My thoughts on Georgia

Rather than rehashing what has already been amply reported on the internet by a highly respected source, I point you to this blog entry.
I have been attempting to post comments on the blogs dealing with this, however Blogger doesn't seem to be cooperating, so I offer the following. In my opinion, it is time for Masons everywhere to stand up to this sort of intolerance. For too long, many Brethren have sat upon the fence on this issue, all in the name of not interfering in the affairs of another jurisdiction. Bigotry has no place within our Craft anywhere, and is a violation of the very principles we hold dear. Now, there may be facts in the case which we don't yet know about, however it seems fairly clear, given Georgia's history, what is happening here. It is time for Masons worldwide to take notice, and bring pressure to bear on the Grand Lodges that still hold on to archaic notions of race. In the words of the great Martin Luther King, Jr., "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The last place where racial injustice should be found is within an institution that claims justice as one of it's cardinal virtues. My Brothers, it is time to purge our Craft of the stain of bigotry that has plagued it for too long.
So mote it be!

Military Lodges (or the lack thereof)

Finding myself again deployed to a war zone, I have been reflecting upon the concept of military Lodges, or more precisely why there is such a lack thereof. Military Lodges have played an important part in American Masonic history. Indeed, some of the earliest Masonic activity on our continent was due to military Lodges, but sadly, it seems for the most part, they are no longer prominent on the American Masonic landscape. So what is a Masonic soldier to do while he's off fighting for his country?
In my opinion, when a Brother Mason is at war, this may be one of the most vital times during his life to be reminded of the tenets of our gentle Craft. But without the welcoming hand of Masonic fellowship with like minded Brethren, this can be difficult. Imagine trying to live for a year or more, under the most trying of circumstances, far from the comforts of home. Even the most dedicated of Brethren might have difficulties living up to the principles of our Fraternity. Our military Brothers deserve to have the opportunity to practice the Craft together as part of an organized Lodge. Why, then, are they being denied this opportunity?
Besides demographic reasons, I think a great deal of the problem has to do with jurisdictional issues. Over the last couple of years I have followed the blog of Brother Charles Martin and his efforts to establish a military Lodge in Iraq. Unfortunately, due to various circumstances this has not happened. This is the only attempt I have encountered by a "mainstream" Grand Lodge to attempt to revive the tradition of the traveling military Lodge. There are however some options if an eager Brother looks outside of the "mainstream". The most notable of these is the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, which has established military Lodges throughout the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Of course, many will not be able to seek the fellowship of these Lodges due to petty jurisdictional issues. In fact, I had a disheartening experience in this area last year when I was in Iraq. I happened to meet a young (in the Masonic sense) Entered Apprentice who was eager to expand his Masonic knowledge. I mentioned the presence of a Lodge on base and he expressed a desire to fellowship with these Brethren. When he checked with his coach back home, however, he was strongly warned to not associate with the Lodge because it was a Prince Hall Lodge, and of course there were recognition issues. He was clearly disappointed and didn't understand why he should be denied the opportunity to advance in his Masonic knowledge.
Personally, I believe that unless the "mainstream" grand Lodges step up to the plate and start establishing military Lodges, at the very least they should "look the other way" and tacitly allow military Masons overseas to seek Light where they can find it. It is a great disservice to our Brethren who are in harm's way to deny them the opportunity to practice the Craft because of meaningless recognition issues. By breaking down these jurisdictional barriers, our military Brothers will be given a greater opportunity to advance in their Masonic journey, even when they are far from home. So mote it be!

Going to Afghanistan

As some of you may remember, in June of 2008 I started a four month stint in Iraq. Well, of course that has come and gone, and now I have some new, exciting changes in my Army career. Foremost amongst these has been a change of station to Ft. Richardson in Anchorage Alaska. Having been previously stationed in California, Texas and Georgia this was quite a change. I really didn't have much of a chance to enjoy it, however, as we shipped off to Afghanistan about 45 days after my arrival. Currently, I am at Bagram Air Field, in transit to my final destination.
This deployment will be much different than my previous. My new unit is part of an Airborne infantry brigade, and is thus much more tactically oriented. What this means is that I will be "outside the wire" on a regular basis and much more "in harm's way". Also, this will be a 10 month deployment as opposed to my short time in Iraq.
While I am somewhat nervous about my new assignment, I am excited for the new opportunity, and looking forward to exercising my skills in a tactical environment.
On a Masonic note, I have met several military Brothers, and hope to meet more during my time over here. I know that there are several military Lodges in Afghanistan, and perhaps I will have the opportunity to meet with these Brethren. I also hope to further my Masonic education. My Masonic reading list for the 10 months includes Manly P. Hall's "The Secret Teachings of all Ages", WL Wilmshurst's "The Masonic Initiation" as well as a couple of texts on Hermeticism and my Builders of the Adytum lessons. Hopefully, without some of the distractions of normal life I will be able to profit from these works.
During this time my postings here may be sporadic, but I will attempt to step up my output a bit. I would appreciate any positive thoughts/prayers/whatever on behalf of myself and my family.

