I forgot to mention that I've got a few new blog posts up:

• Harvest Aftermath

• Beyond the Valley of When Bloggers Collide

• Masonic Parochialism

• Shelter from the inclemencies of the weather

• Don't rain on our parade

• Live at the Apple Harvest!

• 2008 Apple Harvest Festival - Saturday

• No Idiots Allowed!

• Fixmaster G in da house!

• I need a 25 inch gauge

The phone calls always start off the same way.

"Tom, I know that it's short notice, but. . ."

It's September, so the next round of Ritual Certifications has begun.

In my slice of Connecticut, it's typical for a lodge to have a "move up" night in which the Junior Warden takes the East for an EA degree, and the Senior Warden does so for an FC degree. Typically, I see this happening in the Fall, which presumably allows time for the JW to learn the part and get comfortable. I have seen a few lodges in which the JW always does an EA, and the SW does the FC degrees, but that arrangement bothers me. In the last decade, too many officers find themselves in the South after only a few years; they've barely committed a charge or a lecture to memory. In my opinion, the EA degree is a new brother's first introduction to Masonry, and it sets the tone for the rest of his Masonic life. I know that a lot of my brothers like to see impressive MM degrees, but if the EA isn't awesome, then what is going to motivate your new brother to come back and get involved?

Connecticut is split up into 9 Masonic districts, and each district has periodic meetings, generally the last week of the month on 5 week months to avoid clashing with regular Stated Communications.  It's a time for the officers and other interested members to see what's happening in other lodges, and to get to know their counterparts in other lodges. You never know when you'll need help from a sister lodge; a few bodies to help round out an MM degree, perhaps that guy who does such a great job on a Charge, or maybe you need to bring a candidate up because he missed your scheduled degree night. These meetings, the Blue Lodge Councils, are the place to make that happen. 

Some districts have progressive and forward-looking people who manage to plan and organize interesting programs, so as to attract more brothers, and give them something worth traveling for.

Unfortunately, that guy in the 5th district is on vacation. That's why next month, the only interesting thing that's going on is a visit from this particular dummy.

Yes, that's right - On Thursday, September 25th, the 5th District Blue Lodge Council will be held at Unity Lodge No. 148 in New Britain, at which we will be treated to the comedy stylings have the noted author (and fellow blogger) Chris Hodapp.

Dinner will be served at 6:30 pm, and non-dummies who would like to watch the show attend need to contact Bro. Dave Stern to reserve a place.  The gig meeting will start around 7:30 pm. We expect quite a few of the purple apron crowd, so plan to be there ahead of time to get a good seat.

Brother Hodapp is actually exceptionally well-read, and can always be counted on for good insights and great stories and observations. He will be promoting his books, among which are Freemasons for Dummies, Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies for Dummies, The Templar Code for Dummies, and  Solomon's Builders.

I know that I'll be there; I'm going to bring my big orange book and ask Bro. Hodapp to autograph it for me.

Tao of Masonry | Freemasonry | Masonry

Despite my taking a bit of a summer vacation, I did want to comment on some of the happenings in Freemasonry that I've seen or read about over the last few months.

First of all, I want to extend my very best wishes to the brothers of the new Grand Orient of the United States of America. On June 27, the GO-USA received a patent from the Grand Orient of France, a document which grants them amity with certain other GO bodies, allowing them to visit Masonically and to work certain rites. The GO-USA will work closely with Le Droit Humain affiliates, the George Washington Union, and the Women's  Grand Lodge of Belgium (all of which having their own affiliates in the US). I know that a lot of hard work and organization went into this, and I congratulate Bro. John Slifko, the new Grand Master of the new Grand Orient of the USA. Likewise, my best wishes to Bro. Brandt Smith, their new Grand Secretary, and to Bro. Jeff Peace, the new Grand Secretary of External Affairs. While the GOdF and LDH is not in amity with UGLE Grand Lodges, they and other GOs have worked in parallel toward Masonic ideals. It is my sincere hope that this new venture comes to every success for all of you.

