Masculinity as Craft by Wor. Bro. David L. Riley This article was originally created for Amicable Lodge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. January 25, 2017 “A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.” ― Gloria Steinem It is common for Freemasons to be asked why the Craft…
by Midnight Freemasons Founder Todd E. Creason, 33° (image link) The Illustrious Brother Ernest Borgnine, 33° and Frank Sinatra fight in “From Here To Eternity” (1953) We’ve all seen that scene in a movie. Some army sergeant challenges his superior officer by saying “if you weren’t wearing that hat, I’d teach you a lesson.” Of…
The Trowel – a Lost Symbol? – W Bro Steve Lourey The trowel is a beautiful Masonic symbol which seems to be somewhat lost in English Freemasonry. We read in the Book of Amos, “Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in…
A reminder that one word in the English language that can be a noun, verb, adjective, adverb and preposition. UP This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is ‘UP.’ It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv.], [prep.], [adj.], [n] or [v]. …
This story isn’t ours, but nevertheless it is a good one! A farmer had an old blind horse which had outlived his usefulness. One day he fell into an old well. The farmer looked in and saw him standing deep in the water. There seemed to be no way to get him out, and as…
Written and Presented by James Musgrave, GLNS My Brothers, why is the delivery of ritual by memory so important in Freemasonry? Memory work is a key component of everything we do, starting with the ritual we learn as Entered Apprentices. From that point onward, committing ritual to memory is an integral part of our…
W:. B :. Andrew Hammer, PM Alexandria-Washington Lodge No 22 The growing popularity of the idea of ‘observant’ Masonry has found brethren in all corners of the Craft asking the question of what exactly an observant Lodge is, and how they might go about increasing Masonic observance in their own Lodges. This document offers eight basic measures…
When a new initiate enters the lodge at his initiation, he has an ancient artifact about him. This artifact that binds him is the cable tow and it binds him to his new life; for his cable tow connects him to the obligation he will take in the ceremony. As long as he never lets…
By Wor.Mark Waks <justin@waks.org> Ritualist’s Corner One of the problems that most often plagues Masonry is poor ritual. By this, I don’t just mean getting the words wrong — I mean ritual that is drab and uninspiring, which fails to actually *teach* a candidate. Ritual is often mediocre, and it doesn’t have to be; anyone…
By Bro Love, Tyrawley Lodge No 217 (Ballina, Mayo) Grand Lodge of Ireland Introduction About 8 years ago, I took my first stone carving lessons and have been carving stone as a hobby ever since. This operative interest in stone carving has carried over into the Lodge and I find I am always…