San Diego Freemason

Knowing the Acacia

2012-01-18T00:10:00.000-08:00

It has been a long journey, but this past Saturday I was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in Salt Lake City. My Masonic path has taken many twists and turns, largely due to political factors involving the obediences I was affiliated with in the past, but I have grown and learned during that time.

I was initiated as an Entered Apprentice on September 30, 2008 in Lodge Intrepid of the GOUSA, then passed to the degree of Fellow Craft on July 19, 2010 in Worshipful Lodge New Isis of the George Washington Union. Now I can proudly say that I have been raised to the degree of Master Mason in Worshipful Lodge Athena of the International Masonic Order Delphi on the 14th of January 2012.

I would like to take this time to thank the wonderful Brothers and Sisters that assisted with my raising and also offer my congratulations to the two Brothers that were raised with me. What is worth having is worth working, and waiting for.

Earning the Title of Freemason

2011-09-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today about the Sisters at Lodge Aletheia in Los Angeles, a lodge that I have had the pleasure of visiting more than once, and the dedication that they show to Freemasonry.

Lodge Aletheia belongs to the Women’s Grand Lodge of Belgium and has sister lodges in Washington D.C. and New York. The founders had to travel to Belgium to be initiated, passed, and raised, which in itself is an indicator of their dedication to bringing women’s Masonry to the United States.

The sisters are required to attend education meetings at 10 am, followed by a break for lunch, and the lodge opens at 2 pm and normally lasts until 5pm, followed by a common meal (in the European tradition this is known as an Agape).

How many of us would be willing to commit ourselves to what is essentially an entire Saturday for Masonic work, and this is every month?

As with those mainstream lodges that belong to the Masonic Restoration Foundation or that follow a European Lodge pattern, these are the lodges that are the future of Freemasonry in this country.

Those lodges that require commitment and hard work are the lodges that prosper and attract the highest quality candidates. Lodge Aletheia turns away more candidates than it accepts, as I can testify to personally. At one blindfold interview session I was witness to, only one of three women applying to the lodge was accepted for initiation.

If we don’t ask much of our members, we should not expect much. Being a Freemason is a privilege and an honor. It is not an entitlement. When the West Gate is opened to whoever knocks, there is no telling who we are letting in the door; Freemasonry must maintain high standards to be a beneficial and quality organization.

International Masonic Order Delphi

2011-09-11T21:27:00.001-07:00

I know that it is quite awhile since I have posted here, the summer has been quite busy. I recently affiliated with the International Masonic Order Delphi.

I have had the pleasure of getting to know some wonderful brothers and sisters in the Delphi Order, which is headquartered in Greece, and is growing in the United States. Originally part of Le Droit Humain in Greece, the Order serves as an umbrella of sorts for the Mixed Grand Lodge of Greece, the Mixed Grand Lodge of Romania, and the Mixed Grand Lodge of Bulgaria. The lodges in the U.S. are under the Greek Grand Lodge. The Delphi Order is a member of Clipsas as well, as is the GWU, the Women's Grand Lodge of Belgium, and many other progressive Masonic Orders.

What was once just Lodge Athena in Salt Lake City has now grown to Prometheus Lodge in Phoenix, Helios Triangle in Las Vegas, and soon to be Apollo Triangle in Austin.

These are truly exciting times for co-masonry in the United States and I know that the Delphi Order will play an important role in liberal Freemasonry's future here.

More information of the International Masonic Order Delphi can be found here:
http://www.delphiorder.org/eng/index.htm

The Growth of Liberal Freemasonry

2011-07-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to observe the continued growth of Liberal, adogmatic Freemasonry in North America. While such Masonry is still quite small in comparison to the mainstream Anglo-American variety, the development of European style Masonry is cause for celebration.

In Phoenix, Arizona, Lodge Prometheus of the International Masonic Order Delphi, with headquarters in Athens, Greece, recently began offering Masonic Light in the Southwest.

Praxis Lodge, located in Boise, Idaho, formerly a lodge of the troubled GOUSA, has affiliated with the George Washington Union and recently initiated three Sisters.

And it was announced yesterday that the International Masonic Order Delphi has started a Triangle (Lodge in formation) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

These are wonderful developments, and offer an authentic Freemasonic option for people throughout the Western United States.

Congratulations to the Brothers and Sisters of Praxis Lodge, Prometheus Lodge, and Lodge Helios!

Masonic Intolerance

2011-04-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my dear friend and Brother Willy Gutman for the following essay:

Masonic Intolerance: The Enemy Within

W. E. Gutman

Freemasonry is the world's oldest and largest fraternal society. It encourages men to improve themselves by embracing ethical principles and working for the welfare of humanity. In its lodges, men of diverse backgrounds labor in harmony. Guided by universal principles, Freemasonry promotes democracy. It fosters civic responsibility. It teaches tolerance and respect for the dignity of man. Its optic is holistic. The eye through which it peers is all-encompassing.

Yet, from its earliest origins, Freemasonry has faced political and religious hostility. Often unrelenting and violent, antagonism toward the Craft has focused on its advocacy of progressive concepts -- Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, with Tolerance being the overarching Masonic virtue. Its fiercest enemies also contrived to thwart the spread of key objectives: free thought, erudition, rational discourse, the pursuit of truth and the separation of church and state.

Persecution of Freemasons has always been fiercest in times of social and religious turmoil and during those great upheavals that have led men to war, epochs marked by an absence of “Light,” by a marked decline in the civilizing effect of reason and by fits of collective madness.

The Inquisition, the Vatican, Hitler and Stalin, to name a few, were rabid foes of Freemasonry. Nazis and fascists regarded Freemasonry as a tool of socialism. Communists viewed it as an elitist agent of bourgeois values. The Craft had already been dealt a mortal blow during the 1917 Bolshevik uprising. Fearful that clandestine lodges might have survived in Russia, Stalin, a dangerous sociopath, banned affiliation under penalty of death. Freemasonry disappeared or lay dormant in post-war satellite nations until the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is still discouraged or banned under totalitarian and theocratic regimes.

An anti-Masonic crusade now blazes on in America on two fronts, both inspired by intolerance. Fire-and-brimstone preachers can be heard haranguing against Freemasonry on AM and short-wave radio stations and in houses of worship across the land. Some of the enormities they level against the Craft are so deranged as to inhibit coherent dialogue.

More insidious, is a subtle profanation of Tolerance that took decades to bear fruit when American Freemasonry veered away from its European roots, when it ceased to be an instrument of enlightenment and social reform, when it turned inwardly and changed from a coalition of open-minded, socially progressive men (think the Founding Fathers) into a bastion of religious and political conservatism out of tune with the Craft’s original values and objectives.

Worse, as religious fundamentalists continue to malign and defame Freemasonry from without, a “fifth column” of Freemasons -- all “states’ rights” absolutists who view even benign governance as malignant, now labor from within the Craft to turn Freemasonry into an agent of ultra-right-wing ideology.

Dogmatism and intolerance are inimical to the Masonic ideal. Both should be regarded as depravities apt to further disfigure The Craft.

Regrettably, tolerance, the guiding principle of Freemasonry, is endowed with a troubling flaw. Like democracy, which tolerates the existence of undemocratic ideas and institutions, tolerance too can be self-defeating if it extends to dogmas and attitudes that are inherently anti-egalitarian. Victor Hugo, humanist, agnostic, social activist and "Mason without an apron" understood both reality and idealism. But his concept of idealism was neither mystical nor abstract. His reading of the stirrings that carry men to lofty heights was tangible and goal-oriented. It called for -- as his monumental works, Notre Dame de Paris, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and, more notably, Les Misérables attest -- an unshakable commitment to tolerance and social justice, compassion for the poor, the voiceless, the disenfranchised, the persecuted, and he urged people to agitate against predatory economic policies, political hypocrisy, censorship and exploitation. What Hugo said is that Tolerance should not be a clearing house for intolerance – least of all in a lodge of Masons.

-------------------------------------------------------
Entered, passed and raised at King Hiram #12 in Shelton, CT, W. E. Gutman is a widely published veteran journalist and author. From 1994 to 2006 he was on assignment in Central America where he covered politics, the military, human rights and other socio-economic issues. He lives in southern California’s High Desert. He is a former member of Lancaster Lodge 437 and Tehachapi Lodge 313.

Masonic Light

2011-02-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

The term "Masonic Light" is used frequently to describe the illumination that Freemasonry imparts to its members. What is this light, how do we define it?

A Mainstream brother from Canada, John W. Alexander, in his paper entitled "Fiat Lux: Some Thoughts on Masonic Light," writes that it is a "...veritable searchlight aimed at Truth." According to Bro. Alexander, "The extent of our enlightenment is determined by our ability to recognize ignorance or error."

Recognizing error requires the ability to see things as they really are. We must perceive the truth and the reality that exists behind objects. Masonic light is intimately related to the concept of truth.

How do we attain to this light? Is it simply acquiring knowledge of Masonic history, symbols, passwords, and grips? Is it the ability of an individual to discourse on Masonic Subjects?

Obviously not, as many are quite knowledgeable about such things, yet in no way can these individuals be considered Masons. Such knowledge can be obtained through books readily available in any library, or online. No amount of knowing facts, names, dates, passwords, or other such data makes an individual a Freemason.

Masonic light illuminates the truth. Truth is not a relative word. Differences in religious, political, and philosophical beliefs are matters of personal opinion, but truth, as it is employed in our day-to-day dealings with others, requires an absolute quality.

Individuals that attempt to deceive, who lack the virtues of honesty, transparency, humility, and tolerance, are not, and never will be, Freemasons.

It is unfortunate that in the world today there are many that claim the title "Freemason" yet through their actions betray their lack of Masonic virtues. Operating under a false flag (activities designed to deceive the public in such a way that they appear as though they are being carried out by other entities), lying about their achievements, claiming lodges that do not exist, and spreading disinformation is hardly the behavior of a Freemason. Honesty and “circumscribing the passions” are concepts foreign to such people.

