Worshipful Master means they were the 'president' of the local lodge for at least a year. It's odd that you're being approached after doing something that wasn't a good thing? Really not getting the vibe of what you mean, but I figure that's intentional on your part.
It doesn't sound that strange that people would approach you, especially in a small town. Generally we aren't supposed to recruit at all, but I'd say your experience isn't totally crazy. At least the guys approaching you are good men.
I'd really recommend the book 'Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry?' to answer your questions about devil worship, etc. I'll spoil it a bit- none of it's true and most can be traced back to one hoax in the 19th century.
edit: Also, +1 on the username. Still not sure where to put my feet.
The author is also a regular here in this subreddit.
First welcome.
Not really. There are tens of thousands of Masonic Lodges across the world.
If you're interested, you can check out Freemasonry for Dummies written by a Mason in Indiana. It is basically the go-to book for Freemasonry, especially in the US.
If you prefer not to click on Daily Mail sources, then here is a screenshot of the original article.
^^I'm ^^trying ^^to ^^help ^^so ^^please ^^don't ^^ban ^^me, ^^just ^^downvote ^^me. ^^I ^^auto-delete ^^my ^^comments ^^with ^^a ^^score ^^of ^^-1 ^^or ^^less. ^^I ^^am ^^a ^^bot ^^based ^^on ^^this ^^code.
In today's world, "charity," means giving money to the less fortunate, but we use a more archaic definition which is closer to the Greek notion of, "agape," because we have a tradition that stretches back 300+ years and we can't just go changing our vocabulary to suit the times.
As such, we sometimes need to understand that when we say, "we don't have women because this is a fraternity," we don't mean, "... because this is a college frat," or, "... because this is a social organization," etc. We mean, "... a body of men, united."
Edit: I upvoted the parent comment. Folks: please stop downvoting those who bring their thoughts forward and share them with us. I happen to disagree with /u/Jynxbunni but I very much appreciate the effort taken to share an opinion about the Fraternity.
So what you should do is think about how those vices and superfluities on your rough ashlar can be chipped way with the working tools. The key to is to imagine it not as a rough stone but as a square one. You replace vice with a virtue. If you look up the book The Power of Habit it explains how we can change ourselves by taking the time to observe and record our behaviors. See our triggers, the action and then the reward. We can then replace the action and reward if we know the trigger. Don't look to be a man who isn't short tempered; look to be a man who is calm and collected.
Girlfriend's dad ordered me a Masonic knife of some sort. Don't have it yet, as I think it doesn't ship in for another week or so, but this one on Amazon looks pretty cool.
As for the EA & FC, get them a cool square and compasses lapel pin to hand them sometime after they get raised. If they are good friends of yours and also professional men of style and grace, there's actually some Masonic pocket squares that don't look half bad. Unlike many of the bullshit Masonic ties that get imposed on me for fundraisers, some of them are actually kind of subtle and stylish enough to wear with a suit.
Edit: And if you are a professional man of means, you really should be rocking pocket squares.
Full disclosure: I dropped out of Grad School before I finished my Masters in Architecture. I only have a B.Arch.
So, Freemason with an Architecture degree here. I don't think we should add Modernism, post-modernism, deconstructionism, brutalsim, or amorphic contemporary to the classical orders of Architecture, but I think the cleaner lines certainly can point to the perfect ashlar.
I've seen a lodge room from Bilthoven in the Netherlands frequently posted in this sub. I think it's a nice, modern take on the lodge.
The cool thing about more contemporary Architecture (and I use that capital A for a reason) is it's even more allegorical than the traditional. Now you can contain allegory in the building forms, and not just in the decorative parts.
Like the canopy of heaven being represented by that barrel vaulted ceiling. They didn't have to paint the heavens up there for you to understand. It's lit in a way, and formed in a way that alludes, without being overly literal.
I think the older lodges are neat as a way to preserve and remember the eras past, whence we came, but I don't think they are necessary. Architecture has moved forward. Though it may not look the same, it's still serving the same purpose.
All really interesting books. If you like Myth, Magick & Masonry check out Bro. Lamb's other work Approaching the Middle Chamber: The Seven Liberal Arts in Freemasonry & the Western Esoteric Tradition.
