Which Way Do The Compasses Point?

The road is bumpy, the road is winding, the road is long and then you come to this.

When you are traveling on a road to somewhere the bumps jar, the turns sway but the traveling is still easy because you don't have to think really, you just keep moving. The fork in the road is hard because you have to decide. As far as you know both paths lead to a similar destination.

On the left there is a downhill road through a dark forest. It is an easy way to go but the light is obfuscated and diffused and you will have to turn on your headlights and shine the light as you go, but you will save gas and get there sooner.

On the right there is an uphill road over a high precipice. It is a much harder road to travel and you will have to really pay attention to the road but the light will be shining on you and the view could be breathtaking.

You get to the fork and you stop, car idling away. One passenger really thinks the easy road is the way to go, save gas, get there sooner with much less effort. The other passenger is just as adamant about the hard road, it'll cost us more and be a lot of work but just imagine the view. You were the one who found the scenic route and convinced your friend of its merits but the longer you drive the more the easier route calls to you because you want so bad to get where you are going.

Neither friend wants to push you too hard in their direction but are still insistent of their opinion. So with the radio on keeping you entertained you sit there and wait because you cant decide.

If you didn't have passengers you would go the hard scenic route or would you?

The Joy Of Building

The best thing about being Worshipful Master is being able to take things I had only contemplated or wrote about and making it into reality, tonight was one of those great nights. For those of you who read this blog you may recall at the end of one of my posts about an idea for a lodge "building" night I called "Mix The Cement Night". The basic idea of the program came from an experience at our Grand Lodge's Wardens Seminar I attended in October of last year. We were separated into pairs and caused to interview each other as a team building experience, I took this idea and came up with "Mix The Cement Night"and it was a tremendous success.

I snuck the event into my Message From the East and did not give any details about what it was going to be, knowing that none of the Brothers of my lodge really reads my blog so it would be a complete surprise(as it turned out one of the newest Brothers had read it but kept it a secret). I started receiving calls about it the day after I sent out the Trestleboard and would not give the slightest idea of what it was to be, which heightened the anticipation.

I arrived this evening, fashionably late, to a full parking lot and a bunch of Brothers quite enjoying each others company already, which just made it that much better. We quickly opened lodge and disposed of the good business of petitions and returned investigations, then I put the lodge at ease so I could explain what we were about to do. I explained the esoteric idea of the night and knowing my lodge as I do split the Brothers up into pairs of "old school" and "new school", so to say, and gave them a nice questionnaire to conduct the interview. Name, Family Members, Why You Became a Mason were some of the questions on the sheet that I explained to the Brothers should be used as a template to know your Brother better. I then promptly closed the lodge and we adjourned to the dinner hall for the exercise.

We all grabbed a beverage of choice and the fun began. I wanted to limit the time of the interviews to 15 minutes a piece so we would have enough time to hear everyones answers but to my pleasant surprise I was asked for a little more time. The buzz in the air was music to my ears as everyone got to know each other a little better and then I started by introducing my Brother the Treasurer to the lodge. I then went around the room and randomly went back and forth between old and new and had every Brother tell us a little more about their Brother. The stories were great, the camaraderie was amazing and no one was in a rush to leave afterwards! The best part of it was that we all knew each other better than we had ever before and left more cohesive and happier than we came, TRUE BROTHERHOOD.

The cement of personal knowledge was mixed into the aggregate collection of men and turned into a concrete foundation of a Freemasons Lodge. It just doesn't get any better.

Delivering The Goods

I remember.

The expectations of what was to come were overwhelming. So overwhelming that I sneaked a peek at what was to come and I can never get that experience I cheated back, but what came next I kept pure. I kept it pure because my heart and the stars had led me here and I wanted to let it take me to where I was meant to go.

I was swept up in it immediately but I was different than most. When you expect a treasure ship from the shore and receive a fishing boat most would head back to the safety of their home but I hopped on board and started fishing and fishing is hard work.

You sail farther and farther away from your home dragging a line with the hope of coming home with that big catch that will keep you home forever but it never comes so you keep fishing...it'll come some day.

After your Entered Apprentice degree, if you were like me you probably had more questions than answers after such an amazing ordeal. What was that all about? What am I now? They call me Brother so what can I do? Am I their Brother?

The veil of Freemasonry is a heavy one to lift and often even after their initiation, after all of the ceremony and symbolism most Entered Apprentices leave the lodge not really knowing what to do next. For all of our ritual and its importance most of it is lost to the person who needs it most...the candidate. They are so caught up in the moment and overwhelmed that they barely absorb anything that they just went though. I remember that feeling and have made it a point to change that experience for the better.

When I was a junior officer and was doing the different lectures I made sure that the delivery was for the candidates or Brothers and that what I was giving them was from the heart. I tried to learn not just the words but the meanings and feelings of the ritual and convey this to the men who it was supposed to be for. Ours is a theater of the mind and the greatest lecturers keep them on the edge of their seats as far as 18th century prose can bring modern man there, even though they will forget most of what was said as soon as they turn the key to their cars and drive home late that night.

