Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry

Transcription

1 Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Carl Smith, 33 Personal Representative of the S.G.I G. (360) Harry Sherman, 32 KCCH Secretary P.O. Box 1112 Everett, WA (425) Valley of Everett Orient of Washington Volume 14 May 2005 Issue 05 There are exciting times ahead for the Valley of Everett! On Friday, April 22 nd, fourteen Brethren began their journey through the Degrees of Scottish Rite Masonry. The Fourth and Fourteenth Degrees were presented on Friday night and the Eighteenth Degree on Saturday morning, the Thirtieth Degree the following Friday night. Thirteen of these Brethren are from Everett Valley and one from the Valley of Bellingham. In addition, there are Brethren seeking to affiliate with our Valley from other Valleys. The quality of the Degree work continually keeps getting better and better. In fact the Eighteenth and Thirtieth Degrees were performed so well that the participant received a standing ovation from the members of the class. The members of this class are displaying something that has not been seen in Masonry for awhile. They have Energy! Excitement! Enthusiasm! They can be called the class with the big E! They are very much interested in becoming members of the Knights of Saint Andrew Chapter that is currently being formed. Some are already talking about taking part in the Degrees, serving on committees, and becoming officers in the Bodies. These Brethren are not only interested in making Everett a well functioning Valley they want to explore the esoteric aspects of our order. They want to know about its history and understand the truths of its teachings. Please join with me in welcoming our newest members to the Valley of Everett. Talk with them and help them to enjoy the many fruits of Scottish Rite Masonry. Now let s talk about an important event that is on the Everett Valley calendar. Friday, May 20 th will be the 2 nd Annual Public Schools Night. On this occasion we will be recognizing outstanding students and educators from the high schools in the area. Included on the agenda will be the presentation of awards to deserving JROTC cadets. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. with the program to follow. For reservations, please call our Secretary, Brother Harry Sherman, 32 KCCH, at Carl B. Smith, 33 Personal Representative of the S.G.I.G.

2 THE WONDERER Bro. Allan Marnoch, MM, Lodge Minto #385, Lochgelly Fife, Scotland I wish I could understand The moving marvel of my hand I watch my fingers turn and twist The supple bending of my wrist The dainty touch of finger tip A tool of exquisite design With pride I think its mine! It s mine! Then there is the wonder of my eyes Where hills and houses sea and skies In waves of light converge and pass And print themselves as on glass Line, form and colour live in me I am the beauty that I see Ah! I could write a book of size About the wonder of my eyes What of the wonder of my heart That plays so faithfully its part? I hear it running sound and sweet It does not seem to miss a beat Between the cradle and the grave It never falters, staunch and brave Alas! I wish I had the art To tell the wonder of my heart Then oh! But how can I explain The wondrous wonder of my brain That marvelous machine that brings All consciousness of wonderings That lets me from myself leap out And watch my body walk about Its hopeless all my words are in vain To tell the wonder of my brain But do not think o patient friend Who reads the stanzas to the end That I myself would glorify You're just as wonderful as I And all creation in our view Is quite as marvelous as you Come let us on the seashore stand And wonder at a grain of sand And then into the meadow pass And marvel at a blade of grass Or cast our vision high and far And thrill with wonder at a star A host of stars-nights holy tent Glittering with wonderment If wonder is in great and small Then what of him who made it all In eyes and brain and heart and limb Let us see the wondrous work of him In house and hill and sward and sea In bird and beast and flower and tree In everything from sun to sod The wonder and awe of GOD Profile in Masonry Brother Anson Jones, known as the hero of the Battle of San Jacinto, carried the charter for Holland Lodge # 36 (Louisiana Constitution) in his saddlebags during that famous battle of Texas. Brother John M. Allen had delivered the charter to him only hours before on the prairie approaching San Jacinto. Brother Anson Jones was the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas. Editors Note: If your received this document by the U.S. Postal Service and would like to receive via , contact WB Ken Thompson by sending me your address so I can put you on my list. My address is knthom@gte.net

