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The Future Of Freemasonry, An Interview With Bro Lance Kennedy
November 22, 2018 by Fred Milliken 6 Comments
Perhaps you have already read Brother Lance Kennedy's Ten Propositions For Texas Freemasonry. Maybe you would like to read them again. And just maybe this is the first time you have seen them. Whatever the case may be we will tell you what is new and that is the video above where we had a chance to sit down with Kennedy and discuss Freemasonry. Freemasonry, isn't that why you are here?
Lance Kennedy is a Texas Freemason, a writer, military officer, attorney, Ivy League graduate, and seventh-generation Texan. He believes that knowledge is not power. Knowledge is potential power. His mission is to acquire knowledge, transfer its potentiality into actuality by gaining wisdom, and help others do the same.
Brother Kennedy has written a prescription for his Grand Lodge's declining membership, the Grand Lodge of Texas AF & AM. While some of what he writes is applicable only to Texas, there is enough "meat" here for everybody in the Craft to gain some wisdom.
Membership is a burning issue in many Masonic jurisdictions. And the remedies to boost membership across the nation can at times be classified as ridiculous, self-defeating, inane and obnoxious.
Here, reprinted with permission, is Brother Kennedy's sober, intellectual and highly reasoned paper:
Brother Kennedy can be found imparting wisdom at his website http://lancekennedy.com/
10 PROPOSITIONS FOR TEXAS FREEMASONRY
I am reticent to write this article because I know that it will cause immediate backlash and consternation among some Brethren. However given the current state of Freemasonry in Texas, with a rapidly declining membership that is less and less influential in civic life, I must write. As Mencken said, "Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats."
Texas Freemasons may boast that every President and Vice-President of the Republic of Texas was a Brother as were many heroes of the Alamo such as Bowie, Crocket, and Travis, yet as it stands today we may claim a half-dozen member of the Texas Legislature, maybe. Immediately I hear the retort, "You can't judge the Craft's health based on the number of legislators it claims as members!" Well, yes, I can. If we cannot claim a healthy membership in our seats of power then we cannot claim to be a relevant and influential organization. This is one of many metrics by which we can judge the health of our Fraternity.
I have been a Mason for almost ten years. I love the Fraternity and because I love it I must work towards rectifying the internal issues that have harmed its chances of succeeding in our post-modern world. I believe Freemasonry should not only improve the lives of its members but also be an agent of change in wider society. We once founded nations, now we have a hard time filling our lodge rooms. But I digress.
Thinking about the state of Freemasonry in Texas, I drafted a list of ten propositions that I believe would help shore up the internal cohesiveness of the Craft and prevent any further drift into the graveyard of fraternal orders (i.e. Knights of Pythias, Elks Lodges, Moose Lodges, Kiwanis Clubs, Rotary Clubs, etc.). While drafting this list I stumbled upon an excellent essay by Andrew Hammer of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No 22 entitled Eight Steps to Excellence.
Hammer's essay lists eight ways to enhance the experience in our lodges through the adoption of the forms of observant Masonry. Some of Hammer's propositions are closely approximated or identical to my own, especially numbers one, two, four, five, eight, and ten. In instances where our proposals are the same, I will defer to Hammer and quote extensively from his essay. Full credit will be given and quotation marks will note this attribution. Additionally, Brother Hammer gave me written permission to use his essay in this manner. I thank him for this courtesy.
Before I dive into my prescriptions for Texas Freemasonry I will name the chief culprit responsible for the demise of Freemasonry and other fraternal organizations in the latter-half of the 20th century: the Greatest or G.I. Generation. You may balk at any suggestion that the generation that defeated the Axis powers could be responsible for Masonry's demise, however, I believe this group unwittingly created the environment where the Fraternity would atrophy.
In the late 1940s, millions of G.I.s fresh out of the theaters of World War II returned home craving the camaraderie of their former military units. They found this connection in the halls of various fraternal orders such as the Freemasons. Unlike other fraternal orders, Freemasonry had a reputation for being secretive, occultic, dark, and arcane. These new Masons downplayed the emblems of death, restricted the more aristocratic elements of our enterprise, and made Freemasonry "family friendly" by promoting women's and children's auxiliary organizations. While membership swelled the seeds of the Craft's demise had been sown. Once the men of the Boomer and X Generations came of age they rejected the fraternal organizations of their fathers. Freemasonry like many other organizations was left to waste away.
What went wrong? In my opinion, it was the revisionists in our ranks that sought to make Freemasonry conform to middle-class sensibilities, the same sensibilities the Boomers and Gen Xers rejected. What can correct our downward trend? Like Brother Hammer, I believe that by embracing traditional forms of initiation, high standard for potential members, and an indifference to the outside world in regards to the use of symbols such as the skull and crossbones. The same elements the G.I. Generation rejected (i.e. memento mori, esotericism, selectivity, secrecy, etc.) are the same features that attract members of the Millennial generation.
What follows are my propositions for Freemasonry in Texas with the aforementioned additions by Brother Hammer. I believe that if they are ruthlessly implemented we will cull the Fraternity of its dead weight and establish ourselves on a firm foundation for growth and longevity.
Guard the West Gate
Declining numbers should not necessitate lower standards. I have seen some lodges so desperate for members that they will sign the petition of virtually any man seeking admission to the degrees of Freemasonry. In fact, I have been chastised (or worse, attacked personally) for suggesting that extrinsic characteristics should be considered when admitting a man into the Fraternity.
I understand the desire to see our lodge rooms filled as in yesteryear; we may never see the Craft reach the numbers of the post-WWII period. But is that an inherently bad thing? I do not think so. Freemasonry was never a mass movement. It was always a selective if not elitist organization aimed at reforming society from the top down. Masonry in most of the world is highly patrician; only in the US do we see Freemasonry take on a plebeian character.
My advice: Seek quality over quantity. Do not be afraid to refuse to sign petitions. Do not be afraid to blackball candidates. We do not make turn bad men into good men but make good men better.
"[W]e are nothing more or less than who we let into our fraternity. Not every man should be a Mason and not every man who should be a Mason belongs in just any Lodge. The brethren have a right and responsibility to determine the standards for their own Lodge and to ask incisive questions of those men who knock on their door. Lodges should take the time to first get to know the men who knock at their doors, and not simply sign any petition just because a man has an interest. Brothers who sign a petition for a man need to know who they are signing for, and more important, need to be willing to serve as his mentor. This is a fundamental point of responsibility for all brethren. Do not ask a brother in your Lodge to do the job of mentoring for you. If you are not willing to give that petitioner your time, how can you ask your Lodge to give theirs?"
Aristocrats of the Soul
Julius Evola, the author of Revolt Against the Modern World once wrote: "The American mind has limited horizons, one conscribed to everything which is immediate and simplistic, with the inevitable consequence that everything is made banal, basic and leveled down until it is deprived of all spiritual life. Life itself in American terms is entirely mechanistic."
I believe Evola's sentiment is expressed in many ways, one of which is the casual manner that many Texan Masons approach Freemasonry and its meetings. More specifically, many Masons in Texas choose to wear extremely casual clothing to lodge meetings. Very rarely do lodge officers correct these brothers and remind them of the sacred nature of the Craft. I rarely see actual dress codes spoken of or enforced. Perhaps the leveling nature of American society has rendered all dress codes "judgmental." They affront the "come as you are" narrative proffered by many in our society.
A basic dress code that would require a coat and tie (at a minimum) would reintroduce the aristocratic and manly virtues that Masons are supposed to inculcate. It would help our members take pride in being Masons. It would signal to the outside world, and more especially potential initiates, that we are engaged in serious business.
"How one appears before the Lodge is a sign of how much you value both the brethren and the Craft. In most lodges in the world, a dark suit and tie is the minimum required to gain admittance. It's what the brethren expect from each other in an observant Lodge, and it certainly adds to the notion that a Masonic meeting is not just another night out, but a special event, worthy of being considered as special as each of us should believe Masonry to be. Additionally, dignity expressed outwardly through dress, serves as a superstructure, helping to enhance that dignity that can only be created from within."
Leave the Gavel Be
My next proposal relates to the governmental structure of the Grand Lodge of Texas. I believe the current power dynamic has the unintended consequence of weakening the office of the Grand Master, making any long-term strategic plan untenable, and creating a permanent power base in the Grand Secretary, which in my estimation, runs afoul the Ancient Landmarks.
Under the current arrangement of the Grand Lodge of Texas, the seat of power in the Texas Grand Lodge is the Grand Secretary, not the Grand Master. While the Grand Master is the de jure center of power in Grand Lodge the Grand Secretary is the de facto power nexus. This situation is caused by the annual rotation of the Grand Master and the virtual lifetime tenure of the Grand Secretary. I suspect that this arrangement is not only related to the annual rotation of Blue Lodge officers but is also reflected in the unique arrangement of the executive of the State of Texas.
Following the War Between the States, Radical Republicans elected Union General E. J. Davis as Governor of Texas. Under the Reconstruction constitution, the governor wielded incredible power and controlled a virtual secret police force. Davis has been oft described as the most tyrannical governor in US history. In 1874 Davis was forcibly removed from office and the Texas constitution was revised so that the governor would never be able to become a tyrant again.
Under the revised constitution the governor was stripped of many of his powers; the lieutenant governor would not only be the second highest office in the executive branch but would control the Texas Senate and the state's budgeting process. Many commentators suggest that the lieutenant governor's position in both the executive and legislative branches, more especially as the leader of the Legislative Budget Board, makes him the most powerful figure in Texas government. The governor's office may come with more prestige, but it does not necessarily come with more power. This situation is familiar to many Texas Masons that study the politics of Grand Lodge.
One may contend that Texas' post-Civil War history has little to do with the current arrangement between the Grand Master and Grand Secretary and that this situation reflects Masonic tradition (i.e. the annual rotation of lodge officers). I would respond that while it is a common arrangement it is not necessarily the only arrangement or the most productive one. For instance, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts elects its Grand Master annually but traditionally allows one man to govern for three years before he is replaced. Likewise, the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England often sits in the Grand East for decades.
If the Grand Lodge of Texas is going to implement strategic plans to stave off financial and membership collapse it must accordingly allow one man to the office of Grand Master for more than one year at a time. He would be able to see a plan to fruition instead of passing it off to the next occupant of the office who may not hold his views, talents, or priorities.
This proposal is the most needed addition to the family of Texas Freemasonry: Academic lodges.
Academic lodges are lodges that are nominally affiliated with a college or university and limit its members to those that are students, alumni, faculty or staff of their respective universities. Such lodges have not only the common affinity found between all Masons but also the added cement of collegiate pride. Not only that, having a Masonic lodge actively involved in university life and in close proximity to the student body creates a conduit for young men to be exposed to Freemasonry and become Masons.
Firstly, I will address a common objection to the creation of academic lodges in Texas. I have heard it said on numerous occasions that academic lodges will stem the flow of college-aged men into nearby Blue Lodges. My response is simple: this concern is based on a poverty mentality and not grounded in fact. Lodges surrounding college campuses may attract college students but their doors are not being broken down by a stampede of students seeking our Degrees. I would also mention that the vast majority of college students leave their respective collegiate communities and move elsewhere; why would traditional Blue Lodges want to create Masons that simply move away? Academic lodges are not as concerned with this fact since their broad geographic character is an integral part of their appeal. In short, there are plenty of young men on our college campuses to fill each and every Blue Lodge, however most Blue Lodges are not tapping into that source.
