Followup - European Concept Royal Arch

Instead of doing a follow-up on our EC Royal Arch Meeting, which has already been done elsewhere online, I want to make a follow up post to the comments which were made on my last post on the subject.

We got mixed response online. The most recent anonymous commentor wrote the following:

I am an Oregon Mason and I can say that there is a small but very vocal clique here that is trying to insist that a tuxedo is the minimum required dress for attending lodge. This appears to be their playground.

Not only is this impractical and expensive, but I believe it steers away from what our Masonry should be about - meetings of men, not contests to see who can outdo the other in finery.

As far as I am concerned, as long as a brother Mason has it in his heart, his fashion choices are his own business.

I want to respond to this at length:

To the most recent Anonymous,

Dear Brother, I am familiar with the "small but very vocal clique" of which you speak. For the record, I'd like to say that I am not part of it. I believe that a man should be able to attend Lodge in whatever clothing he is able to, provided that he tries to present himself in as clean and well dressed a way as is possible. I welcome those who take the time to attend Lodge even after a hard day of work and are unable to take the time to travel home, change, and return before Lodge begins. To me it is more important that they appear at Lodge than that they tend to such minor details. I believe, however, that the Worshipful Master of a Lodge should have the ability to specify what he expects out of his group of officers, particularly the Wardens, and that they should do what they can to comply with the Master's plan for the year.

I will step up and say that I, personally, am the primary instigator of this European Concept Royal Arch endeavor which we are trying to establish in Roseburg. Without my zeal and personal efforts in planning, the prospect of having Royal Arch Masonry in Roseburg would not, at this time, be anywhere on the radar. There have been attempts to revive it in the past, which have thus far failed. I was not involved in those attempts, as I was not a member of York Rite at the time they were made. Most (but not all) of the people involved in this endeavor were likewise not involved in the previous attempt.

What we are working on is a very specific undertaking and is not intended to reflect any policy recommendation on how Masonry as a whole, or in general, works in this area or throughout the state. Many of the ideas actually came from a Brother Master Mason, who is looking forward to joining the Chapter in the near future, and expressed his ideas to me. I agreed with his ideas, and brought them before the Companions that I have been working with, and we eventually found that the principles of Norwood Chapter in Alberta very nearly corresponded to what we had in mind, so we decided to follow their example. At the first planning meeting we had, I am happy to report that ten of us made a successful effort in meeting the proposed dress code, and that the nominated Excellent High Priest (Larry Stokes, who was nominated that evening) has since expressed to me his satisfaction in the dress code and th compliance these Companions have made to it.

I will also say that there were some, perhaps three Companions, in attendance at our May planning meeting who would not have been present at all if our goal was not E.C. They are participating in this because the E.C. is motivational, and they aren't seeking Dual Membership just to have Dual Membership. They want Dual Membership so that they can participate in both an E.C. Chapter and their existing Chapter.

We are a fairly diverse group of Masons, some young, some old, and have come together for the purpose of eventually working the degrees of Capitular Masonry which we love, according to these European Concept principles, which we find personally inspiring. We have in this endeavor Companions from Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, Grants Pass, and Medford, and we do not therefore represent any clique, particularly not any previously existing clique with an agenda. This is a new and young endeavor which we are looking forward to. Those who are complaining here online have simply not come forward and expressed any interest in Royal Arch in Roseburg, and apparently did not respond to the invitation that was sent out on the Oregon York Rite E-Mail Newsletter. Why would we undercut our own ideas in order to accommodate those who won't even take the time to come and participate with us, or talk with us?

We WANT to do something different. We want to have an interesting program, and make it into a more interesting organization. We believe that this will not only help our own enjoyment, but help the organization to be attractive to others so that it will grow. Many Masonic organizations around the state and around the country are failing in their membership goals. Yes, failing. Our numbers are steadily declining. In Grants Pass York Rite bodies we have had more members pass away, or dropped for NPD than we have had new Exaltations. Maintaining the status quo, and not doing anything different, is going to solve the problem! Those who are refusing to support any change whatsoever are putting a death sentence on the Fraternity. We need change. Now, not all change is good. Some changes will help, and others will not. But those who have the guts to try to effect change are at least trying to do something!

