The Messenger

Technical Difficulties

2012-08-26T20:34:00.001-07:00

Because of technical difficulties with Blogger, this blog has moved to mercurylodge.com.

Mercury Lodge Initiates New Member

2012-07-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Above: Four of the members of Mercury Lodge with new initiate Mr. Davis (middle).

June 30, 2012 - After making a grueling trip, Brother Davis wasn't sure just what to expect when he rolled up to an undisclosed location in Los Angeles to receive Entered Apprentice degree.

Mercury Lodge took a big step forward with the initiation of Mr. Davis, as his entrance into the fold marks the beginning of Mercury as an actual lodge and not just a triangle.

The Grand Orient of the United States of America, of which Mercury Lodge is a part of, is one of the few viable continental freemasonry organizations that is NOT a satellite organization for a European organization.

"I Have Not Yet Begun To Fight"

2012-02-24T15:33:00.003-08:00

John Paul Jones, painted by Charles Wilson Peale, 1781.

John Paul Jones. The name itself conjures iconic images of great wooden ships pounding each other with cannons, while men in crows nest fired their muskets into the opposing ships, hoping to pick off other sailors. I most recently became fascinated with John Paul Jones because one of my aunt's traced our lineage to him through Ancestry.com. Our lives share a few parallels, but I have to admit he is a far more honorable man then I am, and his life story is much more exciting.

Most people don't know a whole lot about Jones, save for a quote we often remember from our elementary and high school days, "I have not yet begun to fight." Remember that? Unfortunately, that's probably the only thing we remember! This blog post will explore that particular moment in history when he said that, and hopefully show how he was instrumental to helping the United States win their independence from England.

John Paul Jones, His First Victories Against the British

Jones was born as just John Paul (he added Jones later) in Scotland, and apparently had a Scottish accent (think Sean Connery). He was also a freemason, and even joined his friend Benjamin Franklin at the Grand Orient de France's Lodge of the Nine Muses. That's why his story is relevant on this blog.

During the Revolutionary War, the rebel colonies had no real navy that could compare to might of the British Royal Navy. The USS Ranger, the sloop-of-war that John Paul Jones was to command, was relatively small and had only 18 guns. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy had huge first-rate ships of the lines with more than 100 guns. This is the disparity in naval vessels which John Paul Jones had to contend with.

So, when Jones decided that he would raid the British coast in his small 18-gun sloop, no one doubted that this was a ballsy type of guy. His victories in Great Britain made him a star in both the colonies and in France.

The Battle of Flamborough Head

His naval exploits onboard the Ranger were all successful, and in 1778 he took command of a larger, 42-gun ship that used to be a trading vessel, but was modified and fitted for war. He named it after his good friend Benjamin Franklin, who wrote the Poor Richard's Almanac. The ship's new name was the USS Le Bonne Homme Richard or "The Good Man Richard".

On September 22, 1779, the Bonne Homme Richard and a small brigantine (a type of brig) had split from another squadron and were sailing off the coast of Yorkshire, England, looking for some convoys to attack. In the later hours of night, Jones decided to join up with the other two frigates in his squadron, the Alliance and the Pallas. The reunited squadron headed north toward Bridlington, which was a peninsula that jutted out into the North Sea. On the other side of this peninsula were two British vessels that were escorting a large convoy heading south.

The Alliance separated itself from the squadron, leaving the Bonne Homme Richard and the similarly armed HMS Serapis to fight. The Serapis was a warship, not a modified trades vessel like the Richard, and as such was able to almost literally run circles around the Bonne Homme Richard. It was while losing the gunnery battle that the British captain asked if Jones would like to surrender, to which Jones famously replied, "I have not yet begun to fight."

Realizing he couldn't win against the Serapis in a gunnery battle, Jones decided to hook up the Bonne Homme Richard to the Serapis and make the fight hand-to-hand. A little over a half hour later, Jones's men were finally able to grapple the Serapis, and none to soon because the Bonne Homme Richard was heavily damaged and close to sinking. It was during this heated frenzy an American grenadier managed to throw a grenade (think of those black balls with fuses in them), either through a hole in the deck or just by sheer luck, next to the powder magazine in the rear of the ship. The explosion crippled the Serapis.

While the crew had managed to grapple the Serapis, they had not yet been able to board her. There was a point when an exhausted Jones took a few minutes to rest on a chicken coop. The Bonne Homme Richard's crew, thinking Jones was dead, decided to strike colors, but since the flag was shot away the crew had to shout it out. The British captain, perhaps perplexed, asked to confirm, "Have you struck your colors?"

Jones, who didn't have surrender in him, overheard this exchange and yelled back, "I have not yet thought of it, but I am determined to make you strike." Seeing that their commander was back in action, the crew also gave up trying to surrender and returned to the fight. Other reports later said that Jones said something more like, "I may sink, but I'll be damned if I strike."

Finally, after much gunfire and cannonades, the crew of the Bonne Homme Richard had managed to get close enough to board the Serapis. It was after seeing that the convoy had managed to escape safely, and after seeing that there was really no hope to win the battle, that the British commander of Serapis surrendered.

