Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Covering

In the Entered Apprentice degree we are taught that a Lodge has a covering...... the covering of a lodge is a clouded canopy or starry decked heaven.....okay.

Delving into some of the meanings of the above mentioned phrase we find some interesting definitions of those particular words.

A covering is defined as something laid over or surrounding a thing for protection. Clouded refers to covering or laying over something as with clouds. In searching further a canopy is defined as a roof-like covering, an ornamental awning over a person of importance in ceremonial occasions.

Starry refers to abounding with stars or brightly lit by the stars. Moving forward the innocent word decked, means something that is covered or put under one roof. Heaven has many definitions and many different uses, perhaps the most interesting and appropriate for our use......heaven was a term used in Elizabethan Theater in reference to a wooden roof or canopy over the outer stage of the theater.

Elizabethan Theater took place primarily in London from roughly from 1567-1642. Permanent theaters were built for the plays of Shakespeare and others. Pretty interesting stuff considering this predated our fraternity by by less than a 100 years....maybe?????

So the lodge is covered or protected by a clouded canopy or awning of clouds over our important ceremonial occasions....or..... a star lit roof or heaven, if you will.

My interpretation is that during the daylight hours the Lodge is covered by billowing puffy clouds protecting us from the outside world and at night a star lit roof or canopy. Remember clouds are only visible during the day and I remember as a kid that sometimes it felt like a dome over us......visions of a canopy of trees also comes to mind.......also at night when the stars are in full display it gives the feeling that a heavenly dome covers over the earth. Now days when one ventures out of the city into the country at night and away from the light pollution of the urban sprawl this effect seems almost surreal as we've grown accustomed to our city environments.




Another illustration I believe they were trying to make was that the lodge....really the fraternity was covered or protected by a symbolic dome created by the Grand Architect. If one looks outside regardless of the location, because of the curvature of the earth the sky has a dome-like appearance. As we look toward the horizon the dome appears to end.....but as we move toward the horizon it is never ending....thus wherever we are we are beneath the dome. Therefore wherever we are with the fraternity we are under that covering.

 Little did I know that when I started my search of this small passage that I would learn of the Elizabethan Theater and some of it's history. Obviously this influenced the writers of our ritual in trying to describe the heavenly star lit dome. They referred back to what they knew and were able to describe it. The word heaven has a very apparent dual meaning here.

Each time I engage in these brief studies I am simply astounded at what unfolds from so few words. It is quite apparent that the writers of our ritual had a very intricate understanding of words and how to use them, and to preserve their thoughts and illustrations for many years to come.










Friday, November 16, 2012

Where is the Pride ?

Something that has been bothering me is the lack of seriousness and pride displayed in our degree work. When a man is joining our great fraternity, one of the things which draws him to us is our rich heritage. Too many times we lack in promoting our heritage, traditions, and rituals to the candidate.

In my opinion this can be attributed to sloppy work, that is ritual work and sloppy floor work. When opening and closing our lodges the officers are often referred to by the wrong name, i.e. Brother Senior err....Junior Deacon err...Warden. It reminds me of when my kids were young and I would have to go thru all their names to arrive at the correct one....and at times exclaim, "whatever your name is come here."

It is very easy to mistakenly address an officer...but if we study and actually practice or rehearse this can be corrected. The same thing applies for the modes of recognition (tokens) and the signs. Think about this....put yourself in the place of the candidate....here he is joining the world's oldest and largest fraternity and the officers imparting the "knowledge" of the signs, tokens, and words can't properly demonstrate them and their meaning. The candidate begins to wonder if these are so important why are the officers confused and not sure of themselves.

Compare the scenario above to your chosen work, whether currently active or retired....if someone new came on the job site and you had to train the new person would you have the confidence and ability to clearly demonstrate to them how to do the job. My thinking is that you could clearly communicate to them and teach that new person how to do the job. This would be easily done because of repetition, dedication, and pride in your work....a chance to "show-off" a bit.