So I have two main things I would like to express here:

1. We are not an existing clique who has made this Royal Arch endeavor into our "playground."
Please, don't confuse us with anyone else. We are our own group.

2. I am worried that the comments received on the previous post about E.C. Royal Arch reflect a trend in Masonry where a Lodge, Chapter, or other body is not allowed to have unique "character." Why do some feel the need to enforce in Masonry an attitude of maintaining the lower-common-denominator rather than building upon the interests of the brethren? Should not a local organization be able to have its own style, its own agenda, its own goals?

Angels or Demons

The "Radtcliffes" have recently made it a point to up the esoteric ante on the Masonic blogosphere. I will play this game, too.

A friend and Brother of mine deals in Auras for the purpose of identifying problems and healing people spiritually. He came up with the theory that certain Masonic gestures are actually opening (and he believes, subsequently closing) the Aura so that you are more susceptible to what is about to occur.

I'm not usually one who deals with Auras explicitly, but I took a fancy to this idea when I heard it. Upon more deliberate consideration, I think I believe it does a bit more than only this. I would propose the following possibility, but as always, each Masons beliefs are his own, and so your mileage may vary with the following:

When kneeling at the altar of Masonry in the Entered Apprentice Degree we have our aura opened for the first time in this particular way. After doing so, we are directed to the Lights and next receive a secret grip or token, and also a secret word, which, we are strangely told, is the name of the token - as if the token is a person.

I believe that these names could be specific angelic or demonic names of spiritual entities that we are allowing into our bodies, to perform their spiritual work.

In turn, it is possible that the other work that we magically attach at this juncture, the hand gestures, signs, grips, and the name or word itself, could allow us to control or direct this spiritual entity, maybe not only in ourselves, but in others who have received it, creating a sort of hive mind (beehive anyone?), or spiritual energy pool, or egregore, if we learn how to work it properly.

Thus, the True Words are names of these spiritual beings, whereas the Pass-Words are merely words used to gain admission, holding no power in and of themselves, for they have no signs attached, but have been adopted for reasons perhaps akin to those given us in the rituals themselves.

As Master Masons, we are professing to be searching for "the WORD" or in other words, the true, ineffable name of God, and if we do proceed to receive it, after opening our aura properly, we would be able to become possessed by the actual spirit of deity, becoming some sort of Avatar for God, or for a particular God. (This is actually the first time I have thought this through to its conclusion, and I must say, wow!)

At the opening of Lodge we all open our auras to the Senior Warden and Worshipful Master, in particular, and they reciprocate to us; or, in another sense, we are all opening them to each other, becoming one so that we can proceed in Unity. For this reason, it is particularly important that no contention exist amongst brethren in a Lodge room. If you have contention with a Brother who is present, you should voluntarily remove yourself from the room until you have solved the problem so that the ebb and flow of spiritual energy may be undisturbed by your ill feelings.

As I mentioned above, I do not believe that we actually close the Aura. I think we open it, and it heals naturally with time. But I have heard of other ceremonies where the Aura is deliberately closed, so I believe it may be possible to do so, it just isn't part of the Masonic practice in my estimation.

So, for those taking a tally, I believe the EA, FC, MM, Past Master, and Royal Arch Degrees each allow us to become possessed with one of these sojourning spirits, the Most Excellent Master probably does not; and the Mark almost certainly does not, it being derived from the FC.

A Dilemma of Politics

Brethren, I seek advice.

As many of you may know, I run KingSolomonsLodge.org. In order to help support the site, I have advertising on the site in the form of Google AdSense. Usually these advertisements are for things such as Masonic regalia, jewelry, or books, and many of them are actually helpful to visitors since they are on-topic. Today I went online to see what articles were listed, and I was confronted with a political advertisement for a presidential candidate. This was not an innocuous three line text ad, either, but a full block animated graphical advertisement. It doesn't matter to me which candidate or party, but rather the fact that a political advertisement is being propagated onto the website at all, when I view our brotherhood as a great place of unity between members of various political parties and religions. I am distressed, and I don't know what to do. Part of me says it is free speech, and if they pay for an ad, they should be able to show it there. Part of me says its a conflict of interest, or it may drive away certain visitors. It probably won't be there forever. Must I resort to turning off advertisements during election years? On the other hand, maybe my Brethren have enough understanding and tolerance to "put up with" the ad, even if it doesn't suit their fancy. I seek advice, my Brethren. If you were in this situation, what would you do?