I tried to form two separate academic lodges in Texas, one for UT-Austin and another for Southern Methodist University. Both ideas were shut down by the then-Grand Secretary for being "elitist" like "The Harvard Lodge." Chance had it that I attended Harvard and became a member of The Harvard Lodge, which is an exemplar of not only academic lodges but also a model for any lodge wishing to attract successful Millennials into their ranks.
While Texas' Masonic leadership may not see any benefit or need of academic lodges, many grand lodges do. The United Grand Lodge of England's Apollo Lodge at Oxford and Isaac Newton Lodge at Cambridge have been extremely successful in attracting young men into Freemasonry and retaining them as they depart their respective campuses. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts founded the first academic lodges in the US such as my own The Harvard Lodge, MIT Lodge, and Boston University Lodge. Other academic lodges have been founded in the US and other nations: Patriot Lodge (George Mason University), Colonial Lodge (The George Washington University), University of Washington Lodge (University of Washington), and University Lodge (University of Toronto).
I believe that the success of academic lodges such as The Harvard Lodge and other should dispense with any arguments offered against their founding in Texas. Any suggestion that a Masonic lodge should not limit its members to those of a particular collegiate affiliation is not in line with the long Masonic history of specialty lodges. If Aggie brothers want to form a lodge and limit their membership to those who graduated from Texas A&M you will not find this Longhorn complaining.
Enter the Mysteries
The initiatory experience should be a pivotal event in a man's life. We cheapen it by performing a substandard ritual. If we cannot perform a ritual well we should find someone who can do so for us. I have seen a conferring officer laugh during a raising of a Master Mason. I have often seen officers joke during the opening and closing of lodges. This sort of behavior is unacceptable. All ritual work must be undertaken in a serious and reverent manner reflecting the ancient and honorable nature of our Order.
"Proficiency is an essential function of any observant Lodge because we must know both what we are doing, and why, if we seek to uphold the highest standards of our respective Grand Lodges. It does no good to claim the mantle of excellence if your Lodge is not well versed in the ritual and the Masonic law of your jurisdiction. Masonry is a thing of order, not anarchy. If you wish to keep that order, as well as harmony between your Lodge and the Grand Lodge, you must learn and follow the rules that each brother has obligated himself to observe. An observant Lodge is not a renegade Lodge. It seeks to be an exemplary one."
Masons have always embraced the emblems of death, however, these images have been largely purged from Texas Freemasonry for a variety of reasons. For example, when visiting the Grand Lodge of Texas' building in Waco you may notice the seal on the wall that bears the skull and crossbones. This emblem is never used by the Grand Lodge in any publication or proceeding. I have to ask myself why? I would venture to say it has to do with the broader movement to strip Masonry of anything "dark" or "sinister."
There may be another explanation, but given the opposition to Chambers of Reflection or any trapping that may offend bourgeoisie sensibilities, I conclude this must be the case. I did not become a Mason so I could explain it away to others. I have never cared what my coworkers may or may not think about my affiliation. I do not care what the pearl-clutching ladies at the nearest church think about the Craft. Our symbols are our own and we should embrace the darkness because therein lies the Light.
"We should bring back those things that once were found in our lodges, and which helped create a very unique, contemplative atmosphere for both the candidate and the Lodge. Among these is the use of music, the manipulation of light and darkness, the Chamber of Reflection, and the closing charge which forms what is known as the Chain of Union. Consider that the candidate preparation room is not and was never meant to be a mere dressing room. Consider that the notion of a 'sacred band of brothers' might allude to a physical manifestation of that sacredness. Consider that music has always been a part of our ceremonies and that the Book of Constitutions ends with a collection of songs. All these things are part of who we are; they are not innovations from later jurisdictions or borrowings from European Masonry. Even the use of incense is ritually alluded to in early exposures of the Craft. The idea is to stimulate and manage the sensory experience of the brethren, in the endeavor to create the sense of uniqueness one expects from a Masonic experience. Here again, there is nothing strange about employing the senses in a Masonic meeting. Our rituals teach the importance of each of those senses extensively; to not employ them in our meetings is the greater neglect and error. To refuse the restoration of awe to our rituals is to refuse to acknowledge our own heritage and history, and to deny the proper place and application of the pillar of Beauty to the Lodge."
Tacere
Masonry has thrived in times of persecution. It did not need to advertise to attract members. Proximity was enough to draw the attention of worthy seekers. Its secrecy was the attracter, not its incessant declarations to be a somewhat quirky club that has secret handshakes.
I have often heard it said that Freemasonry is not a "secret society" but a "society with secrets." If you wish to construct a definition of "secret society" that requires some nefarious motive such as world domination then sure, Freemasonry does not fit the bill. However, if one accepts a more straightforward definition and does not engage in semantical gymnastics, it is easy to conclude that we are, in fact, a secret society.
Personally, I do not mind this description. Our secrecy is our greatest asset, particularly when dealing with Millennials. Millennials exist in a world where every action is public. Every private act is proclaimed on social media; they crave secrecy, exclusivity, a hidden world. Then give it to them!
We have a ready-made secretive Fraternity bolstered by popular culture (e.g. National Treasure, etc.). Instead of running from what is the Fraternity, embrace it. Being more "open" is not the answer.
Männerbund Metaphysics
Masons are a group of men engaged in alchemy. Social functions are extremely important to what we do, however, if we do not yearn for esoteric knowledge, the sort of knowledge that is only grasped through inference and applied study, we might as well join Lion's Club or Rotary. My concern is that many Masons do not actively engage in esoteric study. While there is a great disparity between the abilities of one brother to another, we can all take it upon ourselves to be better educated, more well-read, and knowledgeable.
I find the Masonic educational portion of our meetings to be highly important and beneficial. To make it even more beneficial we should try to have a different brother give a presentation each week. Not only would it relieve the burden of one brother to produce and give an educational talk it would force brothers to study and present what they have learned to the lodge.
Furthermore, and this suggestion deserves its own plank, I advocate a change to Grand Lodge policy whereby meeting minutes may be emailed to the brethren prior to each meeting and entered without needing to be read aloud. If no one objects to their form in the email they may be entered into the record. This proposal would save untold amounts of time at each meeting and give more opportunity for Masonic education.
"The very origin of Freemasonry itself is in education. Whether it be the practical education in stone-cutting found in the operative craft of masonry, or the search for inner knowledge and science presented to us by the speculative Craft, the foundation of the art is inexorably based in teaching and learning. Without it, there is simply no Freemasonry taking place in a Lodge. Therefore, every meeting of the Lodge should offer some amount of Masonic education, be it through the degrees, or through presentations on the various lessons of the Craft. Even a ten-minute talk focused on the symbolic meaning of a single working tool is far better than a meeting where nothing but donations, dinners, and dues are on the agenda. An observant Lodge values the educational function of Freemasonry in its full bloom; the observant Mason holds the fraternity accountable to its promise to him to bestow light, and he means to receive it from the Craft in every sense: spiritual, literal, and intellectual. Numerous monitors and manuals from our Grand Lodges, spanning over at least the last two centuries, make plain the injunction to all Masons to seek knowledge. That same injunction extends by the natural progression to each Lodge, and as a result, a Lodge without Masonic education cannot be an observant Lodge and is arguably not any kind of Lodge at all. The search for more light is at the heart of Masonry. The observance is impossible without it."
Remove the Dying Appendages
A wise man once said that when an organization is in decline it must reduce itself back to its most fundamental purpose. Freemasonry is in decline and a large part of the decline may be attributed to misspent resources.
Like the Fraternity as a whole, appendant bodies multiplied in the fertile soil of the post-WWII period. Groups for girls, boys, and women abounded. Social orders popped up or grew in popularity. Along with these organizations rose any number of charitable enterprises requiring their own staffs, facilities, and budgets. With our rapidly declining membership, these organizations and the infrastructure supporting them have become a burden to the Fraternity. Not only that, they misrepresent what Freemasonry is really. It is not a social club. It is not a family activity. It is an organization for men and men alone.
My suggestion is to do the unthinkable and cut off the dead weight. Job's Daughters, Rainbow Girls, DeMolay, Eastern Star, anything but the Blue Lodge, Scottish Rite, York Rite, and possibly the Shriners, must go. I would say "sorry" but I am not apologetic.
Each time I hear someone in a lodge meeting talk about attending a Job's Daughters event or helping with the Eastern Star's monthly fundraiser I think to myself "where does all this spare time and money come from"?
Angry responses will abound. Many will hurl ad hominem attacks at me or construct straw men to flagellate. I know full well that the sacred cows of Rainbow Girls, DeMolay, etc. cannot be approached by any but the bravest soul. Let alone the Masonic Retirement Center or the costly Grand Lodge building.
My point is to highlight a critical issue: We are in decline. We cannot continue to maintain an infrastructure built for a million Masons with a hundred thousand members. And why should we?
Put your money where your heart is.
"The dues of a Lodge should be set at a level which allows the Lodge to not only support and sustain itself, but enjoy a quality of experience which tells the brethren that their assemblies are opportunities to rise above the ordinary. Good meals, served at proper festive boards, are essential. The festive board conveys the sense of conviviality that helps build true brotherhood, and it is historically established in the Craft as not merely a simple dinner, but quite honestly the second half of a Lodge meeting. An observant Lodge cannot forego it. A Lodge must decide that Masonry is a thing of value, and properly determine that value in such a way that it allows the Lodge to work and assemble in a manner that clearly establishes that value. Our dining and social events should reflect the worth we place on ourselves. Excess is not the objective; quality is. The problem is that so many of us have forgotten what quality is to the extent that we consider any expenditure on ourselves to be pretentious. But if Masons are to be men of inner distinction, then we are fully justified in treating ourselves to the best we can afford in life. We cannot expect less from the Craft or ourselves."
Filed Under: Featured, The Bee Hive Tagged With: Andrew Hammer, College Lodges, Dying Appendages, esoteric study, Freemasonry, Freemasons, GL of TX, Lodge Dues, Masonic Dress Code, Masonic Education, Masonry, Masons, Memento Mori, millennials, Observant Lodges, secrecy, The Harvard Lodge, West Gate, Western Mystery Tradition
Bait & Switch, I Quit
This is the story of Brother Steven McAfoose, Senior Warden of Lux Lodge No 846, Grand Lodge of California.
McAfoose's story is similar to that of recently published Brother Salman Sheika's. You might call this "Why I Left Freemasonry Part 2." But this story has a happy ending. McAfoose quit and returned. This is not sour grapes and a back stab at the Craft as he slams the door on the way out but rather an honest look into what could be better.
But McAfoose did not encounter any discrimination. His bone to pick with the Masonic World was unrealized expectations. McAfoose complains that we over hype and over sell what Freemasonry is and can do which leads to a drastic letdown when fantasy meets reality.
Also, he points out that many Lodges spend a lot of time and effort into doing little. Once again, we hear about boring business meetings and overworked Brothers who are drafted into an Army of fund raisers and work projects. This mirrors a video interview I did of Brother Justin Jones of the Grand Lodge of Texas on Phoenixmasonry Live – https://youtu.be/jhYOc6YXh-Y. Brother Jones said that his expectation of Freemasonry took him from the marvelous to the mundane.
McAfoose makes some other points too but we will let you read them for yourself.
This, however, gives me a chance to pontificate on where Freemasonry misses the boat.
