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Mentorship

Symbolism of the First Degree & a Poem

by MasterMason

Symbolism of the First Degree Being a reprint from “The Builder” The Official Journal of the National Masonic Research Society, Anamosa, Iowa.            (circa 1915)

In searching through my Masonic Education Library, I uncovered the attached lecture and was impressed by the fact that the writer’s comments are as valid today as in 1915.  I do trust your will enjoy.

In the beginning the seeker for truth must be duly and truly prepared.  In the usually accepted sense, this talk is unprepared and yet, I spent five years a line officer in the Lodge, observing, thinking about and studying Masonry. It is this study and my later contemplations that are my preparation to speak on the symbolism of the first degree.

It seems to me that the essence of every Masonic lesson is presented in the symbolism of the first degree.

An entered apprentice is a Mason. The second, third and so-called higher degrees are elaborations. All Masonic business was, and in most cases still is, transacted in a Lodge opened only in the first degree.

The Masonic lessons are practical lessons.  They have a dollar and cents value.  The Senior Warden tells us that he became a mason in order that he might receive master’s or larger wages. That there be no misunderstanding as to his meaning monetary wages, he further says, in order to “better support himself and family.”  If we will look honestly into our own hearts, we will see that we paid the price for the Masonic degrees because we hoped to receive the equivalent or a greater return.  If we have not received a return equal to our original and annual investment, it is because we have not applied ourselves to the study of Masonry with freedom, fervency & zeal.

But let us understand each other. There is little chance of our making much headway unless we agree on a clear and definite meaning of the terms we use. It is not only good and pleasant, but it is necessary for us to dwell together in unity of thought, if we would arrive at a harmonious conclusion. We should therefore endeavour to clearly define our subject.

The word “symbol” is derived from the Greek, meaning “to compare”. A symbol is the expression of an idea by comparison. Often, an abstract idea may be best conveyed by a comparison with a concrete object. A dictionary definition of a symbol would be, a sign or representation which suggests something else.

Symbolism, therefore, is the science of symbols or signs. It is the philosophy, or art of representing abstract truths by concrete things. Symbolism is suggestion; in sculpture and painting by form and colour, in language by words, in music by sounds. What allegory and parable are in literature; what figurative speaking is in language; the same is symbolism.

The symbolism of the first degree is for the apprentice. An apprentice Mason is one who has begun the study of Masonry. Certain qualifications of a Masonic apprentice are a belief in God, a desire for knowledge, and a sincere wish to be of service to his fellow creatures.

Possessing these qualifications, the candidate follows a course of ancient hieroglyphic moral instruction, taught agreeably to ancient usages, by types, emblems and allegorical language. This is symbolism, and symbolism is universal language. It is the language in which God reveals himself to man. The manifestations of nature are only symbolic expressions of God.

Children learn best from symbols. Blocks and toys are crude symbolic representations of the more complicated things of life. Most of us learned our alphabet and almost everything else by the relationship or correspondence to things with which we were familiar. We are only children after all. Older children call themselves scientists and make their experiments in laboratories. Each experiment is a symbol of what is taking place in the real outside world.

The apprentice in moral science should give up the rags of his own righteousness and also all precious metals, symbolical of worldly wealth and distinction, and all baser metals, symbolical of offense and defence, in order that he may realize his dependence upon moral forces only.

He should be clad in a garment signifying that he comes with pure intentions to learn the noble art and profit by its lessons, not to proselyte among others, but to develop and improve himself. He is carefully examined to ascertain whether he is worthy and well qualified to receive and use the rights and benefits of Masonry.

Being satisfied that he is worthy and well qualified, he is admitted and immediately impressed with the fact that he must undergo sacrifice and suffering if he would attain the end he seeks. Realizing that the good intentions of the candidate, his own righteousness or even the lodge organization, are not sufficient, we invoke the blessing and aid of God upon our search for knowledge and truth.