Jones's Contribution Toward American Independence

It was a small battle that made a huge impact on American morale throughout the colonies, which had lost quite a few battles. It was largely because of Jones's exploits, the diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin who was at the time in France, and because of a army win during the Battle of Saratoga, that the French decided to ally with rebels against England. Finally, the colonies had a real navy on their side that could actually fight toe-to-toe with the British. Soon, they'd have French troops to help win on the ground back in the colonies. Ultimately, the influence of the French military, and the tenacity of the colonial army and navy, was what won America's independence.

John Paul Jones, hereafter known as the "Terror of the English", had become a legend and is now known as the father of the United States Navy.

Grand Orient initiates new Entered Apprentices, Fellowcraft

2012-01-10T21:17:00.000-08:00

Starting from the left: Jason Chadwell, Sarah Stafford, Eric Kildahl

Growing steadily, the Grand Orient of the United States of America, one of the few viable continental freemasonry organizations that is NOT a satellite organization for a European organization, initiated new members.

Welcomed into the fold are Jason Chadwell, Sarah Stafford, and Eric Kildahl, pictured above. They were initiated at Halcyon Lodge in Ohio on Saturday, January 7. While there were others, these three were the ones who gave permission to use their names and photo for The Messenger.

Four others were raised to the Fellowcraft degree. Pictured below is Jason Chadwell, Roger Wynn, and Eric Kildahl. Welcome, brothers and sister.

Australian freemasons raise eyebrows with Christmas meal tradition

2011-12-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

Above: Haggis - A type of Scottish delicacy, chopped cow liver, lungs, and heart cooked inside a stomach.

Photo from CookNutri.com

Freemasons in Queensland, Australia caught the world's eye this holiday season with their long-standing tradition which they call Christmas with Haggis. Haggis is, to say the least, an interesting Scottish meal made from minced cow organs cooked inside a cow's stomach.

Members of Caledonian Lodge love the meal and the tradition, which has been an ongoing one for many, many years. Ted Sharp, a member of the Caledonian Lodge, says that he's been a member for 52 years and has enjoyed the haggis tradition each year.

"It tastes something like a savory mince but with more body to it," said Sharp.

Haggis is usually about 18 inches long, a foot wide, and six inches deep. It also features onions, grains, salt, and stock to the mixture of meat that might be considered unappetizing to most people.

Caledonian Lodge has seen some controversy in its days, which led to the preservation of this Scottish tradition. Back in early 1900s, there were three groups of Freemasons in the area - English, Irish, and Scottish.

According to an article from the Queensland Times, a lot of these lodges joined under the Grand Lodge of Queensland in 1921. Caledonian, which at the time was and is still a strong lodge, joined the Grand Lodge but when asked to give up some of their rites and Scottish traditions, they told the Grand Lodge where they could stick it.

To inquire about joining Mercury Lodge in California, or any Grand Orient USA lodge, please contact jef.travis@gomasons.org.

Arizona Man Sells His Uncle's Skeleton on Craigslist

2011-10-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Skulls and bones are sometimes used in Masonic rituals, but if you're curious why, joining a Masonic body is the only legitimate way to find out. Image from foundvalue.com.

Hard economic times is forcing an Arizona man to sell something very strange on Craigslist - his Freemason uncle's skeleton! On September 27, a Tempe man actually bought the skeleton for $3,000.

Phoenix resident Brian Evans, who posted the ad, said the bones may be more than 100 years old. He didn't list a price, but has declined $100 and also a trade for a "fainting goat". These offers were not exactly what Evans was hoping for, and in the end the tune of $3,000 greenbacks was the song he was waiting for.

Some people might wonder if buying or selling real human bones is illegal. It isn't. There is no law in Arizona or the United States that prohibits the possession of or sale of a human skeleton. And why should there be, right?

One thing can be said about this news, there's no shortage of odd things for sale on Craigslist!

Billionaire expels Russia's Grand Master from Party

2011-09-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

Mikhail Prokhorov, owner of the New Jersey Nets, and leader of Russia's Right Cause Party.

Photo from NBANets, Creative Commons.

Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov expelled Grand Master Andrei Vladimirovich Bogdanov from Russia's Right Cause Party, on the first day of the party's convention on Sept. 14.

Prokhorov is a busy guy. Not only does Prokhorov own the New Jersey Nets, but he is the leader of the Right Cause Party, which is a center-right political party in Russia that holds substantial power in Russia's Parliament..

Prokhorov may have acted out of paranoia, as he accused the party's executive board (which he also dismissed from session), and especially Bogdanov and the three whom were expelled with him, as "trying to hijack the party".

Bogdanov has always been a controversial character in Russian politics. He entered politics in 1990 and ascended the ranks to president of the Democratic Party of Russia. In 2008, the Democratic Party disbanded and merged with Right Cause.

Bodganov's mixing of Freemasonry and politics actually caused a schism in the Russian Grand Lodge back in 2007. As a result of Bogdanov's mingling of politics and masonry, a large segment of the Russian Grand Lodge formed their own alternative lodge called the United Grand Lodge of Russia.