Let's group these problems under two headings
Lack of money
Overworking the Brethren
If you refuse to charge realistic dues to be able to provide a great Masonic experience, then you will have no money to provide any meaningful programs and opportunities of fellowship. Realistic Lodge dues should be in the neighborhood of $500 per year. Perhaps your old run-down Masonic building is taking all your Lodge money.
The answer is not fund raisers. Fund raisers are an excuse to keep Lodge dues artificially low for elderly brothers and those who are on the rolls but never come to Lodge. Freemasonry is not a Service Club. If you are bankrupting yourself and providing an inferior Masonic experience in order to accomplish charitable works and community action for the outside world you have your priorities askew. You must first make your Lodge financially viable before you consider helping the world, for if you go under everybody loses.
Lastly you cannot place an undue burden of time and effort on the small percentage of Lodge Brothers who come regularly. Most Brothers have family, job and worship time that must be shared with Freemasonry. If you ask the few to carry the load for everybody you are abusing your Brethren and you may find some who will drop out further increasing the burden on those who are left.
Bro. Steven McAfoose
Raise your dues, sell your building and rent or sign up other tenants who will help pay for the costs of running a building and stop trying to save the world while your Lodge goes to pot. Put your Lodge money into Masonic education, esoteric study, post Third Degree mentoring and great fellowship and run your Communications accordingly and you won't have the result that Brother McAfoose describes.
…"the number of men who have quit in their hearts is unknown, but I don't think any of us would say that it is low."
Why I Quit
By Bro. Steven McAfoose
It might come as a surprise to many who know me that shortly after becoming a Master Mason and even serving as an officer of my lodge, I left Freemasonry. And to be clear, I didn't become less active, and it wasn't a matter of being busy and not attending, I flat out quit. I decided that this wasn't what I wanted and I did not anticipate ever returning. This discussion could be about why I came back, and focus on what Freemasonry can do to bring brothers back who have been absent from lodge for a time, but instead, I want to focus on why brothers leave in the first place and I'm going to do so by looking at the root cause rather than the symptoms that many others who have tackled this subject before me have done.
Statistics for brothers who have left Freemasonry are difficult to gather. While there are statistics that show gains and losses over the years, this really doesn't give us the information we're after. A member who joins and then quits the same year shows a net 0 number. Likewise, a man who joins, but simply becomes inactive, yet continues to pay dues makes it appear that our fraternity is growing. The fact of the matter is, the number of men who have quit in their hearts is unknown, but I don't think any of us would say that it is low.
While I can't say that everyone quits for the same reasons I did, I'd be willing to bet most of them leave for the same root cause; disappointment. To understand this, let's go back and talk about what I was thinking and feeling during my first steps on this journey. Like most men who are interested in Freemasonry, the majority of what I knew was gleaned from the internet, Hollywood, and my interactions with Masons. What was this organization? What did they stand for? What do they do? What can I expect? And is this something I want to be a part of?
…our aging lodges with stained carpets and peeling paint are a long way off from the mahogany and marble clad temples seen in the movies.
How does Freemasonry present itself, or how is it presented by others, to the outside world? We are a brotherhood of deep ties and fraternal relations. We offer mutual beneficial support to protect each other in difficult times. We are an ancient, prestigious institution of the elite. We have networking and connections that allow for special treatment professionally and in other aspects of life. We are a charitable organization giving millions of dollars a year to our communities and doing social works projects in our free time. We make good men better, focusing on self-improvement and creating a cadre of morally superior men. We delve into the ancient mysteries and lay bare esoteric knowledge and secrets that unlock the universe.
Sound familiar? Sound exciting? It certainly did to me. And I'm sure it sounds very exciting to thousands of other men who wish to join our ranks. But, the real question is, is it true?
Are we a brotherhood of deep ties and fraternal relations? How many of us have had any contact with each other not related to lodge business? That's not to say it doesn't happen. One of my groomsmen at my wedding was the Worshipful Master who initiated me. But, the fact of the matter is, my college fraternity was a hundred times closer than this fraternity is.
Do we offer mutual beneficial support to protect each other in difficult times? Yes, we have committees that can offer a brother some help financially. We also have Masonic Homes for our more senior brothers and their families. But I don't think any of us have ceased to have concerns over what would happen if we lost our job tomorrow based on the support available through Freemasonry.
Are we an ancient, prestigious institution of the elite? Well, ancient is up for debate since the first Grand Lodge was formed only 300 years ago. Prestigious? I suppose that depends on your definition, but our aging lodges with stained carpets and peeling paint are a long way off from the mahogany and marble clad temples seen in the movies. As for elite, that certainly isn't a label I'd use for myself, and I doubt many other brothers would either as we come from all walks of life.
Do our associations give us special treatment in the workplace or life in general? I've certainly never received any benefit. In fact, quite the opposite based on a few people with negative views of our fraternity finding out I am a member. I think we'd all love to get out of a speeding ticket or get a promotion at work via a secret handshake, but I've not once heard of it happening.
Are we a charitable organization that donates millions and volunteers in the community? In some cases, yes. Freemasonry as a whole does donate significant amounts of money each year. But as lodges continue to shrink, the funds available for this kind of thing dry up. My mother lodge spent all year putting on pancake breakfasts that required me in my early 20's to show up at the lodge at 4am to raise money for a scholarship. That scholarship was around $5k each year. I have no doubt that the winner appreciated it, but we were hardly changing the world. As for community outreach, some lodges do more than others, but it tends to be more along the lines of a few guys from the lodge doing it rather than a true lodge effort.
Do we make good men better? I would argue no. What do we do to make good men better? We hold meetings, pay bills, practice memorizing ritual. How does that make anyone morally superior? However, there is some truth to this which I will get to later.
Do we hold the keys to secret esoteric knowledge that bring us closer to God? Like the previous question, I would say that there is some truth to this, but not in any way, shape, or form like we portray. And for roughly 95% of Masons, I'd say it just isn't true.
So, we, Hollywood, public perception, whatever, set this expectation of what to expect. This is how our fraternity is advertised. A man joins, and what is he met with? Meetings about paying bills. Having to memorize pages of ritual that basically sounds like a goofy play. Giving up his free time to perpetuate these things, and without any of the things that were advertised to him at the beginning. Bait and switch might be a harsh term, but it wouldn't be completely wrong.
But I'm not condemning Freemasonry for this. Half of this is how the rest of the world portrays us. Another 25% is us wanting to agree with the positive assumptions and so perhaps not correcting them as strongly as we should. The last quarter of these portrayals are true, but perhaps not to the extent that the ambitious candidate expects.
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Prince Hall And Mainstream Masonic Rapprochement And The Expression Of Brotherly Love
Individualism and Collectivism Revisited – A Historical Perspective
This was the state that I found myself in years ago; disenfranchised with the reality of the situation. I had done my part, I thought. I had memorized the ritual, and I had put in the time, I had paid my dues, I had rushed from work straight to meetings to give up my free time to listen to retired brothers argue for hours about whether $50 per month to pay for a company to mow the grass was reasonable of if we should form a committee to investigate alternatives. And what did I receive in return? …nothing. I had become a mentor in my lodge and had initiated new men, mentored them, helped them progress so that they could then do the same for future generations of Masons. But for what? So that we could continue to argue about bills and form committees? Is this all that Freemasonry had to offer? And so, I quit. And no doubt, there were discussions about it after I did so. Probably with the same tired grumblings of the old guys in the back that we typically hear.
"These younger kids don't want to put in the work. He's lazy. He said he could spare the time, but then he backed out." We make up these excuses for the brothers who leave, never bothering to ask them. We look for solutions to these false reasons. One day raisings. Short form proficiencies. More casual lodge conditions.
Let me make this abundantly clear; a man who is told what his expectations are, and agrees, and then later backs out probably didn't do so because it was too much effort. He knew what he was getting himself into. What he found, is that it was too much effort for what he got in return. And that's the problem. It's the bait and switch. We failed to hold up our end of the bargain, so why should he hold up his end? I decided not to. I quit.
And yet…here I sit. So what brought me back? The requirements on my time and energy didn't change. The fraternity didn't change. So what shift was there in the dynamic? It was simply a more honest look at the relationship I had with Freemasonry. I took a step back and I looked at it with open eyes.
This brotherhood wasn't like the one in my college fraternity, but it made available to me men who held similar interests and values as I did. But it was up to me to make those connections.
The support of Freemasonry might not keep me from worrying about losing my job, but it does offer additional resources that I wouldn't otherwise have if life takes a turn for the worse.
We might not be an ancient institution, but we carry on the legacy and perpetuate teachings that reach back to antiquity. Our prestige has waned over the years, but it is not the external qualifications that our fraternity ought to be judged by, but our internal qualities. And it is up to me as a representative of our great moral institution to demonstrate to the world by my example just how elite we are.
Our membership does not bring special favors, and I know that now. But with the teachings I have learned from Freemasonry, I am glad for it, because if it did, I would not be able to learn the valuable lessons of humility and equality.
Whether we are a charitable organization could be debated from lodge to lodge. I know there are some lodges that focus heavily on charity and volunteer work, and if that was my primary concern, I would belong to those lodges and take advantage of their active involvement. But again, that is a decision that I am responsible for. But aside from that, Freemasonry has instilled in me a more charitable nature. My giving isn't always in front of a podium with an oversized check with a square and compass on it. It is to the hungry man on the corner, to the children selling candy bars for a school trip, to Toys for Tots, to the Salvation Army, to the local food bank. My charity might not be organized, but that doesn't make it any less helpful. And again, that is my decision.
And that brings us to making good men better. I believe that Freemasonry's oft used adage of 'We make good men better' is a misnomer. I think instead, we ought to say 'we provide the tools to allow good men to make themselves better.' We need to change the belief that we do something to others. It is not a passive improvement on the part of our candidates. Rather, we give them the means by which they can improve themselves.
And this is done by way of the teachings contained in our rituals. Lessons that go back thousands of years. But, like any other lesson, they are useless unless the student is willing to spend the time and effort to understand them and put them into practice. When I realized this, I realized that the fraternity did not fail me. I failed me. I was given what I needed to improve myself, and then I sat there statically, upset that nothing was happening. I viewed the meetings as a waste of time, not understanding that the meetings are what allowed us to continue to pass on the tools to new brothers, so that each of us could improve ourselves.
It was this shift in my perspective that lead me to realize that Freemasonry still had a great deal to offer, but only if I was willing to seize it. I was fortunate in the fact that I came to this realization on my own. I fear that few brothers in my shoes will do the same. Therefore, it is up to us to ensure that it never gets to that point in the first place. So how do we do that?