We follow the system of symbolism. When we would know the truth in regard to things too great for our minds to comprehend, we take as a symbol that which is within our mental grasp. We know that the truth about the things we cannot comprehend is identical with the truth in relation to the symbol which we do comprehend.

The apprentice in his search for Light must start from the North with the Easter Sun in the East, and travel by way of the South to the West, and back into darkness. He again comes out of the North in the East and passes through the same course again and again in his development. Obstacles are met by the apprentice in his progress, so similar that they appear identical. The little occurrences of life may seem unimportant, but they determine whether we will be permitted to advance.  The apprentice must ever be worthy and well qualified.

The apprentice must advance on the square by regular upright steps. This symbolism is so common and universal that it is used in the slang of the street.

Obligations are duties assumed. We must assume them if we would advance and having assumed them we are bound by them whether we will or not. Then the Light breaks and we begin to see. We find that others, even the most learned, stand like beginners. The Master is on the level with the apprentice, and extends a hand which is grasped fraternally, and the candidate is raised. There is the key to the Master’s word,  an OPEN BOOK, but he may never find the word itself.

Then as before, the apprentice must follow the course of the Sun. As is the greatest, so is the smallest. In the drop of water are all the laws of the Universe. If we study carefully, we will find in the dew drop the particles revolving and whirling in their little circles exactly the same as we find the heavenly bodies revolving and turning in their great orbits, circle within circle and circle upon circle. The seeker after Light always emerges from the North to the East and passes by way of the South to the West and again into darkness, with full faith and perfect confidence that day will follow night. He is continually subjected to tests and trials and always held responsible for what he has learned and for that which has gone before.

God’s Holy Book, His revelation to us, is the guide in our search for light.  To the Jew this Holy Book is the history of Israel substantially the Old Testament. To the Christian it is the Old and New Testament.  To the Mohammedan, it is the Koran, to the Hindu, the Veda.  But whatever book it is, it is the Holy Book of the seeker for Light and that which he believes to be the word of God.  The Holy Book together with the square and the compasses are the great lights of Masonry.

The lesser lights are the Sun, Moon and Master of the Lodge.  The Sun symbolizes the great active principle, the Moon the great passive principle.  This symbolism is so commonly accepted that even the uninitiated refer to the Sun as masculine and the Moon as feminine.  The Master is symbolical of the offspring of the great Active and Passive Principles.  He is the mediator, the child of the two great forces.  He sets the craft to work upon their symbolic studies which is no light responsibility to be assumed by the uninformed.  Only chaos and disaster can overtake him who attempts the work he is not qualified to perform.  When the apprentice has received his degree he is given his working tools and primary or elementary instructions as to how to go to work.

The working tools of an apprentice are the 24 inch gauge and the common gavel.  The gavel symbolizes strength or force.  Force undirected is the flood devastating all in its path or the idle puff of the unconfined powder which accomplishes nothing.  Undirected force is the gavel without the rule.

But intelligently controlled, and directed along a proper line by the rule of intellect, the force of the torrent grinds the grain and does the work of many men.  The force of the exploding powder pries the rock loose so that the work of months is accomplished in a moment.

The operation of universal laws in the moral world is just as ascertainable and understandable as in the physical world.  Morals are as susceptible of scientific study as physics.

The lambskin apron, a most ancient symbol, signifies that it is only by honest conscientious toil that the moral laws can be learned and applied, and that this toil must be done in purity and innocence.

In the lectures which follow the ceremony of the first degree, the apprentice is given preliminary information.  It would be too tedious to analyze these lectures at this time.  Suffice it to say they are very superficial and of little worth in themselves.  They must be understood and felt, if they are to be of any value.  Briefly we may describe a Lodge as a place to work, a place to study, analyze, and master the moral science so that we may make use of the moral laws and principles in our every-day life.  Symbolically, it is representative of the world, our daily working place.

