Dec 29, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRO. ALBERT PIKE!
Pike is best known for his major work, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, published in 1871. Morals and Dogma should not be confused with Pike's revision of the Scottish Rite ritual. They are separate works. Walter Lee Brown writes that Pike "intended it [Morals and Dogma] to be a supplement to that great 'connected system of moral, religious and philosophical instruction' that he had developed in his revision of the Scottish ritual."

In short, read anything by Albert Pike to find out about the deeper Mysteries of Freemasonry.

Dec 14, 2009
WORSHIPFUL MASTER
Masons call the man in charge of the lodge "Worshipful Master," but that does not mean they "worship" him. In parts of England, mayors and judges are also called "Worshipful" or "Your Worship." This is a term of honor, from the original intent of the word, meaning, "to give respect." French Masons use the word Venerable for their Masters.

More about Lodge Officers here at Freemasonry for dummies.

Dec 3, 2009
RIFLE RAFFLE WINNER
Brother Ron Wilkins was this years Temple Board Riffle Raffle winner!

Ron currently serves as the Junior Deacon of Shekinah Lodge, is a member of the Scottish Rite and Moolah Shrine, and is very instrumental in many of our projects at the lodge. Congratulations Ron.

The raffle raised about 15% of the total needed for our new lodge room flooring.

Last years raffle proceeds were donated to our Quad Cities Senior Center to help pay for a new air conditioner. Thanks to all who participated.

Dec 1, 2009
TWIN CITIES CHRISTMAS PARADE SUCCESS
Shekinah and Herky lodges co-sponsored a beautiful float for the annual Twin Cities Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade. The theme of the parade this year was "the first Christmas". We chose to use the Three Wise Men or Magi following the star as our theme. Our float featured a 6 foot tall wooden manger complete with an illuminated star above, all build by Brother Shaun Ruether. The wise men costumes were created by Brother Scott Wynn's wife, Myrna. Brother Ron Wilkins used his new MMCT company truck to pull the float. Brothers Kevin, Forrest and Howard played the parts of wise men.

The float was constructed at the lodge, using RWB Elmo Blum's 16 foot trailer, by Brothers Rich Flotron, Elmo Blum, Don Ponzar, Kevin Gross, Todd Litzau, Ron Wilkins, Scott Wynn and several of our kids. Banners donated by Warren Sign were installed down both sides and the back to advertise our lodges to the rest of the community.

The Joachim Shrine club also decorated their float and had several of the YOMO go-carts in the parade.

As usual hot chocolate and coffee was served, free to the public. Brother Marty Wynn and new Brother Aaron Wynn took charge of the refreshments. This year the stand was set up in front of the lodge instead of down by the sign in the yard, unfortunately making it less noticeable to the uninformed bystander, but a lot of drinks were served.

We would like to give a special THANK YOU to all of our dedicated brethren who helped out in so many ways to help make this project a success and spread the cement of brotherly love.

Check back soon for some pictures of the event.

Nov 8, 2009
VITRIOL
The word VITRIOL is displayed in the Chamber of Reflection, used in some masonic rituals as the first contact of the candidate with the Lodge. Its meaning is not always apparent, although its alchemical origin is well known. The word is actually composed of the initials of a Latin sentence:
“VISITA INTERIORA TERRA RECTIFICANDO INVENIES OCCULTUM LAPIDEM”

Read the rest of the article at Masonicpaedia.

Nov 2, 2009
AUTHOR CHRISTOPHER HODAPP ON THE DAN BROWN EFFECT



Click the thumbnail to play an audio presentation from the Missouri Lodge of research breakfast with Christopher Hodapp.

Oct 27, 2009
THOUGHTS FROM A YOUNG MASON
It begins with ensuring a quality Blue Lodge experience. We as Master Masons should return Masonry from a primarily social institution to one that studies ancient symbolism and the truths so revealed. Encourage and allow the candidate to have a meaningful experience in the initiatic phase of his degree work. Follow up with quality education and instruction in regards to the symbolism and, more importantly, how to apply it to his life.

Read the rest of Bro. Cliff Porter's article Right Here.

Oct 3, 2009
FEAST OF TISHRI
The Scottish Rite Feast of Tishri is a celebration of the festival called Sukkot which was ordained by God to occur in the seventh month of the Jewish liturgical calendar, the month called Tishri. We sometimes are asked why Masons devote so much of their time and energy to the cause of aiding those less fortunate.

Possibly this little fable from Jewish folklore might explain. A wise and learned Rabbi, noting that his most promising student seemed saddened and preoccupied, asked the young man, "What's troubling you, my son?" The student replied, "Rabbi, as I observe the injustice in the world and man's inhumanity to man everywhere, I have come to the conclusion that when God created the world, He didn't do a very good job." In response, the Rabbi asked, "Do you think you could have done better?" The student quietly answered, "Rabbi, I honestly think I could have." To which the wise man responded, "THEN BEGIN!"

In the various Bodies of Masonry, men of all faiths may unite and, each in his own way, begin.

July 29, 2009
BOY SCOUTS, FREEMASONRY
After the publication of William Highsmith's article in the Winter 2008/2009 of the Journal ("Masonic Influence on the Order of the Arrow'), we were contacted by several members of the National Association of Masonic Scouters.
The association was started by Freemasons to
"foster and develop support for the Boy Scouts of America by and among Freemasons while upholding the tenents of Freemasonry. This includes, but is not limited to, encouraging Masonic Lodges and other Masonic organizations to charter and support BSA units. NAMS will seek to provide opportunities for Masonic fellowship at Scouting events and encourage the awarding of the Daniel Carter Beard Award to deserving Masons while supporting the Scouting movement at all levels."