How the Degrees Came to Exist

In this article I am presenting a very complicated subject, but it shall be put forth as simply as possible. Each degree deserves multiple chapters in a book, but will only get here a brief description. Masonic Lodges originally worked a Two-Degree system:

The Entered Apprentice degree is the most obvious. It is the foundation of our Masonic journey, and while its lecture contains allusions to Solomon's Temple, its other content is almost entirely "operative." It obligates us, teaches us to behave in a proper manner, and gives us secrets whereby to recognize one another. In its simplicity, it represents the pure Masonry of time immemorial, having received very little amendment.

The Fellowcraft Degree is the original reward for being able to demonstrate quality Masonic work. The medieval guilds also used the name "Journeyman" for Fellowcrafts. They (originally) could begin to travel, work, and receive wages for their labors. We see in the Fellowcraft degree, the introduction of a complex system of symbolism, the birth of speculative Masonry, which most of all exhorts us to study the various arts an sciences and to make our life a well-spent one.

The Mark Man, or first section of York Rite's fourth degree, "Mark Master Mason" has elements which were originally taught to Fellowcraft Masons, including selecting a distinctive mark and learning to mark your work accordingly, and how to receiving the wages of an operative Fellowcraft Mason. Its lessons, from an operative point of view, seem particularly suited towards how to get along while working with a large groups of other Masons.

Lodges originally consisted of a number of Apprentices and Fellowcrafts, presided over by an elected Master. The positions of Master and the two Wardens were originally able to be held by Fellowcraft Masons, and the Mark Master, or second section of York Rite's "Mark Master Mason" degree probably at one time constituted the ceremonies given to a Fellowcraft upon becoming the Master of a Fellowcraft Lodge. The "Installation Ceremony" of a Worshipful Master was probably also used at this time, and is essentially a set of oaths and an investment with various items pertaining to the government and operation of the Lodge.

The first Grand Lodge was formed in 1717, and the Master Mason Degree was probably developed somewhere close to this time as a way of making the process of becoming Master of a Lodge more meaningful, beautiful and instructive. The ceremonies of Installation were probably moved from bing given with the Mark Master to the Master Mason. Eventually, probably owing to the growing membership in lodges, it was determined that the Master Mason Degree be given to all worthy brethren, rather than only one a year who was being installed. At this time, the Installation Ceremony itself became divorced from the Master Mason degree. The Installation ceremony is still used for annual installations in Blue Lodge, and has also developed into the fifth, or "Past Master" degree of York Rite.

But, at this time, the Master Mason Degree included the communication of the true Master's word. Soon, for some mysterious reason, the Hiramic Legend was introduced, and the concept of the Loss of the word, and its subsequent Recovery, was placed into the degree. My speculation is that this may have reflected genuine feelings of the loss and recovery of traditions relating to the reasoning behind many (particularly Irish) masons banding together to form the Antients Grand Lodge of England.

Upon the union of 1813, the recovery of the word was removed from the degree (it being already gone in the work of the "Moderns") , and the ceremony explaining its recovery was moved into what would become the Royal Arch Degree. The part of the degree which remained became the Master Mason Degree, being in essentially the same form as we know it today.

The Irish masons conferred a degree called Excellent Master as a preparation for the Royal Arch. This was a veil-working ceremony involving blue, purple, scarlet, and white veils and an allegory of the return from the Babylonian Captivity, which has been incorporated into the Royal Arch Degree itself as it is worked in the USA.

Meanwhile, Masonry had also traveled to France, and many degrees both spurious and valuable had arisen. Two of these eventually found their way to the United States as side-degrees of the Scottish Rite. They were Royal Master and Select Master. They were recognized to bee particularly applicable to explanation of the York Rite's Royal Arch Degree, and so the Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite had no argument with letting these degrees become organized independently and become a fixture within the York Rite system. (However, the Supreme Council technically still possesses the authority to confer them if they choose to do so.)