The foundation of the Lodge and its teaching is squareness.  It is, however, supported by three pillars, Wisdom, Strength and Beauty.  From which we may learn that in every undertaking, when intelligence or wisdom directs, and strength or power works, then beauty and harmony result.

The Lodge is covered with the blue vault of Heaven.  Blue is the symbol of equality, it is a proper mingling of all colors, it is perfect concord.  It is also symbolical of the universality of that charity, which should be as expansive as the blue vault of Heaven itself.  Charity is not the giving of money alone.  It is also necessary to have charity toward the weaknesses and mistakes of others.

This life is a checkered pavement of good and evil, but in the center is the blazing star which is the seed and the source of all life and eternal life.

The parallel lines have a symbolism analogous to that of the two pillars, Jachin and Boaz, which is more fully developed in other degrees.

The point in the center of the circle between the parallels is sometimes compared to the individual member and sometimes to God who is the center of all things.  The circumference may suggest the boundary of man’s conduct, or God’s creatures, all equally distant and all equally near to Him.  Sometimes the circumference is used to depict the endless course of God’s power and His existence without end.  This is all speculation, it is symbolism, the contemplation of which will develop the individual.

If the apprentice pursues his studies in the moral art with freedom, fervency and zeal, he will receive Master’s or large wages, and be thereby the better enabled to support himself and family and to contribute to the relief of the distressed.

Comment

On occasion I observe Masons who seem to be upset & discouraged that there is no system in hand whereby he can be trained to be a Mason. Unfortunately these Brethren have not yet discovered that Masonry is a school wherein lessons are taught and the onus is on the pupil to learn and grow.  It is my belief that Masonry is a “Personal Spiritual Journey” and our development along that path is an entirely personal matter.

Poem on Sharing; Friendship & Living

He shall never live long enough who serves only himself.

He shall never be great who thinks only of self.

Though he grow to be grey in his own narrow way

He shall find that the gold he has laboured to hold

Is an empty reward for his long years of strife

And too late he shall learn he has wasted his life.

He shall never be wise who thinks only of gain

And toils for what he himself may attain.

He shall sigh at the end for the smile of a friend

And shall reap from years only hatred and sneers

And alone he shall sit at the end of his days

And wish he traveled by kindlier ways.

He shall never be big who has never been kind

But shall always be little of soul and of mind

He may scramble and fight for everything in sight

And may get to the peak by destroying the weak

There he shall find that his conquests are spoiled

And robbed of their charm by the way he has toiled.

The service worthwhile is the service men give

That others in sunshine and laughter may live.

The big men are they who will pause on the way

To play for another the role of a Brother

The great men are they who are gentle and kind

They live when they die in the presence left behind.

–          poem by John R. Rodgers (circa 1944)

 

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The Festival of Chanukah

by MasterMason

The following is another piece from the Masonic Service Bureau of North America (Dec 2008) and, I believe, presents another opportunity to share the light on a celebration which I had previously known little or nothing about.

The Festival of Chanukah (the story of light)

Every year, approximately during the month of December, people of the Jewish faith observe what is called Chanukah.  It wasn’t an important holiday in the Jewish calendar but is one to remember and to celebrate, if for no other, because it commemorates an important time in the life of the Jewish people and has significance also for those who are not of the Jewish faith since without the story of Chanukah, probably there would be no Temple of Solomon nor would there be a resulting Masonic fraternity based upon the story of King Solomon.

Let’s go back a bit and see what it is all about.  The year was about 165 B.C.E. and Antiochus Epiphanes was the king of Syrian-Greeks.  He bore down upon his Jewish subjects ruthlessly, having previously occupied what was Israel.  He defiled the Holy Temple by filling it with pagan idols and sacrifices of pigs.  He forbade the Jews to observe the Commandments of circumcision, the New Moon and the Sabbath.  He wanted the Jews to lay aside their Torah and substitute it with Hellenistic Greek culture, including idols of which the Greeks had many.

