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Volume 1 - Issue 3March 2006

RestoringThe Temple

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www.lodgeroomus.com www.lodgeroomuk.comFreemasonry: Its not about me changing them, Its about me changing me.

The Lodgeroom International Magazine

Between The PillarsAn Editorial

By William McElligott, P.M.

Well, we see some break away Masonic groupswho claim there is something wrong in Freema-sonry and that we need to start again. We have inthe UK RGLE and in the US there is the UGLoA.Now these new entities have every right to cre-ate what they see as right, correct and honorable.

Now, I don’t agree with breaking away and start-ing a new Freemasonry. I see no reason why weare not capable of examining what we have andtrying to improve on it. That seems a very con-structive proposal, lets examine what we have andask what members want, put forward ideas andpossible improvements. If these improvements arewell-constructed, thoughtful proposals and con-cepts and if the ideas have merit, common sensesays your Grand Lodge will listen. History tellsus that even if change does not come about whenwe want it to, change for the benefit of all willcome.

Some of these break-away groups, however, seemto suffer from an “its their fault” syndrome, whenthe reality is, its up to us. We are the they. Everysingle one of us will determine the future of Free-masonry. If we care it will flourish and do well,if we don’t care, if we just sit back and do noth-ing, it will not.

Last month I took a friend, Gary to one of myLodge meetings. He was the only guest. Inno-cently, he wondered why he was asked to do thereply speech, which he did very well. During themeal after the meeting, I was moved to tell him,“ You, know I just can’t understand those ma-sons who yell at me Freemasonry is dying, lis-ten.” He stopped for a minute, trying to raise his

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Cover: Aerial view of Rosslyn ChapelPublished by:

Willam McElligott, P.M.R. Theron Dunn

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Volume 1 - Issue 3 - March 2006Restoring The Temple

Featured ArticlesWhy Men Love Masonry by Carl Claudy ....................... 3Keeping the Masonic Secrets By Peter Dowling ......... 3The Two Great Schisms of Masonry .................... 4Asking Questions by Gary Bond .......................................... 5Parable of the Long Handled Spoons .................. 5Masonic Education/Seven Habits Of HighlyEffective Masons/Lodges by John Shroeder .................. 6NEWS: An Iraqi Lodge ....................................... 6On Becoming A Mason by Daniel Beresniak................... 7History of the UGLE .......................................... 7Is There a Templar-Rosslyn Connection? by Peter Taylor ........................................................................... 7Broached Thurnel by Albert Mackey.................................. 8Preparing Leaders by Tim Bryce ...................................... 16

Regular FeaturesBetween The Pillars - An Editorial ....................... 2Masonic Humor ................................................. 4Valuable Links to Masonic Works ..................... 10

There are many lessons of vast importance con-tained in the Entered Apprentice Degree of Free-masonry. These lessons are so important to theauthor of this book that he has been so bold as to

voice above the laughter and jolly comments, andsaid, “Yes I can’t understand it either, this is myfirst visit since I was raised and its great.”

Gary had driven some 100 miles to meet me ear-lier that day, so he committed the full day to thevisit. After the Festive board we said our good-byes all round Gary left about 10 pm and had along journey home, I would guess he arrived homeat say 11.30 pm. In this meeting, I was in thechair to raise my son Adam to the third degree.Getting older and still on various medications, Istruggled to get through the ceremony as I justcant remember as well as I used to. My friendKevin was on standby and after the obligation,he stood in and completed the degree for me.But everyone thought that was what we had in-tended it was seamless transfer. Adam answeredhis questions properly and all else went well.

So what do we learn from this little story? Well,like most things in life, its very simple. You getout of Freemasonry what you put in. You, eachone of us, is the key to the future of Freema-sonry. It matters not if we are talking about theUnited States, Canada, United Kingdom or any-where else in the world, you every individualFreemason will determine what future Freema-sonry has. These two brothers, the one who drovean hour and a half each way, and the brother thatstepped in to complete my son’s degree, put theirhearts, and their feet, into masonry, by action.

If you stand back and say, that’s too far to drive, orwhy should I help this guy who cant remember hislines or fall into the “Its their fault” way of think-ing, then masonry is lost. But so long as there is asmall group of men who will not bend to prejudice,bigotry or just plain apathy, Freemasonry will sur-

vive and prosper. So long as we attend Lodge andmake that Lodge a happy and pleasant place to be itwill grow. So long as we place the benefit to allbefore our own importance, it will grow. So long aswe understand that Brotherly Love, Relief and Truthare principles and not just letters on a page we canmake the world a little better. We can protect theweak and support the afflicted, help the homelessand mend the hurt of a child. This is what we doand this is what we will continue to do.

It’s your Freemasonry, make sure you know itand everyone else knows you will not let it slide.

title the book, Everything I needed to know aboutFreemasonry; I learned as an apprentice.

Worshipful Brother Stephen Dafoe is not a Free-mason who takes his craft lightly. He is oftenfond of saying, “We do not need more men inMasonry, but more Masonry in men.” Every pageof this book reflects that expression. The book isone man’s reflection on the lessons learned inthat first degree and is a thorough examinationof the philosophy taught with each step, pace andgesture. In so doing, Dafoe has not created a dryaccount of the first degree, but rather a book thatwill inspire all Freemasons to get back to thebasics.

To order this or any book in thismagazine, Click this link or go to:

http://mason-defender.net/recommend.htm

New Feature:

Ask A BrotherStarting in our April Issue, we will begin a newfeature called “Ask A Brother”. We ask you toemail us with your masonic questions, tradition,ritual, tenets, teachings... in a word, anythingrelated to masonry.

Our brother will then find an answer for yourquestion (or make one up) and we will publishthis every month, or until everyone runs out ofquestions (as IF). So, please email us todayat [email protected] with yourquestions.

We’re making YOU a part of the process.

Everything I Needed to Know AboutFreemasonryI learned As An Apprentice

StephenDafoe




Continued on Page 9 - Keeping

Continued on Page 10 - Love

Why Men Love FreemasonryBy Wr. Carl H. ClaudyThe Master Mason -August 1925

THE QUESTION,"Why do men wish tobecome Freemasons?"is of little importance.But the subsequent

query, "Why do Freemasons remain such - whydo Freemasons love Freemasonry?" is of suchgreat and far- reaching importance that almostevery Masonic writer and philosopher has triedto answer it; a perfectly normal procedure, asthere appear to be almost as many reasons asthere are men to give them.

No answer which seems adequately to cover thewhole question has as yet been formulated.

Although the reasons givenare very numerous, they fallnaturally into certain broadclasses.

We are told that men loveFreemasonry because itteaches the brotherhood ofman, and that man is hungryfor fraternity. There is none to question the truthof the statement, yet it seems to lack much as anadequate explanation for the love of the Orderwhich we find everywhere. Freemasonry is notthe only organization which teaches the brother-hood of man. There are many fraternal orders,the teachings of which are founded wholly or inpart upon this basis. All churches teach the fa-therhood of God and, either directly or by impli-cation, the brotherhood of man. Freemasonry'shold upon her members is from some quality shepossesses, or service she renders, which manymen do not easily find elsewhere. As brother-hood and its teachings can be found in many otherorders, it seems inadequate as an explanation ofa Freemason's devotion to his Craft.

We are told that the hold which Freemasonry hasupon men comes from the sense of the mysticwhich is common to all men; that the search forThat Which Was Lost is intriguing to the detec-tive instinct in us all; that from the dawn of his-tory the hunt has been a passion of men; the manhunt, the beast hunt, the food hunt, the hunt forgold, for power, for truth, for discovery; and thatto seek is implanted in our blood. Therefore, ar-gue these philosophers, Freemasonry's hold uponher initiates is due to her holding ever beforethem an endless search after an unknown some-thing of value which was once possessed and hasnow passed beyond mortal ken.

But Freemasonry is but one of many activities inwhich man can search. The most ardent Freema-son is no more energetic in his search for That

Which Was Lost than is a churchman for thatpeace of God which passeth understanding. Themost ardent Freemason is no more anxious tofind the Lost Word than is the physician to dis-cover the cure for cancer, the remedy for old age,the fountain of youth. The most ardent Freema-son has no more ardor for his quest than the sci-entist in his laboratory, the business man aftermaterial success, the pleasure-hunter after joy.Freemasonry is but one of many activities inwhich the hunter may find an elusive quarry. In-asmuch as it requires some philosophic prepara-tion and some background of Masonic knowl-edge really to engage in such a quest, it may wellbe doubted if this reason is one which affects themajority of those who love the Order.

WE ARE told that it is the pleasure in being oneof an old, old line of brethren; that men take joy

from theirlodge inthe knowl-edge thatthey arebrotherlykin tokings of ano l d e ntime, to

workers of a day that is gone, aye, even toSolomon and the Three Grand Masters. Undoubt-edly there is a great pleasure to be had from thissense of being, as it were, a real kin with thedeparted of other times. To be lodge brother to

Washington and Lafayette must thrill any patriot;to feel that we have an unbroken descent fromour forbears of the Goose and Gridiron Tavernof 1717 gives us a sense of stability which ismost pleasurable. As we go further back in time,while the record gets increasingly scarce and dif-ficult to read, and becomes less and less docu-mentary and more and more legendary, still thereis no doubt whatever that Freemasonry does re-main, to this day, the repository of the symbolsand the teachings of ancient societies which maywell be as old as Solomon, or older.

Of course, no well-read Mason today believesthat the ritual of the Building of the Temple andthe organization is to be taken literally. To theinformed it gains, rather than loses, from its sym-bolic character. But there are thousands of ear-nest Freemasons who know nothing of the realhistory of our Order, who devoutly, believe thatthe First Grand Lodge was presided over bySolomon, King of Israel; that Hiram, King ofTyre, was another Grand Master, and that a Thirdwas the original of our pillar of beauty. To them,undoubtedly, the sense of kinship with the veryancient is a strong bond; none the less strong thatit is founded on a misconception.

But a man need not embrace Freemasonry to bekin with what is old. The churches have a muchmore traceable history than has Freemasonry. Sohas science. Mathematics was old when Hero ofAlexandria and Euclid lived and wrote. The ge-ologist can make anything human seem as of yes-terday. Allowing full value for the "pull" whichher antiquity makes upon the hearts of her sons,

Keeping the Masonic SecretsBy Peter Dowling

The Internet has been a great tool to find out in-formation on any subject on Freemasonry. I am amember of an Internet discussion forum(LodgeroomUK) where we discuss on a daily ba-

sis topics from “What can be done to improve Free-masonry” to “Book and film reviews” along with“General interest and discussion forums” to“Hands across the sea” where Masons from all

I was Initiated into Freemasonry in theLodge of Unity No 98, under the GrandLodge of Spain in November 2004. IPassed to the Fellowcraft Degree inMarch 2005 and was

raised to the Sublime Degree ofMaster Mason in November 2005.