Now that I sit in the oriental chair, I am more of a Master of Ceremonies and administrator so I have brought something new to my old lodge. I still try to deliver a profound experience with the ritual but now I can add something new. I have developed a "Welcome Package" for those who stand in the North East Corner for the first time in their lives. I wanted to give the new Brother something he could take home and read and really feel a part of my lodge. Included in this package is the usual mnemonic EA booklet with the lecture, the more verbose EA booklet from our Grand Lodge, our lodges Trestleboard and a "Welcome Letter";

Welcome Brother,

Again, it is with great pleasure that I now address you by that sacred appellation. You have now undergone the same experience that some of the greatest men in history have and can call George Washington, Henry Ford, Simón Bolívar, Mozart, Voltaire and countless other Brothers. The light of Freemasonry is a beacon that has long attracted men of the utmost character and temperament. This letter is to help you with the great honor that was bestowed upon you and to help welcome you into the St. Johns Lodge № 6 family.

St. Johns Lodge № 6 Free and Accepted Masons was chartered in 1765 by the then Provincial Grand Lodge in New York. The first Worshipful Master was a local merchant and ship’s captain named Benjamin Isaacs and Lodge met in his home on what would later be named Isaacs Street. To put it in perspective George Washington was a young 33 years old when our Lodge was formed. Our lodge has continually met and made Masons ever since and has produced a few Grand Masters and leaders of all levels in the Grand Lodge of Connecticut that was formed 18 years after our forming.

As an Entered Apprentice you are now a Freemason and you are entitled to join us at our meetings. We meet on the first and third Thursday of every month except July and August when we go dim for summer (which is to say not meeting formally). We will open the lodge on the degree of the lowest Brother attending unless we are conferring a higher degree and even then you may come for the fellowship that occurs before we open Lodge. We sincerely hope you will join us at all of our meetings and events when possible. The more you put into Freemasonry the more you will get out of it. We are first and foremost a Brotherhood and it is always great to see your Brother!

You may not yet display any forms of Masonic identification (i.e. rings, pins, and emblems) for although a Brother you are not yet a full member of the Fraternity and will not be one until you attain the Sublime Degree of Master Mason. I encourage you to enrich your mind with the countless books, articles, and websites that will enlighten you to the Craft, but be wary of reading anything that exposes your next two Degrees, only because it will lessen the experience that our rituals invoke. Our initiatic system was developed in time immemorial to reverberate in the soul of the true initiate and a knowledge of what is to come although trivial will dampen your experience.

You will need to learn the Question and Answer lecture that was recited for you in order to pass onto the next Degree of Fellowcraft. The booklets you were given will help you some but what will help you even more will be the guidance of one of your Brothers who will gladly assist you in learning. This not only helps you learn but will grow the bond of Brotherhood that is the binding part of Freemasonry. The lecture book is written in mnemonics, a sort of code that is meant to help you in memorizing the lecture. While perfect recitation of the lecture is desirable and encouraged it is most important that you know the Due Guard, Sign, Grip (handshake), and Word of an Entered Apprentice which are the true secrets of your rank. Included in this packet is our Trestleboard which is our monthly newsletter, which has a list of the Officers of the Lodge and their contact information. Feel free to contact anyone of us including myself to help you become a proficient Entered Apprentice and a shining example of our lodge and great Order.

Sincerely and Fraternally,

Matthew M. Morris, Worshipful Master St. Johns Lodge № 6 F.&A.M.

I wanted to give the new EA some insight into the lodge and answer what questions he may have lingering and make him feel at home. All of these items are presented to the Entered Apprentice at the end of the degree in a nice pocket folder.

I have shared this letter with some Worshipful Masters in my Grand Lodge and feel it may help others. All you have to do is replace all of the stuff about my lodge and replace it with stuff about yours and hopefully you will see him at your next meeting more eager than before.

What do you think?

Metaphor

Your a classic car enthusiast. You have always loved them and seen them in the periphery of your vision but you never had the gumption to get one and take on what it is to own one. One day you are driving down the street and you see one poking its grill out of a garage and you are inspired. It looks a bit dusty but underneath the dust is one of those beautiful pieces of steel and chrome and rubber that makes your heart skip a beat. It was made in the heyday of the automobile when bigger was better and beauty was prised over aerodynamics. The symmetry and style exude class like nothing else on the road today so you stop your car and walk your way up the steps of the front porch to the door of the house.

There is a well worn brass handle and an ornate knocker and for a minute you think about hopping back into your car and driving away because you already have a car and it gets you from A to B which is what a car is supposed to do but there is something that holds you at the entry. With trepidation you reach out for the knocker and lift it ever so gently amazed by the weight of the thing in your hands and you let it fall.

Knock

Knock

Knock

Then silence.

After a seemingly extraordinary amount of time your hear a stirring from within and a gray haired old man opens the door a crack and says "who is it?" You can see his stern gaze from within.

"Hello. I'm your neighbor from around the corner and I noticed that beautiful old car in your garage and I was wondering if you would like to talk about it?"

