William Miller - A Freemason?

It turns out that William Miller, the main man behind the movement which resulted in the eventual formation of the Seventh-day Adventists and the Jehovah's Witnesses, was a Freemason. (Read the research article by an Adventist.)

As a Mormon, this interests me (Joseph Smith Jr. and Brigham Young not to mention multitudes of other early LDS leaders having been Masons as well)

New York, Burned Over District, 1820's-30's. 1844. Freemasonry. Prophecy. Belief in continuing revelation. And, a distinctive decline in splendor as soon as there is no Master Mason remaining in leadership.

What is the root of this big correlation? Is it a coincidence? Was there something in the air in those years, Masonically? What inspired these great men and Masons to their larger than life tasks?

Was there an unusual traveling magnetic field passing by in upstate New York in the 1820's? Quite frankly, I wouldn't mind tapping into a little of that juice myself.

The sad thing is, the successive generations of these individuals have largely taken for granted what their founders have provided. Their teachings and instruction are given lip service and perused occasionally, but they aren't recognized for what they were. Aside from the Theology and Eschatology (you might wonder what is left, with these individuals -- I assure you, plenty) it might be worthwhile for the Fraternity to lay their claim on these treasure troves of "living stone" examples and their fruits and writings, that have been abandoned by everyone else. As far as I'm concerned, they are among the best men Masonry has ever made better. If any Masons have ever changed the world, these men have. And I hope it was for the better.

Report on the 146th Annual Convocation of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Oregon

Yesterday, April 5th, 2007, was the 146th Annual Convocation of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Oregon.

It was also my first time in attendance at any "Grand" meeting. (For those who are new Masons or from foreign lands, in the United States that means it is a meeting of the "State-Level" group which governs over our constituent local groups.)

The officers ending their term, who conducted the meeting were:

[Elective]
Garrett K. Cooke, Most Excellent Grand high Priest;
John Ridenour, Grand King;
Daniel Crockett, Grand Scribe;
John H. Smith, Grand Treasurer;
Dalvin L. Hollaway, Grand Secretary;
Gavin Reid, Grand Captain of the Host;

[Appointive]
Stanley C. Miller, Grand Lecturer;
Paul Gehman, Jr., Grand Principal Sojourner;
Richard E. Surroz, Grand Royal Arch Captain;
Darrell Carter, Grand Master of the Third Veil;
Robert C. Elliott, Grand Master of the Second Veil;
Richard M. MacKinnon, Grand Master of the First Veil;
Loren E. Shrock, Grand Chaplain;
Robert M. Richard, Grand Orator;
Jerry Muceus, Grand Historian;
Carl G. Carlson, Grand Capitular Reviewer;
George Eldredge, Grand Musician;
and Charles R. Carroll, Grand Sentinel;

The convocation was held at the Seven Feathers Conference Center in Canyonville, Oregon.

We got together around 8:30 in the morning. A bit early for me, especially since it was a half-hour drive to get there from my home town, although I am fortunate that it is close enough to drive and not requiring to stay overnight at the hotel.

Companion Erik Arneson sat next to me during the session. We had communicated via email recently on Masonry but I had not seen him in person since I was about eleven years old, when we got together at a BBS Meet-Up, and I actually can't remember meeting him there but I did chat with him on the BBSes throughout the early nineties. It was interesting to cross paths with an old friend, anyhow. He told me at the start of the Reception of Distinguished Guests that the Morning Session of Grand Chapter was like aerobics. He wasn't kidding. We must have stood up at least twenty five times during the reception, as we welcomed our numerous guests from foreign lands - or, around the country, as it were. I can't remember all, but we had visitors representing Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and Washington just to name a few. We were also privileged to have the General Grand High Priest of Royal Arch Masons International attend our convocation, Most Excellent Companion Larry E. Gray. I cannot do justice to all of the various talks delivered by all the Companions present at the meeting, but I can say that it was a worthwhile experience and that I would recommend other Masons to attend a Grand Royal Arch Chapter convocation if the occasion ever presents itself to do so.

Some of the visitors presented interesting and unique ideas that their jurisdictions have implemented, and I thought them worth passing along here:

- Make the Mark Master Degree available to any blue lodge Mason, free of charge, so that they can see a sample of the work of York Rite before deciding whether to go all the way through. Take the degree to them, rather than having them come to you; make the proper negotiations to be able to offer it to the Blue Lodges.