When I first petitioned to join Free-masonry, I did not know a lot aboutthe organization except that it didthings for charity and made you a bet-ter man. I did no research or back-ground history on Freemasonry. Iknow this seems silly to join some-thing you know nothing about butsomething felt right about it and myinstincts said “go for it!”So I did, I jumped right in both feetfirst and it is the best thing I have ever done. Theonly regret I have is that I didn’t join earlier. Ilove Freemasonry and try to attend all the Lodgeof Instruction and Lodge of Rehearsal and veryrarely miss a Lodge Meeting. I also try to study orread books on Freemasonry at least 1 hour a day.



Masonic HumorThe Masonic ParrotWalking past a MasonicRegalia shop, one of twofriends noticed an advert inthe window ‘ Masonic Par-rots for sale’.

Curiosity made them enter theshop and enquire” What is thisMasonic Parrot advert allabout”.

The shopkeeper imme-diately showed themthrough to the back room where there, on atall perch, was a Parrot, light blue in color.

“ That’s a Master Parrot. He can recite all threedegrees word perfect” he said.

“How much” they asked. “$10,000.00” he said.

“That’s a lot of money the first friend retorted.Have you any other Parrots”

“Yes”, said the shopkeeper. He went in the backand returned with this magnificent Dark BlueParrot. “ This is a Provincial Grand Parrot”. Hesaid. “It can recite all three degrees and all theaddresses in the back of the book that no oneever looks at. Word perfect. He will cost you$25,000.00”.

“Blimey! Have you anything cheaper?”

The shopkeeper disappeared again and returnedwith this slightly scruffy old bird in Dark Bluebut with gold braid down its wings and on itstail. “This is a Grand Parrot” he said. “he is onlyTen Quid”

“What does he do”.

“Nothing he just sits there shaking his head andgoing tut, tut…………. tut, tut.”

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Continued on Page 11 - Schisms

The Two Great Schisms ofFreemasonry (1753 and 1877)

From Wikipedia

The GLE (Grand Lodge of England), along withthose jurisdictions with which it was in amity,later came to be known colloquially as theModerns, to distinguish them from a newer, ri-val group of Freemasonry, known as the Antients.The Antients broke away and formed their ownGrand Lodge in 1753, prompted by the GLE'smaking changes to the se-cret modes of recognition.Tensions between the twogroups were very high attimes. The Antients tendedto be more working classin membership, and prob-ably more Christian, whilethe Moderns were morearistocratic and educated,and less religiously ortho-dox. Benjamin Franklinwas a Modern and a Deist, for instance, but bythe time he died, his lodge had gone Antient andwould no longer recognize him as one of theirown, declining even to give him a Masonic fu-neral[4]. It has been speculated that the Antientsdesired a more Christian style of Masonry, sincethey made popular a higher degree, called the"Holy Royal Arch", which is generally thoughtof as having a more Christian flavor than the firstthree degrees.

The schism was healed in the years following1813, when the competing Grand Lodges wereamalgamated into the United Grand Lodge ofEngland (UGLE), by virtue of a delicately wordedcompromise which returned the modes of recog-nition to their pre-1753 form, and kept Freema-sonry per se as consisting of three degrees only,but which was ambiguously worded so as to al-low the Moderns to think of the Antient RoyalArch degree as an optional higher degree, whilestill allowing the Antients to view it as thecompletion of the third degree[5]. This compro-mise, along with subsequent changes made in1815 (see below), left English Masonry stillclearly not Christian, but at the same time some-what less comfortable for unorthodox members,such as Deists and Pantheists. The merger alsomarked a levelling of the Masonic membership,in terms of social class and education.

Because both the Antients and the Moderns haddaughter lodges throughout the world, and becausemany of those lodges still exist, there is a greatdeal of variability in the ritual used today, evenbetween UGLE-recognized jurisdictions. Mostlodges conduct their Work in accordance with anagreed-upon single Rite, such as the York Rite(which is popular in the United States; not to beconfused with York Rite), or the Canadian Rite

(which is, in some ways, a concordance betweenthe Rites used by the Antients and Moderns).

The second great schism in Freemasonry occurredin the years following 1877, when the GOdFstarted accepting atheists unreservedly. While theissue of atheism is probably the greatest singlefactor in the split with the GOdF, the English

also point to the Frenchrecognition of women'sMasonry and co-Masonry,as well as the tendency ofFrench Masons to bemore willing to discussreligion and politics inLodge. While the Frenchcurtail such discussion,they do not ban it as out-right as do the English[6].The schism between the

two branches has occasionally been breached forshort periods of time, especially during the First

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Parable Of TheLong Handled

SpoonsA holy man was having a conversation with the Lordone day and said, “Lord, I would like to know whatHeaven and Hell are like.” The Lord led the holyman to two doors. He opened one of the doors andthe holy man looked in.

In the middle of the room was a large round table.In the middle of the table was a large pot of stewwhich smelled delicious and made the holy man’smouth water. The people sitting around the tablewere thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished.They were holding spoons with very long handlesand each found it possible to reach into the pot ofstew and take a spoonful, but because the handlewas longer than their arms, they could not get thespoons back into their mouths. The holy man shud-dered at the sight of their misery and suffering. TheLord said, “You have seen Hell.”

They went to the next room and opened the door.It was exactly the same as the first one. Therewas the large round table with the large pot ofstew which made the holy man’s mouth water.The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were wellnourished and plump, laughing and talking. Theholy man said, “I don’t understand.”

“It is simple,” said the Lord. “It requires but oneskill. You see, they have learned to feed each otherwhile the greedy think only of themselves.”

Asking QuestionsRequesting Knowledge - is that not what we do by becoming Freemasons?

By Gary Bond

With so much information available now through such mediums as the Internet,exposé books etc., would it be prudent for us in the UK to slightly alter the patternof knowledge gain for our newly initiated, to ensure that the information given toour new Brothers is of a correct nature and in the context of their journey?

It is common practise in the UK for the bulk of learning to be provided after the candidate has beenraised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. The question I offer is: Should we change that?

Once a candidate has been initiated he is privy to all the information an Entered Apprentice isallowed, but how much of it do we teach them? They are given a wealth of information duringtheir initiation and there are a number of things done that are notexplained as to the meaning. The amount of allegory used in the ini-tiation of the Entered Apprentice will leave a very blank mind, asit would be impossible for any candidate to retain even a smallamount of it.

I find it worrying that an Entered Apprentice is then left until hisPassing and then the only test of proficiency is his ability to remem-ber and recite, and not his understanding. As a fraternity built onthe seeking of knowledge should this not be the main test given toour candidates?

As a small field test I wrote twelve questions, of subjects rang-ing from nuclear physics texts, bi- ology texts and general universitytextbooks in my possession. I asked my niece to remember theanswers and I would test her the following week, if she got themright I would take her to the cin- ema. Needless to say she got themnear perfect, except for the pronunciation of some of the longer words, which in actual fact I don’treally know if she had got them wrong, but it was not the way I would of said them. Does this meanshe is proficient, at eight years old, on subjects that people study for years? In short NO, the abilityto recite does not prove proficiency and I feel that maybe we are letting our Brethren down withoutrealizing it.

Continued on Page 11 - Asking

Is Freemasonry lowering its standards? Is the craftlosing its way? In all honesty I do not know, but Isee around me a fraternity that seems to be moreconcerned with the recital of things word for wordthan the actual understanding of the lessons it hastaught for centuries. What is more important toyou as a Mason, that you understand the morallessons in your preparation to become a mason, orwhether you can remember word for word a set ofquestions and answers that you don’t actuallyknow the meaning of? I know my preference.

I am not trying to say that we change the way wedo things to that much of an extent, more that wedo not encourage our candidates enough. All lodgeshave their up and coming candidate, someone whois knowledgeable, keen and full of spirit and weall have the candidate just going through the mo-tions. I ask why does one have the energy of aschoolboy when the other does not? The only dif-ference I see is that one of them has knowledge!

Do we lose candidates merely because they justdon’t understand what is going on around them?Has it been so long that we were initiates thatwe have forgotten the complete puzzle Freema-




Masonic Education And The Seven Habits OfHighly Effective Masons And Lodges

Presented by Wr. John Shroeder at the Multi-district Educational Program Saturday, September 9, 2000, at Kena Temple

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We’re going to have a short responsive reading:

Whence came you as an Entered Apprentice?

Together — [Response]

What came ye here to do?

Together — [Response] “...and to IMPROVEMYSELF IN MASONRY.”

? What does that mean to you?

? What have you done about it TODAY?

? This week?

? This month?

? This year?

How many of you know who your Lodge Educa-tion Officer is? How many of you would be ableto make a list of the five most important andworthwhile lessons you have learned from your

passengers, quietly and privately enjoying theirnewspapers and the ride. At a stop a man boardswith raucous children who disrupt the mood ofthe entire car. They are disturbing all who werepreviously enjoying the peace and quiet. Finally,Stephen Covey, as politely as he can, but alsovery directly, admonishes the father to get con-trol of his children. The man breaks down andtells Stephen that they have just come from thehospital where his wife, the mother of the chil-dren, just died, and they don’t know how tohandle this crumbling of their world. Suddenly,Stephen’s entire view of the situation is changed.He now feels no resentment but only sympathyand warmth for the family.

The situation has not changed at all, but his para-digm has changed and it entirely reverses his atti-tude and how he will behave. To make these sevenhabits have maximum effect, we must work tochange our own paradigms, to always look for thatempathy he felt after learning of the family loss.

The habits are divided into three groups. GroupI contains habits 1, 2, & 3 which are characterhabits. Group II contains habits 4, 5, and 6 whichare personality habits, and Group III containshabit number 7 which summarizes the other 6.

Lodge Education Officer this year? What do you expect of your Lodge Education Officer? Does hemeet your expectations? If not, is that YOUR responsibility or his?

