To the Ancients Light was the cause of life; and God was the source which all light flowed; the essence of light, the internal flame, developed as fire manifested and light became magnificent.

"In our modern world today, we may seem like drowning men because of the loss of much of our spiritual tradition."
--Thomas Yellowtail, CROW

Our spiritual tradition shows us the way to live in harmony, balance and respect. The tradition taught us how to behave and how to conduct ourselves. The spiritual way taught us to pray and to purify ourselves. Hand...ed down from generation to generation from the instructive tongue to the attentive ear....  were the teachings about a way of life. Our relationship to the Divine, and to each other was very clear. The Modern World does not relate to spirituality but to materialism. If we do not allow spirituality to guide our lives, we will be lost, unhappy and without direction. We are spiritual beings trying to be human, not human beings trying to be spiritual. It is said, Know thyself, is to know God.

............. lead me to spirituality.

The spirit is the true self, not that physical figure which can be pointed out by your finger.

Cicero

Man and the Mason

As a 16 year Freemason, a three time Past Master, Lodge Councilor, 32 degree Scottish Rite, and member of the of Consistory, I get a lot of people coming to me for advice about Masonry. This week I spoke with two perspective members and some longtime members on two separate occasions. One of the perspectives I actual told not to join; not because he was a bad guy, but because his reasons for joining were flawed. This puts me at odds with members who are just trying to build membership; this is the problem with our Craft today. Sometime people think they are joining a Lions Club or Elk Club type organization. But if that was the case why do we require members to go through initiation rituals, and do memory work. So when I ask Brothers all who attained the third degree of a Master Mason why do you think you were put through these bizarre rituals? The response usually the same “well they told me I had to” my next question; what did you learn from your experience? “I don’t know”. Now by this point they are looking pretty dumb in front of their buddy, who also has no idea why he is wanting to join. It astonishes me people still recommend me as someone to talk about Masonry. In end I have stirred enough interest in these members and non-members to open there minds and understand that the degrees of Masonry is the journey into one’s own life, who’s teachings have been handed from the ancient Egyptian mystery schools. Freemasonry is built on the clear understanding that men need to be engaged in the own quest for self-improvement. I can help, and Masonry can give you those tools, and facilitate the fundamental psychological consciousness. But the journey must be taken alone.           

Metaphysical Heart

  It interesting to note that spiritual journeys of all the major religions begins in the Heart. When discussing Freemasonry we told our journey begins there, because this is where you are first prepared as an Enter Apprentice, then to the weighting of the Heart in final judgment in the 31^st degree Grand Inspector Inquisitor Commander.

   In the western philosophy we think of the Heart an emblem of love; in the eastern tradition it is an emblem of the centre and often the site of the soul. In China the Heart was also thought of where the Shen or Spirit resides, and was considered the place of intelligence, moral courage and truth. For me the Heart is an expression of the infinite love; which to be in tune with the divine truth we must become an expression of the agape kind of love.  As you read in the 1 Corinthians below:

   1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious, or boastful, or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

   Why must your journey begin in the Heart, it is because a good man must be rooted in Love; for without this you cannot progress.  As you will also find this in the story of David in the Old Testament, for he is metaphysically an expression of Gods Love, and seems to express that relationship to man.

“that which you seek is seeking you; that which seek you already are”  Deepak Chopra

   In the Gospel of John it says God is Love, so if one does not know his Heart it is impossible to know the divine. Which is the point of your search; Jesus told us to “love God with all our Hearts” and to “love your enemies as yourself. You have to understand these things so you can move forward. If you know your Heart and know divine love you can overcome anything in this world; even death its self. Jesus was an expression of this divine truth, he loved and forgave his enemies no matter what they did to him, and eventually over came death.

   The Heart is a major figure in Egyptian mythology, where it is weighed in the Hall of Justice in the Court of the Dead, using a balance scale against a feather. We also find the allegorical representation of final judgment common in many of the worlds religions. In Buddhism if one has not found enlightment and the Heart is not pure, you are returned to life again and again until you get it right.

   All human judgment is at best uncertain, but serious in its consequences; it must be redefined as time reveals its errors; which can produce regret, and sometimes remorse. It is not wise to seek to judge your fellow man. This happens to be one of the fundamental teachings of Christ; and Zoroaster who’s Heart wished well to every living thing, and said those who are wise only think well of others and not evil.

   To be wise is to be aware of your own actions, thoughts and motives. As humans we are masters of self deception, and cloak our actions with worthy motives, knowing they are less noble.  In many of the degrees of the Scottish Rite we are taught the neutral action is the same as an evil action; for avoiding evil is not the object; as some would lead you to believe, but being a positive light among a less than perfect world.