- With slight modifications to remove the secret work, the Most Excellent Master Degree can be made available for public viewing, for Mason's families, etc. This is a fascinating idea, and I am surprised that something this bold and creative has actually gone into practice, but apparently it has been well received.

- Start doing traditional classes. One degree at a time, and have Lodge/Chapter/etc. officers learn their own parts. The younger generation coming into Lodge views it as an educational process and actually wants the slower, traditional classes instead of Festivals being the only option.

I was impressed particularly by all of these reports (which I have somewhat reworded into the form of advice).

I hope this report was not without some merit to you,

~Jeff

Wow! A petitioner!

I bought a Masonic T-Shirt, and wore it in public for just one day. I got two inquiries that day as to its meaning, one of them, from a person I had been acquainted with by business dealings in the past, turned into a request for a petition.

The shirt I was wearing was my "Seeking Further Light" York Rite shirt, available from my merchandise blog, however, any shirt would probably do just as well. I recommend getting one of your liking.

My rationale to consider shirts to begin with is that rings and jewelry such as tie-tacks used to be the day-to-day way to express yourselves in the late 1800's. We've kept the tradition of the Masonic ring, but this way of expression has been mostly superseded by messages on T-Shirts and bumper stickers -- they stand out more, and are more likely to be noticed.

I consider it a success. 1 day, 1 petitioner -- and a good one, at that. I don't expect to keep such a perfect record in the future, but it delighted me. I didn't even have to bend the rules and "ask", a technique for which there has been so much advocacy lately.

Esoteric Blogs

I just wanted to recommend that those of you who are interested check out my other blog aggregator, Occult Esoterica. It often has some truly amazing articles on it, and goes into a few topics that might be of interest to most Masons, such as Kabbalah, ancient ritual, etc. It also goes into many other areas of Occult and Esoteric studies, which may only interest a certain type of folk. ;-)

Enjoy!

Lambskin Apron and Salvation

A brother at Excelsior Lodge website has posted an excellent response to the Five Common Accusations leveled against the fraternity by certain Evangelical groups.

I chimed in with my response, because due to differences between Jurisdictions I believe his answer would have been inadequate to answer for the ritual here in Oregon.

Please read the original post, but I also include my comment here for my readers to likewise ponder:

Brother, well done on this response. I do have a different perspective on some of this, however. First, to keep the secrets of a Brother Master Mason. In my case I have seen this used more akin to clergy-parishioner confidentiality than for seeking financial help, but it is still used for seeking help. For example, Brother A. could approach Brother B. for counsel on a difficult life situation, and request Brother B.'s confidentiality, thereby trusting Brother B to give good counsel or aid in the situation while keeping the personal details secret. It is not for use in covering crimes, as, at least in my jurisdiction, breaking the law especially when it involves moral turpitude would be grounds for expulsion from the Fraternity, at which point one would no longer be required to extend the courtesy of treating the individual as a Brother Master Mason, in my opinion.

Second, and something that I have given thought to, is the allegation that Masonry teaches salvation. While in your jurisdiction it may only be hinted at in the portion of the apron lecture which you shared, in my Jurisdiction the language of the ritual does go a little further. I will share what is applicable, omitting portions for brevity:

"... And when at last ... from your nerveless grasp shall drop forever the working tools of life ... may the record of your life ... be as pure and spotless as this fair emblem [referring to the apron] ... And when your trembling soul shall stand ... before the Great White Throne, may it be your portion to hear ... 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'"

More than this, the lecture given at the end of the Entered Apprentice degree contains the following:

"He, therefore, who wears the lamb skin as the badge of a Mason, is continually reminded of that purity of life and rectitude of conduct so essentially necessary to his gaining admission to the celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe Presides."

