other?

These are challenging questions in this fast-changing world, and merit serious discussion. Many believe that the attitude of the Masonic Fraternity should change to meet these conditions; that the mere recital of ritual is not attractive enough to bring rank-and-file members to Lodge meetings, and insist that something more must be offered.

Fraternization with other members at Lodge meetings, usually mentioned as a central attraction, has little to offer. The active workers and officers are too busy for anything more than friendly greetings and the others are mostly old men whose minds dwell in the past. What is there to do besides sit in uncomfortable chairs and watch incompetent degree teams stumble and falter in conferring the work?

Most Lodges have tried socials and evenings of entertainment for members and their families. Attendance is seldom good, and so very few of these are planned.

Some Lodges are now planning to build recreation and entertainment facilities around a centrally located Lodge hall. Some plan to add a golf course, swimming pool and other facilities where members and their families may enjoy themselves or the families can amuse themselves while members are attending Lodge meetings.

What would be the cost of all these things, and how high would dues and assessments have to be to pay for all this? Would this attract the well-to-do who could afford such luxuries and drive away the common man?

Wouldn't this make greater Masonic snobs out of the members of such Lodges?

After all, Masonry must be kept upon the level of equality and Masons must meet upon that level: otherwise, it will deteriorate into a social fraternity and lose its identity as Masonry, ancient and unchanging.

True Masonry needs nothing more than its landmarks and its ritual to make it attractive to every good man, when it is properly viewed. The difficulty seems to be that we expect Masonry to be all things to all men. It was never intended to be that.

When Masonry has conferred its degrees and taught its members the sublime principles for which it stands, it has laid that foundation upon which to build a righteous life, and its work is finished. From there on, it is up to the individual members to practice brotherly love, relief and truth, acting upon the plumb of rectitude, meeting upon the level of equality and parting upon the square of virtue and morality.

In that case there can be no Masonic snobs.

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This article by Bro Kelly; which was written more than half a century ago, is still true today as it is when it was first written in the 60's. Reaslistically, class distinctions can not be banished altogether - there were several political "philosophers" [Lenin and Mao, to name a few] who have tried to create such classless society but failed. It seems no amount of laws could and can dictate how human beings act. People will find ways to corrupt laws and find loopholes to circumvent for their own selfish ends.

Thus the way of Masonry - changing its adherents one at a time in their hearts. Teaching them that this world might not be perfect but we need to strive to be as upright as best as we could - not only towards our brethren, their widows and orphans but towards all mankind. And what better way to start the process but within ourselves [in our hearts]; in our Lodges and churches, and our community. Beginning with ourselves and day to day actions and hopefully by setting a good example we can convince others the way of Masonry.

As enunciated by Bro Joseph Fort Newton in his book, "The Builders" -

"... when Masonry, instead of identifying itself with particular schemes of reform, and thus becoming involved in endless turmoil and dispute, estranging men whom she seeks to bless, devotes all her benign energy and influence to ennobling the souls of men, she is doing fundamental work in behalf of all high enterprises. By as much as she succeeds, every noble cause succeeds; by as much as she fails, everything fails! By its ministry to the individual man--drawing him into the circle of a great friendship, exalting his faith, refining his ideals, enlarging his sympathies, and setting his feet in the long white path--Masonry best serves society and the state."

Grand Lodge Is Not Separate Entity by Elbert Bede, M.P.S.

It is something approaching a universal practice among Masons to erroneously speak of Grand Lodge as a separate entity; as though it were something apart from the Lodges from which it derives revenues for its support and upon which it imposes rules and regulations. I sense two reasons for this mistaken conception.

Within my memory it was the common practice to designate Lodges as "subordinate" and to speak of them as such. Some Grand Lodge codes may yet designate Lodges as subordinate. The Oregon code formerly used that expression. Happily, however, the inaccurate word has been replaced, or is being replaced in all codes by the more accurate "constituent," or reference is made to "Lodges," without any qualifying adjective, yet the idea expressed by "subordinate" still prevails among the greater number of the Brethren.

As a matter of fact, the Lodges, instead of being subordinate, control the operation of Grand Lodge. It is true that its officers, committee members and past elective officers, the last named usually being Past Grand Masters, are members of Grand Lodge; but every officer, every committee member and every past elective officer might be present in his capacity as such and yet Grand Lodge could not be opened. The representatives of a specified number of Lodges (seven seems to be universal) must be registered and present before the Grand Master may sound his gavel. No legislation may be enacted, no change in any law, rule or regulation may be made, no Grand Lodge officer may be elected or installed unless the representatives of the required number of Lodges remain present to maintain a quorum and the number required for a quorum was fixed by the representatives of the Lodges while assembled as a Grand Lodge. The officers, committee members and past elective officers are powerless to proceed as a Grand Lodge unless the representatives of the Lodges make it possible for them to do so. In my opinion, it might with more truth be said that Grand Lodge is subordinate to the constituent Lodges than that the Lodges are subordinate to the Grand Lodge.