Reflections on the Kybalion

In a previous post, I mentioned the fact that the North is considered a place of darkness in American Masonic ritual. Living in Alaska, this is something I will experience, when during the depths of winter there are only a few hours of sunlight each day. However, on the flip side of that is the fact that at the height of the summer there are practically 24 hours of light. This reminds me of the Kybalion and its principle of polarity which states:
"Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled."
When we feel that we are mired in darkness, either literal or figurative, this principle reminds us that darkness and light are but opposite sides of the same coin. With some mental effort, we can change the darkness into light, even that Masonic Light of which we are all in search. In fact, the Kybalion instructs us in another principle, that of Rhythm, which is useful in this regard, and states:
"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates."
By recognizing the first principle and applying the second, we can change our periods of deepest darkness into those of the greatest light. All it takes is a mental effort to swing the pendulum back towards the light, and we can banish the darkness. Much like the North, we can transform the dark shadows of the seemingly never-ending night into an equal measure of warm effulgent sunlight to fill the recesses of our souls. . We need only learn to use our mental abilities, and we can take control of and utilize these principles to enrich our lives as well as bring us closer to our own Masonic enlightenment. So mote it be!

Masonic mediocrity

This is going to be a bit of a rant, so if you don't want to indulge me, then I suggest you click the back button now....
Not too long ago, I decided that the time had come for me to take my York Rite degrees. Of course I would have preferred to take them old style, one at a time over several days, however I felt a bit pressed for time, and the one day option was all that was available to me. So, I reported to the local York Rite building bright and early on a Saturday morning. I was greeted with the standard fare of coffee and donuts, and after some socializing the time came to begin. First off was the Mark degree, for which I was chosen as the candidate. This seemed a fortuitous start, as I felt that I would only receive the full experience of the degrees if I was the candidate. A Past Grand Master served as my guide, and thus I expected to see top notch work. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed. What ensued over the next several hours was the poorest display of ritual I have encountered in my ten years as a Mason. Not only did the Brethren not know their lines, they could not even read them properly from the book, and that was if they could even follow along. Floorwork was atrocious, and more often than not those serving as guides hardly knew where the candidates needed to be. Props were missing, as were Brethren to fill the various roles. Two of the degrees were not even exemplified, but rather shown on DVD. Yes, you heard me right, on DVD! And I may not have even objected to this had the production values on the DVDs been decent, however the ritual work thus portrayed was only a notch or two above what I was seeing live. I could go on, but I don't want to sound too bitter! At the end of the very long day, I felt cheated. I had given up an entire day off (which at the time was a very precious commodity) and a considerable sum of money only to receive very little Masonic light in return. As I drove home to a slightly put-out wife, I seriously questioned if i would ever return to this particular York Rite body.
Each branch of our Craft has valuable lessons to teach. However these lessons can be lost if we only make a half hearted effort in presenting the ritual. To-the-letter perfection is certainly not required, however we should always try to present the ritual in a manner consistent with the solemnity of the occasion. Often, brethren make sacrifices in terms of time and money to receive these degrees. What kind of message are we sending if we can't even be bothered to do a passable job of presenting them? Masonic mediocrity must be stamped out if our Craft is to prosper. By not taking the presentation of the various degrees seriously enough, we tell the candidates that we do not value these degrees, and thus they will not value them either.

The North

As we all know, the North has been deemed a place of Masonic darkness, due to the fact that the sun could not dart its rays into that part of the Temple. Thus, there is no officer seated in the North. Of course, i've always wondered why there is even a station there. This was obviously meant to draw attention to something, although admittedly I do not know what that might be. Why, you might ask, did I bring this up? For an incredibly awkward Masonic segue, of course!
Uncle Sam in all his wisdom has decided that my stellar (cough, cough!) linguistic skills are needed in Alaska. Thus, I am now residing in the beautiful northern metropolis of Anchorage. It is quite a bit colder here than I am used to, but I am happy to at least be on the west coast, even if a wee bit further north than usual. Currently I am separated from my family, due to the fact that housing is tight here and there are not a whole lot of units available on post that are suitable for a family of seven. This is not a big deal though because within thirty days or so, I will be deploying to Afghanistan. I don't know the details yet, and in the meantime I hope to fire off a few relevant Masonic posts. As of late, my output has slackened considerably, but I hope to reverse this trend!