This, in my opinion, is probably the most controversial part of our regular Masonic work, but I have not ever heard it directly criticized. I personally make no apology for this section, however. I would hope that "Heaven" (or the CLA) is viewed by all good men as a place where purity is to be found. While some religions will take no objection to this type of language, certain Christians often do, and so to them I would suggest that this passage may be applicable in the following way (and excuse the specific Christian language, but they are the ones to whom I am proposing this solution) - We, each and all of us, will get symbolic "spots" and blemishes on our aprons, making us impure (Every man has sinned and falls short...) and perhaps it is actually Jesus who has provided that "purity of life and rectitude of conduct so essentially necessary" on your behalf, since you are yourself incapable of it? The lambskin in this case becomes a symbol of Jesus, who is, after all, referred to by John the Baptist, one of the claimed Patron Saints of Freemasonry, as The Lamb of God. This interpretation turns the apron into a beautiful Christian symbol, for the Christian. Of course, others may view it as they see fit, and no Mason has the right to expect his particular interpretation to be accepted by any other.

Lest my above comment scare anyone, as it is only a sampling of the lectures, let me assure you that this is the closest our ritual gets to being guilty of this particular accusation. I have shared the worst of it, so to speak, and its all smooth sailing from there, so far as this point is concerned.

I hope this was helpful to some.

AMD

I was this evening made a member of Solomon Council #222 Allied Masonic Degrees. We had an open meeting over dinner at Elmers Restaurant in Medford, Oregon. Bro. Carl Carlson shared some educational historical information concerning ancient York Masonry out of a book put out by the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. This seems like a great group of Masons who are serious about their Masonry, and I am proud to have been selected to become a member.

A Program to Improve the Craft

Brethren and other Interested Parties, there has been much talk lately about the declining numbers in the craft. I am not so concerned about this as I am about the declining quality of the craft. As we make concession after concession to try to fix our membership problem we unavoidably mar the ancient beauty of our Order.

I would suggest that we take matters into our own hands, both individually and as the group of Internet-savvy Masons and friends that we are. Lets start by asking ourselves, what type of Fraternity are we looking for? What type of people do we want in it? What do *I* want to make Freemasonry into?

I've already started this in my life, by choosing to associate with and be open and informative to those people whom I think would make good Masons. I haven't even bent the rule concerning solicitation, which so many people feel is a necessary breach -- it isn't. And I've got five candidates in the pipeline already, currently, over whom I was a either a primary or supportive direct influence. This isn't about sharing Masonry with everyone. I personally think we could use more of certain types of people in the Fraternity, and I am sculpting my Lodge into that picture the best way I know how. But, I want to work on a larger scale... and that's where you come in.

I would like to open an informal discussion between all the Masonic bloggers who care to participate where we can develop those types of questions posed above on both individual and group levels. After we determine what we want, I would like to see how much Internet muscle we have as a group, and what specific projects we might be able to undertake to help "funnel" the right kind of people to the appropriate Grand Lodge or local Lodge websites or to our own email inboxes if necessary, to find those who have already been made Masons in the hearts and help them to make it official. If we work collectively, we must be able to achieve something more than what our individual efforts can accomplish.

When I Google "Masonic blog", KSL comes up third on the list. I consider this a success for Masonry, and it gives us a viable platform as bloggers, but we can probably pour our efforts into something even better. Are there areas that the current round-up of Masonic websites are lacking in? Or, are there areas that they excel in which are not being harnessed into situations where the reader asking for a petition becomes possible?

ScottishRite.org and YorkRite.org are both great sites for information, but they are still written towards people who are already Masons and are already familiar with the jargon of Masonry. I've attempted to assemble a Grand Lodge web directory on my Ancient Craft Masonry page at KSL.

I will be disappointed if I don't see either comments here, or posts at your own blogs outlining what you are doing or are prepared to do individually to improve the quality of the craft and the people in it, in your area, and what you think we should focus on as a group to help bring the most desirable types of people (not just the most people) from the web into a situation where they may eventually be able to petition a Lodge. So, get to work!

Laurel Lodge is Busy!

I got a couple of comments from some local narcissist Brethren who recently found my blog by Googling their own names. I'm happy to know that some locals are reading.

Laurel Lodge is busy in these next few months.

This evening, March 13, we're holding a Special Communication to confer the Fellowcraft Degree upon Brother Mackintosh and Brother Stokes. I will be delivering the Lecture. I helped arrange the degree team not more than an hour ago, and we managed to pull it together. This is probably the most quickly organized degree I've ever heard of. I'll post back on whether it goes well or not, I believe it will.