Secondly, anyone reading this blog is probably aware that there have been skirmishes between certain Mainstream Freemasons and those who, for various reasons (justified or not), have taken issue with Mainstream lodges.  The untimely death of Br. Theron Dunn precipitated a truce of sorts, and for several months the bickering stopped. Unfortunately, the creation of the GO-USA seems to have renewed the arguing, for reasons which I am unable to fathom. The sniping that was taking place in blogs and message boards is on the upswing, and I'm not just disappointed with the tone of the posts that I've been reading; I'm actually disheartened because with the creation of the GO, I believe that there are fewer reasons for such attacks than before.

(Read the rest of this on The Tao of Masonry)

"[. . . ] and neither are you to suffer your zeal for the institute to lead you into arguments with those who, through ignorance, may ridicule it."

From Cectic - The Comic

First, I want to thank my hosts Greg Stewart and Dean Kennedy of Masonic Central for having me as a guest. It was fun, and while I may be modest most of the time, how could I resist when such charming brothers ask not once, but several times for the pleasure of my company?

Second, I imagine that my brothers in Connecticut want to thank Greg and Dean for waiting until July, so that they don't have to listen to me ask "Didja hear my podcast? Huh? Didja? How was it? Was it good? Didja like it? Huh? Didja?" for the rest of the summer. I'm sure that everyone around me hopes that my over-inflated ego will have returned to normal by the time that meetings start again in September.

That said, based on some of the comments and emails that I've received, I thought I should take a moment to clarify some of my comments on certain topics, while I still have my dues card.

There are dozens of masoniphobic web boards, ranging from those run by religious fundamentalists who believe that Freemasons worship some demon, or at least, some entity that is not the One True God© that they, themselves believe in. Other boards are run by people who believe that Freemasons either run, or inexplicably who are the bottom rung on the Illuminati/New World Order hierarchy. I say "inexplicably" because most of the time they keep referencing some mythical "high ranking Freemasons." A few even espouse theories that Masons are somehow connectied with aliens or NASA or are involved in the moon landing hoax. Sometimes you can even see some intermingling of ideologies, which in itself presents some ironic humor. I've declined to point out these boards, mainly because it's pretty easy to find them if you search on terms such as "Freemason Conspiracy" and "Freemason Demon Worship."

(read the rest of this post at The Tao of Masonry)

The morning email from my friend 3M was my first clue.

Yet again high praise for my CT blog brethren. Scottish Rite Journal!
Congrats guys for getting etched in the annals of history.

Not being a subscriber to the SRJ - in fact, not even being a member of the SR, I Googled my way through several links to find that one of their book reviewers must not have had any interesting Masonic tomes this month, and decided to do an article on some of the denizens of cyberspace.

Book Review: The Wind Between the Atoms

written by James T. Tresner II, 33°, Grand Cross, Book Review Editor

I must admit that I have not been a fan of the Internet phenomenon known as “blogs” (from web logs). For one thing, irrational as I know this is, I simply think the word itself is ugly. It does not “ring with a joyful tune upon the ear.” In fact, it sounds distinctly disrespectful. In addition, I have never been enough of a small-d-democrat to be interested in what the uninformed had to say on any topic. I grudgingly admit that everyone is entitled to have an opinion, but I am less willing to grant they have a right to publicly inflict it on others. One only needs watch the talking heads of celebrity experts on any cable news channel or listen to “talk radio” to see what I mean.

I have to admit that I was a bit put off at first; I can't tell you how many people I've talked to in the last couple of years that, upon hearing that I write a blog, have proclaimed similar sentiments about blogging, and it makes me think that they are either short-sighted, or have not bothered to read very many.

Recently, a columnist in a local newspaper wrote almost exactly the same thing as Bro. Tresner, adding that she had no desire to read about the dull aspects of other people's lives, such as, e.g., what they had for breakfast, or to see pictures of their kids, or to hear about their shopping trips. It's the height of irony that she, herself, has a regular weekly column in which she writes about exactly those topics. It's fascinating to think that people who get paid for writing their opinions so often have such a low opinion of those who simply give theirs away.

Fortunately, Bro. Tresner has a good friend who was able to give him a more relevant perspective:

So when I was recently shamed into visiting a Mason’s blog, I was greatly surprised at what was to be found. There was some first-rate writing, and an expression of ideas that stimulate thought. I found that to be true of other blogs as well. There is also a great deal of dross mixed with the gold.