Then, one courageous old man names Matisyahu turned the tide.  He saw someone bowing down to the idols set forth by the Greeks rather than refusing to do so as most of the Jews did.  He struck the errant Jew and knew that he now had to run away and with the rallying cry of “Whoever is for God, come to me!” he called the people to rebellion.  A pitifully small number responded at first but his five sons led the way.  They fought the Syrian-Greeks, retreated to the mountains and began a guerrilla war against them.  Soon their father passed the leadership to his second son, Judah the Maccabee, mighty warrior and charismatic leader.

Outnumbered a hundred to one, Judah and his men won many battles.  More Jews came to join him.  In a few years he had defeated the mightiest armies that Syria could send against them.  Victory belonged to the Jews, the pure, the righteous and the loyal defenders of the Jewish world.

The 25th day in the Jewish month of Kislev, the fighters made their way to the Holy Temple where they beheld the idols strewn with the filth and impurity the Greeks had left behind.  They rummaged through

the ruins seeking at least one flask of pure olive oil with which to light the makeshift menorah they had hastily put together, representing the “Eternal Light”.

Flask after flask—they found every one of them defiled, until finally, a small jug, sufficient for only one day was found with the purity seal intact.  It would be eight days before they could manufacture more oil for the next lighting, but meanwhile they lit what they had.

But the flames of the menorah did not go out the first day.  The flames of the menorah burned, and burned, and burned.  For eight days they burned, until more oil was brought.  And those eight days were  chosen as the eternal symbol to commemorate the miracle of Chanukah, the eight-day long Festival of Lights, when Jews light the Menorah each evening, publicizing the miracle of light our Great Creator performed for us 2000 years ago.

The Chanukah lights shine their radiance into the street, reflecting our task in this world.  Each of us, Jew or not, must bring light, morality and holiness, not only inside our own homes, but also outward into the world.

“But,” one may claim, “the problems out there are so vast and global: terror, environmental damage, natural disasters, countries and continents afflicted by poverty and disease.  The impact we can make feels inadequate due to the sheer scale of these tragedies.  How then can you and I make a difference?”

To this, Chanukah has something simple but quite significant to say.  We repair the world in small steps, light by light, act by act, day by day.  Our Creator asks us to do what we can, when we can.  Each act mends a fracture of the world.

“A little light” said the Jewish mystics of old, “drives away much darkness.”  When light is joined to light, mine to yours and yours to others, the dance of the flames, each so small yet so beautiful together, begins to bathe the world in the glow of the Divine Presence.  You and I can make a difference.

As I suggested, Chanukah is an eight day holiday—each day beginning at darkness the previous night, as is the custom for Jewish holidays.

We easily define each night by a different word and a different action.  The Festival of Chanukah is about overcoming darkness, both physical and spiritual.  The Talmud relates that the beginning of any struggle is strenuous.  Would it not be easier to simply avoid the darkness and let it be?

The first night is called the Challenge. The inner calling of each Jew is to illuminate the world.  For only by meeting the challenge do we tap our inner source of light and fulfill our potential.

Another lesson of this night: dispelling darkness begins with one candle.  The smallest act of good is enough to overcome a world of night.

For the second night we use the word Increase.  One could technically fulfill the Chanukah obligation by lighting a single candle each night, but the universal Jewish custom is to light an additional candle each

night.  This teaches that if man is spreading light it is not enough to fulfill the minimal obligation.  Our darkness is overcome with a constant increase of light.  As long as even one corner of the world remains concealed in darkness, our mission is not complete.  The second night’s candle teaches us not to reserve the light of Chanukah for ourselves.  Light must increase and spread over the entire earth.

The third night is Consistency. We did it once because we were inspired; the second time, because it felt good; this third candle we do because we are committed.  In Jewish Law, permanence and consistency are established by repeating an act three times.  In geometry and physics, three is the number of stability and balance.  A one-or two-legged table can’t stand without an external support, but a three-legged table stands on its own.  The third night’s inspiration is consistency.  Upon lighting the third candle we express our persistence and our commitment to dispel darkness with light.