   In trying to understand the Metaphysical Heart you must always look beyond the mere symbols, and meditate, concentrate, and contemplate upon the inner knowing. It is here you learn the lessons of, to do wrong and make amends, to sin and repent, for all these things belong to the nobler nature of being human.  For those who hold different opinions entertain them as honestly you do your own, you have no right to doubt their sincerity. For no man is truly wise that is not kind, courteous, and charitable.            

I did not write this (nor do I know who did) but it seems to really fit:

The Lessons of Masonry

Have you ever wondered if there was some lesson or meaning you missed when you took your first degree?

Think about it for a minute. I’m sure there were actually times when you did wonder if there was more you were supposed to learn.

Have you ever heard the old definition of Masonry “We take good men and make them better” and wondered what the heck that really means? Most everyone just takes that phrase at face value.

However, there are deeper meanings that are hidden in each Ritual that we are supposed to explore. If all you remember (for the most part) is what was said to you during your initiation, then there is a lot more to learn. If you were asked, what were the lessons of the first degree, would you be able to answer?

Would you be able to remember what Masonic secrets were imparted during that first degree?

Most Masons would have a real problem with that question. We know what some of the obvious meanings in the EA Ritual are, but what are some of the hidden meanings?

We spend way too much time agonizing over getting new members into Lodge and not near enough time teaching the lessons of Masonry along with the spiritual and moral implications of them.

Learning the Ritual is all well and good, but they are only words without meaning if you don’t understand what they are trying to teach you.

Before we can explore the meanings of any of our Rituals, we must first understand what Masonry really is, or is supposed to be.

We are told that Masonry is a “system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols.” Again, what the heck does THAT really mean?

Actually this is the most accurate, most beautiful, and the most comprehensive definition of Masonry in as few words as has ever been given.

When it is broken down into its several parts, it becomes clearer: It truly is a System. It is not just a hodge-podge of rules, maxims, and precepts thrown together without order or design.

It is a system of Morality. Morality is the “doctrine of the right and wrong in human conduct”

It is veiled in Allegory. An allegory is a story that has a deeper or more general meaning in addition to its surface meaning. It is illustrated by Symbols. What might be otherwise unintelligible in the allegory is made plain by the symbols accompanying it.

Therefore, in plain words, Masonry is a clear and orderly program of instruction in living your life in a moral and spiritual way, and the use of words, phrases, and symbols are used to identify and understand the more profound and deeper lessons that are not as readily seen on the surface.

The reality is that Masonry is many things. It is different things to different people.

For some, it is only a weekly or monthly gathering of friends and Brothers to share good fellowship and a meal.

For others, it is only performing in the Ritual and teaching and training new members in the memory work.

For some, it is only attending business meetings of the Lodge or being involved in the charitable works of the Lodge and the Fraternity.

For still others, it is only becoming an officer of their Lodge and helping to direct its activities.

But, for many Masons, it is all of these things. But Masonry is really meant to be a philosophy of life.

Now you might ask, what is a philosophy? If you look up the word philosophy in the dictionary, you will find that philosophy is:

1. The love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline.

2. The investigation of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods.

3. The critical analysis of fundamental assumptions or beliefs.

4. It is a system of values by which one lives.

So, there you have it; those four definitions of philosophy sound a whole lot like four definitions of Masonry, don’t they?

Masonry is intended to be a philosophy and a way of living one’s life. It is not intended that a man be initiated, passed, and raised and then stop seeking knowledge.

It is intended that the search for knowledge be more zealous as one progresses through the degrees and continues throughout his life.

Masonry is meant to provide among other things the means to answer the three questions that every man has asked or will ask at some point in his life.

Those questions, simply put, are:

1. Where did I come from?

2. What is my purpose here?

3. Where am I going?

It is hoped that a student of Masonry will always be studious and inquiring as to the deeper, more hidden meanings of the lessons of our Rituals. It is not meant that the inquiring mind be satisfied only with the obvious and easily seen meanings. To gain all there is to gain from Masonry, it must be constantly studied during one’s life.

What makes a man a Mason?

From a ritualist point of view, some will say the obligation.

However, in today’s world of information technology, you can find out just about anything you want to know from the TV or the internet. Just because a man may know how to operate his TV remote and he learns from the History Channel, the signs, grips and may know some or all the words, it doesn’t make him a Mason.

When a man grips your hand with “that grip” and you look into his eyes you can see in an instant whether he is a Mason and a Brother. No man can fake what is in his heart. These grips, words, and recognition signals no more make a man a Mason than wearing boots and a hat makes a man a cowboy.

They do not grant an imposter access to any secrets or knowledge of our Craft.

They will, however, serve to completely confuse any imposter when he fails to find the “treasures” he seeks. These grips, words, and recognition symbols will prove worthless unless he knows what he seeks.