Buzz Aldrin Divorce - Estranged Wife Wants to Keep Lavish Lifestyle

2011-09-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

Buzz Aldrin and Lois Driggs Cannon.

Original photo from cliff1066, Creative Commons

In 1969, Brother Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was the second human to walk on the moon; in 2011 it's his estranged wife who's making him see stars.

Along with the divorce papers, former wife Lois Driggs Cannon is asking for $25,000 A MONTH so she can maintain her "comfortable lifestyle". Cannon was often seen soaking up the limelight next to her spacewalking husband, and dined with kings, presidents, and movie stars.

She went traveling all over the world, including Antarctica, frequented lavish resorts, attended film festivals and celebrity events. This, to Cannon, is a comfortable lifestyle.

Recently, Aldrin and Cannon had to strike up a deal so he can actually enter his own home to get his own stuff. Divorce can be so cruel!

Perhaps Brother Edwin's struggles can serve as a lesson for all people. Be careful of the person whom one marries. Marriage is a lifelong commitment to another, and so spouses ought to enjoy each other's company for the sake of their company alone, and not the fringe benefits that might come from it. After all, when most people get married, the vow is "Through good times and bad times, for richer or poorer ..."

Take the vows seriously, for that is a sacred agreement. When a person makes an oath like that, they'd better intend to keep it.

A World Filled With the Ghosts of "What If ..."

2011-09-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

"... If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzche

An image by Ute Kraus, SpaceTimeTravel.org. Creative Commons

On a clear night, go outside and look up. People in the city might only see a couple hundred stars, but in the countryside or in the ocean (for the sailors out there) the sky is lit up so bright one can literally wander in the starlight, and find their way about.

What we see are an almost infinite amount of worlds, and of course those are only half of them (the other half lie below the horizon).

As an avid science advocate and a student of the Enlightenment, sometimes I imagine a plethora of "What ifs?" After all, absent from our awareness are the infinite possible worlds where questions like "What if ...?" offer a window to peer into.

What if wealth wasn't sucked up by corporations, the military industrial complex, wars, corporate welfare, etc., and is instead invested in scientific endeavors like exploring space, medical research, and even the science of morality?

Alot of money (trillions) of U.S. dollars is literally sucked up by CEOS and their boardmembers as profit, poured into seemingly endless wars, and pointless "wars" like the War on Drugs. Seen as an investment, this would explain why business and war are the two things that America is truly Number One at. These things only benefit a few people. Were the same amount spent toward the best attempt at human knowledge (which is science), the U.S. would be Number One at many other things besides war and business, and the net benefit would be felt across society as a whole.

But the investment into the frontiers of science reap knowledge, not profit. Right now our nation is under a spell, in which most believe that investment must lead to profit, and that the private sector alone is what should be driving this.

What if there were no Dark Ages, and instead western civilization went right into the Enlightenment?

The Dark Ages were a time when the church had a monopoly on knowledge and the attempts to gain knowledge. Because of that, human progress was stagnant for all those years. If there were no Dark Ages, a period that lasted almost a thousand years, wouldn't it seem possible that we would've explored the moon 400 years ago? That's a lofty assumption, but it seems plausible given the multiple fruits of our efforts in science, vs. the relatively barren tree that is theology and to a certain extent, classical philosophy.

We have but one method that has been proven to truly learn about the world; the scientific method. Philosophy may have given birth to science, but to the philosophers' dismay science has taken over as our source of knowledge. Astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson said Philosophy hasn't contributed to human knowledge in many years.

Mercury Lodge assists Artesia in Action

2011-08-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

On August 20, Mercury Lodge arrived in the little city of Artesia, California to lend a helping hand in cleaning up an abandoned warehouse.

The lodge joined up with a volunteer organization called Artesia in Action, which is comprised of local churches, businesses, and service organizations all got together to clean up an abandoned warehouse that has been vandalized and trashed by gangs, druggies, and other undesirables. This was AiA's first event.

AiA is inspired from a similar organization in Compton, called The Compton Initiative. In 2005, a church in Paramount had a good idea to help neighboring Compton. While that church initiated the program, the people of Compton took ownership of it. The mayor, city council, local businesses, civic and religious organizations all partnered to form one united force for change in Compton. This is the goal for Artesia in Action, for citizens to take ownership of their city and care for it.

Brother Jef Travis said, "I'm proud to represent the lodge, and I feel really good about what we're doing here."

Two 40-foot bins were filled to the brim with wood, junk, pottery, metal sheets, and various types of bulky debris. Additionally, large amounts of hazardous waste, electronic waste, and even a little bit of ammunition was collected and turned over to the proper agencies (i.e. sheriffs collected ammunition).

There was one minor injury, when a teenager from one of the churches hit his head and started bleeding. The wound was a minor one. The only other incident of note was the revealing of a rather large rodent.