Tomorrow evening we hope to confer the Entered Apprentice Degree upon Adam Howard. He is going to be leaving for two years in April so we are trying to accelerate his work to get it done before he goes, since we sat on his petition for quite some time. If we can't do it tomorrow, we're going to hold a Special Communication on Saturday and do it then instead. I will be sitting in the East and doing the Lecture for that degree. I also joked our Brethren for tonight's FC degree and told them that I expect them to have their proficiency ready to pass off by the next evening. What's scary is, they might actually do it!

We will hold another special communication on March 24 to examine Adam on his proficiency and (hopefully) to confer the Fellowcraft degree upon him.

Our Lodge is having a St. Patrick's Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner on March 28, and we will also examine any of our candidates who are prepared on their Fellowcraft proficiencies on that night. We're also balloting on a candidate who petitioned last month.

In April the Shrine Circus in Roseburg is going on the same day that we have our first stated meeting (April 11), so we are taking it easy and having a Master Mason Degree for Adam Howard scheduled for the following Saturday and one for Brother Stokes at our stated communication on the 25th. We will be passing off Adam's Master Mason proficiency before he leaves, if the blessing of heaven can attend us in accomplishing this task.

I counted it up and by my reckoning we have thirteen degrees to confer before this summer.

My personal goal is to become proficient at sitting in the East on all three degrees, and most particularly to become familiar with the part of King Solomon in the Master Mason degree, although being only 25, I feel too young for the part.

I'm excited to see all the new candidates coming into Lodge, and I look forward to working with them in the future as they begin to participate in our degree work.

My Masonic History

Hearing some of the older Brethren recall exactly which dates they took their degrees, I figured I should document this stuff somewhere.

I was...
Initiated October 23, 2002. (Fourth Wednesday)
Passed November 27, 2002. (Fourth Wednesday)
and
Raised January 29, 2003. (Fifth Wednesday - I wonder why? This isn't the stated night.)
at
Laurel Lodge #13 AF&AM of Oregon.

My Entered Apprentice Degree was conferred by:

W.M. Paul Temple
S.W. Ken Karlinger, District Deputy
J.W. Larry Lane
S.D. Robert Mallory
J.D. Russ Howard
S.S. Roy McCoy
J.S. Lynn Masker
Chaplain: Ralph Simmons
Lecture: Dick Grabinski, P.M.
Charge: Lynn Masker
Apron Presented by: Paul Temple

My Fellowcraft Degree was conferred by:

W.M. Larry Lane
S.W. Ed Bouwsema, Worshipful Master
J.W. Ken Karlinger, District Deputy
S.D. Paul Temple
J.D. Robert Mallory
S.S. Roy McCoy
J.S. Lynn Masker
Chaplain: Ralph Simmons
Lecture: Jim Phillips, Past Master
Charge: Lynn Masker

The first section of my Master Mason degree was conferred by:

W.M. Paul Temple
S.W. Larry Lane
J.W. Wes Cooper, Past Master
S.D. Lynn Masker
J.D. Roy McCoy
S.S. Tim Randall
J.S. Russ Howard
Chaplain: Dave Sherman

The second section was conferred by:

K.S. Robert Parkhill, Past Master
S.G.W. Roland Davis, Past Master
S.D. Wes Cooper, Past Master
J.D. Roy McCoy
1st F.C. Robert Mallory
2nd F.C. Clay Jordan, Past Master
3rd F.C. Ken Karlinger, District Deputy
1st R. Jim Phillips, Past Master
2nd R. Ed Bouwsema, Worshipful Master
3rd R. Paul Temple
S.C. Roy McCoy
W.F.M. Roy McCoy
Chaplain: Dave Sherman
Secretary: John Youngquist, Past Master
Lecture: Tim Randall
Charge: Wes Cooper, Past Master
Instructions: Lynn Masker
Presentations: Masonic Pin from Ed Bouwsema, Trowel from Paul Temple

I served as Junior Steward during 2004.
I took a Masonic sabbatical during 2005 ;-)
I served as Senior Steward during 2006.
I am currently serving as Senior Deacon for 2007. (Our Junior Deacon went off to college.)