<u>The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry</u> is a good book to give you some basic information.
​
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiot-Guide-Freemasonry-2nd/dp/1615642374
I was thinking of this as well. Emails can be sent for free to peoples' phones (I have done this many a time to my own phone) through any email client. Also, people are much more likely to check their cellphones than their emails.
See here for more info: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/27051/use-email-to-send-text-messages-sms-to-mobile-phones-for-free/
If your carrier isn't listed...it'll be listed somewhere else :-P
https://wordpress.com/stats/post/104/stonesnbones.wordpress.com
Here you go. I wrote a whole thing on it. There's a lot of ammo in there from a lot of different angles.
I mean, it comes down to that we get to. Just like everyone else. I'm sure your wife, mother, or sister has gone out for a night with the girls. Do they need to be chaperoned or have men included out of some kind of equality?
The goal of Freemasonry is to make men better people for society and for their Creator. To do that we need to practice being good and living in harmony. That's really hard under the best conditions and the regular world is far from the best conditions. So we remove three particular stressors that cause men to fight with each other: religion, politics, and women.
When that pressure is off, we are better enabled to set aside our differences, work together, and be kind. Then we can take that experience out into the wider world and are much better equipped to bring kindness and harmony there as well.
Given that it is the same production team as the Scottish Key, it as the potential to be very good (the Scottish Key is worth watching at least once).
But then again... it could literally be a re-release of the Scottish Key with a new name.
As the Craft degrees of Anglo-American Masonry exist today, I'd say none.
Henrik Bogdan makes an excellent argument to the contrary in his paper Kabbalistic Influence on the Early Development of the Master Mason Degree of Freemasonry.
Be advised, the Master's Word is given and discussed here. Note - it's not my word, but it is the Word used by GLs on this sub. Govern yourselves accordingly.
The below book is the best thing I've read on the union that goes over the history, and importantly (as an Irish mason) talks about Ireland's role in the mess!
​
https://www.amazon.co.uk/English-Masonic-Union-1813/dp/1845495594
Get a copy of The Elizabethan World Picture and talk about what in it relates to Masonry. It's a really great read about what was on people's minds, how they viewed the world, etc. in the early 1700s.
OP won't be able to respond from a throwaway account until tomorrow.
This is an actual 33rd degree ring. It's a very fine one - you can get far cheaper ones on Amazon.
Your ring is more like this
Masonic rings aren't generally secret or sacred. They're bought from jewelers, or online, or passed down father to son.
If you are where I think you are in the process, then at the lodges next business meeting, they will return their investigation (interview) report and vote as to whether or not you shall be elected to receive the three degrees. It must be unanimous. If you are accepted, then they will issue you a notice and a date for your initiation.
A lot is going to be said and done at your initiation ritual. Relax and don’t sweat it if you don’t understand or catch it all. All will be revealed later. Enjoy the experience as much as you can. There is no hazing or horseplay in our fraternity, you will be safe.
EDIT: I suggest not reading or researching anymore past this point. You may end up ruining the experience. If you must learn more, read this
The Illuminati were an organisation in Germany in the 18th century. It's not a great book, but see here. It tried to influence society for equality, freedom of speech, secularism, so I guess their goal was reached :-)
Anybody can start a group and call it "Illuminati" so there sure are groups today who do, but what does say?
I found the book at Jet.com for $230, and it has a code for 15% off today, (15TODAY). $195 total after coupon and free shipping. It is still expensive, but less than the original $300 price tag.
https://jet.com/product/Handbook-of-Freemasonry/4300bd26c8bf49ea9b5c2980cf3d1724
> the Rosicrucians made themselves scarce.
We work invisibly. But our dinner parties, are to die for.
I'd like to recommend taking a look at a service like SquareSpace.com which can give you a VERY professional looking website for a low cost. This will be easy to use and manage and look better than most things in a similar price range.
Keep in mind that your website is an important tool in presenting your group to the rest of the world / prospective members / etc. It really should stand out and shine. If you can get some great LARGE imagery (check out https://unsplash.com/ for free commercial use photos), really evoke emotion and stay in line with up to date design trends, people will really be wowed with your website which oftentimes can be their first impression of your lodge. This matters almost as much as the upkeep of your building's exterior when it comes to new members, especially the younger ones.
