Temescal Palms Masonic Magazine TB No. 314 F&AM

Transcription

1 Temescal Palms Masonic Magazine TB No. 314 F&AM May 1, 2018 Volume XX, Issue 4 FROM THE MASTER Greetings from the East for the month of May. In writing this month's article, I reflect on the month that has just passed. We had a great showing from the community for our Public School's Program. A full lodge with extra seats having to be brought out is so nice to see. It was my first time sitting on stage, handing out the awards to the students and teachers, and like many things, while sitting in the East, it brought about a whole new perspective on the event itself. Hearing what some of the kids have gone through and accomplish what they have is inspiring. Shaking the hands of those young men and women after them telling their stories humbled me. Thank you, once again, to Bro. Dennis Brandt and his family for all they did, and continue to do, to make our Public School's Event the top-notch program that it is. Also, thank you to the brothers who helped set up the lodge room, and cleaned up afterwards. On that note, aside from our monthly stated meeting, weekly officer meetings and temple board meeting, I've scheduled another Masonic speaker to come in May 29th. Worshipful Brian Bezner will give a presentation that is open to all Mason's and non-mason's alike about the working tools of masonry. Worshipful Bezner is a facilitator at the Masters and Wardens retreats that I've attended over the last 3 years. I always look forward to attending his sessions. I am confident that this presentation will not disappoint! We have one more event coming up on Saturday, May 12th, and that's a BBQ Tailgate at the Quakes game! $15 per person gets you a seat to the game and food provided by the lodge! Parking is $5. The goal is to get started about 2:30pm. The game starts at 6:05pm. Added bonus: IT'S STAR WARS NIGHT and they will have a firework display, as well! I'm looking forward to it and I hope to see you there! Lastly...what's missing? Is there something at lodge that you're looking for that you haven't found yet? Is there something that's driven you from lodge that maybe me or the officers can change or help you with that would bring you back? Is there a Masonic topic that you'd like to have a speaker come in about? Would you like to be part of the degree's that are conferred upon friends and brothers? I'd love to hear from you. Without its members, what can a lodge accomplish? Until we meet again brethren, ladies, and friends, I wish you a happy May! See you at lodge! Eddie Rivera Master INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Master... 1 From the Senior Warden... 2 From the Secretary... 4 From the Treasurer... 6 Calendar... 7 Upcoming Events... 8 Birthday & Anniversaies... 9 Elected Officers 10 SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST Thoughts from the Dark Side of the Moon 6 Seeking the Light 6

2 FROM THE SENIOR WARDEN Greetings from the West: It is a great time to be a Mason and a member of Temescal Palms Masonic Lodge #314. There is a lot going on. On April 10, our Lodge held its annual Public Schools Night, celebrating local public education and honoring exemplary students, teachers, and administrators. Once again, Brother Dennis Brandt ran a terrific program. And, with our members (and their wives) pulling together, our Lodge is maintaining a wonderful City tradition. In April, Worshipful Rivera, Brother Blum, and I attended the Masters & Wardens Retreat in Irvine. As in past years, participants spend time with the Grand Lodge officers and staff, meet the nominee for the Grand Lodge line, and get up to speed on such issues as member engagement, the importance of ritual, healthy A True Mason takes full responsibility for the condition of his character and ever strives for it s perfection. William Howard Taft lodges, the Masonic Homes, and Grand Lodge finances. The members of our Lodge who attended also got to spend some quality time together. If asked, we would all be happy to share some of what we took away from the Retreat. On Monday, May 7, at 7:00 p.m., Brother Robert Davis will be the featured speaker of The Illumination Lecture Series. Brother Davis talk is entitled Manhood and Freemasonry. This series is presented at the South Pasadena Masonic Temple. As you may recall, some of the brothers from our Lodge have been going to these lectures. The historic South Pasadena Masonic Temple and Lodge facility is located at 1126 Fair Oaks Ave in South Pasadena. Parking is available in the back (which is accessed by way of an alley). The talks are given in the Lodge Room on the Second Floor. Dinner is provided afterward on the Third Floor. There is no charge, but RSVP s to the South Pasadena Lodge are appreciated. 2 As many of you already know, I have been exploring new opportunities, and meeting new friends, by joining the York Rite Bodies, the Scottish Rite, and the Shrine. And, for those of you who are interested, I will plan to share some of their activities with you. For example, on the afternoon of Sunday, June 3, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., The Scottish Rite Club of Riverside will be holding its Annual BBQ and Car Show at the home of Greg & Judy Hill (11429 Humber Drive in Mira Loma). This is a terrific event, and features a performance by the Riverside Concert Band s Swing Ensemble. The cost is $5.00 at the door, and the BBQ is a significant fundraiser for the Childhood Language Center at the Scottish Rite facility in San Bernardino. Everyone is welcome. There is no need to RSVP. There should be a flyer with additional information attached to this Trestle- Board.