As a Candidate, I was mentored by Russ Howard. When I started to learn the lectures for the degree work, I was mentored by Delmar Hockersmith, Bob Parkhill, and Paul Temple. Ken Karlinger and Wes Cooper have been quite helpful for the other parts of the work, although I can take to the short dialogue sections quite easily after having heard them a few times.

During 2004 I had done the First Fellowcraft part on the second section of the Master Mason degree a few times, although I no longer have it memorized as well as I used to.

I have also worked as Senior Deacon in the degree work (first section) on the several degrees a few times. During 2004 I had delivered the EA Lecture at least once, and the FC Lecture a couple of times, but I currently need to brush up on them, as they are not properly committed to memory and I am missing words in some places.

I sat in the East for the first time to confer the Entered Apprentice Degree upon my father-in-law, Larry Stokes, and also upon Justus Mackintosh, on December 13, 2006.

I sat in the East at Maple Lodge in Riddle on Monday, February 19, 2007 to confer the First section of the Master Mason degree, and played First Fellowcraft in the second section.

I have been mentoring Justus Mackintosh and Larry Stokes who both passed off their Entered Apprentice proficiencies on February 28, 2007.

I sat in the East at Maple Lodge in Riddle on Monday, March 5, 2007 to confer the First section of the Master Mason degree upon Brother Tom Little, and played First Fellowcraft in the second section.

The Spiral

The Spiral, by Jeff Day

Within a company of friends,
I tread upon ambitious feet,
I trust the hand that leads me round,
For wise o'erseers to meet--

Strike! Once we pass.

The words of fellows long since gone,
Echo, coursing through our halls,
Sacred writ have they become,
To countless generations' souls--

Strike! Twice we pass.

Ascending up the grand stairway,
A lesson learned each step,
'Tis only here harmoniously,
That earth and heaven's wisdom's kept--

Strike! Thrice we pass.

'Twas here the first of all proclaimed:
This upright spiral knows no end.

Take, Work, Teach.

Apologies about aggregator confusion!

I need to apologize, for the past ten days or so, KingSolomonsLodge.org has been having troubles with the way it was caching articles, making it appear to some people (depending on the exact url you were viewing the site with) that no new articles were showing up. This has been corrected, and I admonish you to please re-read all the articles from December 10th up until today that you may have missed.

The Sentinel

The Sentinel, by Jeff Day

Charged with a duty to perform,
I stay alert, watching.

From eventime till bright next morn;
My fellows 'proach me, talking.

Hail Friend! I call and bid
Them 'vance and give the countersign.

This they do, I let them through,
Whe'er face is new, or hundredth time.

But if they fail, words cannot tell,
The fate which in them glowers.

Tis honor which hath 'stablished this,
And proves me in all hours.

For brother, son, friend, prince or king
I make not one exception.

But woodland creatures large and small
Are welcome to reception.

The First Step

The First Step, by Jeff Day

Bound, cold, and alone,
Within the cell I wait,
To find my destiny.

Four years of training done,
The path ahead is straight,
Though scared, my heart is free.

Three raps, a soft echo,
Not one second late,
Two come to walk with me,
And take me to the gate.

Beyond, a vision rests,
Of life, love and tempest,
A cloistered gathering.

Ringing thrice the gong,
No more will I prolong,
The sacred primal chore.

Hark, yonder sir! I hear,
Step in this boat, and fear
No enemy nor foe,
Stay calm now as we row.

And to the isle we pass,
Moored safely, I proclaim,
Intent to join their ranks.

A firm but steady grasp,
To greater heights we aim,
And climb the steepened banks.

A solid slab of rock,
I'm cast down without shame,
And press my head in thanks,
To speak the oath and name,

With fellows of great fame.

Masonic News

I'd like to remind everyone to keep an eye on the useful "Freemasonry in the News" tap that is available on the home page of KingSolomonsLodge.org It's in the right hand column about half way down the page. It pulls a list of the most relevant recent articles from real online newspapers that mention Freemasonry, Scottish Rite, or York Rite, kindly provided by our friends at Google.

Speaking of Google, have you tried the Masonic Light Search at the top left of the page? It pulls from a number of hand selected Masonic information websites to help give more relevant results on Masonic topics than a standard Google search.

Upgraded to Blogger Beta

I just upgraded ALL of my blogs to Blogger Beta. I also added a Library feature on my sidebar here to showcase some of the Books that at least *I* find to be Masonic.