On a recent cross-country truck trip with my daughter, we alternated the driving duties. When I wasnot driving I listened to the tapes taken from the best-selling book, Seven Habits of Highly EffectivePeople by Stephen Covey. This book is not just another quickie self-improvement book full of salestricks. Author Covey says we can receive satisfaction and rewards in life only by acting on our innervalues and integrity. Sounds kind of like a Mason, doesn’t he? The tapes made me think (eventhough I was keeping one eye on my daughter’s truck driving.) I thought I would like to share hisapproach with you today to see if it makes you think also. BUT, nobody else can think for you, youhave to think for yourself.

What I normally do in my workshop is to outline the seven habits discussed in the book and thenhave attendees form into discussion groups with each group taking about 20 minutes to prepare a 2- 5 minute report for the rest of us on how one of the habits they select can best contribute to moreeffective members, leaders, and lodges. We then have a general discussion of the reports. Thisprovides everyone opportunity to become actively involved in Masonic education. Today, we willnot have time for the discussion groups so I will outline the Seven Habits and ask that you take themback to your lodge to implement.

We say that it is our purpose to take good men and make them better. How can these seven habits beworked into our daily lives as internalized HABITS or principles to make each of us a better manand thus to make our relations with our families, our lodges, our communities, the nation and theworld better? This is going to involve some active initiative by you upon completion of today’sprogram.

Dr. Covey defines a habit as the conjunction of Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes necessary to make ahabit an effective part of our daily lives: KNOWLEDGE - knowing WHAT needs to be done. SKILLS -the ability to implement the WHAT. ATTITUDES - the ingrained desire or motivation to accomplish theWHAT. Dr. Covey says that if we want to make minor improvements in our effectiveness, we can workon our skills, attitudes and knowledge BUT to make MAJOR improvements, we need to change ourparadigms. Webster defines paradigm as a role, pattern or model. Dr. Covey says it is the mental mapthat we carry with us and by which we judge all other things.

He gives an example of a paradigm shift, describing a Sunday morning subway ride with few

IraqiLodge!

Iraq -- Land, Sea, Air Lodge No. 1 (UD)

Member Charlie Schmidt sent an articleappearing in the Maosnic News, Buffalo, N.Y.,September-October 2005, telling of the creationof a Masonic Lodge in IRAQ! This is the firstMasonic Lodge to exist in Iraq since 1975.

The pursuit of a lodge was begun by Masons andmembers of the 42nd Infantry Division, and on May3, 2005, the Grand Lodge of New York grantedthem dispensation. To aid the success of the lodge,the Masonic Veteran’s Association of New Yorkprovided the furniture for a complete lodge room.Brothers can show their support by purchasing ashoulder patch at $7 each. Send your orders to:Masonic Veterans Association of New York, 121S. Long Street, Williamsville, NY 14221.

The lodge web site is www.dcmetronet.com/landseaandairlodge1iraq

Continued on Page 12 - Habits


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On Becoming a Mason

The History of the United Grand Lodgeof England - the Two Grand Lodges -Unification - consolidation and growth

In the 1740s there was a growing number of Irishmen in London, many of whom had become Freemasons beforeleaving Ireland. For reasons now unknown they appear to have had difficulty gaining entrance into Lodges inLondon, so in 1751 a group of them formed a rival Grand Lodge. They claimed that the premier Grand Lodgehad made innovations and had departed from ‘the ancient landmarks’ whereas they claimed to be working‘according to the old institutions granted by Prince Edwin at York in AD926’. For this reason they becameknown as the Antients Grand Lodge and referred to their older rival as ‘Moderns’.

Despite their differences the two Grand Lodges co-existed both at home and abroad for nearly 63 years, neither recognising the other or consideringeach others’ members as ‘regular’ Freemasons. Even at the centre, however, there were those who were active in both Grand Lodges.

In 1799 Freemasonry almost came to a halt. In the wake of the French Revolution a number of Acts of Parliament had been passed in an attempt to curbtrade unions, political clubs and other ‘subversive’ organisations. The 1799 Unlawful Societies Act banned any meetings of groups which requiredtheir members to take an oath or obligation.

The Earl of Moira (Acting Grand Master of the premier Grand Lodge) and the Duke of Atholl (Grand Master of the Antients Grand Lodge) called onthe Prime Minister (William Pitt, not himself a Freemason) and explained to him how Freemasonry was a supporter of the law and lawfully consti-tuted authority and was much involved in charitable work.

As a result Freemasonry was specifically exempted from the terms of the Act provided that each lodge secretary once a year lodged with the local Clerkof the Peace a list of the members of his lodge together with their ages, professions and addresses.

That provision continued until 1967 when it wasrescinded by Parliament.

In 1809 the rival Grand Lodges appointed Com-missioners to negotiate an equable Union. Thenegotiations took four years to complete but on27 December 1813 a great ceremonial was heldat Freemasons’ Hall, London, at which the twocombined to form the United Grand Lodge ofEngland with HRH The Duke of Sussex (youngerson of King George III) as Grand Master. TheUnion was a time of consolidation andstandardisation, setting the basic administrationof Freemasonry – which continues to this day.Lodges outside London were grouped into Prov-inces, based on the old Counties, each headedby a Provincial Grand Master appointed by theGrand Master.

http://www.grandlodge-england.org/ugle/the-his-tory-of-grand-lodge-1.htm

Is There a Templar-RosslynChapel Connection?

By Br. Peter Taylor

Contrary to popular belief putabout by several modern‘novelists’, RosslynChapel was not ‘built’by the Knights Templar.The Poor Knights of the

Temple of Solomon actually have noconnection to Rosslyn Chapel whatsoever!The chapel was founded and paid for bySir William St Clair, Earl of Rosslyn andOrkney, in the fifteenth century, a timewhen the Temple order had beendestroyed for over 100 years before thefirst stone of Rosslyn Chapel was laid!

There is no evidence that the Sinclair was aTemplar but it does seem he was a Member of

the Knights of Santiago and of the GoldenFleece. It is therefore possible he could

have had some ‘understanding’ of thechivalric orders. Maybe his

condemnation of them was a goodcover, but it does not seem likely!

There is some evidence thatthe Knights Templar didexist for a time after1312. There is (as yet not

authenticated) a charterdate 1354 from the

Continued on Page 14 - Rosslyn

By Daniel BeresniakAuthor of Symbols of Freema-sonry (Beliefs Symbols)

“The act of becoming is a meta-morphosis. This concept under-

scores Masonic thought. A metamorphosis takesplace during a journey through different land-scapes, among forms and colors, during which eachof us is transformed.... Those who undertake this

adventure come out of it with varying rewards,depending on the landscape they visit, their ap-proach, what they make of it and how much of itthey see. A journey of initiation is not a packagetour. There are no signposts. The risk of becom-ing lost, of sliding back when attempting to goforwards, is what gives life to the unexpected.The intertwining of danger and promise createsthe possibility of understanding and allows theidea of freedom to be considered a moral value.

“The way in which Freemasonry uses symbolismgives us an insight into the word itself. Masonicsymbolism is based on the notion of building:building, becoming, making. ‘To make’ is under-stood as ‘to make something of oneself.’ This ap-proach forges a relationship between the physicalroads we walk along in the city on our way homeand the spiritual paths which in each of us leadbetween our desires and our thoughts. Freema-sons delve into myths in order to understand howthe human mind works, with a view to becomingfree people, which is to say people who act ratherthan react.”

http://www.grandlodge-england.org/ugle/the-history-of-grand-lodge-1.htm



The BroachedThurnel

By Albert Gallatin MackeyMackey’s Encyclopedia ofFreemasonry

In the lectures of the early partof the eighteenth century theImmovable Jewels of the Lodgeare said to be "the Tarsel Board,

Rough Asmar, and Broached Thurnel"; and in de-scribing their uses it is taught that "the RoughAshlar is for the Fellow Crafts to try their jewelson, and the Broached Thurnel for the EnteredApprentices to learn to work upon."

Much difficuity has been met with in discover-ing what the Broached Thurnel really was. Doc-tor Oliver, most probably deceived by the use towhich it was assigned, says in his Dictionary ofSymbolic Masonry that it was subsequentlycalled the ' Rough Asmar. This is evidentiy in-correct, because a distinction is made in theoriginal lecture between it and the RoughAsmar, the former being for the Ap-prentices and the latter for theFellow Crafts. Krause(Kunsturkenden,1, 73),has translated it byDrehbank, whichmeans atuminglathe, animplement notused by OperativeFreemasons. Nowwhat is the realmeaning of theword? If we inspectan old tracingboard of theApprentice's De-gree of the datewhen the BroachedThurnel was inuse, we shall finddepicted on it threesymbols, two ofwhich will at once be rec-ognized as the Tarsel, or TrestleBoard, and the Rough Ashlar, just aswe have them at the present day; while thethird symbol will be that depicted in the margin,namely, a cubical stone with a pyramidal apex.

This is the Broached Thurnel. It is the symbolwhich is still to be found, with preciselyy thesame form, in all French tracing boards, underthe name of the pierre cubique, or cubical stone,and which has been replaced in English andAmerican tracing boards and rituals by the Per-fect Ashlar.

For the derivation of the words, we must go to

old and now almost obsolete terms of architec-ture. On inspection, it will at once be seen thatthe Broached Thurnel has the form of a littlesquare turret with a spire springing from it. Now,broach, or broche, says Parker in the Glossary ofTerms in Architecture (page 97), is "an old En-glish term for a spire, still in use in some partsof the country, as in Leicestershire, where it issaid to denote a spire springing from the towerwithout any intervening parapet. Thurnel is fromthe old French tournelle, a turret or little tower.

The Broached Thurnel, then, was the SpiredTurret. lt was a model on which apprentices mightlearn the principles of their art, because it pre-sented to them, in its various outlines, the formsof the square and the triangle, the cube and thepyramid."Brother Hawkins had somewhat different con-clusions about the matter and added the follow-ing comments :In Ars Quatuor Coronatorum (xii, 205), BrotherG. W. Speth quotes from the Imperial Dictionary:"Broach, in Scotland, a term among masons, sig-

nifying to rough hew. Broached Work, in Scot-land, a term among masons, signifying work

or stones that are rough-hewn, and thusdistinguished from Ashlar or pol-

ished work. Broaching-Thurmal,Thurmer, Turner, names

given to the chisels bywhich broached work

is executed."

And thereforeBrother Spethsuggests that theB r o a c h e dThurnel was re-ally a chisel forthe Entered Ap-prentices to learnto work with.

We find that thenew English Dic-tionary explainsBroached as aterm used "of

stone; chiselled with abroach," or narrow-pointed

chisel used by Freemasons; but BrotherHawkins points out that this still leaves it

uncertin what a "Thurnel" is.

