Houston Scottish Rite Temple - RIP

Received this message from the Grand Lodge of Texas Internet Committee:

The Grand Lodge Trustees agreed that this Masonic Auction should be communicated to Texas Masons and Texas Lodges.

The Houston Scottish Rite Temple is being demolished, and Masonic artifacts and building furnishings are being auctioned to the highest bidder. This includes ceiling tile, wall paneling, lights, fixtures, bathroom fixtures, Exit signs, display cases, etc.

Bentley & Associates, an Amarillo Auction Firm with Masonic background, will conduct the auction on Saturday, January 26, 10:00 a.m., 7575 Brompton Street, Houston, TX.

Sincerely and fraternally,

Tom Guest, Grand Secretary

Sad to see another Temple fall....

Freemasonry in Iran

A week ago a young man by them name of Reza left a comment in my blog asking about joining Freemasonry. This isn’t all that uncommon, as I get e-mails of the same, but he said that he was living in Iran. I thought with all of the banter about regular, irregular, clandestine, co-masonry, that we need to reflect about 30 years ago when Freemasonry was banned from Iran and it’s supporters chased from the country under Islamic fascism.

For those that don’t know the 1978-79 revolution in Iran made Persian Freemasons vulnerable to the anti-Masonic sentiments and threats from the leaders of the revolution. The leaders identified Masons as American and Zionist agents, and where also greatly responsible for the woes of the country. The secretive nature of the Masonic order in Persia made it susceptible to conspiracy theories and of course their secret rule. The biggest blow to the Persian Freemasonry came when the Masonic archive and roster of members of the lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Iran was captured. From this point membership in Freemasonry was declared a crime and the roster was used by the Islamic Republic to persecute hundreds of Persian Masons whose names appeared on the list. After the firm establishments of the Islamic Republic Masons were executed, more were imprisoned, and a large number were purged from government offices and schools. During this time propaganda was published much like works in 1938 Germany accusing Freemasons of all kinds of conspiracies against the government and people of the Islamic faith.

Many master masons managed to leave the country legally or illegally and immigrated to Europe, Canada and the United States. In 1982 17 past masters of Persian lodges sent a petition seeking permission to continue their fraternity as members of the Grand Lodge of Iran. The request was accepted, and the meeting of the Grand Committee of the Lodge was convened later that year at the Grand Lodge of New York. In March of 1985, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts granted approval to the Grand Lodge of Iran (in exile) to conduct Masonic activities in the City of Boston. There are now Persian lodges in Washington D.C., France and in California all under the Grand Lodge of Iran (in exile).

The current contact information for the Grand Lodge of Iran(in exile) is:

Grand Lodge of Iran (in exile)
P.O. Box 25017
Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA

e-mail: GlofI@aol.com

Many thanks to the members of the Philalethes Society for helping me out, most of the information was heavily lifted from: http://www.iranica.com/articles/v10f2/v10f235d.html

Odds and Ends - Halcyon, Beer and TO

There are some odds and ends things I wanted to write about in my blog, but I don’t feel like they warrant a full post of their own, so here they go:

1) I haven’t read it in any other blogs, but Halcyon Lodge has posted a letter that they are sending out to their members regarding their side of the story in their dispute with the Grand Lodge of Ohio. Anyone that has any interest in this development should go read the letter as it is well written and very articulate of Halcyon's position. I don’t agree with some of their points, and know that I am only getting one side of the story, but it is the best written explanation that has shown up on the net to date. I was also impressed in their thoughtfulness of the brothers that still want to be recognized by the Grand Lodge of Ohio. There were some bloggers that were very critical of this point of Halcyon lodge, and I hope this puts some of their fears to rest.

2) The beer I made in honor of the Blue Lodge didn’t ferment properly, and hence it’s a bad batch. Maybe the prohibition saints cursed my beer in the name of our brothers from the early 20th century, I don’t know. I think I will try again, but maybe make a beer in honor of the York Rite Festival coming up this spring. Or I might make another one for the Blue Lodge, all I know is when I tried the beer on the 27th of December (St. John’s Day), it didn’t taste right at all. So here is going back to square one.

