Metaphor

Your a classic car enthusiast. You have always loved them and seen them in the periphery of your vision but you never had the gumption to get one and take on what it is to own one. One day you are driving down the street and you see one poking its grill out of a garage and you are inspired. It looks a bit dusty but underneath the dust is one of those beautiful pieces of steel and chrome and rubber that makes your heart skip a beat. It was made in the heyday of the automobile when bigger was better and beauty was prised over aerodynamics. The symmetry and style exude class like nothing else on the road today so you stop your car and walk your way up the steps of the front porch to the door of the house.

There is a well worn brass handle and an ornate knocker and for a minute you think about hopping back into your car and driving away because you already have a car and it gets you from A to B which is what a car is supposed to do but there is something that holds you at the entry. With trepidation you reach out for the knocker and lift it ever so gently amazed by the weight of the thing in your hands and you let it fall.

Knock

Knock

Knock

Then silence.

After a seemingly extraordinary amount of time your hear a stirring from within and a gray haired old man opens the door a crack and says "who is it?" You can see his stern gaze from within.

"Hello. I'm your neighbor from around the corner and I noticed that beautiful old car in your garage and I was wondering if you would like to talk about it?"

At the mention of the old auto the old mans face changed and he threw the door open and thrust out his hand for a shake. "Come in, come in I always have time to talk about my wonderful car." The twinkle in his eyes revealed a tremendous pride and love for this thing.

He ushers you in and you spend the next hour talking to him about all sorts of stuff but mostly his prized car.

You explain to him of your sincere interest and you then take a walk out to the garage and all of a sudden you are right next to it and it is amazing. It was definitely taken care of as you already knew from your conversation before but the layer of dust on it indicates that it had not been used as of late. The old man then tells you that it has been hard for him as of late to use it but opens the door and tells you to go ahead and start it. As you slide into the well worn leather that old car smell fills your senses as you turn the ornate key and the old thing grumbles to life.

WOW! What a sound it makes! Nothing on four wheels today has that deep rumble that echoes in the old garage and you are sold. You spend the next couple of months visiting the old man and his car and grow to love it and eventually he agrees to hand the keys over to you.

The day comes to take it out for the first time and your heart is about to leap from your chest. You had dusted it off and kicked the tires and sat in the drivers seat for the first time with the intention of driving it somewhere. You turn the keys again and it comes to life with the gentle touch of a lover you ease the car into drive and it moves! Oh what a thrill! You feel like royalty driving such a magnificent automobile as you idle your way to the road at the end of the driveway and as you turn onto the road ahead and step on the gas there is no response! The car just remains in idle. You tap the accelerator again and again no response. You park the car and go back to the gentle old and ask him what is going on?

He sheepishly looks up and tells you that's all it can do.

Its been that way for so long that he doesn't even know how to get it to move any faster and asks "Why do you want it to go any faster? It's fine the way it is. Just look at how beautiful it is!"

"Because you just can't travel todays roads at that speed" I regretfully say.

Successful Install!

Take one AGM in a Tux cowboy boots and hat, one Senior Warden, a Derby, some Prince Hall, United Grand Lodge of England, and Grand Lodge of Connecticut Brethren, and unlike poor Tom Accuosti's latest ubuntu attempt, you have one successful installation!

Thanks to all!

The Night Before....

Twas the night before installation

and all through my head

the year that was coming

kept me from my bed.

The Brothers, the lodge

and the ritual so dear

will be my responsibility

for the upcoming year.

So I did what I do

I grabbed my netbook

to give all my favorite

Masonic Blogs a quick look.

First to the Tao

and Tom and his wit

on being brought to light....

on Linux? Bull ****

The Taper was filled

with more Halcyon stuff

while the Metaphysical Freemason

doing some Papal fluff.

Chequered Carpet hasn't written

in nearly a year.

But the Renaissance is back

so we need no longer fear

Justa Mason is sadly mourning

a fine lady Auntie Grace

and Paul Chapin went off on

some peacocks, full pace.

Its not Lodgical that Grail Quest

don't post much no more.

Masonic Traveler welcomed many

to Freemason Informations wide door.

The dead Masonic Blogroll

would keep me writing all night

so lets all welcome back

From Darkness to Light!

MMM 1.0

I have been criminally neglectful of my blog but like usual I have a lot of excuses, well sort of, I am a recent addition to the national unemployment statistic and for the first time in my adult life I do not have a full time job. Although that should give me loads of time to write I actually find that my time seems to disappear faster now than when I was working 60 hour weeks! Just before I was handed a pink slip I was, in my spare time, going full speed ahead with trying to organize and lay out the ground work for my lodge to purchase a building we could call our own. I had been working and politicking like mad for the last couple meetings to test the waters and gather support for my dream. I found a building, checked the resources, examined the charter and rules and regulations, and one by one I started to talk to the Brethren to get their ideas and see if they liked mine.