While I'd like to think he was writing specifically about The Tao of Masonry, the fact is that a good number of bloggers really are talented and interesting writers. I read a few years ago that most blogs fail within three to six months, presumably for lack of interest on the part of the writer. That means that those blogs that have crossed that particular bank of the Jordan have done so because the writers have displayed an above-average amount of effort in their craft. They have a dedicated number of readers, they publish with some kind of frequency, and they manage to follow most of the rules of grammar and usage in order to make an article easy to grasp.

I read most blogs through Google Reader, and I catch some of the less-frequently posted blogs through the excellent King Solomon's Lodge Feed Aggregate - a website that collects RSS feeds from dozens of blogs with Masonic content.

And yes, there is dross mixed in with the jewels; even some of the better blogs have the occasional off day. However, with over 100 blogs (by my last count) with some Masonic content, it's natural to expect that a few will not meet one's particular interests.

Rather a bit like those "book" thingies that I keep hearing about.

But since blogs have become the major forum for the exchange of Masonic ideas and debate about modern interpretations of traditional values as well as the forum of most Masonic publishing today, it seemed appropriate to spend a little time alerting you to some of the most interesting. If I omit your favorite, please forgive. There are many, many of them out there.

While I disagree that blogs have become the major forum for discussion - I still believe that web forums are the preferred choice for those interested in the give-and-take of debate - you can't ignore that blogging has grown incredibly in the last decade. Masonic blogs were virtually unheard of just 5 years ago, and have probably doubled in number just in the last year. Much of this is due to the ease of use of the major blogging platforms: Blogger (now owned by Google), WordPress, and TypePad - all of which have had major upgrades in usability, and all of which are free to use for the basic packages. In other words, nobody needs to be a computer geek to blog anymore.

In Connecticut, no less than 5 blogs were started in the past year. I suspect that most of my brothers, having seen my own modest attempts with the cyber-pen, said to themselves "If Tom can do this, anybody can." The result is that the Nutmeg State now has the highest per capita Masonic Blogging Density (MBD), which I expect to double in the next month after a few dozen more Connecticut readers see this post.

(Read the rest of this at The Tao of Masonry)

When I was a new Mason, I remember being disappointed to find that most of the lodges closed for the summer. "Close? What? C'mon, man, I'm just getting fired up!"

By the time I was the Worshipful Master of Friendship Lodge, though, I was thrilled to have that summer break. I guess it's a matter of perspective, huh?

In the last few months, I have seen or participated in almost a dozen degrees, gone to another dozen meetings of various groups, have attended several dinners, awards nights, and other events. June has been particularly eventful, and in the last three weeks I have visited seven out of the eight lodges in my slice of the state. An early heat wave coincided with my need to visit a number of lodges, none of which were air conditioned - an occupational hazard here in New England where many lodges are really just old buildings. Personally, I'll be glad when the end of June comes because I could use a break. Don't get me wrong: I enjoy what I've been doing, and I'm happy to be invited to these events, and I've been pleased that nobody boos, hisses or curses when I enter the room. I'm just looking forward to a little time to recharge the mental batteries.

Rick: Excuse me Doug E Fresh...
Doug: Yes?
R: Have you ever seen a show with fellas on the mic
with one minute rhymes that don't come out right?
They bite.
D: They never write.
R: That's not polite!
Am I lyin'?
D: No, you're quite right.
R: Well, tonight on this very mic you're about to hear
Both: We swear, the best darn rappers of the year.
R: So!
D: So!
R: Cheerio!
D: Yell -
R: Scream -
D: Bravo!
B: Also, if you didn't know,
this is called 'The Show.'

Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick, "The Show"

So, I just finished rambling on about how I thought that long degrees with lots of information and lectures were a good thing, both for the candidates and for the brothers attending lodge. For the candidates, it's an immersion experience; they are - or should be - awed by the amount of information in the initiatory experience, and although they can't possibly absorb everything, it should at the very least present them with an overview of the teachings of the Craft. And for the older brothers, seeing good ritual work done allows them to gain new perspectives as their own life changes coincide with the various moral teachings available in the various lectures.