3) Last night was the Commandery’s Officer Installation ceremony, while nothing special, it is honestly what all aspects of Freemasonry is suppose to be. An open bar before, a nice meal and afterwards ceremony and Masonic discussion, a nice evening overall, it should be the standard and not the exception with Masonic dinners in the United States. This also gave me a chance to start pitching the idea of a Traditional Observance Lodge. The idea was met with warm regard and excitement, especially by those that are in direct contact with the Grand Lodge of Texas. Initially I thought that this wouldn’t go anywhere given the sometimes staunch attitude that the Grand Lodge of Texas is known for, but maybe there is hope for a Traditional Observance Lodge, after all?

That's it, just some Freemasonry scrap that could be put into one post. :)

The Regius Poem My Personal Interpretation of the Fourth Point

We will now take a look at the fourth point of the Regius Poem, in the series. The fourth point points that an apprentice of the craft must be true to the craft, his Master and his fellows, for the laws that apply to them, apply to him as well.

The fourth point teacheth us also,
That no man to his craft be false;
Error he shall maintain none
Against the craft, but let it go;
Nor no prejudice he shall no do
To his master, nor his fellow also;
And though the 'prentice be under awe,
Yet he would have the same law.


In this essence I think we are all apprentices (I know I am) in the craft, and we must be careful not to allow our passions to get the better of us, and allow us to become false to the Craft We must remember the line “Nor no prejudice he shall no do to his master, nor his fellow also” in our speculative work, we are to make sure we aren’t being false to the Worshipful Master or our Fellows, that we must at all times govern ourselves to the best of our ability and keep our passions within due bonds. This is another foundation of the fraternity that I hold near and dear towards my heart.

In the military when I salute a superior officer I do so because of the rank that officer has, and not the man himself. So in essence I would be saluting the Lt Col, not the man John Smith. Men need to have this mentality when conducting themselves in lodge and dealing with the master of the lodge, for we are saluting the position of the East and not the man sitting in the East. Sometimes our passions get the better of us, and we tend to mix the man and the position up, and we allow this confusion to lead us down the wrong road. When I first was in the military as a brand new 2nd LT I had problems saluting a Captain that was being investigated (and later article 15) for sexual harassment, during that time I came to peace with the fact that I wasn’t saluting that man, but the rank that the man wears. If he betrays his position with that rank than I and those around him must hold him accountable for that action. He doesn’t soil the rank, as he soils his name, because millions have come before and millions after who wear that rank and do it justice. Whether he deserves to wear that rank is a whole different matter.

I, for instance disagreed with the Grand Master of Texas regarding his statement about “We aren’t the men we use to be”. My disagreement isn’t a sign of disrespect or defame of his position, but with the man’s stance on today’s modern Freemason. I respectfully disagree with his statement, and I would never defame the office of Grand Master of Texas, to prove my point or engage on any other personal attacks, on the Grand Lodge.

We must remember that as we journey as Freemasons through our Masonic journey that we will inevitably disagree with someone at some point. We need to remember that our disagreement is with that Mason, and not the office that he holds. We must circumscribe our desires as to always treat that brother with the respect he deserves. I don’t care if it’s in a lodge room, grand lodge, or on-line. We have to remember that we all meet on the level, and act accordingly as such.

2007 The Year I Was Made a Mason

2007 has been a good year to me personally, my career stabilized and most important I was made a Mason. This blog has been an integral part of my Masonic journey, and for that I am thankful that I started it when I was stuck in Fort Leonard Wood, MS. This blog has allowed for me to put into words my thoughts and feelings about the Craft, and I soon learned that the more I wrote, my love for the Craft just grew.

I didn’t spend as much time talking about the Esoteric or Symbolism of the Craft as I wanted to, so my New Year resolution is to be much more philosophical regarding the Craft in my blog, right or wrong. I have started this by wildly popular series (sic) “My Personal Interpretations of the Regius Poem”. I also want to explore and hope to be more involved in Masonic discussions where to take the Craft, and how we can make the future of Freemasonry, a little brighter.

I also hope to be more involved in the York Rite this upcoming year, and lend my assistance whenever I can to the Chapter/Council and Commandery. I also want to do whatever I can for the Blue Lodge, in any capacity that my brothers see fit. I need to move on from the lectures, and be more functional within my mother lodge.

I want to thank everyone that has taken the time to comment and send e-mails. You have all enriched the Masonic experience more than I can put into words.

So Mote it Be, brothers, So Mote It Be!