Book Review: the Way of the Craftsman by W. Kirk Macnulty

There are a few books that should be in every Freemason's library. Among those are such classic works as WL Wilmshurst's the Meaning of Masonry and the Masonic Initiation, and Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma (for the American SR Mason). Rarely, however, does a contemporary work deserve a place amongst such venerated company. W. Kirk Macnulty's the Way of the Craftsman is one such book.
I first came across this tome about five years ago when attending the annual communication of the Grand Lodge of California. At the time, I was a bit short on cash, so I put it on my wish list. Over the past couple of years, I have been trying to obtain it, but it is hard to come by. In fact, if you try to purchase it on Amazon, it goes for well over fifty dollars. I was finally able to locate it directly though the publisher Central Regalia in London for about $17.50.
This book is well worth the effort of obtaining it. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is probably the best contemporary work in terms of interpreting the symbols of our Craft. Macnulty applies a unique approach, interpreting Masonic symbols in terms of a God-centered psychology. In this model, everything from the structure of the Temple, to the officers of the Lodge has an important meaning. For example, the seven officers (in English ritual) represent "seven stages of psychological consciousness possible to the incarnate human being." From there, the author goes through the important symbols of each degree, illustrating how our rituals form the basis of a psychological process of self-discovery, which ultimately can lead to the possession of what psychologists refer to as one's "Self". The title refers to the fact that self-discovery is a lifetime labor. To obtain this knowledge, one must embark upon "the way of the Craftsman" and endeavor to apply the principles of the Craft on a daily basis. It is only through diligent labor that the "lost secrets" of a Master Mason can be found. To this end, the author includes a chapter outlining suggestions for embarking upon the Work.
I would recommend this book to any Master Mason desiring to have a deeper knowledge of the symbolism of our Craft, and thus by extension, himself. Relatively short but concise at only 150 pages, this book contains a wealth of valuable information that will give the contemplative Mason much upon which to meditate. By applying the approach advocated by Macnulty, one's Masonic journey can be greatly enriched, and even seemingly insignificant parts of the ritual can serve as guideposts towards greater Masonic enlightenment.

Universal Freemasonry

Lately, I have been seriously considering making a radical change in my own Masonic journey, and thinking about the nature and universality of our Craft. In doing so, I have been considering just how long my cable-tow might be, and have reached some surprising conclusions.
For much of my Masonic career, I have accepted without question the proposition that certain segments of the human race, most notably women and atheists, could not be made Masons. This principle is so fundamental to "mainstream" Freemasonry, that it is even considered one of the Ancient Landmarks. But what is it about a woman or an atheist that precludes them from being a Mason? As I thought about this question, I came to the conclusion that there is no rational reason why this should be. In fact, the more I pondered the question, the more I became convinced that women and atheists can and should be allowed to become Masons.

One of the stated purposes of our Craft is to "cause true friendship to exist among those who might have otherwise remained at a perpetual distance". What better application of this lofty ideal than to bring together in Brotherhood believers and atheists, men and women, all on an equal footing? How good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity, despite what might have otherwise been insurmountable differences!
Many will argue that an atheist can have no real morality because they do not believe in a Supreme Being, and thus cannot be trusted to keep an oath. This is simply absurd. While I agree that it may be more difficult to enforce a rigid morality upon oneself without the idea of some sort of eternal consequences, it is certainly not impossible. In fact, in my opinion, the atheist who subscribes to a moral code consistent with Masonic principles is to be commended, possibly even over one who has their moral code imposed by an external force, such as an organized religion. To maintain such a moral code is difficult in today's world, and the atheist who does must certainly exert a great deal more effort to do it than the typical religious adherent.
What about women? In ancient times, women were not allowed to be Masons due to societal constraints. There just weren't very many female stonemasons in the operative guilds. As the Fraternity evolved, the social climate of the times also prevented women from becoming speculative Masons. This was codified, and has continued to the present day. However, just because something has "always been done that way" does not make it correct. Society has evolved, and many of the barriers that have been placed in front of women have been overcome. There is no compelling reason why our Craft should not evolve as well, and recognize that women can be Masons. To deny half of the world's population the opportunity to benefit from the lessons of Freemasonry based on outdated societal constraints is, in my opinion, a violation of the very principles we hold dear.
I accept that this is a controversial view, far outside the "mainstream", and that many Brethren will vehemently disagree. I only ask that each Mason honestly examine his own heart and conscience for the answer to this issue. By accepting women and atheists as Masons, we can only enrich our own Masonic journey. Furthermore, in an increasingly materialistic and selfish world, Masonic values are needed now more than they have ever been. How can having more Masons propagating these values be a bad thing?
So mote it be!

As a postscript to the above, let me add that there are some orders of our Craft in which an atheist might not feel comfortable. Two obvious examples of this are some of the mainstream York Rite orders as well as the less common (at least in the United States) Rectified Scottish Rite. To remove religious references from these orders would destroy their unique character, and I do not advocate this. I suppose that even while allowing atheists into our Craft generally, there would be certain Rites into which they simply could not be admitted. I concede that this is somewhat of a "have your cake and eat it too" approach, but then again, I also do not advocate the wholesale integration of women and atheists into our Craft. I believe that Freemasonry can be a "big tent" with room for all types of Masonic obediences, whether they be single sex, integrated, liberal, conservative, or any mix thereof. There need be no friction between the different obediences if Masons would adopt a "live and let live" attitude. Recognition should be left up to individual Masons and Lodges and not usurped by any "Grand" body.