At the mention of the old auto the old mans face changed and he threw the door open and thrust out his hand for a shake. "Come in, come in I always have time to talk about my wonderful car." The twinkle in his eyes revealed a tremendous pride and love for this thing.

He ushers you in and you spend the next hour talking to him about all sorts of stuff but mostly his prized car.

You explain to him of your sincere interest and you then take a walk out to the garage and all of a sudden you are right next to it and it is amazing. It was definitely taken care of as you already knew from your conversation before but the layer of dust on it indicates that it had not been used as of late. The old man then tells you that it has been hard for him as of late to use it but opens the door and tells you to go ahead and start it. As you slide into the well worn leather that old car smell fills your senses as you turn the ornate key and the old thing grumbles to life.

WOW! What a sound it makes! Nothing on four wheels today has that deep rumble that echoes in the old garage and you are sold. You spend the next couple of months visiting the old man and his car and grow to love it and eventually he agrees to hand the keys over to you.

The day comes to take it out for the first time and your heart is about to leap from your chest. You had dusted it off and kicked the tires and sat in the drivers seat for the first time with the intention of driving it somewhere. You turn the keys again and it comes to life with the gentle touch of a lover you ease the car into drive and it moves! Oh what a thrill! You feel like royalty driving such a magnificent automobile as you idle your way to the road at the end of the driveway and as you turn onto the road ahead and step on the gas there is no response! The car just remains in idle. You tap the accelerator again and again no response. You park the car and go back to the gentle old and ask him what is going on?

He sheepishly looks up and tells you that's all it can do.

Its been that way for so long that he doesn't even know how to get it to move any faster and asks "Why do you want it to go any faster? It's fine the way it is. Just look at how beautiful it is!"

"Because you just can't travel todays roads at that speed" I regretfully say.

Successful Install!

Take one AGM in a Tux cowboy boots and hat, one Senior Warden, a Derby, some Prince Hall, United Grand Lodge of England, and Grand Lodge of Connecticut Brethren, and unlike poor Tom Accuosti's latest ubuntu attempt, you have one successful installation!

Thanks to all!

The Night Before....

Twas the night before installation

and all through my head

the year that was coming

kept me from my bed.

The Brothers, the lodge

and the ritual so dear

will be my responsibility

for the upcoming year.

So I did what I do

I grabbed my netbook

to give all my favorite

Masonic Blogs a quick look.

First to the Tao

and Tom and his wit

on being brought to light....

on Linux? Bull ****

The Taper was filled

with more Halcyon stuff

while the Metaphysical Freemason

doing some Papal fluff.

Chequered Carpet hasn't written

in nearly a year.

But the Renaissance is back

so we need no longer fear

Justa Mason is sadly mourning

a fine lady Auntie Grace

and Paul Chapin went off on

some peacocks, full pace.

Its not Lodgical that Grail Quest

don't post much no more.

Masonic Traveler welcomed many

to Freemason Informations wide door.

The dead Masonic Blogroll

would keep me writing all night

so lets all welcome back

From Darkness to Light!

MMM 1.0

I have been criminally neglectful of my blog but like usual I have a lot of excuses, well sort of, I am a recent addition to the national unemployment statistic and for the first time in my adult life I do not have a full time job. Although that should give me loads of time to write I actually find that my time seems to disappear faster now than when I was working 60 hour weeks! Just before I was handed a pink slip I was, in my spare time, going full speed ahead with trying to organize and lay out the ground work for my lodge to purchase a building we could call our own. I had been working and politicking like mad for the last couple meetings to test the waters and gather support for my dream. I found a building, checked the resources, examined the charter and rules and regulations, and one by one I started to talk to the Brethren to get their ideas and see if they liked mine.

Simultaneously I started the hard work of gathering and weeding out the Brothers who I would be calling on for help over the next year. I wanted to surround myself with a corps of officers that I knew I could count on because the last thing you need to do as WM is make sure your officers will be at the next lodge meeting. Luckily our membership has increased a such a pace that I didn't have to rely on a couple of choices but had a good quarry to search in.

All of this action led up to our lodges annual meeting and election of officers. It was going to be a big night for me in a couple ways. I prepared a power point presentation to go along with my speech about my dream of a building of our own but due to unforeseen circumstances I arrived just before the meeting started and was not able to set up.

After opening the lodge the WM stated to the gathered craft that I had an important speech and off I went. I spoke from my heart and used my head and although I ruffled a few feathers I received majority support for my idea so we'll see how that goes. My little speech did however cost me a unanimous vote to be WM. The worst thing is is that the numerous votes for me could not outshine the one vote cast for "jachin". Regardless I was elected to serve as the 245th Worshipful Master of "old St. Johns".

So, on this coming Thursday January 7th 2010 I will be installed and my reign of terror will begin!

Just Kidding! It just fit so perfectly into that sentence.

For real, I am so thrilled to assume the oriental chair and I hope I can accomplish all that I want to do never has a year ahead seemed so short.

If you are in my area next week come on by it should be a good night!