Upon lighting the fourth candle, we are halfway through the Chanukah process of conquering darkness.  As in any process keeping an eye on the goal is imperative.  Along the way, secondary opportunities may sidetrack us.  At each stage of the journey we should ask ourselves, “does this help me achieve my goal?”

The four candles teach us that we remain focused on our goals, and that is the word for the day, Focus, the details along the way will not bog us down.  Moreover, the feeling of gaining ground fills the traveler with the joy and energy to overcome obstacles along the way.

Majority is the word for the fifth night of Chanukah, representing the epitome of the darkness of exile.  As such, the fifth night never falls on the Sabbath evening, a “taste of the Messianic Era,” which overshadows all darkness.  Thus, the lighting of the Chanukah candles on this night is especially significant.  Tonight we express our ability to bring light to the darkest of realms where negativity and darkness seem to have a stranglehold.  The fifth night also is the first night that a majority of the eight candles are lit; signifying that most of the journey toward our goal is complete.

The word Infusion is our word for the sixth day.  We are told in the Holy Word that the world was created in six days, “Six days shall you labour and do all your work,” we are told.  Six represents the labour of working and perfecting the world.  Upon lighting the sixth candle, we articulate that the world and all its mundane workings must be infused with spirituality.  When the Deity is brought into every aspect of our lives, each act becomes of importance,  each act becomes something of which to be proud.

The seventh day is the Sabbath of Creation when “the heaven and earth were completed.”  Just as there is a time to create, there is a time to reflect, and that is the word of this day, Reflection. The Sabbath is when we rest from our labour to reflect its purpose, thus allowing the labours of the preceding week to actualize their potential.  When lighting seven candles, we allow the illumination of the six previous candles to fulfill their potential and fill all of creation with purpose and meaning.

Then the eighth and last day, the day of Miracles.  Eight represents that which is higher than nature.  This is why the symbol for infinity is the figure eight.  On this eighth night the true essence of the Chanukah observance shines, for the greatest teaching of the Chanukah holiday is that miracles can and do happen, and that in the future, the miraculous will become the commonplace.  The ultimate miracle is the fusion of the finite physical world with the infinite light of our Creator.  This is why the last day of Chanukah is

called Zot Chanukah, meaning “this is Chanukah.”  As we light the eighth candle, let us pray for the ultimate era of peace and light, the era of our redemption when “the earth will be as filled with knowledge of our Father as the waters that cover the sea.”

Indeed, this is a holiday of light, but the lights as they shine into the street, remind each one of us that our task is to bring light, morality and holiness, not only within our homes or our lodges, but also out into the world.  But as we indicated in the beginning, the problems out there are so vast and global, consisting of terror, environmental damage, natural disasters to countries and continents afflicted by poverty and disease, we, each of us, can make an impact, even though it is the sheer scales of these tragedies that seem to make it impossible.

How can we make a difference?  Just by being brothers, one to each other, recognizing that we have the same heritage from the beginning of time, that we, Jews, Christians, Muslims or something else, have the same Father, however we may recognize Him and pray to Him.

I wish for you our brothers of all faiths, that just a little light will drive away much darkness and you and I and all of us together can make a difference.  We are Masons.  We are the children of the Great Creator.  We have a definite pattern to follow and that is the life and love of Freemasonry.  At this time of the year, some of us observe Chanukah, others observe Christmas, and still others Kwanza.  Whatever your faith, whatever your tradition, we wish you a happy holiday as brothers and as children of one Creator.

Comment

Personally I have found this a very beautiful story and once again emphasizes that magnificent principle of Freemasonry namely “{The Universality of Man)” We are all more alike than sometimes we care to acknowledge.