3 By Robert Larsen, 33 We are starting a new feature in this month s Bulletin. For want of a better name we are using the descriptive phrase Open Forum which is exactly what we want it to be. This is a forum for anyone who desires to present there thought or ideas on a specific Degree or perhaps another element of Scottish Rite Masonry. For the month of May we have picked the Fourth Degree and are presenting a common view of the Degree. WE ASK THAT YOU RESPOND WITH YOUR OWN VIEWS, which we will published next month. Please send your responses to Bob Larsen at trminc@comcast.net. FOURTH DEGREE, SECRET MASTER The Fourth Degree teaches that a man is not fit to commence the ascent toward the heights on which Truth sits enthroned without first appreciating and embracing the values of Truth itself and of Virtue. It teaches of Duty, of your mission as a Mason to serve your fellows, your country and mankind, and of the nine great Masonic virtues built upon the three great pillars of Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty. They are Truthfulness, Endurance, Independence, Justice, Mercy, Equity, Silence, Devotion, and Attainment. In this Degree you must learn to work for work s sake, without desire of praise or reward. Work and action have their own rewards. It is the duty of a man who seeks and accumulates greater knowledge to know and practice those ethical and moral principles which demonstrates man s highest, most noble nature. As you begin your climb toward knowledge, your eyes are anointed to discern Truth from Error. You are given the key to the Mysteries, and it devolves upon you to discover its use. You are introduced to the Kabbalah as a system of mystical thought and shown the symbolic diagram used by the Kabbalalists to illustrate the world and all of its parts. This diagram is also introduced as a key to the symbolic language necessary for reading and comprehending the deeper meanings of Scottish Rite and Masonic symbolism in general. Just as ideas may be vocalized in different languages, abstract and esoteric concepts may be represented in different symbols. The Kabbalah, originally an ancient Hebrew system, is here introduced as a flexible yet comprehensive means for categorizing information---be it cosmic processes, psychological states of mind, or Divine Virtues. The Kabbalah is presented as a symbolic system, not as a religious creed. ROSE CROIX MEMORIAL SERVICE By Robert Larson, 33º The Chapter of Rose Croix is never closed in recognition of the fact that the work of a Knight Rose Croix in unending. One of important duties of the Knight Rose Croix is to see that the body of a departed Brother is interred after the manner of Masonry. This can out of choice or necessity take place at any time or place. The Rose Croix Service was developed in the mid- 1800s and from its original inception until today the ritual is in keeping with the underlying beliefs of Masonry. Throughout the Service one is reminded of the Masonic belief in the immortal soul. Early on in the Service one is reminded that when we inter the body of a Brother it is not done as undiscerning as a fallen tree but to one whose soul yet lives. We are reminded to speak no ill of the departed and are instructed to expand the good that he has left behind to benefit all of mankind. As we approach the end of the Service we are told with absolute certainty that our Brother has passed through the last veil of the Temple and has recovered the Lost Word, he has indeed become a Master of the Royal Secret. We will conduct this Service at virtually any time or place upon request. If any Brother would like to join with us on this team please contact Bob Larsen 33 0, at or trminc@comcast.net.

4 Masonic Education The Study of Self Dewey H. WollStein, PGM, 32º K.C.C.H. Masonry, blessed with wisdom of the ages, points to the greatest lesson, the study of self. There is a distinction between thinking too much of self and knowing self. A great teacher was asked if he could tell all the Law in as little a time as a man could stand on one foot. To which he answered; What is hateful to thyself do not do to others. The stings of unkindness, the sharp blade of unfairness, the brutality of intolerance, are weapons that have been used against us. Have we used these weapons against others in our individual lives? Masonry tells us to consider well this question. We must study self more and more in order to understand that unkindness is not of a lesser degree when we use it against others than when others use it against us. Tolerance begets tolerance. Understanding begets Understanding. What comes back to us is in some strange way the very thing that we send out. Masons, students of self and the science of Morality, will forever cry out against the enemies of mankind, Intolerance, Injustice and Greed. To become victors over these destroyers of life, we must know that we have looked upon them within our own being, and have removed them from self. Rays of Masonry, 1953 We should always live up to our trust And do the best we can. Then we can proudly tell the world We are a Mason and a Man. Uncle Joe, The Chinaberry Tree Philosopher Ambition A private in the Army was being initiated. He was asked what he most desired. His reply was prompt: The rank of Sargent. Secretary s Dream I fell asleep the other night And while I had my Snooze I dreamed each member stepped right up And promptly paid his dues. But when I found twas just a dream I nearly threw a fit It s up to you to make it true SUGGESTION Please Remit A FRIENDLY HANDSHAKE It is a wonderful feeling to meet a stranger and one of you introduces yourself to the other and get the grip. At that moment you feel you are not strangers at all. In the past years I have had this happen to me on many occasions and I still get a thrill. I think one of the best ways to make friends is if you see someone who seems to be alone, walk up to him and introduce yourself. If he is a Mason he will be glad and so will you, if he is not he will appreciate your friendly gesture. This I learned from my father many years ago. If you have not been practicing this, you should, for you will enjoy this experience. ---Exchange Did You Know - In lodges of the 1700's the emblems and symbols of the different degrees were drawn on the floor of the lodge with chalk or charcoal. They were obliterated at the end of each meeting because lodges met in rented rooms, and they did not want strangers viewing their secret writings. As this was troublesome and messy they were next painted on cloth or canvas, carried to each meeting and laid on the floor, hence the name 'carpets'. Today, these carpets, or charts as they are now called hang from walls or frames, and are displayed as required for the different degrees.