Simple; we set realistic expectations. We tell the candidate what it is really like. Not the pretty, shiny image we put on brochures, but the reality of day to day life as a Freemason. We tell him about the long, boring meetings. We tell him about the work he'll have to do memorizing ritual, including the time it will take to drive to meet his instructors. We tell him that not all lodges are equal; that some focus on charity, that some focus on research, that some focus on fellowship. We encourage him to visit many different lodges and explain that they all have their pros and cons and tell him that it is important to find the one that truly offers whatever it is he's looking for. We bluntly explain that while we will provide his working tools to improve himself, he is the one who must labor in the quarries. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, we explain that during his labors, when he finds that he wants help, that he must proactively seek us out, and in turn, we must make a commitment to support him.
It is natural to assume that by removing some of the gilding from Masonry that we may hear fewer knocks at our door. But if we provide a fair and honest assessment of what can be found within our temples, we will lay a solid foundation of understanding among our new brothers that will result in a stronger edifice.
Filed Under: Featured, The Bee Hive Tagged With: ancient mysteries, charity, Elites, esoteric study, Freemasons, Freemasony, Masonry, Masons, networking, quitting Freemasonry, self improvement, Service Club
Masonic Anti-Intellectualism A Crying Shame
November 8, 2018 by Fred Milliken 22 Comments
That such a young, bright, knowledgeable Freemason as Brother Salman S. Sheika resigned from Freemasonry at the young age of 26 is a crying shame. It is doubly reprehensible because of the discrimination he met inside of Freemasonry. When we think of discrimination we normally think of Black – White prejudice. But discrimination takes many forms and just as ugly as racial discrimination is religious discrimination. To find that in the holier than thou Grand Lodges of the North who constantly look down their pious noses at Southern Grand Lodges as havens of Redneck values makes some Masons at the best, hypocritical. Have we not progressed from the hypocrisy and discrimination of the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' time?
Sheika was one of those seekers who thirsted for "the Truth." Isn't that one of the tenets of our professions as Masons, Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth? He was told Freemasonry had some answers or at least some tools to work with. But alas, as we hear repeatedly, Freemasonry doesn't practice what it preaches. Esoteric Masonry is frowned upon in many quarters. As soon as you mention the words "Masonic Education" in the Lodge Building many Masons will find that they have some other pressing problem to attend to. So many Grand Lodges and Lodges have become havens of fellowship and charitable works but not ones of study and learning.
But the latter is precisely why Sheika joined Freemasonry and they promised him that it was there for him. Broken promises are unmasonic conduct. But it is worse than that. What we have here is anti-intellectualism within Freemasonry. And that will be the undoing of the Craft. For many others are better at charity, better at fellowship. But none have the potential of really and truly making good men better. That's hard to do, however, when you are anti-intellectual. – Brother Frederic L. Milliken
L-R: Bro. Salman S. Sheikh, GM S. Eugene Herritt and Bro. Mohammed AlJumaili
Why I Left Freemasonry: The First And Last In My Family To Do So
By Salman S. Sheikh
I experienced bigotry, ignorance, and the total opposite of what a Mason really is.
The beauty of life as we go through it is the sequence of beautiful experiences that shape us from the moment we lay in the loving arms of our parents as babies to facing a complex world as adults trying to find a path forward. As a Muslim-American, my keen interests in the US was always trying to learn more, make people smile, and leave a good impression on the people of this country on how we can all strive to be in union as human beings to bring peace and prosperity. I always say the world in a unique and analytical way growing up which led me into heavy research as I approached my high school days. On my weekends off from school, I would spend countless hours researching Freemasonry, different secret societies, listening to occult researchers like Jordan Maxwell, etc. I was always the black sheep of my family and was always the one who was a part in terms of my knowledge, experiences, and interests and that led me to the doors of Freemasonry at age 23 as the first in my family to do so.
In the summer of 2015, I had met a Jamaican immigrant named Marlon Francis who became good friends with me. He showed up at my summer job in Upper Darby and I saw the square and compass symbol and asked him I wanted to join through my previous keen research on the matter. Marlon had an old school mentality and had waited 5-6 months of us meeting, hanging out, becoming friends before he eventually trusted my character and made a consideration to get me a petition from the lodge. So from start to finish I went through an old school process of asking the Mason and having the Mason evaluate me for a period of time before he proceeded. As I was getting closer to my initiation after the investigation committee of William Roosevelt PM approved me, I begin to have ideas of the wonderful knowledge that I would learn because I was already heavy into Masonic, Occult, Astral Projection research, etc.
At the age of 23 and in January of 2016, I was initiated into Freemasonry as an Entered Apprentice by a Jewish Past Master, Alan Ozer with whom over time I formed a close bond and which attests what true Masonry is with a Muslim and Jew embracing each other for the sake of God and brotherhood. On the same night I am thankful to another Past Master, Greg Klauder who told me 'People will still be people." in reference to me as a Muslim who appreciated the unity. Over time I begin to understand what PM Klauder had meant.
As time went on and I became a Master Mason, 32nd degree Scottish Rite, Shriner, Royal Arch Mason, and Royal/Select Council Master Mason. I realized that Freemasonry was just a social club with a few ritual traditions. I was also discouraged as I saw the brethren who would smile in my faces but would later post Anti-Islamic and Anti-Immigrant posts on their social medias. I stayed patient and realized the imperfection of all things as we are taught as Masons and made an effort to try to win everybody's heart through my honest spirit and character of seeing true human unity but even that was not enough. In the summer of 2018, after 2.5 years of a solid active effort, I decided to resign from Freemasonry and its bodies with my good standing intact. I shed tears when I wrote my resignation letter but God had told me in my heart that they did not deserve me and I had the right to move on. I reflected on the story of Prophet Musa (Moses) from the Holy Bible and Holy Quran where he was in line for the Egyptian throne but decided to throw that all away when his heart did not accept the Israelites being mercilessly abused. I left for the same reasons where I experienced bigotry, ignorance, and the total opposite of what a Mason really is.
As my tenure as a Mason I made sure I gave hugs, smiles, and real knowledge to all those who came my way in which I had members from India, UK, Africa, etc. all reach out to me to express their interest in my works and printed my essays in their lodges which at the end only made my lodge, Grand Lodge, and country stand out in a positive way in the current environment of confusion, division, and chaos. I feel pride that in my short time I did more to benefit the global Masonic community than those who were here before me for years but didn't make a positive difference in the aspects of bringing humanity and Masons of different backgrounds together as we just saw in 2018 Florida and Texas recognizing their Prince Hall counterparts. We are still behind in many ways and one of the reasons I left because the organization lets anybody in and we don't practice what we preach when the going gets tough or when it comes down to the nitty gritty. I am thankful to Mike from Grand Lodge who called me and we agreed we would rather be only just 20 people instead of 100,000 but all 20 of them being top notch quality who were there for the right reasons. I am also thankful to RWGM S Eugene Herritt who promised to keep my memory and vision alive in terms of bringing change to the Grand Lodge. Masonry in the US I believe and its members are currently a reflection of the society they inhibit, by that I mean that we spend majority of our times on social media, at jobs, home, and in the community and that's where your true character is revealed the most in comparison to just 2 night a month at lodge and pretending to call someone a brother just for the sake of it but when times of trial and tribulation come those same people are nowhere to be found and can turn against you if they see the benefit of doing so. That is not Masonry and I chose to walk away from it to contribute to my own community and people who deserved it more. I still have WM's from India asking for my demit certificate to make me a member there but declined all of their requests. My next goal in life is to be initiated into Sufism (Mystic Islam) and follow the true path of God with people who are on the same spiritual frequency as me. I did not resonate anymore with the members or the fraternity on a spiritual basis which caused my departure so at the end it was not my loss at all.
My last advice to the Freemasons is that if you want this to continue to survive in a future where the young ones are keen with artificial intelligence and info at the palm of their hands, then you need to offer them something new that hasn't been shown to them before. The practice of memorizing sacred texts, being on a chair/committee, contributing to charity is something that can be found in every church, synagogue and mosque throughout America. The real question is, what are you willing to help them realize in an environment where relationships, family, jobs, spirituality is on a totally different playing field then our previous generations? Once this question is addressed along with letting in clean hearted quality people, then we won't hear the same tune every month of why the same 6-7 guys are showing in a lodge with 4-500 members. It's a simple solution which if followed can be beneficial to the organization along with not showing them the same stuff every meeting and not letting Past Masters run their lodges. Give the new guys a chance otherwise they will just see it as another boy's club and move on with other adventures in life that could benefit them more. It's a shame for me to say this but I learned more on my own and with likeminded spiritual people I had met before I even became a Mason than I have ever learned in a lodge or appendant body. That should not be the case.
In conclusion, I am thankful for these last 2 years for what they were worth to make a difference in the organization of Freemasons in my state, country, and other nations to teach them the forgotten values of a true Mason and the true nature of one who listens to his heart and walks the path of God. I departed at age 26 in good standing and still have a lifetime ahead of me to do great things for other groups that are meant to cross my path. I am thankful to be the first in GL of PA's history to do a program on Sufism and make the effort to bring Masonic understanding and unity while others are just worried about their legacies. My greatest legacy will be that I will remain in the hearts and minds of the Freemasons forever and that means I also live forever which is more important than statues or my name appearing in Grand Lodge digest decisions. Please continue to love each other in and out of lodge and practice what you preach because God's all-seeing eye will hold us all accountable one day for all our seen and unseen actions. Before your meetings start, do a hand in hand meditation so even the brother who feels left out can feel a part of his brotherhood instead of looking bored or playing on his phone. I want you all to think about all these things I have addressed in my final message and I leave that burden on your shoulders from this point on with the mission of how you will carry this fraternity forward for future generations and not be in a desperate situation to keep numbers up. When your heart, mission, members, teachings, online image, etc. is all pure and designed to empower somebody then worrying about numbers should be the least of your worries because at the end "My Faith is in God and God is my right."
As Salam Aleikum (Peace be upon you and your families today and every day.)
Yours in brotherhood,
Salman S. Sheikh
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Read the follow up to this piece: I Shall Return
Filed Under: Featured, The Bee Hive Tagged With: anti-intellectual, GL of PA, Holy Quran, membership, Pennsylvania, Salam Aleikum, Sufism, the Occult, Truth, unmasonic conduct
Death in Freemasonry | Symbols and Symbolism
October 30, 2018 by Greg Stewart Leave a Comment
In this installment of Symbols and Symbolism we look at Albert Mackey's entry in his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry on the subject of Death. More broad than a mere memento mori, or skull and bones. Rather, Mackey equates the sentiment ones passing as the entrance to eternal existence.
Mackey writes,
The Scandinavians, in their Edda, describing the residence of Death in Hell, where she was east by her father, Loke, say that she there possesses large apartments, strongly built, and fenced with gates of iron. Her hall is Grief; her table, Famine and Hunger, her knife; Delay, her servant; Faintness, her porch; Sickness and Pain, her bed; and her tent, Cursing and Howling. But, the Masonic idea of death, like the Christian's, is accompanied with no gloom, because it is represented only as a sleep, from whence we awaken into another life.
Among the ancients, sleep and death were fabled as twins. The Greek sophist, Old Gorgias, when dying, said, "Sleep is about to deliver me up to his brother;'' but the death sleep of the heathen was a sleep from which there was no awaking.