3 If you open books and look at the words then your brain expands FROM THE SENIOR WARDEN (CONT D) I am continuing to contact the Entered Apprentice Masons and the Fellowcrafts to see how I might be of assistance in their progress through the degrees of Masonry. If you are an EA or FC, it makes no difference whether you are just about ready to return a proficiency or have been away from work on it for so long that you don t feel you know the first line. My goal is to make sure (1) you are connected to the Lodge and (2) Worshipful Rivera can schedule your next degree. If we have yet to speak, or you have questions, feel free to contact me at my office ( ) or via (dickmanholt@earthlink.net). Many of you recently attended the first presentation associated with The Lodge System of Masonic Information for Candidates. Very soon, we will be scheduling the second presentation which concerns the Entered Apprentice Degree. Fraternally, John G. Dickman, Senior Warden 3

4 FROM THE SECRETARY Brethren: My articles will hopefully bring enjoyment and education into your lives as Masons. The following is from our Grand Lecture, Very Worshipful Jack Rose. This is the start of a series of articles on Ritual Support and Education I hope you enjoy them as much as I have: This is a random picture of books DEACONS ROD The Deacon s rods symbolize FRIENDSHIP AND BENEVOLENCE and together represent the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. The rods also represent the Asherah or wooden staff, approximately 6 in length, which was carried by the attendants to the high priests in ancient times and was the insignia of their office. The wooden staffs were named for the Goddess, Asherah, who was the mother of twins Shachar and Shalem, who were respectively the God of Dawn and the God of dusk. The word deacon is a derivation from a Greek word which, in translation, means attendant. The Deacons are the attendant or messengers of the Master and Senior Warden just as Mercury was of the Gods. Therefore, two deacons with rods were the equivalent to two attendants or messengers with Asherah. In the Junior Warden s lecture it states that a Masonic lodge is situated due east and west: 1st The sun rises in the east and sets in the west (remember Shachar and Shalem the Gods of dawn and dusk, sunrise/sunset) and 2nd - The tabernacle of Moses and the temple of Solomon were so situated. We ll take the tabernacle of Moses because he and his followers were always on the move, and it provides a great example of the use of the Asherah. 4

5 FROM THE SECRETARY DEACONS ROD (CONT D) All holy or sacred buildings, at the time, were situated due east and west and the tabernacle of Moses was no different except that Moses and his followers were on the move for 40 years. So, the tabernacle, which was, of course, a tent, had to be dismantled and re-erected every time they moved. Then, at the rebuilding, it had to be situated due east and west. Just before dawn, Moses and his two attendants, complete with Asherah's, would go to the chosen site where the tabernacle was to be erected. Accompanied by the heavy gang who were going to do the erecting, Moses would then choose the spot where the altar was to be and would instruct one of the attendants to place his Asherah on that spot. When the sun rose above the horizon, the rays from the sun would strike the Asherah and send a long thin shadow towards the west. The other attendant would then place his Asherah on the other end of the shadow and that would designate the center line of the proposed tabernacle. The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes. Winston Churchill The heavy gang would then move in and erect the tabernacle with the altar at the east end and the entrance at the east end. Just as an aside, that is the way all lodges originally were set out, with the altar in the east directly in front of the Worshipful Master. The idea of having the altar in the center of the lodge is a fairly recent one and peculiar to North America. However, that is of no importance here. Obviously, the magnetic compass had not been invented at that time so all holy and sacred buildings had to be set out with the aid of two Asherah and King Solomon s temple was no different. And so, the Asherah, being the very first tool or implement to be made use of at the building of the temple makes them of extreme importance from a Masonic historical point of view, and as such should be carried at all times as the insignia of the office of the Deacons and in particular when obligating a candidate. Traditionally, Deacons rods are blue and tipped with gold, symbolizing friendship and benevolence. The tips were eventually decorated with symbols, said to be an imitation of the caduceus2 of Mercury, the messenger of the gods. 5