The Regius Poem My Personal Interpretation of the Third Point

In the third installment of the fifteen points of the Regius poem, with deal with something that is very relevant to today’s Freemason, keeping the secrets of a brother is a cornerstone in building a true and tried brotherhood. The third point instructs apprentice Masons that they should keep the secrets of their Master and what ever they witness in the chamber. The poem is as follows:

The third point must be severely,
With the 'prentice know it well,
His master's counsel he keep and close,
And his fellows by his good purpose;
The privities of the chamber tell he no man,
Nor in the lodge whatsoever they do;
Whatsoever thou hearest or seest them do,
Tell it no man wheresoever you go;
The counsel of hall, and even of bower,
Keep it well to great honour,
Lest it would turn thyself to blame,
And bring the craft into great shame

This is especially important as Free and Accepted Masons, for keeping the secrets of our Master (the catechism) and of our fellows is what makes us a great institute. This is part of our obligation and is stressed to the new initiate during the Entered Apprentice degree.

While there is a business side of everything, in Freemasonry in America, we seem to get overly involved in buildings, dues, and minutes. We must hold dear to ourselves the tenants of our great organization and that our operative brothers stressed to their new apprentices. That as an organization must thrive, they must be able to trust each other with trade secrets and not have the secrets sold, and bring the “Craft into great shame”. For Freemasons, we must take this to heart, that the secrets and the lessons learned, are all internal, and mean something different to all of us. If you write exposes about your personal interpretation about the symbols and what they meant to you (outside of the explained meanings in ceremony), you bring the craft into great shame. Not because you “revealed” the secrets, but because you could ruin that path of self discovery that men most go through to be made a Mason. That is the ultimate betrayal of the Craft, when you take it upon yourself to force how the allegories and symbols changed your life, and way of thinking, there by ruining it for others that want to make that same journey.

Grand Orient of France Condems French President

For those of you that haven't heard the Grand Orient de France has "concern" over the visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the Vatican. Below the article is translated from the link:

A visit to the Vatican by [French President] Sarkozy "disturbed" the Grand Orient of France.

The Grand Orient of France announced Wednesday in a statement its "concern" over the visit of Nicolas Sarkozy to the Vatican where, according to the Freemasons, the President has "reaffirmed his particular view of religion."

Nicolas Sarkozy met for the first time on December 20 at the Vatican with Pope Benedict XVI in an audience devoted to the international situation. On the occasion of his appointment as honorary canon of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran [an honorary title given to French Presidents], the President spoke of "positive secularity" to illustrate "the contribution of the Catholic Church, among other religious and spiritual needs, to inform our choices and build our future."

In their statement, the Freemasons expressed their "concern over any desire to present religion as being a constituent part of political identity and citizenship, which could lead to a serious change in the French republican model."

"If history has made France 'the eldest daughter of the Church,' in contrast, the Republic has managed to make a saving emancipation against religion, forging, often with difficulty, the concept of secularism," said the principal association of Freemasons [in France].

"Our Republic is a secular Republic. Secularism is the way we live together despite our differences." writes the Grand Orient of France, which "calls upon all progressive people to remain more than ever vigilant against a change in the Law of 1905 [regarding separation of church and state], which would represent a real danger to the Republic."


Click here for article

The Regius Poem My Personal Interpretation of the Second Point

The second point of the Regius poem is short and sweet and to the point, it in essence explains that if a Mason does good work, then he should take the holy-day off and be paid for it.






Second Point.
The second point as I you say,
That the mason work upon the work day,
As truly as he can or may,
To deserve his hire for the holy-day,
And truly to labour on his deed,
Well deserve to have his reward.

We as Free and Accepted Masons should take this as that we need to be sure to reward ourselves within the work of Freemasonry, to enjoy the look on a candidates eyes after they have been raised, or enjoying a conversation of philosophic disagreement with a brother.

For as much toil and worrying we do as Freemasons about the current state of the Craft (see previous post), we should spend equal amounts of time enjoying the reward of our labor.

We Aren’t the Men We Use to Be

On December 19th, 2007 the Grand Master of the State of Texas attended the annual event when Alamo Lodge #44 held it’s stated meeting in the Alamo itself. This tradition was started in the early 1980s and has been happening since.