After Grand Lodge has been legally opened, each constituent Lodge is entitled to three votes if it has any representative whatsoever present, while officers, committee members and past elective officers have only one vote each. The constituent Lodges, therefore, have a great preponderance in voting power, and their representatives not only may control the acts of Grand Ledge, but are responsible for whatever laws, rules and regulations may be in the code for enforcement by the Grand Lodge or by the Grand Master.

It is true that the Grand Master, except for the few days of each year when his Grand Lodge is in session, is actually the Grand Lodge and rules the Fraternity in his jurisdiction, but he does that wholly through powers given him by representatives of the Lodges while assembled as a Grand Lodge, or through lack of restraint placed upon powers inherent in the office by ancient custom; but the Grand Master completes his term in office by reporting his acts and decisions to the assembled representatives of the Lodges, who may nullify anything the Grand Master has done while acting as the Grand Lodge. Happily, nullification of the acts of a Grand Master is not common.

Showing further the powers of the representatives of the Lodges, there is no appeal from their decisions when acting as the preponderant force in Grand Lodge; not even if they should illegally override the provisions of the code which they have themselves enacted .

A second reason why Grand Lodge has been pictured as a separate entity, as something apart from the Lodges, is that representatives of Lodges have so frequently played such a small part in Grand Lodge communications. Usually the representatives of Lodges are persons unaccustomed to giving voice to their ideas before such an assemblage as a Grand Lodge. The result often has been that officers and Past Grand Masters, accustomed to participation in Grand Lodge proceedings and to expressing themselves in assemblies, have seemed to take the proceedings out of the hands of the representatives of the Lodges. This has been, not because the officers and Past Grand Masters wished to play that part, but because the representatives of the Lodges hesitated to take the part that was theirs to take.

In Oregon, all Grand Masters of at least the last half dozen years have informed the assembled delegates, as soon as Grand Lodge had been opened, that they were the Grand Lodge, have urged them to participate and have given them every opportunity to do so. Representatives of the Lodges have followed that advice to such an extent that a new and healthful feeling toward Grand Lodge has developed.

Inasmuch as representatives of the Lodges may control the acts of any session of Grand Lodge, have power to enact any legislation they may desire and to defeat any legislation which they disapprove, and are responsible for the election of those who carry on the business of Grand Lodge for them, they should realize that any criticism offered by them of any action taken by the Grand Lodge of which they are a part is, in fact, criticism of themselves for having failed to exercise their prerogatives in accordance with the desires of the Brethren whom they represented.

Grand Lodge is not a separate entity. It is composed of constituent Lodges which, through their representatives are responsible for it and all its acts.

------------------------

Bro Elbert Bede - Editor and publisher of several periodicals. Born June 28, 1881. Retired in 1936, moving to Portland, Oregon where he purchased the Masonic Analyst, changing its name to Oregon Mason in 1938 and later to Oregon Freemason.

Raised in Chicago Lodge No 271, North Branch, Minnesota and later affiliated with Ashlar Lodge No 209 of Portland, Oregon. Raised in Cisago Lodge 232, Illinois. Member of Cottage Grove Lodge No 51, Oregon.

Bro Elbert Bede was editor of the Oregon Mason for many years. He was also an accomplished speaker, and in 1945 a number of his 3-5 –7 Minute talks were published together as a book; it seems to have weathered the years well. After his death thirty more of his talks were collected; and are published for the first time. They are not intended to be brilliant papers on Masonic education, or glittering gems of oratory, but just simple thoughtful addresses for the banquet hour. They have a distantly American flavor; but, if finding words doesn’t come easy to you, some of Bede’s talks could be adapted for use as well. For example, he has good thoughts on “Interpreting our Symbols.” “The Hour of Refreshment,” and “Why not Organize for Public Service?”

Famous for his masonic books, 3-5-7 Minute Talks on Freemasonry, 5-15 Minute Talks and 1st Landmarks of Freemasonry (1954).

As researched from various web sites. [MCBJ, Moderator]

-----------------------

Article above first appeared in the May 1946 Issue of the Philalethes.

Reposted by Ed Halpaus in [Corinthian] More Light #222 - Grand Lodge.

Life's Working Tools

In my usual wanderings on the net, I found this article. As I have a memory of a gold fish, I copied the same and reposted it here to remind me of what these tools are.

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"WORKING TOOLS OF AN ENTERED APPRENTICE ARE THE TWENTY FOUR INCH GAUGE AND COMMON GAVEL

The twenty-four inch gauge is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to measure and lay out their work; but we as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of rightly dividing our time. It being divided into twenty-four equal parts, is emblematical of the twenty-four hours of the day, which we are taught to divide into three equal parts; whereby we find eight hours for the service of God and a distressed worthy Brother; eight hours for our usual vocations; and eight hours for refreshment and sleep.

THE COMMON GAVEL

The common gavel is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to break off the corners of rough stones, the better to fit them for the builder's use; but we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of divesting our minds and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of life; thereby fitting our bodies, as living stones, for that spiritual building - that house not made with hands - eternal in the heavens."

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"WORKING TOOLS OF A FELLOW CRAFT ARE THE PLUMB, SQUARE, AND LEVEL

The Plumb is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to raise perpendiculars; The Square to square their work, the Level to lay horizontals. But we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of them for more noble and glorious purposes. The Plumb admonishes us to walk uprightly in our several stations before God and Man; Squaring our actions by the Square Of Virtue and morality ever remembering that we are traveling upon the level of time to that undiscovered country, from whose bourne no traveler returns."

