Garfield Lodge presented a video on behalf of the WM titled "The Secrets of the Parthenon" this evening in lieu of Degree Work. It was well attended and enjoyed by all. This video expounds on the FC lecture and in my opinion should be viewed by all Masons to understand Architecture and Operative Masonry. Operative Masons understood that the nature of architecture and the building of our spiritual temple(s) are synonymous. NOVA made a Masonic video without labeling it one, and this gem, known by few, and now hopefully a few more, I am grateful for.
What took the ancient Athenians 8 years to build in its entirety, is taking the Restoration team over 30 years to duplicate and restructure. They are preserving much of the old stone and it is a very interesting process of constructing newer marble to align with the weathered stone of the past.
The compasses and the square are tools still being used this day. The Plumb, the common gavel, and the chisel are all still in use. What we learn as Speculative Masons really needs to be internalized and applied because these tools construct the wonders of the world. The lectures only touch on the working tools. I am beginning to feel that the lectures only "touch" on all points (on purpose). Do your homework Brethren, this video once again has humbled me to a new level of understanding. The internalization of Masonry will greatly assist us in the building of our Temple; we just need to be able to see the final result to have something to work towards.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
My initial experiences as a Freemason
In 2001 I stepped into a Lodge in Highland. I was seeking a Fraternity and what I found was exactly what I thought I was looking for...all except the Alcohol! I was used to dealing in booze at most Fraternal Meetings (well at least AFTER the meeting), and I thought that Freemasonry was going to be able to provide me that. Little did I know that had I joined the Elks or the Moose I would have had that opportunity.
Freemasonry in 2001 was a night out of the house, and I made it quite a full night. When I walked in I was greeted by two Past Masters. A one WB Marion Benny Hinton and WB Charles Graves, looked at this young kid and after looked at each other asked the question..."Can we help you?" I simply replied, "I would like to become a Mason, and wanted to know how." They were obviously delighted to have a young man come strolling in and ask (as we had to do at that point). They took me in and asked me some questions, showed me the Lodge and handed me a petition, which I filled out on the spot. I asked about money and chuckled when they gave me the yearly cost. My college Fraternity was significantly higher per semester, so I came back with a check and after the decision was made I received a phone call from the Lodge Secretary saying that I was to be made an Entered Apprentice in the near future.
I enjoyed the Degrees of Masonry. It was all I had the mind to be able to do back then was simply "enjoy" them. The Degrees meant nothing more than mere "cool symbols" and a lot of memorization work. I wasn't able to digest any esoteric meanings or see deeper into what the life of a Master Mason was to entail. My Master Mason Degree was the most memorable experience. It was the sealing of the deal, so to speak. MWB Richard Elman was at that time possibly in the beginning stages of his travels to the Grand East (...pardon me Rick, as I am unsure). He raised me single-handed and did my optional "On Yonder Book" lecture. Those that know the height and weight difference between the two of us should get a good chuckle from thinking about the logistics of that. His part in my Degree other than some portions that would be obvious to Master Masons reading this is all that I remember. He made such an impact on me that I will NEVER (pun intended) forget it.
I tried to take an active role right from the beginning. I presented my "Answers" in open Lodge, and took part in 2002 as the Secretary for Indiana Harbor Lodge. Thank God I screwed that up. I had no clue what I was doing and am sure that MWB Max Carpenter must have wanted to kill me. It was an adventure to say the least, and most of it is details that are boring, much of which I don't remember.
Being a joiner, I became a Scottish Rite Mason in the fall of 2001. All I was told "was be ready for a great experience that is nothing like Blue Lodge." This wasn't totally sound advice in my opinion, as well in retrospect. The Brother who took me up there liked booze as much as I did and we partied like rock stars the night before I was to take the Degrees. We found a terrible club-like bar in the Mishawaka area of Indiana and enjoyed too much irresponsible fellowship. I was hung over and falling asleep most of the day. Later I ended up taking part in one of the Degrees as a Cast Member, but couldn't make it to South Bend on a regular basis for practice and such, so I quit.
York Rite was the next Masonic adventure I chose to start. The recurring theme to my stories thus far was "I don't remember much of...", and this was no different. It took me until 2011 to see another Mark Master Degree (of which I think it was conferred upon me in 2002), and I am now the Royal Arch Captain and took part in the conferring of the Degree on our Winter 2011 Class...OY! I am thankful that I quit before going through the Commandery. I just recently became a Templar in 2010.
Lastly, and surely not least, was my Shrine initiation. That one is a total blank, other than the fact that I KNOW I drank at that one. My former wife came to this one and "crowned" me with my Fez. I think she wanted to crown me with her fist for getting drunk too ;)
To step into the present to complete this post, I feel as though my initial experiences were done to be put on the back burner until I was able to get my head screwed on straight and figure out that all of this "stuff" had meaning. I know that if I wasn't such a boozer, my experiences would have been better. Since I can't change the past I have to find some level of acceptance for it being exactly the way it was supposed to be, and move on.
Freemasonry at the tail-end of 2009 is where the new story begins. That will be another night when it isn't 12:00 AM and I don't have to wake up for work.
Freemasonry in 2001 was a night out of the house, and I made it quite a full night. When I walked in I was greeted by two Past Masters. A one WB Marion Benny Hinton and WB Charles Graves, looked at this young kid and after looked at each other asked the question..."Can we help you?" I simply replied, "I would like to become a Mason, and wanted to know how." They were obviously delighted to have a young man come strolling in and ask (as we had to do at that point). They took me in and asked me some questions, showed me the Lodge and handed me a petition, which I filled out on the spot. I asked about money and chuckled when they gave me the yearly cost. My college Fraternity was significantly higher per semester, so I came back with a check and after the decision was made I received a phone call from the Lodge Secretary saying that I was to be made an Entered Apprentice in the near future.
