Thursday, July 23, 2009
Grand Lodge of Minnesota Featured at the GWMM
The Grand Lodge of Minnesota, A.F. & A.M. is the featured Grand Lodge for the month of July at the George Washington Masonic Memorial. The website gives a great description and short history of my proud Grand Lodge. If you are in the D.C. area, please visit the special display. Also, if you are there, send me some photos, I would love to see what the display looks like. (And yes, I'm slightly jealous if you get to see the display and I'm also filled with pride for my state.)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Masonic Question for the Week of July 20
#MQW (via @tybaltknight) How many of y'all were in (plege or initiate) a fraternity before joining the craft?
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
"Lost Symbol" and the D.C. Street "Secrets"
The latest clue dropped on the Lost Symbol twitter stream seems to retread what some Anti-Masons believe are the "evils" of Freemasonry found in the D.C. layout. (you may now cough and say bologna or some equivalent word)
The clue states:
38.909561,-77.043471 38.897611,-77.036562 38.909663,-77.029457 38.902508,-77.050118 38.902426,-77.022877 38.909561,-77.043471
It is rather obvious that this clue is GPS coordinates but to what? If you put them into Google Maps, you will see the connection.
View Larger Map
Connect the Circles and you will see the PENTAGRAM!!! (pause for effect)
Sadly, this myth has been found throughout Anti-Masonic texts to point to some sort of nefarious plot to take over the world. To get the record straight, here is the article from the fantastic Grand Lodge of BCY encyclopedia on Masonry.
But wait, there's more!!!
The next clue given out later in the day states:
"Levi’s goat: a symbol used to accuse the righteous of evil deeds"
Levi's goat was a symbol of the supposed "Baphomet" which some Anti-Masons believe is a deity revered by Freemasons, another complete untruth. With the connection of "Baphomet" and the upside-down pentagram, Anti-Masons have concocted a symbol for the ages, the supposed devil's head in the street plan of Washington, D.C. Again, the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon has great material concerning the Myth of Baphomet or Eliphas Levi.
However, I feel more encouraged from this latest clue. If we assume that Dan Brown is using Freemasonry as a part of his book, then we are the "righteous" party. We can hope that this clue points to a kinder portrayal, not accurate mind you, but a portrayal about us being a group of good men. However, let's not have Dan Brown present his story as our story. We will have people asking individual Masons about the Craft which is why I think we need every Mason to prepare himself for the questions. Millions if not billions of people will read this book, we need to be ready for it. SO start coming up with your way to describe our Craft. I believe we can do it, it will just take practice and aforethought.
The clue states:
38.909561,-77.043471 38.897611,-77.036562 38.909663,-77.029457 38.902508,-77.050118 38.902426,-77.022877 38.909561,-77.043471
It is rather obvious that this clue is GPS coordinates but to what? If you put them into Google Maps, you will see the connection.
View Larger Map
Connect the Circles and you will see the PENTAGRAM!!! (pause for effect)
Sadly, this myth has been found throughout Anti-Masonic texts to point to some sort of nefarious plot to take over the world. To get the record straight, here is the article from the fantastic Grand Lodge of BCY encyclopedia on Masonry.
But wait, there's more!!!
The next clue given out later in the day states:
"Levi’s goat: a symbol used to accuse the righteous of evil deeds"
Levi's goat was a symbol of the supposed "Baphomet" which some Anti-Masons believe is a deity revered by Freemasons, another complete untruth. With the connection of "Baphomet" and the upside-down pentagram, Anti-Masons have concocted a symbol for the ages, the supposed devil's head in the street plan of Washington, D.C. Again, the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon has great material concerning the Myth of Baphomet or Eliphas Levi.
However, I feel more encouraged from this latest clue. If we assume that Dan Brown is using Freemasonry as a part of his book, then we are the "righteous" party. We can hope that this clue points to a kinder portrayal, not accurate mind you, but a portrayal about us being a group of good men. However, let's not have Dan Brown present his story as our story. We will have people asking individual Masons about the Craft which is why I think we need every Mason to prepare himself for the questions. Millions if not billions of people will read this book, we need to be ready for it. SO start coming up with your way to describe our Craft. I believe we can do it, it will just take practice and aforethought.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Getting Back to Basics
I have decided to make a promise to all of you, my readers. From this day hence, I am returning this blog back to its original purpose, how do we get young men excited to be Masons and energized to do great work for our Craft. Sadly, for the last few months, this site started to look like a newspaper and less about my own thoughts and feelings. I was trying to scoop stories and I started to sound like a newsman. Frankly, I’m not cut out to be a journalist but I am rather more situated as a commentator.