5 GOOD & STRIVING TO BECOME BETTER by Tom Lyle The daily test for a true Mason is the level of the quantity, as well as the quality, with which he uses his Masonic working tools in order to achieve his Masonic goals. For instance, are we using our twenty four-inch gage to divide our time according to our Masonic Teachings? Are we giving eight hours per day to God and a distressed worthy brother? Are we giving one hour per day to God and a distressed worthy brother? Are we giving ten minutes per day to God and a distressed worthy brother? The twenty four-inch gage is the very first working tool presented to us. How effective was the presentation? Perhaps the presenter did not follow the teaching of the twenty four-inch gage to a very high percent and therefore did not transmit the value of this great & basic Masonic working tool to us. How well were we listening during that presentation? Perhaps the beauty of the lodge and the details of the previous parts of the ceremony, which we had just passed through, distracted us. Who among us will refocus on the twenty fourinch gage and increase the level of quantity & quality with which we apply it in our daily living? Brothers, it doesn't stop there. If we are forgetting to apply the twenty four inch gage in the manner it was taught to us by our Masonic initiator, then what are the chances that we are also forgetting about the application of our second working tool - the common gavel? If we are not now giving even ten minutes a day to God and a distressed worthy brother, how much time could we possibly be intentionally giving to the quantity & quality of our personal use of our common gavel upon ourselves individually? Are we remembering to intentionally use our common gavel to chip away personal flaws as Michael Angelo chipped away the unnecessary parts of that block of marble in order to create his statue of David as a symbol of hope for humanity, (that great reminder that courage can overcome great opposition - Goliath)? If we do not create the time to use our common gavel, then how can we become proficient with our common gavel? How can we become better men? (How can the rough stone be made smooth)? In other words, to what percent are we talking the talk but not walking the walk? Does that rough and rugged road get shorter without our intentional striving to smooth our rough stone -- to purify our hearts? Is not the quality of our achievements directly dependent upon the quality of our personal striving? Who among us can fill his heart with charity without the proper use of his twenty fourinch gage and common gavel? Who among us can use the trowel in all its symbolic splendor without having created the daily habitual use of his twenty four-inch gage and common gavel? We all know how to pray to God. Let us ask for guidance to maximize the quality of our striving in the application of our Masonic working tools for the good of Masonry and all mankind. Let us, like Michael Angelo, search for and find that courage and beauty in each of us which is waiting beneath the surface of our rough stone. Let us apply what our brothers have strived so hard to impart to us. Let us strive to be truer Masons and thus truer servants of God, (in whom we all trust). Our Greatest Gain Albert Pike insisted that it remained the individual Mason to interpret the symbols and teaching of Freemasonry for himself. It is within the power of every Mason to grasp from the multitude of teaching and symbols of Masonry that which will serve him as an adequate philosophy of life. The fact that many great Masonic writers have set forth their particular interpretation of symbols, does not prevent the individual from reaching into the vast pool of Masonic Wisdom and arriving at what for him is the highest truth. All of Masonry is centered in the individual. What he derives from Masonry is the real strength of Masonry. The vital requirement is that each Mason discover for himself the genuine secrets of Masonry and make such a discovery the guiding light of his live. When this is done, Masonry has in truth made of the candidate a Master Mason, and this is the primary reason for the existence of Freemasonry. Masonic Messenger Reprinted from The New Age Magazine June 1966

6 Free and Accepted Masons Scottish Rite Bodies P. O. Box 1112 Everett, WA Non- Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 372 Everett, WA May 2005 What is Scottish Rite? Although there is no higher degree than that of Master Mason, the 29 degrees of the Scottish Rite serve to enrich the philosophy of the Symbolic Lodge. A Mason who chooses to further his Masonic experience by becoming a 32 Scottish Rite Mason will be expanding upon the fundamental principles of Freemasonry. The moral and ethical lessons will allow him to be constantly reminded of his duty to God, family, country, and fellow man Valley of Everett - Orient of Washington Calendar of Coming Events May 06 Dark May 13 - Lodge of Perfection Stated - 6:30 P.M. Buffet 7:30PM Meeting 32 nd Degree May 15 - Executive Council Meeting 2:00 PM May 20 - Council of Kadosh Special Meeting 6:30 P.M. Dinner Public Schools and JROTC Awards Program - Ladies and guests are cordially invited to attend. May 27 - Dark June 03 - Lodge of Perfection Stated - 6:30 P.M. Dinner Feast of Bannockburn Award and Ring Ceremony Degree Ladies and guest are invited to attend. June Grand Lodge Communication in Wenatchee, WA June 12 Executive Council Meeting 2:00 PM The vast majority of human beings dislikes and even dreads all notions with which they are not familiar. Hence it comes about, that at their first appearance; innovators have always been divided as fools and madmen." -- Aldous Leonard Huxley, British writer, "Brave New World_