"A gentleman in front of me uncovered a very large rat," said Bro. Andrew Perry. "When I saw it I thought 'Wow, what a big rat!' Suddenly, three women behind me screamed in unison when they saw the rat and they scared the bejesus out of me!"

Other than those minor incidents, work went by so smoothly that AiA actually finished about two hours earlier than expected. Plans are already being made for the next project. Watch the video above to learn more about Artesia in Action.

Anyone interested in joining Artesia in Action can sign up at http://www.nl-cc.org/CommunityImpact

The Statue of Liberty

2011-08-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

The head of the Statue of Liberty on Display at the Paris World Fair in 1878.

Photo by Albert Fernique, Public Domain

La Liberté éclairant le monde.

That is french for, "Liberty enlightening the world." She stands tall in New York harbor, adorned with a seven-pointed crown, meaning the seven continents of the world. Her torch raised high stands literally for enlightenment lighting the world toward freedom. She holds a tablet of laws, and on it is inscribed "July IV, MDCCLXXVI", (or July 4, 1776). Below her, she steps over a broken chain.

She is Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, she stands tall in New York harbor, and some people say she is an idol for the "Cult of Liberty".

Is It a Cult?

There are very few, I dare say none, who view Libertas as a real goddess. Thus, as a cult's idol one must stretch the meanings of "cult" far beyond its normal definition as a small religion. But as a symbol for liberty, for which Americans often express adoration for, perhaps the # 2 dictionary definition for "cult" suffices. "An instance of great veneration for an ideal."

The cult then is not for the statue, or for a Roman goddess, and so it isn't a religious practice. It's simply the love of liberty, and the creator of the Statue of Liberty understood this well.

Frederic Bartholdi, Sculptor and Freemason

At the heart of the matter, the idea of creating a memorial as a gift from France to the United States was established after the formation of the French Third Republic in 1870. The French had a fraternal kinship with the United States because the two were republics who shared Enlightenment values. It's hard to believe it, but back then the French and the U.S. were actually very cool with each other! They were such good friends that the two actually formed a Franco-American union.

Frederic Bartholdi, a member of this union, and a member of the Grand Orient de France, was a sculptor who answered the question, "What memorial should France give to the United States?"

As one might guess, the answer was a statue representing liberty, and what better way to symbolize it then to personify it in an already known goddess?

Conspiracy Theories

Perhaps the most prolific conspiracy theory is that Lady Liberty is a masonic goddess, and an idol given to American masons by the French Grand Orient, paid for by the French and American public by masonic propaganda. To the conspiracy theorists, the proof that it is a masonic cult idol was that Freemasons were the ones who laid the statue's cornerstone. All of this is crazy talk, and what suffices as reality only by the most paranoid and delusional of religious fanatics.

Yes, the Freemasons were a part of this. But the idea of a gift to the U.S. from the people of France was not a Masonic idea. It was a genuine sentiment coming from the French people, and voiced through the Franco-American Union.

Yes, a cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty was dedicated by Freemasons. But since Freemasons were a part of its building, this is normal. People from all sorts of organizations make dedication plaques, why is it suddenly so mysterious when Freemasons do so? Furthermore, the symbols of Lady Liberty are not really masonic ones, they were symbols that predate even Freemasonry. In other words, they were universally accepted symbols, not merely masonic ones.

In conclusion, the Statue of Liberty is not the result of a insidious conspiracy theory. It is a benevolent gift from the people of France, who had a deep friendship with the U.S. since the American Revolution, when the French helped the U.S. gain independence from Great Britain. It is a symbol not just of friendship between two countries, but of its own namesake: liberty. And why call upon Freemasons to lay the cornerstone? Because since the American revolution, liberty and enlightenment have been the cornerstone of Freemasonry. Many of America's founding fathers were Freemasons, and many who fought in the War for Independence were Freemasons. And since then, Freemasons have always held these ideals throughout all of America's history.

New York Grand Mason William A. Brodie said it best during the laying of the statue's cornerstone. "No institution has done more to promote liberty and to free men from the trammels and chains of ignorance and tyranny than has Freemasonry."

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, sculptor and Freemason.

Photo by Napoleon Sarony, 1880 (Public Domain)

Rick Perry Supporter: Statue of Liberty a French Freemason Demonic Idol

2011-08-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

Rick Perry - Teabagger, Christian extremist, anti-freemason ... future president?

Photo by Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons

Texas Governor Rick Perry has done quite a few controversial things the last few years. Shortly after Obama was elected President, Perry suggested that Texas (and other states) do have the right to secede from the Union, sparking a conversation among the right-wing fringe of starting the Second American Civil War.

More recently, he held 'The Response', a tactic he thinks will save this "nation in crisis." What is "the Response"? Well, he and 30,000 fervent Christians gathered in Houston, and prayed! While it's pretty clear that nothing happened because of the prayers, the Response proved to be a rather entertaining gathering of some very colorful personalities.

Among his most avid supporters is Texas preacher John Benefiel, who once said of the Statue of Liberty: "You know where we got it from, right? French Freemasons. Listen folks, that is an idol, a demonic idol right there in the middle of New York harbor."