These “Masons” have no light to impart to anyone.

If we attempt to acquire Masonic light without a solid foundation in the Masonic Virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice, than we may as well not waste our time or energies on what would be a fool’s errand. Any attempt at building on a foundation based on the opposites of these virtues, namely, excess, weakness, recklessness, and illegality, would be an exercise in futility.

Any individual, man, or woman, that lacks integrity, should not waste time approaching the West Gate. There are many that would prefer to remain citizens of the profane world and that is as it should be; It is regrettable though that there are so many cowans about making mischief these days.

Thomas Paine: Deist

2011-01-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

There seems to be confusion in some circles as to the beliefs of the celebrated author and patriot, Thomas Paine. Curiously, he is being championed by many in the atheist community as one of their own, when in fact, Paine was never an atheist.

Thomas Paine is recognized as one of the preeminent advocates of Deism, a philosophy that, according to Wikipedia believes:

"that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that a supreme being created the universe. Further the term often implies that this supreme being does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the natural laws of the universe. Deists typically reject supernatural events such as prophecy and miracles, tending to assert that God (or "The Supreme Architect") has a plan for the universe that is not to be altered by intervention in the affairs of human life. Deists believe in the existence of God without any reliance on revealed religion, religious authority or holy books."

The following quotes from Paine demonstrate that he believed in God:

"I content myself with believing, even to positive conviction, that the power that gave me existence is able to continue it, in any form and manner He pleases, either with or without this body; and it appears more probable to me that I shall continue to exist hereafter than that I should have had existence, as I now have, before that existence began."
—The Age of Reason

"It has been my intention, for several years past, to publish my thoughts upon religion. . . . The circumstance that has now taken place in France of the total abolition of the whole national order of priesthood, and of everything appertaining to compulsive systems of religion, and compulsive articles of faith, has not only precipitated my intention, but rendered a work of this kind exceedingly necessary, lest in the general wreck of superstition, of false systems of government and false theology, we lose sight of morality, of humanity and of the theology that is true."
-The Age of Reason

"I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life.
I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy."
-The Age of Reason

"Every religion is good that teaches man to be good; and I know of none that instructs him to be bad."

"Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us."

Paine denied the claims of divine revelation that the religions of his day claimed, but also stated:

"No one will deny or dispute the power of the Almighty to make such a communication, if he pleases."

"When we examine an extraordinary piece of machinery, an astonishing pile of architecture, a well executed statue or a highly finished painting where life and action are imitated...our ideas are naturally led to think of the extensive genius and talents of the artist. When we study the elements of geometry, we think of Euclid. When we speak of gravitation, we think of Newton. How then is it, that when we study the works of God in the creation, we stop short, and do not think of God? It is from the error of the schools in having taught those subjects as accomplishments only, and thereby separated the study of them from the Being who is the author of them. . . ."
-The Study of God, Delivered in Paris on January 16, 1797

"The evil that has resulted from the error of the schools in teaching natural philosophy as an accomplishment only has been that of generating in the pupils a species of atheism. Instead of looking through the works of the creation to the Creator himself, they stop short, and employ the knowledge they acquire to create doubts of His existence."
-The Study of God, Delivered in Paris on January 16, 1797

Thomas Paine was highly critical of organized religion as he saw it practiced in society. He especially criticized Christianity and Judaism, and rejected the Bible as being the revealed word of God. It was his criticism of organized religion that has been so attractive to atheists to the present, however, to present Paine as an advocate of atheism is disingenuous at best.

As can be seen from the above quotes, Paine was never an atheist,and made it abundantly clear that he believed in a Creator God that sustained the Universe.

Paine, through his works, contributed to the development of Enlightenment philosophy and had a profound influence on the development of democracy and religious freedom and separation of church and state in the nascent United States. He was never though, an advocate of atheism, or agnosticism.

Is Freemasonry Secular Humanism?

2010-12-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

T.T.G.O.T.G.A.O.T.U.

What is the position of Liberal European Freemasonry regarding religion? When the Grand Orient of France decided in 1877 to remove the requirement that a candidate profess a belief in God this is how they defined their position:

"Whereas Freemasonry is not a religion and has therefore no
doctrine or dogma to affirm in its constitution, this Assembly has
decided and decreed that the second paragraph of Article 1, of the
Constitution (requiring a belief in Deity) shall be erased, and that for the words
of the said article the following shall be substituted:

"Being an Institution essentially philanthropic, philosophic, and
progressive, Freemasonry has for its object, search after truth,
study of universal morality, science and arts, and the practice of
benevolence. It has for its principles absolute liberty of
conscience and human solidarity. It excludes no person on account
of his belief, and its motto is 'Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity."

The following statement is attributed to a member of the Grand Orient of France in the article, "The Grand Orient of France and the Three Great Lights" published in the Builder, January, 1918:

"The Grand Orient of France, while it respects all philosophical
beliefs, insists upon absolute liberty of belief. This does not
mean that we banish from our lodges the belief in God. The United
Grand Lodge of England on the contrary desires to make a belief in
God in some manner compulsory. The Grand Orient of France is much
more liberal, since in proclaiming the absolute liberty of belief
it permits to each one of its members the liberty to believe or not
to believe in God, and by so doing desires to respect its members
in their convictions, their doctrines and their beliefs."

From these statements do we draw the conclusion that the Grand Orient of France is an atheistic, or secular humanist institution? I think not.

There has been a trend of late in some quarters of Liberal Freemasonry here in the United States to equate Freemasonry with secular humanism, and to celebrate the participation of well-known atheists with the order. It is my personal belief that this is a mistaken policy, one which will eventually come back to haunt those that are encouraging it.

Religion, or the lack thereof, has absolutely no place in Freemasonry. Whether a candidate is a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, or a Wiccan, is irrelevant to that persons becoming a Mason, joining the Navy, or being a member of the PTA. Most Liberal Masons would agree with this position. Why then do some insist that Freemasonry and Secular Humanism are natural allies?

According to the American Humanist Association, one of their principles is to be:

"Without theism and free of supernaturalism"

According to the Council for Secular Humanism, it is committed:

"to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions."

For those Brothers and Sisters that are theists, faith, and even forms of mysticism (depending on the particular faith) are valid means of seeking solutions to "important human questions".

As a Freemason in the tradition of the Grand Orient of France, I support any brother that wholeheartedly subscribes to the positions of the AHA and the CSH. He has the right to his belief.

By the same token, I fully support the right of a sister to pray the rosary each day because she believes that is an action pleasing to God. It is her right to believe that.

When any jurisdiction takes an official stance in support of Atheism or Secular Humanism, that obedience is walking on thin ice; it is departing from the traditional position of Liberal, European Freemasonry in my opinion. This is unwise, deters people of faith from approaching the order, and gives further ammunition to the mainstream Grand Lodges who have always contended that Grand Orient Freemasonry is hostile to religion. Freemasonry "excludes no person on account of his belief". I wonder how comfortable a devoutly religious brother would feel seeing another brother publicly ridicule (or blaspheme) his beliefs?

Very poor judgment I think.

Freemasonry for Women

2010-12-08T10:27:00.001-08:00

I hope that everyone is enjoying the preparations for the coming holidays. Loge Art et Lumiere recently held their annual Family Banquet and other seasonal activities are soon to be held by other lodges in Los Angeles.

As a result of repeated attempts by bogus groups to infiltrate respectable masonic forums on facebook, I have created, what I hope will be an informative site, dedicated to informing prospective candidates of the options that are available to women in legitimate Freemasonry.

The site is "Freemasonry for Women" and is located at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Freemasonry-for-Women/178436995516642?v=app_2309869772&ref=ts#!/pages/Freemasonry-for-Women/178436995516642?v=info

I trust that this will be a useful resource for potential sisters that are seeking the Light that Freemasonry offers.

Happy holidays to all/Joyeuses Fêtes/Felices Fiestas!

Le Grand Orient de France devient mixte (The Grand Orient of France becomes Mixed)

2010-09-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

I recently received the following news regarding our sister Obedience, the Grand Orient of France:

"The Largest masonic obedience in France changed this Thursday evening its operating rules to authorize the members of its lodges to initiate women. The Grand Orient of France also elected a new Grand Master in the person of Guy Arcizet."

At last year's annual Convent, the Grand Orient of France narrowly voted against allowing it's lodges to accept women as members. Of course, as with other liberal Masonic obediences, women Masons have always been welcome as visitors.

Under the new rules, each lodge will be able to decide whether or not to actually accept women as members of the lodge. Women members of the Grand Orient of France will be eligible to hold elected office in the Obedience.

This is historic news. The Grand Orient of France, the oldest Masonic body in that country, founded in 1733, will now have women as members after 267 years of existence.

Congratulations to our Brothers (and soon, Sisters) in the Grand Orient of France!

Can a Woman Be a Freemason?

2010-08-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

There are many in the mainstream Masonic community, as well as most members in the wider society, that believe a woman cannot be made a Mason. Many supporters of Women's Freemasonry point out examples in the past of women that have been made Masons, and, of course, there are many Masonic jurisdictions today that consist either exclusively of women, or accept women as equal members, my own jurisdiction included.

In reviewing the obligation taken by mainstream Masons, the following is particularly relevant:

"I will not aid, or be present at, the initiation,passing,or raising of a woman..."

If a woman could not be a Freemason, then this statement is irrelevant. A Minister cannot unite two two cats in Holy Matrimony, (regardless of the owners desire) since a marriage between two pets is an impossibility and illogical.

If it is an impossibility for a woman to become a Freemason, then this part of the obligation is nonsensical and serves no purpose whatsoever.

In their own obligation, mainstream Masons state that it is possible for a woman to be made a Mason; their members are sworn not to assist, or be involved in such an action.