I've been to degree ceremonies that have gone on until very late in the evening, usually because of extended dramas or lectures that one doesn't normally get to see in a typical Connecticut lodge. Sometimes the ceremonies go so well that few brothers leave early; nights like that point out that good ritual ceremonies really do have value for everyone, not just the candidates.

Sometimes, however, I find myself at degree ceremonies that last until very late - but not because of the rituals or lectures. Rather, it seems to be a factor of people wanting to make a large production out of the evening, for what are probably the right reasons - but perhaps missing the point in the execution. For degree work, certain situations just seem to cry out for something special: A good friend, a son, a grandson, a favorite nephew, even (as I've seen) a father of a member - especially if that member is the Master - are circumstances that anyone would want to make especially memorable.

But. . . isn't being initiated or raised not memorable enough?

I've been to several degree ceremonies - and they are always the EA or the MM degree - at which there have been several Grand Lodge line officers, Past Grand Masters, several District Deputies, and a number of representatives from the appendant bodies. It's very nice to see such a show of support, and admittedly I was impressed the first few times I'd seen a wide array of Grand Lodge representatives at a degree. But now I'm beginning to wonder what the lodge has in mind when the officers plan on this type of arrangement. I mean, do any of them realize how long it takes to get 7 or more purple aprons out of the room, properly lined up, escorted back into the room, and then formally introduced?

Never mind, that was a rhetorical question.

There really isn't any answer because the more purple aprons there are, the longer it takes to line them up by year, get their names, line them up again by rank, add a couple of names for the guys still sitting in the lodge room, line them up again according to the latest protocol, get the names of the late arrivals, pass the names to the Marshal who has now despaired of matching the names to the correct titles, have them walk back into the room in only the vaguest semblance of order, and then read the hastily scrawled names off of the 3 x 5 index card, after which they will be escorted to the Master's station to shake hands and to be offered a hard, uncomfortable seat in front of the lodge, instead of one of the nice, comfy seats on the sidelines.

The candidates, of course, never get to see any of this. In fact, by the time the candidates actually get to meet the phalanx of officers, they are often too tired or overwhelmed to appreciate the trouble to which the lodge has gone, ostensibly on their behalf. They don't know anything about officers or Grand Lodge officers or protocol until the end of the night, when the Master is compelled to call upon them, the Grand Lodge officers, for closing remarks.

And does anyone realize how long it takes to get 7 or more purple apron types to get through their closing remarks?

Never mind, that was another rhetorical question.

The real point that I'm trying to make is that we, that is, the more experienced Masters, sometimes forget that the initiatory experience is already overwhelming; too often our inviting large numbers of Masonic VIPs who have no connection to the candidates turns what should be a moving and solemn experience into a spectacle. I once overheard an older member at another lodge tell a couple of newly raised MMs how lucky they were to have been part of what he termed "an historic occasion" at their lodge. After he walked away, the new MMs turned to each other and shrugged. "Whatever," they seemed to say; not, I'm sure, because they didn't care, but because they had no context, no frame of reference by which to understand the circumstance of having 2 PGMs, four District officers, and half a dozen poobahs from the local Scottish RIte Valley.

If you are one of those people of the cynical persuasion, you'd begin to think that the reason that lodges have these kinds of spectacles events is to give a big ego boost to the WM. I'm going to stop short of that assumption and instead, charitably suggest that Masters are not thinking in terms of the candidates themselves. Rather, they are thinking in terms of making the degree ceremony an experience interesting enough to draw out the brothers who might otherwise stay home.

And this reasoning I can understand; part of our job success as Master of a lodge is to get the brothers to participate, or at least, to show up. But there are other ways to get them interested:Have a special dinner, say, a cookout or a surf & turf or some other theme night. Have a few visiting brothers do one of the lectures. Have the degree in costume. There are dozens of ways to make a degree night interesting for everyone that would not make it overwhelming for the candidates - or for the 80+ year old members who have to drive home.

Getting back to my original point, I sometimes wonder if having good, well-performed ritual work wouldn't be enough of an incentive to attract the brothers who are the fence-sitters, the people who might come if only they thought it would be worth spending a few hours down at the old lodge. By "good," I mean officers who actually study and rehearse their parts, and who have learned to put some feeling and character into their ritual work, and who can make the quality of the work itself the spectacle, rather than the quantity of the visitors.