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"The working tools of a Master Mason are all the implements of Masonry indiscriminately, but more especially the Trowel. The Trowel is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to spread the cement which unites a building into one common mass; but we as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of spreading the cement of brotherly Love and Affection, that cement which unites us into one sacred band, or society, of friends and Brothers, among whom no contention should ever exist, but that noble contention, or rather emulation, of who best can work and best agree."

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In my Masonic cathechisms, I've been required to memorize the above - the best way and the first important step towards internalizing the same and hopefully, putting them into practice in my daily life towards not only my Brothers in Masonry; but more importantly towards all mankind. Not to boasts of my righteousness nor to flaunt air of superiority; but to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." [Matthew 5:16, also adopted in the Order of DeMolay ritual.]

Thanks to Holdenville Masonic Lodge No. 123 A.F. & A.M. for the article.

To salute or not salute

A Worshipful Master's jewel, downloaded from here.

In a recent discussion, one brother queried whether an Entered Apprentice Mason and a Fellow Craft Mason can salute an installed Worshipful Master. The reason for this is that in a recent Public Installation [open to the public and not tiled]; the Master of Ceremonies prevented the EAM and FCM brethren to salute the recently installed Worshipful Master.

My reply to the question; without knowing full well the particular Grand Lodge rules and regulations regarding the matter in that Jurisdiction, was in the affirmative. The reason being is that I believe that a Lodge, while representing the physical building and meeting place of our fraternal organization; is also a term to mean the collective members of Masons in a tiled meeting [11]*.

We know from Mackey’s Landmarks that Symbolic Masonry [2] is divided into three distinct degrees, to wit:

1. The First Degree composed of Entered Apprentice Masons [EAM]
2. The Second Degree composed of Fellow Craft Masons [FCM]
3. And the Third Degree composed of Master Masons [MM]

We also know that these three degrees, when duly assembled and tiled are governed [10] by a Master and two Wardens. In my Masonic travels, I have not seen a Lodge of EAM, FCM and MM governed by a different Master and Wardens. Obviously a Worshipful Master of any Lodge should have attained the degree of a Master Mason and most likely governs a Lodge of Entered Apprentice Masons or a Lodge Fellow Craft Masons, when assembled.

Using this reasoning and logic [if there’s any], this Worshipful Master is the Master of these three distinct Lodges when assembled and tiled as per our ancient custom. So therefore when a brother is installed as the Worshipful Master, we know that he will be the same Worshipful Master when we are assembled as an EAM, FCM or MM Lodge.

In some jurisdictions [notably in the UK, Australia, Canada, etc.] when the norm of most installations of officers is always tiled, i.e., only Masons are accepted – the EAM, FCM and MM are given the opportunity to salute the newly installed Master depending on which degree the Lodge is on.

As pointed out by another brother in this same discussion, it is in our benefit as a dwindling organisation to make sure that our novices feel welcome in our organisation. This is their “honeymoon period”, their first impression of how they will be treated in succeeding meetings and gatherings; and to my opinion this is not the right way to treat these brethren. They might not have attained the rank of a Master Mason, but this does not mean they are less that those who did. In any case, what do we lose when we prevent these brethren from saluting their installed Worshipful Master?

As stated in a Masonic Etiquette article:

"The Masonic etiquette of saluting the Master is your renewed pledge of fealty and service. It is your public display of decorum before all other brothers of your obligation. It shows your courteous respect for all that the Master stands for and shows that you acknowledge his authority.

Salutes should reflect your heart-felt respect for all that for which he stands. The salute to the Master is your pledge of honor and service, your publicly shown obligation."

[Numbers denote Mackey's Landmarks. See this link for an excellent treatise of Masonic Landmarks and Old Charges by R. W. Bro Daniel Doron.]

Character of a Freemason

"The real Freemason is distinguished from the rest of mankind by the uniform unrestrained rectitude of his conduct. Other men are honest in the fear of the punishment which the law might inflict; they are religious in expectation of being rewarded, or in dread of the devil, in the next world.

A Freemason would be just if there were no laws, human or divine, except those which are written in his heart by the finger of his Creator. In every climate, under every system of religion, he is the same. He kneels before the universal throne of God, in gratitude for the blessings he has received, and in humble solicitation for his future protection. He venerates the good men of all religions. He disturbs not the religion of others.

He restrains his passions, because they cannot be indulged without injuring his neighbor or himself. He gives no offense, because he does not choose to be offended. He contracts no debts which he is not certain that he can discharge, because he is honest upon principle."

Farmer's Almanac 1823

As shared by Bro Bert Guiang
Anacapa 710, Oxnard CA

Are We Truly Masons? By Jack R. Levitt, PGM

There continue to be emerging problems in our modern society. Changes are being effected improperly by violations of standards and rules.Changes are necessary but should be attained legitimately by legislation or other appropriate means.