Brother Clegg has had the advantage of actuallyworking with broaching tools and therefore oughtto know something about broached work. Theword broach in the industries is usually appliedto the operation of shaping or forming some partby special tools made to produce some particu-lar shape or design. A triangular hole in a pieceof metal or any other material can for examplebe finislied to a considerable degree of accuracyby simply forcing the cutting tool through it as afinal operation. This is called broaching and the

tools for the purpose are known as broaches. Atool that is used to smooth out, a small openingby being rotated within it is often called a broachand, as will be seen, the idea is that the broach isused to form a special shape. These special shapestherefore are known as work which is broachedand this agrees very closely with the understand-ing that underlies each of the comments madeabove.

The exact meaning of Thurnel or Thurmal is notany too clear but has evidently been applied tothe instrument as well as the product of its work.Brother Charles E. Funk of the Editorial Depart-ment of the Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dic-tionary of the English Language has very kindlyread the above article and favors us with the fol-lowing comments:

I have gone through fifteen or more dictionariesfrom 1643 up to Murray's New English Dictio-nary, including several dialectical dictionariesand one on archaisms. None of them record anysuch spelling as thurnel, thurmal, nor thurmer.

Broach or broche, broch, broache, broych, brooch,brotch - are not so obscure. Five centuries andmore of usage still find the early senses preserved.But even so, ambiguity is not avoided in attempt-ing to determine the expression broached thurnel,for broach may refer either

(1) to the mason's tool, a narrow pointed chiselby which he furrowed the surface of stone, as inthe quotation of 1703, "to broych or broach, asMasons an Atchler or ashlar when with the smallpoint of their ax (?) they make it full of little pitsor small holes;" also that of 1544, " In hewinge,brochinge, and scaplyn of stone for the chapell;'' or (2) to the name of the spire itself, a currentform in England today which dates from 1501, "For trassying & makyn moldes to the brooch."

With this second and still current usage of broach,then, and assuming that thumel is a variant spell-ing of tournelle, as it might well have been, wecan derive a thoroughly satisfactory explanationof the expression and one which also agrees withthe old illustrations, a spired turret. Thia viewmay be further supported wheil we recall the oldGerman form Thurm or tower.

Murray lends further support to this view in hisrecord of the variants of tournelle, which ap-peared variously from 1400 to the middle of theseventeenth century as tornel, turnelle, tornelle,toumel, tornil, and tournell.

A1l of this may lend weight to the theory as givenby Mackey. But if this theory ia accepted, themystery is still unsolved, for by which logic wouldthe symbol of Fellow Craft be the Rough Ashlarand that of the Apprentice be such a highly fin-ished work as the Spired Turrett One would ex-pect a reversal of such symbolism at the least.



Turning the Hiram KeyOnly $31.00To order this book, or any item featured in The Lodgeroom International Maga-zine, go to: http://mason-defender.net/recommend.htmThe Real Secrets of Freemasonry? Robert Lomas (co-author of The Hiram Key)has finally tackled the big unanswered questions about The Brotherhood. What isthe purpose of Freemasonry? What do Masons gain from working its Rituals? Cananybody benefit from the Spiritual Teachings of 'The Craft'. Are Masonic ritualssimple moral plays designed to encourage people to behave well? Are they a secrettradition preserved from a long lost civilization? Are they meaningless formalities?...Or do they serve some deeper purpose? In this ground-breaking work Lomasdescribes his personal journey through the mystical rituals of Freemasonry.Drawing from personal spiritual insights, hidden Masonic texts and modern scientificknowledge, he reveals why people join Freemasonry, what they expect to find andhow they benefit. In the past, these inner secrets have been preserved for a select few,until this book Synopsis Turning the Hiram Key invites readers to join a grippingjourney of discovery to find the real secrets of Freemasonry. Robert Lomas - co-

author of best-selling The Hiram Key - has finally tackled the big unanswered questions about The Brotherhood...What isthe purpose of Freemasonry? What do Masons gain from working the Rituals? Can anybody benefit from the spiritualteachings of The Craft? Does Freemasonry hold the secret to unlocking the hidden potential of the human mind? AreMasonic rituals simple moral plays designed to encourage people to behave well? Are they a secret tradition preserved froma long lost civilization? Are they meaningless formalities?Or do they serve a deeper purpose? In this ground-breaking new book Lomas describes his personal journey through themystical rituals of Freemasonry. Drawing from personal spiritual insights, hidden Masonic texts and modern scientificknowledge, he reveals why people join Freemasonry, what they expect to find and how they benefit.

over the Globe can discuss topics and relate expe-riences from their homeland. I have used the ex-perience and sometimes the words from membersof this forum to help me compose this article.

I have been told on many occasion to, “be care-ful when using Internet forums because you maygive away information to the wrong people”, and“we were taught to be cautious”. All I can say is,I take my oaths in Freemasonry very seriouslyand would never reveal any of the secrets en-trusted to me! The Brethren on this site have thesame attitude to this issue and it has been a topicfor discussion on many occasions.

The following is an extract from the MQ maga-zine issue 15, these are the words of the Marquesof Northampton, the Pro Grand Master. He notesthat the views expressed here are his own andnot necessarily those of Grand Lodge.

“It is now generally acknowledged that the ‘se-crets’ of Masonry are only the modes of recogni-tion without which you cannot witness our cer-emonies – the grips, tokens and words of the threeDegrees. They have been exposed on numerousoccasions, but all Masons promise not to revealthem to the uninitiated, in part to keep cowansand intruders out of our ceremonies, but also toshow that we can be trusted to keep a promise. The ‘mysteries’, which we also promise not todisclose, are something completely different. Anymember of the public can buy a copy of the Emu-lation ritual book and tens of thousands of ladyMasons have done so over many years. The vastmajority of the ceremonies are there in full forall to read, the main exception being those wordswhich relate to the modes of recognition and thepreparation of the candidate. So, if anyone wantsto know what we get up to in our ceremonies,why not suggest they buy the ritual book and readit for themselves.

Before anyone accuses me of betraying the broth-erhood, let me stress that you cannot discoverthe mysteries of Freemasonry by reading theritual book. You have to go through the processof initiation to realize and unlock the mystery,because it is a felt experience. You can not un-derstand it in any other way than by doing it –just as you cannot learn to swim by reading amanual of how to do it.”

As I mentioned previously, the Internet is a greattool for gathering information but it is only a tool,not the salvation of Freemasonry or a replace-ment for everything that is being done. It can notreplace the experience, tradition and knowledgeyou gain from attending Lodge meetings. TheInternet is a powerful tool and can be utilized todo great things for mankind and Freemasonry ingeneral. Some people are afraid of change andnew technology but the world is changing fastand we should use the technological advance-

ment to our advantage. Consider this, do thequarry workers today still cut and move stone inthe same manner as the Fellow Craft under HiramAbiff? Absolutely not.

We should use the most modern tools to help usshape the spiritual buildings.

When first looking for information on Freema-sonry you should use the search engines to findspecific regulated Freemason web sites and notjust type in “Freemasonry”, or you might as wellask a thousand members of the public to writewhat they know about Freemasonry on a pieceof paper, put them in a hat and then draw oneout, it would be like a lucky dip. Most GrandLodges including the Grand Lodge of Englandhave Official websites which contain everythingfrom research material to online book informa-tion. There are many Masonic Forums which canlead you to many recommended websites. Alsothere are Freemason magazines that are printedseveral times a year and have further researchtopics and can point you in the right direction.Many Freemasons also have their own web siteswith links to several others.

Masons today are keen to learn, some carry outadditional study, some follow the path throughMasonry picking up information on the way.Whichever way they choose is the choice of eachindividual as long as we endeavour to make adaily advancement in Masonic knowledge.

Lodge of Instruction is a must for all Masons, aswe all still have something to learn and are seek-ing the Truth, although Lodge of Instruction israrely attended by Entered Apprentices orFellowcrafts.

While we are all keen to learn, in general, thereare only a few who are willing to teach. The W.M.informs the initiate that there are several degrees,with peculiar secrets restricted to each, whichare not communicated indiscriminately but con-ferred according to merit and ability. Why thenare some candidates passed and raised withoutreference to merit and ability?

There have been times when candidates that havenot attended Lodge from one degree to another,arrive in Lodge for their following degree and donot know the answers to a few set questions andthen have to be prompted in their replies. Alsowhere some of the answers are somewhat ob-scure, requiring at the least, a certain amount ofexplanation, nobody ever bothers to explain whatthose answers mean, so that the candidates (un-less they are really eager and inquisitive ) hasjust memorized a meaningless sentence of words.It should be Obligatory for the candidate to at-tend at least one rehearsal of the questions andanswers at lodge of Instruction.

Personally, I think if a Lodge of Instruction isactually a Lodge of Rehearsal, then one or moreof the senior Brethren should share his wealth ofexperience and knowledge in working on a “oneto one” basis with the Entered Apprentice orFellowcraft (who has had to retire from theLodge) in answering general questions, rehears-ing the questions and answers for his next de-gree and explaining those questions and answers.

There seems to be an importance in bringing innew members into Freemasonry to bump up num-bers. Whilst numbers are important, we do notwant more members, we want more Freemasons.This is why I say that we should encourage all

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Continued on Page 11 - Keeping




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Freemasonry must search further and dig deeperto find the reason which holds so many, manymen to her banners and makes their love for hersomething beyond their own explaining.

THERE are numerous lighter, more personal rea-sons why many Masons love their lodge. Some,because it is a gathering place of good fellows.Some, because they find it helpful socially or ina business way to "belong." Others, because itprovides an outlet for man's love of ceremony.Still others, because it gives entertainments, pic-nics, ladies' nights, free feeds! Many love Free-masonry as they love a dozen other fraternal or-ders, because it gives them a chance to "dress up,"to wear a sword, to win a title, to be invested witha show of authority. To many men Freemasonry isthe antidote to an inferiority complex!

But no such reason made George Washington lovethe gentle Craft, or caused sturdy old Ben Franklin

to devote his time and talents to being GrandMaster in Pennsylvania. And no such reasons ac-tuate the larger proportion of the membership.

The reason which binds in a common love theman in Calcutta and the man in London, the manin Hong-Kong and the man in Boston, the manin Colon and the man in Madrid, must be some-thing much more fundamental than any of these.