Increasingly I am aware of the value and necessity of women belonging to Freemasonry. As a member of a mixed lodge, I could not imagine practicing Masonry without the insight that my Sisters bring to the work, nor the balance that they offer to the lodge.

Many mainstream Masons claim that the involvement of women would result in Masonry no longer being Masonry. In the United States and England, Freemasonry, for the most part, has already ceased to be Masonry, instead evolving into a charitable social club. As a men's club to hang out and discuss sports and socialize, I can see where they are coming from. The Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes and the International Order of Friendly Sons of the Raccoons of Television fame served a similar purpose.

Lodge Circumspect

2010-07-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Several days ago it came to my attention that what was formerly Lodge Circumspect of the "1613 Nation," had left that group, and is now an independent lodge of Women Freemasons.

It is sad, but inevitable, that when people see the truth behind an organization, those that respect honesty and transparency will feel the need to disassociate themselves from its practices.

According to WM June Lennon, after traveling to Belgium in an attempt to meet with members of 1613's supposed Loge Liberte Cherie, she was able to establish that what had been reported on many Masonic forums was true, namely that Liberte Cherie was fraudulent.

For those that read French, more about the bogus lodge can be found here:

http://www.hiram.be/Une-fausse-Loge-Liberte-cherie-et-d-autres-pseudo-Loges_a3675.html

While there is an attempt by the "1613 Nation" to claim that Lodge Circumspect is being reorganized within their group, the WM and her Sisters are in the process of continuing with the real work of Freemasonry in Lodge Circumspect, now minus the stigma of involvement with the 1613 crowd.

I wish them well in their efforts to get back on track as they practice the work of Freemasonry purged of the negative influence of the "Post-modern masonry" espoused by their previous associates.

At present, Lodge Circumspect's original website and blog are in the hands of the Grand Master of the 1613. The original Lodge Circumspect can be reached for the moment through their facebook page located here:

http://www.facebook.com/june.lennon?v=wall&ref=sgm#!/group.php?gid=111260272241449

Again, I wish these Sisters well as they rebuild and recover from their trying, and disillusioning experience with the "1613 Nation".

Lodge Athena

2010-06-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Mixed Masonry has been a part of the American scene for many decades now. Many of my readers are familiar with my own jurisdiction, the George Washington Union, as well as of the American Federation of Le Droit Humain.

One jurisdiction that others may not be as familiar with, is the International Masonic Order Delphi, which was originally a part of Le Droit Humain and became an independent jurisdiction in 1996.

While the Delphi Order is headquartered in Greece, the Obedience does have lodges in Romania, Bulgaria, and the United States. The Right Worshipful Lodge Athena, No.2009 works in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has been a beacon of Masonic light in that region for a number of years now.

Lodge Athena, like the other lodges in the Delphi Order, is a member of the international association known as CLIPSAS which consists of the Grand Orient of Belgium,Le Droit Humain, the Grand Lodge of Italy, the George Washington Union, The Women's Grand Lodge of Belgium, and many other adogmatic, progressive Grand Lodges and Grand Orients around the world.

I applaud the dedication, work, and example of Lodge Athena, and send my heartfelt greetings to the Brothers and Sisters of Lodge Athena in Salt Lake City. Lodge Athena of the Delphi Order, the lodges of the George Washington Union, and the lodges of the American Federation of Le Droit Humain in the United States work the European forms of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

For those men and women in the Salt Lake area that would like to learn more about legitimate Freemasonry, Lodge Athena can be contacted through their website at:

http://lodgeathena.us/US/

The Mother Obedience of Lodge Athena, The International Masonic Order Delphi can be reached at:

http://www.delphiorder.org/eng/index.htm

Emeth Lodge & Rose of Venus

2010-06-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Brothers at Emeth Lodge in Phoenix, Arizona. Several years ago Emeth Lodge was formed as a constituent lodge of the Grand Orient of the United States of America. Today Emeth Lodge is a member of an association of independent lodges and has recently sponsored the formation of a Co-Masonic lodge, Rose of Venus, also in Phoenix.

I am familiar with the WM of Emeth, as is my own WM at Lodge New Isis of the George Washington Union in Los Angeles, and we both greatly respect him as a fine Freemason and a man of integrity.

I wish both lodges well and I am happy to see a new Co-Masonic lodge so close to San Diego. Congratulations to the Sisters at Rose of Venus!

The Inventor

2010-05-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

My good friend and fellow Freemason Willy Gutman recently has published another book, "The Inventor". I hope to write a review in the near future but until then I would like to post this review of Willy's work from one of the Central American papers to which Willy is a frequent contributor:

Review by Marco Cáceres

I remember the first time I picked up a Harry Potter novel. I read about thirty or forty pages, and then I put it down. There were so many characters, and the plot did not emerge fast enough to hold my attention. Ultimately, I rented the first Harry Potter movie and immediately became so enamored with the characters and the story that I ended up reading each of the seven books in the series twice. My initial experience with W. E. Gutman's The Inventor was similar... although I'm not sure a movie is in the offing.

The Inventor is elegantly written. Through his protagonist and a colorful melding of artists and other notable personalities plucked from the past, Mr. Gutman weaves an intriguing journey within the dark history of the Catholic Church, which has as much a surreal and fantastic texture to it as Harry Potter. This is a book with which you must dine. It does not allow you to consume it in a hurry. It is as if Mr. Gutman dares you to read on and simply accept that the aim of his work is not primarily to entertain you, but rather to provoke you to think and struggle and savor.

There is a cynical undertone to The Inventor, but it is reasonable and even courageous, given the target of that cynicism -- the Papacy and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. And now with the Church wallowing in the early stages of yet another crisis involving the sexual abuse of children by priests and the cover up of these crimes by their superiors, it almost makes Mr. Gutman appear visionary. The book is timely and certainly relevant to the conversation about the increasingly uncomfortable relationship between the Church and secular society.

At a minimum, The Inventor serves to remind us that the Church has traditionally been the predator, not the victim, as its apologists disingenuously claim. It is a kind of blunt testament which challenges those who are ignorant of the Church's history or prefer to downplay the more unsavory aspects of it.

Be it the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of Galileo or the silence of Pope Pius XII during the Jewish Holocaust, Pope John Paul II's efforts to squash Liberation Theology in Latin America, and Honduran Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez's attempts to tie accusations of priestly pedophilia to a "worldwide Jewish conspiracy", there is ample justification for the kind of eclectic mix of history, fiction, and social commentary that is so well crafted by Mr. Gutman.

Note: The author of The Inventor is a regular contributor to Honduras Weekly. His book is published by CCB Publishing of British Columbia, Canada. The book is available through Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.

Busy Weekend

2010-05-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

I have not posted recently but I do have posts on the way that I am working on. I returned from a meeting of Lodge New Isis in Los Angeles less than an hour ago and enjoyed participating in the initiation of a new brother.

Quite a lot of work was accomplished and I had the honor of reading an architecture that I wrote recently. Several guests were on hand from the Women's Grand Lodge of Belgium, OITOR (L'Ordre Initiatique et Traditionnel de L'Art Royal), and Le Droit Humain.

A truly wonderful afternoon of masonic fellowship. I will have new posts up in the next few days.

Roger Williams

2010-03-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

In the M.A. program in History I am currently taking, we are studying early America, specifically the Puritans. As part of my research I have discovered not just how intolerant the Puritans were (they hanged three men and and a woman for being Quakers), but also about a man that I feel represents much that we as masons can identify with.

Roger Williams was a Puritan who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts Colony,in 1631. His sermons, particularly those that advocated fair treatment of the Native Americans, won him the animosity of the ruling establishment. Williams was also opposed to the government punishing people on religious grounds, advocating instead freedom of conscience.

Williams was exiled from the colony in 1635 and founded what eventually became Rhode Island. In 1652 Rhode Island became the first colony to outlaw slavery, more than 200 years before it was outlawed in the U.S. Jews, Baptists, Quakers, all were welcome to practice their faiths according to their own consciences.

Roger Williams was a pioneer in advocating the separation of Church and State, something that did not exist in Europe at the time, or in the other colonies. Roger Williams, not the Puritans, was a forerunner of what our founding fathers established in the United States. While not a mason, we can admire the man for his tolerance of others, and his respect for individual liberty. In Rhode Island today there is even a lodge named Roger Williams Lodge, No.32, in his memory.

Haiti: As the dust settles, questions, suspicions mount

2010-02-04T10:07:00.000-08:00

My good friend Willy Gutman forwarded another one of his perceptive articles that I thought I would share.

Haiti: As the dust settles, questions, suspicions mount

W. E. Gutman

US troops made their habitually flamboyant entrance in the earthquake-ravaged Haitian capital to distribute aid and provide security in one of America’s most spirited military deployments since the 2003 Battlestar Galactica-style invasion of Iraq.

Hundreds of soldiers belonging to the US Army’s 82nd Airborne rappelled from helicopters in Port-au-Prince as US Marines waded ashore.

There are now some 11,000 US troops in Haiti. US Ambassador to the UN, Alejandro Wolff, said “We are there for the long term.” Total US military presence in Haiti is expected to reach 20,000 troops.

Washington insists that their role is strictly humanitarian.

But in a recent commentary titled, “The US Military in Haiti: A Compassionate Invasion,” TIME magazine says that “Haiti … became the 51st state… if not a state, then at least a ward of the United States.”

There is growing concern that this de facto federalization may go beyond “good-neighbor” philanthropy, that the earthquake could be used to exploit, yet again, a chronically impoverished country teetering back from the brink.

The presence of US military, which has taken over command of the distribution of humanitarian aid, has raised questions. The US and the France-based aid group Doctors Without Borders have exchanged very public words. The group says one of its planes carrying medical equipment was yet again turned away from the Port-au-Prince airport – the fifth such instance in the past two weeks. Medics from other nations have accused US air traffic controllers of turning away essential medical supplies that could have saved lives, with priority going to US military flights.