Leadership This is from a little book called “Bits and Pieces” and written by Catherine Zeeb (Therapist)

“Illuminator”

Radiate the light from within into your work and into the World.

Experience the light within you and then shine it out for all to see.

They may not know what is hitting them, but they will like it.

They don’t have to know where it is coming from or why, but they will like it.

Go now into service.

Smile laugh and know that everyone, everything you touch is enlightened by the light from within you.

Norm

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Symbolism & a Few Poems

by MasterMason

 “Symbolism in Craft Freemasonry” by Colin Dyer.

It is my hope that this paper will further enhance your perspective on this extremely interesting subject.

Symbolism & Speculation

“Symbolism is the key to all mysteries, to all ancient and modern religions, to all esoteric knowledge.

Without and understanding of the meaning of symbols, one will never be able to appreciate the beauty of life, or understand what his own religion is trying to teach him. But as knowledge of the meaning of symbols comes to him, he becomes more and more a free man, or initiate.

Words are inadequate to carry or convey spiritual truths, for all the words have a material origin, and originally, a material meaning.

Masonry does not use words to convey the deeper spiritual truths, it uses symbols, generally simple figures whose beginnings are hidden in the mystic past and whose first users are unknown, perhaps unknowable.

In the old Symbols of Masonry, few in number and bare of meaning to the uninitiated and ignorant, the ancient Masters concealed the Hold Doctrine and the Master’s Word, yet expressed them in so plain a manner that the most humble seeker can find them.

Modern stupidity has attempted to add many new Symbols to Masonry, and to explain all the old symbols in mere words. These explanations challenge the admiration of the wise by their triteness and banality, and awake the pity of the understanding by their lack of knowledge.

Study the Symbols of Masonry, and dig deep in the rubbish of the Temple for the great truths buried there. They are well worth your digging and search. But the study of symbols, without practically applying them to your life, is a mere intellectual exercise that will result in more trouble than profit to you, if you merely seek to understand without living up to them.

As soon as you learn what is meant by a Symbol, you must make it a part of your life, let it be the rule and guide of your heart, drink it as water from a pure stream, feed your soul upon it, and you will grow in knowledge of a deeper meaning, while your soul will reach further upward toward the stars and the Divine knowledge they typify. For wisdom is a growth of the soul, and the reward of labour and effort, not to be bought except by its equal value in sacrifice.

Each time you have progressed, if you look back, you have had to lay upon the altar of sacrifice, something that represented the labour of your hands and heart, symbolizing that you would repay by labour for your brethren and humanity the benefit you had been freely given.

The design of the Masonic institution is to make men wiser and better and consequently happier. It lays down in its symbolic instruction the principles of morality, those secret springs that have inspired the lofty lives of the truly great.

He who obeys the Masonic precepts will not need to consult the opinions of friends of the public, he will find in his own breast an unerring monitor upon which he can always rely.

The student desiring to learn what these principles are must be willing to live them.

Wisdom is a growth of the Soul.  Moral principles are worthless until they have been made alive and driven deep into the interior recesses of the soul by practice.

Knowledge is worthless unless it can be put to use. If you are not willing to live your Masonry, do not seek to know your secret mysteries. Such knowledge carries with it the responsibility of use and obedience; and this responsibility cannot be evaded. ”

Comment

I do not know for certain when this was written, however, my source was published in 1976 so it probably over 50 years old.  I mention this because, in my opinion, the comments made are as accurate today as they were then.

How can we, after discovering the truths of Freemasonry, not employ those truths in our daily lives and still call ourselves Freemasons.  Of course that is a challenge, but what of value has ever been accomplished without effort and sacrifice.

Friendship

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them our just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”                                   George Eliot 1819/1880.

Twins in Soul

“There can be no friendship where there is no freedom.

Friendship loves a free air, and will not be penned up in straight and narrow enclosures.