For those that aren’t from America or have a history handicap, you can check out the wikipedia page for more info. Of those that served in the Alamo the following were known to be Masons:

William Barrett Travis (Alabama Lodge No. 3)
James Bowie (L'Humble Chaumiere No. 19)
David Crockett (lodge unknown)
James Bonham (So Carolina lodge records were destroyed in a fire in 1837)

So the Alamo has become and rightfully not only a shrine to the fallen solders of Texans and Tejanos, but to the brave Masons, known and unknown who served there. It is a big event in which Masons not only from all over San Antonio come around, but from the state. Sometimes during this event they will confer a degree or recite the Master Mason’s Oath. This time the Grand Master decided to address the crowd.

The Grand Master is your typical Texan, he has a texan accent, worked as an independent business man, in get this, the gas and oil fields. In the craft he served on the Committee of Work for 13 years before being elected in the South. He is a self admitted “hard-ass” when it comes to the work and the memorization.

During his speech he discussed and clarified the edicts that are coming out in next month’s Texas Mason, which directly deal with the work. He addressed that some lodges were cheating the system of catachism. In it some rogue lodges took it upon themselves to cut short the catachism to get men through the system faster. I heard of these rumors, but never known it to be true. He gave a long lecture on the virtues of the work and how traditions define us as Masons (which I completely agree with).

He then made an off the wall comment about how Masons were respected in the community, but aren’t that pillar anymore, and said “We Aren't the Men We Use to Be”. Left the question of how we can take back that great time (read 1955) to today’s Masonry.

But I ask, is today’s Masonry really that bad? There is a surgence in the esoteric work with the younger Masons, that really wasn't present before. Men are more interested in learning about the work then to go collect titles and awards. Where in the past the rites had been breeding grounds for nepotism and favoritism  now are starting to break free of those old habits. Is it because we don’t have 1,200 Master Masons in a lodge? Is mass numbers really a sign of success?

It’s a good time to be apart of Freemasonry, while there are growing pains, the benefits in the long run can do nothing but do good for the Craft. The esoteric and ritual side is starting to be emphasis, while the fish fries and go-karts are starting to wilt (no offense to the Shrine).

So I ask you, do we really want to become “The Men We Once Were?”

The Regius Poem My Personal Interpretation of the First Point

I was reading the Freemasons’ Compendium which is a wonderful book regarding the history of the craft and is recommended for anyone that wants a book of various Masonic historical topics, I’m no “Masonic Researcher” but I have enjoyed the book very much and have learned a lot from it. It recently has been republished, so anyone that wants an end all say all one shot book should seriously check it out.

What was my point?

So while reading various sections of the book (you really don’t read it front to back), I came across a section that talked about the Regius Poem. For those that don’t know the Regius Poem was discovered in 1839 by eighteen year old James O. Halliwell-Phillips in the King’s Library of the British Museum. The Regius Poem or “Poem of Moral Duties” is the earliest known Masonic manuscript in existence written around 1390. It is different than from other Masonic documents in that it was written 200 years before any others, and that it was written in rhyme. This was in essence a handbook on how Stonemasons should act and conduct themselves in various places, at work, in church and dealing with their subordinates. Remembering that this was written for Stonemason workers, still when you read the poem you see a lot of tenets that we today hold dear in our Masonic edifies. I will be looking at the points for this series, but I would encourage everyone to read the first written “laws” of stonemasons and see how much of an influence our ancient operative brethren have:

First Point
At this assembly were points ordained more,
Of great lords and masters also.
That who will know this craft and come to estate,
He must love well God and holy church always,
And his master also that he is with,
Whersoever he go in field or enclosed wood,
And thy fellows thou love also,
For that thy craft will that thou do.

Of course this means that a man of the Craft must love God and the church along with his fellows.

This is a message that we read of hear of and write of constantly in Freemasonry. One can’t read 15 pages of the Craft that doesn’t talk about how man to have that true moral compass must have a personal relationship with the GATOU, for a man to be truly centered in his life he needs to be at peace with his relationship with God. He cannot be true to himself without understanding and knowing God’s role in his life. You must always love your church as well. Remember that church is something that is more than stone and mortar. It is your spiritual temple in which you worship GATOU, and helps you contemplate your relationship with Him.

I think this time of year especially we can reflect on our love for God and our Church.