Although the US military is now overstretched, it clearly has the capacity to carry out an effective occupation of Haiti should it so desire. The way in which the US has responded to this latest disaster is reminiscent of its historical legacy of interference in Haiti. The country was occupied by the US between 1915 and 1934. Former President Bill Clinton dispatched troops to Haiti in 1994. In 2004, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was deposed, abducted and deported at gunpoint by US-backed military.

These forays were rationalized as “legitimate actions to protect US assets.” Some called theme an extension of the Manifest Destiny doctrine.

Critics have also accused Washington of destabilizing Haiti’s economy by imposing neo-liberal policies that forced it to lift its rice tariffs in the 1990s and led to the creation of sweatshops, both of which undermined its economic autonomy and are seen as causes of an ailing infrastructure and poverty.

It’s no secret that deep in the seismically fickle bowels of Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, there are significant and heretofore untapped deposits of oil. Scientists have also detected the presence of Uranium 238 and 235, and zirconium. Have these sites been designated by the US as strategic reserves?

Shortly before his downfall in 1986, “president-for-life” Jean-Claude “Bébé Doc” Duvalier acknowledged the existence of a major oil field in the Bay of Port-au-Prince.

Earlier still, in the 1950s, the Knappen-Tippen-Abbet company drilled in Haiti. The drillings proved promising and the results beyond expectations. However, multinational oil companies saw no need to exploit these riches. Haiti was neither Saudi Arabia nor Kuwait. At a time when a barrel of crude sold for about a dollar, and the Persian Gulf gushed with crude, there was not reason to invest in oil fields deemed less profitable.

The prevailing attitude at the time was, “We’ll keep the Haiti deposits in reserve until the Middle East bonanza runs dry.” The Knappen-Tippen-Abbet wells were carefully numbered, sealed with cement and “forgotten.”

The results of the drilling, it turns out, were not for public consumption. It was feared that they would encourage Haitians to work toward their own economic emancipation. When they learned of the riches buried under their feet, they asked a simple question:

“If the big oil companies are not interested in our oil, maybe we should ask our Cuban neighbors to come help us exploit it.”

Ooooops.

No one denies the superb work done by US non-governmental organizations and individual volunteers in Haiti. But when a nation requires 20,000 armed troops to “oversee” what is being described as a slapdash and hit-and-miss relief operation, it looks, sounds and smells like an occupation.

Vested Geo-strategic interests, not altruism, often drive charity.

One can’t help but wonder whether the US would have acted with the same alacrity and panache had an earthquake of similar magnitude struck Congo, Sudan or Namibia.

And would Pat Robertson have claimed, as he did in the case of Haiti, that natural disasters are brought on by men consorting with the devil?

___

W. E. Gutman is a veteran journalist and author. His column reflects his own views.

Once upon a time in Haiti

2010-01-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

The following was written by my good friend and fellow Freemason, Willy Gutman. I hope his observations make as much of an impression on my readers as they did on me.

Once upon a time in Haiti

W. E. Gutman

I first visited Haiti in 1960. I had left New York on a dismal gray January morning and arrived in Port-au-Prince a week later aboard a cruise ship. Mesmerized by the emerald profusion of tropical greenery that stretched before me, rapt by the turquoise sea that shimmered like liquid gemstones, I noticed little as a taxi whisked me away from the wharf up to the opulent hilltop Castel Haiti Hotel.

During lunch, I crossed paths with bejeweled women, most of them painted to camouflage the ravages of time. I mingled among sweet-smelling, self-important men in crème safari suits and white suede shoes. I engaged in small talk and endured the frivolous banter common to carefree, urbane vacationers. Wealth, influence, power, all vied for attention as fragrant wines and succulent meat and seafood dishes traveled on silver trays balanced by white-gloved black lackeys. Such ostentation, I remarked, must be evidence of great virtue, the well-deserved entitlements of the just, the righteous, the uncorrupted.

I was 23.

A second visit a year later put an end to the idyllic portrait my unfocused young eyes had hastily painted. Instead of taking a taxi, I walked to town. At the end of the quay, where the uncorrupted never venture, I was accosted by a mob of half-naked, pint-sized beggars -- children with bloated bellies, herniated navels and runny noses. With one hand stretched for a hand-out, the other fanning away swarms of flies, they tugged at my sleeves, hung by my shoulders like grapes from a trellis and wailed in unison:

“Mister, penny, bread, please?”

In the stifling shade of an abandoned building, young boys in tatters sniffed glue. Further on, resting on a bed of filthy rags near an open sewer, a woman slept with an infant at her breast while an older child, disheveled, wiping an ever-running nose on her sleeve, begged for scraps of food. A few meters away, under a clear sky black with vultures, I found toddlers and young teens feeding on garbage. Knee-deep in steaming mountains of waste and competing with the odious birds of death, another group of youngsters rummaged for a meal, a shoe, a discarded article of clothing.

Up the road, in some narrow, windswept slop-splattered alley that hugs the flanks of a church, a man writhed in drug- or booze-induced agony. Frothing at the mouth, his eyes on fire, he crumbled to the ground and let out a blood-curdling shriek. Wallowing in waste, he clawed at the demons that tormented him. Thrashing about, he rolled into the gutter and narrowly missed being hit by a passing car. Safe in their pews, the faithful were being treated to the grand spectacle of a mid-day mass. Dominus vobiscum, said the priest. Et cum spiritu tuo, the faithful responded, unmindful of the pervading godlessness that surrounded them.

Around the corner, a group of cripples flaunted their grotesque infirmities. Unruffled, passers-by stepped over them like so much debris. Across the street, a young woman breast-fed her newborn as three older daughters plied the beggar’s trade.

Alien to this netherworld, I wondered what monstrous sins its denizens had committed to be cursed with such inexplicable fate. Who are the mad, I reflected, and who are the meek who inherit the wind? As I pondered the question, I suddenly found myself in a world of pastel mansions, neatly manicured lawns and late-model American cars driven by elegantly attired light-skinned Haitians.

The distance between Gehenna and paradise, I would later learn as I began to cover Central America and the Caribbean Basin, is short and littered with galling incongruities, shameful disparities. Here the crinoline and batiste and gabardine of a small elite of ruling families; there the rags and tatters and empty stomachs of an indigent and superfluous majority.

An attractive, fashionably dressed elderly creole woman sporting a Parisian accent with whom I had struck a conversation whispered parenthetically, “You know, many of us believe we were better off under the French.”

I could not have been more outraged had an African American claimed that his people had been better off under Jim Crow.

Fifty years later -- twenty of them spent reporting from the beast’s entrails -- nothing has changed. Don’t look for justice, I kept telling myself all that time. Don’t look for civility. All you will find are nature, cruel and unmoved, and the aggregate interests and tirelessly replenished assets of the dominant power base.

Last I heard, the eight-story Castel Haiti , once the romper room of the rich and famous is now a pile of rubble. And, once again, nature, unpredictable and impartial, made short shrift of the aristocracy and the rabble in one blind, raging merciless and devastating blow from which this, the poorest nation in our hemisphere, is unlikely to recover.

____
W. E. Gutman is a widely published veteran journalist and author. He lives in Southern California

Update on Haiti

2010-01-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was in Los Angeles attending a meeting of Worshipful Lodge Aletheia. As usual, it was a memorable day and I had the pleasure of meeting three recent initiates to the lodge, one of whom I was present at her blind-fold interview last September. At the meeting the Almoner's collection was entirely set aside for Haitian relief. Again, our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti.

The following is from an email that I received regarding assistance to Haiti since the recent earthquake:

T.T.G.O.T.G.A.O.T.U.

OFFICIAL NOTICE FROM
GRAND LODGE OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, INC.
SUPREME COUNCIL 33RD DEGREE, INC.
MASONIC CENTER FOR COLLECTION OF
HUMANITARIAN AID FOR HAITI

Starting January 13, 2010, the Masonic Center for Collection of Humanitarian Aid for Haiti is established at the building of the Grand Lodge of the Dominican Republic, Inc., where brethren and the public-at-large may deliver their donations of non-perishable foodstuffs (rice, beans and other grains), canned food, bottled water, medicine and clothing. This contribution will be delivered through the corresponding official institutions to the needy population in our sister Republic of Haiti.

Donations may be delivered at:

Gran Logia de la República Dominicana, Inc.
Calle Arzobispo Portes No. 554 esquina Las Carreras
Ciudad Nueva, Santo Domingo, D.N.
Tel. 809-682-4173
Email: info@granlogiard.org

(Publication authorized by M. Wor. Bro. Edy Federico PEÑA BARET, Grand Master, and Ill. and P. Bro. Eduardo MEJÍA JABID, Sovereign Grand Commander)

SOME IDEAS FOR YOUR DONATION FOR HAITI:

FOODSTUFFS:

* Beans (canned)
* Sausages (canned)
* Sardines (canned)
* Tuna (canned)
* Soda crackers
* Milk in tetrapack
* Fruit juice in tetrapack
* Other non-perishable food items

MEDICINES

* Oral rehydration Serum
* Gauzes
* Cotton
* Analgesics (acetaminophen, ibuprofen)
* Slings
* Elastic bandages
* Antibiotics (amoxicifiline, in suspension and/or tablets)
* Antiseptics (iodine type or chlorhexidine soap)
* Sanitary napkins

Haiti

2010-01-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

For those readers that are interested, our sister obedience, the Grande Loge Haitienne de St.-Jean will be receiving assistance from the brothers and sisters of the George Washington Union. During this time of great tragedy for the people of Haiti, our thoughts and our prayers go out to our fellow Masons and their families. I have been informed that the Vice-President of CLIPSAS will be coordinating relief efforts on the part of CLIPSAS and its member obedience's with the International Red Cross. I will post more as it becomes available.