The popular belief was annihilation, and the poets and philosophers fostered the people's ignorance, by describing death as the total and irremediable extinction of live. Thus Seneca says—and he was too philosophic not to have known better—that "after death there comes nothing," while Vergil, who doubtless had been initiated into the Mysteries of Eleusis, nevertheless calls death "an iron sleep, an eternal night," yet the Ancient Mysteries were based upon the dogma of eternal life, and their initiations were intended to represent a resurrection. Freemasonry, deriving its system of symbolic teachings from these ancient religious associations, presents death to its neophytes as the gate or entrance to eternal existence. To teach the doctrine of immortality is the great object of the Third Degree. In its ceremonies we learn that live here is the time of labor, and that, working at the construction of a spiritual temple, we are worshiping the Grand Architect for whom we build that temple. But we learn also that, when that live is ended, it closes only to open upon a newer and higher one, where in a second temple and a purer Lodge, the Freemason will find eternal truth.
Death, therefore, in Masonic philosophy, is the symbol of initiation completed, perfected, and consummated.
Additionally, Mackey's entry on Death in the Ancient Mysteries reads,
Each of the ancient religious Mysteries, those quasi-Masonic associations of the heathen world, was accompanied by a legend, which was always of a funereal character representing the death, by violence, of the deity to whom it was dedicated, and his subsequent resurrection or restoration to life. Hence, the first part of the ceremonies of initiation was solemn and lugubrious in character, ,while the latter part was cheerful and joyous. These ceremonies and this legend were altogether symbolical, and the great truths of the unity of God and the immortality, of the soul were by them intended to be dramatically explained.
This representation of death, which finds its analogue in the Third Degree of Freemasonry, has been technically called the Death of the Mysteries. It is sometimes more precisely defined, in reference to any special one of the Mysteries, as the Cabiric death or the Bacchic death, as indicating the death represented in the Mysteries of the Cabiri or of Dionysus.
Filed Under: Featured, Symbolism, Video Tagged With: death, Memento Mori, skull
Texas MasoniCon 2018, The Aftermath
October 20, 2018 by Fred Milliken 4 Comments
Good things and fine times need to be savored and contemplated before revealing. And so, I have done exactly that with Texas MasoniCon 2018. This was truly an event to be savored and reviewed and revered. It is unlikely that so many Masonic speakers of such talent can be showcased all in one place in one day. But you have to hand it to Brother Rhit Moore of Fort Worth Lodge No 148, AF & AM and his team, Gabriel Jagush, Mark McCaghren, and Billy Hamilton They did it and did it up proud.
Registration started with coffee and pastries at 7:00 AM on a Saturday morning and we finished up at 5:00 PM. There were six Break Out speakers conducting workshops and three keynote speakers.
THE BREAKOUT SPEAKERS
A. Daniel Pearson ~ Archetypes And Their Power In The Masonic Myth
Daniel Pearson
Pearson defined Archetypes and went on to speak about, collective unconsciousness, Jung, Syzgies, and rebirth.
He referenced Joseph Campbell's work, Mythological Aspects of Masonry – The Hero Of A Thousand Faces and The Masks Of God.
Then it was on to the concepts of Apotheosis, Elements of the Hero and Elements of the Hero In Masonry. That led to a long discussion of the Monomyth in Masonry.
B. David Bindel ~ Creativity In Masonry
David Bindel
Bindel started off his talk with the question "Who Comes Here?" He told us that was a very important question in Masonry. Who are we? We don't ask often enough about the symbolism of Masonry, Bindel contends. He went on to say that we need to ask the candidate what it means to him, invoke a personal story. "Who Comes Here' imparts how important it is. What are our intentions as a new Mason? What do we want to get out of Masonry? Ask these questions of the Brothers going through the degrees.
Bindel asks, what if during the degree the Conductor had not jumped in and answered the question but let the candidate answer it? "What do you most desire?" What if the candidate answered not the Conductor?
"Masonry doesn't need to be all things to all people, just a meaningful experience," proclaimed Bindel.
Masons historically were builders, he went on to say. We can look at the building of King Solomon's Temple, what building a temple means and how it relates to building ourselves. When our spiritual temple is finished God comes to dwell in us. The Temple rebuilt is a symbol of us changing our views, refining our conception of Deity enabling us to build finer temples for Deity to reside in.
"A degree is about giving an experience to a Brother," Bindel emphasizes.
Before concluding he asked us all to remember three important points as builders:
Build yourself
Build Lodges
Build experiences
C. Larry Fizpatrick ~ The Hiramic Legend
Larry M. FitzPatrick
Fitzpatrick pointed out that while the Hiramic Legend came into practice in 1725 or maybe even sooner in 1711 in the Grand Lodge of Ireland, that it had many ancient origins…similar allegories from much earlier.
Ronayne's Exposure
Carlile's Exposure
Prichard's Exposure
Pikes Porch and The Middle Chamber
Nerval's Journey To The Orient
Les Compag nos Du Tour de France
The Sources of the Hiramic Legend
John Theophilus Desaguliers
James Anderson who was first an Operative Mason
Isaac Newton – "Chronology of Ancient Kingdom"
Ancient Mystery Schools
Comacine Masters French Companionage
Scottish Operative Lodges
Turkish/Arab Legend – Nerval's Journey to the Orient
The Legends:
Egyptians – Osiris, Isis, Horus
Babylonian/Sumerian – Tanmuz, Dumuzi, Inania
Hindus – Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
Greek/Romans
Fitzpatrick explained that the purpose and meaning of the Hiramic Legend is Fidelity, Courage, Endurance and Self -Sacrifice.
However, the hidden meaning is an Allegory for the Path of the Sun. There is a Zodiac Association of the 12 Tribes of Israel and the Hiramic Legend. The path of the sun through the Ecliptic is 6 months above the Equator and 6 months below.
TROPIC OF CANCER – EQUATOR – TROPIC OF CAPRICON
The path of Venus forms a 5-pointed star.
D. Pete Normand – English Freemasonry Before The Grand Lodge Era
Pete Normand
This was by far the most detailed and long fact sheet talk about Masonry.
Normand explains that he is not talking about Scottish Masonry.
He emphasizes that 1717 is just about the birth of Grand Lodge Freemasonry. Before that time, however, there was much Masonic activity.
Freestone Masons existed Centuries before English Masonry was more formerly organized.They were artisans, sculptures with an understanding of geometry. The Romans imported builders. The Normans imported Masons. Sadly most of the Masons in London either left town or died from the Black Death Plague of 1348-1349.
Then, after the Plague, as Masons began to return to London, a labor dispute arose in 1756 between the more skilled (and better paid) Freemasons and the less skilled Rough Masons. So, the Mayor of London asked the Freemasons and Rough Masons to sit down and come up with a set of statutes to govern their common craft. These Statutes of 1356 were created by a committee composed of 6 Freemasons and 6 Rough Masons, and it is likely that these Regulations soon led to the creation of the London Masons guild, known as the Fellowship of Masons.
The Regius (Halliwell) MS. is undated, but most scholars say that it was composed about 1390, but since it is a poem, it is obvious that it was composed from an earlier version of what we usually call the "Gothic Constitutions," more accurately called the "Manuscript Constitutions."The Fellowship of Masons was granted a Coat of Arms of 1472. The Coat of Arms was found all over England and proves that these Masons considered themselves a National Body.
The Fellowship of Masons was changed to the Company of Freemasons and later the Company of Masons by government edict.
Normand spoke about the dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII and the Protestants. Henry VIII and the Reformation tore down the Catholic Gothic Style considered superstition. After the dissolution of the monasteries during the 1530s, the remainder of the 1500s was considered a period of "dark ages" for the Masons, because their primary employers (the monasteries) had been closed, forcing the Freemasons and Rough Masons to find work elsewhere. It was at this time that Freemasons first began admitting Non Operatives into their Lodges.
Next, we come across the The Original Account Book which was the financial records of the Guild beginning in 1619. An entry in 1620 shows that 6 men paid additional fees to become members of the Livery, Officers of the Guild. In 1621 3 of the 6 paid additional fees to become a Mason. Thus Operative Guild members were "Made Masons." In further entries in the old account book, it becomes evident that they were being admitted into a secretive body within the guild known as "The Accepçon" (or "The Acception").
Evidence that all this was not just a London thing was that Elias Ashmole was "Made A Free Mason" on October 16, 1646. In March of 1682 records show that Ashmole received a Summons to appear at a Lodge the next day This was about holding a Lodge not going to a Lodge, the distinction being that any group of Masons could form a "Lodge" for the day and in the future another group, some of the same Masons, could form a Lodge which had an existence of one day. Ashmole wrote extensively about Accepted Masons who were also Operative Masons.
In 1686 Dr. Robert Plot wrote the book, "The Natural History of Staffordshire." He wrote about a manuscript of Lodge meetings and the signs of acceptance.
William Dugdale and John Aubrey described customs of Freemasonry long before the formation of a Grand Lodge.
During the reign of King James II (1685-1688) it appears that The Acception, composed of both operative and non-operative members, fearing that their meetings at Masons Hall might bring down unwanted scrutiny on the guild, the accepted Masons (both operative and non-operative) decided to stop meeting at Masons Hall in Basinghall Street, and moved their meetings to various taverns, inns, pubs and alehouses around London. Apparently, other accepted Masons were already doing the same, but the guild's meeting hall was no longer a meeting place for The Acception. And so, at that time, The Acception, as a separate entity, disappeared from the historical record, as its members blended in with the other members of the "Society of Freemasons," as it was often called during the 1600s.
Within a few years, by 1691, there was a group of accepted Freemasons holding a lodge on a regular basis at the Goose & Gridiron Alehouse in St. Paul's Churchyard. Prior to the Great Fire of 1666, that venue was marked by a sign with the Musicians Guild coat-of-arms, which had a swan & lyre. But, after the Great Fire, when the building was restored, the proprietor put up a carved and painted wooden swan, with a gridiron in place of a lyre. (I guess he couldn't find a lyre.) But, the swan had a very short neck and looked more like a goose, and Londoners started calling the place "The Goose & Gridiron," in much the same way that others would call the "White Swan Pub," the "Mucky Duck."
Conclusion: Freemasonry was alive and well for at least 100 years before it was more formally organized.
E. Brad Billings – Astronomy & Masonry
Brad Billings
Billings talked about these astronomical representations in the Lodge and Masonic symbolism
The Winding Stairway
Opening and Closing we talk about the positioning of the Sun
Mosaic Pavement
The Masonic Altar – place of Masonic Light
Point Within A Circle and its astronomical layout
The Lesser Lights
Regarding the Masonic Altar Billings pointed out that in circumambulation the right hand is closet to the Bible, the Light and the left hand represents the Sun. The answers to the four questions the candidate gives affirms that in God I am Light.
He also pointed out that the Ruffians stand counter clockwise. After the slaying they stay in a place of darkness.
F. John Tolbert – Freemasonry is Free Thought
John Tolbert
Tolbert suggested that Masonry has drifted away from its original concept.
He says to the poor & blind candidate for Masonry, "You are lacking something. We have it for you: LIGHT." Listen to our prayers – Ecclesiastes 12 and Psalm 133 – you are brought into a Priesthood, dedicating yourself to a spiritual path.
Even the Templars borrowed Psalm 133.
Freemasonry is free thought, a position where truth is based on logic and/or reason, not authority or revelation.
Tolbert talks about the Latitudinarians Latitudinarians, or latitude men were initially a group of 17th-century English theologians – clerics and academics – from the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England, who were moderate Anglicans (members of the Church of England, which was Protestant). In particular, they believed that adhering to very specific doctrines, liturgical practices, and church organizational forms, as did the Puritans, was not necessary and could be harmful: "The sense that one had special instructions from God made individuals less amenable to moderation and compromise, or to reason itself."[1] Thus, the latitudinarians supported a broad-based Protestantism. They were later referred to as Broad Church.
An analogy could be the battles between the Whigs and the Tories.
Tolbert also brings up William Schaw who in his Statutes of 1599 addressed those regulations which govern the structure of Freemasonry. The Art of Memory was directly connected to this ancient Statute.
What followed was a discussion of Stocism, that self control is the key to Enlightenment without which the dignity of Freemasonry is lacking.
These points were made:
Rebels, heretics and non conformists
Freemasonry had many of the latter in its earlier formation:
Elias Ashmole – a free thinker and Alchemist
John Theophilus Desaguliers – hung around with Isaac Newton for 20 years
Isaac Newton – Newtonism, a new way of looking at life.
Therefore, Freemasonry is a product of:
Hermetic thought
Renaissance thought
Free Thinkers
THE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