When the foundation of trust is shattered by scorn for rules, the result is a fragmentation of trust of the basic fabric, which results in ultimate loss of values. Unhappily, pervasive dishonesty is prevalent, not only in society, but in our beloved Fraternity. An organization is known not only by its members' abilities, but also by their attitudes. The history of our Fraternity is the judgment of our Fraternity. The world judges us as they perceive us. To select those ordinances and tenets of Freemasonry we wish to comply with and violate others is not only a direct violation of our obligations, but is to continue a Fraternity built upon sand. Whether violations concern liquor or raffles or advertising or any other prohibited activity, the rules relating to them lose their force as a result. More importantly, our standards begin to crumble.

The most precious wealth in the world is that of established character. While not all of us can become famous leaders, each of us can be pure of heart and faithful to our principles. The greatest influence of Freemasonry is the eloquent influence of integrity.Our great Order has at all times religiously preserved the teachings of moral self-respect and fidelity to our trusts and ideals. It has endeavored to endow us with spiritual strength and moral fortitude. Our principles are the fundamental basis of our Fraternity. We have the right to demand deeds of principle and integrity rather than the negligence of indifference or the treason of violations.

If truth is truly a divine attribute and the foundation of every virtue, then to be good and true is more than a charge, it is a command. Our teachings of inflexible fidelity are so extensive that to make reference to them is to state a commonplace.

The first degree charge refers to our Order as honorable, as tending to make all men so who are strictly obedient to its precepts and that we are to manifest our fidelity by a strict observance of the Constitution of the Fraternity.

The second degree charge demands that our laws and regulations be strenuously enforced and that we should always be ready to assist in seeing them duly executed.

The third degree tells us that duty and honor alike bind us strenuously to enforce by precept and example a steady obedience to the tenets of Freemasonry. We are therein also told to caution the inexperienced against any breach of fidelity and that no motive should make us violate our vows.

The 1960's and the 1970's youth revolt against adult society and its rules produced weakened and off -beat standards. This may explain the permissive attitude of non-freemasons, but Freemasons themselves should remain unaffected by such lowered standards. To reason - I might as well cheat because others do", or sell raffle tickets when prohibited because it is for a good cause, or hold a special or stated meeting in a prohibited place, is to collaborate in the tearing apart of the fabric of trust and the dismantling of the basis of our structure.

The best hope of reversing the trend toward ignoring rules and to restore those standards which form the cornerstone of our nation and our Fraternity is to understand that we are indeed mandated to be inflexible in our fidelity and to familiarize ourselves with our rules, which we swear to uphold, and then to act in conformity with them. If we do so, we will not only be heeding the prompting of right reason and the voice of conscious, but we will be entitled to self-esteem and we will set a good example for others to emulate.

If we cannot justify them by abiding by Freemasonry' s moral and philosophical principles, how can we expect non-Freemasons to accept them or to join us to learn them? Individual wills or desires, and even those which are collective, cannot be imposed irrespective of lawfully enacted ordinances, because to do so is divisive and decline results. Remember, what we do today has a significant impact on our future.

To remain, or once again become, obedient to our rules cannot be accomplished solely by urging or by enforcement, but by our own self-control as well. To be unwilling to commit or tolerate a violation must originate from dislike of the violation, not from indifference or fear of the consequences of being caught. Motivation comes from within and is limited only by the mind. No law is real until it is inscribed in the heart.

Only when our pure principles and mandatory duties become the reigning reality of our thoughts and the inspiration or our acts can Freemasonry be the influence intended - to make us masters of ourselves.

Thomas Jeffersons's observation - "Always commit an act as though the world were looking at you" should be our watchword. To secure the inward blessing of our won consciences rather than submitting to the pressure of our peers or the expediency of the moment should be the guideline of our actions. Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested that the integrity of our own mind is the only thing that is sacred.

Whether it be in conjunction with a Lodge or a concordant or appendant body, or even independent of a Masonic setting, all of us must abide fully by the same high standards that are required of us as Master Masons by our Constitutions, ordinances and obligations. Intentional failure to prevent violations can be as corrupt as a direct violation itself. Our second degree instructs that we are not to palliate, condone nor aggravate the offenses of our brethern.

A Persian proverb reminds us that weakness is indicated by being silent when it is proper to speak. We must not continue to allow another enemy of Freemasonry to weaken us from within by the decadence of our own members. We must accept the burdens and responsibilities of our great Fraternity as well as enjoy its benefits and privilieges.

The Master poet said it well - "Keep the young generation in hail,bequeath to them no tumbled house".

Moderator's Notes: MW Bro Jack R. Levitt is a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of California and a foremost Masonic scholar.

MWBro Levitt discusses "...violations concern liquor or raffles or advertising or any other prohibited activity." A note not familiar with the Grand Lodge of California [GLC], and for the most part most [but not all] US Lodges are "dry". Meaning, any liquor is not allowed inside the Temple or Masonic Lodge even in its so-called social halls. This is the case even in my Lodge in the Philippines [Lincoln Lodge #34], which we know is generally hailed GLC as its mother Grand Lodge and not the Spanish Grand Lodges.

But let it be known that other Grand Lodges permit the serving of alcohol inside the social halls [not inside the actual Temple or where Masonic meetings are held]. For example most English, Scottish and Australian lodges serve alcohol in their fellowships and the "toasts" are part and parcel of these fellowships.