The Grande Loge Haitienne website in the U.S. can be reached here:

http://www.gdlghdstj.org/Acceuill.html

The Mote

2010-01-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

One of the comments that I received recently called on me to to "remove the mote from my own eye."

This refers to a passage from the Bible, (Matthew, Chapter 7) in which Jesus says:

"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"

I prefer the New International Version translation:

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

It was not my intention to infer that I am without fault. In fact, I doubt that many of us can truly say that we are living up to our standards of Masonic behavior.

There is a difference however to making mistakes and changing course, and knowingly perpetuating falsehoods and deceptions.

If someone, through their actions, has demonstrated time and again that their word does not amount to much, and that they will always take the expedient course in pursuit of their goals, how then do we consider that person to be part of the Masonic community?

Talk is cheap. So is how long someone has been recognized as being a Mason. I have seen a lot of un-masonic behavior recently. It saddens me. If my behavior has caused a brother or sister to question their involvement in Freemasonry, then I sincerely apologize.

I will continue to seek Masonic light, to the best of my ability, and let those that pretend to be Masons follow their own paths.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to discover what the ethics and values of Freemasonry are.

It also doesn't take a rocket scientist to distinguish between those who try to live by those values, and those that don't.

Lodge New Isis - Orient of Los Angeles

2009-12-31T11:07:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone is enjoying their Holiday Season. As the New Year approaches, I am filled with gratitude for all that the past year has brought, and I look forward to many positive developments in the year ahead.

Many of you are aware that last summer I demitted from lodge Intrepid. Without going into great detail, or mentioning any names, Intrepid left the GOUSA over a dispute relating to constitutional issues that arose in that obedience.

When the individuals involved left the GOUSA, they also demitted from Lodge New Isis of the George Washington Union. As a result of this, many members of New Isis who had been close to these persons left the lodge as well and joined Intrepid, of which I was lodge secretary at the time.

Very few of these individuals bothered to formally demit from the GWU as is required by Masonic protocol. Over the following months it became apparent to me that practicing Freemasonry was not the main priority of the leadership, so after much reflection, I demitted and affiliated with the remaining members of New Isis so that I could concentrate on practicing Freemasonry and grow in Masonic light.

Since then, in an effort to gain legitimacy as a jurisdiction, Intrepid claims to have founded a "New Isis" lodge in San Francisco. The claim has also been made that the real Lodge New Isis "left" the GWU, which is nonsense, most of the previous members having never formally left the lodge in the first place.

One member of Intrepid recently relocated to San Francisco. I am not aware in the history of Freemasonry that a one man lodge can exist as a "duly constituted" lodge of Freemasons. I suppose that by claiming multiple lodge membership several people can claim to have several lodges, even when done at a distance.

Such claims are at best disingenuous, at worst, dishonest. I strongly believe in not airing disputes in public, but as a member of Lodge New Isis of the George Washington Union, a duly constituted lodge of an obedience chartered by the Grand Orient of France more than three decades ago, I am offended by the name of my lodge being purloined and used politically for purposes of deceiving others, both inside, and outside, the Masonic community.

That being said, Lodge New Isis is in the process of repairing the damage caused by the exodus of some of its previous members, and has a bright future as part of the Mainstream Liberal Masonic community in Los Angeles. Our Worshipful Master has been working very hard with members of other Liberal lodges in Los Angeles and we foresee growth, and serious Masonic work being accomplished in 2010.

I will be visiting Lodge Aletheia of the Women's Grand Lodge of Belgium again soon, as well as Loge Art et Lumiere of the Grand Orient of France in March. I cannot thank these brothers and sisters enough for all the support that they have given us at Lodge New Isis. That is what Freemasonry is all about.

Setbacks such as Lodge New Isis has gone through recently, are a great opportunity for us as Masons to engage in real work and polish our ashlars. It is a challenge, but one that I know we, as Freemasons, are up to.

I am hoping to attend the next annual Convent of the George Washington Union, as I was unable to attend the most recent, which was held in Montreal, Canada. New officers for the obedience were elected and many projects are in the works, including a greater effort to make our presence felt in the wider community.

This New Year will be one of sacrifice, hard work, and patience, but we will also experience the enjoyment of the rewards that come with such effort.

FIAT LUX ET LUX FIT

Seasons Greetings

2009-12-24T11:36:00.000-08:00

I want to wish all of my readers a very joyous holiday season. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

The Masonic Apron

2009-12-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

The item that is most readily recognized by society as the emblem of a Freemason is, without a doubt, the apron. While the most obvious origin of the apron is from the working attire of the Operative Stone Masons, over time much symbolism has become attached to it.

The earliest aprons were, understandably, based on those of the operative masons, and, in common with many other trades, were long enough to cover the workers front down to the knees. It was normally made of linen, though leather aprons were used as well, particularly in trades which necessitated greater protection for the wearer.

Our aprons are descended from those with bibs. It is the remnant of this protective part of the apron from which the flaps of our aprons derived.

Initially, the bib, or flap, was either worn up and buttoned to the coat, or was allowed to hang down. Often, it was even cut off by the early Freemasons and dispensed with. As the apron evolved in the 18th Century, the flap became a decorative aspect, and often was cut in a semi-circular shape. The lower part of the apron would be cut in a similar fashion.

Freemasons began to decorate their aprons with the symbols of the Craft and overtime these decorations became more and more elaborate

Today, the aprons used by Freemasons are more standardized, in part due to the mass manufacturing techniques that are employed.

Additionally, as the Grand Lodges became more organized, they began to require a degree of standardization regarding the aprons employed by their members.

Today’s aprons are smaller, and simpler than those used by our operative and speculative predecessors. They distinguish the Freemason, and to the initiate conveys great symbolic meaning. I treasure my apron as it identifies me as a Mason to my brothers and sisters, and also serves to remind me of the great responsibility that comes with ownership of it.

In the Scottish Rite first degree we are told that the apron symbolizes work. I understand this to mean the work that all Freemasons are required to engage in, to work on ourselves. This work that the apron symbolizes never ceases. Unless asleep, we are always engaged in the labor which we have voluntarily sought out and taken upon ourselves.

Many Masonic writers have attributed its white color to the concept of purity. As the apron was traditionally made from a lambskin, this has also been used to symbolize innocence. Lambs, like small children, have often been used to portray that state where one has not yet been stained by exposure to the darker side of life.

White is also the color of virginity in many cultures. The newly initiated Mason is a virgin to the work of the lodge. Despite the lifetime of work ahead in the shaping and polishing of the individual’s Ashlar, the Mason’s apron remains unsullied and white, symbolizing the purity of his, or her intentions.

The triangular flap has been equated to the Delta which is a central symbol in the lodge. The delta, or triangle, has been called the perfect geometric shape, and the three sides also bring to mind the symbolism of the number three and the use of three dots in the shape of a triangle in Masonic correspondence.

The square shape of the apron can be considered to represent the finished, or “perfect Ashlar” the completion of which is the Magnum Opus of Freemasonry. One author has also attributed the Four Cardinal Virtues to the four sides of the apron, namely, Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice.

A square can also suggest Solidity. A solid foundation is essential to erecting any building. Our entire symbolism involves the building trade. Our working tools are those of the Operative Stone Masons. We as Speculative Masons labor together in lodge to build the Great Temple of Freemasonry. Without the solidity of a firm foundation are labors will be in vain.

As a symbol of being prepared for work, all Masons must be attired with the apron to be present in lodge. This relates to the gloves that are required as well. As warriors require their swords and shields to be capable of performing their duties, so must Freemasons be garbed in their aprons and gloves to able to begin their labors in the Temple.

We shape and polish our Rough Ashlars, so that we may participate in the great work of Freemasonry, which is the Progress of Humanity to the Glory of the Great Architect of the Universe.

"War is a Racket"

2009-11-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

When I was in Marine Corps boot camp, back in 1979, we had classes in Marine Corps history. One of the Marines often mentioned was Major General Smedley Butler. During his 34 year career with the Corps, General Butler was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the French National Order of Merit, the Marine Corps Brevet Medal, Seven campaign medals, the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, and TWO Medals of Honor.

What was not mentioned however, was that General Butler, after his retirement, became an outspoken critic of war, especially the wars that he had served in.

In 1935 his book, "War is a Racket" was first published. A section of the book that is often quoted is:

"I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."

General Butler was a patriot who loved his country, but opposed the interventionism that he had been a party to during his service. He was against men being sacrificed in the interests of big business instead of the interests of the country. He was a frequent spokesman for the American League Against War and Fascism.

While I do not agree with everything that General Butler wrote, specifically his statements that we should not concern ourselves with what is going on in other countries, I do respect his stand against war on principle.

Too often wars are waged in the interests of the few, while the many suffer the consequences.

As a Freemason who believes in the brotherhood of humanity, I find the thought of killing others repugnant. Unless it is absolutely necessary in self-defense, I could not support unleashing such misery on my fellow creatures. War, in my opinion, should always be a last resort.

I would recommend reading his book, which is available free online at the following link:

http://www.warisaracket.com/

American Freemasonry Revisited

2009-11-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

I posted a comment today regarding a previous post about the innovations in American Freemasonry. Since it ran rather long, I thought that I would use it as a regular post as well.

I happen to be in a Liberal Jurisdiction, but even Masonry as practiced by the UGLE is very different from American Freemasonry.

I think that English Masonry has more in common, in terms of practice, with the Grand Lodge of France, and even the Grand Orient of France, than with most American Jurisdictions.

I have not researched enough of the history to determine how all of these innovations arose.

While all Grand Lodges are independent and can practice Masonry with some differences, (as long as the Landmarks are not violated), it troubles me how much American Masonry has diverged from the practice of Masonry in Europe, (England, Scotland, Ireland included), and most of the world.

A big problem, in my view, is the plethora of so-called Masonic bodies that have arisen here.