The beautiful Hall at the Fort Worth, Texas Temple where the Keynote Speakers made their presentations
Fort Worth Masonic Temple
Piers A. Vaughan – The Magician, The Mystic and the Mason – The Unlikely Origin of the Scottish Rectified Rite
Piers A. Vaughan
Vaughan starts off with Baron von Hund who authored the Rite of Strict Observance. On the ruins of this Order rose the Scottish Rectified Rite
The Magician: Martinez de Pasqually
The Order of Elus Colen
In the highest degree, the Reaux-Croix, the initiate was taught to use Theurgy to contact spiritual realms beyond the physical.
De Pasqually put forth the philosophy underlying the work of the Elus-Cohens in his only book, Treatise on the Reintegration of Beings, which first uses the analogy of the Garden of Eden, and refers to Christ as "The Repairer". The ultimate aim of the Elus-Cohen was to attain – whilst living – the Beatific Vision through a series of magical invocations and complex theurgic operations.
The Mystic: Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin
Here we see a mystical tradition in which emphasis is placed on meditation and inner spiritual alchemy. Saint-Martin moved away from theurgic ritual towards what he called "The Way of the Heart."
Vaughan talks about Gnostic Philosophy and The Three Grand Principals here.
The Mason: Jean Baptiste Willermoz
He brought together the philosophy of Pasqually and Saint-Martin to create The Rectified Scottish Rite, also known as Order of Knights Beneficent of the Holy City or Knights Benefactor of the Holy City
Thus we can see the connection between Martinism and Freemasonry.
Michael Poll – The Battle of New Orleans
Michael Poll
Poll was the story teller of Texas MasoniCon.
He recounted that Pete Normand took him to Holland Lodge No 1 in Texas named after John Henry Holland, PGM of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana. So why was Texas' first Lodge named after a Louisiana Mason?
The Grand Lodge of Louisiana was created at the same time as the War of 1812. The final battle which the Americans won was decisive and actually occurred several weeks after the treaty was signed.
Andrew Jackson was given command of the area. The Americans did not know where the British would land. Jackson was very short on munitions. He had to pick a spot to ambush the British, but the question was how could he make the British fall into the trap? That answer will come at the very end.
Jackson set up his troops on the Rodriguez Canal 5 miles outside the city of New Orleans. Packingham, the British Commander walked right into the ambush. With the Mississippi River on their right and swamp and fog on their left it was like shooting ducks in a pond. The British were decimated. 2000 British were killed that day.
But things didn't add up. Packingham could have sailed right by the American fortifications and into the City of New Orleans without opposition. Jackson had put all his eggs in one basket, the Rodriguez Canal. So why did the British land there? Someone, a spy, told them that they could land there unopposed and undetected and no one would know they were there until it was too late. They could sneak up on the city and take it.
The spy was the pirate Jean Lafitte. Lafitte secretly met with the British and told them for a fee he would let them know where to land their ships in the New Orleans area that was away from American troops – a safe harbor. He then decided to double cross the British and offered his services to General Jackson along with a generous supply of powder and munitions. The offer came at a price, that Jackson would see that he got pardoned and several other renumerations. Jackson accepted Lafitte's offer but before Lafitte could meet with the British to set them up for an ambush he was arrested and jailed by the government of Louisiana.
W CC Clayborn, the first Governor of Louisiana, felt New Orleans was lawless and disliked the Lafittes immensely. Governor Clayborn put a bounty on the Lafitte brothers plastering the New Orleans area with posters. In retaliation the Lafitte brothers put a bounty on Governor Clayborn and plastered New Orleans with posters. Alas, the government got to Jean Lafitte before he could get to the Governor. In jail Lafitte let Jackson know there was no deal unless he was released and pardoned. Jackson pleaded with Governor Clayborn to release Lafitte but the Governor stubbornly refused.
The jailer, however, against orders released Lafitte and the deal with Jackson went through. That is how the British got ambushed and lost the battle. The jailer was a young John Henry Holland who ultimately would become the Grand Master of Masons in Louisiana and for whom Holland Lodge No 1 in Texas is named. This is how Freemasonry played a big part in the Battle of New Orleans and the future prospects of General Andrew Jackson.
In 8 years Jackson would become Grand Master of Masons in Tennessee and 6 years later President of the United States.
Now you know the rest of the story!
Chuck Dunning – Masonry Is A Contemplative Path Toward Wholeness
Chuck Dunning
Dunning started his presentation by working backwards on the 5 big words in his title.
(5) WHOLENESS
Wholeness is not just having all the parts in one place. It is peace, harmony and unity.. The Temple is also a model for each one of us. It is more than the sum of its parts or our parts.
(4) TOWARD
The work is never finished in this world. We are going to make mistakes, to fail. But there are two follies to avoid
Unnecessary self-loathing and self-punishment
Believing we are arriving at a state of perfection
(3) PATH
A way, one traveled a travel by others who have gone before us – the ancient landmarks
There is a three-step process in travelling or working on this path:
Awareness – Be aware of all the parts, our materials and tools
Understanding – How do the parts relate to each other.
Action – Act by experimenting with the parts
(2) CONTEMPLATIVE
Mindfulness, meditation, prayer, The Art of Memory are all ways we go deeper with awareness, understanding, and action
(One) MASONRY
We don't need other traditions. It is our own contemplative effort that reveals the depths. We don't need to bring in outside processes to help. It's all right here in the Craft, right before us.
Dunning then turned to the Texas Monitor and made these observations
In the Initiation there is meditation.
Masonry does not expound on the truths of its symbols (hence the need for contemplation).
Lodge is open on not in a certain Degree, meaning we should freely contemplate on its symbols rather than be limited in the exact words.
A Mason should hear, study, observe and develop these symbols for himself
The Charge at the opening of a Lodge – "Wisdom dwells with contemplation."
Some other observations that Dunning made:
Speculative means contemplative – looking into symbolism
Meditation yields inspiration. Hiram Abiff would retire to prayer before designing on the trestle board.
Develop awareness, deep thinking, understanding
Action through experimentation
The Fellowcraft's lecture on hearing and the Master's lesson on the Beehive are examples of how our wholeness has both private/internal and and social/external dimensions.
Again: Awareness, Understanding, Action
The single word that sums it all up is….LOVE!
We find love throughout the ritual of Masonry:
Last tool presented to a Mason – The Trowel, to spread brotherly love and affection
"Behold how good it is and how pleasant it is for Brothers to dwell in unity"
The tenets of our profession – Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth
Covering of the Lodge – Jacobs ladder – the highest virtue is charity which is caritas, agape, love
The first tool, the 24" gauge = 3 divisions of loving effort
Common gavel – to use it is as act of love for ourselves and others
Love is hard work. To manage our emotions, to have a commitment to live this way is hardly easy and pleasant. Love can bring us struggle, regret, disappointment. But the mystery about love is that it has no opposite that can transcend it. We can feel hate but still do loving things.
LOVE IS DIVINE. It is the essence of peace and harmony.
Love is our:
The Mystic Tie
TEXAS MASONICON 2019 IS ON JULY 26 – 27. Mark your calendars!
https://www.texasmasonicon.com/
Filed Under: Featured, The Bee Hive Tagged With: Brad Billings, Chuck Dunning, Contemplative Masonry, Daniel Pearson, David Bindel, Fort Worth Lodge No 148, Fort Worth Temple, Freemasonry, Freemasons, Jean Lafitte, John Tolbert, Larry Fitzpatrick, Masonry, Masons, Michael Poll, Pete Normand, Piers Vaughan, Rhit Moore, Texas MasoniCon 2018, The Battle of New Orleans, The Scottish Rectified Rite
Time in Freemasonry
Continuing the series of the broken column and the weeping virgin, in this episode of Symbols and Symbolism we look at Albert Mackey's entry into the Encyclopedia of Freemasonry as he examines the figure of time in the Jeremy Cross statue of early American Freemasonry. the statue, a newer invention in the collection of symbols, it remarkably follows in the vein of the 24 inch gage and the hourglass.
The image of Time, under the conventional figure of a winged old man with the customary scythe and hour-glass, has been adopted as one of the modern symbols in the Third Degree. He is represented as attempting to disentangle the ringlets of a weeping virgin who stands before him. This, which is apparently a never-ending task, but one which Time undertakes to perform, is intended to teach the Freemasons that time, patience and perseverance will enable him to accomplish the great object of a Freemason's labor, and at last to obtain the true Word which is the symbol of Divine Truth. Time, therefore, is in this connection the symbol of well-directed perseverance in the performance of duty.
This symbol with the broken column, so familiar to all Freemasons in the United States is probably an American innovation.
More on the Broken Column.
More on the Weeping Virgin.
More on Jeremy Cross at Phoenixmasonry.
More in the Symbols and Symbolism series.
Filed Under: Featured, Symbolism, Video Tagged With: column, death, Freemasonry, hourglass, scythe, time, weeping virgin
The Weeping Virgin
October 5, 2018 by Greg Stewart Leave a Comment
In this episode of Symbols and Symbolism we look at a short entry from Albert Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry examining the figure of the weeping virgin. A newer invention in the symbolism of Freemasonry, Mackey draws an ancient parallel to its cryptic iconography.
Time, the weeping virgin and the broken column.
The Weeping Virgin with disheveled hair, in the Monument of the Third Degree used in the American Rite, is interpreted as a symbol of grief for the unfinished state of the Temple.
Jeremy Cross, who is said to have fabricated the monumental symbol, was not, we are satisfied, acquainted with Hermetic Science. Yet a woman thus portrayed, standing near a tomb, was a very appropriate symbol for the Third Degree, whose dogma is the resurrection.
In Hermetic Science, according to Nicolas Flammel (Hieroglyphics, chapter xxxii), a woman having her hair disheveled and standing near a tomb is a symbol of the soul.
Jeremy Cross (b.1783, d. 1861) became a mason in 1808 and soon became a student of Thomas Smith Webb. In 1819 he published The True Masonic Chart or Hieroglyphic Monitor, in which he borrowed liberally from the previous work of Webb. The Weeping Virgin first appeared as an illustration as rendered by the American copperplate engraver Amos Doolittle, appearing in Crosse's The True Masonic Chart.
More on Time in Freemasonry.
Filed Under: Featured, Symbolism, Video Tagged With: Freemasonry, hermetic, Symbolism, weeping virgin
The Moon in Freemasonry | Symbols and Symbolism
September 7, 2018 by Greg Stewart Leave a Comment
Symbolic, even among the symbols of Freemasonry, the moon plays an essential part in the esoteric nature of Freemasonry. Not a primary component of the ritual, the celestial body none-the-less features prominently in the rites and rituals of the lodge harkening back to older and more esoteric traditions.
In this installment of the Symbols and Symbolism of Freemasonry, we look at a reading on the luminous orb that encircles our planet in both a reading of Albert Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and from an excerpt of the book, The Master Mason: The Reason of Being – A Treatise on the Third Degree of Freemasonry
on the topic.
Mackey writes on the moon:
The adoption of the moon in the Masonic system as a symbol is analogous to, but could hardly be derived from, the employment of the same symbol in the ancient religions. In Egypt, Osiris was the sun, and Isis the moon; in Syria, Adonis was the sun and Ashtaroth the moon; the Greeks adored her as Diana, and Hecate; in the mysteries of Ceres, while the hierophant or chief priest represented the Creator, and the torch-bearer the sun, the officer nearest the altar represented the moon. In short, moon-worship was as widely disseminated as sun-worship. Masons retain her image in their Rites because the Lodge is a representation of the universe. where, as the sun rules over the day, the moon presides over the night; as the one regulates the year, so does the other the months, and as the former is the king of the starry hosts of heaven, so is the latter their queen; but both deriving their heat, and light, and power from him, who has the third and the greatest light, the master of heaven and earth controls them both.
From The Master Mason
In its culmination, [the third degree] is the transition through life and death in order to be reborn anew with an understanding of the spiritual world that has always been around us but now made visible. The moon, here, is key as Yesod leads to our understanding of becoming an emblem of the reflective nature we assume in this transformation. Like the moon, we reflect the light of the Great Architect capturing what is impossible to see without becoming blinded by its radiance. This is, of course, a metaphor but no less appropriate to the change we undergo and the purpose we assume in becoming masters. Like the moon, each of us reflect the glory of the divine sun in phases, exerting our gravitational force over the tides of our interactions.
Filed Under: Featured, Symbolism Tagged With: moon, Symbolism