THE WRITER has been eighteen years a Free-mason, has written several books dealing withMasonic subjects, has been and is now thewielder of a couple of Masonic editorial blue pen-cils, and has read a reasonable amount of Ma-sonic literature in the pleasant task of endeavor-ing to supplant an abysmal ignorance by a smallamount of knowledge. These facts are mentionedwith no idea that they provide him with the rightto speak with authority, but to serve as a back-ground against which he may set forth some con-clusions regarding the real, inner reason as towhy Freemasons love Freemasonry with a lovewhich has been the amazement of the profaneworld for generations.

THE MOST profound fact which any mind canknow is God. It is necessary that the reader ac-cept this statement as a fact, for the time being,regardless of his personal convictions, if this ar-gument is to be developed to its conclusion. Ithas been said that "man is incurably religious,"a statement which puts a truth in rather ambigu-ous language, since few men can agree on whatreligion is. It might be less confusing if it weresaid that man is incurable in his longing for God.

LoveContinued from Page 3

This is true of all men; the atheist and the non-believer, the criminal and the light-minded, thesinful and the lawbreaker, are all incurable intheir inner longing for God. Many of them donot know it; yet many of them have proved it inmoments of stress or danger. The most deter-mined of atheists will pray on his knees if hisfirst-born is dying before his eyes; the most hard-ened criminal goes to his execution with his eyesasking comfort of the spiritual comforter whosehard duty it is to try to help him out of this lifeinto . . . what ?

The vast majority of men are neither atheists,non-believers, criminals, light-minded, sinful, orlaw-breakers. The vast majority of men are hon-est, truthful, law-abiding, hard-working, goodcitizens. Even those who embrace no creed, goto no church, read no religious books, want God.It is as natural for a man to want kinship withGod in his life as it is for him to want air, orfood, or love, or children. He cannot help it; hiswhole racial history commands it; his very na-ture demands it.

WHERE does a man find God? Everywhere! Tosome He is in nature; some find Him in thechurch. Others look for Him in the Bible or theHoly Books of other faiths. Some seek Him inthe laboratory and some through the telescope.Some find Him in the stars, and others in themicrobe. The common, everyday man finds Himin humanity and in charity, relief, pity, mercy,hospitals, the Red Cross. "One touch of naturemakes the whole world kin" is really "One touchof God makes the whole world kin." The earth-quake in Tokyo which called so many dollars in-stantly from America; the starving children of theNear East who lived because of pity in America,were examples of that "touch of God" whichmakes us all one family.

The Masonic lodge in particular, and the frater-nity in general, is built upon the idea of, anderected to, God. Not any particular god; not thegod of the Christian or theHindoo, the Jew or the Parsee, butjust the ideal of Deity.

There is no forcing of God uponany Freemason. So be it he be-lieve in Deity, he can erect His imageas he pleases; an anthropomorphic God with awhite beard and a host of harp-playing angels, aGreat First Cause, or any in-between conceptionhe pleases.

Freemasonry teaches no creed, dogma, or theoryof religion. She protests no special message givenit by God in olden time, nor claims to be a per-sonal messenger of heaven. She offers no "facts"which must be taken on faith, because her Mas-ters or Wardens are divinely appointed to be theviceroys of God on earth.

But she does surround her sons with symbols, each

one of which cries out of God. Everywhere in thelodge is a reminder of the Great Architect. Lodgesare erected to God. Initiates kneel to God. On theHoly Altar is His Word. Once a Freemason mustpray for himself. There are "threes" throughoutthe lodge; three officers, three steps, three pillars,three who met a seafaring man, three gates, threedegrees, three obligations! Three is everywhere.And three is the number which denotes the tri-angle and, since the dawn of symbolism, the tri-angle has been the symbol of Deity.

NOTHING is done in a Masoniclodge which is not reverent. Nothing

is taught there which is otherwisethan reverent. Every symbol inFreemasonry tells of God, or some

quality in a man which should beGod-like.

But God is not preached in a lodge. Freemasonrydoes not dogmatize about God. She provides theframework, and ,he Freemason fills it in to suithimself. She gives the symbols and the Freema-son interprets them for himself. According to hiswit, according to his ability, according to his vi-sion and knowledge, does the Freemason read fromFreemasonry's symbols what truths of God he canassimilate.

This, so it seems to the writer, is the real answer

Continued on Next Page - Love




to the question, "Why do Freemasons love Free-masonry?"

Freemasonry leads her sons to tell themselvesabout God. IT IS NOT difficult to be told aboutGod. There are many churches; many faiths; manyreligions. In all of them the devout are told ofGod by learned ministers and teachers who havespent their lives in the work. To a great manypeople this is entirely sufficient. But to some it isnot a complete satisfaction of the heart hungerwhich is deep in mankind. A very large number ofconsistent church attendants and church membersare also interested and enthusiastic Freemasons.For it appears that there are some truths aboutGod which no man may teach another; nay, notthough his learning is great and his faith strong,his willingness to serve most brotherly, and hisabilities of the highest. Apparently, God has im-planted within the deeps of human nature - andwe are only beginning to suspect how very deepthose depths may be - not only a hunger to knowof Him but an ability to satisfy that hunger throughdraughts from the well of inner consciousness.

Freemasonry makes it easier for a man to call upfrom his nature's depths that which his natureknows; Freemasonry makes it possible for him todraw above the level of consciousness those faithsand those facts which racial memories have im-planted there for uncounted generations.

Freemasonry teaches in symbols. Symbols arewords in a universal language, which all men un-derstand partially and no man understands wholly.The teaching and the preaching of God whichcomes to us all in Bible and book, in church andschool, through creed and faith, is supplementedand made clearer by what we teach ourselves fromthe symbols of Freemasonry.

Freemasonry forces nothing; there is no force usedin a lodge. It is all a gentle leading. We may followas fast and as far, as little and as slowly, as we will.

The symbols are there; they speak with whispersor in a voice of thunder, -according to our wit, ourknowledge, our willingness. But they never thun-der when we wish a whisper, or speak soft andlow when we want the crashing force of a greatfact in our ears.

The symbols of Freemasonry are all things to allmen; great for the greathearted, deep for the wise,easy for the simple, stern for the strong, and gentlefor the weak.

EACH MAN may read them as he will, yet canread them only as successive steps towards God.Freemasonry leads rather than teaches. She per-suades men to teach themselves rather than toaccept the wisdom of other men. These are thereasons which make up the reason why Freema-sons the world over, be their country, their color,

LoveContinued from Previous Page

Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts to attendLodge on a regular basis and not just for meet-ings. Most Lodges inform Brethren below therank of Master Mason not to turn up because theywill have to retire for most of the time. The mostamusing thing is, many of the people we hearbemoaning the state of Freemasonry can oftenbe seen telling prospective candidates and newinitiates “you only get out of Freemasonry whatyou put in”.

What is Freemasonry? Freemasonry is a tradi-tional initiatic order. While it has taken its Specu-lative form, its traditions, symbols and lessonsreach back to operative Masonry many centuriesago. Being part of the initiatic tradition is whatdistinguishes Freemasonry from purely charitableor social organizations. The initiatic work andpurpose of Freemasonry, put simply, is to pro-vide an environment where good men can unitetogether to assist one another in self improve-ment and realization of their true potential. Oneof main principles of this initiatic tradition is thebelief that if only one individual becomes a bet-ter person the whole world benefits by it.

When at the beginning of our Masonic journey,upon our first experience in a lodge at our Initia-tion we pledge ourselves to further our knowl-edge in Freemasonry and use that knowledge tohelp others. Freemasonry’s singular purpose isto make good men better and its bonds of friend-ship, compassion and brotherly love have sur-vived even the most troublesome political, mili-tary and religious conflicts through the centuries.

As Freemasons we take on the Principles ofBrotherly love, relief and truth. These Grand prin-ciples have been used in Freemasonry for manygenerations. They adhere to give fraternal loveand help to the needy in communities around theworld and the journey in search of the truth.These are basic principles that are not hard tofollow or use in everyday life, 24 hours a day,whether at home, at work or out in the public.As Freemasons we should seek to use these prin-ciples to the best of our abilities.

Freemasonry stretches out to all nations of theGlobe and Freemasons are everywhere.

Freemasons are of all different races and reli-gions. Freemasons are politicians and judges,lawyers and solicitors, policemen and fireman,army and navy, carpenters, plumbers and elec-tricians, factory workers, shop floor workers, blue

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sonry was to us?

I do not deem that our ways be changed to thepoint of our proficiency test’s becoming an inter-rogation, more that we as masons take the re-sponsibility upon ourselves to invest the nextgeneration of masons with the knowledge to putFreemasonry back up where it belongs, on top,and at the forefront of moral teaching and spiri-tual awakening. We wait for the man to ask forFreemasonry, should we wait for him to ask forthe knowledge as well?

Every mason is a teacher of those who are not, aleader by example, by being as a Mason shouldbe. So why do we not rush to teach, pass on thetorch so to speak, to those who seek out our wayof life and learning.

If we instruct the Entered Apprentice well, whenhe is passed he can instruct the new initiate, whena Fellowcraft is raised he will be able to teachthe newly passed, and all Mason’s will share inthe knowledge and the wealth of the brotherhood,an institute of learning and a pathway to harmonyamong men.

I pose these questions to you the reader not in criti-cism of the craft, but simply as questions. Some-thing for you to think about and maybe next timeyou are in Lodge, if you are a Mason of course,and you see that chap at the end of the isle withthe plain white apron that you have not spoken toyet, just maybe you will say hi and ask if every-thing is okay or if there is anything he doesn’tunderstand. Or maybe just re-assure him that ifhe has any questions to ask, just ask.

and white collar workers, employed, unemployedand retired to name but a few.

In fact, (and I will end on this thought) one of themost fascinating aspects of Freemasonry (and anobvious source of irritation for those who thrive onthe seeds of discontent) has always been: how so manymen, from so many different walks of life, can meettogether in peace, ignoring political or religious de-bates, to conduct their affairs in harmony and friend-ship and to call each other “Brother!”

SchismsContinued from Page 4

World War when American Masons overseaswanted to be able to visit French Lodges[7].

Concerning religious requirements, the oldestconstitution found in Freemasonry - that of Ander-son, 1723 - says that a Mason "will never be astupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine" if he"rightly understands the Art". The only religious

Continued on Next Page - Schisms

their faiths, their politics, or their church affilia-tions what they may, love Freemasonry.

Men love Freemasonry because she leads her sonsto teach themselves those truths of Deity which aman may tell only to himself.



requirement was "that Religion in which all Menagree, leaving their particular Opinions to them-selves" [8]. Masons debate as to whether "stu-pid" and "irreligious" are meant as necessary, or

as accidental, modifiers of "atheist" and "liber-tine". It is possible the ambiguity is intentional.