These include: The Shriners, The Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm, Tall Cedars of Lebanon, National Sojourners, Order of the Eastern Star, Order of the Amaranth, White Shrine of Jerusalem, Royal Order of Jesters, Rainbow Girls, Sciots, High Twelve, Jobs Daughters, Daughters of the Nile, De Molay, ad infinitum.

Obviously, in the minds of some Masons, Freemasonry was "lacking" something, or was not what they were really looking for in the first place.

Freemasonry, in my opinion, is complete in itself. Concordant bodies, such as the AASR, the York Rite, AMD, etc., are fine, as they simply elaborate the teachings of Freemasonry that are taught in the craft lodge. They offer parallel, rather than "higher" degrees of Freemasonry.

Maybe what many of these people were looking for was not Freemasonry. They should have joined the Odd-Fellows or Moose. They could find a "play-ground" in some other organization.

Another big problem in American Masonry has been to turn it frequently into a charity.

Freemasons are taught to be charitable in their lives, but the Order itself is not a charitable institution.

It is an organization that exists for fellowship, mutual aid, and personal growth. Freemasons work on improving themselves and, in the process, improve the society in which they live.

In European, or European concept lodges, business attire is the standard, philosophical papers are presented by members, discussions are held on Masonic topics, and minimum periods between degrees are up to a year.

Masonic education is not optional, but is a requirement, and the meetings are proceeded, or followed, by a meal, or refreshments, known as an Agape, or Festive Board.

Many U.S. lodge meetings consist of a "business meeting" to discuss the light bill, and the food consists of spaghetti on a paper plate, or hot dogs.

Why would men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Benito Juarez, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Mozart, Winston Churchill, Salvadore Allende, Augusto Sandino, Franklin Roosevelt, Simon Bolivar, Andrew Jackson, Jose de San Martin, Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, or Voltaire have wasted their time with an organization like that?

In the United States it has become all too often a social club and a charity, one, that it appears leaves so much to be desired that its members devote more of their time to the "fun" clubs associated (wrongly) with the Grand Lodges then to the work of the craft lodge. However, since Masonry is usually not being practiced in the lodge, it is hard to blame them.

You simply won't find this in the rest of the world, at least not to this degree.

November 2, 2009 7:45 PM

Los Angeles Freemasonry

2009-10-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

I have started a new blog, one that specifically relates to the Liberal, non-dogmatic Freemasonry available in Los Angeles. It is deplorable that European Freemasonry has such a limited presence in the United States.

With over 300 million citizens in this country, there are only several hundred members of our jurisdictions here. This is unacceptable.

While we, as Masons, are not to openly solicit members, we can certainly make our presence known.

It is inconceivable that out of a nation with over 300 million people Adogmatic Freemasonry only has a few hundred members.

This must change. And the only way to do this is to make Americans aware of our existence. There are around one and a half million Anglo-American masons in the United States.

Do we really believe in the Jurisdictions that we belong to? If we are willing to sacrifice our time and money to belong to a Liberal jurisdiction do we not think that it has something to offer?

If every American knew of the existence of our obediences, then we could say, "they prefer not to be Freemasons, or they they want to join the Anglo-American Grand Lodges and wear funny hats, and dress up as medieval knights.

It is time that people became aware of our existence. That is why I am starting the Los Angeles Freemasonry blog. It is not the solution to the problem, but at least it is a start.

I will be writing about the Liberal lodges in Los Angeles, and providing their contact information.

Things need to change. If one tenth of one percent of the nation were involved with European Freemasonry we would have 300,000 brothers and sisters working to make a difference in our society.

It is imperative that we, as Freemasons of the European, Liberal, tradition, make the public aware that we exist. Otherwise, why do we bother to meet at all?

I have linked the blog on this site. San Diego Freemason blog will continue, of course.

Masonic Martyr No.2

2009-10-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Brother Dr. Salvador Allende was elected President of Chile in 1970. A founding member of the Socialist Party of Chile, Dr. Allende labored to maintain civil liberties, while at the same time attempting to restructure Chilean society in the interests of the oppressed majority.

Though under pressure from more radical elements among his supporters, and at times flirting with the Soviet bloc, he worked within the system to bring meaningful change to his nation. In 1973 Brother Allende was overthrown in a military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet. Rather than face torture and death at the hands of Pinochet's troops, brother Allende committed suicide.

Under General Pinochet, thousands were tortured and murdered, and DINA, Pinochet's secret police tracked down opponents around the world and killed them. The head of DINA, it was later revealed, was on the payroll of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. In 1976, Orlando Letelier, who was a member of Allende's administration and was tortured after the coup, was murdered by DINA agents in Washington D.C. , along with his assistant.

Since 1998, after Chile was finally rid of Pinochet, the dictator was charged with kidnapping, torture, and murder, and the U.S. government revealed that Pinochet had millions of dollars stashed in U.S. banks and other countries.

While Brother Allende was not the victim of violence specifically because of his Masonic membership, the contrast between him and Pinochet speaks volumes about Masonic values, and principles. On the one hand, a brother that tried his best to alleviate suffering among his people. On the other hand, a vicious murderer, liar, and thief, that was responsible for the sufferings of millions.

Brother Allende was chosen, in a poll conducted in Chile in 2008, from a sample of 1.5 million people, as the Greatest Chilean in history.

Brother Allende exemplifies the true spirit of Freemasony and it's never ending struggle to improve the lot of others and fight tyranny.

Here is a link to an excellent interview with Brother Allende while he was alive and discussing Freemasonry.

http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/allende_s/revolution.html

Brother Allende was the Grandson of Past Grand Master Ramon Allende Padin.

Rest in Peace Brother.

Masonic Holocaust in Spain in the 20th Century

2009-10-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

The following is the law passed by the Fascist dictator of Spain, Francisco Franco in 1940, directed primarily at Freemasons. Note that holding "Higher Degrees" aggravated the offense. This usually meant the death penalty. Since so many of our Spanish brothers died under the Franco regime I decided not to mention only one. This is an excerpt from an article on Wikipedia that quotes from the book, "Freemasonry and the Spanish Civil War", by Matthew Scanlan:

"the lodge building in Cordoba was burnt, the masonic temple in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, was confiscated and transformed into the headquarters of the Falange, and another was shelled by artillery. In Salamanca thirty members of one lodge were shot, including a priest. Similar atrocities occurred across the country: fifteen masons were shot in Logrono, seventeen in Ceuta, thirty-three in Algeciras, and thirty in Valladolid, among them the Civil Governor. Few towns escaped the carnage as Freemasons in Lugo, Zamora, Cadiz and Granada were brutally rounded up and shot, and in Seville, the entire membership of several lodges were butchered. The slightest suspicion of being a mason was often enough to earn a place in a firing squad, and the blood-letting was so fierce that, reportedly, some masons were even hurled into working engines of steam trains. By 16 December 1937, according to the annual masonic assembly held in Madrid, all masons that had not escaped from the areas under nationalist control had been murdered."

The Law of 2 March 1940

Article No 1: Constitutes a felony to be a communist, or to belong to a masonic lodge or any other secret society.

Article No 2: As these organizations are now banned by the effects of this decree, all monies and properties are to be confiscated immediately.

Article No 3: Any advertisement to exhort the principles or pretended benefits of masonry or communism, or anything against the Religion or the Motherland, will be penalised according to this law.

Article No 4: To be considered a mason, will be those who had been initiated into masonry and had not been expelled from the Order, or not broken altogether their relationship with the organisation. It would also be considered a mason those expelled from the Order with the apparent reason to protect the member from the objects of this law.

Article No 5: From the date of this publication, masons and communists, as defined in article No 4 above, will be liable to be imprisoned with a "minor jail offense", a minimum of 12 years and one day, but this situation could be aggravated by the "Aggravated Circumstances" as explained in Article No 6.

Article No 6: "Aggravated Circumstances" is to have obtained any of the Degrees from the 18th to the 33rd inclusive, having taken part in any Annual Communications or being part of any Committee or Board of the Grand Orient of Spain, which would indicate the great confidence of the Order entrusted upon the member.

Article No 7: Any mason or communist, who belongs to either organisation, must notify the Government of his affiliation within two months of the date of this law.

Article No 8: Without prejudice to other penalties as per article No 5, and those who have not a reasonable excuse to be absolved, will be separated immediately and indefinitely from Government jobs, Public or Official Corporations, managerial and advisory positions in private enterprise companies, as well as any other job in which any kind of confidence is entrusted upon them. This law will cover this employment situation in perpetuity. It will be considered a attenuating circumstances providing information to the authorities about the persons who had performed the initiation into masonry, their superiors, or any other person involved in masonry or any other item of information that will be of benefit in the carrying of this law.

Signed
General Francisco Franco
March, 1940.

A letter from Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, the founder of Opus Dei to Franco written in 1958, regarding the union of church and state existing in Spain under the Franco regime:

Your Excellency:

I wish to add my sincerest personal congratulation to the many you have received on the occasion of the promulgation of the Fundamental Principles.

My forced absence from our homeland in service of God and souls, far from weakening my love for Spain, has, if it were possible, increased it. From the perspective of the eternal city of Rome, I have been able to see better than ever the beauty of that especially beloved daughter of the church which is my homeland, which the Lord has so often used as an instrument for the defense and propagation of the holy, Catholic faith in the world.

Although alien to any political activity, I cannot help but rejoice as a priest and Spaniard that the Chief of State’s authoritative voice should proclaim that, “The Spanish nation considers it a badge of honor to accept the law of God according to the one and true doctrine of the Holy Catholic Church, inseparable faith of the national conscience which will inspire its legislation.” It is in fidelity to our people’s Catholic tradition that the best guarantee of success in acts of government, the certainty of a just and lasting peace within the national community, as well as the divine blessing for those holding positions of authority, will always be found.