Benefiel and conspiracy theorists like him see masons, especially "French Freemasons" as members of the "cult of liberty". He may have the right idea about the symbols, like the light representing 'liberty', or 'reason'. Ask yourself, "Is Lady Liberty's torch as a symbol of liberty or reason lighting the world REALLY a bad thing?" Every reasonable person would say, "No. It's a good thing."

We're not talking about reasonable people, though. We're talking about people obsessed with an Iron Age religion borne in the backwaters of the Late Roman Empire.

Benefiel says that Lady Liberty in no way glorifies Jesus Christ. Again, does this really matter? If anything, the Statue of Liberty glorifies the Enlightenment. Does Jesus Christ glorify the Enlightenment?

Whether or not Benefiel or his ilk can stomach it, the United States is the product of Enlightenment values like liberty and reason. Many of these Enlightenment values stemmed from Freemasons, both English and French, and for which French Freemasons actively seek to promote. That is what the Statue of Liberty is really about.

Being that the Grand Orient USA does take some of its traditions from French freemasonry, we obviously have a problem with Benefiel's take on the Statue of Liberty. That's why next week's post will be specifically about the Statue of Liberty and its creator, French Freemason and brother Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi.

2011-08-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

John Philip Sousa (1854 - 1932), circa 1880s.

Probably America's most famous composer is John Philip Sousa, 'The March King', whose works are recognized by just about any American who grew up in the States. Semper Fidelis, the Marine's marching song, and Stars and Stripes Forever are just two of the marching songs that made Sousa so popular.

Little known, however, is Sousa's Masonic work. He was a Mason of 51 years, a member of the Knights Templar, and a Shriner. There are at least three marches written by Sousa that have a Masonic influence: The Crusader, The Thunderer, and Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

The Crusader (1888) – The Crusader was written shortly after Sousa was ‘knighted’ in Columbia Commandery No. 2, Knights Templar, Washington D.C. Paul E. Bierley, an extensive biographer of Sousa’s, wrote, “Only those who receive certain degrees in Masonry may fully appreciate the meaning of this composition.” Bierley speculates that “The Crusader” is a reference to the Knights Templar organization of which he was a part of, if not some other individual “whose identity has escaped historians.” Bierley also stated that “if Sousa secretly used fragments of any Masonic music in the march, he concealed it so well that Masonic historians have been unable to bring it to the publics’ attention.”

The Thunderer (1889) – When Sousa wrote ‘The Thunderer’, he dedicated it to "Columbia Commandery No. 2, Knights Templar, of Washington, D. C.", where he was ‘knighted’ as a Templar. Speculation as to who “The Thunderer” might be vary. Bierley, who wrote many books about Sousa, said, “Other then the fact that ‘The Thunderer’ was most undoubtedly a Mason, his identity may never be revealed."

Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (1923) – After joining the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (aka Shriners) in 1922, Sousa became inspired to write one more Masonic piece, called Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, named after and dedicated to the Shriners.

Norway mass murderer's ties to freemasonry, and why Grand Orient masonry must succeed

2011-07-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Anders Breivik, the Christian fundamentalist who killed more than 70 people in Norway.

Photo from Toplix

July 22, 2011 - A bomb exploded at a government building in Oslo, Norway, killing 7 people. Later, a man dressed in a police uniform attacked a Labour Party youth camp and killed almost 70 people, mostly teenagers.

The self-confessed perpetrator of these horrible acts of violence is a man named Anders Breivik, a Christian fundamentalist, a far-right conservative, and a Freemason obsessed with the Knights Templar. Breivik said he did what he did because of Norway's liberal multicultural tolerance of Muslims, and he wanted to start a new revolution in Norway. He thinks this massacre is the first shots fired for this new crusade to reclaim the usually peaceful Norway.

Despite the seemingly purposeless killing of his fellow man for seemingly petty reasons, there are lessons we can learn from this. Most importantly, his actions highlight the danger of dogmatism. It is no secret that freemasonry traces its legacy back to the Knights Templar, those Christian zealots who led the Crusades against Islam. They were Breivik's role models.

While Anglo/American Freemasons hold the Knights Templar dearly and some may even share some of Brevik's political beliefs, it is safe to assume that [almost] all Freemasons abhor this man's choices. After all, a fear of Islam's encroachment on western civilization is undoubtedly on a lot of conservative's minds (Freemason or not); but how to confront it seems to be a point of division among those concerned. The difference between peace and violence seems to pivot upon one's conviction toward dogma.

Brevik's conviction was that he was a crusader like the Templars of old; that even after he killed so many people he will still enter heaven as a martyr. No doubt, his involvement in freemasonry, while not central to his belief, strengthened them.

For those of us in the Grand Orient brand of freemasonry, we listen to these maniacal and futile bleatings from a desperate religionist and shake our heads in disbelief. We are unable to believe what goes through the gray matter of other people.

Why take the Knights Templar's so seriously? That was over a thousand years ago! Why attack peaceful citizens because of a religion that is 2,000-plus years old and created in the backwaters of the Late Roman Empire? And what do those things have to do with modern-day political parties like the Labor Party in Norway? We are unable to believe that dogma and unsubstantiated beliefs can cause such reckless behavior!