(Full disclosure, I'm not a MM but speak from years of marketing and web design experience with a focus on the 18-35 male demographic)
I don't think that your hopes are too high.
Your hopes may well be too high for your local Lodge to meet.
In my view, it is like this: Various people in each Lodge have a different view of what they seek from Masonry. Some Brothers are really into charitable work, some are there mainly for social functions, some enjoy a leadership role in the Lodge, some are really into reading about Masonry, and some will be Freemasons for exactly the same reason that you are a Freemason.
In my view, this diversity is one of the things that keeps Masonry 'Evergreen' and interesting.
It seems to me that the best course is to get to know the men in your Lodge. While you are doing so, you'll slowly get to know men from other Lodges. Your circle will continue expanding, if you work to expand it.
As it expands, you will find the men who are Masons for the same reasons that you are a Mason. In that way, your hopes for Freemasonry are not too high.
This does of course take time and effort, that is why Masons often say that you get out of it what you put into it.
I also strongly recommend that you read Masonic books. Given your interests, reading will likely provide you with a great deal.
Here is one reading list you might consider:
https://write.as/cmbailey/the-emeth-recommended-reading-list
Comments above are sufficient and great advice.
If you really want to go deep on memorization techniques .
Solomon's Memory Palace: A Freemason's Guide to the Ancient Art of Memoria Verborum
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1977094686/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_MT92CYXGR9J40VNHZQH4
This has helped me immensely with my memory work. Not only helped me learn all the charges but recall them at any time.
Most commonly in public, the first possible indicator would be that the person is wearing a Masonic emblem, and while that’s no guarantee, it is a conversation starter. From there, it’s usually pretty easy to tell someone who goes to Lodge from someone who’s just read about it online. You’re not going to spot them based on how they sit or which way their elbow points.
There are all kinds of “trick” questions and/or catch-e-kisms [sic], but they tend to be used more by clandestine/fake Masons and the answers may well vary or not even exist as you move across jurisdictions. Mostly it comes down to “you’re over there...do you so and so?” or “I was there for x event, who ended up winning the raffle that night?” Pass or fail, it doesn’t much matter. Either you’ve met a new Brother, or you’ll be catching an imposter when he accepts an invitation to your next meeting and actually has to be tested before entering the Lodge room.
There are very few questions you could ask that would be “protected information,” so feel free.
~
Now, if you’ll allow me to put on my English teacher hat for a moment, a “queue” is a line of people while the word you’re looking for to mean a hint or signal is “cue.”
Tracing Boards of the Three Degrees in Craft Freemasonry Explained by Julian Rees
"Although most Freemasons will be familiar with the Tracing Boards – painted or engraved illustrations developed in the early years of Freemasonry which are used in Lodges to illustrate Masonic symbols and allegories during degree ceremonies and lectures – little has been published on them. The Tracing Boards are an essential part of the three Craft Degrees, assisting the Freemason in his quest to decode and interpret those allegories. There is no publication which adequately explains the Tracing Boards, their use and meaning of their symbolism, and Tracing Boards of the Three Degrees in Craft Freemasonry Explained fills that gap. The first three chapters give a detailed method of understanding and revealing the import of the three craft boards, based on those used in the three degrees by the Emulation Lodge of Improvement, known as the Harris Boards, which contain the elements of most of the Tracing Boards used in Lodges throughout England. The fourth chapter gives a brief overview of the history and the development of Tracing Boards in England, with some fascinating illustrations of long-forgotten boards. In the fifth chapter the author draws in many Tracing Boards and Lodge Cloths from other countries, particularly from the USA, and from other Masonic jurisdictions, bringing the art-form right up to the 21st century. This book is richly illustrated and features boards never before seen outside museums."
Here is a link to Amazon for you all. https://www.amazon.com/Contemplative-Masonry-Applications-Mindfulness-Meditation-ebook/dp/B06XKTSQYD
You could get some white leather (like here on Amazon) and make an apron. Once completed, Bro. Washington will be a nice addition to your collection.
this seems like a myth to me, I have never seen such a thing. There are some weird versions of the bible out there though, aside from freemasons if your looking for a conspiracy. For Instance, there is an illustrated version by Barry Moser which has a lot of creepy photos in it. https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Bible-King-James-Version/dp/0142005029
If only that question was simple. :D Many volumes have been written on the concept of ethics and what good character is or should be. All inquiries into good character start with Aristotle. From the Nicomachean Ethics, "The truly good and wise man will bear all kinds of fortune in a seemly way, and will always act in the noblest manner that the circumstances allow."