6 FROM THE TREASURER Another year, another Public Schools Observance program. A huge thanks to Worshipful Eddie Rivera for allowing me to Chair my 39 th program and to Brothers John Dickman and Jonathan Cornn for conducting their signature Pancake Breakfast fundraiser that allowed us to provide scholarship awards to 8 high school seniors and, a first for our Lodge, provide the Teachers-of-the-Year with a stipend for classroom supplies. Thanks, also, to the City of Corona, Congressman Ken Calvert, Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes, Senator Richard Roth, County Supervisor John Tavaglione for providing certificates for all honorees and Most important to the Brethren and Ladies of Temescal Palms Lodge for their continued support. Our program puts a face to the name Temescal Palms Lodge in our communities and I thank all of you for making it possible. Stacks of books are cool, too THOUGHTS FROM THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON Have you ever just wondered?.i mean, that s it just wondered? I didn t think so. Me neither.. SEEKING THE LIGHT WRITTEN BY THE EDITOR One of the most important parts of finding out who or what we are starts with the most basic of questions: What are we made of? When you break it down to the molecular level, we are all made up of atoms. When you look at our view on this world, it could be said that we are really only concerned with matter. Everything is made up of matter, right? So, then you must ask How much matter is in an atom? The answer is %. That is the amount of matter that is in an atom. The next question then becomes if we are only a millionth of a percent matter then what is the majority? 6 The answer is ENERGY! We are mostly made up of energy yet we are only concerned with matter. If we could learn more about our energy being, how much more powerful would we be?

7 May 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Tues May 1st 630pm Stated Meeting Thurs May 10th Breakfast Bunch Fri May 25th 1130am High Twelve Flo s Farmhouse 5620 Van Buren Blvd Riverside Sat May 12th Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 8408 Rochester Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA Mon May 28th 7pm Job s Meeting Wed May 30th 7pm TMTA Meeting Mon May 14th Job s Meeting Wed May 23rd 6pm OSI Evergreen Lodge 2nd Degree Open / Ob

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9 MASTER MASON ANNIVERSARIES Best, John L. 39 yrs Fisher, Dale G. 29 yrs Manning, Todd A. * 1 yr Sometimes, I carry a book around with me so that people think I m smart... BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES Gelsomino, Anthony May 5, yrs old Carrillo, Gabriel May 7, yrs old Rawlings, Shane May 10, yrs old Suter, Michael A. May 11, yrs old Tibbets, Roger E. May 12, yrs old Fernandez, Eduardo S May 13, yrs old Johnson, Erdean P. May 13, yrs old Holder, James C. May 15, yrs old Orozco, Fernando May 24, yrs old Saddi, Erwin D. May 24, yrs old Mc Gehee, Robert A. May 31, yrs old Montag, Lorrin 8 yrs Orlando, Jeremiah 7 yrs Rudh, Herbert G. 41 yrs Seymour, Keith H. 48 yrs Spiegel, Herbert P. 62 yrs Stewart, Roy W. 45 yrs *Congratulations to Todd and all MMs!!

10 ELECTED OFFICERS Master Eddie Rivera Senior Warden John Dickman Junior Warden Jimmy Blum Treasurer Dennis Brandt, HA Secretary Walt McCurry, PM, HA APPOINTED OFFICERS Chaplain Roy Stewart, HA Junior Deacon Rob Sandberg Marshal Johnathan Cornn Senior Steward Terry Newland Junior Steward Richard Pannazzo Organist Luis Orozco II, PM, HA Tiler Loren Montag Officer s Coach Michael Padilla, PM Head Candidate s Coach Roy W Stewart, HA Newsletter Editor Tim Coy Inspector, 822nd Masonic District John Channon, PM HA Lynnette Assistant Grand Lecturer Division VIII Victor Ropac, PM, HA