Simultaneously I started the hard work of gathering and weeding out the Brothers who I would be calling on for help over the next year. I wanted to surround myself with a corps of officers that I knew I could count on because the last thing you need to do as WM is make sure your officers will be at the next lodge meeting. Luckily our membership has increased a such a pace that I didn't have to rely on a couple of choices but had a good quarry to search in.

All of this action led up to our lodges annual meeting and election of officers. It was going to be a big night for me in a couple ways. I prepared a power point presentation to go along with my speech about my dream of a building of our own but due to unforeseen circumstances I arrived just before the meeting started and was not able to set up.

After opening the lodge the WM stated to the gathered craft that I had an important speech and off I went. I spoke from my heart and used my head and although I ruffled a few feathers I received majority support for my idea so we'll see how that goes. My little speech did however cost me a unanimous vote to be WM. The worst thing is is that the numerous votes for me could not outshine the one vote cast for "jachin". Regardless I was elected to serve as the 245th Worshipful Master of "old St. Johns".

So, on this coming Thursday January 7th 2010 I will be installed and my reign of terror will begin!

Just Kidding! It just fit so perfectly into that sentence.

For real, I am so thrilled to assume the oriental chair and I hope I can accomplish all that I want to do never has a year ahead seemed so short.

If you are in my area next week come on by it should be a good night!

To Be or Not To Be......Impartial

Three meetings away from the East (maybe) and the trickle of good guidance has already begun. While attentively listened to and carefully pondered there is one piece of advice I have received from a few sources that I appreciate yet have a question to its legitimacy. The recommendation I have received is, if and when I assume the oriental chair, it would be in my best interest to remain neutral in all matters having to do with the lodge. Like a wise and impartial judge......

Alright

So while I can understand the logic behind the admonition, it just doesn't sit right with me or my idea of what a Worshipful Master should be.

The reason my astute Brethren believe that a WM should remain detached is that if the Master of the lodge takes a side or utters an opinion it would create dissension among the craft and who ever was on the other side of the Masters opinion would feel alienated and possibly effect the harmony of the lodge in a negative way.

Okay

Sure

So, in the name of unity the leader of the craft must walk on eggshells for a year, not offend anyone and flutter aimlessly like a great white flag high up on the pole above the fray?

I don't think so.

How does one lead without setting a course?

Not everyone will agree on the course but without direction you go nowhere.

While impartiality may serve a purpose in some matters it is not the top leadership imperative on my dossier next year.

I intend to lead my lodge not be lead by it.

A Mason is given a year by his Brothers to run the craft and if running a lodge means scheduling meetings and degrees for a year and scribbling a John Hancock every now and then, you can leave me off the list. I think a Master is meant to lead and how can you lead without taking a side every now and then. My idea of a Worshipful Master is one who with careful thought and planning lays out his trestleboard and with strong direction sets the craft to work.

You cant get a good stew without stirring the pot and I am getting my spoon ready.

There is much work to be done.

And although everyone may not agree with my decisions or direction they will know exactly why I will do things because I will tell them why with conviction and a clear head.

How did you run your lodge?

How do you think a WM should behave?

Cement

Not to be confused with concrete, cement is a binding agent that, when mixed with other aggregates, can create something that can last for ages.

Lately there has been a great feeling of bonding at my lodge. We meet and have fun doing the labor of Freemasonry. At our last meeting our Junior Warden, a man who was thrust into the South faster than I, stepped up to act as Worshipful Master for an Entered Apprentice degree for four men wishing to become brothers. The JW is a very reserved and quiet man and I freely admit I had my doubts about him stepping up to receive his proficiency by the Grand Lodge, but boy did he shine! In fact, the whole lodge shined that night for the men receiving Masonic light for the first time but just after the opening, as we were going into the degree, I felt an awesome sense of pride for my Brother who performed fantastically. The best thing is that I felt better for him doing well than I had ever felt for myself doing the same! That's Brotherhood. I have felt overwhelming pride for my children before but never for another Mason.

Before the degree I gathered the candidates and gave them a little speech about how that night was for them and how they were about to go through the same initiation that so many of the greatest men in history had gone through and that the whole thing was for them not the officers, not the dignitaries, not the guys on the sidelines, but them. I admonished them to be aware of everything and to soak it all in.....and they did. I watched closely as they went through the ritual and they were never out of place or disorientated and they payed close attention to everything. What a night.

