The District Light. information and Masonic Education April, 2018 ( Niagara B District )

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1 The District Light information and Masonic Education April, 2018 ( Niagara B District ) bhodwitz@gmail.com The Extent of Masonry We are told that masonry is spread over the whole of the earth s habitable surface. Many travellers have proven that to be true. By a recent count. there are 1,516 lodges in Canada with 1,147 using Emulation (Canadian Working), 352 using Antient York, 15 Scottish, and 2 Australian. There are also 15 Prince Hall Mason Lodges. The lodges by province: Nfld. & Labrador - 42 Nova Scotia PEI - 15 New Brunswick 51 Quebec Ontario Manitoba - 80 Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia Light Through Masonry Enlightenment to me is being in the light: When one finds themselves connected to everything when there is no separation between you, the stars and the universe. And then one may ask how does one get there. Freemasons lodges are the perfect place to meet like-minded people: kind, caring and helpful. The club promotes all the right ethics and direction, which brings about beautiful energy for growth and wisdom. This is the beginning of experiencing Enlightenment the tip of the iceberg! Enlightenment is found in each one of us, where all the answers to our questions are found. The answers are found in our Hearts where the God-force energy resides. To get there, we need to love and accept ourselves just the way we are, leading to peace of mind. To me PURE LOVE and ACCEPTANCE of oneself is being in the light, which is something that I think could take one's whole life to get to. But what a amazing journey, don't you think. Judyann Niemi Balancing Energy Practitioner

2 District Light April, 2018 p.2 Darkness to Light The concept of darkness can be applied to ignorance or fear or loneliness, and we all want release from that condition. The following parable is presented by Phil Beith, a mason in New York state: You're in darkness. There are others around you but the place is so dark that you bump into each other. It's frightening not to be able to see who is next to you, or how big they are, who they might represent, or what they might want. You feel isolated among others. You could cling to your neighbour by holding hands. You feel safe as long as you are in contact with others. You can trust only those who are holding your hand; the others might be a threat. You just don't know. You can't see them. In this darkness suddenly there appears a Lightworker, an older soul. He lights a match it doesn't create much light, but if you're in total darkness, a little light goes a long way. Suddenly, the room changes. You can start to see around you, dimly. You can see your neighbours for the first time! They are just like you afraid! Shortly, the people start to drop the walls of isolation that they created. They see that others are like them and find other hands to hold or other people to accept. Did the match bearer have a doctrine? No. Did the match bearer have an organization to join or promote? No. What did the match bearer have? Light! Many want more of it. They look at the match bearer and they ask, "May we share the fire from your match?" The answer is yes, and suddenly there's even more light. Others then go and share their light, and now many can see each other clearly. With the light, there's no reason at all for fear. The darkness is gone. Shine your light and banish your fear. The whole world will be brighter for it. Masonic 10 Commandments Thou shalt remember that you must be a good man before you can be a good mason. Thou shalt remember that real masonry is internal rather than external. Thou shalt not, in thy zeal for masonry, neglect thy wife and family. Thou shalt respond to the just calls of any of thy brethren in need or want. Thou shalt not use thy masonic connection for commercial or political purposes. Thou shalt remember the financial obligations which masonry entails. Thou shalt not habitually absent thyself from lodge without good reason. Thou shalt not parade thy knowledge of masonry before the stranger, the enemy, or the imposter. Thou shalt not unduly strive to obtain those exalted offices for which thou are unfitted. Thou shalt not overburden thy person with masonic jewelry.

3 District Light April, 2018 p..3 Cornerstone The Cornerstone project has been a great vehicle for rejuvenating interest in lodge activities. Pulling together elements from the Brother to Brother, Friend to Friend and Mentors programs, and promoting inter-lodge visiting, community involvement, and solid fiscal practices, it has everything. And it has been shown time and again to raise the interest of the members and enhance the lodge experience for everyone. R.W.Bro. David J. Cameron Deputy Grand Master The Charles A. Sankey Lecture Series Sunday, April 15, 2018, at 3 p.m. Brock University: Sean O Sullivan Theatre 500 Glenridge Ave. St. Catharines, Ontario The 2018 Sankey Lecture will be presented by Dr. William D. Moore and is entitled Catechism, Spectacle, Burlesque: American Fraternal Ritual Performance, Dr. Moore is the Director of the American & New England Studies Program, and Associate Professor of American Material Culture, Department of History of Art & Architecture, Boston University, Boston. Two lodges in our district are hosting the Child Identification Program next month. They would appreciate your support by your visit or assistance. May 12: Macnab Lodge will be presenting families with Child Identification kits in Welland at Niagara College 10:00-2:00. May 27: King Edward VII Lodge will be at Heartland Forest, 8215 Heartland Forest Road 12:00-3:00. Other Events April 12: Official Visit of the DDGM to Copestone Lodge in Fonthill at 7:30 p.m. April 14: Inter-District Visit to the Official Visit to Niagara A to Brock Daylight Lodge at 10:00 a.m. 23 Center St., St. Catharines. Tuesday, April 17: The Masonic Association of Niagara B District Spring Meeting at 6:00 at Kimono s Restaurant, 440 Niagara St., Welland. Tickets are $20.00 and can be purchased at the door. The required dress is suit and tie. April 22: Niagara A&B Joint Divine Service will be held at Navy Hall, 305 Ricardo St., Niagara-on-the-Lake, 10 a.m to 12 p.m. A reception will follow. April 26: Our DDGM, Ronald Jordan, will make his Homecoming Visit to Macnab Lodge in Port Colborne at 422 King Street at 7:30. You will find information about this year s lecture, as well as the videos of the first eight lectures on the Sankey Lecture website:

4 District Light April, 2018 p.4 The Niagara Chapter of the boys group of DeMolay has received official sanction and is recruiting members. The requirements are few, but each is important. To be a member of DeMolay, a young man must: Be between the ages of 12 and 21; Be of good character and reputation; Have a belief in one God, Supreme Being, or Deity; Complete an application; Attend a two-part induction ceremony. Tomorrow's Leaders Today pamphlet helps introduce the young men to DeMolay. It provides food for thought and exploration. Find it here. We want to make sure to keep the parents of our youth active, involved, and aware of what DeMolay is and does. A pamphlet answers many of the questions parents may pose. Find To The Parents here. When the young man decides he's interested and asks to join, hand him the following: New Member Application (Petition) here.

5 District Light April, 2018 p.5 Two Views In the world of Masonry, there are many symbols which are used in the various teachings in the Fraternity. One, however, is continually employed by many much to the chagrin of countless persons and sovereign Masonic bodies the skull & crossbones. What follows ate conflicting views about the inclusion of that symbol in masonic imagery. The Skull stands as a bastion in Masonry as a reminder that death is ever imminent and should incite ones reflection of their own life. The skull also relates to rebirth and as a reminder for spiritual reawakening. The crossed bones are added to signify the pillars of the portico where man stands as he labours in the quarry. To say that the skull is a misrepresentation of Masonry is akin to saying that the company, Apple, is evil because their logo happens to be an apple with a bite taken out of it. The skull a fine symbol A Universal symbol which has transcended ages, cultures and languages. The symbol reminds us that we can take nothing with us, that in death all men are equal. It represents that thing which is our transformation from this world to the next the Grand Leveller. It is effective. Perhaps this is why some don't like it. It works so well. It reminds us of our own mortality, our equality in relation to the rest of humanity and perhaps that hits just a little too close to home. I disagree. The skull and crossbones are a symbol of our mortality, but by placing it within the Square and compasses the implied symbolism is that death is at the centre of circumscription and virtue. This is not true, nor is it Masonic. The skull and crossbones within a square and compasses is a modern invention, used mostly by Widows Sons and other Masonic bikers. In the biker world, skulls are cool, but that is not a reason for putting it at the centre of our identifying mark. We are a Fraternity of Light and Morality, of Knowledge and Wisdom. Yes, we remember death, as we are pursued by it, but we don't place it at the centre of our identity. We are not a death cult. I will continue to keep light, and God, and Geometry at the centre of my Virtue and Circumscription. [author unknown] Shakespeare Said... And so from hour to hour we ripe and ripe, and then from hour to hour we rot and rot; and thereby hangs a tale. To live, yes; but to live well... In the living, shall we make a tale worth telling? It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves. Live long and prosper.

6 District Light April, 2018 p..6 On Death Am I to understand that death is the particular subject of this degree? There is something heroic, something magnificent in the refusal of a man to let death have the last word. Time out of mind, as far back as we can trace human thought - in sign or symbol - man has refused to think of the grave as the coffin lid of a dull and mindless world descending upon him at last. It was so in Egypt five thousand years ago, and is so today. At the gates of the tomb he defies the Shadow he cannot escape, and asserts the worth of his soul and its high destiny. Surely this mighty faith is its own best proof and prophecy, since man is a part of Nature, and what is deepest in him is what nature has taught him to hope. With overwhelming impressiveness this faith is set forth in the greatest degree of Freemasonry, the full meaning and depth of which we have not yet begun to fathom, much less realize. Edwin Booth was right when he said that the Third degree of Masonry is the profoundest, the simplest, the most heart-gripping tragedy known among men. Where else are all the elements of tragedy more perfectly blended in a scene which shakes the heart and makes it stand still? It is pathetic. It is confounding. Everything seems shattered and lost. Yet, somehow, we are not dismayed by it, because we are made to feel that there is a Beyond the victim is rather set free from life than deprived of it. But there is a still deeper meaning in the Third Degree of Masonry, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. It is not explained in the lectures; it is hardly hinted at in the lodge, yet it is as clear as day, if we have insight. The Degree ends not in a memorial, but in the manifestation of the Eternal Life. Raised from the dead level to a living perpendicular by the strong grip of faith, the Master Builder lives by the power of an endless life. That is to say, Masonry symbolically initiates us into Eternal Life here and now, makes us citizens of eternity in time and bids us live and act accordingly. Here is the deepest secret Masonry has to teach that we are immortal here and now; that death is nothing to the soul; that eternity is today. [Author unknown]

7 District Light April, 2018 p.7 Last Words Nearing the end of his life, an old man had his closest relatives around his bed. He said, ''I must tell you my greatest secret. Before I got married, I had it all,'' he explained. ''Fast cars, cute girls, and plenty of money. But a good friend warned me, Get married and start a family. Otherwise, no-one will be there to give you a glass of water to drink when you're on your deathbed.' ''So I took his advice. I traded the girls for a wife, the beer for baby food. I sold my sports car and invested in your education. And now here we are. And you know what?'' ''What?'' asked the fascinated members of his family. ''I'm not even thirsty!''