Our Brother the "Jared of Wii"

I recently posted on Brother Ryan Mercer's Wii gaming experience. Well, today he's attained one more level of fame by being featured in an interview with Forbes. Check it out!

A Wii Mason Becomes Famous

Some of you may have heard of the recent response to the Wii, the latest console gaming system released by Nintendo.

The controller is giving people what is now affectionately termed "Wii Elbow", and the gaming has been determined to be quite a workout. Some people have even been injured! Nintendo did place proper warnings on games and many activities even include occasional reminders to take a break built into the product.

The Wall Street Journal has interviewed several individuals and published an article on it titled "A Wii Workout: When Video Games Hurt." What some of you may not know is that Ryan Mercer, quoted in their article is a Mason, and a member of Speedway, IN #729 F&AM.

Congratulations to Brother Ryan for becoming famous, and lets all hope his new video game workout program benefits him with good health.

Masonic Logo Clip-art

I have created a smattering of Masonic clip art logos that some of you Brethren may find useful. They are available in Flash 8 format as vectors that can be exported smoothly at whatever size is required, and also in 200 pixel wide PNG format with white backgrounds, and 800 pixel wide transparent GIF format suitable for printing.

Click here to see the entire gallery.

Why did I make these? Well, I'm fed up with all of the ugly Masonic emblems floating around on the Internet. Most of the York Rite emblems, similar to the one seen here, are composed of four different styles of graphic that have been pasted together. Often times, the graphics have been scaled without resampling or anti-aliasing, leaving a choppy and jagged edge, and sometimes a graphic with an extraneous square border has been inserted into the circle, creating a circle within a square within a circle, where only a circle should exist. Also, people tend to skew the Square to an aspect ratio other than 90 degrees to fit it where they please. Masonry in the 19th century was beautifully illustrated with excellent craftsmanship, and I believe our modern Freemasonry should also be illustrated with good craftsmanship - in a clean, appealing manner - as it is presented on the web and through other modern technologies.

There is no longer an excuse for using sloppy, low resolution scanned images on Masonic websites. If you can't find what you need here, just ask me and I'll try to come up with the Masonic emblem that you need.

Virtual Lodge Tour

With the help of my wife, I have started a project to make a Virtual "Lodge Tour" on the web. I know this sort of thing has been done before, but I'm trying to think in more ambitious terms... As a web developer with some skill at doing interactive interfaces, I am planning to make a Lodge room that can be manipulated and explored on the web that will serve to acquaint a person with Freemasonry as well as its various appendant organizations.

Here's a "still" preview picture of the furniture and widgets we've drawn up so far (click to enlarge):


I plan on making the furniture re-arrangeable to make it possible to represent variations between jurisdictions: for example, we are even designing a triangle 3-candle stand since some jurisdictions place all three of the tapers together.

Well, what do y'all think? A worthwhile endeavor?

Update: I've made the piano a smaller model so that the Senior Deacon's chair isn't forced to be out so far because of it, so now the candidates won't have to stub their toes. :-)

Chapter and Council

Tonight I went down to Grants Pass for Chapter (Reames #28) and Council (Rogue #23). It was my first time attending since the York Rite Festival in Cottage Grove on September 29th, and thus my first time attending either body as a regular meeting and not as a candidate for the degrees. Nevertheless, I went to work immediately, serving as the Steward pro-temps for Council (which was held first, following a potluck) and then as the Scribe pro-temps for Chapter.

It was election of officers night for both bodies, and it seems that I timed my entry into York Rite just right. I was elected to the office of Scribe for Reames Chapter #28 for the ensuing capitular year (2007). This is quite unusual, as I understand it, but for good cause as I am trying to head up an effort to resurrect the York Rite bodies in Roseburg. For those unaware, the elected officers in Royal Arch are High Priest (termed Excellent), King, Scribe, Recorder, Treasurer, and Captain of the Host. This should provide me with experience necessary to help bring a Royal Arch Chapter back to Roseburg.

I have also been appointed as Senior Deacon in my Blue Lodge (Laurel #13) for the 2007 Masonic year, and our elections were held on Wednesday evening, following our Past Masters dinner, which went very well.