Public Installations: Guidance for Family Members and Friends

Public installations of Lodge officers are rarely done in some parts of the world, namely the United Kingdom, Australia and Europe. But in the US and those Lodges influenced by the US "brand of Freemansory" it is common occurance to give non-Masons [both male and female] the chance to have fellowships with Masons in the Lodge.

Below is an article outlining the protocols and raison d'etre of such occassion. This particular article was issued on the 56th public installation of WBro elect Teodoro Kalaw IV of Teodoro M Kalaw Memorial Lodge No 136:

"On the occasion of the public installation of a Lewis as Worshipful Master of a Worshipful Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, and particularly when the Worshipful Lodge concerned shares strong ties with the clan of the Lewis who will be installed, it is a privilege for the brethren of such Worshipful Lodge to celebrate the occasion not only with their own family members and fellow Freemasons but also with the clan members and friends of their incoming Master.

The most senior Freemason of the subject clan and his wife, or in the absence of such; the widow of the most senior Freemason who has passed on, is usually charged on behalf of their or her clan with the privilege of inviting their or her clan members and friends to the celebration after the public installation.

As such, invitation is also sent jointly with the formal invitation to the public installation issued by the brethren of the Worshipful Lodge concerned, such family members and friends are very much welcome to witness the ceremonies of installation before the celebration, as detailed in the formal invitation of the Worshipful Lodge.

As the public installation of a Worshipful Master is one of the few exceptions to the general rule that ceremonies and meetings of the fraternity be held privately, such therefore offers clan members and friends a unique opportunity to personally witness for themselves the real work of Freemasonry as applied by its practitioners. Other than an ecumenical invocation at the start of the ceremonies, the proceedings are purely secular in nature.

Please note that the installation is a formal proceeding. Like the celebration after, dress for family members and friends attending is formal [much so for brethren attending such installation- Moderator].

At certain times during the ceremonies, doors to the hall where the installation will take place will be closed for various reasons, as will be understood by those already seated inside. Guests arriving during the course of the event when the doors are closed will be provided temporary seats by ushers in the reception hall until the doors are again opened."

Eva Estrada Kalaw,

Former Senator of the Republic of the Philippines &

Past Worthy Matron, Kalaw Chapter No. 9 of the Order of the Eastern Star

On behalf of her Clan and in memory of her late Father-in-Law,

Teodoro M. Kalaw (1884-1940)

Grand Master of Philippine Freemasons, 1928

late Husband, Teodoro Kalaw Jr. (1913-1984)

Grand Master of Philippine Freemasons, 1975

and

late Son, Teodoro Kalaw III (1947-1973)

Entered Apprentice Mason, Teodoro M. Kalaw Memorial Lodge No. 136

Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration

immediately following

the Installation of her Grandson

Teodoro Kalaw IV

As Worshipful Master

of Teodoro M. Kalaw Memorial Lodge No. 136

On Saturday, the Twenty-First of February, 2009

At Seven o'clock in the Evening

Wack Wack Golf & Country Club, Mandaluyong City

Formal Attire

R.S.V.P. Cathy

Notes:

*"Lewis is traditional English for a man who is the son, grandson, or direct male descendant of a Freemason. The term comes from the device traditionally used by operative masons, consisting of two wedge-shaped side pieces fit together by a straight centerpiece, to raise heavy blocks of stone into place; symbolizing the utility and strength of family heritage in building Masonic character."

*"Installation is traditional English for the ceremonies relating to the formal assumption of an office and the undertaking of a charge on behalf of others."

*"Worshipful is traditional English for "Respectful" and is used byFreemasons in precisely the same manner as the term is still used to address certain judges in common law jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom."

*"Lodge refers to a chapter of Freemasons, who usually meet in meeting halls known as Temples, the latter term being used in much the same manner as the traditional Inns of Court in London known as the "InnerTemple" and "Middle Temple" are used as office chambers for lawyers."

*"A lodge of Freemasons is led by a Master, who generally must first prove himself through a succession of subordinate offices, particularly that of the Junior and Senior Wardens, before being elected to the Master's chair by his peers. It thus often takes several years before one is deemed both competent and fit to be installed as a Worshipful Master of one's Lodge. Masters and Wardens are traditional English terms for officers still very much in use by some organizations, such as the livery companies for specific professionals and traders recognized by the City of London."

The Hidden Lessons from Ritual Work by Michael Mayer

So many times we seem to look at Ritual Work as not being that important, and that it doesn't have to be done that well. We feel that just need to have more Masons for our Lodges. If we fail to share the teachings properly, who do you think looses?

I would like to have you think back to that first night, it could of been a warm or cool night, that we all share. That night we were so apprehensive, or for the sake of better words, confused as to what was going to happen.

Those first words you heard said at the Lodge door, asking questions and wanting answers of you, and how you were treated was only the start of your Masonic life. That life that leads most of us on a continuous journey of Masonic travel the rest of our lives.

For some of us, who had to memorize the Degree and Obligations, we share something that no one else can understand. This task of learning them, that we choose to do, and we did. This struggle teaches us what we all can do with hard work and a true desire to accomplish things.