Where has the repetition, dedication, and pride in our Masonic work gone? The old saying is "that you only have one chance to make a good first impression." Admittedly we are all going to make mistakes, get confused and or nervous. However, at this stage of the "Masonic Year" the officers in place should have a good feel for their office and be able to "show-off" a bit and really impress these candidates.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The Great Spirit

I had the pleasure, honor, and privilege of visiting Fenton Lodge #109 which is located in historic Holly, Michigan. The purpose of last evening's special communication of Fenton Lodge was to confer the Entered Apprentice Degree on a Native-American candidate.

After a tremendous meal we moved to the lodge room to witness the degree. There were at least 50 brothers in attendance from many different lodges and areas represented along with a Grand Lodge Officer and several Grand Lodge representatives, Past Masters, and brothers from throughout the area.

What made this a slightly different EA degree was that the candidate placed his trust in The Great Spirit, and took his obligation at the altar of Masonry with the Holy Bible open and also his Sacred Emblems displayed along with the square and compasses.

As we are taught in Masonry to become a Mason you must profess a belief in a Supreme Being. Masonry encompasses many religions that believe in a Supreme Being and eternal life. This applies to most major religions, i.e. Muslim, Jewish, Mormon, etc.

Diversity is something that makes Masonry unique. There are many types of diversity; age, socio-economic, race, religion, level of education and others. Often times we tend to overlook the diversity aspect of our fraternity. As we progress further into the 21st. century diversity becomes more and more of a real issue.

Remember our fraternity started with operative masons, but through their teachings and principals they began to open up to "accepted" masons. Another thing to remember is that after the "building boom" of the renaissance period the number of "operative" masons began to diminish and the ranks of the fraternity turned more towards the "accepted" masons.

The founding of our own country was a result of the colonists seeking religious freedoms and the ability to worship according to their chosen faith.

This was truly a fine night in Masonry and one which was a true pleasure to witness the accepting nature of this great fraternity.


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Secret Society Meets in Back-room of Polling Station

Can you imagine that headline in the newspaper. It could be used in today's paper and it would be somewhat true. We aren't a secret society as we all know but it makes for an interesting headline.

Our lodge is a polling station and wouldn't you know it was also our regular stated meeting. So, as the voting took place in our dining hall, we met and had our regular stated meeting and election of officers in the lodge room.

It was really neat that while we were meeting, voting was taking place. A perfect example of two of the many great freedoms we enjoy here in the United States of America. The ability and right to exercise our vote, and the ability and right to assemble. They both took place in the same building and at the same time!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Forefathers....are we worthy?

There is something that has been on my mind for quite a long time, in fact I may have written about it before. If that is the case it bears repeating.

I had the pleasure of joining Freemasonry back in 1983, which afforded me the opportunity to meet many Masons who were legends in their own time and are still legends in local Masonic circles. Those men were true Masons and could always be counted on to assist in degree work, help a new brother with his lessons, encourage others to travel with them, and to be mentors to we younger brothers in the craft.

When I was around these brothers I took them for granted unfortunately. I suppose that I thought they would eventually be replaced by others coming up through the ranks. Knowing these men the way I did, I'm sure that they did not view themselves as legends in their own time and after.

There was something very special about those men who I met in my early days in the craft. They personified what a Mason was. They would whisper good counsel in your ear after a meeting to help clarify a word or correct some floor-work, etc. Many of these men created special relationships with the new or young brothers by teaching them and coaching them through their lessons.

Names like Durbin, Lyons, Malone, Hicks, Fredricks, Bishop, Love and numerous others. These brothers have gone to the celestial lodge above...but their memory and legacy lives on.

Who will the younger and newer brothers of today look up to? Are there any among us who are as worthy as these brothers were to be called a Mason? Will any of our work inspire any brothers to remember us 30 years from now?

There are many fine Masons who are very active currently. The shoes left behind by our forefathers are some mighty big shoes to fill, it is my hope that there are those who are wothy enough to dip their toes into those shoes. This is an amazing fraternity with some very amazing men.....I pray that some will continue the legacy of greatness left by those who have gone before us.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Preview of Things to Come

The Masonic Brother in search of the "Lost Word" should not be on a hunt for a mystic term to be used like a magic spell. That for what he really searches is to discover the Divine Truth within himself. "While traveling upon the level of time towards that undiscovered Country from whose borne no traveler returns." No one could tell me where my Soul might be. I search for God, but God eludes me. I sought my Brother, and found all three.