Our District Grand Lecturer, or AGM as he is titled now, asked the WM if he could address the new Brethren after the degree to re-recite the obligation that all Masons take without pause and with emphasis so as to further enlighten them to that which they just went through. Can I say it was amazing! I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it because all of us there received light with that speech. It was one of the best EA degrees I have been to, or been a part of and I really think we sprinkled a little cement on the mix of men gathered.

Speaking of cement.

I have an idea for a lodge night that I want to give a try in my year in the East. I'll call it "Cement Mixing Night" a night to take the aggregate mix of the Brethren and make it concrete. Ideally this would occur during a Table Lodge or Festive Board (cause everything is better during a Table Lodge) but it could happen on a regular meeting night also.

Just like when making concrete, the first thing you have to do is dry mix the different aggregates. Take the Brothers and split up the usual friends and the different age groups and mix them up. The WM should know his lodge well enough to get the "right" mix.

If its a Table Lodge this is where you can add the "wet" ingredient of choice to stir up the mixture because we all know how certain liquids can loosen up a mixture of people. If not proceed to the next step.

Add cement.

Pair up the mixed Brothers and have them interview each other. It may help to have a standard set of questions to ask or they can just wing it, it's all good. Let them get a good idea of the man they see all the time but may know just cordially. Make sure you set an equal amount of time on each interview to further mix the ingredients.

Now wait. Some mortars take time to set so don't rush to the next step! After an acceptable period have each Brother get up and tell everyone about their Brother they interviewed and ENJOY.

THIS IS WHERE YOU MAKE A BUILDING OUT OF MANY DIFFERENT MATERIALS.

You can't just throw a bunch of aggregates together sprinkle in a little cement and expect an aqueduct. Good Masonry requires a little know how, good materials, and patience. But with this process anything is possible!

What do you think?

Happy building!

The Looming East

So there I was, fresh from practicing the FC obligation in my truck, on my way to my first FC degree in the East, walking down the stairs to our dining facilities when I saw a sight to make any officer stepping up in lodge for a night quiver.... the Right Worshipful Grand Senior Warden innocently chowing down some pizza with the Brothers!

Damn me and my extensive email list!

Calm down, I said to myself, pay no attention to the gleaming purple and gold and get to grabbing all of the other officers stepping up that night and kick em into high gear!

So I did.

And we did.

Other than the fact that my brain, that was two sentences ahead, sometimes overrode my mouth. We put on an excellent degree topped of by our 21 year old Senior Deacons quite beautiful and masterful middle chamber lecture and me delivering an almost perfect and from the heart "G" lecture from the oriental chair. If I do say so myself, that lecture belongs with the Worshipful Master and should not be farmed out like it so often is around the lodges I go to.

The R.W. G.S.W. did not want to be received so he just sat on the sideline with the other regulars enjoying the show but when it came down to the final word, just after me and my big mouth said how it was wonderful to be in the East to pass a dear old friend, he the R.W. one grabbed our newest Fellowcraft and proceeded to see if my friend was indeed proficient in the preceding degree AND what he learned that night from his dear old friend in the East!

Let me just say that my friend, who is one of the most reserved and quiet men who ever came out of Waterford, Ireland, did me and our lodge proud by knowing and doing all of the tokens, words, and signs, including the ones he just learned for the first time, quite well and with no help from the sidelines. He did look like a deer in the headlights standing up in front of everyone next to this towering man in purple and gold but he performed. I was proud.

After it was all over I offered to do another F.C. for our WM so I could improve my performance to which he said "You'll have enough time next year my boy, hold your horses, it's still my year." He's always so right!

A couple of days later I went to our Grand Lodges "Masters of 2010 Seminar" which was quite informative and enjoyable and saw a few of my old friends and former bloggers Traveling Man of the now nonexistent Movable Jewel and Charles Tirrell of the extremely out of date Masonic Renaissance. Its hard to believe that just a couple of years ago we were all VERY VERY involved in the burgeoning Masonic Blogosphere and how it is so different now. It is very sad to me. I really enjoyed our time back then.

Last but not in the least bit least I also saw my friend and Masonic Blog mentor Tom Accuosti of the Tao of Masonry hawking Masonic books, knick knacks and what not for the Grand Lodge and after I got over my initial guffaw and indignation we had a great but short conversation about what it's like to be the last of a dying breed of bloggers and caught up on what was going on in our regular and Masonic lives. If there was only one good thing that came from my blog (and there is allot more) it would be me coming into contact and becoming friends with one of the kindest most rock steady Masons I know....and also Tom Accuosti. Just kidding Tom! I am really the better for knowing you and counting you as a friend and Brother.

All right, all right enough of the sappiness.

My time as Master is coming and I will be devoting my blog to litmus testing ideas I want to shove down the throats of my unsuspecting lodge so be ready!

THERE IS LOTS OF WORK TO BE DONE!