So many times I have listened to the lectures, and still I find them as interesting as the first time I heard them. Every time I hear them, I find a new perspective that I have missed before. I fear for those that do not choose to listen to them in this way, as they will never find the lessons that are taught there in Masonry.

And as for those that give those grand lectures, they learn as well. They learn how it feels to give that perfect lecture and also when they don't get it perfectly right! Most of the time just stopping for a moment to think or to taking a breath. I think we can all learn hidden lessons here too. How we should overlook everyone's little mistakes that we all make in life. Also to remember
sometimes the best intentions go wrong by accident.

"Value Your Word" For What Worth Hath a Liar!

An excerpt from "Greetings to all Masons" By MWBro Nicolas G Ricafrente

"We Masons have long held the proud belief that Masonry has existed since time immemorial and that it is the oldest fraternity in the world. It is universal. But consider the proposition that it is not the number of Lodges and the existence of various Grand Lodges in the world that make it universal but the fundamental principles and tenets which Masonry promotes.

Masonic organizations are but the vehicles for propagating Masonic thoughts and philosophies. Lodges and Grand Lodges are but the venues to administer them.

Masonry is a way of life hence it knows no territorial boundaries or barriers. Its teachings were culled from age old philosophies and moral beliefs transmitted from generation to generation. [And] so enlightening are its lessons that people from all walks of life have been attracted to it.

It is like the music of Mozart and Sibelius; two great composers of all time whose works are still being played and appreciated all over the world. Can you imagine these two masons or their music being barred from another lodge because of self proclaimed territorial boundaries?"

An excerpt from "Greetings to all Masons" Philippine Masonry web site.

By Nicolas G. Ricafrente, GM
Past Master, Bagong Ilaw Lodge No. 6 IGLPI

Unite Now!

"History repeats itself in cycles.

A diligent study of history makes it possible for us to perceive the things yet to come that our progress through the ages might wisely be controlled. Viewed as such, history becomes a useful, living covenant between the past and the future.

History is not, as some people want to believe, a chronology of persons and events from which one may read and derive “a priori” principles supporting the claim to superiority, as if superiority, is measured by the height of a family tree.

Unfortunately for Masonry – and for the Philippine family in particular – there are still those who share this view of history going about us with superior air about them. The present chaotic condition of Freemasonry in the Philippines is not new in the long history of the fraternity. No Brother, much as he desires to bridge the gap, entertains the sincere belief that any historical and legal pronouncements alone, however erudite can bring the much needed order into the chaos.

However, it cannot for a moment be doubted that in the heart of every Brother is the supreme desire to bring harmony and peace to the present melancholy condition of Masonic affair. The history of Freemasonry in the Philippines from the time the first American Mason landed in Manila until the present, has a faithful counterpart in the early history of Masonry in England from 1717, when the four Lodges met and formed the Grand Lodge of England, until 1813, when the Grand Lodge of the “Moderns” and the Grand Lodge of the “Ancients” united to form the United Grand Lodge.

In 1751 a group of Irish Masons ceded and established their own Grand Lodge in the Southern part of England and called themselves the true Ancient Masons. It was from this body that the biggest and most influential jurisdictions in the United States were warranted. These are the so-called York Masons in the United States and in the Philippines today, and who were called "irregular Masons" then, although many of them were Masons from Ireland.

From this short account, a historical cycle becomes apparent and one may perceive at once that the present members of the Gran Logia Nacional de Filipinas [GNLF] are the mirror-images, historically speaking, of those Ancient Masons. These Brothers seceded also from the Grand Lodge of the Philippines for reasons both honorable and sufficient, and they, too, were Freemasons even before the American “Yorks” came to the Philippines.

It is not necessary here to give a detailed story of the very heated arguments that went on and on both in England and America between the Moderns and the Ancients from 1751 until 1813, a period of over sixty years. The important event worthy to be recalled was the final union of the two Grand Lodges made possible by two blood-brothers - the Duke of Kent and the Duke of Sussex, Grand Masters both, of the Ancients and the Moderns, respectively.

The Ancient Masonic history in England as well as the history of the Order both in the continent of Europe – especially in France – and in America, teaches one simple cardinal lesson, and it is this:

The forward march of Freemasonry, from diversity to unity is irresistible.

We, of this generation, whether we like it or not, cannot prevent the final union, under one United Grand Lodge of the Philippines, of all Filipino Masons. And if we of this generation, cannot, and will not, UNITE NOW, the next generation will, without doubt, do that enviable labor of love for us. I say “enviable” because no one conscious of the working of history can fail to see that Masonic niche now prepared and ready to receive a modern Duke of Kent and a Duke of Sussex, and brothers all with big hearts and bigger understanding.

The cold logic of Masonic history demands the completion of the Temple. With the impossible we should disagree, with the probable we could compromise, to the inevitable we must acquiesce.

UNITE NOW!"

New York, New York TALIBA (PRINTED IN SOLIDARIDAD 25th anniversary PUBLICATION, ENGLISH EDITION)

Adapted from the Magdalo Lodge No 79, GNLF site (click here.)