All dishwashers delivered from Wexiödisk are intended for fixed electrical installation.
Because WD-4S has the ability to single phase connection, this can attract to connection with plug.
Due to the interference filter in the machine contain capacitors, there is a residual charge remains in those who can give an electric shock at the pins of the plug.
Tank heating element is only approved for an installation where phase and zero can not be interchanged.
So WD 4S will, like other dishwashers, must not be connected with a plug, either in single phase or three phase.


text:
The Team With the Most Demonstratives Doesn't Necessarily Win
By: Ken Lopez Tue, Jul 11, 2017 @ 01:49 PM
Patent Tutorial, Trial Graphics, Litigation Graphics, Demonstrative Evidence, Patent Litigation, Presentation Graphics, PowerPoint, Persuasive Graphics, Judges
I noticed a recent article describing how judges react to PowerPoint and to the sometimes excessive number of demonstrative exhibits presented to them. It resonated with me.
The article describes a panel discussion among judges from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Lead Administrative Patent Judge Thomas Giannetti noted, "I think people are using too many demonstratives and too many PowerPoints. If you're going to use them, don't give us 100. Give us 10."
Lead Administrative Patent Judge Brian Murphy said at the same conference that "less is more," because attorneys can be sure that the judges know the record before them quite well. He said he would like to see demonstratives that just focus on the key points and include clear citations to the record in the case.
"Some parties use so many slides that they confuse themselves or confuse us," he said.
These judges make an excellent point. Ten phenomenal pieces of demonstrative evidence that reflect rigorous thought and preparation are much better than 100 bullet-point-riddled PowerPoint slides.
In a time when PowerPoint makes it easy for associates to generate draft opening decks containing hundreds of slides, it's no surprise that judges are pushing back. The problem with PowerPoint is that it makes it too easy to do lazy, dull, and uninspired work.
I spoke at a conference recently and I made the point that every case has one exhibit that can tell the story of the case -- and we all just need to find it. The best tool for doing so is time, which is a precious commodity in most trial preparation situations. The more time you have, the more likely you are to have that epiphany about just the right demonstrative that brings the whole case together.
I've often spoken and written about the fact that the demonstrative exhibits you don't use have a lot to do with finding the ideal demonstratives because of the iterative process of creativity.
The great challenge is taking the time to go through 20 to 40 versions of a PowerPoint deck before arriving at your final opening or closing deck. It's the right way to do things. Without a doubt, it leads to the best results. But it does require the consumption of precious time. Every lawyer has to decide on his or her own whether this time is well spent. I believe it is.
Other free articles and resources from A2L Consulting about trial preparation, the development of litigation graphics, and the preparation of persuasive visual aids for trial include:
Lawyers: It's Time to Make Time for Trial Preparation
The 13 Biggest Reasons to Avoid Last-Minute Trial Preparation
FREE DOWNLOAD: Storytelling for Litigators E-Book 3rd Ed.
Law360 Interviews A2L Consulting's Founder/CEO Ken Lopez
Three Top Trial Lawyers Tell Us Why Storytelling Is So Important
Top 7 Things I've Observed as a Litigation Consultant
Sample One-Year Trial Prep Calendar for High Stakes Cases
Using & Creating Litigation Graphics to Persuade - An E-Book for Litigators and Litigation Support Professionals
[Free and New E-Book] Patent Litigation Toolkit - 4th Edition
What Does A Case-Winning Trial Graphic Look Like?
5 Tips For Inter Partes Review Hearing Presentations at the PTO