No, a Man is not a Brother Mason until he has himself gone through the process of initiation, passing, and raising and learned the lessons of the Ritual as required by our Grand Lodge laws. And sadly, even then some men are never really Masons. Just remember that by being initiated into the Entered Apprentice Degree, passed to the Degree of Fellowcraft, and raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason and learning the lessons of those degrees, there has been laid for you a lasting foundation for a moral edifice upon the most sublime principles that mankind has ever known.

Once a Master Mason, you have acquired the basic working tools and a wealth of inspiration to follow that philosophical path of study, and your inquiring mind may roam for a lifetime and never exhaust the opportunities.

I read a Masonic paper the other day quoting Sam J. Helm, Past Grand High Priest of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Texas, in 1924.

This is what he said about Masonry:

“Masonry is an ocean of fraternity, and every Mason should sail its broad expanse, because its profound solemnity and matchless beauty can never be appreciated by those who merely wade in the shallows at the shore. The tides have rolled mighty waves upon its bosom, and the storms of centuries have lashed the billows into foam upon its surface, but beneath there have remained, undisturbed, and immutable, the principles of the Brotherhood of Man”. What a profound quote! We should pay heed to this beautiful description of Masonry and adopt its lesson. As long as we, the members of our fraternity, decide to allow ourselves and our new candidates to just “wade along the shore”, the future of Masonry and the Fraternity at large will not grow and prosper. My Brethren, we have a golden opportunity right now to start a revolution in Masonry, because young men are searching for the things that Masonry has been providing its members for centuries. The lessons of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth are basic truths of the ages and the key to our future.

However, the study of the symbolism of the Degrees is the further study of Masonic philosophy that is missing in most Lodges today.

We have forgotten how to be instructors to the new “children” of our fraternity. We must take these new Brethren by the hand and lead them as you would your own child in teaching them how to be better men. We brag about doing that, but are we really?

Before World War II, we did a much better job of teaching our Candidates.

Toward the end of World War II, we had so many Candidates coming thru our doors that we concentrated on just teaching the questions and answers and left the new member on his own to find out about the other lessons in Masonry - its rich history, its philosophy of how you should believe in God and live your life as a good citizen, and how to stand-up for justice and be a patriotic citizen and serve your country and your fellowman.

All these are lessons that the Masonic student should be taught as we continue to explore the tenants of our fraternity and expand our own knowledge of God, the Great Architect of the Universe and the science of nature.

The Voice of Masonry from years past gives us a glimpse of some of the thoughts of our forefathers in these words: Thousands of people tread the earth and behold the sky without discerning any of the beauties or wisdom they display.

They look upon a landscape, beautifully ornamented with trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers, but receive no definite impression of any part of it, and could not name or describe few objects thereon.

They behold the starry canopy above them, but see no constellations, no planets, and no movements indicating the wisdom, the power, and the glory of the Great Architect of the Universe.

So, it is with many who are admitted into Freemasonry. They observe the forms, the ceremonies, the emblems, and the jewels, and they hear the lectures and charges, but fail to discern the ethics and philosophy of those lessons.

They hear the phrase – “Freemasonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols,” but do not fathom its meaning and consequently do not solve the allegories nor discern the significance of the symbols.

They are in the temple, but do not get the temple idea. They are among the workmen, but do not see that they are all to be master builders for time and eternity.

They are in the light, but do not receive and apply it as the great means of fitting themselves as living stones for the temple not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

The Ritual is beautiful, and should be mastered and impressively communicated.

Nevertheless, the Ritual is but the burr, the hull, the husk to the wisdom, the strength, and the beauty of Freemasonry.

The Ritual conceals gems of unparalleled richness and beauty, which must be searched for diligently and faithfully if they shall be found and enjoyed.

That all the Craft would realize this fact and act accordingly, they would be better supplied and armed with truth, better animated with faith, hope and charity, and be better enabled to build the temple of the soul and, in turn, build for the future of Masonry and mankind.

Brethren, this is the Heritage our forefathers left us. It’s now time for us to Preserve Our Heritage by putting those lessons into action and Build Masonry for the Future!