Chapter 1: The Eternal Quest by Bro Manly P. Hall

The average Mason, as well as the modern student of Masonic ideals, little realizes the cosmic obligation he takes upon himself when he begins his search for the sacred truths of Nature as they are concealed in the ancient and modern rituals. He must not lightly regard his vows, and if he would not bring upon himself years and ages of suffering he must cease to consider Freemasonry solely as a social order only a few centuries old. He must realize that the ancient mystic teachings as perpetuated in the modern rites are sacred, and that powers unseen and unrecognized mold the destiny of those who consciously and of their own free will take upon themselves the obligations of the Fraternity.

Freemasonry is not a material thing: it is a science of the soul; it is not a creed or doctrine but a universal expression of the Divine Wisdom. The coming together of medieval guilds or even the building of Solomon's temple as it is understood today has little, if anything, to do with the true origin of Freemasonry, for Masonry does not deal with personalities. In its highest sense, it is neither historical nor archaeological, but is a divine symbolic language perpetuating under certain concrete symbols the sacred mysteries of the ancients. Only those who see in it a cosmic study, a life work, a divine inspiration to better thinking, better feeling, and better living, with the spiritual attainment of enlightenment as the end, and with the daily life of the true Mason as the means, have gained even the slightest insight into the true mysteries of the ancient rites.

The age of the Masonic school is not to be calculated by hundreds or even thousands of years, for it never had any origin in the worlds of form. The world as we see it is merely an experimental laboratory in which man is laboring to build and express greater and more perfect vehicles. Into this laboratory pour myriads of rays descending from the cosmic hierarchies. These mighty globes and orbs which focus their energies upon mankind and mold its destiny do so in an orderly manner, each in its own way and place, and it is the working of these mystic hierarchies in the universe which forms the pattern around which the Masonic school has been built, for the true lodge of the Mason is the universe. Freed of limitations of creed and sect, he stands a master of all faiths, and those who take up the study of Freemasonry without realizing the depth, the beauty, and the spiritual power of its philosophy can never gain anything of permanence from their studies. The age of the Mystery Schools can be traced by the student back to the dawn of time, ages and aeons ago, when the temple of the Solar Man was in the making. That was the first Temple of the King, and therein were given and laid down the true mysteries of the ancient lodge, and it was the gods of creation and the spirits of the dawn who first tiled the Master's lodge.

The initiated brother realizes that his so-called symbols and rituals are merely blinds fabricated by the wise to perpetuate ideas incomprehensible to the average individual. He also realizes that few Masons of today know or appreciate the mystic meaning concealed within these rituals. With religious faith we perpetuate the form, worshiping it instead of the life, but those who have not recognized the truth in the crystallized ritual, those who have not liberated the spiritual germ from the shell of empty words, are not Masons, regardless of their physical degrees and outward honors.

In the work we are taking up it is not the intention to dwell upon the modern concepts of the Craft but to consider Freemasonry as it really is to those who know, a great cosmic organism whose true brothers and children are tied together not by spoken oaths but by lives so lived that they are capable of seeing through the blank wall and opening the window which is now concealed by the rubbish of materiality. When this is done and the mysteries of the universe unfold before the aspiring candidate, then in truth he discovers what Freemasonry really is. Its material aspects interest him no longer for he has unmasked the Mystery School which he is capable of recognizing only when he himself has spiritually become a member of it.

Those who have examined and studied its ancient lore have no doubt that Freemasonry, like the universe itself, which is the greatest of all schools, deals with the unfolding of a three-fold principle; for all the universe is governed by the same three kings who are called the builders of the Masonic temple. They are not personalities but principles, great intelligent energies and powers which in God, man, and the universe have charge of the molding of cosmic substance into the habitation of the living King , the temple built through the ages first of unconscious and then conscious effort on the part of every individual who is expressing in his daily life the creative principles of these three kings.

The true student of the ancient Craft realized that the completion of the temple he was building to the King of the Universe was a duty or rather a privilege which he owed to his God, to his brother, and to himself. He knew that certain steps must be taken and that his temple must be built according to the plan. Today it seems that the plan is lost, however, for in the majority of cases Freemasonry is no longer an operative art but is merely a speculative idea until each brother, reading the mystery of his symbols and pondering over the beautiful allegories unfolded in his ritual, realizes that he himself contains the keys and the plans so long lost to his Craft and that if he would ever learn Freemasonry he must unlock its doors with the key wrought from the base metals of his own being.

True Freemasonry is esoteric; it is not a thing of this world. All that we have here is a link, a doorway, through which the student may pass into the unknown. Freemasonry has nothing to do with things of form save that it realizes form is molded by and manifests the life it contains. Consequently the student is seeking so to mold his life that the form will glorify the God whose temple he is slowly building as he awakens one by one the workmen within himself and directs them to carry out the plan that has been given him out of heaven.