It will speak freely, and act so too;  And take nothing ill where no ill is meant;

nay, where it is, t’will easily forgive, and forget too, upon small acknowledgements.

Friends are true twins in soul, they sympathize in everything.

One is not happy without the other, nor can either of them be miserable alone.

As if they could change bodies, they take their turns in pain as well as in pleasure,

relieving one another in their most adverse conditions”                     William Penn  (1644-1718)

Laughter & Happiness

“Nine requisites for contented living:

Health enough to make work a pleasure

Wealth enough to support your needs

Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them

Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them

Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished

Charity enough to see some good in your neighbour

Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others

Faith enough to make real the things of God

Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

 

Have a wonderful day & God Bless You and Yours

Norm

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Thoughts to Ponder

by MasterMason

MENTORSHIP

As you are no doubt aware, Victoria Columbia No 1 commenced the development of a Mentorship Program in 1996, and, through the efforts of Brethren of the Lodge, this Program is now a fixture of our Lodge and operating quite efficiently.

It is also interesting to note, that the program, as developed by Victoria Columbia No 1, has now been adopted as an educational guideline for both our Grand Lodge and the Grand Lodge of Washington.

My reason for bringing this matter to your attention is to seek your personal involvement in the Program by volunteering to be on the Education/Mentorship Committee OR act as a Mentor. Some Brethren may even consider doing both.

The good news is that we have volunteer Mentor/Coaches for each of the two candidates now awaiting initiation and we have two more Mentor/Coaches in waiting.

All you need do is let me know your interest & I will provide whatever material or explanation you may feel you require.

Now for a fresh thought

Have you ever considered which Brother you would call, or speak to, should you have a Masonic question that you needed answered OR if you simply needed someone to have a chat with.

If you have such a person in mind, both of you should consider yourselves to be very privilidged for having developed such a wonderful bond of friendship and respect. In the event that you have not shared this fact with the other Brother, may I suggest that there is no time like the present to let him know.

Whether you have realized it or not, this person, among other things is your Mentor.

A Thought to Ponder on.

Cicero, the Roman statesman and philosopher, wrote the following some 2000 years ago-

The Six Mistakes of Man

  1. The delusion that personal gain is made by crushing others.
  2. The tendency to worry about things that cannot be changed or corrected.
  3. Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it.
  4. Refusing to set aside trivial preferences.
  5. Neglecting development and refinement of the mind and not acquiring the habit of reading and studying.
  6. Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.

From my perspective, it is amazing how little the world has changed in this period of time. Possibly as Freemasons, living our philosophy, we can set an example!!!!!!!!!

Lastly

Lord , when we are wrong, make us willing to change.

And when we are right make us easy to live with.

God Bless                   V.W.Bro. Norman McEvoy

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When is a Man a Mason

by MasterMason

Fraternal Greetings Brethren.

WHEN IS A MAN A MASON

When he can look out over the rivers, the hills and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope and courage – which is the root of every virtue.

When he knows that, down in his heart, every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive and to love his fellow man.

When he knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yea, even in their sins-knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds.

When he has learned how to make friends and to keep them and above all to keep friends with himself.

When he loves flowers, can hunt the birds without a gun, and feels the thrill of an old forgotten joy and when he hears the laugh of a little child.

When he can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life.

When star-crowned trees and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters subdue him like the thought of one much loved and long dead; when no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain and no hand seeks his aid without response.

When he finds good in every faith that helps any man to lay hold of divine things and see majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be.

When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond mud and into the face of the most forlorn mortal and see something beyond sin.

When he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope.

When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellow man, with his God ; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song—glad to live, but not afraid to die!

Such a man has found the only real secret of Masonry and the one which it is trying to give to all the World.

Taken from the Fall Issue of The Grand Lodge of Washington  Fall 2003 Masonic Tribune===and authored by David A. McCuistion  Newport Tennessee.

CLOSING THOUGHT

Anyone can become angry

That is easy.