Yeah if you read that website carefully they are using the Gregorian calendar, which is incorrect if you go back before the 1500s. At the time in France, they were using the Julian calendar. Here is a correct calendar for then, i.e. this is the calendar they were using that month in France in 1307: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/monthly.html?month=10&year=1307&country=5
Heard back from Time and Date:
"The reason for this discrepancy is that our website defaults to the Julian calendar system for years when it was still in use in the country you selected. Today's Gregorian calendar was first introduced in 1582, so we show the Julian calendar for year 1307.
On the other hand, Wolfram Alpha assumes that October 13, 1307 is a Gregorian date, which equals October 5 on the Julian calendar. If you look at our 1307 calendar, we agree with Wolfram Alpha that October 5 was a Thursday.
For more information about the Julian calendar, please see http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/julian-calendar.html To see when different countries switched to the Gregorian calendar and what side-effects the switch had, please have a look at http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/julian-gregorian-switch.html
I hope this helps. If you have any more questions please do not hesitate to contact us again.
Thank you for using timeanddate.com!"
[I'm going to stick to details that you can get from popular modern books of Freemasonry like Freemasons for Dummies in my answer...]
It's fairly common in most jurisdictions to change the wording when telling the candidate what it is that he's taking his obligation on. After all, if he's in front of a Tanakh or Qu'ran or Book of Mormon, etc. and you say that it's the Bible, that kind of takes him out of the initiation and leaves him thinking about why you just insulted his book of Scripture. That's not what the evening is supposed to be about.
Around the turn of the 20th century, Grand Lodges started dealing with this dilemma. Until then, the VSL was the Bible in most jurisdictions, but it was the need to consider the Eastern influences during the Golden Age of Fraternalism that really started to transform the way that Lodges worked and make them more truly universal. Here's an example of The Grand Lodge of California discussing the use of non-Bible VSLs.
In Massachusetts similar changes were made and language was eventually introduced that uses the term VSL when there are more than one book of scripture present. Check with your Grand Lecturer. It might be that your jurisdiction has such a provision as well.
I am reading James Loewan's 'Lies My History Teacher Told Me'. A friend recommended it a few years back. Based on the interest here, I imagine most of you would enjoy it.
It was also mentioned in an AoM post recently: 16 Cultural Critiques Every Man Should Read.
I always like finding those small town lodges. Googling the Lodge name, it looks like they updated the front of the building in the past 3 years: https://www.flickr.com/photos/texasmarkers/6035850987/
I don't know enough about Ohio's grand lodge, it was just a guess based on my local area.
That picture is the new building, I think; Google Maps shows a much larger and more ornate building.
Edit: Comparing the two buildings, they're probably saving quite a bit in utility bills as well.
Personally, I find that kind of a stretch because the square and compasses (in an arrangement familiar to us) with the letter G in the middle can be found in the 1525 publishing of Ptolemy's Geography, in the bottom left corner of Table 10 Europe.
https://archive.org/stream/claudiiptolemaei00ptol#page/n307/mode/2up
WorldCat and Google put the Fourth Edition at 1860, so I'd wager the fifth is sometime after that.
Missing word is "Assisted". Found this transcript:
>but the dictionary is the ponit in case since the requirement of faith in god makes it a religious order.
https://www.wordnik.com/words/religious%20order
According to the dictionary definition we are NOT a religious order, we do not live apart from society nor are we a "subdivision" of a larger religious group.
Merriam-Webster's definition of "Fraternity" includes: > 2 : the quality or state of being brothers
Incidentally, Merriam-Webster's definition of "Brotherhood" is: > 1 : the quality or state of being brothers
The similarities are subtle :P
I'm Jewish, and I took my obligations on a Tanakh that is either very similar or exactly the same as the one posted by /u/chrico03 and /u/Dynamo-Hum, which was given to me after being raised. The lodge had the cover embossed with the lodge name, which I think is a very nice touch.