So far as it is possible to discover, ancient Freemasonry and the beautiful cosmic allegories that it teaches, perpetuated through hundreds of lodges and ancient mysteries, forms the oldest of the Mystery Schools; and its preservation through the ages has not depended upon itself as an exoteric body of partly evolved individuals but upon a concealed brotherhood, the exoteric side of Freemasonry. All the great Mystery Schools have hierarchies upon the spiritual planes of Nature which are expressing themselves in this world through creeds and organizations. The true student seeks to lift himself from the exoteric body upward spiritually until he joins the esoteric group which, without a lodge on the physical plane of Nature, is far greater than all the lodges of which it is the central fire. The spiritual instructors of humanity are forced to labor in the concrete world with things comprehensible to the concrete mind, and there man begins to comprehend the meaning of the allegories and symbols which surround his exoteric work as soon as he prepares himself to receive them.

The true Mason realizes that the work of the Mystery Schools in the world is of an inclusive rather than an exclusive nature, and that the only lodge which is broad enough to express his ideals is one whose dome is the heavens, whose pillars are the corners of creation, whose checker-board floor is composed of the crossing currents of human emotion and whose altar is the human heart. Creeds cannot bind the true seeker for truth.

Realizing the unity of all truth, the Mason also realizes that the hierarchies laboring with him have given him in his varying degrees the mystic spiritual rituals of all the Mystery Schools in the world, and if he would fill his place in the plan he must not enter this sacred study for what he can get out of it but that he may learn how to serve.

In Freemasonry is concealed the mystery of creation, the answer to the problem of existence, and the path the student must tread in order to join those who are really the living powers behind the thrones of modern national and international affairs.

The true student realizes most of all that the taking of degrees does not make a man a Mason. A Mason is not appointed; he is evolved and he must realize that the position he holds in the exoteric lodge means nothing compared to his position in the spiritual lodge of life. He must forever discard the idea that he can be told or instructed in the sacred Mysteries or that his being a member of an organization improves him in any way.

He must realize that his duty is to build and evolve the sacred teachings in his own being: that nothing but his own purified being can unlock the door to the sealed libraries of human consciousness, and that his Masonic rites must eternally be speculative until he makes them operative by living the life of the mystic Mason. His karmic responsibilities increase with his opportunities. Those who are surrounded with knowledge and opportunity for self-improvement and make nothing of these opportunities are the lazy workmen who will be spiritually, if not physically, cast out of the temple of the king.

The Masonic order is not a mere social organization, but is composed of all those who have banded themselves together to learn and apply the principles of mysticism and the occult rites. They are (or should be) philosophers, sages and sober-minded individuals who have dedicated thernselves upon the Masonic altar and vowed by all they hold dear that the world shall be better, wiser, and happier because they have lived. Those who enter these mystic rites and pass between the pillars seeking either prestige or commercial advantage are blasphemers, and while in this world we may count them as successful, they are the cosmic failures who have barred themselves out from the true rite whose keynote is unselfishness and whose workers have renounced the things of earth.

In ancient times many years of preparation were required before the neophyte was permitted to enter the temple of the Mysteries. In this way the shallow, the curious, the faint of heart, and those unable to withstand the temptations of life were automatically eliminated by their inability to meet the requirements for admission. The successful candidate who did pass between the pillars entered the temple, keenly realizing his sublime opportunity, his divine obligation, and the mystic privilege which he had earned for himself through years of special preparation. Only those are truly Masons who enter their temple in reverence, who seek not the ephemeral things of life but the treasures which are eternal, whose sole desire is to know the true mystery of the Craft that they may join as honest workmen those who have gone before as builders of the Universal Temple.

The Masonic ritual is not a ceremony, but a life to be lived. Those alone are truly Masons who, dedicating their lives and their fortunes upon the altar of the living flame, undertake the construction of the one universal building of which they are the workmen and their God the living Architect. When we have Masons like this the Craft will again be operative, the flaming triangle will shine forth with greater lustre, the dead builder will rise from his tomb, and the Lost Word so long concealed from the profane will blaze forth again with the power that makes all things new.

In the pages that follow have been set down a number of thoughts for the study and consideration of temple builders, craftsmen and artisans alike. They are the keys which, if only read, will leave the student still in ignorance but, if lived, will change the speculative Masonry of today into the operative Masonry of tomorrow, when each builder, realizing his own place, will see things which he never saw before, not because they were not there but because he was blind. And there are none so blind as those who will not see.

THOUGHTLESSNESS

The noblest tool of the Mason is his mind, but its value is measured by the use made of it. Thoughtful in all things, the aspiring candidate to divine wisdom attains reality in sincere desire, in meditation, and in silence. Let the keynote of the Craft, and of the Ritual, be written in blazing letters: THINK OF ME.

What is the meaning of this mystic maze of symbols, rites and rituals? THINK!

What does life mean, with the criss-crossings of human relationship, the endless pageantry of qualities masqueradin g in a carnival of fools? THINK!

What is the plan behind it all, and who the planner? Where dwells the Great Architect, and what is the tracing board upon which he designs? THINK!

What is the human soul, and why the endless yearning to ends unknown, along pathways where each must wander unaccompanied? Why mind, why soul, why spirit, and in truth, why anything? THINK!

Is there an answer? If so, where will the truth be found? Think, Brothers of the Craft, think deeply; for if truth exists, you have it, and if truth be within the reach of living creature, what other goal is worth the struggle?

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From the publication: "The Lost Keys of Freemasonry or The Secret of Hiram Abiff by Manly P. Hall