Masonic Society

I laugh when I hear people say that the Freemasons are taking over the world, oh please we cannot even decide what were having for dinner. But you may ask do we a have a desire for world domination. Surprising my answer is Yes, but not to rule over or have the world summit to our style government or religion. But a world of liberation, like the forefathers of our great nation, until we screwed it up. A world which is nothing but a republic of nations, in which everyone is a family and every individual is a child. A noble society, of Ladies and Gentlemen cultivated by the love of  education, fine arts, fine foods, and the nature of man. To reunite all men of enlighten minds, gentle manners, and agreeable wit, not only by the love of the fine arts, but much more by the grand principles of virtue, science, and religion, where the interest of the fraternity shall become those of the whole human race, where all nation shall be enabled to draw from human knowledge, and the subject of all nations shall learn to cherish one another without renouncing their own country. As such our institutions sole aim is to unite minds and hearts in order to advance all men, and form through the course of ages a spiritual empire without degrading, or eliminating state identity, but uniting through the cement of brotherly love, moral virtue and science. The society of Masons are the founders of public education, that each individual has the right to a liberal education without influence of government or religion. Our school systems today, are not what we had envisioned for our children. We now let federal and state government dictate to us what our children will learn. But then I ask what of those children who not educated by the ignorance of their own parents, and are held down because all their anxieties, made to live in their conservative little box, with no outside influences. Isn’t this just as bad, if we somehow were able eliminate the government influence, then wouldn’t we put ourselves right back there again because of our own ignorance? Yes we would, I have seen it happen. I have seen people smart enough to understand the inadequacies of a our public education system, turn to home school for their children only to suffer from an lack exposure to subjects that contradict a believe or religion they may not believe in. Who suffers in this society “our children do”  let me tell you of a story of this girl who was being raised in a conservative Christian household, schooled and was very smart. She loved to help people, she grew up working at the food banks, working at soup kitchens; all she wanted to with her life was help people. After she graduated home school she decided she wanted to be a nurse, to serve people. When she went to college to get her nursing degree, but couldn’t pass the entrance exam, because through the ignorance of her parents she was not taught the basics of human anatomy and learn science well enough to pass the entrance exam. Who has failed here? Not the girl, who has suffered?  Us, we suffered because this young lady cannot fulfill her dream, we cannot benefit from her good works just because of parents anxieties and insecurities over their faith.

   So now our free Masonic society that our forefathers brought forth is slowly being weathered away by our own ignorance and misguidance. Masonry itself failing to answer it’s own purpose, it offers no reason for men to join it, it hides from it’s own spiritual truths. Truths that all men, religions and philosophies can agree, so it may die or be driven back underground so that men may let their minds be free in the confines of their own Lodges.

Those who live in happiness, die in happiness- The Dali Lama

History is biased to its own era.

   Where the hell do we get our information? I love History, don’t know why I just do, I love philosophy, and still trying to figure out why. When I was younger I would read things as they were, like “this is the way it happened”, but as I get older I understand history is written by the victorious, and to take it a step further, it is written the in the manner the victorious wants to be displayed. So when we read history; is our history bias? Historians throughout history have biased their work unintentionally, because of their knowledge in the time they lived. Even though I understand these limitations on historical facts it drives me crazy. I don’t like the fact I may have wrong, or warped, or even contaminated so call facts about my history; I Want the Truth Damn it!  “You can’t handle the TRUTH!” you can’t have it, it’s not even available; so why stress over it. But whow is me because I do. I can’t even get the straight story on the modern news networks. It’s almost always molested by either the liberal media or the conservative anarchy. We cannot even get a real Presidential debate; the establishment of our country will no longer let our news media ask open questions in a real non scripted debate, it has to be laid out beforehand, only certain trusted news anchors are allowed to appear. The establishment wants us to believe we are seeing the real issues, or these politicians sweating it out. Oh please man these guys are just reading a script and looking good. What the worst thing is most Americans buy into this crap. Then of course everybody and their dog sends out e-mails supporting an agenda, telling really sad stories about how the liberal media is spreading lies, when the bigger lie is their own e-mail spreading a conservative agenda, and the only reason their sending out lies is because they support the lies not the truth. Moreover all too often the e-mail forwarders who believes the e-mail completely no matter how outrageous the claims, but will say “I will not read the liberal media because it is bias”. OH MY GODISH, people will believe an e-mail someone made up or an angry blogger over at least an somewhat verifiable media source I believe in a free open and informed society, the problem I am a minority, the only people we have running our government anymore are the ruffians. Yes the inmates are now running the asylum, Wall Street runs our Government, the most powerful people in Washington these days are the lobbyist. If you don’t like what their doing and try to stop them, they will out spend you in every corner; our courts are not even fair anymore. Try to take on Wall Street and they will out spend you, they will tie it up in the court systems so long you will run out of money before they do.  Oh wait I have a solution these corporation who scam the public and out take advantage of the little guy, I’ll just organize a boycott of their product. Don’t waist your time because our courts which are supposed to be of public record, have gage orders issued to protect the parties. So where is freedom of information, most of the time we don’t even know some of these cases exist, because there not made public. Just think of how many cases would not even go to court if these corporations had to succumb themselves to public scrutiny. Again I’m not saying we should take advantage of these corporations with frivolous lawsuits, but all these cases should be made public to let the people decide.  Our courts are influenced by our government and our government is ran by Wall Street, and you thought it was a government for the people by the people.

 What is honored in a country will be cultivated there.

Plato