EDIT: Now that I'm home from work, I pulled it out. Have a picture. This particular bible was published by the Jewish Publication Society.
I developed and run our Lodge's site. I am a web developer by trade, so I used the tools I am most comfortable with. We host with 1&1 Internet on a shared server, no problems so far with them. I wrote the site in .NET with a SQL Server database on the back end for storing any communications sent to us from the "contact us" form. I hooked into Google Calendar and Google Maps for events and location/directions to the Lodge. I also used Google Analytics to track web traffic and trends.
In the couple of years since we created the site, 99% of our new candidates have come to us via the website and the contact us form. My advice to you is to make your site "Google Friendly", that is, create your content pages in such a way that the keywords that you would expect someone to search on to find your site are contained within the pages. Terms such as Freemasonry, Masons, Lodge, the name of your Lodge, the city/town/state that you are in, etc. Make it easy for potential candidates to contact you. I have our form set up so that when someone uses the contact us form, an email containing the person's contact info and their question is sent to myself, the Master, the Secretary, and another tech-savvy brother.
I have also registered our site in the Open Directory project, a free website listing project that is used by most of the major search engines. Check their listings, your Grand Lodge may have a listing of its own, you should list your Lodge site under their listing category.
Hope this info is helpful to you.
Ha! I was embarrassed that I asked a word usage question without checking ngram first. Silly me.
There are so many things that it highlights in stark contrast. For example, the decline of the term "brotherly love."
A good summary of the broad topic, but I was asking about the specific choice of "emblematical" vs. "emblematic."
I suppose the simplest answer is just that the former was more popular before the mid-19th century...
I think a much more likely explanation can be found. The great majority of Masonic educational texts were written in the late 1800's and early 1900's. This includes Pike, Mackey, Manly P. Hall, and others.
A search of Google's trend analyzer shows "genial" was used almost 10 times as often during that period than in the present day.
As far as I know, genial is only defined as you have it, genuine and friendly. Freemasons, as I know them, can be described as such.
We do it, and we use PayPal. We just add in the extra amount that PayPal charges as fees for the convenience.
You can also use Stripe (https://stripe.com/) which is very similar to PayPal. The Freemasonry App we use for our lodge utilizes Stripe.
I've asked Deepl to translate a German one....
What is Freemasonry?
She's goodness at home,
in business, she's honorableness,
she's politeness in company,
she's decency at work,
she is pity for the unfortunate,
she is resistance to injustice,
she is help for the weak,
she is faithful to the law,
against the wrong-doer she is forgotten,
she's a joy to the lucky one,
she is reverence and love for God.
Unknown author
And here is the German Text:
Was ist Freimaurerei? Daheim ist sie Güte, im Geschäft ist sie Ehrenhaftigkeit, in Gesellschaft ist sie Höflichkeit, in der Arbeit ist sie Anständigkeit, für den Unglücklichen ist sie Mitleid, gegen das Unrecht ist sie Widerstand, für das Schwache ist sie Hilfe, dem Gesetz gegenüber ist sie Treue, gegen den Unrechttuenden ist sie Vergessen, für den Glücklichen ist sie Mitfreude, vor Gott ist sie Ehrfurcht und Liebe. Unbekannter Autor
Backblaze is great for personal. I've something like 7TB up there, been a customer for years. But yeah as you found out, not for servers.
Most offsite stuff that's marketed towards businesses/servers is going to be rather expensive and/or limited on capacity. If you don't think you'll need regular access, I'd use Amazon.
Masonic ritual is not monolithic. It is not one thing. So for the sake of the troll...
The entered apprentice, fellow craft and mark degrees have clear evidence in the historical record of the operative lodges in what is now England and Scotland. No Kabbalah, except what may have been superimposed upon it after the mid-to-late 1720s.
So the question becomes then what of our high-grade rituals then, which in many cases we clearly know the answer is both, depending the rituals you are discussing. Henrik Bogdan has a nice paper on the Master Mason degree (spoiler alert - Words are used). Ecossais based traditions also incorporated Kabbalistic ideas into their rituals.