Wow, I’m feeling totally motivated again. For starters, I was scouring the Internet looking for good stories about my Generation and the current economic downturn. The signs seem to point to better days than what was first expected for this newest generation and their sense of the economy. Although this story is about Australia, I see parallels in my own life and that of my peers.
In an article published in the Herald Sun in Australia, Generation Y is spending far less and is “turning their [collective] backs on greed.” The article describes how young people are seeking more face-to-face time and are spending less on things, opting for vintage clothes and buying from farmer’s markets and spending less at the bar. Some might see this as a disadvantage for Freemasonry; we do cost money after all but I think we have a golden opportunity.
Freemasonry offers men something they can’t get anywhere else: a sense of accomplishment, a place to meet men of every belief (politically, social, religiously), and a place dedicated to history and ancient lore. Many lodges have existed for decades if not centuries. If men are looking for a place to congregate, to feel worth something, then the money part won’t matter. Sure, it costs money to be a Freemason, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t amount to as much as many men realize. That is one of our strengths; we can provide worthwhile entertainment, enjoyment, and a feeling of belonging at a reasonable price. We offer tradition, education and an experience that can be found in no other place on the planet.
If young men are looking for a place of no distractions, then this is their place. If they want “face time”, we offer that too. If men are looking for tradition in an uncertain world, then they will find something among brothers of a similar opinion. There is a silver lining in what this economy is presenting. Men want and need some form of fraternalism to be made whole. We offer that and more. We are the greatest Fraternity this blue marble in space has ever seen.
The article concludes with what Gen Y is looking to do. They have seen the global perspective and it just isn’t as promising as before. They are turning into their smaller world, their community, their friends, and their family. “All Masonry is local” is a common phrase in today’s modern Masonic parlance. Lodges exist in towns, unseen by most in the community but they are there, waiting for young men who are looking for safety, support, but most of all, a place that feels like home. I mean, that’s why it’s called a Lodge, isn’t it?
Wow, I’m feeling totally motivated again. For starters, I was scouring the Internet looking for good stories about my Generation and the current economic downturn. The signs seem to point to better days than what was first expected for this newest generation and their sense of the economy. Although this story is about Australia, I see parallels in my own life and that of my peers.
Warning: this commentary contains scenes of extreme rosiness and Pollyannaishness. If you or a loved one does not feel comfortable reading about silver linings or uncharacteristic flights of unnecessary glee, please do not read any further.
In an article published in the Herald Sun in Australia, Generation Y is spending far less and is “turning their [collective] backs on greed.” The article describes how young people are seeking more face-to-face time and are spending less on things, opting for vintage clothes and buying from farmer’s markets and spending less at the bar. Some might see this as a disadvantage for Freemasonry; we do cost money after all but I think we have a golden opportunity.
Freemasonry offers men something they can’t get anywhere else: a sense of accomplishment, a place to meet men of every belief (politically, social, religiously), and a place dedicated to history and ancient lore. Many lodges have existed for decades if not centuries. If men are looking for a place to congregate, to feel worth something, then the money part won’t matter. Sure, it costs money to be a Freemason, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t amount to as much as many men realize. That is one of our strengths; we can provide worthwhile entertainment, enjoyment, and a feeling of belonging at a reasonable price. We offer tradition, education and an experience that can be found in no other place on the planet.
If young men are looking for a place of no distractions, then this is their place. If they want “face time”, we offer that too. If men are looking for tradition in an uncertain world, then they will find something among brothers of a similar opinion. There is a silver lining in what this economy is presenting. Men want and need some form of fraternalism to be made whole. We offer that and more. We are the greatest Fraternity this blue marble in space has ever seen.
The article concludes with what Gen Y is looking to do. They have seen the global perspective and it just isn’t as promising as before. They are turning into their smaller world, their community, their friends, and their family. “All Masonry is local” is a common phrase in today’s modern Masonic parlance. Lodges exist in towns, unseen by most in the community but they are there, waiting for young men who are looking for safety, support, but most of all, a place that feels like home. I mean, that’s why it’s called a Lodge, isn’t it?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Masonic Question for the Week of July 13
#MQW (via @jonruark) What Masonic symbol means the most to you and why?
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