I enjoyed the Degrees of Masonry. It was all I had the mind to be able to do back then was simply "enjoy" them. The Degrees meant nothing more than mere "cool symbols" and a lot of memorization work. I wasn't able to digest any esoteric meanings or see deeper into what the life of a Master Mason was to entail. My Master Mason Degree was the most memorable experience. It was the sealing of the deal, so to speak. MWB Richard Elman was at that time possibly in the beginning stages of his travels to the Grand East (...pardon me Rick, as I am unsure). He raised me single-handed and did my optional "On Yonder Book" lecture. Those that know the height and weight difference between the two of us should get a good chuckle from thinking about the logistics of that. His part in my Degree other than some portions that would be obvious to Master Masons reading this is all that I remember. He made such an impact on me that I will NEVER (pun intended) forget it.
I tried to take an active role right from the beginning. I presented my "Answers" in open Lodge, and took part in 2002 as the Secretary for Indiana Harbor Lodge. Thank God I screwed that up. I had no clue what I was doing and am sure that MWB Max Carpenter must have wanted to kill me. It was an adventure to say the least, and most of it is details that are boring, much of which I don't remember.
Being a joiner, I became a Scottish Rite Mason in the fall of 2001. All I was told "was be ready for a great experience that is nothing like Blue Lodge." This wasn't totally sound advice in my opinion, as well in retrospect. The Brother who took me up there liked booze as much as I did and we partied like rock stars the night before I was to take the Degrees. We found a terrible club-like bar in the Mishawaka area of Indiana and enjoyed too much irresponsible fellowship. I was hung over and falling asleep most of the day. Later I ended up taking part in one of the Degrees as a Cast Member, but couldn't make it to South Bend on a regular basis for practice and such, so I quit.
York Rite was the next Masonic adventure I chose to start. The recurring theme to my stories thus far was "I don't remember much of...", and this was no different. It took me until 2011 to see another Mark Master Degree (of which I think it was conferred upon me in 2002), and I am now the Royal Arch Captain and took part in the conferring of the Degree on our Winter 2011 Class...OY! I am thankful that I quit before going through the Commandery. I just recently became a Templar in 2010.
Lastly, and surely not least, was my Shrine initiation. That one is a total blank, other than the fact that I KNOW I drank at that one. My former wife came to this one and "crowned" me with my Fez. I think she wanted to crown me with her fist for getting drunk too ;)
To step into the present to complete this post, I feel as though my initial experiences were done to be put on the back burner until I was able to get my head screwed on straight and figure out that all of this "stuff" had meaning. I know that if I wasn't such a boozer, my experiences would have been better. Since I can't change the past I have to find some level of acceptance for it being exactly the way it was supposed to be, and move on.
Freemasonry at the tail-end of 2009 is where the new story begins. That will be another night when it isn't 12:00 AM and I don't have to wake up for work.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
I'll Begin at the Beginning
The title of this post was pulled from my all-time favorite movie "The Quiet Man". It's actually the first line of the movie ((shocker huh?)). John Wayne was pulling into Castletown (County Mayo, Ireland), and the Priest who acts as the movie narrator, describes the scene and the delay of the train (along with John Wayne). He was once again described as "a quiet, peace-loving man who's come home to Ireland to forget his troubles".
That description proves to be true throughout the rest of the film as John Wayne was a boxer who retired after killing a man in the ring on accident. I too have found an inner peace, or am finding it continually, and am quite happy about it. I have a long history and this isn't where I want to include it all; I want to focus on where my mind was about 10 years ago, and where it is today. The rest could be interesting to some and very similar to experiences others may have had.
This is the start of a story of a boy who was seeking "manhood" by continually seeking acceptance, happiness, understanding and doing it all from the inside of a bottle. The story continues with sliding down a very slippery slope, crawling myself out and finally beginning "anew". The name given to the blog as a whole has a more esoteric meaning attached to it, which will be familiar to my Masonic family, and really, who this whole blog is going to be more interesting to. Any story with a beginning and an end is an interesting one, but this IS a journey, and won't be a complete story until my dying day, "if ever I live that long" - Squire "Red" Will Danaher. If you are interested in what I deem to be a hell of a ride, some of this will apply to you, otherwise, thanks for reading this far and there are other blogs I have on this site. - MJB
That description proves to be true throughout the rest of the film as John Wayne was a boxer who retired after killing a man in the ring on accident. I too have found an inner peace, or am finding it continually, and am quite happy about it. I have a long history and this isn't where I want to include it all; I want to focus on where my mind was about 10 years ago, and where it is today. The rest could be interesting to some and very similar to experiences others may have had.
This is the start of a story of a boy who was seeking "manhood" by continually seeking acceptance, happiness, understanding and doing it all from the inside of a bottle. The story continues with sliding down a very slippery slope, crawling myself out and finally beginning "anew". The name given to the blog as a whole has a more esoteric meaning attached to it, which will be familiar to my Masonic family, and really, who this whole blog is going to be more interesting to. Any story with a beginning and an end is an interesting one, but this IS a journey, and won't be a complete story until my dying day, "if ever I live that long" - Squire "Red" Will Danaher. If you are interested in what I deem to be a hell of a ride, some of this will apply to you, otherwise, thanks for reading this far and there are other blogs I have on this site. - MJB
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