As a New Zealand Freemason, we hear about the Pacific islands somewhat regularly. Our quarterly magazine wrote a short article about freemasonry in Fiji last year.
On a related point, I went on a wondrous 2-week vacation to Fiji last year and found Fijians to be the happiest, smiliest, most generous people that I have ever met.
Has anyone used LibraryThing? A catalog of what books the membership has and who owns them would be a nice resource. Rather than a library located in the lodge building itself you could also use the sharing of personal collections as an educational tool by asking brethren to make reviews or recommendations from their collections.
Please don't let anyone discourage you from reading about Freemasonry. Here is a very incomplete recommended reading list put together by myself and some other Masons. It includes a number of suggestions for the man who is considering Masonry:
https://write.as/cmbailey/the-emeth-recommended-reading-list
I use one of these for a secretary's bag..... I dont know if I would want to lug 2 of them around though
Never heard such a thing in my 15 years as a Mason.
There are a few catch-e-kisms centered around the word “travel,” but they’re not legit/serious in any way.
I don't mean this as an insult. But you could start with 'Freemasons for dummies'. I'm not calling you dumb. That is the actual title: https://www.amazon.ca/Freemasons-Dummies-Christopher-Hodapp/dp/1118412087
It's a fantastic source of easy information.
One of the most recommended books on this sub for non-Masons and Masons alike is Freemasons for Dummies by Christopher Hodapp.
Don't be put off by the title: written by a Freemason, it's a detailed look at Freemasonry, from it's origins and history, to it's rituals, rites, symbols and their meanings. It's completely up to date, too!
went looking as soon as I saw his post.....
https://www.amazon.com/Liquor-Dispenser-Professional-Portable-Beverage/dp/B083QHWCBG
Unfortunately I don't. I got it for nearly free, buying it used on Amazon. There is a lot of filler, but there is really good stuff in there. Spends too much time with introductory concepts of Alchemy and Psychology.
Alchemical Psychology: Old Recipes for Living in a New World https://www.amazon.com/dp/1585421405/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_RNZuxbV0J8DFS
You can get them on Amazon.
Dunno, but that is very much the shit, so PM me if you find out. I got a nice Past High Priest tie clip off Amazon if you are looking for some swag on the cheap.
https://www.amazon.com/D292TB-Masonic-Sunburst-Priest-Emblem/dp/B00MHXK2Y2
not sure about the DVD but you can stream it on amazon
Buy yourself this book it will explain freemasonry to anyone...https://www.amazon.com/dp/1118412087/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LnoKFbRZ5718Z
Also over here in the states we have youth groups like The order of demolay or Knights of Pythagoras that someoneunderagecan join...
Always do your research and make sure you understand the organization & the commitment that you will make ...
Hell yeah. Myth, Magick and Masonry gave me a lot to mull over.
Aryeh Kaplan's translation and commentary on the Sepher Yetzirah is an excellent introduction into Kaballah. Generally, most things from Aryeh Kaplan are pretty good. But the Sepher Yetzirah also lays down some of the fundamentals of Kabbalah making this text an excellent introduction to the subject.
Check out the reviews on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sefer-Yetzirah-Creation-Theory-Practice-ebook/dp/B007HNFBXE
> Though I'd love some book recommendations ��
On Masonry in general?
Freemasons For Dummies
The Builders: A Story and Study of Freemasonry
The Mason’s Words: The History and Evolution of the American Masonic Ritual
To expand your mind and/or improve yourself?
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Your religious text, if your spiritual beliefs have one.
Very much depends on what you are into. Some might say A Mason's Words, while others could say that Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is the most inspiring Masonically. Essentially, it could be Harry Potter if that's what fills your Masonic bucket.
If you'd like a sraight forward and nice start I'd recommend the book "Mindfulness in Plain English". You can find the ebook for free online or order it from Amazon. This is single pointed focus and training concentration. Very easy. This helps you control what thoughts you're focusing on and which carry your attention away.
Pain is inevitable suffering is not. Recent events are only excuses for your poor behavior because you allow them to be. I say this not out of judgement brother, but as solice. If we can't expect our brothers to call us on our bullshit, who else do we have? Hang in there. If you're into reading, I'd recommend checking out Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning.