Thomas Smith Webb later wrote the Most Excellent Master Degree to fill a remaining gap in the legend by celebrating the completion of the Temple. This degree fits chronologically between the Master Mason and Royal Arch Degree.

In summary:

• 1° Entered Apprentice - Remains Intact.
• 2° Fellow Craft - Today it is missing pieces.
• 3° Master Mason - Today it is missing pieces.
• 4a° Mark Man - Completes the Fellowcraft Degree.
• 4b° Mark Master - Is itself an older type of "Master Mason" Degree.
• 5° Past Master - Installation was probably the oldest form of the Master Mason Degree.
• 6° Most Excellent Master - A modern innovation by T.S.Webb.
• 7° Royal Arch Mason - Completes the Master Mason Degree.
• 8° Royal Master - Developed in France.
  
• 9° Select Master - Developed in France.

You will observe that it is only the 6, 8, and 9° that do not have a claim to be part of Ancient Craft Masonry, as defined in the 1813 Articles of Union, "that pure Ancient Masonry consists of three degrees, and no more, viz., those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and the Master Mason, including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch."

These other "degrees" are merely portions or different versions of the authentic three degrees which have become fragmented into pieces. It is unclear, however, which parts, if any, of the Royal Arch Degree constitute the "Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch" (the original conclusion ofo the Master Maso Degre, beyond the short exaltation ceremony itself.

AMD: II - Order of the Secret Monitor

If you haven't done so yet, read my Introduction to the Allied Masonic Degrees, to which this post is a follow-up.

A degree of Brotherly Love, demonstrated through the example of David and Jonathan.

Originally, this degree was conferred by any Mason who received it. In England, there was a Grand Council of the Order of the Secret Monitor formed in 1887. Until 1894, the Grand Council and AMD disputed over right to confer the degree. In 1931, the Grand Council was given control of this degree and it was removed from AMD in Europe, but it remains part of AMD in the USA. In Europe, there are now provincial Grand Conclaves just as there are provincial Grand Mark Lodges. Shown here is the banner of the Grand Conclave of the Order of the Secret Monitor of Great Britain. The emblem in the center, consisting of the Star of David, with the three arrows and the initials D and J, is the general emblem of the Order of the Secret Monitor, and is the emblem used by AMD in reference to this degree.

This is considered one of the happiest, and friendliest of Masonic Orders. Local bodies are called Conclaves, and when operated under the Grand Conclaves, rather then under AMD, each Conclave has four officers titled Visiting Deacons, who are assigned a portion of the members which they personally visit between each meeting, to extend their support and help in any way needed, as well as to invite the Brethren to the next meeting, an example I think all Masons should undertake to follow.

This degree is important because it symbolically demonstrates that the Masonic principles which survived the flood with Noah were yet alive among the children of Israel, providing a link between Antediluvian Masonry and the "Solomonic" Masonry which is commonly known to us.

The dance that Mormonism had with Freemasonry

On John Ratcliff's blog, one of the commentors on a recent post of his made a speculative statement about Brigham Young (the second president of the Mormon church) which I found to be a rather unstudied and inaccurate statement.

In order to not hijack Brother Ratcliff's thread, I'd like to move this particular discussion over to this blog so that his thread can remain on-topic. Yes, this subject has been done over and over in many places. But here it is again.

First, I'd like to refer anyone to read The Mormon Church and Freemasonry by Terry Chateau. From my point of view, having experienced both groups thoroughly, and studied and poured over the history of both ad nauseum, I find Terry's treatment of the subject to be mostly accurate, however basic it is.

Next, I'd like to point out that this post is intended for Freemasons, which is why I posted it on my Masonic blog. I hope not to draw in a large Mormon crowd to this post. To those Mormons who do show up, and who aren't either Masons or true scholars of Masonic history, I would rather see you over at one of my other, religious themed, blogs. I don't mean any harm by this, but I'm just trying to keep the noise level down on this post except for those who have direct experience in the subject.

In spite of my experience level, at this point, my opinion is one desirous of historical accuracy and indifference on the subject.