In 1815, the newly amalgamated UGLE modi-fied Anderson's constitutions to include: "Let aman's religion or mode of worship be what it may,he is not excluded from the Order, provided hebelieves in the glorious Architect of Heaven andEarth, and practices the sacred duties of moral-ity." The English require belief in a SupremeBeing and in his revealed will.

In 1849, the GOdF followed the English lead byadopting the "Supreme Being" requirement, butpressure from Latin countries produced by 1875,the alternative phrase "Creative Principle". This wasultimately not enough for the GOdF, and in 1877re-adopted the original Anderson document of 1723.

They also created an alternative ritual that madeno direct reference to any deity, with the attributeof the great Architect of the Universe. This newRite did not replace the older ones, but was addedas an alternative, as Continental European juris-dictions, generally, tend not to restrict themselvesto a single Rite - offering a menu of Rites, fromwhich their lodges may choose.

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Continued on Next Page - Habits

Most of the human relations seminars availableaddress Group II, the personality habits, and gofor the “quick fix”. These may resolve acute prob-lems but usually fail to address the chronic, un-derlying problems which will result in the recur-rence of the acute symptoms. I feel that this isvery much like our approach in Freemasonry:First we are to convert ourselves from rough toperfect ashlars (the character habits) and thenwe can help our Brethren become better men byemploying the personality habits.

The CHARACTER HABITS:

The first habit discussed is BE PRO-ACTIVE.By this, the author means, “Take responsibility

for your own actions and your own futures. Don’tblame your circumstances, situation, or problemson your company, boss, parents, spouse, neigh-bors, children environment or you Lodge Educa-tion Officer, as I noted earlier. Take charge ofyour life. ACT, rather than RE-act.”

This applies to organizations as well. How manytimes have you heard someone say, “Our Lodgewould do thus-andso BUT the DDGM [or theGrand Master, or the Lodge Secretary, or who-ever] won’t support it.” Or, “I wish we could dothus-and-so but the Master isn’t interested inthat.” And the matter is dropped there. One ofour diplomatic problem solvers has a bumpersticker which reads, “If the people will lead, theleaders will follow!” Isn’t THAT a thought-pro-voking idea!

I have a friend who once felt totally alone, andunder intense professional pressure in a very re-mote situation with great responsibility and withno support structure for him to turn to. He con-fessed that he stayed in bed for two days andmay have had what we term a nervous break-down until the thought came to him in his de-spair, “No one has dominion over my life exceptas I grant it to him.” This thought converted himon the spot to a self-guided individual. Othersrecognized this in him and turned to him for guid-ance and support and hecontinued to gain strengthfrom this. EleanorRoosevelt, in her CivilRights talks, said, “No onecan make you feel inferior without your permis-sion.” This concept can give each of us and ourorganizations the will to do what we will.

When I was in the third grade I was asked tomemorize a poem for a Church program. The titlewas “It Isn’t the Church, It’s You.” The poemdescribed all the criticisms which members makeof their churches and the bottom line was, don’tblame the church for those things about it whichyou find unsatisfactory. The Church is You andyou can change yourself and so change the church.I think I understood this even as a third grader.Isn’t that true also of our lodges? Whenever anyBrother complains about your lodge, ask him, inthe most friendly manner, what he is going to doto improve the situation. Of course this onlyworks if you are willing to stretch forth your handto help him.

A feature article appeared in a recent Washing-ton Post about making a list of “Fifty Things IWant to Do Before I Die.” This sort of goal set-ting can help stop aimless drifting and give usmore excitement, more accomplishments, andmake us a better and more interesting person tobe around. What 50 things would YOU like todo before you die? What would you like to seeyour Lodge do before you die? As the Nike shoead says, “Just DO IT!” This is the essence of“BE PRO-ACTIVE”.

The second habit is:

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

You have all heard the following aphorisms:“Don’t start the engine until you know your des-tination.” “Plan ahead.” “Don’t put the tonguein motion until the mind is in gear.” “If you don’tknow where you want to go, it doesn’t matterwhat route you take.” Author Covey’s familydeveloped a family mission statement to whichall family members could subscribe. This led himto his widely praised tape series, “Seven Habitsof Highly Effective Families”. What is YOURLodge’s mission? Has it been stated? Would itbe helpful if it could be written down for allmembers to subscribe to? How do we do plan-ning without a mission in mind (or how do weplan our route if we don’t know what destina-tion we are seeking?)

The exercise of writing a Lodge mission and ob-taining concurrence in that mission statement canbe very useful to an organization and provide newinsights and inspire renewed dedication. How gen-eral or specific should a Lodge mission statementbe? How do YOU fit into the Lodge mission?

A few years ago, Coca Cola Corporation workedlong and hard to develop a mission statement and

finally settled on: “Tosatisfy the World’sthirst.” This is verygeneral and opens upmany options. It did not

prevent them from coming up with the new CocaCola and then returning to the Classic Coca Colaand adding Cherry Coca Cola, etc. It also openedup the field to Iced Tea and set a worldwide arenafor their business horizons.

Is it a part of our mission to sell Christmas treesor fireworks? Or are these means to our largermission accomplishment? If means, are these thebest means available? What does “Take good menand make them better” mean to our mission state-ment? Better in what way? What activities orprograms or counseling or other ways do we pro-vide to make ourselves and other men better?What is the Masonic mission for each of us? Whathave YOU done to make a Brother a better mantoday? this week? this month?

The third habit is:

PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST

This follows on the second habit. Once we knowwhere we want to go, what we want to accom-plish, then we can internalize and make a part ofour very fiber, the total understanding of what ismost important and what is of lesser importance.This is far more than just the assignment of pri-orities to a list of tasks which confront us. It doesno good to buy an expensive wardrobe for theski slopes if we don’t first put forth the effort to

If the people will lead, theleaders will follow!



HabitsContinued from Previous Page

Continued on Next Page - Habits

learn to ski and is less than useless if it is notimportant in our personal system of values to bea well-dressed skier.

A feature article in a recent Washington Post madea case that the purpose for feeding children is atwo-fold one: to provide pleasure and to provideneeded nourishment, just as it is for ourselves. Theauthor said that forcing a child to swallow foodthey find repugnant is cruel. That a happy child ismore important than eating broccoli or asparagusor whatever else it is that makes a child gag. Thefirst, or most important, thing is a healthy andhappy child, not a clean plate. If a parent agreesthis is first, then the parent will behave differentlythan if the parent believes that the meal hour is anopportunity to enforce parental authority to makethe child obediently eat everything served, or sitat the table in tears until both parent and childtotally lose interest in the process.

What do we consider most important for our fam-ily, personal, and Masonic lives? Are these com-patible? Or are there conflicts between the rela-tive importance we assign to the activities ofthese various compartments of our lives? Howdo we reconcile priorities? Do we even thinkabout our priorities?

I had a friend who always assigned priorities toall his work in the office and to his chores athome. His only problem was that he then devotedas much time as was needed to do the top itemson the list perfectly, even those jobs where “ac-ceptable, not perfect” would have been goodenough. The result was that he always had halfhis day’s work undone because it was too low onhis priority list to get his attention. This was thequick fix attempt for an acute problem of taskoverload. Many, if not all, workers suffer fromthis syndrome much of the time. That is thechronic condition. The symptoms are fatigue anddisaffection. If we really operate on what is mostimportant to us, we can be re-vitalized and gainnew energies to resolve those things to whichwe are truly committed.

This brings us to Group II, habits 4, 5, & 6, thepersonality habits:

The fourth habit is:

THINK WIN/WIN

I have a whole book on this topic that I find inspi-rational. Decision theorists refer to zero sumgames. Zero sum games are those where there isonly a defined limited amount of goods, dollars,land, respect, or whatever is the reward for a com-petition, and what I win you must lose and whatyou win I must lose. In chess, for example, if Iwin your Bishop or Knight or Rook or Queen, Ihave become stronger and more threatening to yourKing. We must always be 60 - 40 or 70 - 30 or 40

- 60 or 30 - 70. “Ties are like kissing your sister,”some coaches and sports writers have said. StephenCovey says this is the outlook of those who oper-ate from a mental paradigm of scarcity.

Others, he says, who operate from a paradigm ofabundance say that life does not have to be like agame of chess. Win/win strategy says that in thelong run, the best solution is one in which every-one wins. This was the basis for all of HenryKissinger’s international negotiations and, what-ever you may have thought of his politics, he wasthe world’s most respected negotiator among theinternational diplomatic corps. Dr. Kissingerbelieved that if one side or the other felt theyhad been cheated at the negotiating table, theywould start working to undermine the result theminute they left the table. For a historical ex-ample, Adolf Hitler was able to gain influencein the Weimar Republic because the Germanpeople had been chafing for 20 years under thepunitive decisions of the Treaty of Versailleswhich ended WW I which were designed to pre-vent them from ever gaining strength enough tostart another war.

A recent business management book is called TheDeath of Competition. It’s theme is that corpora-tions of the next decades will not thrive by put-ting their competition out of business, as in thedays of the old railroad barons, but will insteadsucceed by linking their prosperity with the pros-perity of the other companies in their field — bybeing facilitators of the success of their competi-tion — a win/win strategy.

The fifth habit is

FIRST SEEK TO UNDERSTAND, ANDTHEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD

Probably, everyone has heard a friend, co-worker,and/or family member complain, “THEY justdon’t understand me/my problems/my needs/mypotential/etc.” This is sort of a sub-set of beingRE-active instead of PRO-active — again layingthe blame on others for our problems. AuthorCovey says the preferred effective approach is tobe a good listener, understand clearly what isbeing said and, of equal importance, listen forwhat is NOT being said. What don’t we tell oth-ers? [our fears] We don’t even let ourselves thinkof our fears. This may come from being repeat-edly cautioned as a child, “You MUSTN”T beafraid of that!” If we listen carefully to what isNOT being said, we come to understand the otherperson’s fears, one of the most powerful motiva-tors of most peoples’ lives. If we understand theirfears, we can help arrange solutions which re-solve those fears. Psychologists who have stud-ied fear tell us that 90% of what is feared willnot happen. Of the other 10% of things we fear,we cannot do anything to reduce the risks of abouthalf. We only need then to find a way to helpestablish risk-reducing controls which can reas-sure the other person, and 95% of the time, we

will be right.