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you are interested in receiving individual or couples counseling, please contact Dr. Mara Calderon. Information regarding counseling services may be found here.
Catholic family planning will be taught at St. Clare's. If you are interested in learning more about Catholic family planning, please contact us.


Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl… and kittens!
We <3 Steven Universe and their amazing artists as much as you do! That's why we work directly with the Cartoon Network team to make officially licensed shirts you'll only find at TeeTurtle.


text:
Leszek Mazan (ur. 31 października 1942 w Nowym Sączu) – polski dziennikarz, publicysta, autor licznych książek, których tematyka związana jest z Krakowem oraz Pragą. Znany również ze swojego zamiłowania do Józefa Szwejka.

Życiorys
Jest absolwentem I LO im. Jana Długosza w Nowym Sączu i Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. Był kierownikiem oddziału PAP w Krakowie w latach 1978-1985, potem jej korespondentem w Pradze. Redaktor Przekroju (1974-2000). Publikował także na łamach "Nowin Rzeszowskich". W 2004 prowadził program telewizyjny Pegaz. Był również szefem Kroniki TVP Kraków.

W październiku 2007 za książkę Polska Praga czyli dlaczego Matejko lubił knedle otrzymał Nagrodę Krakowska Książka Miesiąca. W marcu 2008 przyznał się do opublikowania pod swoim nazwiskiem w 1968 tekstu skierowanego przeciw opozycji, który według słów Mazana przygotowany był przez Komitet Wojewódzki PZPR.

Publikacje
 Wy mnie jeszcze nie znacie, 1992
 Zdarzenia z życia naszego monarchy, 1996
 150 lat dróg żelaznych w Galicji, 1997
 Austriackie gadanie, czyli Encyklopedia Galicyjska, 1998 (współautor: Mieczysław Czuma)
 Pępek świata nazywa się Kraków, 2000 (współautor: Mieczysław Czuma)
 Opowieści z krainy centusiów, 2001 (współautor: Mieczysław Czuma)
 Jacy? Tacy!, 2001 (współautor: Mieczysław Czuma)
 Z Mariackiej wieży hejnał płynie, 2003
 Maczanka krakowska, czyli świat z pawim piórem, 2004 (współautor: Mieczysław Czuma)
 Poczet serc polskich, 2005 (współautor: Mieczysław Czuma)
 Pochowajcie mnie na polu karnym Cracovii, 2006
 Polska Praga czyli dlaczego Matejko lubił knedle, 2007 (współautor: Zdeněk Hrabica)
 To jest Kraków, mości Książę!, 2007 (współautor: Mieczysław Czuma, Michał Kozioł)
 Madame, wkładamy dziecko z powrotem!, 2009 (współautor, Katarzyna Siwiec, Mieczysław Czuma)
 Kraków na słodko 2010
 Tate, jedziemy do Krakowa, 2015 (współautor: Mieczysław Czuma)
 Jest tam w Krakowie kościół Maryi Panny…, 2017
 Smoczy apetyt: Opowieść o krakowskiej kuchni, 2022 (współautor: Mieczysław Czuma),

Odznaczenia
 Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski (2001)
 Srebrny Krzyż Zasługi (1969)

Nagrody
 1967 – Nagroda Dziennikarska im. Juliana Bruna
 1989 – Nagroda Dziennikarska im. Bolesława Prusa
 1989 – Nagroda Miasta Krakowa
 2007 – Nagroda Krakowska Książka Miesiąca Października

Przypisy

Absolwenci Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Laureaci Nagrody Miasta Krakowa
Ludzie urodzeni w Nowym Sączu
Ludzie związani z Pragą
Odznaczeni Krzyżem Kawalerskim Orderu Odrodzenia Polski
Polscy dziennikarze prasowi
Polscy dziennikarze telewizyjni
Urodzeni w 1942

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A MAN riding a motorcycle collided with a kangaroo early this morning.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said the 59-year-old rider suffered a hand injury.
The crash occurred on James Cook Drive, Douglas at 5.38am.
The QAS spokeswoman said the man was taken to Townsville Hospital in a stable condition.
While in a separate incident, a man believed to be a passenger in a ute has fallen from the vehicle and broken his leg in a crash on Palm Island.
The QAS spokeswoman said the 24-year-old man suffered a compound fracture to his leg in the single vehicle crash on Small Bay Road shortly after 1am.
The man was first taken to Palm Island Hospital but it's understood he will be flown to Townsville Hospital for further treatment.
Crime A SLEW charges including assault occasioning bodily and fraud were laid over a four-day music festival where a man is reported missing and two people died.


Twenty-nine states have legal weed, but only three allow it at schools for medical reasons.
Ashley Surin has had a difficult time with her health. When she was two years old, she overcame leukemia. The extensive chemo treatments lead to seizures later in life. The Surin family uses medical marijuana to keep the seizures under control with a patch Ashley wears on her foot and topical rubs for her wrists. While this regimen worked for the family, she wasn't able to take the medicine between classes.
Even though medical marijuana is legal in Illinois, students can't use it at school.
Illinois legalized medical marijuana in 2013, but kids at school aren't allowed to medicate by themselves or with the help of on-site nurses.
The Surin family argued that the school district violated the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. The school district worried that their employees may face prosecution if they administered medical marijuana to students. Ultimately, the judge sided with the Surins. The Attorney General said their goal was to have Ashley back in classes as soon as possible, with no legal consequences for school staff.
This decision could impact the entire state.
This case shows where the Illinois Attorney General stands on the issue and could help provide a legal framework for other children in the future.
Other states also suffer from muddy rules when it comes to young students using medical marijuana on campus. Twenty-nine states have legal weed, but only New Jersey, Colorado, and Maine require schools let people with prescriptions medicate. Other states ban it outright or allow each individual school decide, like Washington. Since the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act is a federal statute, those rules may change if challenged.
While Ashley can go back to school this week, lawmakers still have work to do.


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UK duo Ferris & Sylvester will embark on their first headline tour of the UK and Ireland in February 2019.
The tour will see the band play nine dates with a London headline show at The Lexington on 11th February. It will start in Leeds on 4th February and end in Dublin on 14th February.
Ferris & Sylvester recently released their new single Burning River, produced by Michael Rendall (Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Echo & The Bunnymen). The track has amassed more than 300,000 streams on Spotify and its release has led Ferris & Sylvester to receive continued support from the likes of BBC Introducing, The Independent, The Guardian and other tastemakers.
Tickets are available now through ferrisandsylvester.com/tour.