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus is one of my favorite reads, so I would suggest starting there. You could also look into Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, though it's a bit dense. As far as masonic works for the uninitiated, youtube has some great Manly P. Hall lectures.
I highly recommend "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey, first and foremost. In fact, the lessons in the book so closely related to the teachings of Freemasonry for me I've begun a series of presentations on the book for my Chapter and Council.
"How To Make Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie is a must have also. It's much older than the first book I mentioned but both books can go hand-in-hand even though Carnegie's book appears more superficial than the other at first glance.
I'm new to this road of self-improvement myself but I hope you can find as many parallels as I have. I'm also going to mention "Kybalion" by The Three Initiates as well, though I feel it's more geared towards morality and spirituality.
Ehhh, I totally get your point, and in some contexts it's fine. Like, we don't KNOW there is a supreme being, we believe so. Until we meet one (or until we don't), there's no way to 100% know.
But the earth thing is straight mathematics. Understanding the concepts behind the calculations (and the fact that they should work on any scale, and therefore are testable on a smaller scale if you really want) leads to a good certainty that they're correct. If you want to see the certainty if mathematics, look to Euclid's 47th, or Euclidea.
Now. Having said that, you are still 100% correct that we do not literally know without sight. I agree with you. The math is rock solid and provable, but there's nothing like first hand viewing. I can't tell you the number of things I have understood intellectually (mostly really good advice about life and things in it), but didn't really get until I experienced them (usually through ignoring really good advice about life and things in it).
Not Masonic, as such, but this game "Euclidea" (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hil_hk.euclidea) involves compasses and straight edge geometric constructions.
It's a great way to learn about geometry.
Here's a sketch of what it's probably supposed to look like.
https://sethbalthazar.com/2018/05/13/the-key-to-the-mystery/
Seems to be French? Here's a book. https://www.amazon.fr/Clef-grands-myst%C3%A8res-Levi-Eliphas/dp/2857074298
The Key to Great Mysteries.
It contains symbolism relating to the alchemy process.
Once I stumbled upon a book entirely written on this subject. The back cover says the following:
The admission of a layman, in Freemasonry, is considered the most important of Masonic works. Unfortunately, this procedure is very poor in level and accuracy, in recent times, in almost all the Italian Masonic communions. Probably this is not the last cause of the ailments they have troubled, in recent decades, Freemasonry in Italy. Therefore, it is considered necessary and very appropriate the elaboration of a Tegulator Manual, which refers to the original principles of Freemasonry, for the use of the Venerable Masters and their close ones collaborators. In relation to the profane environment, the Tiling is can compare to the practice of recruiting in a company. Using the most modern evaluation techniques psycho-attitudinal, associated with the authentic and original spirit which, three hundred years ago, was the basis of the official birth of Freemasonry, it will be possible to go back to building workshops that actually work for the good of all humanity and not for that of intruders or infiltrators who seek only their particular.
I can recommend an excellent book on the matter.
“Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry?” By Brother Arturo de Hoyos, a leading Masonic Scholar.
https://www.amazon.ca/True-What-They-About-Freemasonry/dp/1590771532
I use this. You can protect the jewels, not constantly pierce your suit jacket, and fix them onto the backing. I fit my Royal Arch, Past Master, and Centenary jewel on with room for one more.
Can highly recommend So You Want To Be A Freemason by Julian Rees
So You Want to be a Freemason? https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/0853183252/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_430QNEYGMCA3BG9W98K7
Digestible and doesn't really give too much away
knocking out some audio books/college lectures and Kriloff's Original Fables
> it may paint
Nah.
When the general public is exposed to the European internal masonic divisions, for them it's like trying to tell the difference between the People's Front of Judea and The Judean People's Front in that old movie Life of Brian.
Their eyes glaze over and decide it's all to boring to sort out. Back to football!
John Malkovich, Randall Park, and Dr. Dre?
There's a mondegreen where it sounds like he says "mason", but it's not in the actual lyrics
The Gangster Disciples are in no way Masonic. They're a street gang, membership estimates between 25,000-50,000. They were started by Larry Hoover, who Rick Ross exalts in another song.