The author illustrates the effectiveness of the habitof seeking FIRST to understand and THEN to beunderstood by telling of a salesperson who hadspent many months working on a huge sale whichwould generate as much income for him as he hadmade the entire past year. He thought he had thesale closed until the final meeting with the clientand several competing firms when a new personin the client’s organization seemed to be leaningtoward one of the competitors’ proposals. He couldfeel the commission slipping through his fingersand wanted to shout, “But you just don’t under-stand the superior advantages of our proposal!”and place the blame for a deal gone wrong on thenew man in the client’s office.

But... he had attended one of the author’s semi-nars and remembered, “First seek to understandand then to be understood.” so he said, “I feelthat you may have some reservations or concernsabout our proposal. I want to TRULY understandany reservations you have and would like to visitwith you for about 20 minutes so I can FULLYunderstand your concerns.” After two hours oflistening to the client with very little being saidby the salesperson, the order was his becausethe client representative knew that he would havea sympathetic listener in the supplier’s company.

Everyone wants to be understood and appreci-ated. When we genuinely want to understand andhelp and appreciate others on an equal footingso that we can go for the win-win strategy, it isautomatically sensed by the other who is willingto be more relaxed, more honest, more coopera-tive and to work with us instead of against us.This is the very opposite of the high pressuresales closing tactic which can cause the reluc-tant buyer to up the ante of resistance to meetthe increased pressure to buy. It does not have tobe a product we are talking about here, it can beany decision in our home, office or Lodge. I hadone Brother, with whom I shared these lessons,tell me that he felt that this lesson alone savedhis marriage, a most rewarding response for aMasonic educator or mentor. The author guaran-tees this habit will immediately improve ALL ofyour personal relationships — in the family, onthe job, and in your social groups.

The sixth habit is:

SYNERGIZE

This is a management and human relationsbuzzword which means that the effectiveness ofthe whole is greater than the sum of the indi-vidual parts. In medicine, it means that a combi-nation of drugs given simultaneously can be moreeffective than the drugs would be if given sepa-rately. This means that if we can bring differentindividuals with different talents, interests, be-liefs and prejudices together, capitalizing on thedifferent contributions of each, to pursue a com-



HabitsContinued from Page 14mon goal, or mission, as it was termed in habitnumber two above, “begin with the end in mind”,we can multiply our effectiveness.

In warfare, leaders speak of “force multipliers”.They mean, for example, that if a third-worldnation drops a few $5,000 mines in the sea, wehave to spend hundreds of millions of dollars tocounter this threat. General Collin Powell saidthat continued optimism is a force multiplier. Ifwe can bring together different individuals, rec-ognizing their differences as a strength rather thana weakness, to achieve a common goal, we canrealize a force multiplication. This requires deepthinking and thoughtful planning as it seems tobe almost inherent in men and organizations toreward uniformity and punish non-conformity.Differences are often seen as threatening. I havebeen told that some pioneer farmers used to har-ness an ox with a horse to plow the prairie un-der, one walking on the unplowed sod and theother in the previously plowed furrow. To work amixed team was more work but they could plowmore ground in a day by capitalizing on the in-herent strengths of the ox and the horse to offsetthe weakness of the other. Likewise, it can re-quire more thoughtful leadership to achieve asynergistic effect in an organization.

This brings us to the last habit which alone com-prises Group IV:

The seventh habit is:

SHARPEN THE SAW

This term comes from the story of the woodsmanwho was wearing himself out and slowly sawingtimber with a dull saw but had so much work toaccomplish before dark that he couldn’t take thetime away from sawing to sharpen his saw, so hetried to maintain his rate of progress by sawingharder.

By this the author means to continuously seekself-renewal of each of the four aspects of thehuman personality: physical, mental, spiritual,and social. Again, this sounds much like ourMasonic teaching of the physical Entered Appren-tice stage of human development, the mentalFellow Craft stage and the spiritual or MasterMason stage. Stephen makes a good case that tobe effective individuals we need challenges,work, and problems to solve but we also need tostep away from our work to take a re-freshed lookat it with new insights gained from study, newcontacts, and improved health.

Some might say, “take a fresh look at things.”But I prefer the term RE-freshed look because itis not our first fresh look we are talking about,but the richer, more insightful renewed slant orview we may gain when we have RE-freshedourselves by changing our pace, by switching

from physical to mental effort and back again,by gaining new spiritual dedication through studyof sacred literature and prayer, new knowledgegained by deeply thinking about and studying theproblem, new contacts with others who are work-ing similar or different problems with solutionswhich can be applied to our problems. Many ofyou have read of Thomas Alva Edison sleepingonly a few hours a day but switching from onetype of activity to another in order to re-freshhimself .

Is this one of the primary missions for Masoniceducation, to foster a sharpening of the saws ofour members? What about prospective members?If this is the appropriate mission for Masonic edu-cation, how should we go about it? Who shouldbe doing it? Who should be the target audience,as they say in the world of marketing, primarilynew members, old inactive members? Whatshould we put first when we put first things first?

One of Brother Rudyard Kipling’s aphorisms is,“I have six honest serving men, they taught meall I knew. Their names were ‘What’ and ‘Where’and ‘When’ and ‘How’ and ‘Why’ and ‘Who’.”

An outstanding professor of education once com-forted his students worried about not being quiteup to their responsibilities to educate the youthof America, “There’s little you can do to keepthe intellectually curious from learning and noone can do a great deal to educate those who arenot.” I trust that each one here today will putforth his very best effort and engage in that hard-est of all work, original thinking, to analyze theseseven habits and work on ways that we can makeourselves and our Lodges more effective by “fre-quently inculcating and strongly recommending”their daily practice in order to make good menbetter and improve our families, our churches andsynagogues, our communities, our Common-wealth and our Nation.

RosslynContinued from Page 7

Knights Hospitaller Grand Master to the GrandMaster of the KTs. This Charter was granted by‘Brother Thomas de Lindesay, Master of theHospital of St. John of Jerusalem within theRealm of Scotland’. One of the main points toseized upon by some is the fact that the Charterwas written and signed at Blantrodokis[Balantrodoch, now Temple in Midlothian] andnot Torphichen, the main preceptory of theKnights Hospitallers. One of the witnessesattesting to the truth of the contents was WilliamSlyeth of Temple (i.e. Balantrodoch). This toohas been cited in support of the idea that theKnights Templar continued to exist after 1312,albeit under the wing of the Hospitallers.

The only link between Rosslyn and Templars wasthe fact the Templar headquarters in Scotland hadbeen a few miles from Rosslyn Castle and that

the St Clair family had testified against theKnights Templar when the members of themilitary order were brought to trial at Holyroodin Edinburgh in 1309.

Rosslyn Chapel lies a few miles south ofEdinburghin the small village of Roslin. The(now) world famous heritage building hasinspired artists and writers including RobertBurns, Sir Walter Scott and William Wordsworth.These most famous authors never made anyfanciful claims about its purpose. It is also aworking church with an active congregation andweekly services, marriages etc.

That chapel that stands today is a fraction of thefull scale cathedralthat was originallyplanned. The correctname for the chapelis ‘the CollegiateCollege of StMatthew’ and it isthought that the StClair family, whofounded the chapel,envisioned Rosslynbecomming a centerfor learning on agrand scale. RosslynCastle was home toa medievalscriptorium wherbooks fromContinental Europewere translated andcopied by hand. Inmany ways thecarvings within thechapel mimic thei n t r i c a t eilluminations ofthese medievalbooks. Fabulousceatures such asdragons, unicorns,knights, kings,queens and a host ofmedieval musiciansand biblicalcharacters.

Roslin is not the original spelling of Rosslyn, andthe name “Rosslyn” does not come from ‘RoseLine’ as a certain author would have us believe!It is in fact a name constructed from 2 Scottishwords: “ross” meaning ‘hill’ and “lynn”, meaning‘water’. Rosslyn literally means the ‘hill by thewater!. The name suits the place perfectly as theRiver Esk bends round a large hill, which is thebedrock of Rosslyn Castle.

Over the past few years there have been a seriesof alternative ‘history’ books that feature evermore fanciful theories regarding Rosslyn. It has

Continued on Next Page - Rosslyn



RosslynContinued from Page 15

been alleged that the Lost Ark of the Covenant,the Holy Grail, the secret Lost Gospels of Christ,the KT treasure and the embalmed head of Jesusare buried somewhere under the chapel. Someclaim that the chapel has encoded within it thesecret teachings of the Templars and the originsof Freemasonry. Locals have commented that halfexpect the Loch Ness Monster and the RoswellUFO are hidden under the chapel. There is alegend of a vast treasure but this is linked to thecastle NOT the chapel. The treasure is said to beworth many millions of pounds and is guardedby a dark knight and a white lady! (The Scotsare ‘masters’ of the supernatural tale!)

There IS, however, a hidden chamber beneathRosslyn Chapel. This crypt is the burial vault ofthe St Clair family. Generations of these ScottishKnights lie buried in full suits of armor. Theentrance to this tomb is well recorded and liesbeneath stone slabs in the floor of the north aisleof the chapel. Excavations of the crypt have notbeen allowed, as Rosslyn is a working churchand a delicate building that has already sufferedfrom centuries of neglect. There is no hardevidence for any ‘hidden treasure’ beneathRosslyn. Any invasive excavation would onlyserve to damage the chapel.

· There is no magical line between Rosslynand Glastobury; anyone with ruler can drawa line and the main structures are the M5and M6 motorways!

· There is no Star of David shaped pathwayworn into the floor, this is complete fiction.

· Any sacred geometry within the chapel isnot based on Solomon’s Temple or ‘TemplarMasonry’ but on the east choir of GlasgowCathedral, which Rosslyn’s architectureclosely mimics.

· You will not find 2 pillars, but three! Moreon them later perhaps?

· There are many strange cubes with unusualcarving which cryptographers have beenlooking at for only a few years. The ‘code’may or may not be factual but will certainlyNOT reveal the entrance to the secret vaultbeneath Rosslyn Chapel because it is alreadywell known!

Rosslyn Chapel is a magical place. It is a treasurehouse of medieval imagery; which gives us aunique insight into the minds of scholars, lords,and artisans of the Middle Ages. The St Clairs ofRosslyn were Scottish nobles who fought alongsideWilliam Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Theybecame a wealthy and influential within theScottish court and ambassadors to France. RosslynChapel was built at the height of their power as a

house fit for God, filled to overflowing withwonders whose meanings have been lost over time!