Shoulder patch - "Marxist Hunter - Multicultural traitor hunting license"

This is the reality of our world. Throughout all of humanity's epochs, people have had to struggle against others who would see them fall. Today, if we want to preserve the good things in modern life, we must actively push back against ancient barbarism like Breivik's.

While we see it as a war of ideas, people like Breivik see it as just a war. Violence may not be the answer; seeing it as a war of ideas is the right way to see it. Rather, conversational intolerance is the best antidote. When someone says something like "I'm a modern Crusader for Christ", challenge them! Criticize them. Let them bear the burden of incredulity.

If Breivik had been around someone who criticized him and planted a seed of doubt; this whole mess may have been prevented. Would he have gone on to kill so many people if he had simply thought to himself, "Maybe this isn't what God wants?" or "Maybe I won't go to heaven if I kill all these kids."

Classical music with a mason's twist

2011-07-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

Maximianno Cobra, of TEMPUS Collection.

One of the most talented of modern-day conductors of classical music is Maximianno Cobra, a Franco-Brazilian doctor of musicology and music history.

At the age of five, Cobra was already studying music and impressing his teachers. At 13, he was already studying music composition and harmony, which was probably what led him to become a conductor later in life. Some of his biggest musical influences are Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Bruckner, Shubert, and Wagner.

In 1993, he became steeped in what is known as 'TEMPUS theory,' which is a philosophical view of classical music that suggests that the tempo should be changed to a metric reading rather than a standard mathematical reading. This usually makes the tempo about twice as slow as other conductors would perform it. For example, Wagner performed his Tannhauser Overture in 12 minutes; while Cobra performs it in 30 minutes. The results are very interesting, and produce an entirely different feel.

Cobra became steeped in philosophy, particularly that of Spinoza, Nietzche, and Deleuze - all of whom forged Cobra's outlook on life. When he first encountered Shakespeare, he was blown away in what he called "an existential upheaval". This quest for philosophy is one of the things that led him to TEMPUS theory, and also into freemasonry, particularly the Grand Orient.

Cobra joined the Lodge of the Nine Sisters (Les Neuf Souers) in Paris, France and is currently the research director for the lodge. He lives a busy life composing music for TEMPUS Collection, touring throughout Europe, and working on Les Neuf Souers' pet projects; a completed Masonic Encyclopedia of the Arts and a Masonic Philharmonia.

Donations to the encyclopedia project are always welcome.

William Blake's Ancient of Days

2011-07-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

William Blake's Ancient of Days, which shows (albeit subtly) its masonic influence.

Photo from Andrew Perry

An artist touched by masonic philosophy is usually want to express how freemasonry has touched his or her life, or to somehow illustrate the philosophy in an idealized form.

In the Ancient of Days painting, made by the English Romantic painter and poet William Blake (1757-1827), the casual observer would see an old man seemingly kneeling in the sky reaching downwards with two points of light emanating from his fingers.

In the Book of Daniel, Chapter 7 Verse 9, the following reference to the Ancient of Days is made: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire."

And then, in Daniel 7:13-14: "I kept on beholding in the visions of the night, and, see there! with the clouds of the heavens someone like a son of man happened to be coming; and to the Ancient of Days he gained access, and they brought him up close even before that One. And to him there were given rulership and dignity and kingdom, that the peoples, national groups and languages should all serve even him. His rulership is an indefinitely lasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom one that will not be brought to ruin."

Whether or not one believes in the god of Judaism, we can see the setting for which William Blake made his painting. He said it came to him as a vision.

What is masonic about it? Look a little closer, and we see that the beams of light are actually a compass. Blake is essentially depicting the Grand Geometrician, measuring the world below Him. And behind the figure, the sun - also an important masonic symbol - shines down.

I'm not sure if I can disclose the meaning of these symbols, but we can at least establish that freemasonry is indeed a major influence for Blake's painting.

The Masonic Requirement for Believing in God

2011-07-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

"Prayer is the language of a man burdened with the sense of need." - E.M. Bounds

Photo by Leland Francisco, Creative Commons

When one wants to become a better person, how important is the belief in God?

First, we should examine what it means to be a better person. With that understanding, we can ascertain whether the belief in God is important.

The ancients, and our modern philosophers tend to agree on a few points on what makes a man (or woman) "better". Aristotle, for example, focused on virtue. Virtue is basically excellence in particular functions. He suggested that a person should learn science, mathematics, how to think critically, to be involved in politics, and to engage socially. He also focused on what he called 'the Golden Mean'. To avoid excess and also to avoid defect - to find the happy medium between the two. To Aristotle, 'excellence' is had by a truly well-rounded individual.