Well, thats it for now!

A New Charge - Holiness in Masonry

Reading about some of the troubles in Masonry around the USA lately, I was inspired to write this little "charge" which could be delivered at the refreshment table to any Mason upon obtaining any degree or office, as a reminder of the importance of their conduct. It is possible that any of our Brethren could some day become Grand Master, and so we should start training them in appropriate behavior for such an office:

My Brother, as you have now been given the distinguished title of ____ (Fill in the blank: Master Mason, Tyler, Worshipful Master, Grand Master, etc.), it becomes my duty to inform you that the station to which you have been called constitutes a most solemn, sacred, and Holy engagement. Holy, because it is only by your trust in the Great Architect of the Universe that you have been extended this privilege, and because it is only through His continuing Providence that you are able to serve therein.

You should ask the blessing of God upon every act and endeavor you undertake in your capacity as ____, for as Masons, we are accountable to God above all others, He who is the Supreme Grand Master and the highest authority in every institution of Freemasonry.

Throughout the entire world Masons are, or should be, known as men who place their trust in God. Every action, therefore, that we make as Masons, reflects not only upon the honor of this ancient and noble institution, but also demonstrates to the public the seriousness and earnestness with which Freemasonry reverences and serves Him. To other people of faith, as well as to the atheist or libertine, our conduct should be a most impressive beacon of light, showing that we strive to uphold the moral precepts set forth in the Volume of Sacred Law and to live a life free of bigotry and hypocrisy.

Turn altogether away from any temptation you may have to disobey the Good Counsel which God whispers in your ear, and ever remember to walk uprightly before Him, dealing in a plain and honest manner with your fellow man, so that you will be enabled to pass the square of virtue, being filled with peace and joy as you anticipate those welcome words, "Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant."

Calling all recognized Ancient Craft Masons...

I'm a bit concerned that the Internet today isn't reflecting the Masonic reality. Why? There is a disproportionate amount of what Timothy Bonney at Freemasonry Resources calls Fake Masonry, in fact, it feels to me that the Masonic blogosphere is about 30% of this flavor and 70% Recognized Masonry, when in reality the number of recognized Freemasons in the english speaking countries probably dwarfs the others at around 99%. If you were only going by Grand Lodges in the US alone, there are approximately 70 recognized Grand Lodges (counting Prince Hall) that are highly active and no more than 4 (and I'm being generous) unrecognized Grand Lodges that are also very active. That's still 95% recognized. The Internet gives voice to whoever writes on it. Google does not discriminate. KingSolomonsLodge.org has chosen to discriminate ONLY on informational content and not on recognition in order to avoid politics and verifying recognition and authorship at the listed blogs. Yahoo!, MSN, blogspot, Wordpress, etc... They do not discriminate. And this means that whoever yells the loudest looks the biggest.

Well, I'm calling for Recognized Masons to Yell Louder! There are probably many Masons out there who would actually be very great at running their own blog and sharing their thoughts and insights into Masonic education. I am not trying to declare a war on unrecognized Masonry, I am simply asking that those of you who are able to, please blog about YOUR Masonry, so that the statistics will begin to come back into the balance and accurately reflect the real world.

I will gladly assist any Masons who wish to begin an adventure in blogging to get started, just contact me by email or comment and I will do whatever I can to assist.

Lets spread the light of Ancient Craft Masonry - please do not take this as a message to bash on clandestine or unrecognized groups - that is FAR from my point, but rather demonstrate that genuine recognized Masonry is alive and well. At 95% we would take our rightful place as the defacto Internet voices of the craftsmen, and the other 5% would still be able to speak but their audience would be more deliberate instead of people generally seeking Masonic information.

We need more Masonic bloggers!

Note: I hold a certain amount of respect for those who are participating in some of those groups that are currently unrecognized. It must take some guts to take such a leap of faith, and I trust that the majority of them are decent men. However, on both sides of the fence some of the individuals and groups are lacking in judgment and are bringing discredit to the good name of the Fraternity. I value personal integrity very highly, and as such, I recommend that all Masons live up to every aspect of their Masonic obligations to the fullest extent possible. If everyone would do this, we would not even have this issue to begin with!