Br. Peter Taylor is a member of WSW LodgeAlbert 448, Secretary Lodge Discovery 1789,(Research Lodge), PZ RAC Albert 503, AASRite,ROoS, KT, RCC, KHS, CC, RAM, OSM, Cork,and a Squareman

I wish to thank Bro Ken Somerville, Mr. SimonCox, and www.Rosslyntemplars.com for materialused in the creation of this article.

PREPARINGLEADERS?

by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, [email protected] Harbor, Florida, USA

Among the hidden benefits ofbecoming a Mason is that itbuilds character. It also helpsdevelop our speaking and pre-sentation skills as we learn

catechisms and ritual. Aside from this, there islittle to teach Lodge officers how to be leaders.Normally, when someone is elected or appointedto a chair there is considerable on-the-job train-ing where they will inevitably make mistakes.

By the time someone becomes Master of a Lodgethey should know how to perform such tasks aspreparing a budget, how to establish objectives,plan and schedule activities, managing financesand investments, and set the Craft to work withproper instruction for their labor. Our rituals teachus some valuable lessons regarding life, but nothow to be a better a leader.

It is a false assumption that just because some-one sits in a chair in a Masonic Lodge, they aresuddenly possessed with the required knowledgeand skills to lead and manage. A person’s pro-fessional background may be such that they havenever had any formal training or experience inthis regard.

Although they may valiantly try to lead, inevita-bly, they are ineffective and the Lodge flounders.This is not a condemnation of the leaders efforts,but of incomplete preparation to BE an effectiveleader.

I believe one of the best vehicles for preparingsomeone to become an effective Worshipful Mas-ter is to serve as a Little League umpire, which Idid for a number of years We take baseball prettyseriously down here in Florida, and its not just amatter of volunteering your time.

There are several clinics to attend and books to

study. Whereas coaches manage their individualteams, umpires manage the game. From this ex-perience, I learned several things:

* Pre-game preparations (checking the con-dition of the field and equipment, andbriefing the coaches).

* The need for fair play,* That nothing happens until the umpire

makes the call. (You should take yourtime so that you make the right call.)

* Make your calls loud and clear.* Recognize when you have made a mis-

take and rectify it.* Maintaining order and discipline on the

field.* Handling hecklers (my personal favorite).* Sportsmanship.* And how to properly dress as an umpire.

For those of you who have served as an umpireor a referee in other sports, you know exactlywhat I am talking about. As a sports official, youassume certain responsibilities that many otherpeople depend on. As such, it shouldn’t be takenlightly and you should learn as much as possibleto do your job effectively.

Being a Worshipful Master is essentially no dif-ferent. True, you have to know Masonic ritual,but you must also know how to manage the Lodge,and this involves developing planning and peopleskills. Very few Grand Lodges offer programs todevelop such skills, if any. I understand the GrandLodge of California has a program whereby offic-ers must be certified in order to graduate to an-other chair. This makes a lot of sense to me. Itgives the person a glimpse of what lies ahead ofhim instead of learning it under fire.

I would like to see more robust training programsfor officers to properly prepare them for their job.To this end, I recently wrote a paper entitled“Bryce’s Crash Course in Management.” Thiswas done as part of my management consultingbusiness, but the lessons inculcated in it are ev-ery bit as applicable to a Masonic Lodge as theyare to a commercial enterprise. The paper is freeand you can download it from:

http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/ss051121.pdf

Better yet, I developed a free 45 minute multi-media presentation on the subject at:

http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/manage.htm

As our membership declines and our expensescontinue to rise, we need to properly cultivateLodge leaders to prepare them for the yearsahead. My paper is but one small step in thatdirection. Ideally, it would be nice to see GrandLodges develop more sophisticated programs todevelop the skills needed to steer our Lodgesthrough the troubled waters ahead.

Keep the Faith.

http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/ss051121.pdf

http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/manage.htm



Ahimon RezonAhimon RezonAncient ChargesBook of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (1884)Book of the Words by Albert PikeThe Builder Magazine 1915 - 1930Ceremonial Explanation of the Entered Apprentice DegreeCeremonial Explanation of the Fellowcraft DegreeConcise History of FreemasonryThe Craftsman and Freemason’s Guide; Cornelius Moore; 1851David vs. Goliath?The Dionysian ArtificersEnglish Speculative FreemasonryFocusing on What Matters MostGeneral Regulations Of FreemasonryThe History of Freemasonry; James William Mitchell; 186?Illustrations of Masonry, By One Of The Fraternity, Who Has Devoted

Thirty Years To The Subject; Captain William Morgan; 1826, 1851Initiation, Mystery and SalvationIs It True What They Say About Freemasonry?Landmarks and Old ChargesThe Lights and Shadows of Freemasonry; Rob Morris; 1852The Lost Keys Of Freemasonry by Manly P. HallMasonry and ReligionThe Masonic Manual, A Pocket Companion For The Initiated; Robert

Macoy; 1867Masonry CAPT. WILLIAM. MORGAN’SThe Meaning Of Masonry by W. L. WilmshurstMisrepresentation of FreemasonryMorals and Dogma by Albert PikeMore LightMy Ideal MasonMysticism of The Royal ArchOpinions on Speculative Masonry; James Creighton Odiorne; 1830The Principles of Masonic Law; Albert Gallatin Mackey; 1858The Regius ManuscriptRichardson’s Monitor of Free-Masonry; Jabez Richardson; 1860The Secret Teachings Of All Ages by Manly P. HallThe Symbolism of Freemasonry; Albert Gallatin Mackey; 1869SymbolsTales of a Masonic Life; Rob Morris; 1860The Taxil ConfessionsThe Theocratic Philosophy of Freemasonry, In Twelve Lectures; George

Oliver;1866The Truth About FreemasonryThe Virginia Text Book; John Dove; 1866Webb’s Freemason’s Monitor; Thomas Webb Smith; 1865

Valuable Links To Masonic WorksIf you have any links to Masonic works, please send them to us and we will

publish them here every month.

These are clickable Links.

A young and success-ful executive was trav-eling down a neighbor-hood street, going a bittoo fast in his new Jag-uar. He was watchingfor kids darting outfrom between parkedcars and slowed downwhen he thought hesaw something. As hiscar passed, no childrenappeared. Instead, a

brick smashed into the Jag’s side door!

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jagback to the spot where the brick had been thrown.The angry driver then jumped out of the car,grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him upagainst a parked car shouting, “What was thatall about and who are you? Just what the heckare you doing? That’s a new car and that brickyou threw is going to cost a lot of money. Whydid you do it?”

The young boy was apologetic. “Please,mister...please, I’m sorry but I didn’t know whatelse to do,” He pleaded. “I threw the brick be-cause no one else would stop...” With tears drip-ping down his face and off his chin, the youthpointed to a spot just around a parked car. “It’smy brother, “he said. “He rolled off the curb andfell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.”

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned execu-tive, “Would you please help me get him backinto his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavyfor me.”

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallowthe rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hur-riedly lifted the handicapped boy back into thewheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief anddabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick looktold him everything was going to be okay.

“Thank you and may God bless you,” the grate-ful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words,the man simply watched the boy! push his wheel-chair-bound brother down the sidewalk towardtheir home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. Thedamage was very noticeable, but the driver neverbothered to repair the dented side door. He keptthe dent there to remind him of this message:“Don’t go through life so fast that someone hasto throw a brick at you to get your attention!”

God whispers in our souls and speaks to ourhearts. Sometimes when we don’t have time tolisten, He has to throw a brick at us. It’s our choiceto listen or not.

The Last Word

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/ahmin_Rezon.pdf

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/2AR_Ahiman_Rezonm.pdf

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/3AR_Old_Chargesm.pdf

http://www.freemasonry101.org.uk/the_book/default.htm

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/Pike/BookoftheWords.pdf

http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/the_builder_1915-1930_toc.htm

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/CeremonialExplanationEADegree.pdf

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/CeremonialExplanationFCdegree.pdf

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/concise.pdf

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=f946c80123cb490fa21f32e79b418de8&c=moa&idno=AHK6849.0001.001&view=toc

http://www.nazorean.com/MysteryTeachings/David.vs.Golaith/dvg.pdf

http://www.nazorean.com/MysteryTeachings/Freemasonry.html

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/TS-Origins2.pdf

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/FocusingonWhatMattersMost.pdf

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/4AR_General_Regulationsm.pdf


http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=c0635d35dcd67d37ecbac64dd809c18b&c=moa&idno=AHK6870.0001.001&view=toc

http://www.nazorean.com/MysteryTeachings/Initiation-MysteryAndSalvation/chornenky.html

http://www.nazorean.com/MysteryTeachings/anti-Mason/chap1.htm

http://www.nazorean.com/MysteryTeachings/LandmarksAndOldCharges/doron.html


http://www.deltaforceone.com/ebooks/freemasons/LostKeysOfFreemasonry/Flkof.html

http://www.bessel.org/images/ads2-11.pdf

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=c0635d35dcd67d37ecbac64dd809c18b&c=moa&idno=AEN5226.0001.001&view=toc

http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/captmorgansfreemasonrycontents.htm

http://www.deltaforceone.com/ebooks/freemasons/TheMeaningOfMasonry/Fthemeaningofmasonry.html

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/MISREPRESENTATIONSOFFREEMASONRY.pdf

http://www.deltaforceone.com/ebooks/freemasons/moralsanddogma/fMnD.html

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/MoreLight.pdf

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/MyIdealMason.pdf

http://www.nazorean.com/MysteryTeachings/MysticismOfTheRoyalArch/manasseh.html

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=f946c80123cb490fa21f32e79b418de8&c=moa&idno=AEM6375.0001.001&view=toc

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=73f087cc7458cf29d8dd7076acdecdd7&c=moa&idno=AHK6832.0001.001&view=toc

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/TheRegiusManuscript.pdf


http://www.deltaforceone.com/ebooks/freemasons/SecretTeachingsOfAllAges/tstoaa.html


http://www.mason-defender.net/library/Symbols1.pdf

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=f946c80123cb490fa21f32e79b418de8&c=moa&idno=AEN5220.0001.001&view=toc

http://www.mason-defender.net/library/TaxilConfession.pdf


http://www.nazorean.com/MysteryTeachings/The%20Truth%20About%20Freemasonry.htm



March 2006 Restoring The Temple - lodgeroomuk.netlodgeroomuk.net/intblog/download/Lodgeroom Magazine/lr_mag_2006... · On Becoming A Mason by Daniel Beresniak ..... 7 History of the

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