I ask God our Lord to bestow upon your Excellency with every sort felicity and impart abundant grace to carry out the grave mission entrusted to you.

Please accept, Excellency, the expression of my deepest personal esteem and be assured of my prayers for all your family.

Most devotedly yours in the Lord,
Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer
Rome, May 23, 1958

The photo is of Franco at church with Frederico Cardinal Tedeschini in Barcelona.

Masonic Martyrs No. 1

2009-10-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

I felt that it would be appropriate to take the time to remember those men who were persecuted for being our brother Masons.

Brother Tommaso Crudeli, 1703-1745, was arrested in Florence by the Holy Inquisition in 1739. At this time he was tortured and asked to reveal the secrets of Masonry and his lodge. Two years later he was released to house arrest, where he passed away in 1745. His literary works were burned in Florence, and his writings were prohibited by the church.

I will continue this series in the following days. So many of our brothers had their lives, and liberty taken from them for being members of the Order.

Innovations in American Freemasonry

2009-10-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

It is very interesting to see how Freemasonry has evolved in the United States compared to other parts of the world. While no Grand Lodge seems to agree with how many landmarks there are, or what they are, the U.S. Grand Lodges are responsible for many innovations in Freemasonry. These include:
1. Opening of the lodge in the 3rd Degree. At the Baltimore Convention of 1842 it was decided that "Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts are not members of Lodges, nor are they entitled to the franchises of members." Not done that way prior to the convention, and never in Europe. This had the effect of rushing men through the degrees so that they could participate as full members.
2. Use of the Pledge of Allegiance when opening lodge. While there is nothing wrong with being patriotic, nationalism is inappropriate in a Masonic Temple.
3. Use of Sectarian prayers in lodge. Freemasonry is non-sectarian.
4. The doctrine of Territorial Exclusivity. As more Grand Lodges recognize the Prince Hall Grand Lodges in their states, (as well they should), this doctrine becomes moot.
5. The creation of numerous bodies that, while not Masonic, require members be masons, or related to masons to join. These bodies are accepted by the Grand Lodges and are viewed by the general public as being Masonic, which they are not.
6. One day classes, whereby a man can become a Master Mason in a single day.
7. Encouraging attempts at recruitment in many jurisdictions, such as advertising for members.
8. The prohibition of alcohol at Masonic functions. Compare this policy to the practices of the Grand Lodge of London, the lodges in the American colonies, etc.

All in all, it is my opinion that while there are many good Masons in the U.S. jurisdictions, and many Grand Lodges are making positive changes, Mainstream American Masonry has traveled well off the path of historic Freemasonry. The Masonic Restoration Foundation is a wonderful step in the right direction, as is the "European Concept" lodge movement.

Sadly, much of what is called Masonry today in many parts of the country cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be considered authentic Freemasonry. Most American Masonry would be defined as "Irregular" when compared to the Freemasonry of the Grand Lodge of London in 1717 and European Freemasonry in general as practiced for the past 300 years. That's just the way it is.

Happy Birthday Gandhi

2009-10-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

Today is Mahatma Gandhi's 140th birthday. While Gandhi was not a Freemason, (despite rumors to the contrary), he embodied many of the tenets that we, as Masons believe in.

Gandhi preached tolerance of others, especially in religious matters, the equality of all people, regardless of race, and most importantly, he preached Truth.

Gandhi is also remembered for the simplicity of his life, and his teachings of non-violence. While we do not need to agree with everything he said, or taught, I feel that we can all acknowledge him as one of the great figures of the 20th century.

Happy Birthday Gandhi. You left the world a better place than you found it.

Templarism

2009-09-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

Many in the Masonic community are drawn to the myth that Freemasonry is derived from the religious order of the middle-ages known as the Knights Templar, also know as the Poor Soldiers of Christ.

I can see the appeal that such a myth has for many, but Freemasonry is not the Society of Creative Anachronism. The leap from the symbolism of working-class stone masons, to being knights in shining armor is a big one.

I suppose though that the leap from wearing a commodore's uniform of the 1800's with a sword, and a funny hat is not that much of a leap to wearing a fez with a Sphinx on it. After all, it was the age of Gilbert and Sullivan. Not Freemasonry though.

The Order of the Templars existed from 1129, to 1307, approximately. Historical Freemasonry began with the foundation of the Grand Lodge of London in 1717. This was more than 400 years after the order was suppressed.

While wide-spread, and very wealthy, the influence on the average European peasant at the time must have been minimal, after all, the majority of the population could not even read, and there were no books available anyway.

While stone masons did build their fortresses, masons also built every other stone building at the time, including those for monarchs, the church, and the other religious orders, such as the Hospitallers, and the non-military monastic orders.

While brave in battle, the Templars also engaged in suicidal tactics at times, reminiscent of the Japanese banzai attacks in World War II. A strong sense of honor, but little common sense.

While wanting a connection to the Templars can be appealing to some, it has no basis in reality. Numerous Masonic scholars have written on the subject, and Freemasonry has no more relation to the Knights Templars than to the Priory of Sion, the Ancient Egyptians, or the original builders of Solomon's Temple.

Any serious student of history knows that Freemasonry evolved from the stone masons guilds, and took form in the latter half of the 17th, and early part of the 18th century. The documentation exists. The rest is, unfortunately, wishful fantasy.

Hypocrisy

2009-09-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

I had posted awhile back on another site about the Swedish Rite, which is practiced in Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, and Norway. Let me say that I have nothing against the Scandinavians, and I am sure that there are many outstanding brothers in those jurisdictions.

I do have issue though with the fact that the Swedish Rite is only open to Christians. I see this as contrary to the traditional practice of Freemasonry. Even in the US, and England, which are bastions of conservatism regarding Masonic practice, no man can be denied Masonic membership on the basis of his religion.

By any standard, this is a violation of one of the Landmarks of Freemasonry. What if the Grand Lodge of Israel were to announce that only members of the Jewish faith could join? What if the Grand Lodge of Italy were to announce that membership was only available to Roman Catholics?

What if the Grand Lodge of Mississippi were to state that only White men could join..................?

When the Grand Orient of France decided that whether or not a man believed in God was a matter of personal conscience, and should not be asked as a condition of membership, the United Grand Lodge of England, acting "shocked" at such an offense, cut off all recognition.

Their supporters, in lock step, fell into line and denounced the Grand Orient as well. Any complaints about those Grand Lodges that discriminated on the basis of religion, or race? None.

Throughout the world, the UGLE has set up puppet Grand Lodges where there have been Grand Lodges, and Grand Orients for centuries, something that the U.S. Grand Lodges would consider to be a violation of Territorial Exclusivity.

Somehow, when the UGLE does it, it is alright. Since the United Grand Lodge of England decides who is a "real" Mason, and who is not, that apparently, gives them the right to establish lodges wherever they wish, regardless how long other Grand Lodges have existed there.

My point here is that the U.S. Grand Lodges, the largest and wealthiest of the Grand Lodges in the world, should stop kowtowing to the UGLE. Freemason's Hall in London is not the Vatican. The Grand Master of the UGLE is not the Pope.

It is hypocrisy to recognize jurisdictions that are restricted to a particular religion, or race, while severing relations with the Grand Orient of France, not to mention the Grand Lodge of France, which is "regular" in every sense of the word.

Utter hypocrisy.

T:. T:. G:. O:. T:. G:. A:. O:. T:. U:.

2009-09-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today how, even in many of the adogmatic jurisdictions of Freemasonry, there is still reference to the Grand Architect of the Universe. I know that many of my Brothers, and Sisters are atheists or agnostics and may find the term undesirable.

I understand their concerns, though I happen to like opening and closing the lodge "to the glory of the Great Architect of the Universe and the progress of Humanity, in the name of Universal Freemasonry".

My religious beliefs are a mixture of Deism, Taoism, and Stoicism that sometimes borders on the agnostic side. I do not believe however that the universe came into being out of nothing by sheer chance. I do believe in a higher reality, though I would never anthropomorphize that reality by attributing human qualities to "it".

I am not arguing here for the existence of God, that is up to each man, and woman, to decide for themselves. I am just grateful that the reference to TGAOTU is still optional in Liberal, Grand Orient Freemasonry. Banning the use of the term, if a majority of a lodge's membership desire it, would be just as bad as forcing a lodge to use it, as is done in the "regular" jurisdictions.

By the way, I do like the fact that we use a blank book instead of the Bible. I would actually prefer though to use Anderson's Constitutions, or the Constitution of the particular jurisdiction. A blank book, despite what it symbolizes, is still blank. Why have it on the Altar at all? Just my opinion.

Wonderful Evening

2009-09-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

I just returned home from attending a meeting of Lodge Aletheia of the Women's Grand Lodge of Belgium. The meeting lasted about five hours, running a little over due to the business at hand. I visited as a guest with my WM from Lodge New Isis.

I never cease to be impressed by the standard of work and dedication that the Sisters of Lodge Aletheia display. The Sisters of Aletheia treat masonry as work, not a chance to get together with friends and socialize. The Chain of Union was a moving experience.

It has been a long day, 10:30 masonic education meeting, followed by lunch and lodge from 2:00 until 7:00. I am grateful to the Sisters for their warm welcome and masonic fellowship.

My only regret is that I was unable to stay for the agape afterwards. I would have enjoyed spending more time with the Sisters, but it was necessary to head back to San Diego.

Change is a good thing

2009-08-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Since I last posted there have been changes in my Masonic life. If you are familiar with previous posts of mine then you are aware that I joined lodge Intrepid of the Grand Orient of the USA. At a later date there were some issues between the leadership of Lodge Intrepid and the governing body of the GOUSA.

As a result of this unfortunate conflict Lodge Intrepid demitted en masse from the GOUSA and decided to go it alone as an independent lodge. For many reasons, none of which I can discuss here, I have recently demitted from Lodge Intrepid and am now a member of Lodge New Isis of the George Washington Union.