The Chinese philosopher Confucius was very much like Aristotle, and stressed education and even had a version of his Golden Rule, "What one does not wish for oneself, one ought not to do to anyone else; what one recognizes as desirable for oneself, one ought to be willing to grant to others.". Confucius taught that we should care more about other humans then animals or property. The idea may not have been around during his time, but if animals were found to also be sentient beings, caring about their well-being would also be moral. So, Confucius also stresses education, knowledge, but also compassion and harmony toward other sentient beings.

And it goes on and on like this for millennia - these are the keys to becoming better people: knowledge, learning how to think critically, humbling one's self, being involved in politics, and compassion toward others. Yet, in these philosophies of ethics, the requirement of a belief in God is not necessary. Who then, requires the belief in God in order to become better? Religions, of course.

For obvious reasons, all the world's religions (save for Buddhism), suggest that believing in God is vital to becoming a better person. In fact, it is a requirement of their religion. However, all of these religions contradict each other precisely for that reason. They all have different gods, and in those religions that share the same god or gods, it is only their version that is recognized by that god.

In freemasonry, where the goal is to become a better person - one is often required (by lodges in amity with the United Grand Lodge of England) to believe in God. But those in the Grand Orient have realized that people can make up their minds. That is why in 1877, the Grand Orient de France ruled in its Laicite', "that all men are given, without distinction of class, origin or denomination, the means to be themselves, to have the freedom of choice, to be responsible for their own maturity and masters of their destiny."

What does that mean? It means that it's no longer necessary to require belief in God; people can come to their own conclusions. GOUSA and all Grand Orient lodges around the world are merely carrying the torch for this type of freedom of thought.

Mercury Lodge participates in Relay for Life 2011

2011-06-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

At the Relay for Life. Photo by Stephanie

Since Mercury Lodge currently has no official charity, we've decided to participate in other, more established, charities. We participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event on June 25, at Gahr High School in Cerritos, Calif.

While Andrew admittedly walked only because he was sympathetic to the cause, Jef walked on behalf of one of his cousins.

Our fellow team member Stephanie

The Grand Orient's participation in the event helped the Artesia Team exceed its goal of $3,000. The team has raised $3,150 so far.

To donate to the Relay for Life, click here. You can click 'Donate' or you can donate to our team. By donating to our team, you are still donating to the American Cancer Society (since all proceeds go to it), but our team will come closer to reaching its new goal of $4,000.

Even though we've met our $3,000 goal, we want to go far beyond it. It's for a great cause (cancer research)! As the fundraising mantra goes, "Finding a cure for a cancer starts one participant, one dollar at a time."

Thanks for your support. For more information about the American Cancer Society, click here. For more information on the Relay for Life, click here.

Fraternity

2011-06-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

Rally for solidarity in Gdansk, Poland. Photo from Gdansk-life.com

While "liberty" and "equality" were the most universal terms, there came a battle (of sorts) for the third word. So, a little less glorified and perhaps less able to strum the heart strings of emotion, is "fraternity".

"Fraternity" won over other candidate words like "property", "reasons", and even "safety"! It essentially solidarity, camaraderie, or a sort of brotherly love. The entire motto (including fraternity) first appeared in 1791, in a proposition by the Cordeliers Club.

Later, a British Marine who was a prisoner on a French ship wrote home, "The republican spirit is inculcated not in songs only, for in every part of the ship I find emblems purposely displayed to awaken it. All the orders relating to the discipline of the crew are hung up, and prefaced by the words Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, ou la Mort, written in capital letters."

The French words read by the imprisoned marine read, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, or Death."

In its own special way, fraternity is probably the most practical word in the entire motto. Liberty and equality are ideals that are often impossible to achieve. Fraternity, or solidarity, can be achieved - especially if brothers and sisters share the same ideals - and actively seek those ideals for all.

"Liberty and equality for all." Who says? That's where fraternity comes into play. We do.

Equality

2011-06-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

"Liberty! Equality! Fraternity!" Those three words were the battlecry of the French revolution, and is today the motto of the nation of France. In the spirit of friendship with our French brothers and sisters, we will be covering those three words in separate blog posts. This is Part 2; Equality.

Though not as often as "liberty", equality is another word that is used aplenty, but it also has a negative stigma and is sometimes shunned among conservative circles. To them, equality is almost synonymous with communism, and the opposite of individuality. But this understanding of the word is different then what is meant in France's Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. To the French, equality is judicial equality (or equity). That is, all people shall be treated the same under the law.

From their Declaration, the law "must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in its eyes, shall be equally eligible to all high offices, public positions and employments, according to their ability, and without other distinction than that of their virtues and talents."

The importance of equality comes into light when we think of history, and from what the French Revolution was born from. France's revolution, unlike America's, was the literal toppling of a monarchy. While in the U.S. the colonies were seeking independence; France's revolution came from downtrodden people seeking to overthrow a long-established monarchy.

In monarchies, royalty is often treated as above the law. Essentially, a nobleman can get away with killing a peasant and not have to worry too much about punishment. But, if a peasant killed a nobleman there would be an execution in the near future. King Louis XVI's rise to power came at an inopportune time, when France was nearing bankruptcy. After a series of debacles involving the nation's finances and politics, the common people turned against their longtime overlords - the church and the nobility.