I made a chart which you can play with at the following link. https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=9B3F600D39C8D533!8693&authkey=!AFOwbrLm3HvPUHc&ithint=file%2cxlsx
When I charted out the memberships based on the following website. http://www.msana.com/msastats.asp#us
I found that Freemasons will die before 2040 (a lot sooner than I thought). Did I mess up when making the chart?
It's paywalled, best I can do. The Canonbury effort wasn't something most Masons paid attention - or money - to.
Ah! I found it, and I deeply and humbly appologize for the confusion. Apparently I've confused your Lodge with one of the original constituent Lodges of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire in Keene which was also called Rising Sun (No. 3), and which was forced to surrender its charter in 1805 due to "unpardonable conduct." Man, I'd love to know the actual reason for that!
Sorry to conflate your Lodge with such history. I had read that in passing a year or more ago, but forgot that it was no longer in existence. Freemasonry: one of the few places you can forget that something happened as recently as 200 years ago. :-)
Tim Hogan's description conflicts with my own research and even the Wikipedia article before it was anonymously edited recently.
I appreciate personal experience, and would typically give much more credit to such, but my suspicions here are aimed at the person giving the testimony.
http://www.britannica.com/topic/Druze
Look into who Al Hakim. The primary Druze prophet was a psychopathic Caliph. This isn't the first revisionist history from Tim Hogan, but this is my opinion.
>It is believed by the Druze that al-Ḥākim did not die but vanished and will one day return in triumph to inaugurate a golden age. There is some suggestion that a number of people in widely scattered areas accepted this system, but only the Druze have survived. It is known certainly that a great many groups in the Middle East at that time, most of whom came under the various headings of the heterodox Shīʿite Muslim sects and movements, accepted similar notions and joined similar causes.
Twitter is the 10th highest traffic site on the web. I think you're confusing "social network" for "Facebook competitor". Twitter is a broadcast medium, and as such, it's not terribly useful for maintaining social contact the way Facebook is or discussing complex issues the way reddit is, but it's very useful for people who already have a following to broadcast announcements to their followers.
In a Masonic context, I see it as mostly a way for Masonic bodies to communicate their events and announcements.
I haven't read his books, but I have listened to and enjoyed recordings of his audio lectures.
https://thepiratebay.org/torrent/18784107/Manly_Palmer_Hall_-_All_his_lectures_in_mp3_format
That torrent has 7.5 gigs of audio lectures (copyright expired). Great for listening while driving or while working out at the gym.
Lot of steampunk with science fiction. Probably there for at least a decade. You can buy steampunk stuff at a science fiction convention. Since 1987 Http://www.abebooks.com/books/victorian-fiction-jeter-robots/steampunk-literature.shtml
Primal Wear used to make the Reddit /r/bicycling outfits, although it was probably a much bigger group.
Do you have a design or anything?
Also, are you aware that there is a Freemasons Cycling Club?
If you know what state he was a member in (the state where you found the Encyclopedia of Freemasonry would be a good place to start) you could contact the Grand Lodge of that state and see if they have records. Ancestry sites like the Latter Day Saints' https://www.familysearch.org may also be helpful.
But did this word come from frater directly, or from fratern, and the plural thereof? If the latter, the example is inapposite. Indeed, the feminine would be appropriate. See https://www.online-latin-dictionary.com/latin-dictionary-flexion.php?lemma=FRATERNUS100
The definition you note is the US collegiate usage. The term is broader, and can refer to a group or profession with a shared interest. See https://www.wordnik.com/words/fraternity
A google search indicates it was part of his coat of arms?
also this
> anti Masonic agitation
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/27626/Anti-Masonic-Movement
Edit: I know that when my home lodge was formed in 1864 there was still some residual unease felt toward the brothers.
I strongly suggest looking at Drupal. It's got a slightly bigger learning curve than WordPress, but once you're past that, it's easier to customize without buying modules or coding. A core concept behind Drupal is the ability to package together a bunch of modifications into a distribution. Something like OpenChurch could be customized to be a perfect Lodge website.
(Our GL uses a jurisdiction-wide standard Joomla system for all Lodges, otherwise I would've replaced our Lodge's website with that. I still might if I have the time one of theses days.)
I've ordered lapel pins 5-10 at a time from eBay seller: shopmasonic
He's offered to have other designs done to my specifications and has offered discounts for higher quantities.