I am looking forward to continuing my Masonic education within the Liberal, European Tradition which is now available to me in the GWU. I send my greetings to all fellow Masons in CLIPSAS, especially to my brothers and sisters in the Women's Grand Lodge of Belgium, the Grand Orient of France, the Grand Orient of the United States, and Le Droit Humain.

Last Weekend

2009-06-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

I returned from a business meeting of Lodge Intrepid that was held last weekend. Over the course of the weekend many items were discussed and the results will be forthcoming as I am able to post them. I am no longer Secretary of the lodge. Since we have over 20 members, many of them Master Masons, it did not make sense for me, an Entered Apprentice, to hold the office, especially since I am not able to attend every meeting. I am sure that the new Secretary will do an outstanding job. Sorry for the lack of posts lately, so much is in transition. I will keep everyone posted as I am able to.

Update

2009-05-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

As usual, it has been awhile since I posted. I finally completed my paralegal studies at the University of San Diego and am now seeking employment in the field. Things are progressing well at Intrepid, two more candidates for initiation have received their interviews.

I am working on a piece of Architecture so that I may advance to the Fellow-Craft degree, hopefully in September. I am enjoying the process, and have many Brothers and Sisters with years of experience to assist me.

I contacted the lodge in November of 2007, was interviewed in April 2008, was initiated in September of 2008, and am looking at passing in September of 2009. This is as it should be, no rush, and time to grow in Freemasonry. We are having an excellent series of Masonic Education online twice a month. In addition, we have a minimum of one meeting a month at lodge, sometimes two, which I often cannot attend due to the distance involved.

When I first entered Freemasonry, the thought of women being involved seemed foreign to me. Now, I could not imagine it any other way. The Sisters in lodge Intrepid have been a joy to meet and labor with, without them, lodge Intrepid would be missing something very special. When men and women can meet on the level and work together as Brothers and Sisters, it really expresses the concepts of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity that I hold so dear.

I have no problem with men and women's clubs, but Freemasonry, a revolutionary organization, that in a time when racism, slavery, religious intolerance, class differences, where considered acceptable, stood up and preached tolerance, the equality of people regardless of origin, ethnicity, and religious faith. There is no reason that I can see to exclude half of the human race from such an organization.

Mixed Masonry is the future. While there are, and will continue to be, Masonic groups that are limited to men, or to women, the mixed lodges will grow, and become the dominant lodges of the future. As well they should.

The Royal Art

2009-01-14T20:34:00.000-08:00

It has been quite awhile since I last posted. It has been a busy time for me, what with being laid-off from my job, starting school, and the Holiday season. Despite some setbacks, I am very positive regarding the growth of Liberal Freemasonry in the United States. I have had the pleasure of meeting many new Masons, both male and female, and there are new lodges in various states of development. There have of course been growing pains involved in the process, but that is to be expected. I was recently appointed secretary to my lodge, a position that I am honored to have. It is a real learning experience. I would like at this time to recommend a book that I think is one of the best introductions to Freemasonry available. It is Royal Art: Three Centuries of Freemasonry by Stevan V. Nikolic. I cannot think of a better all-around, concise treatment of the subject. I strongly advise any reader who is interested in Masonry to purchase this book. It covers all the bases without getting to in depth, or technical. I hope that everyone enjoyed their Holidays, and I wish all a very happy new year.

Adogmatic Liberal Masonic Jurisdictions

2008-11-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

The following are the member jurisdictions of SIMPA & CLIPSAS. At present the Grand Orient of the United States is not a member of either organization though we have a treaty of amity with the Grand Orient of France and cordial relations with several of the member bodies. Progressive Freemasonry is world-wide and, though small in comparison with the Anglo-American branch of Freemasonry, offers prospective members the practices and values of early Masonry under the motto: Libery, Equality, Fraternity.

SIMPA
(International Secretariat of the Masonic Adogmatic Powers)

Grand Orient de Belgique
Grande Loge de Belgique
Grande Loge Féminine de Belgique
Grand Orient de France
Grande Loge de Memphis-Misraïm (France)
Grande Loge Féminine de Memphis-Misraïm (France)
Grande Loge Mixte Universelle (France)
Fédération française du Droit Humain (France)
Sérénissime Grand Orient de Grèce
Grand Orient de Hongrie
Gran Loggia d’Italia ALAM
Grand Orient de Luxembourg
Grand Orient de Pologne (Poland)
Gran Logia Simbolica Espanola
Grand Orient de Suisse
Grande Loge Féminine de Suisse
Grande Loge Maçonnique de Turquie
Americas:
George Washington Union (USA)
Grande Loja Unida de Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Grande Oriente de Santa Catarina (Brazil)

CLIPSAS
(Centre of Liaison and Information of Masonic Powers Signatories of Strasbourg Appeal )

Gran Loggia d’Italia, since 1961
Grand Orient de Suisse, since 1961
Großorient von Österreich, since 1961
Grand Orient de Luxembourg, since 1961
Serenísima Gran Logia de Lengua Española, since 1961
Grand Lodge of Denmark, 1970
Gran Logia Mixta de Puerto Rico, 1976
George Washington Union, 1979
Gran Logia de la República de Venezuela, 1980
Grand Rite Malgache, 1981
Omega Grand Lodge of the State of New York, 1982
Grands Orient & Loge Unis du Cameroun, 1982
Gran Logia Simbólica Española, 1983
Grand Orient du Congo, 1984
Grande Loge Féminine de Belgique, 1984
Nederlandse Grootloge der Gemengde Vrijmetsalerij, 1985
Grande Oriente Lusitano, 1985
Grande Loge Haitienne de St. Jean des Orients D'Outre-Mer, 1985
Grande Loge de Haïti, 1987
HUMANITAS-Freimaurergrossloge für Frauen und Männer in Deutschland, 1987
Gran Oriente Latino Americano, 1987
Grand Bénin de la République du Bénin, 1988
Großloge Humanitas Austria, 1989
Grands Orient & Loge Associés du Congo, 1989
Liberal Grand Lodge of Turkey, 1989
Gran Logia Mixta de Chile, 1991
Grande Loge Française de Memphis-Misraïm, 1991
Grande Loge Féminine de Memphis-Misraïm, 1992
Grande Loge Symbolique Helvétique, 1992
Grande Eburnie, 1992
Gran Logia Femenina de Chile, 1994
Gran Loggia Massonica Femminile d’Italia, 1995
Grande Loja Unida do Paraná, 1995
Séréníssime Grand Orient de Grèce, 1996
Grande Loge de la Caraïbe, 1997
Gran Oriente de México, 1997
Grande Loge Nationale du Canada, 1997
Grande Oriente Nacional Gloria do Occidente do Brasil, 1998
Gran Logia del Norte de Colombia, 2000
Grande Loja Maçonica Mixta do Brasil, 2001
Ordre Maçonnique International DELPHI, 2001
Grande Loge Centrale du Liban, 2002
Grand Orient Mixte de Grèce, 2002
Grande Loja Unida de Pernambuco, 2002
Grande Loge Mixte de Memphis-Misraïm, 2003
Gran Logia Central de Colombia, 2003
Grande Loge de Cèdres, 2003
Grande Loge Symbolique Maçonnique d'Afrique, 2003
Grand Rite Galagasy Féminin, 2003
Grande Oriente Masónico Chileno, 2004
Gran Logia Femenina de Argentina, 2004
Grande Loja Feminina da Maçonaria Brasileira, 2005
Grande Loja Arquitetos de Aquário - GLADA, 2005
Grande Loge Bet-El, 2005
Grande Loge Féminine de Roumanie, 2006
Benjamim Herrera, 2006

Thomas Paine

2008-10-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

I would like to post a short article about a man who, though not a Freemason, was one of the greatest free-thinkers in American history. Born in England in 1737, Paine emigrated to the American Colonies at the age of 37. Paine's writings greatly influenced the course of the American Revolution, as well as the later revolution in France. His pamphlet, "Common Sense" ran to well over 500,00o copies in it's first year and in it, Paine put forth his arguments against British rule. In addition, he donated his royalties from "Common Sense" to Washington's army. Paine's "The Right's of Man" put forth his views that humanity is born free and and such freedom cannot be "granted" by any government. He greatest work, in my opinion, is his "Age of Reason", in which Paine expresses the ideas of Deism, the belief that God is evident in Nature and that man has been given reason with which to perceive the divine, independent of "miracles". and "revelation". I wish that his writings were more widely know today,especially among the youth of America. Below are a few quotes of his that I find very enlightening and worth meditating upon:

I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life.
I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavouring to make our fellow-creatures happy.
But, lest it should be supposed that I believe many other things in addition to these, I shall, in the progress of this work, declare the things I do not believe, and my reasons for not believing them.
I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.
All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.
I do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise; they have the same right to their belief as I have to mine. But it is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe. - The Age of Reason

The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.

Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best stage, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.

That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly

When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.

Universal Freemasonry

2008-10-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at establishing a blog and I am interested in seeing how it progresses. I am a member of Lodge Intrepid, Orient of Los Angeles. I am excited about the growth of Liberal, Progressive Freemasonry in the United States but at the same time I am concerned by the lack of such growth in the San Diego area. San Diego has such a rich and diverse cultural heritage with men and women from all over the world calling it home. We now, in the United States, have masculine, feminine and mixed Masonic obediences available for the first time. It is my sincere hope that these forms of Freemasonry will take root and grow in San Diego's rich and diverse soil. Below are several links to organizations that represent the European, Adogmatic Masonic tradition, I hope that any readers I may have find them useful. Articles in the coming months will address various Masonic topics. I look forward to any comments that readers may hope to post.

http://www.georgewashingtonunion.org/

http://www.womenfreemasonsusa.com/

http://www.godf.org/foreign/uk/index_uk.html