See their site at www.nams-bsa.org

Reprinted from The Journal of the Masonic Society, Spring 2009.

July 10, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN CALVIN
Happy birthday wishes to the man who coined the phrase “Great Architect of the Universe.” Yes, John Calvin would be 500 years old today. Among the world’s major religions, Calvinism is kind of a youngster, but its importance to Protestantism and its indirect benefit to Freemasonry are very important.

It was Calvin, the legendary French troublemaker, who coined that phrase in his “Commentary on Psalm 19,” which sometimes is translated to say Supreme Architect.
(The 19th Psalm itself is worthy of every Junior Warden’s attention.)

But the idea of God being a kind of cosmic architect predates Freemasonry by even more centuries. Depictions of this nature are found in medieval Christian art. The “Bible Moralisée,” published about 1250 AD, shows God busy at work with compasses in hand.

G.A.O.T.U. was introduced into Freemasonry by Dr. James Anderson, author of the Premier Grand Lodge’s first Book of Constitutions in 1723. A Presbyterian minister himself, Anderson is a theological descendant of Calvin. However, I’d say the credit for making the phrase Masonic vernacular belongs to Albert Mackey who used the term in his groundbreaking list of Masonic Landmarks, which has affected the jurisprudence of our grand lodges since its publication in 1858. And then of course there is the Scottish Rite and its siblings, which employ the term in prayer and ritual.

July 8, 2009
BROKEN WINDOWS
My own lodge's original three-story brick building was entirely financed by one individual brother's gift in 1907 of what would today amount to almost $700,000. We stopped asking our members for money for our own Temples long ago in favor of our Masonic Home, the Shrine Hospitals, the Dyslexic Centers, the CHIP's programs, the York Rite charities, and more. But as wonderful as those programs are, we are making a big mistake if every penny we have goes into them...

...Where the great Temples of Freemasonry are concerned, if we don't present a dignified face to the outside world and provide meeting places that our old and new members are proud of, we are slitting our own throats. Better for us to meet in a hotel ballroom than in a fallen-down barn of a place that we fail to maintain. At least a hotel will keep it clean, repaired, climate-controlled and well lit. But if we have any desire to really rebuild this fraternity, our Temples need to regain their place at the center of our communities as they were 60, 80, and a hundred years ago. They need to be places we want to come to, and bring our friends and, families as well. They need to be comfortable and inviting, places where brethren want to congregate before and after meetings, instead of eating, meeting and fleeing from them.

The above was taken in part from Christopher L. Hodapp's "Broken Windows" editorial in The Journal of the Masonic Society magazine.
Brother Hodapp just might have a good point here. What do you think?

June 12, 2009
KING JAMES VI OF SCOTLAND, BROTHER FREEMASON
June 19, 1566 - March 27, 1625 King of Scotland (1567-1625), and the first Stuart King of England (1603-25), English historians have tended to portray him as a coward and a fussy and foolish pedant: 'The wisest fool in Christendom'. In fact he was reasonably successful in his main goals, increasing national prosperity, maintaining peace with Europe and settling the church.

Today, he is remembered for commissioning the so-called King James' Bible, or Authorized Version.

On the west wall of the lodge hall used by Lodge Scoon and Perth No. 3 in Perth, Scotland can be found a mural depicting James VI kneeling at their altar at his initiation. The oldest existing record of the Lodge, called "The Mutual Agreement" of 24 December, 1658, records that James was "entered Freemason and Fellowcraft of the Lodge of Scoon" on 15 April, 1601.

Lifted from -Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon web site- check it out.

June 9, 2009
ANNO LUCIS (A.L.)
This is Latin for “In the Year of Light”. The term is frequently used in Masonic procedure, and expresses a year that is 4,000 beyond Anno Domini (“The year of Our Lord”). There is a reason for this, of course. The date of the creation of the world is generally assumed to be 4,000 years before the birth of Our Lord, and the creation of the world saw the beginning of Light. (“Let there be Light. And there was Light.”) Dr. James Anderson, in his 1723 “Constitutions”, refers to the 4,000 year-advanced “Anno Lucis” as “The Year of Masonry” and the idea was adopted.

June 8, 2009
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST DAY (JUNE 24TH)
St. John the Baptist is one of the two patron saints of the Masonic Lodge. The other patron of the Order is St John the Evangelist, whose festival occurs on December 27, six months later. According to McCoy's Masonic Dictionary, participation in the Festival of St. John at midsummer is a duty of every Mason. It functions as a connection between the past and the future. The two saints stand at either end of the spectrum marked by the solstices, the doorways of light and dark, of zeal and of learning. These two festivals bear the names of Christian saints, but in ages past they bore other names, yet standing to this day as markers for the solstices.

In the words of Masonic Orator, Phillip Elam: "Masonry adopted these festivals and the Christian names, but has taken away the Christian dogma, and made their observance universal for all men of all beliefs. St. John's Day, June 24, symbolically marks the summer solstice, when nature attains the zenith of light and life and joy. St. John's day in winter, December 27, symbolizes the turn of the sun's farthest journey, the attainment of wisdom, the rewards of a well-spent life, and love toward one's fellow man."