As we should know today, when a few people are profiting (i.e. oil companies) and everyone else is experiencing an economic slump; people begin to grumble. But this sense of inequality amplifies when we consider that prior to the French Revolution, a small group of people was ruling over everyone else simply because of birth. The times were ripe for revolution and more then ever, the people of France wanted equality.

It was bloody. In fact, the guillotine is a symbol of the French Revolution's aftermath because the king, queen, nobles, clergymen, and their sympathizers, were summarily executed. By today's standards the aftermath of the Revolution was terrible. In fact, it was nicknamed the Reign of Terror.

But what came of the revolution? From the smoke, ashes, and blood of the French Revolution; one of the eternal Platonic truths rose like a Phoenix. Equality. Finally, the common man had their opportunity to create a secular democracy in which people were ruled equally under the law.

Liberty

2011-06-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

Light as an analogy for knowledge

2011-06-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Illuminating the rice. Photo by Arria Belli, Creative Commons

Philosophers, poets, authors, orators, and even grampa, have long used 'light' as an analogy for knowledge. The idea is that without information about the world, the human mind is like a pitch-black room. In such a state, there is no information, aside from darkness, that the person can know using his/her eyes only.

Often, a candle or a flashlight is used to symbolize the mechanism by which one can learn about a world that is otherwise shrouded in opaque black. In order to wield such a metaphorical flashlight, we have to be familiar with critical thinking skills, philosophy, and most importantly science. There is another thing for which we should consider when we think about light. When something is lit up and we can see it, we are not actually seeing the thing itself. We are only seeing light.

So, when one wishes to enter upon a quest to illuminate the darkness, he/she ought to consider just how compromised we humans are from knowing something like 'truth'. We experience the world not as it is, but as we sense it to be. Light, for example, is merely a perception. When the photographer saw the rice in the photo, it's because light reflected off the rice and bounced back into her retinas, to be interpreted by her brain. When she recognized that it is rice, that initial experience of seeing the small white cylinders of nourishment is checked against a backlog of memories associated with rice. And of course, something similar can be said about her photo and its effect on us; its viewers.

In a very real sense, all the things that we see are going on in two different places. On the one hand, there is that which is going on in the real world, which Immanuel Kant called 'noumena'. And then there is what is going on inside our head, the sensed perception of what is going on outside of us. From our perspective, the second is the most 'real' because it's the only thing we have to go on. It is immediate and it is personal, but ironically it is not the actual thing itself.

This has been noticed by many people through the ages, from ancient shamans to modern astrophysicists. And yet, it is an important thing to realize when delving into any quest for knowledge. If anything, it puts a little doubt into the things that we have often assumed to be true.

Mercury Rising

2011-06-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

Many Anglo and U.S. freemasons (aka 'mainstreamers') recognize that their brand of freemasonry almost seems to be losing its relevance, due to its adherence to certain dogmatisms - specifically the exclusion of nonbelievers and women.

Master Mason Greg Stewart, a mainstream Mason, wrote a bit about the George Washington Union (another continental freemason organization in California) in his blog The Masonic Traveler. After saying some good things about the GWU, regarding their masonic knowledge and having many enlightening conversations, Stewart posed the following thought, "To most Freemasons, anyone from this group would be considered clandestine, which translates to them not being charted by a "recognized" body of Freemasonry. These same people would deem them heretical and not Freemasons. But I suggest as a question to you, what makes someone a Freemason?"

Stewart's question is on many freemasons' minds. Is there anything specific about being a nonbeliever, or a woman, or both, that would somehow disqualify someone from reaching the ideals taught in Freemasonry (i.e. fraternity, moral character, philosophy, a universal temple for mankind). Can't an atheist woman recognize that she is still part of a far larger order? Is morality from god, or is it innate? Even if it does come from a god or gods, moral behavior comes from within - whether one believes in a deity or not; and it certainly doesn't matter whether one is a man or woman.

There is one document, an old one, called Anderson's Constitutions that laid this foundation of requiring belief and masculinity. It was written in 1723, during an age when one was forced to believe in God, and the only people who had any say in society were by and large men.

It is now 2011, and much has changed since the early 1700s. Nonbelievers, while admittedly frowned upon by large segments of the population, are literally among the most intelligent people around. Many scientists, philosophers, and mystics are nonbelievers; yet their nonbelief has not hindered their ability to think and be influential. Long gone are the days when we'd be required to burn them at the stake.

Women too, while still struggling against the glass ceiling, have enjoyed immense freedom and political power since the women's rights movements of the western world.

Freemasonry, like any entity, must adapt to the changing world; or else suffer the implied threat of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland. She said, "It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place." Biologists like to use that phrase when referencing evolution. To biologists, the Red Queen Hypothesis means 'it takes continuous adaptation for a species to remain fit in a changing environment'.

Stewart is right when he says at the end of his post, "Is this group part of Freemasonry's evolution? Perhaps realizing that there are bodies of Freemasonry that exist outside the norm of what we know to be "regular" will be the first step in truly being a Universal Brotherhood."