But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way

That is not easy

Have a Wonderful Day & God Bless

Norm

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The Beginnings

by MasterMason

Fraternal Greetings Brethren.

Welcome to my first attempt to put together a Monthly Masonic Education Newsletter, which I trust will be of interest to the majority of you, add to your daily advancement in Masonic knowledge and possibly even generate some discussion both inside and outside of the Lodge.

To get things started, it is my plan to introduce our MENTORSHIP PROGRAM  to all of you and not only explain it’s beginnings within Victoria Columbia No 1, but inform you as to where we are now and our hopes and plans for the future.

The Beginnings

At the Grand Lodge Communication in Kelowna in 1996, R.W. Bro. Bill Headen, as Chairman of the Committee for Masonic Advancement, made a presentation during which he commented that” Mentorship” would be a great way to introduce Freemasonry to not only NEW Brethren but add to the education of existing Brethren.

I was privilidged to be in the audience that day and was motivated by this statement, as such, on my return to Victoria, I gathered a few close associates together and we discussed how a Mentorship Program could be developed. I remember W.Bro George Skelton & Bro Rob Heppel as being part of that small kitchen table meeting.

Not long after that session, then Bro. Michael Cockerell offered his services in bringing together all the information that had been gathered and assembling it in a working format.

Thanks to his skill and dedication we have the current excellent working program.

I believe it is important to state “ current” as we consider the program to be a “Work in Progress” and will never be totally complete.

Where are we now

The Program has been operational in No 1 since 1998 and both Bro. Bill Mounce & W.Bro. George Skelton have filled the position of Mentorship Chairman over that period.

Our current Mentorship Chairman is W.Bro. Michael Cockerell and he is very capably guiding our New Candidates in their Introduction to and assimilation into Freemasonry.

As a matter of interest we note that Grand Lodge is now recommending the Mentorship Program to all Lodges in our Jurisdiction and through the efforts of their Education Committee has created versions for other than “ Emulation Workings”.

Where are we going

Under the guidance of the Lodge Education Committee it is the intention to make every member of our Lodge & beyond totally familiar with the Mentorship Program and be able to utilize same for their personal benefit and the advancement of Freemasonry.

The Program

Outside of the Administration of the Program, which I will deal with in a future Newsletter, the Brother is provided with 30 Masonic Papers, which are delivered to him at appropriate times during his advancement. These papers are as follows:

#1                                Freemasonry- A Way of Life

#2                                Aims & Relationships of the Craft

#3                                Brotherly Relief, Relief & Truth

#4                                The Formation of the First Grand Lodge

#5                                The Origins of Freemasonry in British Columbia

#6                                Freemasonry & Religion

#7                                Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.

#8                                The Entered Apprentice Degree

#9                                Charity

#10                              Lodge Officers

#11                              The Worshipful Master

#12                              The Festive Board

#13                              Memory Work

#14                              The Fellowcraft Degree

#15                              The Master Mason

#16                              The Duties, Rights and Privileges of a Master Mason.

#17                              Grand Lodge

#18                              The Apron

#19                              Protocol in the Lodge

#20                              Visiting.

#21                              The Universality of Freemasonry.

#22                              The Four Rituals

#23                              Masonic Landmarks

#24                              Learning Resources.

#25                              Masonic Bursaries & Grants

#26                              The Book of Constitutions

#27                              Frequently asked Questions re Book of Constitutions.

#28                              What can I tell my friends about Freemasonry

#29                              A listing of Lodge in British Columbia & Yukon

#30                              A History of Victoria Columbia No 1.

Conclusion

As your Director of Masonic Education, (2000) it will be my objective to place this information in the hands of every member, either by providing it in one full package OR one paper at a time. Please remember that your feedback is greatly appreciated and I can be reached in person ,or  by phone at 658-4036  or by email at theeducator@shaw.ca

Sincerely & Fraternally

V.W. Bro. Norman McEvoy

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